Top 5 Wednesday – April 5th, 2017

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Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Gingerreadslainey and is now hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. Every week, book reviewers all over the world are given a bookish topic and respond with their top 5 books (or elements of books) that relate to that topic. Click here for the Goodreads group if you would like to learn more about Top 5 Wednesday and join in!

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is the top five science fiction and/or fantasy books you want to read ASAP! As always, this sort of topic is fantastic for me and my embarrassingly large TBR pile. Science fiction and fantasy are my absolute favorite genres, and there are so many books that I am completely ashamed about still having on my “to read” list. So, join me on my mini book guilt trip as I pick out the top five SFF books I am the most eager to read! 🙂

5. The Martian by Andy Weir

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I got this for my dad fairly soon after it came out—back before it got super popular, and before the movie (…yes, I am just hipster like that…). Originally, it wasn’t something I was really looking at to read myself, but after all the amazing things I’ve heard about it, I definitely want to give it a go!

4. The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova

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This is actually the least embarrassing book on my list since I only discovered it a couple of weeks ago. But I am so excited to read this book! I’ll admit, part of this excitement comes from the fact that one of the main characters is named Ari…but everything else about this book sounds so awesome as well! Anyone who knows me knows I love some good steampunk in my life!

3. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

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It seems like everyone but me has read this book by now! And I can’t even count the number of times it’s been recommended to me. This is another one that I got for my dad, this time with the intention of doing a buddy read. However, he has read it and I have once again failed to pick up a book I am dying to read!

2. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

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Yep…still on my list. Still sitting next to my bed, calling to me. I know I’m going to love this book. I want to read this so badly—there’s no good excuse as to why I haven’t yet. This is just another example of how freaked out I can get by big fantasy books sometimes. But mark my words—I will pick this up before 2017 is over!

1. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

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And finally, the most embarrassing TBR book in my pile. Yes, even after talking about wanting to read it for almost two years, I still have yet to start the series! Not only do I just want to get going on these books in general, but my parents got me the lovely and beautiful illustrated edition for Christmas (it is insanely gorgeous!). I’m really hoping this will be the year that I finally stop talking and start reading! 😛

What are some science fiction and fantasy novels that you are most eager to read? Do we have any in common? Let me know in the comments!

 

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Top 5 Wednesday – August 24th, 2016

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Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Gingerreadslainey and is now hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. Every week, book reviewers all over the world are given a bookish topic and respond with their top 5 books (or elements of books) that relate to that topic. Click here for the Goodreads group if you would like to learn more about Top 5 Wednesday and join in!

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is the top five books you want to read before the end of the year. Welcome to yet another installment in the “Ari’s TBR Shame” series! Today, we’ll be doing a bit of New Year’s reading resolution shaming, as I believe that all of these books are off of my “16 in 2016” TBR from the beginning of the year. However, on the positive side of things, I have a fairly good feeling I’ll be able to finish all of these novels by the end of the year (she says with eternal optimism…). 🙂

5. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

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This one comes straight off my “been on my TBR for way too long” list from yesterday. Even though I’m sure I’ll love this one, I am so overloaded with books right now, I think I’ve been putting this series off mainly because of the length. I’ve been trying to put a bit more of a dent in my TBR before starting on this one, but I’m going to make sure it gets read before the year is out!

4. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

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Tying in with yesterday’s Top 10 Tuesday post, this is a book that I’ve had sitting on my TBR for a very long time—definitely since well before I started blogging. In fact, it was one of the first books I added to my Goodreads TBR. I’ve started working on this one already, so my finishing it before the end of the year is pretty certain.

3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

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This is another one that’s a duplicate from yesterday’s list. I’ve owned a copy of this novel since it was first released and have been dying to read it for years—and yet, it’s still siting on my TBR. I started it at one point, got really busy with schoolwork, and unfortunately had to put it aside. But I already know I love the story—or at least what I’ve read—so this is a must read before the end of 2016!

2. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

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As I said before, this was on my list from the beginning of the year, and it’s been a goal of mine to read my first Tolkien novel in 2016. Thus, The Hobbit makes it onto this list. I figure this will be a good one to start off with, and then I can jump into LOTR later on.

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

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And once again, another one rolling over from yesterday’s list! I’m really determined to get some of these ones that have been sitting on my TBR done soon. Though this has been on my list the least amount of time out of the five I’ve chosen, this is by far the craziest one. Victoria Schwab is one of my favorite authors and it is absolutely insane that I haven’t begun this series yet! This is a top priority!

