Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Ban the Slump

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic: 

Books to Pull You Out of a Reading Slump
Sooner or later it happens to all of us: the dreaded reading slump. Whether it's because of a recent read or just one of those things, no one likes a reading slump. Sometimes you just have to let it run its course, but sometimes the right book at the right time can help you bounce right back. Here are my picks for the books that help me ban the slump.

Re-read an all-time favorite.

I very rarely re-read but I make an exception for the Lux series. I've re-read the first few books in series several times and it's my go-to for when I'm in a slump (or just need a Daemon Black fix).

Example: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Laugh a little.

Sometimes you just don't have it in you to concentrate on silly things like plot and characters. Why not grab a lighthearted memoir or some humorous essays? Have a few laughs with little brain power required.

Example: Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

Cute contemporary for the win.

No matter what genre you typically enjoy, if you're feeling slumpy you probably don't want to delve into anything too heavy or complex. A light contemporary might just do the trick.

Example: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

Grab some middle grade.

If, like me, you never read middle grade books, and you're mired in a reading slump, consider giving it a try. The shift in POV to that of a child might do you wonders.

Example: Wonder by R.J. Palacio (see what I did there?)

Try a different genre.

If you read from one (or two) genres almost exclusively, try switching it up the next time a slump hits. The times I've branched out to mystery/thrillers have usually been a big hit!

Example: Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent

Short stories, anyone?

My last reading slump lasted months and I rarely felt like reading at all. And even when I did I found my attention span was short. Short stories to the rescue! 

Example: My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

Novellas are your friend.

Along the same line as short stories, novellas are also a great option. If a favorite book or series offers up a novella, chances are you'll enjoy revisiting those characters or that world again.

Example: The Favorite (A Selection novella) by Kiera Cass

More cute contemporary FTW.

It bears repeating - a cute contemporary will always, always do the trick for me. Contemporary romance is already my genre of choice so when I'm feeling slumpy I usually still go the contemporary route. I just make sure I go for something cute and light instead of dark and angsty.

Example: Love Scene, Take Two by Alex Evansley

Same book... different format.

This is possibly my favorite tip/trick/hack for breaking out of the dreaded slump. I pick a favorite book, a plot I loved, characters I adore, but instead of trying to re-read it I go the audio route. There are several books that I listen to again and again on audio and they never get old... even during a reading slump. 

Example: Him by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Explore a new world.

Sometimes losing yourself in a totally new setting can re-energize your reading. Grab a fantasy, a sci-fi, or even a contemporary that's set in a faraway place, and be transported.

Example: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Do you experience reading slumps?
What's your best trick to get past it?

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag | 2018

I've had the beginnings of this post sitting in my draft folder for weeks, just waiting to find the time to finish it. So here we are in the second week of July and I figure if I don't do it now it's going to turn into something like the Two-Thirds of the Year is Gone Book Freak Out. And since that doesn't exactly flow off the tongue, I better get busy and get this done.

1. BEST BOOK YOU'VE READ SO FAR IN 2018

    

I'm totally cheating (yes, on the very first question) but I'm picking one adult novel and one YA. Because after agonizing for the last five minutes between these two... why not go with both. I'm living on the edge, people. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a total tour de force from Taylor Jenkins Reid. I feel like she should just retire now (#notreally) because how could she possibly ever top this? Autoboyography by Christina Lauren gave me All. The. Feels. I fell in love with Tanner and Sebastian and my heart ached for both of these special people. This became an instant favorite.

2. BEST SEQUEL YOU'VE READ SO FAR IN 2018

I'm going with the second book in Emma Chase's Royally series. Henry and Sarah from Royally Matched were both characters I loved and their story was priceless. Plus, the audio narration was sheer perfection.

3. A NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN'T READ YET BUT WANT TO

      

Uh, how much time do we have... ? I'll keep it to just three: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli and 9 Days & 9 Nights by Katie Cotugno. I've been meaning to read these but various factors have prevented that. You know, Life and whatnot. ("Life is not whatnot." Sixteen thousand bonus points if you can name the movie that quote came from.)

4. MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF 2018

Easy-peasy. Jennifer L. Armentrout's continuation of the Lux series. The Darkest Star releases on October 30, 2018.

5. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

That would probably be Here So Far Away by Hadley Dyer. It really fell flat for me.

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE

Y'all know that I'm not typically a fantasy reader. It's just not my genre of choice and it takes a lot for me to pick up a fantasy novel. But the synopsis of The Cruel Prince grabbed me and I took a chance. And it ended up being my biggest surprise of the year (so far). I loved this tale that crossed the mortal and Fae worlds, where plotting, scheming and political intrigue was the order of the day.

7. FAVORITE NEW-TO-ME AUTHOR

    

The writing duo of Christina Lauren has me firmly under their spell. Autoboyography became an instant favorite and Love and Other Words sealed the deal. I'm excited to read more.

8. NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH

I'll go with Mal from Kylie Scott's Stage Dive series. His book, Play, was my favorite of the series and I loved his big heart and crazy sense of humor.

9. NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER

Auggie from Wonder. So, so precious.

10. A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

Again, how much time do you have? I cry in half the books I read. LOL But for the sake of brevity (like I'm really concerned with that at this point - bahaha!) I'll go with Autoboyography. I remember shedding some serious tears for Sebastian during one scene in particular.

