Top 10 Tuesday – October 27th, 2015

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

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

I can’t believe we are already reaching the end of October! This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is a Halloween themed freebie; we can make up any Halloween related list that we want. Because I couldn’t decide between two topic ideas, I decided to include the second as a bonus part to this post. The first list is ten fall/Halloween reads that are not necessarily spooky but are still perfect for this time of year. The second part is my top ten favorite creepy book covers.

Part One: Fall/Halloween Reads

1. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness – I picked this up last fall and it is definitely one of the best novels I have ever read. This novel ended up being absolutely nothing like what I had originally suspected it would be. I picked this to read near Halloween because it seemed like it would be a scary story focusing on ghosts or other supernatural monsters. Instead, it deals with a very different but equally frightening type of monster. It is a very dark and sad but ultimately beautiful story. This is a very surprising, creative, and absolutely gorgeously written novel that I cannot recommend enough.

2. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman – This would not be a true Halloween themed list if I did not add at least one Neil Gaiman novel to it! He is one of my favorite authors and really, any of his books could be put on a list such as this; however, this is my personal favorite and the one I would recommend the most. The Ocean at the End of the Lane really had that tone that I always look for in my reads at this time of year. Though I did not find it particularly scary, it’s strange and a bit dark and creepy, and the story is extremely captivating. It’s an incredibly unique tale and reads sort of like a myth or legend, which made it even more intriguing.

3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – As the weather cools and the days grow shorter, there’s nothing like reading a good mystery novel. Gone Girl is an incredibly dark and disturbing story, full of surprising twists and unreliable narration; it’s a picture of insanity with frighteningly realistic characters and scenarios. This may not be a typical Halloween ghost story rooted in the world of the supernatural, but it shows that the natural world can be equally as chilling. Click here for my full, spoiler-free review.

4. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – Of course Agatha Christie has to make the list! And Then There Were None is a story about ten strangers, each with a secret, who are brought together on a private island for a weekend by an anonymous host and are killed off one by one. In this novel, everyone is a suspect. This is not only one of my favorite novels of all time, but one of the best examples of a creepy story, perfect for Halloween, that doesn’t involve the supernatural.

5. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury – By this point, I’m sure you are seeing a pattern: here is another one of my all time favorite novels! This story focuses on two young boys whose town is visited by an evil carnival that appears suddenly one night. It brilliantly captures the mood of fall, and the plot fits the Halloween season well with its various oddities and magical realism. This novel is a spectacularly written tale, one that everyone should read at least once in their life; and what better time to read it than the end of October? I would very highly recommend checking out the film as well!

6. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman – Switching gears for a minute, I thought I would throw in one of my favorite, creepy short stories. This is an intriguing story, the ultimate psychological drama. It is told in a journal format, a secret journal kept by a woman whose doctor and husband have forbade her from writing. She is being confined to her room, not permitted to doing anything but sit there, and she begins to imagine a world that’s hiding behind the yellow wallpaper covering her walls. This is such a gripping and eerie story, very fitting for the season.

7. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie – I just had to add another Agatha Christie novel to this list because not only is she one of my favorite authors, but also her novels are truly perfect for Halloween. This is a story starring her famous detective, Hercule Poirot, and is probably one of her most well-known and loved works. It is about a train that is stopped one night by a snowdrift, and in the morning, a man is found stabbed in his cabin, the door still locked from the inside. It is a fascinating mystery and one that definitely has a creepy, Halloween mood!

8. 1984 by George Orwell – 1984 portrays a dystopian world that is absolutely terrifying to imagine. This novel is also a bit frightening due to its relevance and connection to society today. Though it is unlikely that we will ever reach the point that the world has reached in this story, there is just the right amount of realism and personal narrative in it to make it something that the reader can connect to and imagine easily.

9. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle – I chose The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes because it’s my favorite so far, however, any of the Sherlock Holmes novels would work. This is one book that may seem a little out of place on this list, but I personally think that fall is a wonderful time of year to be reading these stories. As I’ve already said, it’s the perfect time to be reading a good mystery, and these are some of the best. Full of suspense and intrigue, this is a novel that is wonderful to curl up by the fire with in the cooler months. Click here for my full, spoiler-free review.

