Top Ten Tuesday: Book Boyfriends

Top Ten Tuesday banner made by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme created by The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s theme is book boyfriends, and oh boy where to start, its impossible not to fall hopelessly in love with the characters in books.

Therefore, it was very difficult to narrow the list down to just ten, but here are ten book boyfriends that I adore.

  • Levi (Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell)
    Levi is just amazing, and completely swoon worthy, because he is just so real. He’s not magical; he’s just a great guy, who Cath can easily depend on. He also reminds me of my current boyfriend so much, so there is also that. But I just love his calm demeanor and the way he would be there to walk Cath home from the library at midnight. Such a gentleman.
  • Will Herondale (Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare)
    I was absolutely in love with Will from The Clockwork Prince onwards, once it was revealed the reason why he pushed everyone anyway. I loved the way he quoted books to Tess and his smile and eyes, which feels weird to say about a character but in my mind, he is drop dead gorgeous. I loved his character arc.
  • Jem Carstairs (Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare)
    I really felt for Tessa in the series, because I wouldn’t be able to make the choice between Jem and Will, they are both just completely beautiful people inside and out. Jem is just an absolute sweetheart, the way he cares for Tessa and 
  • Jest (Heartless by Marissa Meyer)
    I can’t even fully go into how much I loved Jest whilst reading Heartless. He is just kind, funny and completely swoon worthy. He is also a great friend, when he realised that he was developing feelings for the same woman as the King he tries to stay away. He was just amazing. 
  • Adam (If I Stay by Gayle Forman)
    Adam is here because of how he stays with Mia, during the tragedy that occurs in If I Stay. I know they had some rocky moments in the book, when he realised Mia might go away to Julliard. However, I think overall he was there when she needed him, which we see more about in Where She Went. 
  • Tamlin (A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas)
    I just finished reading ACOTAR and I have fallen completely in love with Tamlin. Therefore, I have no idea why the biggest ship of the series is Rhysand (although I think maybe I will in the next book), but he was just so kind to Feyre. He gave her an art studio, which was a nice twist on the library. He set her family up for life after he took her away to Prythian. I fell for him completely during the book and look forward to seeing what happens in the sequel. 
  • Magnus Bane (The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare)
    Magnus is just the best character of the series, and I love that he is also in The Infernal Devices. He is a bisexual (or pansexual) character; he is just wonderful and cares fiercely for those who are important to him. Putting him in danger if it means protecting the ones, he loves, and who wouldn’t want to be loved like this.
  • Clark (The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson)
    Who wouldn’t want to date an author, although writing is hard and I guess to be with an author requires knowing that they will be distant at times whilst concentrating on their work. However, he was also just so kind and lovely that I loved him immediately. Also the characters laugh at the fact his name is Clark, but I personally love his name. It just really suits him.
  • Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan)
    I shipped Percabeth so hard whilst reading the Percy Jackson series, whilst Percy can be such an idiot 
  • W. Hale the fifth (Heist Society series by Ally Carter)
    He’s gorgeous, funny and kind. He is always there for the gang and well; he has his own private jet that can take you away to anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. Yes, these are selfish reasons I know, but I would love to see the world!

So, who are your favourite book boyfriends/girlfriends? Who is your biggest literary crush? I’d love to know.

September Wrap Up & October TBR

 

Wrap Up

In September I got through three of the four books I had set out to read, so I am really pleased with my effort overall. I did not expect to read four books, I was really hoping to get through at least two when it was getting close to the end of the month and I hadn’t completed any. However, in the last couple weeks I was bit by the reading bug and just devoured these books. I will get to Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give another month (probably November), as it was not meant to be this month.

The books I completed were:

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Top Ten Tuesday: Characters With Mental Illness

Top Ten Tuesday banner made by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme created by The Broke and The Bookish. This week is a freebie week, where we got to select what kind of character traits to highlight. So since I have recently been reading more books that feature characters with mental illness, and I myself am battling depression and anxiety. So here are 10 characters with mental illness, and books that I believe actually show a realistic view on mental health.

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Graphic Novel Mini Reviews | Andrews McMeel Publishing

Disclosure: Please note that links to merchants mentioned within this post might be using an affiliate link which means that – at zero cost to you – I might earn a commission if you buy something through that affiliate link.

So I have decided instead of having my graphic novel reviews solely on Goodreads, I might start doing little batches of mini reviews here. I might try and have them all linked to a similar theme or series in the future (what do you guys think, leave any thoughts or suggestions in the comments below).

The theme for this batch of mini reviews, are that these are all graphic novels I received from Andrews McNeel Publishing through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed all of them, and would highly recommend reading any of these.They all brought a smile to my face.

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August Wrap Up & September TBR

Wrap Up

In August, I decided to partake in ARC August. To get through some of the Advanced Reader Copies I had recently acquired through Netgalley, and I did a lot better than I anticipated. I got through an insane seven books! Three of which were graphic novels but nonetheless this was my best month, and all books were ARC’s from Netgalley.
So now I am at 37/50 books in my Goodreads challenge, so I have already read more books than I did last year.

