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Top Ten Tuesday: My Summer TBR (which I will TRY to stick to!!!)

Happy summer book dragons!!!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week I’ll by making my summer tbr list (to be read list)!

This shouldn’t really be called my summer tbr- it’s more of a list of books that I should read and hopefully will. The problem is that I can’t stick rigidly to any form of tbr because I’m a 100%, signed and certified, mood reader and if I don’t feel like reading a book, I won’t.  I think the only thing that would make me follow my tbr is one of those unbreakable vows from Harry Potter but, sadly, they don’t actually exist (or do they?).

I’m one of those people who randomly sees a book in a bookshop, library or online and says, “Oooooh that looks interesting, I’m going to read that!” and conveniently forgets about all of the other books they were planning on reading.

A while ago I did a Top Five Wednesday post about books I wanted to read in spring and I read precisely two of those five books during spring.

However I do have a few arcs I need to read before they are released in autumn and I have books I want to read for the Popsugar reading challenge so I will try my best to stick to this!

Anyway, here are my books:

(1) Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff (arc)

(2) The Beckoning Shadow by Katharyn Blair (arc)

(3) The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

(4) The Orphanage of the Gods by Helena Coggan

(5) Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

(6) Tiger Queen by Anne Sullivan (arc)

(7) The Never-Tilting World by Rin Chupeco (arc)

(8) The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young (arc)

(9) Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

(10) Song of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury

What’s on your summer tbr? Let me know on the comments!

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Top Ten Tuesday: My Most Anticipated Reads!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week I’ll be writing about the books I’m bubbling over with excitement for that are being released in the second half of 2019!

Honestly, it’s a bookworm’s curse. Just as we think we’re conquering our sky high tbr piles (to be read piles), more extremely exciting books are released and the pile increases until it touches the edges of the universe.

So here are the amazing books that will soon feed my all-devouring tbr pile (in order of release date):

(1) Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim (9 July):

Spin the Dawn is based on Chinese culture and inspired by various fairy tales and it’s about a girl who has to sew three dresses: one from the sun, one from the moon and one from the stars. The premise seems so whimsically magical and it sounds exactly like the sort of story I enjoy.

(2) Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff (3 September):

I LOVE The Nevernight Chronicle and I can’t wait to read the conclusion. Actually, I was lucky enough to receive an arc but I still haven’t gotten round to reading it yet. I think it’s partly because I’m terrified that once I read it, it’s going to be over forever and that’s really upsetting.

(3) The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (24 September):

It’s about struggle of slavery, it’s a story about a boy born into bondage with mysterious powers. Slavery was and is a massive problem and it’s one of the biggest crimes rife in our world today. Any book that speaks out about the suffering slavery already has and still does cause has a place on my tbr.

(4) Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (1 October):

Leigh Bardugo is an amazing writer. I would read anything that she writes. She could publish her grocery list and I’d still read it.

(5) DEV1AT3 by Jay Kristoff (3 October UK):

I really enjoyed LIFEL1K3 and my favourite character was definitely the fabulous Lemon Fresh so I can’t wait to read more about her!

(6) Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo (8 October):

I loved Christo’s first book, To Kill a Kingdom, and the premise of this book sounds intriguing too. When I read the blurb I got lots of Six of Crows and A Darker Shade of Magic vibes which is always a good sign!

(7) The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (5 November):

I completely and utterly fell in love with The Night Circus. I was bewitched by the loveable characters, the enchanting writing style and all of the magical brilliance of the circus. When I heard that she was writing a second book I knew I had to read it. When I read the blurb I knew that it was the type of book I’d been waiting for my entire life. Also, Waterstones are making a beautiful exclusive cover of this too and I really want to get it!

(8) The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White (5 November):

Here are three fundamental truths: it’s a retelling of the Arthurian legend about Guinevere. It’s by Kiersten White. I need it in my life.

(9) The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (19 November):

After the heart-rending ending of The Wicked King I don’t know what to do with myself! I’m so, so glad that this is being released in 2019 instead of 2020- it’s the best piece of news I’ve received this year so far!

(10) Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi (3 December):

I enjoyed Children of Blood and Bone so much and I am very interested to know what will happen next to all of my favourite characters!

Which books are you most looking forward to in the remainder of this year? Let me know in the comments!

