I set up a poll just like this exactly a year ago today so that I could get people's input on what I should be prioritizing in my reading schedule last summer and the response was great! Since that poll, I've read 6 out of 10 of the books on my initial list, which isn't amazing I realize, but I'm pleased with that proportion just the same. So I'm doing it again and asking for your help! The above ten books are the ones I would hope to read this summer (sequels that I've been putting off, books that are being made into movies, and books that I've been meaning to read for FOREVER), but I likely won't be able to get to all of them, unfortunately. This is where you come in. Please help me prioritize! Any reasonings for your choices can be left in the comments. Thank you!!
Definitely Angelfall and Dark Triumph, I thought these were very good. Graceling is also another cracking read, and Crown of Midnight (imo) was much better than the first one. I couldn't really get into Eleanor and Park despite loving Fangirl, and the Study series was ok but not wonderful. We seem to have pretty similar tastes so hopefully I've helped a little, I have read and loved so many books from your recommendations :)
ReplyDeleteYes, you have helped, thank you!! It does mean a lot coming from someone with similar reading tastes :)
DeleteDark Triumph's a really good sequel, and Poison Study's a great fantasy read for the summer, too! I read Angelfall last summer and to be honest I'm not the biggest fan. I enjoyed it, but I think it's massively over-hyped - either that or I'm just missing something!
ReplyDeleteHmm, well that could be. Hype does have a way of ruining things sometimes. Still want to give it a go and hopefully I'll still love it!
DeleteEeep, I love seeing people's summer TBRs! I honestly voted for CROWN OF MIDNIGHT and ELEANOR AND PARK. I voted for CoM because it is SUCH a good sequel, it's way better than ToG (and I loved book one!). Secondly, I voted for E&P because it's a great romantic read to read over the summer. You will die of feels! But I definitely also suggest The Giver and If I Stay if you want to read the books before seeing the movie. Good luck reading this summer, Aylee!
ReplyDeleteDie of feels?? Oh, yes please, haha :) Sounds great, both your choices!! I can't believe I have been putting off CoM for as long as I have.
DeleteThis is such an awesome idea! I'm currently reading If I Stay and loving it! You must read Raven Boys it is so so good! Eleanor and Park is also on my list this week I need to finally get to it! =)
ReplyDeleteMy TTT
Excellent, that's so good to hear! I will stop by your post now!
DeleteI didn't like Graceling, but Eleanor and Park is pretty good, so I voted for it :)
ReplyDeleteI need to get around to reading LaFevers' debut, Grave Mercy, sometimes soon, I have heard so many good things about that series, and I keep meaning to read Poison Study and Angelfall , too!
My TTT: http://takeawalkonthewriteside.blogspot.it/2014/06/top-ten-tuesday-summer-2014-tbr-list.html
Good to know! It does seem like people either love Graceling or feel meh about it. And YES, you definitely need to read Grave Mercy!!
DeleteI did Crown of Midnight, since I loved it even more than Throne of Glass, and with the sequel pretty close you won't mind the horrifying cliffhanger! ( :
ReplyDeleteI would've liked to recommend The Giver, which was really important to me when I was growing up, but Crown of Midnight was excellent so I went for that. Still, here I will say you should read both! x
Heh, that is the one good thing about leaving series books until just before the next book comes out. No torturous wait! You can vote for more than one choice if you wish... but yes, I will definitely read both!
DeleteAHH! DIES :D So many amazing books! You need to read so many of them, lol. BUT FIRST: Graceling. Yesss. Graceling is still the best book I have read. <3 And you must read it! It is perfect. Sigh. Love it so much :) And Jellicoe Road! I love that book so much as well. It's perfect! Ack. You must love it, hih. And The Raven Boys. <3 So much love. And Eleanor & Park. Love. And Dark Triumph. So much love. Sigh. Happy reading sweetie :D
ReplyDeleteI KNOW!! Sooo many amazing books, so little time, sigh. SO nice to hear how much love you have for the books on my list though because it makes me even more excited! Thanks, Carina!
