brought to you by: the broke and the bookish

TOP TEN TUESDAY:  BOOKS DEALING WITH TOUGH SUBJECTS

brought to you by: the broke and the bookish

JEN'S PICKS

1. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen: (Grief) I love Sarah Dessen books. This one and Just Listen are my favorites. This book deals with a girl that has lost her father and is also dealing with issues with her boyfriend and mom. Definitely a thought provoking book. I liked that even though the book deals with grief there were tons of moments that were just about having fun. 

2. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen: (Self acceptance) A beautifully written coming of age story dealing with self acceptance. The main character was relatable. I also have a port wine stain and remember going through some of the struggles she went through. I'm lucky my birthmark wasn't on my face but getting into a bathing suit was never easy for me. A great book to read for anyone that has ever doubted themselves. 

3. Wishing for Someday Soon by Tiffany King: (Abuse) A heart wrenching emotional book. This story follows Katelyn and her brother struggling with an abusive mother. I loved Katelyn's perseverance throughout the book. The love story was predicable and a little to perfect but it fit for me in this book.  

4. Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta: (Depression, family issues, social) This was the first Melina Marchetta book I read. I loved it. This book was full of humor and heartfelt moments.  Francesca's mother is dealing with acute depression and Francesca has to step up to help keep the family together. At the same time she is dealing with social climbing at the school her mom forced her to attend. The friendship building is fantastic and I laughed out loud in some parts. 

5. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks: (Grief, family issues). The movie for this book was awful but the book was great. I love how her relationship with her father builds and I was upset when the movie made it into more of a love story. My favorite parts of this book dealt with the father and her. 

6.  There You'll Find Me by Jenny B Jones: (Grief) A book about searching for peace after someone close to you dies. This book was beautiful and heartwarming . There was just enough humor to counter the seriousness of the subject matter. There is a lot of talk about God so if you don't like that this book might not be for you. 

7. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs: (Rape) This is a paranormal book but I felt it dealt with the  theme of rape and the aftermath adequately. She did it in a way that wasn't to graphic. This is one of my favorite series. 

8.  Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah: (breast cancer, friendships) My sister got me to read this book. I wasn't a huge chick lit fan but I'm glad she persuaded me to read this. The ending of this book was amazing and made me think about my relationships with friends that I have had for years. I hope I can be a more forgiving person.  She is coming out with a sequel soon. I can't wait to read how life moves on for the characters that were left behind. 

9.  Heart on a Chain by Cindy C Bennet: (abuse) Wow I can't even imagine having a mom or father like this. I came from such a great home.. I hope there really are guys out there in the world that would act the way the boy did. Definitely makes me try harder not to judge people by their looks. Awesome book . 

10. The Only Alien on the Planet by Kirsten D. Randle.(family issues, friendships) I know I rant and rave about this book all the time. I love it. It was just one of those reads that will stay with me always. I can't say enough good things about this book.