The seven books I read were:

August Wrap Up photo

• Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody. 4 stars. This was different to what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The mystery, the magic, the crazily diverse cast of characters. I highly recommend it. Read my full review here.

• An Uncertain Grace by Krissy Kneen. 3 stars. This novel is unlike anything I’ve read before, the different POVs and how they reveal the life of Liv was very interesting. Read my initial thoughts here.

• Her by Garry Disher. 3 stars. This was an unusual novel, although it was definitely a book out of my reading comfort zone. I just wanted more from it, it just felt lacking in certain areas. Read my initial thoughts here.

• Lady Stuff: Secrets to Being a Woman by Loryn Brantz. 4 stars. This was amazing, perfectly relatable and just a lovely light and easy read. Highly recommend to all fans of Sarah Scribbles. Read review here.

• The Little Red Wolf by Amèlie Flèchais. 4 stars. The illustrations within this book are breathtaking, such detail, it just immediately draws you in. I love the twist of a fairytale classic. Brilliant. Read my review here.

• Anne of Green Gables: A graphic novel by Mariah Marsden. 4 stars. I had to read this when I saw it listed on Netgalley. A couple of months ago I watched the Netflix adaptation, and having never read the original book I was looking forward to seeing how similar they were. Read full review here.

• Dating You/ Hating You by Christina Lauren. 5 stars. I absolutely loved this book. It was my first official NA novel, and it was just perfect. I loved the switching POVs getting to see events from both Carter and Eve’s perspectives. The romance and workplace rivalry was excellent and I swooned so often. Highly recommend. Read initial thoughts here.

TBR

With the success of last month, I decided to try to take it easy with the expectations for this month. Especially since my anxiety is rearing its ugly head which means more time knitting to help keep it at bay.

September TBR photos

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. This series is one I found out about through bookstagram. It comes so highly recommended that I was intimidated to start it with such hype and acclaim to its name. But I am already halfway through and I love it, I am completely sucked into the story, and the characters and will have to get the second novel in the series before I finish this because I want to start it immediately after.

• Editing Emma: The Secret Blog of a Nearly Proper Person by Chloe Seager. This is an ARC gifted through Netgalley, at first from reading the summary it reminded me of Zoella’s Girl Online, except more grown up. There are references to masturbation, sex and more grown up topics that Zoella’s very tame G-rated books. I am enjoying it so far.

• Friend Request by Laura Marshall. This is another Netgalley ARC, and I can’t wait to read it. Its premise is so intriguing. Louise opens Facebook one day and has a friend request from her old school friend Maria Weston, except Maria died 25 years ago.

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This is being touted as the best and most important book of the year. Based on the Black Lives Matter movement, Starr witnesses her best friend being shot by a police officer for no reason, and she is torn about what to do. I cannot wait to read this.

Let me know what books are on your TBR, or thought on the books above.

I have also done a wrap up for February, March, April, May, June, and July so please feel free to check those out too.

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody | ARC Review

Disclosure: Please note that links to merchants mentioned within this post might be using an affiliate link which means that – at zero cost to you – I might earn a commission if you buy something through that affiliate link.

Cover of Daughter of the Burning City on my iPad, surrounded by fake flowers 

4 Stars

“In short, there is a lot a city can see, hear and experience by traveling the world. Thus, we manage to mingle in the affairs of virtually everyone, and we gain enough intelligence from each destination to pull some powerful political strings.”

THANK YOU TO HARLEQUIN (AUSTRALIA) & NETGALLEY FOR GIVING ME AN EGALLEY OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

Daughter of the Burning City was quite different to what I expected going in, for some reason I wasn’t expecting it to be as focused on the mystery. But I’m glad it did because it was really interesting following that and seeing it unfold before the characters. I will say that I correctly guessed one part of the mystery (why her family was being targeted) but did not call the other twists. They definitely caught me off guard.

Sixteen-year-old Sorina has spent most of her life within the smouldering borders of the Gomorrah Festival. Yet, even among the many unusual members of the traveling circus-city, Sorina stands apart as the only illusion-worker born in hundreds of years. This rare talent allows her to create illusions that others can see, feel and touch, with personalities all their own. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival’s Freak Show.

But no matter how lifelike they may seem, her illusions are still just that—illusions, and not truly real. Or so, she always believed…until one of them is murdered.

Desperate to protect her family, Sorina must track down the culprit and determine how they killed a person who doesn’t actually exist. Her search for answers leads her to the self-proclaimed gossip-worker Luca, and their investigation sends them through a haze of political turmoil and forbidden romance, and into the most sinister corners of the Festival. But as the killer continues murdering Sorina’s illusions one by one, she must unravel the horrifying truth before all of her loved ones disappear. (Summary from Harlequin Books)

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July Wrap Up & August TBR

Wrap Up

July was a slow month for me reading wise, I only finished two books, however, I’m okay with that because I was focusing on my knitting because I want to try to sell some items online. Plus according to Goodreads, I am two books ahead of schedule, which is a nice feeling. Means I don’t have to panic about what to read to meet my goal. I am currently at 31 books out of 50 (I finished a book this morning). That being said I definitely want to work on my improving my reading speed.

