Ten Bookish Goals For 2015

I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday with "The Broke and the Bookish"! :) This week's prompt is: What are your bookish goals for 2015?




1. Keep clearing out my TBR shelves. 

For almost six months, I've managed to keep my TBR shelves contained to just the first two on my bookshelf. But now books are slowly being added to the collection and there's hardly any room left. I've had to stack books on top of each other to make them all fit. (At least I haven't had to put any on the floor yet, though if I don't get on it that's the next step.) I'm going to read as many of the books on there as I can over the next year. I feel like 2014 was the year of writing and editing. To balance it out, 2015 will be the year of reading!


2. Review more books. 

Lately I've just been reviewing ARCs, but I really should be reviewing other books, too. I have so much fun doing it! I'm not sure why I haven't been, but I'm going to change that.

3. Read the books I've been saying I'll read for the past six months.

Throne of Glass, Anna and the French Kiss, The Raven Boys, Code Name Verity, Looking For Alaska, Landline, and Paper Towns are all books I've said I'll get to "ASAP." I read Paper Towns, but the rest are still on my shelf, giving me dirty looks.

4. Read the books from my Goodreads TBR list.

This is similar to #1, though not nearly as bad. I only have 31 books in my TBR list on Goodreads, and some of them haven't even been published yet! (I'm starting to wonder if the sequels to The Host will ever come out.) But I do want to read them, and soon.

5. Resist the urge to add dozens of books to my already crammed TBR shelves.

I don't have high hopes for this one, but I'm going to try!

6. Stop getting distracted (or at least get less distracted).

It sometimes takes me a month to finish a book. It's not because I'm a slow reader (I'm actually a really fast reader), but I get distracted a lot. A shiny new book presents itself to me at the library and I just have to take it home with me and read it right away. Or I need to stop reading the book so I can finish one for my book club. This goal is one of the more manageable ones from my list.

7. Return to my favorites.

This year I branched out a lot, in books and TV. I read classics, I read sci-fi, I read mysteries, I read books that none of my blogger friends had read or reviewed (sometimes going into a book completely blind is fun), I read non-fiction, I read books I didn't think I'd like and ended up loving, and I fell completely in love with many new TV series that I never in a million years would have watched if they hadn't been recommended to me. So this year, I want to go back to some of my favorite genres. I'm a little sick of dystopian at the moment, but I will be returning to my all-time favorite genre, fantasy, starting with Throne of Glass (for real this time).

8. Finish my Harry Potter trivia game.

I've looked everywhere for a Harry Potter trivia board game and found one, but it was only questions from the Sorcerer's Stone. So I'm making one of my own that includes questions from all seven books. It's taking me a while, but I plan to finish it sometime next year..

9. Read/review a book from a debut author.

It's got to be hard for a debut author to break into the reading world when absolutely nobody has heard of her. I want to make an effort to find at least one new author and read/review her book. I know I'd appreciate it.

10. Read more middle-grade.

I don't read enough middle-grade, and I really like it. This year I found some real gems: Flora & Ulysses, Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Because of Mr. Terupt, El Deafo, Out of My Mind, The Fourteenth Goldfish. Yeah, there were some duds, but for the most part they were all really good, sometimes even better than the YA stuff I was reading. I'd love to read more middle-grade in 2015.

What are your bookish goals for the new year?

Top Ten Books I Read In 2014

I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday with "The Broke and the Bookish"! :) This week's prompt is: What were the ten best books you read in 2014?



(These books are in no particular order, as it's almost impossible to rank them from best to "worst." They're all so good!)

1. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner



This was one of the first books I read in 2014, and it was a fantastic one. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, not being into sci-fi at the time. ("Doctor Who" has changed that.) Also, I LOVE the cover. Great covers tend to bump up the rating. ;) And for those who hate insta-love as much as I do, this book is definitely the romance for you. Lilac and Tarver are ready to practically kill each other for the first hundred pages or so.

2. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell



I definitely prefer Eleanor & Park and Fangirl to this one, but it's still a four star read! It's super cute, clever, and "fluffy." And it's told through dual perspectives! That's always a big plus for me. It's good for getting over a book hangover.

3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky



Perks hooked me right away. For a day and a half, I couldn't stop reading. I picked it up every time I got a few minutes. I didn't really know where the book was going until, about ten pages from the end, plot twist! Fantastic from start to finish.

4. Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo



I love everything Kate DiCamillo writes, and Flora & Ulysses is no exception. It's so adorable! Whether you're eight or eighty, the humor and simple story will not be lost on you. It makes for a great read-aloud book for the whole family. You can read my review HERE.

5. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper



One of the best books I read in 2013 was Wonder by R.J. Palacio, and I saw this book recommended along with it in nearly every review. It's a simple, sweet, middle-grade novel. Very character-driven, and guaranteed to make you cry.

