T5W: Disappointing Eye Candy (January 27th, 2016)

Welcome to Top 5 Wednesday! If you don’t know what this is, Top Five Wednesday was created by Lainey, or Gingerreadslainey. She creates a different topic each week, and BookTubers and Book Bloggers can discuss their favorite (or least favorite book) based off of the topics! The Goodreads group can be found here, feel free to join in!

Today’s topic is disappointing eye candy – books that look good, but were bad.

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Okay – this may get a tad controversial…

Uprooted by Naomi Novik – Okay, this is a very LOVED or HATED book.  I was in the latter category. I never wrote a review because I DNF’d it, but I did write an explanation somewhere in a comment explaining my dislike: romance ick. magic boring. 

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes – STOP. DON’T HATE ME. I did not hate this book, but it was disappointing.  I gave it 3 stars, and my review is here.  It was very hyped, and I don’t think it lived up to that hype.

The One by Kiera Cass – It wasn’t the best, and the whole premise is some ridiculousness fun.  But, if you go in expecting a lot, there will probably be disappointment.

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi – Book 1, Shatter Me, was okay.  This one was also okay.  But, Juliette annoys me so much, and it’s also just another book that did not live up to the hype.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater – This did not work for me.  The romance was weird, and I couldn’t really get into the plot.  The writing, however, was beautiful, and I loved Raven Boys from Stiefvater’s other series!

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What are some of your disappointing eye candies? Link your T5W post/video/comment below!

 

 

T5W: Favorite Fandoms (January 6th, 2016)

I have another Top 5 Wednesday this week!! If you don’t know what this is, Top Five Wednesday was created by Lainey, or Gingerreadslainey. She creates a different topic each week, and BookTubers and Book Bloggers can discuss their favorite (or least favorite book) based off of the topics! The Goodreads group can be found here, feel free to join in!

Today’s topic is very exciting: favorite fandoms! I am a complete fangirl, so this was very hard to narrow down.

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Tribute

I started reading the Hunger Games series right when Catching Fire came out and I fell in love.  Waiting for Mockingjay was one of the hardest waits I’ve ever had, and going to all the movie premieres was amazing.  It was hard to say bye to the franchise in 2015 with the last movie coming out.

Potterhead

Harry Potter – No words needed as an explanation.  I grew up with the books and movies, and I am so glad that they were a part of my childhood.  

Sherlockian

I love the BBC Sherlock adaptation so much! It is the king of all cliffhangers and heart stompers.  My favorite character, Moriarty, isn’t even in the picture above, but he is the perfect villain. Sadly I am not part of the other two fandoms in the “Superwholock” fandom, but I’ve heard great things about Supernatural and Doctor Who!

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones – For now, I only watch the TV show, but I’m slowly making my way through the books.  I absolutely adore this TV series/story.  It’s so complex and a great fantasy world.  It deserves all the hype it gets, in my opinion.  Yes, there’s death, and, yes, there’s the constant fear of your favorites being killed. However, it’s completely worth it. Valar Morghulis.

Hodgepodge

Because I am a cheater and am very, very bad at choosing between things.  Here is a list of other fandoms I adore:

• Percy Jackson and the Olympians
• The Grisha universe
• Friends (the TV show) (Monica and Chandler forever)
• The Big Bang Theory
• Everything Disney related
• How I Met Your Mother (can you tell I like sit-coms?)
• Phantom of the Opera (not sure if this is a fandom, but my fav. musical)

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What are some of your favorite fandoms? Link me your posts/answers!

 

T5W: Series You Want to Start Next Year (December 23rd, 2015)

I have another Top 5 Wednesday this week!! If you don’t know what this is, Top Five Wednesday was created by Lainey, or Gingerreadslainey. She creates a different topic each week, and BookTubers and Book Bloggers can discuss their favorite (or least favorite book) based off of the topics! The Goodreads group can be found here, feel free to join in!

Today’s topic is top 5 series I want to start next year! For this list, I’m going to leave out any new series that are coming out in 2016 because that will be a “anticipated 2016 reads” post.  These 5 are solely series that are already partially or fully out!

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In no particular order:

1. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon – I recently bought the first book, and I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about this series. I want to start this in 2016.  It’s going to be an 8 book series, but book 3 comes out in 2016!

2. The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan – continuing with the fantasy kick.  I actually have the first two books of the Riyria CHRONICLES, and you can read either series first even though they follow the same characters.  However, I heard you get more character development reading the Revelations first.  Also, Michael J. Sullivan is one of the nicest authors!

