Top Ten Tuesday: 2000 Ratings and Under Club

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

As of June 30th, the following books have less than 2,000 ratings on Goodreads, but they should have way more!

1. My Faire Lady by Laura Wettersten (745 ratings) - This was such a fun read. It's set at a renaissance festival, which is delightful. It's a unique setting and the characters are fun. I really enjoyed reading it and I think others should as well.

2. How Zoe (Mostly) Made Her Dreams Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer (1,835 ratings) - Sarah Strohmeyer seems to be fairly well known, but this book seems be be under the radar. It's a very cute story set in a disney-esque park where teens gather to play parts of princes, princesses, and fantasy characters alike. Naturally, shenanigans happen when there are so many rules to follow and a large scholarship at stake.

3. Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly (1,960 ratings) - This book deserves all the recognition. It's incredibly compelling and the characters are hilarious and quirky and at times obnoxious. It's a great mix of mystery and humor with the norms of high school mixed in.

4. Tempus by Lauren Holly (132 ratings) - A coworker introduced this book to me.  It's the first book in a trilogy about a girl who is burdened with hallucinations, that is until she finds out the truth behind them.  It was a good read and it deserves more attention.

5. Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein (777 ratings) - This was my first Jini book and it was really good! The sequel recently came out and I'm excited to read what happens next in these Jini's story. A Jinn's life isn't fun or as easy as it would seem.

6. Gotham Academy Vol 2. by Becky Cloonan (893 ratings) - The first volume of this comic series has so many more ratings than this volume, but I think it's just as good as the first. It's about a girl who goes to a boarding school that has several ties to the Arkham Asylum. She and her friends discover all sorts of mysteries and attempt to solve them.  I love the concept of this comic and I can't wait to read more soon.

7. The Scientist: A History of Science Told Through the Lives of Its Greatest Inventors by John Gribbin (942 ratings) - Not going to lie, this was a book I read for class in college. I thought I was going to hate it. BUT I was pleasantly surprised. It doesn't read like a text book, although it has all the information a textbook might have.  Really, it's like a bunch of biographies put together to tell the story of science. My favorite section was about Marie Curie.

Fandom Mashup (#21)

Hosted by Micheline at Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Micheline has come up with a great idea and I can't pass up the opportunity to participate.  Each week Micheline will pose a unique fiction scenario and I will choose 5 characters from 5 different fandoms to help me with the situation.  It's going to be quite fun, I can already tell!

Scenario: You're attending a stand-up comedian show! Which characters do you hope are part of the act?

Oh Kay. So let me give you a little preamble. I like, nay love, dumb jokes and puns. Shall we continue? Here we go.

Kimmy Schmidt (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) - She is a beautiful comic, though only when she's not trying really.  I just absolutely love her good faith and mostly secure trust in the good in people.  I think she would be horrible at stand up in the way that a 5 year old is horrible at playing the drums (that is unless that 5 year old was one of those freakishly gifted musicians or incredibly determined to good at something other than eating all the cookies.)  I digress.  She would however be funny in her non-scripted attempt not to bomb on stage.  It'll be so good.

Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter) - Imagine this.  Draco taking a stab at using his unfortunate upbringing to pursue a career as a stand up comedian.  "Yeah, so my parents, well, my parents were death eaters which shouldn't surprise any of you because either you know that my dad was sent to Azkaban for a while, or your a muggle and have no clue what I talking about.  Muggles right!?  *pause for laugh, gets crickets instead*  I was ever coerced into becoming one as well.  See? *lifts sleeve shows dark mark.* Don't worry it doesn't work anymore.  V-dog is definitely dead.  Or at least I hope I'm just suffering from bed bugs and a nasty rash. *pause for laugh, uncomfortable groan from audience* Too soon?  Ah okay too soon.  Umm... let's try this one.  Why did Harry Potter cross the road?  Because he saw the ghost of everyone he loved over by the forest where he dropped the resurrection stone and wanted to cry some more." And on and on for a painful 15 minutes.  Oh it'll be great.

Joey Gladstone (Full House) - Joey might have his own show geared toward children, but that doesn't stop me from laughing at his jokes.  (I'm a child really, get over it.)  He can get up there and talk about whatever he wanted and I'd find it funny.  Only one request: he's got to do his signature "cut it out" bit.

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (#80)

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

If you could change one thing from the third film, what would it be?

The third book was my favorite book for a long time (and now it's tied with Half-blood Prince now).  So the movie was disappointing in a variety of ways when I was younger. Now, I'm able to recognize the movie as a different entity than the book and enjoy watching it. Still, there are some things that I would change.

I think if I could change anything, I would have Richard Harris play Dumbledore. It was shocking and incredibly sad to learn that he had passed after Chamber of Secrets. His portrayal of Dumbledore was a great, as close to the book as one could possibly make it, really. When I think of movie Dumbledore, Richard Harris comes to mind.

