Tag Archives: ya lit

The Childhood Book Tag

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

1. First book you remember reading on your own?

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

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

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

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

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

4. Favorite book from school?

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

5. Favorite book in elementary school?

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

6. In middle school?

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

7. In high school?

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

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

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

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

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

10. Book you made all your friends read?

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

11. The book that made you love reading?

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

12. Favorite middle grade read?

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

13. Favorite young adult read?

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

14. First long series you read as a kid?

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

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

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

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

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

I Tag:

Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Kayla @ Bookedsolid1989

Anna @ My Bookish Dream

Yasmin and Paige @ The Wild Readers

Emily @ The Little Book Affair

Cleo @ Cuddlewithbooks

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Top 5 Anticipated Releases of Winter 2015-2016

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2015 is already winding down and the holidays are rapidly approaching. I feel like I say this a lot, but I absolutely cannot believe how fast this year has gone by! Though I’m sad to see the year go, I am incredibly excited for these next few weeks. This is my favorite time of year for so many reasons.

As a singer, this month is filled with rehearsals and concerts, and we get to do some of the best music of the choral season. I am eager to spend time with family, decorate the house, and bake as many cookies as physically possible! It is also a time for relaxing and, of course, tons of reading!

Winter is shaping up to be another exciting season of book releases as well, so here are my top five most anticipated releases of the next few months!

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

 

passage, n.passenger

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

ii. A journey by water; a voyage.

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

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

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

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

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

 

The enchantment continues….starsabove

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

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

—

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

acriminalmagicThe Night Circus meets Peaky Blinders in Lee Kelly’s new magical realism, crossover novel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

theseviciousmasksJane Austen meets X-­Men in this gripping and adventure-­filled paranormal romance set in Victorian London.

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

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

 

*Contains Spoilers for A Darker Shade of Magic*

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

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

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

What new releases are you most looking forward to this season? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

-Ariana

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December 2015 TBR

Posted in Wrap Ups And TBRs by

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Happy December, everyone! If you celebrated Thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful holiday, and if not, then a wonderful end of November. 🙂 I just finished up a lovely week spending time with my family (and baking tons of cookies!), and I’m ready to get back into the swing of things here on my blog.

December is shaping up to be the month of reading books I planned to read earlier this year but haven’t gotten around to yet. Many of these have already appeared on previous TBRs, so I think most won’t come as a surprise. The first four in particular are ones that I am absolutely determined to read before the year is out, and if I don’t, you all have permission to yell at me in the comments on my December wrap-up!

December TBR

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

thebookthief3

The time is finally here! I will, without fail, be reading The Book Thief this month. I am a million years late with this, but I am so excited to finally have the chance to read it. I am ready for all the sadness and awesomeness that are bound to come out of this novel! I’ll probably be saving this until later in the month, but it is definitely my most anticipated read.

2. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

vicious

This is another one I’ve had on my shelves (and my TBRs) for a long time now, and it’s about time I get to it! I have heard nothing but incredible things about this novel and it has been recommended to me countless times. This is totally my kind of story, so I’m incredibly eager to dive into it and see what all the hype is about!

3. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

scarlet

Okay, I have absolutely no excuse for this one. I have been meaning to read this all year, and yet here we are in December and it is still on my TBR. I will definitely finish this by the end of the month. I need to continue on and complete this series; I have to know what happens next!

4. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

thegrownup

I am absolutely dying to read some more of Gillian Flynn’s work, and I just picked up a copy of this short story. Since December is pretty hectic, this is absolutely perfect to tide me over until I have a chance to read another one of her full novels. This story sounds absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to get started on it.

December is a fairly busy month for me, so I am trying to keep my TBR fairly small. However, these next two books are ones that I would like to get to if I have extra reading time this month. If I can’t, they will roll over to my January TBR!

5. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

darkplaces

6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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Read in November

I have been in a bit of a reading slump for a few months now, but I am finally beginning to emerge from it! 🙂 Because of this, I plan on starting to do more thorough monthly wrap-ups in the new year. For now, here is a brief one for this past month!

themap themarvels sagav5 simonvsthehomosapiensagenda

  1. The Map by William Ritter
  2. The Marvels by Brian Selznick (review)
  3. Saga: Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
  4. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (review coming soon)

November Book Haul

binge carryon thedollmasterandothertalesofterror thegrownup

thismonstrousthing tkam winter

  1. Binge by Tyler Oakley
  2. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
  3. The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror by Joyce Carol Oates (Review Copy)
  4. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
  5. This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee
  6. To Kill a Mockingbird (Leather bound Edition) by Harper Lee
  7. Winter by Marissa Meyer

What are you guys planning on reading this month? What was your favorite book you read in November? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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The Bookish Alphabet Tag

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thebookishalphabettag

Thank you so much to Heather over at The Sassy Book Geek for tagging me to do The Bookish Alphabet tag! This tag was created by Mariana at Fireheartbooks. Both Heather and Mariana are fantastic bloggers, so definitely make sure to head over and check both of them out if you haven’t already! 🙂

To complete this tag, all you have to do is search through your shelves and see if you have books that begin with every letter of the alphabet. You only have to own the books you choose, you don’t have to have read them. The word “the” does not count so, for example, “The Hunger Games” would count for “H”.

