Top Ten Tuesday (2) - Books That Came Recommended

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by the The Broke and the Bookish.   

This week's topic: Happy I listened to a friend's or Amazon's recommendation of these books.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I saw this book many times while looking for books but for some reason I just never picked it up. Until one day after hearing great things about it I decided to pick it up and WOW! 

2. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 

Amazon suggested this book and I was a little skeptical about Amazon knowing what I would like. Let's just say that after reading this series I pay more attention to what Amazon has to say. It's not always right but I don't want to miss a great book by ignoring it.

3. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

I try to stop myself from picking out books because of their beautiful covers. So, I was glad when I read a fellow reader's blog where she loved this books and highly recommended it. Not only does it have a great cover but a great story.

4. Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R Ward

This was the first Romance novel I read it because it was recommended by a dear friend. I remember her telling me that if I was able to get past my blushing and trying to cover my eyes that I would enjoy it. She was right, I love this series.

5. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The name of this book was what kept me from reading it until it was recommended. I am not an usual reader of time travel stories and that's why I was hesitant on reading this book. Yet, this book is so much more than Henry's ability to time travel. 

6. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I am still to see the movie and I am scared to see Robert Pattinson as Jacob. Has anyone watched this movie? Does it stay true to the book?

7. Juliet by Anne Fortier

This book was recommended by a GoodReads friend. I have always loved Romeo and Juliet and this book has become one of my favorites.

8. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

My sister recommended this book because at the time I couldn't get enough books about fallen angels. I was instantly captured by the beautiful cover and fell in love with Patch. Can't wait to read Silence.

9. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

After reading A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick, I wanted to read another Gothic novel and a friend told me about Rebecca. 

10. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Lame, I know but I am glad I picked up this series after seeing everyone and their grandmothers carrying this book around. Before reading this book I was reading pure Adult-fiction and Non-fiction books. It wasn't until I read this series that I discovered the wonderful world of Young Adult fiction. 

What are your Top Ten Recommended books?

{Review}: Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Title: Prophecy of the Sisters

Author: Michelle Zink

Genre: YA Fiction

Publisher: Little Brown  (August, 2009) 

Hardcover: 352 pages

ISBN: 9780316027427

Source: Borrowed from Library

Available on: Amazon

My Rating: 3.5/5

Description on GoodReads:

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters-
One good...
One evil...
Who will prevail?
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets. 
Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.
They just know they can't trust each other.

My Review: 

Have you ever read a book and enjoyed it but it just didn't meet your expectations. This is one of those books. I enjoyed it but I was just expecting more. More action, more romance, more. 


I liked reading about the sisters and the roles that they have to play in the prophecy. It's great that we get the story from one of the sister because even after reading about all the horrible things the other does we can't help but still like her because her sister does. I am sorry if it sounds a little cryptic but I don't want to reveal which sister is good and which is bad. 


The story has a lot of potential. It is part of a series and I am hoping that the next installment in this series will reveal more and hopefully a good fight between the sisters.  

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme, hosted by The Story Siren, held usually on Sundays that encourages bloggers to share what they bought, borrowed, or begged for this week

Title: Revolution 
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Publisher: Delacorte Books (October 2010)
Hardcover: 496 pages
ISBN: 9780385737630
Source: Borrowed from Library
Available on: Amazon


Description on GoodReads:

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break. 
PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape. 
Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present. 
Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls’ stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart.

Title: Delirium

Author: Lauren Oliver

Genre: YA Fiction

Publisher: HarperTeen (Feb 2011)

Hardcover: 441 pages

ISBN: 978-0061726828

Source: Borrowed from Library

Available on: Amazon

Description on GoodReads:

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. 
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love

What's in your Mailbox? 

{Review}: Kiss An Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Title: Kiss an Angel
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Avon (Feb, 1996)
ISBN: 9780380782338
Source: Borrowed from Library
Available on: Amazon
My Rating: 4/5


Description from GoodReads:

Wedding Day 
Pretty, flighty Daisy Devreaux can either go to jail or marry the mystery man her father has chosen for her. Arranged marriages don't happen in the modern world, so how did the irrepressible Daisy find herself in this fix? 
Alex Markov, as humorless as he is deadly handsome, has no intention of playing the loving bridegroom to a spoiled little feather-head with champagne tastes. He drags Daisy from her uptown life to a broken down traveling circus and sets out to tame her to his ways. 
But this man without a soul has met his match in a woman who's nothing but heart. Before long, passion will send them flying sky high without a safety net... risking it all in search of a love that will last forever.

My Review:

I simply adored this book. Kiss an Angel brings together many strange elements such as an arranged marriage, romance, a telepathic animal, a circus and many more that I can't discuss because I don't want to ruin the story in case you decide to read it. If someone would have told me that this book contained all of them I would have assumed a horrible story but I was surprised because Susan made it work.

I loved all the characters even the not so nice ones because they all had an understandable reason for their actions. I even fell in love with the non-human characters. Of course Alex Markov was my favorite. In the beginning Alex is definitely not the most romantic but the transformation is what makes this book such a joy to read.

It is a romance novel so it contains steamy scenes that may not be suitable for a younger reader.

Overall, I recommend this book if you want to read a sweet romance novel that leaves you with a smile on your face. It kind of reminded me of Beauty and the Beast, if you read it you will see why.