I’m excited about this week’s prompt because it gives me a chance to brag about the incredible books I’ve read in the past several months. It’s been a pretty great reading year so far! Books are listed in the order I read them.
Happy 5th anniversary to Top 10 Tuesday! Very exciting. I discovered TTT last May and have participating ever since. It’s a great weekly meme which connects book bloggers and gives us a chance to highlight our favorite books and make super fun lists. What’s not to love?! Today I’m listing my favorite “top ten” topics of the TTTs I’ve personally participated in. (It would have been too difficult to pick only ten topics from the archives! I do not envy those of you who have been participating all five years!)
2015
1. Books as movies/TV shows (June 2) – This was too much fun! I love imagining my favorite books and characters coming to life on the screen.
3. Peeking in on characters’ lives (April 7) – This was such a great prompt because I’ve often wondered ‘what happened next?’ This goes for all books without epilogues. Did the guy and the girl stay together?
4. Books from childhood (March 24) – Your favorite childhood books really leave an impact – they shape you! I enjoyed giving appreciation to my childhood reads.
6. Likes/dislikes about bookish romance (Feb 10) – I am such a sucker for a good romance. This TTT gave me a chance to outline my favorite (and least favorite!) aspects of bookish romance.
2014
7. Places I want to be (Oct 14) – The top 10 places books have made me want to visit – as an avid traveler, this topic spoke to me.
8. Characters on a deserted island (July 22) – I tried to be logical about this topic, but I think I was too excited about being stranded with my favorite book boyfriends. 😛
9. Cover trends I like/dislike (June 24) – Let’s be honest – judging books by their covers is totally permissible.
*FUN FACT: I tallied the number of times certain books/characters/authors were mentioned across the ten TTTs I chose for this post. The frontrunners included The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (7!), Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (6), Graceling by Kristin Cashore (6), Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (5), and City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (5).
Looking forward to future TTTs! What were your favorite TTT topics? Feel free to link to your fave TTT posts in the comments below so I can check them out. 🙂
I came home from BEA with 47 books, 31 of which were ARCs. I’ve already created a spreadsheet to organize my books by release date, and now I’ve got them stacked according to the order in which I plan to read them. So my summer TBR consists of the August/September releases I picked up at BEA. Looking forward to reading every one of them!
1. Court of Fives by Kate Elliott – Aug 18
2. Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman – Aug 25
3. Cage of Deceit by Jennifer Anne Davis – Aug 25
4. A Whole New World by Liz Braswell – Sep 1
5. Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman – Sep 1
6. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy – Sep 15
7. Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales – Sep 15
8. Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson – Sep 22
1. Ink and Bone (The Great Library, #1) by Rachel Caine – July 7
2. Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J Maas – Sep 1
3. Hunter (Hunter, #1) by Mercedes Lackey – Sep 1
4. The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow – Sep 22
5. Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith – Oct 6
6. Ice Like Fire (Snow Likes Ashes, #2) by Sara Raasch – Oct 13
7. Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown – Oct 20
8. Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird, #2) by Claudia Gray – Nov 3
9. Da Vinci’s Tiger by Laura Malone Elliott – Nov 10
10. Winter(The Lunar Chronicles, #4) by Marissa Meyer – Nov 10
The following books are 2015 releases I’m anticipating but did not add to my list because I picked them up at BEA. These include Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid (Aug 4), Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman (Aug 25), Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Sep 29), A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston (Oct 6), and Soundless by Richelle Mead (Nov 10).
What 2015 releases are you anticipating?? Do we have any books in common? Any recommendations to add to my TBR?
Okay, this might be my favorite TTT so far this year. It’s cool because it’s not improbable – it seems to me as if more and more of my favorite books are being converted for the screen, whether it be for cinema or television.
Just look at the success of the Harry Potter movies, the Hunger Games franchise, Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars. As for TV shows, there’s Game of Thrones (I don’t watch it, but there’s plenty of evidence of it’s popularity!), The 100, the upcoming Mortal Instruments TV show.
