I mean half of my Christmas list is books so I hope I’ll find at least one under the tree this year! These books are listed in no particular order and I will link each title to their Goodreads page.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.
It has now been moved over to That Artsy Reader Girl.
It’s been a very long time since I’ve done a Top Ten Tuesday and I think I need it. It’s so nice having a post so easily planned out so it’s the perfect way for me to start posting more regularly! This week’s theme is ‘Winter TBR’ and I’ve got way more than a few contenders but here are the books I’m most looking forward to reading this winter.
These books are listed in no particular order and I will link each title to their Goodreads page.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.
It has now been moved over to That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
Of course there are already TONS of 2018 releases to look forward too but these are the most exciting to me! These are books coming out all throughout 2018 and not limited to a month or half of the year, I do posts every month of the upcoming releases so you can always check those out as well.
These are in no particular order!
10.) The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde
After reading “Queens of Geek” and absolutely freaking loving it, I’m now fully prepared to read everything Jen Wilde writes. This is about a teen drummer who must navigate family problems the paparazzi, and coming out as bisexual. It sounds amazing!
9.) Unearthed by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
This is so close to being released now and I am SO excited because it’s described as being Indiana Jones in SPACE!
8.) Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda
I did enjoy Alameda’s other book “Shutter” and I can never get enough of YA horror! Plus it’s inspired by the Alien franchise which are some of my favorite movies.
7.) The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke
So far Tucholke’s books haven’t really agreed with me but I am so ridiculously excited for a feminist Beowulf retelling that I will still chance it!
6.) The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton
Three sisters battle each other for the crown, I mean what could sound more awesome in a fantasy? I love fantasy filled with politics, too.
5.) Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
I’m so freaking excited for this, honestly. It’s a diverse fantasy (which we need more of, seriously) about a land thats magic has disappeared and the magic wielders hunted down. Zelie must now try and bring the magic back with the help of a rogue princess. Also hints of a forbidden romance, which I’m here for.
4.) Toil & Trouble: 16 Tales of Women and Witchcraft by Various Authors
I AM HERE FOR THE WITCHY ANTHOLOGY!!!!
3.) Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie
A sci-fi with two badass heroines who become cyborg soldiers, essentially. I feel like this is going to be as badass as it sounds, I hope so anyways.
2.) Pacifica by Kristen Simmons
To be fair the real reason I’m even adding this is because it’s a fantasy with pirates. I need ALL the pirate books in my life.
1.) Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
A Viking-age inspired fantasy book and just like with the pirates I am all for Viking books!
Are you excited for any of these books as well?
What are some 2018 releases you’re looking forward to?
Let me know in the comments!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
This is kind of a broad topic because what age do I want my children to read these? My answer is whenever, they can be younger, teenagers, or adults for all I care but I’d really like if they read these books so I could geek out about them with my own kids! This is why I’m adding books that are more YA into the mix of Middle Grade as well.
These are in no particular order.
10.) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I want everyone to read this book, everyone, which coincidentally would also include my future children! If they’re anything like me they will appreciate the magical atmosphere this book has, it’s truly a beautiful story.
9.) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Not only is this just a fantastic, well written book it also tackles some very important issues and I think EVERYONE could benefit from reading this book.
8.) Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire
This is more of an adult book but it’s so magical and full of diverse characters, I wouldn’t have a younger child read this but a teenager? Sure, would!
7.) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
So I was really torn between which Gaiman book I wanted to add to this list it was between “Coraline” and “The Graveyard Book” but ultimately I went with “The Graveyard Book” just because I enjoyed that one a little bit more! Gaiman’s writing is fantastic for all ages and this is a sort of coming of age story about a boy who is raised by multiple supernatural creatures in a graveyard.
6.) The Stonekeeper (Amulet #1) by Kazu Kibuishi
Once again I feel this can be for all ages but it is aimed at a more Middle Grade audience, it’s a fantastic series of graphic novels that follows a pair of siblings through a magical realm to rescue their mother. It’s adorable and adventurous and definitely something I would want my future children to read!
5.) Inkheart (Inkworld #1) by Cornelia Funke
This trilogy is very, very dear to me and I would be ecstatic if my future children read it, the whole trilogy is amazing and it’s one of those series that gets better and better with each book. Plus what person, especially a kid, doesn’t love the idea of their favorite book characters being transported into our world?
