Top Ten Tuesday:: Books to Read this Summer

The Broke and Bookish run this weekly meme where bloggers post their top ten in any category!

This week's theme is "Books I Want to Read this Summer." I might not read these all this summer, but I'll hopefully read them soon. I tried to include a good mix of YA, Adult Fiction, New Releases, Classics, and Non-Fiction

1- Almost French by Sarah Turnbull- I've been wanting to read this since I first started flipping through it at the library a few months back. It's a non-fiction story of an Aussi who gets invited by this random French dude to visit him in Paris and ends up marrying him and living there. Can't wait to read it, especially since I'll be living Paris next spring! :)
2- A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway- Since I studied this book in high school during Quiz Bowl, I've always wanted to actually read it. The power of love and enormity of loss seemed so powerful. Now that I've been on a Hemingway kick this summer, I figured I'd try to finally read it.
3- A Room with a View by E. M. Forester- I read A Passage to India earlier this year in a lit class, and I've been wanting to read another by him. I've also been interested in reading something about Florence, since I learned about Stendhal Syndrome in my creative writing class. And there are old country estates, which always are my fave so this book seemed like a good choice.
4- Save Me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald- I'm like weirdly obsessed with the Lost Generation and I really want to read Zelda's only novel.
5- Londoners by Craig Taylor- It's a series of non-fiction essays by people who live in London about what it is like to live there. I've never been to London, but I've always wanted to. This way when I am traveling in Europe next spring I can go there and be prepared.
6- The Penderwicks by Jane Birdsall- I've heard this compared to one of my all time favorite series "The Casson Family." I utterly adore books about quirky families with cute kids!
7-  Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell- I loved Fangirl and I've heard a lot of great things about this book too. I definitely want to read it if I get a chance.
8- Ilsa and the Happily Ever Afters by Stephanie Perkins- I am still not over how much I loved Anna and the French Kiss and this companion takes place in France and seems deep and interesteding and gah I need to read this!
9- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthoney Doerr- This WWII novel takes place in St. Malo, a really cute seaside town in France that I visited a few months ago when I was last in France. I'd love to go back through this book, which just came out and is highly rated.
10- The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin- I'm about 200 pages through this- so hopefully I'll finish and review this soon!

What are you reading this summer? Have you read any of the books on my list? Leave me some comments, lovelies :)

Top Ten Tuesday:: Books in Beach Bag

The Broke and Bookish run this weekly meme where bloggers post their top ten in any category!

This week's theme is "Book in my Beach Bag." My family is lucky enough to own a cottage on Lake Huron and I love reading on the beach there. I tried to pick light, summery books. The kind you can read, then swim, then read some more, then nap/tan- you know?

Me Reading at the Beach :)

Here are my thoughts:

1. Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daily- Angie and Jack have the quintessential summer romance the summer before she goes to college. This classic YA was written in 1940 and shows just how timeless young love is.
2. Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita- If to you summer means camp time, this book is for you! A very disney channel movie-esque YA about Sam's shenanigans as a counselor in training.
3. 3 Willows by Ann Brashares- The summer before freshman year, 3 old friends come back together, but not before having their own summer adventures- working at a beachside restaurant, hiking in the wilderness, and training to become a model. Great beach book because you get to have 3 summer adventures in one!
4. Viola in the Spotlight by Adriana Trigalini- When Viola returns home to NYC after a year at boarding school she has to deal with confronting her BFF/BF, missing her awesome roommates, and being an intern for a Broadway production. Perfect "summer in the city" book!
5. Summer of the War by Gloria Whelan- Summer on Turtle Island in Northern Michigan is Belle's favorite, but this summer is different. It's 1942 and the war in Europe might be closer than she things. This middle grade historical fiction captures summer and struggle!
6. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson- If you prefer your summer reads to be about European adventures, this one goes in your beach bag! A mystery scavenger hunt around Europe, a run away aunt, and one incredible summer for Ginny.
7. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green- Summer is the perfect time for a roadtrip, especially if you need to get over your ex-girlfriend. This was the first John Green book I ever read and is both hilarious and intelligent.
8. A Summer in Europe by Marilyn Brant- Another book for those who love European summers. After her boyfriend doesn't propose to her, Gwen heads to Europe on tour for sudoko players- complete with lots of old people, two brothers named after famous transcendentalists, and maybe even some romance.
9. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen- I didn't like this book very much, but it was so summery I could practically feel the burst of air conditioning whenever Auden walked in a building and the sand between my feet when she was at the beach.
10. Atonement by Ian McEwan- I read this book on the beach last summer. The first part takes place on a very very hot summers day and you could real feel the heat (not just with the temperature ;))

Will you put any of these in your beach bag? What books should I put in mine? Let me know!

