Top Ten Characters I’d Like to Check in With

As usual, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic is “Top Ten Characters You Want To Check in With.”

1) Teddy Lupin from Harry Potter– I know wanting to check in with the second generation of Harry Potter characters will probably be on everyone’s list today, but I couldn’t help myself! I loved the parallelism between Harry and Teddy’s characters and would love to see what he (and all of his various cousins since, you know, everyone’s related now) is up to now!

2) Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries– My favorite YA protagonist of all time, I’m so lucky that my dreams of following Mia further are coming true! I cannot thank Meg Cabot enough for writing The Royal Wedding!

3) Kate Quinn from The Wrong Side of Right– So I just finished this book this past weekend and I ADORED it. It was an excellent standalone but I became so invested in Kate’s life as the illegitimate daughter of a prominent politician that I really want to know what happens to her after becoming a part of her new family!

4) Amy & Nick from Gone Girl– Um, I really want to know what happens to that poor, poor child of theirs. And what twisted turns their marriage has taken since the end of the novel.

5) Nyx from Cruel Beauty– I loved this dark heroine from one of my favorite fairytale retellings ever, and I’d really love to read more about her the end of the dark fairytale. She was so wonderfully flawed and sassy and realistic that I would definitely want to read more about her adventures!

6) Carlisle Cullen from Twilight– For all of its faults, I loved the rich historical back story of the Cullens, and what they choose to pursue with their unlimited lifespan. In particular I’d like to know what amazing sort of medical strides Carlisle has made, and if/how he’s managed to help more vampires get in touch with their humanity.

7) Mara Dyer from The Mara Dyer Trilogy– The last book left SO many things unanswered, and had me doubt everything that I’d read! I really want to find out what happens to her, Noah, Jamie and the rest of the characters who are inflicted/gifted with powers!

8) Allyson & Willem from the Just One Day duology- So the novella Just One Night brought some closure, but after reading about what life-changing journeys the both of them went on after simply meeting, I want to know how actually, finally being together impacts their lives!

9) Grace Brisbane from The Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy– The ending lacked so much closure, I was SO MAD when I first read it. Nothing was conclusive, from the state of Grace and Sam’s relationships (wolves vs. humans) to the state of Grace’s future (college?) to the state of her relationship with her parents. I would LOVE an epilogue book, perhaps set a few years in the future!

10) Daemon & Katy from The Lux Series– I know it’s implied that hybrid babies are super dangerous and stuff, but I really want them to make perfect alien babies together.

Who do you want to check in with? Did any of my picks crossover to your lists? Did you go with characters that lacked closure, or ones who you want to see how their families turned out? Link me up to your TTT posts in the comments!

Stacking the Shelves [19]

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by  Tynga’s Reviews where bloggers share the books that they’ve added to their shelves this week, whether borrowed, bought, virtual, physical, etc!

Bought:

My copy of The Winner’s Crime finally came in the mail! If you read my discussion post about the cover struggle, you know that it was hard for me to choose which edition I wanted! I eventually went with the US hardcover!

Borrowed:

This is one of my top picks for the Reading My Library Challenge, and I was able to pick up my hold from the library today!

For Review:

I’m so excited to be reviewing one of Entangled Teen’s most hyped titles of the season!

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Top Ten Books I’ve Recently Added to my TBR

As usual, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic was “Top Ten Books You’ve Recently Added to Your TBR.” My list this week is a mix of old, new, and upcoming releases, including full novels and novellas!

1) None of the Above– A really fascinating looking novel that focuses on a girl who finds out she’s intersex…and how that news impacts and changes her life.

2) Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between– I love Jennifer E, Smith’s romances, and I especially love how the cover of this one coordinates with her others!

3) Happy Again– A novella featuring what happens after with Graham and Ellie from This Is What Happy Looks Like.

4) The Wrong Side of Right– I’m really interested in the political setting of this book! Plus, the cover is gorgeous!

5) Vanishing Girls– I’m ready to give Lauren Oliver another chance after being underwhelmed by Delirium, and I love thrillers.

6) Heir of Fire- So I just finished Crown of Midnight last week and I need Heir of Fire in life. Immediately.

7) Vendetta– I’m interested in the “mob” aspect of this debut, and if the multiple brothers prove to be a cast full of swoon worthy male leads.

