Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. 

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a great way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Books Dealing with Tough Subject Matter:

1.  Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar - This book was probably my first foray into contemporary fiction that really actually worked for me. It's a beautiful, poetic and hypnotizing book that tackles some intense dark issues such as rape and loss of self-worth. However, it's also about healing, and it's fantastic. Read it. 

2. When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney - I haven't posted my review yet for this one (check back Thursday - shameless plug), but I was blown away by it. I cried a lot, but I also laughed and healed with the main character. Dealing with death, grief and moving on, it's stunning.

3. Dark Song by Gail Giles - This was a book that I didn't expect to be nearly as dark as it was, but it was immensely powerful. Tackling issues of abusive relationships, teenage rebellion, familial drama and more, it's a no-holds-barred story that will really make you think.

4. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - I don't think any list regarding tough subject matter would be complete without this book. Sparse, simple and painful, the book illustrates the spiral of an eating disorder in a powerful, but realistic way. (Beware - it can be triggering.)

5. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers - I put off reading this one for a long time because I'm not so big on the contemps unless they're really true to life. Well, this lived up. Portraying some of the harshest bullying between teenage girls, it presents a challenge - liking an unlikable character as she tries to change.

6. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin - It still amazes me that this book is one of her most obscure titles in the YA market today. It's a powerful, thought-provoking and extremely emotional tale of parental abuse and learning to live, move on and forgive.

7. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler - Disregard the "loose" title. Trust me. I ignored this book because if it for a really long time. Accurately portraying two teen girls' navigation through the grief process mourning and moving on, it's sure to make you laugh, smile and cry along the way.

8. The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan - This book is severely underrated. It's often mistaken for MG because of its young main character, but the topics and subject matter of the novel are far beyond that age group. This gripping story of child abduction and abuse is sure to leave you breathless.

9. Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles - Honestly, I love this book, but some people might question my reasoning for listing it here. Think about it this way. Maggie was the victim of an accident. Caleb was the so-called perpetrator of the accident, and both of them must somehow start to move on.

10. Bitter End by Jennifer Brown - This is another one of those books I had on my TBR forever, but I just kept putting it off. However, once I finally read it, I was blown away. This deep novel bares its soul through the story of both an emotionally and physically abusive relationship in an amazingly poignant way.

Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

Question: What books can you think of that have covers better than the content and vice-versa?

I've seen this question around a lot lately, so forgive little old me if I'm beating a dead horse here. I'm self-professed cover slut. Anyone who reads this blog even somewhat regularly has probably deciphered that by now. I think covers are as good as any great piece of art. Heck, I even have a framed art print of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and I've blown up poster-sized framed pieces for my someday future library with the almost hubs (hey...a girl can dream!)

The fact of the matter is that while there are tons of books that perfectly match the greatness of their covers, there will always be those few anomalies. What am I talking about, you ask? Well, have you ever seen an incredibly gorgeous book and bought it simply because of that, only to find that the book was bland? Or, perhaps you bought a book even though the cover was particularly lackluster, and it just blew your mind. Trust me, anyone who reads as much as we do has experienced this at least once. It still boggles me how it happens. However, I figured I'd point out my top one of each of these anomalies.

In which an incredible cover hides a hot mess:

Guys, I so desperately wanted to just love this one. This is seriously one of the most beautiful covers I have seen in my whole life. From the fierce determination in the models' eyes, to the water splash, to the juxtapositioning of the dryness on the cover - this whole thing just rocks off the shelf. Truly, this novel excites a reader to buy it. Unfortunately, the prose just falls flat in comparison. It has everything going for it; a hit genre, a great premise and even a pretty good writing style. It just didn't match up and, frankly, it bored in comparison. A couple other novels that hit the same unfortunate stride? Witch & Wizard by James Patterson. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto.

In which a lackluster cover hides a work of brilliance:

Ok, guys, I honestly never gave this one a second glance until a blogger mentioned that the cover didn't do it justice a couple weeks ago. In the middle of a book funk, I decided to see if the blogger was right. Well, needless to say, she was. The writing, as with the author's other novels, is sweet and simplistic, but there's such humour, sincerity and light to this story. It was candid and real throughout - totally approachable in a way that made me WANT to read it. And yet, because of a lackluster (at best) cover, I didn't give it a second thought. Here's my two cents: Give it a go. You might just love it like I did! A couple of other novels that hit the same unfortunate stride? Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin.