Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I’ve Added To My TBR Recently

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

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Ten Books I’ve Recently Added To My TBR

I really like this topic because it means I get to revisit some of the books I’ve recently decided I needed to read.  All links go to goodreads!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books If Your Book Club Likes…YA Contemporary

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

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Top Ten Books If Your Book Club Likes YA Contemporary

I wasn’t sure how easy this list would be, because there are so many good books that I could pick!  I knew that by picking some sort of theme, I would have an easier time picking some good book club books, so I settled on YA contemporary because that seemed to the one with the most recommendations.

  1. George by Alex Gino.  This is actually middle grade and not YA but it’s too good of a book to not include it.  I loved Melissa’s story, and if you haven’t read it, you should!
  2. None Of The Above by I.W. Gregorio.  Putting this book on my list suddenly makes me want to re-read it.  I hated how Kristin’s classmates treated her after they found out that Kristin is intersex, but it’s a good book to read, and it could be an interesting book club pick.
  3. Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonelle Clayton.  Ballet is pretty cutthroat in this book and you see the pressure these girls are under.
  4. Tumbling by Caela Carter.  Speaking of cutthroat, gymnastics is pretty cutthroat in this book.  It’s my favorite thing to watch in the Olympics, and I liked following several of the gymnasts as they aim to make the Olympic team.
  5. Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older.  Shadowshaper is more urban fantasy than contemporary, but it’s rooted enough in reality that I had to put it on the list.
  6. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.  This book is such an important book to read right now, and with everything going on lately, it’s definitely a good book if you’re looking to have a really good discussion.
  7. Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone.  This book, for some reason, is a good book club book.  I love that the main character is in therapy, because I feel like that’s really rare for books that deal with mental illness.
  8. Gabi, A Girl In Pieces by Isabel Quintero.  If your book club liked The Princess Diaries, this is a really good read alike.  Gabi has a really unique voice, and she’s a great character.
  9. Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli.  I felt for Simon, and it’s cute and funny and sweet and good for book clubs.
  10. The Anatomical Shape Of A Heart by Jenn Bennett.  I love the focus on art in this book, and how different it is. There’s Beatrix, who likes drawing cadavers, and Jack, who is a graffiti artist.  That makes it stand out, a lot, but it’s also such a good book about all kinds of relationships.

Top Ten Tuesday: Halloween-Related Freebie

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

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Ten Books/Authors To Get Me Into The Halloween Mood

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year, and I still like dressing up in costume!  There are some books and authors I associate with this time of year, and these are my top ten books/authors I associate with Halloween and fall.

  1. Harry Potter.  I swear, Harry Potter is my answer to everything.  But I always associate the series with Fall/Winter, and it’s the perfect series to get me into the Halloween mood.
  2. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard.  I totally admit that I like the t.v. show a lot better than the books (the repetitiveness of the books is what made me stop the series halfway through) but the mystery and craziness of A is something I associate with fall and Halloween.
  3. Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.  I recently read this one and it’s really creepy and a good Halloween read.
  4. Stephen King.  If he’s not Halloween, I don’t know who is.  Seriously.  The man screams Halloween.
  5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  This circus seems very much like a book that will get you in the Halloween mood.  I think it’s because it’s a very different circus, and the magic seems very Halloween to me.
  6. The Dreaming by Queenie Chan.  This manga is perfect for Halloween!  It’s weird and creepy and this school seems very isolated.
  7. A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray.  I’m not completely sure why I associate this series with Halloween, but I think it’s the magic and the Gothic vibe that the series has.
  8. The Name Of The Star by Maureen Johnson.  This series about ghosts and the people who can see them is perfect for this time year.
  9. Anne Rice.  I’ve read a few of her books, and yet she is someone I associate with Halloween.
  10. Beautiful Creatures/Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  The secrets and curses and history make me think of Halloween.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Characters Names I’d Use If I Changed My Name

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

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Top Ten Character Names I’d Use If I Changed My Name

I really love names, and I don’t know why, but I’ve always wondered what it would be like to pick my own name.  And naming characters is one of my favorite things about writing.  If I did change my name, here are my top choices.

