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 I Would Love to See as Films or Shows
(where they wouldn't be butchered - in a perfect world)

1. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab - I swear this will forever remain one of my all-time favourite and surprise hit books. It's eerie, it's gorgeous, and it would be breathtaking on screen.

2. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis - This one actually makes other dystopians quiver because it doesn't fall for the "bleak world, hot boy" mold. It's raw, real and powerful - all of which would be incredible as a film.

3. The Raft by S.A. Bodeen - I don't know how I can better explain my love for this book than to see I would probably die of sheer happiness if it became a movie. Think - Castaway - but for the younger lot...and a whole lot more eloquent.

4. Find Me by Romily Bernard - This one seems to have slipped under the radar for a lot of readers, but holy hell...it's creepy, and thrilling, and powerful, and real. I haven't read a such a good YA thriller in a long while. It would make a great show!

5. The Diviners by Libba Bray - Nothing is better than the 20's onscreen. I dare you to argue with me on that. Seriously, with a mystery, that time period and a whole lot of awesome, how in the world could it miss as a film?

6. Reality Boy by A.S. King - I recently finished this one, and I was thinking of how very harrowing it would be as a film - very gritty and emotional... just the way I love my films.

7. The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler - I didn't expect this one to have much depth, but it surpassed all my expectations. It's emotional, and it will make you weep out loud in a cinema.

8. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - Yeah, I maintain that this is one of the best paranormal, eerie and unbelievable books ever. That cliffhanger on screen? Yeah. Score.

9. Hate List by Jennifer Brown - This book is so striking and profound that I'm surprised it's not yet a movie. I've never been so emotionally invested in a character and town. Epic.

10. Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle - It's a Noah's Ark re-telling with a sci-fi twist. How would that NOT be perfect as a movie? 

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.

The Top Ten Books I Wish Had Sequels
(even if they really, really wouldn't work)

1. Not a Drop to Drink - This was a newer title that I read, and I really, really loved it. I just wish that the ending hadn't been so hurried so we could have lived in Lynn's world a bit longer.

2. Raw Blue - I doubt I really have to justify this being on any of my lists anymore. This book is perfection, and I would have loved to learn more about Carly's healing process.

3. Find Me - There aren't too many thrillers that really captivate me and capture my attention, but this book had me rabid for it from the start. I want more, I want more! (cue AT&T commercial)

4. Between - I still don't know why so few people have read this book. Seriously, it's one of my all-time favourites even in spite of a bit of predictability. It's a true diamond in the rough. 

5. Many Waters - I don't think there is any logical way to make a sequel to a sci-fi version of Noah's Ark, but I wish there could be a way! This book is pure gold. I own five copies.

6. The Fault in Our Stars - Okay, I know that any sequel to this would probably be the most depressing thing in the world, but I loved, loved, loved this book. I wish there was a way!

7. The Raft - For a book with one character (okay, I guess you could say two), this book is a winner. It's eerie, it's tense, it's incredible, and I just want to know what happened after the last page.

8. Wintergirls - Of all Laurie Halse Anderson's books, this is my favourite, hands down. Lia was a powerful, horrible character, and I wanted to hit and her save her at the same time. 

9. Safekeeping - I didn't think such a simple, low-key dystopian novel would work, but this one really did. On one hand, I loved the ending, but on the other hand, it was so good that I definitely want more.

10. Sea Change - I read this one when I first started blogging, and I actually emailed the author to find out if there was a sequel I didn't know about. There isn't. I'm still crushed.

Let's Talk is a 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!

What underrated books have you read that you wish more bloggers would highlight and review?

There are so many books on the market - in all genres - that it's an impossibility to even think about reading them all, but let's be honest. We've all read some of those books that absolutely blow us away, yet nobody else seems to read or review them. Why is this? I'll never really know, but the great thing about book blogging is that we have the chance to share some of our favourites with others and recommend what we think they might just be missing. Here's your chance, people! Tell me what I'm missing out on!

I don't read too many books from the male perspective simply because, well, I'm a girl. I find it pretty difficult to get in a guy's shoes unless the author manages to breach that divide and make the male MC's voice and characterization truly transparent and accessible to the female audience. E.C. Myers totally blew me away with this book for multiple reasons. First of all, the concept is both engaging and unnerving. A magic coin? Unforeseeable consequences? Losing yourself to an inanimate object? Yeah, Fair Coin has all of that and so much more. Above all else though, this book is adventurous and fun, taking a new twist on sci-fi and fantasy and becoming a pretty amazing setup to a new series. I find it pretty hard to get invested in series with the amount of books I read and review these days, but let me tell you...this is worth the investment. 

You guys have probably all heard me rave about Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar because - and let's be real here for a second - that book is pretty much perfection in terms of contemporary fiction. It seems as thought Night Beach has taken the back seat to her more famous title though and, while I get it, it's saddening. The great thing about this book is that the author isn't afraid to try (and do) something new that her readers don't know her for. It takes a risk, and it's certainly an eerie and off-kilter book. Best of all though, the characters of the book bare their souls - both dark and light - in this book, and it makes the prose haunting, terrifying and utterly captivating. No, it's not a contemporary read. And no, you probably won't find any great hidden meaning in this book, but you will find excellent characterization, a twisting plot and a story that will keep you guessing. 

