Top Ten Tuesday {16}

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Things On My Bookish Bucket List

1. Be a Giver for World Book Night.  This year is my first year participating!  As I wrote before, I'm giving away 20 copies of Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.

2. Go to Book Expo America {BEA}.  I've wanted to go for a few years now, but living across the country makes that a little difficult.  Add to that having a now-one-year-old, and this is a dream.  A slightly unobtainable one at that {someday!!}.

3. Meet Jennifer L Armentrout and Stephanie Feagan.  I've loved both of their books, and I love following both of them on Twitter and Facebook.  Also, I'd bring cake and Cadbury eggs!  {Tahereh Mafi and Ransom Riggs would be on this list, but I met them both a little under a year ago... and I'd love to meet them again!}

4. Change someone's view of reading.  So many people see reading as a chore, but each book is something beautiful and new and can take you on quite an adventure!  This is the biggest reason why I'm participating in WBN 2014 {and hopefully again in the following years}.

5.  Have all my books housed in shelves.  I have books on the floor, tables, counters and boxes {mostly the first and last in that list}.  I would love to have a nice little library where I can display all my books!

6. Have my own little book nook.  Whether I make one or we eventually buy a house with a gorgeous little nook, I definitely want to have one to escape to!

7.  Read every single book I own.  You might read this one and think, that's not too difficult.  Well, you don't know how many books I tend to pick up because they sound ah-maz-ing{!}, only to forget about them in the wake of a sequel I've been waiting for {or several, as they all seem to come out around the same time, one right after the other}.

8. Become a librarian.  Honestly, I really don't care what kind of library {only, maybe not a university library}.  I would love to work in a middle school or grade school library, but those jobs are one of the most coveted in schools.  Someday!


Looks like I only have 8, but these are {mostly} all ones I hope are attainable!  What's on your bookish bucket list?

Top Ten Tuesday {15}

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Best Sequels Ever

1.  The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis.  This whole series was amazing.  I will always love it, and I cannot wait until Little D is old enough for chapter books so I can share this amazing world with him!

2.  Infatuate by Aimee Agresti.  The first in the series was pretty good, and not too predictable, which is always wonderful.  The second one was even better, with more twists than the first.  Good work, Ms Agresti... I can't wait to see what the third installment brings.

3.  Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott.  I've loved L.M. Alcott's books since I first read Little Women and Eight Cousins.  Rose in Bloom is the sequel to Eight Cousins, and it is quite possibly my favorite L.M. Alcott book {although I think I read the beginning of Little Women every Christmas}.

4.  Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer.  Yeah.  I know.  "Really, Kari?  Don't you have a Twilight book on every list you make?"  Well, this is one of the series that I actually re-read every year, I enjoy them that much.  And this is my favorite title out of the series.

5.  Whence Came A Prince by Liz Curtis Higgs.  I have a love-hate relationship with this entire series.  I really do like the story {which is based off of the story of Jacob and his wives Leah and Rachel}, but since I know the story that its based off of, it makes the books kind of predictable.  I honestly had to sit back and digest this for months before I actually like it, because {even though I know what's going to ultimately happen} I'm heartbroken for each of the characters and the sad things that happen to them.  Even the ones that I really disliked throughout the first book or two, I come to feel sorry for them in the end.

6.  City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare.  I know I said on another TTT that I had yet to finish this series because of how book 4 ended.  Well, I finally picked it up off my TBR pile and decided to read it {mostly because my SIL and I were going to see City of Bones in the theater a while back, but were never able to and decided to read the series}.  I re-read City of Fallen Angels {still not the biggest fan of it, but Ed Westwick helped a little by narrating some of the audiobook, as I would listen to that when I couldn't actually sit and read}, and picked up CoLS right after, hoping the ending would be better.  It was... still not as good as the first three, but I'm holding out hope for the sixth!

7.  Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.  I'm not a huge contemporary reader.  I like historical, paranormal, fantasy, etc... but for some reason not really contemporary.  Stephanie Perkins has completely changed my mind!  This book, you guys... Anna and the French Kiss was amazing, and this one is right up there with it!  I still have to add these to my physical shelves, and I will.  I'm a huge fan of hardcovers, but I will probably get the paperbacks that will match Isla and the Happily Ever After - I cannot wait to read the third installment!

8.  Rivers of Gold by Tracie Peterson.  This was a sweet trilogy, with each one highlighting one of the women's lives, and the main character in this one, Miranda, is my favorite.  She's sweet and caring, and her love interest is the nerdiest man ever!  It has "Kari will love this" written all throughout it.  And I totally did.

9.  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling.  I think this is both my favorite of the books and the movies.  Its like Harry's coming-of-age book {although, sadly, some of the coming of age is due to so many deaths}.  Plus, this is one of the books in the series that has so much more going on in it than the movie did {books 1 and 2 were almost transcribed exactly into the script for the movies}.  Each one has a little bit of my heart, but I think this is my favorite.

