Category: Top Ten Tuesday

I’m back with another entry for the epic Top 10 Tuesday meme, which is now run by Artsy Reader Girl. Every week, we get a topic for us to list books we find suit the prompt (on a Tuesday). Today, I am bringing it back to the feel-good books that I could reread forever.

10. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This the only Austen I have read. I could use a reread right now, honestly, because I have read it over ten years ago. Jane and Elizabeth have such a wonderful bond. They are sisterhood and friendship goals. Having a young feminist figure like Elizabeth in this book warms my heart. She is critical of her society while maintaining a timeless charm. Her story with Mr. Darcy is forever dear to me, because it is ultimately a commentary on social interactions and the misgivings of first impressions.

9. The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald

Jolien hates this book, but, to me, it speaks to my longing for the past. It reminds me of my tendencies to romanticize people, collapsing them into stereotypes as I love the idea of them rather than their actual personalities. Gatsby, with his longing to fulfill the American Dream, offered a flaw in a system I once thought was perfect. The nouveau-riche plight for acceptance among the aristocratic class hit home for me. Plus, how can I ever not love Nick and Daisy. My beautiful Daisy, so frail and bitter. Perfection.

8. Always and Forever, Lara Jean by jenny Han

I remember feeling ashamed for liking the first two books of this series. People said Lara Jean was childish. To me, she appeared to be inexperienced with relationships. That did not make her unappealing. Instead, her journey to finding her place in the world, particularly in the final book, created a lovely narrative not entirely reliant on romance. I like the familial tones in this trilogy. Lara Jean is someone I aspire to become. The baking, the pastel colors, the crafting, all of it is endearing and heartwarming. I could never get sick of rereading her story. She is so dear to me.

7. Vampire Academy by richelle mead

You thought this post was going to be all classics and romantic books, didn’t you? I love this series by Richelle Mead because of the central friendship between Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir. I love their bond’s strength despite their differences in personality, ability, and stature. There are varying kinds of greatness and success in this world. Mead is careful not to generalize features of strength. You can be sensitive and powerful. Or, you can be like Rose and kick literal butt all day.

6. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

I actually love this author’s work in general. From what I have read of Hex Hall, Hawkins seems to have always had humor incorporated into her narratives. She includes interesting characters and places them in a seemingly normal world that is punctuated with notes of the supernatural or paranormal. It’s genius, because her writing is both amusing, engaging, but not exhausting with its fantastical elements. Rebel Belle certainly manifests all these features of Hawkins’ writing.

5. gemina by amie kaufman and jay kristoff

Listen, this series is a ton of fun. The kick-butt main characters and their equally capable love interests, the rather negative artificial intelligence in the series called AIDAN, are memorable and oh so charming. It is hard not to whiz through these books. Gemina in particular was a step up from Illuminae, which was already awesome in and of itself.

4. iron king by julie kagawa

I remember nothing about this series, except that it was a fun time if I don’t think of other people’s perceptions of me. It’s  a story about faeries and changelings. Definitely, it is back on my shelves in time for a reread. I was going to give it away but decided against it.

3. Beautiful creatures by kami garcia and margaret stohl

This series is dark and charming with a nice lore for witches. It has lifetimes and reincarnations, a fantastic love story, and wickedly complex characters. The authors do such a wonderful job including a male protagonist who is unlike the typical men in young adult literature, especially paranormal or urban fantasy stories.

2. Hush, Hush by Becca fitzpatrick

I already repurchased the first two books of this series, because I cannot stop thinking about Patch and Nora. They are so sweet, and they endure such miserable circumstances. Besides, the best friend in this series is awesome. What is her name? Vee or Vi? Something like that. I can’t believe I remember her. It’s been a while. I cannot express just how excited I am to reread this series.

 1. Twilight by stephenie meyer

Another series I am repurchasing. The first two books are on my shelves, ready to be enjoyed. Bella and Edward’s connection coupled with all the odds against them made for one hell of a story. Alice Cullen, Rosalie, Jacob Black, all of them are characters I think of often. I cannot wait to revisit these books this year and in the years to come.

Your turn

Do we share any books in common? What are your favorite books to reread? Are you rereading any of them in certain seasons or moods? Tell me all about it in the comments.

