Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Book Recommendations for Those Who Want to Pick Up More Fantasy

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I’m so glad this meme is back from hiatus. This week’s topic is “Ten book recommendations for ______________: (Skies the limit here…examples: for Hufflepuffs, for fans of Game of Thrones, for people who don’t normally read YA, for animal lovers, for video game lovers, etc.” I feel like this week is a good opportunity to share some of my favorite fantasy series, so here is a list for those who would like to read more fantasy novels. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

 

1. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – Perfect for those looking for a fantasy with multiple MCs, anti-heroes, and a fast-paced heist storyline.

2. A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi – Technically the second book in Star-Touched Queen series, but can be read as a standalone. Perfect for those looking for the whole package: great characters, vivid world-building, and spellbinding story.

3. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh – Perfect for those looking for an unapologetically fierce heroine and a romance that will make you weak in the knees.

4. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab – Perfect for those who like magical fantasy and stellar world-building.

5. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier – Perfect for those who like their fantasy with a dash of fairy tale by the Queen of fantasy. If you haven’t read this author, do it now.

6. Uprooted by Naomi Novik – Perfect for those looking for great world-building, dazzling magical battles, and an unconventional villain.

7. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin – Perfect for those looking for a multi-faceted universe where humans and gods clash.

8. Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho – Perfect for those looking for a fantasy to charm them from start to finish while addressing real-world issues in a historical setting.

9. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente – Perfect for those looking for a middle grade fantasy to fall in love with where every sentence feels like magic.

10. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman – Perfect for those looking for a dragon fantasy and phenomenal writing.

What is your favorite fantasy novel? Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments and be sure leave a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit.

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Covers I Wish I Could Redesign

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This meme is currently on hiatus until August 15th, but I’m taking the opportunity to tackle a few past topics while our hosts are taking a well-deserved break. This week I’ve chosen is “Book Covers I Wish I Could Redesign.” Am I a cover snob? Maybe a little bit. I like pretty covers. I can’t help it and sometimes I end up picking up the pretty books more than the mediocre looking ones. Here are some books whose covers I’m not very fond of and would love to change. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

 

1. Beauty by Robin McKinley – I know there are several editions of this novel, but this is the actual edition I own and I’m not a fan of the cover. Don’t let said cover fool you though, this is one of the best retellings of Beauty and the Beast I’ve ever read (probably the best).

2. Chime by Franny Billingsley – One of the most underrated books I’ve ever read, Chime‘s cover is a major turn off and I wish it had a better cover because I’m convinced more people would pick it up as a result.

3. The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman – This is actually a cover redesign and I am so bitter they didn’t make it match the first book. Why?!

4. The Young Elites by Marie Lu – Come on now, an action-packed series like The Young Elites deserves better covers than these boring ones.

5. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong – I’m not overly fond of models on book covers and so this entire series needs to be redesigned.

6. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier – The Sevenwaters series is one of my favorites, but I got to say, I’m not a big fan of the art on the covers. Her Blackthorn & Grim novels have such beautiful covers, I’d redesign the Sevenwaters series to match them if I could.

7. Fire Fall by Bethany Frenette – A very underrated series and I’m really bitter about its final book not being available in paperback, plus there’s the fact that this third book doesn’t come close to matching the other two.

8. The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden – I’ve heard nothing but great things about this novel, but if I hadn’t heard anything from fellow bloggers, I’d just skip on over that cover. I do plan to pick this one up this year.

9. Warcross by Marie Lu – I’m not sure if it’s the maze or the colors, but if I wasn’t already familiar with the author, I probably wouldn’t consider picking this one up. Seriously, Marie Lu deserves better covers for her books.

10. Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore – I’ve been waiting for a new book from this author for years and the cover is puzzling to say the least.

Which book cover would you redesign if you had a chance? Do you judge a book by its cover? Let me know in the comments and be sure leave a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit.

