Top Ten Tuesday #112

Hi everyone! The wanderer has returned! I just arrived back from Greece today and had an amazing time on holiday. Greece is such a beautiful country, if any of you ever get a chance to go, you definitely should! Anyway, I’m back, and just in time for a new Top Ten Tuesday, courtesy of the lovely ladies over at The Broke and The Bookish. This week we’re talking about Top Ten Series We’ve Been Meaning To Start But Haven’t, otherwise known as The List of Shame (though to be fair, the list of series I still need to finish is probably more shameful!). I read so many series, it’s far too easy for several of them to fall through the cracks! These are the ones I feel most ashamed for not having started yet:

1. Scarlet Trilogy-AC Gaughen

I love Robin Hood. I love retellings. You would think that would mean that I would have read this series already right? But no. I got the book from my secret sister in the last round and I keep meaning to read it, but story of my life, I get distracted by all the other pretties! Soon, I will definitely get to this soon.

2. Embassy Row Series-Ally Carter

I loved Ally Carter’s Heist Society books, so when I saw she had a new series I was really excited! This of course meant that I didn’t acquire the first book for years (thanks Secret Sis) and then left it sitting on my shelf because you know…..bookworm.

3. The Darkest Minds Trilogy-Alexandra Bracken

I added this to my TBR when I was going through my big dystopia phase and then that kind of fizzled out and I just never got around to starting it. I’ve heard good things about it from my friend though and our tastes in books are really similar, so I would like to try and get around to this series one day!

4. Shatter Me Series-Tahereh Mafi

Another tragedy of my dystopia phase! I have seen lots of love for this series online though and apparently there have been more books added to the series? This might be the perfect time to catch up.

5. The Network Series-Katie Cross

This series sounds so cool, like a cross between Harry Potter and The Worst Witch. I mean witches? Magical education? Why haven’t I started this yet? #SerialProcrastinator.

6. Matthew Shardlake Series-CJ Sansom

This series has detectives and Tudors, two things I love the most, I really need to stop procrastinating reading it! Sure, I read lots of young adult pretties, but I shouldn’t forget about the great adult stuff that is out there, just because YA is my main source of books.

7. Inkworld Trilogy-Cornelia Funke

This is a series about books that has fictional characters coming to life as well as real people being able to disappear into stories. Nothing about this series sounds like I wouldn’t LOVE it, so why do I keep putting it off? I have no idea!

8. The Star Touched Queen Duology-Roshani Choski

This duology sounds amazing, Indian mythology? Royalty? Death and destruction? All of these things sound like things I would love. I have heard such brilliant things about this duology, I really need to get on it!

9. Splintered Series-AG Howard

This sounds like such a fun, wacky, whimsical story, so perfect for an Alice In Wonderland story. I’ve heard some really good things about this one and I’m definitely hoping to get around to it soon.

10.  The Grisha Trilogy-Leigh Bardugo

My friend loves these books and is always saying how amazing Leigh Bardugo’s writing is, so I definitely need to try and start this series soon!

I’m going to stick to just ten this week, because I have so many series that I’ve been meaning to start that if I kept going, I’d probably be here until next Tuesday! What series have you been meaning to start but haven’t? Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments!

Next week’s list is Best Books You’ve Read In 2017 so far, I’ve only read 18 so far this year, so it might be hard to pick a ten out of that, but I’ll give it a go! I’ll hopefully be able to do regular posting this week, starting with a new Quarterly Rewind tomorrow, so stay tuned for that!

Top Ten Tuesday #111

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great week. When you’re reading this (because yes, I wrote this post in advance, I know, shocker!), I will be in Athens, soaking up the sun and the sights with my friends, so excited! Anyway, I’ve got a new Top Ten Tuesday for you, courtesy of the lovely ladies over at the Broke and The Bookish, and in honour of Father’s Day on Sunday, they’ve given us a Father’s Day related freebie. Since I’m not particularly inventive with these kinds of things, I’m just going to do Top Ten Best/Worst Dads, five of the best and five of the worst. So here goes:

Best Dads

1. Arthur Weasley-Harry Potter-JK Rowling

I love Mr Weasley, he gets so excited about mundane muggle stuff and he clearly loves his kids and enjoys their hijinks. Plus he’s so great to Harry and is just as willing as his wife to adopt him into the family.