Let’s get started!

theadventuresofsherlockholmes belcanto cinder daughterofsmokeandbone

A – The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Status: Read (Click here for review)

B – Bel Canto by Ann Pachett

Status: Read

C – Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Status: Read (Click here for review)

D – Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Status: Not Yet Read

emma fangirl gonegirl hyperboleandahalf

E – Emma by Jane Austen

Status: Not Yet Read

F – Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Status: Not Yet Read

G – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Status: Read (Click here for review)

H – Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Status: Read

iamthemessenger jackaby thekiterunner thelionthewitchandthewardrobe

I – I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Status: Not Yet Read

J – Jackaby by William Ritter

Status: Read (Click here for review)

K – The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Status: Read

L – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Status: Read

morethanthis neverwhere ofmiceandmen thephantomtollbooth

M – More Than This by Patrick Ness

Status: Not Yet Read

N – Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Status: Not Yet Read

O – Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Status: Not Yet Read

P – The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Status: Read

thequestofthemissingmap readyplayerone sixofcrows tkam

Q – The Quest of the Missing Map by Carolyn Keene

Status: Read

R – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Status: Not Yet Read

S – Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Status: Not Yet Read

T – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Status: Read

unbroken vicious wewereliars theyoungelites

U – Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Status: Not Yet Read

V – Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Status: Not Yet Read

W – We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Status: Read

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

Y – The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Status: Not Yet Read

Z – None

I Tag:

Catia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much

T.K. @ Read It or Not Reviews

Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books

Zezee @ Zezee with Books

Hayley @ Rather Too Fond of Books

Confessions of A Literary Addict

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My Life in Books Tag

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

Find a book for each of your initials.

My initials are AJML so…

10694831 jackaby morethanthis legend

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

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

I’m 21, so the book I got was…

sixofcrows

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

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

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

somethingwickedthiswaycomes 37449 thegreatgatsby

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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

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

daughterofsmokeandbone thelionthewitchandthewardrobe

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

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

Pick a book that’s your favorite color.

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

gonegirl vicious

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

Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

hp2chamber

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

Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

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

1984 420031

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

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

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

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

agameofthrones thenameofthewind

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

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

thebookthief2 thehobbit thelordoftherings

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

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

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

I Tag:

SSJ Time Lord

Trisha @ The Bookgasm

Emma @ The Terror of Knowing

Fran @ Nightjar’s Jar of Books

Michelle @ Michelle, Books and Movies Addict

Umbreen @ Read by Umbreen

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

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Top 5 Wednesday – November 11th, 2015

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topfivewednesday

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Gingerreadslainey. Every week, book reviewers all over the world are given a bookish topic and respond with their top 5 books (or elements of books) that relate to that topic. Click here for the Goodreads group if you would like to learn more about Top 5 Wednesday and join in!

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

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

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

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

                                        4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

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

3. Dead Rules by Randy Russell

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

                                         2. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

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

1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

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

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

-Ariana

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Top 5 Wednesday – November 4th, 2015

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Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Gingerreadslainey. Every week, book reviewers all over the world are given a bookish topic and respond with their top 5 books (or elements of books) that relate to that topic. Click here for the Goodreads group if you would like to learn more about Top 5 Wednesday and join in!

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

                                                         5. The Queen’s Army by Marissa Meyer

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

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

4. The Map by William Ritter

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

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

                                                         3. Glitches by Marissa Meyer

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

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

2. Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge

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

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

                                                     1. The Little Android by Marissa Meyethelittleandroidr

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

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

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

-Ariana

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November 2015 TBR

Posted in Wrap Ups And TBRs by

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Happy November, everybody!

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

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

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

November TBR:

1. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

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

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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

3. Beastly Bones by William Ritter

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

Click here to check out my review of Jackaby!

4. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

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

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

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

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

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

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

September/October Book Haul:

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

theswordofsummer doctorwhodeeptime doctorwhodeathriders doctorwhosystemwipe

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

Anticipated Releases of November:

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

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

-Ariana

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The Pastry Book Tag

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I was tagged by the awesome Jesse over at Books at Dawn. Thank you so much for tagging me! He’s a fantastic book blogger, so definitely head over there and check him out.

As an avid viewer of The Great British Bake Off, I am not only incredibly excited to do this tag, but also happy to say that I know what most of these pastries are! I have a feeling I may be quite hungry after completing this however…

Croissant: Name a popular book or series that everyone (including you) loves.

hp2The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

This is one of my all-time favorite series; it helped me discover my love of reading and my passion for writing as well. I feel like this is definitely a bit of an obvious choice, but come on! It’s Harry Potter! Who doesn’t love this series? Okay, I’m sure there are some people, but it is undeniably very widely loved and has touched many lives.

Side note: I used a picture of The Chamber of Secrets here because, though I definitely seem to be in the minority on this from what I’ve seen, this is my favorite book of the series! What’s your favorite?