4.) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The writing is older so it could be a bit harder for a child to read it but I will definitely read it to them! “The Hobbit” is a classic and I’m a huge fan of everything Middle Earth so this is kind of mandatory.
3.) The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia #1) by C.S. Lewis
By this of course I mean the whole series but since I have only read book one ( I know, shame on me) I won’t push the whole series. This book is one of the classics I think all children should have the opportunity to read it’s right up there with Harry Potter for sure!
2.) Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Another all ages book/series that I think everyone can enjoy! I absolutely loved this series and thought it was so much fun plus you learn a bit about Greek mythology along the way as well. I would be happy with my future children reading any Riordan books though.
1.) Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
HOW CAN I NOT HAVE HARRY POTTER ON THIS LIST? This series is literally my childhood and one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with reading so you’re damn right I hope my kids will want to read it!
What are some books you’d like your children or future children to read?
Do we have any of these books in common?
Let me know in the comments!
Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Thoughts on Tomes and created by Lainey @ Ginger Reads Lainey. You can check out the group’s Goodreads page for this month’s topics!
I’m not much of a series reader I’m usually the kind of person that can start a ton of series and then not actually ever finish them. So this list was a little harder for me especially since I feel a lot of series really get worse the farther they go on for me, however, here are a few I felt got better!
5.) Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld
I read this series such a long time ago but when I read the first book I honestly didn’t think much of it, it was okay. However, I decided to continue on and read “Pretties” and “Specials” as well and in my opinion both of those books were a lot better than “Uglies”. I never did read “Extras” but I don’t really feel like I need to either since it isn’t from Tally’s POV.
Would I still think this if I re-read these books now? Maybe but from what I remember when I was younger I thought the books got way better as they went!
4.) Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead
Once again this was a series that I read when I was younger and thought it was amazing! Of course my opinion might change if I read them again now but I like to live in my nostalgia…..
The first couple of books in this series are kind of so, so there really isn’t anything too crazy special about them but as they go they get a lot more action, plot twists, and more interesting back stories!
3.) The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
This might be cheating since I haven’t actually finished the series! BUT I have read the first two books and I definitely loved “The Dream Thieves” even more than I loved “The Raven Boys” so I’m just kind of assuming the series will only continue to get better as well!
You can read my full review of “The Raven Boys” here.
2.) The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski
Once again I haven’t fully completed this series but I’ve read the first two books just not the last! I was really leery with the first book since I wasn’t sure it was going to be good or not and I was actually really pleasantly surprised by it! So of course I devoured the second book which was EVEN BETTER than the first one! So I think it’s safe to say this is one of those series you should stick with after the first book.
You can read my full review of “The Winner’s Curse” here.
1.) The Inkworld Trilogy
This is my most prime example of a series that gets WAAAAAY better as it goes, the jump in awesomeness from “Inkheart” to “Inkspell” is huge! While I did really like the first book I still wasn’t super impressed with it but since I already had the second book I pushed on anyways and I am so glad I did! “Inkspell” is ten times the fun with way more characters, magic, and world building! Then there’s “Inkdeath”……I didn’t know it could get any better than “Inkspell” but it did, there are so many plot twists and so much emotional turmoil! The ending was perfect though.
What are some series you think got better?
Do you agree or disagree with any of these series? Have you read any of them?
Are you big on finishing series or, like me, start them more than finish them?
Let me know in the comments!
Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Thoughts on Tomes and created by Lainey @ Ginger Reads Lainey. You can check out the group’s Goodreads page for this month’s topics!
This week’s topic is books that aren’t set in or inspired by the Western World, so nothing in North America or Western Europe! That also means no Fantasy or Sci-fi that may have been inspired by these places so nothing medieval based in a fantasy for example!
This is such a fun topic that calls for us to really think outside the box and opens the way for us to potentially find more diverse reads!
These are also in NO particular order and if I have reviews I will link them up as well!
5.) Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
While this is YA fantasy not directly set in the real world it’s pretty clearly based off of Russia and Russian culture. Therefore I’m just going to say it counts! It’s also a very well written, fast paced, heist book and I say the hype is worth it!
You can read my full review of “Six of Crows” here.
4.) And I Darken by Kiersten White
This is a historical retelling with a gender bent Vlad the Impaler as one of the main characters. It’s set in the 1400s in both Wallachia, which is modern day Romania, and the Ottoman Empire, which is mostly modern day Turkey.
I personally thought White did her research very well for this story!
You can read my full review of “And I Darken” here.
