Top Ten Tuesday: Top ten authors whose books I own the most of

My first Top Ten Tuesday (which is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish) :)

I always love seeing these posts roll by in my feed and am jumping in today with some pics from my shelves. This was fun to count up how many books I own by certain authors ~ major advantage to long time publishing faves :) All counted up from my shelves ~ not including any ebooks or audiobooks that I own.

First up you should know:

• I don't buy many books -- I am a very happy library addict. 
• I love scrounging around op shops and second hand books stores to find any fave books I need to possess ;)
• I am pretty ruthless with my collection -- I only keep my faves on my shelves and donate/giveaway any other books that accumulate (most recently had a huge clean out when moving house in May ~ I removed over 120 books from my collection then)
• I currently have about 40 books out on loan ~ so I couldn't include them when I went scrounging around my shelves (so my count could be out, haha)

1. John Marsden ~ 14 books

Mostly comprised by the brilliant Tomorrow, When the War Began series. I love Ellie and the gang so much. I finally completed my collection more than ten years after reading them when Coles put them on clearance for $2 (love a bargain!). 

2. Elizabeth Scott ~ 11 books

Elizabeth Scott is one of my all time fave comfort reads. I adore her and am so pleased to own almost her entire catalogue (I'm missing Living Dead Girl ~ which was startling and impressive yet I know I will never reread). My faves of hers are: Stealing Heaven, Miracle and Perfect You

3. Jaclyn Moriarty ~ 10 books

My favourite author! I own all her books to date. These books have all been read at least twice and will be read so many more times. My fave of hers is usually which ever one I happen to be reading ~ too hard to pick. Seriously. (Although I recommend Finding Cassie Carzy if you've yet to try her out)

4. Melina Marchetta ~ 8 books

I love Melina Marchetta. Her books have pride of place on my shelves. I find it hard to pick a fave as it's like  trying to pick your favourite child ~ but I am very happy to have two copies of the gorgeous on The Jellicoe Road ~ stunning, most brilliant book. 

5. Sonya Hartnett ~ 7 books

Sonya Hartnett is a long time fave of mine since I first read Sleeping Dogs when I was 14. Some of these copies have been hard won ~ out of print and gleefully snatched up like hidden treasure from hours spent scrounging around second hand books shops. There are still a few more of hers I would love to own! I read Wilful Blue about 5 times during year 11 and 12. I felt it was some kind of personal manifesto, haha (although it is objectively one of her weaker titles). She is amazing. 

6. Liane Moriarty ~ 6 books

I have all 6 of Liane's gorgeous books (Also I love how she is right next to her sister Nicola Moriarty on my shelves). I personally prefer the cute little trade paperbacks for sizing but am happy to have her latest three in first edition release :) My faves of hers are Three Wishes and the Husband's Secret ! but all of them are brilliant. 

After this I have a massive tie for authors whom I own FOUR books of:

Sherryl Jordan ~ New Zealand author whom I most nostalgically love and adore. My fave of hers is Winter of Fire.
Lisa Schroeder ~ love her verse novels <3
Sara Zarr 
C K Kelly Martin ~ I also have a bonus book on my kindle. Can't wait for her upcoming release!
Cath Crowley ~ Still collecting ~ I have one more Gracie Faltrain book to find and bring home (and hanging out for The Howling Boy)
Kasie West ~ I am fast feeling the same way about Kasie West that I feel about Elizabeth Scott. My fave of hers is The Distance Between Us.
Laurie Halse Anderson
Sarah Ockler ~ I know this number will grow the more Ockler writes.
Sarah Dessen ~ I was sure I had more but must've lost some along the way...

Which author do you own the most books of? 

Do you collect books or pass them on?

