Ten Books On My Spring TBR

It's time for another Top Ten Tuesday post! I feel as if I haven't done one of these in forever, but here we are now.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the ladies over at Broke and Bookish blog. Each Tuesday, there's a new topic, and you make a list of your top ten things that fit this topic. Pretty straight forward, yes?

This week's topic is...

 

Ten Books On My Spring TBR

 

I'm excited for this one. I have Spring Break starting after school tomorrow, so lots to look forward to! Specifically, lots of reading to look forward to.

 

1. Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff - I just checked this one out from the library this past weekend, and I am so looking forward to it! Japanese Steampunk with griffins? Sign me up. It's the first in an epic fantasy trilogy, and I have been in such a fantasy mood lately. Hopefully this book will settle my little book dragon needs!
2. Twice Upon A Time by James Riley - Currently reading this one, which was recommended to me by a brother who never reads. He really liked it. I'm about halfway through and thoroughly enjoying it as well! Lots of humor, with a good healthy dose of pirates, and magic, and princes. Yes, please! I think it would have helped if I had read the first book before diving into the sequel, but maybe the first book can also be on my Spring TBR.
3. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson - Just checked this out on Saturday as well. Magnus Bane was my favorite character from the Shadowhunters Chronicles, so I'm hoping that I will really like him in these stories as well. Only read one story so far and felt 'meh' about it, but I have faith it will improve!
4. The Death Cure by James Dashner - I read The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials this month, and I hope to read the concluding novel to this YA Dystopian trilogy this month as well! Or, at least this Spring. The first two were super quick, action-packed, fast-paced reads, so if the conclusion is as heart-pounding as the other books, I'll fly through it.
5. The Alchemyst by Michael Scott - I have been telling myself I will read this before my birthday (late May) and so I  shall! Maybe I can read the other five books in the series as well? We'll see! Very much looking forward to giving this a reread, as I loved it back in Middle School. It's super unique and I can't really think of anything to compare it to. Honestly still one of my favorite series, so I hope a reread holds up!
6. Lost Stars by Claudia Gray - A book that is part of the Star Wars extended universe. I love Star Wars, and was so happy when they came out with a Young/New Adult novel about different characters during the events of the movie. I've only read half of a different extended universe novel, so I hope this will be great...!
7. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare - People have been saying to wait until I read Tales from Shadowhunters Academy, but honestly, I'm too anxious to read this one! If you saw my February Wrap-Up, you saw that all I read in February was Shadowhunters books. Still feeling the withdrawal, guys. Need to read this as soon as possible! If only the library didn't have 25 holds on this book... augh.
8. Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima - SCREAMING LITERAL MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2016. COMING OUT IN LESS THAN A MONTH. AHHHH WHAT IS LIFE. I am so excited to read this ahhh! Cinda is my favorite author (only after Tolkien) and this new series is set in the same world as my favorite series! And follows the children of my favorite characters! I cannot wait for this one and as soon as it comes out, I'm doing my best to read it!
9. Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - Rather specific, but I want to reread this before my birthday as well. I try to reread at least one Harry Potter book every year, and I haven't read any Harry Potter this year?? Gasp?? This cannot stand. I must reread. I must.
10. Winter by Marissa Meyer - Shame on me for not reading this yet, honestly. I love The Lunar Chronicles and I've even read the Prequel (which I almost never do for series.) I got this from the library yesterday, however, so hopefully I'm ready and all the precious babies stay safe !!
    
    
    There it is! My top ten books I'll be reading this Spring! As long as my most anticipated release of this Spring. What do you have on your spring reading list? 

Fandom Mashup (#5) - Girl Power!

Fandom Mashups is a weekly meme hosted by Micheline @ Lunar Rainbows Reviews! Every week, there's a new topic, and participants choose five characters from any fandom to help them with that task. This week's theme is one I'm super pumped about:

 

Who run the world? Girls! Pick your 5 leading ladies to rule the world!

