Top Ten Most Vivid Worlds in Books

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and the Bookish is the most vivid worlds and settings in books. Most of the ones that come to mind are entries from the dystopian genre with a few exceptions. Remember to follow my blog if you are a new visitor for a chance to win an Amazon gift card and two free ebooks. Entry form is here.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi-As part of this amazing YA novel, virtual reality is used to replace the horrors of being trapped inside protective domes.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy-I remember vividly the weekend I read this book. This horrifying dystopian world full of ash, hunger and cannibalism gave me nightmares each night.

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard-I recently read this novel about zombies in 19th century Philadelphia and I really loved how the author transported you back in time by touching upon the customs and expectations of women during this period.

 

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearce-This novel about a not so distant future where biological engineering allows people to basically bring back the dead is not hard to imagine.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins-It's scary how easy it is to picture a world where children must fight to their death to appease a totalitarian regime. 

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare-The author expertly creates a world where demons and demon hunters live among us in this urban fantasy.

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien-I really could picture myself in this world where mothers are forced to hand over their babies to the rich and privileged. 

Across the Universe by Beth Revis-From the first page, you're drawn into a future where space travel to a new habitable planet is possible.

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin-You can feel the despair and horror in this dystopian novel as a virus claims most of the population.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver-I think Oliver is a beautiful writer and I felt drawn into a world where love is a disease and there's a cure to get rid of it.

Top 10 Characters Who Remind Me of Myself or Someone I Know in Real Life

I've been neglecting my participation in the Broke and the Bookish weekly meme, but I'm back in it this week! For this week's Top Ten Tuesday, the topic is to pick ten characters who remind you of yourself or someone you know. This is a tough one, but I'll try my darndest. I haven't named names since I don't want any family or friends pissed at me!

Becky from Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella-I love Becky from the Shopaholic series! I pretty much find everything she says hysterically funny. The friend I'm thinking of spends a zillion dollars on toys, clothes, etc. and justifies it because it's for her kids.

Jeb from The Host by Stephenie Meyer-You know how in the book they said the crazy and the paranoid people would be the one to survive an alien invasion? Well, this describes a certain family member of mine to a T. She believes a planet called Nibiru is coming towards Earth and has prepared by putting together survival supplies and cashing in her 401K plan. I bet she can't wait to say I told you so if the world does end.

Charlie Swan from Twilight by Stephenie Meyer-I've always been a fan of Bella's father and I've known a single dad who sometimes struggles to connect with his teenage daughter.

Meredith from Everyone Else's Girl by Megan Crane-In this book, the main character tries to escape her family, but finds herself suckered back in and ends up taking care of her injured father without any help from her siblings. The person I'm thinking of is the people pleaser who ends up feeling like a martyr as her family takes advantage of her time and time again.


Ben Page from Seeing Me Naked by Liza Palmer-The main character is the daughter of a famous novelist with an inflated sense of self-worth. He also revels in tearing others down who he deems inferior to him. I know a not so nice guy who has these same qualities.

Lizzie from Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot-I love Lizzie and think she's hysterically funny. I also know several friends (and probably myself included) who have a tendency to put their foots in their mouths and blurt out whatever they're thinking.

Joe Morelli from One for the Money by Janet Evanovich-A Trenton cop with a down to earth personality. Definitely reminds me of a certain guy.


Mrs. X from The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicole Kraus-I wish I didn't come across as many Mrs. Xs as I do, but raising a preschooler close by the city, it's almost impossible not to.

Cannie Shapiro from Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner-I think Cannie is an enjoyable character and I think many girls see themselves in her and the struggle to learn to love yourself in spite of your weight.

Andrea Sachs from The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger-I've think many people (myself included) have had to deal with a boss from hell.

Reader Appreciation and Inspiring Blog Awards

Layla from Be Not Afeard was awesome enough to nominate me for two awards: Inspiring Blog Award and Reader Appreciation Award. She's a phenomenally talented writer who provides outstanding writing advice.

I have to say I am so psyched for this. I started this blog in February to promote the release of my book and it has grown leaps and bounds from there. I’m now involved in several blog challenges, weekly memes and review circles. I’ve met the most amazing readers and writers since then and I can’t wait to meet many more!

To receive the first award, you have to tell seven facts about yourself and nominate seven other bloggers. Here it goes:

1. It took me as long as "Tommy Boy" to graduate college with a bachelor’s degree (Tommy: “You know a lot of people go to college for seven years.” Richard: “I know, they’re called doctors.”)

2. I’m an avid eBayer (My husband often calls out, “Honey, where’s my watch?” My response, “Oh babe, you never wore that thing, I sold it on eBay.”)

3. I haven’t eaten pork since I saw movie “Babe” in high school.

4. I played the trombone from elementary school through high school (nothing girly like the clarinet or flute for me!)

5. Although I can’t draw a lick, I love art and make annual visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

6. My sister and I have a movie night every time a new Leonardo DiCaprio movie comes out.

7. I have two boys (ages five and two) who are adorable hellraisers that get their inspiration for trouble from classic “Tom and Jerry” episodes.

Here are the seven bloggers I nominate for both awards:

Magic in the Backyard is a blog run by Kellie Elmore that just has the most captivating posts. Her words are lyrical and I love reading the entries submitted through her Free Write Friday posts.

The Broke and the Bookish hosts my favorite weekly meme: Top Ten Tuesday. I love the topics they come up with! They also review a ton of books I’m interested in and I respect their book recommendations.

The Librarian Who Doesn’t Say Shhh is another great review blog that I stumbled on by participating in the Top Ten Tuesday challenge.

The Bitchy Bride always has me cracking up and lifting my mood when I read her posts. She blogs about so many different things: writing, weddings, food and literature.

The Reading Date is another YA review site that I love. Lucy shares the same tastes as mine and she hosts some super cool giveaways.

No Wasted Ink provides helpful batches of links for writers. Wendy from the blog has led me to some of the most insightful articles on writing, publishing and marketing on the web.

Book Lovin’ Mamas was a blog that hosted me during the initial week of my book tour. Reviews, giveaways and plenty of eye candy makes this a very much appreciated blog.

To receive the Reader Appreciation award, you are asked to tell what you’ve been up to lately:

The 28-Day Blog Challenge for Authors has sorted of taking over my life. Between writing posts, retweeting posts and reading submissions from other authors, it has been fun, but definitely time consuming.

Book number two in the Second Sight series has been underway and it’s going really well. I’ve come up with some super funny scenes and I have a few chapters completed. I’m planning to devote all of July to getting my first draft done.

My first virtual blog tour is underway and it’s been a really positive experience. I’ve done interviews, guest posts and giveaways.