10. Hamlet by William Shakespeare – This may seem like another strange one to add to this list, but I feel like this tale has the perfect atmosphere for this time of year. There’s mystery, insanity, murder, revenge, a ghost, everything you could possibly want for a good fall/Halloween read. Plus, it’s one of the best, if not the best, plays of all time.

Part Two: Favorite Covers

Shutter by Courtney Alameda
Asylum by Madeleine Roux
A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero
Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Slasher Girls and Monster Boys edited by April Genevieve Tucholke
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
The Diviners by Libba Bray

What are your favorite Halloween reads? Any creepy cover designs you like? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

20Oct2015

Top 10 Tuesday – October 20th, 2015

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

This week’s topic is the top ten wishes you’d ask the book genie to grant you. I tried to resist the urge to ask for things like unlimited money to buy books with or the ability to travel through time so I don’t have to wait for new releases (though I wouldn’t mind either!). It took me a while to decide, but here are the top bookish things I would ask the book genie for.

Wish #1: The ability to read faster without my reading experience suffering.

My TBR is growing so quickly and I really wish that I could get through my books faster so I can finally catch up and make room for all the new ones I want to start on. At the moment, I can read fairly fast, but I can’t always get as much from the reading experience if I go about it that way. I’d love to be able to speed up my reading pace and still read with the same proficiency.

Wish #2: For reading to have the same effects on my body as working out.

Now this would be absolutely incredible; why can’t this be a thing? I don’t entirely mind working out (most of the time), but honestly, reading is so much more fun. And I do a lot of it. It’s something I can do for hours each day without getting tired of it. This would, hands down, be the best way to get in shape!

Wish #3: Immunity to reading slumps.

This would really come in handy because I find that, as a definite mood reader, I fall into reading slumps quite easily. I also find that, though I always love consuming a large quantity of books, if I read too much too quickly or don’t make enough progress in the amount of books I complete, my pace tends to slow or stall. I would love to be able to read any type of book at any time without having to worry that I might have difficulties getting into the mood to read.

Wish #4: The ability to travel into any book world I want.

I feel like this is definitely something that most book lovers would absolutely love to be able to do. It would be wonderful to have the chance to fully explore and experience the worlds we read about firsthand. If only we could just open up a novel and tumble through the pages…

Wish #5: The chance to meet and talk shop with some of my favorite authors.

As a writer, I can think of nothing better than getting the opportunity to discuss writing and literature with the authors whose work I enjoy and admire. It would be fantastic to hear about their creative processes and learn any tips and tricks they have to offer. I’d also like to hear more about the writing profession from people who have experience in the field.

Wish #6: A few new collections of Sherlock Holmes short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Out of all of my favorite authors, Arthur Conan Doyle is the one who I wish could produce more works. In particular, I would like more of the Sherlock Holmes short stories to exist. Even though there are many Sherlock Holmes stories and I’ve only read about half of them, I still find myself wishing that there could be more to look forward to because I can’t get enough!

Wish #7: The ability to stop time when I am reading.

It would be great to be able to freeze time whenever I wanted while reading a book; I’d get so much more done that way! I’d never have to worry about trying to squeeze it into my schedule when I get busy. This way, I could just pause everything else and take as much time as I wanted during the day to read.

Wish #8: My own personal multi-story library.

One day, I want to have a huge room in my house to keep all of my books. The only thing that could be better than this would be to have my own personal library-sized space, with multiple levels and cozy places to sit and read.

Wish #9: The chance to read my favorite books again for the first time.

I think this is probably another common wish among bibliophiles. There’s nothing like the feeling of reading an incredible book or series for the first time and falling head over heels in love with it. I’d love to be able to re-experience the feelings that I had when I first read things like Harry Potter or To Kill a Mockingbird. Though I always enjoy re-reading my favorites, nothing can compare to my first time completing them.

Wish #10: To be able to bring my own writing to life for a living.

As well as being a writer I am also an aspiring filmmaker, and I am extremely eager to begin my career as soon as possible. I have always dreamed of seeing my work come to life on screen, and being able to create my own films would be an absolute dream come true.

Suffice it to say, it’s a good thing that the book genie does not actually exist or I might go mad with bookish power!

What would you ask the book genie for? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

6Oct2015

Top 10 Tuesday – October 6th, 2015

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for the first Top 10 Tuesday list of October. 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 topic is the top ten bookish things you want to quit or have quit (such as books or series, tropes, habits). Since this leaves some room to get creative, I decided to do a two-part list: four overused tropes that I would like to see less of and six books or series that I quit.

