It's been awhile since I've participated in Top Ten Tuesday and I've missed my favorite weekly meme.  This week's topic didn't require much thought, so it seemed like a good time to jump back into the fun.  This time around, the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish want to know about the Top Ten Books I've Read This Year.  I always keep a running list of the books I've finished, using asterisks to mark those I enjoyed most, so it was a cinch to recall my favorites.  Here they are, in no particular order:






1.  The House at Riverton, The Distant Hours, and The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton—Since these three novels are by the same author, with lots of similarities in theme and story, I'm going to count them as one.  Morton excels at writing lush family sagas and I loved each of these.  If you forced me to choose a favorite from among the three, I'd probably go with The Forgotten Garden, but seriously, I enjoyed all of them.



2.  A Death-Struck Year by Makkia Lucier—Good historical YA novels are not exactly plentiful, so I'm always excited when I find one.  Especially when it's set in the same neck of the woods where I grew up (Portland, Oregon).  The novel concerns a wealthy teenage girl who's left alone in the city during the vicious Spanish influenza epidemic that swept the world in 1918.  It's a tense, haunting story that kept me riveted.



3.  All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry—This spare, but lyrical YA novel centers around a young woman who hasn't spoken since she returned from a mysterious absence.  It tells an intriguing, suspenseful story.  All The Truth That's In Me won a well-deserved Whitney Award for Best General YA novel.



4.  Stung by Bethany Wiggins—Although this YA dystopian wasn't all that original, I still enjoyed the Sleeping Beauty twist on a familiar post-apocalyptic/zombie story.



5.  Cress by Marissa Meyer—The Lunar Chronicles is one of my very favorite YA series.  It's original, it's fun, it's clean, and it gets better with every installation.



6.  In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis—McGinnis' first book, Not a Drop to Drink, sucked me in so totally that it became one of my favorite books of last year.  While the sequel isn't quite as fresh, it still offers up a taut, harrowing tale of survival told in tight, gripping prose.



7.  A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd—This quirky MG novel is a fun, playful story about the power of words.



8.  Save the Cat by Blake Snyder—I've been hearing about this writer's Bible for years.  I finally read it and, yes, it definitely lives up to the hype.  If you're having trouble plotting your novel, definitely check out this guide for screenwriter's.  It's invaluable.



9.  Mississippi Jack by L.A. Meyer—This is the fifth book in another of my favorite YA series.  Like its predecessors, this novel tells a rollicking adventure tale starring the indomitable "Bloody" Jack Faber.  Jacky's one of my favorite YA characters of all time—it's impossible not to love her.


10.  Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana—An atmospheric MG novel about a young girl living in the Ninth Ward during Hurricane Katrina.  It's a gritty, but hopeful tale.

How about you?  What are your favorite books so far this year?

*All book images from Barnes & Noble

Because she's so needed at home, Jacqui feels a little—okay, a lot—guilty for stealing away in the early hours of the morning.  But, she's got to find her older brother, Dean, who's been missing for a year and a half.  They haven't heard a word from him, so although Jacqui fears the worst, she also hopes for the best.  Because Dean left to escort a former neighbor to a rumored safe haven in Wyoming, Jacqui goes to her daughter for help.  Fiona Tarsis, now living inside the wall, brings along two others—her boyfriend, Bowen, and her brother, Jonah.  Cradled in Jonah's backpack are bottles of bee flu antidote, precious bargaining chips.  But when they're stolen, the group is left with few advantages.

When they're rescued by 18-year-old Kevin Emerson, who offers safety and supplies, Jacqui and company can't quite believe their luck.  Is it too good to be true?  The more Jacqui learns about Kevin, the less she trusts him.  Who is Kevin, really?  Why is he helping them?  These are mysteries Jacqui needs to figure out—before it's too late for them all.  

Originality is hard to come by in the YA dystopian genre, so it's really not surprising that the plot of Cured, the second book in Bethany Wiggins' Stung series, feels familiar.  Still, like I said about the first book, this one boasts stronger prose than many of its fellows.  So, while I got a little bored with the same ole, same ole, the characters and action kept me reading.  I would have liked more depth from the novel's cast as well as some plot twists I didn't see coming (Kevin's identity is pretty obvious from the get-go, although it takes Jacqui a long time to figure it out).  Overall, though, I enjoyed this one.

