Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Feature Travel

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.

Today's theme is Books that Feature Travel and I have to admit that I initially thought I was going to struggle to come up with 10 books to include. I haven't actually read many road trip books but when I sat down to think of it I managed to come up with plenty of stories that involve travel in some form or another.

Anyway, lets have a look at a few of my favourites (links will take you to my reviews):

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

You don't get many journeys more epic than the one that Bilbo Baggins takes with Gandalf and the dwarves when they travel across the mountains to take back their home! Full of adventure, magical creatures, dragons and treasure this is a book I've read many times over the years and I really enjoyed the recent film adaptation too. I'm looking forward to watching the next two movies.

The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel

Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series has been one of my favourites since I was a teenager (the less said about the 6th and final book the better though!) and I've lost count of the number of times I've read them. The series is set around the time of the last ice age (35,000 years ago) and follows a young girl Ayla as she travels across whole continents in search of a place to call home. I love this series for the rich historical data but more for the emotional journey that Ayla goes on as she grows up and finds her place in the world.

From What I Remember - Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas

From What I Remember is a more traditional road trip story that shows how one of the school's hottest guys Max ends up in Mexico with geek girl Kylie. The book is absolutely hilarious and I loved every minute of it!

Tiger's Curse - Colleen Houck

Colleen Houck's Tiger series follows Kelsey on a journey across India as she tries to help brothers Ren and Kishan break a 300 year old curse. You get to visit various temples and the jungle, learn about some of the Indian gods and goddesses and fall in love with not one but two gorgeous Indian princes who have been cursed to spend the majority of their time living as tigers.

Between Shades of Gray - Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray is the heartbreaking story of a young Lithuanian girl called Lina and her family as they are captured by Soviet guards and forced to travel across Europe to a Siberian work camp in the Arctic circle. Set during WWII and based on true stories this book highlights the atrocities committed by Stalin and is an incredibly emotional read but it is a book that I can't recommend highly enough. If you haven't come across this book before take a few minutes to watch this video of the author Ruta Sepetys as she talks about the inspiration behind the story but make sure you have tissues to hand because you're sure to need them!


Ruta Sepetys discusses her upcoming novel, Between Shades of Gray from Penguin Young Readers Group on Vimeo.

A Conspiracy of Alchemists - Liesel Schwarz

Liesel Schwarz's steampunk adventure takes you across Europe stopping off at London, Paris, Venice and Constantinople. Main character Elle is a dirigible pilot so you'll get to fly in an airship but you also enjoy a luxury ride on the Orient Express!

Demons of the Ocean - Justin Somper

If you enjoy books aimed at a slightly younger audience or are looking for a fun family read then I'd definitely recommend Justin Somper's Vampirates series. Sail the seven seas with twins Grace and Connor in this futuristic world where the seas have risen and the waters are controlled by both pirates and vampirates (yes, you did read that right vampirates - vampires who are also pirates!)

Poison Princess - Kresley Cole

I love Kresley Cole's adult books so I was excited to get my hands on her first YA novel Poison Princess last year. Set in the future after an apocalyptic event that Evie had been having visions of before it happened this is a fab story and something that's really unique. Main characters are based on the Major Arcana cards found in a Tarot deck and each have different powers and abilities. Evie teams up with sexy Cajun Jack to try and search for answers and they travel across the country looking for the other main players.

Fire and Thorns - Rae Carson

Fire and Thorns is a fabulous fantasy adventure that follows princess Elisa when she is sent far from home to marry a man she has never met. Follow her epic journey across the desert as she fights to find a place for herself in a new country when she doesn't know who her enemies are.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

My last pick is a little bit of a cheat because although The Night Circus travels the world the focus of the story is much more on what is happening inside the circus than outside of it. It is such a beautiful novel that I couldn't resist including it anyway though and I can't recommend it highly enough!

So what books did you include on your list? Did we have any of the same picks? Leave me a link to your post in the comments and I'll stop by and check it out!

