Top Ten Books Others Say Are Must Reads

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books Others Say Are Must Reads.

1. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
2. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider
3. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
4. Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy, # 1) by Danielle L Jensen
5. Maybe One Day by Melissa Kanter
6. Inhuman (Fetch, # 1) by Kat Falls
7. Kiss of Fire (Imdalind, # 1) by Rebecca Ethington
8. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
9. Just One Day (Just One Day, # 1) by Gayle Forman
10. Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, # 1) by Kendare Blake
11. Zombie Fallout (Zombie Fallout, # 1) by Mark Tufo

What are the books that other people have told you that you MUST read? Let me know!

Captivating - Review

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul

By: John & Stasi Eldredge

Published: April 7th 2005 by Nelson Books (first published January 1st 2005)

243 pages

Genre: Christian, Non-Fiction, Spirituality, Religion, Inspirational, Women

Source: Personal Library ( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Every woman was once a little girl. And every little girl holds in her heart her most precious dreams. She longs to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to" be" the Beauty of the story. And yet―how many women do you know who ever find that life?

Most women think they have to settle for a life of efficiency and duty, striving to be the women they "ought" to be but often feeling they have failed. Sadly, too many messages for Christian women add to the pressure. "Do these ten things, and you will be a godly woman." The effect has not been good on the feminine soul.

The message of "Captivating" is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you still feel are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman. A woman who is truly captivating.

Oh my! I have no idea how I'm going to review this book. If you get absolutely nothing else out of this review, here's what I want you to take away: "READ THIS BOOK!"

I don't know if I have words to really describe how much I enjoyed this book and how many treasures I found within it's pages. This is one of those books that I think every human being should be forced to read. Every woman because she's a woman. And every man because he's not a woman. This book was healing to my soul.

I was worried about reading this book from the point of it being co-authored. I find that I struggle sometimes with books that are written by more than one author. And truthfully it did take me a little bit to get accustomed to how Captivating swaps back and forth between Stasi and John writing in the first person. But they usually tell you when the narration swaps, and I got accustomed to this in no time.

The description above hints at this, but the book goes into more detail. This isn't another book that just tells you what a Christian woman should be doing, thinking, feeling, etc. This is a book about the nature--often buried deep down--and heart of a woman and the desires of her heart. It's about how we as women uniquely bear the image of God and what being a woman can tell us about the heart of God. So many times in my reading, I found myself with chills, nodding my head, and even reading sections aloud to my husband. I even had one of those faith affirming moments where it's perfectly visible (metaphorically speaking) to witness God at work in my life--affirming His love for me as an individual.

I've never been a feminist, but I am fiercely independent. I've never resented the position of the men in my life or the differences between men and women, but I strive not to let my definition of self and worth come from anyone else--save God. I personally can't see how any woman can fight against this book or the message of these authors--but I'm sure those women are out there.

From the discussion surrounding the fall and the curse, to the question women are from their youths looking to have answered, to how our parents play into our vision of self, to the deep and romantic relationship that each of us have the opportunity of having with our Creator, Sustainer, Bridegroom, Father--Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge blew me away. The most important thing I took from this book was about deepening my relationship with my God.

I could probably talk for hours upon hours about what I've taken away from Captivating. I've recommended it to every female in my life. And I'll most definitely read this book again in the future. More than that, if I ever have an daughters, I'll force this book at them--before they're married. If I could force it upon you, I would. But if you can't tell, I highly recommend Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge.

Absolutely no qualms about giving this one a hearty 5 Stars! Have you read Captivating? What did you think? Let me know! Again if you haven't read this one, please do.

Delirium - Review

Delirium (Delirium, # 1)

By: Lauren Oliver

Published: August 2nd 2011 by HarperTeen (first published February 1st 2011)

441 pages

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian

Source: Borrowed from my local library

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, The Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe.

I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.

I want to get it over with.

It’s hard to be patient.

It’s hard not to be afraid while I’m still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn’t touched me yet.

Still, I worry.

They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness.

The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.

Oh boy guys...what to say about Delirium other than "read this book!"???

The concept of love being considered a disease by an entire society was such a unique concept that I was pretty much captivated from the first page. Of course, because this concept is so "out there" I was being a little over analytic with the logistics of it all. But eventually, I was able to just shut that part of my brain off and dive into this interesting and truly sad concept of a world that Lauren Oliver created. A world without love....can anyone truly imagine it?

Lena starts out as a strict rules-follower type of person. She's had too many experiences in the past that haunt her concerning those who try to break the rules--those who fought for love. And after seeing what those people have gone through, the very idea of the "disease"--the deliria--terrifies Lena. She absolutely cannot wait until she turns eighteen so that she can receive the cure. But genius is not needed to know that Lena has quite a wild ride ahead of her.

Initially, I was almost more intrigued by Hana's character than by Lena. Hana is always pushing the edge of what's been deemed appropriate by the government and what her heart calls out to her. Hana and Lena go through a lot throughout the entire story unfolding in Delirium, and I loved how they could be at odds with each other and return back to a place of love and devotion to each other as true friendship allows.

Alex confused me at first because he wasn't really what I was expecting. In the end he lived up to be everything I hoped for. He is the catalyst for so much change within Lena and I don't think we've even seen how far the reach of the ripples that he's caused for Lena and even other secondary characters as a result. I can't wait to find out more.

After reading a couple of books where I felt like the writing was immature (that's the best word I can think of right now), but having a hard time explaining what I meant by that, Delirium was so easy to pick out as being excellent writing--lyrical and poetic. Beautiful. I actually listened to the audio version of this book, read by Sarah Drew. She did an excellent job. She was dramatic and intense and I felt my heart pounding my chest during certain parts of the book. The intensity that she put behind her narration was just what this book called for. Though sometimes Sarah Drew's narration for Alex was slightly off-putting, the rest of the story and the performance was spot on.

Some of my favorite quotes (*note because I listened to this book in audiobook version, it's almost impossible for me to quote directly, specifically punctuation, etc. I did the best I could. And I definitely can't site the location.):

"You can't really be happy unless you're unhappy sometimes." - Hana

"The secret to talking to boys--you have to be angry all the time." - Lena

"Is it possible to flirt without knowing you're flirting?" - Lena --YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"And then my eye went full flutter." -Lena - Ok this one you have to know the context, but trust me...it's hilarious, especially if you've ever had an eye twitch due to stress.

"Apparently the disease turns you into a world class liar." - Lena

"Without love there could be no hate. Without hate, no violence." - Lena followed up by "Hate isn't the most dangerous thing. ...Indifference is." - Alex

"You have to understand. I am no one special. I am just a single girl. Five feet two inches tall. And I am in between in every way. But I have a secret. You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms, but I will find a way to resist. And there are many of us out there. More than you think. People who refuse to stop believing. People who refuse to come to Earth. People who love in a world without walls. People who love into hate and refusal, against hope, and without fear. I love you. Remember. They cannot take it." - Lena

Delirium is a must read in my opinion. Full of beautiful prose, intense pacing, and original in concept. I'm giving Delirium 4.5 Stars. Have you read Delirium? If so, what did you think? Let me know!