Category: Top Ten Tuesday

#TopTenTuesday: Books That Are Off Limits

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

I took a short holiday over the last week and I still kind of feel like I’m stepping out of a fog and back into a world where everything is slightly blurred around the edges. I didn’t realize how much I wanted (or needed!) a break until my recent staycation at a very quiet location surrounded by rice fields. The place itself was so aesthetically pleasing, and being able to laze in bed in the mornings, and by the pool in the afternoons, was the ultimate in relaxation and rejuvenation. That did mean spending less time on social media and falling off completely with blogging, but sometimes we all just need to disconnect, right? Now I’m back and even before the holiday ended I was already feeling pre-post-holiday-blues, and I’ve been hitting struggle town real hard today while at work. But I’m doing my best to get back on track with everything I’ve missed; hopefully it won’t take me ages to get back into my routine! So without further ado…

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Books That Are Off Limits. I don’t have a lot of people in my life who love to read (and the ones that do aren’t anywhere near me so it doesn’t really matter)! Most of the books on my shelf right now are newer books that I’ve collected since coming back to Indonesia six years ago because moving every few years meant my parents gave away the majority of my things, books included. Maybe the books on my list aren’t some of the oldest or most well loved, but they are definitely some of the most beautiful books I own!

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I made the mistake of lending out my well-loved copy of A Little Life to a friend last year and although I trusted her to take good care of my book, it did come back in a condition that I wasn’t pleased with. I won’t be lending this book out to anyone again, even though I’m planning to get the hardcover to add to my collection.

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab (Collector’s Edition). There’s no way this one is going anywhere but my shelves. This collector’s edition is beautiful and even I’m reluctant to touch and read it because it’s so lovely!

A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V.E. Schwab (Collector’s Edition). Basically the same as above. These are the first collector’s editions that I’ve purchased and they’ll be staying right where they are 🙂

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab. This hardback is the UK version and I’m in love with the white cover. When I bought it they only had two copies and there were already some imperfections that I noticed on the sleeves, so I chose the less obviously damaged of the two. It was that or not buy it and I knew I couldn’t leave the store without it!

Finale (Caraval #3) by Stephanie Garber (OwlCrate Special Edition). Caraval is one of my favorite series and when OwlCrate announced they’d be doing this special edition box, I set my alarm at 3:30am on a Monday morning to place my order. I’m so excited for this one to finally get in, and when it does, it isn’t going anywhere!

Owlcrate Signed Editions. I’ve been subscribed to OwlCrate for six months now and all the signed special cover editions are absolutely gorgeous. The books from this years’ boxes have been especially incredible and I wouldn’t want anyone borrowing them.

Persuasion by Jane Austen (Canterbury Classics Flexibound). I have a beautiful edition of this Austen and it’s my all time favorite alongside Pride & Prejudice. Even though I think Austen should be read by all, they won’t be reading this copy of mine!

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. Simply for the fact that this hardcover is simply too gorgeous to share. Sorry, not sorry! The jacket itself is beautiful, but the naked cover is one of my favorites that I’ve seen and I’m not risking anyone borrowing it!

The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen (Barnes & Noble Edition). I recently got this one from my best friend for my birthday on Sunday and it’s an absolutely gorgeous edition with silver sprayed edges and a dazzling cover. I haven’t even opened it to read myself but with how beautiful this one is, no one else is allowed to touch it unless they do it in front of me at home!

All the Books by Christina Lauren. They’re not special editions or signed books but this is more to do with the steamy romance in the books. My friends and family all have this idea in their head that I don’t dabble in romance, when in fact, I “dabble” a lot. The steaminess in some of these books would definitely (probably) shock them! 😅

Do you have any books that you won’t allow others to borrow? If you’ve done a Top Ten Tuesday post for today’s prompt, leave your link in the comments below 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Books to Movies/Shows!

