Notable Quotable: John Corey Whaley (#166)

"But she believed there was a thin line between accepting one's fears and giving into them altogether."
     --Highly Illogical Behavior

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #112

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Would you rather get a disapproving glare from McGonagall or Dumbledore?


Absolutely I'd prefer to get the glare of disapproval from Dumbledore. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to on Dumbledore's bad side, but there is something about McGonagall that makes me want to never let her down. She's badass and encouraging. She sees the best in every student, which is why I think seeing disappointment on her face would hurt more. She knows you can do better. I mean, look at that glare, look at it. 

Notable Quotable: Jasper Fforde (#165)

"Prejudice is a product of ignorance that hides behind barriers of tradition."
     --The Fourth Bear

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #111

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

How would you use Felix Felicis (Liquid Luck)?

This is such a hard question because there are so many options. Some of the more obvious and tempting ones are picking lotto numbers or entering a contest/sweepstakes/competition. Imagine the possibilities of what one could win with Felix Felicis. 

I've always want to write and publish a novel. I know what a arduous process that can be at times, so I think I would use Liquid Luck to help me find a publisher once I had a manuscript that I was proud of and wanted to start pitching. Though, I might have to use it to help me get to that writing point. 
I'm sure as soon as this is published, I will think of another really good way to use Felix Felicis because that's how my brain works. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Epic Fall TBR

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

It's fall and I love fall.  It always puts me in a particular mood to read. I love picking up fantasy, dystopian and mysteries during this time. Anything that screams leaves and pumpkins, sweaters and wood-burning fireplaces. So here's my list of books that scream candles and cinnamon sticks.

1. The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas - I read Throne of Glass early this year and then found out I probably should have started with this book. I don't think it really matters if I read this before the rest of the series, but I have heard that it gives more characterization to Celaena. So I'm going to read it before I continue on with the series.

2. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - This book has the potential to take over my fall reads. I'm definitely going to read it, but I might also binge read the rest of the series if I'm really into it.  I have a feeling that it's going to happen.

3. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness - I know very little about this book and I've owned it for years now. I know that people can hear each other's thoughts and that alone is enough to pique my interest.

4. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - I'm almost done with Six of Crows and I can already tell I'm going to pick this up immediately after.

5. Warcross by Marie Lu - This book just came out and I'm really excited to read this. I wasn't the biggest fan of The Young Elites trilogy, but I loved the Legend trilogy. I'm interested to see where this book falls. I have a feeling I'm going to love it though.

6. Renegades by Marissa Meyer - I'm going to be honest here, I don't know what this one is about at all. I think there are two opposing groups of people in the story, maybe. I don't know, but if Marissa Meyer wrote it, you bet your bottom dollar I'm going to read it.

7. S by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst- This book is a library book by a fictional author that two students write in and pass back and forth. You get to read the book and the students comments and the story that unfolds from both of them. I don't know, it's meta.

8. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake - This sounds like the perfect fall fantasy read. Magical sisters fighting over one thrown. I hope I enjoy it as much as I think I'm going to.

9. Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - There is never a bad time to read some Sherlock Holmes! I'm going to aim to read five short stories and maybe one of the novels this fall.

10. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - I started this book back in March, I think, and it's still not finished. It has definitely taken a back seat to every other book I've read this year. I did promise myself I would read it this year and so I will continue my read, no excuses!

Fall also makes me think of graphic novels and coffee so here is my fall TBR of graphic novels/trade paperbacks.

1. Hawkeye Vol. 5: All-New Hawkeye by Jeff Lemire
2. Hawkeye Vol. 6: Hawkeyes by Jeff Lemire
3. Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 1: Anchor Points by Kelly Thompson
There's something about Hawkeye that just makes me want to keep reading it. I reread Matt Fraction's run of Hawkeye at the end of July and want to continue with all the crazy characters. I'm ready to see what other shenanigans Clint and Kate get themselves into in these three volumes.