What books are you guys hoping to eliminate from your TBR before the end of 2016? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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Top 5 Wednesday – April 20th, 2016

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Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Gingerreadslainey. Every week, book reviewers all over the world are given a bookish topic and respond with their top 5 books (or elements of books) that relate to that topic. Click here for the Goodreads group if you would like to learn more about Top 5 Wednesday and join in!

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is the top five books that you’re intimidated by. Though I am an avid reader that will gladly read (almost) anything you hand to me, I get intimidated by books fairly easily. This never prevents me from picking up the books and giving them a go, it just makes me put them off for ages. Most times, my fear is caused by the length of the novel. I’m a relatively slow reader who loves fantasy and sci-fi, which can by a problematic combination, at least for me! Hype surrounding novels can also make me nervous, and since I take forever to get around to popular series, this is a major issue for me as well. And of course, let’s not forget about the potential of massive quantities of feels…

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Okay, let’s get into that list! 😀

5. Under the Dome by Stephen King

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Two words: Page. Count. 1000+ pages definitely freaks me out, even if it is a book by an author I love. Also, the copy I have to read is my dad’s hardcover edition, which (probably due to the troubles I have lifting it up!) is psyching me out even more. I’m very interested in both this novel and the television series, having heard fantastic things about both. I may have to get a copy on Kindle—that might help…

4. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

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I find the entire Mistborn series pretty daunting, but actually less so than the other series I have on this list. This intimidation comes purely from page count. Based on what I know about these novels, I have a feeling that I will not have a difficult time actually getting into the story and the writing. I am determined to get through at least this first book before the end of the year. Now if I can just find the time…

3. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

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Once again, I must address my shame at never having read any Tolkien books or seen any of The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit films. I intend to finally fix the film part this year, as well begin reading the LOTR trilogy, but I definitely feel intimidated. I’m certain that I will love it—I can’t imagine not adoring these stories! But I still feel pressure since these are such well-loved classics. To be honest, I’m also pretty nervous about trying to remember everyone’s names as well!

2. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

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All right, so I’m intimidated by this entire series, but I’ll just stick with the first one for now since I haven’t even gotten through that yet! I’ve already started watching the television show (which I know is a bad book nerd move!), and I absolutely love it, so I’m sure that I will enjoy these books. They are definitely worth the time and effort…but that page quantity though. Since I’ll be traveling a bit this summer, I figured that might be a good time to get started. I am going to feel so accomplished when I finally finish this series (or at least what’s been released)!

1. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

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This is right up my alley in terms of subject matter, but holy page count, Batman! My main concern is that this novel might be hard to get into, which is more likely to discourage me with a book this size. Nevertheless, if everything I have heard about this book is true, it is certainly worth the read!

What are some books that have intimidated you guys? Do we have any in common? Are there any books that you were nervous to pick up but ended up loving? Let me know down in the comments!

-Ariana

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New Year’s Resolutions Book Tag

I was tagged by the lovely SSJTimeLord to do the New Year’s Resolution Book Tag. Thank you so much for the tag! 😀 She is a fantastic book blogger, so please make sure to take a moment to head over and check out her blog.

This tag was created by Emily over at Embuhlee liest and Shivii from Brown Eyed Musings.

Get in shape – name a book that doesn’t quite fit on your shelf correctly.

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Surprisingly enough, I don’t actually have too many books that are oddly shaped or don’t match the size of a fair amount of other books. However, my leather bound editions of books, though they match each other, are taller and wider than all the other books I own. My editions of To Kill a Mockingbird and Grimm’s Fairy Tales in particular don’t quite fit with everything else and stick out among my book piles.

Eat healthily – name a book you feel was good for you to read.

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It’s difficult to choose just one book for this question. I would have to go with either To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee or The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. These are beautiful novels—two of my favorites of all time, mainly because they are both very thought-provoking reads. Both deal with some extremely important topics in brilliant ways. I feel like they were also good reads for me because they are books that have truly inspired me in my own writing.

Read more – name a book you keep telling yourself to read but haven’t yet.

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Now that I have read The Book Thief (yes, I finally did it!), there is one main book that I keep telling myself to read but haven’t yet—The Hobbit. It is pretty crazy that I have not read a single Tolkien book by this point in my life, and that is something that desperately needs to be fixed. I have been telling myself to read this for ages, and I am absolutely 100% determined to read this book before the end of the year!

Quit smoking – name a book you kept going back to even though you had finished it.

