Hi Blisses,
I almost not do Top Ten Tuesday this week again because…well you might guessed it, I feel lazy. But I already made the graphic (which is too big) last week and I don’t want my effort wasted. Anyway, this meme is hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl and this week’s topic is “Books I Enjoyed That Are Outside of My Comfort Zone” like books from genres I don’t read much or subject matters I don’t usually read.
I chose sharing books from a non-favorite genre of mine which is YA Contemporary. I don’t necessarily hate the genre, it’s just not my favorite to pick. In fact if I want to relax and read, it won’t even be in my list of genres to choose. If I need to read YA, I prefer YA fantasy but I do have some favorites from YA Contemporary and I can’t wait to share them.
1.) Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
I read this book like 2 years ago and I found Eliza and actually everything else in this book relatable. Maybe because that time, my own mental illness was at its worst. But that aside, the physical copy of the book is so pretty. I own the hardback edition and it has illustrations inside, illustration of Eliza’s webtoon. You have to read MY REVIEW to know more about it.
2.) (On the) Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Some edition has the “On the” in the title, I own a hardback copy and it’s titled “Jellicoe Road” only. I read this book when I was starting to dislike YA Contemporary but I ended up rating it 5 stars. That says a lot and you can read my review HERE.
3.) A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
I read this back in February for our Diverse Divers Book Club (which I host) and let me just say, it made me fall in love with YA Contemporary. No kidding. I really liked the Diversity in the book and I think it’s very well done.
4.) Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
This book is funny and adorable and artsy. Most of the main characters are artists and I really enjoyed how different kind of art were incorporated into the main plot. You have to read it to know what I mean. But even though you art doesn’t interest you, the funny characters are enough reason to pick up this book. MY REVIEW HERE.
5.) Simon Vs. The Homo Sapien’s Agenda by Becky Albertalli
I think no one is surprised why this book is in my “Favorite” list. Simon Vs. is one of the first LGBTQ+ books I read and I looove it. I totally fell in love with Simon and wish he’s real and is my best friend. MY REVIEW HERE.
6.) Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
One of my peeves in YA Contemporary is the romance. I think most of you can understand what I mean without explaining it. That said, liking Radio Silence is no surprise. It has no romance and instead focused on a platonic love, grief and mental issues that it brings. This is very well-written and I think it’s also underrated. It only has 15, 500 ratings on GR. When I read it, I expected it to have 50k or more ratings.
7.) Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
The main character is schizophrenic and I think the author did the job well enough to make it believable. But it’s not what made this book unforgettable for me, it was the twist in the last quarter of the book. I really wasn’t expecting that twist.
8.) The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Oh God, this book tackles a lot of serious issues in a teenager’s life, including religion. Yes, including religion. For me, this is an important book and a must-read.
9.) Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
I wouldn’t have known about this book if not for one of my blogger friends and thank God she recommended it to me and now, I’m recommending it to you. This book is not so grand, in fact I only rated it 3.5 stars due to technical issues and it’s actually very short. But this book’s take on equality is AMAZING. The representations are the best. First, the LGBTQ characters, and then the anxiety. I swear, this book has the truest explanation of anxiety and people who suffer it can back me up on this. Read MY REVIEW, please.
10.) Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren’s books are either hit or miss to me but this book is one of the few that I’ve given 5 stars. First, the characters are so adorable and realistic. But most importantly, the issues this book took really made me think deeply and made me want to stand up to make a change. Hehe, but seriously.
I’m sorry this post is so long, but I did enjoy writing it. I just hope you enjoy reading it too.
So what do you think of these books? Have you read them or planning to? Let’s chat.
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I really need to read The Poet X sometime. Everyone keeps saying such nice things about it.
My TTT.
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I really recommend it though it takes me a while before getting used to the writing style since it’s poem style.
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I absolutely love your list. Melina Marchetta, Tahereh Mafi, Christina Lauren, Becky Albertalli and Elizabeth Acevedo are some of my absolute favourites β€ I enjoy reading YA contemporary books though. I'm glad you decided to do the list – your graphics look great!