DeleteYAY for Angelfall! I hope you get to read this soon! :D
ReplyDeleteI hope so too :)
DeleteThe only one I've read from your list is Graceling but I'd recommend that book to anyone anyway as it's AMAZING! Kristin Cashore' s debut blew me away but eeeeeek I still haven't read Fire or Bitterblue (the sequels-ish), bad me! Too many books and far too little time! There are more than a few on your list that I NEED to find time to read!
ReplyDeleteNew GFC follower and I LOVE the name of your blog!
Thea @ Gizzimomo's Book Shelf
Hee, most excellent, I'm glad I had one up there that you recommend wholeheartedly! And yeah, SO not enough time!! I will have to check out your blog next :)
DeleteI haven't read the Poison Study, but I read the first book in the spin-off series (I didn't know that it was a continuation until too late) and I really liked the world and the authors style.
ReplyDeleteThe Raven Boys is kinda slow moving, but reading anything by Maggie Stiefvater is a joy, her writing style is just so beautiful and takes its time.
I really need to read If I Stay. It has never been something that I was that interested, but then I saw the trailer and realized that I'm gonna want to support a YA movie so I have to read the book before then.lol
Between Bookends
By the way, I love the name of the blog. I usually read HP each summer, but I'm taking a Rowling and Tolkien class in the Fall so I'm trying to stay away from them until then. I FEEL THEM CALLING TO ME!!!
Ah yes, I've heard of the spin-off series. I'm thinking I'll like the author's style as well! And yes, I remember that about Maggie Stiefvater's writing from The Scorpio Races - just SO beautiful! I haven't watched the trailer for If I Stay yet (nor the one for The Giver either, actually) because I want to go into the books with my own visions. And of course I want to support a YA movie too.
DeleteYou're taking a Rowling and Tolkien class??! Omigawd, that is SO awesome, where can I sign up?? haha, I'm well overdue for a reread, as well, MY BABIES ARE CALLING TO ME!!
Definitely Crown of Midnight and Angelfall! Loved both of those books. Crown of Midnight was a really good sequel to Throne of Glass, so if you liked Throne of Glass, you'll probably really enjoy Crown of Midnight too; you get to find out a lot more about each character as well, which is awesome. Graceling is excellent too and people always say Jellicoe Road is brilliant (though I haven't read it yet).
ReplyDeleteWoohoo, that's great because I loved Throne of Glass and I had so much fun with it! The characters were great, so of course I want to see more from them!!
DeleteThe only one I read is If I stay and I really loved it despite the saddness of it, but I recommend it if you like reading the books before the movies come out. I haven't read any of the other ones on your list but there are definitely some I need to read too.
ReplyDeleteI do definitely like to read the book before I see the movie. I don't need to read the book before the movie hits theatres, but I need to read it before I personally make time for the movie.
DeleteI've read everything here but Dark Triumph and Eleanor and Park, and I LOVED them all. You have a lot to look forward to! :) I think you should prioritise Jellicoe Road and The Raven Boys. Both were incredible books for me. Angelfall and Crown of Midnight are spectacular too!
ReplyDeleteAww, Sam, that is so awesome to hear from you because I KNOW I can trust your opinion!! Thanks so much!
DeleteI voted for Angelfall, The Giver and The Raven Boys because those are the ones I've read and I though they were great!
ReplyDeleteExcellent, thanks Megan!
DeleteLol, don't worry, I probably wouldn't have been able to do much better with my reading list. I'm waaaay behind with my current one as it is and it's KILLING me! But you have some pretty awesome books there (though I've only read two of them) so maybe it'll be easier to get through them? So, I selected four books for ya:
ReplyDelete1. The Raven Boys -- This book. THIS BOOK. You're missing out on so much by not reading it. Admittedly, the sequel is much better, but the first book wasn't bad and was so original. It's huge, though, and might get a little slow, but it'll be worth it. Trust me. The characters are awesome, and the plot is so wonderfully complex.
2. Crown of Midnight -- I just want to hear your thoughts on it, haha! Loads of people loved it, and I think I'm going to be reading it soon (after I re-read Throne of Glass), so maybe we can fangirl together?! Just a thought. ;)
3. If I Stay by Gayle Forman -- Mostly 'cause the movie's coming out and I hate going to book-to-movie adaptations without reading the book first. I always feel like they're spoilers for the book, even though the book will probably tell me the same thing. I'm just weird like that. >.< And also, I know tons of people who loved this, so there's a high chance it'll cheer up your summer even more!