 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Rainy Day Reads

Hey bookdragons!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s theme is, ‘rainy day reads’. For me, a ‘rainy day read’ is when it’s wet and miserable outside (as is often the case in the UK) or your day is just generally going bad and then you snuggle up and read a book so good you can’t put it down for even a second and life becomes good again.

So, here are the books I recommend for those dreary, rainy days:

☆ A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

This is odd because I actually don’t like this book, however, I read it while I was feeling ill and wrapped up in loads of blankets so this was one of the first books I thought of for this theme. Although I didn’t enjoy A Court of Thorns and Roses that much, it definitely made me feel better!

☆ Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Life of Pi is a slow read that gradually reels you in and is perfect for a gloomy day. Just think about it, no matter how bad you day is going it can’t be worse than being stranded in a life boat, in the middle of the ocean with a tiger, right?

☆ The Martian by Andy Weir

If your day has been worse than being stranded in a life boat with a tiger then it couldn’t possibly be worse than being stranded on Mars all by yourself!

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

A Darker Shade of Magic has all the ingredients of the ultimate rainy day read: loveable characters, awesome world building, a gripping plot and most importantly loads of magic!

☆ The Diabolic by S. J. Kincaid

The Diabolic is fascinating with its complex characters and I love how it’s set in space. It’s great if you feel like reading something out of this world (forgive the pun).

☆ Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This is an excellent read, especially because it’s extremely action packed and relatively quick to read.


What are your rainy day reads? Let me know in the comments!

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Top Five Wednesday: Favourite Jokesters

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Lainey from gingerreadslainey and now hosted by Sam from ThoughtsOnTomes. You can find out more at Godreads group.

This week’s theme is ‘favourite jokesters’ so I’ll be talking about my favourite funny characters!

(1) Fred and George Weasley (The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling)

These two were definitely the masters of jokery and always the ones to make light of every situation. They even opened a joke shop called ‘Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes’. Not putting them at the top of this list would be a crime!

(2) Peeves the Poltergeist (The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling)

I feel like many people forget about Peeves because he wasn’t in any of the Harry Potter movies and he isn’t talked about that much. His forte was causing havoc and devising hilarious pranks to get on everyone’s nerves.

(3) Mark Watney (The Martian by Andy Weir)

For a person who got stuck on Mars where it must have been extremely bleak and desolate, Mark was so, so funny! He was constantly making jokes in the book (and making me laugh out loud).

(4) Mia Corvere (Nevernight by Jay Kristoff)

I wouldn’t necessarily call Mia a ‘jokester’ but she is hilarious. Honestly, some of the things she says and does makes me laugh so much.

Who are your favourite jokesters? Let me know in the comments!


“Mischief managed.”
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Top Ten Tuesday- For the Love of Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s theme is, ‘outrageous things I’ve done for the love of books’. I don’t feel like I do anything particularly outrageous but I guess people who don’t like reading books that much would find some of the things I do for the love of books pretty weird.

(1) Lose Sleep

I’ve lost a lot of sleep over books. Sometimes they’re just so good that I can’t stop reading until late into the night.

In the run up to the release of Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas, I preordered it on my kindle. On the day of the release I randomly woke up at three o’clock in the morning and the first thing I thought about was checking my kindle to see if it had been delivered yet. And that’s how I ended up starting a 900 page book at three in the morning, losing my precious hours of sleep and not regretting it in the slightest!

(2) Read spoilers before a much anticipated book is released

I know, I know. Many other bookworms will most certainly find the fact that I would willingly read spoilers outrageous but sometimes I just can’t wait and if other people have gotten the book before me and want to share spoilers I can’t help but read them!

(3) Do anything for book vouchers

I’ve entered competitions before (and won) solely because the prize was book vouchers. Once I won around £100 in book vouchers- when I want something book related the determination is so great that nothing can stop me!

(4) Use anything and everything as a bookmark so I don’t crease the book pages

I used to be that kind of person who had no qualms about dog-earing books (I know it’s shocking) but now I’m that kind of person who is so worried about creasing the pages I would use anything as a bookmark if I don’t have one nearby.

Examples of things I’ve used as bookmarks: feathers, random bits of paper, ribbon, hair bobbles, pencils, another book and tissues.

(5) Treat books like if they were people

I like taking care of my books and making sure there are no creased pages or cracked spines. The way I see it is that if someone came and cracked my spine it would really, really hurt and would probably paralyse me or something so why on earth would I subject a book to that kind of agony?

I know that probably sounds really weird but that’s how I think about it!

