The Infinity Dreams Award #1

Posted in Awards by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I was nominated for the Infinity Dreams Award by four wonderful bloggers! ❤ Because of this, I am going to split this award into two posts, with two of the sets of questions that those bloggers provided me in each post.

I would like to thank Heather from The Sassy Book Geek and The Orang-utan Librarian for nominating me! They are both absolutely incredible book bloggers, so definitely take a minute to stop by their blogs and check them out! 🙂

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The Rules:

-Thank and follow the blog that nominated you.

-Tell us 11 facts about yourself.

-Answer the questions that were set for you to answer.

-Nominate 11 bloggers and set questions for them.

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Random Facts About Me:

1. Even though I am not particularly good, I love playing video games. My favorite games are Skyrim (The Elder Scrolls in general, really), Alice Madness Returns, L.A. Noire, Portal 2…and pretty much any of the Lego games!

2. On the topic of video games, I am also a huge fan of the Nancy Drew video game series; I’ve been playing them since I was about seven or eight years old.

3. I really like to listen to polkas, mainly because they always cheer me up. You can’t listen to polka music with a frown! 🙂

4. I also absolutely love listening to film soundtracks or soundtrack style music.

5. Even though I have favorite genres to read, I’m not very picky when it comes to books. I will pretty much read anything I can get my hands on (whether I typically enjoy the genre or not), especially if someone recommends it to me…

6. …however, more often than not, I will refuse to pick up a novel that I know ahead of time involves a love triangle.

7. When I was in my mid-teens, I wrote a poem every day for two years…and now I have 700+ poems I don’t know what to do with! 😀

8. I hope to combine my two greatest passions and get the chance to write and direct my own films one day.

9. I also have a dream of working as a voice actor, particularly in video games.

10. I’m not into watching too many sports, but I am a massive baseball and tennis fan. And curling…curling is awesome!

11. On the topic of sports, I have sung with my choir at two MLB games!

Heather’s Questions:

1. If you could travel back in time, what time period would you travel to?

I would probably travel back to either the 1920s or the 1940s. They have always been my two favorite decades to learn about in history. I think I’d also enjoy traveling to the Victorian era.

2. What is your favorite book genre and why?

My favorite book genre (to read and to write!) is fantasy. I absolutely love the huge amount creativity in fantasy novels, and they really put your imagination to work. It is the best feeling in the world to open up a book and fall into a fantasy world, and live there for a bit.

3. If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring one book with you, which book would you bring?

This is insanely difficult to answer, mainly because, typical me, when you tell me to choose between a certain number of things, I will always narrow it down to one more than that! That’s why I’ve come up with either To Kill a Mockingbird, my favorite book, or The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, my second favorite. These are two books that I can read an endless amount of times and never get tired of them. I guess if I really had to choose just one, I’d probably go with To Kill a Mockingbird. 🙂

4. What’s the worst book you’ve ever read and why was it so bad?

I have been very lucky and I’ve actually not read all that many really bad books. However, I do have a tendency to go to the library and just grab random things I find without knowing much about them; it’s a good way to discover new books, but not always good books. Case in point, I picked up a book: Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi. This had an incredibly interesting concept, but it was not executed well at all. I found the storyline to be very cliché throughout and extremely predictable. The worst part for me, however, was the writing itself; it was not at all polished and the author kept using the same descriptions and phrases, repeatedly and in very close proximity.

5. Do you read hardcover/paperback copies of books or do you use an eReader and why do you prefer them?

I definitely prefer to read physical books over e-books, though e-books have grown on me over the years. I completely understand the practicality of eReaders, especially for someone like me who buys far too many books! And they really come in handy when traveling. But absolutely nothing can compare to the feeling of holding a physical book while you read, and seeing them all lined up together on your shelves. So currently, the majority of my personal library is made up of hardcover/paperback copies.

6. What’s your favorite type of music and your favorite artist in that genre?

My favorite type of music is alternative and my favorite band of all-time is Panic at the Disco, though Muse is a very close second.

7. If you could travel to any fictional place in a book where would you want to go?

Narnia! That is by far my favorite fictional world that I have ever come across.

8. What Hogwarts House were you sorted into (on Pottermore)? If you don’t know then which one do you think you’d be in?

This is always my favorite question to ask people! 😀 I’m a proud Ravenclaw!

