T5W: Gift Wrapped

 There is no gift I enjoy more than a good book, especially if it was someone's favorite book. Butttttttttt, I am far from perfect at reading said books. in fact, I have some on my TBR that have taken me a hot minute to get around to or still haven't gotten around to. 

1. The City of Brass

I've heard so many good things about this trilogy and I do truly want to read it a lot but for some reason I just haven't picked it up yet. I either received this book for Christmas last year or the year before and it is now towards the top of my list for to reads next year. 

2. Nevernight

I am pretty sure I received this the same Christmas as I received The City of Brass and the same thing applies here.

 

3. The Name of the Wind

I got this for my Birthday in 2017 and even though I really wanted to read it, its daunting size made me keep procrastinating it. I finally read it the end of last year and, of course, I loved it. I have also since read The Wise Man's Fear and The Slow Regard of Silent Things, which I also really enjoyed. 

4. Throne of Glass

I recieved this book for Christmas in probably 2016 and I only just read it the beginning of this year. Not my proudest moment. I will say, I gave this book a solid 4 stars and wish I had gotten to it years ago. 'Regerts'

5. Ready Player One

This was a gift I recieved from an ex in 2017, and only just read it last year. I am terrible. Again though, I loved this book and wish I had gotten to it sooner. 

November Wrap-Up

Admittedly it wasn't my best reading month, but after I finished The Way of Kings half way through the month I needed like a week of recovery before I could get into something else. On the upside though, I am on my way to reaching my goal for the year! 50 books down and only 2 more (at least) to go. 

 November Wrap-Up

1. The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archives #1) by Brandon Sanderson (*****)

2. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (audiobook) (****)

3. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton (****)

T5W: No Thanks

 Characters in unthankful situations.

1. Harry Potter (The Whole War Thing)

All the wizards (and arguably muggles) are having a rough time, fearing for their lives, fighting it out against he who shall not be named. Though not all of them have the same pressures on them quite like the chosen one does.

2. Game of Thrones (The Whole War Thing)

Like Harry Potter the characters in this story all find themselves in situations that are far from preferable. No one is safe, people are dropping like flies, everyone is related...

3. Red Rising (The Crazy School Thing)

Literally thousands of gold youths study and fight to be chosen to go to a school that is every level of f*cked. Also, this book is amazing and I highly recommend you picking it up.

4. The Maze Runner (The Unescapable Maze Thing)

Imagine being stuck in a situation in which you are living in a small compound surrounded by tall walls in the middle of a large maze with no memory of yourself before getting there. Your goal, to run the maze all day, making it back before nightfall of course, in an attempt to make a map that helps you gtfo. I don't know about you, but I would be very disgruntled, to say the least.  

5. The Lord of the Rings (The Whole Ring and Evil Eye Thing)

Poor Frodo was given an evil ring and basically forced to embark on a journey far into enemy territory in order to destroy it and Sam had to put up with his sh*t the whole time. I will say though, if I were in their situation, I probably would have died before I even made it to the Prancing Pony. 

T5W: Topaz

 This weeks topic was originally supposed to be Latin Lit, where we discuss Latin authors characters and the like. But, since I wouldn't come up with a list that followed the guide lines I am going to use the alternative topic. Topaz, this one is all about books that have covers similar to the color of Topaz. 

1. Fangirl Manga Vol. 1 - I have no idea how many of these they are going to make but I have a feeling it is going to kill me slowly inside waiting for the other volumes. 

2. Attachments - An adorable office romance. As someone who is dating someone they met in the office, this story brings up so many emotions and pretty darn cute. Pretty much exactly what you expect from Rainbow Rowell.

3. Dark Age - RED RISING IS AMAZING. (Though everything after the initial trilogy is not nearly as good as the original three)

4. Uprooted - I am a sucker for a retelling. This is the only thing I have read from this author but some of her other work is on my list of books to read. If you have any loved retellings please let me know, I am in the market for some more. 

