Tag Archives: november

The Starlight Blogger Award

Posted in Awards by

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

The Rules

  1. Thank the giver and link their blog to your post.
  1. Answer the 3 original questions and then the 3 new questions from your nominator given to you.
  1. starlightbloggerawardNominate 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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”

_________________________________________________________________________________

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.

tkam2. 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!

f4a482f5-5fd5-4ee7-81d5-021604edfd822. 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?

logo2

The Creative Blogger Award

Posted in Awards by

creativebloggeraward2

I was nominated by the awesome Rachel over at (bargain)bookbliss! Thank you so much for the nomination, Rachel. She is a fantastic book blogger so if you haven’t already checked out her blog, be sure to head on over there! 🙂

_________________________________________________________________________________

creativebloggeraward1The Rules:

  1. Thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog.
  1. Share 5 facts about yourself.
  1. Nominate some bloggers in return and notify them about their nomination.
  1. Keep the rules in your post to make it easy for everyone to know what to do.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Random Facts About Me:

  1. Along with writing, reading, and film, art is one of my biggest passions. I’m not particularly good at painting or sculpting, but I love drawing/sketching and graphic design.

flowersketch paintbrushsketch spacedesign

  1. When I am not writing or reading, I am probably doing something musical. I have been singing for over 15 years. I also have played four instruments (piano, violin, guitar, and recorder) and I plan on starting electric violin sometime in the near future.
  1. I desperately want to become a writer and filmmaker, and one day move to London so I can work there.

tumblr_ltu62hkGf41qgjhr2o1_500_large tumblr_n66o44iPXQ1rwy1b6o1_500

  1. I am pretty much obsessed with anything to do with superheroes/super villains/comic books, particularly if it has to do with Marvel. I own far too many comic book related items, and the next story I plan on writing is all about super villains.

loki-oh-yes

  1. I love anything to do with color and creating designs and patterns with it, which partially explains my recent obsession with adult (theoretically, I am one now) coloring books. Seriously, they are the best!

Screen Shot 2015-11-11 at 3.43.51 AM

I Nominate:

Kayla @ bookedsolid1989

Jessica @ Mud and Stars

Ana @ Ana Reyhs

Michelle @ Mishi-Reads

Rachel @ One Little Bookshelf

Nick @ The Paper Dragon

logo2

Top 10 Tuesday – November 17th, 2015

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by

toptentuesday
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

logo2

Real Neat Blog Award

Posted in Awards by

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

_________________________________________________________________________________


The Rules:realneatblogaward

-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

_________________________________________________________________________________

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?

tkam thechroniclesofnarnia

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?

Doctor-who-logo-ten

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?

rebecca assassinsquest thefinalempire jackaby theravenboys vicious sixofcrows thefirstfifteenlivesofharryaugust

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?

simonvsthehomosapiensagenda

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?

logo2

Top 5 Wednesday – November 11th, 2015

Posted in Top 5 Wednesday by

topfivewednesday

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 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

thecuriousincidentofthedoginthenighttimeAll 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

shiverI’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

deadrulesAgain, 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

songofsolomonSong 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

eclipseThis 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

logo2

Top 5 Wednesday – November 4th, 2015

Posted in Top 5 Wednesday by

topfivewednesday

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 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

thequeensarmy

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

themapThis 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

glitchesThis 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

gildedashes

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 Meyethelittleandroidr

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

logo2

Top 10 Tuesday – November 3rd, 2015

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by

toptentuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for the first Top 10 Tuesday list of November. 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 either the top ten debut authors who have you looking forward to their sophomore novel, or the top ten sophomore novels that you loved just as much if not more than the author’s debut. I have had to put my own little spin on this topic because I actually have not read many debut authors recently. I have a sizeable number of 2014 and 2015 debuts on my TBR, but I’ve only gotten to a few thus far. However, in the past year or so, I have also discovered a lot of new to me authors whose debuts are the only works I have read by them.

