Top Ten Tuesday: books dealing with tough subjects

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week the participants post their top ten to a specific topic.


To this week's topic is all about books dealing with difficult subjects like abuse, suicide, grief, or other issues that are personally hard for us.
It was kind of difficult to come up with 10 books for this that I've actualy read. I'm not usually one for 'problem books' because I identify way too much and it drags me down. Also, I realized that I could name quite a few books that have an issue woven into them somewhere but it isn't the main focus. So here are 10 books of varying intensity that I read and enjoyed.

The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
This was the first contemporary book I'd read in a looong time. I mainly picked it up because it was set in San Francisco and because the heroine was a foster kid. And there we're also already at one of the issues the book deals with. Victoria is a heroine that is hard to understand at the beginning, but the unfolding tale is wonderful, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. One of the things that happen to her is among my big no-nos when it comes to choosing my reads but it was handled wonderfully here! It's about homelessness, not belonging, grief, mother-daughter relationships, loss, love... and it left me with this feeling of catharsis. I cried, but I felt better at the end.


Pushing The Limits, by Katie McGarry
I know a lot of people would probably classify this book as romance but I think it also handles tough issues like grief (Echo's brother), mental illness, trauma, and the foster system. It makes the characters' pain real. It made me laugh and cry and swoon and get angry. I loved it so much even though emotionally it got heavy at times, for me at least. You can check out my review here.


Girls Love Travis Walker, by Anne Pfeffer
I *just* finished that one and really loved it! Travis is a guy with real-life problems. Having to drop school in order to support himself and his sick mum, the threat of eviction hanging over his head, knowing that the 5 dollars in you pockets are all the money you own in the world... he took quite a heavy fall but I liked how much of a backbone he had, and there were lighthearted scenes to balance things out.


The Breakaway / Pieces, by Michelle Davidson Argyle
I was part of the tour for these two and they had such a huge impact on me! Naomi's mental situation and the way she dealt with her kidnapping (and the aftermath!) were so real to me. I felt with her. I ached and hoped for her. It's also a book about finding your own way though, and about several types of dependent relationships. If you want to know more, check out my review.


Notes from the Blender, by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
Notes from the blender is an extremely fun read, but it also deals with issues about patchwork families, grief, guilt, and finding out where you belong. I devoured it in a day. Definitely one of my favorite contemporaries!


Hunger, by Jackie Morse Kessler
This one was personally hard for me to read. It deals with anorexia and bulimia and the physical, emotional, and social consequences that come with it. It's all wrapped up in the paranormal element of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse but the describtion of Lisabeth's situation hit very close to home for me. I really want to read the next books in the series!


Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson
Same as above, only more extreme. My experiences thankfully never went as far as that of Lia, the heroine, but I still saw more of myself at a certain point in my life in her than I would have liked. This one packs a real punch but it handles the issue really well, in my opinion. If you know someone suffering through the hell of anorexia and want to understand them better, this book might help.


Ultraviolet, by R.J. Anderson
This is eventually a paranormal book but it also deals with mental illness, being committed against one's will, asylums in general, and several kinds of abuse. I was glued to the page and need to read the sequel, Quicksilver, asap!


In the Shadow of Blackbirds, by Cat Winters
This one is set in 1918 during the Spanish Influenza. The description of a city filling up with corpses, the horrors of WWI, the grief of those mourning both the sick and the fallen soldiers of the war, was palpable to me. It also deals with the fear and paranoia of treason, with women's lot in the early 20th century, and with ghosts. Oh, and it's simply brilliant :)


Carrie, by Stephen King
I know many would probably classify this one as horror but for me, it's so much more and else than that. I was 16 when I read it for the first time and I identified with Carrie so much! Like her, I'd been bullied for years on end. I didn't have a religiously crazy mother to deal with like she did, but otherwise she basically got to do what I'd dreamed about quite a few times: revenge. With telekinetic powers.



This is it... I think I got in quite a few different ones. I also have a bunch of books dealing with tough issues on my kindle that I haven't read yet. What do you guys think of my list? Do you know any of the books? I'm also curious about everyone else's picks, so link me up :)

Get To Know Me: Favorite Things to Do on a Day Off

Hey there :)
I'm really late with this post today, it being Mother's Day and all...
I also couldn't really come up with a good topic. First I wanted to do music but that would have taken forever to format and how could I possibly only pick like 5 bands when I have 25GB of music by almost 300 bands on my computer?!

So I thought I'd talk about what I like to do on a day without university courses or work.