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

Thanks to the crappy internet at my apartment tonight, I basically finished writing up my post but the page got stuck “auto saving” the draft for 30+ minutes. I thought I copied all my content before pressing refresh, but turns out… I didn’t and so I lost my post. 😭 I’m hella frustrated, I’m so bleeding knackered and my brain is honestly chugging along at 50% right now. I wanted to forget about posting tonight but I thought screw it, I’m just gonna keep it short. Sorry for the crappy post and the whingeing just now. 🙈 It’s been a long day and clearly, it’s not ending my way, but tomorrow will be a better day. Right?!

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday post today. This meme was created by The Broke and the Bookish and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in 2018. Today’s prompt is: Page to Screen Freebie. Surprisingly, or maybe not, I haven’t watched that many movies/shows that were originally books that I have read or vice versa. Since this is a freebie, I’m going to just compile a favorites list off the top of my head of the books that were made into movies/shows that I may or may not have watched… and whose books I may or may not have read. Are you just as confused as I am with how I’ve decided to answer this prompt? I have a tendency to complicate my own life… But without further ado, here’s my list:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The Keira Knightley version is my absolute fave! And omg the smiles in this scene… How do I not swoon and love them?!

A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Any explanation necessary? It’s one of my all time favorites. I’ve only read four of the books because I binged them and absolutely exhausted my quota of brutal killings, war, politics, and weird sex. But the show will live on forever as one of my favorites!

The Magicians by Lev Grossman. The book was such a slog for me but the show is absolutely amazing! Would definitely recommend if you like freaky magical worlds, good vs evil battles and often dark magic.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Freaking loved this book but haven’t seen the show (not for any particular reason). The trailers and snippets I’ve seen have all been super cool, I just haven’t got around to it yet.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. One of my all time favorite books but I haven’t seen the show yet. Again, not for any particular reason!

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Unfortunately, I did not love this book. Maybe it was because I watched the movie first and there was so much action and dialogue, that when I picked up the book I was just so disappointed. It was a slog 😦 Sorry, fans!

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. The series is one of my all time favorite movies to watch when I’m feeling lazy, need to switch off my brain and just want to absorb comfort. I haven’t read the books because of how I felt about The Hobbit, but one day I definitely will!

Coraline by Neil Gaiman. This movie is so creepy and fantastic and so utterly Gaiman. I actually hadn’t discovered Gaiman when I watched the animation for the first time, but when I found out it was by him, I wasn’t the least surprised.

The Green Mile by Stephen King. This movie is amazing and was so heartbreaking at the end that it made me ugly cry in public. I actually didn’t know this was based off a King novel though. Fun fact: Did you know King originally published this book as a series of weekly chapbooks published in magazines and only later compiled it into a novel? I thought that was a cool fact 🙂

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman. I’m still reading this book right now but I’m so freaking excited for the show. A few weeks back Gaiman shared the TV poster for it and it looked crazy good! It comes out 31 May! Who’s gonna be watching with me?!

What are some of your favorite adaptations? Have you watched/read any of these titles? If you’ve answered today’s TTT, leave your link in the comments below! 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Characters That Remind Me of Myself

Dini @ dinipandareads19 Comments

Welcome back to another Top Ten Tuesday! This meme was created by The Broke and the Bookish and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in 2018. Today’s prompt is: characters that remind me of myself. This week’s prompt is actually quite tough for me to answer and I wasn’t sure I could come up with a list. It’s not uncommon for me to stumble upon bookish characters I relate to but I am now struggling to remember exactly which books and characters I felt that way about! I’ve decided to loosely interpret this prompt, so here’s what I’ve come up with…

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Roxane Gay, Hunger: A Memoir of My Body by Roxane Gay. Do real people count in this list? Because I’m counting Roxane Gay. I didn’t have the same harrowing experience as her as a child, but it’s like she plucked the thoughts and emotions right out of me in regards to how she sees, thinks and feels about her body and more importantly, how society sees and thinks we should feel about our bodies.