  1. Hermione from Harry Potter.  I love Hermione and she’s one of my favorite characters of all time, so naturally, I’d want to have Hermione as my name.
  2. Aria from Pretty Little Liars and Under The Never Sky.  I don’t know why I like it, but I do.  It’s pretty and different.
  3. Seraphina, from Wander Dust by Michelle Warren.  I LOVE this name.  It’s pretty and different and sort of old-timey.
  4. Scarlet from The Lunar Chronicles.  I don’t know if I’m necessarily a Scarlet, but that’s not going to stop me from loving the name.
  5. Eadlyn from The Selection series.  I might not be the biggest fan of Eadlyn (the character), but she does have a really great name.
  6. Willow from Dream Chaser by Angie Stanton.  I sort of like nature names, and Willow is really pretty.
  7. Rowan from Me Since You by Laura Weiss.  Speaking of nature names, Rowan is a pretty name.  I fell in love with the name after reading the book.
  8. Ellie from Guardian Of The Dead by Karen Healey.  Like most of the names on my list, I really like the name, even if I don’t know why I like it so much.
  9. Livie from One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker.  I was reminded of myself, at least a little bit, and I think maybe that’s why I like the name.  Well, the one reason I can actually identify.
  10. Luna from Harry Potter.  Luna is another one of my favorite Harry Potter characters (and all-time favorite characters when you take all books into consideration), and I would be honored to have her name.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I’ve Read Because Of Recommendations

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

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Top Ten Books I’ve Read Because Of Recommendations

I think most of the books I’ve read are because of recommendations, whether it’s from Goodreads, a blogger or a friend,  These are ten of my favorites that I’ve read because it was recommended to me.

  1. The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger.  I read this based on the recommendation of my friend Heather, and I’m glad I did, because this series (and the other two series set in this world) are really fun reads.
  2. Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.  I just finished this a couple of days ago, and a co-worker was nice enough to lend me her copy.  I really liked it, and the photographs made the book more interesting.
  3. Wallbanger by Alice Clayton.  I saw this book mentioned on either Book Riot or Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, and it was absolutely hysterical.  I
  4. Stiff by Mary Roach.  I know I first heard about Mary Roach on Book Riot, and her books are really different and quirky but also fun.  This one is my favorite of hers, though.
  5. A Moment Comes by Jennifer Bradbury.  This is another book I read because Heather recommended it, and it’s such a good book!  I loved it, because I had no idea the Partition of India was an actual thing that happened, and you get to see all sides of it.
  6. All The Ugly And Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood.  I read this one because of a co-worker (a different one than the one earlier) and I loved it a lot more than I thought I would.  The romance was actually really well done, and that’s the thing I was unsure about at first.
  7. Wonder by R.J. Palacio.  I read this book because of my friend Mollie- I had heard about it, but I really trust her, and that’s why I read it.
  8. Mouse Guard by David Petersen.  This is such an adorable graphic novel, and I’m really glad Heather recommended it!
  9. The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  If you haven’t read this book yet, you really need to! I first heard about it on Book Riot, and then it came up in a conversation with some friends.  I knew it had to read it, and I’m glad I did.  It’s an interesting look at medicine and ethics.
  10. Ash by Malinda Lo.  I really like this book, and it’s one of my favorite re-tellings, especially where Cinderella re-tellings are concerned.

Top Ten Tuesday: All About Villains

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

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Top Ten Villains I Love To Hate

Villains.  They’re the ones we love to hate, and I totally thought this one would be really easy.  It turned out to be harder than I thought, and I’m not sure why.  Here are 19 villains I love to hate!

  1. Umbridge from Harry Potter.  As much as I hate Voldemort, and as horrible as the things he did were, I hated Umbridge more, and thought she was completely horrible.
  2. Queen Levana from The Lunar Chronicles.  I understand why she acted the way she did, but she’s a really good villain.
  3. Tamlin from A Court Of Thorns And Roses.  I’m not sure if he’s officially a villain, but he is in my book.
  4. The Library Of Alexandria in Ink And Bone.  They are great villains, because of how they try to stamp out new inventions, and the control they have over books.
  5. The Shadow from Whirl by Emma Raveling.  The Shadow- which is his official name- is such a good villain, and it’s because of why and how he became The Shadow.
  6. Sebastian and Valentine from The Mortal Instruments.  Valentine, for trying to take over the Shadowhunter world, and Sebastian…honestly, I just feel like he should be on the list.  It’s been a while since I’ve read the series, so I’m super fuzzy on the details (as in, I don’t remember them at all), but I’m going with the fact that they’re pretty good bad guys.
  7. The Darkling from the Grisha Trilogy.  This is hard, because I actually like The Darkling, but still.
  8. Akito from Fruits Basket.  Akito is not a good guy, because of the things that he’s done.  And that’s why Akito made my list.
  9. A from Pretty Little Liars.  I liked the books less and less, and eventually gave up- I think I gave up around book 9 or 10, but I LOVE the t.v. show.  A is pretty villainous with the blackmail and horrible stuff that A does.
  10. President Snow from The Hunger Games.  I hated Snow, but found him interesting at the same time.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR

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

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Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR

I can’t believe it’s almost fall!  It doesn’t feel like fall yet, but maybe in a month or two, it will start to feel as fall as it can get.  Here’s what I want to read this fall.

