Top Ten Tuesday is back after a short hiatus (Congratulations on the new baby, Jamie!) and today's topic is a fun one: Top Ten Hidden Gems in X Genre.  I'm always excited to find a great book that has somehow slid under the radar.  I easily thought of 10+ fitting post-apocalyptic novels which I'll be sharing with you in just a sec. 

First, though, you need to click on over to The Broke and the Bookish so you can join in the fun, too.  Just read over the TTT guidelines, make your own list, use the linky to add your post to the master list, and have fun visiting other TTT posts.  It's a great way to get to know others in the book blogging community while learning about awesome reads you're going to want to add to your TBR pile.  Be there or be square.  For reals.  TTT is always a good time—I promise!

Here we go with my list of Top Ten Hidden Gems in Post-Apocalyptic Fiction:


1.  The Tomorrow series (Tomorrow, When the War Began; The Dead of Night; A Killing Frost; Darkness, Be My Friend; Burning for Revenge; The Night is for Hunting; The Other Side of Dawn) by John Marsden—I'm in the middle of this YA series written in the 90s by an Australian author and I'm still enjoying it.  The story revolves around a group of teens who are camping in the bush when an unknown enemy takes over their town.  They return to discover that their families and friends have been rounded up at gunpoint.  Not knowing how widespread the invasion is or what they can do to stop it, the group has to figure out how to survive in a world that has literally changed overnight.


2.  The Wool trilogy (Wool; Shift; Dust) by Hugh Howey—This trilogy of very chunky books looks intimidating, but in fact, tells a very absorbing story set in a unique dystopian world.  Okay, I've only read Wool, the first installment, but I imagine its sequels are just as good.


 3.  Orleans by Sherri L. Smith—Set in a Gulf Coast that is half-drowned after repeatedly being hit by devastating hurricanes, this novel seems especially apropos right now.  It's a chilling, atmospheric tale about a teenager with highly-prized blood who's trying to keep herself and a newborn baby alive in a ruined, ruthless world.  I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for a sequel to Orleans, but so far I haven't seen one.  Pity.


4.  The Hallowed Ones and The Outside by Laura Bickle—When the world is overrun by a dangerous menace, Katie's isolated Amish village is the last to know about it.  To protect their people, the elders close off the community—no one is allowed out or in.  It's only when a handsome, injured Canadian comes begging for help that Katie dares defy her religious leaders.  Will her rash decision to shelter him prove fatal for everyone she loves?


 5.  The Horse trilogy (White Horse; Red Horse; Pale Horse) by Alex Adams—I've only read the first installment of this gritty, gory series about a woman trying to find the man she loves in a Europe ravaged and ruined by a vicious plague.  It's grim and graphic, but addictive.  Adams writes in raw, beautiful prose that makes the book impossible to put down.


 6.  The Ashes trilogy (Ashes; Shadows; Monsters) by Ilsa J. Bick—I'm not sure why I haven't finished this absorbing YA series yet because it's tense, twisty, and thrilling.


 7.  Wayward Pines trilogy (Pines; Wayward; The Last Town) by Blake Crouch—I loved this enthralling trilogy about a secret service agent who wakes up in a strange, secret-filled town after a car accident.  The less you know going into it, the better, but be aware of this: you won't be able to stop reading until you know every one of Wayward Pines' tantalizing secrets.


 8.  The Gone series (Gone; Hunger; Lies; Plague; Fear; Light; Monster) by Michael Grant—This series has a lot of different elements (sci fi, romance, dystopian, survival, supernatural, etc.) that combine to make for always-compelling reading.  I'm stoked that, four years after the series ended, Grant is publishing a new installment.


9.  The Forgetting and The Knowing by Sharon Cameron—Cameron introduces us to an interesting society where memories are wiped out every 12 years.  Unbeknownst to anyone else, Nadia is immune to whatever causes the phenomenon.  Thus, she becomes privy to the shocking secrets of her walled community.  A haunting, hopeful series (I believe it will be a trilogy), these books are not to be missed.


10.  The Ship Breaker Trilogy (Ship Breaker; The Drowned Cities; Tool of War) by Paolo Bacigalupi—I read—and loved—Ship Breaker back in 2010.  It's a watery dystopian about Nailer Lopez, a salvager looking for treasures to sell, who comes across a half-dead woman draped in enough gold to feed him for the rest of his life.  As Nailer sets about rescuing snooty Nadia, the pair find themselves in a frenzied race for survival.  Bacigalupi is a skilled writer, who offers up a story rich in character, setting, and plot.  I need to re-read Ship Breaker and continue with its sequels.

--

As a bonus, I discovered five other hidden post-apocalyptic gems that I just added to my TBR list on Goodreads:

1.  The Last One (2016) by Alexandra Oliva—Contestants on a reality show must survive in a real emergency.
2.  Zone One (2010) by Colson Whitehead—described as "literary zombie fiction"
3.  The Quiet Earth (1981) by Craig Harrison—A man wakes up and finds himself all alone in a world gone wrong.
4.  Icequake (1979) and Tsunami (1983) by Crawford Kilian—Devastating natural disasters create chaos and fear.
5.  Down to a Sunless Sea (1979) by David Graham—An airplane full of passengers escaping the apocalypse runs head-on into a nuclear holocaust.
6.  Emergence (1984) by David Palmer—A young girl with a unique genetic makeup sets off through a wasted world to find others like her.

--

Phew!  So, there you have it ... some hidden post-apocalyptic gems for you to try.  What do you think of the list?  What am I missing?  What's on YOUR list today?  I'd love to know.  Leave me a comment and I'll gladly return the favor.