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I’m going to have to say To Kill a Mockingbird again for this one, since it is by far the book that I have read the most times in my life. Growing up, I actually used to read this at least twice a year for a number of years. This is my go to read when I am in a slump or just want to read something I know that I will love. I will never get tired of reading this novel!

Save more money – name a book you got for a really good price.

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I am totally someone who is very picky about the editions of books that I buy since they are becoming a part of my permanent collection, so I am happy to invest more in a copy that I really want. That being said, I am also someone who loves hunting for deals on everything, especially books. I’ve found some fantastic prices on books over the years, but a great deal I got recently was a copy of Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb for only two dollars!

Be more organized – how do you organize your bookshelf?

I’ve mentioned this a few times before but, embarrassingly enough, I don’t have any bookshelves at the moment. Right now, all of my books are sitting in storage boxes, and there is absolutely no order to them whatsoever. When I finally get some shelves, however, I will organize my books alphabetically by author.

Be punctual – shortest time and longest time it took you to read a book.

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Shortest time – While I am not generally the fastest reader ever, there are tons of books I’ve read in a very short amount of time over the years, so I decided to choose from my more recent reads. A fairly recent quick read was A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, which took me about an hour and a half to two hours to complete. It was fast but utterly beautiful, and has become one of my favorite books of all time. If you have not read this yet, definitely give it a go!

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Longest time – One of the longest reads for me was Insurgent by Veronica Roth, which took me about three months to complete. I absolutely adored Divergent when I read it a few years ago, and I was very eager to continue on with the series. Unfortunately, while I did not by any means hate it, I ended up being fairly disappointed by Insurgent and had a lot of trouble getting into it. Because of this, I didn’t have as much motivation to finish it and only read a tiny bit at a time.

Go out more – what book made you isolate yourself from the outside world?

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Oh man, so many books to choose from! Any of the Harry Potter books or The Chronicles of Narnia would fit this question for sure. Divergent and Gone Girl were two more recent ones that caused me to do this. I also have to add in the entire Hunger Games trilogy. They were the first novels since finishing Harry Potter that I genuinely could not put down once I started reading them.

Be unique – what was your favorite book of 2015?

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I read a lot of great books last year, but my favorite by far was Vicious by V.E. Schwab. I read this in December in a buddy read with Heather from The Sassy Book Geek and we had such a fantastic time. Vicious is an incredibly well-crafted story, with beautiful writing and vivid characterization. This novel is utterly epic and it was particularly fun to read and discuss with a fellow superhero/supervillain nerd! I cannot say enough good things about this book—in fact, I will (hopefully) be posting my review of it tomorrow.

Be more personal – what book are you waiting for most this year?

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This is a difficult one because I have a ton of upcoming releases that I am excited for. If I had to choose, I would say that Heartless by Marissa Meyer is probably my most anticipated release of the year. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab is an extremely close second, however. I am just dying to get my hands on any novels written by these two wonderful ladies!

Really, resolutions? – what book do you promise to read this year?

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There are a ton of books that I’ve promised to read this year (check here, here, and here!), but one in particular that I promise to read is The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve been wanting to read a Brandon Sanderson novel for a very long time and this is definitely going to be the year I finally do that. I am hoping that I can get through a few books in the Mistborn series before the end of the year, but I will be reading The Final Empire for sure!

I Tag:

Everyone! 😀 Since I’m running a bit late with this, I won’t tag anyone specific. However, if you do complete this or already have completed it, make sure to link me to your post down in the comments so I can check it out!

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Top 10 Tuesday – November 10th, 2015

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Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

First of all, I would like to start out by thanking everyone who has been liking and commenting on my posts and following my blog these past few months. I have just passed 100 followers this week and I am completely astonished, and thankful for each and every one of you! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit and read my posts. In just a short period of time, I have already met so many incredible and lovely people to nerd out about books with! You are all absolutely fantastic and amazing and awesome! 🙂 ❤

Now, time for today’s list! This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic combines two of my greatest passions: books and film! The topic is the top ten book to movie adaptations you’re looking forward to or the top ten book to movie adaptations you still need to watch. The two things that I am worst at keeping up with are my “to be read” list and my “to be watched” list! So even though I have a number of upcoming book to movie adaptations that I am looking forward to, I thought I should do something a little different for my list today.

I ended up choosing five book to movie adaptations I still need to watch and five book to movie adaptations where I have watched the film but still have to read the book. So without further ado, I will take myself on a little TBR and TBW guilt trip!

Click on the pictures for links to either the IMDb or Goodreads pages.