10.  The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien.  I found The Fellowship of the Ring moved pretty slowly for the first 100 pages or so, but after that I felt like the story took off.  RotK was quite the epic conclusion for the series {Eowyn!  You. Are. A. Rockstar.}.  The series will always be one of my ultimate favorites, and I feel like everyone should give it a chance.


What are your favorite sequels?  Are the the ends of series, or {like some of mine} in the middle of the series?  Are the purely sequels {the second of a duo}?  I'd love to check out your Top Ten!

Top Ten Tuesday {14}

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Books I Wish Could Have Had Sequels

1. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken.  Her writing, their story... *sigh*  I want more!

2.  The Host by Stephenie Meyer.  C'mon!  If you haven't read this, then you don't know what I'm talking about as far as how it ends.  If you've seen the movie, you got a better ending than the book.  She just leaves us there saying "and then...?"!  I want more Wanda and Ian!

3.  Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.  I read this for the first time either in my sophomore or junior year of high school.  I really enjoyed the story {I'm such a romantic history nut}, but I would have loved it if there was more.

4.  The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson.  I got this as a freebie from Amazon, and I was really just captivated by the story.  I love the era its set in, and the author just has a way with words, but it ends to quickly.  However, it is part of a series, the books just don't seem to really build off of each other.

5.  Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper.  Another abrupt ending to a pretty great story.  I read this one while home with a newborn, and I really got into it {for me to have finished anything when little D was first born was a miracle}.  This supposedly has a sequel coming out this December... crossing my fingers that its true!

6.  Grace In Thine Eyes by Liz Curtis Higgs.  Yes, this is number 4 in a series.  No, I apparently didn't get enough of this family's saga in just four books.  If you read it, you know why... I need my happily ever after!

7.  Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame.  This was a fun, quick read that I enjoyed... it would have been nice to see a bit of a "where are they now" type sequel.  Of course, I've been told I could just watch Downton Abbey...

8.  Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright & David Leslie Johnson.  While I was kind of in the middle of the road on this on, I would have liked to read what happened to everyone after the end of this story.  It was kind of one of those endings that was really left open for another story, but nothing came of that {what would you call a sequel to Red Riding Hood?  "The Hood Comes Off"?  Oh, that sounds dirty...}.

Okay, so I guess I only have eight.  I thought I had more, but I guess those were just more of  "I wish this book had a better sequel" or "Yay!  They're still writing this series!" kind of books.

Top Ten Tuesday {13}

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Series I Haven't Finished {because either you didn't like them, you just have procrastinated, etc.}
{And anyone who has a good argument for me to finish any of these series, I would be glad to hear it!}

1. The House of Night series by PC Cast and Kristin Cast.  I really enjoyed the first few books in this series, the middle few were good {not great}, and the last few I've suffered through.  I actually put down the most recent one I acquired because I couldn't stand the cheesiness of the whole thing {that was Awakened}.

2. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clair.  Yes, I have all of them up that have been published so far, but I haven't read the most recent one.  I thought it ended beautifully as a trilogy, and the fourth book was quite the disappointment to me.  So I'm a little wary about spending my time reading the next {even though its sitting on one of my shelves downstairs!}

3. Thirst by Christopher Pike.  Now, this one was purely because I had other books that were "higher up" on my to-read list than these.  I even picked up Thirst No. 4 at Powells with many good intentions to read these {the ones I've read are really interesting!}.  At some point in time it will happen...

4. The Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris.  Honestly, I just have to be in the right mood to read these.  And I don't seem to stay in that mood long enough to just finish these!

5. The Looking Glass Wars trilogy by Frank Beddor.  Again, highly enjoyable {and easy reads}, but I just haven't finished them!

6. The Fallen series by Lauren Kate.  I enjoyed the first two, and have the third on my shelf, but these haven't really been my cup of tea... maybe I'll get around to finishing them...

7. The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore.  I've picked up The Power of Six several times from my library, and I just can't get into it.  Maybe its because whenever I think of I Am Number Four, I remember the movie and not the book.  And I did not like the movie.

8. The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen.  I ate up the first three, but after the ending of the third I really didn't want to pick up the last one... I did, but I never actually read it before I had to return it to the library.  Now, just thinking about it makes me want to finish it.

9. The Chemical Garden series by Lauren DeStefano.  I read the first one for a couple reasons: the cover is beautiful and the story sounded really interesting.  But I just had a hard time getting into the book itself, much less really wanting to read any of he others.  Which makes me a little sad because the story line for the series sounds so promising, but I just can't seem to read them!