Hannah Martin, Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I recognized and connected to Hannah’s character from the moment she’s introduced. We’re roughly the same age and her confusion about what she wants to do in life and trying to find the place to call home really resonated with me as someone who has moved around a lot in my life.

Unnamed Narrator, Chemistry by Wieke Wang. As an Asian girl, I related so much to how the unnamed narrator navigated her way through parental expectations, and letting herself choose her own path, rather the one expected of her. This experience is something I went through as well.

Nina Zenik, The Shadow & Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. Basically, her love for food and how unabashed she was about it. I love food so much and I don’t care who knows it!

Belle, In Bed With the Beast (The Naughty Princess Club #2) by Tara Sivec. I saw myself in the quiet, nerdy book girl who has a close relationship with her family and who is so eager to please them, while also trying to find a way to step out and discover herself. I also related to how she transforms from this quiet girl to someone who takes no crap from anyone, especially when standing up for the ones she loves most.

Ariel Waters, Kiss the Girl (The Naughty Princess Club #3) by Tara Sivec. She uses her brash and bold persona to cover up her insecurities that actually really run deep, which really reminds me a lot of how I can act sometimes (okay, a lot of the times).

Daniel Gold, The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. Daniel has a deep love for his family but he is also unable to appropriately express himself and his feelings, which is something I struggle with too sometimes. I saw myself in his quiet, serious character whose family sees as very put together.

Griffin, History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera. I saw myself in Griffin’s sentimental character, and his experience of heartbreak and loss, as well as his fear of change and letting go of the past to move forward.

Quinn, All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover. I can’t relate to what Quinn experienced in her marriage, but I did relate very much to her internal processing of her experience. It’s so easy to fake being happy and to dance the “everything-is-okay” dance, rather than to be open about your thoughts and emotions. It’s not the most positive trait but how she kept everything she was going through inside of her really reminded me of how I used to deal with my mental health.

Lois Clary, Sourdough by Robin Sloan. I could really relate to her thoughts in terms of wondering at being a part of something more; something significant and important. I think that’s what we all go through in our 20s, 30s (and well, some even longer), especially as we finish university and start looking for a job and try to find more meaning in our lives.

Wow, this was a tough one to answer! What characters remind you of yourself? If you’ve done a TTT post for today’s prompt drop your link in the comments!

#TopTenTuesday: Inspirational & Thought-Provoking Quotes from Books

Dini @ dinipandareads28 Comments

Welcome back to another Top Ten Tuesday! This meme was created by The Broke and the Bookish and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in 2018. Today’s prompt is: Inspirational & Thought-Provoking Quotes from Books. Who doesn’t love coming across a good inspiring or thought-provoking quote in the book you’re reading? I’ve never thought about ‘rating’ the quotes I find, so these aren’t really my top ten of all time, but they are quotes that sparked something in me. In no particular order…

“Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you.” – Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind

“You can’t change just one part, can you? When you sit there and wish things had happened differently, you can’t just wish away the bad stuff. You have to think about all the good stuff you might lose, too. Better just to stay in the now and focus on what you can do better in the future.”– Taylor Jenkins Reid, Maybe In Another Life

“Whatever happens, love that.” – Maddie Dawson, Matchmaking for Beginners

“Human bodies are very complicated. Inside us there are all kinds of genes, hormones, and chemicals that affect our moods, and sometimes people have a certain combination of those things that makes them feel sad.” – Glendy Vanderah, Where the Forest Meets the Stars

“Once you figure out what matters, you’ll figure out how to be brave.” – Emily X.R. Pan, The Astonishing Colour of After

“Why wasn’t friendship as good as a relationship? Why wasn’t it even better? It was two people who remained together, day after day, bound not by sex or physical attraction or money or children or property, but only by the shared agreement to keep going, the mutual dedication to a union that could never be codified.” – Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life