Top 10 Book To Movie Adaptations I Still Need To Watch

1. Gone Girl

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If you’ve read any of my other posts I’m sure you know that I almost always manage to mention this book somehow! This has become one of my favorite novels and I can’t believe I haven’t watched this yet. It’s at the top of my to be watched list for sure.

2. Mockingjay (Part One)

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This is another one I can’t believe I haven’t gotten around to watching yet, since this is one of my favorite book and film series of all time. I definitely need to get caught up before the last one comes out (which could also technically be on this list, but I have a much better excuse for not having seen that one!).

3. The Martian

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Now, I’ve not actually read this book yet but I desperately want to, and I really want to see the film as well. I’ve been hearing nothing but fantastic things about both, and I am so eager to see what I think of this story.

4. Divergent

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I read Divergent last year and loved it, but I missed it when it was in theaters and I’ve still not yet had a chance to sit down and watch it. I also have not yet seen Insurgent, but I figured I would list this one since it’s the first. I definitely plan on watching both and catching up pretty soon.

5. Hugo

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I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret last year and absolutely loved it. I have never seen the film Hugo and I didn’t know much about it, so it took me far too long to figure out that this was related to the book! I’ve heard great things about this movie, so I’m interested to see what it’s like.

Top 10 Book To Movie Adaptations I’ve Seen But Still Need To Read

1. The Book Thief

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I went to see this with my best friend back when it first came out and completely adored it; this is an utterly incredible and beautiful film. I have already mentioned many times my intense book guilt over not having read this yet, and I do also feel pretty guilty for having watched the movie first. But I will read this soon, I promise!

2. The Hundred-Foot Journey

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I went to see The Hundred-Foot Journey when it was in theaters, and it was magnificent; one of the best films I saw last year. I actually didn’t realize that it was a novel until afterward, and I was extremely excited to find that out. I cannot wait to read this and experience the story all over again. And if you have not seen this film yet, I would very highly recommend it!

3. Rebecca

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This movie. Oh my goodness, this movie! One of my favorites of all time. I cannot even count the amount of times I have watched this, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s taken me far too long, but I’ve finally picked up a copy of this novel, and I definitely intend to read it some time next year.

4. Misery

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Misery is my favorite Stephen King film adaptation and one of my favorite films in general. I saw this for the first time many years ago and yet I have still not read the book! This is the novel that my dad, a massive Stephen King fan, is always recommending to me, and it will definitely be my next Stephen King read.

5. A Tale of Two Cities

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I have a major dilemma with Charles Dickens: I love his stories but do not enjoy reading them. I think this film (specifically the Ronald Colman version) is fantastic, and I feel the same of every adaptation I have seen of his other works, such as A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations; they are some of my favorite films/stories. Now, I will admit, it has been quite a few years since I last read one of his novels, so I do intend to give this and some of his other novels and short stories another try at some point. I am hoping now that I’m older and my reading taste has matured, I will find it easier to get through his work.

There you have it! I am definitely feeling the book/film guilt! What book to movie adaptations do you still need to watch? Which ones have you seen but not read? Are there any new ones you are particularly looking forward to in the coming year? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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The TBR Book Tag

I was tagged by the lovely Zezee over at Zezee with Books. Thank you so much for tagging me! You should all go head over and check out her fantastic blog if you haven’t already.

This is the perfect tag for me to do! My TBR is massive and always growing, especially since I have now started blogging. I’m always discovering new novels through my reader friends and other book bloggers, so I’m constantly adding to it, both on Goodreads and to my physical library. There is no way I’ll always be able to pick just one book for each of these questions!

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

Goodreads is my main method of keeping track of my TBR pile. Not only do I add all the books that have piqued my interest but I also devote a whole shelf to all the books that I actually own. On top of that, I have one shelf to compile the books that I want to get to the soonest and another to list books that I want to review here on my blog. Amazon is another place that I use to keep track of some of my TBR, but only the books that I am most eager to add to my collection.

Is your TBR mostly print or e-book?

My TBR is mostly print books. Though e-books are growing on me and I do see the convenience of them, nothing can compare to holding a physical book; that’s one of the best parts of the reading experience in my opinion. I also love the idea of having a collection of books to fill the shelves of my own personal library. So, though I continue to occasionally expand my e-book library, I still purchase actual physical copies of the majority of my books.

How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?