Okay, so I only had 9 out of 10... and I actually though I wasn't going to have very many for this list!  I'd love to see the series you have yet to finish!  Maybe I can convince you to give one another chance ;-)

Top Ten Tuesday {12}

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend As Good Beach Reads
{Disclaimer: "beach reads" to me isn't necessarily the same as it is to most people.}

1. Any of the Sookie Stackhouse books.  Because they're all pretty much fun summer reads, and they're almost always talking about how warm it is!  Plus, they're pretty light reads.

2.  Dreamers by Angela Elwell Hunt.  I always associate "beach reads" with books that take place in a warm climate, so mine aren't always easy reads.  But you know it'll be tropical ;-)

3. Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.  This was actually a late spring/early summer read for me when I was still in high school, and it always reminds me of summer.  And, like the last one I mentioned, this takes place somewhere warm and reminds me of the warmth and heat of summer.

4. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks.  Only, I really hope you're not actually planning on going in the water after reading the beginning of this one!

5.  Goddess of Spring by PC Cast.  I really like most of the books I've read by just PC Cast {I'm not talking about the House of Night ones that she co-wrote with her daughter}.  A lot of them are great beach reads, this one is one and Goddess of the Sea is one too.

6.  Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin.  Chick Lit is usually something I associate with a good beach read, and this one definitely is that.  Plus, most of it takes place in spring and summer, and she writes about going to stay in the Hamptons.  I've wanted to stay at a posh beach house forever, and this one makes me want to even more!

7. The Emerald Isle (Heirs of Cahira O'Connor #4) by Angela Elwell Hunt.  Can you tell I like this author?  Ha ha!  This book is wonderful {the whole series is!}, but what I like about this one is that Kathleen goes off on an adventure.  And summertime is meant for adventures, no?

8.  Wings by Aprilynne Pike.  All of the books in this series are lighter reads {well, at least the first 3 are}.  Even the scenes that are meant to be more intense are few and far between, and its a great book to be able to pick up and read, but also not feel like you have to keep reading no matter what.  Which is great for a beach read.

9. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange.  This one is another quick read.  If you lack imagination to picture Mr. Darcy as anything but the character we are given by Jane Austen, please, leave this book alone.  Its humorous and light{ish}, and while there are darker moments, its never very serious, so its a great book to be able to put down so frolic ;-)

10. The Princess Bride by William Goldman.  We all know the basics of this story.  Which makes it a great beach read, because you won't feel guilty putting it down to play in the surf and sand!

Top Ten Tuesday {11}

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Five Blogs/Sites That Aren't About Books 
{Yes, I only came up with five...}

1.  Pinterest.  I said it.  I'm pretty much addicted to this.  Their app for the iPhone is wonderful... I can pin from anywhere!  But I do have some bookish stuff on there...

2.  Etsy.  Where do I begin?  I love homemade.  Whether I make it, or someone else has.  I haven't purchased anything off Etsy in a while, but last year I got some really nice gifts from family off Etsy.  These are a few of my favorites {minus the jars... I have yet to purchase that :-)}:

{Sources L to R: downstairsDesign, Bridget Beth, Tickled Pink, Brookish, birdzNbeez}

3.  Various friends' non-bookish blogs.  I'm not going to list them all here.  But, yes, I read non-bookish blogs!

4.  Facebook.  Mostly mobile, and usually if I'm bored or waiting for someone to announce something.

5.  IMDB.  A lot, and usually sitting on the couch with the hubs going "where do I know that face from?"  Speaking of which, I need to put on Stardust to see both Ben Barnes and Henry Cavill in the same film.  {And Claire Danes is pretty awesome as a Star}



As you can see, I'm kind of boring!  Or maybe I just have a lot of non-internet related things I do... or all of the internet related things I like to do are bookish...

Top Ten Tuesday: Freebie!

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is a freebie, so I chose:


Top Ten Characters I'd Like To See As The Doctor's Companions:
{And, just to be clear, these would be companions of the Tenth Doctor, mainly because I love how snarky David Tennant is as the Doctor... and if you don't know, I'm referring to the British television show Doctor Who.}


1.  Evie from Paranormalcy - This would be both Evie and Tasie, as I think it would be pretty funny to see her with the doctor.  Plus, she can handle weird.  And when you're with the doctor, nothing is ever normal.  Although I think this would also make her career as his companion pretty short, since she kind of craves normal.  And Evie is one of the few that I think I would actually prefer to see as the Eleventh Doctor's companion.

2.  Hermione Granger from Harry Potter - Like the Doctor, Hermione is usually opposed to violence.  She's smart, and would be able to keep up with the Doctor; she would probably be one of his companions that sometimes answers the riddle before he does.  Since Hermione lives in the wizarding world, she would be able to handle all the weird that came at her each time she stepped out of the TARDIS.  Since she's muggle born, she could also handle weird and look casual doing it.

3.  Carlisle from Twilight - The only man on my list, and the reason for that is very simple: Carlisle is good.  Deep down to his very core, he is good.  All those episodes where the Doctor sacrifices his own happiness for the sake of his companion {even when that means erasing his companion's memory or allowing her to leave him}, I can see the other doctor {Cullen} being the exact same way.  However, just like the Doctor, Carlisle will fight is it comes down to it.  But, just like the Doctor, he wants minimal casualties and as many people turned to good as possible.

4.  Sookie Stackhouse of the Sookie Stackhouse series - Sookie would kind of be like the Doctor's new Rose {if you don't know who Rose is, I'm begging you, please watch the show.  Its on Netflix!}.  She's smart, but not too incredibly brainy.  She's blonde.  She's sarcastic.  She's fun.  And she's learned how to kick a little tail since meeting up with vampires and were-creatures of all kinds in her small town of Bon Temps.

5.  Mina Harper from Dracula - Have you read Dracula?  Its been almost 10 years since the last time I did, but I remember her doing very well with weird.  And I'd love to see one of the Doctor's companions come from another time then the present.

6.  Mandy from the Mandy Series - This one is kind of more for kicks and giggles than anything else.  She would probably have to only travel through time with the Doctor.  No distant worlds and planets for this girl.  While she's a great detective, I don't think she'd be able to handle weird that well.

7.  Alyss from the Looking Glass Wars - This girl is imaginative.  And to be the Doctor's companion you have to have imagination, or your dead {also, if you blink you're dead... and if you don't get that, you must watch Doctor Who}.  I could also see Alyss being the Eleventh Doctor's companion as well as the Tenth.

8.  Gemma Doyle from the Gemma Doyle trilogy - This girl can handle weird.  And she's smart.  Two huge qualities for a companion of the Doctor.

9.  Valerie from Red Riding Hood - Okay, I know I had good reasons for picking her when I did.  I know one of them is that she's smart.  And, again, not from modern day anywhere, which is another thing I'd like to see occur more for the Doctor.  And she can kind of take care of herself, but she does occasionally need a man to rely upon.

10.  Finley Jane from The Steampunk Chronicles - This girl can take care of herself.  And she's be handy to fight off the big things like Cybermen {who seem to keep getting wiped out and magically coming back}.  I don't recall her being too terribly brainy, which is okay, because the Doctor is a very smart man {as a 900-year-old time traveler, he ought to be}.


Well, guys, that's my list!  I'm so glad this week was a freebie and I was able to expose some of you to my nerdy love for Doctor Who {again}.  I'd love to read your TTT, so please leave a link for me to check it out when you comment {because I adore comments!}.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Quotes

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Favorite Quotes From Books

I'm kind of a quote junkie, and I got the great idea through Twitter and a couple of book bloggers {who will be mentioned as soon as I can figure out who it was thanks to Hannah at So Obsessed With and Jamie at The Broke and the Bookish} to keep a notebook with me to keep track of my favorite quotes from books I'm currently reading.  How awesome is that idea?  Pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself.  And something I wish I would have come up with on my own... {Okay, I just found my only quote journal from years ago... it has everything from random facts to bits from books.  I forgot I even had that!}

Okay, one thing I have done to highlight favorite books in my home library is canvas book art.  I take the cover of a book {yes, ripped off the book itself} and my favorite quote from the book or one that I think encompasses the story of the books/series really well {also ripped out of the books}...

{The first 6 quotes are the ones on each canvas art}

1. For a minute, Kirsten stood still.  Then she turned and looked back at the Eagle.  When they boarded the small ship, no one had known what to expect.  There had been dangerous storms at sea.  They had been sick.  But at last they had arrived in America.  - Meet Kirsten by Janet Shaw.  The American Girl book were some of my favorites as a young girl, and this sums up the beginning of Kristen's story so well.  My other favorite quote in this book is after Kirsten's best friend dies: "Let her have her tears."

2. If you love, you will suffer, and if you do not love, you do not know the meaning of a Christian life. - Agatha Christie, as quoted in Jamestown by Angela Elwell Hunt.  There is a lot of suffering in this book, and it makes the perfect quote to represent that book.

3.  And so Marcus did as he was asked.  He gave in to his deep need to speak of Hadassah.  And all the while he talked of her, he failed to see the irony in what he was doing.  For as he told the story of a simple Judean slave girl, Marcus Lucianus Valerian, a Roman who didn't believe in anything, proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ.  - An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers.

4.  The pounding music, the cheers, the admiration work their way into my blood, and I can't suppress my excitement.  Cinna has given me a great advantage.  No one will forget me.  Not my look, not my name.  Katniss.  The girl who was on fire.  - The Hunger Games by  Suzanne Collins

5.  The High King above all kings stooped toward him.  Its mane, and some strange and solemn perfume that hung about the man, was all round him.  It touched his forehead with its tongue.  He lifted his face and their eyes met.  Then instantly the pale brightness of the mist and the fiery brightness of the lion rolled themselves together into a swirling glory and gathered themselves up and disappeared.  He was alone with the horse on a grassy hillside under a blue sky.  And there were birds singing.  - The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis.  This is my favorite book in the Chronicles of Narnia, with The Magician's Nephew being a close second.  There are many funny quotes from this book, but this one is my top favorite quote from it.

