Discussion // My Favorite Contemporary Authors

Lately, I have felt like recommending books and I've noticed that I was just recommending books by my favorite authors, so I feel like sharing my favorite authors would be much easier for that reason. So here is my list of favorite contemporary authors! I will be doing lists of my favorite authors for each genre until I can do a shortened list of my ALL TIME FAVORITE authors!

So since my favorite genre is Contemporary, I figured that would be the genre I'd start with! Some of these authors are super obvious, but I hope by sharing my favorite contemporary authors with you other people will discover their love for them as well!

John Green

Probably the most obvious one on this list is John Green. I will read anything this man writes. I own all of his books, and have read all but one. His stories are just my favorites to read about. I love his writing style, and him as a person. I will continue to support him throughout his career.

Though I love all his books, The Fault in Our Stars is my favorite book by him.

Morgan Matson

Another one of the more obvious authors on this list. I adore Morgan Matson's stories, and even though I've had issues with some aspects in one of her books, I love her books. I find her main characters relatable in some of the strangest ways. Of her four books, I've read two and loved them (for the most part). In both of the ones I've read, I have related to the main character, and loved how fun they were to read.

Rainbow Rowell
I adore Rainbow Rowell and the characters that she creates. I have read 2 of her 5 books, and I have loved the characters so much. The (few) issues that I had with the books came from other random things. I haven't read anything from her adult genre, but I do own Landline. I will continue to buy and read any contemporary story that she writes.

Matthew Quick
Matthew Quick is another author that I haven't read all of his books, but I fell in love with one in particular. The book that sold me on him was Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, and I've decided to never look back. THIS BOOK hit me right in the feels. I can't wait to pick up another book buy him.

Jenny Han
When I am looking for a fun, lighthearted summer read, I will always go to Jenny Han. She is so great at writing books with innocence main characters that really allow you to watch them grow and develop. Though, I have some serious issues with the TATBILB duology (trilogy?), I still love her as an author!

I read the entire Summer I turned Pretty Trilogy last summer and adored every minute of it!

Laurie Halse Anderson

This author isn't a new author to me, but she is a new author to this list. I know that I have one author on here that I have only read one book of their's, but with Laurie Halse Anderson, I wanted to read more of her books. I have read Speak and Wintergirls, both of which I have LOVED. I just think that she deals with such hard topics so well, and like the next author, its so hard to be done well.

Ellen Hopkins
THESE BOOKS ARE JUST TRAGICALLY BEAUTIFUL OKAY? Ellen Hopkins can take a terrible topic (tragic not bad), and turn them into a beautiful masterpiece. Her writing style is so unique because she is one of the only authors that I've ever read from to write in free verse. Her stories always break my soul. 

Mitch Albom

*cough* the only adult fiction author on this list *cough*
Well well, I know what you're thinking. You're going to hear me go on about how much I love Mitch Albom's books and how they are beautiful, but honestly, I have problems with his books. Not many, considering he is on a list of my favorite authors and I continue to buy his books. but really, his books make me cry and make me question myself. Am I doing enough? Am I impacting someone? Do I give enough? His books do deal with a religious aspect, but I always ignore that part of them and really enjoy the story he creates.

Who are your favorite contemporary authors?

Review: Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Title: Forbidden

Author: Tabitha Suzuma

Page Count: 432 (paperback)

Publishing: Definitions

* I think the best way to read this book is going in blind so if you're interested in reading it that way then skip the synopsis
Synopsis: "She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But... they are brother and sister.

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending" - Goodreads
I thought the story was very entertaining and interesting. The book did have a few scenes that made me very uncomfortable, but that didn’t give me an overall negative opinion on the story. I saw the ending of the story coming, and I felt like the main characters were only relatable in the since of not having much of a childhood.

I felt like this story did a great job portraying the characters and gave a new outlook on the situation they were placed in. This plot line was very original, and it defiantly did a good job staying to its dark nature through the entitreity of the story.