(This post would be entirely different if it was authors whom I have read the most books of... So many authors I used to burn through at the library)

Come See About Me by C K Kelly Martin

Twenty-year-old Leah Fischer's been in a state of collapse since the moment police arrived on her Toronto doorstep to inform her that boyfriend Bastien was killed in a car accident. After flunking out of university and cutting herself off from nearly everyone she knows, Leah's saved by Bastien's aunt who offers her a rent-free place to stay in a nearby suburban town.



Initially Leah keeps to herself, with no energy for anyone or anything else, but it's not long before her nurturing neighbours begin to become fixtures in Leah's life and a much needed part-time job forces her to interact with other members of the community. And when Leah is faced with another earth-shattering event, her perspective on life begins to shift again. Soon Leah's falling into a casual sexual relationship with Irish actor Liam Kellehan, who has troubles of his own, even as she continues to yearn for her dead boyfriend. Clearly she's not the person she thought she was—and maybe Liam isn't either.

Straight up, Martin's newest book had me itching to get my hands on it with two words: New Adult. I love YA, but with a very strong preference towards older YA and an absolute love for characters in the New Adult age. And, of course, it's written by C K Kelly Martin. 


I really truly love C K Kelly Martin. Something about her books just click with me. I first read I know It's Over after seeing Jaclyn Moriarty's blurb for it.  "This book is compelling and unswervingly honest. It takes on real complex issues with a light, deft touch. The second half broke my heart a little every page or so."So agreeing, Jaclyn. Since then, I've read all her books, loving the quiet and achey Finn in One Lonely Degree (my mini review). And falling for Mason (charming, charismatic and ache-y, 100% teen man-child) in The Lighter Side of Life and Death. (my review)


The thing that most sucks me into C K Kelly Martin is how she gets right under he character's skin, and she has done it again in Come See About Me with Leah. The prose is pitch perfect, this elegant blend of simple and straightforward with some poetic turns of phrase sprinkled throughout. Martin is a talented writer, for sure, and there's nothing like sinking into a book from the first page thinking 'this is going to be good'.


And it was good.


From the blurb, you know it's a grief book, coupled with sexy times. 


My gosh, C K Kelly Martin brings the angst and depression and sorrow and longing and utter devastation with such expertise. I really felt that. On the flip side, if there was one thing I would change about the book, would be that, although it felt 100% realistic, the first 20% where Leah was drowning, I started to feel like I was drowning, too. But, if the pacing feels a little slow at the beginning, hang in there, because it is so worth it. Just a few more chapters along, and suddenly I couldn't put the kindle down. 


Liam.


My gosh.


You guys, it would be remiss of me to just get all SWOON and SEXY regarding Liam. Because he is so much more than that. I love all the shades of grey in his character and in his relationship with Leah. Liam is Irish and gorgeous and has some unique background/occupation not often seen in the YA scene making him completely intriguing. He is also complicated, messy, older. And Leah's relationship with him is complicated, messy and definitely older.


A word about the sex: It's sensual and steamy and completely hot (as in HOT). Without the bounds of being a YA book, Martin is able to explore more sexually, and the scenes are essential to the relationship and so gorgeously and evocatively done. The scenes weren't just some steamy filler, guys, they had depth and emotions and all kinds of excitement and confusion that comes with a sexual relationship in your early twenties. Caution: The sex scenes are not fade to black, and are for mature readers, not young teens (IMO). 


Where was I before I was distracted by Liam? ;)


Oh, I was glued to the pages (after making it past the little 10 - 20% slow hump). Coming to the climax and resolution, I had this sudden panic attack. So bewitched by the story, it had slipped my mind that this is a Martin Book, and her stories often have these bittersweet (read: painful) endings. The suspense in those last chapters nearly broke me. Which is a true sign of my love for the characters, my gut clenching for them. No spoilers here, but absolutely everything I felt while loving in this world was worth it and I thought the ending was perfect.