4. The Giver -- Again, only 'cause the movie's being released pretty soon. I actually don't know much about the story, only that a lot of readers are angry that the directors are totally butchering the movie because they're focusing on the wrong part of the plot, or something to that effect, anyway.
But in the end, the choice is yours! And I hope you have a great summer with the books you decide to read, Aylee! <3
I hope so, Meg! I hope so. At any rate, I'm SUPER stoked for them all. Whenever I do get to them.
Delete1. So I hear!! I do feel like I'm missing out whenever I hear mention of someone raving about it. I remember the same sort of thing about The Scorpio Races and it was definitely worth it in that case, so I'm sure you're right.
2. Yeaaahh! It's always nice to have someone on hand to fangirl with :D I would hope to read this one before book 3 is released.
3. I know what you mean. I MUST read the book first. But that doesn't necessarily mean I have to read the book before the movie is released in theatres, just before I watch the movie in my own time.
4. Eek, that is SO not what I want to hear!! Aww, please say that isn't so. I do of course still want to read the book, but man! That's disappointing.
Thanks for the epic comment, Meg!!
You got an incredible list, Aylee! I don't think you can go wrong with picking any of these up. FYI, The Giver has an open ending not sure if that bothers you.
ReplyDeleteHmm, it depends. Really could go either way. Thanks for the heads up, at any rate!
DeleteO fun! I vote Dark Triumph 'cause I need to get back to this series too.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get a chance to!
DeletePoison Study, Dark Triumph and Graceling for sure. Those are all awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
DeleteI've read six of the books you mentioned!! You should read all six! Haha. There is not a single one I didn't like. I voted for the same back I did last year! I am certain you know which it is. Good luck with your reading list.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I'm certain :) And I'm sad that it was one of the books that I never got around to reading in all that time! I do WANT to read it, but I need plenty of time for it, I think. So that I can truly appreciate it.
DeleteI voted for If I Stay because I really loved it and I'm excited for the movie. I still need to read Where She Went though...haha
ReplyDeleteAs for your others, I really want to read some of those too like Eleanor and Park (I bought a copy awhile ago; just need to read it).
-lauren
Oh, excellent. I'm excited for the movie too somehow, even though I haven't read the book yet, heh. I can't help but get excited over YA adaptations, I guess!
DeleteI absolutely adored Eleanor & Park. One of the best books I read last year. I'm a child of the '80s and it felt like a time machine right back to my childhood.
ReplyDeleteI have read only 4 of the books on your list, but have heard good things about them all, so I suspect you won't go wrong with whatever you choose. I voted for The Giver and E&P though. Everyone should read The Giver. I have such guilt that it took me 20-something years to finally get to it.
I'm quite keen on the 80s setting in Eleanor & Park, too! I'm not even sure I have ever read a book that was actually set in the 80s so it should be interesting.
DeleteAnd yeah... the guilt of not ever having read The Giver. It wouldn't been so easy if only we had had to read it in school, but my English class never did. So here I am, having missed out on a classic. But I WILL get to it this year!
If it makes you feel any better I have not read The Giver, either (blush and goes back to hiding under my big ole rock).
DeleteAww, it does a bit. Maybe we could do a readalong!
DeleteRead Jelicoe Road!!! That is all. lol! I hope you actually get to finish all the books you want to read in the summer! :)
ReplyDeletehaha OKAY!! :D
DeleteYou know I want you to read Jellicoe, I love, love, love that book. I sigh over Jonah Griggs all the time *happy sigh* and then I would go for If I stay, because it's a really excellent read. In third place I recommend Eleanor and Park, :)
ReplyDeleteThose are the only three of your list I've read though.
Aww, I know, Alex, I know. It'll happen for sure! And I really must acquaint myself with this Jonah Griggs character that everyone's always fangirling about.