I waited forever to read this book, and I actually wonder if others did so, as well, simply because they don't think it will stand out from the rest of their TBR pile. Let me tell you though...it's worth the read. It's not a terribly long book, but it's riveting from start to finish. It takes true skill for an author to manage to successfully set up a book with a tiny cast of survivors characters with limited means, a fairly limited setting and their own mortality looming over their heads. The Raft does this flawlessly though. There is such a tangible tension in this book that I wasn't even sure I'd make it to the end - simply because it was that gripping. There is drama, yes, but even more so, there is an extreme struggle for survival that demands to be heard - and felt. This book is one of my absolute favourite reads of 2013, and I think more bloggers need to give it a go because, trust me, you'll be blown away.

Obviously, there are a ton more books out there I wish more bloggers would read and review, but these are definitely my top three. What books do you think are underrated...or under-reviewed....give me something new to try!

Title: The Raft
Author: S.A. Bodeen
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publish Date: August 21, 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 231
Source: Publisher

Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft.

And then...she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way.

It's a normal day for Robie. She knows traveling, she knows flying and nothing seems to be out of the ordinary on the day's flight except for the new co-pilot, whom she's never seen before. But things suddenly go from routine, to bad, to deadly in a matter of minutes when turbulence becomes severe and the plane starts to crash. Max manages to get Robie out and follow after her, but they're far from safe as the plane sinks beneath the dark, stormy water. With Max gravely injured and Robie struggling to hang on, how long can the two possibly survive at sea?

The Raft is unlike any book I've ever read before, and that's a testament in and of itself because, let's be real here, the YA genre is crowded. S.A. Bodeen truly makes a name for herself with this novel, giving us a powerful character who is easy to relate to, a gripping and dramatic plot and edge-of-your-seat action throughout. With powerful prose, The Raft is a swift novel, sweeping you into its dramatic and painful embrace in a way that almost makes you feel that you're stranded with Robie on that raft in the middle of the open sea where the struggle to survive will twist and turn you in its deadly embrace.

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, but if a book actually manages to surprise me these days - in a good way - it's as good as solid gold to me. The Raft did that and so much more. There are so many books out there that are swimming with characters, and illustrious details, and locations and more, but The Raft sets itself apart from the masses simply by being so amazingly sparse. We're literally given a main character, a secondary character who lapses in and out of consciousness, leaving the Robie to her own devices and a singular location - the raft upon which these two survivors are struggling to live. If I'd known that going in, I would have been highly dubious about how there could possibly have been enough action to fill a novel of this size. However, because of the unique setup, we're given an insider's look at this teenage girl's immediate need for growth, and yes, she grows up. She gradually and believably transforms into a powerful character in her own right, and dang it - that girl is strong to make it through these harrowing events. Max, too, is a powerful character that is interjected throughout, but boy does this man of secrets. His character was one of the best secondary characters I've read in a very long time. I kid you not when I say that The Raft had me reeling and begging for the end. It wasn't that I wanted the book to be over, but rather I was so invested in the story that I, too, felt as though I was being rescued. 

The Raft was, in my humble opinion, incredible. Plot twists abound and the utter originality in setup had me begging for more. It's one of those books that I'm not going to forget for a very long time. I give it a 4.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy action, adventure, survival and contemporary fiction stories.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for...

Title: The Raft
Author: S.A. Bodeen (Blog)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publish Date: August 21, 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 231

Robie, 15, lives with her family on the Midway atoll, a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific. Her parents are scientists; it’s an isolated life. Robie enjoys visiting her aunt in Hawaii – she gets back and forth on a cargo plane that brings supplies to Midway.

During a visit, her aunt is called to the mainland for a work emergency, leaving Robie to get home on her own. On her flight back to Midway the cargo plane hits nasty weather, and goes down. It’s just Robie, the pilot, and Max, a co-pilot she’s never met till this flight, on board. Robie is pulled aboard a raft by Max, who is injured and slipping in and out of consciousness.

They have a bag of candy and very little water between them. When they finally reach an island that seems abandoned, Robie hopes they’ll be found quickly. But she’s not sure she was even on the flight manifest. Her parents must be looking for her…aren’t they?

I actually snagged a coveted copy of this bad boy, and I was immediately sold on the insanely/eerily awesome cover. Seriously, if that's not foreboding, than the synopsis of The Raft pretty much sums it up. I haven't read too much thriller-esque contemps as of late, and this seems to have a touch of LOST and a whole lot of awesome. Needless to say, I can't wait to start it! What do you think, and what are you waiting on this week?

FIRST OF ALL...I am so so so so SO sorry for the sudden hiatus this past week. Some of you may have known, but I recently to the greater Boston area for my new job, and I was renting from a lady whom we all trusted. Well, this lady decided not to pay her mortgage on the place I was renting from her, so the place is under foreclosure. Needless to say, it threw a wrench in my plans. Things are falling into place now, and my lease is being upheld by the bank (thank God), but I needed this hiatus to figure it all out. SO, my point is, I'm back! :)

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In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth (ARC) - Thank you, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux

All These Lives by Sarah Wylie (ARC) - Thank you, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks (ARC) - Thank you, Feiwel & Friends

The Raft by S.A. Bodeen (ARC) - Thank you, Feiwel & Friends

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama (ARC) - Thank you, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne (ARC) - Thank you, Feiwel & Friends

Before You Go by James Preller (ARC) - Thank you, Feiwel & Friends

Thief's Covenant by Ari Marmell (ARC) - Thank you, PYR