Category: Top Ten Tuesday

#TopTenTuesday: Books Giving Me Those Autumn Vibes!

Dini @ dinipandareads41 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: books that give off autumn vibes! I have no idea why but I really struggled with this prompt? Maybe because it’s a pretty ‘broad’ concept — what are the vibes even? So before my little brain decides to overthink a prompt that should be straightforward AF, I’ve decided to just include all the things. Which basically means I’m looking at books that have autumn cover color vibes, books I think I’d like to read in autumn, and books I’ve loved that remind me of autumn (cozy and possibly also creepy). Yes, it’s really all the things 😂

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks
There’s NO WAY this book wouldn’t make top of my list because ever since I read it (before autumn) I haven’t been able to stop raving about it throughout the season. J’adore Pumpkinheads 😍

The Simple Wild by K. A. Tucker
It’s weird, but this cover gives me autumn vibes or maybe I look at this cover knowing that the story gives me all the warm cozy vibes, which make me wanna curl up to read it? Whatever it is, it is!

Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2) by Diana Gabaldon
It’s really the cover and there’s something about the title (perhaps the Amber) that makes me think of autumn when I read it. I haven’t read this series yet, but I’m looking forward to it!

Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
Maybe it’s because of the color combo, the thriller factor or because I read it in October, but this book is giving me serious autumn vibes, despite being a story about summer camp!

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu
This cover is autumn all over. Definitely get strong fall vibes from it and it doesn’t help that the story is simply cute AF (and also takes place in autumn)!

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Don’t the colors on that cover just scream autumn?! Although the content is more terrifying winter…

Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum & Tom Schulman
Okay, I know this is a movie cover and for once I actually really don’t mind it (don’t @ me)! And this novella (166 pages) did come out after the movie (apparently it was based on the script) but when I think about the Dead Poets Society, it definitely screams autumn to me!

The Farm by Joanne Ramos
This is another cover that really gives me autumn vibes. Is it the color combo? I don’t know…

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
It’s the floral pattern on the cover that definitely makes me think of autumn vibes. Although this book not really ‘comforting’, I think this family saga would still be a good read for the season!

The Wise Man’s Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle #2) by Patrick Rothfuss
That cover is really giving off the autumn vibes but I also think that this would be a great book to read in the fall. I think I should take my own advice and read it! 😂

What do you think of my ‘autumn vibe’ books? Do any of these also give you the same vibes? If you’ve also done a TTT, leave your links in the comments below so I can come check them out! Let’s chat 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Spooky Books I’d Read If I Wasn’t A Chicken (Halloween Freebie)

Dini @ dinipandareads47 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: Halloween freebie! Since this week is a freebie, I’ve decided to go with the first topic that came to mind: the spooky books I’d read if I wasn’t such an epic chicken/if I only had the guts. I don’t think it would surprise anyone to know that 90% of this list consists of King books! Is it kind of ridiculous that I don’t want to include these book covers in this post because that means I’ll have to actually look at them up close and I’m frankly terrified? 🙃

IT by Stephen King
I already detest clowns (SORRY NOT SORRY) and call me crazy but the idea of one lurking in wait in the drains is just not my jam? Like, at all.

Bag of Bones by Stephen King
I have this one and I really want to read it but it’s also supernatural ghost-y and that’s usually really not my jam. Serious question: What is with cabins in woods by lakes being haunted?!

The Shining by Stephen King
I was forced to watch the movie and I honestly… Ugh. I questioned my choice of friends for months afterwards. Not cool, people, not cool!

Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill
I really really really want to read this book. BUT IS SCARED.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
I really wish I had the guts to read this because I got the book as part of the September Owlcrate box and I honestly don’t know if I will ever read it.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
This is a legend/story that has creeped me out ever since I heard stories about the headless horseman when I was a kid. Years later, this legend is actually what I always picture when I think Halloween!

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
This one sounds like a total mindfck. Reading the synopsis already has me confused and questioning whether it’s real or not and I’m doubting myself. If I feel this now, how will I feel after reading it?

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
I really really want to read this one but I’m already terrified of the deep, dark ocean and while I love the idea of mermaids and sirens, I’m not a fan of the creepy killing kind lurking in said deep dark ocean.

Pet Semetary by Stephen King
Dead pets… I just… I don’t know if I can handle it? I like my pets alive and not haunting me, thanks!

