Top Ten Tuesday: Books I've Read So Far This Year

It's time for the Top Ten Tuesday meme, brought to you via The Broke and The Bookish.

Today, I'm going through the Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year.  This list actually goes to six because, so far this year,  I've only read eight books for funsies and I didn't really enjoy a couple of them.  And, by "funsies", I mean "not school assigned reading".  

 My list may be short, but it won't stay that way for long.  There is plenty that I look forward to reading this summer.   I'm currently reading The Book Thief and The Giver.

1) The Mortal Instruments: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

I just finished this one and I loved loved loved it, which is why it's at the top of my list.  I don't want to say too much about my thoughts on this book because I'll be posting a review for it soon.  But, I will tell you that it is very bittersweet; it had me crying at 2am and puffy-eyed in the morning.

I've finished The Mortal Instruments series, but I'm not yet ready to write-off the Shadowhunter world.  A lot of people dislike that Clare writes so many series about Shadowhunters, but I love it.  I love knowing that there is still more to learn about her world.  I'll be reading The Infernal Devices next, and after that, The Dark Artifices.

2) Paper Towns by John Green

Again, I have a review coming out for this, so I won't say much.  But, I will say that Paper Towns doesn't disappoint.  John Green never does.  Every piece of paper his pen touches turns to gold.  

Paper Towns is a fun story with serious undertones and deeply inspirational messages.  Green is an author whose characters can say something incredibly profound in one moment and something humorously trivial in the next, and it doesn't seem superficial or like he's trying too hard.  And, for that reason (among many others), I enjoy every minute of his writing.  I'll be reading An Abundance of Katherines next!

3) If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I recently wrote a review of If I Stay, expressing my love of the book. It was the first book I started reading this summer. The book had been in my TBR pile for some time, and after I had heard all of the Hollywood buzz surrounding it (yay for Chloe Grace Moretz as Mia!), I decided to go ahead and pick it up. The plot is great, and really makes you think. But, I admit that the ending is kind of obvious considering that there is a sequel. Nevertheless, I am excited to read the sequel, Where She Went.

4) Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

This book was sooooo good.  And, oh, you guessed it--I'll be posting a review on it soon.  For now, I'll tell you that I had no real expectations for Hopeless.  I bought it for my Kindle on a whim.  I read the synopsis and thought, "oh this will be a nice contemporary YA romance to cleanse my palette after all the sci-fi reading I've done".  

Boy was I wrong to think that this would be a "nice contemporary romance".  This book has so many unexpected twists and turns, and very serious subject matter.  It is a great read.  Also, I think Dean Holder has officially topped my list as the perfect fictional boyfriend.

Next I'll be reading Losing Hope (Hopeless #2).

5) City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Yesterday, I posted my review of City of Lost Souls.  

Again, I'll just say that I really love Cassandra Clare's writing.  This book was really long, but still really good.  Readers got to see all of their favorite characters and some romantic relationship development.  And, we got to learn more about Sebastian, which I actually enjoyed although he is evil?  What can I say?  I love a villain who isn't purely evil, who struggles with emotions of love and hope.  It reminds readers that those characters are human, just irrevocably damaged.

6) The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

I finished this book just last week although it had been sitting on my nightstand, neglected since January.  The Scorch Trials was okay.  Not terrible, but not great.  I didn't enjoy it as much as  The Maze Runner, but it was still interesting.  Now I'm just ready to read The Death Cure so that I can hopefully figure out what the hell is going on in this world.   Reading  these books is like watching LOST: the questions continue to rack up, yet none of them are answered.

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What have you read so far this year?  Have you read any of the books I've listed?  Talk to me in the comments!

If you've written a Top Ten Tuesday this week, be sure to link it below.

See y'all next week!

--Teisha xx