8) Passenger– I haven’t read anything by Bracken but I love historical fiction-time travel hybrids (it reminds me of Revolution by Jennifer Donnely which I loved) so I want to try this one!

9) Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda– Everyone is raving about this book!

10) A Darker Shade of Magic– Besides the fact that it combines London, magic, and parallel universes (all things that are total hooks for me) I feel like the only blogger who hasn’t read it yet!

What have you recently added to your TBR? Link me up in the comments!

Sunday Funday: Week in Review [27]

Sunday Funday is a weekly(ish) post I’ve started to recap the bookish (and sometimes not-so-bookish) happenings in my life the past week! Feel free to participate, just link back!

March 16-22, 2015

Life

This week has been a real roller coaster. Have you ever had a period of time when you were really excited and really nervous at the same time? Or gotten really good news and really bad news close together so you’re not really sure what you’re supposed to feel, as being too happy or too upset seems to extreme? This week has kind of been like that.

I know I’ve mentioned here and there about an exam that I’ve been prepping for since January. It’s not a final or midterm, as I graduated from college last May. It’s the GRE, the graduate school entrance exam required by many schools in the US (and possibly elsewhere, I haven’t checked to see if it’s used internationally). It’s basically the SAT for graduate school, and while I’ve taken my fair share of standardized testing in my life, I haven’t been under such pressure to do well on one since I took that SAT when I was 17. I’ve worked really hard on studying (which is why it’s been a little quieter on the blog this month especially) and usually do well in school, but at the same time it’s exhausting having to learn all of the nuances of the test as well as re-familiarize myself with concepts that I haven’t had to focus on in a while (like math, seeing as I was an English major). It’s also a little nerve wracking considering every graduate school will give different weight to how important the test is, and it can be frustrating knowing your performance on one test can impact your entire student profile.

I’m taking the test tomorrow, and it’s scary knowing that months of preparation will be over in just 4.5 hours. I’m trying my best to relax today so that I’m not stressed or burnt out when I take the test, catching up on Crown of Midnight and doing a little blogging. Sorry for the stream of consciousness in this post, but I wanted to update everyone on why it’s slowed down a little here (although I’ve still managed to post several times every week so I’m trying not to be too hard on myself) and will be back in blogging action after tomorrow!

Also, amidst the studying and preparing for the exam I received some fantastic news: I’m going to Disneyworld! My boyfriend’s extremely generous family gifted us a trip there for his graduation present, so we have been starting to plan and while it’s overwhelming it’s also SO MUCH FUN. We’re HUGE Disney people and I’ve been to Disneyland numerous times as well as Aulani (the Disney resort in Hawaii), so visiting Disneyworld has been a huge dream of ours for a long while now. I’ll be doing updates about our Disney planning and vacation experience as fun little side features on my blog for anyone who’s interested!

Books

So I bought Crown of Midnight on a whim a few weeks ago, thinking I probably wouldn’t love it since I had such mixed feelings about Throne of Glass. I’m eating my words though because it’s SO GOOD. I just finished part one and I was not expecting the twist! (Also the romance is getting me right where it hurts, guys). After I take my exam tomorrow I will be treating myself and ordering Heir of Fire and The Winner’s Crime, as I’ve been on a fantasy kick lately and am extremely eager to find out what happens in both series!

Blog

What Happened Here This Week:

Tuesday: Top Ten Books on my Spring 2015 TBR

Wednesday: The Cover Struggle

Thursday: I rave about The Winner’s Curse

If you’ve stayed this long, thanks for listening to my ramble! I hope you have a successful upcoming week and find some time to read!

Top Ten Books On My Spring 2015 TBR

As usual, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic was SO fun, as it highlights all of the spring releases I’m anticipating! I luckily have some of these pre-ordered already, and am hoping to get my hands on the others, as these are all books I’d love to have my own copies of! The titles are in no particular order, and links go to Goodreads.

1) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

2) Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

3) A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

4) The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

5) The Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

6) The Heir by Kiera Cass

7) The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski

8) Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

9) End of Days by Susan Ee

10) Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

What books made your list this week? I’d love recommendations! Let me know in the comments what made your TTT this week!

Sunday Funday: San Francisco Edition!

Sunday Funday is my weekly(ish) post recapping the events in my bookish, blogging, and personal life from the past week. This week I’m featuring my trip to San Francisco instead of my usual weekly recap. All photos are my own!

