Top 5 Wednesday – January 27th, 2016

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 that were disappointing eye candy—so basically, books that were more enjoyable to look at than to read. I have this tendency to walk into the library and randomly grab books that have eye-catching covers. This can be a good thing sometimes because I have found some fantastic underhyped novels with this method. However, that also gives you a higher probability of reading a lot of not so great novels as well. Here are a few books whose covers drew me in, but whose stories ended up being rather disappointing.

5. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This has got to be one of my favorite covers of all time, and honestly, this was the best read of this entire list. I did not completely dislike this novel, I was just disappointed with it overall. The concept was incredibly interesting and the writing was absolutely fantastic, which in itself has made me want to continue on with this series. I had more issues with this first novel than I expected to have, but I do believe there is a good chance many of them may be resolved as the series progresses.

Click here to read my full review.

4. The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu

I will admit, I picked this one up almost solely on the beautiful cover. The concept for this novel was a very interesting one, but the actual execution of it left a lot to be desired. It began solidly, but about halfway through, the story just started to feel like it was going nowhere. I was never able to become fully invested in the lives of the characters, and the events of the plot did not have the intended emotional impact on me. It was a fast read, but this novel did not end up being my cup of tea.

3. Doll Bones by Holly Black

After all the wonderful things I had heard about her work, I had been meaning to read a novel by Holly Black for a long time. This was the one that had been on my radar the longest, so I chose it as my first one. While the story had a promising and—as the cover implied—creepy start, the feel of it quickly changed. It was far less of an eerie story than I was expecting, which was incredibly disappointing. That, coupled with a cast of characters I couldn’t bring myself to like and frustratingly unrealistic circumstances caused this to be an unsatisfactory read for me.

2. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

This was one that I had heard a little bit about prior to reading it, and the cover really sealed the deal. In hindsight, I’m not overly shocked that I disliked this book; I typically never enjoy contemporary romance novels. However, the fact that it was to be told from fourteen different points of view really had me intrigued. That aspect of it was creative, and I did like a number of the voices quite a lot, but it was a bit excessive. I felt far too disconnected from the story, and I couldn’t get myself to care enough about the main characters. On top of that, the progression of the romance became extremely repetitive and frustrating, to the point where everything about it was completely implausible. I applaud the author’s creativity, but everything was just slightly too over the top.

1. The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin

I had heard next to nothing about this, but I loved the cover, so that was definitely the main reason I picked up this novel in the first place. The synopsis sounded fantastic and my hopes were very high for this book. However, it ended up being absolutely nothing like what I had expected, and what should have been an intensely intriguing story ended up feeling like reading a pile of paperwork. They story was very dry and the characters were all fairly dislikable. The visual aspect of this novel ended up being the only really positive thing about it.

Click here to read my full review.

What are some books that ended up being disappointing eye candy for you? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

26Jan2016

Top 10 Tuesday – January 26th, 2016

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 a freebie, so we can choose whatever topic we would like. I decided to return to a previous topic since I loved it so much: favorite book quotes. Whether they are inspiring, heart-wrenching, or hilarious, I completely adore quotes. I’ve always loved sharing ones I’ve enjoyed and hearing which ones have touched others. The last post was favorite quotes from recent reads, so this time around, I am going to choose some of my overall favorites from any point in time.

1. “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

2. “When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” – Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

3. “I want to tear myself from this place, from this reality, rise up like a cloud and float away, melt into this humid summer night and dissolve somewhere far, over the hills. But I am here, my legs blocks of concrete, my lungs empty of air, my throat burning. There will be no floating away.” – Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

4. “I would always rather be happy than dignified.” – Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

5. “Death doesn’t exist. It never did, it never will. But we’ve drawn so many pictures of it, so many years, trying to pin it down, comprehend it, we’ve got to thinking of it as an entity, strangely alive and greedy. All it is, however, is a stopped watch, a loss, an end, a darkness. Nothing.” – Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

6. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

7. “I have ceased concerning myself with how things look to others. I suggest you do the same. In my experience, others are generally wrong.” – William Ritter, Jackaby