See you there.

xo

Roaring nerd moment

Top 10 Love-Related Quotes

  Top 10 Tuesday is now hosted by the lovely The Artsy Reader Girl. It is

Top 10 Characters I am Grateful for

    Top Ten Tuesday is a meme run by the lovely The Broke and

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Slow-Paced Books That I Plan to Revisit

Top Ten Tuesday is here, and that means it's time for another list. This week,

Top 10 Tuesday is now hosted by the lovely The Artsy Reader Girl. It is essentially a weekly topic meant to spark discussion, lists, and excited chats about books. This week is a freebie, but I decided to copy our host. A list of love-related quotes is in order. Let’s go.

10. p.s. i still love you by jenny han–“So much of love is chance. There’s something scary and wonderful about that.”

While I have never fallen in love romantically, I do like this idea of chance in any relationship. I have always been far too anxious to keep any relationship around for long. This quote reminds me of the very scary nature of friendship so much, it validates my pain. To me, I am still kind of in awe of those who have been friends for years, decades, lifetimes. It’s mind-blowing to me. I wish I could have something like that, with friends, that I may rise above the fear and take a chance on people.

9. I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson-“Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story.”

When I read this book, I was really lonely. But, I kept feeling this tug from the universe telling me that you don’t have to let your past relationships go. I conflate confronting my past with escaping it too often, even back then. Funnily enough, this story is about two siblings who are not speaking to each other, which is something rather common in my life, because they come to terms with their differences somehow. Here’s hoping I can make my own peace with my inner demons.

8. the dream thieves by maggie stiefvater–“‘I wish you could be kissed, Jane,’ he said. ‘Because I would beg just one off you. Under all this.’ He flailed an arm toward the stars.”

Their love is so pure and sweet. It was a privilege to read their story for four books. Seriously.

Speaking of which…

7. The Raven king by maggie stiefvater-“His feelings for Adam were an oil spill; he’d let them overflow and now there wasn’t a damn place in the ocean that wouldn’t catch fire if he dropped a match.”

Come on. Ronan Lynch, who feels everything so intensely, is a wonder to behold. He scared me at first, because I could kind of identify with him. I yearned to be like him in my past. To see him so vulnerable humanized him, made him a small babe that I wanted to protect.

6.City of Glass by Cassandra Clare-““Not everything is about you,” Clary said furiously.”Possibly,” Jace said, “but you do have to admit that the majority of things are.”’

Listen, Jace just sounds like how I make fun of myself. I love Cassie Clare’s writing. She can do no wrong in my world.

5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell-“I don’t trust anybody. Not anybody. And the more that I care about someone, the more sure I am they’re going to get tired of me and take off.”

The awkward moment when a fictional character says what is always unspoken for me.

4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green-“Maybe ‘okay’ will be our ‘always.'”

Sometimes, when people know what you mean, it doesn’t really matter how you phrase things. This is a thought that paralyzes me, because I am often hung up on the semantics. I feel things intensely, and I don’t often find the right words or actions to express my feelings and thoughts. I read this book way back in 2012, and I still think about it and about this moment.

3. more happy than not by adam silvera-“The boy with no direction taught me something unforgettable: happiness comes again if you let it.”

Mental illness tells me many things. There are really tough nights, and I think of this book on those nights especially. It’s easily a favorite of mine.

This leads me to:

2. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo-“I would have come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we’d fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.”

My tough fighters, Inej and Kaz, are so dear to me. And, as someone who has endured sexual abuse, I identified with Inej and Nina both. Maybe I’ll write about it later. But this post is already long. I like that Kaz and Inej don’t touch. It comforts me a lot.

 1. Six of crows by leigh bardugo-“Jesper knocked his head against the hull and cast his eyes heavenward. “Fine. But if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I’m going to get Wylan’s ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so that I can annoy the hell out of your ghost.”
Brekker’s lips quirked. “I’ll just hire Matthias’ ghost to kick your ghost’s ass.”
“My ghost won’t associate with your ghost,” Matthias said primly, and then wondered if the sea air was rotting his brain.”

Because to me, all the interactions between the Dregs is a breathless affectionate whisper. You got to listen to them bickering and see who they become throughout these two books. They are so wonderful, it really makes my heart beat a little faster. Just look at Matthias warming up to them. So good.

Top 10 Books I Could Reread Forever

    I'm back with another entry for the epic Top 10 Tuesday meme, which

Top 10 Characters I am Grateful for

    Top Ten Tuesday is a meme run by the lovely The Broke and

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Slow-Paced Books That I Plan to Revisit

Top Ten Tuesday is here, and that means it's time for another list. This week,

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme run by the lovely The Broke and the Bookish. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, I will be deviating from the prompt because it is exactly the prompt for Top 5 Wednesday. I’ll be discussing my top ten characters I am grateful for this season.