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
The synopsis of this alone really freaks me out. I’ve come across it several times in store and have always been tempted to buy it but never do because I don’t think my mind will be able to take how horrifyingly messed up this story is? It’s just a feeling lol

Have you read any of these spooky titles? Would you read them? Do you wish you could read them? If you’ve also done a TTT, please leave your links in the comments below so I can come check it out! 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Fantasy Book Title Generators

Dini @ dinipandareads42 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: books I’d give different titles to. It seems that this prompt is just too much for my post-holiday dazed brain to take because I’ve completely blanked out. I honestly don’t know that I’d change the title of any of the books I’ve read because I’m pretty terrible at picking or making up titles for anything; but for the most part I also think the titles suit the books.

That said, I wasn’t sure if I was going to do a prompt for this week until I came across Annemieke’s TTT post for today on fantasy book title generators and I loved it, so I decided to hop on board with this one. Thanks for the inspo, Annemieke 💛This was fun to do, especially when I tried to picture what some of the covers would look like and what they’d be about. I chose a mix of adventure and fantasy titles for this list! All titles were generated on: Fantasy Name Generators.

Wives of Hell

Well, okay then. I mean, I’m totally intrigued. Aren’t you? 😂

Animals of the Nation

Hmm… I think I’m curious because animals could be taken literally or metaphorically? Why do I wish a blurb existed for this non-existent book?

Serpents and Mice

Not really sure about this one. It honestly sounds a bit boring and not up my alley…

Vampires of Ice

Hella curious about this. I mean, I don’t normally put vampires and ice together 😅

Spire Without a Conscience

This one had me cracking a bit. Do spires have a conscience? Is this a thing now? Am I misunderstanding the definition of a spire? Haha

Owl of the Lost Ones

Ooh, yes. I’d definitely be picking this one up!

Palace Without Glory

Hmm… Interesting, definitely interesting. (Not really)

Invader with Immortality

I don’t know why but this one has me chuckling. For some reason my brain has also immediately pinged to the song “Immortality” by the BeeGees (lmao) I don’t know if a story about an invader’s unending existence would really be my jam?

Soldier of Stardust

This sounds like a fantasy title with a potentially liberal sprinkling of romance? I’m down 😬

Humans and Criminals

I think I’m mostly curious about how this would be the title of an adventure book!

What do you think of these titles? Did you know these random title generators existed? If you’ve done a TTT for today, please leave your links in the comments so I can mosey over to your blog and check it out! 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Books with Extraordinary Titles

Dini @ dinipandareads31 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: extraordinary book titles (submitted by Elise @ A Book and a Cup). I struggled a little with this one because extraordinary? What exactly makes a title extraordinary? It’s completely subjective, and I’m sure what I’d find extraordinary wouldn’t be the same for someone else. But…here’s a list of book titles (read and unread) that I think are amazing!

READ

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. There was a bit of a trend with these kinds of titles in the last year, but the ½ in this title really intrigued me–how does someone die a half death? Unfortunately for me, I didn’t love the book as much as I enjoyed the title though I know a lot of other people did!

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini. Even if I didn’t know what this story was about, there’s something about this title that just completely pulls me in. I guess that makes it extraordinary to me?

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah. I don’t know if it’s just me, but the image that forms in my mind from reading this title is magical and thus, I think the title is extraordinary. I found the story to be just as enchanting, too!

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. The title of this non-fiction was what caught my attention because I just wanted to know what it could mean and then it ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2018! I was surprised by how quickly I was absorbed by Grann’s writing and highly recommend this if you’re interested in true crime and maybe even learning about the birth of the FBI!

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. I still haven’t written a review for this one, but rest assured I loved it. The build up was agonizingly good and the chemistry between our two MCs was so 🔥 !

UNREAD

Ten Thousand Doors of January by Claudia Gray. I think this title is extraordinary because it brings such a clear image to my mind, but it also makes me want to picture who exactly January is, where these doors lead and how they’re discovered in the first place.

The Library of the Unwritten (A Novel from Hell’s Library #1) by A.J. Hackwith. I mean, a novel from Hell’s Library? Why does that intrigue me so much and why does it make this a must read for me? Again it comes back to the imagery that the title conjures up in my head.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer. There’s something about this title that just pulls at my heartstrings because it brings such a clear image to mind about the characters and the story. I think it’s such an awesome title.

Beneath A Sugar Sky & Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children Series) by Seanan McGuire. To be honest, I find all of the titles for the books in this series absolutely compelling. That’s actually the reason why I wanted to pick it up the books in the first place 😂

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. I remember hearing about this book for the first time when I was a middle-schooler and I found myself absolutely mesmerized by it. The cover also makes me even more intrigued by the premise and title!

What do you think of these titles? What makes a title extraordinary to you? If you’ve done a TTT for today, please leave your links in the comments so I can mosey over to your blog and check it out! 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Falling in Love with Book Characters

Dini @ dinipandareads45 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: character traits I love to see in book characters/things that make me love a book character (submitted by Hannah @ Books Life and Other Oddities). and the minute I read the prompt, my mind drew a straight blank. Had I actually read any books with numbers in the title? Thankfully I have my awesome buddy that’s known as Goodreads to help me figure this out! I found a few titles but I’m not sure if there are enough to amount to ten, so let’s see how it goes!

Book Lover/Reader. This one doesn’t really need explaining right? I’m a sucker for someone who loves all thing bookish on the page, as much as I love finding them in real life too!

Not afraid to show their nerd. This might sound similar to the bookish trait, but it goes beyond just books. I love when a character isn’t afraid to nerd out about something they’re really passionate about, especially when I least expect it of a character!

Sassy/Sarcastic/Humorous. Give me all the sass, sarcasm and humor. Any character who can make me laugh already has me halfway to rooting for them — whether they’re main characters, side characters or even on the rare occasion, the villain!

Cinnamon rolls. When I think of characters who are cinnamon rolls, I always immediately think of Tanner from Autoboyography first. He’s such a pure sweetheart of a character who deserves so much and I love characters who make me want to scoop them up, hug them forever and keep them in my pocket wherever I go!

Grumpy/gruff exterior but a softy at heart. For the most part I’m thinking about the male leads of my favorite romances for this trait. I’m a total sucker for that grumpy bear of a lead whose walls slowly come down the more we get to know them, and who end up being total softies. Swoon! 😍

Sticks to their guns. I love a character who will basically stick to their convictions. Practice what they preach. Whatever you wanna call it. Wishy-washy characters give me a headache and drive me absolutely insane!

Acknowledging past mistakes and proving their maturity. I often read about characters who have ‘changed/grown up’ but their actions never speak to that growth. Give me a character who actively acknowledges what a spoiled, immature idiot they’ve been when they were younger, and who actually shows that they’ve matured through their actions!

Loyalty. Maybe it’s a little cliche but it’s such an important trait to me in real life and adds an incredible amount to the respect and attraction I feel for a person, so it obviously makes sense that I’d find this attractive in a fictional character too.

Kind. Plain, simple, kindness. I feel like being kind is underrated in a lot of books but give me a character who shows genuine kindness to others and I’ll be a definite fan.

What are some traits that make you love a character?
If you’ve done a TTT for today, please leave your links in the comments so I can mosey over to your blog and check it out! 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Books with Numbers in the Title

Dini @ dinipandareads47 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: books with numbers in the title and the minute I read the prompt, my mind drew a straight blank. Had I actually read any books with numbers in the title? Thankfully I have my awesome buddy that’s known as Goodreads to help me figure this out! I found a few titles but I’m not sure if there are enough to amount to ten, so let’s see how it goes!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Read earlier this year, it is probably one of my 2019 favorites! I had a completely different idea of the book at the start, but wow, was I pleasantly surprised by what was served. TJR has a way of making you feel everything.

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. I devoured this story in one sitting (literally from 6pm – 4am) because I didn’t want to put this down! This was my first YA thriller and I was so pleasantly surprised with the Breakfast Club + Gossip Girl + HTGAWM vibes of the story. So good!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. There were some minor slow spots but I was so surprised by how quickly and how much I loved this book. RPO took me on a helluva 80s trip through music and gaming and it was incredible!

Marriage for One by Ella Maise. I still haven’t written a review for this one, but rest assured I loved it. The build up was agonizingly good and the chemistry between our two MCs was so 🔥 !

A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia Gray. I was immediately pulled by the gorgeous cover, then the title got my interest, and finally the premise just hooked me.

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo. I think I read this two years ago and while I remember genuinely loving it, I also can’t remember much of it now? 🙃 Writing reviews has done wonders for my memory, so I’m looking forward to reading this again, and reviewing it this time!

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. This was probably my fifth or sixth Jodi Picoult book after I discovered her in high school. You can do a lot of things in nineteen minutes and one thing is to get revenge. This is a story about a school shooting, and it was heartbreaking and extremely hard hitting.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. My third TJR read of the year and it certainly solidified her as one of my auto-buy and new favorite authors! I was worried the hype would let me down, but I needn’t have worried because WOWZER. I loved it (and the full-cast audiobook)!

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini. This was the second Hosseini book I read and wow, did I cry or did I cry?! Hosseini doing what he does best with this story.

That Second Chance (Getting Lucky #1) by Meghan Quinn. This was my first Quinn and won’t be my last. I’m a sucker for small town romances and this one ticked all the boxes I love!

Have you read many titles with numbers in them?
If you’ve done a TTT for today, please leave your links in the comments so I can mosey over to your blog and check it out! 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Books on my Autumn Possibility Pile!

Dini @ dinipandareads73 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: books on my Autumn Possibility Pile! I recently did a similar-ish post for my Friday Favorites, where I listed some TBR reads that suited the Autumn mood! As you’ll know by now, I’m a mood reader so I’m not much for TBRs or seasonal reading. That said, I usually do like to think about books I wanna read over the course of a month if the mood strikes, and I like to think of it as my ‘possibility pile‘! I think of Autumn as going from September – November but I could also be completely wrong as I’ve lived in the tropics basically my whole life (and Australia saw six years of opposite seasons, plus I experienced two extremely warm fall seasons living in the UK so ‘autumn’ only showed towards mid-November/early Dec). A lot of what I’m thinking to read leans to the darker/spookier reads (for me anyway!), sprinkled with some lighter contemporaries and SFF!

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones. Even though I’m the biggest chicken and really can’t handle much ghosty-paranormal shtuff, I went out and immediately pre-ordered the book after reading Kibby’s review. It’s outside of my norm but it sounds so good and perfect for October!

Darkdawn (The Nevernight Chronicle #3) by Jay Kristoff. I’m not ready for this series to end but I also don’t think that I can put it off for longer. Kristoff’s going to crush my soul either way, so I might as well get the #stabstabstab over with, right?! This series full of darkness, blood and gore has really grown on me and I’m TERRIFIED for how this’ll end. I actually haven’t seen any reviews yet 🤔

Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin. I’ve really only heard amazing things about this book and it honestly sounds really good. Also, apparently there’s no cliffhanger?! I’m definitely looking forward to reading this and not putting it off forever 🙂

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig. This book has received so much love, even by readers who don’t normally read YA or gothic tales, which makes me all the more excited to read it!

Skyward (Skyward #1) by Brandon Sanderson. The second book in this series comes out on 26 November, and I’ve been telling myself that I haven’t been neglecting this book on my shelf, I’ve just been waiting for the perfect moment to read it 😜 The time has come!

Wicked Saints (Something Dark & Holy #1) by Emily A. Duncan. This was one of the more hyped YA releases earlier this year and I’ve heard so many mixed reviews for it. I’m getting the impression that you either loved/hated it, with little in between. I just got approved for the e-ARC of Ruthless Gods last week though, so I’m VERY EXCITED for this perfectly dark, possibly wicked, Autumn read!

The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3) by Neal Shusterman. This has already appeared in several of my posts recently but honestly, I can’t wait. I’m SO READY to see what happens next and to see how this fantastic dystopian series will end!

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. The colors of this cover match perfectly with the season! But in between all of these darker reads I know I’ll need something lighter to make me a little less melancholy. I think this book will give me the warm fuzzies, and I love books with cooking/food!

Twice in A Blue Moon by Christina Lauren. I am so excited for this book which releases 22 October. I still haven’t read a few of the CLo books on my shelf *cough* but this one sounds mega sweet!

Malamander by Thomas Taylor. I don’t often read MG but the cover on this one had me picking it up almost immediately 😬 I’ve heard some really great things about it too so I’m keen!

What’s on your Autumn Possibility Pile/TBR?
If you’ve done a TTT for today, please leave your links in the comments so I can mosey over to your blog and check it out! 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Things to Eat/Drink/Listen to While Reading/Blogging!

