Adult · Books · Fantasy · Sci-Fi · Young Adult

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Winter TBR List

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This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) is Top Ten Books On Your Winter TBR List. Between all the books I’ve purchased recently and the few that I’m still waiting to be released, I’m racking up quite a TBR list.

Here’s what I’m planning on reading over the next few months:

  1. Sand by Hugh Howey – I don’t know much about this one, but it sounds intriguing. Boyfriend has already read it and said that I have to hurry up and read it so we can talk about it.
  2. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson – It’s been a while since I read this one. After reading Edgedancer I want to go back and start the series over. (This would be a good time, since the 3rd book was just released.)
  3. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black – This one isn’t even out yet, but it sounds like a fun read.
  4. Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust – This one came out pretty recently and I’ve heard good things. I’m always a sucker for any type of fairy tale re-imagining.
  5. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson – A funny perspective on living with depression and anxiety? Sign me up. I could use a more humorous outlook on life.
  6. Doctor Who: The Pirate Planet by James Goss – This one isn’t out yet, but I already feel like it’s going to be a good one. I loved Goss’ other Doctor novel, City of Death.
  7. Poison by Sarah Pinborough – A short Snow White re-telling. It doesn’t have amazing reviews, but it was on sale, so we’ll see how it is.
  8. A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston – Another impulse Black Friday buy. (I have no shame!)
  9. Dune by Frank Herbert – My boyfriend has been telling me to read this one since we met, since it’s favorite book of all time.
  10. Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas – I absolutely adored the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, so I am interested to see what this series is like. I’ve heard lots of hype about it.
Books · Fantasy · Fiction · Non-Fiction · Sci-Fi

Black Friday Haul

It’s Black Friday. I hate the entire concept of Black Friday. I typically do everything in my power to avoid anything to do with this dark day. But, then I got an e-mail from Barnes & Noble…

I couldn’t help myself. I tried, but between the discount online AND in the store I just couldn’t resist…

You guys, I am so weak. *cries into leftover pecan pie*

 

So, ummm, anyway…LOOK WHAT I GOT TODAY. 😉

 

 

Adult · Book Reviews · Books · Sci-Fi

Mini Book Review: City of Death by James Goss

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My rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

The Doctor and his companion, Romana, plan on enjoying their holiday in Paris and relaxing as much as they can. But, as is inevitable, they land smack in the middle of trouble. The pair get wrapped up in a plot to steal the Mona Lisa. tailed by an undercover detective who seems to think they’re responsible. But who’s really to blame? Is it the crack in time that’s causing so many strange things to happen? Or does the super wealthy Count and his basement laboratory have something to hide? 

If they don’t figure it out quickly, the Mona Lisa won’t be the only thing that’s in danger. 

I’m not sure why I was so hesitant to read this book when I first picked it up, but I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed it. (Class, today’s lesson: Don’t judge a book by inexplicable preconceived notions…Joey, stop kicking the back of Sarah’s chair.)

This was such a fun book. It takes place during the Tom Baker era, complete with his scarf, sidekick Romana, and robotic dog K-9. All the elements of the show were there: the sticky situations,  the Doctor’s silly quirks, the plot twists, the alien threat to destroy the planet. Anyone who is a fan of the tv show would love this book.

Books · Fantasy · Sci-Fi

Wine + Doctor Who (A Dangerous Combination)

Hello lovely folks! I hope you’re all having a nice, relaxing weekend so far. I am currently hanging out with a glass of wine and some new crafty projects to keep me busy. (I’ve actually been contemplating opening an Etsy shop to see if I can sell some of the decorative items I create. I’m not super familiar with Etsy though, so I can’t decide if this is a good idea or not. Anyone have any feedback that they would like to offer? I’d greatly appreciate it.)

Sadly, the book I have been anxiously awaiting isn’t arriving for a couple of more days, so I’ve had to dive into something else after my last read. This is what I am currently reading:

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Have any of you read this? I typically don’t read books based off of shows/movies that I like, but I decided to give this one a shot as it was on clearance for $6.00. There are actually quite a few Doctor Who books out there. If I enjoy this one I may have to give some of the others a chance.

I’m not really sure why I’ve avoided books like this in the past. Technically it’s no different than seeing a movie that’s based off a book you’ve already read. Given that the book is often way better than the movie, it would seem logical that this would be the case here. I can’t really report on whether or not that is accurate yet, but we’ll see how it pans out.

Speaking of Doctor Who…I am somewhat embarrassed that I actually didn’t see any of the last season. It hasn’t been made available on Amazon Prime yet, so I’ve been shit out of luck. To be honest, I’m not all that upset about it. Peter Capaldi isn’t my favorite Doctor. I found his previous seasons to be somewhat disappointing, although some of that may also be due to the fact that I wasn’t a fan of Clara either.

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What do you think about the twelfth Doctor, fellow Whovians? What about this past season? Have I missed out on anything good?

You know who I really miss? David Tennant. The tenth Doctor was my first Doctor and will forever be my favorite. I loved what David Tennant did with his iteration of the Doctor. The brilliant, yet witty persona was the perfect balance of seriousness and fun. He always had on-screen chemistry with his companions, whether romantic or not. His performance never felt fake or too over-the-top. Several of my favorite episodes of the show were Tennant episodes. (Silence in the Library being my first and favorite episode ever.) Plus, it helped that he was kind of adorable.

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I’m going to stop now. I realize that what was supposed to be a very brief check in has turned into a ramble about The Doctor and how yummy David Tennant is. Must be the wine talking. 😉

Adult · Books · Fantasy · Fiction · Sci-Fi · Young Adult

Fall TBR List

Since finishing the last Wendy Darling book I’ve been a little slow with reading. I’m still enjoying re-reading Game of Thrones, but there’s been a lot on my mind, which is making it hard to stay focused. When I go through funks like this I often find it necessary to take a step back and retreat into familiar territory. This often means re-reading favorites or sticking with “easier” books for a little while until my brain sorts itself out.

These are some of the books on my TBR list for the upcoming month(s). Hopefully I’ll be able to get through them a little faster.

War of the Cards by Colleen Oakes – It’s almost here! I’ve been impatiently waiting for the third and final book in the Queen of Hearts saga to come out for 2 years now. If I can find the time, I may go back and re-read the first two before it’s released.

The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz – I purchased this one during my visit to Asheville a few weeks ago. I’ve never heard of it before, but it sounded too cute to pass up.

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin – The plan is to try to read the entire series by Spring.

Sand by Hugh Howey – I picked this up at the cool bookstore we found in Raleigh last weekend. I haven’t read any of Howey’s other books yet, but this one sounds pretty good.

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2) by Marissa Meyer – I really enjoyed Cinder, so I’d like to see where the rest of the series is going.

~~~

What books are on your upcoming TBR list?

Adult · Books · Fantasy · Sci-Fi · Young Adult

Series I Don’t Intend to Finish

There’s nothing more heart breaking than finishing a really amazing book. If you’re anything like me, you cry a little on the inside and walk around for a few days asking everyone “What am I supposed to do now?!” Cue the book series. With a book series there are hours and hours of reading before you reach the book withdrawal phase.

Unfortunately, not all book series justify such a huge time commitment. Why read a few mediocre books when there are series like Game of Thrones out there?!  Here are a couple that I’ve started over the past few years that I probably won’t be finishing:

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The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman – This book had potential, but it just missed the mark a little. The overall concept was a good one, but all of the characters felt incredibly flat.

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The Borden Dispatches series by Cherie Priest – Lizzie Borden meets Lovecraft. I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it either. It was a little heavy on the horror/sci-fi aspects, which is fine, but there wasn’t enough to keep me interested beyond the first book.

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The Magicians series by Lev Grossman – I believe I’ve already expressed my opinions of this series on here before. Maybe once…or like five times. For my new readers though, allow me to fill you in: YUCK. I hated the main character of this book so much that I gave up reading it halfway through. Twice. The magic system and the world they were in didn’t do much for me either. (Several people told me that the tv series was better than the books, so I gave that a try for a while. I gave up on that also.)

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The Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard – This one felt like another one of the Hunger Games/YA dystopian ripoffs. *yawns*

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The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon – I’ve actually gone back and forth on whether or not to continue this series a dozen times. I actually loved the first couple of books. I love Jamie and Claire and I love the unique story that Gabaldon created. Unfortunately, after the first few books I felt like things started too get a little too…wait for it…outlandish. The over-the-top action and ridiculous scenarios became too much and took away from the overall story. I stopped a few books in because I didn’t want to start hating it.

Books · Fantasy · Fiction · Sci-Fi · Uncategorized

Book Covers That Made Me Say “WTF?”

In yesterday’s post, What Makes a Good Book Cover, I talked about what types of book covers I find aesthetically pleasing and which ones I do not. For the most part, my dislikes in cover art include too much empty space, nothing but a a title, and repeating the same generic images over and over again. After I posted this yesterday I realized that I forgot to include another crucial category of “bad” cover art: those that are downright gaudy or absurd.

I don’t feel like I need to offer any explanation here; the pictures speak for themselves.

 

These are only a handful of the horrible book covers that are out there. (Do a Google search. I promise you won’t be sorry.) I think my favorite is Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies. I hope they make a movie adaptation sometime in the future.
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