Top Ten Tuesday is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  Every Tuesday, bloggers share their own bookish top ten list based on the topic of the week.  Check out the upcoming Top Ten Tuesday topics here.

Top 5 Bookish Resolutions For The Year

It’s strange to think that TTT is no longer hosted the lovely bloggers over at The Broke And The Bookish, but I’m glad that one of their contributors is keeping the meme going!  I really love these lists, and it’s a lot of fun to be doing them again!  To be honest, I haven’t really thought about resolutions (bookish or otherwise), since I’ve had a lot going on for the last 2-3 months.  However, I do have a few bookish things I want to do this year!

1- Continue to read diversely! 

I still haven’t done bookish stats for last year, but I’m pretty sure that around half of the books I read last year fall into the diverse category.  I want to keep that going, and as long as I’m in the ballpark of 50%, I’ll be happy.

2- Purge my print books as much as I can. 

Sometime in the very near future, I will be moving…and while I would love to take all of my books with me, there is not going to be enough room for all of them.  I’ve gone through a few shelves, and dropped some off at the library, but I still have a lot more to go.  Including the stack of books sitting next to me as I write this.  That’s not counting the cookbooks and the crochet books, but I suppose I’ll get to those eventually.

3- Reading the print books I own.

This is going off of the my second goal, but there are some books I still swear I’m going to read.  Those are definitely going to the top of my TBR pile because the sooner I read them, the sooner I can decide if they’re worth keeping, or donating to the library.  (Who will hopefully enjoy and can use the donations I’m randomly dropping off).  This goes for audio books and e-books as well, but I’m much more focused on print.

4- Being more selective with the print books I buy.

There’s a definite theme emerging in the goals/resolutions I have for this year- to really limit the physical books I own, and this goes along with that.  While I haven’t moved yet, I am going to have to think carefully about what I buy- while I do audio books and e-books, I may turn to that more to save on space.  And of course, keep using the library, because those have to go eventually.

5- Take the time to read my library books sooner.

And also to not check out three more books when I have at least 5 sitting on my desk.  I renew and renew, and take way too long to read them.  I clearly need to get this under control.

Hopefully I’ll be able to stick with at least some of them, and that they’ll work out pretty well!

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 Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Favorite Brand New-To-Me Authors

Even though I did a lot of re-reading last year, and read quite a few books by authors I’ve read before, I still managed to read quite a few books by authors I’ve never read before.  Here are my new favorite authors.

1. S. Jae-Jones.  I feel like I’ve been talking about Wintersong a lot lately, but I really did enjoy it, and I can’t wait to see what else she writes.
2. Megan Spooner.  Hunted was an unexpected surprise, but I really liked it, and now I want to read her other books.
3. Mitali Perkins.  Why has it taken me so long to read at least one of her books?  I’m glad I did, though, because she is amazing!
4. Margaret Atwood.  I read The Handmaid’s Tale for the first time last year, but now I’m scared to read her other books, because what if I don’t like them and they don’t live up to this one?  I’m also open to suggestions on which of her books I should read next.
5. Benjamin Alire Saenz.  I’m terrified to read Aristotle and Dante Discover TOmarhe Universe for the same reason I’m terrified to read Margaret Atwood’s other books.  But I will read it eventually.  I hope.
6. Angie Thomas.  I loved The Hate U Give, and I can’t wait to see what else Angie Thomas comes up with.
7. Colson Whitehead.  I really liked The Underground Railroad, but I’m hesitant to give his other books a try because I couldn’t get into Zone One.  But at least I liked The Underground Railroad.
8. Stephanie Garber.  I’m glad I read Caraval, and I liked enough to consider Garber one of my new favorite authors.
9. Karumi Riazi.  I thought The Gauntlet was a great book, especially if you liked Jumanji.  I am curious to see what other cool books she writes.
10. Omar El Akkad.  I didn’t love American War, but I did like it enough to read whatever else he writes.

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 Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Ten Books I Really Want To Read In 2018

I am really excited about all of the books coming out next year.  2018 looks like it’s going to be a good year for books, and here are 10 of the books I really want to read.

1. Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones.  I loved the first book, so I’m really looking forward to reading the sequel.  I hope it lives up to the really high expectations I have for it.
2. Legendary by Stephanie Garber.  I really liked Caraval when I read it last year, and there are some things that I’m hoping are answered in this book.
3. Smoke And Iron by Rachel Caine.  If there’s one series I need to keep reading, it’s this one.  This world scares me, and the Library Of Alexandria is absolutely terrifying, but that’s not going to stop me from reading this book when it comes out.
4. Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner.  This book seems cool!  It’s about intercepting a message from an extinct group of aliens, and I’m very intrigued.
5. Reign Of The Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh.  The cover is haunting, and it seems like a pretty cool book.  I mean, Necromancer’s are involved, and how can you not like that?
6. American Panda by Gloria Chao.  This book seems cute, though the cover seems very inspired by When Dimple Met Rishi.  I think we have the new trend in YA covers.  Back to American Panda, though.  It seems right up my alley since it’s about a girl who connects with her brother and is also trying to live up to the expectations that her parents have set for her.
7. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland.  I feel like I’ve been hearing a lot about this book, and it doesn’t even come out until next year!  Just reading the blurb, it seems like Pride And Prejudice And Zombies meets Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter meets YA.  It sounds really cool, though, and I can’t wait to read it!
8. Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed.  I’m excited about this one as well, and I’m looking forward to this debut novel about a teen who has to deal with Islamaphobia.  I love Randa Abdel-Fattah, and this book seems like a great read-alike for fans of her books.
9. Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi.  When I heard there was going to be another book in this series, I got so excited, because it means we get more of Juliette and what she’s been up to.  I can’t wait to read it!
10. Bright We Burn by Kiersten White.  I’ve loved this series, and I need to know what’s going on with Lada.  Right now will be preferable, but I suppose I can wait if I absolutely have to.

And the honorable mentions, of course, because there are some books that came really close to making the list: the as-of-now untitled book in the His Fair Assassins series by Robin LaFevers (I’m super jazzed there’s going to be another book in this series), My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma (it seems like a cute romance that somehow incorporates Bollywood movies, and a good read-alike for I Believe In A Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo), From Twinkle, With Love by Sandya Menon (which seems to have a When Dimple Met Rishi-inspired cover, but also seems like another super-cute rom-com), and Dance Of Thieves by Mary E Pearson (because you can’t go wrong with a book set in the same universe as the Remnant Chronicles).

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 Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Books I Really Want To Find Under The Christmas Tree

This is going to be a good one!  I’m a book person, obviously, since I do have a book blog.  While it’s mostly books, I’ve included a few non-book but book-related things.  Because why not?

1. Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones.  Even though I’ve already read this book, I still want a copy to have on my shelf.  That cover is absolutely beautiful.  And it is one of my favorite books from this year.
2. The Court Of Fives series by Kate Elliott.  I’ve read this series, but sadly, I don’t own them.  So I’d love to see them under the Christmas tree this year.
3. Pretty much any book about Tudor England.  I have quite a few, and there a lot more I actually want on my shelf, but I’m far too lazy to actually give some titles.
4. So while this isn’t an actual book, it is book-related.  I have a few of the wax melts from this Etsy shop, and I’d love more!  Frostbeard has some amazing scents and who wouldn’t want to read a book while the scent of Christmas At The Burrow wafts by?
5. How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.  The King Arthur Flour Cookbook is my go-to for baking, and while I have a ton of cookbooks, I’ve heard really good things about his books, and this one seems like a good one to add to my collection.
6. These donut mugs are adorable, and they are the perfect vessel for some coffee or tea to have next to me when I am reading.
7. Also, I’d love to feel like I’m in Kowalski’s Bakery when I’m reading.  It looks like bubbleandgeek has a lot of awesome bookish candles…so while Kowalski’s Bakery really speaks to me, I’d be good with any of the candles.
8. Pretty much any book that’s about Norse mythology.  I’ve had this idea for a re-telling of Norse mythology meets Little Red Riding Hood for a while, but I know nothing about Norse mythology, so it’s been on hold for a while.  Hopefully, some books would help figure out what I should do with this idea.
9. The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  I’ve had my eye on this book for a while, because I’ve always wanted to try baking my own bread.  This book seems like it would be a good guide.
10. Crochet Ever After: 18 Crochet Projects Inspired By Classic Fairy Tales.  I love to crochet, and since I’m a fan of fairy tale re-tellings, this is a good way to make some really cool fairy tale inspired items.

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 Top Ten Tuesdays here.

The 10 Best Books I Read This Year

I haven’t done a lot of reading this year, but I’ve done quite a bit of re-reading too.  It definitely feels like I don’t have any many books to choose from, but here are my favorite books I’ve read this year.