Dini @ dinipandareads52 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: favorite things to eat/drink while reading (submitted by Jana’s mom). As you can tell by the title of my blog, I’ve changed the original prompt up a little bit by adding music and blogging! I don’t generally eat/drink a lot while reading or blogging, but I do put on some tunes, especially while blogging, so I thought I’d share some choons (also, I obviously like to make quick/easy posts more work for myself 🙄LOL)!

Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato
This is my go to coffee drink. I must consume it at least three times per week? It’s a hefty habit but it’s just too hard to resist. I LOVE iced caramel macchiatos. That’s defo one way to my heart! 😍

Ferrero Rocher
Ferrero has been my favorite chocolate ever since I was a kid. Once I start it’s so hard to stop eating!

This song is just so chill and so beautiful. I could have it on repeat in the background all day.

Peach Iced Tea
For some reason I always have peach tea bags stored away in my cupboard, so I frequently have a bottle of this sweet deliciousness sitting in my fridge. Perfect for those hot afternoons!

Thick cut chips
By chips here I mean fries. And not the shoe string kind. I’m a fan of the thick cut chips COZ MORE CARBS IN ONE BITE lol so good (but obviously eaten with one hand so the other is grease free!)

I shared this song on Sunday but I can listen to it forever. HER VOICE and the vibe. It’s SO CHILL.

English Breakfast Tea (with milk) + Custard Creams
I’m more of a coffee girl, but there’s just something so comforting about having a nice warm cuppa with CUSTARD CREAMS the best biccies! Everything about the combo screams cozy comfort!

I love this song and how it makes me feel. It’s like I need to go dancing down the street, and people will dance with me, offer me food and drinks, as we all sing and laugh… It’s a montage in my head LOL but also surprisingly great to have playing in the background while writing and reading 😂

Oreos (with milk obvi)
Another comforting snack that gives me throwback vibes to my middle school days when I would obsessively eat Oreos every chance I got. I don’t indulge in these all that often now but still good!

What do you like to eat/drink/listen to while reading/blogging?
If you’ve done a TTT for today, please leave your links in the comments so I can mosey over to your blog and check it out! 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Avoiding Books on my TBR!

Dini @ dinipandareads52 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: books on my TBR that I’m avoiding. Ooh, I think this is a pretty interesting topic and I had to have a proper scour through my shelves to see what’s on there! I have to admit that a high percentage of the books on my actual shelves haven’t been read yet, and that’s not even including the books that are on my Kindle! 🙈 I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I know I won’t be judged by anyone here, right!? 👀 It’s not like I’m intentionally avoiding these books though… I just find that after giving into the excitement of adding them to my actual shelves, I usually find that I move on to other books that’ve already been there… Or maybe even newer books that’ve caught my attention… Do I have a problem? Maybe. I prefer to think of it as just me being a very moody mood reader though! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7) by Sarah J. Maas
I honestly just don’t want this series to end. Plus, with my shoddy memory it feels like an age since I read Tower of Dawn and the other books in the series, so I want to refresh my memory before finishing it. Makes sense right? Really, I’m not just putting it off!

Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3) by Cassandra Clare
This was my first Cassandra Clare series. I don’t know much about this world but I still really enjoyed the first two Dark Artifices books. I haven’t read this yet simply because I don’t want it to end! 😂

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
This book has been insanely hyped and FOMO made me go out and get this right away! My dad even got me a signed edition when he was in NY. I always enjoy family sagas, so I think I’m going to love it, but I’m also nervous that it won’t live up to the hype for me!

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
This is another very hyped book all over bookstagram and again #fomomademedoit. Literally everyone has been praising it though, and it honestly has so many elements I usually love. I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy it but I also just keep pushing it off month after month?!

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that I struggle with non-fiction reads (but also that my goal is to try reading more of them each year)! Sapiens sounds really interesting and several of my colleagues have borrowed this and loved it. I’m just worried I’ll find it dull 🙈

Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne
I haven’t read it yet because I’ve heard that the MC is massively unlikable (and not unlike our real life A.J. Finn) and I always struggle with stories with unlikable characters!

With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Magical realism is kind of intimidating and it doesn’t always gel with me. I am still keen to read this, but I’m proceeding with caution! 😅

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
I have a feeling this book will S-L-A-Y my feelings and so I feel like I really need to be in the right mood to read and process my feelings.

Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1) by Elizabeth Lim
I went on for ages about this book before it arrived with my July Owlcrate box! I haven’t touched it since because I think I’ve been craving darker fantasy lately (i.e. The Nevernight Chronicle)!