3.) The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
This is a 1,001 Nights (a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories) retelling set in the Middle East and it also has some fantasy elements but they’re clearly inspired by Middle Eastern culture as well.
You can read my mini review of “The Wrath & The Dawn” here.
2.) The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
This is a YA fantasy story but it’s also a retelling of “Aladdin and His Wondrous Lamp” which is a story from 1,001 Nights (which as stated above is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories). The story and it’s setting are inspired by the Middle East.
You can read my full review of “The Forbidden Wish” here.
1.) Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
This is a fantasy and steampunk story that was inspired by Japan or the Eastern World if you will. I, personally, really enjoyed this book but I have heard people mention that it was not researched very well and the Japanese vocabulary wasn’t used correctly. That’s why I’m saying the book is “inspired by” versus saying “based on” and I acknowledge other people’s claims that this wasn’t necessarily the best book as far as the cultural representation goes.
However, it’s still inspired by the Eastern World so I decided it applies here and as I said I did still enjoy the story. It’s nice to see steampunk elements in a book that isn’t set in Western Europe!
You can read my full review of “Stormdancer” here.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
What are some books you’ve read or have on your TBR that aren’t set in the Western World?
Do you have any recommendations?
Let me know in the comments!
Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Thoughts on Tomes and created by Lainey @ Ginger Reads Lainey. You can check out the group’s Goodreads page for this month’s topics!
Of course I want to desperately throw in Harry Potter and Percy Jackson but everyone needs to think outside the box a little bit and it was harder than I thought it would be! Mostly I’m sticking with Middle Grade here so let’s get ready for some nostalgia!
5.) Nancy Drew Mystery Stories by Carolyn Keene
This is probably one of the #1 series I was obsessed with when I was a kid, absolutely obsessed! It pretty much all started when I was in the third grade and my mom bought me one of the Nancy Drew computer games, of course I couldn’t get enough of it and read the books soon after. I feel Nancy Drew is one of those timeless classics that kids can read no matter how old the books get…….I’m feeling nostalgic now and want to go read/play Nancy Drew…….
4.) The Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne
Okay so I’d honestly like to know how many of you didn’t read this series as a kid? Because it was super popular and I feel like everyone did! It’s fantastic and I feel like if I even re-read them now I’d still love them. How can you go wrong with a magic time and space traveling tree house (it’s all very Doctor Who isn’t it)? I actually had a hefty collection of these before handing them over to my younger cousins and now I’m slightly regretting that……
3.) The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia #1) by C.S. Lewis
This might be cheating a little bit since it’s one of those classic, popular books/series just like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson but since it wasn’t specifically stated in the topic for today I decided I’d use it! Who doesn’t love The Chronicles of Narnia? My mom had all of the books from when she was a kid and I’ve only read the first book (I know it’s blasphemy) and when I did I honestly had so many emotions! It usually takes a lot to make me cry while reading a book and I balled my eyes out with this one…..my parents had to make sure I was okay……
2.) Revenge of the Witch (The Last Apprentice #1) by Joseph Delaney
I think a lot of people might consider this YA but to me with the main character and the style of writing it feels a lot more like Middle Grade. I didn’t start reading these books until I was a little older but I think I can still consider it “my childhood”….kind of…..
Anyways it’s pretty creepy and full of monsters and the world building is actually really fantastic.
1.) The Inkworld Trilogy
I think it’s safe to say this series was one of my #1 obsessions as a child alongside Nancy Drew since it was one of the first times I was exposed to high fantasy. Man, this series was addictive and actually full of some pretty dark stuff which makes me think I’d really enjoy re-reading it now as well. There are just so many wonderful, complex characters and the world building is seriously A+!
Although I will say I really didn’t enjoy Inkheart as much as the other two so if you didn’t enjoy Inkheart I highly suggest continuing on anyways since they get so much better!
Did you read any of these books when you were younger? Or later?
What are some of your favorite childhood books?
Let me know in the comments!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jamie @ The Broke and the Bookish.
This week’s theme is series we have been meaning to start and haven’t yet! I am notorious for starting series and usually never finishing them so there really weren’t that many series on my TBR that I haven’t started at all, but here are the few!
These aren’t in any specific order either!
10.) The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson
I actually own the box set of the trilogy but just haven’t gotten to it yet. As a huge fantasy fan reading this seems to be an absolute must and I’m definitely excited to get to it, or really any Brandon Sanderson book!