 

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1. Nasuada (The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini): Okay, I'm cheating. She's not a leading lady. (In fact, only two of the girls I picked are the main characters. Sh.) NASUADA IS THE ACTUAL GREATEST. I will sing her praises from the rooftops and I'm so in love with her. She's so badass, and even better, she's a woman of color! I could talk about her all day. She's the most underrated female character I know of, and she's the best ruler. I don't want to spoil anything for this book series, but let's just say she really has to take charge and really does it well. I want her ruling the world, please.
2. Eowyn (Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien): Eowyn is one of my favorite characters as well. She can be motherly and kind, and yet she's also swift and brave and deadly. She's so fierce in battle, and the love she has for her people, and the passion she carries would make her a great leader.
3. Rey (Star Wars: The Force Awakens): My favorite little mechanic baby. I would say she needs to be protected, but I know perfectly well she can protect herself. She'd make a good leader because she would never give up, and she would be a very fair ruler. Plus I love her and would put her on the throne in an instant.
4. Padme Amidala (Star Wars: Episodes I, II, + III): Because I can never let Star Wars well enough alone, I have to mention Padme as well. Obviously, she's already the Queen and thus has plenty of experience. She keeps a level head in even the toughest of situations and is willing to make peaceful negotiations to get what she needs. Plus her fashion game is great.
5. Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer): Okay, she is my second most favorite mechanic baby. I think Cinder would be a great leader of this Queendom, because again, she keeps a very level head, and is also very thoughtful and practical. Sometimes it pays to have someone practical on the throne.

BONUS QUEENS:

1. Leia Organa (Star Wars: Episodes IV, V, + VI): Again, she's a princess when this trilogy of movies starts out so she has the experience. She's able to make split-second decisions, and wise ones at that. Also, she's just the kind of person that everyone loves to be bossed around by, and no one really questions her, because seriously, she knows what she's doing.
2. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling): Um, I think this one is almost a no-brainer. Hermione is one of the smartest, if not the smartest, characters in the entire bookish universe. If she couldn't run a country or a Queendom, I'm not entirely sure who could. She would seriously make the best ruler.
3. Martha Jones (Doctor Who): Martha was my favorite companion when she travelled with the Tenth Doctor. She's actually a Doctor, and you have to be very smart to be a Doctor, so I have every confidence in her. She's seen a lot of things and has been tough and brave through them all. She gives off a very confident air so I know that she would be a confident and great Queen.

Okay, I know that was a lot, but I couldn't leave ANY of these ladies out. I know I'd let any of them become Queen of a country and I'd entrust them with my life. (ESPECIALLY NASUADA. I'm so proud of this choice, honestly.)

 

This was my favorite topic to date! So much fun and I got to spread some lady love as well!

The Bachelor Book Tag!

So, I don't even watch The Bachelor. (I want to because it seems dramatic and sometimes I need drama so.) But! This tag just seemed like too much fun to pass up. It was created by Monica (shemightbemonica on Youtube), and the original video can be found here! I wasn't tagged, but I'm going to do it anyways because I'm a rebel.

- First Impression Rose - A book that you bought because of the cover
The Adventures of a South Pole Pig by Chris Kurtz

It's just such an adorable cover! I bought it solely because of the cute little pig and the bubble people. I read the book and it was cute, but let's be real. That cover is the best part.

- Two on One Date - Your favorite and most disliked book from a series

For this, I'm going to go with my favorite series: The Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima!

When I first started this series, I read The Demon King (Book #1) and thought it was "just okay". Oh, boy, am I glad I stuck with this series because the final book, The Crimson Crown (Book #4), remains one of my Top Three favorite books of all time. Every time I'm considering rating a book I read five stars I think "Well, this was good, but was it The Crimson Crown good?". This whole series is awesome, but I think it's really saying something when the first book is my least favorite and the last one is my favorite. It just gets better and better!

- The Wrong Reasons - The one that starts off so strong but then ends a hot mess

I hate to say it, but Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle #4) by Christopher Paolini.

 

Ugh, this one started out so good! The first 750 pages were very satisfying (or close to that). But the last hundred or so pages!? Paolini, you're killing me with frustration. I literally had to set my Kindle down while reading the ending just to take a few deep breaths because my Kindle is expensive and I didn't want to break it in a fit of rage.

- Bachelor in Paradise - Your favorite light read
I realized I don't actually read many "light" or "fluffy" books. But, one of my favorites is The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall.

It's a middle grade novel following the four Penderwick sisters (Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty) as well as their father and their dog when they go on a vacation and meet a new friend and ruin some rosebushes and experience all sorts of firsts. It's an amazing novel, and a very light one! I go to it whenever I need a pick-me-up or need to feel comforted. It's great for all ages, Elementary Schoolers to Adults, and never fails to make me smile.

