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 favourites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: favorite book covers of 2019. Oh my goodness, what a difficult prompt to answer because I don’t know about you but there were a lot of books released this year that had gorgeous, intriguing and eye-catching covers! My post will probably missing a big chunk of great covers because I can’t remember them right now… 😅 HOW DO I CHOOSE?! I’m just gonna keep it simple and stick to a gallery of pictures (and maybe pick more than five… or ten… or…more)?
Read More »Tag: Top List
#TopTenTuesday: December Possibility Pile!
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: holiday reads. BUT since I haven’t really read books to go with the season, I’ve decided to just post my December Possibility Pile! This post might seem repetitive if you’ve read this post and this post already but I’m going to focus on 10 books that I really want to read before the year is out! Obviously, I want to read a lot more than these ten before 2019 is over, but I’m going to do my best to at least see these ones through. By now you know I’m a mood reader so this is going to be tough (maybe) but I’m hoping that December will see me doing these unread books a solid by getting them off the never ending TBR! This isn’t even including the books that I want to read for Task 3 of the #Triwizardathon either but I don’t know what I’ll be reading for that yet!
Read More »#TopTenTuesday: Bookish and Non-Bookish Things I’m Thankful For (Thankful Freebie)
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: thankful freebie. I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving but I can’t help getting caught up in the thankful spirit that’s been going around in the book community lately. 2019 has been a year of… a lot. A lot of everything. In many ways I feel like this year has been one of extremes with either many high-highs and many low-lows, which has been incredibly trying. This basically means that I’ve been a hot-emotional-mess for 90% of the year, including right now! But before I become even more emotional, let’s get to what I’m thankful for this year. As this is a freebie, I’ve decided to keep it simple and write a list of all the bookish and non-bookish things I’m thankful for. Of course, I’ll try to keep it as bookish as possible 😉 Here we go:
#TopTenTuesday: Changes in My Reading Life!
Side note: I’m writing this post as I sit at the airport waiting for my flight back to Bali after an overnight stay in Jakarta and a hectic AF, whirlwind of a day attending an event for work. Sorry if it’s slightly short and a maybe a little mediocre 🙃
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: changes in my reading life. I find this topic pretty interesting and I specifically want to give focus to how my reading life has changed since I joined the book community earlier this year. Although it’s not something that I think about that often, I know that there have been so many changes to my reading life since then. Let’s see if I can get my brain to remember ten things! Here’s what I’ve come up with:
Read More »Top 5 Saturday: Books by Unread Authors!
It’s time for another Top 5 Saturday, a weekly meme created by Mandy @ Devouring Books and this week’s topic is: books by unread authors you want to read. Friends, I’m loving and hating this prompt because it’s a keen reminder of all of the unread books sitting sadly on my shelves and the guilt is making itself known just a little bit right now and it’s making me feel like such an irresponsible reader! *flails dramatically under mountain of guilt* Now, with that out of the way, here are five books by unread authors that I’m hoping to read before the end of 2019! 😂
SYNOPSIS: How far will you go to protect your family? Will you keep their secrets? Ignore their lies? In a small town in Virginia, a group of people know each other because they’re part of a special treatment center, a hyperbaric chamber that may cure a range of conditions from infertility to autism. But then the chamber explodes, two people die, and it’s clear the explosion wasn’t an accident. A powerful showdown unfolds as the story moves across characters who are all maybe keeping secrets, hiding betrayals. Chapter by chapter, we shift alliances and gather evidence: Was it the careless mother of a patient? Was it the owners, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? Could it have been a protester, trying to prove the treatment isn’t safe?
SYNOPSIS: Nestled in the Hudson Valley is a sumptuous retreat boasting every amenity: organic meals, private fitness trainers, daily massages—and all of it for free. In fact, you get paid big money—more than you’ve ever dreamed of—to spend a few seasons in this luxurious locale. The catch? For nine months, you belong to the Farm. You cannot leave the grounds; your every move is monitored. Your former life will seem a world away as you dedicate yourself to the all-consuming task of producing the perfect baby for your überwealthy clients. Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines and a struggling single mother, is thrilled to make it through the highly competitive Host selection process at the Farm. But now pregnant, fragile, consumed with worry for her own young daughter’s well-being, Jane grows desperate to reconnect with her life outside. Yet she cannot leave the Farm or she will lose the life-changing fee she’ll receive on delivery—or worse.