9. If you could meet one author who would it be?

This was very tough to decide on. I think I would really like to meet either Neil Gaiman, Harper Lee, or J.K. Rowling. They are the authors who have had some of the biggest impacts on both my reading and writing, and it would be fascinating to get to speak with them. If I could choose anyone from throughout history however, I might have to choose either Arthur Conan Doyle or William Shakespeare.

10. If you had the chance to wipe your memory and reread a book series, which series would you want to re-experience?

This is difficult because I instantly want to say Harry Potter; however, I know that experience would never be quite the same without being able to also experience the wait for new installments of the books and movies. Because of that, I think I might actually have to go with The Chronicles of Narnia instead. I would love to get another chance to discover Narnia for the first time!

11. What is your biggest, bookish pet peeve?

I have two: one about the content of books and the other about the physical books themselves. My biggest, bookish pet peeve content-wise is overuse of angst-inducing tropes, like love triangles/squares/hexagons (I’m sorry, but I hate these with a passion!). My biggest pet peeve in terms of physical books is when someone does not take care of a book you lend out to them.

The Orang-utan Librarian’s Questions:

1. What’s your favourite board game?

It’s a toss up between Life and Clue; those were two that I grew up playing with my family a lot, so I have fond memories of both!

2. What’s your favourite place to go in your own city?

I live in a very rural, relatively small city, so there are not a lot of places to go specifically in my city. However, I have a number of really beautiful parks and walking trails near me that are wonderful to go to. And I live in a really peaceful neighborhood, so it’s also nice to just spend time walking around the area. 🙂

3. Ever had a vivid dream? What happened?

I used to remember my dreams all the time, but I haven’t been able to for a number of years. I know that I have had vivid dreams in the past, but I can’t remember any of them specifically at this point. I’m upset that I can’t recall them any more because I always used to have insanely weird dreams!

4. How do you take your tea/coffee?

Tea either without anything, or with just a spoonful or two of sugar. Coffee with a bit of milk or cream (not too much) and slightly more sugar than the tea! 😀

5. Do you prefer reading or writing? (I know, pretty cruel question)

That is a very difficult question! I guess I would have to go with reading, just because it is something that I can keep up for longer periods of time more easily. Reading is something that I can use to escape from reality and relax. But getting my ideas written down and creating my own worlds is incredibly important to me as well!

6. Do you collect anything? If so, what?

My biggest collection of anything is books. However, aside from books, I collect Funko POP figurines! I also have a collection of snowglobes from all over the world.

7. What’s your favourite day of the week?

Wednesday. Choir rehearsal night! Saturdays aren’t too shabby either.

8. Do you hate any songs? If so, which ones?

I have a very eclectic taste in music, so I don’t often hate songs. However, I do hate the song Rude by Magic. I don’t know why, but that song just really gets on my nerves…and sadly stuck in my head way too easily. There are probably a few others, but I can’t think of anything specific at the moment.

9. What’s your favourite item of clothing?

T-shirts. The majority of my wardrobe consists of t-shirts.

10. Tell the nearest person “happy unbirthday”

I didn’t have a nearest person since I’m by myself at the moment, so I said it to my dog. He literally just stared at me like I was insane, then sighed really loudly and went back to sleep…

11. What came first the chicken or the egg? (There is actually a correct answer to this).

I have always been fairly certain it was the egg. Because it’s most likely that eggs were laid and eventually, through evolution, the creatures that hatched from them became what we know as chickens…shut up Ari, you’re getting way too sciencey. I’m not sure…but I have made up my mind! 😀

Questions from Ashleigh and Nova will be in the next one!

I Nominate:

Lashaan and Trang @ Bookidote

El @ What El Read

Bookception21

Panda @ Panda’s Books

Sophie @ Sophie the Bookworm

areaderofliterature

Lucia @ Making Days Better

Evi @ Adventuring Through Pages

Nicole @ Awayinneverland

Traci @ Read Hot Reviews

Girl in Book Land

My Questions:

1. What are the top three best books you read in 2015?

2. Where is your favorite reading spot?

3. Do you have a favorite tradition with a family member/friend/significant other?

4. What fictional character would you most like to have as a best friend?

5. What are your favorite television series?

6. Do you like to play video games? If so, which one is your favorite?

7. Which Hogwarts house do you belong to?

8. What are your favorite book covers?

9. What films are you most looking forward to watching in 2016?

10. Who are your top three auto-buy authors?

11. Who is your favorite superhero and who is your favorite super villain?

28Nov2015

The Bookish Alphabet Tag

Posted in Tags by TheQuirkyBookNerd

Status: Read

X – I don’t actually even know of any books that start with “X” (though I’m sure there are some)!

