Top Ten Tuesday: Books People Have Told Me I MUST Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish in which bloggers post their "Top Ten" list of books based on that week's theme. This week's theme:

TOP TEN BOOKS PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME I MUST READ
(or, Here are all the books I own that I haven't read yet because I fail at reading books that I know/people tell me I will really like)

I don't normally participate in Top Ten Tuesday but this week's topic came right at the same time as I had Ciara and Jess, two of my awesome blogger friends, over at my house this past weekend. While looking at my bookshelves, because that's what book friends do, they started telling me which books I owned that I had to read. So here are 10 of the books they pointed out.

1 & 2 - Jellicoe Road and Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta - This is the part where I tell the world that I haven't read a single Melina Marchetta book. Ever. *Goes to hide in a corner* Now that that's out of the way, I have been yelled at plenty by Ciara for not having read either of these books despite owning them (this will be a recurring theme for this list).

3 - We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han - I fail at finishing series. Like, this is a MAJOR problem for me. I can't even begin to count how many series I've started but haven't finished. In this case, I loved the first two books in Jenny Han's Summer trilogy I just can't bring myself to read the last one. Maybe it's because I was quite happy with the ending of the second book love triangle-wise so I'm afraid of what might happen.

4 - Where She Went by Gayle Forman - Yeah, so I haven't read Where She Went yet. I've read If I Stay and I loved it. I've been told by so many people that Where She Went is even better and even more emotional. Seeing the If I Stay movie this week may just be the motivation I need to finally read Where She Went.

5 - Looking for Alaska by John Green - I've only read two John Green books: Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars. But Looking for Alaska is the one that everyone (aka Ciara) has been telling me that I need to read. But I'm afraid of all the feelings that could possibly come from reading this book. 

6 - The rest of the Soul Screamers series (Specifically books 4, 5, 6 and 7) by Rachel Vincent - A year or two ago I started reading the Soul Screamers series, but I only got as far as book 3. According to some people, I need to remedy that fact. 

7 - Starling by Fiona Paul - This is another case of my inability to finish series in a timely manner. Though admittedly, Starling came out this year, so this isn't too outstanding. But I loved the first two books. And Jess has been telling me that I will love the conclusion. So I really need to get on that.

8 - Midnight Frost (and by extension, Killer Frost) by Jennifer Estep - In my opinion, the Mythos Academy series is one of the most underrated YA series out there. I've loved every book I've read in this series but I can't bring myself to read the last two books in the series. That and, as I've already established, I suck at finishing series.

9 - The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater - It took me a while to get around to reading The Raven Boys so I'm not entirely surprised that I haven't read The Dream Thieves yet. And Ciara (anyone seeing a trend yet?) has borderline yelled at me for not having read it yet. 

10 - Origin (and by extension, Opposition) by Jennifer L. Armentrout - You would think that after the end of Opal I would have been dying to read Origin. And I was. But then life got in the way. And so for the past year Ciara and Katie have been asking me if I've read it yet. And now that Opposition is out, they're nagging me even more. But in a good way.

So these are ten of the books people have been telling me I need to read. Believe me when I say that there are A LOT more sitting on my bookshelves. For now, let me know in the comments which one form this list you think I should read first!

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers #3)

Author: Rachel Vincent

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: June 1, 2010

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies. And Kaylee is about to scream her head off…

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.

Until something does.

Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kinds that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends--one of whom is already hooked.

And so is someone else...

Once again, I will say that I am glad to have finally started reading Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series. It's a series I've come to really like and the third book, My Soul to Keep, only served to reinforce that fact. It was one of those books you start and finish reading all in one sitting.

Kaylee Cavanaugh has had a rough few months since finding out she's not human, but rather a banshee. What that means is whenever someone is about to die, Kaylee is the first person to know and then she starts screaming her head off. And with the way things are going at her school, Kaylee may have a lot of screaming to do in the very near future. Because some of her boyfriend Nash's teammates have gotten access to demon breath, a very dangerous and addictive substance from the Netherworld. Kaylee wants to do everything in her power to help them, but Nash seems more reluctant to help. Maybe there is more going on than meets the eye.

After having now read three of Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers books, I can say witha fair amount of certainty that they are quite addicting. Had it not been for the fact that I was desperately needing sleep, I would have read My Soul to Keep all in one sitting. I loved the story in this book. To me, it had a different feel than the previous two books, and so far, I would have to say that it's my favorite. There was also a big part of the story that I saw coming and because of that I was a little disappointed, but soon enough I realized I was wrong. Sure, I figured it out pretty early on, but there was so much more to it that I hadn't seen coming. And that's what made the book so great for me.

If I didn't love Kaylee already, My Soul to Keep would have made sure I changed my mind. Kaylee was absolutely fantastic in this book and she didn't have it easy at all. So much happened to her and I am so proud of the way she handled it all. And if that wasn't enough, what she said on the last page of the book totally did me in. My opinion of the Hudson brothers definitely changed a lot in this book. Nash lost a lot of my respect. I understand where he was coming from but he took things too far and that made him lose a lot of points. Tod on the other hand gained a lot of points. He was really there for Kaylee in a way I didn't expect him to be. All that to say, I now have a major sof spot for Tod.

