Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish where we get a new topic for a top 10 list.
This weeks topic is a freebie. Trying to think of a topic for these freebies is always a challenge, mostly because my mind goes blank haha. So this weeks theme is not the most original but I thought it would be nice to highlights some books I read and loved before I began blogging.
1. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay: I don’t talk about this book enough but I absolutely adore this book. The contrast between the openness of Josh’s situation with the secrecy of Nastya’s situation was on point. The characters are very troubled and layered. Yes there’s a lot of angst but I felt like it was handled well. I simply love this book.
2. All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry: I’ve mentioned this book a few times but I feel like I need to reiterate my love for the book. All the Truth That’s in Me is one book that highlights the beauty in the simplicity. The use of the second person narrative was very effective in demonstrating how Judith is ostracized from the community. Plus the relationship between her and Lucas is beautifully developed. You can just feel the love between them.
3. Burning Blue by Paul Griffin: Mystery. That’s what drives this plot. Our protagonist, Jay, seeks to find out who was responsible for marring the face of the most popular girl in his school, Nicole Castro. I’m usually pretty good at uncovering the mystery before the big reveal but I was floored by this one. As well as the mystery, the book also looks at the perceptions of beauty and the toll that these perceptions have on Nicole. I need to re-read this book again cause I love it so much.
4. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi: A fascinating world, beautiful character dynamics and a love story that stole my heart. Everyone by now knows that I hate love triangle and this is one series that could have easily gone down that route. In stead, we are treated to a wonderful friendship, a heart-stopping romance and an unbreakable brotherhood.
5. Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson: I almost forgot about this book. It’s not mind-blowing but it is a fun read. It’s has a military setting (love), an X-Men like quality to it and one hell of a romance ft. protective brother.
6. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater: Everyone knows how much I love the Raven Cycle and so I thought I should give some love to another, perhaps understated book by the oh so talented Maggie Stiefvater. The atmosphere in this book is breathtaking. The world building is vivid. Above all else, this book makes you feel and it takes you on a journey you won’t want to return from.
7. The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas: Magic, or more specifically, elemental magic. I love the concept of this series. There are three settings in this book; the magical realm of Atlantis, London, and a book of fairy tales. On top of all that you have wonderfully complex characters that are thrown together by fate.
8. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson: As I’ve said before, Morgan Matson is my go-to summer contemporary author. This is a story of friendship, love, and taking chances.
9. Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler: Another book I need to re-read. This was one of the first books I read when I was re-discovering my love for reading. It’s another contemporary that’s perfectly suited for the summer. The story takes us to a family full of secrets and mystery, a swoon-worthy summer romance and a lot of heart.
10. Boomerang by Noelle August: Tired of the same old angst ridden NA books? Me too. That is why Boomerang is a breath of fresh air. This book reads more like a romantic comedy. Yes, there is some drama/conflict but it’s not the over the top, angsty drama we typically see in the world of New Adult literature. This book has a lot of heart, great banter, and some serious sexual tension between our two protagonists.
Those are the books that I read and loved in my pre-blogging days. What books do you read and love in your pre-blogging days?
My Midnight Musing 
Fun topic! I still need to read Since You’ve Been Gone. I’ve wanted to ever since it came out.
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SYBG is the perfect summer read. It’s so cute and the inclusion of playlists make it even more fun. 😀
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Maybe I’ll have to read it this upcoming summer then! 🙂
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My mind is completely blank of what to write for this week too! Nice top ten though as I think our reading tastes change or we go for different things once we start blogging.
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Between growing up along with blogging it’s easy to see how our reading taste change. I thought this would be the perfect week to show some love for these books.
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I also kind of hate freebie weeks… its just so hard to think of something interesting to write about! I like what you did though, there are definitely books that I love that I haven’t gotten to talk about because I read them so long ago! great list 🙂
here’s my TTT!
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I always find that I’ll have an idea for the next freebie but by the time it comes around my mind goes blank and I completely forget about them haha. After writing this list, I really have the urge to go back and re-read some of these books.
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Great pick! I’ve been wanting to read the Burning Sky books for a while, I like the premise too. AndHunting Lila- that one’s new to me but I like the sound of it, the X-Men vibe caught my eye. Looks fun!
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The Burning Sky trilogy was such a wonderful surprise for me cause I had no idea what to expect. The books are all kinds of magical. You can’t go wrong with an X-Men comparison. Hunting Lila makes for a quick and easy read when you don’t want something too intense. 😀
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What a fun topic! Blogging has definitely opened my eyes to more books, but for the most part, my absolute favourites are books I discovered and read before. 😛
And yeah, Morgan Matson is such a contemporary summer author. Her covers and stories are perfect for that kind of mood!
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I could not agree more with this. After posting this, I seriously began to think about how my reading habits have changed since blogging and I realise that I am far more critical now than I was before.
So far Morgan Matson has done nothing but deliver with her books and I hope The Unexpected Everything builds upon this streak. 😀
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*SQUEEES BECAUSE SPIES STIEFVATER BOOK* I am so with you there. Omg, I love ALL her books, but the Scorpio Races was definitely a “pre-blogging-book” for me and actually one of the first books to get me into reading YA! :’) So I blame it for everything now. *happy sigh*
Thanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!
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Sitefvater can do no wrong. Her books are a go-to all year round haha. The Scorpio Races was my introduction to her work and I am forever kicking myself for not jumping on the band wagon sooner. Thank you for the lovely comment. 😀
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I love this topic! Seven of these books I seriously LOVE and 2 of them I quite enjoyed, so you have very excellent taste. 😀
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Why, thank you for the approval. After this post I’ve got the sudden urge to re-read a bunch of these books haha. 😀
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The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favourite books. I just loved it so much. Even the raven cycle is really good 🙂
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Maggie Stiefvater knows how to create an atmosphere. The Raven Cycle is one of my all time favourite series and I’m anxiously waiting to find out how things end in The Raven King.
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