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. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

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 fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Authors I'd Love to Have at My Thanksgiving Feast:

1. Michelle Hodkin - Why, you ask? Clearly you haven't met her! Michelle is one of the nicest, sweetest and most genuine people out there, and it just so happens that she is an incredibly talented author. Picking her brain for an hour and chatting about animals wasn't nearly enough time...what better place than a Thanksgiving feast?!

2. J.K. Rowling - A girl can dream, right? If I had an hour to ask her questions or sit and eat dinner with her, one of two things could happen. 1) I drive her insane with idiotic questions for hours, or 2) I sit bug-eyed and silent...internally fangirling.

3. Rick Riordan - I don't know about you, but I want to know how in the heck he makes Greek mythology look so dang good and be so dang legible! His characters are fun, so obviously, he has to be fun, too.

4. Kirsty Eagar - Well, obviously I'd be fangirling over her books, then I'd fangirl over her accent, and then I'd tell her to get her publishers to get her books in the US, stat. Either way, I think she could teach me how to surf, so why not spend a fun Thanksgiving learning, eh?

5. Kendare Blake - She has one of the most genius and inventive minds, and I can't imagine how much fun it would be to chat horror and paranormal with her. Truly. I mean that with utter sincerity!

6. Brian Jacques - I know he recently passed, but I would still love to spend Thanksgiving with him! He always wrote about these epic feasts in his books, and my mouth would be watering for days...not that I knew what any of the food was, or anything.

7. Sara Shepard - I might not love the shows based on her books (though The Lying Game is leagues better), but I am so enthralled by her books. They're easy, fast and they are so entertained. I want more!

8. James Dashner - I think his dystopian series is one of the most underrated and underreviewed series ever. I adore it. I really need to review it and share my love for his series because it is THAT good. Plus, I'd pick his brain on the prequel. Jussayin'.

9. Richelle Mead - I've sworn up and down, time and again that I loathe vampires. I'll never like them. BUT I was convinced to read the Vampire Academy series, and I was sold. I want to know how she did that.

10. Marissa Meyer - She's a debut author, but holy hell does she have one original plot with Cinder! I'm obsessed. I want her at my Thanksgiving so I can grill her and find out more!

Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?

Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.

Leo has a way with tools. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god.
Taken from GoodReads.

The Lost Hero is the first book in the new Heroes of Olympus series. Following the story of three new demigods, Jason, Piper, and Leo, it details their struggles and triumphs to discover their true identities and their own selves. Jason doesn't know (or understand) anything that's ever happened to him), Piper has a secret that causes great pain, and Leo is the joker of the group, providing comic relief for the trio. With destinies intertwined and a whole new set of obstacles to face, Jason, Piper, and Leo are about to embark on the adventure of their lives.

Ok, it's so secret that I'm probably the biggest Rick Riordan fan and Percy Jackson nut in the world...ok, maybe not the world...maybe the country...ok, fine...I just really really really love his stories and the worlds he creates. That said, I was really worried about reading The Lost Hero because I was terrified it would butcher the amazing story he had already created. I didn't want to see the story beaten over the head by capitalizing on an already-popular series. That said, I was extremely happy to see that Rick Riordan's writing style - fluid, easy, and engaging - is just as fun and enjoyable as ever.

I'm a little divided in my opinion of the actual story of The Lost Hero, though, and I'll explain why. I was so stoked to see Annabeth re-enter the picture, and then I realized just how different her character was in this book than it was in the previous series. She was, frankly, just snide and nasty, and she didn't appeal to me at all. While I love the introduction of a new satyr, I missed Grover's antics, and while I like the basics of Jason's character, I found him rather tedious. Then, there's Percy. We all love Percy. You can't not love Percy. However, if you're going to introduce him in a new series, develop his character more. I don't want to see him whittled down to a stereotype of what he once was.

I know I sound like I'm ranting about The Lost Hero, but the story, itself, is actually quite enjoyable. Despite a few plot hiccups, I thought it was fun and definitely entertaining. I only dock points because I expected more. I give it a firm 3.5 out of 5, and I really hope to see the series continue to improve upon itself with the next installment. I recommend this to fans of MG, YA, and adult books, as well as those who enjoy fantasy.

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Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page, and BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Leo stepped through, and the door began to close. He had a moment of panic, remembering the night in the machine shop long ago, when he'd been locked in.
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

And now, for my Tuesday Teaser...For those of you who don't know, I do my Tuesday Teasers differently (and yes, I add this disclaimer every time). Each week, I feature two sentences (or more) of something I've written, leave it up all day, then remove it around 11 PM. You're welcome to comment on it, love it, hate it, or simply read it at your leisure...if you'd like, of course. This week's teaser is from my current WIP, RACE.

The Tuesday Teaser is down! Check back next week for more. :)