1. The March Series by John Lewis.  These graphic novels are absolutely amazing, and if you haven’t read them, you really need to!  They show, so very well, what it was like to be part of the civil rights movements and how hard they worked to get equal rights.
2. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.  I loved this book, and Starr is amazing.  The hype is absolutely worth it, and you won’t regret reading this book.
3. Now I Rise by Kiersten White.  I’m a huge fan of hers, but Now I Rise is an amazing sequel.  This is a great take on Vlad the Impaler, and Lada is a really interesting character.  I’m pretty sure And I Darken made my Top 10 books of the year last year, but this series is definitely getting better.
4. When We Collided by Emery Lord.  This book was absolutely beautiful, and all I could do when I finished it was sit and hug the book for a few minutes.  The way I felt about When We Collided…it’s been a long time since I’ve felt that way about a book, and it was good to know I could still feel that way about a book I read.
5. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.  I really liked this graphic novel, because of how the three stories tied together.  It’s definitely worth checking out, and I can’t imagine this book being told in any other format.
6. Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones.  I loved this re-telling and it’s so beautiful and dreamlike.  It really reminded me of The Night Circus, and it’s a must-read in my book.
7. Tell Me Something True by Katherine Owen.  I have loved this entire series, but Tell Me Something True really adds to both Tally and Linc’s story.  Was I sobbing by the end?  Of course I was, but it was worth to see how their story ended.
8. You Bring The Distant Near by Mitali Perkins.  I really liked seeing 3 generations of women adjust to living in America.  These women were connected by being family, and I liked seeing how much things had changed for them.
9. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.  It took me forever to actually read this book, but I finally did it!  I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, but at the same time, the book scared me as well because I could picture everything a little too well.
10. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.  If you haven’t read this book, you really need to!  It is a hard read, but while I was reading it, I felt like I was actually on the Underground Railroad with Cora.  You see how uncertain it is, how hard it is, and most certainly how dangerous it is.  I think it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a while.

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 Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Fictional Places I Would Go To In A Heartbeat

One of my favorite things about reading is all of the traveling I get to do without actually having to go anywhere.  Some places, though, have really stuck with me, and I would give anything to go to the following places.

1. Hogwarts/The Wizarding World.  This is my top choice, and I’m still convinced my Hogwarts letter got lost in the mail.  I’d love to go to Hogwarts and learn magic.
2. Narnia.  When I was little, I always thought my closet would lead to Narnia, but sadly, it never did.  Maybe I need to check again…
3. Middle Earth.  Weird stuff with Sauron aside, I’d definitely like to visit Middle Earth.
4. Stars Hollow.  I know Gilmore Girls is a t.v. show, but it is still one of my favorite fictional places, and I always wished I lived in a world where Luke, Miss Patty and Kirk are real people.
5. Night Vale.  Ever since I started listening to Welcome To Night Vale, I’ve fallen in love with that weird desert town.  There are Night Vale books as well, and it really makes me want to live there, even though I’d have to watch out for the Dog Park, the hooded figures, and Street Cleaning day.
6. The Night Circus.  This book is magical, and I’d love to actually see the Night Circus.
7. Morganville.  I know weird things always happen here, and there are vampires but still.  I always wanted to know what it was like to at least visit Morganville.  Then again, people always seem to end up staying…
8. The Invisible Library.  This series is a cool one, but I like the idea of a library that takes you to all of these alternate worlds.
9. The world of Wintersong.  This book is one of my favorites of the year, and I absolutely loved the world.  Parts of it are a little scary, sure, but overall, I love the world enough to want to go back to it.
10. The world of Hunted by Megan Spooner.  I finished this book recently, and while this is a cold, dark world, there is still part of me that wants to live there.

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.

Top Ten Favorite Picture Books

Today is all about books with visuals!  Graphic novels and comics aren’t really my thing, so I decided to revisit my childhood and share my favorite picture books.

1. Good Night Moon.  This was one of the first books I thought of!  It’s definitely a classic.
2. If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.  In general, I love I really like her picture books, but this one is so much fun!
3. The Monster At The End Of This Book.  I read this one over and over as a kid.
4. Stellaluna.  This was another one I read a lot as a kid.  I haven’t read it in forever, so maybe I’ll read it at some point.
5. Where The Wild Things Are.  No list about picture books is complete without this one!
6. The Velveteen Rabbit.  This one was definitely a childhood favorite.
7. The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  How can you not include this picture book on a list of favorite picture books?
8. The True Story Of The 3 Little Pigs.  This one was so much fun to read as a kid.
9. Dr Seuss.  I love Dr. Seuss!  I tried picking one…but I just can’t!  There are too many good ones to pick from.
10. Beatrix Potter.  I don’t know that I could pick a favorite story of hers, but she’s pretty amazing.