Reading
That's a pretty obvious one, right? I actually still get quite a lot of reading done even if I have courses because I have this habit of reading while eating, but I also love curling up with a book on my bed (or, now that I live at my parents' again, a couch) and just reading for hours and getting lost in these amazing imagined worlds!


Walking the city
I will definitely miss that a lot now that I don't live in Zurich anymore for the time being :( I'd just walk my favorite parts of town for ages, do some window-shopping and snoop around stores and watch people. Zurich is a very pedestrian-friendly city with great public transport, so getting somewhere with a car is actually harder and really annoying. Which is of course great for walking. The pace is brisk though but once I got used to it, I liked it that way :) Sometimes I go to the lake and walk along the promenade; there are usually some buskers there playing music, and of course lots of people just hanging out. In the summer you can also just spread your towel there and walk around in swim trunks/bikini. Oh, and you can rent pedalo-boats and get up to shenanigans out on the lake :P
I also like discovering new places in the city, so sometimes when I'm in the old part of town I just go down some random, winding alley and see where it takes me. I've discovered awesome hidden little squares, stores, and old houses that way! Sometimes I take my camera with me.


Sitting in a café / writing
Another favorite. Sometimes I just have to get out of the house but I don't really feel like going anywhere, buying anything, or meeting anybody. So I just go to a café, sit at the window, sip my cappuccino and relax. I watch people. Maybe I took my netbook with me so I can get some writing done. It's just overall really relaxing for me, lets my mind take a breath, and makes me feel good because I did something creative :) And if I feel lonely, I can still text a friend and ask them if they'd like to join me.


Staying in my PJs all day
Yeah. We all need those days every once in a while, right? Right? Sleeping in until noon (maybe I should remark that I usually stay up until like 2am), getting up, eating something, and deciding not to leave the house so what's the point in getting dressed. Then I read or watch some DVDs or whatever and listen to music.


Hm... I think this covers the most important bases. You may have noticed that there are no clubs or sports on there. The reason is that I don't do any. I just don't enjoy sports very much and I've yet to see a club I'd want to join. I also don't want to feel like I *have* to go to some club meeting now or do something in preparation for a club-thingy or whatever. Oh and then there's the money issue, of course.

So yeah, that's what I like to do when I have a day off. Lame? Lazy? Crazy? Boring? Do we have any 'activities' in common? What do you like to do when you've got a whole day without work?

Stacking the Shelves: Delirium and Fever visit the Carnival of Assassins to hunt Serial Killers

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews to showcase all the books we got in the past week. Those can be bought, won, gifted, for review, borrowed, print or ebooks... no matter, just share what you got :)


This week was great for me in terms of books, which I'm really glad about because otherwise it wasn't so awesome. I couldn't find a new apartment in time (Zurich is terrible like that) so I have to temporarily move back in with my parents (definitely not in Zurich. Think village with 700 people). That means we had to move allll my furniture, books, and other stuff, which was rather stressful and, for me, painful. So when I wasn't hauling around stuff or boxing stuff, I was reading a lot to forget about everything.

Netgalley:

Delirium (Debt Collector episode 1), by Susan Kaye Quinn
Carniepunk, by Rachel Caine, Jennifer Estep, et al

After participating in the book blitz for Delirium, I was really curious so I snagged it on Netgalley when it showed up. You can read my review here or click the banner in the left sidebar to win it :)
Carniepunk I've been hoping would show up on Netgalley for a really long time, so I'm beyond happy that I got accepted ^^ I love anthologies!


Bought in print:

Faefever, by Karen Marie Moning
Fever, by Lauren DeStefano
I Hunt Killers, by Barry Lyga
Grave Mercy, by Robin LaFevers

After reading Darkfever and Bloodfever I had to have Faefever right away! I even went to buy it at the bookstore even though I cost almost twice as much as ordering online. I've already read it. Same goes for Fever, which unfortunately I didn't love as much as Wither :(
I've been drooling after I Hunt Killers and Grave Mercy for months and can't wait to get around to them!


Ebook:

Don't Hate the Player... Hate the Game, by Katie Ashley

After reading a review and then the kindle sample, I was so hooked by Noah's voice and the narration that I spontaneously bought it :) It was only about a dollar, but I don't know if that's still the case.


So that's it form me... I had a great bookish week if nothing else and can't wait to get started on those I haven't read yet! I also have a couple giveaways going on, just click the covers on the left sidebar, and I was part of a tour yesterday for Darkness of Light. You can check out my review plus an international giveaway here.
What do you think of my haul? Have you read any of these books? And what new pretties did you get this week?