Y – The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Status: Not Yet Read

Z – None

I Tag:

Catia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much

T.K. @ Read It or Not Reviews

Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books

Zezee @ Zezee with Books

Hayley @ Rather Too Fond of Books

Confessions of A Literary Addict

25Nov2015

Top 5 Wednesday – November 25th, 2015

Posted in Top 5 Wednesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

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 you’re thankful for. Of course, as an avid reader and writer, I am just generally thankful for the existence of literature in general. However, there are definitely a few books that have especially affected my reading and writing. These books have truly touched my life, have taught me so much, and have gotten me through tough times. They have inspired me in so many ways and continue to do so every day. These are books that never get old, and become more meaningful to me each time I read them. I cannot express how extremely grateful I am that these works exist.

5. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

theadventuresofsherlockholmes

4. Hamlet by William Shakespeare

(I know this is a play not a novel, but it still counts!) 😀

hamlet1

3. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

thechroniclesofnarnia

2. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

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1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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What novels are you most thankful for? What stories have impacted your life the most? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

-Ariana

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23Nov2015

My Life in Books Tag

Posted in Tags by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I was tagged to do the My Life in Books tag by two lovely and awesome people: Ashleigh over at A Frolic Through Fiction and Michelle over at Book Adventures. Thank you both for the tag! Ashleigh and Michelle are two absolutely fantastic book bloggers, so if you haven’t checked out their blogs, be sure to head on over! 🙂

Find a book for each of your initials.

My initials are AJML so…

…I chose A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Jackaby by William Ritter, More Than This by Patrick Ness, and Legend by Marie Lu.I have a lot of “A” books, but A Monster Calls is one of my favorite books of all time. Jackaby is the only “J” book I own, but it just so happens to be another favorite of mine. More Than This I have not read yet; I am severely lacking in the “M” book department, but it’s by one of my favorite authors (hence my “A” choice!). I am also severely lacking in the “L” book department, but Legend is fantastic.

Count your age along your bookshelf—which book is it?

I’m 21, so the book I got was…

…Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I had to use my Goodreads bookshelf for this, but I went in alphabetical order by last name, so it will be the same on my physical shelves once I have them set up. This is embarrassing to admit, but I actually don’t currently have any shelves in my room! I am in the process of rearranging things and adding new furniture, so all of my books are in storage boxes at the moment.

Pick a book set in your city/state/country.

Since I very highly doubt that there are any books that take place in my actual city, I chose my top three favorite American novels.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Pick a book that represents a destination you would like to travel to.

I decided to choose one real place (Prague) and one fictional place (Narnia).

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor takes place in Prague, a city to which I have already been and have completely fallen in love with. I desperately want to go back for another (and hopefully longer) visit.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis takes you to Narnia, the fictional world that I would like to visit the most out of any I’ve ever read. Also I want to live in England one day, so this could count toward my real place as well.

Pick a book that’s your favorite color.

Even though I love every color and vibrantly colorful things in general, “rainbow” is not technically “a color”. I will now take this moment to address the fact that I am a strange human being (yeah, we knew that already, Ari.) because, having just stated my love of bright, multicolored things, oddly, my favorite color is black…

Once again, I’ve chosen more than one book because Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn has one of my favorite color combinations (pink and black), and Vicious by V.E. Schwab has my other favorite color combination (red and black).

Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

Though I have incredibly fond memories of reading the entire series as I grew up, I have to say, some of my fondest memories are of reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. This was the first Harry Potter novel I was old enough to read on my own, which made it very special to me, and it also happens to be one of my favorite storylines on top of that. I also have quite a fond memory of going to the midnight release of The Deathly Hallows with my best friend, then staying up all night together and reading it, so that would be a close second!

Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

I have to admit, it slightly pains me to put this two books next to each other.

1984 by George Orwell I found to be relatively difficult to get though due to the fact that my brain did not click well with Orwell’s writing style, gorgeous as it was. This, however, is an incredible story, one of my favorite novels of all time, and a book that I am very glad I pushed through; it was well worth it in the end!