3. The Shifters by Rachel Vincent – I’ve been on a paranormal/urban fantasy kick lately (Fever series, Mercy Thompson series, etc.)! I have heard great things about this series, and I’ve never read about were-cats before.

4. The Others by Anne Bishop – more urban fantasy/vampires/werewolves/paranormal! I heard that the world building and character develop is phenomenal in this series, and I must start it as soon as possible!

5. Starbound series by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner – I’m not the biggest fan of sci-fi/space novels, but the finale of this trilogy came out recently and people have been hyping this series up for a while.  The covers are definitely some of the most gorgeous I have ever seen!

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There are certainly a lot more series I want to start next year, but those are some of my top ones. Hopefully I’ll get to them, but I might get sidetracked with new releases and some of the reading challenges I’m doing in 2016!

What are your Top 5 picks? Link your T5Ws in the comments below!

 

 

Top 5 Wednesday: Books I’m Thankful For (November 25th, 2015)

 

I haven’t done a Top Five Wednesday in forever! If you don’t know what this is, Top Five Wednesday was created by Lainey, or Gingerreadslainey. She creates a different topic each week, and BookTubers and Book Bloggers can discuss their favorite (or least favorite book) based off of the topics! The Goodreads group can be found here, feel free to join in!

Today’s topic, in the spirit of the American holiday Thanksgiving, is top five books I am thankful for!

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5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – This is a story about a young girl going to college and feeling out of place.  It really resonated with me and a lot of other readers I know because we all feel socially awkward.  It’s hard for me, as an introvert, to reach out of my comfort zone, and this novel helped remind me that I am not alone.

 

 

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4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – This is one of my absolute favorite classics/books of all time.  This is a feel-good book that I read when I am feeling down (or watch any of the movie adaptations!) The classic rom-com, love story never disappoints.

 

 

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3. The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson – I love fantasy.  It’s my favorite genre, and this series is my favorite fantasy series.  The characters and the world that Sanderson has created are both complex and lovable.  I am so thankful that this series is in my life and has helped spur my love for fantasy. My full review of the first book is here.

 

 

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2. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng –  There’s so much I want to say about this novel.  Detailing the struggles of a half-American, half-Asian family during the 1970s, this novel deals with so many real conflicts that people face in real life. I love this book so much even though it breaks my heart.  My full review is here!

 

 

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1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – Of course, is it any surprise?  This series was my childhood; I grew up with the books and the movies coming out.  There is so much sentimental value behind this series, and it really shaped who I am as a person and as a reader.  Thank you, J.K. Rowling, thank you so much.

 

 

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What books are you thankful for? Comment your own lists!

Happy Thanksgiving,

A

 

 

Top 5 Wednesday: Top 5 Books I Read in One Sitting (or close to) (June 17, 2015)

It’s time for another Top 5 Wednesday! If you don’t know what this is, Top Five Wednesday was created by Lainey, or Gingerreadslainey. She creates a different topic each week, and BookTubers and Book Bloggers can discuss their favorite (or least favorite book) based off of the topics! The Goodreads group can be found here, feel free to join in!

Today’s topic is top 5 books that I read in one sitting.  This is really applicable to me because if I put down a book for a long time, it is hard for me to continue, so I end up reading many books in one sitting (or almost one)

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In no particular order:

5. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh – This is one of my most recent one-sitting reads.  Definitely recommend this book, and you can check out my whole review of it here. This is great for people who like romance with a little bit of butt-kicking action although this novel is mainly focused on the love story.  It’s amazing! Go read it.  I couldn’t put it down.

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4. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins – Also a June read of mine.  I have a full review of this here if you want to hear more of my thoughts on this. However, I definitely love this book! It is pretty funny, but the action and magic system is really interesting.  The main character, Harper, never fails to entertain, and the romance portion is really adorable.

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3. The entire Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead – I recently marathoned this series for the first time, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single book!  This is a solid 4/4.5 star series for me, and I definitly prefer it compared to some of the other paranormal series I’ve read.  I didn’t read the entire series in one sitting (it’s 6 books!), but I read each individual book in a single sitting.  They aren’t very large books; however, each book was enjoyable and gripping, and I wanted to see what would happen next!  Read it if you haven’t already, but don’t watch the movie.  The books are so much better. However, I really wish they could remake the books into a TV show (like how they’re doing the Mortal Instruments series).