Tour Review: Darkness of Light, by Stacey Marie Brown

Hey guys and welcome to my spot on the Darkness of Light tour organized by Rockstar Book Tours! Below you can find more info about the book and author as well as my review, and an international giveaway at the very bottom :)

Release date: February 15, 2013
Publisher: Twisted Fairy Publishing
Format: ebook / paperback, 298 pages

Goodreads description:
DARKNESS OF LIGHT is a Mature YA/New Adult Paranormal Romance


Freak. Witch. Crazy. Schizo.

Ember Brycin has been called them all. She’s always known she’s different. No one has ever called her normal, even under the best circumstances. Bizarre and inexplicable things continually happen to her, and having two different colored eyes, strange hair, and an unusual tattoo only contributes to the gossip about her.

When the latest school explosion lands her in a facility for trouble teens, she meets Eli Dragen, who’s hot as hell and darkly mysterious. Their connection is full of passion, danger, and secrets. Secrets that will not only change her life, but what and who she is—leading her down a path she never imagined possible.

Between Light and Dark, Ember finds a world where truth and knowledge are power and no one can be trusted. But her survival depends on finding out the truth about herself. In her pursuit, she is forced between love and destiny and good and evil, even when the differences between them aren’t always clear. At worst, she will incite a war that could destroy both worlds. At best, she will not only lose her heart but her life and everyone she loves. Once the truth is out, however, there will be no going back. And she’ll definitely wish she could.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | SMASHWORDS | FACEBOOK

AUTHOR BIO

Stacey Marie Brown works by day as an Interior/Set Designer and by night a writer of paranormal fantasy, adventure, and literary fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s out hiking, spending time with friends, traveling, listening to music, or designing.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

REVIEW
I’m not going to lie, what first drew me to this book was the beautiful cover. It’s not just pretty but also relates to the story and represents it really well! Darkness of Light truly is a mixture of both these things: it has elements that are sinister and threatening but it’s also a fun read with great, sarcastic humor and a strong-spirited heroine!

Ember has never fit in anywhere. With her different-color eyes and two-toned hair, she has always stood out and been the object of suspicion. Strange things and accidents happen around her. Because she sees things other people cannot see, she has also spent time on the psych ward until she learnt to lie about her ‘hallucinations’ and was discharged. She is a character with a dark and painful past who is trying to make the best of the present. Since her mother’s death, she has been living with her stepfather, and I really liked how important he was in her life! Very often, the home life of protagonists is pretty much left out, but Ember and Mark have a close relationship and he is a father to her in everything but blood. Despite knowing that she is not quite normal, he stands up for her when she’s in trouble.

And trouble there is. Once more, Ember is being related to a fire that broke out at her school. There is no direct proof, but the sheriff has it out for her, and his word is pretty much the law in their small town. Ember is sent to Silverwood, a school for troubled teens at the edge of the Washington woods. Silverwood is a setting I really enjoyed, including the teachers and other kids Ember meets there. I thought the situation was rendered realistically and without resorting to convenient clichés like the evil principal (she’s awesome!) or general bad treatment of kids (not happening), but it also wasn’t idealized as some kind of sanctuary of the merely misunderstood.

Easily my favorite thing about the novel was the dialogue! At this point I have to mention Ember’s two best friends, Ryan and Kennedy. They were a great trio of outcasts, and both Ryan and Kennedy had their own strong voices and personalities. The three of them together had me cracking up all the time and I loved how loyal they were to each other!

Speaking of dialogue, I have to bring in Eli. Ember first meets him at the police station where he is handcuffed to a chair; later it turns out he does community service at Silverwood and they have to be around one another all the time. Eli is basically sex on a stick… or more like, on a Harley. Before you peg this as the typical good girl – bad boy thing, remember that Ember isn’t really a good girl, she’s snarky and a rule-breaker. Eli is a mystery, at one point reacting to Ember’s interest in him and then seemingly disgusted by her a moment later. There is something strange and different about him, and he (as well as his maybe-girlfriend) seems to know more about Ember than she does herself.

Their arguments and conversations were awesome! There were so many ‘oh-my-god-(s)he-did-NOT-just-say-that!’ moments that left me with my jaw hanging open. I loved it. Their interactions never felt forced and the mixture of attraction and repulsion between them was tangible. I also liked that there was no talk of ‘love’ after only a few days of knowing him and that Ember always keeps in the back of her head that whatever else he is, he is also very dangerous. Nevertheless, I do admit that sometimes I thought there was a bit much of the whole ‘you are bad for me but I want to do naughty things to your off-limits body’ theme, but that might well be personal. Regardless of it, I enjoyed their interactions (oh the tension! *fans self*) and burst out laughing on the train way too often.