2. Hans Hubermann-The Book Thief-Markus Zusak

Hans might not be Liesel’s biological father, but he certainly treats her like she is his daughter. He teaches her to read, he protects her from the Nazis, he’s loving and caring and just the sweetest man!

3. Atticus Finch-To Kill A Mockingbird-Harper Lee

I didn’t feel like I could do this list without including Atticus, he sets such a good example for his kids and is generally just a wonderful and loving father.

4. Desmond Edgely-Skulduggery Pleasant-Derek Landy

I just love Desmond, he’s so weird and funny and he clearly loves his daughter.

5. Maxim Maresh-Shades of Magic Trilogy-VE Schwab

Maxim doesn’t really have much of a role in books 1 & 2 but it’s clear that he truly loves his son and when we do get to see more of him in the third book, it’s shown that he will do whatever it takes to protect his son, which I think makes a pretty great father!

Worst Dads

6. Mr Wormwood-Matilda-Roald Dahl

I think we can all agree that Mr Wormwood is absolute scum. He ignores his daughter, indulges his son, cheats people out of money and is just a general crook. I seriously cannot think of one redeeming quality this man has!

7. Callum Harker-This Savage Song-Victoria Schwab

Callum Harker is just completely soulless, he doesn’t care about anyone or anything but gaining more power and he just uses his daughter as another tool to do this.

8. Governer Dragna-Caraval-Stephanie Garber

Governer Dragna physically and emotionally abuses his daughters, I think that probably makes him the worst father on this list.

9. Prospero The Enchanter-The Night Circus-Erin Morgenstern

Prospero is just the worst! I mean he trains his daughter from childhood to compete in a contest that he knows could get her killed and for what? For his own ego that’s what. He abuses her in order to teach her magic, and he always seems to be looking out for himself rather than for his daughter.

10. Lucius Malfoy-Harry Potter-JK Rowling

I mean the guy was a Death Eater, so he likely killed a lot of people and was quite willing to make sure that his son followed in his footsteps, passing on his bigoted views to him and offering him up to Lord Voldemort, without caring that it might get him killed. Not exactly going to win a Father of The Year Award anytime soon.

I’m going to just stick to ten this week! Who do you think are the best and worst fictional dads? Do you agree with my list? Who would you add? Let me know in the comments!

Next week’s list is Top Ten Series I’ve Been Meaning To Start But Haven’t, otherwise known as the list of shame, as I’m sure there will be far too many on there! I probably won’t be on here much (if at all) this week, because I’m in Greece, so the next time you hear from me will probably be when I get back.

Top Ten Tuesday #110

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great week, mine has been relatively quiet since getting back from Scotland on Friday, but I’m going to be heading off to Greece with my friends with my friends next week which I’m really excited for! Only 6 days to go! Anyway, I’m back this week with another Top Ten Tuesday, courtesy of the lovely ladies over at The Broke and Bookish. This week’s topic is about my Top Ten Books I’ve Recently Added to My TBR In X Genre, so naturally I’ve chosen YA Fantasy to fill the gap since that’s what I mostly add to my TBR! Most of these will actually be from last week’s TTT lists since there were so many fab YA fantasy new releases on people’s lists! So here we go, the Top Ten YA Fantasies I Added To My TBR recently (in no particular order):

1. An Enchantment of Ravens-Margaret Rogerson-Added 30th May

Reading Sarah J Maas over the last few years has given me a taste for Fae, but honestly these Fae sound far more like my cup of tea, dark and sinister rather than sexy! It doesn’t release till September but I will definitely be getting it once it does.

2. The Glass Spare-Lauren DeStefano-Added 30th May

Granted this does sound like a rather cliche fantasy, princess finds out she has special powers, there’s a big war on, she’s banished from the kingdom, but if it’s not broke……

This one releases in October.

3. Beasts Made of Night-Tochi Onyebuchi-Added 30th May

This one sounds so original, sin eaters can call forth sins from sinners called sin beasts but killing them causes the sin eater to have a tattoo of the beast and accept the guilt for the sin. Sounds cool right? Also it’s apparently Nigerian inspired, which is awesome!

This is another October release.

4. Girls Made of Snow and Glass-Melissa Bashardoust-Added 30th May

A feminist retelling of Snow White? Count me sold! It sounds like a much darker, more interesting version of Snow White and I can’t wait to see how the author twists the original fairytale. This one releases in September.

5. Daughter of The Siren Queen-Tricia Levenseller-Added 30th May

I added this one straight after reading the first book as it was such a fun read and I can’t wait to catch up with Alosa and Riden and hopefully see more of the sirens, since that’s what the title indicates! Sadly this doesn’t release until February next year.

6. Hunted-Megan Spooner-Added 10th March

Beauty and The Beast is one of my favourite fairytales, so I’m always on the lookout for good retellings of it. I’ve heard some really great things about this one, but I haven’t managed to pick up a copy of it for myself yet!

7. Labyrinth Lost-Zoraida Cordova-Added 24th February

I’ve never read a Latinx inspired fantasy (yes I know, I know) and I love the idea behind this one, a witch summoning the spirits of her dead relatives and it all going wrong? Sounds awesome!

8. The Glass Sentence-SE Grove-Added 15th February

This one is all about maps and adventuring and pirates and it just sounds like so much fun!

9. The Unbound-Victoria Schwab-Added 11th February

It might seem strange that I added this before I had even read the first one (which I’m currently reading) but I already had the first one on my TBR when I bought the pair of them together. I’ve been really enjoying The Archived and I’m sure The Unbound will be just as good.

10. The Crown’s Fate-Evelyn Skye-Added 9th February

I added this one after finishing The Crown’s Game. I liked the first one, didn’t love it, but the ending left off at a very exciting place, so I look forward to seeing what Vika, Nikolai and Pasha get up to next.

I’ll stick to just ten this week before I end up going all the way back to books I added in January! What books have you added recently to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

Next week’s list is a father’s day related freebie, so you’ll have to see what topic I choose then (I’m going to have to be organised and actually schedule this post as I’ll be in Greece!). I don’t know if I’ll have any more posts for you this week as I’ll be busy get ready for Greece, but stay tuned just in case!

 

 

 

 

 

Top Ten Tuesday #109

Hi all! I hope you’ve had a great week, mine has been kind of stressful as I’ve been packing all of my stuff up in order to move home from Uni for the summer, but as of yesterday it’s finally done! I still have another few days here in Scotland, but it will be nice to be able to relax and enjoy them without having to worry about packing! Anyway, I’m back this week with another Top Ten Tuesday, courtesy of the lovely ladies over at The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic is about my Top Ten Anticipated Reads of The Rest of 2017, there are so many amazing books out this year that I can’t wait for, but these are the ones that I’m most excited for (I’m putting them in release order, not necessarily excitement order):

1. Resurrection-Derek Landy-1st June

TWO MORE DAYS! TWO MORE DAYS TILL NEW SKULDUGGERY. It’s been three years since the last Skulduggery adventure, and I’m so excited that we’re getting more. Most of my teen years were spent with Skulduggery and I cannot wait to see what he and Val get up to in this new book!

2. Our Dark Duet-Victoria Schwab-13th June

I wasn’t the biggest fan of This Savage Song, the first book in Victoria Schwab’s Verity duology, but I think this second book definitely has potential to be better considering how the first book ended.

3. Ash and Quill-Rachel Caine-11th July

I love the unique world that Caine has created in the Great Library series, it’s such a brilliant concept and despite some of my problems with her writing style and pacing, I love the world and characters enough to still be excited about this one. The last book ended on a huge cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to see what Jess and the gang get up to in this one!

4. The Last Magician-Lisa Maxwell-18th July

This one sounds so good! I like the idea of two alternate Manhattans, one with magic and one without and the 1900’s setting for the old New York sounds amazing, I love books that have period drama in them and period drama + magic pretty much equals a winner for me.

5. Daughter of The Burning City-Amanda Foody-25th July

I am so excited for this one! A travelling circus? A girl who creates illusions that have distinct personalities? Murder? It all screams “this book should be read by Jo” and I cannot wait!

6. Mask of Shadows-Linsey Miller-5th September

I’ve seen mixed early reviews of this one, but I’m still excited for it. I haven’t read many books with gender fluid main characters and basically any blurb that says “assassin” gets me very excited, so I think this one has the potential to be very good.

7. Tower of Dawn-Sarah J Maas-5th September

I mean do I wish we were getting the last Throne of Glass book this year instead of this? Yup. However I’m so excited to get to see the Southern Continent, having heard so much about it over the course of the books. I’m not a huge fan of Chaol, but I love Sarah J Maas’ books and will read anything that she puts out there!

8. The Ship of The Dead (Magnus Chase #3)-Rick Riordan-3rd October

PERCY’S GONNA BE BACK! AND ANNABETH! We get Percabeth! Okay in all seriousness, they aren’t the only reasons why I’m incredibly excited about this book. I can’t wait to see Magnus and Percy meet, I’m so excited to see more of Alex Fierro and I’m just really excited to see how this series ends.

9. All The Crooked Saints-Maggie Stiefvater-10th October

I loved The Raven Cycle and I can’t wait to see what Maggie Stiefvater’s newest book is like. It sounds magical and weird and wonderful, and I’m hoping that I will love it just as much as I loved The Raven Cycle.

10. Chainbreaker (Timekeeper #2)-Tara Sim-7th November

I absolutely loved Timekeeper when I read it last year and I’m so excited to see more of Danny and Colton. It sounds like this book is going to take place in India as well, which I’m super excited about because a) it’s a setting I haven’t really read much about and b) the author is half Indian herself so I’m sure she’s going to do it very well.

I’m going to stick to just ten this week as these are the ones that I’m most excited about. What new releases are you looking forward to over the next six months? Do we share any? Let me know in the comments!

Next week’s list is 10 Books From X Genre That I’ve recently added to my TBR List, so I’ll be sharing the 10 Fantasy Books that I’ve added to my TBR recently. I actually haven’t been adding as many books recently (I know, shocker!) so this might be a little difficult but I’ll try! In the meantime, I have a few posts planned for the next few days, so stay tuned!

Top Ten Tuesday #108

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great week. My mum was up visiting last weekend, so it was nice to get to spend some time with her. I’m heading home from Uni for the summer next Friday, so this week is just going to be a whole lot of packing, which I’m not going to lie, I’m not exactly looking forward to! Anyway, I’m back this week with another Top Ten Tuesday, courtesy of the lovely ladies over at The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic is a Summer Reads freebie, but as I’m not big on the traditional beach read (fluffy contemporaries aren’t really my thing), I’m going to share the Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR. I’m not always great at sticking to a TBR list (I’ve read 6 1/2 of the books on my Spring TBR out of 10, which I suppose isn’t bad) but these are the books I’m hoping to read this summer:

1. Under Rose Tainted Skies-Louise Gornall

Okay so this was on my Spring TBR, but honestly I wasn’t intending on reading it until June anyway! I’m planning a YALC Reading Challenge for June and July where I read books that I either acquired at YALC or books by YALC authors (more info coming on that very soon!), so this works well for that as I got it at YALC last year and it’s also on my #RockMyTBR list, so I’ll be killing two birds with one stone.

2. Frozen Charlotte-Alex Bell

I wasn’t planning on reading this one until October as I thought it would make a good Halloween read, but it’s on my #RockMyTBR list and it’s a book I got from YALC, so reading it in July would again kill two birds with one stone.

3. Resurrection-Derek Landy

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE NEW SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT BOOK, I CAN’T EVEN! I will definitely be reading this as soon as I get it!

4. Six of Crows-Leigh Bardugo

This is another book on my #RockMyTBR list, I think I’ll be reading it in August. I’ve heard so many great things about this book, so I can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about!

5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone-Laini Taylor

Laini Taylor is going to be at YALC this year, and so I reckon this summer is a perfect time to finally get around to reading this book! I’ve heard great things, and my friend absolutely loves this series, so I have a good feeling about this book.