“People make a grievous error thinking that a list of facts is the truth. Facts are just the bare bones out of which truth is made.” – Greg Iles, Natchez Burning

“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts. There are seven words that will make a person love you. There are ten words that will break a strong man’s will. But a word is nothing but a painting of a fire. A name is the fire itself.” – Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” – Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice

“It’s plausible to hypothesize that these patterns will be reflected in events and people in each dimension. That people who have met in one quantum reality will be likely to meet in another. Certain things that happen will happen over and over, in different ways, but more often than you could explain by chance alone.” – Claudia Gray, A Thousand Pieces of You

What are some of your favorite quotes? Have you also done a Top Ten Tuesday post? Leave a link to your post in the comments!

#TopTenTuesday: First Books I Reviewed

Dini @ dinipandareads26 Comments

Welcome back to another Top Ten Tuesday! This meme was created by The Broke and the Bookish and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in 2018. Today’s prompt was submitted by Rissi @ Finding Wonderland and asks us to list the (First Ten) Books I Reviewed.

Prior to setting this blog loose into the great big blogosphere two months ago, I was writing reviews on Goodreads. I wrote my first review in April 2018 (yep, I’m pretty much still a hatchling compared to many of you). When I first started I didn’t write one for every book I read; I don’t know why not or how I chose which books to review either, but looking through my list, I’m surprised there are plenty that I skipped. It makes me want to go back and write the ones I missed, although with my notoriously terrible memory, I doubt I’d be able to without a re-read and that’d be a helluva list! 😅

Ready, Player One by Ernest Cline – ★★★★.5☆

This book was amazing! If my inner geek was a dragon (maybe it is), reading this was like diving into a cavernous treasure trove. I loved the 80s nostalgia and the crazy amazing world Cline built!

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz – ★★.5☆☆☆

I wasn’t particularly impressed with this one. Even though Diaz’s writing flowed like poetry, I couldn’t connect to the characters or what they were going through. It was a let down!

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann – ★★★★★

I don’t often read non-fiction and when I do it usually takes me ages to finish. I read this one in a night (#noregrets) and it’s still one of the best NF I’ve ever read!

A Reaper At the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes #3) by Sabaa Tahir – ★★★★☆

One of my favorite series! Love the complexity of the characters, the world building, the magic. It took a while to really sink into this again but it was worth it!

Carter & Lovecraft (Carter & Lovecraft #1) by Jonathan L. Howard – ★★★★☆

I’m not into horror and I know Lovecraft is one of the masters of horror, but this was more creeping weird-things horror rather than paranormal shocking-ghosty horror, and I surprisingly loved it!

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – ★★★★☆

Even though I managed to guess what happened (not how though!) this was still a deliciously shocking YA mystery! Also, I still cried buckets (of course).

Thunderhead (Arc of A Scythe #2) by Neal Shusterman – ★★★★★

I’m still crying waiting for the next installment to come out especially after THAT ENDING. Neal, mate, I hope you’re working hard kicking that sequel’s butt!

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – ★★★★★

Is there really anything else to say except this book seriously blew my mind? Amazing doesn’t even begin to cover it! Still haven’t seen the movie — should I?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows – ★★★★☆

Not my favorite storytelling style, but this was such a feel good story and by the end the characters felt like old friends I was sad to leave behind. I also haven’t seen this movie — should I?

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon – ★★★★★

This had the hopeless romantic in me swooning left, right and center! Such a touching story and I am so taken with the idea of fate/destiny too, so this definitely ticked lots of my boxes! I think I’m excited for the movie 😅

Well, that was a nice stroll down memory lane! Do you remember your first review(s)? If you’ve also done a Top Ten Tuesday post, drop your link in the comments below!