9.) The Diviners Series by Libba Bray
I’ve owned the first book for a while and just haven’t gotten to it yet, I am definitely a huge fan of creepy and spooky books so I’m hoping to get to it this October!
8.) The Falling Kingdoms Series by Morgan Rhodes
Why haven’t I read this?! I bought the first book when it came out and still haven’t read it! I know I’m a terrible person, I will read it eventually especially since it’s such a popular series and was being marketed as a sort of YA Game of Thrones.
7.) The A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas
Sarah J. Maas and her books are HUGELY hyped and while I did give the first book in her other series “Throne of Glass” a go , I also want to see what the big deal is with this series as well. I may turn out to be that person who just doesn’t click with her writing.
6.) The Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan
I read and adored the Percy Jackson series but just haven’t gotten around to this one yet. I know, I know shame on me! I have a lot of catching up to do as far as Riordan’s series go though, but I definitely need to binge this series soon!
5.) The Firebird Trilogy by Claudia Gray
I actually wasn’t too interested in this series right away since I thought, for some dumb reason, this was a contemporary series. It’s actually sci-fi and once I found that out and actually read the premise I was sold!
4.) The Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman
I actually wasn’t SUPER interested in this trilogy right away but then I started watching the SyFy show on Netflix and could not get enough! No I haven’t finished season one yet but I’m in love and would definitely love to read this series now!
3.) The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix
Not really sure why I want to read this series so much but the premise sounds like it promises a badass heroine and it seems to be another staple series in fantasy so I need to read it!
2.) The School For Good and Evil Trilogy by Soman Chainani
I know this is a middle grade series but honestly it sounds so good! There are schools for training “good” princes and princesses and also to train the “evil” villains, what about this doesn’t sound interesting? I’m definitely excited to give it a try!
1.) The Insignia Trilogy by S.J. Kincaid
I could always use more YA sci-fi on my TBR and after loving S.J. Kincaid’s other novel “The Diabolic” I really wanted to give her other books a try so I bought the first book in this series!
What are some series you’ve been meaning to start?
Have you read any of these series/trilogies? What did you think?
Do you have any of these on your TBR as well?
Let me know in the comments!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jamie @ The Broke and the Bookish.
This week’s theme is any books of any genre that you’ve added to your TBR recently! I decided to go with fantasy just because it’s my favorite genre so this is really going to be quite the mish mash of books since it went a little further back than I expected.
These are put in order by when I added them so the most recent starts at #10.
10.) Down Among The Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
I immediately added this after finishing “Every Heart A Doorway” because it was so amazing, I need more of this world…or really worlds!
You can read my full review of “Every Heart A Doorway” here.
9.) A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
Once again I added this sequel immediately after finishing “An Ember in the Ashes”! I was actually really blown away by how unique the book felt and how complex the characters were, so of course I need to read more about them ASAP!
You can read my full review of “An Ember in the Ashes” here.
8.) The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera
Honestly this book sounds straight up awesome! There’s two completely badass female warrior protagonists that were prophesied at birth to save the world from demons. How does that not sound like it’s amazing?
7.) The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova
I’ve heard a lot of ranting and raving about Elise Kova’s books and her newest one was on sale for $0.99 on Kindle so I bought a copy! I want to see what all the hype is about! Plus I like any story where a thief is the main character, especially in a fantasy setting.
6.) Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi
This one definitely has a very unique sounding premise where the character, Taj, serves as a slayer of sin-beasts which are called forth from sinners by mages. Doesn’t that just sound cool? Never heard of a book with anything really similar to this so I had to add it to my TBR.
5.) Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana
First of all I was really drawn in by the cover, it’s gorgeous! Plus what book lover doesn’t want to read a book that has library in the title? This one is about two women whose lives are thrown into chaos and must seek out the fabled Library of All Things to try and reverse their fates. Sounds awesome!
4.) Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Honestly, I wasn’t going to ever add this one but since the series seems pretty hyped up and it is YA fantasy I figured maybe I could give it a try. It might be a little too cliched for me though.
3.) The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo
While I wasn’t the biggest fan of “Shadow and Bone” I did love “Six of Crows” and am therefore a lot more willing to try out anything Leigh Bardugo writes! Of course I love any stories based off of folklore and fairy tales too so this book is bound to be interesting!
2.) Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
It’s mostly a guarantee for me to add any new or upcoming YA Fantasy books but especially when they have diverse characters. This book has a gender fluid character that’s also a thief and like I said earlier I love thief characters in fantasy!