6. Cress by Marissa Meyer



The first two Lunar Chronicles books were really good, but Cress was amazing! We got to see a lot more of Thorne (one of my favorite characters from the series) and Cress was a great addition to the gang. Even though throwing it would have the same effect as throwing a brick, it reads very quickly. I highly recommend the Lunar Chronicles to anyone and everyone.

7. The Program by Suzanne Young



One of the better dystopian novels I've read in a while. I'd put it up there with Divergent, as it's a little more sci-fi than The Hunger Games is. It's extremely hard to put down.

8. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart



Recommended to anyone who likes fluffy reads, terrible writing but a fun story, a cast of characters that you'll instantly love, a typical romance, and happy and predictable endings. I lied.

9. Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea



At first, reading a book told through the perspectives of seven kids was a little confusing. But as thte story went on, it was absolutely necessary that they all played a part. The simplicity of the story, the sweet relationships the characters had with one another, it all made for another great middle-grade novel. Also recommended to fans of Wonder and Out of My Mind. You can read my review HERE.


10. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill



This book was really good. If you like time travel and/or "Doctor Who," I highly recommend it. Action-packed from page 1, I couldn't put it down. There were lots of plot twists and a few tears at the end. And it seems like it's going to be a series, so I'm very happy about that!

What were your favorite books from 2014? Leave a comment! :)

Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait to Read

I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday with "The Broke and the Bookish"! :) This week's prompt is: Which ten sequels are you excited to read?



1. The Seeker and The Soul by Stephenie Meyer

I loved The Host SO much, and I didn't know it was going to be a sequel until a few months after I finished reading it. Of course I started freaking out with my BFF about the possibilities in store for the next books. Sadly, there isn't a release date for either of these books, so I'll just have to keep obsessively checking the Goodreads page for an update patiently waiting for some news.

2. Winter by Marissa Meyer

Cress left us hanging on so many levels. And I have to wait until November of NEXT YEAR for Winter. About the same amount of time I have to wait for Season 4 of "Sherlock." Ah, the life of a fangirl. *sighs*

3. This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner




Finally, a book that has a cover to include in the post! And this book is actually published! It's just a matter of time before I can get my hands on it and love it as much as I loved the first one.

4. The Treatment by Suzanne Young




I read The Program a few months ago for my book club and loved it. Once my friend is done reading it, I'm going to borrow it. I have a feeling the last book in this series is going to make me cry.

5. The Order of the Stick: War and XPs by Rich Burlew





My brother got me into this series, and it's hysterical. I highly recommend it to anyone who plays Dungeons & Dragons. I've laughed out loud many times (sometimes late at night when everyone's asleep) while reading this series.

(I'm going to cheat a little with these next ones, because, sadly, I've finished most of the series with sequels I was excited to read. So the following five are all series I'm excited to start.)

6. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

 

I won this book in a giveaway and hadn't seen a single review for it, good or bad, so I went into it totally blind. I'm thirty pages in and already can't wait to recommend it to everyone I know! I was hooked from page one. So far it's like a mix of Divergent, "Doctor Who," and my 2013 NaNoWriMo book, so I'm pretty excited. :)

7. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas




Every single review I've seen for this book (and its sequels!) have been raving. It's been a while since I've read a book worth raving about (We Were Liars by E. Lockhart being the last one).

8. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor




Just like with Throne of Glass, DOSAB has gotten a ton of great reviews. At first it didn't seem like the kind of book I'd like, but trusted blogger friends have said otherwise. It's on my TBR shelf right now!

9. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins





And just like with DOSAB, this didn't seem like my kind of book. I thought it was another fluffy romance, like all the other fluffy romances. But Rainbow Rowell apparently loves it and Stephanie Perkins is the one who organized the My True Love Gave to Me holiday anthology, which I'm so excited to read!

10. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi




So technically I've already started this one, but I'm only sixty pages in, so I think I can still include it on this list. ;) So far, there's nothing I dislike about it (other than having to look up how to spell the author's name every. single. time I type it). I was hooked from page one!

Top Ten Fictional Characters I'd Want On a Deserted Island With Me

I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday with "The Broke and the Bookish"! :) This week's prompt is: Which ten fictional characters would you want on a deserted island with you?



1. Katniss and Gale from The Hunger Games.

Cheating already! ;) But really, I wouldn't want just one or the other. Peeta fan or not, you can't deny that Katniss and Gale work extremely well together when they're hunting in the woods. Katniss can hunt, Gale can build snares. It's the perfect combination when you're in desperate need of food. Plus, Katniss has *SPOILER ALERT* survived two Hunger Games, so she's no stranger to danger or wild animals, even mutant ones *END SPOILERS*.

