Top Ten Tuesday | Never Say Never Apart From When You Should

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Books I’ve Decided I’m No Longer Interested In Reading', and it was a difficult theme for me to make a list for at first because I'm one of those people who doesn't like to say 'never'. 

My tastes are always evolving and changing, so there are books I might not want to read now that I'll suddenly have a craving for in a year's time, so today I decided to go with a list mostly made up of books I've started reading before, given up on and am sure I won't go back to.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: I remember this book being everywhere years ago and I was intrigued because Eleanor is overweight and it's so rare to see an overweight heroine in fiction - it's particularly rare to see an overweight heroine in fiction whose story isn't about losing weight in some way. I've since seen quite a few reviews from people of colour, however, who've said the way Rowell portrays Park made them uncomfortable which really put me off reading it and now it's been so long since it came out that I don't care. The only things of Rowell's I've read are Attachments and Midnights in My True Love Gave to Me and I didn't love either so I think she's just not for me.

Divergent by Veronica Roth: I tried reading this one years ago when YA dystopian fiction was all the rage and while I easily could have forced myself to finish it I didn't want to. I thought it was boring and the society as a whole didn't really make sense to me. The Hunger Games is creepy because it's easy to see how society might have got to that, but I couldn't understand in what world these factions were considered a good idea by any government. I don't think I'm missing out on anything and I know a lot of people who loved the trilogy hated the ending, so I'm going to keep my distance.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: Tried it and didn't like it and I was disappointed! I've heard so many good things about Stiefvater's writing and about this series in particular that I was hoping to enjoy it, but sadly her style isn't for me. Also, as someone who's lived in Wales and worked alongside people whose mother tongue is Welsh, I couldn't get past the butchering of 'Owen Glendower'. His name's Owain Glyndŵr.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han: I wanted to try one of Han's novels after really enjoying her short story in My True Love Gave to Me, but, again, her work isn't for me. This is another one I easily could have finished if I'd forced myself to, I just didn't want to force myself to finish something when I could be reading something else.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman: I liked If I Stay a lot and I picked up a copy of Where She Went with the intention of reading it, but I never did and now I'm not that interested. I think If I Stay is fine on its own.

Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James: It's only in the past year or so I've started to get into Austen and I wanted to pick this one up so I could watch the BBC adaptation starring Anna Maxwell Martin, whom I adore. Unfortunately the book was another I couldn't get into and I ended up watching the adaptation only to be pretty underwhelmed by the story as a whole, so I have no interest in reading the book.

Rebel Heart and Raging Star by Moira Young: Blood Red Road is one of my favourite YA novels. I love the way its written and I love Saba and I love Jack and it pulled me out of a reading slump when I really needed to be pulled out of one. I had every intention of continuing with the trilogy but then I saw more and more reviews that the latter two books weren't as good and eventually I lost interest in it. Blood Red Road is enough for me - why does every YA novel have to have a sequel?

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab: Schwab is another one of those authors who I should love and just don't. A Darker Shade of Magic, in particular, should be right up my street considering it's historical fantasy but Schwab's writing style and I don't get along. Oh well!

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber: I'm always fascinated by novels that combine science and science fiction with religion, so I thought this one would be right up my street. I started reading it, got about a third of the way through it, and still nothing had happened. My patience only goes so far so I put it aside and I have no real desire to try again.

Which books made your list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | It Takes Two

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Author Duos You'd LOVE to See Write a Book Together'. I had a lot of fun with this topic!

G. Willow Wilson & Fiona Staples: G. Willow Wilson is the writer behind the Ms. Marvel series, and Fiona Staples is the artist behind Saga. Try and tell me the two of them wouldn't produce something cool together!

Jenny Han & Jenny Colgan: Both of these ladies write contemporary, but while Jenny Han writes YA, Jenny Colgan writes adult fiction. I think the two of them would write something very cute together, because not only do they both like to write cute stories but they've also both dabbled in SFF, as proven by Jenny Han's 'Polaris is Where You'll Find Me' in My True Love Gave to Me (reviewed here!) and Jenny Colgan's Resistance is Futile. I'd love to see the two of them write a super cute contemporary that also just happens to have aliens in it.

Samantha Ellis & Jessica Swale: These two ladies are playwrights, and considering Samantha Ellis is the author of the fantastic memoir How To Be a Heroine (reviewed here!) and Jessica Swale wrote the plays Blue Stockings and Nell Gwynn I think they might write something pretty amazing together.

Neil Gaiman & Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Neil Gaiman's one of my favourite fantasy writers and Silvia Moreno-Garcia's debut novel Signal to Noise (reviewed here!) is one of my favourite reads of 2015, if not ever. The two of them also write a lot of short stories, and I think together they could make something truly magical.

Seanan McGuire & Tanya Huff: BOW TO THE QUEENS. These two authors are two of the best authors to turn to if you're looking for female-led SFF. Seanan McGuire (also known as Mira Grant, and therefore the author of my beloved Feed) writes fantastic heroines, as does the brilliant Tanya Huff. Both of them have tried their hand at urban fantasy: Seanan is the author of the October Daye series and Tanya is the author of the Vicki Nelson series, and nothing would make me happier than for the two of them to write something in which these two ladies join forces and kick butt.