1.) The Bird & The Sword by Amy Harmon
This was another book I found on sale for my Kindle and I wasn’t really going to get it since I hadn’t heard of it before but I read a sample and fell in love! Of course I haven’t read it yet clearly but it definitely will be read here at some point. It’s about a girl who has magical abilities and must not speak at all.
Have you read any of these? What did you think?
Do you have any of these books on your TBR as well?
What are some books you’ve recently added to your TBR?
Let me know in the comments!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jamie @ The Broke and the Bookish.
So as the title suggest these are all things on my YA reading wishlist so basically things I want more of in YA! These are in no particular order and I will provide links to my reviews to the example books if I have them!
Also if you guys have read or heard of any books with these themes then PLEASE let me know about them in the comments below, I’d really appreciate it!
10.) Diversity!
Examples: The Hate U Give, Labyrinth Lost, & The Seafarer’s Kiss
Of course diversity is definitely an easy thing to pick since it’s very important to have in books, obviously! Unfortunately there really aren’t as many out there as you would think and definitely not as many that are problem free. However, these are some books that are very enjoyable and have diverse main characters!
9.) More Morally Ambiguous/Grey Characters
Examples: Vicious, I Hunt Killers, & This Savage Song
I love reading about characters like this so, so much! I love when they aren’t truly good or evil but a bit of both instead. It just adds a lot of complexity and development to the story this way, in my opinion.
8.) Dark, Grungy Mystery/Thrillers
Examples: The Darkest Corners, I Hunt Killers, & With Malice
This one is a little more self explanatory but I LOVE YA mystery/thrillers that really toe the line between what is considered too dark for YA and what’s not. Maybe it’s just me but I like dark, twisted mystery books! Plus it’s always an upside when you don’t see any of the plot twists coming!
7.) Terrifying YA Horror
Examples: Daughters Unto Devils, Slasher Girls & Monster Boys, & The Girl From The Well
I feel like there aren’t that many YA Horror books out there in the first place and there definitely aren’t as many of them that are truely terrifying. Or, you know, fun to read at the very least. These ones that I used for examples were magnificent though if you’re looking for some good chills!
6.) Ancient Civilization Setting (Not Fantasy)
Examples: And I Darken & My Lady Jane (sort of…..)
Mostly what I’m talking about with this one is any ancient themed historical fiction, if that makes sense. Such as Medieval England, Ancient Egypt, or really any other ancient civilization because I feel like these really aren’t done in YA that often. Sure there are many YA fantasies that have these themes but I’m talking based off of REAL history or a retelling of real history.
5.) Contemporaries Featuring Royalty
I don’t read contemporary all that much but what would definitely get me reading it would be tales of modern royalty! This may have to do with my love for movies such as The Princess Diaries (no I have not read the books, sorry!), The Prince and Me, and What A Girl Wants. I’m not talking about dystopians or fantasies or any of that either because there definitely are plenty of those!
4.) Peter Pan Retellings
Examples: Tiger Lily
There are a few of these out there and I do have most of the good ones on my TBR already but I feel like we should just have a TON of Peter Pan retellings because I just adore Peter Pan! “Tiger Lily” is an amazing retelling of the story and I have read “Unhooked” and was not a fan of it at all.
3.) Vicious and Badass Female Characters
Examples: And I Darken & The Diabolic
I LOVE heroines who are cold, calculating, fierce, and actually badass! Two of the best examples I’ve seen in YA are Lada Dracul from “And I Darken” and Nemesis from “The Diabolic, both these women are all of those things! There’s no “damsel syndrome” with these two at all and it’s nice to have heroines who don’t get all distracted with ball gowns and love triangles.
2.) Sympathetic Villains
Examples: Illuminae & Heartless
This kind of goes with “Morally Ambiguous Characters” a lot because I really love when villains in books are in a grey area, you find yourself hating them and loving them all at once. So of course that usually means the villains are more sympathetic, and for some reason I love this I think it makes the story ten times more complex!
1.) Westerns
Examples: Vengeance Road
There are actually quite a few YA westerns popping up and while I do own a couple I also have yet to read them. I will say though “Vengeance Road” was pretty fun to read through and I just really love the “wild west” setting!
What are some things on your reading wishlist?
Do you agree with any of the ones I listed?
Have you read any of the books I used for examples? If so what did you think?
Do you have any recommendations for books that match these themes?
Let me know in the comments and feel free to link up your TTT as well!
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