- The Most Dramatic Season Ever - A book with a totally insane, rollercoaster plot that had your jaw dropping

Without a doubt, Falling Kingdoms and  Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes.

 

These are both part of the Falling Kingdoms series, and the only two I've read (so far) of that series, and yet I can still confidently say that this is one of my favorite Fantasy series to date! It had me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning the pages to find out what would happen next. And it took so many twists that I wasn't expecting it to take. My jaw wasn't just dropping, it was on the floor!


- The Fantasy Suite - A book that has the best romantic build up and release
This one is harder for me, since I actually don't read much romance-heavy literature, but I suppose I could go with the Tigers Curse series by Colleen Houck.

 

There was a love triangle, which was really frustrating, but the romance in the first two books had so much tension, and I honestly was rooting for the two main characters, despite how annoying the heroine could sometimes get. Pull yourself together, girl. 

- The Final Rose - Best book you read in the last month
So, if you saw my February Wrap-Up, you probably already know how Shadowhunters-heavy my reading month is. But overall, my favorite book I read was probably Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare.

This is one of the best endings to a trilogy I've ever read. I had a real journey with this series too, since I started off almost keeping myself from falling in love with it because I was still shaky coming off The Mortal Instruments. But I never should have had my doubts. I got so attached to Will and Jem and Tessa, and everyone else in this series! I never wanted to leave and the last hundred or so pages got me so dang emotional.


So, this was the Bachelor Book Tag! If you want to do this tag, then consider yourself tagged. Let me know of your responses, and have a great day!

March TBR | 2016

Hey guys! Normally, I don’t really do TBR blog posts for what I will read during the month, because I like to just pick things up as the mood strikes. However this month, I’m already currently reading five books! (Yeah, I don’t know how that happened either. It’s kind of stressful for someone who has such a short term memory.)

 

I thought I would list what I hope to finish this month as well as a few that I might possibly start (no promises!):

 

1.      The Scorch Trials by James Dashner: This is the second book in the Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner, a YA Dystopian series that follows a bunch of kids who were dropped in the middle of a giant labyrinth with no memories as to how they got there. I can’t say much about this second book without spoiling the first one, but I re-read the first book already this month and it was way more intense and actionpacked than I remembered! The second book so far is very good as well, even if I have hit a bit of a lull with it.

2.      True Heroes edited by Jonathon Diaz: This is a very sweet book. It is an anthology of short stories written by authors who spoke with young cancer patients. They asked these cancer patients (some as young as five years old!) what they’d like to be when they grew up, then these authors wrote stories based off those dreams. Some examples are: dancer, soccer player, dragon rider, pirate, and Batman. I’ve been reading a story here and there for the past few months, trying to savor it, but I anticipate finishing it this March!

3.      The Invention of Hugo Cabret: I’ve read 364 pages of this novel in two hours, so I actually think I’ll finish it this week. I’d be very surprised if I didn’t finish it by the end of March. This is also a reread for me, as I first read it in I think Elementary School. Its half pictures and half words. It takes place in 1931, following a young orphan named Hugo Cabret, and his adventures. It’s very fast, and enjoyable thus far, though not quite as good as I remember.

4.      Othello by William Shakespeare: One of his many tragedies, and one I haven’t actually read before! I’m about halfway through I think, and I’m reading it on my Kindle. I like Shakespeare a lot even if it’s hard to understand him sometimes. This is the Spring play at my High School, and my friend is going to be in it, so I decided to read this before I go to see her act in it!

5.      Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: I don’t actually think I’ll finish this one in March, but if I do I’d be very proud of myself. I’ve literally been reading this one for 10 months now, and I’m about 250 pages through it. It’s okay, but the first half was much better in my opinion. I like the character of Jane and how she stands up for herself, so I’m going to plow forward! (Classics just aren’t my thing, unfortunately).

 

Next, the books I might start/get a good chunk read of include:

 

6.  The Death Cure by James Dashner: I'd like to possibly finish this trilogy this month, and these novels are so quick that I wouldn't be entirely surprised if I did manage to fit this one in. I read The Maze Runner in only three days, and I'm more than halfway through The Scorch Trials after two days, so if I could squeeze this one in, I could finish this series! And it's (the series) good so far, really liking it.