This is what I want you to know: C K Kelly Martin is truly one of the talented writers for this YA generation. She brings what feels like the truth with a heartbreaking and hopeful clarity. Come See About Me is a New Adult novel, set outside of high school, with sex scenes more explicit than regular YA stuff.  I was sucked in, swallowed up and mesmerised by this story. I read it over the course of one blissed-out ache-y day and one month on, I am still feeling the emotions of this read.


I find it hard to pick favourites, but I think Liam and Leah is my fave C K Kelly Martin couple so far x


I am definitely excited for what C K Kelly Martin has for us next. 

Come See About Me @ goodreads

Buy the ebook from amazon (paperback also available)

Thank you ever so much to the author for providing my review copy

Have you read this one?

What did you think?

Do you love the new adult genre?

The Lighter Side of Life and Death by C K Kelly Martin

Acclaimed YA author C. K. Kelly Martin offers a sexy, soulful story of one confused boy, two girls, and all the complications that ensue in this romantic feel-good love story that celebrates friendship, first love, firstlust, and second chances.

Sixteen-year-old Mason Rice is having the night of his life. He's just delivered an incredible performance in the school play, basked in celebratory afterglow vibes at the party of the year, and lost his virginity to one of his best friends—the gorgeous but previously unobtainable Kat Medina. His dreams are coming true, and the future looks golden.

Unfortunately, Kat sees things very differently. Crossing the friendship line was a big mistake, and all she wants is to forget it and move on, even if that means forgetting Mason altogether. What's a guy to do? Well, if you're Mason, you hang your hopes on the first attractive twenty-three-year-old you cross paths with. At first Mason wonders if he's imagining the chemistry . . . until Colette invites him over to her apartment. Suddenly Mason's living in a whole new world

I automatically wanted to read this book regardless of the premise because I really love the way C K Kelly Martin writes. (Not that the premise was so bad, just that I plan on reading her books regardless of the blurb) C K Kelly Martin captures the teen voice so authentically and without any sentimentality ~ it really is refreshing to read. Her books just feel honest. Likewise ~ I adore her prose. It is neither overly literary or simply commercial. I love the way she tells her stories ~ her sentences often have a perfect rhythm and her dialogue flows so effortlessly <3 I loved Mason's voice in this story. He's charming and aching and 100% teen man-child. I find it easy to crush on a male POV done well and this ranks up at the top for me among YA fiction. As for the actual story. Gosh ~ I was so into it (really, I read it in one day) but at the same time, it didn't entirely sit well with me. I found myself wondering a couple of times just what the book was really about, what Martin's intentions with the story were, what that first original nugget of idea was that sparked the whole thing. I am concluding it really is just about one guys first experiences with sex/lust and how messed up it can make everything. It is tastefully done, gorgeous and genuinely heart-breaking (as I expected it would be having read her previous two books) but... sigh, I don't know. I think I would have handled it better if Mason had been bumped up to 18 years. Which, I guess, would undermine the premise... I was left wondering at Collette's motives (her being 23 and getting it on with a 16 year old boy). I wish it had been made clearer (apart from her finding him "beguiling" and being unable to resist). Baffled :/ I loved all the high school theatre stuff. Adored the conflict in Mason's family ~ it was such a great backdrop for the sexual/relationship dramas ~ and it never felt melodramatic or cliche. Recommended: I have enjoyed all C K Kelly Martin's books and this one is no different. I am finding it hard to balance my immense enjoyment of Mason and appreciation of the gorgeously-flowing story against my distaste for some of the events in the book :/ In the end, I still absolutely devoured this and enjoyed it enormously. I was hooked and I just admire her so much as an author... (and I have a crush on Mason ~ not a perverted one, LOL ~ just on him as a person, in all his confidence and insecurities and hopes and dreams and failures...) C K Kelly Martin has added herself to my must-read, auto-buy YA author list. Shame about that cover. Ugh. Who are they marketing this to?> It's intelligent lit and absolutely would appeal to teen guys to read. I don't think they would get past the cover though (I even felt embarrassed reading it near my 9 year old son, haha). The Lighter Side of Life and Death @ goodreads Have an awesome weekend! We're having a sleep-over party for my Sam ~ who's turning TEN (!) ~ so we'll have a lounge room packed full of boys :) Here's a picture of my two boys (I also have a daughter) taken last month. Sam is on the left, and his little bro Reuben on the right (although Reubs is taller, haha) Sam and Reuben  xx Nomes

I absolutely recommend...