6. Some say the world will end in fire,
some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
-Robert Frost, as quoted in Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer.  Eclipse is my favorite of the four books, hands down.  Breaking Dawn is cool, because everything has closure in it, plus Bella becomes of vampire, but this book is just better.

7. The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.  - Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.  As a book nerd, I love this quote.

8. When you start imagining you're being molested in your own bed by the Tooth Fairy of Death, you've been hitting the sauce too much. Or reading too much fiction. - What-The-Dickens by Gregory Maguire.

9. He pulled her close. “Someday, I will win your trust, and you will be the one to set me free. I know it.” “I won’t.” Bertie recoiled from both him and the assertion she would do such a thing. “Not ever.” - Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev.  This quote says so much about the books... ah!  Read them!


Okay, that's it for quotes for me... I really need to rest some more... hoping to be feeling better come this weekend!

Top Ten Tuesday: All Time Favorite Characters

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten All Time Favorite Characters In Books

1. Alice in the Twilight Saga - Before they decided to make the books into movies, I loved Alice.  She took a bad thing {being turned into a vampire and not remembering any of her human life} and made it good.  And being able to see the future?  Pretty dang cool.








2. Hadassah in the Mark of the Lion Trilogy - Her character is amazing, inspiring... my heart swells with joy just thinking about her, what she goes through, and how she continued to inspire others though it all.

3. Katniss from The Hunger Games - Okay, she survives through so much.  She steps in for her sister, knowing she will most likely die.  She sacrifices so much... and stays strong.  How can you not absolutely love Katniss?






4. Catherine Moreland from Northanger Abbey - have you read this Austen treasure?  Catherine isn't necessarily my favorite Austen character, but I think she's one of the best who are overlooked.  And she's bookish.  Love it!

5. Clary Fray from The Mortal Instruments - I really like that Clary is this seemingly small and insignificant person who really isn't.  She is strong in her own way, she's cleaver {at times}, and a fighter.








6. Juliette from Shatter Me - Okay, this was a recent read for me, but I'm so glad I picked this up.  I loved how real Juliette was, how human, insecure, desperate for love and just for someone to be able to touch her.  At first I had a hard time reading the book because of how it was written, but I ended up loving that.  I cannot wait for the next book!

7. Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia - Okay, my heart feels for poor Lucy.  She has a lot going against her {one of the youngest in a family with 4 kids, little, "fanciful", etc}, but she is always the one Aslan comes to first... because she really is the most honorable of the lot.











8. Katherine from Magnus - One of my all-time favorite reads ever, this book is bound to have one of my favorite characters, right?  Oh, yes.  Katherine is such a strong character.  She lives a double life at a young age, and doesn't even question it.  She knows what she believes in, what she'll fight for, and what she's prepared to die for.

9. Sookie Stackhouse from the Southern Vampire Mysteries {aka Sookie Stackhouse series} - I love the novel version of Sookie, as well as the TV show Sookie.  Anna Paquin is charming, sexy and downright southern.  Loads of love for these books!












Okay, so I only have nine for my top characters... I know I'm going to do the Homer Simpson "d'oh!" after I post this, but these are the ones that came to my mind right now.  I would love to hear your comments and see your weekly top ten {please link up in your comment if you have a list so I can find it super easily!}.  Now I'm getting all giddy to see what everyone has as their Top Ten!

Top Ten Tuesday: Tips for New Bloggers

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Tips for New Bloggers

Okay, being a new blogger, can I just say thank you?  Every one had a lot of really good tips, and also helped me not be as discouraged about not having very much traffic, being turned down for requested books/galleys to review, etc.  My top ten in going to be a list of tips from me as well as the ones I've found most helpful.

1. Be yourself.  Be honest in your reviews.  Review the books you want to read, especially if you're like me and new.  You get to pick your books to review, so make sure its ones you're interested in.  Don't necessarily read a book because everyone else is reading it if you know that's something you're not interested in.

2. Comment!  If there aren't a lot of comments on my blog, that means I'm not being a part of the community and commenting on other blogs.  If someone I'm following on Twitter or GFC posts on their blog, I try to comment.  Even if its just a quick "awesome review!"  When you do comment, if its blogger or you don't have the option of doing an auto link to your latest post, its in no way bad to post a link to your blog in the comment.  I particularly like it when people do that, especially in a meme post.  I'm working on this, and there is something that makes it easier:

3. Remove word verification.  I didn't realize that I even had word verification on until I was reading through some of these lists... I hate it when I got to comment on someone's post on my phone and word verification pops up, because it makes it SO much harder.  Most of the time when I see that I sigh and close the browser on my phone.  Because, yes, most of the time I have for commenting is on the go via my iPhone.

