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.

tkam grimmsfairytales

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.

thehobbit

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.

theassassinsapprentice

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?

thechroniclesofnarnia gonegirl thehungergames

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?

vicious

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?

heartless thissavagesong

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 – January 19th, 2016

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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!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten books you’ve recently added to your TBR. My pile of owned books is really starting to get quite insane, and my general Goodreads list of books I want to read is just outrageous. And yet, I keep adding new books to both! Since it’s the beginning of a new year, I have just recently added a bunch of books to my already way too large TBR, so this should be an easy topic. 🙂

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

starwarstheforceawakens

I have been a major Star Wars fan ever since I was a little kid, and yet somehow, I was completely unaware of the fact that there are novelizations of the films. My dad brought this to my attention the other day, so of course I had to pick one of them up. I figured I would go with The Force Awakens to start off since it’s the most recent film, but I definitely intend to read the others at some point as well!

2. Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

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I discovered this one thanks to Heather over at The Sassy Book Geek. She wrote up a great “if you liked that, try this” post, and recommended this one to fans of the Percy Jackson novels (which I am!). It definitely sounds like my kind of story, plus Heather and I have a very similar taste in books, so I think this will end up being an enjoyable read. I’m hoping to get to this one very soon.

3. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

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This was a random one that I added recently. A few friends of mine have read and loved this novel, and I have also heard some fantastic reviews of it while watching Booktube. It sounded pretty intriguing, so I figured I’d give it a go at some point. I’ve been interested to dive further into sci-fi, and I think this will prove to be an interesting one.

4. Five-Seven-Five by C.E. Wilson

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This novel was brought to my attention by Ashleigh over at A Frolic Through Fiction, who recently read and reviewed it. I had not heard of this one before, but her review really made me intrigued. Judging by the synopsis, it sounds like it is going to be a very unique story, and I’m extremely interested to give it a try and see what it’s all about.

5. The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

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As I’ve mentioned, I am a big fan of the Percy Jackson books and Rick Riordan in general, so of course I had to add this to my TBR. I only just the other day discovered that this series was going to be a thing, and I am so excited for it! Along with this, I’ve also just added the other novels in the Magnus Chase series as well, but I figured I would just pick one of his books for this list.

6. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

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This is one of the books that I purchased with a gift card from Christmas. I am planning on starting The Raven Cycle this year and I have been collecting the novels. I will probably marathon the series after the final book is released. I’ve also added the final two books in this series to my TBR, but again, I thought I would just keep it to one for the purpose of this list. I’ve always heard nothing but good things about these books, and I’m excited to see what the story is like!

7. Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard

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Even though I did not love Red Queen as much as I had hoped I would, I do intend to continue on with these novels for now. I only just recently discovered that there were novellas to go along with the trilogy, so I would like to give these a try. I’m hoping to get to these sometime before I read Glass Sword.

8. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

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Though I have owned all of the books in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy for a while now, I’ve not actually read a Laini Taylor novel yet. I do intend to fix that this year, and this new novel of hers is one that I would like to get to as well. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about her work and the synopsis of this novel really caught my attention; I can’t wait until this comes out!

9. Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

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I’ve talked about my love of the Saga series before, so this should come as no surprise; it’s definitely a given! I absolutely can’t wait to see where this series goes next. This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it appears that it will be coming out right around my birthday, which is extra awesome!

10. Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

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This one is another given. I started reading the Jackaby series last year and have been completely adoring it so far, so of course I am planning to continue on with the novels. I’m eager to get my hands on this one and get back into this world again.

What are some books that you guys have added to your TBRs recently? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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January 2016 TBR

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Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic end of 2015 and are having a wonderful start to 2016. It’s time to create the first TBR of the new year, and I am excited to get going on a new reading challenge! This year, I have some standalones and series that I am particularly determined to read, so I’m creating some bookish resolutions lists for myself. I have already posted my series/trilogies TBR (click here to check it out!) and I’ll be posting my standalone list sometime in the next day or so.

