Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. All you have to do is post according to the weekly topic, link up your blog, and add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists!

From the very start of my blog, I professed that contemporary fiction would never work for me. Like, ever. But I was wrong, and through the course of four years of blogging, I've realized that I've actually come to love the genre. There are a lot of books within that genre that still irk me, but that's because I've finally seen the potential that this genre has, which makes the entire contemporary realm worthwhile now. This isn't actually a topic that's been used before, but it's one that's important to me...so, here goes.

Raw Blue epitomizes issue-based books. Powerful, gritty and real, its emotion and heart spills over onto the pages. Twenty Boy Summer might imply something sweet and frivolous, but dealing with loss, pain and grief, it teaches you about growing up and moving on. The Raft seems like a simple survival story, but is actually so much more - tackling inner demons, finding your strength and empowerment. 

Something Real has no hype, and it has a cover that doesn't do it any favours. This book, however, is a powerhouse of emotion, and I found it one of the most poignant reads in over a year. Leaving Paradise captures grief and anger in a nutshell, offering us the ability to heal through our characters. This Song Will Save Your Life gives us hope, shows us that it's okay to be different and transcends social norms.

Dark Song is dark, gritty and incredibly real, offering us a powerhouse novel about abusive relationships, growing into your own person and learning to overcome adversity. Catching Jordan represents the contemporary fiction I thought I'd hate - but done well. Giving us sweet romance, as well as well-defined characters that breathe and feel, this made me smile. Wintergirls is a hard-hitting take on life with eating disorders. Written halting and sparse, it transcends those stereotypes we all think. Some Girls Are is the first book I read on bullying, giving us characters that we don't really like, but we've all met at some time or another - teaching us to grow and move on.

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 That I Think Should Be Required Reading

1. Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn - Every teen should be knowledgable about the dangers of abusive relationships. It's powerful, heartbreaking and real.

2. Hate List by Jennifer Brown - This is a dark, moving and powerful book about the damage that one boy causes when he goes on a shooting rampage in school - the aftermath, as well as what led to it.

3. By the Time You Read this, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters - Suicide is all-too common among teens, as is bullying. It's so important to bring it to the forefront.

4. Scars by Cheryl Rainfield - There is hope for those stuck in the abusive cycle of self-harm. It might not feel like it though, and that's why a book like this is so relevant and powerful.

5. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - Eating disorders plague much of the younger generation with the ever-growing desire to be thin and perfect. This makes it real and super powerful.

6. Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington - This is a book about perseverance, struggle and the desire to find a better life. Regardless of which culture we live in, this book resonates.

7. Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess - Abusive relationships are not always between relationship partners. Often, the threats are from parents - it's important to understand that fear and pain.

8. Dark Song by Gail Giles - Again, this book discusses the damaging nature of abusive relationships, and it really portrays how manipulated one can be.

9. The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler - Despite the syrupy cover, there is tremendous depth to this one - love, loss, losing one's identity to a disease...it's powerful stuff.

10. When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney - Sad, honest, powerful, raw and incredibly well-written, this one transcends the YA bounds and really, really resonates loss and moving on.

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.

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 Books That Make You Think:

1. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein – This book was tricky on a lot of different levels – including the narration. I found that I consistently had to be on my toes to uncover the little details that made this story rich, engaging and heartbreaking.

2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – I still remember reading this in Honours English when I was younger and being blow away by the context of censorship. If you don’t have an opinion on the matter, this book will help you develop one. Trust me.

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – What would you do if your world was so irrevocably broken that it had to resort to a death-match of children to keep and maintain order? This book, if you can look beyond the surface has SO much going on.

4. Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle – Whether you’re religious or not, you’ve probably heard of the story of Noah’s Ark. Add in a twist about a single family member not allowed on the Ark, and you have quite the heartbreak to come to terms with. Think about it.

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green – I swear this single author has the most innate ability to truly and honestly capture human emotion and put it into words on pages. This book will have you contemplating your very existence and life in general.

6. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar – Love isn’t always pretty, and it can be messy and painful. Life and love can break you down to a point where you isolate yourself from it all, but what would you do if you had the chance to let your guard down and live again?

7. Life As We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer – Truthfully, this is the only book I liked in the series, but it makes you think. The world could be on the brink of destruction at any time. How would you cope? How would you maintain a semblance of normalcy when everything turns to dust?

8. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin – Abuse in families runs rampant in literature, but this is one of the most truthful, heartwrenching accounts. A young boy is learning to cope with his mother’s instability, attempting to raise his sister and find someone to trust. Who would you trust?

9. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson – This one is a strange choice for me. Having suffered from ED, myself, this one is dangerous because it actually makes you think about this addicting and debilitating disease. There’s a cold comfort in it, but is it really worth dying for?

10. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling – Tease me if you must, but tell me honestly…did you really NOT try to piece the outcome together only three books in? I was attempting to maze it out by the time I was merely halfway through the series, and it still blows me away.

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: Do you like issue books? Why, or why not?

When I first started blogging, I don't think I even had the first clue what a real issue-based book was. I mean, I knew that there was contemporary fiction, and I knew that I didn't enjoy it for the most part. I found it to be riddled with cliches and, frankly, lacking any true semblance of human emotion. That, in a nutshell, made it impossible for me to make any sort of connection with the characters. It wasn't until I started actually reviewing books that I began to understand the difference between straight contemps and issue-based books.

Over time, I've come to love a good issue book, and my reasons are pretty simple. If I want to read about real life, I want it to be really real. I mean, I want to feel something when I read a book. I don't want to see some glossy and pristine little image that paints a picture nobody really knows. If I decide to pick up a book about a real issue like abuse, I want to actually be able to put myself in the shoes of the character because if I can't, then the issue misses the mark.

I realize that issue books aren't for everyone. I love a good sci-fi, fantasy or paranormal novel as much as the next person, but I'll admit that I have a very big soft spot for issue books. I think, when done really well, they have the ability to reach a reader on a much deeper level, and I envy that raw, intimate writing style. It's definitely a gift. So, in the spirit of sharing, below are my top four issue books.

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown...The Right & The Real by Joelle Anthony

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson...Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar

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 Wish Would Write Another Book:

1. Brian Jacques – his imagination made mine run wild. I miss him.

2. Kirsty Eagar – (Thankfully she is!)…and the premise is absolutely fantastic!

3. J.K. Rowling – another Harry Potter would be great, but anything with magic is fine by me, as well.

4. Louisa May Alcott – Her books spoke to me. Little Women was my childhood.

5. Max Turner – I hate vampires, but his vampire book (Night Runner) was one of the first I ever reviewed…and loved.

6. Nancy Werlin – I’d love to see more of her contemporary work. The Rules of Survival was breathtaking.

7. Jenny Han – Though contemps are usually hit or miss with me, her SUMMER series was beautiful. And intense. And perfection.

8. Michelle Hodkin – I know, I know. She’s working on book two, but good GOD, people! I need it right now! RIGHT NOW.

9. Karsten Knight – There were those that didn’t like Wildefire, but I really did. I thought it was original and fun. I want more.

10. Laurie Halse Anderson – Regardless where I stand on contemps, she never fails to impress me. Wintergirls was haunting. Triggering, perhaps, but haunting.