Four Tropes

There will always be common themes and plot elements among stories, particularly those of the same genre or target age range. Not all tropes detract from the overall story or are necessarily negative qualities, especially when they are executed well; and everyone’s opinion about them will be different. Because of this, the four tropes that I picked for my list are ones that, personally, I particularly dislike reading about and believe always severely hurt a story. For me, there is just no good way to write these.

Let’s start out with the bane of my existence…

Love Triangles/Squares/ Multifaceted Shapes

Thus far, I have only ever been able to stand this in one series, and I hated every moment it was addressed. This is by far the most frustrating trope in literature to me, particularly when the triangle begins morphing into larger polygons. This is the one trope that can actually lead to me stopping in the middle of a novel or completely refusing to read it in the first place if it is mentioned or implied in the synopsis. It is one of the most unnecessary plot elements ever, and the drama that it creates leads me to stop caring about the characters involved and sometimes even the story itself. Which brings me to our next trope…

Excessive Romance/Romantic Angst

I admit I can be incredibly picky when it comes to romance in novels. And while I am totally a hopeless romantic in real life, I tend to prefer when it is kept to a minimum in most novels that I read. This is simply because, many times, a plot can become overpowered by an excessive amount of romance, particularly one that is tumultuous. Sometimes a little tension can be good, as to not make it seem unrealistic, but this can easily be overdone. When it is overdone, this takes attention away from what should be the main plotline in favor of something that may make it look rather sophomoric. Overdone romance or romantic angst subtracts from the significance and impact the story would otherwise have on the reader.

Perfect Main Characters

I can’t stand a main character, or any character really, who is essentially flawless. For me to really care about a character they need to have obvious faults. They need to grow and mature, to make mistakes and learn from them. As a reader, it is impossible to connect and feel for someone who seems inhumanly perfect, and this leaves you wondering why you should spend time becoming invested in their story. On the other side of this, I get really annoyed by…

Cookie-Cutter Villains

I love a good, complex villainous character; one that leaves you constantly intrigued and on your toes, never sure of their motives or what they will do next. They can many times be my absolutely favorite aspect of reading a story, and they are certainly my favorite part to write in my own work. However, a cliché, one-dimensional villain, who is just evil to be evil or because the story requires an antagonist, is incredibly dull, and can really put me off a novel. A villain’s plotline and backstory needs equally as much consideration as the hero’s because the audience needs to care about that villain just as much in order for the overall plot to be successful. A recycled, “cookie-cutter” villain can get on my nerves like nothing else.

Six Books/Series

This was a surprisingly difficult list to make. No matter how I feel about it, once I have started a series, I don’t often stop in the middle of it, and it is even less likely for me to stop in the middle of a book. But I manage to compile a list of what I believe are the only six books/series that I have ever stopped partway through.

Eclipse/The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

This may either be a controversial or common opinion, but I do fall into the category of people who did not like the Twilight series. Now, I did not completely hate the first two novels and did make it through them; however, they never really clicked with me. I figured I would finish up the rest of the series since I’d gotten so far, but I could not get through more than half of Eclipse. I do see why people like the series, but these kinds of stories are really just not my cup of tea.

Shiver/The Wolves of Mercy Falls Series by Maggie Stiefvater

I’m not exactly sure why I attempted these novels; they are not at all the type of story I like to read. I think I had heard a lot of the praise and hype surrounding them and thought maybe they would surprise me. I made it about halfway through Shiver and gave up. I do intend to give Maggie Stiefvater’s other novels a try despite not liking these stories; some of them seem a bit more suited to my personal tastes.

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

This was a book that we read in high school, but I switched schools a of couple months into the year and was no longer required to read it. I could not get into this story at all and was not interested in seeing how it wrapped up, so I just ended up putting it down. I do not, at the moment, have any intention of trying to finish it off, however, I would like to give some of Toni Morrison’s other work a try one day.

Hush, Hush/The Hush, Hush Series by Becca Fitzpatrick

Again, not sure what my reason for trying to read this series was, other than the fact that I was hearing a lot of positive things about it. I only made it about 100 pages into the first novel before I had to put it down.

