Top 10 Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday

Top 10 Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week’s topic asks us to list our “Book Characters that I’d love to be besties with!”

Haha this was an interesting question! After all, not every character I would love to be friends with would be open to being friends with me too. I might get stabbed! (I do love stabby characters.) Instead, I tried to pick characters that might mesh well with my personality or vice versa, characters that I could “realistically” see getting along with. This was so much fun.

Harry Dresden

From Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files, and my favorite series, it makes me happy to think that we actually have a lot in common. We’re both introverts who prefer paperbacks over parties, we both love our animals and treat them like members of the family, and we both value our friends above all else, loyal to a fault. I don’t know how much help I’d be with all of the crazy things he gets himself into, but I’d definitely be there to commiserate and buy him a beer at Mac’s.

Rhysand and The Inner Circle

From A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas, I loved the vibe of this misfit group of friends. I would love to be a part of it. The intense loyalty and love they have for each other, the diversity in backgrounds and experiences, the lack of judgement, the acceptance of all oddities, these are only some of the wonderful things I feel this friend group offers. They may all be misfits, they may all be a little bit broken, but- hey, so are we all, right? I feel like I would fit right in.

Hermione Granger

I feel like my girl Hermione is going to make a lot of lists this week! From Harry Potter by JK Rowling, I had to include her. We have too much in common. Love to read, love homework, compulsively takes too many classes, loves her friends fiercely- we’d have a lot to bond over. I feel like she could also use a few more gal pals to balance out the boys too.

Ginny Weasely

I almost included Ginny and Hermione on the same point, since they’re from the same book, but I didn’t. I would also love to be friends with Ginny, but I feel like we would have a very different relationship. Ginny is bolder, says what she wants and means, feels loudly and isn’t afraid to confront a problem. I feel like she could teach me a lot and challenge me in ways that friends are supposed to challenge each other. Plus, I could go watch all of her Quidditch games!

Ian & Jenny Fraser

Hahaha this one would be so interesting. From the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, Ian and Jenny have been book “friends” of mine for a long time and definitely made this list easy. Though I do have to say that I think it would be much easier to befriend Ian than Jenny, but hopefully if I start there he’ll put in a good word for me. I would love to visit Lallybroch and see their family and way of life, be taken care of in the firm, matter-of-fact way that Jenny does. Their relationship dynamic is somehow so soothing to me and I can imagine a lot of happy moments in their home as a friend.

Warren Smith & Kyle Brooks

From one of my favorite series of books, The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, Warren and Kyle are #relationshipgoals. They are one of my favorite couples to ship and I would love to go hang out with the two of them. Warren is warm and calming, while Kyle is provocative and sarcastic, and I love them both. Every time I read that scene in Blood Bound where they’re watching Queen of the Damned with Stefan and Mercy, I just want to hop into the scene and join them. Weekly movie nights at Warren and Kyle’s house!

Anna Cornick

Another character from Patricia Briggs, this time from the companion series to Mercy Thompson, the Alpha and Omega series. Anna is musical, creative, kind, introverted, and works hard to soothe, comfort, and support her friends. I think we have a lot in common and I would love to have a friend like her.

Leah Burke

From Leah On the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, I feel like we would have a lot to talk about. She’s a grumpy, overweight, bisexual teen and my HS self would have had so much to talk about with Leah. AND she could bring her adorable girlfriend, Abby (who I totally ship), to hang out with us. We have a lot of common and a lot that is different but that might work in our favor. As a bonus, I feel like I could give Leah some social tips that might help her come off less…prickly. She gets so withdrawn and surly when she’s upset and I’ve been there, I feel like we could help each other and have a lot of fun along the way.

Stella Lane

From The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. Stella probably has better things to do than hang out with me, her fancy job, sexy boyfriend, and meticulous routine, but we also have so much in common. I would love to hang out with her late at night with a bottle of wine, talking about our struggles and victories with dating and relationships and sensory issues. I feel like she could also help me organize my closet. Where are you, Stella??

Theodora Sanderson/Crain

From The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Theodora is a sarcastic, takes-no-shit, badass and I could definitely use a friend like her. She isn’t afraid of haunted houses or ghosts, she says what she means, and she enjoys an adventure. I think she would be a good influence on me haha. I will say, I love the book and the show, and either Theo would be a fantastic friend. In my mind they’ve just merged into one amazing multi-Theo.

This was a hard one!

