…Author Similar to an Author You Love

Recommend A… is a SUPER meme hosted by Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit that lets us get a little random, and a little off the radar. I LOVE IT.

I think the hardest part of choosing this week’s recommendation is picking just one author to start with! After much thought and back and forth, I’m going with Morgan Matson. I know, I know. She’s only written two books, but they were both outstanding. Emotional, well-written, sometimes fun, sometimes sad, always heartfelt. I think that if you love Morgan’s books, you’d also totally love…

Jenny Han

Specifically, her Summer series. The story of Belly and the Fischer boys is emo, broody, sweet, sad, and AWESOME. Plus it’s got the bonus of a beach town, a triangle that isn’t irritating at all, and a real sense of…reality, I guess. There are lots of things in the Summer series that ring true–not everything, but lots of things. The tone of Jenny Han’s books would be perfect for fan of Morgan Matson!

…Book That Reminds You of Summer

Recommend A… is a SUPER meme hosted by Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit that lets us get a little random, and a little off the radar. I LOVE IT.

Ahh, summer. I love it so much when it’s just gathering steam, but I’m never sad to see it go because fall is my FAVORITE season of ever. And since we’re talking about seasons this week, I might as well just tell you up front that I’m a seasonal reader. Like, I won’t read books about summers on the beach at Christmas time, just like I won’t read books that take place in cold, snowy climes in the summer. I also often find myself craving less substantive books in the summer. Fall is basically fantasy time. Anyway, this post is really getting away from me. FOCUS, AMY. BOOK THAT REMINDS ME OF SUMMER. I’m going to hit you with some MG this week, friends.

The Penderwicks: Penderwicks #1 by Jeanne Birdsall

This is one of my favorite middle grade series ever, and it just so happens to take place in the summer. I first read it in the summertime, so every time I look at it or reread it, it reminds me of summer. But more than taking place in the summertime, THE PENDERWICKS is a really sweet, funny, heartwarming story about a family of sisters living with their widowed father. The sisters are so different but close, and their father is lovable if a little absent-minded. SUCH a great series, guys.

…Book You Read on Vacation

Recommend A… is a SUPER meme hosted by Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit that lets us get a little random, and a little off the radar. I LOVE IT.

This is actually hard because I haven’t been on a vacation in, oh, several years. I KNOW. But it’s true. Unless you count weekend trips to Virginia to visit family, which is hard to do because, well, a weekend with family doesn’t usually leave lots of time for reading. So, I’m going to keep it short and sweet this week and recommend not only one my favorite books that I’ve read this year–or possibly ever–and one of the books I read on one of my most recent “vacations.”

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Friends, this book–a Peter Pan prequel/retelling from the point of view of Tiger Lily–is flat-out amazing. Seriously. I’ve always loved the Peter Pan story, but the one that we are familiar with is so different from the one Jodi Lynn Anderson tells in TIGER LILY. I called it a prequel earlier because it really does take place before the timeline of the story most people know. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t heartbreaking and beautiful and basically outstanding. Read this one. At home, on vacation, in the car, wherever.

…Book With a Character Who Plays a Sport

Recommend A… is a SUPER meme hosted by Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit that lets us get a little random, and a little off the radar. I LOVE IT.

Friends, I LOVE a good book with sporty things going on. I especially love it when the sport is something random that I don’t encounter often in the books I read. This pretty much eliminates running of any kind, competitive or otherwise. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of great books that highlight some off-the-beaten-path athletes. To the list!

The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas. THE SURVIVAL KIT is a really thoughtful book about a young girl who is coping with the recent death from cancer of her mother. You all should read about Rose and her grieving. It’s sad but not dark. Of course, part of Rose’s story is about the guy who takes care of her family’s lawn. His name is Will, and he plays hockey, and he is delicious and sweet and a little edgy. Also, HOCKEY. I love hockey. And hockey players.

Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsay Leavitt. AHH, this book! SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD will surprise you when you read it. Because it sounds like it’s going to be about a cute little romance, but it’s really about so much more. Payton, the main character, is dealing with a pretty upsetting thing in her family life, and Sean Griswold turns out to be just the thing she needs to help her deal. Plus, see that bike there on the bottom corner of the cover? That’s the sport, friends. BIKING. I mean…how many times have you read about BICYCLING in a YA book? Sean and Payton bike together, although it’s Sean who introduces her to it.

Forget You by Jennifer Echols. Ah, Jennifer. It’s been some time since I last mentioned on of your books around these parts, and to be honest, I’m feeling like I need to reread some of your greatest hits. It’s been awhile since I read FORGET YOU–a story about a girl named Zoey who’s dealing with some family drama–and Doug, the guy who saves her from a nasty car accident at the beginning of the book. As with all Echols books, there’s TONS of off-the-charts drama and some pretty hot sexytimes. But we’re talking about sports here. Doug and Zoey are both on the swim team.

…Book by a Debut Author 

Recommend A… is a SUPER meme hosted by Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit that lets us get a little random, and a little off the radar. I LOVE IT.

Debut love! I love reading debuts. There’s something so enjoyable about reading a book from a completely new voice. It makes me giddy and so stoked! Here are a few of my favorite debuts! (I’m keeping this list to the last two years or so. Just to keep things from getting out of hand.)

