top ten tuesday

August 13, 2019August 13, 2019 A Morrow

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!

Top 10 Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday

July 16, 2019July 16, 2019 A Morrow

This week’s topic asks us to list our “Auto-buy Authors.”

I chose way more than 10 at first! But managed, in the end, to narrow my list down to these 10 below. Honorable Mentions at the end, cause I had to mention them!!

Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher writes my favorite series, The Dresden Files. I struggled to put him on this list though because he also writes another series that I have not read. So is he really auto-buy? …Yes, I had to count him, because I pre-order his books as soon as that button becomes availble. I will read The Dresden Files until the series ends or until I die, whichever comes first haha. Writes Adult Fantasy, Urban Fantasy.

Diana Gabaldon

I’ve been buying and reading the Outlander series, and its companion series, since I was arguably too young to read it. I love this series, I love Gabaldon’s writing style and plot choices, and I love falling back into this world and letting it mesmerize me again and again. Can’t wait to read the next one in 2020! Writes Adult Historical Fantasy.

Jay Kristoff

I only started reading Jay Kristoff’s body of work this year and I can’t believe what I was missing out on! Anything that says it was written by Jay Kristoff now, or Jay Kristoff & Amie Kauffman for that matter, I know I want read. I read his Illuminae Files series last month and LOVED it so much, and am currently reading his Nevernight series also! WOW. Definitely a writer I love following. Writes YA & Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy.

Megan Whalen Turner

I questioned whether to put Turner on my list, not because I don’t auto-buy everything she writes, because I do, but because she only puts out a book every few years, all in the same series. So it’s more accurately a series that I auto-buy…but I don’t care, I’ll take any chance to brag about The Queen’s Thief series. The way she writes fantasy is original, psychological, and so clever. I loved the newest installment in this series and look forward to the next. Writes MG/YA Fantasy.

Angie Thomas

Thomas has only written two books but they have both been two of my favorites. THUG (The Hate You Give) and On the Come Up, which I reviewed in June, were both absolutely fantastic. They made me feel so many things and I loved and rooted for all of those characters. Thomas’ voice is so important in our current climate today and I for one will read anything she writes at all. Writes YA Contemporary.

Christina Lauren

I only jumped onto the wildly-popular Christina Lauren train this year, but I already love my seat! I’ve read four of their books now and I absolutely loved them all, even though they were all so different from each other. I love how they are able to build a love story into any situation, and I especially love the care and consideration they give to their characters’ thoughts and emotions before action. These books are great summer reads, and I would recommend them to anyone who needs a good one this summer! Check out The Unhoneymooners, which I reviewed this May! Writes Adult Contemporary/Romance.

B.A. Paris

I love these psychological thrillers! I don’t know if I’d nominate these books for an award, but I can say with confidence that every time I pick up a B.A. Paris novel I end up devouring it in as few sittings as my life will let me. I loved The Breakdown, I loved Behind Closed Doors (that ending, right??), and I just started reading Bring Me Back for a book exchange, I’m so excited!! B.A. Paris is always a guaranteed fun night of reading, and I will always appreciate that. Writes Adult Mystery/Thrillers.

Gillian Flynn

My other mystery auto-buy author. My favorite Gillian Flynn novel is Sharp Objects, I loved that book so much. It was dark, brutal, unapologetic, and ugly in all the right ways, which are the things I love about Flynn novels. Even her novellas get me where it hurts! The Grownup is one of my most reread novellas and I still can’t decide what I think really happened in that story. I love Flynn’s way of making the reader have to decide what is good or possible or survivable or what actually happened as a whole, and I love the dark corners that she explores in her writing. Writes Adult Mystery/Thrillers.

Jenny Lawson

I love Jenny Lawson! She might be my oldest auto-buy author, and she’s only written two books, each of them gems. I’ve been following Lawson since she was only a blogger and her blog is still one of my most entertaining, relatable reads every week. Her books are even better. Furiously Happy and Let’s Pretend This Never Happened are both hilarious adventures through stories of love, mental illness, giant metal chickens, and living life loudly when surrounded by obstacles. Wholeheartedly recommend. Writes Memoirs.

Brené Brown

These books are my jam. Any time I need help resetting my insecurities or guidance into a better headspace, Brown has my back. She has written so many books that have spoken to me: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next! If you’re not familiar with Brown, you can also catch her TED talk for a little piece of what to expect from her books. Writes Non-Fiction/Self-Help.

Honorable Mentions: So many more!!

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Robin Benway, Jay Kristoff & Amie Kauffman, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ruth Ware, Rupi Kaur, Patricia Briggs, Riley Sager.

Who are your auto-buy authors?? Tell me in the comments!

Top 10 Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday

July 9, 2019July 7, 2019 A Morrow

This week’s topic asks us to list our “Top 10 Unique Character Names.”

Well, I chose more than 10, cause I LOVE NAMES!! I usually have a list of names I love from media, but I had to write this list while I was out of town, so these are just off the top of my head! Haha and yes, there are fourteen of them. Some of these are old favorites and some are new discoveries, but I love finding new and unique names within literature. Hope you have as much fun reading as I did making this list!

