It's Tuesday, which means it's time for more bookish list-compiling.  Love it!  Before we get to this week's topic, though, let me give a shout out to our lovely hosts over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Be sure to click on over there to get all the details about this fun meme.  If you haven't joined up, do it now!  It's a good ole time, I promise.

So, today's topic is: Top Ten Books Dealing With Tough Subjects.  "Tough" is defined as issue-y type things (suicide, grief, abuse, etc.).  Since conflict is an essential ingredient in every story, most books deal with "tough" things.  These ten, though, are the ones that popped into my mind when I read the prompt: 




1.  The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams—If you've ever been asked how many wives your dad has (and if you're Mormon, you probably have), you know what an uncomfortable subject polygamy can be!  Still, it's a fascinating topic.  In this novel, Williams explores it in a forthright, but sensitive way.  The Chosen One is such a haunting tale that I still get the shivers just from glimpsing its cover!  



2.  The Fault In Our Stars by John Green—What can I say about this one?  It's about kids with cancer.  It's sad, yes, but also irreverent, funny and touching.  

I usually don't post twice in a day, but I actually sorta forgot that it was Tuesday.  Yeah.  Anyway, since it is the third day of the week, that means it's time for my favorite bookish meme, Top Ten Tuesday.  It's hosted by the fine ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.  This week, our hostesses with the mostesses ask:  What are the Top Ten Books You Liked More/Less Than You Thought You Would?  In the spirit of putting the bad news first, I'm going to start with the latter question.  Here we go:



1.  Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card—I admit I'm kind of a fair weather fan when it comes to OSC.  Some of his books I like, some I don't.  But, everyone (it seems) talks about how amazing Ender's Game is and ... I just don't get it.  Admittedly, I've only read the first third or so, but I've done that at least three times!  The book's so terribly written that I've never been able to get past that point.  Judging from the enthusiastic responses of readers whose opinions I respect, I thought I would love this one.  Yeah, not so much.


2.  Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien—After I read Birthmarked, I went a little fan girl over this author.  Since I loved the first book in the series, I figured I'd adore the second.  Again ... not so much.


3.  Viola in Reel Life and Viola in the Spotlight by Adriana Trigiani—I love Trigiani's adult books, so I thought I'd really get into her YA series.  Nope.  Even after two installments, I'm still very underwhelmed by it.


4.  Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys—This is another one that readers/bloggers adore and recommend like crazy.  While I understand why (it's definitely impactful), the book didn't wow me.  The prose felt cold and distant, which makes sense considering it's about the imprisonment of innocent people, but still ... Sepetys' second book, Out of the Easy, was much more to my liking.  Even though it also dealt with difficult subjects, it was a much warmer, more satisfying novel.


5.  Beauty Queens by Libba Bray—I loved the cover and the premise of this one.  The beginning made me laugh with its quirky, tongue-in-cheek examination of beauty.  However, as the story went on, it got increasingly bawdy and bizarre.  I read it, but found the experience disappointing.

If you're like me (and I know you are!), you get asked for book recommendations all the time.  Despite the number of books I read every year, I still find the "What do you think I should read next?" question to be a difficult one to answer.  Books are such a subjective thing!  Everyone's tastes differ so widely, it's hard to find one (let alone ten) books that have across-the-board appeal.  With that in mind, I give you this week's TTT topic:  Top Ten Books I Recommend Most Often.

If you're unfamiliar with TTT, it's a fun meme, both bookish and list-y in nature, that's hosted by the fabulous ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Feel free to join in the fun!

Okay, here we go.  In no particular order, here are the ten books (or series) I find myself recommending over and over:

1.  The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling -- Duh, I know.  Everyone's going to have these books on their lists, but obviously, there are reasons this series appeals to readers young and old.  The story is engaging, imaginative, exciting and just downright fun.  If you haven't read it yet, you're totally missing out.





2.  The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins -- Another duh, but seriously, these books are such good reads.  Even though it's gory, this series is perfect for reluctant teen readers, boys and girls alike.  The story is compelling, exciting and thought-provoking—a winning combination.


3.  The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer -- It's no secret that I love this YA "rebooted" fairy tales series.  The story is unique, well-paced and absorbing.  Not to mention clean.  Sarah recommended these to me and I've recommended them to lots of people, adults and teenagers alike.


4.  Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand -- This one has received lots of hype, but guess what?  It totally deserves it.  This true story is absorbing, horrifying and, ultimately, inspiring.  It's not one I would hand to anyone younger than 15, but I've recommended it to plenty of adults.


5.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak -- This is one of my favorite books of all time.  It's an unputdownable ode to the power of words, both said and unsaid.



6.  The Shades of London series by Maureen Johnson -- This is another YA series I discovered recently.  Its premise isn't anything super original, but it's still an intriguing ghost-hunting story.  Although the books seem very dark and grisly, they're actually quite upbeat, even funny.  Not to mention mostly clean.  This is another series that has lots of teen/adult crossover appeal.


7.  The Virgin River series by Robyn Carr -- Like I've said many times, Carr is the only adult romance writer I read.  That's because the author has a magical way of making the small towns in which she sets her stories come alive for me.  The people with which she populates these hamlets generally value the things that I do—family, commitment, community and helping others.  Since Carr's novels usually have some strong language and sex scenes, I don't recommend them to everyone, but I still talk them up quite a bit since I love them so much.


8.  Under the Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi -- Yeah, yeah, it's another YA dystopian series, but this is one of my favorites.  The books blend familiar post-apocalyptic elements with more supernatural ones, creating a nice blend of sci fi, paranormal and action/adventure.  It's clever, intriguing and twisty enough to keep most readers interested.


9.  The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson -- I'm not huge on epic fantasy in general, but Brandon Sanderson really knows how to write it.  My friend Robin encouraged me to read the Mistborn series and I immediately fell in love with the story.  Sanderson excels at creating intricate, intriguing worlds—some readers tire of the endless detail, but I don't.  Not at all.  This is a fantastic series that I recommend all the time.


10.  Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys -- This one's a gritty historical YA that's set in a brothel in New Orleans' French Quarter.  So, yeah, it's not a book I recommend to everyone.  Still, it's a very atmospheric murder mystery featuring a most appealing heroine.  It's just a good story, one that's much more uplifting than it sounds.

What about you?  Which books do you find yourself recommending over and over and over?  Do we have any in common?