Tag: Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites: Side Characters!

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

It has been a helluva Friday. It’s late, I’m completely exhausted and I still need to pack for my trip up to my parent’s home town tomorrow, and we leave at the ass crack of dawn! Not at all keen for the early wake up call, but we’re going to stay at nice villa with a lovely pool, so I’m hoping to spend some time next to it! That said, sorry if I ramble even more than usual in those post, and if what I say doesn’t make sense LOL! I can barely keep my eyes open and my head is spinning, so without further ado… Here we go!

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: side characters! Who doesn’t love a good side character?! I love what they can add to a story and especially to the main characters! It’s even better when I love so much that I wish they had their own separate stories (a novella at the very least)! Off the top of my head, these are some of my favorite side characters.

Mister Kindly from Nevernight. I mean, how can Mister Kindly not be on my list?! HE’S THE BEST NOT-CAT SHADOW ‘PET’ EVER. I kind of wish that I had my own shadow animal that followed me around everywhere, made hilariously dry quips at my actions and drank in all my fear!

Grey from A Curse So Dark and Lonely. I don’t know if I consider him a side character. I mean, he’s still very much one beside Harper and Ren’s character in ACSDAL but I know that his character will get attention he so very much deserves in the sequel, A Heart So Fierce and Broken. If there were ‘teams’, I’d very much be team Grey. He’s such a steadfast and loyal companion to Rhen, and eventually a friend to Harper. I can’t wait to learn more about him!

Katrien from Sorcery of Thorns. Although she’s a fairly minor character, appearing only at the start and towards the end of the story, she’s one of Elisabeth’s only friends and a very loyal one at that. I loved her quirks, her awesome experiments and how she 100% supported Elisabeth in figuring out the mystery even from so far away.

Agnes from The Simple Wild. Although Agnes was the one who got Calla to Alaska, she was a minor character next to Wren and Jonah. She’s such a sweet and soft spoken, hardworking and loyal friend. She was always there to provide wisdom when Calla needed it and I wish we saw more of her in this story!

Large Marge from The Great Alone. Large Marge was an amazing side character and whenever she made an appearance in Lenny’s story, I just wanted to know more about her history and what brought her to the last frontier. She was such an empowering woman who gave Lenny and her mother much needed strength, safety and comfort. Everyone deserves to have a Large Marge in their life!

Mitchell Turner from Vicious (Villains #1). I know he’s an escaped convict together with Victor, but I have such a soft spot for him. He’s massively built, covered in tattoos, an insanely smart hacker, is superstitious, and has a thing for chocolate milk? I love his quiet character, his smarts, and his loyalty. He was dealt a bad hand in life and my heart feels for him. I just want more Mitch!

Harry Cameron from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I loved Harry’s character so much. He was an amazing pillar of support for Evelyn, never steering her wrong throughout her career, and their life together was the most wonderful period of the story. The reveal in his storyline had me shook and what happened at the end absolutely shattered my feels!

Roarke Richards from The Book of Essie. Oh, Roarke. He was such a sweetheart of a character and I loved how his relationship with Essie grew to something so strong in this story. He deserved so much happiness! I just wanted to give him all the hugs and support and never let go!

Who are some of your favourite side characters?
Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!

Friday Favorites: Books Read in School

Dini @ dinipandareads4 Comments

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: favorite books read in school. Thinking up my favorite reads from my school days was a bit difficult (yay for Goodreads, amiright?) but this was such a nice walk down memory lane. It’s amazing though how hearing a book title or seeing a book cover can bring memories rushing back! For this prompt, I’ve chosen to focus on the required readings we were assigned. English/Humanities was always my favorite class and I was that student who’d eagerly anticipate the start of a school year and learning about the books we’d be reading and the discussions we’d have! Ah, good times 🙂 I’m going to keep this week sweet & simple with photos and in no particular order!

Just a note: I read many of these books over 13 years ago (I’M OLD) and while I remember enjoying these books, I don’t know if I’d feel the same if I read them now. Maybe I wouldn’t with many for them, but I’m thinking about what I thought then!

What are your favorite reads from school? Did you read any of these in school? Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!

Friday Favorites: Nerdy Characters

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: favorite nerdy characters. Ooh, yay, fun! I always love reading about nerdy characters with their quirks and humor. They’re characters that I always relate to on some level as well! I’m going to try mentioning characters/books that I haven’t done before with this list of my top five favorite nerds!