Let’s go.

10. Raisa from the demon king by Cinda Williams Chima

This queen heir is driven, curious, clever, and brave. I just like that she is willing to learn more about her  people rather than live in ignorance. Plus, she doesn’t rely on people around her to inform her of what her country is like. Instead, she goes out there to see for herself. And, I love her so much.

9. felicity from the gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue by mackenzie lee

Felicity, my soul sister, has the best lines in this already-hilarious-and-poignant-book. I love how different she is from people of her time. She’s progressive, clever, and so funny. Plus, that ending with her next adventure is just perfection. I cannot wait to read her story.

8. the falconer trilogy by elizabeth may

I am grateful for the female characters in this trilogy. Elizabeth May features abuse survivors and it means the world to me to see women building each other up. The way they encourage one another, and sympathize and connect together was so moving to me. Can’t say who deals with what, obviously, but these ladies meant a ton.

Oh, and obviously, I will always be grateful for Derrick, my love.

7. diana from lord of shadows by cassandra clare

Strong, resilient and beautiful: these are some of the ways I describe Diana. Cassandra Clare introduces strong women in her stories, and with each series, she brings in even more different ways for strength to manifest. While I love Emma and Clary, Diana made my heart sing. Obviously, she and Maia will be my babies forever.

6. shadow and bone by leigh bardugo

“I am not ruined. I am ruination.” I am grateful for this line and the person who says it. Hands down one of the coolest moments in my year.

5. a darker shade of magic by victoria schwab

Delilah Bard is my dream self and my dream friend all rolled into one. I just wish I had her guts and her confidence. Having met her in the book is a highlight of my year, because I keep thinking of her. If you ever stumble on my Tumblr, I am always looking for quotes and moments about Delilah Bard. Needless to say, I am ever so grateful for her.

4. weight of feathers by anna-marie mclemore 

Lace and Luc, my precious babies, I loved meeting them, and witnessing their beautiful love story unfold in this debut by one of my favorite authors. Where are all the fan videos and the mood boards, and the fan casting? Come on, peeps, get on it!

3. six of crows by leigh bardugo

Oh my Lord. How much do I love this cast of characters, I will never be able to fully explain! Kaz, my gloomy child, and the rest of his team made a lasting impression. Inej and Nina are people I wish I’d become somehow. Wylan, Jesper, Matthias made me laugh and choke up.

2. the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater

My darling Blue Sargent, my intimidating and yet total cinnamon roll Ronan Lynch, Adam, and Gansey: I am grateful that we met this year. Their friendship is so beautiful. To the dearest ghost I have ever met, Noah Czerny, I think of you often. I am grateful you exist.

 1. harry potter series by jk rowling

Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley are my favorite buddies of all time. There are many things I don’t like about this series, so many flaws and I wish the author would take ownership of such mistakes. But, still, it was an effective story, full of incredible characters. My dear Neville Longbottom, you are fantastic. Luna Lovegood, Tonks, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and so many other characters I carry with me always. I am grateful for this series.

Top 10 Books I Could Reread Forever

    I'm back with another entry for the epic Top 10 Tuesday meme, which

Top 10 Love-Related Quotes

  Top 10 Tuesday is now hosted by the lovely The Artsy Reader Girl. It is

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Slow-Paced Books That I Plan to Revisit

Top Ten Tuesday is here, and that means it's time for another list. This week,

Top Ten Tuesday is here, and that means it’s time for another list. This week, I am discussing the top ten slow-paced books that I struggle(d) to read. Some of these books, I want to give them another try. Perhaps I will write more on why I want to do that. I marked those books with an asterisk * to denote that I will be revisiting them at some point and won’t unhaul them.

*10. The girl of fire and thorns by rae carson

At first, I was trying to follow a slow moving plot in the story.  I don’t really read a lot of political intrigue, so I think this series will take some getting used to. I was annoyed by how Elisa was repeatedly presented as a food-loving girl, which is fine. But, it gets kind of redundant. I keep comparing this portrayal with someone like Nina Zenik, who is a bit more well-rounded as a person (at least her portrayal didn’t reduce her to simplistic stereotypes).

Still, I think it was nice to see Elisa grow in book 1, and now I need to keep going and read the rest of the series.