(Readalikes:  Stung by Bethany Wiggins; other zombie and zombie-ish YA dystopians)  

Grade:

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

So, I'm still trying to figure out how I missed the fact that Bethany Wiggins wrote another book (actually, two).  I enjoyed her debut, Shifting, then somehow lost track of her.  When I discovered Stung, the first installment in her YA dystopian series, I was shocked.  As far as I can tell, the novel's received very little buzz.  Which is a crying shame, since it's a taut, well-crafted post-apocalyptic thriller.  Original?  Well, okay, it's kind of the same ole, same ole plot-wise, but still, it's better written than many of its contemporaries.  

The publisher's plot summary describes the book well—and in one concise, compelling paragraph, no less:

Fiona doesn't remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered-her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right wrist-a black oval with five marks on either side-that she doesn't remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. And she's right. When the honeybee population collapsed, a worldwide pandemic occurred and the government tried to bio-engineer a cure. Only the solution was deadlier than the original problem-the vaccination turned people into ferocious, deadly beasts who were branded as a warning to un-vaccinated survivors. Key people needed to rebuild society are protected from disease and beasts inside a fortress-like wall. But Fiona has awakened branded, alone-and on the wrong side of the wall . . .

I love the whole Sleeping Beauty aspect of this novel.  It brings a new spin to an overly-familiar storyline, while introducing the reader to the rules of Fiona's dystopian world in a way that feels both natural and suspenseful.  Fi's a sympathetic character, one who's easy to relate to and root for.  As you can imagine, Stung offers plenty of action, intensity, and zombie gore.  A bit of romance, too.  Overall, it's a fast-paced, engrossing tale that stands out from its peers (at least for me) because of its tight prose, interesting characters and heart-pounding action.  So what if Stung's nothing we haven't seen before?  I enjoyed it.  A lot.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Ashes and Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick; Ashfall and Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin; and, of course, its sequel, Cured by Bethany Wiggins)

Grade:

  

Because it will happen. As soon as the full moon glows bright in the sky, she'll shift into an animal, leaving behind her clothes, her humanity, her last shot at normality. She can't stop it. Her only hope is to stay invisible, hiding her secret as best she can.

Although Maggie Mae vows to keep her head down in her new town—that's the best way, after all, to keep her secret safe—it only takes a few minutes for her to become the most talked about student at Silver High School. Using her unnatural speed, Maggie Mae breaks a school track record, earning the attention of the wealthiest, most popular guy at school and the anger of his former girlfriend. While the vindictive Danni Williams gets busy making Maggie Mae's life a living hell, Maggie Mae's just trying to survive. She's got a good thing going with Mrs. Campbell, her stern but kindly foster mom; she's enjoying her part-time job as a waitress at a Mexican restaurant; and she can't deny her growing attraction to gorgeous Bridger O'Connell. Even with Danni's constant bullying, Maggie Mae's getting attached to Silver City, New Mexico, something she knows she can't do. It's too risky.

When a stranger shows up in town hunting for Maggie Mae, she knows she's let things go too far. Everyone who knows her is in danger. The Skinwalkers who stalk Maggie Mae won't stop until they kill her, stealing her mysterious power. Can she keep the monsters away from the town she's come to love? Or will her animal instinct be the thing that destroys everything—and everyone—she's come to care about?

I know, I know, the story I'm describing sounds just like every other YA paranormal on the market. But, guess what? It's not plot that makes Shifting stand out, it's characterization, specifically that of Maggie Mae Mortenson. Debut author Bethany Wiggins crafts her heroine carefully, taking the time to make sure readers know Maggie Mae, feel for Maggie Mae, and care about what happens to Maggie Mae, before throwing her into the perilous conflict that lies at the heart of the story. As a result, she's one of the most sympathetic (but strong) characters I've ever encountered in teen fiction. I felt her pain so thoroughly that I didn't really care if her story lacked originality or got predictable or had some plot holes. Maggie Mae made it engaging and enjoyable. I'm not sure what's coming next from Bethany Wiggins (a sequel, perhaps?), but I'll tell you this—I can't wait to find out.

(Readalikes: Reminds me of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Firelight by Sophie Jordan, the Need series by Carrie Jones [Need, Captivate, Entice] and a little of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series [Shiver, Linger, Forever] by Maggie Stiefvater)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs), violence and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love: I bought Shifting from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.