#TopTenTuesday: Rainy Day Reads

Dini @ dinipandareads21 Comments

Welcome back to another Top Ten Tuesday! This weekly meme is hosted by That Artsy Girl and today’s topic is about Rainy Day Reads. I don’t generally read according to the weather or season but I can imagine what type of books I’d feel like picking up when it’s raining outside. When I think of rainy day reads, I don’t necessarily think of books with dark or gothic themes. On the contrary, I think I’d prefer lighter or more comforting reads that’ll make cozying up in bed, snuggled under my doona, with a cuppa on my bedside table, a more pleasant experience. These are the stories that I wouldn’t want to leave the bed for until absolutely necessary, but they’re also the reads that I wouldn’t mind putting down for five minutes to stare up at the ceiling or out the window just to listen to the rain fall. Off the top of my head, here are some of my top rainy day reads!

1 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. P&P is one of my favorite books of all time and my familiarity with its story and characters makes it one of my go-to comfort reads. People look at me like I’m crazy when I say that, but I love this book.

2 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Actually, I think any TJR book would do for a rainy day. I’ve only read two of her books so far but I loved them both so much that TJR is now one of my auto-buy authors. Her stories are absorbing, it’s so easy to forget that you’re reading about fictional characters, not to mention that they’re relatable.

3 Persuasion by Jane Austen. I read Persuasion during a rough point in life when I was feeling incredibly lost and alone. This book made me feel hopeful again and it brought me feelings of such contentment, just like Pride & Prejudice, I’ve read it so many times that it has become one of my go-to comfort reads.

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4 The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. This is one of my favorite fantasy reads. Every time I read it, I find myself transported to a cozy fireside reading nook where I’m being read to by Kvothe (the MC). It’s soothing, magical, a little scary and amazing! Why not add a little rain and nice warm cup of cocoa to that scene in my head?

5 Memories (Collection) by Lang Leav. Reading poetry on a rainy day seems a little melancholy but I could definitely picture myself reading Memories, a collection of Lang Leav’s poems from her various books. Most of these ones really make me feel all the feels, especially the ones about love and loss.

6 The Dry – Jane Harper. Ironically, it rained heavily this past Sunday and I cancelled my morning plans to stay in bed getting into The Dry. Jane Harper creates an amazing atmosphere with her vivid descriptions of the Australian Outback and the pervasive heat that has made life in a quiet farm town unlivable. It surprisingly made for a very comforting read while listening to the rain fall.

7 Arc of A Scythe Series by Neal Shusterman. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked this up, but I was so pleasantly surprised by it! With its fantastic dystopian world building and intriguing concept, I absolutely couldn’t put it down. If you’re into YA, fantasy, sci-fi and dystopian books, and you still haven’t read this book, my question to you is: what are you waiting for?!

8 Shades of Magic Series by VE Schwab. I have loved pretty much everything that V.E. Schwab has come out with and the Shades of Magic series is one of my all time favorites. I love the world building, the complex characters and relationships, the magic and adventures. This is definitely a perfect rainy day read when you have all the time in the world to get lost in this one!

9 Saga (Graphic Novel) by Brian K. Vaughan. Saga is just simply the best. I could binge all the volumes in this crazy addicting series in one very cozy rainy day. If you’re looking to try out a graphic novel and love space, sci-fi, fantastic characters and world building, and beautiful artwork, you have to read Saga!

10 Natchez Burning Trilogy by Greg Iles. I don’t even know if I’d have the words to do this trilogy justice. I picked up Natchez Burning without knowing anything about the author or the MC, who was in three books prior to this one, but I fell deep into this consuming story about lies, crimes, and secrets from the past. This series combines two of my favorite genres (thriller/mystery and historical fiction) and were all jaw-dropping page turners.

Now I’m kinda wishing tomorrow as a rainy day so I could stay at home and cozy up under my covers with some of these books!

Would any of these make your list of rainy day reads? Have you done a Top Ten Tuesday too? Leave your link in the comments below!

#TopTenTuesday: Crazy Things I Do For Books!

Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

We’re back for another Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt asks us to list the Outrageous/Crazy/Uncharacteristic Things I’ve Done for the Love of Books. I don’t know if anything on my list is really particularly outrageous or crazy but it’s definitely uncharacteristic. Sometimes my love of books definitely makes me do things I wouldn’t normally do, and I’m sure (I hope?) a lot of you book lovers will get me when I say that! In no particular order…

1 Did a Marie Kondo on the rest of my apartment (clothes, knick knacks, kitchen items) so there’d be more space for books. Really, it wasn’t just about more space for books, it’s so that I could feel better about having so many book piled around my teeny tiny flat. I’m definitely not getting rid of all (or any!) of the books (yet!) but the rest can go!

2 Spent a full day reading a book at the office because I couldn’t (read as: didn’t want to) stop. In my defense, this doesn’t happen a lot… But there’s been a time or two where I’ve secretly opened my Kindle App on another desktop to surreptitiously read rather than do actual work.

3 Pretended that I was sick from work because I had to keep reading. Yes, I had to. No, this also doesn’t happen a lot. Also, I swear that I normally have a very good work ethic. The need to keep reading just makes me do these crazy things!

4 Planning my visits around which bookstore I want to go to. This applies to when I go on visit friends/family on a break or when I have to travel for work. I usually like to arrive a day or two earlier or stay a day later so that I can visit a specific bookstore and stock up on books that I can’t find in Bali. Even if it costs me more, at least I get books? 🤷🏻‍♀️

5 Similar to the above, I’ve adjusted my “countries to visit list” based on bookstores that I want to see. For example, even though I went to the States last year, I’d love to visit again this year for a couple of weeks, just so I can go back to The Strand and to finally check out Powell’s Books! Ugh, look at all that money flying out my bank account–it hurts, but it’s so worth it?

6 Spending copious amounts on books. Retail therapy has always been my thing so maybe this isn’t so uncharacteristic, but I don’t think it’s ever gotten so out of hand. Like, I just can’t control myself. It’s a little scary sometimes.

7 Setting alarms for ridiculous times to buy special edition book boxes. I’ve actually done this once (ok, twice). It’s hard enough for me to get up every morning when my alarm clock goes off at a normal time, but I have absolutely no issue waking up at 3:30AM to jump online for these boxes! Welp.

8 Had very public and uncontrollable reactions while reading a book. I’m very introverted/shy so I normally do everything in my power to go unnoticed. However, there have been several times I’ve read a book in public and I’ve ended up having reactions (i.e. crying, groaning in frustration or laughing really loudly) that garner so much unwanted attention. Tell me you’ve done this as well?!

9 Overpacking books. I used to travel with one or two (physical) books when I have to take short trips, but these days, I’m traveling with a minimum of at least five books, plus my Kindle. It doesn’t matter if I’m only gone for 3-7 days or that I always find a bookstore and end up buying another small stack of books. Truth is also that I never get through half the books that I bring with me.

10 Setting unreal expectations for my love life because of all the romance I read. I’ve always been a hopeless romantic, but all these romance novels full of rough, rugged, caring, intellectual men only serve to ruin my love life because I know I will never find a man like that IRL. But hey, at least I have these book boyfriends and all the book cuddles to keep me company, right?

As I’m reading through my list, I’m really getting the impression that I’ve officially lost the plot, and all because of books–hah! I swear that despite what I’ve written on this post, I’m really not crazy. Please tell me some of you out there do some of these things too? 😂

What are some outrageous/crazy/uncharacteristic things you’ve done for the love of books? If you’ve made a Top Ten Tuesday post this week, leave a link in the comments below and let’s chat all things books 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Things That Make Me Pick Up A Book

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

Welcome back to another episode of Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Girl. This week’s topic is Things That Make Me Pick Up A Book.

As I mentioned in my first Top Ten Tuesday post, I’m really bad when it comes to lists. My brain just tends to freeze up whenever someone says “Give me a Top __ List!”, and then I forget that I’ve ever had any thoughts about the topic to begin with. So I’m going to do my best and see if we can get down 10 points today!

