Tag Archives: lists

Top Ten Tuesday: Freebie!

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Favorite Cookbooks/Crochet Books

This week is a freebie, which means we get to pick our own topic for the week.  Cooking and crocheting are two of my favorite non-reading hobbies, and I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite cookbooks and crochet books!

  1. Crochet Boutique by Rachel Oglesby.  I love how simple and cute all of the patterns are!  There’s this one beret that I made, and I actually want to make a few more in all kinds of colors.  And everything is really simple and great for all crocheters, but especially beginners.
  2. 365 Slow Cooker Suppers by Stephanie O’Dea.  I love my crockpot so much…to the point that I have two of them.  I really do use it that much, and I love a lot of the recipes in the book!  Plus, I love that there are so many things I’d never think of making in the crockpot (like fish!  and tofu!)
  3. The Joy The Baker Cookbook.  I love that all of the recipes are brand new, and not pulled from her blog. Most everything I’ve made has turned out amazing- I cannot get the bourbon banana bread cooked all the way through, no matter how hard I try, but it’s still good (well, the ends are good at any rate).  And the brown butter chocolate chip cookies are my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe.  At work, anytime we have a potluck, I am not allowed to bring anything else.
  4. The Family Cooks by Laurie David.  Everything I’ve made so far has been really simple and I feel like everything is healthy without feeling like it’s healthy.
  5. Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Hayden.  I totally admit that I actually haven’t made anything from this book, but I love that it’s amigurumi (a Japanese-style of crochet that usually involves making really cute animals and creatures) and an odd assortment of creatures like the Grim Reaper and a vampire.
  6. Around The Corner: Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman.  So, I don’t own this one, but I did borrow a copy from a friend recently for a crochet project, and it’s a cool book because of the sheer number of borders in it.
  7. The Pioneer Women Cooks: Food From My Frontier by Ree Drummond.  The couple of things I’ve made were good, but I love that it’s a step-by-step guide, complete with photos.  I can see that being slightly annoying after a while, but I actually really like it in book form.  Which is weird, because I’m not a fan of it on blogs.
  8. Fat Witch Brownies by Patricia Helding.  It’s an entire book devoted to bar desserts.  I never would have guessed that there were so many ways to make bar desserts.
  9. Every single Rachael Ray cookbook I own.  She is definitely an auto-buy author for me, and I don’t even bother to flip through her cookbooks before buying them at this point.  I really like her Veggie Meals cookbook and her Big Orange Book.
  10. Crochet One Skein Wonders by Judith Durant.  I love that everything in this book is one skein- although there seems to be a vague definition of that sometimes, because one of the patterns calls for a one pound skein of yarn.  (Side Note: these do exist because I have a couple of them sitting in a storage basket at this very moment).  There’s a variety of patterns, and I like that it’s organized by yarn weight, which is great for when you’re trying to use some of your really large yarn stash.  (Which is basically so I can buy more yarn, but that’s another story).

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten 2014 Releases I Wanted To Read But Didn’t Get To

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Wanted To Read But Didn’t Get To

I always get really excited about all of the new books that are coming out, but I am so bad about actually reading a lot of them when they come out.  There are so many awesome looking books that came out last year that I really wish I had the chance to read.  But there’s always this year, and I really want to read these 10 books!

  1. Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger.  I just love Gail Carriger, and I wish I had the chance to read the third book in her Finishing School series.
  2. Talon by Julie Kagawa.  After seeing her take on fairies and vampires, I can’t wait to see what Kagawa does with dragons!
  3. Atlantia by Ally Condie.  I am very much intrigued by an Atlantis re-telling.
  4. Unraveled by Gennifer Albin.  I really like the idea of girls who can weave time, and I really want to see how it all ends!
  5. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins.  I’ve been meaning to read it for ages, and yet I never seem to get around to it…
  6. The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare.  I actually didn’t realize it came it this year, because I feel like I’ve been hearing about it for ages.  Still, I’m curious to see what a non-Shadow-Hunter-World book looks like.
  7. The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings.  I like the idea of a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate.
  8. To All The Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han.  Basically, I want to read it because it’s by Jenny Han (but love letters going to people who were never meant to see them also caught my interest).
  9. Homemade Decadence by Joy the Baker.  I never got to look through it because I never actually bought a copy of it, but I really want it!  I love her first cookbook, and I am utterly confident that this will be a great addition to the cookbook collection I already have!
  10. Illusions Of Fate by Kiersten White. Mostly because it’s Kiersten White but any book that is Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare is bound to get my attention.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Goals And Resolutions For 2015

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Goals For 2015

I can’t believe it’s almost 2015 already!  It went by really fast, and it’s weird to think that I’m setting new goals for myself. There are so many things I want to do next year, and here are some of them.