Who are some characters you’d like to be friends with?? Any on the list here?

If you participated in TTT this week too, drop a link in the comments below!

Book Tag

Mid-Year Freak Out!

For those of you who don’t know, which included me too until this week, there is a popular book tag out there that’s a bit of a tradition in the bookish community, The Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag! This year, I’m participating, and to be honest I cannot believe half the year is already over! So many books, so little time…

I stole my questions this year from The Literary Phoenix. I loved reading her post and love her blog! Check her out.

And check out these questions! Let’s goooooo:

What is the best book that you’ve read so far in 2019?

Ohh boy. This was a tough one. I chose three.

  1. Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
  2. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
  3. The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon

What has been your favorite sequel of the first half of the year?

Gemina & Obsidio by Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff. I can’t believe it took me this long to discover The Illuminae Files! WOW this series was amazing. It’s YA Sci-Fi, but I would honestly recommend it to anyone who likes Sci-Fi, or anyone who likes fast-paced novels that read like you’re actually in the book. I could rave about this series for a long time.

Is there a new release out that you haven’t read yet but you’re really excited for?

Yes! Aurora Rising by Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff.

Haha on the note of my last answer, the same authors came out with a fourth book this year and I cannot wait to read it. It’s already been optioned for a movie and has stellar reviews. So excited.

What is your most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

See last week’s Top 10 Tuesday! There are so many!

What is your biggest disappointment so far?

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare — I’m sorry! I wanted to like this so badly because the series is so beloved in the YA world. I might check out one of her other series or try the sequel, everyone swears it gets better, but I wanted to love this immediately! Sigh. It happens. I tried.

What is your biggest surprise so far?

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte.

I loved this!! I expected it to be relatively similar to a lot of other YA fantasies out right now, but Four Dead Queens surpassed my expectations. It was original, it was fun to read, it had like a hundred twists at the end and I didn’t see most of them coming, I was so pleased. Would definitely recommend. Look for a review of this title soon.

Who is your favorite new or “new” author?

Robin Benway, who is new to me, has blown me away this year. I read both of her books in the same month and blew through them both. Far From the Tree is one of my favorites of the year.

Who is your favorite fictional crush from this year?

I don’t really have one I feel crazy strong about, so I decided to answer a slightly different question: Who is your favorite fictional SHIP from this year?

And that, my friends, would be Wylan van Eck and Jesper Fahey from Crooked Kingdom. I squealed through that entire scene!! So cute.

Which book has made you cry?

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. This book made me feel…pretty much every human emotion, haha. I loved it so so much and it was so tragic and beautiful. I recommend this book to anyone, all the time, with all my heart. Just have tissues nearby. And maybe your therapist on call.

A book that made you happy?

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli. I enjoyed her debut novel, Simon and the Homosapiens Agenda, but I LOVED Leah on the Offbeat. This book felt like parts of my teen years, the feel and the spirirt of it, and I loved Leah’s surly, insecure, whole-hearted self. She and Abby are one of my favorite couples of the year!!! OTP

Your favorite book to movie/tv adaptation that you’ve seen so far?

Can I choose anything other than Good Omens by Neil Gaiman??

I reread the book this year and since the adaptation came out this year I’m going to count it. This show might be the best adaptation I’ve ever seen, when it comes to accurately capturing the spirit of a wonderful book. I loved every bit of it! Can’t wait for more.

What is your favorite post that you’ve written this year?

I really enjoyed writing both the reviews for Baby Teeth and The Unhoneymooners! I also love Top Ten Tuesdays.

Show us the most beautiful book that you’ve bought this year!

I have spent a lot of energy and patience this year trying to buy fewer books and borrow more, so I don’t have a book for this! A lot of them have been gorgeous but then I return them to the library and they go brighten someone else’s day for a while.

What are six books that you want to read by the end of the year?

There are WAY more than six, but here are a few.

  1. King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
  2. Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
  3. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
  4. Snow Falling by Jane G. Villanueva (haha any more Jane the Virgin fans out there?? I have to read this)
  5. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
  6. Educated by Tara Westover

Whew, that was in depth! That’s it for this year, and what a seriously fun year its been. And it’s been a month here at Story-eyed! I’m a little overwhelmed with how much I have to read right now, but more than anything I am so grateful for all of it.

Tag, you’re it next, @Jenniefromthebook! Have fun! ❤

Did you freak out this year? Send me your mid-year posts in the comments!