So what do I look for in a book?

1. The Cover. I’d be lying if I said that covers don’t matter. I’ll admit to being guilty of occasionally judging a book by its cover, and I know that the majority of you book lovers can say the same thing. It goes without saying that the story matters most, but if you’ve got an eye-catching cover, I’m 50% more likely to at least pick it up and read the blurb, than not!

2. A Great Blurb. I love reading a blurb at the back of the book and thinking, I need to read this book as soon as possible! Even better when I read a blurb and think it sounds interesting, but then I can’t get it out of my head for a long time.

3. Trusted Reviews. Every time I head into a bookstore, I have my phone out and my Goodreads (and lately, bookstagram) open so that I can check titles, and ratings and see what friends and my favourite reviewers have to say about the book; if they’ve read it. They haven’t steered me wrong yet! I have to say that this also includes the crazy hype on bookstagram–although I always have some time to process the hype because books don’t normally come out in Asia as fast as they do elsewhere!

4. Favorite Author Buys. We all have these authors. Some of my favourite authors that are automatic book buys are Jodi Picoult, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Brandon Sanderson, and Taylor Jenkins Reid. Those aren’t all of them but just to name a few!

On to more specifics…

5. Romance of all kinds. I love slow-burn romances. The office romances. The forbidden love kind of romance with HEAs. I love heartbreaking romances, unexpected couples and romances. I’m a hopeless romantic, and anything that’s likely to tug on my love heart strings is definitely a win!

6. Settings. I love books that are set in certain locations, such as Scotland, Alaska, and the UK generally. Of all the places I’ve visited, Scotland is probably one of my favourites. Everywhere I visited was not only beautiful but gave me wistful, happy, comforting feelings. Alaska is one of the places that I’d love to visit at one point in my life; it’s totally random, but I became low-key obsessed with Alaska in my early 20s!

7. Books About Books. I love stories where the main character is a bookish person, works in a library, or owns/runs a bookstore. I also love stories where the plot centres around books, especially when magic is involved! I always feel this element lends characters and stories an added appeal, and a stronger connection to me as a reader.

8. Magic. Who doesn’t love magic? Most of the time the world-building in these magical lands are fantastic and it just takes me away from reality, which is really 100% of the fun of reading books.

9. WWII. I love historical fiction, but I particularly love stories about this time period. I find these stories always manage to worm their way into my heart, and leave me feeling everything. I’m always left in awe by the authors who have the ability to write these stories, and I’m always amazed by the resilience and strength of the characters, and their capacity to overcome facing such horrors.

10. Parallel Universes. Okay, maybe not just parallel universes, but books that have to do with the idea of fate/destiny and how all the choices we could ever make are played out in various worlds. I love the idea that there are a million possibilities and they all play out somehow, somewhere. Hah, isn’t that romantic?! 😂

What are some of the reasons you pick a book up? Have you written a Top Ten Tuesday post as well? Leave your link in the comments and let’s talk books 🙂

Blog signature that reads: Let's Chat! xoxo, Dini

#TopTenTuesday: Audio Freebie

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

Yay for my first Top Ten Tuesday! I’m excited to finally be spicing up my blog with more fun content, and I hope that I can keep it going every week. To be honest, I’m not so great with “Top Lists”. For some reason, seeing the call for top anything always freezes my brain. I also attribute that to my extremely shoddy memory 99.9% of the time, but let’s see how we go!

Today’s prompt is Audio Freebie (Any audio goes: audiobooks, music, podcasts, etc). I was going to post a Top 10 list of basically, all of the mentioned audio formats, but I decided to stick to Audiobooks. Since I haven’t actually listened to ten audiobooks yet, my list is going to be a combo of: Audiobooks that I love, that I’m currently listening to and that I’m looking forward to trying next!