So for today’s list, I’m going to list the top seven authors who are either recent debut authors I’m anticipating the sophomore novel of, or authors with already published sophomore novels that I am dying to read. The final three will be authors I’ve read whose sophomore novels I think are as good or even better than their debuts.

Now that we are all sufficiently confused, let’s jump straight into these lists! 🙂

Authors Whose Sophomore Novels I’m Dying to Read

fallingintoplace jackaby loveandotherunknownvariables hyperboleandahalf

1. Amy Zhang – Falling into Place

Amy Zhang is a 2014 debut author. I read this novel at the end of last year and was extremely impressed by it. Not only was it a very well told and skillfully constructed story, but I was also stunned to find out that this was written by a teenager! Her next novel is coming out in March and I am very interested to read more of her work.

2. William Ritter – Jackaby

Jackaby is a 2014 debut novel and I read it back at the beginning of this year. It is one of my favorite novels I have read in 2015 so far, and I’ve been very much anticipating the sequel, Beastly Bones, which was just recently released. It is definitely going to be one of my next reads.

3. Shannon Lee Alexander – Love and Other Unknown Variables

This is a 2014 debut novel that I read late last year and completely fell in love with. It took me by surprise because it is not the type of novel that I would generally enjoy, or even think to give a try to be honest. But it was fantastic and I loved Shannon Lee Alexander’s writing and storytelling style. I’m not sure if there is a sophomore novel in the works, but I certainly hope there is.

4. Allie Brosh – Hyperbole and a Half

I read this last year and absolutely loved it; this is one of the funniest books I have ever read. There is supposedly a second novel coming out (Solutions and Other Problems), but the date keeps getting pushed back, so I’m not sure if or when it is coming. At least I still have her blog to tide me over!

redqueen cinder legend

5. Victoria Aveyard – Red Queen

I feel like I have been talking about Red Queen and Victoria Aveyard a lot lately; and I know that is strange because I was not all that thrilled with the novel. However, I am still eager to read more of Victoria Aveyard’s work, because I thought her writing style was excellent. I’m still trying to decide if I will be reading the next novel in the series, Glass Sword, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be giving it a try at some point.

6. Marissa Meyer – Cinder

Marissa Meyer is not a recent debut author; Cinder came out in 2012. However, I just discovered her last year, and began The Lunar Chronicles at the beginning of this year. So far, I have only read this first novel, but I adored it and I cannot wait to continue on with the rest of the books (something I will be doing quite soon!).

7. Marie Lu – Legend

Marie Lu is another author whose first book is not a recent release, but so far I have only read her debut novel, Legend, after discovering it last year. I was hooked immediately and I soon got a box set of the entire trilogy. I need to get to the next book as soon as possible; I am dying to see what happens in the final two novels!

Sophomore Novels That Are As Good Or Better Than Debuts

hp2chamber catchingfire wonderstruck

1. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

This entire series is (obviously) absolutely fantastic all the way through. The Chamber of Secrets just so happens to be not only one of my favorite books ever, but my favorite of the series; it definitely had to make this list!

2. Suzanne Collins – Catching Fire

This is by far my favorite dystopian trilogy that I have ever read, and I’ve always found it incredibly hard to pick which of the novels is my favorite. Catching Fire was incredible, and is at the very least just as good as The Hunger Games. However, this may potentially be my favorite of the series; it’s just so hard to choose!

3. Brian Selznick – Wonderstruck

This is Brian Selznick’s second full novel and it is equally as good as his first, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. In fact, all three of his novels are absolutely spectacular; each one is a beautiful work of art. He is a very talented writer and artist, and easily makes this list!

Let me know in the comments which debut authors you’ve been enjoying this year and which sophomore novels you are dying to get your hands on!

-Ariana

logo2

November 2015 TBR

Posted in Wrap Ups And TBRs by

Screen Shot 2015-11-01 at 10.40.36 AM

Happy November, everybody!