(6) Incessantly talk about books so much it annoys people

I talk about books all of the time. My family and friends have probably had enough of it but they’re too polite to say anything to my face. Also, I don’t just talk, I end up ranting quite often about book ships that shouldn’t exist, books I want to read that haven’t come out, etc.

(7) Take my kindle everywhere

I take my kindle everywhere. I guess that’s not particularly outrageous but what happens quite often is that I’m sitting with a group of friends but completely oblivious to the conversation because I’m too busy reading.

(8) Want to buy books everywhere I go

Everywhere I go I have the urge to buy books. If I’m visiting a new place and it has a book shop I have to go into it and check out the books there.

(9) Buy too many books

I buy more books than I could possibly read. I’ve got so many physical and digital books that I still haven’t read and instead of reading them, I buy more! Also I have multiple editions of books. I have two copies of all of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books and I have two copies of Kingdom of Ash.

(10) Wanting my precious books to become family heirlooms

I’m not even kidding. I will probably pass on my books to my children and get them to pass them on to their own children. Many years down the line when physical books have been replaced by digital books and nobody knows what paper is, my books will become even more precious than they already are!


What outrageous things do you do for the love of books? Let me know in the comments!

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Top Ten Tuesday- Things that make me pick up a book

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Hello everyone! Today’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is, ‘things that make me pick up a book,’ so I’ll be listing all of the things that get me interested in a book or make me want to learn more about it.

(1) A pretty cover

You know how they say don’t judge a book by its cover?

Well, I do. Sorry (not sorry).

I would never read a book solely because I like the cover but whenever I’m in a book store and I see a pretty cover I just have to pick it up and find out what the book is about. If a book that I think I would enjoy reading has a gorgeous cover then it’s a nice bonus!

(2) Dragons

I’m obsessed about dragons so when I see the word, ‘dragon,’ in any book title or a picture of a dragon on a book cover I just have to find out more about it.

That’s just how I am.

(3) Sprayed edges

I am also obsessed about sprayed edges. I just think they’re so beautiful and I’m always looking for an excuse to add another sprayed-edged book to my collection.

(4) The author

There are some authors like Sarah J Maas, Leigh Bardugo, Jay Kristoff, Kiersten White or Laini Taylor that I would literally read anything they write. If they published a shopping list I’d read it. Seeing a book by an author I really like definitely makes me pick it up!

(5) The price

I love a good book bargain. If I see a book that I think I’ll enjoy reading for a good price, I snap it up immediately!

(6) An unusual title

Some titles are so unusual they just make you pause and marvel about their oddness. And then they make you want to find out more about the book. Here are a couple of examples of weird book titles I’ve heard recently:

☆ Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears (by Gregory L. Norris)

☆ The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (by Stuart Turton)

☆ The Girl Who Drank the Moon (by Kelly Barnhill)

☆ I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain (by Will Walton)

(7) A recommendation

If I see a book that has been recommended to me by a friend or another reviewer/ blogger/ author I’m sure to pick it up and check it out.

(8) Hype

I, too, fall victim to the lure of hype. Honestly, hype can sometimes be worse than the Pied Piper. I’ve read many books because of the hype. Sometimes they’ve lived up to it…. other times not so much.

(9) The blurb

Reading the blurb or summary of a book incites my interest. I tend to like things fantasy related: dragons (obviously), magic, warring kingdoms, lost princesses. Those kinds of things grab my attention immediately.

(10) The spine

Some books have such striking spines that stand out in a whole book shelf of vibrant, colourful book spines and you can’t help but pick them up.


What makes you pick up a book? Let me know in the comments!

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Top Ten Tuesday- Bookish Destinations

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is ‘places mentioned in books that I’d like to visit’ and I had so much fun writing this post and imagining what I would do in all of these fantastical places.

(1) Velaris (A Court of Thorns and Roses)

If I were to visit Velaris, I would definitely go during Starfall because it sounds so dazzling and glamorous.

(2) Hogwarts (Harry Potter series)

I wish Hogwarts were real so I could explore all of the hidden rooms and meet all of the different people there. It would also be so cool to go to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.

(3) Weep (Strange the Dreamer)

The main reason I’d want to visit Weep is to meet all of my favourite characters and see the places mentioned in the books. Also, the weather is nice there so that’s a plus!