8. “We know what we are, but not what we may be.” – William Shakespeare, Hamlet

9. “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

10. “Sometimes you look up and there just seems to be so many more stars that ever before. More. They burn brighter and they shine longer and they never vanish into your periphery when you turn your head. It’s as if they come out for us and to remind us that their light took so long to come to us, that if we never had the patience to wait, we never would have seen them here, tonight, like this. That as much as it hurts, sometimes it’s all you can do, wait, endure and keep shining, knowing that eventually, your light will reach where it is supposed to reach and shine for who it is supposed to shine for. It is never easy, but it is always worth it.” – Tyler Knott Gregson, Chasers of the Light

As I’ve said, I absolutely love hearing what other people’s favorite quotes are, so make sure to let me know what some of your favorites are down in the comments!

-Ariana

25Jan2016

New Year’s Resolutions Book Tag

Posted in Tags by TheQuirkyBookNerd

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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?

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?

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?

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?

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!

19Jan2016

Top 10 Tuesday – January 19th, 2016

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16Jan2016

Siblinghood of the World Bloggers Award #1

Posted in Awards by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I was nominated by six wonderful bloggers for the Siblinghood of the World Bloggers award! ❤ Because of this, I’ll be doing this award in two separate posts with a couple sets of questions in each post. Part two will contain questions from Lashaan and Trang, and Kayla.

Thank you to Ashleigh over at A Frolic Through Fiction, Heather over at The Sassy Book Geek, and Loreva over at La Book Dreamer for the nomination. They are all absolutely amazing book bloggers, so please take some time and go check out each of these fantastic blogs! 😀

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The Rules:

-Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog

-Put the award logo on your blog

-Answer the 10 questions sent to you

-Make up 10 new questions for your nominees to answer

-Nominate 10 blogs

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Ashleigh’s Questions:

1. Is there a fictional character you wouldn’t want to meet? Who?

Definitely Umbridge. I absolutely can’t stand her (who can to be honest?)—she’s the worst! I’d never want to meet her.

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2. Do you own any bookish merchandise? (Badges, jewelry, posters etc)

Oh boy, do I ever! I have a To Kill a Mockingbird poster and bag, Harry Potter jewelry (bracelets, necklaces, time-turner earrings, deathly hallows earrings) and a leather Ravenclaw journal, Sherlock Holmes jewelry and book pillow. I also have tons of general bookish gear like t-shirts and mugs. Basically, I have way too much bookish merchandise for my own good!

3. Is there a book/ series you think is overrated?

This is going to be a bit of a controversial answer of course, but I would have to go with the Twilight series. Now I have to say, I think “overrated” might be a bit too strong a term. I am not a fan of the series, but I also don’t fall into the hating on Twilight camp either. It was just not my thing, and I personally ended up feeling that it was over-hyped.

4. If you could travel back in time to any time period, which would you go to?

My favorite periods to learn about have always been the 1920s and the 1940s, so I’d love to travel back to either. I think it would also be interesting to travel back to the Victorian era.

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5. Are there any fictional character names you really love?

Oh, there are plenty! I love the names Atticus Finch and Katniss Everdeen. Pretty much any name out of Game of Thrones is fantastic, particularly Daenerys and Arya. A fictional film character name I love is Rey. And this might be a bit of an obvious choice, but I love the name Sherlock Holmes! There are tons more that I love, but these are a few of my favorites 🙂

6. Are you setting yourself a Goodreads reading challenge for next year? If so, how many books do you hope to read?

I’ve set my challenge this year for 60 books. That was my 2015 goal, but I didn’t end up making it, so I’m really hoping that I can reach it this year.

7. Favourite bookshop?

My favorite physical bookshop is Barnes & Noble. Book Depository has become my favorite online bookshop because I can get all of my favorite editions of books without spending more on shipping than on the actual book itself! 😀

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8. If you could have any character’s clothing style, which character would you choose?