Review: From What I Remember - Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas

I am jolted awake by sunlight flooding through the room. 
What time is it? Where am I? 
I turn my head and that's when I see him. The gorgeous boy lying next to me.
Oh. My. God. Max.
This is bad. Very, very bad.

At midday, class brainiac Kylie Flores is due to give the most important speech of her life. And yet somehow she's woken up in Mexico, in a bed she doesn't recognise, with the hangover from hell and the hottest boy in school - and they're both wearing wedding bands.

She might be a budding screenwriter, but even Kylie's vivid imagination can't come up with the ending to this movie.

Rewind 48 hours . . .

Visit Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas' website for more information

Review:
From What I Remember starts with a bang when class geek Kylie wakes up with a killer hangover and realises she's in bed with Max, one of the hottest boys from school and someone who she never really spoken to before. Kylie has no idea what happened the night before and how she ended up not just in bed with Max but also wearing a wedding ring! If that wasn't bad enough she also realises that they are in Mexico and she has just hours to get back to their school in America so she can give the valedictorian speech at her class graduation. The story then skips back two days and we follow Kylie and Max on the journey that takes them not just across an international boarder but also across the social divide as the geek and the jock realise that they have more in common than they'd imagine and perhaps they could even become friends.

I wasn't too sure what to expect from this book, I thought the premise sounded fun and was looking forward to reading it but I had no idea how much I'd actually end up enjoying myself. I lost count of the number of times I snorted with laughter while reading and even thinking about the book to write my review makes me want to pick it back up and read it all over again. The story is cleverly written and perfectly paced allowing the mystery to unravel slowly while giving us real insight into the lives of both our main characters. The events that occur are completely bonkers but utterly brilliant and the whole book definitely has a movie vibe to it (you can tell that both authors have worked as screen writers in the past), the random way events unfolded throughout the story was fantastic and it meant you never had a clue what would happen next.

The characters were wonderful, all so individual that I never had trouble figuring out who was narrating each chapter even though the story is told from several points of view. The main characters are Kylie, who is a smart, hard working girl who spends as much time caring for her family as she does working at keeping her perfect grades, and Max, the sporty jock who is a member of the popular crowd and doesn't really care about school work as long as he isn't failing classes. To look at them you'd think they couldn't be more different but under the surface they have a lot in common and even the differences between them help to balance each other out. Kylie takes the weight of the world on her shoulders, her brother suffers with aspergers and she cares for him after school while her mother works nights. I absolutely loved the relationship between Kylie and Jake, it is obvious how much she loves her brother but I did feel sorry for her the way she was given so much responsibility and had so little time to be a normal teenager. Max seems to have an easy life but he is struggling just as much as Kylie, his father is sick but his whole family is in denial about it. Max feels that he has to live up to his fathers expectations and that means he isn't free to chase his own hopes and dreams. Max has a tendency to take the easy way out, he doesn't want to rock the boat so he goes along with whatever everyone around him wants. Kylie on the other hand is much more determined to create the future she has always dreamed of, she may not have much confidence when it comes to talking to others but she has a great believe in herself and her abilities which was really refreshing.

As much as I loved Kylie and Max the story wouldn't have been the same without Kylie's best friend Will. Will provides much of the humour in the story, I loved the way he was always ready with a quip to make the others laugh. He cares deeply for Kylie and has always tried to encourage her to loosen up a bit so he is thrilled when she does something so crazy as getting herself stranded in Mexico. Will doesn't just provide the light relief though, he has his own issues to deal with and I enjoyed watching him work through some of his problems throughout the story. I also really appreciated the parts of the story that are told from Jake's perspective, it can be hard to capture the voice of someone with aspergers but I thought the authors did that perfectly in this case. The only character I really didn't like was Lily but considering she is Max's girlfriend I don't think we're supposed to be routing for her.