Fallen/The Fallen Series by Lauren Kate

By this point, I’m sure you are noticing a trend! I do really like to give every type of story a try, even ones I’m sure I won’t like, because you never know what you might find. Unfortunately, I was correct in thinking I wouldn’t like these ones; I only made it about halfway through Fallen.

The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

This is a bit of a cheat because I am not 100% certain that I will never finish this trilogy. I absolutely loved Divergent, but Insurgent fell rather flat for me. After that and hearing spoilers for Allegiant, I’m not certain that I am invested enough to continue on. This is the only series from this list that I could still be persuaded to finish, however.

What are some bookish things you want to quit/have quit? What are some tropes that you are tired of seeing in novels? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

22Sep2015

Top 10 Tuesday – September 22nd, 2015

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

This week’s topic is the top ten books on your fall TBR. This was a difficult list to make because my TBR is so massive. It was hard to choose which ones I want to read first since I am so eager to read them all. And I think I have also managed to come to the conclusion that I have a bit of a book-buying problem…but you can never have too many books! Right?

Anyway, though it was tough to choose just ten, here is a list of the books on my TBR that I am most excited to get to this season.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Frankly, I can’t believe that I haven’t read this novel yet. Or a Victoria Schwab novel in general, for that matter. I have been hearing so many wonderful things about her books, and I am interested to see what I think of them. Also, a comic-book style novel about super powered archenemies? Why has it taken me so long to get around to this?

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

If you couldn’t already tell from my recent posts, I have recently become a massive Gillian Flynn fan. I read Gone Girl earlier this year and I plan on starting Dark Places this month. So of course, this is also on the top of my TBR, and I would really like to get to it before the end of the year. Even though I run the risk of going into Gillian Flynn book withdrawal!

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I’ve recently been making my way through the television series and I am completely hooked! This is a book series that I have been meaning to start for a while, and since I am enjoying the show, I’m even more eager to jump into the novels. I have a good feeling that I am going to love these stories.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

This is yet another book that I have had on my list for a long time and I can’t believe I haven’t gotten to it yet. I have only ever heard extremely positive things about this novel, and it sounds like the perfect story for a nerd like me! This is definitely a high priority read on my TBR.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I have wanted to start the Throne of Glass series for a long time now, so I am determined to begin it this fall. This sounds like an incredible fantasy series and I think these stories will be right up my alley. I’d like to get caught up on it as soon as possible!

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

I’ve been really enjoying reading retellings lately, and this is one that I am looking forward to. It is based off of One Thousand and One Nights, which is story that I am not too familiar with, and the premise sounds so intriguing. This is another high priority read for me.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Flowers for Algernon was typically an option on the list of books we chose from for summer reading in school, and I always meant to get to it. But for some reason, I never chose it and I finished school without having read it; on top of that, my dad has been highly recommending this to me for a while now. I recently picked up a copy and I would like to get to it in the next few months.

Cress by Marissa Meyer

I began this series earlier this year and I am hoping to finish Cress up soon so I can read Winter when it is released. So of course this is on my TBR! I am absolutely loving this series, and I can’t wait to see where it goes and how it wraps up.

A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I’ve been working my way through the Sherlock Holmes novels, but so far I’ve only read two of the short story collections. I would like to give one of the standalone novels a try, and I figured I might as well start at the beginning. I’m excited to see how I like this and how the full novels compare to the short stories.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

This is a book that I took a bit of a risk on and purchased recently. I’ve read one of Maggie Stiefvater’s novels before and I was not a fan of it. However, I did like her writing style and I have been hearing a lot of great things about this series. This does sound like I story that I might end up really enjoying so I figured I would give it a try.

Let me know in the comments what books are at the top of your fall TBR!

-Ariana

15Sep2015

Top 10 Tuesday – September 15th, 2015

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

It’s Tuesday once again, and that means 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 was a freebie, so we were able to select our own topics for our lists. I wanted to do something related to my favorite novels; however, I didn’t want to simply make a list of them. It took me a while to come up with a topic, but I finally decided on listing my top 10 favorite Sherlock Holmes stories that I have read so far.

I attempted to read one of the Sherlock Holmes novels when I was far too young, and I ended up not liking it. So for a long time, I put off reading any of the others. I even stayed away from any movies and television shows based on the stories, as I was certain that I would not like them. Boy was I wrong!

(This may or may not also be how I react when people say they don’t like Sherlock Holmes…)

Last year, after completely falling in love with the BBC television series, I decided to give them another try, starting with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. And thus, the obsession began. I’ve only read two of the novels so far, but they have become two of my all-time favorite books. These stories are so captivating and such a joy to read; I’ve been flying through them. I went from thinking I didn’t like these novels to, every time I am about to pick one up, reacting somewhat like this:

Now, without further ado, here is the list of my top 10 favorite Sherlock Holmes stories (in no particular order)!

Silver Blaze (The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes)

In this story, Holmes is called in to investigate the disappearance of a famously talented racehorse right before an important race, as well as the coinciding murder of the horse’s trainer. I was completely absorbed in this horse’s tale, and loved the many bewildering events and layers in the storyline; like many of the tales, it was not at all a straightforward plot. In my opinion, there is also a particularly good depiction of both Holmes’s and Watson’s individual talents.

The Red Headed League (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)

This is the story of a man who comes to Holmes for advice after he receives a peculiar, high paying job, solely due to the fact that his hair is the perfect shade of red. There are a number of stories throughout these collections that center around people being hired under perplexing or suspicious circumstances; for some reason, they always tend to be my favorites. The outrageous situations are so intriguing, and I love trying to guess why the employers have created these jobs.

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)

Here, Holmes is approached by an acquaintance after the man finds the Countess of Morcar’s priceless blue carbuncle in the throat of his Christmas goose. The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle is one of my top favorites because of the wittiness of the storyline and dialogue.

The Man with the Twisted Lip (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)

In The Man with the Twisted Lip, the wife of a missing businessman comes to Holmes after she thinks she has seen her husband looking out the window of a nearby opium den. This was a very engaging story with lots of twists (no pun intended!) and turns. Not only did I love the resolution to this mystery, but it was also one of the few that I was able to solve myself!

The Adventure of the Copper Beeches (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)

In The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, a woman asks for Holmes’s help after taking a job as a governess that comes with some unusual requirements regarding her appearance and daily routine. I found this case to be extremely complex and well plotted, and I had no idea where the story was headed; I was completely puzzled up until the very end.

The Adventure of the Yellow Face (The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes)

In this case, a man hires Holmes to discover, by any means necessary, why his wife keeps secretly and frequently visiting a nearby cottage. I enjoyed this because I found the themes that it dealt with to be uncharacteristic of the stories thus far and, delightfully, dealt with in a very open-minded way that was surprising for the time period this was published in. It was quite a unique story and had a very touching ending. It is also one of the few cases that Holmes does not solve correctly, and contains one of my favorite quotes: “Watson, if it should ever strike you that I am getting a little overconfident in my powers, or giving less pains to a case than it deserves, kindly whisper ‘Norbury’ in my ear, and I shall be infinitely obliged to you.”

A Scandal in Bohemia (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)

Holmes is hired to stop the woman who is blackmailing the King of Bohemia, and thus save his upcoming marriage from being called off. This is the story that introduces the iconic character, Irene Adler, a woman who very nearly matches Holmes on intelligence and quick-wittedness. Watching them face off was utterly fascinating.

A Case of Identity (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)

This story has another theme that is common among these accounts: the disappearance of a significant other. Here, a woman’s husband makes her promise to remain faithful to him no matter what, then disappears later that morning, which just so happens to be their wedding day. I loved this one because not only was I puzzled all the way through, but the revelation at the ending was absolutely shocking.

The Adventure of the Speckled Band (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)

Arguably the most well known of the Sherlock Holmes short stories, The Adventure of the Speckled Band tells the story of a woman who enlists Holmes to solve the mystery of her sister’s sudden death in the night. She believes her stepfather to be the murderer, and that she herself will be the next victim. Not only is this a bizarre and enthralling adventure, this was the first of the short stories that I read, and I credit it with making me decide to give these stories another try.

The Final Problem (The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes)

This is the first story to introduce another iconic character: Holmes’s arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty. It is also the first story to make me cry. A criminal mastermind with an intellect on par with his own, Moriarty was Holmes’s greatest adversary. The pair matches wits as Holmes attempts to bring him and his organization to justice, but neither can best the other. This causes a stalemate, which ends in the famed fight at the Reichenbach Falls. The Final Problem is one of the most well known Sherlock Holmes stories, so I was prepared going in. I don’t cry easily at books and movies; however, I must admit, those final couple of pages hit me right in the feels.