11. A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY

Love Scene, Take Two was All Kinds of Adorable and I read most of it with a big smile on my face. Teddy and Bennett were so sweet and basically the epitome of the heart eyes emoji. ♥

12. FAVORITE BOOK-TO-MOVIE ADAPTATION

It's not like I've seen a lot of movies this year - in fact I think I've only been to the theater twice. And - surprise, surprise - both times were to see the same movie. :) So picking my favorite adaptation is easy. But even if I'd seen all the adaptations this year, my answer would be the same: Love, Simon. They did an ah-mazing job at translating one of my favorite books to the big screen and managed to capture all of its charm and sweetness and humor and heart. 

13. FAVORITE POST YOU'VE DONE THIS YEAR

Oh geez, seriously? I feel like I've already been working on this post for a year and a half and now I'm supposed to peruse every post from the last six months? Gah! Without actually looking (not happening), two come to mind: my review of Autoboyography and my post about my father. 

14. MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU'VE BOUGHT THIS YEAR

One of my favorites covers so far this year. The Boy & His Ribbon by Pepper Winters.

15. BOOKS YOU WANT TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR

         

         

Um, all the books? Is that an acceptable answer? No? Okay, then I'll go with: Full Tilt by Emma Scott, The Crown's Fate by Evelyn Skye, Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan, More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer, Roomies by Christina Lauren, Tides of Honour by Genevieve Graham, Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi, and The Smallest Part by Amy Harmon.

Have you read any of the books I've talked about? 

What's the best book you've read so far in 2018?

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic: 

Books on My Spring TBR
This is going to be tricky because I don't make TBR lists. I rarely know what I'm going to read book to book. Who knows what I'm going to feel like reading next? Certainly not I. So, here's a list of books that I want to read - more soonish than laterish - that I may or may not read this Spring.

Alex, Approximately - Jenn Bennett

9 Days & 9 Nights - Katie Cotugno

More Than We Can Tell - Brigid Kemmerer

The Smallest Part - Amy Harmon

Keep Her Safe - K.A. Tucker
Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli

Bittersweet - Sarina Bowen

The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah

Pure - Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Butterfly Project - Emma Scott

Have you read any of these books?
What's on your Spring TBR?

2015 Countdown Survey!

The Countdown Survey is created and hosted by the lovely

Christy & Erica at Novel Ink.

I'm a sucker for lists and surveys and wrap-ups and favorites (you get the idea) so when I saw Christy and Erica's post about their second annual Countdown Survey I knew I wanted to participate. So let's get the countdown started!

 

PLUS:

Torn (Wicked Saga #2) - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Fire in You (Wait For You #6) - Jennifer L. Armentrout

It Ends With Us - Colleen Hoover

 

  

  

I didn't love all the books (Has to Be Love and TSPoLaFS, I'm looking at you), but these covers are loverly. :)

 

  

Three Surprising Disappointments: 

Saving Grace, I'll Give You the Sun, Has to Be Love

Five Surprising Gems: 

Leo, Breathe Annie Breathe, The Story of Us, Kill Devil Hills, The Hook Up

  

Didn't happen in 2015... but they're at the top of the list for 2016!

  

  

The Feels! The Tears! 

I loved every minute.

(And do we see a theme with Colleen Hoover? The woman must thrive on my heartbreak and tears.)

I've gone over and over my 2015 reads and there's really only one book that fits this category. I don't know that everyone necessarily *hated* this book, but it was definitely polarizing. I happened to loved it. I won't go into details here but my review shares all the reasons why 99 Days totally worked for me. 

This one is tough because I don't watch TV and I rarely see movies. But... there are a few that I would love to see brought to life on the big screen. 

 

The Nightingale - A WW II period drama dealing with the French Resistance. Oscar-worthy!

November 9 - A romance spanning several years. Tissues handed out at the door.

A Court of Thorns and Roses - If done right, this could be EPIC!

Wicked - an action-packed sexy/fun paranormal in New Orleans. Yes, please!

  

Never Never Pt 1 - Colleen Hoover + Tarryn Fisher = a story where I have *no* idea what's going on

Wait For You - Jennifer Armentrout can do no wrong. I adored Avery and Cam's story.

After - I binge-read all 4 books and still have a love/hate relationship with the series.

 

I'll Give You the Sun - This one seems to induce much gushing but I truly disliked most of this book. Unpopular opinion, but a perfect example of every book not being for everybody. The main source of conflict in the book stemmed from my #1 bookish pet peeve - a severe lack of communication. That definitely tainted my feeling for the book overall. And Nelson's writing style - not a fan.

Every Day - While I didn't dislike it, I also didn't get much from it. I was just distinctly... underwhelmed.

Seriously? Only ONE best book of 2015? How impossible is this?! But...

... it has to go to The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I read this back in February and it made an enormous impact on me. There were times when it was difficult to read, when the realism and the shocking atrocities of WW II were to painful to even read about, but there was also love and hope and and amazing examples of the enduring human spirit. The Nightingale was powerful and emotional and I knew as soon as I read it that it would likely be the best book I read in 2015. And that it was.

So there you have it! The countdown of my reading in 2015. The good, the not so good, and the very best. What were your top reads in 2015? Leave a link to a "best of" or "favorites" post if you have one! I'd love to check it out!