Like many, I am most definitely a mood reader. I tend to have a list of a number of books that I am more eager to get to than others, but I find that I cannot create too much of a strict TBR for myself. It is impossible for me to force myself to read something if I’m not in the mood for that type of story. However, sometimes it has to do with the time of year as well. Certain seasons or holidays tend to change my mood. For instance, I tend to read darker and spookier books in the fall, around Halloween, and lighter books in the summer.

A book that’s been on your TBR the longest?

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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini – This is the first book that I ever added to my TBR on Goodreads. I love Khaled Hosseini’s work so naturally, I added this back when it first came out; unfortunately, I have not yet had a chance to get to it. This is a book I hope to read very soon.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin – This is probably one of the books that has been both on my Goodreads TBR and in my actual physical TBR pile the longest. I got this back when it first came out, but never got around to reading it. I’ve been putting it off even more lately because of the mixed reviews I have heard about the trilogy as a whole. Nevertheless, I do intend to get to it sometime soon.

A book you recently added to your TBR?

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Time at the Top by Edward Ormondroyd – This is a book that my mom absolutely loves and has wanted me to read for years, so I’ve finally added it to my TBR. I’ll definitely be giving this a try soon.

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee – I just discovered this novel a couple weeks ago. I’ve been seeing it on a number of blogs that I read, and so far I’ve only seen positive reviews. It sounds like something that would be right up my alley, so I’m really looking forward to reading it.

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn – I actually found this from a random ad on Goodreads. It popped up on my homepage one day and when I looked into it, the synopsis sounded pretty intriguing. I’ve seen a lot of good reviews for it as well, so I’m very interested to see what I think.

Soulless by Gail Carriger – This is a novel that I have been seeing at the bookstore for years but keep passing by. Between the rave reviews I have read on blogs and heard on Booktube, I figured I should finally give this book a read!

A book on your TBR strictly because of its beautiful cover?

I do not have any books on my TBR that are on there solely because they have a beautiful cover. However, I do have a lot of books that I absolutely adore the covers of, so I picked out a few of my favorite ones. These are all books whose covers are the main thing that drew me to them in the first place.

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The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

A book on your TBR that you never plan on reading?

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Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard – This is a book that I got a copy of a while back when I first started watching the television show. However, I stopped watching the show around season 3 and since then have sort of lost interest in this book. This is by no means a book that I definitely never plan on reading; I don’t think I have any books on my TBR I could say that about. But it is very low priority on my reading list, and there is a chance that I may never pick it up.

An unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited for?

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Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh – I read and fell in love with her first book, Hyperbole and a Half, (and subsequently the blog of the same name) early last year, and I am absolutely dying to get my hands on this. I have had this preordered for ages now, and I am incredibly sad that the release date got pushed from the end of this year until next April. I can’t wait that long!

Winter by Marissa Meyer – If you have read the many posts where I babble on about my love for Marissa Meyer and The Lunar Chronicles, then this should come as no surprise. This is one of my most anticipated novels of the year!

A book on your TBR that everyone has read but you?

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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – As I’ve said before, I am pretty sure I am one of the only people on the planet who has not read this book yet. I keep meaning to do so and then I end up putting it off. But no more! I am determined to get to this book before the end of the year.

A book on your TBR that everyone recommends to you?

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Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs – Not only do I constantly read and hear good reviews of this book on blogs and Booktube, but a number of my friends and family members keep recommending this to me. In particular, my best friend and my mom have both been telling me to read this for years! This is another book I hope to finish before the end of the year.

A book on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

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Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – Again, if you are a veteran of my blog posts, you will already expect this to be on here. I have quickly become a massive Gillian Flynn fan this year; so obviously, I must read all the books!

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – This is another book that I have been hearing nothing but wonderful things about. I picked this up right when it first came out and I’ve been waiting for a good time to read it. I’m really in the mood for a funny book right now, so I will be reading this quite soon.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – This is one of the most recent additions to my TBR, and I am so excited about it. It sounded fantastic to begin with, but I’m even more eager to read it after seeing all the amazing reviews that have been pouring in.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab – It’s a book about supervillains—need I say more? I finally have a copy and I cannot wait to get to it. Hopefully, this will be one of my next reads.

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie- This is another one of my most recent purchases. I saw that a few friends of mine on Goodreads were reading this and decided to check it out. Not only does the plot sound like something I’ll love, but I’ve also read an excerpt from it and the writing is absolutely gorgeous!

How many books are in your Goodreads TBR shelf?