DeletePoison study, Graceling, Dark Triumph, Angelfall, The raven boys & Crown of midnight all got my vote, because they are all AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteHeehee, I remember your reviews and high praise for all of them! Thanks, Mel.
DeleteJust taken your poll, and viewed the results, I don't think we've helped any! 36 answers and all the books are practically equal! I haven't read ANY of these yet myself, but based on what I have read, and what's a priority for me, I chose:
ReplyDeletePoison Study - apparently that series is amazing and The Works periodically get it in on their 6 books for £10 deal, but never all of the books at the same time, which is annoying, but I keep checking in vain.
If I Stay - because it's talked about everywhere, I think it's a really interesting idea for a book and apparently Gayle Foreman's writing gives all the feels, and I love the feels.
Angelfall - I've heard it is super good and I love those covers, and I haven't read much about angels and want to correct this.
The Raven Boys - I loved The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie, and apparently this one is even better.
E&P - because it's Rainbow Rowell, and everyone loves her. It's on my Kindle at the minute, just need to get round to it. And finally...
The Throne of Glass series/Crown of Midnight - again, loved by everyone and EVERYONE is telling me to read this already.
So, those are my top picks from your picks!
My TTT: http://confessionsofabookgeek.wordpress.com/2014/06/17/top-ten-tuesday-my-summer-tbr-list/
haha, I noticed that! The results are VERY close. Guess this means I'll have to read them all :) I really do plan to read them all, I was just hoping to get an idea of what I should read first. And I'm excited for all of them! Thanks for your thoughts - it's interesting seeing from the point of view of someone who has not read any of the choices either.
DeleteNow the thing about Poison Study that I always hear is that book 1 is amazing, the rest of the series meh. So I only have plans to read the first and that sounds like a good deal to me!
Heh, I love all the feels too!! It's been a while since I read a good feely book.
Angelfall is one of the few angel books I know of that tends to fall under the category of good angel book!
Yup, I've heard the same about The Raven Boys.
I know I certainly love her!
Ditto! I loved the first two books so CoM should be full of win!
Thank you so much for the epic comment!!
I voted for four and they are eleanor and park (because everyone needs to read that), if i stay (because i LOVE IT plus movie is coming out in august and you NEED to read it before), Dark Triumph (I haven't read this but i LOVED Grave Mercy.. and Mortal Heart is coming out soon so better to catch up) and lastly is Jellico Road (I own it and want to read it and it seems like a classic YA contemporary everyone needs to read!)
ReplyDeleteI hope you get around to reading them all! :D
- Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf
Thanks Juhina!! Great points here. I must read Eleanor and Park, I know it, and I also definitely need to read If I Stay before I see the movie. I hope to read Dark Triumph at least before the 3rd book comes out and I've been meaning to try to make time for Jellicoe Road for years now!
DeleteOh I just love this, love your selection and I'm excited to discuss to here goes:
ReplyDeleteI still need to read my copies of Poison Study and Angelfall so obviously those got my vote! Seeing you read them might be just what I need to finally do so as well hehe. And then CLEARLY Graceling got my vote ;-D And OMG YOU MUST read Crown of Midnight & The Raven Boys! Mostly because they are freaking MADE of awesome and among my all time favorite books but also partly because I just want to discuss them with you LOL I still need to read Grave Mercy myself but if I had I'm sure Dark Triumph would have gotten my vote. Oh and I voted for The Giver but only because I'm very curious to see what you'd think of it. I won't share my thoughts here because I don't want to affect your experience so I'll leave it at that.
Oh and I hope my votes registered. The vote-y thing was there, I submitted my choices and then it wouldn't load. I refreshed but now it's not showing up at all D: Anyways I hope you get a chance to read ALL of these this Summer, you have a fantastic looking selection in store!! xxxx
Aww, thanks Miche ^^
DeleteHeh heh! Well, clearly :) I certainly haven't forgotten about our planned buddy read of Graceling. We'll have to do that soon hopefully! And then there's always Poison Study and Angelfall to get to if you are looking for buddies to read those with!
And YESSS, Crown of Midnight and The Raven Boys made my list partially because I KNOW how much you adored them!! And you ARE my book twin after all, so it's a very good bet that I'll love those ones, as well.