Lazlo Strange from Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor
I mean, it’s Lazlo who lives in the library, lives in stories and has great dreams. His knowledge about the city of Weep literally launched him into the greatest adventure of his life and made his dreams to visit Weep come true (as corny and simplified as that sounds)!

Belle from In Bed With the Beast (Naughty Princess Club #2) by Tara Sivec
Belle was an adorable little book nerd who had a propensity to blurt out random facts that cemented her nerd status whenever she was nervous. She was an adorable character who lived to save her library and I loved her story!

Khai Diep from The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) by Helen Hoang
I honestly love all the characters in Hoang’s books and Khai won me over very quickly! He’s super smart but his autism means he processes emotions differently, and because of that he doesn’t think he is capable of love. Oh, little dumpling of hotness. He’s one of my favorite nerds ever!

Audrey Rose Wadsworth from Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco
So, I’ve actually only just started reading Stalking Jack the Ripper. It’s still early days but I already really like Audrey’s character and I have a feeling I’m going to love her throughout the series! I hope I’m right (lol) and I mean, what’s more nerdy than sneaking off to learn about medicine and bodies by doing autopsies with “Uncle Cadaver”? 😂

Hermione Granger from Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
I mean… I’ve no doubt that everyone who has to answer this question will mention Hermione, but I think she’s the epitome of nerdy characters. Sometimes her know-it-all attitude can be grating, but I still love her. She’s unabashed about her knowledge and has a great thirst for knowledge, and how many times did her brilliance come through in the story!?

What are some of your favorite nerdy characters? Would any of these make your list? Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!

Friday Favorites: Underrated Books

Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: favorite underrated books. So, I think this is a pretty interesting topic because before joining the book community towards the end of 2018, I never paid much attention to book ratings or reviews. I kind of find that hard to believe now since I rely so much on them, reviews especially, to help me pick my next read or which book to add to my shelf next! Admittedly, it was a bit tough to come up with a list (even a short one as this!) because my memory is truly the most awful thing 😅That said, here’s a quick Top 5 of some of my favorites that I think are underrated! HAPPY FRIDAY BOOK FRIENDS!

Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse
This is a dystopian fantasy based on Native American mythology. It’s a world where humans live alongside Gods and monsters. It’s a dark and raw world that only the toughest can survive in and all of it blew me away! Before I read this last year I don’t think I’ve ever read anything based on Native American mythology and I honestly wanted to smack myself over it because it’s INSANE (in the best way)! Both this book and author are so underrated and I think more people need to read it!

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
I honestly don’t even remember how, when or where I first heard about this book but I’m really glad that I did because it’s a really creepy YA space thriller that had me gripping the edge of my cushion seats and made me want to tuck my feet up tight under me. As if the vastness of space isn’t already creepy (but mind-blowing) enough, imagine being a teenager stuck in space, completely alone and lightyears away from Earth or any kind of help, and you’ve just found out (too late!) that you’re deep in some creepy shit. Are you trapped? How do you escape? IT WAS THRILLING in the best worst way possible. The tension was so real. You can read my review here.

A Piece of Cake: A Memoir by Cupcake Brown
When I started uni I basically stopped reading because I was too busy being the worst student the world has ever seen™️ but on days when I was too hungover to do much of anything else, I did manage to pick up a few books; one of which was A Piece of Cake (the other was Twilight LOL)! I also don’t remember how I first heard about this book but ugh, it was heartbreaking and so so disturbing! It’s the story about a young woman’s journey through addiction, sexual abuse, and ultimately of survival.

Natchez Burning (Penn Cage #4) by Greg Iles
I don’t know if this would be considered ‘underrated’ because it has a fair few thousand ratings on Goodreads but I also never actually see Greg Iles mentioned much (or at all) in the book community. Natchez Burning is a thrilling historical fiction set in the south (Mississippi) that goes back between the present day and the past (1960s). There’s a big focus on the KKK faction the Double Eagles, their history in Natchez, and race relations in the south. This one really sucked me in and fast too!

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
I’ve mentioned a few times now that I’m not a big NF reader but last year I picked this up on a whim and it’s the fastest I’ve devoured a NF. I finished it in one night (hello 7am sleeping time!) but it was so worth it because my mind was blown with how much I learned. It’s disheartening and maddening how history can so easily get swept under the rug! This read like fiction and I think Grann did a fantastic job writing it! Unfortunately, I don’t see many mentions of this book, but I absolutely believe this deserves more attention!