I am going to try to read at least one or two books from each list every month, so with those lists in mind, I created my (somewhat tentative) TBR. I am attempting to pull myself out of a slight reading slump, so I don’t want to make a TBR that is too overly ambitious. Many of these are roll overs from other months, so I apologize for the repetitiveness! I probably won’t be able to get to all of these, but they all sound fantastic so I think any of these reads will be a great way to start off 2016!

January TBR

1. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

passenger

This is one of my most anticipated releases of 2016, and it’s coming out in three days! I am so eager to get my hands on this one, and I am definitely hoping to read it before this month is out. There’s no way I can possibly resist any book about time travel!

2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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This one is rolling over from last month’s TBR. Cinder was one of my favorite reads last year, but I never managed to get around to continuing on with the series before the end of the year. Now that the main books are all out, and with Stars Above coming soon, I really need to finish the rest of these novels. I am completely adoring these stories and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

3. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

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I meant to read this back in October and never got a chance to. And now, with the movie coming out this year, it’s become a top priority on my reading list. In fact, I am hoping to read the entire trilogy this year, so I definitely want to get going on it.

4. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

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This is another one rolling over from last month’s TBR. Once again, I must continue my quest to read every word ever written by Gillian Flynn. I am trying to pace myself, since there are only two novels left to read, but I can’t wait any longer. I have to read this one soon!

5. Alice by Christina Henry

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I blame Heather for this one! She’s gotten me so excited to read this book that I had to include it in my TBR for the month. I have not heard too much about this one, but what I have heard has been spectacular. From what I gather, it’s a very dark reimagining of Alice in Wonderland with a morally ambiguous villain. I think this book was written for me! 🙂

I am also hoping to start reading a few stories out of The Return of Sherlock Holmes over the course of the month.

Read in December

I had a rather unexpectedly slow reading month and, embarrassingly enough, only actually fully completed one book. However, that one book was absolutely incredible; it was definitely my favorite read of the year! And the second book that I started this month is shaping up to be another new favorite of mine as well.

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1. Vicious by V.E. Schwab – I read this in an incredibly fun buddy read with Heather from The Sassy Book Geek and absolutely fell in love with it. The writing, the plot, the characters, everything about this book was wonderful. As I said, this ended up being my favorite novel of the year, and having someone to read and discuss it with made it even more enjoyable. I’m so excited that I finally got a chance to read this book; I can’t believe it took me so long to get around to it! Click here to read my review!

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – I started this toward the end of the month and I’m only just under halfway through it now, so this will technically be one of my first completed books of January. As expected, I am absolutely loving this novel so far, and I am incredibly eager to continue on and finish off the rest of it. This is another novel I’m so glad I’m finally reading, and I can’t believe I didn’t read this sooner!

December Book Haul

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  1. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin
  2. Wool by Hugh Howey
  3. Alice by Christina Henry
  4. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
  5. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
  6. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (Pre-order)

What books are you guys planning on reading to start off the year? Did you get any books or bookish gifts over the holidays? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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Top 5 Wednesday – December 30th, 2015

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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 your top 5 favorite books that you read this year. While I didn’t read nearly as many books as I had hoped that I would, this year was pretty fantastic in terms of quality of books read. It was difficult to narrow this list down to just five, but there were definitely a few novels that particularly stuck out this year. These have not only become some of my top favorite novels of all time, but all of these authors were new to me and are now on my favorite authors list as well!

5. Jackaby by William Ritter

jackabyThis was pitched as “Doctor Who meets Sherlock”, so of course I had to read this immediately—and thankfully, it did not disappoint!

Click here to check out my full review!

4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

cinderThis was my first read of 2015 and an absolutely brilliant way to start off my reading for the year.

Click here to check out my full review!

3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

gonegirlThis was my first Gillian Flynn book, and by far one of the most intriguing and captivating novels that I read all year.

Click here to check out my full review!

2. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

thememoirsofsherlockholmesThis is my first time making my way through this series and I am kicking myself for having put these novels off for so long—they are fantastic!

Click here to check out my full review!

1. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

viciousThis was my most recent read and my last completed book of the year—and it was definitely my favorite of them all!