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Thank you. I was worried about the graphic. it’s way bigger than I usually use. The characters you mentioned are absolutely great. I’m set to try more from Tahereh Mafi before the eyar ends because even though she’s a well-known author in YA, AVLEoS is the first book I read from her.
Also, sorry, we’re new followers of each other and I really haven’t visited your site. Kind of busy these past few weeks,couldn’t find the time to sit and read more blog posts. I really need to visit your site one of these days. π π
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Don’t be worried about it π We’ll eventually find time to read posts. I have the same issue sometimes where I spend more time writing posts than reading other people’s posts. I’m trying to read more from other people but I know that it’s hard to fit in sometimes π
I hope you enjoy other books by Tahereh Mafi. Which one are you thinking of reading next before the year ends? π
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Glad you understand. π I’m thinking of reading the Shatter Me Series. I’ve read/heard mixed reviews about it but I still want to read it. π
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I haven’t read that either, but it sounds really good! I’d love to see your reviews on it when you’re finished π
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I tried to read Made You Up and Eliza and Her Monsters, I didn’t think anything was bad about them, they just weren’t for me, I’m glad you liked them.
My TTT https://noorlightwoodbts.wordpress.com/2019/09/03/top-10-tuesday-books-i-enjoyed-that-are-outside-of-my-comfort-zone/comment-page-1/#comment-388
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I don’t read a lot of YA contemporary either. If I’m reading YA, it is most likely something in the fantasy or paranormal genres. Here is my Top Ten Tuesday.
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Radio Silence is one I’d love to read!!!
My TTT
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Eliza and Her Monsters and Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda are both fantastic. I want to read The Poet X, A Very Large Expansive Sea, and Queens of Geek at some point. Here is my post-https://paigesofbook.blogspot.com/2019/09/ttt-books-i-loved-out-of-my-comfort-zone.html
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Great choices! Albertalli is one of my favorites. π
Check out my TTT and my reviews of The Girl the Sea Gave Back and Loki
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I love love love Autoboyography by Christina Lauren, got hooked from page one and couldnΒ΄t stop!
Real curious about Radio Silence heard that people loved it and says exactly the same as yu that itΒ΄s underhyped. I loved Heartstopper by the same author so I have to check this one up!
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Same with Autoboyography. My God, that book exceeds my expectation and I read that just after reading Simon vs. and that was a great book too, kinda hard to equal but Autoboyography didn’t disappoint. π I highly recommend Radio Silence, despite the lack of romance, it’s one of the best book ever written, for me. π I have Heartstopper and will read it soon.
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Would love to see Autoboyography as a movie or series π
Have to put Radio Silence on my wishlist then for christmas π
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A movie would be perfect. I’ll definitely watch that.
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This is more my daughter’s genre as she likes realistic fiction. I’d prefer YA fantasy also but sometimes one can be too YA for me and doesn’t endear to me.
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I’m really glad your daughter is growing up as a reader. π π There are books I also found too YA and the reason why I don’t like reading YA contemporary because I don’t like reading about teenage angst and childishness sometimes. hehe. At least in YA Fantasy, I have the Fantasy element to focus on when the characters and other parts of the plot became too YA.
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Love your hair BTW with the ombre ends. I did something similar for my 45th last month. The purple faded out but my ends are still bleached.
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Thank you. β€β€ I’m thinking of coloring my hair blue or red next time but I’m kinda afraid. hehe. But I think I’ll have some blue highlights. Have you ever had like the strip colored highlights? I don’t know the right term.
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Do you mean the ones that start from the roots? Back in day, pre kids yes. I’ve had blond and red and different shades of brown.
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No, I think you can call what I meant as just highlights. I only called them strips of colors because they’re literally just strips of colored few strands of hair. π Check out these designs:
http://www.prettydesigns.com/purple-highlights-summer/
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