What are some of your favorite books that define you? Would any of these make your list? Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!

Friday Favorites: Sequels

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

Hi friends! It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: favorite sequels. So… I didn’t think I’d struggle this one but… It made me realize that while I thought I’ve read quite a lot of series in full, I actually haven’t? There are a few series that I’ve started and even though I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, I still haven’t read the sequel. There’s no particular reason for that other than there are just so many books and too little time! I’m sure many of you can relate. Here are just some of my favorite sequels!

Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe #2) by Neal Shusterman

This book was just… Insanity! That ending? I can’t even! And the fact that we’ve had to wait for what feels like FOREVER for the next book to come out is killing me. I’m so ready for November 2019! *Remember, remember the 5th of November* and all that jazz.

Legendary (Caraval #2) by Stephanie Garber

I didn’t think that anything could top my love for Caraval but then Legendary came out and I was INVESTED. I thought Tella was a great heroine and I can’t even with Dante (yes, I am on his team). Ugh, that ending! When it ended and I realized that there was actually three books I almost cried because that was painful. Talk about a cliffhanger! So, why haven’t I read Finale yet? 🙈

Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

I don’t even think I have to explain here. The Illuminae Files is one of my all time favorite series (and actually Sammie of The Writerly Way has made a list of 10 reasons to read the book, so I suggest you head on over there to learn why you should read it, then GO & READ IT!) and after the first book, I didn’t think I could love this series any more, but I was dead wrong. Just when you think this series couldn’t get any crazier and creepier, it really does! Ugh, my feels…

A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V.E. Schwab

This is one of my all time favorite series and I loved the sequel to ADSOM just as much. The incredible world building expands, there’s a lot more great character development and oh, the adventures! I also loved all the new characters that were introduced in this one, namely Allucard!

Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

Am I trash for this series? Yes, yes I am! My love for Throne of Glass only continued to grow with every sequel that I read in this series. Although the series is so freaking long I actually liked it a lot more than ACOTAR! There are so many incredible characters and storylines and I was here for it. I admit I haven’t read the last book yet because I don’t want this series to be over!

Bonus: Sequels I’m looking forward to reading

There are so many sequels I’m really looking forward, some already released and some that I’m waiting desperately for, some that are even not fantasy but contemporary romance too. I would name them all, but we might be here forever, so these are just some of the ones that I’m very excited to get my read on with 🙂

What are some of your favorite sequels? Would any of these make your list? Leave me a comment below and let’s chat sequels!

Friday Favorites: Tropes

Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

So I actually had the backbone of this post ready for me to finish off after work on Friday, but when I got home I just felt so completely drained that I didn’t even have the energy to open my laptop again. I’m going through some stuff in life at the moment that’s making me question a lot of things and it’s really been affecting my sleep. I’m already a bad sleeper (oh how I love sleep, but sleep definitely doesn’t love me!) but the past two weeks have been really bad for my sleep. I’ve been functioning on 2-3 hours of sleep every night for the past two weeks and I think I finally reached the end of my tether this weekend? I just didn’t have the energy to do anything and for the first time in what feels like the last 5 years, I slept in until the afternoon without even trying. Granted, I did end up falling asleep at 5AM, but while I usually wake up again at 9AM, this time I woke up at 1PM! It threw me off completely but I guess my body really needed it? So I know it’s Sunday and this blog post is also a bit bare boned, but I wanted to post it anyway 🙂

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: favorite tropes. I thought this was a fun prompt to answer! Before I started writing reviews and taking the time to think about what I’m putting into my brain, I wasn’t aware of these terms for books, like ‘tropes’. All I really knew is that I hated love triangles (lol), but I didn’t realize there was a term for plot elements/lines. That probably sounds really stupid and ignorant (lol again) but I really used to consume books without ever thinking too much about what I read, liked and didn’t like. Thinking about that now sounds really weird and I don’t even know how that’s possible? But like I said, all I really knew was that I hated love triangles LOL So after educating myself over the last few years, here are the first tropes I love that come to mind:

Enemies-to-lovers.

Would it be surprising to see this on a lot of peoples’ lists? Nope (at least it wouldn’t be for me lol). I love this trope so much and if done right always gives me such feels! The tension that runs through these types of relationship changes is always SO charged. Oo, I get goosebumps just thinking about it!