6. The Bone Season-Samantha Shannon

Samantha Shannon is also going to be at YALC this year, so again, I think it’s a great time to finally get around to reading her book. My friend also loves Samantha Shannon’s books and we have very similar tastes, so I’m hopeful that I will enjoy this book!

7. One of Us Is Lying-Karen McManus

Karen McManus is also going to be at YALC this year, and I got approved for One of Us Is Lying, so I will definitely try to get around to it before then. The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars? Sounds so good!

8. Flame In The Mist-Renee Ahdieh

Okay this is kind of a cheat as I’m reading it at the moment, but I’m not even halfway through yet, so I’ll probably be reading it through the summer!

9. The Love Interest-Cale Dietrich

I just got this after winning it in a giveaway, so I will definitely try to read it over the summer, as I love the idea of turning the love triangle trope on it’s head!

10. A VE Schwab book

Okay so this one is kind of vague, but I’m not really sure which of her books I want to read next, I just know that I will likely want a Schwab fix over the summer!

I’m going to stick to just 10 this week as I have a hard time sticking to TBRs anyway, let alone with more than 10 books on them! What are you planning to read over the summer? Do we share any? Any other UK bloggers/readers planning on going to YALC? Let me know in the comments!

Next week’s list is our Top Ten Most Anticipated Books for the rest of 2017, and there are so many great books coming out in the second half of 2017 that I’m excited to share with you guys, so I’m really looking forward to that. In the meantime, I’m planning a discussion post to post tomorrow, so stay tuned for that!

Top Ten Tuesday #107

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great week last week, I am into my third week of lounging around post exams and honestly am going a little stir crazy! Still it has been great not having to revise and just spend my time reading and watching TV. Anyway, I’m back this week with another Top Ten Tuesday, courtesy of the lovely ladies over at The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic is a Mother’s Day Freebie, but since I already did my Favourite Fictional Mothers back when it was Mother’s Day in the UK, I decided that instead of focusing on my favourite mothers from books and giving you a complete copy of the list I already did last time, I would instead focus on a different kind of fictional mother this time and list my Top Ten Favourite TV Mothers, so here we go:

1. Lorelai Gilmore-Gilmore Girls

Lorelai isn’t perfect, she definitely has her share of issues, but she really loves her daughter and is always looking out for her best interests and whilst she might be best friends with her daughter, she will still play the mum card when Rory messes up.

2. Rayna Jaymes-Nashville

Not only is Rayna a loving and caring mother to her own daughters, Maddie and Daphne, she acts as sort of a mother like figure to the rest of the cast as well, particularly Juliette.

3. Catherine De Medici-Reign

Okay hear me out here. Yes Catherine is manipulative, scheming and bordering on slightly sociopathic but everything she does, she does out of love for her children, she is fiercely protective of them and will do anything to keep them safe,

4. Hilda Suarez-Ugly Betty

Hilda’s a great mother to Justin, she’s fiercely protective of her son, encourages him to be exactly who he is and supports him in everything he does.

5. Mary Cooper-The Big Bang Theory

It takes a very special type of mother to deal with Sheldon, and Mary Cooper is definitely that! She is clearly completely devoted to and proud of her son and despite their differences, they have a great relationship.

6. Kristina Braverman-Parenthood

I mean the woman set up her own school for children with learning difficulties so that her son with Asperger’s could be in an environment where he flourished, if that’s not a great mother then what is?

7. Lynette Scavo-Desperate Housewives

Lynette always felt like the most realistic mother on Desperate Housewives to me, she may despair with her unruly children at times, but she clearly loves them and would fight tooth and nail for them.

8. Ashley Marin-Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars isn’t exactly known for having great parents, but I think out of the girls’ mums Ashley is the best. She will do anything for her daughter, even if it is morally or legally dubious and has done so on several occasions and just wants what’s best for Hanna.

9. Alba, Jane & Xiomara Villanueva-Jane The Virgin

I wanted to include all of the Villanueva women in this post, because I think they’re all great mothers, in different ways. Alba moved all the way from Venezuela in order to provide a better life for Xiomara, Xiomara, whilst she may make questionable decisions sometimes, is always there for Jane, pushing her to achieve her goals. Jane herself is also a great mother, willing to do anything to ensure her son’s happiness.