4. If you can, prep your posts before you are going to post.  If you know you're going to read a book, get together the information that you always have and save it.  I wish I would have had the time to get a month's worth of posts prepped before I'd really started blogging... eh, well, there's still time, right? Right??

5. Don't expect to get books/ARCs/galleys right away.  I've only been chosen for one galley out of the entire time I've been blogging.  Anything else was something I won through Goodreads giveaways by pure luck.  This kind of stems from reading what you want.  No, you won't get it before its released, but libraries are getting books pretty fast {especially if you have an eReader, because you can borrow those much faster than an actual hard copy}.

6. Get a Twitter.  Seriously, I love tweeting.  And you don't just have to tweet about books, posts, events, etc.  I tweet about that, but also about my everyday life.  Twitter is awesome: 160 character blogs.

7. Less is more.  I know I have some stuff on my sidebars, but I don't think it takes to long to open my blog.  I don't have GIFs or videos, but there are a few things... does it distract you with what I have on my blog's sidebars?  Please let me know if you feel I could neaten up my space.  Also: if it takes too long to load your blog page, I will be closing that browser before I see the post, much less read and comment.

Ones I want to do more of:

8. Get involved with the blogging community.  Find a blogger friend {or two or three...}.  I am in serious want of a good blogger friend...

9. Go out into the world!  Ha ha, so that one sounds funny, but I've honestly never been to a book event.  It seems nothing really ever happens in WA, and when it does I'm working or out of town.  I actually was going to trek out to Tumwater to go to an event for Kiki Hamilton, but turns out I'll be in Portland then.

Okay, so that's only 9, but pretty decent since I'm a brand spanking new book blogger, right?  And just because I'm putting these as my tips does not mean I'm great at it, nor do I think I am.  I'm new.  I have a lot to learn =)

Also, I'm trying out this new thing: you follow me, I follow you.  I usually check out the blogs of people who comment on mine, and most the time end up following some sort or another.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Were Totally Deceiving

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Books That Were Totally Deceiving
My choices are ones that were either a pleasant surprise or a disappointment.  And its a top eight instead of ten {I guess that's good, right?}

1. Wither - I wanted to love this book.  The cover was gorgeous, the synopsis was pretty good... but I just couldn't.  So glad I was able to borrow it instead of buying it.  However, I'm really hoping to read Fever, so if you have please direct me to your review!

2. Halo - The cover was such a lovely contrast of light and dark, and I thought the book would be more like that.  It was just too much like a children's book, and not really young adult.  It was obvious it was written by someone not experience in life or love, really.

3. Dearly, Departed - Beauty, Victorian and parasols.  The cover is awesome, and the book is awesome in its own way, but not exactly what the cover would have you think.  Definitely not as much romance, but the play of light and shadows reflects the book somewhat.

4. A Great and Terrible Beauty - I picked this up when I was at university, solely based off the cover and description on the inside sleeve.  I was expecting something a little more romantic, and not as much other-worldly.  But this was a pleasant deception, as the book is a great read.  Not really what I was expecting, but a great surprise.

5. I Am The Messenger - I found out about this book through a friend, and hadn't seen the cover until after hearing his review {he doesn't blog, so it was a verbal review/recommendation}.  It doesn't really match up too much with the story, but its so ambiguous it kind of works.

6. Program 13 - Okay, this looked awesome.  I got a copy for my Kindle for a couple dollars off amazon after seeing something on Goodreads about it.  I could not get into this book.  The idea was great, the execution of the story?  Not so much.  Yes, its about a cyborg who is programmed to be human-ish... and the person she is physically modeled after {as well as having been up loaded with her memories and life} begins to take over, putting the program in the background.

7. The Traitor's Daughter - I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.  Between the cover and the synopsis, it looked amazing.  I honestly could hardly get into it.  I never finished it.  At some point, I will go back and try to read it again, but I just couldn't get into it. At. All.

8.The Mephisto Covenant - Skiing up in the mountains.  People selling their souls and having blank eyes... but the cover has this girl with beautiful long blonde hair in a huge, dark dress.  The thing that isn't quite right would be the huge dark dress.  Don't get me wrong - it was a really good book!  Just not quite what I was expecting.

Top Ten Tuesday: Read in a Day

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Books To Read In One Day

1. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - Pretty much anything in this series is good.  And usually a pretty quick read.
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Kind of a "duh!" one.  Its amazing.
3. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor - If you've seen the new Alice in Wonderland, then you'll kind of know where this book is coming from.  Or, I guess, where the movie came from.  A great take on a classic story.  Amazing read.
4. Bumped by Megan McCafferty - I loved a lot about this book!  Bumped has the right amount of futuristic qualities without seeming ridiculous.  I can't wait for Thumped to come out at the end of the month!
5. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - Reading the graphic novel recently has me wanting to reread the first three and finish off the series.  Amazingly enough I haven't had the ending spoiled for me, and I really do want to find out what happens to Lissa, Rose and Dimitri!

6. Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz - I stumbled across this when I worked across from a Borders years ago.  Loved it, and the whole series is pretty good.
7. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross - Different, albeit slightly predictable.  Easy read, and it really hooked me in.  I'm loving the whole Victorian scene {and New Victorian scene} in books lately.
8. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev - Such imagination!  Unlike any book I've read so far.
9. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer - This kind of goes without saying, since I'm a huge Twilight junkie.
10. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin - Entertaining and different from my usual reads.  And, of course, the book was WAY better than the movie.

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring Fever

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Spring Fever: Top Ten Books I'd Play Hooky With

1. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.  I know, I know.  Everyone just loves this book.  And I am part of that group called "everyone".  I actually picked up this book during a really rough period of my life, and this was one big, bright point for me, so it still holds a warm place in my heart.

2. The Oath by Frank Perretti.  This book, like most of his, scare the living daylights out of me.  But they're all so good.  The kind of good that sucks you in and holds you fast with its talons {get it? Talons? A book about a town plagued by a dragon?}.  I can never put down his books until I'm finished with it, even if I'm just rereading.

3. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.  This is probably my favorite Austen book, and its about a girl who lets her imagination get the best of her because of her novel obsession.  Great book for a reader to play hooky with!

4. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare {or any of the Mortal Instruments series}.  This one is another book series I started reading in the spring, and it a great "make-me-feel-like-its-spring-even-though-its-cloudy-and-raining-outside" kind of book.  And in Washington, we could always use books that make us feel like that.

5. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis.  The beginning of Narnia?  Oh, yes...

6. In Camelot's Shadow by Sarah Zettel.  I've enjoyed this book many times over the past several years.  I discovered it while I was away at university, and it was my pleasure reading one winter/spring {I honestly don't remember which season it was!}.  I love the elementary parts of this story, as well as the differing take on Camelot and the women there.

7. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris {or really any of the Sookie Stackhouse books}.  I like this one particularly right now because: a) I just recently reread it, b) the were-tiger sounds particularly yummy!

8. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien.  The first I read of his books, and automatically my favorite.  Written to be an easier read, this is a great hooky book.  Plus, I've read it enough I can just skip to my favorite parts.

9. Goddess of Spring by P.C. Cast.  One of my more favorite books by this author {recognize the name from the House of Night series?}, I've always been intrigued by mythology, and I love that she takes those and brings in a modern twist.  And I love how everyone always ends up together, even if its a little different than I might have anticipated.

10. The Bloodstone Chronicles by Bill Myers.  Okay, this is actually a set of books combined into one novel.  But its so interesting and different.  The creatures are more unique than almost any book out there.  And they have rivers of words!

Top Ten Tuesday

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Books On My Spring To-Be-Read list
{Mine is a wish list of sorts, but the first book is actually the one I'm currently reading}

1. What-The-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy by Gregory Maquire.  I've picked up this book a couple of times and usually get about 80 pages into it, then put it down for another book.  Not this time!

2.  Of Poseidon by Anna Banks.  I've had this on my Goodreads to-read list since I saw it on a giveaway last November.  Yeah, November!  I almost picked it up at the bookstore last week, but then I remembered I still have quite a few books on my to-read shelf right now.  I'm hoping to start reading more so I can get to the books I want to read that are not on my shelf at home.

3. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.  I'm so glad this is coming out soon.  So. Glad.

4. Winter's Shadow by M.J. Hearle.  Okay, this really is a wish list item, because it still hasn't been released in the US!  Yeah, I know!  I read the first 80 pages what feels like a millions years ago, when he posted them on his website.  I really would like to finish this book since the second one in this series is going to be out in a couple months... oh, and the first line of the description? Spoiler!

5. Faery Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr.  I love her take on the Fae.  Very well written.  Plus, every time I pick up these books it seems to be spring.  So they remind me of decent weather {weather is never good here in WA during the spring, but we get a few decent days}.

6. The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott.  My sister-in-law just finished this a little while ago, and she said is was brilliant.  And I've had it on my to-read list for a little bit.  Plus, its about the Titanic.  Which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its voyage {and demise} this April.  I think that would be incredibly appropriate to read then.

7. The Gilly Salt Sisters by Tiffany Baker.  Different from the usual on my reading list, but it really intrigues me.  Read the description, I bet it'll catch you too.

8. Ireland Rose by Patricia Stefling.  Much like what I used to read, so it seems very interesting to me.  Plus, I love me some historical fiction!

9. Who Is The Doctor: The Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who-The New Series by Graeme Burk & Robert Smith.  I'm addicted to the show, wouldn't it make sense that I would want to read the book about the series?