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Mid Year Book Haul 2017

Mid year book haul, all the book I bought from january 2017 to June 2017

I haven’t been able to do any haul posts on here, because I am constantly putting myself on super strict book buying bans. Which I broke, exponentially last month.

This means I now have the fun job of finding space on my already quite full bookcase for these lovelies, but I also get to share what I got with you guys.

So I thought the best way for me to do hauls would be if I just did a post every six months so that enough books would acuminate to be worth mentioning.

Let me know what you think.

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The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer | Review

Disclosure: Please note that links to merchants mentioned within this post might be using an affiliate link which means that – at zero cost to you – I might earn a commission if you buy something through that affiliate link.

The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer, held in front of a building under construction and a tree.

 4 stars

“From what I’ve seen, it isn’t so much the act of asking that paralyses us–it’s what lies beneath: the fear of being vulnerable, the fear of rejection, the fear of looking needy or weak. The fear of being seen as a burdensome member of the community instead of a productive one. It points, fundamentally, to our separation from one another.” 

This book was incredibly different to what I expected, but in a way it was also much more. At first, I had thought it would be a mild advice book, backed up with analogies from her life. However, it was more of a memoir than self help, but that doesn’t mean you cant learn from Amanda’s experiences.

The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help is a very in-depth look into the life of Amanda Palmer up close, personal, and without a filter. It proves that even though she lives an insane life, and is very well known musician. She is just a person, like you and me. She is flawed, makes mistakes, and has fears and anxiety about life, just like everybody else. Which is why it was exactly what I needed to read, much of what she said resonated strongly with me.

“Rock star, crowd funding pioneer, and TED speaker Amanda Palmer knows all about asking. Performing as a living statue in a wedding dress, she wordlessly asked thousands of passers-by for their dollars. When she became a singer, songwriter, and musician, she was not afraid to ask her audience to support her as she surfed the crowd (and slept on their couches while touring). And when she left her record label to strike out on her own, she asked her fans to support her in making an album, leading to the world’s most successful music Kickstarter.

Even while Amanda is both celebrated and attacked for her fearlessness in asking for help, she finds that there are important things she cannot ask for-as a musician, as a friend, and as a wife. She learns that she isn’t alone in this, that so many people are afraid to ask for help, and it paralyses their lives and relationships. In this groundbreaking book, she explores these barriers in her own life and in the lives of those around her, and discovers the emotional, philosophical, and practical aspects of THE ART OF ASKING.” (Summary from Goodreads)

“As I moved through my life as a statue and later as a musician, I started to understand. There’s a difference between wanting to be looked at and wanting to be seen.” 

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June Wrap Up & July TBR

Welcome to my monthly book wrap up and TBR. June was a fair effort and as I write this, I am two books ahead of schedule according to Goodreads. Therefore, I am pleased with that.

June was a great month, I attended Supanova and met two authors, so keep an eye out for a post all about that. I got a LOT of new books last month, from the mail and second hand. I also recently signed up to Netgalley, so I have started to read a couple eARC’s, and I’m excited about the opportunities that could eventually bring.

In June I read three books, I had planned on four, but like I mentioned above I am currently ahead of schedule so I’m okay with this.

Wrap Up

  • The Secret Circle: The Temptation by L.J. Smith. I have now completed the series, and oh boy did it take a turn. I only recently realised that the last few books weren’t actually written by the original author but were taken away from her and given to someone else but they still printed her name on the cover. This is just awful. These books weren’t the best, but they were nice filler for when I was out and wanted to read something on my phone. Therefore, in protest for the treatment of the author, I shan’t be reviewing the series on my blog because I don’t condone the treatment of the author and therefore won’t give any more support to the series. I am glad I know how it wrapped up. However, I probably won’t be rereading this in the future.
  • Hansel & Gretel by Neil Gaiman. I picked this book up this month at a bookstall at Supanova and just had to read it. I adore Neil Gaiman and the way he can spin a tale. However, this felt like it was missing the Gaiman twist, his spark to take something and remake it. I suppose maybe he was limited with what he could do with this, and sure, the writing was spot on it just read the same as any Hansel & Gretel The images did add an entire level of eerie to the mix. Overall, I quite enjoyed the book it just left me wanting.
  • The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. I feel a lot of melancholy being done with this series; I enjoyed this trilogy more than the Mortal Instruments series (which I still have one book to get through). I loved the atmosphere that being set in Victorian London brought with it. I loved the characters and even though it had another clichéd love triangle, I thought this was handled much better than the original series. It saddens me that it’s all wrapped up. In fact, the epilogue had me literally sobbing I experienced so many emotions. I’m a sucker for the time-lapse montage, so this just hit me right in the heart, Would highly recommend this series, especially since you don’t have to read the other series for it to make sense.

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