Have I mentioned how crazy I am about today’s topic?? Huge fan.
1. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer – Multiple movies would be epic, but I think it’s particularly well suited for TV what with the alternating perspectives of the large cast of characters.
Kelsey Chow or Lindsey Morgan as CINDER ; Katie McGrath as LEVANA
2. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray – TV show. I just think each of the parallel universes could be explored in greater depth.
3. The Selection by Kiera Cass – TV show, like a teen version of The Bachelor. I’m sorry if that’s cliche. (I still think a lot of us would watch us.)
4. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski – TV show. Hands-down. It’s addictive and intriguing and political. And don’t those qualities perfectly describe America’s current TV faves?
Julianne Hough or Lily James as KESTREL
5. Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter – I could see this going both ways. But I admit Cammie’s escapades as a spy-in-training could be filmed as individual episodes of a TV show, and each book as a full season.
6. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson – Super cute romantic comedy – you know the one, where everything goes wrong until the end? But I’d only watch it if they film in Europe.
7. Legend by Marie Lu – Ah, I’m torn. I’d be totally on board for a movie or a TV show. So long as there’s awesome chemistry between the characters just like the books!
Hailee Steinfeld as JUNE
8. The Cuckoo’s Calling / The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith – Movies! I love murder mysteries.
9. Born of Illusion by Teri Brown – The gritty and enchanting setting of jazz age New York screams TV show.
10. Smart Girls Get What They Want – This would be a seriously adorable coming-of-age romantic comedy. I’m gaga for Gigi!
Olivia Holt or Stefanie Scott as GIGI
Have you guys heard of the “If List“? It’s an online site that allows you to nominate actors/actresses for the roles of your favorite characters. I’ve only just discovered it, so I’m looking forward to playing around with it a bit. Check it out!
Do you prefer movies or TV shows? DISCUSSION QUESTION: Would you rather wait for your fave book to be turned into a movie, and watch it all in one go, or watch it as a TV show that spans over months/years?
There is nothing sweeter than reading a good romance during the summer. It’s satisfying to read about young love while I sit by the pool or at the beach. <3
1. Love, Lucy by April Lindner
2. The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne
3. Wrong About the Guy by Claire LaZebnik
4. The Heir by Kiera Cass
5. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
6. Kissing in America by Margo Rabb – May 26
7. P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han – May 26
8. Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout – June 9
9. Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat – June 16
10. Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid – Aug 4
Have you read any of these books? Are you looking forward to reading any of these books? Share your thoughts!
So for this freebie day, I’ve decided to go back to the topic I skipped earlier this month (April 28) – I was swamped with exams! Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who _____ (are musically inclined, have lost someone, have depression, who grow up poor, etc.) I’m glad I get to revisit it, as I think it’s a super awesome prompt and all my favorite geniuses came to mind…
*in no particular order
1.Reynie Muldoon, Sticky Washington, Constance Contraire (The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart) – The birthday party at the end of book 1? Knocked my socks off. (If you’ve read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about!) *Hint: It’s the reason grumpy Constance Contraire will forever have a place in my heart.
2. Lizzie, Gregor’s sister (Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins) – She loves solving puzzles, and she’s good at it, but she’s shy and incredibly humble. Gotta love that combination in a character.
3. Charles Wallace, Meg’s younger brother (A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle) – Maybe he and Constance Contraire should go out.
4. Turtle Wexler (The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin) – She’s weird, but I wish we could be friends.
5. Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer) – “Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind.” He’s only everything I’ve always wished I could be.
6. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling) – Okay, so, we may not be explicitly told that Hermione is a genius, but we all know it’s true.
7. Liz Sutton (Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter) – She speaks a ton of languages and cracks CIA codes, but she’s klutzy and naive and super sweet.
8. Micah (Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless by Liz Czukas) – Has a genius IQ, and he’s adorable for it. 😉
9. Paul and Teddy (A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray) – There is nothing more attractive than two teenage guys studying parallel dimensions alongside your brilliant parents.