Have you signed up for the Summer 2017 Comment Challenge for August? July 26th is the final day you can do so. If you’d like to challenge yourself and make a new blogging friend, consider joining us. We’ll be pairing bloggers and encouraging them to comment on each other’s blogs all month long. Click the image to the left for all the details!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish I Had Reviews for on My Blog

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This meme is on hiatus until August 15th, but I’ve decided to do a few past topics while our hosts are on break. This week I’ve selected “Top Ten Books I’ve Loved But Never Wrote a Review For.” Now, I’m actually pretty good at reviewing books I’ve read since I started blogging, but there are so many book I read during my preblogging days that I wish I had reviews for on my blog. Yes, I could reread them, but sometimes it’s hard to find the time. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

 

1. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers – I love this book. It’s my favorite in Robin LaFevers’s series His Fair Assassin about female assassins working out of a nunnery who serve Mortain, the god of Death. One day I will reread this and gush about everything I love about it.

2. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson – This is another one of my favorite fantasy series and I’m so sad that I don’t have reviews for any of the books on my blog. I’m thinking a reread is in order and then I could do a series mini-review afterward.

3. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier – This actually includes Juliet Marillier’s entire Sevenwaters series which I have such a special place in my heart for. I’d love to see more bloggers discover this author. Her writing is transporting.

4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling – I reread and reviewed the first four HP books for my blog, but stopped short of this one and would really like it if I could review all the HP books.

5. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness – There are so many series I love, but read before blogging and this is another one that really deserves reviews on my blog, so I can convince more of you to suffer alongside me.

6. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta – I have the entire Lumatere Chronicles series on my shelf, but have only read this first book. Still, it’s enough for me to recommend this not very well-known series and I ought to reread it and write a review.

7. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater – I’m sure most of you know of my undying love for The Raven Cycle but before that I fell in love with The Scorpio Races. Why is there no review on my blog?

8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – One of my favorite books of all time. If any book deserves a review on my blog, it’s this one. But will I ever be emotionally ready?

9. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund – This is one of my favorite Jane Austen retellings and though I haven’t picked it up in years, I remember it quite fondly.

10. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken – This is my favorite Alexandra Bracken novel, but it doesn’t get a lot of attention because it was a debut and I just wish more bloggers would read it.

Have you read any of these novels? Which book do you wish you had reviewed on your blog? If you did a freebie Top Ten Tuesday this week, leave me a link, so I can visit!

Sign-ups for the Summer 2017 Comment Challenge for August are now open! If you’d like to challenge yourself and make a new blogging friend, consider joining us. We’ll be pairing bloggers and encouraging them to comment on each other’s blogs all month long. Signups close July 26th. Click the image to the left for all the details!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This meme is on hiatus until August 15th. *insert sad face* I really enjoy doing these posts each week however, so I’ve decided to take a look at past topics and maybe do a few while the hosts are on break. This week I decided to go with “Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read.” There are some books that I puzzle over the fact that I’ve gone all these years without picking up. Hoping to find a few bloggers who also haven’t read these, so I don’t feel so alone, haha. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

 

1. Matilda by Roald Dahl – It is my firm belief that I would have devoured this one as a kid. Unfortunately, it never ended up in my lap as a child and so here I am, an adult who has never read Matilda. I do want to change this soon.

2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – It’s strange that I never read this one in high school. I always meant to pick it up on my own, but have never got around to it.

3. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez – I love magical realism, so it’s a real mystery why I haven’t read this classic. I actually have a copy of it on my shelf, so I need to read it soon. Buddy read, anyone?

4. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens – This really goes for all Charles Dickens’s books as I’ve never read anything he has written.

5. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – I think I once checked this one out from the library, but didn’t have time to read it before I had to return it. I don’t think I have a proper excuse for why I have’t tried again though.

6. Wonder by R.J. Palacio – I’ve heard such wonderful things about this one. Everyone seems to love it and I really need to finally get to it myself. Even my niece and nephews are insisting I pick this up.

7. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White – Another children’s classic that I never got the opportunity to read when I was a kid.

8. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – It’s unfathomable that I haven’t had the pleasure of reading this one. I might end up reading it soon for the Summer 2017 Bookish Bingo challenge.

9. Beloved by Toni Morrison – This is one of those books that I wish I would have had an opportunity to read in high school, but it’s up to me to find the time to read it, so no excuses here.