(4) Red London (A Darker Shade of Magic)

I would love to go to Red London to visit the Night Market, the Setting Sun and see the Maresh palace. It would be so fascinating to be surrounded by so much magic and see how it fits into the inhabitants everyday lives.

(5) The Southern Continent (Throne of Glass series)

The Southern Continent seems like a beautiful place. Specifically, I would love to visit the rukhin and their ruks and also the Torre Cesme.

(6) Lothlórien (The Lord of the Rings)

Lothlórien seems so serene and picturesque and meeting an elf would be a dream come true!

(7) Ketterdam (Six of Crows)

Ketterdam seems like a lively, bustling place that I would love to visit. I would also have some waffles in Nina’s honour!

(8) Caraval (Caraval)

Although I wasn’t keen on the book I would like to visit Caraval as an onlooker not a participator.

(9) The Night Circus (The Night Circus)

If The Night Circus were real I’d be one of those obsessed people who try to predict where it would go next and visit as many times as they could.

(10) Mistward (Heir of Fire)

Mistward seems so friendly and tranquil and it would be so nice to hear one of Emrys’ stories!


What are your top ten bookish destinations? Let me know in the comments!

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Top Ten Tuesday- Favourite Book Couples

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is ‘favourite book couples’, so here are mine, in no particular order:

(1) Rowaelin (Throne of Glass series)

I think Rowan and Aelin are just perfect for each other and I love the emotional journey they go on together in Heir of Fire. Also, I think they make each other better people.

(2) Jude and Cardan (The Cruel Prince)

The reason I like these two is because they like each other but they hate liking each other at the same time and I’m in the background going, “Just accept your feelings already!”

(3) Cresswell (The Lunar Chronicles)

Cress and Thorne are just adorable together. There’s nothing more to say.

(4) Elizabeth and Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)

I love how it’s obvious they like each other from the beginning but they both have things they need to get past and understand before they can actually be together.

(5) Lazlo and Sarai (Strange the Dreamer)

These two are so sweet! They’re whimsical and dreamy and perfect together. Once upon a time there was a silence that dreamed of becoming a song, and then I found you, and now everything is music.

(6) Wesper (Six of Crows)

Wylan and Jesper are the most hilariously cute couple ever. “Maybe I liked your stupid face…”

(7) Kell and Lila (A Darker Shade of Magic)

Kell and Lila are like the ultimate power couple. And they’re awesome.

(8) Mehr and Amun (Empire of Sand)

Mehr and Amun get to know each other slowly by talking and sharing things about themselves before falling in love and it’s just so lovely to read about.

(9) Kaz and Inej (Six of Crows)

I love how Kaz and Inej are so guarded but they’re willing to open up for each other. I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”

(10) Elorcan (Throne of Glass)

I like Elide and I don’t mind Lorcan when he’s around her because she makes him a much more tolerable person!


What are your favourite bookish couples? Do you like any of mine? Let me know in the comments!

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Top Ten Tuesday- Upcoming Releases I’m On the Fence About

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today, I’ll be listing the upcoming releases I’m on the fence about, which means the books I need help deciding whether or not they’re worth adding to my tbr list.

(1) The Beautiful by Reneé Ahdieh

I don’t usually read anything with vampires but I love Ahdieh’s writing so I’m really not sure if I should add it to my tbr.

(2) Romanov by Nadine Brandes

(3) The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman

(4) Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

(5) Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell

(6) Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

(7) Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard

I kind of liked the Red Queen series but I don’t know if I want to read a bunch of short stories about the characters or not.

(8) Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt de la Pena

I read Wonder Woman: Warbringer in the DC icons series but I haven’t read any on the others and I don’t know if I would enjoy reading about Superman.

(9) Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers

I haven’t read the His Fair Assassin books and Courting Darkness is set in the same world so I don’t know if it’s worth reading.

(10) The Cerulean by Amy Ewing


Are any of these books on your tbr list? Do you think they’re worth reading? Help me decide in the comments!

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Top Ten Tuesday- Most recent additions to my tbr list

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today I’ll be listing some of the most recent additions to my ‘tbr list’ (taken from my Goodreads ‘want to read’ shelf). Here they are

(1) Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner

(2) The Gilded King by Josie Jaffrey

(3) Song of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury

(4) Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard

(5) A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy

(6) A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan

(7) The Outsider by Stephen King

(8) Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

(9) The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye

(10) Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand


Have you read any of these books? What are your most recent additions to your tbr? I’d love to see your answers in the comments!