10. Shelagh Turner-Call The Midwife

Shelagh is such a great mother, she loves her children so, so much even though she’s not actually biologically related to either (Timothy is her stepson and Angela is adopted) and will do anything to ensure their happiness.

I’m going to stop there and just stick to ten this week, though I could probably come up with more great TV mothers! Who are your favourite TV mums? Do you agree with any of the ones on my list? And for all my US followers, did you have a nice Mother’s Day? Let me know in the comments!

Next week’s list is a Summer Reads related freebie, as I’m not really a big fan of beach reads, I’ll share the Top Ten Books I’m Planning To Read Over The Summer Holidays. In the meantime, I have a discussion post planned for sometime in the next few days, so stay tuned for that.

Top Ten Tuesday #106

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a good week, my exams are finally over, so I have no plans for the next few weeks except to relax and read and watch movies! Anyway, I’m back again this week with another Top Ten Tuesday for you all, courtesy of the lovely ladies over at The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic was rather open, simply Top Ten Things On Our Reading Wishlist, so I’ve decided to share with you, the Top Ten Bookish Things On My Etsy Wishlist as I’ve been getting really into Etsy recently and there’s a lot of amazing stuff for book lovers to be found there. So here we go, my favourite things on my Etsy wishlist:

1. These beautiful Shades of Magic bracelets:

These bracelets are so gorgeous and you can choose what you want stamped onto them. Unfortunately for me, the shop, PiratesNPixieDust is based in the US and the shipping to the UK is too expensive, but if you are a US Shades of Magic fan, I would definitely recommend these!

2. These gorgeous bookmarks

I’m using this Caraval one as an example, but bookmarkartandmore has lots of gorgeous bookmarks that I’m dying to get my hands on!

3. Gardarica does these amazing music sheet prints and this Harry Potter themed one is one of my absolute favourites (though there are many others, both bookish and non-bookish that are also amazing).

4. This stunning Throne of Glass necklace with one of my favourite quotes is from LilacFoxDesigns, a shop which does a lot of beautiful jewellery, both bookish and non bookish.

5. I would love to have this gorgeous print from VerbumDesigns, as the sentiment the quote expresses is so true!

6.  I would love to have one (or all) of these house themed Hogwarts bath bombs! Obviously I’d one the Hufflepuff one as it’s my house, but I would definitely not complain if I had the others! These are from FizzFairy, who does a ton of other awesome bath bombs!

7.  I love this gorgeous Winter Court (SJM) themed bookmark from herreadinglair. Such a shame the shop is in Australia!

8. I’d love this Shades of Magic themed candle, apparently it smells like roses, gunpowder and a fresh sea breeze, which sounds amazing! This is from twocandlethieves, a US shop that sells awesome candles.

9. I am a massive Percy Jackson fan, so I would love this map of Camp Half-Blood from MyChildishThings would be perfect for me!

10. This candle from bookwormscandlecraft smells of chocolate, and is based on the one and only Celaena Sardothien, do I need more reasons to want it?

11. CartabanCards is one of my favourite shops, and The Raven Boys has one of my favourite book covers (as well as being a great book), so I would love this beautiful print from him.

12. I’d love this beautiful ACOMAF print of Feyre and Rhys at Starfall from PaintedPagesShop.

13. This gorgeous Velaris print from SipandRead would look so perfect on my wall!

14. I love the smell of fresh baked bread, so this candle from NerdieNifties is perfect for me!

15. This vibrant orange (of course) Camp Half-Blood candle smells of pine, spice and strawberries, so I would love it in my room!

16. I love this beautiful journal from IceyDesigns, it’s such a shame I can’t afford the shipping from the US.

I should probably stop now, before I list every single bookish related item on Etsy! Do you like any of these things? What are some of your favourite Etsy shops? Let me know in the comments!

Next week is a Mother’s Day related freebie, for Mother’s Day in the US, which I will be doing, despite the fact that Mother’s Day in the UK was two months ago, but you’ll have to wait and see which mother related topic I choose. In the meantime, I will hopefully have a new discussion post for you soon!