Top Ten Tuesday: Meta-TTT

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic but they’re taking a little break right now (well-deserved). So I decided to take this moment to reflect on the numerous Top Ten Tuesday’s I’ve done in the past. Here are my Top Ten TTTs in order from more recent to less recent.

1) Favorite 2017 Covers – Pretty covers are my bread and butter. I loved looking through 2017 releases to find the covers that really stood out to me.

2) Books with a Summer Setting – Like seriously…did I even write this one? I vaguely remember doing it, but I waxed way more poetic in that intro paragraph than I usually do.

3) Things Books Make Me Want to Learn or Do – There are so many hobbies out there, but sometimes books make you interested in specific hobbies.

4) Reasons Why I Love Sarah Dessen – Beyond the obvious (I love her).

5) Characters That Need to Get Out of My Life – Here, let me rant for you (don’t @ me) (or do. I don’t care).

6) Books to Read if You’re in an X Mood – I still completely agree with all of these.

7) Songs That Should Be Books – Hi, I’m still waiting…but as an addition to this post, I’ve recently been thinking that somebody should write a YA series where each book is based on a different Taylor Swift song. SO GENIUS.

8) Thanksgiving with Fictional Families – Never have I wanted book characters to be real so badly.

9) Necessary Author Collaborations – I just read through this post again and I AM A GENIUS. All of these collaborations are so perfect!!!

10) Authors with Ties to BYU – I had to throw another plug in for my alma mater. This was such a fun post to research and write 🙂

Which topics have been your favorites over the years?

February Wrap-Up/March TBR

February

From last month:
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – Finished

ARCs
Rebel, Bully, Geek, Pariah by Erin Jade Lange – DNF 22%
How Willa Got Her Groove Back by Emily McKay – Finished
Holding Court by K.C. Held – Finished and reviewed
You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

Blog Tours
Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas – 2/20 – Finished, blog tour
Nora & Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Tanner – 3/1 – Finished
Meritropolis by Joel Ohman – 3/8
Blackheath by Gabriella Lepore – 3/10

Other
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord – Finished and reviewed
Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger
Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray – Finished, review coming
The Amber Room by Steve Berry (for school) – Finished
Bird Box by Josh Malerman (for school) – Finished
Last Year’s Mistake by Gina Ciocca – Finished, review coming
Gambit by C.L. Denault – 2/28 – Finished and reviewed
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (for school) – Finished
Madly by Amy Alward – DNF 11%, I just ran out of time!
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler – Finished, review coming

This month I finished 13 books and had 2 DNF.

March

ARCs
Finding Hope by Colleen Nelson
What You Always Wanted by Kristin Rae
Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs
Railhead by Philip Reeve
Lucky Me by Saba Kapur

Blog Tours
Meritropolis by Joel Ohman – 3/8
Blackheath by Gabriella Lepore – 3/10
How to Get Your Heart Broken by Rose Fall – 3/16

Other
The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory (for school)
Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger
Outspoken by Lora Richardson
Austenland by Shannon Hale (for book club)

Top Ten Tuesday: Get Me Out of My Comfort Zone

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic and this week’s topic is: Ten Book I Enjoyed Recently (last yearish) That Weren’t My Typical Genre/Type of Book (or that was out of your comfort zone)

1) The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – I’m not a HUGE nonfiction reader, but I really enjoyed this one!
2) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness – I think this is classified as Science Fiction? I’m not sure because I don’t read a lot of Science Fiction.
3) Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen – I almost never read books written in verse and I didn’t expect to enjoy this one, but I did.
4) Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson – When I read romance it’s generally YA Contemporary, but I’m glad I gave this one a shot.
5) In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters – I don’t think I’d classify this book as horror, but it’s about as horror as I get.
6) Wonder by R.J. Palacio – This is a middle grade book that I read for a class. It definitely made me think about things in a different way.
7) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – What is this, magical realism? I’m not sure, but I liked it.
8) Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig – This is about as close to a Western I think I’ll ever get.
9) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – I don’t often stray into the Adult Fiction genre, but I’m glad I did for this one.
10) Uprooted by Naomi Novik – A little more in the Fantasy genre than I would normally read, but I still liked it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten ARCs

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week there is a new topic and this week’s topic is a freebie! So I’ve chosen to do a list of the top ten ARCs I’ve reviewed.

1) Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
2) The Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig
3) The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
4) A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
5) Whippoorwill by Joseph Monninger
6) Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
7) The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak
8) The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
9) Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
10) They Call Me Alexandra Gastone by T.A. Maclagan

Top Ten Tuesday: 2016 Bookish Resolutions

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week there is a new topic and this week’s topic is: Top Ten Resolutions We Have For 2016 (can be bookish, personal resolutions, “I resolve to finally read these 10 books, series I resolve to finish in 2015, etc.)

1) Read books because I want to read them, not because I feel like I should/have to read them.

2) Write reviews sooner after completing a book.

