Top Ten Tuesday | 8/4/20

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!

This week’s topic is:

Books with Colors In the Titles

The ones I’ve read in this list are:

The Indigo Spell by. Richelle Mead
Vision in Silver by. Anne Bishop
Red Queen by. Victoria Aveyard
My Heart and Other Black Holes by.Jasmine Wanga
Black Girl Unlimited by. Echo Brown
The Black Kids by. Christina Hammonds Reed
The Priory of the Orange Tree by. Samantha Shannon

What titles did you have in your TTT?

Top Ten Tuesday | 3/10/20

This week’s topic is:

Authors Who Have a Fun Social Media Presence

Here are some of the authors I follow on Instagram or Twitter:

Danielle L. Jensen – @danielleljensen (ig) https://danielleljensen.com

I love her books and I follow her because that way I can get updates on her upcoming books plus she has beautiful photos on ig. https://danielleljensen.com

Beth Revis – @bethrevis (ig)

If you are an aspiring writer, Beth’s ig account always has tips and motivational posts which is awesome. For me, I just like knowing the process that an author goes through and it’s always inspirational to hear words of encouragement (no I’m not writing a book haha).

Kristin Jacques – @krazydiamond_writes (ig)

I loved this book of hers and I follow her to get news about the sequel or giveaways!

Rin Chupeco – @rinchupeco (ig)

I love Rin’s account because she not only posts book news but personal stuff too like what she’s eating haha or her cats. Love that she gives us a glimpse into her normal life and her quirky personality. ☺️

Mary E. Pearson – @maryepearson (ig)

I love her books so I need to stay up to date on her book news! Also at times she posts author process videos in her stories, which is cool. I love getting insight into the hard work that authors put into their work. Writing is not easy and I appreciate the creative minds of authors.

Tahereh Mafi -@tahereh (ig)

Tahereh Mafi might be the first author I followed on social media because at the time I was obsessed with the Shatter Me series, most specifically obsessed with Warner haha. But Tahereh is so artistic with her photos and her sense of fashion. And then when she got married and had a child, her photos are the sweetest, so her ig account is a lovely blend of books, fashion and family life – which is awesome.

Holly Black – @hollyblack (twitter)

Because I was so obsessed with this series, I had to follow Holly and get news about the books. But I found other great content on her account like links to articles and interview she’s done. And have you seen photos of her writing office? Amazing.

Jenn Bennett – @Jenn_Bennett (twitter)

Another author I follow for news of upcoming books or giveaways but her twitter account is pretty interesting and funny. She always post random thoughts and I so relate with random thoughts. 😅 Also she’s an artist as well! So many authors are artists, which is very cool.

Sarah J. Maas – @SJMaas (twitter)

Because I am obsessed with her books? LOL…of course I need to follow her for all the book news. She also used to post some awesome pics on ig about her vacation spots and home. Now she’s a mom and she posts some baby pics but very rarely, which is fine, I’m there for the book news mostly.

Maggie Stiefvater – @mstiefvater (twitter)

Maggie is another artist/author and her art work is amazing! And have you seen the cars she drives? Again, I love seeing authors and their personalities shine through not only through their writing but in their everyday lives and other hobbies.

Who did you have on your list? I’d love to know – leave me a comment below!

Top Ten Tuesday | 3/03/20

This week’s topic is:

Books With Single-Word Titles

This one should be easy right? Alright, here we go:

The only one I haven’t read in this list is Verity! But yay, glad I could find 10. One word titles are actually pretty common, now that think about it. 🤔☺️

Thanks for reading! Would love to see your list, comment your link below!

Top Ten Tuesday | 2/25/20

This week’s topic is:

Characters I’d Follow On Social Media

Is this my first TTT of 2020?! It is. I know it’s been a hot minute since I did one of these and life is just so busy with sick kids, homework and my opening up my Etsy shop again. But this looks like a fun topic, so let’s do it!

What characters would I follow on social media?

Lara Jean Covey (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) – because the whole letter writing was so me in middle school. LOL, I crushed on a lot of boys. Plus I think she’d post some aesthetically pleasing posts on Instagram. 💕

Kitty Covey – because she cracks me up and she keeps things real. I mean sending her sister’s letters was shady BUT…I still love her.

Jude Duarte (The Folk of the Air Series) – because she’s a bit savage haha.

Cardan (The Folk of the Air Series) – because I bet he’d post some good selfies. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Rhysand (A Court of Thorns and Roses series) – because I just wanna see his face.

Enrique (The Gilded Wolves) – because I want to know all the historical information he can’t stop spewing from his mouth. I can just imagine his twitter account. 😅 I’d learn a lot!

Elizabeth Bennett (Pride & Prejudice) – because she’s smart, witty and she’s my girl! And I want the family pics of her, Darcy and the wonderful family I imagine they have. I even want to see her hanging with her sisters and bestie. 😍

Tierney James (The Grace Year) – can you imagine what her social media content would be like?! 😳 I’m here for it.

Pepper (Tweet Cute) – because she would post the most amazing desserts and I hope the recipe to it too! I’d buy her dessert cookbook for sure.

Karou (Daughter of Smoke & Bone) – because she would have some amazing artistic content. She’d have some awesome travels pics too I think.

This one was a fun post! I’d love to check out your TTT so drop me your link in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Top Ten Tuesday | September 24, 2019

Books On My Fall TBR List

Perfect topic! I have a stack of these right on my desk, so let’s get to it.

I’m starting this SOON…like sometime this week since it’s officially Fall now. Haha…no I’ve been meaning to get to it, I just had others I had to finish up!

I won a copy of this arc! Yay, so I just got it in the mail and will get to it before it publishes in October.

I just got this in the mail with my OwlCrate box! So excited!!

Another arc I won on Bookishfirst! The blurb sounds interesting, cupid and a dating service?

Finally got my hands on this from my library. It’s been awhile since I read the first book though so I hope I can remember details when I start reading this one.

Been saving this one for Fall just to get into a spooky mood! It’s been sitting on my shelf for awhile.

I have a copy of this eARC in my NetGalley shelf but I want to read it closer to publication (which is next year), but I may just read it before Halloween because look at that cover! I mean…come on…🤷🏻‍♀️

Another NetGalley and yes the cover caught my eye plus I was requesting all kinds of things when I was done with my reading list last month! Haha…now I got all these random books to read.

I loved the cover, but reviews on it are average on NetGalley – so we shall see what I’m getting myself into!

And I had to at least have one contemporary ya book on my NetGalley shelf right?! I get approved for most ya fantasy, but I do love contemporary book as well!

That’s 10 but I have so much more for Fall because I need to clear up some NetGalley reads. What is on your list? I have a feeling I’ll be adding more on my TBR after reading other blogger’s lists! 😊

Top Ten Tuesday | September 17,2019

Favorite Things to Eat/Drink While Reading

Today’s topic is a very easy one but I don’t think I’ll have ten to list since I don’t really snack when I eat, so let’s do a top FIVE:

Because coffee DOES own me. Except I don’t drink my coffee like this…I like it in an ice blended. Not even as iced coffee…I needed blended.

And sometimes, when I feel funky, like my tummy is feeling weird or my throat is feeling scratchy and I just want to read and really really relax – then it’s all about chamomile tea for me.

Then on the days I really have time to read all day and I got some cookie dough in the fridge, then I will bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies to eat while I read!

Sometimes I find myself getting anxious when reading an action packed book and then I start munching on chips! Hummus and chips sometimes.

I’m a daily iced tea drinker though so I think I always have iced tea on hand if I don’t have any of the above.

And that’s what I have on my list! What did you have on yours? Leave your TTT link in my comments, or leave me a comment if you didn’t make a TTT. Would love to hear from you!

Top Ten Tuesday

This week’s topic is:

Books I Enjoyed That Are Outside of My Comfort Zone

(i.e., a genre you don’t typically read or subject matter you’re not usually drawn to)

I just got done reading this eARC of Mooncakes which is a graphic novel and I hardly read graphic novels. I saw awesome reviews for this one and gave it a try and LOVED it! I have a review on it coming up this week!

I don’t read middle grade books but I love Catherine Doyle and decided to give it a try. And I was not disappointed!

I’m not a big mystery fan, but I enjoy this series by indie author K.A. Miltimore who reached out to me to read and review her books. I love the supernatural characters and paranormal elements in this series. It always makes me want to move to a small town in Oregon. 🤔 And eat strangely shaped delicious pastries…😬

My comfort zone for the fantasy genre is more young adult fantasy which are broken up into trilogies and so when I borrowed this book I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Priory of the Orange Tree is a hefty book clocking in at 800+ pages. I read it in one week and I felt like it went slow because I couldn’t connect to the characters as I wanted to and I wanted more dragons really. It was pretty epic in scale, the world building , the length, the weight of the book (I felt like I was carrying around a newborn baby!).

I’ve been easing into reading sci-fi but I still enjoy reading it more as a space opera type books. It has to have romance and I definitely prefer it in as a young adult book. If it gets too technical, it loses me, so give me a book with action and emotion, like The Honors series and I can get into it.

Once in a great while I have the urge to read a book like Gone Girl. It’s not my favorite genre, but sometimes, just once in awhile, I need a good scare or freak out – I don’t know why! 😂 Last year I read Sharp Objects because I heard Amy Adams was going to star in the tv series. So I read the book beforehand and ugh…..it’s disturbing and just what I strangely wanted at the time. TOTALLY out of my comfort zone.

I read this one years ago when it came out in 2008 and I was working in a college library at the time and I borrowed from our collection. There was so much hype over it and so I read it and the whole series afterwards. What I really enjoyed about it was the computer hacking and revenge aspects but geez…it has a lot of disturbing scenes.

Apparently I’m digging deep in my Goodreads READ list to finish this topic…😅 but I read this 10+ years ago?! And I wasn’t into dystopia yet, Twilight was SO big that year, I remember falling in love with Vampires (again, you know there is always a cycle haha)…and I picked up this series and was like…whoa. It was just so different from all the vampire stuff I was reading, it was a breath of fresh air.

Bully romances…I actually liked book one Broken Legacy of this series, but after book two I decided to give up on the series and probably bully romances in general. I love the romance genre, it is what made me fall in love with reading in general. But I can take only so much unhealthy relationships in the romance genre. 😂

Reverse harem books are definitely out of my comfort zone – I tried this series because I love indie author Jaymin Eve, I liked book one but by the time I got to book four I stopped. I couldn’t make myself read book five. I just can’t do the whole one girl, five brothers relationship. 😅 It’s just way too much sharing for my taste. I can deal with a love triangle but more than that…it’s too much for me.

That’s my TTT today! I look forward to reading your lists ~ are any of these out of your comfort zone as well? Let me know in the comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday

This week’s topic is…

Books I’ve Read That I’d Like In My Personal Library

(perhaps you checked it out, borrowed it from a friend, received it for review, etc. and want to own it yourself.) (Submitted by Annemieke @ A Dance with Books)

I have so many I want – now only if I had the space…haha…

Vow of Thieves by. Mary Pearson – because the Dance of Thieves duology is one of my favorites. I love Kazi and Jase! ❤️ Read it as an arc and need it to complete my set.

The Nightingale by. Kristin Hannah – it’s the book that got me reading all of Kristin Hannah’s work. Read it as an ebook and definitely need a hard copy.

The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, & The Queen of Nothing by. Holly Black – I’m actually getting the Barnes & Noble trilogy set when it releases in November. Can’t wait!

Every Judith McNaught book in Hardcover – because her books made me fall in love with reading when I was a teenager.

Most of Lisa Kleypas historical romance books – I want almost all of them, because after Judith McNaught stopped writing, Lisa Kleypas books filled that void for my love of historical romance novels.

His Hideous Heart by. Dahlia Adler – because I love Edgar Allan poe and only read this as an arc. Will add it to my collection once it releases.

The Bridge Kingdom by. Danielle L. Jensen – hopefully I can get the set once the series is complete. Love this first book, hope the rest lives up to it!

Inferno and Mafiosa by. Catherine Doyle – I have Vendetta, from the Blood for Blood series but need the other two. One of my favorites!

The World on Either Side by. Diane Terrana – read this as an arc and I absolutely loved it.

The Bone Witch Series by. Run Chupelco – because I need more filipino authors on my book shelf and I love this series.

What books do you want on your bookshelf? Leave me your answers or link in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out her awesome blog to check out other Top Ten Tuesday topics! This week’s topic is Cover Redesigns I Loved/Hated (submitted by Rachelle @ Shell’s Stories).

Shatter Me by. Tahereh Mafi

Definitely love the redesigned cover more, it’s so pretty. Looking at them side by side, wow, what an upgrade the new design is!

Throne of Glass by. Sarah J. Maas

The original is pretty but the redesign is much more fierce!

The Luxe by. Anna Godbersen

I read this a long time ago and don’t remember much about it. But I just saw the redesigned cover on Book Outlet and had to wonder if it was the same Luxe I read! It’s so different. I don’t love the redesigned cover.

City of Bones by. Cassandra Clare

I remember buying City of Bones when it was first published and I’m partial to how the original looks more vibrant. So I’ll say I like the original better, the new one looks so bland.

An Ember in the Ashes by. Sabaa Tahir

I thin both these covers look great in their own way. I think I’m more drawn to the first one because of the lettering and colors. For some reason I’m not feeling the red coloring in the new design.

Shadow and Bone by. Leigh Bardugo

I love both covers but the original just embodies the mood of the series I think. Dark, a bit steampunk and Russian inspired.

Vampire Academy by. Richelle Mead

I love the redesigned cover more for sure. I love instead of Rose’s face, we get a rose dripping in blood.

Judith McNaught Books

This goes for all Judith McNaught books, but I had all the books that didn’t have a woman on the cover and I really loved that about her books. So I’m definitely going for the original versions.

Jane Austen Books

I don’t think you can go wrong with Jane Austen book covers! I mean look at these beauties! I can’t compare them to the original, but I bet even the original cover is amazing.

Harry Potter – by. J.K. Rowling

Remember the original? For the middle grade kids that read the original, it’s a totally charming cover. I’m sure there are lots of versions out there but yes I definitely love it with redesigned covers.

Leave me your link to your top ten or top five in the comments! Would love to read your post. 😘

Top Ten Tuesday: Childhood Favorites

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl – definitely check out her awesome website to see more info. This week’s topic is…Childhood Favorites! Not gonna lie – this one is challenging for me.

I did not grow up in a reading household. My parents immigrated from the Philippines to the USA. Growing up as farmers, they didn’t have the luxury of leisure reading in their motherland. They worked hard as children and as adults had to work hard in Hawaii to give me and my sister a better life. So my joy of reading came first from my elementary school librarian. I loved her! She was this petite Japanese-American woman, named Mrs. Aoki, with a high pitched, sweet, soft voice. Story time at the library was always my favorite part of the day!

Madeline – I loved when our school librarian read Madeline books to us in the afternoons before school ended. I wanted to be Madeline in Paris with her uniform and chic hat.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses – I’m not even sure what version our school librarian read to us – all I remember is the story. I love how these sisters snuck out at night (element of danger) and danced the night away. I would wonder where they went and my imagination would take flight. I thought it was amazing to be able to dance all night that their shoes would get ruin. 😂

Cinderella – once again, this isn’t the exact book I read as a child, but I did read the Disney version of Cinderella and fell in love. I loved the animals more than anything. Her gown was pretty and it was nice she got a Prince in the end, but I loved the magical aspect of the book.

Tikki Tikki Tembo – I still remember my first grade teacher reading us this story. It was after a field trip and it was hot as heck, but there were like 15 minutes to the bell ringing to end the school day. She read this book, as we tried to cool off, sitting outside of the classroom praying for a breeze and I got lost in this story. I’ve now read it to my own son and we love saying Tikki Tikki Tembo’s name. 😂

Green Eggs and Ham – This book was my favorite by Dr. Seuss when I was a child because green eggs and ham do not sound appealing. But it’s so funny how Sam-I-Am insists it’s amazing throughout the whole book. I still enjoy this book and my kids love it too now.

Grimm’s Fairy Tales – because I was going to say Rumplestiltskin is a favorite of mine BUT…since I love a lot of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, why not list them as one? Rapunzel, even Cinderella was writing by them, and so many other fairy tales that are now re-imagined today in YA books.

Since I mentioned Brothers Grimm, then I have to add Hans Christian Andersen in here as well! My favorites from him are The Little Mermaid, The Little Match Girl and Thumbelina to name a few.

East O’ the Sun and West O’ the Moon – I remember we saw a play of this story for a field trip in the 5th or 6th grade and I was entranced by the story. Just the title itself sounded magical! Definitely a love of mine and I’m thinking I needed to buy myself a copy and re-read it.

Sweet Ferdinand! The Story of Ferdinand is short and sweet with a lovely message about a bull who wanted no part in the violent world of bull-fighting. How can you not love a bull who loves flowers? He is the sweetest! It’s a story that always made me feel happy at the end.

Last, but not least, the very awesome, The Giving Tree. It’s a beautiful, sweet simple story with a message that relates to children and adults alike. I could read this one over and over again.

There you have it! Ten amazing collections and stories that shaped my love of reading as a child. Today, some of these books are shaping my own children’s love of books and reading.

Did you enjoy any of these as a child as well? Let me know in the comments below. Happy Reading!