Top Ten Tuesday [30]

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that allows bloggers to share their top ten lists for that week’s topics

Top Ten Books to Read Before Going to France and Italy

I'm going on an epic trip this spring to both France and Italy, so I'm currently all about everything for those countries and getting super excited for it, so this freebie is books that I'm planning on reading before I get there! 

1 - Rodin's Lover by Heather Webb

I've been meaning to read this for a while, and what better excuse than to read it before my upcoming trip!

2 - Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This is, obviously, a reread but I can't go back to Paris without reading about Anna and St. Claire, I just can't.  Especially when one day I have planned for wandering around the Quartier Latin, including a stop at Point Zero (and I'm fully prepared to convince my travel buddies to climb up to the top of the bell tower at Notre Dame)

3 - Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

So maybe I just finished rereading this book.  I had forgotten Josh's last name so I skimmed the first chapter to find it, and of course, I was hooked.  I love Josh...  But I'm planning on reading this one again (twice within 5 months is not a record for number of times I've read this book in that time span).  I might just plan it so I'm reading Anna and Isla on the flight over.  Although my friend may think I'm weirder than he originally thought with my squeeing over Josh...so that might not be a good idea... I did however add a trip to Album (the French one, not the American one) to the itinerary.  I almost want to add Pompidou, but since there will most likely be no kissing on the escalators I decided against it.

4 - Les Trois Mousquetaires by Alexandre Dumas

I started to read this one, then gave up because I wasn't in the French mood.  I love Dumas and really want to give it another try.

5 - Romancing the Dark in the City of Light by Ann Jacobus

Another one that's been on my to-read list and this trip gives me the perfect excuse to read it!

6 - City of Masks by Mary Hoffman

Another reread.  I first read this back in high school and I absolutely loved it.  I might even read the next two since they're Rome and Florence.  We'll see how much time I actually have.

7 - Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson

I love Maureen Johnson, so obviously this one I'll need to read.

8 - Venom by Fiona Paul

Since I didn't really know many books set in Italy (I'm much more of a Francophile) I had to do a search for them and this one sounded awesome.

9 - Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott

This came in my Owlcrate last month and it takes place in Florence, so a perfect read for my trip!

10 - Masquerade by Kylie Fornasier

Another one I found on my Italy search that sounded really cool.

Waiting on Wednesday [30]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating

This week I am waiting on The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury (February 23, 2016)

Summary from GoodReads

She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world... 

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years -- a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes. 

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

Why I'm Waiting

I love that djinns/jinns/genies are the new supernatural being trend.  I've always loved them (my all-time favorite show is I Dream of Jeannie).  So, needless to say I'm excited to read different takes on them.  And this one even has a bit of I Dream of Jeannie to it (Jeannie and Tony fall in love, Zahra falls for Aladdin).  Plus I love Aladdin, so a retelling is fantastic!  

Top Ten Tuesday [29]

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that allows bloggers to share their top ten lists for that week’s topics

Top Ten Books I've Recently Added to My TBR 

1 - Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow

This one is a result of me going overboard with my Hamilton obsession.  Since I'm only halfway through Hamilton, also by Ron Chernow, I don't think I'll be reading this one any time soon.  Besides, Washington isn't nearly as awesome as Hamilton was.

2 - Doctor Who: The Legends of Ashildr by Justin Richards

 I do really want to read this one, I'm curious to see if it's just Ashildr or if it includes Clara, either would be awesome.

3 - Nyae Nyae !Kung Beliefs and Rites by Lorna J. Marshall

I minored in Anthropology in undergrad, so every once in a while I get interested in a cool cultural group and want to read an ethnography.  This one my cousin recommended when I was visiting them. 

4 - The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino

Another recommendation from my cousin, Calvino's stuff sounds awesome, and this one sounds even more awesome.  I will definitely be reading this one sooner rather than later.

5 - Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Does this one even need explaining? 

6 - The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

A new Richelle Mead! Only two things could possibly be more exciting, a new Stephanie Perkins or Winds of Winter actually being released.

7 - Emma by Charlotte Bronte

I had never heard of this one and I came across it mentioned somewhere, so I need to read it.  I love reading books that are titled with my name :)

8 - Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

I don't remember adding this one, or where I would have even seen it.  But it does sound cool!

9 - A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

This one sounded awesome and I've seen some pretty good reviews for it.  Once I'm done with the monster that is Hamilton I'll finally be able to pick this one up.

10 - In Real Life by Jessica Love

Again, I don't remember where I saw this or why I added it to my list, but it does sound cool and I'll probably get around to reading it.

Waiting on Wednesday [29]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating

This week I am waiting on Broken Crowns by Lauren DeStefano (March 22, 2016)

 Summary from GoodReads

War rages everywhere and Morgan is caught in the middle in the haunting conclusion of The Internment Chronicles, from theNew York Times bestselling author of The Chemical Garden trilogy.

The city is falling out of the sky…

Morgan always thought it was just a saying. A metaphor. The words of the dying. But as they look up at the floating island that was their home, Pen and Morgan make a horrible discovery—Internment is sinking.

And it’s all Morgan’s fault.

Corrupted from the inside by one terrible king and assailed from the outside for precious resources by another, Internment could be destroyed because Morgan couldn’t keep a secret. As two wars become one, Morgan must find a way to bring her two worlds together to stop the kings that wage them…

Or face the furthest fall yet.

Why I'm Waiting

Why wouldn't I be waiting?  I absolutely love DeStefano, and this this the final installment of her latest amazing series.  I can't wait to see how everything turns out!