3) Only request books on NetGalley that I’m SUPER interested in.

4) Complete the Popsugar 2016 reading challenge.

5) Complete my Goodreads challenge (125 books).

6) Come up with a shelving system that really works.

7) Read at least 12 books already on my Kindle.

8) Check out more physical books from the library.

9) Schedule a time for reading every day.

10) Maintain my book journal.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books That I’ve Read This Year

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic and this week’s topic is: Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2015

I just started my blog a few months ago, so all of the books that I’ve reviewed have been read this year. Here’s a list of my ten favorites with links to my reviews (if I’ve reviewed them).

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson

Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson

Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

The Monuments Men by Robert M Edsel

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Prudence by Gail Carriger

What have you guys been reading this year?

June Reading UPDATE

Just a little update for you guys.

ARCs
The Astrologer’s Daughter by Rebecca Lim – Read, will not be reviewing
Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone – Currently Reading
The Cooridor by A.N. Willis
Tangled Webs by Less Bross
Ghosts of Shanghai by Julian Sedgwick
The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

Library Books
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige – Currently Reading
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – Read, review coming
Still Alice by Lisa Genova – I don’t think I’ll be reading this one anymore (this month at least)
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins – Read, review coming
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins – Read, review coming (likely will be a joint review of Lola and Isla)

One book from the TBR jar
Haven’t picked one yet…but I still plan to!

In addition to these, I’ve been listening to some audiobooks! Thank you to everyone who responded to my audiobook post! This was probably the most enjoyable long car ride I’ve ever been on. Not only did I have fun books to listen to, but the company was also enjoyable. These are the audiobooks I have downloaded right now (but I may not get to them all before they have to go back to the library…)

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – Finished
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan – Finished
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz – Currently Listening
Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler
Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I want to give a quick shout out to littleblackblog who suggested that I preview audiobooks on iTunes before I decide which ones to download. BEST IDEA EVER. So if you see this, littleblackblog, A BIG THANK YOU!

But what about you guys? How are your reading months going? (Or just your month in general? I’m totally open to talking about life).

May TBR Checkpoint

I’ve been doing a surprisingly good job sticking to my TBR this month! Here’s my May TBR:

ARCs
A School For Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin – Read and reviewed
From a Distant Star by Karen McQuestion – Read
Uprooted by Naomi Novik – Read
They Call Me Alexandra Gastone by T.A. Maclagan – Currently Reading, hope to finish up this weekend
Spelled by Betsy Schow
Boywatching by Chloe Bennet

Other Books
My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins – Read and reviewed
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – Read and reviewed
The World Before Us by Aislinn Hunter – Currently Reading
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

Three TBR jar titles
1) Little White Lies by Jodie Esch – Read
2) An Abundance of Katherines by John Green – Starting this weekend
3) Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

It’s halfway through the month and I’d say I’m about halfway through my TBR list too. Excuse me while I give myself a pat on the back. I’m still a little up in the air about whether or not I like doing these. On one hand, I do feel like I HAVE to get these books read (but not in a way that’s unenjoyable necessarily). There’s just a little added pressure to read. On the other hand, I like having the structure and it keeps me from the “staring at the refrigerator” syndrome. “Mom, there’s nothing to eat (read)….”And it gives me a sense of accomplishment too! Anyway, still deciding.

How are your TBR lists going?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week there is a new topic and this week’s topic is: Top Ten All Time Favorite Authors.

Let me just add a quick disclaimer–this list is always changing but this would be my top ten list right now.

1) Jane Austen – Because duh. I have yet to read a book as witty and clever as some of Jane Austen’s (I even liked Emma).

2) Sarah Dessen – She’s an insta-read for me. Ever since I read This Lullaby, I’ve been hooked on her books. I feel like I can really relate to her characters and that’s something that I’ve come to enjoy.

3) Jennifer E Smith – Another insta-read, but a newer one. She just writes cute, fun books that have a lot of heart.

4) Cassandra Clare – Talk about world building. The Shadowhunter world that she has created is unbelievable. I honestly hope she keeps all of her books as part of this one world.

5) Gail Carriger – While not as witty or as clever as Jane Austen, Gail Carriger comes close. Her heroines are spunky and smart and don’t take “no” for an answer.

6) Suzanne Collins – The Hunger Games was brilliant and I’m really excited to see what she decides to do next.

7) Frank Beddor – Writer of The Looking Glass Wars. I don’t really hear people talking about him or his series ever, but of the several Alice and Wonderland retellings that I’ve read, his is my favorite. Give it a try (there are even some slight elements of steampunk which I LOVE).

8) Rainbow Rowell – Beautiful writing, real characters. Rainbow writes about people who don’t exist, but legitimately could.

9) Cornelia Funke – Who could forget the Inkheart series? Definitely due for a reread in my opinion. I loved these books.

10) J.K. Rowling – Another duh. Do I even need to explain?

This was a fun list to come up with. Who are your favorite authors? Do we have any matches?