Review coming soon!

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Top 10 Tuesday – December 29th, 2015

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Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. Can you believe it’s already the final one of 2015? 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!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is your top ten most anticipated releases for the first half of 2016. I don’t currently have a very large list of anticipated releases of 2016 in general, and I don’t have quite enough that are coming out in the first half of the year to make a list of ten. So instead, I am going to just list the top ten releases of the entire year that I am most looking forward to getting my hands on! I’m always trying to find new releases to read, so definitely let me know in the comments which books you are most looking forward to in 2016! 🙂

1. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (January 5th, 2016)

passengerpassage, n.

A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.

A journey by water; a voyage.

iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

 In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever

2. A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly (February 2nd, 2016)

acriminalmagicMagic is powerful, dangerous and addictive – and after passage of the 18th Amendment, it is finally illegal.

It’s 1926 in Washington, DC, and while Anti-Sorcery activists have achieved the Prohibition of sorcery, the city’s magic underworld is booming. Sorcerers cast illusions to aid mobsters’ crime sprees. Smugglers funnel magic contraband in from overseas. Gangs have established secret performance venues where patrons can lose themselves in magic, and take a mind-bending, intoxicating elixir known as the sorcerer’s shine.

Joan Kendrick, a young sorcerer from Norfolk County, Virginia accepts an offer to work for DC’s most notorious crime syndicate, the Shaw Gang, when her family’s home is repossessed. Alex Danfrey, a first-year Federal Prohibition Unit trainee with a complicated past and talents of his own, becomes tapped to go undercover and infiltrate the Shaws.

Through different paths, Joan and Alex tread deep into the violent, dangerous world of criminal magic – and when their paths cross at the Shaws’ performance venue, despite their orders, and despite themselves, Joan and Alex become enchanted with one another. But when gang alliances begin to shift, the two sorcerers are forced to question their ultimate allegiances and motivations. And soon, Joan and Alex find themselves pitted against each other in a treacherous, heady game of cat-and-mouse.

A Criminal Magic casts a spell of magic, high stakes and intrigue against the backdrop of a very different Roaring Twenties.

3. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (February 2nd, 2016)

starsaboveThe universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

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The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.

Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….

The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.

Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.

The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.

After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.

The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called The Princess

The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.

Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century…

4. These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas (February 9th, 2016)

theseviciousmasksEngland, 1882. Evelyn is bored with society and its expectations. So when her beloved sister, Rose, mysteriously vanishes, she ignores her parents and travels to London to find her, accompanied by the dashing Mr. Kent. But they’re not the only ones looking for Rose. The reclusive, young gentleman Sebastian Braddock is also searching for her, claiming that both sisters have special healing powers. Evelyn is convinced that Sebastian must be mad, until she discovers that his strange tales of extraordinary people are true—and that her sister is in graver danger than she feared.

5. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab (February 23rd, 2016)

*Spoilers for A Darker Shade of Magic*

A Gathering of Shadows FinalFour months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London.

 In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall.

6. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton (March 8th, 2016)

rebelofthesandsShe’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there’s nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can’t wait to escape from.  

Destined to wind up “wed or dead,” Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she’d gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan’s army, with a fugitive who’s wanted for treason. And she’d never have predicted she’d fall in love with him…or that he’d help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

7. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (June 7th, 2016)

thissavagesongThe city of Verity has been overrun with monsters, born from the worst of human evil. In North Verity, the Corsai and the Malchai run free. Under the rule of Callum Harker, the monsters kill any human who has not paid for protection. In the South, Henry Flynn hunts the monsters who cross the border into his territory, aided by the most dangerous and darkest monsters of them all—the Sunai, dark creatures who use music to steal their victim’s souls.

As one of only three Sunai in existence, August Flynn has always wanted to play a bigger role in the war between the north and the south. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate Harker, daughter of the leader of North Verity, August jumps on it.

When Kate discovers August’s secret, the pair find themselves running for their lives and battling monsters from both sides of the wall. As the city dissolves into chaos, it’s up to them to foster a peace between monsters and humans.

