Top Ten Tuesday: Longest sitting TBR books!

                Hello everyone!  Top Ten Tuesday is just how it sounds, a topic is picked and we put our Top Ten for that in a post and share and check out everyone’s answers.  Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

The top ten today is: Longest sitting TBR books (before blogging)

Okay this is kind of depressing how many books are sitting on my shelf unread.  More so now as I contemplate the issue of packing them up and moving them.  Still as I look at my shelves I know some have been sitting much longer than others.  Here are 10 of the ones sitting for the longest time.

Prophecy of the Sisters (Prophecy of the Sisters #1) by Michelle Zink- I was new to buying books and found Sam’s Club had some pretty good choices (then at least) and they were cheaper than the book store (before discovering Amazon) so I picked up this one with a pretty creepy cover.

Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan- I only finally bought this series two years ago but I’ve been meaning to read them since well before when the first movie came out and I knew they were books.  Planned to read them this year and finally catch up…not going so hot.

Infinity (Chronicles of Nick #1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon- I saw them around and was new to the book world and heard a couple of good things and bought them…still haven’t started

Tiger’s Curse (The Tiger Saga #1) by Colleen Houck- Okay so I wanted to read these because I LOVE white tigers they are my favorite animal and one of the covers has one on the cover that’s how I found them.  Then I heard some friends talking about how awesome they were…just haven’t read them yet.

White Cat (Curse Workers #1) by Holly Black- Okay so another Sam’s Club buy that looked interesting and I know lots of people enjoy this series I just haven’t started it.  I have read another book by her though that made me even more interested in this one.

Need (Need #1) by Carrie Jones- Pretty cover and it sounded interesting at the time though I don’t remember what it was supposed to be about.

Incarceron (Incarceron #1) by Catherine Fisher- Okay so this sounds old but the cover was what drew me in.  I love old school keys they look so cool.  Also I hadn’t really read many YA books at the time so figured futuristic prison sounded new and exciting.

Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts- An end of the world story where they aren’t trying to fix things or save the world just make the most of what’s left.  Sounded different.  It was even a group read for my group at one point but things got crazy and I never started it.

Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman- Pretty sure I was browsing the books in Walmart with a friend one day and just decided I needed this one because of a blurb or something. 

Partials (Partials #1) by Dan Wells- This one was everywhere and I wanted to be on board with everyone but never got there.

                Some of these I still plan to trying to read others I’m on the fence about currently.  If you’ve read any let me know what you think.  Tell me what you think of my list in the comments below.  Also please link back to your Top Ten as well so I can check out your list and see what I missed!  

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II

                Hello happy readers.  This weekend has been crazy, I start to get back on track and then the upstairs apartment’s water heater has issues last Monday and I end up with a leak in the ceiling but my landlord decided that despite advertising 24 hr on-site maintenance no one could respond when it was just a leak.  After a few hours the majority of my room and living room floor is swamp like.  Dealing with the post mess has been a headache but I’m pushing through it.  Anywho a positive thing from last week is I read the new Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II, and I want to share my thoughts and feels with you!

Rating:  5 Stars

                Okay so I may be a bit biased because I was so so happy to be back in the Harry Potter world and seeing some of my favorite characters again.  I’ve heard some mixed things about the book since finishing it. It was in script format which was a bit different for me, I guess knowing it was a play and thinking of Harry Potter I assumed when adapted to book form that it would take the book format as well.  No big thing just took some getting used to as I don’t remember reading a script or play outside of school.  Still to be back in the world and to fly through it so quickly was amazing. 

                I went in blind.  I didn’t really know what the book was about, just that it was about Harry and Ginny’s kid Albus Severus Potter and him going to Hogwarts.  That’s it.  I think that was actually the best way to do it.  Any fan of the world can just dive in and be finished in a couple of hours.  You fly through because it is bam bam bam one after the other things happening but also we don’t have to build up and learn this world because we already know it.  Even after all this time we still know it.  The first page is literally the epilogue from book seven as our group sends off their kids to Hogwarts nineteen years after the war ended.