Oooh, you MUST read Grave Mercy!! I loooved that one.
And now I'm very curious about your experience with The Giver!
That's too bad you were having problems with the poll? Everything seems to be okay now. And at least you left me an excellent comment so even if your votes didn't register, I still know what you think!
hehe I came back to check and the poll loaded so I voted :D I'd definitely be game for a buddy read of Poison Study AND Angelfall along with our planned Graceling one! Give me a heads up when you plan to read either and I'll do my best to fit them in!
DeleteI'd be willing to bet money you'll ADORE CoM! Same goes for Raven Boys, especially considering you enjoyed The Scorpio Races :D
Grave Mercy has been on my shelf for far too long, I MUST find time to read it SOON.
Excellent, I hope it works out! I'm really keen on the idea of buddy reads recently.
DeleteAnd that's good to hear because CoM is currently first :)
Free at last! Lol, I'm finally done my summer course so I can get back to what's important: reading! How's your summer going, Aylee?
ReplyDeleteMy votes would be for If I Stay, Dark Triumph, Angelfall (I need to read book 2!) and The Raven Boys probably in that order. Graceling was a book I liked but I was a bit disappointed in the ending. Poison Study was only okay in my opinion and unfortunately, I didn't like Eleanor and Park or Crown of Midnight. I also didn't like The Giver which I read way back in Grade 7.
I'd like to read Jellicoe Road - or any of Marchetta's books - so maybe if you decide to read that, we could do a readalong or something.
Woohoo!! That's so great to hear that you're done your summer course and I assume you'll have more time on your hands. My summer is going well so far. Pretty low-key, just researching my thesis. What do you have coming up this summer now that your class is over?
DeleteActually a buddy read for Jellicoe Road would be really great! It sounds like it's a bit of a hard and confusing book to get into at first, though it's worth it in the end, so it would be nice to have someone to discuss the book with.
GRACELING. Read Graceling first. Katsa is an amazing protagonist. It is a thoughtful and thought-provoking fantasy world. Katsa and Po have the best relationship ever. And it's all about Katsa's inherent skill at hurting people and how she grapples with the implications of that. It's utterly fantastic (as are its sequels).
ReplyDeletePoison Study is also really good. I would not recommend the sequels to this (pretend it's a standalone because they're just...horrible, sadly). BUT Poison Study is really good. Yelena's this prisoner of the state but gets the chance to redeem herself by becoming her country leader's poison tester. Awesome premise, right? And the relationship she develops is also pretty great.
I'm sure I don't need to add anything to the discussion of Jellicoe Road, but it's amazing. One of those books you should wait to read until you have a fair amount of time and lots of patience, however, because it is super confusing for a good chunk of the first read-through. It's worth it, though; I promise!
And The Giver is just classic children's dystopian lit at its finest. Definitely worth a read (and it's a quick one, too).
I was actually not a fan of If I Stay. I think you need to be in the right sort of mood for it. It's much more flashback heavy than anything else.
Angelfall is good - again, maybe not as great as everyone seems to say, but worth a read.
Haven't read the others you listed just yet, but I have a copy of Dark Triumph and I've heard it's better than Grave Mercy (I hope so!) and I really need to start The Raven Boys trilogy and Maas' series soon.
Sorry for this super long comment, but your options make me excited. :)
I agree to all of the above! Except I have yet to read If I Stay, so I can't say whether or not I'd recommend it. It waits for me on my bookshelf!
DeleteIt's so great hearing from you how highly you thought of Graceling, Amanda, because I KNOW you have good taste and know what you're talking about and it's also nice because I've known the book to get some pretty mixed reviews. But yayyy, you make it sound SO fantastic!!
DeleteThat is a bit sad about the sequels to Poison Study being so sucky in comparison, but at this point, I've been hearing that about the series for so long now that I have accepted it and will definitely be treating Poison Study as a standalone now. And YES, it sounds way awesome!!
I often hear that about Jellicoe Road - that it's a pretty confusing read that can be hard to get through and requires a lot of patience. Well, that doesn't sound great, but then I hear reassurances like yours that insist that it is worth it, and I get excited for it all over again!