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
SYNOPSIS: Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own. Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, but when her beloved father is murdered, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her father’s killer, Hesina does something desperate: she engages the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by death… because in Yan, magic was outlawed centuries ago. Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust even her family, Hesina turns to Akira—a brilliant investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?
How to Make Friends With the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
SYNOPSIS: Here is what happens when your mother dies.
It’s the brightest day of summer and it’s dark outside. It’s dark in your house, dark in your room, and dark in your heart. You feel like the darkness is going to split you apart.
That’s how it feels for Tiger. It’s always been Tiger and her mother against the world. Then, on a day like any other, Tiger’s mother dies. And now it’s Tiger, alone.
Here is how you learn to make friends with the dark.
SYNOPSIS: Two kids, Morgan and Eric, are bonded for life after being born on the same day at the same time. We meet them once a year on their shared birthday as they grow and change: as Eric figures out who he is and how he fits into the world, and as Morgan makes the difficult choice to live as her true self. Over the years, they will drift apart, come together, fight, make up, and break up—and ultimately, realize how inextricably they are a part of each other.
Are any of these books on your own list? What books by unread authors would you have on your list? Any of them to be read before 2019 ends?
#TopTenTuesday: Favorite Bookmarks!
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: favourite bookmarks! It’s a pretty loose topic and I could talk about anything related to my favorite bookmarks. I was tempted to talk about the Etsy stores I’ve seen that sell great bookmarks or to talk about the different types of bookmarks that I love, but I decided to showcase ten of my favorite bookmarks (that aren’t from Book Depository). In preparation for this post I wanted to take pictures of the bookmarks that I own but it turns out…
I’M REALLY GREAT AT LOSING BOOKMARKS!!! 🙃 Like, I don’t even know where they go because I’m 99.9% sure my favorites don’t ever leave the house (I switch them out to BD bookmarks before I leave). So they should be somewhere in my tiny ass flat (and when I say tiny I mean tiny) that seems to swallow things up so well that I can never find them again! It’s mind boggling and drives me a bit mental. But… Thankfully I received three new favorite bookmarks last week in last month’s Owlcrate box, and I love them so much! Before I ramble on much more, here are ten of my favorite bookmarks (better say bye to them now in case they miraculously disappear after I post this hah)!
I don’t know how I stumbled upon FictionTeaDesigns but I’m glad that I did because their bookmarks are gorgeous! They’re pretty big in size but they’re made of sturdy material. There are so many designs to choose from and shipping from Glasgow was surprisingly fast! I chose two from V.E. Schwab and one classic book lover one. Would 10/10 recommend!
I got these four beauties in the Darkdawn Illumicrate box and they’re gorgeous! My photo is a little blurry and doesn’t do the quality of the work justice, but trust me when I say that these bookmarks designed by Merwild are awesome!
This might be one of my all-time favorite bookmarks! It’s a wooden bookmark that was in the July or August Owlcrate box that came with House of Salt and Sorrows. It’s inspired by The Daughter of the Pirate King and designed by Juniper and Ivy Designs and the quality is pretty great! It says: “The sea watches over me. She protects her own.” I also love the turquoise tassel!
I got these beautiful magnetic bookmarks designed by CraftedVan from the October Owlcrate box! Y’all have no idea how excited I got knowing that they’re SAGA CHARACTERS!!! I wasn’t expecting that, even with the box’s more sci-fi theme but to say I was stoked would be an understatement. My love for Saga is forever; especially for Lying Cat! 😻
Do you have any favorite bookmarks?
Are you as talented as I am at losing bookmarks? LOL 🙂
#TopTenTuesday: Books Giving Me Those Autumn Vibes!
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)
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
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
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! 🙂
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