Unraveling: Unraveling #1 by Elizabeth Norris. This book was pretty stellar. It surprised me by going in a totally different direction than I thought it would. It was a nonstop pace, exciting and fresh. Also it made me cry. Books that make me cry automatically make me love them a little bit extra.

Born Wicked: The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1 by Jessica Spotswood. Ah, witches! I love witches. What I loved about BORN WICKED was the way it was different from every other witch book I’ve ever read. The time period–turn of the 20th century Maine–was new; the alternate history following the Salem Witch Trials was new; the mythology of the witches and the warlocks and the Sisterhood/Brotherhood was new. And the ending was wrenching.

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder. WAH FEELINGS! I know that some people found the main character, Cam, hard to like, but I appreciated her prickliness. It had a reason that I found heartbreaking and real. Cam coping with her cancer and her own mortality was devastating and gorgeous, and I can’t wait to see what Wendy Wunder has in store next.

…Book With a Blue Cover

Recommend A… is a SUPER meme hosted by Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit that lets us get a little random, and a little off the radar. I LOVE IT.

You know why this one was hard, guys? Not because blue is an underrepresented color on book covers. No. There’s plenty. This was hard because most of the books I’ve read with blue covers all seem to be second, third, fourth, or even fifth books in a series, and I don’t want to recommend things out of order. My OCD won’t let me. So, here’s my contemp-heavy list. Yay, blue!

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby. Bluish-purple. Indigo! Anyway, this is a super-cute story about a young girl whose mother has committed suicide, and she’s back at the beach where her mother spent lots of time growing up, still trying to figure out what was going on in her mom’s head, and why she would choose to die over living with her family. There’s obviously a sweet romance, but there’s also a father/daughter relationship that I liked very much as well.

Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar. Blue twofer! It’s on the cover AND in the title! See those two exclamation points there? That’s only a precursor to how much love and excitement and FEELINGS you’ll get from reading this Aussie contemp about a young surfer girl who’s got some damaging skeletons in her closet, and the guy who helps her move past them. Carly and Ryan are so amazing. PLUS, until this summer (until last week I believe!), this book was only available via generous friends with connections to Australian bookstores. But now that it’s pubbed in the UK, we can buy it online. This is the UK cover that will be in my hands shortly, but the original Aussie cover is blue, too.

Dairy Queen (Dairy Queen #1) by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. One of my very favorite series, guys. Plus, I just LOVE the cow on this cover wearing the tiara. It’s such a hilarious image that, I think, gives a good idea of the vibe of this series about DJ Schwenk and her farm-dwelling family. I LOVE DJ, and I love the story of her struggling, hard working family. And I love her up-and-down relationship with Brian. So, so super.

…Book That Someone Recommended To You

Recommend A… is a SUPER meme hosted by Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit that lets us get a little random, and a little off the radar. I LOVE IT.

I’ve been given some incredibly solid recommendations before, guys. These are three of my favorites. Books that, once I read them, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t read them sooner.

The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicle #1 by Patrick Rothfuss. Do yourselves a favor and read this book. Seriously. One of the best books I’ve ever read, and I have basically every bloggy friend I have to thank for pushing me to pick this on up off my shelves and finally read it.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn: Eon/Eona #1 by Alison Goodman. One of my friends from library school told me about this book and how great it was. I read it based on her recommendation, and the fact that it’s an Asian-based fantasy about dragons, something I haven’t read much about. I’m not sure I can read another fantasy in an Asian-esque world without comparing it to this one.

Vampire Academy: Vampire Academy #1 by Richelle Mead. I know, I know. This is not a random, unknown book. But seriously, I was burned out from the vamps, guys. This series made me wary. But EVERYONE told me that this was series was amazing. Everyone. And everyone was not a liar. I read this series–five books–in pretty much a week. So good.

…First Book in a Series

Recommend A… is a SUPER meme hosted by Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit that lets us get a little random, and a little off the radar. I LOVE IT.

So. First book in a series. This is HARD, mostly because I read so many series! But trust me when I tell you that this list could be a bazillion books long. First books in a series that rock my socks are pretty special, and I often always have the softest spots for the books that drew me into a series in the first place.

Grave Mercy: His Fair Assassin #1 by Robin LaFevers. GUYS. I read this book in February, and it remains one of my favorite books of the year. Assassin nuns in medieval France who are basically the minions of Death, killing people whom he marks? It’s historical fantasy at its best. I can’t recommend this highly enough.

The Iron King: The Iron Fey #1 by Julie Kagawa. I always recommend this series to people who don’t usually hold with fairies because it’s pretty legit. Meghan Chase is a stellar character, and Ash and Puck are two immensely lovable guys. The fairy realm in The Iron Fey series is vibrant and colorful and full of well-constructed characters, and the emotional depth of these stories shouldn’t be overstated either. It’s good stuff. REALLY good stuff.

The Penderwicks: The Penderwicks #1 by Jeanne Birdsall. SIGH. Friends, this is one of my very favorite series out there, and one of my very favorite middle grade books of all time. It’s the best story about a family of quirky, loving sisters living with their widower father. The first book takes place during their summer vacation, where the girls get into all kinds of shenanigans. I can’t do my love justice here, but trust me. They are seriously the most adorable, retro awesome family. I adore them to bits and pieces.