9. breaking dawn by stephanie meyer

Oh my goodness, this was so freaking boring. I struggled to finish it, and when I was done, I regretted ever having read those books. A vampire baby? Imprint? No, thanks. Also, the story dragged on and on. The things that made Bella relatable were suddenly taken away; she was transformed into a completely strange person with wind chimes for vocal cords.

No thanks.

8. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

An oversimplified discussion of appearances and plastic surgery. It strongly reminds me of Twilight in its approach towards issues traditionally linked to women. Where is the exploration of the human psyche in congruence with living a seemingly utopian society?

(Not rereading this at all. So much dislike for it)

7. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

At the height of the dystopian craze, this book series was released. I had given it a try, just to see what the hype was about. Big mistake. A group of boys living in a simulated arena. Lots of running in mazes. Girl shows up.

Betrayals and a sense of flight or fight aren’t fully explored. I spent my entire reading experience bored, even though all these “shocking” things were happening. Mainly, the cause of this boredom was a sense of disconnect from the characters. Also: there is this zombie element presented in the story. I didn’t like that.

*6. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Katsa is one of the most dull characters I had ever encountered. For a long time in the book, I was not sure how old she was because of the monotonous way she presented herself to the world. Even Po, who is meant to be a charming person, is equally as flat. I am giving this series another shot. I don’t know why. But, I feel like perhaps I was just not in the right mood for it?

5. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Actually, this first book was not as bad as some may say it was. However, Allegiant is so bad. Let’s not talk about that ending, either, because it made me so angry.

4. The iron daughter by julie kagawa

Nope. A character who is whining the whole time here, too, and not for reasons that are compelling. Fairies and tricksters have such potential. But, not this series. Totally was not for me at all.

3. The sisterhood of traveling pants by ann brashers

A paper thin group of friends who mostly talk about boys for four (ugh, five) books.

*2. The wrath and the dawn by renee ahdieh

Shahrazad and Khalid’s story was so dull that I didn’t even bother reading the next book in the duology. The misunderstood tyrant trope falls flat in Khalid’s back-story. Why can’t we have a bad person, just be bad, without being “cursed”? I may keep on reading, though, because I am starting to get curious about the ending of the story. Maybe Shahrazad can grow on me a bit more.

Deep breaths.

 *1. the narnia books by c.s. lewis

Oh man, those books are frustrating and overly descriptive. In addition, the author is so driven to get his biblical messages across, that it feels forced and aggressive. While I do like the characters, the pacing is exhausting.

Sigh.

I still think these books have such a high value. To me, they certainly drove me to reconnect with my faith.

Your Turn

Did you DNF or dislike a book because of its pacing lately? Share in the comments, so I know what to avoid! Save us from boring plot-lines.

Top 10 Books I Could Reread Forever

    I'm back with another entry for the epic Top 10 Tuesday meme, which

Top 10 Love-Related Quotes

  Top 10 Tuesday is now hosted by the lovely The Artsy Reader Girl. It is

Top 10 Characters I am Grateful for

    Top Ten Tuesday is a meme run by the lovely The Broke and

Hello, and welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday. Top Ten Tuesday is a meme that is run by the lovely folks over at Broke and Bookish. This week, our topic is the Top Ten Hidden Gems in whatever genre we prefer. I am going to talk about the Not So Hidden Gems That Deserve the Hype.

Let’s begin.

10. White cat by holly black

Not many people talk about this trilogy, and, like, listen: this is so good. Noir fiction is not something I reach for normally. Holly Black just knows how to write dark and eerie fiction, that is dramatic and funny at the same time. I’m due for a reread at some point soon. It’s been five years since I have read this series.

9. Lament by maggie stiefvater

For whatever reason, I feel like Stiefvater’s older work tends to be dismissed. Before I had even heard of the Raven Cycle, I read this duology (is it a duology? Such a mystery). It had music, and fairies. In short, it was a delight.

8. the knife of never letting go by patrick ness

In general, Patrick Ness doesn’t get enough credit in the blogging scene. After reading his A Monster Calls, I am pretty much invested in all his work, which I have collected quite a bit of (ew, that sentence was so gross. I apologize to my friends and family). All I hear is how there’s something horrific that happens in this first book. As Augustus Waters says to Hazel Grace Lancaster, “It’d be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.” That’s all I can say to Patrick Ness. I’m ready for this.