(Apologies in advance if you like this story. Don’t read on if you did!) Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad on the other hand…where do I begin? This is technically considered a novella because of its length, but I just had to throw this in here. To be completely honest, this was the worst and most excruciating eighty or so pages I have ever read in my life. The writing is atrocious and the story was absolutely not worth the effort in my opinion.

Which book in your TBR pile will give you the biggest sense of accomplishment when you finish it?

Let’s whip out those frighteningly massive books shall we!

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I tend to get a bit intimidated by giant books sometimes, and these are the two largest ones on my shelf. Aside from the feeling of accomplishment I will get by completing about 2,000 total pages between the two, I feel like these are also two books that everyone has read. Three (or five) other novels I will feel a huge sense of accomplishment after finishing are…

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

…again, mainly due to the fact that I should have read them by this point in my reading life. Also, I clearly feel quite accomplished by finishing books with authors who have the initials “R.R.” in their names.

I Tag:

SSJ Time Lord

Trisha @ The Bookgasm

Emma @ The Terror of Knowing

Fran @ Nightjar’s Jar of Books

Michelle @ Michelle, Books and Movies Addict

Umbreen @ Read by Umbreen

And if you are reading this and haven’t done it, then I tag YOU! 🙂

21Nov2015

The Starlight Blogger Award

Posted in Awards by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I was nominated by Magda over at Magic of Books. Thank you so much for the nomination! 🙂

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The Rules

Thank the giver and link their blog to your post.

Answer the 3 original questions and then the 3 new questions from your nominator given to you.

Nominate your 6 favorite bloggers! In your nominees, I would like for you to think of the light emanating from the stars, the ones that truly touch your soul with their work. The ones that are the light for you; a true STARLIGHT Blogger.

Please pass the award on to 6 or more other Bloggers of your choice and let them know that they have been nominated by you.

Include the logo of the award in a post or on your Blog, please never alter the logo, never change the 3 original questions. Answer that first, then answer the 3 new questions from your nominator, and never change the Award rules.

Please don’t delete this note:  The design for the STARLIGHT Bloggers Award has been created from YesterdayAfter. It is a Copyright image, you cannot alter or change it in any way just pass it to others that deserve this award.  Copyright 2015 © YesterdayAfter.com – Design by Carolina Russo”

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The Original Questions:

1. If you could meet anyone from throughout history, who and why?

As someone who writes, reads and acts, I definitely have to pick William Shakespeare for this. He is one of my favorite writers of all time, an absolute master of the craft, and he would be an incredibly fascinating man to meet.

2. What is your favourite book and why?

I have a sizable number of books that I completely adore; however, my absolute favorite book of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is such a beautiful, powerful, and meaningful novel with vivid characters and important themes. This is a book that should definitely be read by everyone at least once in his or her life. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book that I can read over and over again and never get tired of. In fact, it gets better with each read, and I get even more out of the story during every experience with it.

3. Who is your favourite fiction character from any medium and why?

This was a pretty hard one to decide on because I love so many fictional characters. However, I think I would have to pick either Atticus Finch or Sherlock Holmes; I have to say both because I’ve been thinking about this for a while and there is absolutely no way I can choose between these two! They are both intelligent and remarkable men, and two of the best literary characters out there.

Magda’s Questions:

1. What is your favorite movie which takes place in space?

As a major sci-fi fan, I love a lot of movies that take place in space. However, I think I’ll have to stick with a classic and go with Star Wars. Really any of the Star Wars movies (except maybe The Phantom Menace) could fit here, but my favorites are the original trilogy. My all-time favorite is Return of the Jedi, though The Empire Strikes Back is an extremely close second. And just as an honorable mention, I have to bring up The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; such a fantastic novel and movie!

2. If you could have any pet from any of the books you’ve read, what would it be?

For this, I think I would choose a direwolf from A Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series. They are beautiful and intelligent creatures that would make very loyal companions. And let’s face it, on the show, they are just plain adorable. Fierce…but still adorable.

3. What was the first book that kept you awake through the night?

I definitely have to go with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for this one. This was the first Harry Potter novel that I was old enough to read completely on my own, and I remember many a late night working my way through this multiple times because I loved it so much! Another one around this same time was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I spent my evening hours in either Narnia or Hogwarts!