Reading:

  1. Read More Diversely.  This is my top priority this year in terms of reading.  I really need to get of my reading comfort zone a little, and read all kinds of books by and about all kinds of people.  I am going to consciously choose a few books a month about a character or written by an author that is not like me- whether it is race, religion, or sexual orientation (or any number of ways, but those 3 are the first 3 that come to mind) I NEED to do this.  Recommendations would be helpful, if you have them.
  2. Also: buy less books and read more of what I have.  I don’t know how well it will work, but I know for sure that my audible credits are going towards reading more diversely, since the other formats I own tend to be not-so-diverse.
  3. Feel less reading guilt.  The guilt I feel in terms of so many things really takes over sometimes, and I need to be not-so-hard on myself.

Blogging/Writing:

  1. Comment more on blogs.  I know I said this last year, and I started off great, before getting completely derailed.  I so need to start commenting on blogs again.
  2. Work on world-building/characters and maybe an outline for last year’s NaNoWriMo novel.  Last year, I realized I really wanted to re-write it (as I was writing it), because I couldn’t work on the world-building ahead of time for the life of me.  I have a much better idea of where I want things to go now that I’ve written a first draft, so working on that should be a lot easier now.

Crochet:

  1. Learn how to do an adjustable ring.  MY LIFE WOULD BE SO MUCH EASIER IF I COULD ACTUALLY DO THIS.  Do you have any idea how many projects I avoid because I don’t know how to do it?  You probably don’t, but it’s quite a few.
  2. I also want to learn how to do new stitches this year.  I really need to try different ones just to change things up.  Still, I did do a little bit better since I tried a few new things.  Like starting a blanket, and learning the ripple/chevron stitch. And I learned how to do foundation single crochet!  The learning new crochet things will continue next year.

Other Goals:

  1. Exercise.  Everyone’s favorite cliche for resolutions.  I had random periods of doing it, but that went out the window when I sprained my ankle.  Actually, it did way before that, but do you want to know when I actually felt motivated to exercise? When I couldn’t because of my ankle.  Now that it’s better, I will (hopefully) do this!
  2. Use the nail polish I have!  I have a ton of nail polish, mostly because I have the Julep subscription box, and I get nail polish every month (well, every month I don’t skip).  On the plus side, I tend to not buy nail polish at Target or wherever, because I have a lot.  I really want to wear a different color every week, because I have so many colors I don’t even wear (or wear once or twice, and then I’m done).
  3.  Drink more water.  I don’t drink a lot of water- I drink things like tea and juice and soda and coffee, so I want to start adding in some water.
  4. I see all of these great craft ideas on pinterest, and I never do any of them.  I want to start making some of them.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Wouldn’t Mind Getting From Santa

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Books I Wouldn’t Mind Getting From Santa

It’s almost Christmas!  I can’t believe it.  I would love it if these books mysteriously appeared under the tree and were from Santa…

  1. Prophecy by Ellen Oh.  This one seems so interesting, and I totally wouldn’t mind getting it!
  2. The Art Of Brave.  It’s one of my favorite Disney movies ever (top 5, along with Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast and Frozen), and this would be totally awesome to have.
  3. Everything Leads To You by Nina LaCour.  I’ve heard such good things, and it seems like my kind of book.
  4. Veil Of Rose by Laura Fitzgerald.  This book (which is about a woman who moves from Iran to the U.S.) is different than my usual YA comfort zone, but it also sounds super interesting.
  5. Banana: The Fate Of The Fruit That Changed The World by Dan Koeppel.  I know a book about bananas is super-weird and random, but I love bananas, and it really does seem interesting.
  6. Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins.  I’m very much intrigued by this book about a girl living in India, dealing with her father leaving India to find work in the U.S.
  7. The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon.  I’ve wanted this cookbook for months!
  8. Horrotstör by Grady Hendrix.  It’s a book set in an Ikea-type place, that looks like an Ikea catalog.  How could you not want it?
  9. Positive: A Memoir by Paige Rawl.  Ever since I saw this book about a teen bullied for being HIV-positive, I knew I wanted to read it.
  10. Homemade Decadence by Joy The Baker.  I LOVE her first cookbook, and when I heard she was coming out with a second one, I wanted it immediately.  (I am very sad I still don’t have it).

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Thirteen Books I’ve Read In 2014

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Thirteen Books I’ve Read In 2014

I’ve read so many great books this year!  Even with a several month long reading slump, I found that I couldn’t just limit myself to just 10 books this week.  That’s how many awesome books I read this year!  Here my 13 favorite books from this year!

