Top Ten Tuesday: Graphic Novels/Trade Paperbacks on my TBR

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan - This series sounds really interesting; it's about four girls who deliver newspapers. They uncover some crazy secret.  It sounds a little bit like Stranger Things but with all girls. And that makes me really happy. 

The Wicked and The Divine by Kieron Gillen - Oh look another Kieron Gillen series. A group of gods get reincarnated as humans every ninety years and in two years they die. This series chronicles their most recent human adventures. It sounds really interesting, I look forward to reading it!

Archie Vol. 2 by Mike Waid - Archie comics were my childhood, so finding out about this reboot was exciting. I've read and enjoyed the first volume quite a bit.  It made me very nostalgic and the new comics really have kept the spirit of the old ones nicely. 

Delilah Dirk by Tony Cliff - I've read the first graphic novel in this series. Delilah is an awesome badass, slightly selfish, adventurer and world traveller. I'm sure the next adventures will be just as entertaining as the first.

Gotham Academy Vol. 3: Yearbook by Becky Cloonan - The first two volumes were really interesting and I'm anxious to get my hands on the third volume. Hopefully, it'll answer some of the questions from the first two volumes. 

Rat Queens Vol. 2 The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe - The first volume of the series was so good and so entertaining. I want to continue read about these badass maidens-for-hire. 

Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham - This series of graphic novels follows all the fairytales as they've been exiled to New York. Each characters more raw and real than their fairytale story. I've read the first two and it's so good, I just want to continue this story and figure what happens to each of the characters.

Guardians of the Galaxy by Brian Michael Bendis - I started reading the individual comics before the movie came out and I haven't really returned since. I loved the movie, it still makes me laugh every time I watch it. I'd love to jump back into this series. 

Journey into the mystery by Kieron Gillen - I've read and loved other series that Kieron Gillen has written, specifically Young Avengers. And this comes highly recommended by the human who started me down this glorious rabbit hole we call comics. 

Spider-Gwen by Jason Latour - In this universe the spider bites Gwen Stacy instead of Peter Parker and it sounds great. She's in a band she's got spider powers and she's not going to let her dad tell her what to do. 

Notable Quotable: Mindy McGinnis (#145)

"Grace had learned long ago that the true horrors of this world were other people."
     --A Madness So Discreet

Notable Quotable: Kirsty Logan (#144)

"When people are cruel it's often said that they have no heart, only a cold space or lump of ice in their chest. This was never true of Avalon. She had no heart, everyone knew, but there was nothing cold about her. IN her chest burned an enormous coal, white-hot, brighter than the North Star. North knew the truth about Avalon: she was made of fire, and she would burn them all."
     --The Grace Keepers

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #94

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Would you rather take a class taught by Lockhart or get detention with Filch?

I believe that I would rather endure an annoying, self-centered lecture from Lockhart with the possibility of witnessing him fumble than endure a monotonous, potentially painful and extreme detention with a man who loathes most kids. Filch revels in the idea of causing kids pain and grief. I'm not about to let him enjoy myself at his expense. So give me the self-obsessed, fame-greedy idiot. I'll find a way to make that class entertaining.

Top Ten Tuesday: Hidden Gems I'v Recently Read

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Today, I'm only going to highlight four novels. I read all of these in 2016 and absolutely loved them. In fact, I think I rated each of these novels 5 stars, a rating I don't hand out easily. Trouble is a Friend of Mine is a reread, I read it when it first came out in 2015; it's just as good the second time through, maybe better. Without further ado, here are my four hidden gems of 2016.


1-2. Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly, Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly - These are the first two books in a trilogy about a boy shrouded in mystery and conflict. I'm a slow reader and I flew through both of these books. The story is so intriguing. Imagine a stranger showing up in your life and essentially enlisting you in all sorts of mischeif and tomfoolery to solve a missing persons case. Chaos is bound to happen.

3. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro - This book is about the distant relatives of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson and it's amazing! They end up going to the same private school and they are thrust together to solve a crime just like their original counterparts. It's endearing and reminiscent, but also a breathe of fresh air in a world with so many retellings.

4. Everland by Wendy Spinale - This reimagining of Peter Pan is unlike any other. The setting alone is enough to make me love this book. A blitzed and diseased London make for a fascinating map of Neverland. Clever incarnations of these classic characters mixed with new ones give this story a great dynamic. I loved it.

Notable Quotable: Ernest Cline (#143)

"I'd spent my entire life overdosing on uncut escapism, willingly allowing fantasy to become my reality."
     --Armada

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #93

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Would you have put your name in the Goblet of Fire?

The gusto all-talk-in-the-face-of-fear part of me say hell yes, I would have put my name in the Goblet of Fire and then I would have been chosen. But to really answer the question, I don't know. 

I think of the real danger all of the champions faced in the actual tasks (minus the Voldemort manipulation) and I become very hesitant. I mean they stopped doing it for years because students had actually died competing.  I'm going to go with probably not.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read in 2016 But Haven't Yet

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

2016 Releases:

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer - I was so excited to find out this book was coming out in 2016, but I just wasn't able to get my hands on it until December. And then it just didn't happen.  BUT it is one of the first books I'm going to read in 2017, so that's something.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer - This is another book I got at the end of 2016 and just didn't make it into my busy life.  I absolutely love Marissa Meyer's writing and the concept of this novel, so it will definitely get read in 2017.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows - After I went to London this summer, I had the itch to devour all things English. This book came out around that time, so it immediately hit my radar. I've heard it's incredible and hilarious. Definitely something I want to read in 2017.

The Love that Split the World by Emily Henry - I was so so excited to read this book, but other books and life got in the way.  It's been sitting on my shelf since it was released. :/ I will read it in 2017 though, because I am still excited to read this book.

This Midnight Star by Marie Lu - So this one was a pretty long shot for me in 2016, mostly because I haven't gotten around to The Rose Society. I am however currently reading The Rose Society so chances are high that I will be reading this book in 2017!

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas - This book was high on my list to read in 2016 and I even checked it out from the library a couple times, but I just didn't get to it.  I don't want to get too far behind because these books are huge, so I will definitely be taking time to read this in 2017. o.O

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley - Phobias are something that really interest me, I love learning about them and reading books which either center around them, or characters that suffer from them.  This book was one that sounded incredibly interesting. Unfortunately it didn't make it in 2016, but 2017 is another year and another opportunity to read it!

Released before 2016:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab - I've been looking at this book (and trilogy) for a long time and I just never seem to get around to it.  2016 was no different, unfortunately. I did get this book from my Secret Santa this year, so 2017 here's to looking up!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - Another year has gone and I still haven't read this book.  I'm still interested in it, which says something, but 2016 just wasn't it's year.  I'm banking on 2017 for a shot at this book and it's series. 

The Chronological Sherlock Holmes Challenge

I love Sherlock Holmes. I've devoured just about every media outlet for the detective: movies, tv shows, and novel retellings.  Unfortunately, I haven't actually read all of the original Sherlock Holmes stories. I've read a fair amount of them but not as many as I'd like. This is my attempt to be more intentional about reading all of Doyle's works.

Marian at Noonlight Reads/Classic Lit has created a chronological reading challenge that will span 16 months starting this month (January 2017). She plans to read a short story a week, and a novel every three weeks. While her schedule seems like a great idea, I know that I won't be able to keep that schedule and also read other things this year, it's just not going to happen. So I'm going to take it a little slower. Some months I hope to stick to the original schedule, but it'll probably take me two full years to finish.

Here's the chronological order of the stories, so you can read along if you'd like. I recommend you check out Marian's post about this. She has it all figured out.

"The Gloria Scott"
"The Musgrave Ritual"
A Study in Scarlet
"The Speckled Band"
"The Yellow Face"
"The Red Circle"
"The Beryl Coronet"
"The Resident Patient"
"The Reigate Squires"
"The Second Stain"
"The Naval Treaty"
"The Crooked Man"
"The Five Orange Pips"
"The Noble Bachelor"
The Valley of Fear
"A Scandal in Bohemia"
"A Case of Identity"
"The Greek Interpreter"
The Sign of the Four
"Silver Blaze"
"The Stock-Broker's Clerk"
"The Boscombe Valley Mystery"
"The Man with the Twisted Lip"
"The Engineer's Thumb"
"The Cardboard Box"
The Hound of the Baskervilles
"The Blue Carbuncle"
"The Copper Beeches"
"The Red-Headed League"
"Charles Augustus Milverton"
"The Final Problem"
"The Empty House"
"Wisteria Lodge"
"Three Gables"
"The Mazarin Stone"
"The Norwood Builder"
"The Golden Pince-Nez"
"The Solitary Cyclist"
"The Three Students"
"Black Peter"
"The Bruce-Partington Plans"
"The Veiled Lodger"
"The Missing Three-Quarter"
"The Abbey Grange"
"The Devil's Foot"
"The Dancing Men"
"The Retired Colourman"
"Thor Bridge"
"The Priory School"
"The Sussex Vampire"
"The Six Napoleons"
"The Three Garridebs"
"The Disappearance of Lady Francis Carfax"
"The Illustrious Client"
"The Blanched Soldier"
"Shoscombe Old Place"
"The Creeping Man"
"The Dying Detective"
"The Lion's Mane"
"His Last Bow"

I'll do update posts every couple of month to see how I've progressed, and who know maybe I will finish it right alongside Marian. Happy reading my friends!

2017 Challenges

Full House Reading Challenge 2017; hosted by Book Date. 

RULES: This challenge runs from January 1st to December 31st, 2017.  Create a post committing to your participation.  Read and review books based on topics on the card below.  There will be a link every quarter for you to add your reviews as you go along.  The goal is to complete the full house card, with one free exchange if there is something on a square that you really dislike.

Nonfiction: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
On TBR for 2+ Years:
More than 500 pages:
Page Turner:
Middle Grade Book: The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
2017 Published:
Published pre-2000:
UK/European Author: A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman
Back List book from fav author:
Book from a List:
Award Winner:
Book about books:
Size in the Title: The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
Two Worded Title: The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín
Debut Book: Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Food on Cover or in Title:
Cozy Mystery: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Book from Childhood:
Diverity Book:
Austrialian/New Zealand Author:
Western:
USA/Canadian Author: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Not Really For You: Safekeeping by Jessamyn Hope
Attractive Cover:
Borrowed: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

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2017 Keyword Reading Challenge; hosted by My Soul Called Life.

RULES: This challenge runs from January 1st to December 31st, 2017. Read and review books based on the keywords for each month. The book titles can be a variation of the keywords. Commit to your participation and have fun! Check the page for the rest of the rules.

Keywords: 
January- Court, Fall, of, Way, Deep, Thousand
February- And, Rose, Promise, Every, Deception, Blazing
March- Shall, Go, By, Silence, Her, Saga
April- From, Trigger, Tale, His, Crown, Mist
May- Four, Wind, All, Fury, Days, Shade
June- Without, Know, Good, Watch, One, Have
July- Before, Final, All, Freedom, Life, Dream
August- Sun, Infinite, Big, My, Wherever, Most
September- Sand, From, Between, Ever, Reasons, Clash
October- Darker, You, Ashes, Out, House, Sea
November- Place, War, Heart, Why, Give, Meet
December- Forget, Twilight, Only, Crystal, On, Will

Books:
January - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
February
March
April - Postcards From the Edge by Carrie Fisher
May
June
July - Hawkeye Vol. 1: My Life As A Weapon by Matt Fraction
August
September
October
November
December

It's 2017!

Welcome everyone to 2017. 🎊 Along with everyone else, I am hoping 2017 will be much, MUCH better than 2016. I am hopeful for a variety of reasons, but for this blog specifically I am hopeful that 2017 will be a better blog year for me.

Last year, I was pretty nonexistent. I had spurts of activity but I had a variety of personal circumstances that took priority in 2016.

2017, however, I've come up with a good balance of book challenges and personal reading goals for this blog that should make it a bit easier for me to maintain. Also, I'm going to start preplanning like crazy. I always seem to get myself in trouble when I don't plan ahead.

The next couple of posts will be announcing the goals I have set for myself and the challenges I will be participating in this year. I'm going to focus more on reading enjoyment and less on stressing I finish and accomplish all the challenges.

But one very important thing will be returning to my blog this year, the book review! (What? You're going to actually review books on your book blog? That's crazy!) Yes, person inside the parentheses, you will see book reviews on this blog again. I hope you enjoy all the content to come.

Cheers to everyone in the new year! 😃