I don't have time to give these books the justice they deserve with full blown rave reviews so here I am shouting out about them in a mini-review post. 


I think I may make this a regular feature...


Links go to goodreads.

One Lonely Degree by C K Kelly Martin


Finn has always felt out of place, but suddenly her world is unraveling. It started with The Party. And Adam Porter. And the night in September that changed everything. The only person who knows about that night is Audrey—Finn’s best friend, her witness to everything, and the one person Finn trusts implicitly. So when Finn’s childhood friend Jersy moves back to town—reckless, beautiful Jersy, all lips and eyes and hair so soft you’d want to dip your fingers into it if you weren’t careful—Finn gives her blessing for Audrey to date him. How could she possibly say no to Audrey? With Audrey gone for the summer, though, Finn finds herself spending more and more time with Jersy, and for the first time in her life, something feels right. But Finn can’t be the girl who does this to her best friend...can she? 


I absolutely loved this. Beautiful and seamlessly written. It made me ache. C K Kelly Martin just has this way with pulling me in and making me care. 


I loved Finn - I so related to her - quietly, beautifully angsty and unassuming and genuine -  a stunning portrait of a teen muddling through life.


As for Jersey - what a dynamic relationship - so much to read in between the lines. I am crushing on him hard. HARD. 


This is contemporary relationships crafted at it's best. Friendship and family and love.

The ending - just so well done. This book has lingered and I keep feeling the urge to go back and flip through it's pages. 


The premise may sound ordinary, but the book definitely is not. If you are a fan of Sarah Dessen, Elizabeth Scott or contemp YA in general - this should be screaming out at you from a must-read list.

Hold Still by Nina Lacour


In the wake of her best friend Ingrid's suicide, Caitlin is left alone, struggling to find hope and answers. When she finds the journal Ingrid left behind for her, she begins a journey of understanding and broadening her horizons that leads her to new friendships and first love. Nina LaCour brings the changing seasons of Caitlin's first year without Ingrid to life with emotion, honesty, and captivating writing.


I got this after reading oh-so-many stunning reviews. And it's one of my fave reads this year.


I am most astounded with just how deeply I sunk into these pages. Nina LaCour knows teens and she's pitch prefect at capturing them.


I personally not only related to Caitlin, but also to Ingrid (who, wow, she's dead from the outset, but her presence is so keenly felt throughout the pages). 


It's beautiful and hopeful and brave and captivating and I wish I could go back to my teen self and give her this book. This is another one where the magic lingers in my mind. Stunning.

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

Sixteen-year-old, music- and sound design-obsessed Drea doesn’t have friends. She has, as she’s often reminded, issues. Drea’s mom and a rotating band of psychiatrists have settled on "a touch of Asperger’s.”

Having just moved to the latest in a string of new towns, Drea meets two other outsiders. And Naomi and Justin seem to actually like Drea. The three of them form a band after an impromptu, Portishead-comparison-worthy jam after school. Justin swiftly challenges not only Drea’s preference for Poe over Black Lab but also her perceived inability to connect with another person. Justin, against all odds, may even like like Drea.

It’s obvious that Drea can’t hide behind her sound equipment anymore. But just when she’s found not one but two true friends, can she stand to lose one of them?

What an amazing book.


 It's refreshing and honest and not at all awkward (which I was initially apprehensive about). 


At its heart, it's a love story, and a story of friendship and mothers and daughters. 


Despite Drea's Aspergers, she's incredibly easy to relate to, to love and to cheer on. It's funny and precious and inspiring. 