Top Ten Tuesday [28]

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that allows bloggers to share their top ten lists for that week’s topics

Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant to Get But I Didn't

1 - Emmy & Oliver by  Robin Benway

I had wanted to read this one last year, but I probably won't ever end up reading it now.

2 - Ash & Bramble by  Sarah Prineas

This is still pretty high on my TBR, I'll get to it eventually...

3 - The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

I'd still like to read this one, I'm not sure when I'll get around to it though.

4 - The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

I still need this one.  I love Ken Liu.

5 - Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

Another one that I still would like to read, but we'll see if I ever get around to it.

6 - The Last of the Firedrakes by Farah Oomerbhoy

I really wanted to read this one, but I probably won't end up reading it...maybe if I stumble across it at the library I'll snag a copy, but I'm not going there in search for it.

7 - A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

I had wanted to read this one, but I really haven't read any reviews that made it sound amazing, so it's highly unlikely that I'd ever get to it

8 - Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein

This one is also high up on my TBR, I really want to read it, maybe before the second one comes out...

9 - Uprooted by Naomi Novik

This is also high on my TBR, so I'll be getting it at some point this year.

10 - Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty

I'd like to read this one, and it's still on my TBR, but it's kind of far down on it, so I doubt I'll get to it any time soon.

2015 Bookish Survey

To get out of my end of the year non-blogging slump I'm participating in the 6th Annual End Of Year Survey hosted by The Perpetual Page Turner.

Number Of Books You Read: 67
Number of Re-Reads: 4
Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?

 I can't split out by book, so I'm doing the entire series since I read them all in 2015: The Elemental Trilogy.  So freaking good!

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

City Love, I had high hopes, but it was awful.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss.  I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did.

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

 Since the stipulation is "and they did" it'd have to be The Golden Compass (granted he's only 1/3 of the way through, but he's actually reading it!).  Otherwise it'd be The Burning Sky, that one I told 2 people to read and one kind of not really started and the other probably will read it this year.

 5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?

Aside from The Elemental Trilogy (which would be all three)...

 Started: Illuminae

Sequel: Blue Lily, Lily Blue

Ender: Winter

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

 Sherry Thomas

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

 Becoming Josephine.  I don't typically read historical fiction unless there's a cool twist to it, but this was just a straight up accurate history through the eyes of Josephine Bonepart (hence the fiction).  It was really awesome!

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

 Illuminae

 9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

 Either Illuminae or Reawakened

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

 The Thing About Jellyfish.  I chose this book purely based off of the cover, it's fantastic.

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

A.  He's such a unique character, I can say with certainty there is no other character ever written quite like him.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

The Hero and the Crown.  There's a reason why I keep coming back to this book.  It's one of the best books I've ever read.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?

The Unconscious Confessional yes, I know next to no one has ever heard of this book.  But it was the most thought provoking.  This is my friend's book, so after reading it I really had to focus on structure and themes and character voices.  It was an eye opening experience to the world of book writing.  I suppose you could call it life-changing to, because it brought us closer together as friends, before we were merely co-workers who shared a mutual love for Doctor Who.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? 

 A Clockwork Orange

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

"I never got to experience this overabundance of male pulchritude myself" - Immortal Heights

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?

Shortest: The Golden Compass Graphic Novel, Volume 1

Longest: Winter

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

We'll Never Be Apart

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

There were so many...

Iolanthe and Titus, Simon and Baz, every couple from Winter, Kady and Ezra, Sydney and Adrian.  If I had to choose a favorite it'd probably be Simon and Baz, but that's just my mood at the moment.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Lizzie and Nell

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

 The Name of the Star 

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

 Everyday (thanks Nori!)

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?

Bo from Dumplin'

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

The Dinosaur Lords Paradise sounds so cool!  The more I read about it the more I wanted to know about the world itself.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?

Owner's Share

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

The Elemental Trilogy.  This series should get WAY more love than it does, I don't understand why there's next to no hype around it.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Waving Backwards: A Savannah Novel it was so bad, just so so bad.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

Illuminae

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Fans of the Impossible Life I was mad at pretty much everything the characters said/did.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?

Daniel is Reading

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?

The Thing About Jellyfish

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

Didn't really have one, goes back to me being awful at responding to comments.  Hopefully this year I'll do better!

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

I really only did BEA, and participating in Top Ten Tuesday, which is my favorite blog meme

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?

Receiving my first comment on a post (that wasn't from a friend).  People were actually reading my blog!

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

Since I started my blog this year, it would be that, figuring it out and learning how to successfully write reviews and post things without a lot of downtime.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

by views it's Summer 2015 Giveaway which is totally understandable, who doesn't want free stuff?
by comments it's Top Ten Tuesday [13]

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

My Short Story Sunday posts, when I actually get around to posting them...

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

OwlCrate

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

Yes, my goal was to read 50 books, I read 67 (only 65 according to GoodReads because I couldn't count my friend's book and I didn't mark Fangirl as re-read).  I didn't do as well with the PopSugar reading challenge, I was 18 books short because I wasn't counting books for double things.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?

Rodin's Lover.  I will read this before I go back to France! (although, I also need to read Anna and the French Kiss and Isla and the Happily Ever After before I go back too...)

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?

Winds of Winter it better come out this year!

3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Probably Bookishly Ever After.  I don't really get super excited over debuts, I'll read them and love them, but I never eagerly anticipate them.

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?

Aside from Winds of Winter (Song of Ice and Fire) it would be Gemina (The Illuminae Files)

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?

Be more vocal outside of the actual post.  Meaning, have more than GoodReads updates on my twitter and respond to comments

6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

I don't believe I've read any 2016 releases yet, so, none.