This might be a strange answer because I haven’t actually read this book series yet, but from pictures I’ve seen, I would have to go with Celaena from Throne of Glass.

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9. When you review books, do you write notes while you read it or just think back when writing the review?

Typically, I will just think back on the book when I’m writing my review rather than writing anything down. Occasionally I will take notes if there are really specific points that I want to discuss that I’m afraid I might forget, but usually, I prefer concentrating on reading straight through.

10. How did you get into reading?

Literature has always played an extremely important role in our household, and my parents made reading a part of my life very early on. They constantly encouraged me to read when I was younger, and always made sure I had plenty of good books to choose from—and I ended up completely falling in love.

Heather’s Questions:

1. What is a food that you absolutely will not touch, even if your life depended on it?

This is a tricky one. I have to admit, I can be a pretty picky eater, so there are a number of foods that I don’t like. However, the only thing I can think of that I would not touch even if my life depended on it would be blue cheese. That is the one taste I just could not stand for anything!

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2. If you could meet any author, who would you meet?

There is no way I’m going to be able to narrow this down to just one person! 😀 If it could be any author from throughout history, I’d like to meet Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, or C.S. Lewis. As for current authors, I’d love to meet Gillian Flynn, J.K. Rowling, Victoria Schwab, or Neil Gaiman.

3. If you could have the next book in any series right now, which would it be (doesn’t necessarily have to be written yet)?

Until recently, I would not have known what to say for this question because I’m not currently reading many series at the moment. However, Heather and I just recently read Vicious by V.E. Schwab together, and now that the sequel has been announced, I am absolutely dying to get it! That’s definitely a book I wish I didn’t have to wait for!

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4. Would you rather go to the library or the bookstore?

I know that for the sake of the free space in my house and my wallet, I should probably say library, but honestly, I’m going to have to go with the bookstore. I do have a lot of extremely fond memories from over the years, particularly from when I was a child, of spending hours at the library and coming home with an ambitiously large stack of books. However, there is nothing quite like picking out books that you are going to use to expand your own personal library, and then seeing them all filling your shelves.

5. Paperback/Hardcover or E-Book?

Paperback/hardcover for sure! E-books have definitely grown on me over the years, especially when it comes to larger books or for traveling purposes. But there is nothing that could ever take the place of the feeling of having actual, physical books in your hands (and sitting on your shelves).

6. New book smell or old book smell?

Hmm…that’s a tricky one. Both are absolutely wonderful! I think I might have to choose new book smell. Though there is something very special about that scent that builds up over years, I think I might slightly prefer the scent of a freshly bound book.

7. Do you like reading classics or new books?

I generally like to read a good mixture of both though I will say, overall, I actually prefer reading classics.

8. If I gave you a bunch of money for books right now, which 4 books would you buy?

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The Enchanted by Renee Denfeld

Soulless by Gail Carriger

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

9. Most anticipated book of 2016?

heartless

This is so difficult! There are so many fantastic-sounding upcoming releases. If I had to choose, however, I think I would have to say that my most anticipated release of 2016 is Heartless by Marissa Meyer. I can’t even begin to explain how eager I am to get my hands on this book!

10. Are there any book-to-movie adaptations you’re anticipating?

Definitely! 2016 is shaping up to be the year of (hopefully awesome) book-to-movie adaptations. The top ones I’m anticipating this year are Fantastic Beasts, Miss Peregrine’s, and A Monster Calls.

Loreva’s Questions

1. Which TV Shows do you watch?

I actually don’t watch a lot of television anymore, and I am absolutely terrible at keeping up with shows. I have an insanely long list of shows that I need to start watching or catch up on. The main shows that I do keep up with (and that are some of my all-time favorites in general) are Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, and Sherlock. I also really enjoy The Middle and Two Broke Girls.

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2. What was the first book you ever read and was it the book that sparked your interest in reading?