                The combination of bringing in the characters we adore and know so well and want to know more about how their lives turned out and introducing a whole new era of wizards was perfect.  I have to admit I think Scorpius, Draco’s son, was my favorite character in this book.  He is not what I would have imagined ever coming from Draco through most of the series but we saw little pieces here and there just as we get a new side of him in this book.  Draco is a much better man than he was teenage boy, he’s come into who HE is rather than his parent’s son.  Seeing Scorpius and Draco interact was touching as well.  Still seeing Hermione as the Ministry of Magic was pretty kick ass as well because we all knew she was going to be important.

                Without going into too much detail I enjoyed the time travel aspect of the story.  It’s a mess and full of danger and adventure for sure.  It also shows the consequences to ones actions. We didn’t play with time travel as much and how something small could seriously impact the present.  Seeing how things could have been is insane and sends chills down your spine when you read.  It’s also great to see how certain things we thought in the original books were momentous events and how someone who only heard the stories and didn’t live it might not grasp the importance, like the dance.  Just saying.

                There were a few holes here and there and things that just happened that we were just supposed to take on faith that they happened and worked out a certain way whereas normally getting to that junction would have a been a huge quest of its own.  However, with the pace the book sets some things were not as well explained.  I’m not that upset about it though because it is a script.  I know had it been a movie we would have had much more depth to explain all the specific details.  There were times when I was unsure of how certain characters turned out, Harry and how he treated some things, but then as it plays out his relationship with Albus was core.  Albus and Scorpius being such great friends when their fathers were enemies already sets things up. 

                There were so many emotions going through me as I read this book.  In only a few short hours I hit on everything.  Seeing Snape again!  Seeing different versions of our beloved heroes.  Seeing more to Slytherin than the evil house we always believed it to be.  You never have a chance to be bored and as I read I kept imaging it as a movie and how it would look with the characters I know and love but also I found myself realizing this was meant for the stage and figuring out with all the magic how it would be done and come out.  I really enjoyed diving back into the world and I wish I could afford to go to London and see the play but as I’m broke and I’m pretty sure my old passport has expired anyways this book will have to hold me over.  Maybe they’ll tape it? 

                I could go on and on about this but I’d rather discuss it with others.  So…tell me what you think?  What did you like most?  Least?  Who was your favorite of the new generation?  Did the original trio’s lives post Hogwarts live up to be what you expected?  Did you cry?  Share in the comments below so we can discuss. 

                Until next time…

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)

                Hello happy readers!  I finished The Dream Thieves (Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater this morning and wanted to share my thoughts on it.  This will contain spoilers from book one which I reviewed here.

Rating: 5 Stars

                So I read book one, The Raven Boys (review) back when it first came out a few years ago.  I never finished the series, wanting to re-read the first book and marathon them once complete so I wouldn’t miss anything.  I re-read The Raven Boys and started in on The Dream Thieves but RL and having a million open books pushed it back but I was determined to finish.  Given the time lapse a re-read was pretty much needed or I feel I wouldn’t have remembered so many of the details built into this world.  We pick up where we left off before, Adam made a sacrifice that no one really fully understands.  Blue is dating a boy she can’t kiss or risk him dying.  Ronan has some serious secrets held within and so much more is happening. 

                So Ronan can bring things out of his dreams.  How flipping cool is that?  I mean this is flipping awesome.  Think of the things you could bring out?  Okay maybe not so good if you’re not good at controlling it and you bring out nightmares but the positive side is pretty cool.  As they start to unravel things with Ronan and his past and understanding how it relates to Glendower you follow along for the unique and often creepy ride.  Like most of her books, Stiefvater manages to bring such magic into her writing and not simply with the magical aspects but the words themselves.  You really feel you are part of the gang struggling along with your own issues as you try to keep your group on task and from falling apart.

                This book focused on all aspects of our group and the dynamics within.  Adam still has some serious issues about his circumstances.  He’s had it bad, no doubt, but he’s angry at those who didn’t in an almost irrational way.  It’s so surreal because I’ve seen people who act out in some ways so similar.  Blue and her confused emotions between liking more than one boy, especially when kissing one could end up in death.  Plus can we just say the emotional damage that could do to a girl, if you kiss your true love they will die, that being all you know growing up not interested in anyone is hard enough.  However, when people come into your life that you find yourself wanting to kiss…well one way ticket to sucksville.  What is crazy here though is that even though there is no epic kissing scenes that we all seem to love some of the scenes where kissing may take place in other stories are so intense and intimate. 