It's a little heartbreaking, a whole lot eye-opening and completely captivating. Also, Justin, swoon :)

(and a shout out to Angie who gave it to me! You're the best!)

All three of these books are ones I will re-read. 

Ones I'll be passing on to friends. 

All have crush-worthy guys (just saying). 

They're stand out reads for me. 

And contenders for my top fave reads this year.

Have you read any of these?

What contemp YA have you recently read that you fell in love with?

Two Fab YA's from a Male POV - and a Give-away

Over in the Young Adult Forum @ Absolute Write the lack of male protags in YA often comes up in threads. So true, so true... So I wanted to highlight two awesome reads starring male protags (both read this year).

Both of these books I randomly picked up not having not heard of them. I was only a few chapters into I Know It's Over when I was thinking, mate, this book is good.

I really love that feeling of having zero expectations about a book and then being wowed. Like an unexpected gift.

I Know It's Over - C K Kelly Martin


PURE. UNPLANNED. PERFECT. Those were Nick’s summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parents’ divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up for nearly anything, complications are the last thing he needs. All that changes, though, when Nick runs into Sasha at the beach in July. Suddenly he’s neck-deep in a relationship and surprised to find he doesn’t mind in the least. But Nick’s world shifts again when Sasha breaks up with him. Then, weeks later, while Nick’s still reeling from the breakup, she turns up at his doorstep and tells him she’s pregnant. Nick finds himself struggling once more to understand the girl he can’t stop caring for, the girl who insists that it’s still over. (goodreads)


The first thing I noticed is that it is blurbed by Jaclyn Moriarty <3! "This book is compelling and unswervingly honest. It takes on real complex issues with a light, deft touch. The second half broke my heart a little every page or so." Awesome blurb, hey?


As a writer, I am a little in awe of the non-chronological time-line.  Plus, the male POV is truly outstanding. It's honest and raw (such a cliché word, but, hey, it's true) and complex. And, things just don't turn out how you expect them too. 


Not going to review it, just wanting to tell you that I loved it :) And, I am definitely going to be reading more work by C K Kelly Martin. 


You can read Adele @ Persnickety Snarks review and also what Courtney Summers has to say about it. (both are pretty amazing reviews...)


What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know - Sonya Sones


My name is Robin.

This book is about me.

It tells the story of what happens when after almost 15 pathetic years of loserdom, the girl of my dreams finally falls for me.

That seems like it would be a good thing, right? Only it turns out to be a lot more complicated than that.

Because I'm not gonna lie to you -- there are naked women involved. Four of them, to be exact. Though not in the way you might think.

Don't get me wrong -- my girlfriend's amazing. But the way things have been going lately, I'm starting to believe that the only thing worse than not getting what you want, is getting it. (goodreads)

This book, I just loved it.

First off, it is a verse novel. And I find most verse novels to be compelling and richly drawn. I read this curled up in bed on a rainy day and flew through the pages. The thing about this book is it gets cooler and cooler as it goes on.

There were parts in it where my heart just ached for Robin and Sophie. I was definitely cheering them on. And, some events in the book filled me up with warmth in the best kind of uplifting way. Other events broke my heart and had me holding my breath - I definitely felt the tension and Robin's pain.

This book feels like high school and reminds me why teenagers are so cool and such an incredible age-group to read about. It reminds me how hard it is to be a teenager - but also how awesome it feels.

By the end, I just had this happy feeling :) In fact I have a happy feeling now just thinking about it.

Have you read either of these? What did you think? 

Now for a give-away - yay!

The winner will receive their choice of either I Know It's Over or What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know - just sharing the love :).


I use The Book Depository - so it's open internationally.

To Enter 

Leave a comment (below) and recommend to me either: a favourite verse novel, or a favourite YA novel with a male protag. And I'll use a random number thingy and announce the winner on Sunday the 27th :)