  1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.  I LOVE this book so, so much!  It really reminded me of that time in my life, and I related to Cath so much.
  2. Cress by Marissa Meyer.  Cress is my favorite book in the series so far, and I just loved Cress and this re-telling of Rapunzel.
  3. The Impossible Knife Of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson.  I just love Laurie Halse Anderson, and her most recent book is just as amazing as I thought it would be.
  4. Me Since You by Laura Weiss.  This was such an emotional book, but that didn’t stop me from loving it!
  5. We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han.  I’m so glad things ended the way they did, and I just loved every single word of this book.
  6. Out Of The Easy by Ruta Sepetys.  I loved 1950’s New Orleans.  And the characters!  I loved them all.
  7. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi.  Juliette!   And Kenji!  They are an awesome pair of friends, they really are.
  8. The Crown/The Wonder by Colleen Oakes.  I couldn’t pick just one of the 2 books out in this series, but it’s a dark Wonderland in this series, and I love that it’s so dark.
  9. Moonglass by Jessi Kirby.  I heart Jessi Kirby, and I love the stories of moonglass and mermaid’s tears.  And I love Anna.
  10. Isla And The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins.  It’s Isla, you can’t go wrong with Isla.  This book…it was the first time in a long time that I was so excited and in love with a book.
  11. The Collected Autobiographies Of Maya Angelou.  I really regret not reading her collected autobiographies sooner, but she really had quite the life!  She’s definitely an inspiration and a survivor.
  12. My Best Friend, Maybe by Caela Carter.  I liked seeing how their friendship went wrong, and how they put things back together, and realized that they could be friends, but not best friends.
  13. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley.  It’s such a good look at both sides of the civil rights movement, and both sides of it!  It’s hard to believe that it took place not that long ago.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2014

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2014

I read a bunch of new (to me) authors this year, and these are the ten authors I want to read more of next year!

  1. Colleen Oakes.  I love her Queen Of Hearts saga so much!  I’m so looking forward to reading the next book in that series.
  2. Laura Weiss.  Me Since You is one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year.  I was a complete mess after reading this book, but it’s stuck with me ever since I read it.
  3. Scott Craven.  His Dead Jed series is a lot of fun to read.
  4. Rachel Tafoya.  Night House is one of the more interesting YA paranormal books I’ve read in a while, and I can’t wait to read a lot more of her books.
  5. Nalini Singh.  Why did I not start reading her before?  Why?
  6. Yvonne Ventresca.  I LOVED Pandemic.  It’s realistically scary, but still an awesome book.
  7. Rosamund Hodge.  Cruel Beauty is such a great book, and I’m looking forward to the companion book coming out next year.
  8. Mary Roach.  She makes science fun and interesting and funny.
  9. Victoria Lamb.  Witches, the paranormal and the Tudors go really well together in her Tudor Witch trilogy.
  10. Tracy Clark.  Scintillate is one of the more unique paranormal books I’ve read, mostly because there’s a trigger for the suddenly acquired paranormal abilities.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward To In 2015

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward To In 2015

It’s December!  I can’t believe it’s December!  And that means so many things, but for this post, that means looking forward to all of the great books coming out next year that I need to read.

  1. The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson.  I so need to know what happens next!
  2. Winter by Marissa Meyer.  I’ve been looking forward to this book for ages!  Ages, I tell you!  But seriously, this is the one book I’m massively anxious to read.
  3. Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge.  I really liked Cruel Beauty, and I’m looking forward to this book, which just happens to be set in the same world as Cruel Beauty.
  4. Dangerous Deception by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  I’m glad Ridley and Link have their own series, and I’m looking forward to see how things turn out for them.
  5. The Heart Of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson.  The Kiss Of Deception is a pretty awesome book, and after going to a book signing for The Kiss Of Deception, I’m looking forward to The Heart Of Betrayal even more than I already was.
  6. The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows.  Her Incarnate series is one of my favorites, and I’m looking forward to a new Jodi Meadows series!
  7. Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby.  She has a new book coming out, and I know I’m going to love it the way I love everything that Jessi Kirby writes.
  8. The Last Time We Said Goodbye by Cynthia Hand.  I’ve been looking forward to a new book by her ever since I read her Unearthly series, and I’m glad she has a new book coming out next year, especially since this one is a contemporary.
  9. The Forgotten Crown  by Julie Kagawa.  I am such a huge fan of the Iron Fey series (and it’s spin-off) and it looks like the next one is coming out next year…I think this is the last one,  but I’m not sure.  Either way, I am so invested in these characters that I need to know what’s going to happen.
  10. The untitled third book in the Gilded Wings series by Aimee Agresti.  I’ve been looking forward to this book for a while, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the 2015 release date is really happening.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR List

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Books I’d Like To Read This Winter

Winter reading list time!  Not that I ever stick to these lists, but I’m hoping to read at least one of the books on my list this winter.  I haven’t done much reading this month, but I really want to get more reading done this winter!