10. Evermore by Alyson Noel.  I've been teetering on the edge of "to read or not to read" with this series, and I just picked up the first three books from a local used bookstore for only $6 altogether.  So, I figure now I'm leaning more on the "to read" side of that mental argument, right?

Top Ten Tuesday

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Every week there is a different top ten topic.  You can find the list of topics here, both past and upcoming.  This week is:

Top Ten Historical Fiction

1. Lyddie by Katherine Paterson.  I read this years ago, in either grade school or middle school, for a book report.  I haven't read it in over a decade, but I distinctly remember really liking it, to the point that I reread it quite often.  Its a great book for young people.

2. The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory.  This was the first book of Gregory's that I read, so it would make sense that it was my favorite of hers.  I also love that she takes a person that most other authors make into a horrible wench and shows her as a victim of time and circumstance.

3. Magnus by Sigmund Brouwer.  My brother had the first book in a youth series almost two decades ago, and I was browsing the shelves at our local library when I stumbled across the series compiled into a novel.  And its wonderful.

4. Jamestown by Angela Elwell Hunt.  Honestly, pretty much everything by her is something I love.  Too bad most are out of print now, if not all.

5. As Sure as the Dawn by Francine Rivers.  Again, pretty much any book by this author is something I love.  I would put Redeeming Love here, but I already have that on one list, so I though I would change it up a bit.

6. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray.  The whole series is actually rather magnificent, but I'm kind of wondering if it should be under supernatural and not historical?  Oh, well.  My list.

7. The Knight and the Dove by Lori Wick.  When I was reading strictly Christian fiction, Lori Wick was one of my favorite authors.  That being said, I honestly probably only read half of her books, but this series was my favorite {probably because this one was medieval}.

8, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  I actually quite enjoyed this book.  There were some overly graphic parts I would have probably taken out, but otherwise it was really good.

9. Rivers of Gold by Tracie Peterson.  This is the last in a trilogy, but my favorite.  I love the character Grace!

10. Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.  Again, one I read ages ago.  Great book, though.  And, I just found out today that it was actually written in the 1950s.  Go pick it up, its pretty good.


Well, that's my list.  The funny thing is I wanted to add all these books from eons ago, but they were all actually written during the timing that they take place, so they're not actually historical fiction.  They just seem that way to me since it was anywhere from decades ago to maybe a couple hundred years ago or more.

Top Ten Books I Feel As Though Everyone Has Read But Me

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  I'm actually writing this a week late, but post-dating it.  I saw this on on another blog, and thought I would like to join in on this one, because there are definitely books that I've thought everyone read except me {Something Borrowed would have been on this list a month and a half ago}.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - I think everyone has read this book.  Or at least read parts of it.  I've held a copy twice.  And I've constantly heard "This is such a good book!"


The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead - This one is half true.  I read the first few books in the series {I got them free}, then I never finished it.  I've heard it has a good ending, but I never bothered to finish it!  So, if anyone would like to send me a copy of the last few, comment me with your email and I'll tell you how to get it to me!

The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin - Find me someone else who hasn't read this, I'll show you someone who's really not a reader.  I really have no idea why I haven't read this yet... because I don't own it?

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I was homeschooled growing up, so I didn't have a whole lot of books on my "need to read" list for school.  So I've still never read this book!  Amazingly enough, I think this was the only book my younger brother read in high school.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - I picked this up sometime in my early teens, read the first third or so of it, and had to take it back to the library.  I don't think I've picked it up since then.  Its a shame really - I feel that this should be read by all people who consider themselves "great readers", yet I've never read all of it.  Shame.

Any of the Sweet Valley High books by Francine Pascal - Yes, I'm part of that generation.  Along with the Babysitters Club.  And I haven't read one of them.  And, honestly, I've never had the desire to read any of them.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë -Its actually quite a shame that I haven't read this.  Its a classic.  And, like this list claims, everyone else has read it!  I just have had the most difficult time getting into this!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa - Okay, by "everyone" with this one, I'm talking about most of the YA reviewers out there.  And they all seem to think its ah-maz-ing.  Maybe I'll pick it up when I've gotten some more checked off my "to-read" list.

Matched by Ally Condie - Speaking of "to-read" lists... this is right at the top of mine.  I really want to read this.  It sounds interesting, and the second book is slated to be released soon, so I wouldn't have to wait forever to read the next in the trilogy.  {Am I the only one who hates picking up the first book in what's supposed to be a trilogy and have to wait a year to read the next, then another year after that?  I'm so glad I jumped on the Twilight books right before Breaking Dawn came out.  I think that would have killed me to wait for all of those!}

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - I've had this on my list for a long time {maybe since 2007, but at least since 2009 on Goodreads}, and for some reason I just have never gotten around to reading it.  I'm pretty sure I could get it from the library, it just strikes me as a book I would have to be in a mood to read {kind of like anything by Chuck Palahniuk}.