Harry Potter Moment of the Week #120

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Who would you rather have as an enemy, Dumbledore or Voldemort?

I would absolutely have Voldemort as my enemy because then by default Dumbledore would be my ally. Despite all we know about Dumbledore's past, I trust that he would help anyone who was fighting against Voldemort. There are no benefits to having Dumbledore are my enemy. Voldemort can still want to kill me, and then there would be two very powerful wizards that don't like me. 

Notable Quotable: Francesca Zappia (#184)

"Like life, what gives a story its meaning is that fact that it ends. Our stories have lives of their own—and its up to us to make them mean something. "
     --Eliza and Her Monsters

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #119

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Would you rather go to Azkaban for 5 years or be hunted by Death Eaters for your whole life?

This is a bad question. The answer is neither, I want to experience neither of these things. Both of those choices would have serious life long consequences. Five years in Azkaban is enough to send anyone crazy and being hunted by Death Eaters would leave you unable to settle down anywhere. How can you build a life like that? 

If I had to answer I guess I would pick being hunted by Death Eaters. There's no way I would survive time in Azkaban, so it's the other option.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Character Names

The Top Ten Tuesday has a new home. It's hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Naming characters is really hard to do. I think these names are fit their characters really well, but also they're just really good names. Some of these names are so badass they enhance the character's actually badassness. They roll of the tongue effortlessly. I applaud all the authors who came up with great character names!

1. Verity Grey (The Shadowy Horses by Suzanna Kearsley)

2. Wylan Van Eck (Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo)

3. Carswell Thorne (The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer)

4. Philip Digby (Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly)

5. Gwen Darling (Everland by Wendy Spinale)

6. Day/Daniel Alton Wing (Legend by Marie Lu)

7. Sage (The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nieslen)

8. Nymphadora Tonks (Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling)

9. Rowena Duncan (My Faire Lady by Laura Wettersten)

10. Commander Holly Short & Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer)

Notable Quotable: V.E. Schwab (#183)

"I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still."
     --A Darker Shade of Magic

Notable Quotable: Jennifer E. Smith (#182)

"It's because you're thinking big picture. That'll knock the wind out of you every time. You have to take it in pieces."
     --Windfall

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #118

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Which character makes you laugh the most?

I think every character has their moments of humor, but if I were to choose I think Fred and George win. Their humor together (you can't have one without the other) just cracks me up. They have a good natured humor that mixes with sarcasm perfectly so that sometimes you're not sure if they are serious or just joking. But their gags are always on point. (I'm looking that the inflatable swamp in Order of the Phoenix.) I get a good giggle whenever they're in the story. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books With My Favorite Color on the Cover

The Top Ten Tuesday has a new home. It's hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

GREEN. Green is my favorite color and here are some great books with green on the cover.

1. The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro - This is the second book in this series and I'm absolutely in love with it! The covers are absolutely beautiful and each feature a different cover, but this green is my favorite.

2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - This is my favorite book in the series and it also happens to have Harry's name in emerald green on the cover.  I love it!

3. Warcross by Marie Lu - Marie Lu has had me hook on her books since Legend and this book does not disappoint. It's such a great high action, virtual reality video game adventure. It's the first in a series and I cannot wait for the rest of the books to come out.

4. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - This character driven story will break your heart and make you feel all the feelings. Ove has a story to tell, even if he doesn't think it's all that great. I loved this story so much.

5. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee - I'm going to be honest, I went into this book hesitantly because of all the hype. I am pleased to report the hype is real. This story is so fun, adventurous, laugh out loud funny, I really enjoyed it.

6. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt - I love this book. I read it in college and knew immediately it would become one of my favorites. The characters are spunky and full of spirit and the story is worth reading again and again.

7. The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury - This is the first book in a trilogy that I am thoroughly invested in right now. I really liked the audiobook for this one and the green on the cover sets the tone of the book beautifully.

8. The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen - This is the second book in the Ascendance trilogy, The False Prince, being the first. This is another really great story with characters you want to have as friends.

9. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - I love a good thriller and this one threw me for a loop. The suspense and mystery sucks you right into this story, keeping you guessing the entire time.

10. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - Rick Riordan kicks off his entire world with this book right here and I love it. Percy Jackson is a beloved character and I love that his first book has green all over the cover. 

Quarterly Book Stats Review

I saw a quarterly stats review on both Geeky Zoo Girl and Curiosity Killed the Bookworm. I really like this idea so I'm going to do my own version!

First Quarter Books(January-March)
Total Books: 21
Paperback/hardcover: 12 (57.1%)
Audiobooks: 9 (42.9%)
Total pages: 7,283
┉┉┉
Own: 15 (71.4%)
Borrowed: 6 (28.6%)
┉┉┉
New: 18 (85.7%)
Rereads: 3 (14.3%)
┉┉┉
Male Authors: 2 (9.5%)
Female Authors: 19 (90.5%)

I gave these books an average star rating of 3.9 stars, which I'd say is a pretty good quarter for reading. There were four 5 star books: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (which I will always and forever rate 5 stars), Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 1: Anchor Points by Kelly Thompson, Warcross by Marie Lu, and The Case For Jamie by Brittany Cavallaro.

Genre breakdown
I've been on a huge fantasy kick lately, so I wasn't surprised that it was my largest percentage. I also wasn't surprised that most of the books I read this quarter were YA books. I am trying to broaden my horizons, so I'll pay more attention to that in the next quarter.

YA: 18 (85.7%)
Adult: 3 (14.3%)
┉┉┉
Graphic Novels/Trades: 3 (14.3%)
Thriller/Mystery: 4 (19%)
Historical: 1 (4.8%)
Contemporary: 4 (19%)
Fantasy/Sci-fi: 7 (33.3%)
Dystopian: 1 (4.8%)
Classics: 1 (4.8%)

Length
0-150: 3 (14.3%)
150-250: 0
250-350: 7 (33.3%)
350-500: 9 (42.9%)
>500: 2 (9.5%)

Reading Goals Update!
Goodreads goal: 12/25 books (ahead) - Goodreads counts all the books toward my goal, but I'm only counting books I physically read, which is why this count is different from my official Goodreads count.

Finish the Series: 3/8 series (on track) - I have so many series that I've started and I need to start finishing them. Luckily many of them are trilogies, so I hopefully will be able to keep up the pace in the next quarter.

Read it or Leave it: 1/21 books (way behind) - I knew I'd be behind, especially because there are so many books on this list that I'm lukewarm about right now. (but isn't that the point of this challenge anyway?)

Notable Quotable: Peadar O Guilin (#181)

"They drink from streams whose waters taste like tears, and indeed each swallow fills them with a few heartbeats of deep sadness."
     --The Call