                In The Dream Thieves we also get to meet a new character, They Grey Man.  A hit man with more to him than you might expect.  He wasn’t painted as a saint by any means but he had some depth.  As he began to interact with character we know and love we saw more to him, and maybe more than he saw of himself.  We also get to learn more about another elite private school Aglionby boy, one with a much darker side than even our somewhat dark boys. 

                This one continues the dark mystery and adventure we started in book one but keeps upping the ante with romance, and keeps the heart racing with twists and turns.  Still in the end my favorite part, aside from the beautiful writing, are the relationships.  Be it Blue and her Raven Boys or her and her family of eclectic psychics, and each boys relationships with family as compared to that of the group dynamic.  I loved this continuation and can’t wait to read more and figure out more of the mysteries of this world and what power it holds and how it will affect everyone I care about.   Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

                Until next time…

Waiting on Wednesday: Wayfarer

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

Wayfarer (Passenger #2) by Alexandra Bracken

Out: 1/3

From Goodreads:

                All Etta Spencer wanted was to make her violin debut when she was thrust into a treacherous world where the struggle for power could alter history.  After losing the one thing that would have allowed her to protect the Timeline, and the one person worth fighting for, Etta awakens alone in an unknown place and time, exposed to the threat of the two groups who would rather see her dead than succeed.  When help arrives, it comes from the last person Etta ever expected—Julian Ironwood, the Grand Master's heir who has long been presumed dead, and whose dangerous alliance with a man from Etta's past could put them both at risk.

                Meanwhile, Nicholas and Sophia are racing through time in order to locate Etta and the missing astrolabe with Ironwood travelers hot on their trail.  They cross paths with mercenary-for-hire, a cheeky girl named Li Min who quickly develops a flirtation with Sophia.  But as the three of them attempt to evade their pursuers, Nicholas soon realizes that one of his companions may have ulterior motives.

                As Etta and Nicholas fight to make their way back to one another, from Imperial Russia to the Vatican catacombs, time is rapidly shifting and changing into something unrecognizable…and might just run out  on both of them.

Why I’m Waiting:

                Well with how Passenger (review) ended can you blame me?  I have been so ready for this book before the first one officially came out because I read an ARC lol.  So torture waiting for what’s next in this world. 

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your WoW as well so I can check it out!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books set in boarding schools

                Hello everyone!  Top Ten Tuesday is just how it sounds, a topic is picked and we put our Top Ten for that in a post and share and check out everyone’s answers.  Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

The top ten today is:  Books set in boarding schools or the like

I've never wanted to go to boarding school with dorms and communal spaces and all but it always fascinated me and still does because of…

Harry Potter series

Vampire Academy series

Shadowhunter world (Institute is the same thing)

House of Night series

Anna and theFrench Kiss

Shadow Falls series

Carry On

The GlitteringCourt (it was a school of sorts)

The Holders series

Evernight series

                 Tell me what you think of my list in the comments below.  Also please link back to your Top Ten as well so I can check out your list and see what I missed!

Netflix Coma Finished: Gilmore Girls!

                Hello happy readers!  Welcome back!  Sorry last week I kind of took a week off unexpectedly just with so much happening in real life and also being a bit behind in my reading and you need to read to review so yeah.  Anywho one of the reasons I’ve been so bad this last month and a half is what I will be discussing and reviewing of sorts today and that is Gilmore Girls.

                 So I mentioned in a Top Ten post last month that I only recently discovered Gilmore Girls.  This is true.  I knew about it sure but I’d never watched it.  I’m kind of OCD about watching things from the start and not hoping on in a future season and originally back in 2000 I didn’t have the channel it came in on.  I didn’t know a ton about the show just that it was a Dramady (Drama-Comedy) and focused on a mother daughter relationship of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore and was full of pop culture references with Rory being a huge reading fend.  As the show ended back in 2007 I believe it I heard even more about it and tons of people surprised I never watched it.  I always thought I would eventually give it a go so when talk of a new season, a revival coming to Netflix started all the Gilmore Girls talk again I knew I needed to get on it.