I come from a family of book lovers, so books have always played a hugely important part in my life. I can’t specifically remember a lot of the first books I read by myself, but I do distinctly remember reading a book called The Housekeeper’s Dog. I remember being so proud because it was multiple reading levels ahead of where I should have been at my age, and I was so excited that I called my grandma up and read it to her over the phone. All of the books that I read when I was younger fueled my passion for reading, so this one definitely contributed. However, like many other bibliophiles around my age, the main book(s) that sparked my interest in reading was Harry Potter.

3. Which do you prefer: Reading or Writing?

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This is an incredibly difficult choice to make! Though I absolutely adore writing, and I love getting my ideas written down and creating worlds and adventures of my own, I think I would have to say I slightly prefer reading. Reading is something that I can do to relax, to really take a break and escape from reality for a little while. Reading and writing are both incredibly important and essential parts of my life, but reading is my necessary chill out time.

4. Which is your favorite season, reading wise?

My favorite season in general is autumn. The world is so beautiful in autumn—I always feel the most inspired in all aspects of my life, including reading, during these months. Something about that cooler weather makes me want to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea as the leaves fall outside.

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5. What bookish challenges are you going to attempt next year?

At the moment, the main bookish challenge I’ll be attempting is the typical Goodreads challenge, though I might look around for other challenges to try at some point! I’ve also created a few personal challenge lists for myself in blog posts recently: series I want to start, my 2016 book bucket list, and self-published books I want to get to. I’ll be checking on my progress with this lists throughout the year.

6. How do you arrange your bookshelf (color, genre, author etc)?

This is embarrassing to admit, but I don’t actually have any bookshelves at the moment! All of my books currently reside in storage boxes. However, when I get those shelves, I will be arranging my books by author.

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7. What was the last book you read? Did you like it?

The last book I read was Doctor Who: Death Riders by Justin Richards, a sort of mini novel (under 200 pages) that I got from Netgalley. Overall it was a fairly enjoyable read (click here to read my review!). I’ve been reading a few of these for review lately, so the last full novel that I read was Vicious by V.E. Schwab, and that was absolutely incredible!

8. Have you ever been on vacation outside the borders of your continent?

Yes and no. I’ve never been out of the borders of my continent on a true vacation. However, I have traveled outside of the borders for music tours, which are sort of part work and part vacation. So far I’ve only been to Europe, but I have traveled to France, England, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic!

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9. Are you interested in any musical instruments or sports?

I enjoy watching a number of sports, but I’ve never been too interested in participating in them. The only ones I’ve enjoyed (and been remotely good at) are swimming and tennis. However, I am a musician, so I’ve had a lot of experience with instruments. I am primarily a singer, but I’ve played piano, violin, guitar, and recorder. I am also really hoping to start electric violin sometime in the near future!

10. What is your usual reading time?

I typically read whenever I get a chance throughout the day, and that changes all the time as my schedule is generally pretty unpredictable. So I guess I don’t really have a specific time of day that I usually read. However, I do relatively consistently read before going to sleep, whenever that happens to be! 🙂

I Nominate:

The Orang-utan Librarian

Jessica @ The Awkward Book Blogger

Becca @ Shih Tzu Book Reviews

Liam @ Liam’s Library

T.K. Lawrence @ Read it or Not Reviews

Rachel @ (Bargain)BookBliss

Zezee @ Zezee with Books

Codie @ Reader’s Anonymous

Windie @ Geek Apprentice

Dearna @ The Words of the Roses

Jen @ J.N. Cahill

My Questions:

1. What are some new releases you are most looking forward to in 2016?

2. What is you favorite under-hyped book?

3. What is one thing (activity, song, movie, etc…) that always makes you happy no matter what?

4. Do you prefer series or standalone novels?

5. Do you play video games? If so, what are your favorite games to play?

6. What is your favorite song of all time?

7. If you could have any fictional animal as a pet, what would you choose?

8. What 2016 movies are you most looking forward to seeing?

9. 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?