  1. Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII’s Obsession  by Elizabeth Norton.  I really need to read some non-fiction, and this Anne Boleyn biography is definitely on the list.
  2. Perils Of Pleasure by Julie Ann Long.  I keep telling myself I’m going to read it, so hopefully, I’ll read it in what passes for winter in San Diego.
  3. Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs.  I really need to finish this series that’s a Medusa re-telling.
  4. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.  I’m kind of not sure if I’m ready to jump into another Cassandra Clare series, but I’ve heard such good things that I also really want to read it.
  5. School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins.  I really liked Hex Hall, and yet, I have not yet read the spin-off yet.
  6. Renegade by Cambria Hebert.  I really need to finish this series.  After re-reading the first three books because I only vaguely remember what happened.
  7. Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.  I so need to know what people are talking about with this one.
  8. Sever by Lauren DeStefano.  I want to know how it ends, and why Rhine seems to be so special.
  9. Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres.  I listened to A Thousand Lives, also written by Scheeres, and liked it, so I’m curious about her own memoir.
  10. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld.  I’m intrigued by this story within a story.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Characters I Want To Have Their Own Book

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Characters I Want To Have Their Own Books

Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to see a book told by one of the other characters.  It definitely took some time, because it was hard for me to figure out who should get their own book!  I was surprised that I came up with 10, because there are a lot of characters I like, but I don’t know that I’d want them to have their own book.

  1. Harry Potter, as told by Ron and/or Hermione.  I’d love to see what Hogwarts was like for both of them, and I wonder how different the story would be if they told it.
  2. The Night Circus, as told by the Circus.  I don’t know how this would work, but if the Circus could narrate, I’d love to see what story it would tell.
  3. The Summer I Turned Pretty, as told by Jeremiah and Conrad.  I know they get chapters later on in the series (if I remember correctly) but I’d love to see their side of the story.
  4. Anna And The French Kiss, as told by Etienne St. Clair.  Part of doesn’t want to see his story, because what if it doesn’t live up to expections?  But I also love him enough that I kind of want to see things from his side.
  5. The Sky Is Everywhere, as told by Bailey.  I really want to know more about the ever-elusive Bailey.  I know a whole book about Bailey would be much different than the random memories we get, but I want a book about Bailey.
  6. Poison Study, as told by Valek.  I would LOVE for Valek to have his own book!  Seriously, he’s one of my favorite characters from that series.
  7. You Look Different In Real Life by Jennifer Castle.  I’d love for any of the other characters to get their own book, because I found them so much interesting than Justine.
  8. The Fair Assassins Series, as told by Anne, the Duchess Of Brittany.  Mostly for a different perspective, and I’d love to get inside her head.  I’ve found her so interesting, and I’d love to read a book about her!
  9. The Selection, as told by Prince Maxon.  I want to see his change up close and personal, and what it’s really like for him to have to deal with the process of choosing his wife.
  10. Shadow And Bone, as told by the Darkling.  Is it weird that I want the Darkling to have his own book?  Like, a prequel book, so that we could really see how he became the Darkling.

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want To Re-Read

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Books I Want To Re-Read

I don’t re-read a lot but sometimes, I come across books that are just so amazing that I all I want to do is read it over and over. These are those books.

  1. Harry Potter.  It feels like I talk about HP a lot (probably because I do) but this series is my all-time favorite to read over and over.  It has stuck-on-a-deserted-island with one book status.  And the one book I’d save if my house caught on fire status.
  2. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.  This is another one I love to re-read, because sometimes, I just need to feel nostalgic about summer.
  3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.  I’ve only read it the one time, but I’m long overdue for a re-read.
  4. Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.  I just love Anna and St. Clair.
  5. Ten Tiny Breaths series by K.A. Tucker.  I love the entire series, and I really couldn’t pick just one book, but I LOVE this series so freaking much.
  6. The Crown/The Wonder by Colleen Oakes.  I love what she does in this Alice In Wonderland re-telling, and I love that it’s a darker version of Wonderland.
  7. Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  I love Cinder, and it’s a book I really need to read again soon.
  8. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows.  I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but this one really stands out- it’s so vivid and unique, and I love that I’m not reminded of medieval Europe.
  9. Soulless by Gail Carriger.  It’s been a while since I’ve listened to it, and I think it’s time to listen to again!  It’s such a fun book to listen to, mostly because Alexia’s hysterical.
  10. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  I just like seeing Tally change so much, and as far as dystopic series go, this one deserves so much more attention!