More and more, Ember realizes that strange things are happening, that her dreams and hallucinations might be more than just that, and that both she, Eli, and a group of people around him must be more than simply human. There is also Torrin, a guy who keeps appearing in her dreams speaking of danger but refuses to ever answer her questions. He claims to protect her but I had a problem with his attitude.

Another really strong point of the book is the mystery. What is Ember? Is she the same as Eli? What really happened to her mother? Who was her father? What are her abilities? I had a hard time even coming up with theories! Nothing ever quite fit all the elements. At some point I was fairly sure I had Eli pegged, but I was wrong. Darkness of Light is a novel that will really keep you guessing until the end! The revelation, when it came, made a lot of sense though, but it also leads to some of my small parts of criticism of the book. I’d always found it easy to connect with Ember, but I didn’t quite buy her reaction to finding out what is really going on and to the events that happen at the very very end. Still, after that bomb of an ending I really need to know what happens next!

Overall, Darkness of Light is a great read on the edge of mature YA and NA that puts a twist on your usual paranormal novel. The plot is well thought-out with a mystery that keeps you guessing and characters that draw you in and make you feel for them. The dialogue is absolutely fantastic and the tension between Ember and Eli is off the charts! Stacey Marie Brown does a good job navigating around many of the typical YA paranormal clichés. If you’re looking for a read away from the usual urban high school setting and happen to love sarcasm, snark, and some dark themes, you really should give this book a try!

GIVEAWAY

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TOUR SCHEDULE

WEEK ONE:

May 6th - Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf - Guest Post

May 7th - Fade Into Fantasy - Interview

May 7th - Bibliophilia, Please - Guest Post

May 8th - Paranormal Book Club – Review

May 8th - Reading and Writing UrbanFantasy and Paranormal Romance - Guest Post

May 9th - Curling Up With A Good Book - Interview

May 10th - Shelfspace Needed  - Review

May 10th - Mom With A Kindle - Guest Post

WEEK TWO:

May 13th - A Book and a Latte - Interview

May 13th - Teen Blurb  - Review

May 14th - The Book Hookup - Interview

May 15^th – Another World ofBooks - Review

May 16th - Sweet Southern Home - Interview

May 16th - Paperback Princess - Review

May 17th - Consuming Worlds - Guest Post

May 17th - The Girl with Red Cape - Review

Review: Delirium (Debt Collector Episode 1), by Susan Kaye Quinn

Release date: March 20, 2013
Format: Kindle serial, 48 pages (ca. 12,000 words)

Goodreads description:
What’s your life worth on the open market?
A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He’s just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja’s sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane… until he collects again. But when his recovery ritual is disrupted by a sex worker who isn’t what she seems, he has to choose between doing an illegal hit for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle alone—a dark pit he’s not sure he’ll be able to climb out of again.

Contains mature content and themes. For YA-appropriate thrills, see Susan’s Mindjack series.

Delirium is approximately 12,000 words or 48 pages, and is one of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. For more about the Debt Collector serial, see www.DebtCollectorSeries.com


The following review is based on a copy I got via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.


Review:
Thanks to having participated in the book blitz for the Debt Collector serial, I knew quite well what I signed up for when I requested this first episode on NetGalley. Delirium is every bit as gritty as I’d expected, and I devoured the whole episode in one go. I would have read more if I’d had it! I really enjoy these serialized chunks of stories though because the format means you can squeeze it in anywhere and read it all at once, fully immerse yourself.

Although I can’t say I’d want to live in the world of Debt Collector myself, I can already tell from the short glimpse I had that I do not at all mind spending my fictional time there! Susan Kaye Quinn really has come up with a unique world I can’t wait to experience in more detail. The story is set in the future, but not so far removed that the reader has no point of identification. The world building is brought in unobtrusively, just as much as is needed at the time. There is no info-dumpy dialogue or inner monologue, but you still gather enough to follow the story.

Delirium, or Lirium as he calls himself for short, is an intriguing and complicated character. Though not much is known of his background yet, I think he is torn between opposites. At only twenty years old, he works as a debt collector, a person trained to collect the life-force of those people whose burden on society outweighs their potential future use to it. Often, that means elderly, sick people who have no chance of getting better and only a few weeks left to live. After drawing their life force, the collector gets a high off it, but must pass it on to a person deemed more deserving of it, keeping only a 10% share. As you can guess, there are downsides to the job.

Another person I’d like to know more about is Elena, the girl who disrupts Lirium’s usual way of dealing with the aftermath of the debt transfer. She has her own share of secrets. She’s trouble in a pretty package. She makes him question things.