From What I Remember is a great coming of age story, a fun road trip and a fantastic reminder not to judge people by appearances, it is also full of action, adventure, humour & romance and is a book you don't want to miss. The writing by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas blends together flawlessly and I found it impossible to tell this book was written by two different people, I really want to read more from them both in the future, especially anything they write together. If you're unsure about reading this book I recommend finding a copy in your local book shop and reading the prologue, I pretty much guarantee that after those couple of pages you'll want to keep reading to find out what happens next!

Source: Received from Egmont in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

From What I Remember Blog Tour: Interview with Kylie and Max

I knew before I even started reading From What I Remember that it was a book I was going to love and so far I'm only proving that theory correct. I had hoped to get my review posted today to go along with this fabulous guest post that I have for you from authors Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas but unfortunately thanks to the Virus of Doom (it's been kicking my butt for so long now that I decided it was worthy of a name lol) I'm very behind with my reading and reviews. I'm about half way through From What I Remember now though and I'm enjoying every minute so trust me this is a book you don't want to miss out on - I'll get my review posted asap but in the meantime check out the synopsis below for more information:

I am jolted awake by sunlight flooding through the room. 
What time is it? Where am I? 
I turn my head and that's when I see him. The gorgeous boy lying next to me.
Oh. My. God. Max.
This is bad. Very, very bad.

At midday, class brainiac Kylie Flores is due to give the most important speech of her life. And yet somehow she's woken up in Mexico, in a bed she doesn't recognise, with the hangover from hell and the hottest boy in school - and they're both wearing wedding bands.

She might be a budding screenwriter, but even Kylie's vivid imagination can't come up with the ending to this movie.

Rewind 48 hours . . .

Visit Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas's website for more information

Now please give a very warm welcome to both Stacy and Valerie who have written this fabulous interview with Kylie and Max to help us get to know them both a little better.

Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas

(This image is linked from the author's website and includes the US cover image)

We thought it would be fun to hear an interview with Kylie and Max so we came up with a list of questions and let them go at it…well, we helped a little since they reside within the pages of our book.

INTERVIEW WITH KYLIE AND MAX

IF YOU COULD LIVE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY SOME DAY, WHERE WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

KYLIE: I would try to live in the most foreign place I could find, without getting killed. So, someplace like Burma or Laos or Namibia or Lapland. I would want to be totally immersed in a place where I didn’t understand the language and I didn’t really know much about the culture. That way, every day would be an intense experience, and I would be forced to be brave. And I would learn something new every 5 minutes. Is that an extreme answer?

MAX: It’s totally extreme, but it doesn’t surprise me. I would come visit you in Laos and Lapland, but I’ve got to admit that I’d rather live in France or Spain, somewhere a little more mellow. I love French movies and I’d love to see one, in France, in French, followed by an incredible French meal. Is that a boring answer?

KYLIE: No comment. Well, okay, I’ll comment. On the surface it sounds kind of boring, but you know what? Living in France or Spain would be awesome, so who am I kidding?

WHAT WILL YOU TELL YOUR KIDS ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL?

KYLIE: Skip it, it sucks. Just kidding. You can’t skip high school, I think that’s illegal. I had a really hard time in high school, and I would hope that my kids have an easier one. But high school also made me who I am today, and it got me into this incredible college, so I can’t knock it. I guess I would tell them to let go of their judgments about people, get to know people who you might otherwise write off.

MAX: Kind of like you wrote me off?

KYLIE: Hello? I would say you’re guilty of exactly the same thing.

MAX: At least we see eye to eye on that one. I am not sure I’m going to have kids…but if I do, I will tell them to try to figure out who they are in high school and stay true to that. I think so many kids spend their entire high school careers just trying to be what they think they’re supposed to be. And it’s a waste of time.

IF SOMEONE WERE TO PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE, WHO WOULD IT BE?

MAX: Oh I hate these kinds of questions, they’re traps. If I say someone incredibly talented and good-looking you’ll think I’m vain, but if I say someone lame, well, what’s the point in that? I’ll take my chances on vain and say Chris Hemmsworth or Hunter Parrish, from WEEDS. Love them both, would be honored.