Friends-to-lovers.

This is another one that I love and yes, I know these first two tropes are found predominantly in romance stories but hey, I’m a hopeless romantic and love me a good romance! The tension in this type of romance is always high too, but I love seeing the transition from friends to lover. They’re best friends and then they become more and a lot of the times it’s super sweet.

Villain redemption.

I admit to not having read a lot of books where there’s a a good redeemed villain storyline but there are a few that made my heart melt and my eyes get a little teary. Lookin’ at you Snape!

Brooding characters who are really cinnamon rolls with marshmallow hearts.

Okay this is another one found a lot in romances, but there are also characters in non-romances like this (please don’t ask me right now because my brain is still half-shrouded in a fog. That said, I am so trash for dark broody characters as long as they’re not acting like downright assholes 90% of the time until their marshmallow hearts are shown.

Epic friendships formed during trying times.

I don’t know even know if this is a trope? But I love how really tough times and situations can bring a seemingly random group of acquaintances or even strangers together and strengthen/solidify them as a badass group of friends that will get each other through the craziest adventures. Yes, I admit to thinking a lot about Squad 312 as I’m writing this answer 😂

What are some of your favorite tropes? What about least favorite tropes? Leave me a comment below and let’s chat tropes!

Friday Favorites: Summer Reads

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: summer reads. What I read very much depends on my mood so I don’t necessarily read different books according to the season. That said, summer is pretty much synonymous with the beach and pool time so when I think summer reads I always think of the types of books that I like to take with me when I’m lying under the sun. My favorite genres to read beach/pool side are: romcoms, thrillers, and occasionally YA fantasy/sci-fi.

These aren’t necessarily my *favorite* summer reads, but they’re ones that I’ve enjoyed reading from each genre! I’m going to try and name books that I’ve never mentioned on my blog before (Thank goodness for Goodreads and Kindle lol)

ROMANCE/ROMCOM:

THRILLERS:

YA FANTASY/SCI-FI:

What are some of your favorite summer genres/reads? Leave me a comment below and let’s chat summer books!

Friday Favorites: Outside of My Usual Genre

Dini @ dinipandareads4 Comments

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: books outside of my usual genre. When I think of books outside my usual genre I tend to think of books outside my “comfort zone”. I’m usually open to all genres, barring horror coz I’m a scaredy, so it’s always hard for me to choose things outside of my “usual”. That said, the first ones that come to mind are: Non-Fiction and books with Magical Realism (yes, I’m counting this as a genre).

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and The Birth of the FBI by David Grann. Every year my goal is to read more non-fiction. I find a lot of non-fiction doesn’t hold my attention and I find my mind wandering about 80% of the time. But then there are times where I come across a non-fiction such as Killers of the Flower Moon and I devour it in one night. I just couldn’t put it down. It’s written like a story, it’s compelling and horrifyingly fascinating. So much history has been lost, it’s a shame that it’s only through stories such as these that we learn more about it. 1,000% recommend!

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Surprise, surprise, this book is getting another mention on my blog! I know I mention it regularly, but it’s one of my all time favorites for a reason. Surprising then (maybe?) that it appears on this list! Magical realism and I often don’t see eye-to-eye and I feel like classic Spanish authors utilize it abundantly. Unpopular opinion time: I read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and I wanted to cry out of sheer confusion and boredom 😭 So when my friend suggested I read Shadow of the Wind, one of her all-time favorites, I was really hesitant. You can bet I was surprised by how much I loved this book and sped through the pages. It’s so captivating and Zafon has a magical way with words that transports you to wherever you are in a story.

I’m Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come: An Introvert’s Year of Living Dangerously by Jessica Pan. This is a non-fiction and ARC that I finished very recently. I finished it late and it already came out at the end of May(!!), but I’m so glad that I picked this up. Following Jessica Pan’s journey as an introvert doing all the extroverted things in one year was not only HILARIOUS but also very comforting. She did all the crazy things that I have nightmares about (talking to strangers in public, public speaking, stand-up comedy, unplanned travels alone, and guess what? She survived all of it! I loved the way she wrote this so openly and honestly, and I’m pretty sure I laughed through 90% of the book. This was 1000% relatable especially at this similar stage of life. Is it weird/creepy to say that she’s the introvert that I wish I could be? Coz she is.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan. I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. As mentioned above, magical realism tends to confuse me 🙃 and while I wasn’t expecting to encounter it in this novel (though really, I should’ve) I really enjoyed what it brought to the book! This story was touching, so beautifully told, and I feel like elements of magical realism is such a big part of Asian culture and storytelling. It simply just worked!