A unique, fast-paced adventure that looks at the monsters we face every day—including the monster within.

8. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (October 25th, 2016)

solutionsandotherproblemsAllie Brosh, the “gut-bustingly funny” (NPR), award-winning, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hyperbole and a Half, shares an all-new collection of autobiographical and illustrated essays.

9. Heartless by Marissa Meyer (November 8th, 2016)

heartlessLong before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king’s marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

10. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (September 27th, 2016)

strangethedreamertempStrange the Dreamer is the story of:

the aftermath of a war between gods and men.

a mysterious city stripped of its name.

a mythic hero with blood on his hands.

a young librarian with a singular dream.

a girl every bit as perilous as she is imperiled.

alchemy and blood candy, nightmares and godspawn, moths and monsters, friendship and treachery, love and carnage.

Welcome to Weep.

-Ariana

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Top 5 Wednesday – December 23rd, 2015

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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 series you want to start next year. I have only recently realized just how massive my series/trilogies TBR is. I tend to read a lot of standalone novels, and I have not actually completed all that many series or trilogies in my lifetime so far. But this shall no longer be the case! I am hereby declaring 2016 the year of series reading!

Because my TBR is so long, I decided to do a bit of a twist on today’s topic. Since it was impossible to narrow things down enough, I essentially decided I should make two different top five lists: one of the top five series and one of the top five trilogies I want to read during the course of 2016!

Series

Most of these are series that I intended to read in 2015 and never got around to starting (yes, I did indeed fail quite epically!).

5. The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima

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4. The Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

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3. The Raven Cycle Quartet by Maggie Stiefvater

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2. The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

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1. The A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R.R. Martin

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Trilogies

Again, many of these are trilogies I wanted to, and subsequently failed to get started on in 2015. I am determined to get going on, if not to finish, a good amount of these trilogies in the new year.

5. The Darkest Minds Trilogy by Alexandra Bracken

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4. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor

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3. The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

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2. The Shattered Sea Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

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1. The Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children Trilogy by Ransom Riggs

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Honorable Mention: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien

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This is an honorable mention because I am not sure that I will be able to make it to this trilogy before the end of the year. I do intend to read The Hobbit in 2016, and to at least finally begin watching the movies. I am hoping, though, that I will be able to make it through at least The Fellowship of the Ring!

What series are you guys planning to read in 2016? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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Top 10 Tuesday – December 22nd, 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!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten books you wouldn’t mind Santa leaving under your tree this year. As I’m getting older, I’m finding it harder and harder to think up a general wish list for myself for gift giving occasions. There really aren’t many things that I want or feel that I need at the moment, and I much prefer giving gifts. However, like many other book lovers I’m sure, whenever anyone asks me what I want for Christmas, the only things I can think of are books. I can never have too many books (though my room begs to differ…)! In fact, what I would really like the most would be a tree that just grows all the books I want to read!

Since that is sadly not going to happen, here are ten of the books I would most like to see under the Christmas tree this year! 😀

  1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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  1. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin

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  1. Soulless by Gail Carriger

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  1. Alice by Christina Henry

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  1. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

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  1. The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove

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  1. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

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  1. The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld

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  1. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

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  1. Wool by Hugh Howey

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Sorry for the short post today; it has been a bit of a difficult and emotional day. What books are currently on your wish list? Please let me know in the comments! 🙂

-Ariana

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The Childhood Book Tag

I was tagged by The Orang-utan Librarian to do the Childhood Book Tag. Thank you so much for tagging me! The Orang-utan Librarian is an absolutely fantastic book blogger, so please make sure to stop by and check out this blog! 🙂

1. First book you remember reading on your own?

thehousekeepersdogI have a pretty terrible memory, so this is sort of a difficult question for me! I started reading on my own around the age of three or so, but that was quite a while back so I don’t remember a lot of the first books that I read. However, I do very clearly remember reading a book called The Housekeeper’s Dog when I was about four or five. I also remember being really proud that I could read this book, and not only reading it multiple times to my parents, but also calling up my grandma and reading it to her over the phone!