KYLIE: I would want Jennifer Lawrence to play me, she’s not half-Mexican like me (but who is in Hollywood?) but she has plenty of curves just like me and she kicks butt in THE HUNGER GAMES. Whatever movie was being made about me would have to include a bow and arrow so that she could do her thing again. Might be a bit awkward but we’d figure it out.

IF YOU WERE A FOOD WHAT WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?

KYLIE: I would definitely be a huge plate of Mexican food, like chicken enchiladas with chipotle sauce, prepared by my Nana. I’m spicy, I’m sweet, I’m complex, I may not look like the prettiest thing on the menu, but you can’t really turn away.

MAX: I want that right now. I would go for something much simpler but equally delicious, like the perfect crisp green apple.

KYLIE: That’s crazy. You’d be an apple?

MAX: You cannot control what I say. Yes, I would be an apple. Have you ever noticed that apples have been around forever, and they’re not going anywhere soon. They’re a hit.

KYLIE: So has oatmeal. But you wouldn’t be that.

MAX: On a down day, I just might be oatmeal. With apples, needless to say.

WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPIEST IN LIFE?

MAX: A really good laugh makes me happiest. They’re hard to come by, but when I’m laughing it means I’m totally in the moment, I’m having fun, I like the person I’m with, and I’ve kind of let go of everything else, at least for a little while.

KYLIE: I agree with Max. Laughing is pure joy. But I think what makes me happiest in the most sustained way is making someone else happy. Like when I make my brother Jake laugh like crazy, or I get the perfect gift for my best friend Will and I get to watch his whole face explode with a smile. That makes me happy, really happy.

MAX: I don’t even want to think about what the perfect gift for Will is, leather chaps? A great lipstick?

KYLIE: Oh stop. The best gift I ever gave Will was tickets to see Morrissey when he was here last year. He actually bought them for us because he has gobs of money and I have none, but I made this incredible scrapbook of the night for him, it’s awesome.

WHAT SHOULD BE WRITTEN ON YOUR HEADSTONE??

KYLIE: “She lived then she died.”

MAX: You are a writer, you’ve got to come up with something better than that. No?

KYLIE: Writing is about telling the truth, and I think that statement is about as true as they come. But if I must…I guess I could change that to “She lived, she tried, then she died.”

MAX: Huge change. Massive. Okay, mine should say, “Here lies Max, we planted him raw, quick on the trigger but slow on the draw.” I read that somewhere, and I’m stealing it.

IF YOU HAD TO LIVE WITHOUT ONE OF YOUR SENSES, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE? WHY?

KYLIE: I would have to go without smell, but only because I cannot under any circumstances imagine life without being able to see, or taste, or feel, or hear. But I’m worried that without smell, I wouldn’t be able to taste, and that would really be bad. I love food, a lot, and I’m not sure I could live without that pleasure.

MAX: I think I might be able to get by without hearing. I’d learn to lip read, and I wouldn’t have to listen to all the stuff in the world that annoys me, like ONE DIRECTION, and my teams losing in the fourth quarter.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

MAX: Kylie does.

KYLIE: Awww. You don’t have to say that.

MAX: I know I don’t. But it’s true. You’re fierce and you’re brave and you’re crazy in the best way. I’m inspired by all that.

KYLIE: Okay, now I’m blushing. I can’t say you inspire me now, because you won’t believe me. My brother Jake inspires me. He doesn’t have it easy at all, but he still finds lots of ways to be happy, and he knows how to love.

********************

Thanks for a fabulous post Stacy & Valerie. I'm really enjoying From What I Remember and can't wait to figure out how Kylie and Max ended up in Mexico and why they're wearing wedding rings!! Keep an eye out for my full review coming soon everyone, in the meantime make sure you check out the rest of the stops on the UK From What I Remember blog tour.