2. Hermione from Harry Potter.

Hermione has probably read every book in the library, and then some, so she's bound to have some information on poisonous foods, building a fire, and just surviving in general. She, Harry, and Ron had to camp out in the forest in the dead of winter for quite some time in the Deathly Hallows, and they survived. And if she has her wand with her, we could probably just transfigure a tree into a boat or something. Or disapparate off the island.

3. Tarver from These Broken Stars.

Tarver was a huge help to Lilac during their first few days together when they were stranded on a strange planet. It was the sci-fi version of a deserted island, and he was awesome! And he's a military guy, so if we were to come in contact with a wild animal, I know he'd have my back.

4. Jace from The Mortal Instruments.

Jace is probably the best shadowhunter there is in the series. He'd probably also know some rune that could help us out, too. Like with Tarver, he'd be great to have around if something decided to attack us. I'd be very well protected.

5. Thorne from the Lunar Chronicles.

He and Cress were actually stranded on a desert in Cress, so he has some experience with isolation and surviving in the heat. Plus, he's hilarious, so he'd be great for some comic relief. He's also an escaped criminal and hasn't been caught yet, so he can definitely survive on his own.

6. Cress from the Lunar Chronicles.

Though Cress may be small and not very strong, she's crazy good when it comes to technology. Hand her a port screen and she'd have a ship coming to save us in no time.

7. Ian from The Host.

Ian and the rest of the human community has managed to survive on their own in the desert for a long time, farming their own food and stealing supplies. He'd have no problem building us shelter and making sure we have something to eat and drink.

8. Flora and Ulysses from Flora & Ulysses.

Flora is super smart and resourceful for a ten-year-old, and she knows how to prevent all sorts of disasters from reading Terrible Things Can Happen to You! Plus, Ulysses is a superhero, so he'd find some way to get us out of this mess.

9. Four and Tris from Divergent.

They're from Dauntless and are constantly fighting for their lives. They know how to handle a gun and don't shy away from danger. Who knows what we'll find on this island?

10. Hedwig from Harry Potter.

And, if all else fails, Hedwig could always send somebody a message to come and rescue us. ;)

Who would you want with you on a deserted island? Leave a comment! :)

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly blog meme hosted by "The Broke and the Bookish."

(I'm only including books that I read for the first time, not rereads. Otherwise, books like The Fault In Our Stars and Divergent would be on here for sure!) :)

In no particular order . . .

1. Cress by Marissa Meyer

This is my all-time favorite book from 2014 (so far). I can't wait for Winter! :)

2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

This is a fantastic read. Such a great book. And the movie is awesome, too!

3. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

This book made me laugh and cry. I would definitely recommend it, especially to fans of Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

4. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Oh. My. Gosh. I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this book!!! I admit, I had my doubts about it at first (sci-fi in general isn't--or I guess I should say wasn't, after the recent obsessions with the Lunar Chronicles and "Doctor Who"--really my thing). But after seeing so many of my blogger friends talking about it, I knew I had to read it. And I'm glad I did! :) You can read my review of it HERE.

5. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

This book took me longer to get into than the others, but it's still awesome. :) If you haven't read this series yet, please do! You won't regret it.

6. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

My first Nicholas Sparks book, and what a great one to start with! Thanks to my mom for the recommendation. :)

7. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

The best book in the series, in my opinion. Although, I haven't read City of Heavenly Fire (yet), and that seems to be everyone's favorite, based on the ecstatic texts from friends and reviews flooding my Goodreads page.

8. Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

This book was so cute! :) It's a great one to read as a family, because all ages will enjoy it. You can read my review of it HERE.

9. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Though Eleanor & Park is by far my favorite Rainbow Rowell novel, Attachmentsis still fantastic. It has an interesting concept and a solid delivery. :)

10. Panic by Lauren Oliver

Despite what you may hear about this book, THIS IS NOT A DYSTOPIAN. It is nothing like The Hunger Games or any other dystopian novel. It is a great contemporary novel. It's a quick read with an intriguing concept. It's full of action that will leave you breathless and plot twists that will make you gasp out loud (I certainly did).

What are your favorite books of 2014? Leave a comment! :)

Top Ten Book Covers I'd Frame As Pieces of Art

(Yeah, I'm a day late. I forgot to post this when I finished it yesterday.)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by "The Broke and the Bookish." This is my first time participating, so I'm really excited! :)

(These book covers are in no particular order.)



1. 








(I have a feeling Winter's cover is going to be just as good!)

2.








3.



(This might be my all-time favorite book cover. It's gorgeous!)

4.




5.




6.



7.



8.



9.



10.

 

What are your favorite covers?