10. American Gods by Neil Gaiman – I’ve enjoyed all the Gaiman books I’ve picked up and don’t know why I haven’t checked out this one yet.

Any of these that you strongly encourage me to read? Which book are you most surprised that you haven’t picked up before? If you did a freebie Top Ten Tuesday this week, leave me a link, so I can visit!

Sign-ups for the Summer 2017 Comment Challenge for August are now open! If you’d like to challenge yourself and make a new blogging friend, consider joining us. We’ll be pairing bloggers and encouraging them to comment on each other’s blogs all month long. Signups close July 26th. Click the image to the left for all the details!

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Reads of 2017 So Far

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is “Best Books You’ve Read In 2017 So Far (break it down however you want — by genre, strictly 2017 releases, whatever!)” Yes, I’m so excited for this week’s topic. I’ve read some amazing books this year and cannot wait to share them all with you. Seriously, who else is having a stellar reading year so far? Covers are linked to Goodreads.

 

1. Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson – It’s been months since I finished this debut novel and I am still thinking about it. If you haven’t picked it up, do it. It’s haunting.

2. Windwitch by Susan Dennard – I’ve read some stellar fantasy duologies during the last couple of years, but it’s been a while since a fantasy series has really grabbed a hold of me and I am thoroughly enjoying this one.

3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – The 2017 debut of the year was everything I expected it to be and so much more. Seriously, pick this one up as soon as you can.

4. When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore – I missed out on reading this one when it first came out, but this novel has solidified my enthusiasm for any subsequent novel by Anna-Marie McLemore.

5. A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi – This is my favorite book that I’ve read so far this year and even though I didn’t fall in love with the first book in the series, Chokshi’s writing made me want to try this sequel anyway and oh my gosh, it was everything I love about fantasy books!

6. A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab – This was one of the best conclusions to a series I’ve ever read and though I was sad to say goodbye to a series with such amazing world-building, I look forward to seeing what other worlds Schwab decides to write.

7. Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina – Do you ever come across an MC who really speaks to you and you can’t help but relate to? Nora from Burn Baby Burn was like that for me and I can’t get her out of my head. In a good way of course.

8. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secret of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz – I finally read this one! And by read, I mean listened to the audiobook. It was every wonderful thing everyone promised it would be and I have plans to read a physical copy over the summer.

9. I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo – I think this is the cutest contemporary that I’ve picked up so far this year. I was wholeheartedly invested in this one from start to finish.

10. Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson (Illustrated by Adrian Alphona) – This final spot was really hard to fill, but I decided to go with Ms. Marvel because this year is the first time I’ve picked up a graphic novel and I loved so much about this one. I’ve already read through volume four, so it’s safe to say I’m quite the fan now.

Honorable Mentions: Because I really can’t help it with this list, I want to mention both Lilliam Rivera’s The Education of Margot Sanchez & Rhoda Belleza’s Empress of the Thousand Skies. I couldn’t quite find a place on my list for these two. It wasn’t because I didn’t love them just as much as the others, it’s that I ran out of room, but both are fantastic debuts and I can’t wait for more from both authors.

Have you had the pleasure of reading any of these titles? Are any on your TBR and you need an extra nudge to pick it up? Let me know in the comments and be sure leave a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Series I’ve Been Meaning to Start

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is “Top Ten Series I’ve Been Meaning To Start But Haven’t.” When I first saw this week’s topic, I thought that there couldn’t possibly be this many series I have on my TBR, but just haven’t started yet. But then I looked at my Goodreads To-Read shelf. It turns out there are a lot of series I’ve been meaning to pick up (an many on my shelf!), but just haven’t gotten around to. All I can say is someday…someday. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

 

Have you started/read any of these series? Do you have a favorite from my list that I must start yesterday? Are these also on your TBR? Let’s discuss in the comments and be sure leave a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit.

Have you signed up for the Summer 2017 Comment Challenge for July? If you’re looking for a fun summer challenge and are interested in meeting new bloggers, we’d love to have you join us. Each month (June-August), we’re pairing bloggers and encouraging them to comment on each other’s blogs all month long. Only one week left to sign up. Click the image to the left for all the details!