2. First book you remember having your parents read to you?

foxinsocksBooks have always played an extremely important role in our family/household, and ever since I was very young, my parents constantly encouraged me to read. I know that they read to me very often for years, back so far that I am unable to specifically remember a fair amount of those books. The first book I can distinctly recall them reading to me, however, was Fox in Socks.

3. Book you read because of your parents? Because of a friend?

thelionthewitchandthewardrobeFor this one, I’m going to have to go with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. My mom grew up reading The Chronicles of Narnia and it is one of her favorite series of all time. So of course, when I showed a love of reading, this was one of the first series of books that she got me to read. And I am so glad that I did, because I absolutely adore these novels!

4. Favorite book from school?

37449I don’t think it will shock anyone to hear me say that To Kill a Mockingbird is by far my favorite book from school. This novel is just the most brilliant and wonderful thing I have ever read in my life. And here I go again, keeping up my streak of working it into every single book tag post that I write… 😀

5. Favorite book in elementary school?

hp2chamberI had a lot of favorite books during elementary school because, not only was I in elementary school when the Harry Potter books started to come out, but it was also when I discovered The Chronicles of Narnia. Really any of the books from the latter or the first few Harry Potter books could work for this question. However, if I had to choose, I would probably have to go with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This is my favorite book of the series, and is also extremely special to me because it was the first one I was able to read completely on my own when it was originally published.

6. In middle school?

andthentherewerenone…Would you guys be mad at me if I said To Kill a Mockingbird again? 😀 Come on, I read it for the first time in seventh grade so of course it was my favorite of middle school! Just to change it up a bit though, I’ll throw another one of my favorite novels, And Then There Were None, in there.

7. In high school?

thehungergamesThis is an incredibly difficult one to choose because a sizable amount of my all-time favorite books are ones I read during high school. I think I will have to go with The Hunger Games for this question. This stands out to me because, not only do I completely adore this book, but it was also the novel that got me interested in dystopians. This is now not only a type of story I enjoy reading, but a type that I absolutely love to write as well.

8. Book you gave up on as a kid that you’d like to revisit?

I can’t actually think of anything that would fit this question. I find it nearly impossible to give up in the middle of books unless I have an extremely good reason to. And that reason is usually that I truly do not want to finish them. So nope, nothing that I want to revisit!

9. Book you checked out from the library the most as a kid?

thebadbeginningThis is another question that I can’t think of an answer for. I don’t really remember checking out any particular book multiple times. I tend to not do rereads very often, and all the ones I have done over the years were of books that I already owned. So for this question, I am going to say the A Series of Unfortunate Events novels, because I remember checking these out a lot!

10. Book you made all your friends read?

theadventuresofsherlockholmesUm…To Kill a Mockingb…Okay, you know what? For variety’s (and sanity’s) sake, we are just going to go with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes for this one, even though that is a slightly more recent occurrence. I’ve totally been pushing this on everyone I know who hasn’t read it yet. And if you are reading this post and have not picked up one or both of these novels mentioned, hereby consider them being pushed on you as well! 😀

11. The book that made you love reading?

harrypotterandthesorcerersstoneAgain, this would be a toss up between Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I had been reading for a few years before I came to either of these, but they were the novels that truly kick started my passion for reading and love of the written word. If I had to choose one, I would probably go with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. This is a novel that I have a very distinct and very fond recollection of reading at bedtime each night with my parents right after it was first released, and by The Chamber of Secrets, I was reading them on my own (over and over again!).

12. Favorite middle grade read?

10694831A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. I am fairly, though not entirely, sure that this is a middle grade novel. This is by far one of the most poignant and beautiful novels that I have ever read, and I completely adore it.

13. Favorite young adult read?

cinderI am revising this to “one of my favorites” because there is no way I am going to be able to choose just one ultimate favorite. I am also going to choose something that I have not yet mentioned in this tag, so I would say Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I love retellings, and this is definitely the most interesting and unique one that I have read so far.

14. First long series you read as a kid?

thechroniclesofnarniaThe first long series that I read in its entirety as a kid would be The Chronicles of Narnia. I finished this well before I completed series like Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events. Since all of the books in this series were obviously published well before I began reading them, I ended up binge reading every single one in the space of a couple of months.