I absolutely cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by! Sadly, my favorite month of the year has drawn to a close, but these next few months are just as exciting. First of all, we start the build up to the holiday season. I sing in a church choir, so we spend the next two months singing all of my favorite music of the choral season.

November, as I’m sure you all know, is also the start of NaNoWriMo. This is my sixth year doing it, but will be my first year trying to do it while also blogging, so it’ll be interesting to see how this all goes. NaNoWriMo is one of my favorite parts of every year, and I can’t wait to get started on my new novel!

As far as a TBR, I still have a few books from my previous ones that I would like to work on. However, my reading mood has definitely changed a bit, and there are a couple of books that I also need to read and review this month. As always, a TBR for me is more of a helpful suggestion than something set in stone that I really stick to. It works nicely for prioritizing my entirely too massive pile of unread books. So here are some of the books that I am most eager to read/need to get to in the coming weeks!

November TBR:

1. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

therithmatist

I still have yet to read anything by Brandon Sanderson, though the Mistborn trilogy is high on my priority list. Since I have so many books to read right now, I think I would rather hold off on The Final Empire for a little while longer until I get through some of them. However, this novel is a much more manageable size for me currently. I am also just generally very intrigued by the premise of this novel, so I’m eager to see what it’s all about.

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

sixofcrows

This is one of my most anticipated books of the year and I finally have it in my possession! I have been hearing such amazing things about this novel, which has just been making me more enthusiastic about reading it. And may I just say, the book itself is absolutely beautiful!

3. Beastly Bones by William Ritter

Ritter_BeastlyBones_jkt_COMP.indd

I read the first book in this series, Jackaby, at the beginning of the year and absolutely loved it! So of course, as soon as I finished, I put this on preorder right away. I’m excited to see where these stories go and to get back into the world of these lovable characters. It should be a fun, quick read and I am definitely hoping to get to this very soon.

Click here to check out my review of Jackaby!

4. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

wonder

This is a book I just discovered this year and have heard nothing but wonderful things about. I got it out of the library a few months back, but didn’t have enough time to get to it. So I recently picked up a copy and I’m definitely hoping to finally get to it this month. It sounds like it will be a sad but extremely good read, and I can’t wait to see what I think of it.

5. Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

sagav5

This will most likely be my first read of the month. I honestly can’t believe that I haven’t gotten around to this yet. It has been out for at least a month and a half now and I still need to read it. I’ve had it on hold at the library for quite a while and it’s finally available for me to check out, so I’ll probably be getting to this in the next day or so. I’m so excited to see what happens next!

6-8. Doctor Who: Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale, Doctor Who: Death Riders by Justin Richards, and Doctor Who: System Wipe by Oli Smith

doctorwhodeeptime doctorwhodeathriders doctorwhosystemwipe

These are all books that I have recently gotten through Netgalley, so I would like to get them all read and reviewed by the end of the month. I’d particularly like to get those last two done because they come out toward the second half of November. They should all be quick and entertaining reads, and I’m always up for anything Doctor Who related!

Here are some of the books that I have acquired over the last few months as well as my most anticipated releases of November!

September/October Book Haul:

Ritter_BeastlyBones_jkt_COMP.indd thereluctantsacrifice sixofcrows halfaking

1. Beastly Bones by William Ritter
2. The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster
3. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
4. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

theswordofsummer doctorwhodeeptime doctorwhodeathriders doctorwhosystemwipe

5. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
6. Doctor Who: Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale
7. Doctor Who: Death Riders by Justin Richards
8. Doctor Who: System Wipe by Oli Smith

Anticipated Releases of November:

doctorwhotimelordfairytales winter warrenthe13th

1. Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairy Tales by Justin Richards (November 3rd)
2. Winter by Marissa Meyer (November 10th)
3. Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio (November 24th)

What are you guys planning on reading this month? What new releases are you most looking forward to? Are any of you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

logo2