5. The Name of the Wind - I both love this duology and am disappointed with it all at the same time. Story aside, I can't get over how great this looks on a bookshelf.

Thanksgiving Feast Book Tag

 This tag was created by Elley The Book Otter. I have been reading the same long book for over two weeks now so I have been in the mood for a book tag. I honestly found this one by simply googling "Thanksgiving Book Tag" but it sounded fun, so here we go. Be prepared though, you may get kind of hungry reading the prompts. 

Turkey: The centerpiece of any Thanksgiving Feast, but it’s always dry and actually isn’t that great… – A book that everyone likes, for some reason that completely escapes you.

Stuffing: Warm and filling, and best when smothered with gravy – A comfort read.

Potatoes: Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew – A book that’s great in any format – hardcover, digital, audio…

Green bean casserole: the obligatory side dish that you have to have… whether you want it for not. – A book that you were obligated to read (for school, for a book club, because it was a gift…)

Jello salad: Look, this is dessert, how on earth does jello with bits of fruit and marshmallows and whipped cream get classified as ANY sort of salad? – A book that is really bizarre.

Cranberries: Do you serve real cranberries, or canned cranberry jelly? A book that is highly divisive – and you have strong opinions about it.

Pie: Whether it’s pumpkin, apple, pecan, or French silk, it’s not Thanksgiving without pie – A book you can’t live without.

T5W: Non-Fiction November

This weeks topic was all about non-fiction that I really enjoyed and would recommend to others. I usually only read autobiographies about funny comedians and you will see below but there are actually a few here that I learned a lot from. Also, as always, let me know in the comments if you have any non-fiction recommendations, I have been trying to broaden my horizons and get more into the genre. 

1. Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity

“Hard work and intention often go unnoticed. All people see is what you don't do or what they think you should be doing better.”

2. Yes, Please

“However, if you do start crying in an argument and someone asks why, you can always say, "I'm just crying because of how wrong you are.”

3. Scrappy Little Nobody

“Oh my god, I just made out with Legolas!' Again, I’m not going to name that actor, as I wish to respect his privacy”

4. The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus

“To mess around with Ebola is an easy way to die. Better to work with something safer, such as anthrax.”

“You can’t fight off Ebola the way you fight off a cold. Ebola does in ten days what it takes AIDS ten years to accomplish.”

5. When Asia was the World

I wasn't sure what quote to pull from this. This is a fascinating book that takes place from 700AD to 1500AD and talks about everything from the spice trade on the silk road to the apothecaries who exchanged medicine, discussing all sorts of travel from China to the Middle East, sharing knowledge, culture and so much else.

P.S. Happy Veterans day to all those who serve and have served. 

T5W: Read in Translation

 I am going to start by saying that I have no idea if this post is 100% accurate, I literally just googled, "what language was ____ written in?" to figure it out so if I am wrong....sorry. Also, I am very curious what books you have read that were translations of the original, comment down below if you participate in T5W so I can check out your lists. 

1. Inkheart (German)

I read this back in like 8th or 9th grade and I remember being pretty bored through it. But, in the decade since I feel like my tastes have changed and that I may actually enjoy this now if I pick it up, I am just scared to be wrong *awkward laugh* If you have picked this book up please let me know what you think, I am so indecisive.

2. The Little Prince (French)

I picked up this lovely little story a few years back when Netflix released a short of it I really wanted to watch but refused to do so until I had finally read the story....I still haven't seen the short.

3. Persepolis (French)

This was one of those books I had to read in one of my High School English classes and I am so happy that they made me pick it up. It is such a good story but I know that I would probably have never picked it up if I hadn't had to.

4. The Alchemist (Portuguese)

This book was both incredibly beautiful and incredibly frustrating all at the same time. I 100% recommend the read. Just do it, it's short so you have no excuse not to.