                Enter my addiction.  

                For those of you who don’t know there are 7 seasons in the series (not counting the revival) and each have 22 episodes.  That’s 154 episodes.  One night when I was trying to watch a couple hours of TV before turning into bed, not wanting to read as I would end up not going to bed, nothing was on my DVR and it was storming so the DirectTV was having some issues and I decided to check out Netflix.  There it was on the first page recommendations, Gilmore Girls.  I decided I would watch the first episode or two and see if it was for me.

                Five episodes later…I managed to turn off the TV and go to bed for a couple of hours before work.  Gilmore Girls was just as bad for my sleeping habit as reading before bed it seems.  I was instantly hooked.  It was so cute and funny and just all the feels I needed more.  And it being on Netflix meant I always had more and didn’t have to wait.  Like marathoning a good book series and not having to wait between them this is how I felt.  Now while I’ve marathoned the new seasons of Orange is the New Black, Daredevil, or Jessica Jones in a day or two before when they hit I haven’t marathoned a multi-season show since Buffy some 5-6 years ago and even then it was nothing like this.

                I came home from work and would watch 4-5 episodes and get maybe 4 hours of sleep then come home and do it again and on my days off, it was amazing if I got out of my PJs and did anything but watch.  I had to do some things here and there and I took a week off at one happy point where my OTP was happy and things were looking good and frankly other things NEEDED attention.  Still I finished all of this last week in less than 2 months which I still say is pretty impressive.  Obsessive too maybe but I have no issues with that.  Even though the seasons are on Netflix I also added the DVD’s to my Wish List because what if Netflix takes them down, then what?

Rating:  5 Jumbo Cups of Coffee (as if it weren’t obvious)   

                From the first episode I loved Lorelai and Rory.  I loved their dynamic and it made me wish I had that type of relationship.  I loved how independent Lorelai was and that she would do anything for her kid even taking a hit to her pride and asking for help to pay for her schooling knowing it would mean weekly dinners where she would be subjected to all manner of things.  Rory and her sweet naivety and the kooky town itself with its many events and traditions so much so like the townspeople it was its own character.  The relationships between Lorelai and Rory is the core of the show but it also focuses on them together and their lives individually.  Ups, downs, and all the crazy in between it has it all.   Miss Patty and Babette with their stories and timing issues, Kirk and his millions of jobs, Taylor and his control issues, Jackson and his veggies, Paris and her uniqueness, Michelle and his snark, to the town troubadour.  So from here there will be a few spoilers of the show with couples and things that happen throughout so just be warned if you haven’t watched yet and plan to and want to be surprised.  I highly recommend you do watch.

                 From the very first episode I had my ideas for the OTP and while I suspected it would take a very long time to come about I was sure it would be end game.  That OTP is Lorelai and Luke.  They were just on point from episode one with the banter and back and forth that I knew he was the ying to her yang and all those other cliché things.  I just knew it.  As the seasons and episodes progressed so too did my need for them to get together.  I never managed to watch less than four episodes in a sitting because it would give me just a little bit more to hope for.  The moments where one or the other would be so ready for something to happen but something always came in the way…torture.  So when the time came and the stars aligned I was both elated and terrified.  As there were a couple seasons left and this being a Drama I was terrified something would happen to my OTP.  I pretty much flew through the show to get to them and then I flew through it enjoying them and when things went sideways dying to see them resolve things.

                 Luke and Lorelai are my favorite part of the show.  They just edged out the dynamic of Lorelai and Rory who are the main center of the show.  While I loved Rory most of the time and things happening with her as well from her different relationships and mishaps and her struggles in life, love, and self I think having watched as an adult I related more to Lorelai.  The conflict between Emily and Richard and the girls at different stages how some things change but some aspects never do.  I loved Sookie and her cooking talk, while I can’t cook/bake like her I am just as spastic and clumsy so I adored her.  Rory and her constant friendship, through everything with Lane and how Lorelai was part of that too.  Plus can we talk about their epic ability to eat and the comedy of not being able to cook, though her best friend and man both cook for a job.  I love it. 