LISTENED & LOVED

I’ve only managed to finish four audiobooks. That’s a very small portion of the many that I’ve accumulated in my Audible library, but I’ll get through them all eventually! The ones I’ve listened to didn’t disappoint me though, and I actually loved every minute of them!

1 Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. I am a huge Trevor Noah fan but I didn’t have any expectations when I chose this as my first audiobook. However, listening to Trevor Noah read us his life story was amazing–I laughed, I cried, I was shocked and appalled by some of the events in his life. I often found myself feeling mortified before bursting into laughter listening to some of the mischief he got up to as a kid. This was all around brilliant. If you want some relief, I highly recommend it!

2 Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson. Perhaps the reason I fell so hard and quick for this book is because Joyce Bean voiced one of the characters; and if there’s any voice that can bring me comfort, it’s definitely hers! This was a cute little romantic-comedy of a book that had me feeling all the feels at the end. Amy McFadden does a wonderful job portraying the main character and I felt such an emotional connection with the characters, and I was rooting so hard for them all at the end. This was a sweet one!

3 The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. Who doesn’t love Neil Gaiman? His is a voice that I could listen to endlessly–I love the accent, I love how he pronounces words so eloquently and I love the cadences of his voice. I tried picking this one up as a book and I just couldn’t get into it, but the audiobook was great! I’m admittedly a wimp, so I thought this one was pretty creepy (how is it a book for kids?!), but it was also a fantastical story about a magical world, filled with the wickedest of monsters and demons, that lies just beyond the veil of our own.

4 Hunger: A Memoir of My Body by Roxane Gay. I recently reviewed Hunger on my blog and if you’ve read my post, you’ll know how much I loved it. Roxane Gay has such a soothing voice and listening to her tell her story was just like listening to a friend open up about all her intimate secrets. It’s also a fairly short listen, so I highly recommend it!

CURRENTLY LISTENING

5 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. The only thing I needed to know about this audiobook was that it’s narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Needless to say, I love him! LMM does such a fantastic job narrating all the characters (esp. Ari & Dante), and what makes it even better is that I can actually imagine his expressions when he’s narrating, and it’s awesome! The only reason I haven’t finished this yet is because audiobooks are l-o-n-g and I haven’t had the time to focus!

6 Becoming by Michelle Obama. This book is legendary in the bookstagram world. It’s so hyped up I’m a little scared to go into it, but there’s no way that I’m not reading it either. Michelle Obama has so much charisma and you can feel it when you listen to her narrate! I am waiting to get the physical book so I can follow along for this one.

7 I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. I love true crime and I’ve been so excited to read this book! I started this but 1) it was too creepy to listen to when I got home at night after work, and 2) it’s so packed with details, it’s a little hard to follow at times. I think following along with the physical book is a must for this!

FUTURE LISTENS

8 Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James. This is another book that has gone through insane hype on bookstagram and while I’m honestly excited to read it, I’m also pretty intimidated by it. After listening to the excerpt, I already felt myself getting hooked, so I got it in the hopes that it would help me get through this epic fantasy!

9 The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I started reading the (physical) book in February but until now have yet to finish it. It’s not that I dislike it, I’ve actually really enjoyed it so far, it’s just that when I put it down, I don’t feel compelled to pick it up again. So, I’m hoping to finally finish the book along with the audio!

10 Milkman by Anna Burns. I’ve heard really mixed reviews about this book but when I listened to an excerpt of the audiobook I knew I had to get it. The narrator, Bríd Brennan, has a wonderful Irish accent and since this novel is set in Ireland (I think?) what better way is there to immerse yourself in the reading experience? I honestly didn’t want to stop listening to the excerpt and it has made me even more excited to read this book!

That’s a wrap folks! After writing this post, I realized once more just how “chatty” or wordy I am, so I hope that I haven’t bored you all to tears! 😂

Have you done a Top Ten Tuesday post? If you have, feel free to leave me a link in the comments and let’s chat!