7. the girl at midnight by melissa gray

I started reading this book a few days ago, and I was kind of annoyed by all the claims that it was just another Daughter of Smoke and Bone, which I also had read snippets of before. This story is a bit of a slow burn, but it has such an intricate world. Plus, the main character steals a burrito. How can I not like her? Come on.

6. Deathless by cathrynne m. valente

Haven’t read this one yet, but I noticed that it doesn’t have much of a discussion on it. It has a fascinating exploration of a Russian myth/folklore and I want to read it so bad. I have the book ready to go, and I will be picking it up soon to see what it’s all about. For me, I am hoping to see a better exploration of power and good/evil. The way this story was pitched on the Internet was “Shadow and Bone but with more Russian folklore and better relationship discussion.” I am here for this! Also, we need to talk about this book more. That, I know already.

5. unspoken by sarah rees brennan

Sarah Rees Brennan is often mentioned as a side-character to Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, which is so not fair. This lady is such a talented humorous person, and I just love her writing. Yes, some of it can be boring at time (at least in the Demon’s Lexicon world), but I am definitely looking forward to this trilogy. She has a lot of really neat ideas, and I’d love to hear more discussion on her work.

4.When the moon was ours by anna marie mclemore

We need to discuss diverse writers, and share the love. I can’t praise this book enough. McLemore has a fan in me forever, because she is inclusive, sensitive, and cautious with her characters. Beautiful work like hers needs all the attention it can get.

3. the falconer by elizabeth may

All I saw on Goodreads was a lot of assumptions about this trilogy. Look, books can have a similar premise, but that doesn’t mean it is “diet version” of each other. Every author can have a different take on the same idea. Elizabeth May develops this premise so much in the second book, and I love this person’s writing so much. I feel like she is so underrated and it is not fair.

2. Beautiful creatures by kami garcia and margaret stolh

I’ll be honest. The spin-off of this series was not a wise idea. The beauty of our Dark Castor is that she was a mystery. Some things are best left alone. But, still. The series was so cool, and it explored a dark setting and tone. I’ll always love this pairing and the characters in general. Plus, libraries are powerful in this series. How can you not like that?

 1. poison study by maria v. snyder

No one talks about this series that much, and it is such a shame. This is one of the most fast-paced and exciting novels I have read in a long, long time. Normally, I slowly go through a story. Not this one. I flew through it, and I am thrilled to be continuing with the series. We need to show this series some serious loving, because, it is such an accomplishment in storytelling. Truth, not exaggerating.

Top 10 Books I Could Reread Forever

    I'm back with another entry for the epic Top 10 Tuesday meme, which

Top 10 Love-Related Quotes

  Top 10 Tuesday is now hosted by the lovely The Artsy Reader Girl. It is

Top 10 Characters I am Grateful for

    Top Ten Tuesday is a meme run by the lovely The Broke and

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday. This is a meme run by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week, there is a topic for us to discuss on our blogs. Since the feature is on hiatus this week, I am going to be sharing my most amusing quotes.

10. City of Fallen angels by Cassandra Clare

“Dudes,” he said, “Do not follow other dudes to the bathroom.”
Isabelle sighed, “Latent homosexual panic will do you in every time.”

9. The Dream Thieves by maggie stiefvater

“She wore a dress Ronan thought looked like a lampshade. Whatever sort of lamp it belonged on, Gansey clearly wished he had one. Ronan wasn’t a fan of lamps.”

8. A Gathering of Shadows by V.e. schwab

“My father was a vulture. My mother was a magpie. My oldest brother is a crow. My sister, a sparrow. I have never really been a bird.”
Lila resisted the urge to say he might have been a peacock. It didn’t seem the time.”

7. Catcher in the Rye by jd salinger

“All morons seem to hate it, when you call them a moron.”

6. Six of crows by leigh bardugo

“It’s not natural for women to fight.”
“It’s not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.”

5. Paper towns by john green

“As long as we don’t die, this is going to be one hell of a story.”

4. White cat by holly black

“She says that what you did was a cry for help.”

“It was,” I say. “That’s why I was yelling ‘Heeeelp!’ I don’t really go in for subtlety.”

3.Spirit bound by richelle mead

“He has no right to threaten my boyfriends. I’m eighteen. An adult. I don’t need his help. I can threaten my boyfriends myself.”

2. The Falconer by Elizabeth May

“You know my mother thinks the waltz is indecent.”
“Your mother would find the sight of a chair leg indecent.”