I feel like if I wouldn’t have known what this story was about then I would have enjoyed it a lot more than I did. I recommend this book if you are interested in reading something grim. I would classify this story as a dark contemporary new adult novel.

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Page Count: 372

Publishing: Dutton Juvenile

Synopsis: “Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris–until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all…including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?” –Goodreads

Overall I think this book had the potential to be a 5 star books, but in my opinion the novel didn’t quite meet my expectations. I had a few issues with the characters rather than the actual story line. With a few changes to the main character and the character’s love interest this book would have been so much better than it was.

The book does a great job of incorporating Paris into the book and staying true to the culture. It has sections where French is directly spoken. It isn’t full conversations, but little snips. This really helps add a type of texture to the writing.The author does an amazing job at truly capturing the culture of Paris, and makes the reader feel like they are actually in this novel. The writing is so descriptive and helps the reader visualize the scenery. The book was very well written. It was fast paced, and it kept you turning pages.

Even if I enjoyed the writing I have to say that it didn’t immediately catch my attention. This writing did not drag you into the story or make me want to never put it down. I easily put this book down, and it did take me reading a few pages before I was interested again.

The main concern I had with this book was the way the characters acted. This is really the only thing that made this book undesirable, but it was such strong disliking that I had of the characters that made it such a nuisance. In the beginning of this book the characters were not something that bothered me, but I expected a lot of character development from Anna in particular. Anna was someone who came from a broken family, and when reading from a character perspective that have had a hard time at home we expect them to grow into a strong and independent individual. As the novel progressed I felt as if she grew to be quite obsessive and downright manipulative in ways. I feel like she acted very childish from the beginning because of being sent to Paris, but to make it much worse I feel like this childish behavior worsens until she ultimately gets her way.

However, she is not the only character that I felt did this. I also felt as if St. Claire could have just as easily fixed the situation. I will not give away any spoilers, but I will say that if you have read the book then you may be aware of how this love interest plays out.

In all honesty, I feel like I am alone in my opinion of this book. I struggled to get through this book because I wanted to badly for it to be one of my most beloved series. I wanted to have the same love for this as other people. This book is highly rated and I see lots of potential in these characters, and it’s almost painful to see those characters completely falls short of that potential. Everyone sees the book to have character development and longs for the “so called” love interest, but I just cannot see it.

Review: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

 Title: Since You’ve Been Gone

Author: Morgan Matson

Page Count: 449

Publishing: Simon & Schuster

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: “It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?

Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.

Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a stranger? Um…

Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane’s list. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go skinny-dipping? Wait…what?” –Goodreads

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Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read. The story is beautifully portrayed, and the characters have been present in my mind since the story ended. I wish I would have picked this book up sooner because it easily one of the best books I’ve read thus far in 2015. This did not disappoint me with the expectation that I went into it with. It withheld my high standards, and surpassed the thoughts of what it was going to portray.

I love Emily’s character. She shows character development throughout the entire novel. She goes from this timid girl to someone who is brave and outgoing. Each time Emily accomplished one of the things on the list, she comes to terms with that she is actually enjoying pushing herself and finds that by the end of the novel that she is no longer doing these things for Sloane but for herself. Emily is so easy to relate to. For someone who suffers from anxiety and has a very hard time acting around other people, Emily has encouraged me to push myself out of my comfort zone.

I had a love/hate relationship with the long chapters in this book. I thought that the long chapters made it hard to get into in the beginning and also made it hard to pick back up, but once I got into the story I felt like reading the long chapters almost felt like watching episodes of a television series which I found to be really unique. I loved the incorporation of the playlist because it helped get into the personality of the characters without being too over descriptive.

This books has been an amazing experience and will be one of the top book of 2015. I can not wait to jump into some other work by Morgan Matson. If you have yet to read this book, then I highly recommend getting a copy as soon as you can. It is more than worth the read.