15. How did you learn to read? How old were you?

Screen Shot 2015-12-21 at 3.16.10 AMI started to learn how to read when I was around one or two years old. I began by memorizing the text of stories from hearing my family read to me, and then I would flip through the books myself and go over the words. Eventually something must have clicked and I began really reading on my own around age three. And boy, did I read a lot!

16. How obsessed were you with the scholastic book fairs as a kid?

Completely obsessed! It was one of my favorite events of the school year; it was like Christmas! I spent far too much time wandering around the book fair and probably far too much money buying books…but it was the greatest! 😀

I Tag:

Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Kayla @ Bookedsolid1989

Anna @ My Bookish Dream

Yasmin and Paige @ The Wild Readers

Emily @ The Little Book Affair

Cleo @ Cuddlewithbooks

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Review: Doctor Who: The Way Through the Woods by Una McCormack

thewaythroughthewoodsDoctor Who: The Way Through the Woods by Una McCormack

My Rating: 4/5 TARDISes

Series: Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #45

Date Published: April 28th, 2011

Publisher: BBC Books

Pages: 241 pages

Source: Library

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: ‘As long as people have lived here, they’ve gone out of their way to avoid the woods…’

 Two teenage girls disappear into an ancient wood, a foreboding and malevolent presence both now and in the past. The modern motorway bends to avoid it, as did the old Roman road. In 1917 the Doctor and Amy are desperate to find out what’s happened to Rory, who’s vanished too. 

But something is waiting for them in the woods. Something that’s been there for thousands of years. Something that is now waking up.

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This is a spoiler-free review.

I have been a Doctor Who fan for a long time now, but I have only discovered this series of novels that connect to the show within the last year or two. Suffice it to say, finding them made me quite excited, particularly because it was during a hiatus between seasons. A few of these stories come out along with each new season and star the current Doctor and companion at that time. Now that I have read through quite a few of these novels, I will say that they definitely tend to be quite hit or miss, most likely due to the multiplicity of authors writing them. However, I am very pleased to say that this one fell into the “hit” category.

Though the Tenth Doctor is my favorite from the television series itself, the Eleventh Doctor novels tend to be my favorites, and this one was no exception. The Way Through the Woods was an incredibly fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I sped right through it; it is definitely one of my favorite Doctor Who books I have read so far. This is one of the few instances where, as a reader, you truly want a novel to be reminiscent of another work. Since it is based off an already established collection of characters and stories, you do not want it straying too far from what you know and love. I felt that the plot itself was very characteristic of Doctor Who with just enough of the author’s personal touch to make it very satisfying.

I am always a bit wary when the authors of these stories split up the Doctor and his companion(s); this is something that is extremely easy to execute poorly. Not having a good balance between each character’s storyline and the contribution they make to the overall plot can completely ruin a novel. For the most part, I felt that McCormack did a fairly decent job of balancing each character’s time in the limelight, though I do wish that the Doctor himself had played a slightly bigger role.

I liked the intrigue of the plot; it kept me guessing and wanting to know more. There was a very mysterious and sometimes eerie tone and atmosphere in the story that I found to be quite good. The fact that this took place in multiple time periods while retaining a closely connected set of characters was another interesting aspect of this story and added to the overall mystery. I also really enjoyed McCormack’s writing style and the imagery that she produced. I had a very clear picture of all the locations visited by the Doctor, Amy, and Rory, particularly the woods and the location that Amy ends up in near the end.

The author did an excellent job of capturing the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory individually as well as the interplay between the threesome. McCormack also created a great supporting cast of characters to complement them, and her portrayals of their interactions with the main three were done very well. Of course, one of the most important parts of any Doctor Who story is the alien or aliens causing havoc, and in this novel, I personally thought that the alien was fantastic.

This book was very well crafted, with solid writing and a concept that was very imaginative and creative. Apart from a few instances of awkward dialogue and interaction and an ending that didn’t particularly blow me away, it had a very strong plot. I would have absolutely loved to see this as an actual episode of the show.