I Nominate:

Anna @ My Bookish Dream

Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Michelle @ Book Adventures

Ashleigh @ A Frolic Through Fiction

Leslie @ Confessions of a Bookaholic

Paige @ Page by Paige

My Questions:

1. Do you prefer series or standalone novels?

2. If you could live in any fictional world, which one would it be and why?

3. What book or series would you recommend to someone who says they don’t like to read, and why would you choose that book or series?

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17Nov2015

Top 10 Tuesday – November 17th, 2015

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

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 quotes you loved from books you read in the past year or so. I am so excited about this topic because I absolutely love sharing book quotes and hearing the favorites of other book lovers. Book quotes can be beautiful, powerful, or just plain hilarious! They can touch our lives, provide us with something we need in that moment, whether that is inspiration, hope, or a smile. Whatever they are, it’s a wonderful way to get a brief glimpse at an author’s work and a reader’s taste in literature, and perhaps discover something new.

Brief side note: Today’s post is going to be a bit of a shorter one as my laptop is dead and I am currently losing my battle with the blog app. Also, if anything is a bit wonky with this post, that’s probably why! Things should be back to normal soon; thank you for bearing with me! 🙂

Here are my top favorite quotes from books I’ve recently read!

1. “Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time.” ― Marissa Meyer, Cinder

2. “I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.” ― Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

3. “That the battles are usually in her head does not lessen the bravery of it. The hardest ones always are.” ― William Ritter, Jackaby

4. “Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.” ― Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls

5. “I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries of the universe in someone’s hand.” ― Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

6. “Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

7. “Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence. If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the roofs, and and peep in at the queer things which are going on, the strange coincidences, the plannings, the cross-purposes, the wonderful chains of events, working through generations, and leading to the most outre results, it would make all fiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most stale and unprofitable.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

8. “The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.” ― Lois Lowry, The Giver

9. “Reality should follow through on what I think it is going to do.” ― Allie Brosh, Hyperbole and a Half

10. “Simply put: time is fluid. The faster your world spins out of control, the slower time crawls. The more time you need, the less you’re sure to get. It’s all relative.” ― Shannon Lee Alexander, Love and Other Unknown Variables

And an honorable mention:

“I had tasted cake and there was no going back. My tiny body had morphed into a writhing mass of pure tenacity encased in a layer of desperation. I would eat all of the cake or I would evaporate from the sheer power of my desire to eat it…No one could tell me not to eat an entire cake—not my mom, not Santa, not God—no one. It was my cake and everyone else could go fuck themselves.” ― Allie Brosh, Hyperbole and a Half

What are some of your recent favorite book quotes? I would absolutely love to hear them! Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

12Nov2015

Real Neat Blog Award

Posted in Awards by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I was nominated by the lovely Kayla over at bookedsolid1989. Thank you so much for the nomination!

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The Rules:

-Thank and link the blogger who nominated you

-Answer the seven questions the nomination has provided

-Nominate 7 other bloggers

-Create 7 questions for your nominees

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Kayla’s Questions

1. What are you most excited about for the end of the year?

I am definitely most excited for the holidays; specifically, I am excited for the music! I’m a singer, and my absolute favorite time of the choral year is coming up. We do some of the best music and the most fun concerts at the holidays. Plus the season is just lovely and cheerful in general, and I’m particularly looking forward to that this year. I can’t wait to see friends and family, and (hopefully) have a good amount of time to relax as well.

2. What book or book series do you love and would recommend to others?

The book that I would recommend the most to others would be my absolute favorite book of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It is such a beautiful and important novel, and something that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime. A book series that I would recommend to others, aside from the obvious ones like Harry Potter or The Hunger Games, would be The Chronicles of Narnia. Okay, so that might be a slightly obvious one too…but it’s one of my favorites! I can’t not mention it! 🙂

3. Who are a few of your favorite authors?

My all-time favorite authors are Arthur Conan Doyle, William Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, Neil Gaiman, and Harper Lee. Some of my semi more recently discovered favorites are Gillian Flynn and Patrick Ness.

4. What is your favorite television series at this time?

I actually don’t watch all that many shows that are still on the air. However, my current favorite television series is definitely Doctor Who, though Sherlock is a very close second. I have been getting into Game of Thrones lately though, so that’s working its way up my favorites list too.