My Soul to Keep was most definitely not a disappointment. It was a book I sped through and loved every page of. Rachel Vincent has really hit the mark with her Soul Screamers series and I can't wait to pick up the next one.

My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers #2)

Author: Rachel Vincent

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: December 29, 2009

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies. 

So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld--a consequence they can't possibly understand.

Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk...

The main reason I finally picked up this series is because I decided to participate in the Soul Screamers reading challenge. I rally enjoyed the first book when I read it last month and it was no different with My Soul to Save. I am definitely happy to have finally discovered this series.

Now that she knows who she really is, Kaylee is trying to get used to the idea of being a banshee. And to the idea that someone like Nash Hudson would want to be with her when he could have any girl he wants at their school. Now if only Nash's reaper brother Tod would stop popping up and appearing out of thin air unannounced, things would be perfect. But that's unlikely to happen. So when a teen pop star collapses on stage and dies without her soul, Kaylee starts to worry that something might be terribly wrong. With the help of Tod and Nash, she now has to race against time to stop moe young pop stars from signing away their souls.

When I read My Soul to Take last month I really enjoyed it and I can now say that I think I enjoyed My Soul to Save even more. With this one, it felt like the action started sooner and there was more of it which definitely made me happy since I like my books packed with action. I really like the world Rachel Vincent created where banshees, reapers and Netherworlders coexist, though not quite exactly peacefully. There just seems to be so much to that world and every time I think I have it all figured out, Tod or Nash will throw some other detail my way and it changes everything I thought I understood. On a similar note, I often find that with series the story can have a tendency to repeat itself from one book to the other. It was definitely not the case here. The story Rachel Vincent wrote in My Soul to Save was completely different from the one in the first book. The story was unique, but still brought me back to the world I have come to really like.

Once again, I really loved Kaylee and the fact that she is the one telling the story. With the story being from her perspective, I like that as a reader I only find out things as she does, especially when it comes to the world of banshees and reapers. Though what I like most about Kaylee is her willingness to help just about anyone she meets if she feels that person deserves the help. My one complaint about that though, is how willing she is to put her own life at risk, often much to the dismay of the people who love her. Speaking of people who love her, I find myself sort of being torn between the Hudson brothers. While at first I was all for Nash, Tod has definitely grown on me. He may sometimes be a pain in the ass and quite annoying, he is good at heart...he just needs to work on how he shows it. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Overall, My Soul to Save was a really great read did not let me down like can often happen with the second book in a series.  I am definitely looking forward to the next book, which I should be reading quite soon. 

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1)

Author: Rachel Vincent

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: August 1, 2009

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh.

She doesn’t see dead people, but…

She senses when someone hear her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who’ll be next…

I have been hearing about the Soul Screamers series for the longest time and have had the books sitting on my shelf for quite a while, but I only just picked up My Soul to Take. And then I got hooked and had trouble putting the book down. It was a fantastic start to what I'm sure is a fantastic series.

For the most part, Kaylee Cavannaugh has a normal life. At least as normal as can be when her mother died when she was three and her father left, leaving Kaylee with her aunt and uncle. And then there's the whole screaming thing, which doesn't really make her the most popular girl in school. Because the thing about Kaylee is that she can sense when people are about to die and that causes her to scream. But now things are looking up. Nash, one of the most popular boys in school, is paying attention to her and seems to know more about Kaylee's screaming than he's willing to let on. But then girls start dropping dead left and right. And Kaylee can only hold in the screams for so long.

So why I waited so long to start reading the Soul Screamers series has become a mystery to me. I've had the books sitting on my shelf for the longest time but never really felt compelled to pick them up. But now that I've read My Soul to Take, I regret not having started this series earlier. It was a fantastic read, and one  that quickly drew me in. It didn't take very long for me to have trouble putting the book down. I just wanted to find out what was going on with Kaylee and all the mystery surrounding her family. Rachel Vincent really wrote an incredible story here, and made it so I want nothing more than to find out what would happen next. 

I liked Kaylee right from the start. She was a great character and I was happy she was the one telling the story. She had a fantastic voice and I loved finding things out at the same time as she did. I also loved seeing her grow and come into her own. The only issue I had with her was how quickly her relationship with Nash took off. But at the same time I really liked their relationship, so it was something that I was able to overlook. And I also, obviously, really liked Nash. He was a great counterpart to Kaylee and I loved all he was willing to do for her. As for the other characters, I would have liked to see more of them, especially when it comes to Tod. But I'm told that I should be patient and the time for more Tod will come.

I'm glad I finally picked up My Soul to Take and started reading the Soul Screamers series. I can't wait to find out what happens in the next book.