He was rich and full of life, and in every way Dumbledore to me. I loved him, and I was so sad and slightly irritated with Michael Gambon rendition. (I'm not even gonna talk about the way he calmly asks Harry a certain question.  I'll save that for later...)

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (#79)

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Favorite historical moment in the Wizarding World (that happened before the books)

Are we talking historical event as in important events, or as events that happened?  Because I have two different answers depending on the meaning.  So I'll just give you both!

Important event:
I think the evolution of Quidditch is such an interesting part of wizarding history.  You can trace it over the course of thousands of years. An early form of the game is documented in the early 1000s and as time progresses the game changes and morphs into what we know and love. The HP Lexicon has a very detailed timeline, that you can check out here.

It happened:
I love the scene J.K. Rowling gave us several years ago with teenaged/young adult Sirius and James taking a ride on the motorcycle.  I'm not entirely sure why I like it so much, but I do.  I love that snapshot of their friendship and the little insight into their lives.  We only get so much from the book series, so it's fun to get a little bit more.  You can read it here.

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Read So Far in 2016

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Favorite 2016 Releases So Far This Year 

Since I have only read two new releases this year, I'm going to change the category slightly to books I've read so far this year. In no particular order:

1. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
2. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
3. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

4. Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill

5. Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan (and others) - The whole series was great, except it just ends.  The story didn't get a chance to wrap up because the series was cancelled.  However, there are other Marvel series in which the runaways are featured that continue their story.

6. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets to the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

7. The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall
8. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

9. Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff
10. Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

Fandom Mashup (#20)

Hosted by Micheline at Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Micheline has come up with a great idea and I can't pass up the opportunity to participate.  Each week Micheline will pose a unique fiction scenario and I will choose 5 characters from 5 different fandoms to help me with the situation.  It's going to be quite fun, I can already tell!

Scenario: In your adventuring, you've decided to take up Sword-Fighting, as one does, to help defend yourself against threats - and dragons.  Who will teach you this noble art?

Inigo Montoya (The Princess Bride) - "Hello.  My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father.  Prepare to die."  This is a man that I want teaching me how to defend myself.

Will Turner (Pirates of the Caribbean) - He studied for years to learn the art of sword fighting and as a blacksmith, he had plenty of time and tools to learn.  He's fueled by his loyalty to others and his talents are not wasted.

Rey (Star Wars) -  She taught herself how to wield her staff with expertise and she is a natural with a lightsaber.  So lightsabers are not technically swords, but they might as well be.  She would be a great teacher, if she decided she wanted to teach someone.

Mulan (Mulan) - She saved China. And she's a total badass. She can skillfully use a sword. Plus, she'll be able to teach me that sweet fan sword move. I've always wanted to learn how to do that!

Top Ten Tuesday: Releases for the Second Half of 2016

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash (June 10th) - This book sounds like something I would love! It's got two characters that love comics and Harry Potter. I'll definitely be looking into this one, since it's just come out!

2. All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda (June 28th) - I'm ready for another thriller that's going to keep me guessing.  This one sounds really interesting, especially since it's told in reverse.

3. On the Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher (July 14th) - I've heard so much about this book. I watched some of Carrie Hope Fletcher's youtube videos documenting some of the writing process for this book, so I am very intrigued. I'm not sure if this date is for just the UK release or for the American release as well.  Either way, we shall find out soon.

4. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany (July 31st) - I know it not a full length novel, but it is the printed script of the show. And that's probably as close as I'm going to get to seeing the show itself. Plus, I really do enjoy reading scripts and I'm excited to jump into more of the Wizarding World.

5. Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi (August 30th) - I have read any of Tahereh Mafi's work, but I've heard great things and this book sounds so enchanting. I'm definitely looking forward to trying this one out. Plus, the cover is gorgeous!

6. The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron (September 13th) - This book sounds so interesting. A place where memories will be forgotten unless you write them down. I'm very curious to see what happens in this world and what secrets it will inevitably keep.

7. Going Geek by Charlotte Huang (September 13th) - It's about a girl getting out of her comfort zone and being forced to deal with situations that might change who she is at the core. It sounds like a nice coming of age read. Plus, I looked at Charlotte Huang's other book and that sounds like a fun read too.  Both of these will be in my near future.

8. My Unscripted Life by Lauren Morrill (October 11th) - I read Meant To Be early this year and really enjoyed everything about it.  She has a couple other books I have yet to read, but I am nonetheless looking forward to having another one of her books to devour!

9. The Midnight Star by Marie Lu (October 11th) - This is the last book in The Young Elites trilogy and I didn't even know it was coming out so soon. I haven't read the sequel yet, but I love Marie Lu's writing and The Young Elites left me wanting to read more of this world. I can't wait to find out what happens to all these awesome characters.

10. Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly (November 22nd) - I devoured Trouble is a Friend of Mine and I cannot wait for the sequel to come out. I'm looking forward to more Digby and Zoe, and whatever crazy scheme they get themselves involved in.