10. June and Day (Legend by Marie Lu) – Two prodigies – a soldier and a criminal – totally makes for a super cute romance.
HAVE YOU READ THESE BOOKS? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS! ALSO, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE GENIUSES!
1. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter series, Cormoran Strike novels – She’s a genius. I’m not even sure what I’d say to her if we ever came face-to-face.
2. Maggie Stiefvater – The Raven Boys – She’ll be at BEA! EEK!
3. Marissa Meyer – The Lunar Chronicles – Will also be at BEA! I’ll have to tell her how absolutely obsessed I am with Fairest.
4. Veronica Roth – Divergent trilogy – If only we could sit down and have a really long discussion about her books. That would be awesome.
5. Cassandra Clare – Mortal Instruments series, Infernal Devices series – If she’s as funny as her characters (and I imagine she’s funnier, as she’s the mastermind behind them all), I think we’ll get along just fine.
6. Sarah J. Maas – Throne of Glass series, ACOTAR (currently reading!) – Her books give me all the feels. And she’ll be at BEA, too…
8. Sarah Dessen – This Lullaby, Just Listen, Along for the Ride – I think Sarah Dessen would be an excellent mentor. What do you guys think??
9. Leigh Bardugo – Shadow and Bone trilogy – She’s created such a unique story world, and I’d love to pick her brain. (Does that sound weird?)
10. Kiersten White – Mind Games, An Illusion of Fate – I love, love, love her writing style, and I just think she’s got a great personality. Kiersten White, can we be friends??
What authors would you want to meet face-to-face? Also, let me know if you’ll be at BEA – I’ll be so excited to meet my blogger friends!
1. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson – I feel sort of guilty about this one. I got maybe halfway through, put it down, and never picked it back up. I can’t even remember why I abandoned it. Now I just don’t feel like starting over, so it will forever shame me from my bookshelf.
2. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi – Another book I started reading but never finished. I heard so many good things, and I think I enjoyed it during the brief period I was reading, but I can’t go back.
3. Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell – I was so excited about this book, but I’ve read a few reviews which put a bad taste in my mouth. Also, I’m just not sure I could handle a teenage serial killer.
4. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver – I fell hard for book 1 (Delirium) of this series, but I just can’t bring myself to read book 2. It bugs me when authors separate their protagonists from the love interests, simply to throw up another obstacle. Grr.
5. The Jewel by Amy Ewing – Interesting premise, but I’ve read too many negative reviews to give it a shot. Maybe someday, but I’m already drowning in my current TBR pile.
6. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling – This is the first book Rowling published following the Harry Potter series, and I can imagine she was under a lot of pressure. I just don’t want the book to tarnish my perspective of her. I’ve read her Robert Galbraith books (and absolutely LOVED them!) but I will not read this one.
7. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt – I tried, guys. I really tried.
8. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – So many recommendations! Maybe I’ll come back to it a few years from now.
9. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin – These books require such a time commitment. And there are so many characters to keep up with. I just wanted to find out what happened to Arya, and it seemed like there were a million pages between me and Arya’s next chapter.
10. The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon – Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of The Bone Season, but I was curious to see if the sequel might be any better. It sat at the top of my TBR for weeks and then I decided to return it to the library because it was overdue…
Have you read these books?? Should I give them a second chance? Share your thoughts!
I gave this TTT a lot of serious thought. It wasn’t difficult for me to pick only 10, as crazy as that sounds, but rather it was more difficult to think about my working definition of “favorite.” Because, believe it or not, several of the novels written by the authors on the list probably wouldn’t make my all-time favorite books list. But their authors are on this list because their writing has moved me, or inspired me, or captivated me. It is absolutely the best feeling to become so wrapped up in a book you forget all else. These authors have accomplished that for me, so I thank them for it. 🙂
In no particular order…
1. J.K. ROWLING – Harry Potter series, Cormoran Strike novels