Top Ten Tuesday:: The Top Ten Books for Dancers

The Broke and Bookish run this weekly meme where bloggers post their top ten in any category!

Fun Fact: I love ballet

This week was a "freebie." Since this blog is just getting started (on blogspot at least), I figured this would be a good time to get to know me. And one thing about me is that I LOVE dance, especially ballet! So I decided to do a list about that. I'm not a huge fan of dance books that are only about girls dealing with EDs or only about girls who are seduced by older man, so this list has none of those! Here are my favorites:

1- Bunheads by Sophie Flack- This book such a real and raw look at the world of ballet. It's written by a former NYCB corp member, so it captures the joys and struggles of life in the corp. This book inspired me to start writing about my experience in dance. I'm forever glad I found this book!
2- En Pointe by Lora Glover- Written in prose, this book is a lovely story about trying your hardest to achieve dreams and learning how to live when they don't come true.
3, 4, and 5- Ballet Shoes, Dancing Shoes, and Theater Shoes by Noel Stratfield- These are the only three "shoe books" I've read, but I really loved them as kid. They are about family and performing and are beautiful.
6- The Royal Ballet School Diaries by Alexandra Moss- These are definitely for a younger audience. I read them when I was in 6th grade and even then, they were a little young for me. However, they are the reason I fell in love with ballet and they definitely make ballet feel magical.
7- Margot Fonteyn: An Autobiography- She's a ballet legend, the prima of all primas. Reading her story is forever interesting. Her account of being a ballet dancer during WWII inspired me to write a story for my fiction writing class (I got an A- which was huge for my professor).
8- Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You by Dorian Cirrone- What happens to a dancer when she doesn't have the body type and never will? This is a story of humor and courage- and one of the most difficult parts of ballet.
9- The Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman- Two dancing sister and the move that changes their world. Not as dance related as the others, but it's still there.
10- Girl in Motion by Miriam Wenger-Landis- This isn't my favorite ballet book, but if you liked Bunhead or Dance Academy (my favorite Austrialian teen drama tv show), you might enjoy this too. It's a young girl at NYC's best dance school trying to find her way in the ever competitive world of dance.

I still feel like I'm missing some important ones, but I can't think of what they are! Oh no! Leave me comments about your favorite ballet books and maybe I'll think of the ones I missed!

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Friendship Books

The Broke and Bookish run this weekly meme where bloggers post their top ten in any category! This week's theme was books about friendship!

1. Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales- This book is the ideal friendship book. Violet and Katie have been friends for a really long time and go to the same competitive, private school- but have very different personalities. Their ups and downs are so relatable!
2. 3 Willows by Ann Brashares- Everyone has those friends who used to be super close in elementary school, but grew apart as they got older. This book is about the summer that brings three old friends back together again.
3. The Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman- Sometimes your sister can also be your best friend, so what does that mean when you move and your sister becomes the most popular girl in school?
4. Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani- Getting left at a boarding school while your parents shoot documentaries can be a drag, but Viola ends up meeting some of the coolest roommates that make her life better and become her best friends.
5. The Casson Family Books by Hilary McKay- (These books will be on every list ever because they are the most perfect books) The Casson Family collects lots of different friends from their neighbor Sarah to ex-bully David to a hippie named Derek. The Casson's friends are all different ages and levels of quirkiness, proving that just about anyone can be their friend.
6. Paper Towns by John Green- Only really really good friends would skip graduation so that you could track down the girl you've been crushing on forever.
7. Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass- Three very different kids meet and become unlikely friends during an eclipse
8. Things Hoped For by Andrew Clements- Proof that you can have a book about a boy and a girl where they just friends! Bobby has a girlfriend, Alicia, so the relationship between Gwen and Bobby is just friendship, which is just as important!
9. The Saddle Club by Bonnie Bryant- This was one for my favorite as a kid! Three very different girls, all drawn together by their love horses, form the quintessential group of friends.
10. Harry Potter by JK Rowling- I've seen this on a ton of other lists and lets be honest- Harry, Ron, and Hermione make up one of the best trios to ever exist. You can't not love them!

What are your Top Ten books about friendship? Do you agree with any of mine?