There are 545 books on my Goodreads TBR shelf. *Smiles and shuffles away awkwardly*

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I Tag:

Giselle @ Hardwork Boulevard

Jessica @ Mud and Stars

Nora @ Always Keep Reading

T.K. @ Read it or Not Reviews

Anna @ My Bookish Dream

Marian @ Bookception21

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Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read

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At this point, I think the fact that I love making lists has been properly established. Let’s make another one!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about two things: books I have yet to read and the size of my TBR pile. I personally tend to take a lot of pride in the fact that I love to read and in the amount of books that I consume on a regular basis. I also enjoy the fact that I have a wide literary knowledge. As readers yourselves, I’m sure you know the feeling; each book read is like a new badge of honor we get to pin on our shirts.

And though it may seem silly, I think a lot of avid readers can identify with the slight feeling of pressure to read certain novels. These can either be novels that are considered to be “classics” and expected to be in the repertoire of any proclaimed bibliophile, or they can be novels that are simply wildly popular within the book community. Either way, we feel that, to fully embrace our bookishness, we should read these stories.

Truthfully, it’s completely ridiculous to feel pressured into reading something; there is absolutely no set of rules or reading requirements you have to meet to be a true booklover. But even though I don’t particularly feel like I have to read certain books, there are still a few I have been meaning to read and am totally ashamed, as a book nerd, that I haven’t yet.

Since my TBR has been getting out of control, I figured it was about time to take myself on a bit of a guilt trip. So today, I thought I would make up a list of the books that I can’t believe I haven’t read yet.

  1. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

rebecca

Hitchcock is one of my favorite directors, and he made this classic story into an absolutely spectacular film (which I have seen far too many times to count). Even though I am definitely a hopeless romantic, when it comes to books, I tend to not be the biggest romance fan, or at least to be very picky about romance in novels. But this is one of my favorite romantic tales and I need to read it soon.

  1. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

theprincessbride

This is a classic story and was one of my all-time favorite movies growing up. I finally bought myself a copy of this book, and am incredibly eager to read it. I can’t wait to see how the book compares to the movie, and to experience this story again in a whole new way.

  1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

thefaultinourstars

I have actually not yet read a book by John Green. This is relatively awkward being an avid reader and a (ahem…quite frequent…) viewer of Youtube videos. Frankly, I think the main reason I haven’t gotten around to reading this yet is the daunting amount of mental and emotional preparation I will need to go through before doing so! In other words: I am not ready for the feels!

  1. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

thehobbit

I am incredibly ashamed to admit that I have never read a book by J.R.R Tolkien, nor have I seen any of the Lord of the Rings or Hobbit films. As a fantasy lover and book/movie nerd, not to mention an aspiring author and filmmaker, I need to rectify this immediately!

  1. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

unbroken

This is an incredibly popular novel and one that I have been very interested to read for a while now. I know a bit about this man’s story, and what he experienced and survived during and after World War II is absolutely astonishing and inspiring. I know that this will be a difficult read, but I also think it is an extremely important read, and I hope to get to it soon.

  1. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

flowersforalgernon

I’ve already touched on my guilt about not having read this book in my last Top 10 Tuesday post, but I felt it still deserved to be put on this list. Though I’ve been interested to read this story for ages, I’ve never gotten around to picking it up. This is one that I hope to check off my reading list before the end of the year.

  1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

wutheringheights

This is a novel I really should have read already…because school! However, I ended up missing it due to changing schools between ninth and tenth grade. Even though I always hear very mixed opinions of it, this is definitely a story that sounds intriguing to me and I want to give it a try.

  1. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

ofmiceandmen

This is another one that I somehow missed out on reading in school. As both a book lover and a writer, I’ve desperately wanted to read a Steinbeck novel for years now, but have not yet. Definitely high priority on my TBR.

  1. Misery by Stephen King

misery

Even though I have only read one book and a few short stories by him, Stephen King is a favorite author of mine, and a big inspiration for my own writing. This is another case of a book that I have not read that was a favorite movie of mine growing up. Misery is an absolutely fantastic story (and film), and it is completely outrageous that I haven’t gotten around to actually reading it yet!

  1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

thebookthief

This is by far the most embarrassing unread book that I have on my TBR. It was always an option on summer reading lists in my later years of school and I’ve seen the movie (yes, I saw it before reading the book. Bad Ari!), but I still have not read it. I do, however, leave it sitting among my other books in a way where I can easily see it every day and feel the shame. I am absolutely determined to get to this book before the end of the year!

What popular books have you been meaning to read but haven’t gotten around to yet? Do we have any in common? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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