How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
This is another book that I’m 100% sure that I have to be in the right frame of mind for before reading because I have no doubt that it’ll leave me a hot emotional mess.

What books have you been avoiding on your TBR?
If you’ve done a TTT for today, please leave your links in the comments so I can mosey over to your blog and check it out! 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Books I Enjoyed Outside My Comfort Zone

Dini @ dinipandareads24 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: books I enjoyed outside my comfort zone. If you’ve been following me for a little while, then I’m sure you’ll have come across my mentions of the genres that I don’t read often or are out of my comfort zone: non-fiction, horror and magical realism (I know that last one isn’t a genre, but never mind that lol). As I don’t read these genres often I don’t have that many books on my lists to list. I’m always trying to read more NF though, and I’m not entirely opposed to more magical realism if it’s the right book for me!

The Ocean At the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
I think Gaiman treads a very fine line between fantasy and magical realism and sometimes I honestly don’t know which to classify his books by. Most of the time I just say it’s fantasy though because the stories are too fantastical to be otherwise. I think The Ocean falls onto the magical realism side of the spectrum. Set in the English countryside, this is one of the eeriest children’s stories I’ve read!

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
I’ve tried reading Cloud Atlas a dozen times but have struggled hard to keep going. I didn’t think Mitchell’s writing was for me, so I don’t know why I picked up The Bone Clocks. I think I was looking for something outside the box and this fit the bill. It was incredibly weird, but Mitchell’s writing quickly sucked me in and I found myself growing very fond of the characters! This has a heavier dose of magical realism than I normally enjoy, so I’m surprised that I absolutely loved it!

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned this book a million times by now but it’s honestly one of my favorite non-fictions (disregarding the fact I hardly read NF so the list is short). It read like fiction and sucked me in completely. Never did I think I’d read a NF so fast (one night) but I couldn’t put it down!

Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come by Jessica Pan
I read this e-ARC earlier this year and it was a joy to read! It was a bit like chatting to a friend and listening to them regale their mishaps and triumphs over the last year that you haven’t seen them. Pan is absolutely hilarious, and I found myself clutching my stomach with laughter at the situations she found herself in and most especially, the thoughts that ran through her head (because same). As a (sh)introvert I related to this so much and would 100% recommend it! Check out my review.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
I really don’t know how I didn’t realize this book had magical realism in it but I’m glad I didn’t because otherwise I would’ve put off reading it and I would’ve missed a beautiful & heartbreaking story. I loved the Asian representation, and the exploration of grief, acceptance and healing. It was touching!

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
This book… Was just. This book! It’s an uncomfortable and difficult read as Gay is brutally honest and doesn’t hold back in the telling of her story. But so many of her words felt like a punch in the gut with how much they hit home. Really one of the best I’ve read this year! Check out my review.

Naturally Tan by Tan France
I love Queer Eye. Like, I would do things for that show! It’s hilarious, it’s heartwarming, it’s like free therapy and I’m HERE FOR IT. With that out of the way, I’m so glad that I read Tan France’s memoir. It was funny AF and pretty inspirational. If you’re curious about Tan and want to know more about how this Brit came to be in America in QE or if you’re just looking for a light NF read, go to the bookstore and get this one now!

Born A Crime: Stories from A South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
This was my first audiobook and it blew me away. Everything about listening to Trevor Noah tell his story was perfection. I love his comedy so deciding to listen to his book wasn’t a hard decision. His stories were terrifying, hilarious, and astounding, and it was very inspiring to see how far he’s come!

Sourdough by Robin Sloan
This book brought me a surprising amount of joy! I loved Mr. Penumbra’s, my first Sloan book, but I didn’t have (m)any expectations about this one. I didn’t think I’d fall in love with the incredibly quirky characters and events, or with the weird but oddly charming elements of magical realism!

The Ruins by Scott Smith
This book was bloody terrifying. Like, I didn’t look at nature the same way again for quite a while. Despite knowing I’ll be shit scared, I’m a sucker for stories set in Mexican jungle cause you just know bad shit is gonna happen. This was gruesome and horrifying and while it’s maybe not a favorite, I can’t believe I still managed to enjoy it (while being simultaneously super duper creeped out)!

What are books you enjoyed outside your comfort zone?
If you’ve done a TTT for today, please leave your links in the comments so I can mosey over to your blog and check it out! 🙂