Well, those are my top 10 favorites so far. I can’t wait to continue on with the rest of the stories! Let me know in the comments if you are a Sherlock Holmes fan and, if so, what your favorite story, movie, or television episode is.

Check out my full reviews of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes!

-Ariana

8Sep2015

Top 10 Tuesday – September 8th, 2015

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by TheQuirkyBookNerd

As you can probably tell by this point, I quite enjoy making lists! I promise I’ll be doing other types of posts soon; in fact my first review will be Thursday’s post. But since it is Tuesday, I couldn’t resist giving Top 10 Tuesday a try for the first time. 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!

Today’s topic is the top 10 finished series that I have yet to finish. It is also my “look at all these TBR books I need to read but haven’t yet” guilt trip. Or maybe the “you need to stop buying so many books you crazy person; you’ve gone insane” list. All I can say is, I’m glad this topic is specifically finished series or we would be here all day!

Anyway, this was a fairly easy list to create because, as you will soon see, I discovered that I have way too many series that I haven’t gotten around to finishing yet. I also realized that I’m actually not in the middle of many series at the moment. So this is a mixture of series that I have already started, and ones that are simply on my TBR and that I would like to begin soon.

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor

In my opinion, this is probably my most embarrassing unread series from this list because I’ve owned Daughter of Smoke and Bone since it was first released. I’ve now also recently purchased the other two books so I can marathon the trilogy. I’ve been keen to read these ever since I first heard the synopsis, and I know that I’m going to love these stories; not to mention the fact that they take place in Prague, one of my favorite places. I really need to get going on them!

The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

I read Divergent for the first time last year, and it has definitely become one of my favorite books of all time. However, I continued on to Insurgent earlier this year and it was okay, but I didn’t love it nearly as much. That, coupled with the mixed reviews I always hear about Allegiant (plus the fact that I’ve been majorly spoiled) have sort of slowed down my progress through the trilogy. I do plan on trying to finish it soon though.

The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

After reading A Monster Calls, I instantly fell in love with Patrick Ness’s writing, and I have been extremely eager to get to these books. I’ve owned the entire trilogy for a while now, but for some insane reason I have not yet started it. I need to get moving on this!

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan

This one is definitely another embarrassing one since it’s a series that I’ve been meaning to read for about a decade! I finally started it at the end of last year; I’m three books in and absolutely loving it. I’ve already bought the final two and I’m hoping to finish them off this year so I can move on to The Heroes of Olympus series.

The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

I have been meaning to read something by Brandon Sanderson for the longest time, and the Mistborn trilogy is what has been recommended to me the most. But really, as a massive fantasy fan, it’s quite shameful that I have not yet read one of his novels! I do feel slightly less guilty about this one because I intend to read The Final Empire this month.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Series by Douglas Adams

This one is just insane because I absolutely adore these stories! I’ve read the first book multiple times and seen the film more times than I can count. My dad got us a box set so we can both finish the series, and I’m hoping to continue on with it in the next month or so.

The Darkest Minds Trilogy by Alexandra Bracken

This is yet another trilogy I have, but have not gotten around to starting yet. And I cannot believe that I haven’t because it is basically everything I could ever want in a book series. These books have my name written all over them. I mean, a dystopian series about kids with super powers? Um…YES. Soon.

The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu

I read, and thoroughly enjoyed, Legend last year, and my dad got me a box set of the trilogy this past Christmas. My only excuse for not having finished this trilogy already is the fact that I may or may not be slightly terrified of the feels I know are coming in the last two books. I will get through them soon though, because I am dying to know how the story ends!

The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima

I’ve known about this series for a while now and I still have yet to begin it. It’s another fantasy series that I have always heard wonderful things about. I recently purchased The Demon King, and it is high up on my TBR, so I’ll hopefully be diving into it soon.

The Shatter Me Trilogy by Tahereh Mafi

This is a difficult one. It is another trilogy I own, and I have read the first book, but the other two remain unfinished. To be honest, I did not love Shatter Me. I had a really hard time getting into it, and I’m not in a mad rush to move on to the next book. However, I hate leaving series unfinished and I do hear that it keeps getting better, so I think I will try to finish it off at some point.

Well, as you can see, I am downright atrocious at finishing series! I think this may call for some marathons. Let me know in the comments what series you guys still need to finish.

-Ariana