Life

It was my boyfriend’s birthday this past week so we decided to do something special and take a trip to the city! SF is a city near and dear to my heart, and I love exploring a new aspect of it each time I visit. This trip we decided to pay a visit to the historic City Lights Bookstore, Chinatown, and Union Square.

Waiting for the book store to open!

City Lights Books is a historic literary landmark in San Francisco. Originally it gained notoriety from the beatnik generation in the 1950’s, and their independent and anti-authoritarian vibe is still present throughout the shop. It has three levels, from a poetry reading room upstairs to children and YA selections in the basement. At 10am it was already filled with people (and we waited for them to open the doors!) There was also a fantastic mural painted alongside the building, which is pictured at the beginning of the post. City Lights Books also serves as a small publishing house, and this year marks its 60th anniversary of publishing titles! You can learn more about City Lights Books here.

Right around the corner from City Lights Books is Chinatown! We proceeded to walk around the district, taking in the early morning shoppers at the markets selling everything from tourist knick knacks to fresh herbs, veggies and meats.

After Chinatown we braved the crowds out for the St. Patrick’s day parade to head to the Union Square area for lunch and shopping. We visited Nordstrom, MAC, and the Disney Store, and then ventured a few blocks down (in the unseasonably WARM weather!) to a small french bakery where we picked up macaroons! (Which unfortunately I ate before I had a chance to take a picture of!)

Books

Reading has been slower this week than I would’ve liked, but it’s my last push before my grad school entrance exam and most of my spare time has gone to studying! It might be a little slow this week here due to test prep, but once it’s over I plan to get a LOT of reading done! As of right now I’m still working in The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski and loving it.

Blog

What Happened Here This Week:

Monday: I’m moved by the rawness in I’ll Meet You There.

Tuesday: Top Ten Books for Those Who Like Older-Skewing YA

Thursday: I’m nominated for my third Liebster Award!

Friday: I have mixed feelings about Lola and the Boy Next Door.

Here’s to a good week for everyone, and cheers to everything you’re looking forward too (whether it be passing exams, spring break, a vacation, or just the impeding warmer weather!)

Top Ten Books for Readers Who Like Older-Skewing YA

As usual, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic was a fill in the blank “Top Ten Books If You Like ____.” Personally I love to read YA that focuses on older teens, struggling with issues such as college, relationships, jobs, etc. that are problems that are very real for young adults but generally get ignored in favor of the high school age range in YA fiction. A lot of these themes I have yet to encounter in the New Adult genre, so I try to find YA novels that focus on the 18-early 20s age range whenever I can. Therefore, I decided to list my picks for Top Ten Books If You Like Older Skewing YA.

1) Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas- This book has everything you want from a spring break thriller: murder, jealousy, partying, muddled motives and crazy twists. Haas really pushes the boundaries and includes a lot of more taboo YA topics and weaves them together in this disturbing tale, and it’s fantastic! Read my review here.

2) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell- This novel focuses heavily on the freshman college experience, from the ordinary to exciting aspects. Such a well written book representing an under-written time frame in YA! Read my review here.

3) Just One Day by Gayle Forman- Also focusing on going to college, it explores the emotional toll of one’s first adult relationship, intimacy and all. Read my review here.

4) I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios– Exploring post-high school and before college life for Skylar and Josh, this book doesn’t censor much and is bracingly realistic in its representations of poverty and the military/veteran experience. Read my review here.

5) Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor- The writing in this series is so sophisticated and Karou has the spirit of a truly old soul. Read my review here.

6) Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout- I’ve seen this series marketed as “Upper YA” and it definitely contains more mature themes. The series is action packed and sexy. Read my review here.

7) The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore- Another series that focuses on college age kids combined with a chilling ghost story that leaves out any high school drama.

8) Trouble by Non Pratt- Focusing on teen pregnancy while not turning into an “issue” book, this story is raw and emotional and the most non-preachy book regarding teen pregnancy that I’ve come across. Read my review here.

9) Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge- This dark fairytale retelling will definitely appeal to older YA readers with it’s complex plot, flawed characters, and a focus on the marriage between Nyx and Ignifex. Read my review here.

10) I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson- While still focusing on high-school aged characters, Nelson’s beautiful prose tackles tough topics, from sexuality to dysfunctional families to adultery and consent. Read my review here.

What inspired your TTT list today? Link me up in the comments and I’ll stop by!