Happy Tuesday!
Top Ten Tuesday is a Bookish Meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and this week’s theme is HOLIDAY READS! (WHICH IS KIND OF WHAT I DID?)
This week I looked high and low for books with snow or ice on the cover, because up here in Maine it’s been snowing for the past three days! I’m not a big ~holiday~ reader, so this is a little different from today’s assigned topic, but it’s close! And now without any further ado, here’s this week’s Top Ten Tuesday!
Amazing Grace by Megan Shull Published on July 11, 2006 by Hyperion
Genres: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 256
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Gorgeous teen superstar Grace Kincaid has it all--an electric smile, million-dollar endorsement deals, and blond cover-girl looks. But what happens when America's "It" girl doesn't want "It" anymore? With the paparazzi stalking her every move, Grace quietly slips out of a TEEN PEOPLE photo shoot, ducks the press, and calls her mom from the boiler room of the fabled USTA National Tennis Center. And right there, in her custom-made Nike warm-ups, tears streaming down her face, Grace says the three magic words that her mom told her she could say anytime, anytime this whole crazy life wasn't fun anymore. Three simple words—and her new life begins. For the hottest girl on the planet, life's about to change. Grace gets a make-under, a new identity, and a new life in a rugged little town on the edge of nowhere, population 813 (including one cute boy: one very cute boy).
Before the Snow by Danielle Paige Published on July 26, 2016Genres: YA, Fantasy, Retellings
Pages: 90
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Enter a world of elemental magic, forbidden romance, and betrayal in this prequel to New York Times bestselling author Danielle Paige's upcoming Stealing Snow.
Young Nepenthe is half-princess, half-mermaid. Though she longs for the sea, her father wants her to stay on land. But only love can make a mermaid give up the water, and Nepenthe doesn't love anyone the way her mother loves her human father. She wants to live as a mermaid and become the River Witch, like her mother.
Then Nepenthe meets Prince Lazar, the son of the all-powerful Snow King of Algid, and she can't help but fall for him. After a horrible tragedy strikes, Nepenthe joins forces with a young fire witch named Ora to save Lazar and protect the kingdom. But it soon becomes clear that Ora loves Lazar just as much as Nepenthe does... And now Nepenthe must decide: inherit the power of the River Witch, or betray her friend to be with the boy she loves.
And Nepenthe's role in the prophecy is only just beginning. . . In the future, she is destined to cross paths with a girl named Snow, who will have the power to change Algid forever-for better, or for worse.
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Published on April 3, 2012 by Speak
Genres: YA, Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
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It's 1941 and fifteen-year-old artist Lina Vilkas is on Stalin's extermination list. Deported to a prison camp in Siberia, Lina fights for her life, fearless, risking everything to save her family. It's a long and harrowing journey and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu, Erin Mcguire Published on September 27, 2011 by Walden Pond Press
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Retellings
Pages: 312
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Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it - Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else.
And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out, she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen, and he was taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now, it's up to Hazel to venture into the woods after him. Hazel finds, however, that these woods are nothing like what she's read about, and the Jack that Hazel went in to save isn't the same Jack that will emerge. Or even the same Hazel.
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.
Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan Published on June 7, 2016 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 375
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Julia has the unusual ability to be…unseen. Not invisible, exactly. Just beyond most people’s senses.
It’s a dangerous trait in a city that has banned all forms of magic and drowns witches in public Cleansings. But it’s a useful trait for a thief and a spy. And Julia has learned—crime pays.
Her latest job is paying very well indeed. Julia is posing as a housemaid in the grand house of Mrs. Och, where an odd assortment of characters live and work: A disgraced professor who keeps forbidden books and sends her to fetch parcels containing bullets, spiders, and poison. An aristocratic houseguest who is locked in the basement each night. And a mysterious young woman with an infant son who is clearly hiding—though from what or whom?
Worse, Julia has a creeping suspicion that there’s a connection between these people and the killer leaving a trail of bodies across the frozen city.
The more she learns, the more she wants to be done with this unnatural job. To go back to the safety of her friends and fellow thieves. But Julia is entangled in a struggle between forces more powerful than she’d ever imagined. Escape will come at a terrible price.
And even a girl who can vanish can’t walk away from her own worst deeds.
My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins, Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White, Jim Tierney Published on October 14, 2014Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Anthology
Pages: 321
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If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.
Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter Published on March 27, 2018 by Scholastic Press
Genres: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 297
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Maddie thought she and Logan would be friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service agent and your best friend is the president's son, sometimes life has other plans. Before she knows it, Maddie's dad is dragging her to a cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.
No phone.No Internet.And not a single word from Logan.
Maddie tells herself it's okay. After all, she's the most popular girl for twenty miles in any direction. (She’s also the only girl for twenty miles in any direction.) She has wood to cut and weapons to bedazzle. Her life is full.Until Logan shows up six years later . . .And Maddie wants to kill him.
But before that can happen, an assailant appears out of nowhere, knocking Maddie off a cliff and dragging Logan to some unknown fate. Maddie knows she could turn back- and get help. But the weather is turning and the terrain will only get more treacherous, the animals more deadly.
Maddie still really wants to kill Logan.But she has to save him first.
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black Published on November 19, 2019 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 308
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest
The finale to the New York Times bestselling Folk of Air trilogy, that started with The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King, from award-winning author Holly Black.
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan Published on October 4, 2011Genres: Middle Grade, Mythology
Pages: 521
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram
Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth.
Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem—when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wishes she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.
Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery—although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely—enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.
Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.
Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones Published on February 7, 2017 by Thomas Dunne Books
Genres: YA, Retellings, Romance, Fantasy
Pages: 436
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The last night of the year. Now the days of winter begin and the Goblin King rides abroad, searching for his bride....
All her life, Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, dangerous Goblin King. They've enraptured her mind and spirit and inspired her musical compositions. Now eighteen and helping to run her family’s inn, Liesel can't help but feel that her musical dreams and childhood fantasies are slipping away.
But when her own sister is taken by the Goblin King, Liesl has no choice but to journey to the Underground to save her. Drawn to the strange, captivating world she finds--and the mysterious man who rules it--she soon faces an impossible decision. With time and the old laws working against her, Liesl must discover who she truly is before her fate is sealed.
Dark, romantic, and powerful, Wintersong will sweep you away into a world you won't soon forget.
Is it snowing where you are? Do you enjoy snow or do you just want the sunshine back? (like me!) Let me know in the comments below and have a splendiferous week!
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
All of these scream winter to me. I haven’t read many of them, but I see a couple like Shades of Grey, that I want to. Great list!
Here are some holiday reads I would like to read: My Top Ten Tuesday.
I really need to read Wintersong sometime.
My TTT.
Lydia recently posted…Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books That Influenced My Life
Love all of these covers! I haven’t read any of them, but some sound like they’d be something I’d like to read.
WAIT!!! You’re from MAINE?! I live in NH now, but I am a born-and-raised Mainer!!!! My family still lives in Gorham and I’m there ALL the time!
My TTT:
http://megabunnyreads.home.blog/2019/12/03/top-ten-tuesday-harry-potter-and-the-chamber-of-secrets-edition/
Between Shades of Gray is on my TBR, but it seems like the kind of thing I should save for summer, or it will make me colder than I already am most of the time during winter.
Kristi recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Christmas TBR
These are all really pretty books! Thanks for stopping by earlier.
It doesn’t really snow here in the Phoenix area besides occasional flurries. I’d love to have snow, but that’s probably because it would be a novelty 🙂 I grew up in the PNW so I know what a pain snow and ice can be, especially to drive in. I miss it, though! It doesn’t feel like Christmas without it.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I love your snowy, icy covers! What a great selection!
Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Cold & snowy books for cold & snowy days
I get your struggle with this topic haha! I think you definitely pulled it off. Personally, I don’t think I’ve read ANY books with snow on the cover or have any on my tbr. They mostly tend to be romance books and I’m too much of a grumpy grandma for that.
Nikki @The Night is Dark and Full of Books recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday #20 || Some red & green books on my TBR (because I’m so festive)
Breadcrumbs sounds really interesting! 😊
I’m so jealous of your snow. We rarely get any down here in Texas anymore. This is a great list, with many that I’ve read, including Julia Vanishes, which I’d completely forgotten that I had read. Did you read the rest in the series?
My TTT
Dedra @ A Book Wanderer recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Holiday Reads
Love the theme you’ve got going on! Ooh, all of your picks are stunning and so perfect!
Jessica at Booked J recently posted…Holiday Gift Guide | Some of My Favourite Bookish Gift Ideas