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2. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare – This is the very last book of the Infernal Devices trilogy, and it’s one of the BEST series finales/final books that I have ever read.  No spoilers, but the epilogue….If you read it you know what I’m talking about.  The epilogue brought tears to my eyes.  The action, the love triangle, the world were all so perfect in this series/book.  All the books on this list are all must-read recommendations, but you really do need to read this trilogy! I think it is a lot better than Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series, and I actually read this before I read her other series.

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1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling – Everyone and their mother has probably already read this book, but I can’t not mention Harry Potter.  I read a few of the books in one sitting (not Order of the Phoenix), but I distinctly remember reading this one and not being able to put it down.  I was on a road trip up to a beach so I had a lot of time to read in the car.  So much nostalgia…I also love the movie version of this book!

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Honorable Mention: I also really wanted to mention the Legend series by Marie Lu because I absolutely LOVE this series.  I recommend it to a lot of people who want to read dystopian/YA but don’t know where to start.  I read each book in one sitting and had to wait for the next book to come out which killed me.  Everyone knows about the Hunger Games and Divergent, but I think the Legend series is definitely comparable to both (and probably better than the Divergent series).  More people need to know about this, especially outside of the book community (I want movie version)!

So, that is my top 5 books I read in one sitting (plus an honorable mention)! What did you think of my list? Did you read any of these books in one sitting? Comment/Link your top 5 one sitting reads below! I want to see them!

Always,

A

Top 5 Wednesday: Books I Will Never Read. Ever. (May 27th, 2015)

Hey Everyone! I decided to participate in this week’s Top 5 Wednesday! The topic is the Top 5 Books You Won’t Read. Ever.   If you don’t know what this is, Top Five Wednesday was created by Lainey, or Gingerreadslainey. She creates a different topic each week, and BookTubers and Book Bloggers can discuss their favorite (or least favorite book) based off of the topics! The Goodreads group can be found here, feel free to join in!

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5. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

First up is Allegiant.  I’m sorry! I know a lot of you love this series/book and I did enjoy the first two books in this series, but I read them when they first came out, and I never picked up Allegiant when that one came out.  Since then, I have been spoiled for it already, and I’ve forgotten a lot of what happened in the previous two books.  I just don’t think it is worth the effort for me to go back, re-read the past two books, and then read Allegiant.  There have also been mixed reviews about this book which has made me even more reluctant to pick it up.

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4. Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 

Next up is the Caster Chronicles, or more commonly known as the Beautiful Creatures series.  This series commonly gets a lot of hate on the BookTube community, and I feel like I have similar tastes to a lot of those readers. It’s made me really reluctant to take on this series, and I feel like the series is too much of an investment with 4 really thick books if I am not sure I will like it.  I personally love fantasy type novels, but there are so many other fantasy series that I need to get to that I will probably never have enough time to read this series.

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3. Reached by Ally Condie

Another last of a trilogy that I will not be finishing.  Reached  is the third book in the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie.  I remember reading Matched and Crossed about 2 years ago, and I found it interesting, but it didn’t grip me the way other trilogies do.  The same situation with Allegiant applies here; I don’t want to re-read the first two books in the series and then read this one when I have other books I need to read.  I have also heard disappointing things about this, so *motivation decreased*.  I have forgotten most of what happened in the series (even the characters’ names, oops).

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2. The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater

I guess this is another series that i will never read, but I’m going to count it as one.  I read the first book, Shiver, and I did not like it.  The writing was very poetic, which I didn’t mind, but the romance didn’t interest me.  I thought it was a bit cheesy and there wasn’t much going on in the book until the very end.  I’m not very big on werewolves either, and the concept was interesting, but it didn’t really intrigue me that much.

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1. The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer

Probably the most controversial series on this list.  I read Twilight, and it was alright, but I just never picked up the next three books.  I’ve hear a lot of disappointing reviews about Breaking Dawn and I don’t want to read the next two but not finish the entire series, so I probably won’t be picking up any of the other books.  Also, I did a big no-no which is watching the movies before reading the books.  Yes, I’ve watched every Twilight movie, so I know the general plot, but I’m still un-motivated to pick these back up.  Who knows, maybe if I run out of books to read one day I’ll jump back into this series.  But, for now, it looks like I will never be reading the last three books in the Twilight Saga.

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So, that wraps up my very first top 5 Wednesday post! This was fun, so I will most likely be continuing these posts every Wednesday! Disclaimer: I’m sorry if you love any of the books I mentioned.  These are just my own opinions, and if you really, really loved one of these, please leave a comment and maybe I’ll be more motivated to pick it up. Maybe.

Stay Classy,

A