Nancy Bilyeau & C.J. Sansom: Nancy Bilyeau is the author of the Joanna Stafford trilogy and C.J. Sansom is the author of the Matthew Shardlake series; both Tudor-era crime series. I think the two of them could combine their talents quite nicely! Sansom could provide his background in law and Bilyeau could provide her ability to write women who have agency.

David Levithan & Robin Talley: These two are both YA authors who both specialise in YA LBGT* fiction, so I think the two of them could write something pretty cool together. I'd read it!

Derek Landy & Diana Rowland: These two are two of the funniest authors on my shelves. They both have rather dark senses of humour, judging by the stories they write, and together I think the two of them could write something both creepy and hilarious.

Donna Thorland & Naomi Novik: Donna Thorland is the author of several books, with leading ladies, set during the American Revolutionary War and is also one of the writers for the TV show, Salem. Naomi Novik is the author of the incredibly popular Temeraire series, set during the Napoleonic Wars with added dragons, and the more recent Uprooted. I think if the two of them mashed their brains together they could write an epic historical fantasy series with a brilliant leading lady and some kind of mythical beast for a companion. Maybe a unicorn this time. Who doesn't love unicorns? No one, that's who.

Nicola Yoon & Gurinder Chadha: Nicola Yoon is one of the official team members of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks Campaign and also the author of Everything, Everything (reviewed here). Gurinder Chadha is probably most famous for writing, producing and directing the 2002 film, Bend It Like Beckham, which is a film you should totally watch if you haven't already. I think considering Nicola Yoon knows what it's like to be a poc in America and Gurinder Chadha knows what it's like to be a poc in Britain, I'd love to see the two of them write a book told in letters or emails between two penfriends, one in America and one in Britain, who both also happen to be poc. I imagine there's a lot of similar experiences, but there'd be quite a few different ones too in terms of the little differences in culture between America and Britain.

Which authors made your list this week?

Best Couples of 2014 | Top Ten of 2014

While looking through the list of books I've read this year I realised that I haven't actually read all that many books which are romance orientated. Obviously a book doesn't have to be romance orientated to include a great couple, but I haven't come across many of those this year either. I've read a lot of great books this year, but not a lot of couples made my heart melt.

But there were a few that I loved, and a few that I liked, so I've managed to put together a list of ten! Quite a few of these are two couples from various series I've enjoyed most this year.

Couples I Love

Cinder and Kai from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: I had to use Scarlet for these two because I read Cinder in December 2013, and I didn't want to cheat! While I like Scarlet and Wolf they're probably my least favourite of the couples in The Lunar Chronicles purely because they were very instalovey, and I'm not a fan of instalove. Cinder and Kai I adore. I love their chemistry and the way that I can never quite predict what one of them is going to say to the other. Add to that that this is a retelling in which Cinderella has two prosthetic limbs and Prince Charming is Chinese and I'm a very happy bunny!

Sybella and Beast from Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers: So far Dark Triumph is my favourite book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy. I loved Sybella as a protagonist, she's raw and vulnerable and hard as nails, and I've loved Beast since meeting him in Grave Mercy. Put the two of them together and I love them even more. Plus it was nice to see a character being described as conventionally unattractive. Sybella never claims that he's handsome in any way but she still loves him, and that's something we need to see more of in fiction. Though I imagine it'll be a few years before anyone dares to publish a book with a conventionally unattractive woman in the starring role...

Natalie and Flynn from Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han: This was probably my favourite story in the collection - reviewed here! - and now I desperately want a whole novel dedicated to Natalie, though I'm sure the possibility of that happening is highly unlikely.

Dona and Jean-Benoit from Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier: These two were just so much fun to read about. I loved this book!

Lilian and Henry from Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan: These two are basically the reason that parts of Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams broke my heart in two. I'm still sad about it!

Couples I Like

Mia and Adam from If I Stay by Gayle Forman: I ended up enjoying If I Stay a lot more than I thought I would - look out for my review in January! - and I liked Mia and Adam's relationship. It feels like one of the more realistic relationships I've come across in contemporary YA.

Bod and Elizabeth from The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: Okay, so I know Elizabeth's dead and Bod is a child for the majority of the book, but at the very end of the story, when Bod is a teenager, there's a hint of something a little more there and I really liked Elizabeth.

Cress and Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: Cinder and Kai are still my favourite, but these two were absolutely adorable. I want more of them in Winter, please!

North and Marigold from It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins: This time around I used the American cover just to spice things up a little. I hadn't read any Perkins before this and now I'd quite like to check her novels out. I really enjoyed this story, and thought North and Marigold were way cooler than I was as a teenager.

Ismae and Gavriel from Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers: I don't like these two quite as much as I like Sybella and Beast, but they're still a lot of fun; their growing fondness for each other was a lot of fun to read throughout Grave Mercy.

Who made your list?