  1. When Reason Breaks by Cindy Rodriguez.  I’ve wanted to read it for a while.
  2. Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine.  I absolutely LOVE the Morganville Vampires series, and yet, I still haven’t read this short story collection.
  3. Outrun The Moon by Stacy Lee.  I’ve been looking forward to her next book ever since I read Under The Painted Sky, and I can’t wait to read it!
  4. Imprudence by Gail Carriger.  It’s Gail Carriger!  And I’ve had it for a while, but I still haven’t read it.  Which I’ll definitely need to do this fall, because I need to catch up with Prudence and her friends.
  5. Queen Of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas.  I still haven’t read it, but I need to!
  6. Court of Fives by Kate Elliott.  I heard about this book when I went to the book signing for Imprudence, and I was intrigued enough that I knew I wanted to read it.
  7. Mostly Void, Partially Stars and The Great Glowing Coils Of The Universe by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.  I am a huge Night Vale fan, and I’m really looking forward to reading the scripts of the first couple of years of the podcast.
  8. Tell Me Something True by Katherine Owen.  I LOVED the first two books, and I really need to read this one.
  9. The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows.  I keep telling myself I’m going to read it, but I never seem to do that!  I hope I can read it this fall!
  10. The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.  I’ve wanted to read it for a while, but when I saw that the audio was narrated by Ariana Delawari (who did a wonderful job narrating The Secret Sky), I knew I had to go with the audio book.

Top Ten Tuesday: All About Audio Freebie

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

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Top Ten Favorite Podcasts

I’m a really big fan of podcasts, and I’m really glad this week is an audio freebie, because I knew this would be the perfect time to talk about some of my favorites.  I listen to a lot of podcasts, and picking 10 was really hard!  I know I’ve mentioned most of them before, but I think they’re definitely worth checking out.  All links will take you to the podcast website- except Dear Hank And John, that one goes to a general website for the both of them.

  1. Lore.  It’s a different story every week, and it’s based on a real life story.  I’ve never heard of a lot of the stories that he tells, but they’re all really interesting to listen to.
  2. Welcome To Night Vale.  I am a huge fan of Night Vale, and it’s weird and delightful, and I look forward to every new episode.  They also have a couple of other podcasts now, and I really like Alice Isn’t Dead, but I’m not sure about Within The Wires yet.
  3. Greetings From Nowhere.  It’s random and funny and they have some really interesting conversations.
  4. The Nerdist Podcast.  I only listen to some of the episodes released, but the interviews are always interesting and funny.
  5. The Black Tapes/Tanis.  They’re both done by the same people, so I figured I’d talk about them together. They’re done in the style of Serial (which you can check out here, it’s completely awesome and fascinating), and I love listening to both.  But not at night, because both can be really creepy, and I ended up getting a little freaked out.
  6. Dear Hank And John.  It’s John Green and his brother Hank giving out dubious advice, and it’s hilarious.
  7. The History Chicks.  It’s the only history podcast I’ve been able to get into, but I did come across a few others on iTunes that I still need to listen to.  It’s two women talking about different women in history (and they occasionally do a fictional character, which is always fun), and I love that they include movies, websites and books about the different women they talk about.  They definitely put a lot of work into it.
  8. Gilmore Guys.  I haven’t listened to this one in ages, so I have 20+ episodes I still need/want to listen to but it’s entertaining and a really good recap of Gilmore Girls.
  9. The Grapes Of Rad.  It’s fun to listen to and it’s random and weird and I’m not completely sure I love it so much, but I do.
  10. Overthinking It.  If you like pop culture, this is a really good podcast to listen to.  They talk about movies and t.v. shows and a variety of other topics.  I have to admit that I don’t listen to every single episode- it sort of depends on whether I’m interesting in the topic of the week, but it’s always an interesting listen.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten ALL-TIME Favorite YA Contemporary Books

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

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Top Ten ALL-TIME Favorite YA Contemporary Books

I love YA Contemporary so much.  It’s one of all-time favorite genres, and it’s going to be hard narrowing it down, because there are so many books in this genre that I love.  Clicking on the titles will take you to Goodreads!

TTT 10 Fav YA Contemporary Books

  1. Hate List by Jennifer Brown.  I haven’t talked about this one in a long time, and it’s also been a while since I’ve read it.  I cried- a lot- but there were times where I could relate to Valerie a lot.
  2. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales.  I loved seeing Elise find something she loved, and even more, I loved seeing her start over.
  3. Lovely, Dark And Deep by Amy McNamara.  This book is beautiful and poetic and I was still crying for a good 5 minutes after finishing the book.
  4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.  I related to Cath so much, and the book described my life as a Harry Potter fan disturbingly well.
  5. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.  I love the entire series, but I have a soft spot for the first book. Partly because it’s why I love the series so much, but it made me feel so nostalgic for summer and growing up.
  6. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.  It made me laugh and cry and it is such a great look at how people deal with loss and grief.  It’s hard not to love this book.
  7. Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone.  This is one of my favorites, because not only do we see a girl who is dealing with OCD, but we see her in treatment for it, which seems really rare in YA.
  8. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick.  I am reminded of how long it’s been since I’ve read this book, so maybe I’ll end up re-reading it soon.  But it’s the perfect summer book, and I just love the Garrett family.
  9. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.  I cannot read this book without crying (and it seems to get worse every single time I do), but I love it anyway.  And if I know I need a good cry, this is one of my go-to books.
  10. Me Since You by Laura Weiss.  It’s amazing how much one decision can change everything, and this book is proof of that.  My heart broke for Rowan.
  11. Basically anything by Laurie Halse Anderson.  I can’t pick just one, because her books so amazing, but I love reading her books.  As far as I’m concerned, her books are YA classics (especially Speak).
  12. Stephanie Perkins.  Okay, so maybe she’s a person, but there is no way I’m picking between Isla and Anna.  I refuse to do it.  I absolutely refuse, and she is an author who can do no wrong.
  13. Jessi Kirby.  I’ve loved Jessi Kirby ever since I read In Honor, and I’ve been a huge fan since.  I really love her books.

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall T.V. Freebie

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

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Top Ten Favorite Shows

I talk about books a lot- of course I do, but I also like watching t.v. (a lot), so in honor of fall t.v., I’m talking about my ten favorite t.v. shows.  Recommendations are also good, I’ll give anything a try, and it doesn’t even have to be similar to the shows on my list (although that would be helpful but not necessary).

  1. Basically anything by Shonda Rhimes.  Scandal is super-dramatic, you never know what’s going to happen on How To Get Away With Murder, and I love Grey’s Anatomy so much it isn’t even funny.
  2. Once Upon A Time.  I love this weird take on fairy tales/Disney characters- which is pretty much what happens when the guys behind Lost decide to do a show about fairy tales.
  3. The 100.  I have a really good friend who loves this show, and I basically started watching it so I would know what she was talking about, because she loves it so much.  And then I got hooked, and the new season needs to start now.
  4. Walking Dead.  I’ve never read the comics, but I love the show, and you never know what’s going on.
  5. Gilmore Girls.  I’m looking forward to the revival SO MUCH, and it’ll be nice to see what’s going on in the lives of the Gilmore Girls.  I’m sad that Edward Herrmann won’t get to be a part of the revival, because it won’t be the same without him.
  6. NCIS.  I can’t help it, I just love it.  I’m curious to see what the show is going to be like now that the character of DiNozzo is gone, speaking of which, I still haven’t seen the last couple of episodes of the last season, so I should probably catch up on them before the new season starts.
  7. Reign.  I know it’s not the most historical accurate show, but it’s dramatic and entertaining, and I’m enough of a history nerd, especially where Tudor history is concerned, that at some point, I’ll probably actually getting around to reading the shelf of books I have about the time period.
  8. Sleepy Hollow.  It’s Ichabod Crane meets the apocalypse!  And I can’t wait for season 4, especially with how things ended for a particular character.  That took me off guard, and had the show been cancelled, it would have been a good ending point for the show.  But since it’s coming back for a 4th season, I want to know how the show is going to go forward.
  9. Blacklist.  I tend to watch this show on Hulu, but I’m a season behind since it wasn’t airing on Hulu for some reason.  It’s still good, though, and I really recommend it, especially because James Spader is amazing on this show.
  10. iZombie.  I watched the 1st season on Netflix recently, and I’ll definitely be watching when it comes back on!