 

7.  The Alchemyst by Michael Scott: I first read this series in Elementary/Middle School. It was one of my very favorites back then. It follows 15-year old twins, Sophie and Josh, whose worlds get turned upside down by the infamous Nicholas Flamel. I remember the magic system in this being so unique, with auras and gods from all different cultures, as well as famous historical figures like John Dee, William Shakespeare, Joan of Arc, and more. I've been telling myself I would reread this series and so I shall! My goal is to reread the entire six-book series by my birthday in late May, so we'll see how that goes.

 

8. Twice Upon A Time by James Riley: All I know about this book is that it's a Middle-grade fantasy with some fairytale elements, and possibly a girl named May (?) searching for her true identity. I really like these sort of books, and my little brother (he's in seventh grade and rarely reads) really liked this one and let me borrow it! So that gets me very excited. It's the second book in a trilogy, I believe, but I don't mind starting with the second books in series like these.

 

That's my March Reading plan! It might fluctuate or change, and I really don't think I'll read everything on this list, but hey, I could surprise myself! What is everyone planning on reading in March, or currently reading? I'd love to know!

 

Until next time, happy reading!

A Very Shadowhunters February Wrap-Up

Hey guys! Today I have my February 2016 Reading Wrap-Up. We got an extra day of reading in this month due to Leap Day! I also had some fun and memorable moments as I actually managed to go on a camping trip this month, and my grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary!

I also managed to get many books read, more than partially due to a new obsession of mine -

The Shadowhunters Chronicles by Cassandra Clare.

I honestly don't know how it happened, but I managed to read 5 books this month and all of them were in the Shadowhunters Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. Um... oops? #sorrynotsorry

Let's get on to the wrap-ups and mini-reviews!

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City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare: Okay, this book completely blew me away. I loved City of Fallen Angels (which I read in January) but this one was even better! And that ending? Let's just say that my Goodreads Review was incomprehensible because I was a complete blubbering mess and 100% not okay.
5/5 stars, of course! (would have given it 10 stars if possible!)
Goodreads Review

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare: So, I was seriously coming off a City of Lost Souls hangover when I decided to read the first book in the Infernal Devices trilogy. Maybe I should have waited, but I needed more of the Shadowhunters world, and I heard I'd be spoiled if I continued straight onto City of Heavenly Fire. And this one was really good! I didn't fall in love, (yet) but I still had a great time, and the ending was seriously some of the best action that I've read. The characters were great as well, and obviously the setting really was meant for me. 19th century London?! How about YES.
4/5 stars, Goodreads Review

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare: I decided to go right onto Clockwork Prince, because at this point, I didn't know what to do with my life if I wasn't reading a Cassandra Clare novel. (Oops?)
So, honestly, this book was the one where I realized that I might have a little book crush on Magnus Bane. Okay maybe more than a little. Y'all can have Will Herondale. In all seriousness, though, this book in no way suffered second-book syndrome and just got increasingly better! Ahhh this was so good and I love these characters!
4.5/5 stars, Goodreads Review

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare: BRB SOBBING FOREVER. This book was so so so incredible and emotional and one of the wildest rides a book has ever taken me on. It just might be my favorite series conclusion (after the Crimson Crown, of course). These characters and friendships and romances make me so emotional and bascically the entire last 100 pages I was a blubbering mess for many reasons. Why, emotions, why. This was the easiest rating I've ever given in my life. I cannot wait for The Last Hours trilogy starting in 2017. I need more, more, more.
5/5 stars, Goodreads Review

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare: Okay, it's not really fair to my soul that I had to read both conclusions one after another. I was, once again, very emotional, though not quite as emotional as I was after Clockwork Princess. This was a very thick book, weighing in well over 700 pages, and yet I finished it less than a week (while camping, what's more!). I could not put it down. I really loved this book and it was such a great ending to this series, while at the same time, providing enough foreshadowing to keep me on my toes for the Dark Artifices (which comes out in three days. So excited!)
5/5 stars,  Goodreads Review

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Whew! Those are the books that I read in February. In case you couldn't tell, I had a stellar reading month and I didn't know what to do with myself after realizing that I had finished all the currently published Shadowhunters novels.

Then I remembered that I have yet to read The Bane Chronicles and Tales from Shadowhunters Academy, and that Lady Midnight was coming out in about a week, and I felt less dejected and lost.

How was your February Reading Month? Until next time, Happy reading!