                 Overall I’ve completed 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls in such a short time it’s still fresh and while I’m happy with how it left off I still miss it.  And knowing that in November I’ll get a couple more episodes just makes me feel all the feels!  All I can say is they better not mess with my ship!    I’m so glad I finally watched this series and know what everyone is talking about and understand the memes about it and all.  Even better news is I can go back to reading in my down time again!  Which is great because I have so many great books waiting on me and even more amazing releases coming out soon I need to be ready. 

                So that’s about all I can say at this point.  I could go on for hours and take apart each and every single thing but for time and all I think I should call it here.  All that’s left is I’m back from my Netflix coma!  Please share your thoughts below on Gilmore Girls or Netflix binge! 

                Until next time…

Stacking the Shelves: July

                Welcome to a special Saturday posting!  Stacking the Shelves was created by Tynga and the full details can be found on her page here.  Basically you showcase the books you bought, they post weekly, but I decided to take part once a month for simplicity.  Basically a monthly book haul!  These are the books I got for myself in July.  So I’m a week behind but last weekend I was off and my ability to do anything productive besides binge watching Netflix was impossible. 

Physical Books:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts 1 & 2By J.K. Rowling

The Beauty of Darkness (The Remnant Chronicles #3) by Mary E. Pearson

Book Outlet:

Charmed (The Witch Hunter #2) by Michelle Krys

Seeker (Seeker #1)by Arwen Elys Dayton

The Girl at Midnight (The Girl At Midnight #1) by Melissa Grey

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2) by Rachel Hawkins

The Essence (The Pledge #2) by Kimberly Derting

Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3) by Morgan Rhodes

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

A Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy  by Sam Maggs

The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles #2) by Mary E Pearson

Atlantia by Ally Condie

E-books:

Crystal Crowned (Air Awakened #5) by Elise Kova

For Review:

Vincent, Survivor (Vincent Series #1)by O.L. Eggert

Waiting on Wednesday: Nemesis (Nemesis #1)

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

Nemesis (Nemesis #1) by Anna Banks

Out: 10/4

From Goodreads:

                The princess didn't expect to fall in love—with her nemesis.

                Princess Sepora of Serubel is the last Forger in all the five kingdoms.  The spectorium she creates provides energy for all, but now her father has found a way to weaponize it, and his intentions to incite war force her to flee from his grasp.  She escapes across enemy lines into the kingdom of Theoria, but her plans to hide are thwarted when she is captured and placed in the young king's servitude.

                Tarik has just taken over rulership of Theoria, and must now face a new plague sweeping though his kingdom and killing his citizens.  The last thing he needs is a troublesome servant vying for his attention.  But mistress Sepora will not be ignored.  When the two finally meet face-to-face, they form an unlikely bond that complicates life in ways neither of them could have imagined.

                Sepora's gift could save Tarik's kingdom from the Quiet Plague.  But should she trust her growing feelings for her nemesis, or should she hide her gifts at all costs?

Why I’m Waiting:

                I got an ARC of this one at a signing and it had me stoked!  Sure winning something always does but more than that the summary sounded interesting.  I love stories like this and I'm beyond ready to dive into this one and learn more about her power and more about her nemesis and their relationship. 

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your WoW as well so I can check it out!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd buy right this second if someone handed me a fully loaded gift card!

                Hello everyone!  Top Ten Tuesday is just how it sounds, a topic is picked and we put our Top Ten for that in a post and share and check out everyone’s answers.  Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

The top ten today is:  Books I'd buy right this second if someone handed me a fully loaded gift card!

Assassin'sHeart by Sarah Ahiers

Lady Renegades (Rebel Belle #3) by Rachel Hawkins

More Happy ThanNot by Adam Silvera

Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger

Through theDark by Alexandra Bracken

Illusions ofFate by Kiersten White

His FairAssassin Trilogy by Robin LaFevers

Everything,Everything by Nicola Yoon

United (Alienated #3) by Melissa Landers

This is Whereit Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

                 Tell me what you think of my list in the comments below.  Also please link back to your Top Ten as well so I can check out your list and see what I missed!