Arya & Sansa

A Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin

Scout

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Hermione

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Mercy, Adam, & Bran

Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series by Patricia Briggs

Niklas

Gemina, The Illuminae Files by Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff

Sekani

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

Kaz, Jesper, & Inej

Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

Elias

An Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir

Theo (Theodora)

The Haunting of Hill House (Book & TV Series) by Shirley Jackson

Jamie, Marsali, Phaedre & Jem

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

Rhysand (Rhys)

A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas

Briar

The Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce

What are some of your favorite literary names?? Tell me in the comments!

Top 10 Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday

July 2, 2019July 2, 2019 A Morrow

This week’s topic asks us to list our “Childhood Favorites.”

I loved making this list! If I’d have had more than ten spots, I could have kept listing book after book after book, especially since “childhood” spans such a variety. Here are just a few of my favorites, from when I was young:

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco

This was one of my favorite books as a kid and is still one of my favorite books as an adult. I love how beautiful, whole-hearted, and sad this story is. I love the meaning and the lesson behind this story, and most of all I love what it says about beauty and love.

My favorite quote: “It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

When I asked my mom what my favorite books were as a child, this is the one she mentioned first. It’s a classic! I only have a few memories of being read this, but I know it was read to me hundreds of times. The warmth that swells up in me just thinking about this story is a whole and happy feeling. I love thinking about how many children in the world love this book, were read this book, think about this book and feel good. How sweet.

The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone

Haha this book was so fun! I remember being so excited and anxious as my parents would read this book to me, just waiting to see the monster at the end! Even after I already knew what it was. This was such a fun and creative book for kids who get so into the emotionality of it, and I smile every time I think about this book existing. It’s so silly and entertaining. And who doesn’t love Grover??

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Hahaha I made my parents read me this book so often that I had it memorized pretty quickly. I always had one complaint though and that was that the barbaloot bears, that cared for the truffula trees, were called…barbaloot bears. Why not something that rhymes with their beloved trees, Dr. Seuss? My young self immediately renamed them “gruffula bears” and insisted that the reader make those changes every night. Still makes me laugh today!

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

What kid, alive when these were released, wouldn’t have these on their list? I don’t know, but I loved them. I turned 11 the year that Harry turned 11 (or when the book was released, yes I know he was technically born in 1980), I felt like I was a part of those worlds as they happened and I am so lucky to have witnessed this cultural phenomenon from such a special vantage point. I haven’t reread them in a long time but maybe I’m overdue for another. These characters felt like my family for so long and I will always treasure them.

The Daughters of the Moon Series by Lynn Ewing

Oh, man! This was the first series I remember being obsessed with entirely on my own. I would scrape together enough money and rush over to the local Borders (raise a glass!) to get one of these, rush home and then absolutely devour them before turning right back around to get the next one. I loved these. I’ve read them again in adulthood and there’s something missing there now, but at the time these were so fun and magical and dramatic. I was especially fond of Serena and Jimena (the name I actually used in Spanish class), though Tianna eventually grew on me a little. All in all, this series has its ups and downs, but man they made me happy for a long time. I’ll always think of them fondly.

Mick Harte was Here by Barbara Park

I was a weird kid and this is one of the clues to that weirdness. I loved reading about tragedies that I could not fathom! In fact, I purposefully only added one of these, but there were a handful of books I loved as a young teen that talked about the most horrible things. Mick Harte was Here was about losing a child in a car accident and I was horrified and somewhat obsessed with this book when I first found it at a Scholastic Book Fair (aww, remember these!). I think that, even from a young age, I was seeking out reasons to feel the intensity of emotion that I do, and also trying to understand why horrible things happened. I still don’t know, all these years later, but how interesting to look back on these quirky favorites.

The Ghost of Fossil Glenn by Cynthia C. DeFelice

This was the first book that I can vividly remember keeping me up at night with the closet light on. It was so spooky!! Maybe this was an early clue that I might one day enjoy scary movies, but I loved this book and it sparked a long, long exploration into a completely new genre for me. I’ve read this again as an adult and, while obviously it’s geared toward the young, I still enjoyed the story a lot! Ah, memories.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

Oh my God, I have the fondest memories of reading these in groups of friends with all of the lights out. We scared the hell out of each other with these stories! And we loved it. Slumber parties, recess, a dark corner at the skating rink, in theatre between scenes, kids had these books everywhere for years it felt like. These were really a phenomenon for that generation, I’d be surprised if a lot of people didn’t have similar memories of scary moments with their friends. What’s crazy is that a few of these stories and drawings have still stuck with me for all these years, I remember them so clearly. Can’t wait to see the movie coming out this year!

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

There was only one shelf in my house of books that I ‘wasn’t supposed to read until I was older’ and this one accidentally ended up on that shelf somehow. It was fate! If it hadn’t been on that shelf, I wouldn’t have oh-so-stealthily taken it off that shelf to read, and then I wouldn’t have found the first fantasy world that I fell into and never returned from. The Hobbit is still one of my favorite books of all time and it started my Tolkien love affair.

Which books did you love as a child?? Tell me about it in the comments!

Top 10 Tuesday

June 25, 2019June 25, 2019 A Morrow

This week’s topic asks us to list the “Books On My Summer 2019 TBR.”

I have got a LOT of books that I want to read this summer, but below I’ve listed mostly books that I’m on schedule to read for Netgalley or various book exchanges or challenges I’m participating in, except for a few that are just for fun! There are so many exciting books coming down the line, I won’t have time to list or read them all. Here goes!