10. What is your absolute favorite quote?

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13Jan2016

Top 5 Wednesday – January 13th, 2016

Posted in Top 5 Wednesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is your top five favorite self-published books. Now, I’ve not actually read all that many self-published books over the years; my experience in that area is really lacking. I would like to start getting into the habit of reading more of these types of novels this year, and I already have a few picked out that I would like to read soon. So instead of making a list of my favorites, I’ve decided to make a list of the top five self-published books on my TBR that I am most looking forward to reading!

5. Angelfall by Susan Ee

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

4. Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie

Life sucks for orphans Callum Tate and Harper Bailey.

Kicked out of their foster homes because they suffer the ‘eighteen disease’ with nothing but a hundred dollar check from the government and a pat on the back, they’re forced to rely on a system that failed them miserably.

So they sit. They sit inside Social Services, waiting for their social workers to call their names and offer them the miracle they know will never come but they sit anyway because they have nowhere else to go, no other options on their very literal and figurative empty plates.

But as they sit, they notice the other. Although captivated, they each come to the conclusion that life is complicated enough without throwing in a boiling tension that can’t ever be acted upon because they’re both too busy thinking about where their next meal will come from but when their names are called and both are placed on a year long waiting list for permanent housing, suddenly relying on each other seems like a very viable plan B.

And, oh, how lovely Plan B’s can be.

Well, except for the psycho from Harper’s past that haunts her and, oh, yeah, there’s the little issue that neither of them knows they’re in love with the other.

Needless to say, Callum & Harper’s life just got a bit more complicated.

3. The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster

Centuries ago, sibling rivalry tore Aramith apart. As punishment, the losers were stripped of their immortal birthright and banished to Earth. There, they wasted away from old age and diseases. However, there is hope…

If a Shaw child, born on the 12th day of the 12th month offers her soul in a public sacrifice, then the exiles will be forgiven and welcomed home to Aramith.

Aubrey Shaw is that child, but dying for the exiles is not on her to-do list. Using her gift as a Jumper, Aubrey leaps between bodies to escape relentless shape-shifting hunters. Only, shedding her skin is not enough. Not when Joshua, her best-friend-turned-hunter, is hell-bent on dragging her to the altar.

Will Aubrey’s love for Joshua change his mind?

Or, will she have to trust the scarred stranger who shows up out of the blue cloaked in lies and secrets? Doing so means giving up on Joshua. But betting on Joshua’s love could do more than break her heart.

It could kill her.

2. The Inn by Deirdre Swinden

The Inn had stood for more than 200 years. No one who knew any better would live within its walls. No one who had heard its sordid past would venture within a mile. But Innkeepers Paula and Martin Kent had found the aging red brick charming and the house itself an alluring investment. After all, what more could a bed and breakfast need for success than to be “haunted”? Its history spoke of deadly winters, lusty rovers and immortal lovers. It called to them as it had sung to others, and at a time when ghost hunters achieved success on reality television, the Kents had found a profitable attraction.

When Samantha Brogan arrives to meet her estranged husband Chris in an attempt to repair their crumbling marriage, she is instantly unsettled by an image her failing sight struggles to comprehend. Trapped by a severe snowstorm, guests and caretakers seek out the Inn’s other inhabitants through ghost hunts and chilling tales of the site’s unnaturally violent history. As the storm gains power, Sam’s visions grow darker and more disturbing. As an unseen enemy draws closer, the guests experience nightmare realities of their deepest fears. One by one they succumb to an inescapable fate until there is only one course left for the remaining occupants – attempt to communicate or die trying.

And death is waiting to take them all.

1. Dissonance by Mariella Hunt

Fifteen-year-old Allie Grant lives crippled by her illness. Though kept in isolation, she’s never alone: A spirit named Song lurks in the silence of her bedroom.

When Song reveals its dark nature on the night of her recital, the show ends in tragedy. Verging on death, Allie’s taken in by an uncle she’s never met.

Julian claims to be a Muse with power over music and answers that’ll heal her. The cure she needs is rare, requiring of him a difficult sacrifice. Allie soon suspects her uncle has a secret that’ll turn her world around.

But with days left to live, she might fade without learning the truth…like the finishing chord of a song.