I must say, I do tend to rate and review the books in this series on a much different scale than I would with other books, primarily because I do not expect quite as much from them. While these novels are not the greatest works of literature, they are extraordinarily fun to read, and I would highly recommend giving them a try if you are a Doctor Who fan.

4.0 TARDISes

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Fall Time Cozy Time Book Tag

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I was tagged by Liam over at Liam’s Library and Marie over at Drizzle Hurricane Books to do the Fall Time Cozy Time Tag. Thank you both so much for tagging me! Make sure to stop by and check out both of these awesome book blogs! 😀

Also, I’m sorry for the lack of posts and slow comment replies over the last few days. I am sick again for the second time in a month and that’s caused me to run a bit behind in posting. 😦 Hopefully this will go away very soon and I can get things back to normal. Thanks for being patient! ❤

Crunching Leaves: The world is full of color. Choose a book that has reds, oranges, and yellows on the cover.

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Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

I have not yet read this book (I’m still mildly terrified to), but I love the beautiful color scheme of the cover. Definitely very warm and reminiscent of fall!

Cozy Sweater: It’s finally cold enough to don warm, cozy clothing. What book gives you the warm fuzzies.

thecompletesherlockholmesThe Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

I’m fairly sure that I use the Sherlock Holmes novels to answer far too many tag questions, but hey, they’re some of my favorites! These novels always give me the warm fuzzies no matter what time of year I read them, and for some reason, they always put me in mind of colder weather. They are the types of novels that make you want to curl up with a blanket and a warm cup of tea and read while it snows outside.

Fall Storm: The wind is howling and the rain is pounding. Choose your favorite book or genre that you like to read on a stormy day.

thechroniclesofnarniaOn a day like that, my favorite genre to read would definitely be fantasy; it’s the perfect sort of weather to sit inside and get lost in another world. In terms of specific books, I’d say any of the Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia books. Also, these are not fantasy books, but To Kill a Mockingbird and any of the Sherlock Holmes novels would be perfect as well. I’m sure I have shocked everyone by not being able to choose just one book! I’m usually so decisive… 😀

Cool Crisp Air: Who’s the coolest character you’d want to trade places with?

S04E10_-_Dany_(profile)This is tough to choose just one for; there are so many incredible characters out there! I think I would have to go with either Hermione Granger or Daenerys Targaryen. They are both awesome, strong, and completely badass female characters, and two of my all-time favorites. I also wouldn’t mind trading places with either Holmes or Watson; it would be awesome to work alongside the greatest detective ever, or get to be him!

Hot Apple Cider: What under hyped book do you want to see become the next biggest, hottest thing?

jackabyThis is another tough one for me because I’ve not read all that many under hyped books in recent years, or at least ones that I really enjoyed. If I had to pick one, I might say Jackaby by William Ritter. I read this book earlier this year and absolutely loved it. It’s such a fun, hilarious, and enjoyable read, filled with lovable characters and a world that I want everyone to discover. I’m not sure if this is under hyped, but I personally have not heard many people talking about it

Coats, Scarves, and Mittens: The weather has turned cold and it’s time to cover up. What’s the most embarrassing book cover you own that you like to keep hidden in public?

I honestly never really feel embarrassed over anything like books or movies or TV shows. I can’t think of any books that I’d feel the need to keep hidden; if I like it and want to read it, that’s all that matters. I’ll read what I want, gosh darn it! 🙂

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Pumpkin Spice: What’s your favorite fall time comfort food/foods?

I am going to be extremely cliché here and say basically anything pumpkin related. Seriously though, I love pumpkin; I definitely have a pumpkin addiction. Pumpkin spice lattes are my absolute favorite fall time comfort food (drink). I also love pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins…if it has the word pumpkin in it, I probably like it!

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I Tag:

Since I have been doing a lot of tags recently (and have many more coming!) and since fall is almost over, I’m not going to tag anyone specific. Instead, I tag everyone who wants to do it! If you do, make sure to link me to your post so I can check it out! 🙂

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