5. If you could spend one day with a fictional character, who would it be?

If I could spend a day with one fictional character, I would choose Sherlock Holmes. Not only is he one of my favorite literary characters, but I also think it would be absolutely amazing to have a chance to accompany him on a case for a day. I’d love to see his deductive skills in action first hand, and maybe even assist him in the investigation. However, I don’t think I could stand him for long periods of time; I’m not nearly as patient as Watson! So one day would be absolutely perfect. Another character I might like to spend the day with would be Mr. Tumnus.

6. Which cover of a book (whether you’ve read it or not) do you absolutely love?

Come on…there was no way I was going to be able to pick just one! 😀

7. Are you currently reading a book? If so, what is it and how are you feeling about it so far?

I am currently working on Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I’m not overly far into it yet, but I am already really liking it; I’m very excited to continue on, and I should have a review up when I’m done!

I Nominate:

Michelle @ Book Adventures

Bree @ The Literary Hellion

Liam @ Liam’s Library

Ashleigh @ A Frolic Through Fiction

Poppy @ Poppy’s Best of Books

Cherry @ Read Forevermore

Bear @ Book Bear Blog

My Questions:

1. Who are a few of your favorite authors you discovered in 2015?

2. What is your favorite hobby outside of reading?

3. What are two places, one fictional and one real, that you would most like to travel to (or maybe live)?

4. What book or books do you think deserve more recognition?

5. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

6. What are your favorite songs/bands/artists to listen to?

7. What are some of your most anticipated book releases of 2016?

11Nov2015

Top 5 Wednesday – November 11th, 2015

Posted in Top 5 Wednesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is the top five books you did not finish. I don’t often stop in the middle of books, so this was a hard list for me to compile. Usually, no matter how I’m feeling about it, I absolutely hate stopping before the end of a novel or series. I’m not sure why, but I just can’t seem to leave anything unfinished; it really bugs me! However, there are a handful novels that I have stopped partway through because I truly could not get myself to continue them.

Since some of these picks may be a tad controversial, I thought I should include a little disclaimer! 🙂 These are not by any means bad novels; in fact, for a number of these, I can completely see why they have so many fans. The books on this list were simply not my cup of tea and, for that reason, I personally found them difficult to finish.

5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

All right, so this one is technically not an official DNF forever. I started this a year or two ago and just could not get into the story. The writing style was not my favorite and the plot itself upset me more than I expected. I only read a few chapters, but I was not enjoying my reading experience at all, so I ended up putting it aside and I have not yet gotten back to it. I will say, I believe my reading mood at the time partially contributed to my feelings; I don’t think I should have started it when I did, which is why I do actually intend to give it another go at some point. But at this moment, it is a DNF.

4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

I’m not exactly sure why I attempted to read this series because it is not at all the type of story I like to read. I’m pretty sure it was due to the fact that I had heard all the hype and praise surrounding these novels; I thought I should give them a go and maybe they would surprise me. I really hoped that I would enjoy them, but unfortunately that did not happen, and I made it about halfway through Shiver before giving up. I do intend to give Maggie Stiefvater’s other novels, such as The Raven Boys, a try despite not liking these stories; some of those storylines seem a bit more suited to my personal tastes.

3. Dead Rules by Randy Russell

Again, we have another case where I have no clue why I attempted to read this. A few years back, I picked it up at the library on a whim, but absolutely could not get into it. I remember that I could not stand the main character, and the plot, which had sounded like an interesting idea, fell completely flat for me. On top of that, I never clicked with the author’s writing style. I read only about a third of the novel and it was just going too slow and not showing any signs of picking up. I truly could not find anything I really liked about the story, and figured it wasn’t really worth trying to continue on to the end.

2. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Song of Solomon was a book that we read in high school, but I switched schools a couple of months into the year and was no longer required to read it. This is also one of the only classics that was required reading in school that I did not enjoy. I could not get into this story at all and was not interested in seeing how it wrapped up so, when I left school, I just ended up putting it down. I do not, at the moment, have any intention of trying to finish it off, however, this is another case where I would like to give some of the author’s other work a try one day. I know Toni Morrison is a very popular writer, and maybe another novel would be more my type.