4. The Fade Out Act 1 by Ed Brubaker
5. The Fade Out Act 2 by Ed Brubaker
6. The Fade Out Act 3 by Ed Brubaker
This series has been on my radar for some time now and I've always felt like I should read it in the fall, so now is the time! I really like film noir and this series looks like it's going to be really good noir.

7. Paper Girls Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan - I read the first two volumes at the beginning of this year and I'm ready to find out what happens to the girls next!

8. Runaways (2017) by Rainbow Rowell - I love Runaways. I was so excited to hear it that it was returning, I don't even want to wait until a trade comes out.

9. Young Avengers by Kieron Gillen - I own this series in single issues and read them as I got them. Now that Kate Bishop has her own Hawkeye run, I want to reread it to refresh my memory a bit and also because it's awesome!

10. Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham
11. Fables Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldier by Bill Willingham
It is my quest to finish this series so long as I continue to like the story. It's been a while since I've read any Fables so I may need to backtrack a little bit. Either way, I hope to read the next to volumes in this series and learn some more about these fairytale characters.

 

#TheReadingQuest Wrap-up

Aentee at Read at Midnight created this quest, go check out her sign up page for all the details.

It's been an intense month of acquiring health and experience points, leveling up my character, and reading as much as I can. #TheReadingQuest gave me an opportunity to read several books that I've been meaning to read, but just didn't feel like it was the right time. Without further ado here are my character stats for the end of the challenge.

Stats: 
Character Class: Mage
Level: 3
Experience Points: 105 exp
Health Points: 204

Total pages read: 1,080
Total minutes listened to: 1,787 (≈29.75 hours)

Mage Quest:
A book with a one word title: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith 
A book that contains magic: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab 
A book based on mythology: The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín
A book set in a different world: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 
The First Book in a Series:

Side Quests
Mini-Game: read a graphic novel, novella or poem collection: Lumberjanes Vol. 3: A Terrible Idea by Noelle Stevenson
Open World: read whatever you want: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia 
Grind: A book with 500+ pages: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

While I did not complete my character quest, I did do quite a bit of reading this month. I completed 3 of the side challenges and 3 1/2 challenges of my character quest. I listened to 3 audiobooks and read 2.5 books and 1 graphic novel.

I'm currently a little over halfway through Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and I am absolutely loving the writing and the characters. Normally, I would have powered through and tried to finish the book at the last minute, but I really want to savor it so I gave myself half credit.

I had so much fun reading through these challenges. If #TheReadingQuest happens again, I definitely plan on participating!  If you participated in #TheReadingQuest, I'd love to know how you did; did you finish your character quest? Which books did you read? Happy reading all!

Notable Quotable: Robyn Schneider (#164)

"Oscar Wilde once said that to live is the rarest thing in the world, because most people just exist, and that's all. I don't know if he's right, but I do know that I spend a long time existing, and now, I intend to live."
     --The Beginning of Everything

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #110

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Favorite quote from Half-Blood Prince.

As lots of you know, I love quotes, so picking just one quote from Half-Blood Prince isn't going to be possible.  So here are a couple that I love very much!

"There's no need to call me "sir" Professor."
     --Harry

"'The thing about growing up with Fred and George,' said Ginny thoughtfully, 'is that you sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve.'"
     --Ginny

"Well, you seemed too busy to call him a prat and I thought someone should."
     --Ginny

"Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies."
     --Dumbledore

"Somewhere out in the darkness, a phoenix was singing in a way Harry had never heard before: a stricken lament of terrible beauty. And Harry felt, as he had felt about phoenix song before, that the music was inside him, not without: It was his own grief turned magically to song."

Top Ten Tuesday: Throwback

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

The year was 2012. I was just beginning this blog and there were lots of books I wanted to read and review. I ended up reading some really great books that year; I'd like to share with you the top ten books I read in my first year of book blogging.

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - My review This book was probably my most anticipated release of 2012.

2. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler - my review I was really excited to read this book because I loved the Series of Unfortunate Events. Daniel Handler has a very unique style of writing and I loved how it was paired with beautiful drawings in this book to tell the story.

3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie - my review My first Agatha Christie book! I actually had to read this for a class I was taking. I remember really being stumped by this book; I enjoyed trying to figure out the mystery as I was reading.

4. Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald - my review This is a sweet coming of age romance about getting over a best friend. A while before this book was published I read the first chapter somewhere online but couldn't remember name of the book or author. So when I came across it in 2012, I was excited to have found it again.

5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - Always a favorite of mine! I will never get tired of reading about Bilbo and the dwarves on their adventure across Middle Earth.

6. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak - my review Markus Zusak has such a way with words, this book was one I knew I wanted to read after reading The Book Thief. I don't really remember much about the plot, but I remember enjoying reading it.

7. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson - my review I watched this movie long before I realized it was a book. I loved the movie, but the book struck a chord with me. I really really liked this story of friendship and loss.

8. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - my review This is one of my favorite books of all time. I first read it in 7th grade and I have reread it several times since then. The games and mystery of the story always keep you guessing.

9. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin - my review I listened to the this book and the reader was incredibly engaging. It really enhanced the story of Alice Liddell, the Alice that inspired Alice in Wonderland.

10. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson - my review A true ghost story, I remember eating this story up when I heard about it. I was so excited to learn it was the first in a series.

Notable Quotable: Lauren Oliver (#163)

"That's when I realized that certain moments go on forever. Even after they're over they still go on, even after you're dead and buried, those moments are lasting still, backward and forward, on into infinity. They are everything and everywhere all at once. They the meaning."
     --Before I Fall

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #109

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Which character confused you most through the series?

This is such an interesting question. I'm not sure I've ever stopped to consider who was confusing to me. My first thought is Dumbledore. He is so vague and whimsical; lots of the things he says to Harry are confusing especially in the early books. There is a lot that didn't make sense when he speaks candidly to Harry because he holds back information. As Harry gets older, Dumbledore decides to confide in him more and some of the confusion is cleared up. However, a lot of it goes to the grave with him. Part of Dumbledore's aesthetics is his mystery and vagueness, it's the allure that keeps us begging for more.

#TheReadingQuest Halfway Update

Aentee at Read at Midnight created this quest, go check out her sign up page for all the details.

So it's just over halfway through #TheReadingQuest and I've had a lot of fun reading the books I've picked out. And I'm doing pretty well if I do say so myself. I have finished 2 books, 1 graphic novel, and 1 audiobook. That's quite a lot for someone who reads slowly!

Lauren at Wonderless Reviews created an amazing spreadsheet to help calculate the experience and health points, which is wonderful because I didn't want to compute the numbers. (cuz I'm lazy. >.<) And now I don't have to. Thanks!

Stats: 
Character Class: Mage
Level: 2
Experience Points: 85 exp
Health Points: 144

Total pages read: 937
Total minutes listened to: 913 (≈15.25 hours)

I've shifted a couple books around to better fit my Mage quest challenges. I just started Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and I'm just over halfway through The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín.  When I finish both of those, I will have completed the Mage quest!

Currently Reading:
A book based on mythology: The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín
A book set in a different world: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 

FINISHED BOOKS
Mage Quest:
A book with a one word title: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith 
A book that contains magic: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab 
The first book in a series: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

I've also completed some of the side quests. Who knows how many more of them I will get to as I am going to focus on finishing my character quest.

Side Quests
Mini-Game: read a graphic novel, novella or poem collection: Lumberjanes Vol. 3: A Terrible Idea by Noelle Stevenson
Open World: read whatever you want: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia 

Overall, I'm doing fairly well with this challenge. I'm getting to some books that I've been putting off and enjoying new finds as well. If I finish my Mage quest I might just have some time to move onto either the Knight or the Bard quests and of course some more side quests.

If you are participating in #TheReadingQuest, I'd love to know which books you've been reading and which character quest you have chosen. Happy reading all!

Notable Quotable: Brittany Cavallaro (#162)

"I tended to spend too much time with my favorite things, loved them too hard until I wore them down. After a while, they became more like a shorthand for who I was and less like things I actually enjoyed."
     --The Last of August