500 Books of Summer

School starts tomorrow. I have less than twenty-four hours of summer left and, rather than partying it up, I've pretty much resigned myself to staying home, being dull. I'm sick, I didn't sleep well, and I need to clean my room or my dad will cut off my pinkie toes (not really, I was just trying to think of some kind of horrible torture).

I've been waiting for a while to talk about my favorite books of summer, so here goes. I could've sworn I read more, but I suck at reading. Really, I can't read more than one book at a time or I completely forget what's going on--and I'm picky :P

500 Books of Summer (okay, more like ten):

1. Porcupine by Meg Tilly - MG Contemporary - She was in Fame and I MET HER! Such a cool person, and this book was bursting with voice, but the chapters--or lack thereof; the book was arranged by seasons--were a little confusing.

2. The Gryphon Project by Carrie Mac - YA Urban Fantasy - I'm not really sure what genre this fits in, but I loved the idea of a society where people have more than one life--and the amount of lives you have determines your class. I actually read this as an ARC I got from work. It was a good story, but I felt like it fell flat at some points, despite the interesting characters.

3. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen - YA Contemporary - This was my first experience reading anything by Sarah Dessen. I loved how the MC's parents were really well defined characters, but it was a bit too wholesome and good hearted for my taste ;)

4. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen - YA Contemporary - I didn't like this book. I just couldn't connect with the main character, and, as well written as it was, I felt like there were things that could have been left out.

5. Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan - YA Dystopian - Is this Dystopian? I wasn't sure if YA Zombie counted as a genre, but it definitely should, and Carrie Ryan can be the poster child. I am legitimately terrified of zombies, but I liked this book, and I liked how much it scared me.
But I found myself at odds with the MC some times, and wishing a few lines had been left out.

6. Shiver and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater - YA Urban Fantasy - I absolutely loved Shiver. One of the main characters, Sam, is so poetic and vulnerable, I couldn't wait to read his chapters--and it kept me on the edge of my seat. In Linger, I really liked the contrast of Cole and Isobel's voices, but I didn't have the same sense of urgency as in Shiver--until the end, that is.

7. The Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelley Armstrong - YA Urban Fantasy - Definitely one of my favorite reads this summer. I loved the main character and the fact that she wasn't all, "Woo-hoo, magic!" right away. She had to adjust to the idea of having 'powers' just like any other person would.

8. Break by Hannah Moskowitz - YA Contemporary - I liked this book, but at times I had a hard time connecting to it. Still, a great, realistic read with dialogue that made me laugh out loud several times.

9. Mockingjay by Suzanne Colins - YA Dystopian - OMGWOW. This book was the perfect way to end the Hunger Games trilogy (for the record, the first book was my favorite), and my friend and I have been discussing it in whispers every time we see each other.

10. The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan - YA Urban Fantasy - Again, I suck at determining genres, but oh well. I'm not done this yet, but I love it already. And I wanted this list to be an even ten. I love Nick's dialogue, and all of the characters, and I feel like there's just enough internal monologue to give the story dimension without slowing down the pace.

This summer, I also had my first experience Beta Reading! I beta-read and line-edited Someone Left to Love by the lovely and patient Dana-Lynn Mauldin. It was a nice read, very emotional, and very well written. I can't wait to see it published :)

All in all, I really need to read more. Maybe the rainy days of Fall will inspire me. So, what are your books of summer?

Love,

Erika