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. I guess this is a bit of a bonus because it’s neither NF or magical realism, it’s sci-fi! I included Dark Matter because up until now it’s still one of the only (adult) sci-fi novels I’ve read. Even if I included the YA sci-fi books I’ve read, I don’t think the number extends beyond the singles. I’m working on remedying that but (obviously) my TBR is a million unmanageable books long. So it’ll happen, just maybe not anytime too soon?

What are your favorite books outside of your usual genre? Any of these? Leave me a comment below and let’s chat in the comments!

Friday Favorites: Books about Rebellion/Freedom!

Dini @ dinipandareads3 Comments

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: Books about Rebellion/Freedom. I almost didn’t write this post because I (somehow) missed this week’s prompt and only realized when I got a notification for Kibby’s post. Oops! So now it’s late, I’ve had a hellishly late night working up until 30 minutes ago (it’s now 11PM), so I’m gonna keep this short and sweet. I’m also going to not list the Lunar Chronicles for this post because I think that (and Illuminae) are my two most mentioned series for when I answer all these prompts 😂

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins. I decided to read these books with some friends before the second movie came out and it was wow. The world, the game, the rebellion. It was definitely crazy times but I loved every minute of it!

Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth. After bingeing on the Hunger Games a few years ago, I had a hankering to keep on reading dystopian YA books, so I picked up Divergent and I honestly loved it? I didn’t enjoy all the books in this series the same, but they weren’t the worst books I’ve ever read (don’t @ me).

An Ember in the Ashes Series by Sabaa Tahir. So much rebellion. So much chaos and fighting for freedom. So much suffering and loss. But also SO MUCH FUN?! Does that make me sound awful? I’m sorry but this series is amazing! I can’t wait for the final book in this quartet to come out in 2020.

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renée Ahdieh. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, which I haven’t actually read (it’s on my hugemongous TBR). The fantasy and adventure is built around a romance, but it’s also about rebellion and fighting for freedom from an absolute snake of a man.

The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson. This series was the first Sanderson I read and it solidified him in my list of favorite authors. This is truly epic fantasy full of strong, rebellious characters.

What are your favorite books about rebellion/freedom? I’d love to hear recommendations if you have them to give. Let’s chat in the comments!

Friday Favorites: Books Set in Space!

Dini @ dinipandareads20 Comments

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: Books set in Space. So I feel like this one should be relatively easy, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that I actually haven’t read that many books set in space? I have quite a few books set in space that are sitting on my physical / kindle shelves, but I really do acquire books faster than I can read them (#bookwormproblems)! One day though, I will get to them. For now, here are my favorite books set in space (and yes, I’m counting that last one!):

The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Hands down one of the best sci-fi series that I’ve ever read. The humor, the romance, the creepiness, the battle for survival, AIDAN. I mean, it’s got everything and it’s set in space. It’s pretty stellar (pun intended)!

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. Do I even need to mention how much I love Saga? I probably don’t, but I will anyway. Saga is probably my all time favorite graphic novel–granted I don’t have the widest repertoire–but it’s true. The ending of the last volume KILLED ME, and I can’t wait for Vaughan and Staples to bring it back to life already (pretty please?)!

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. I think this series is honestly one of the best re-tellings I’ve ever read. It’s so unique and jam packed full of action. I loved how Meyer brought together all the stories, how strong the female characters are in their own ways, and of course, it’s set in space (the majority of it anyway)!

Ender’s Game by Scott Orson Card. I think this was the first sci-fi book I read as an adult and I have to admit it was after watching the movie. While the movie was interesting, I enjoyed the depth we got in the book a lot more! It’s an oldie but a goodie that I (surprisingly?) don’t see getting a lot of attention in the book world.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Does this book count? I guess I’m making it count! I mean, the little prince’s home is a planet, he also travels from planet to planet, so technically it’s set in space, right? That has to count for something! It’s one of those childhood books that still have the ability to touch my heart when I read it as an adult. This is one of the books I’m hoping gets passed down the line for generations!

What are your favorite books set in space? I’d love to hear some recommendations if you have them to give. Let’s chat in the comments!