If you’re looking for something unique that combines sci-fi with the atmosphere of an old noir film and overall dark themes, narrated by a character with a wry sort of humor – here you go. The writing is instantly gripping and will keep swirling through your head even after you finish the story. Personally, I can’t wait to see where this serial is headed!


What do you think of the premise of the series? Have you checked it out? If not, click here to be taken to a guest post where Susan explains her genre. There are also two giveaways, one for the package of episode 1-3 (US only) and an international one for this first episode.

Waiting on Wednesday: Delia's Shadow, by Jaime Lee Moyer

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine to spotlight upcoming book releases that we're excited about.


This week's pick:

Release date: September 17, 2013
Publisher: Tor
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages

Goodreads description:
A dark, romantic fantasy set against the backdrop of San Francisco devastated by the Great Quake

It is the dawn of a new century in San Francisco and Delia Martin is a wealthy young woman whose life appears ideal. But a dark secret colors her life, for Delia’s most loyal companions are ghosts, as she has been gifted (or some would say cursed) with an ability to peer across to the other side.

Since the great quake rocked her city in 1906, Delia has been haunted by an avalanche of the dead clamoring for her help. Delia flees to the other side of the continent, hoping to gain some peace. After several years in New York, Delia believes she is free…until one determined specter appears and she realizes that she must return to the City by the Bay in order to put this tortured soul to rest.

It will not be easy, as the ghost is only one of the many victims of a serial killer who was never caught. A killer who after thirty years is killing again.

And who is now aware of Delia’s existence.


I love stories set in San Francisco. I love stories set in the early 20th century. There is a serial killer. And the ghost-seeing thing reminds me a bit of In the Shadow of Blackbirds, set around the same time, which I loved! The cover doesn't hurt, either ;)
Have you seen this one around before? What do you think of it? And of course, what are you impatiently waiting for this Wednesday?

Teaser Tuesday: Faefever, by Karen Marie Moning

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Hey guys! Today's TTT is about light&fun books but honestly I don't think I could come up with 10 that I really like and don't have anything dark at all in them ^^'' I'm a tad scared of what that says about my reading taste. What can I say, I like my humor dark.

So I'm being a tease today...

"Barrons was powerful, broodingly good-looking, insanely wealthy, frighteningly intelligent, and had exquisite taste, not to mention a hard body that emitted some kind of constant low-level charge. Bottom line: He was the stuff of heroes.
And psychotic killers.
If there's one thing I've learned in Dublin, it's that there's a fine line between the two."
-Faefever, page 44

I'm not giving you the Goodreads description because this is book 3 and I don't want to spoil anything bout book 1 and 2 in case you haven't read them yet. You can check out the first book here: Darkfever

What do you guys think about my teaser? Barrons is such a fascinating character! I like him. I know he's dangerous but I like him anyway. He's not one of those obviously redeemable bad boy types, he's a real beast. His danger is not just a front. He's mysterious. So yeah, I shouldn't but I like him.
If you can recommend any other books with that type of characters, feel free to do that too ;)

Cover & Trailer Reveal and Giveaway: Losing Francesca, by J.A. Huss

Today I'm taking part in the cover trailer reveal for Losing Francesca, an NA contemporary romance by J.A. Huss, organized by Xpresso Book Tours.


BOOK INFO

Release date: July 1, 2013
Publisher: self-pubbed
Format: paperback & ebook

Description:
Francesca Sabatini came to America to take in the sights, celebrate her high school graduation, and have fun wasting time before college starts in the fall.

That’s not what happens.

Fresh off the plane and barely on American soil more than a handful of minutes, Francesca’s face is recognized by TSA scanners to be a match for a child who was kidnapped twelve years ago.

Brody Mason remembers the day Fiona Sullivan went missing during a family vacation in Italy and it’s haunted him his whole life. So when Francesca shows up at the Sullivan farm down the road, he’s compelled to figure out if this girl really is his long lost friend.

But Francesca knows she’s not Fiona Sullivan. She knows exactly who she is. At least she thinks she knows – until Brody Mason relentlessly pursues her and she begins to have feelings for him. Maybe being Fiona isn’t so bad?

Reality becomes blurred, secrets are revealed, and life will never be the same when the final questions are answered: Is she Francesca or Fiona? And where does she really belong?


What intrigues me about this book is that it's not about the time of the actual kidnapping and how the Francesca fares with her abductors, but about how she doesn't remember, and whether it's even true! It's kind of like hearing you've been adopted, only worse.

TRAILER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.

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GIVEAWAY

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