 1. Simon vs. the homo sapiens’ agenda by becky albertali

“What’s a dementor?”
I mean, I can’t even. “Nora, you are no longer my sister.”
“So it’s some Harry Potter thing,” she says.”

Top 10 Books I Could Reread Forever

    I'm back with another entry for the epic Top 10 Tuesday meme, which

Top 10 Love-Related Quotes

  Top 10 Tuesday is now hosted by the lovely The Artsy Reader Girl. It is

Top 10 Characters I am Grateful for

    Top Ten Tuesday is a meme run by the lovely The Broke and

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday. This is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. As the feature is on hiatus, I am sharing my answers to old topics from their blog. Today, we’ll talk about the top ten characters I can dedicate theme songs to.

10. Uprooted by Naomi Novak

The Woods in this book is just perfection. I have not stopped thinking about it since I put down the book a few months back. Hopefully, I will finish the book soon to see what will happen.

Theme song: I Need a Forest Fire by James Blake and Bon Iver

9. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Baz has such a unique voice. I don’t think I’ll ever fully get over his romance in this book. It was not a corny relationship, and it definitely demands all the love it gets on the Internet.

Theme song: Blood by The Middle East

8. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Mason and his relationship with Rose frequent my thoughts. I miss him. If I say more, I’d be crossing into spoiler territory.

Theme song: Coaster by Khalid

7. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

This is kind of surprising, but I find myself thinking of Alina and The Darkling (with a dash of Nikolai) very often. I didn’t expect her to stay with me so much, but here we are.

Theme song: Light by Sleeping at Last

6. Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

I love Inej and Nina, but Kaz definitely left an impression. While I adore the whole crew, I was fascinated by Kaz and his brain. “Scheming face?” “Definitely.” It never gets old. He has a certain swagger to him. I love it.

Theme song: Go Fuck Yourself by Two Feet

5. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

I love every single main character in this trilogy, but if I have to pick one, Holland would be the one for me to dedicate music and playlists for. He’s got such a compelling story arc. Any way you dice it, he’s always dealing with a heavy, painful burden. While I do wish there was more of him in the story, I am content knowing that he exists so closely to my heart. (shush. don’t make fun of me, oh my God!).

Theme song: Start a War by The National

4. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Steifvater

Miss Blue Sargent is incredible, and she’s liberated me so much. I think of what she’d do in certain situations. Her role in the books tends to eclipsed by these raven boys who have tragic stories. But, this girl comes from such great lineage and history. She’s destined to do great things, regardless of whether she has her own psychic skills.

Theme song: So Close to Magic by Aquilo

3. The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

Listen, okay, I am halfway through this book and my mind is simply blown away by these characters. In particular, I like the hesitance of Mr. Cuffs  himself (Han) to be a hero. Raisa is also interesting as she tries to find her place in the queendom.

Theme song: Hero by Family of the Year

2. The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Oh Aileana Kameron has stolen my heart with her badassery. I’m absolutely smitten.

Theme song: In For the Kill (Skrillex remix) by La Roux

 1. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Vin and Kelsier’s relationship makes my heart swell with affection. And, I understand why the end of the first book happened, but I am still heartbroken. This shock is why I haven’t been able to pick up the second book yet. I will, though.

Theme song: Stand By Me by Bootstraps

Top 10 Books I Could Reread Forever

    I'm back with another entry for the epic Top 10 Tuesday meme, which

Top 10 Love-Related Quotes

  Top 10 Tuesday is now hosted by the lovely The Artsy Reader Girl. It is

Top 10 Characters I am Grateful for

    Top Ten Tuesday is a meme run by the lovely The Broke and

Tuesday means Top Ten Tuesday around this blog. This is a meme run by The Broke and the Bookish, whose link is right here. For this week, I am going to be discussing the top ten books I bought because of others or because of the Internet.

10. Paper Towns by John Green

I was very new to the VlogBrothers channel when this book was released. One of my coworkers at the tutoring center mentioned him, and I looked up his channel.  Among the earliest videos of his that I had encountered was this one.

9. First and Then by Emma Mills

Her videos resonated with me so much. My favorite is the one about rejection. While I have not read her books yet, I am saving them up for moments of desperation. She has such a powerful honest voice (judging by her videos), and I feel like her books could help me fight my depression.

8. Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I had heard of this book from a few people. But, the one opinion that resonated with me was Trina from Between Chapters. She created a whole video where she listed all the reasons why one should check out this book.

7. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Lainey from Gingerreadslainey recommend this series so much. She made so many videos about these books. My favorite one is this video. I am very curious to read it at some point this year.

6. Black Prism by Brent Weeks

Reagan from PeruseProject mentioned this series frequently as well. A year ago, she shared this book on her list of the best books she had read for 2016. Here’s a link to that video, if you’re curious to hear her point out why she loves the first book in this series.

5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Sam from ThoughtsonTomes raved about this book for years. She still loves it. Here’s an example of that loving. I have a copy of the book. My hope is to pick it up soon. However, I do admit that I am intimidated by this story.

4. Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Cait (the famous Paperfury) talked about this book on her blog. After When the Moon was Ours, I had been looking for some more magical realism books. This one sounds like a perfect fit.

3. Everything Cinda Williams Chima

Jolien and Annemieke talk about her work often, but before I had met them, I heard about this author in a Peruse Project video. Here it is. 

2. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Sasha Alsberg talked about this book quite a bit. It has a promising premise. Princess runs away on her wedding night. Two men come after her. One is the prince who was going to marry her, and the other is an assassin sent to kill her. Sasha discussed this book here.

  1. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

If you have been on the Internet, and on BookTube specifically, then you probably had seen WittyNovels share her love of Shatter Me. Here is an example of how intense this love is, truly.

Top 10 Books I Could Reread Forever

    I'm back with another entry for the epic Top 10 Tuesday meme, which

Top 10 Love-Related Quotes

  Top 10 Tuesday is now hosted by the lovely The Artsy Reader Girl. It is

Top 10 Characters I am Grateful for

    Top Ten Tuesday is a meme run by the lovely The Broke and

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday. This is a meme run by the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish. Because the meme is on a break until August, I decided to write about my favorite villains in books so far.

10. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I understand that you’re expecting me to talk about President Snow. But, that’s not who I have in mind for this one. It’s President Coin, actually, because of this pure and unwavering ambition and aspiration to do whatever is necessary for her goals to become true.

9. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

The Darkling was an engaging, charming, and haunting person. I do wish there was more of him in the story, because, frankly, I like him way more than Mal. He has this tough backstory and he is driven to do such terrible stuff to people close to him.

8. Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 

The White Witch is a beautiful and terrifying figure in C.S. Lewis’ work. I couldn’t get over her, even if I tried. While I didn’t read these books as a child, I was still in awe of how cunning and clever the White Witch is. We get a bit of a story to her, but I feel like she deserved to get more of an arc. Still, she is this terrible ruler of Narnia.

7. Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab 

How can I ever forget The Dane Twins from this series? They were perfectly creepy. More importantly, it was their effect on Holland that stayed with me, long after finishing those books. They also make Kel feel uneasy, which is a difficult feat, I think.

6. Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien 

Sauron,  with this creepy eye seeing everything, is another fantastic villain. I do wish we’d gotten to see more of his backstory, and how he got to this point. Sort of like how Tolkien showed Gollum’s story and how the Ring affected him.

5. Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

Malcolm Fade has such a tragic backstory and I just wish there was more time with him to understand him better. I feel like he makes more sense now with this book out in the world. Him and Annabelle are fascinating to me. Scary, but still very interesting people.

4. His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman

The adult lady in this series is so, so infuriating. I remember her even now, and it has been years since I have read these books. She was cruel and frightening. I didn’t even read these books super young or anything. Her goals were terrifying.

3. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Steifvater

Kavinsky could have had a whole book just dedicated to him. He is my favorite person in Ronan’s book.

2. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

Dolores Umbridge sticks out the most. The little “Hm Hm” she does irks me infinitely. I understand Tom Riddle (Voldemort) a lot more than I do with her. Even though there’s a background story for her on Pottermore, I am not sympathetic towards her still.

 1. Paradise Lost by Milton

Satan!!! I am biased, because my whole class on Milton was dedicated to this dude–Satan. We talked about how he was truly misunderstood and how he deserved to get a chance in life. And, I am a sucker for underdogs.

Top 10 Books I Could Reread Forever

    I'm back with another entry for the epic Top 10 Tuesday meme, which

Top 10 Love-Related Quotes

  Top 10 Tuesday is now hosted by the lovely The Artsy Reader Girl. It is

Top 10 Characters I am Grateful for

    Top Ten Tuesday is a meme run by the lovely The Broke and