As for If I Stay - I can see why you would need to be in the right mood to read it. And I'm hoping at some point I will be because I don't want to miss out on the greatness that everyone talks about!
No need to apologize for a long comment because it was super helpful and I really appreciate it, I promise! Thanks so much, Amanda.
There are so many amazing books on this list! The Giver, The Raven Boys, Angelfall, Jellicoe Road, Graceling, Poison Study! I love them all! I cannot wait to see what you think about them, as I really think you'll love them, especially Angelfall and Graceling. The romances in those! Swoon! And The Giver is a classic that I think everyone should read. It's an emotional read. At least I thought so. I look forward to your book reviews for these, Aylee! :D
ReplyDeleteOh good, so I know for sure that I am in for a treat no matter what I read, right? Because that excites me SO MUCH to know that there are so many on my list that you loved because I absolutely trust your opinion.
DeleteOooo this is a hard one Aylee! So many amazing books on that list! I would personally recommend Angelfall, I couldn't have loved that book more if I tried. I need to read the Robin LeFevers series, I feel like I'm the only person who hasn't read those yet. I've heard amazing things and I want to be in the loop. Can't wait to see what you choose!
ReplyDeleteAh excellent, it's so great to hear how highly you thought of Angelfall! I have a good feeling about it :) And I'm sure you're not the only person left who has not read Grave Mercy... and there's still plenty of time to go before Mortal Heart!
DeleteSo I hear!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely vouch for the excellence of both Poison Study and The Giver! I was not as thrilled with the sequels to Poison Study (I think I kinda skimmed them...) but Poison Study itself is a very enjoyable read. And The Giver's a wonderful dystopian YA written long before there was a bandwagon, lol.
ReplyDeleteI have definitely decided at this point that I will be skipping the sequels to Poison Study because everybody seems to say that!
DeleteOooh, I love that you set up a poll! What a fantastic idea!! :D
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend making sure you read Jellicoe Road, The Raven Boys, Eleanor and Park, and The Giver (I'm hoping to squeeze in a reread of that one this summer before the movie comes out!!! :D)! I loved all four! :) I also loved Graceling, but it's been a while since I read that one. :P
You've definitely got some great picks on the list though, so no matter what you decide to actually read this summer, you're definitely in for some great summer reading! :D
Thanks - the only slight issue it seems is that the poll results are quite close, almost equal! So I guess I'll just have to read them all - as if I wasn't going to do that anyway! :) Thanks, Ambur - I'll be sure to read The Giver before seeing the movie.
DeleteYou're welcome! ;D haha I guess you might have to try to squeeze them all in! ;D haha that's definitely my plan! I read it back in Elementary school, so the details I pretty fuzzy for me, too. We'll have to chat about it whenever we both get around to reading it! :D
DeleteYeah definitely, I'll let you know what I think of it!
DeleteOk, you just HAVE to read at least these:
ReplyDeleteThe Raven Boys ( I just know you'll love this one, its kinda slow, but really unique)
Dark Triumph (because I'm reading Grave Mercy on/off and I want to know if #2 is good for motivation)
Crown of Midnight (since I've started reading this one and also have #3, I hear #2 is better than #1 if you can believe that!)
Jelicoe Rd - (Damn, I've wanted to read this for sooooooo long, if you like it, I will make it a priority - read it and convince me!!!)
Oooh okay OKAY!! Haha, it's good to hear you love The Raven Boys and Crown of Midnight and I will let you know if the other two are worth pursuing. Don't give up on Grave Mercy!
DeleteEeep, you must read The Raven Boys this summer. Either you'll love it so much that you'd want The Dream Thieves immediately or you would as least like it a lot. I'm pretty sure you'll love it so yeah. Ha ha.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, Angelfall, Crown of Midnight and Eleanor & Park are also must-reads. SO GOOD.
I'm planning to read If I Stay, Where She Went and World After this summer so yes to those. =
I have a pretty good feeling I'm going to absolutely love The Raven Boys, too! I know I was pretty crazy about The Scorpio Races anyway. And yesss the other ones sound SO GOOD that I really cannot wait to read them either!!
Delete