This week’s topic is a: The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf (Stand in front of your book collection, close your eyes, point to a title, and write it down. If you have shelves, point to your physical books. If you have a digital library, use a random number generator and write down the title of the book that corresponds with the number you generated. You get bonus points if you tell us whether or not you’ve read the book, and what you thought of it if you did!)
This week’s topic is:Books Set in/Take Place During X (Pick a place, time, era, etc. Examples: Books set in Europe/Italy/Australia/Chicago, books set in Regency England, books that take place during the 1900s, books set in imaginary worlds/post-apocalyptic/dystopian worlds, books set on the ocean, books set it castles, books that take place during WW2, etc.)
This week’s topic isBooks with Weather Events in the Title/on the Cover (I’m picturing a list of titles with weather-related words in them like storm, rain, blizzard, flood, lightning, hail, snow, wind, etc. OR covers with lightning/storms in the picture.)
This week’s topic isNon-book Freebie (choose your own topic that’s not related to books! This could be hobbies, TV shows/movies, bands/singers, food items/recipes, top ten things about you, your top ten favorite things, places you’ve visited, favorite fashion designers, etc. Take this time to let your readers get to know you a little!)
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? 🤷🏻♀️
5Similar 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 🙂
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 🙂
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!
1Born 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!
2Matchmaking 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.
4Hunger: 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
5Aristotle 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!
6Becoming 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.
7I’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
8Black 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!
9The 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!
10Milkman 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!
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