Macaron: Name a book that was hard to get through but worth it at the end.

19841984 by George Orwell

This is one of my favorite novels, but it was surprisingly difficult for me to get through due to the writing style. I have always been able to read through the writing of Shakespeare with ease, and yet Orwell’s far more modern writing style was oddly tricky for me. Don’t get me wrong, his prose is beautiful, but for some reason it didn’t click quite as well with me as some other authors’ work has. It was an extremely slow read, but the story itself is an absolutely fantastic one and was well worth it!

Vol-au-vent: Name a book that you thought would be amazing but fell flat.

insurgentInsurgent by Veronica Roth

I read Divergent last year and completely loved it, so I was incredibly eager to continue on with the trilogy. However, I read Insurgent earlier this year and it fell very flat for me. It started out fairly well, but it quickly began to drag on, and I felt that it was quite repetitive at times. It lacked a lot of the qualities that I liked about the first book; I even found the characters had been negatively altered and were quite frustrating. I was really hoping to love this book and, in the end, was very disappointed with it.

Pain au chocolat: Name a book that you thought would be one thing but turned out to be something else.

10694831A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls was absolutely nothing like what I expected it to be just from reading the synopsis. I believed it would be a story about ghosts or supernatural creatures; I assumed this was going to be a typical Halloween type read. It is absolutely not. It is about a very different type of monster, and this book…oh man, this book! One of the best novels I have ever read, and one that will always remain at the top of my favorites list.

Profiterole: Name a book or series that doesn’t get enough attention.

loveandotherunknownvariablesLove and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander

Love and Other Unknown Variables was just released last year and is by a debut author. I always love discovering new authors, so I decided to pick it up when it was first released, and I am so glad that I did. This is not the typical type of story that I usually read and enjoy, but I completely fell in love with this novel. It is very well written, and a sad yet beautiful story of love and friendship with a powerful message. It even made me tear up multiple times, which is extremely rare for me to do when reading. I have not heard much at all about this novel since it came out, and it definitely deserves more attention than it has gotten.

Croquembouche: Name a book or series that’s extremely complex.

agameofthronesA Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

At the moment, I have mainly watched the television show, but I am just starting to get into the book series now. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series, and it is definitely exceedingly complex. There are so many different plot lines to follow, most of which tie into or overlap each other in various ways. And the names! I have the hardest time keeping everyone straight. This complexity, however, is what makes this series so engrossing and addictive; you can’t help but get completely lost in this world.

Napoleon: Name a movie or TV show based off a book that you liked better than the book itself.

princecaspianPrince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

It is definitely a rare occurrence for me to find a movie or television show that I prefer over the original book. However, the most recent film version of Prince Caspian was one of the few movies based off a book that I enjoyed more than the book itself. I absolutely love the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, but I felt that this was the weakest of the novels and that some parts of it dragged on a bit. The movie managed to stick to the general storyline very well and include all the important plot points while improving on the aspects that weren’t quite as strong.

Empanada: Name a book that was bittersweet.

theireyeswerewatchinggodTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Their Eyes Were Watching God is an incredibly beautiful and heartbreaking story. The main character, Janie, goes through so much pain and suffering, but gains the freedom that she has always wanted for herself. Despite all of the sad moments, there are also many uplifting, powerful, and bright points in the story as well. It is by far one of the most bittersweet novels I’ve ever read, and a longtime favorite of mine.

Kolompeh: Name a book or series that takes place somewhere other than your home country.

daughterofsmokeandboneDaughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Embarrassingly enough, I still have not yet started this series even though I’ve owned it for ages. But I figured I would use this here because it takes place in one of my favorite cities: Prague. I had the pleasure of traveling to Prague for the first time last summer, and I completely fell in love. It is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen in my life, and I am so eager to go back and spend more time there whenever I get the chance. My experience there has also made me even more excited about diving into this series!

Pate a Choux: Name one food from a book or series that you would like to try.

hpPumpkin Pasties from Harry Potter

There are so many different types of food in novels, particularly the Harry Potter series, which sound absolutely delicious. However, as I’ve managed to mention in all of my fall themed posts lately, I’m pretty certain I have an addiction to pumpkin! I absolutely love all things pumpkin related, so pumpkin pasties have always appealed to me ever since I first heard them mentioned in these books. I’d love to try one…or twenty…

I Tag:

Cátia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much

Bea @ Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic

Panda @ Panda’s Books

Nick @ The Paper Dragon

Leslie @ Confessions of a Bookaholic

Cristina @ My Tiny Obsessions

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Top 10 Tuesday – October 6th, 2015

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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…

  1. Love Triangles/Squares/ Multifaceted Shapes

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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…

  1. 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.

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  1. 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…

  1. 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.

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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.

  1. Eclipse/The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

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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.

  1. Shiver/The Wolves of Mercy Falls Series by Maggie Stiefvater

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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.

  1. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

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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.

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

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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.

  1. Fallen/The Fallen Series by Lauren Kate

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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.

  1. The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

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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

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