Happy TTT!

Even though I live in a place where it's pretty much summer all year round, I'm not much for warm weather.  I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, on the shores of the Columbia River—my natural habitat involves cloudy skies, blustery winds, and a constant drizzle.  I'm a fish out of water in this hot, dry desert.  Needless to say, I don't look forward to Arizona summers.  The scorching temperatures keep me inside, air conditioning and ceiling fans on full blast.  I'm lucky to have a sparkling swimming pool in my backyard for quick dips, so I guess you don't have to feel too sorry for me :)

Anyway, while summer is not my favorite, it does inspire some fun reading material.  I'm not one of those people who only reads light, fluffy beach novels during these warmest of months, but I do think my summer reading choices tend to be a little frothier.  Maybe?  I'll let you be the judge, as this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is the ten books on my summer TBR list.  I'd love to see your list as well, so why don't you join in the fun?  All you have to do is click on over to The Broke and the Bookish and follow the instructions.  Easy, peasy.

Alright, here we go with the Top Ten Books on my TBR Pile for Summer 2015:


1.  The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler—I've never read anything by Ockler, but this contemporary retelling of The Little Mermaid looks fun.  I especially love that its heroine is a young woman of color.


2.  Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge—Forget light and fluffy, this thriller about a deadly game orchestrated by a sadistic fiend is described as dark and twisted.  Perfect summer reading?


3.  Remember Mia by Alexandra Burt—I'm in the middle of this thriller about a mother with severe post-partum depression who wakes up one morning to find her baby missing.  Suffering from traumatic memory loss, she has no idea what's happened to the infant; she can't help but wonder if the police are correct in naming her as the prime suspect ...


4.  The Tide Watchers by Lisa Chaplin—I just received an ARC of this historical adventure/espionage novel, which looks excellent.


5.  Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee—I know I'm not the only one looking forward to the July 14th release date of this novel about a grown-up Jean Louise Finch.


6.  The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi—Although Ship Breaker is one of my favorite watery dystopian novels, I've yet to read anything else by Bacigalupi.  His newest, The Water Knife, looks promising.  Set in the American Southwest, it highlights a very real and timely threat to man's survival—severe drought.  


7.  The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler—This quirky family saga about a mysterious book and a drowned circus mermaid looks intriguing.


8.  The Melody Lingers On by Mary Higgins Clark—I've loved Clark since I first read her as a teenager.  Although the quality of her writing has declined, I still enjoy her quick, clean mysteries.


9.  The Leveller by Julia Durango—I love the premise of this YA novel.  The MC is a bounty hunter who is hired by parents to go into the virtual reality gaming world and retrieve their missing children.  Sounds like a fun sci fi thriller.


10.  The Lost Daughter by Lucretia Grindle—This mystery about an American high school student who goes missing in Italy sounds like a good summer read.

So, what do you think?  Have you read any of these?  What great stories will you be digging into this summer?  I'd love to know.  Leave a comment/link to your list and I'll be sure to stop by.

Happy summer reading!

In a world that's short on everything, salvaging is big business. Even a scrawny teenager like Nailer Lopez could make his fortune with one "Lucky Strike." While he's fantasizing about the good life, though, Nailer's got to live his real one, which means making quota. Every day, he squirms through rusting supertankers looking for anything that can be sold off for profit - copper wire, aluminum, nickel, steel clips, and, scarcest of all, oil. If he brings out enough of the good stuff to satisfy his boss he'll keep himself employed, earning barely enough to feed himself. It's a hardscrabble existence, but it's the only one he's ever known. A long time ago, he's heard, people lived in mansions, ate whenever they pleased, and traveled the world in gas-guzzling automobiles. That world is gone now, drowned in the sea, and this brutal new existence is all that remains.
When Nailer discovers a luxurious clipper ship run aground after a hurricane, he knows he's finally found his own, personal "Lucky Strike." There's all kinds of scavenge on the boat, not just metal, but food and swank stuff like furniture, art and silk clothing. All of it ripe for the picking. But as Nailer combs through it all, he discovers a different sort of scavenge - a beautiful girl, half-dead, decked out in enough gold to feed Nailer for the rest of his life. He could kill her, take her jewelry, her ship, her food. He'd probably be doing her a favor. His father would do it in a heartbeat, but Nailer's not that cold-hearted. Besides, the girl represents the one thing he wants more than anything else - escape. All he has to do is keep the swank hidden from rival scavenge gangs until her people come to rescue her. Then, he'll have it made.
What should be a simple rescue mission quickly becomes a frenzied race for survival. As Nailer smuggles snooty Nita Chaudhury into the sunken city of Orleans, he'll have to outwit the bloodthirsty bounty hunters who track his every move. Is snobby Nita really worth the effort? Will she keep her promise once she's rescued? Or is Nailer destined to risk his life over and over again in pursuit of the kind of life that just doesn't exist for a scrappy ship breaker like him?
Paolo Bacigalupi's debut YA novel, Ship Breaker, is dystopian at its very best. The National Book Award nominee (2010) combines colorful characters, heart-stopping action, and strong, vivid prose to create a story that comes alive with startling vibrancy. Although the story takes place in a fractured world, it's Bacigalupi's deconstruction of humanity that makes the novel so impactful. To put it simply, Ship Breaker is fast-paced, finely-plotted, first-class entertainment. Blood and rust (as Nailer wold say), I loved it.
(Readalikes: a little bit like The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and The Maze Runner by James Dashner)
Grade: A
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), violence and mild sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Ship Breaker from the generous folks at Hachette Book Group. Thank you!