5. The Witcher Series (Polish)

Such a good series but I felt like it lost me a little towards the end. I binged the whole series (8 books I think) in like a month and a half and while I don't regret it, I wasn't completely happy with the outcome. It is so hard to talk about without giving anything away. I will give him props though for creating characters I actually cared about and a very rich world.

October Wrap-Up

 October Wrap-Up

Movies and TV

Let me tell you, Lovecraft Country is so freaking good! If you are a fan of Lovecraft, Fantasy, the Strange and the Mysterious, then this is the show for you. It is weird and creepy in all the best ways. 10/10 recommend. I will say though, I have not read the book so I have no idea if its anything like the book or if HBO took a lot of liberties. 

Also, the season finale for The Boys was earlier this month and oh my goodness, what? I need to know what happens next. I don't know if I can say the finale was a cliff hanger but it was definitely not what I was expecting. Also, I feel like the series is veering pretty far away from the comics for any of those who have read them. 

I have also started watching the new season of the Great British Baking show and Emily in Paris. I think the only knew movie I have seen this month is that new American Pie movie, Girls Rule. Let me tell you, I am not like a crazy fan of the other American Pie movies but this one seemed a little forced to be related to them, in general it was just an alright movie. Sorry, I don't have any good movie recommendations. 

Music

We are getting pretty close to nothing but Christmas music everywhere, prepare yourselves. This moth however, I have been listening to a lot of OneRepublic and some of my old playlists from like 2015, I don't know why, but I was feeling kind of nostalgic this month. 

If you have any good TV, movies or music recommendations, please let me know, I am in kind of a slump. 

End of the Year To Be Read

 Because I have no idea what the holidays are gonna look like for me this year both in regards to work and my personal life I figured I would just compile my TBR for the rest of the year, the final quarter, the beginning of the fiscal year, the holiday season....whatever you want to call it. So I present to you my TBR, I tried not to be too ambitious.

1. The Way of the Kings (The Stormlight Archive #1) by Brandon Sanderson

2. Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #2) by Tamsyn Muir

3. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

4. The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

5. Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicles #1) by Jay Kristoff

6. Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling

7. Ready Player Two (Ready Player One #2) by Ernist Cline

T5W: Spoopy Times

I usually say I am not one for spooky reads of any kind, no horror or anything like that but while going through all the books I have read I realized that I have been really into more than I realized. It was really hard for me to condense my favorite into only 5 books so I decided to choose my top 5 spooky reads that I feel like are severely underrated. 

1. The Dark Days Club

London, 1812, demons are trying to infiltrate society at every level. While this book is part of a series I felt pretty content having had only read book one, thus far. There is a lot of dark and creepy things and a girl coming into her own as she realizes demons actually exist and you can't even tell them apart from the rest of us. Let the war begin. 

2. The Man in the Picture

Most people know Susan Hill as the renowned author of the Woman in Black, but I know her more for this wonderful gem. It's a very short read, I believe less than 200 pages, but for something so short it has the same spooky aspects as her other horror stories. This is all about a man with an eerie painting of the Venice Carnival that has the ability to entrap life. 

3. Crane

This is an Ichabad Crane retelling that takes place from the perspectives of both him and his ancestor Ireland Crane and their fight with the curse of the Horseman. I mean, to me, that's enough said, this is a series that also brings in retellings of other old horror tales and creatures.

4. The Girl with all the Gifts 

A story of a young zombie girl who has intelligence seeking out the answers to this apocalyptic outbreak. 10/10 recommend. Also, there is a movie based on this book that is on Netflix though I have no idea if it is any good or even anything like the book itself. 

5. All the Beautiful People

Another zombie tail. This one is a classic about a pharmaceutical company releasing a drug to help bring those with depression's inner self into the light and instead causes them to become uber violent, blood thirsty creature. This was one of those random books I got for super cheap on my kindle and I don't regret it for an instance. This is one of those random, not well know stories that I fell like more people need to give a chance. 

If you participate in T5W or just have some spoopy reads, or show, suggestions please let me know! I am trying to broaden my horizons.