1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

This is probably my most controversial choice on here, but I have to admit, I am not a fan of the Twilight series. This series was never my type of series; the main reason that I had begun reading it was due to all the hype surrounding it. Now, I did not completely hate the first two books, but I didn’t particularly like them either. Since I had gotten halfway through, I figured I would just finish off the final books in the series since I hate to leave anything incomplete. However, I genuinely could not stand this book and all the drama and angst, and I just decided it was time to put it aside.

What novels have you stopped in the middle of? Are you like me where you have trouble stopping in the middle of books or series once you start? Let me know down in the comments!

-Ariana

10Nov2015

Top 10 Tuesday – November 10th, 2015

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4Nov2015

Top 5 Wednesday – November 4th, 2015

Posted in Top 5 Wednesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is your top five favorite series novellas. I have read a few series novellas, enough to create this list. However, I am afraid that there isn’t going to be a whole lot of variety in series or author because many of them are from the same one, namely Marissa Meyer and The Lunar Chronicles. I absolutely love short stories, and I am definitely a huge fan of series novellas in general. I do have others I intend to read at some point, but I have not begun any of those series yet. In the meantime, here are my top five favorites so far!

5. The Queen’s Army by Marissa Meyer

This is the third series novella that Marissa Meyer wrote for The Lunar Chronicles, and it falls between the first novel, Cinder, and second novel, Scarlet. It functions as a bit of a bridge story and prequel to Scarlet, and introduces one of the new main characters of that novel.

I read this recently since I am preparing to jump into Scarlet very soon and, though this is my least favorite of the novellas so far, I still really loved reading it. It is a very short read but sufficiently captivating and intense, and it gives great insight into both this new character and the inner workings of the Lunars that we have not previously seen. I am even more excited about reading the next novel and seeing where these plot points lead!

4. The Map by William Ritter

This is the first series novella that William Ritter wrote for the Jackaby series and it falls between the first and second novels. The Map is a standalone adventure starring the main characters from the series. It tells the tale of what happens when Jackaby plans a celebration for his assistant, Abigail Rook’s, birthday.

I really enjoyed this novella; it was such a fun read and wonderful to have while I was eagerly awaiting the next full novel. It was lovely to be back in this world with these loveable characters and to follow them on another one of their wacky exploits. This was just as hilarious and entertaining as the full novels themselves, and reading it made me all the more excited about Beastly Bones!

3. Glitches by Marissa Meyer

This is the first series novella that Marissa Meyer wrote for The Lunar Chronicles and is the prequel to the first novel, Cinder. It was actually my first experience with her writing, as I decided to read it prior to reading Cinder; and I’m glad that I did.

Though Cinder would still have been enjoyable if I had not read this first, this prequel offers much more insight into Cinder’s past and fills in some of the gaps in that area that are present in the novel. It also gives you a chance to connect with her before diving into the main action of the plot, and I found that this made me love her as a character even more. On top of all that, I completely fell in love with Marissa Meyer’s writing style, which made me all the more excited to dive into the series. This is a great prequel story and I would highly recommend it if you are planning on starting The Lunar Chronicles or already have and have not read this novella yet!

2. Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge

Gilded Ashes is a Cinderella retelling that takes place in the same world as Rosamund Hodge’s first novel, Cruel Beauty. It is a standalone story and can be read without any knowledge about her other novel. Reading this was my first experience with her work and I was quite impressed.

This was very well written, and a surprisingly detailed story for the length that it was. I wasn’t quite sure how I would feel about it, as I tend to be fairly picky with retellings, but I ended up really loving it. There was just the right balance of sadness, heart-warming moments, and dark twists, and I thought it was a great reimagining of Cinderella. Along with that, I absolutely loved Rosamund Hodge’s writing style and I am looking forward to reading her full novels!

1. The Little Android by Marissa Meyer

This is technically the second series novella in The Lunar Chronicles, though it doesn’t have much to do with the actual series itself; it is more of a standalone. As the title suggests, it is essentially a retelling of The Little Mermaid (the original tale, not the Disney version) with an android twist.

This story was absolutely fantastic! It is incredibly detailed and well rounded for the short amount of pages that it consists of. It is adorable and emotional and just a beautiful rendition of this classic tale. I would very highly recommend giving this a read even if you haven’t read the other books in the series, particularly if you are a fan of retellings.

What are your top five favorite series novellas? Which ones would you recommend the most? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana