Harry Potter Moment of the Week #122

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Who was your favorite actor/actress is the movies?

There are so many amazing actors in these movies it's hard to choose just one. However, if I had to, I think I'd choose Dame Maggie Smith. She is one hell of an actor and so versatile too. She portrays McGonagall in to perfection, almost exactly how I pictured her while reading the books. You cannot go wrong with a movie staring Maggie Smith.  I just love this picture of her on the set reading the prop Daily Prophet.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Awaken the Travel Bug

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

1. The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley - This book is set in Scotland and I actually read part of this while I was in Scotland so it's bound to fuel my desire to go back to Scotland.

2. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab - Even though the Londons in this book are fictional, the amount of traveling between the worlds makes me itching to explore new countries in our world.

3. Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller - This book makes me want to take to the high seas and just go sailing for months on end. I'm not sure I would actually enjoy it, but I want to try it nonetheless.

4. The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro - Aside from it being a Holmes mystery, this book makes me want to go visit Germany and explore. Maybe I'll run into a mystery while I'm there!

5. The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash - This one makes my want to travel to ComicCon and BookCon/BEA and any other conference I'd enjoy. These always take place a decent distance from my state, so it would be a journey.

6. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer - So part of this takes place in France and I'd love to explore France some more, but what I love about this series is that they seem to constantly be moving and traveling and I'd love to travel for an extended period of time.

7. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - This book has a traveling acting troop in it  and I love it. What I wouldn't give to be a part of a touring show, that would be fantastic!

8. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - When I'm done reading this, I always want to go on an adventure. Let's go travel everywhere! I'm down to grab a bag, stuff it with clothes and take off without a plan.

Notable Quotable: Tricia Levenseller (#186)

"I am me because I choose to be me. I am what I want. Some people say you have to find yourself. Not I. I believe we create ourselves to be what we want."
     --Daughter of the Pirate King

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #121

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Which Deathly Hallows would you want to keep for yourself?

I'd want the invisibility cloak. This is probably the safest of the Deathly Hallows. The resurrection stone and the elder wand both have temptations that are almost too hard to resist. I would never use the resurrection stone because I don't want to have the painful reminder. I don't want to own the elder wand either because that always seems to attract the wrong people. I'd rather live a longer life than be murdered for something I own. The invisibility cloak seems to be the Hallow that would do the least amount of damage. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I should have DNF'd

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

I didn't use to DNF any books. I would stubbornly finish any book I thought I should read even if I wasn't enjoying it. So here are ten books I should have DNF'd:

1. Reality Boy by A.S. King - I listened to this one, and while the captured my attention at the beginning, it didn't hold it. It took me twice as long to finish this book than it usually does for audiobooks. I loved another book by her, but this one just wasn't my cup of tea.

2. A Madness So Discreet by Mindy, McGinnis - This was a book club read, so I had to finish it. If I had the option, I probably would have DNF'd it. I found this story a bit slow paced and completely different than what I expected.

3. Taken by Erin Bowman - I didn't technically finish this book, I ended up skimming the last 150 pages. I wanted to give this a chance, but I just picked it up too late. Had I picked this book up in high school or when it first came out, I'm sure I'd have loved it.

4. The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan - Once again, this was a book club read. It was incredibly strange and not at all what I was expecting.

5. The Sumer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek - I listened to this book on my mom's suggestion. I was fun, but I found the characters a little grating.

6. The Magicians by Lev Grossman - I thought this book was going to be a little bit like a grown-up Harry Potter. It's only similar in that there's magic and a school. I plowed through this audiobook hoping it would get better, but it didn't.

7. Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler - Again, this story was very slow paced and I remember being bored. I honestly have no idea what this book was about anymore.

8. Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples - I had to read this book for class and I honestly don't know if I even finished this book. I do I remember thinking I'd gladly put the book down if I didn't have to write a paper on it.

9. Nevermore by James Patterson - I really enjoyed the first couple books in the series, but if I'm being honest, I read the rest of them because I thought I "had" finish the series. This is finally where I stopped thinking like that.

10. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - I actually did DNF this book, but I read way too much of it before I decided to put it down. It just didn't hold my interest the way I hoped it would.

Marvel-A-Thon!!!

The Marvel-A-Thon is a reading challenge I was made to undertake! With my love of the Marvel universe, it's sure to be a fun and entertaining time. This is a month long read-a-thon hosted by Jamieson of Jamishelves. If you want to participate too, check out the announcement page for all the rules! 

There are so many prompt and books to read (21!) and I most definitely won't get to all of them even with my allotted skips. Even so, I've found a book to match most of the prompts. I'm working only with my physical TBR, so it was a bit challenging to make everything fit. These obviously aren't set in stone, so they may change over the course of the month. Here we go!

Phase One:
- Iron Man: Read the first book in a series
     Runaways, Vol. 1 by Rainbow Rowell
- Hulk: Read a book with a green cover
     The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
- Iron Man 2: Read a book that's unpopular (I'm going by number of ratings on Goodreads)
     LumberJanes Gotham Academy by Chynna Clugston Flores 
- Thor: Read a book that involves myth or mythology
     Soundless by Richelle Mead
- Captain America: Read a book set or written in WWII
     SKIP
- The Avengers: Read a book with multiple perspectives
     One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

Phase Two:
- Iron Man 3: Read a book that will challenge you
     SKIP
- Thor: Dark World: Read a book that involves siblings 
     The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
- Captain America: Winter Soldier: Read a book where the main character is a villain or anti-hero
     Heartless by Marissa Meyer
     The Rose Society by Marie Lu
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Read a book set in, written in, or involving the 80's
     SKIP
- Avengers: Age of Ultron: Read a book involving an AI in some way
     SKIP
- Ant-Man: Read a book involving a heist or thieves
     Rook by Shannon Cameron 

Phase Three:
- Captain America: Civil War: Read a book about a rivalry or enemies
     Renegades by Marissa Meyer
- Doctor Strange: Read a book that involves medicine in some way
     Uncaged by John Sandford and Michele Cook
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Read a book set in or involving space
     SKIP
- Spider-Man: Homecoming: Read a YA book involving secrets in some way
     Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore
- Thor: Ragnarok: Read a popular book
     Dumplin' by Julie Murphey
- Avengers: Infinity War: Read a book that fulfills multiple challenges
      SKIP
- Black Panther: Read an ownvoices book with a black main character
     The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
     Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
- Captain Marvel: Read a book with a female MC
     Hawkeye: Kate Bishop, Vol 2: Masks by Kelly Thompson 
     Giant Days by John Allison
- The Avengers 4: Read a book you don't know anything about
      Monstress, Vol 1: The Awakening by Majorie M Liu

Notable Quotable: Kasie West (#185)

"There was something very satisfying about a smile that had to be earned."
     --By Your Side