What are some self-published novels that you have read and enjoyed? I’m always looking for some more recommendations, so definitely let me know in the comments! 🙂

-Ariana

12Jan2016

Top 10 Tuesday – January 12th, 2016

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten 2015 releases you meant to get to but didn’t. This is a great topic for me because I have an embarrassingly long list of books to choose from! I ended up not reading nearly as much as I originally intended to in 2015. On top of that, the majority of the books that I did read were releases from recent years that I was trying to catch up on. To narrow my list down, I primarily chose books that I own and that I hope to get around to reading this year. 2016 is definitely going to end up being another catch up year!

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

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

3. The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath by Ishbelle Bee

4. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

5. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

6. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

7. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

8. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

9. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

10. Rook by Sharon Cameron

What 2015 releases did you guys not have a chance to read? Do we have any in common? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

10Jan2016

Beautiful Blogger Award

Posted in Awards by TheQuirkyBookNerd

I apologize for the lack of posts and slow comment replies over the last few days. I finally have a working laptop all set up, so things should be picking up and I’ll be getting back to everyone this week!

I was nominated by three lovely ladies for the Beautiful Blogger Award: Heather over at The Sassy Book Geek, Michelle over at Book Adventures, and Kimsiang over at The Spines Breaker. Thank you all so much for the nominations! They are all beautiful bloggers themselves, so please stop by and check out all of their blogs! 🙂

_________________________________________________________________________________

The Rules:

-Link to the blogger who nominated you

-List seven random facts about you

-Nominate seven creative, beautiful bloggers, and notify them

_________________________________________________________________________________

Random Facts About Me:

1. I am currently writing my first ever steampunk novel, which I worked on during this past NaNoWriMo. This is definitely turning out to be my favorite story I’ve worked on so far!

2. My next novel is going to be about superheroes and super villains (note everyone’s complete lack of surprise at this fact!) 🙂

3. If I had a superpower, I would want to be able to control objects with my mind. Either that, or I would want the ability to manipulate metals (ferrokinesis); I’ve always thought that was a cool power.

4. I want to get a husky one day and name it either Atticus, Sherlock, or Loki. I definitely also plan on generally having three pets with these names.

5. I am a major Star Wars nerd. I’ve just seen the new Star Wars film (definitely my second or third favorite ❤ ) and I now desperately want one of the actual remote controlled BB-8 droids.

6. I’m not usually a huge fan of pranks or pulling pranks on people, but I absolutely love watching public prank videos. Lately, I have been binge watching Just for Laugh Gags and The Scary Snowman on Youtube! 🙂

7. I may or may not be mildly obsessed with collecting Funko Pop figurines. I currently have a collection of about 18 (18 and a half if you count mini Thor!).

I Nominate:

Umbreen @ Read by Umbreen

Anna @ My Bookish Dream

Emma @ The Terror of Knowing

Cátia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much

Cleo @ Cuddle With Books

Amber @ Only True Magic

Victoria @ Addlepates and Book Nerds

4Jan2016

16 Books I Want to Read in 2016

Posted in Miscellaneous by TheQuirkyBookNerd

A new year means a time to make resolutions, and for us book lovers, some of those may be bookish resolutions. For me, my TBR pile is beginning to get out of control, so I would like to make a good dent in it this year. There are also many specific books that I am particularly interested to get to, either because they’ve been in my pile for ages or because I intended to read them last year and never got a chance. For these reasons, I’ve decided to make specific lists of both standalones and series that I want to get to in 2016.

I am determined to get to most if not all of these books that I’m listing, so I definitely plan on checking back periodically throughout the year to see what I’ve completed. Essentially, these are my 2016 book bucket lists! I’ve already written a post about series and trilogies that I plan on starting this year, so I’ll keep this list mainly to standalones that I would like read (with a few exceptions). If you want to check out my series and trilogies TBR, click here!

1. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – My goal is really to read the rest of Gillian Flynn’s books this year (so Sharp Objects as well), but I figured I’d just include one in this list. This is on my January TBR, so I’m hoping that it will be one of my first reads of the year. I can’t wait to dive into another one of her novels, even though I’m going to be sad when I run out of books!

2. More Than This by Patrick Ness – I read A Monster Calls about a year and a half ago now, and it is absolutely insane that I have not read anything else by Patrick Ness yet. On top of starting the Chaos Walking trilogy, I would also really like to read this novel. Patrick Ness’s writing is beautiful and some of the best that I have ever read, so I am incredibly eager to experience more of it.

3. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell – Though I own three, I have not yet read a Rainbow Rowell book. Now, contemporary romance type stories are not usually my thing, but I have heard such fantastic things about her work that I really want to give it a try. The plots for many of her novels also sound more like something I would enjoy than a lot of books usually found in the same genre. I would also like to read Fangirl this year, but I have decided to start out with Carry On, mainly because it sounds the most appealing out of all of her novels to me.

4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – I have been dying to read this book for a long time, and it has been sitting on my shelf for ages. I am so eager to experience all the epic nerdiness that is this book! Also, I purchased a copy of this for my dad for Christmas, so I’m hoping that we can read it together some time during the year.

5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien – This was one of the books on my “Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read” list from last year. Embarrassingly enough, I have never read any Tolkien novels; I’ve not even seen any of The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit films. This totally hurts my film nerd, book nerd, and general nerd status! I’m planning to finally watch the films this year and, in terms of the novels, I would at least like to start out by reading this one before the end of 2016.

6. Alice by Christina Henry – I purchased a copy of this with a gift card from Christmas and I absolutely can’t wait to read it! If you’ve read my other posts, I’m sure you are already aware of my obsession with retellings/reimaginings. Take that and make it into a dark retelling and add a morally ambiguous villain? Yes please! I’ve already added it to my January TBR, so I’m planning for it to be one of my next reads.

7. This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee – Speaking of retellings, here’s another one! I saw a few reviews for this while browsing blogs and it sounded like my kind of story, so I recently picked up a copy. This book seems particularly interesting because it includes the actual publication of the story that it is a reimagining of (Frankenstein) as a plot point, something that I’ve never personally seen this type of novel do before. I have not heard all that much about it, but everything that I have heard has been very positive, so I’m interested in giving it a try.

8. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – This was the top book on my “Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read” list. The film version of Rebecca is one of my favorite films of all time. I absolutely adore this story, but incredibly enough, I’ve never actually gotten around to reading the novel. I definitely want to fix that this year; I know that I am going to love reading this and experience the story again in a whole new way. And I’ll definitely be using this as an excuse to re-watch the movie for the millionth time!

9. Wool by Hugh Howey – This is one of the exceptions to my list of standalones because it is the first book in a trilogy. My dad got me a copy of this for Christmas, so I didn’t have it yet when I made my series and trilogies list. I must admit, the main thing that originally attracted me to this novel is the fact that it sounds a lot like one of my favorite series of games, the Fallout series. I’ve also heard nothing but fantastic things about this book and the entire trilogy as a whole, so I am very eager to get into this one.

10. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab – This is another exception to the standalone list because it is the only book out so far (though not for long) in the series. Since Vicious ended up being my favorite book of 2015, I am now on a quest to consume every Victoria Schwab book in existence. I hoping to read the sequel, A Gathering of Shadows, this year as well, so I may go ahead and marathon the two after that is released.

11. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes – This is yet another book that was on my “Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read” list. It was always in the list of options for summer reading when I was in school, but I never got around to choosing it. I’ve wanted to read this for ages, so I think it’s about time that I do!

12. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman – Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors of all time, yet I still have a couple of books of his sitting on TBR. I have also not read a novel by him in over a year, something that needs to be fixed at once! This definitely sounds like it is going to be a great one. I am hoping that I can get around to reading The Graveyard Book this year as well, but Neverwhere is my top priority at the moment.

13. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck – Again, another book that was on my “Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read” list. This is also another book I feel like I should have read in school but never did. We actually never ended up reading any Steinbeck at all in school, which, as an avid writer and reader, I definitely need to rectify. My dad, who is a big Steinbeck fan, got a copy of this for me for my birthday, so I really want to give it a read sometime soon.

14. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – This is another exception to the standalones because, as of right now, this is meant to be a duology. I picked up a copy of this right after it was released last year but I never had an opportunity to read it. This sounds like it is going to be a fantastic read; the plot definitely seems right up my alley. I’m hoping to get to this one relatively early on this year because I am far too excited about it to wait any longer!

15. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin – I’ve mentioned many times before that I have been experiencing a massive Game of Thrones addiction these past few months since I started watching the show. Because of this, I have been desperately wanting to read any and all books even remotely related to the series. And, excitingly, I ended up getting a copy of this one for Christmas! I have the main series of novels on my series and trilogies TBR, so I definitely needed to add this one on here.

16. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee – Last but not least, I think that I finally need to give this one a go. I sort of ended up chickening out of it last year. As I’ve said before, I’m sure there is a good chance that it will turn out to be a lot better than I think it is going to be, and I really do want to read it. As long as I keep in mind that this is a first draft of To Kill A Mockingbird and not a sequel, I’m sure I will end up enjoying it.

What are some of the books on your TBR that you particularly want to get to in 2016? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

-Ariana

2Jan2016

January 2016 TBR

Posted in Wrap Ups And TBRs by TheQuirkyBookNerd

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin
Wool by Hugh Howey
Alice by Christina Henry
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
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

5. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

4. The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu

3. Doll Bones by Holly Black

2. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

1. The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin

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

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

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

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

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

Be more organized – how do you organize your bookshelf?

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

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

Be unique – what was your favorite book of 2015?

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

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

I Tag:

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

2. Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

3. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

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

5. The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

6. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

7. Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard

8. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

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

10. Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

The Rules:

Ashleigh’s Questions:

1. Is there a fictional character you wouldn’t want to meet? Who?

2. Do you own any bookish merchandise? (Badges, jewelry, posters etc)

3. Is there a book/ series you think is overrated?

4. If you could travel back in time to any time period, which would you go to?

5. Are there any fictional character names you really love?

6. Are you setting yourself a Goodreads reading challenge for next year? If so, how many books do you hope to read?

7. Favourite bookshop?

8. If you could have any character’s clothing style, which character would you choose?

9. When you review books, do you write notes while you read it or just think back when writing the review?

10. How did you get into reading?

Heather’s Questions:

1. What is a food that you absolutely will not touch, even if your life depended on it?

2. If you could meet any author, who would you meet?

3. If you could have the next book in any series right now, which would it be (doesn’t necessarily have to be written yet)?

4. Would you rather go to the library or the bookstore?

5. Paperback/Hardcover or E-Book?

6. New book smell or old book smell?

7. Do you like reading classics or new books?

8. If I gave you a bunch of money for books right now, which 4 books would you buy?

9. Most anticipated book of 2016?

10. Are there any book-to-movie adaptations you’re anticipating?

Loreva’s Questions

1. Which TV Shows do you watch?

2. What was the first book you ever read and was it the book that sparked your interest in reading?

3. Which do you prefer: Reading or Writing?

4. Which is your favorite season, reading wise?

5. What bookish challenges are you going to attempt next year?

6. How do you arrange your bookshelf (color, genre, author etc)?

7. What was the last book you read? Did you like it?

8. Have you ever been on vacation outside the borders of your continent?

9. Are you interested in any musical instruments or sports?

10. What is your usual reading time?

I Nominate:

My Questions:

5. Angelfall by Susan Ee

4. Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie

3. The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster

2. The Inn by Deirdre Swinden

1. Dissonance by Mariella Hunt

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

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

3. The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath by Ishbelle Bee

4. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

5. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

6. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

7. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

8. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

9. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

10. Rook by Sharon Cameron

The Rules:

Random Facts About Me: