Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases Part 2

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1.  Ms. Marvel, Vol. 3: Crushed by G. Willow Wilson (June 23) - I've been wanting to pick this comic up since it started being published and now that there are almost three volumes out I think it's time.  I need some more amazing female super heroes in my life and Ms. Marvel seems like a good place to start.

2. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (July 14) - Ever since I read To Kill A Mockingbird all I've wanted was more from Harper Lee.  She has a way with words and I am so excited to read this book, like over the moon excited!  I know there might be some shade going around, but it won't stop me from picking up this book.

3. Mechanica by Betsy Cornwall (August 4) - This was on my list at the beginning of the year, but I'm putting it on here again.  I love retellings and this one sounds so good!  I will definitely be reading this as soon as it comes out!

4. Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead (August 4) - I have only read one Rebecca Stead book, if this is anything like When You Reach Me then I will be a very happy camper.  It's about three friends who's only rule is that they never fight.  I'm wondering how long that will last.  Whatever this book is about I'm sure it'll be a great story.

5. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith (September 1) - This book sounds either especially cute, or heartbreaking, but either way it should be a touching love story.  I've read her first book and enjoyed that, so I've decided it's time to pick up another one of her books.

6. Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate (September 22) - There's just something about having a giant cat on the cover of this book that makes me want to read it.  I have no idea what it's about other than that.  I do trust that the writing is good because her last book one the Newbery.  I'm ready to read this!

7. The Rose Society by Marie Lu (October 6) - Okay so this is coming out in October which means I need to get on my game and read The Young Elites because this series sounds so good and I know I'm going to want to read this book as soon as I finish the first!

8. Illuminae by Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (October 20) - I don't know anything about this book other than the cover is absolutely gorgeous and it's really intriguing.  It definitely makes me want to find out what it's all about.

9. Hello? by Liza Wiemer (October 27) - This book is told from five different points of view, which I think will be really interesting.  Everyone as a different story but they are all connected through a phone call.  It sounds like it's going to be really good.

10. Winter by Marissa Meyer (November 10) - This is by far the most anticipated book of the year and it's slowly getting closer to its publishing date.  I am so excited to read this concluding book to this series.  I cannot wait!!!! (please excuse the excessive punctuation.)

11. Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom (December 1) - All I really know about this book book is that main character is blind, but she doesn't let that stop her and she doesn't let it become an excuse for people to treat her differently.  This could be a really good book.

May 2015 Wrap-Up

Here's my wrap-up for May.

Notable Quotable: Sarah J. Maas (#76)

"Don't feel bad for one moment about doing what brings you joy." 
     --A Court of Thorns and Roses

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (#41)

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Who would I take to the Yule Ball?


Without a doubt I would ask Neville Longbottom if he would go with me to the Yule Ball.  He is so sincere, he even practiced dancing so that he wouldn't step on Ginny's feet when he took her.  I love that Neville is a gentleman and that he cares so much.  He's the kind of guy that I would have a lot of fun dancing with at the Yule Ball.  He's unafraid too look a fool and it's a beautiful thing.  Neville and I would have so much fun!

A Court of Thorns and Roses

by Sarah J. Maas
Published: Bloomsbury Children's, 2015
pages: 416

Feyre is the only reason her family has survived their recent years of poverty.  However, when she accidentally kills a Faerie while out hunting, she must face the consequences of her actions.  She is dragged to a mysterious land she knows only from stories and nightmares.  Feyre discovers that her captor isn't an animal, but Tamlin, a High Lord of the faeries.  As her feelings for him begin to change, the looming threat against the faerie world grows.  It's up to Feyre to stop it, or lose Tamlin and the others forever.

I love Beauty and the Beast, but before this, I had never read a retelling of this fairytale.  Man, I chose the perfect book to read for retelling.  I loved reading this book, knowing a little bit about what was going to happen, but not how it was going to happen.  One of my favorite things about retellings is the incredible way in which authors take a familiar story and make it their own.  Right from the beginning this book exuded originality.  I loved the discord between the mortal and faerie realms.  The history between those two world was a perfect spring board for this story.

I loved that the "beast" part of the curse involved ornate masquerade masks rather than a true beast transformation.  It was a nice nod to that aspect of the story. The subtlety of the curse in this book was brilliant.  Because the story is told from the point of view of Feyre, the reader is just as blind to any hints Tamlin and his court might be dropping about the curse, which makes for a great revelation when Feyre starts putting clues together.

The characters in this book are so fascinating.  I absolutely love Lucein, for his charm and humor and his undying loyalty to Tamlin.  I love his snarkiness and his quick wit of exchange with almost everyone he meets. Feyre's character development is probably the most intense because the story unfolds through her eyes.  We get to watch her go from blindly hating the faeries to slowly falling in love with one of the strongest Fae.  It's entertaining when the narrator gets confused about their emotions.  Tamlin and Feyre's relationship is beautiful.  I love how their interactions slowly change over the course of the book.  It's a beautiful thing to watch people fall in love and be stubborn about it at the same time.

This was a great beginning to a new series that I will follow to the end!  Amazing story telling by Sarah J. Maas. (P.S. there's a map and it's cool!)

Stars: 4/5

Praise:

"A gorgeously written tale as lush and romantic as it is ferocious.  Absolutely spellbinding."
     --Alexandra Bracken, New York Times bestselling author

"Simply dazzles...the clamor for a sequel will be deafening... Maas' Throne of Glass series has been a smash hit...this new series is primed to follow in its footsteps.
     --starred review

"A dazzling world, complex characters and sizzling romance.  Feyre is a charming heroine with a perfect amount of flaws and strengths, and her chemistry with Tamlin is wonderfully tangible."
     --Top Pick

An Eclectic Reader 2015 Challenge book.
A Full House Reading Challenge book.
An Alphabet Soup Challenge book.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd like to see as TV series/Movies

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1.  Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling - I've always thought it would be kind of cool to see a TV series made about the ongoings of Hogwarts.  It doesn't necessarily have to be Harry's story, it could be the year at Hogwarts where the trio wasn't there, or the next generation of Hogwarts kids.  It could be really cool.

2. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - I want to see this happen so bad!  I feel like this could be an amazing set of movies.  Each story builds from the previous one and I think storytelling like that is really effective in movies.  Plus, I want to see this world come to life!

3. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall - These four girls get themselves into all sorts of trouble and adventure.  I've only read one of their books but I can imagine all of them would make a great television series that kids would really enjoy.  (I mean I'd like it too!)

4. How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer - I am a sucker for a good love story and this one would make for a very entertaining RomCom.  I think it would work well as a movie or as a TV series, maybe a pseudo reality TV style competition would be cool.

5.  Stephanie Perkins books - I would love to see a set of movies from her books in which the characters cross over like they do in the novels. (Crossovers are one of my favorite things ever.)  It would be awesome, each story is their own but then characters you briefly see in the first turn out to be the main characters in the subsequent movies.  I'd be all over that.

6. The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde - I'm not sure which mode of media would work best for this book, but the concept itself would be excellent.  Fictional, nursery rhyme/fairytale characters who live in modern world but they don't realize they are characters.  Plus, it's a murder mystery.  You can do so much with that!

7. Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger -  This steampunk boarding school for fine ladies would be an excellent setting for a TV show.  We could see the day to day happenings of the characters learning how to be fine ladies and fine spies.  It would be pretty sweet!

8. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead - This would make a heart-warming movie.  I would jump at a chance to see this story be made into a movie.  It's got an element of mystery that I think would play well on screen.

9. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket - This series needs another chance.  I think it would do really well as a television series.  They'd get the chance to develop these characters better and include characters that were missing from the movie.

10. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - I want this movie so bad!  It's a game and a mystery and a wonderful complication of characters and motives and actions.  I think it would be a great movie if it were done right.

June TBR: Adventure

Summer is here and it's time for a little adventure.  I've got my fair share of adventuring planned this summer and so I thought I'd take some of it to the books!  I will be adventuring in the magical realms and in real life.  I'm hoping to get to quite a few of my choices this month!

Currently Reading

• Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Possible Candidates

• War of the World by H.G. Wells (TBR)
• Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans (TBR)
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (TBR)
• The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (ABC)
• Flora and Ulysses: The Illustrated Adventure by Kate DiCamillo (New)
• This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel (Ecl.)
• The 100 by Kass Morgan (Full)
• The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz 
• Taken by Erin Bowman (Full)
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (ABC)

Book Club

• What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

New Releases

• Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas (June 2)
• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (June 2)
• Even When You Lie To Me by Jessica Alcott (June 9)
• Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat (June 16)

Key:
(Ecl.) = Eclectic Reader Challenge
(New) = Newbery Reading Challenge
(Full) = Full House Reading Challenge
(TBR) = 2015 TBR Pile Challenge
(ABC) = Alphabet Soup Challenge
(Ult.) = Teenreads Ultimate Reading