Top Five Wednesday : Authors You'd Want To Meet at BEA/Bookcon (#T5W May 4th)

Hello Book-Lovers!

It's Wednesday, and that means it's time for another Top Five Wednesday.

Top Five Wednesday is hosted by Sam at Thoughts on Tomes. There's a link for the Goodreads group here if you want to join.

This weeks topic is authors you'd want to meet at BEA & Bookcon. Unfortunately I won't be attending either, but a girl can dream. This is basically a wishlist of a few of my favourite authors.

5&4. Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

I just loved Illuminae and I would love to meet the brilliant minds behind it.

3. Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me is my favourite YA dystopian series. (Also I follow Tahereh on instagram and she has the coolest style.)

2. Leigh Bardugo

Again, another of my favourite series. I love, love, love the Grisha Trilogy, and she is one of my all time favourite authors.

1. Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my all time favourite series, and I would love to meet the woman who wrote it.






Well, that's my Top Five Wednesday this week. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you next time with my next post.

Happy Reading!

Morgyn @morgyngillis

Top Five Wednesday : Books with "Hard" Topics (ie mental health, sexual assault, illness, etc) (#T5W April 13th)

Hello book-lovers!

It's Wednesday, and that means it's time for another Top Five Wednesday.

Top Five Wednesday was created by Lainey at gingerreadslainey. Recently, though, Sam at Thoughts on Tomes has been announced as the new host for Top Five Wednesday.
There's a link to the Goodreads group > here < if you want to join.

This week's topic is Books With "Hard" Topics. Basically, books dealing with mental health, sexual assault, illness, etc. Trying to come up with this list made me realize how few books I've read that deal with these topics. That's mostly because I subconsciously avoid reading these kinds of books all the time. (I avoid a lot of these subjects for personal reasons).

Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world, but to Ma, it is the prison where she has been held captive for seven years. But Ma has created a life for Jack, although she knows it's not enough for either of them. So she comes up with an escape plan, one that involves Jack's bravery and a lot of luck. She doesn't realize how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.
I loved that it wasn't just about captivity but about the psychological impact upon release too. This book made me cry, a lot. (As did the movie). 

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

I read this book back in high school, so some of the details are a little fuzzy. I believe this is Laurie Halse Anderson's debut novel (but I could be wrong). The story follows Melinda as she starts 9th grade. Everyone, even her friends, won't talk to her. Because she called the cops at a party during the summer, everyone hates her. Something happened to her at the party, but you don't find out until the end what it was. It is a bit of a spoiler, but I think it's important to know this going into the book. This book deals with rape.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

This book is pretty hit-or-miss; from what I've seen people either love it or hate it. I really liked this book when I read it (I was 17) and it felt like a very important book to me at the time. This is a story of Hannah, a teenage girl who commits suicide and leaves behind a series of tapes addressed to people who she finds responsible (more or less) for her decision. The story is told in dual perspectives - Clay, one of the people she addresses her tapes to; and Hannah as we listen to the tapes. 
This book made me take step back and realize that every action I take affects someone else, positively or negatively. 

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Yes, another Laurie Halse Anderson book. This book hit incredibly close to home for me. (I won't go into that though).
This book follows Lia, a high school senior who struggles with anorexia. She’s been admitted a couple times to a hospital to overcome her disorder, but the struggles she faces with her family, the death of her once-best friend, and the ghosts that haunt her lead her to destroying herself and attempting to wither away to nothing.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodie Picoult

I read this when I was 15, and I don't think I was old enough to fully understand this book. This book follows 13 year old Anna who is looking to be legally emancipated. Why? Anna was product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis. She was conceived to be an exact bone marrow match for her sister Kate; who has been fighting Leukemia since childhood. What really hits hard is the ending, which I won't spoil (it is different from the movie). This book deals with some important ethical issues, along with dealing with a serious illness, while following one family's struggle for survival at all cost.

Book Tag : My Intimidating TBR Pile Tag

Hello book-lovers! Today I'm going to be doing the My Intimidating TBR Pile Tag. 
This tag was created by Lindsey Rey on Youtube .

Questions

1) What book have you been unable to finish?

The Young Elites by Marie Lu. I picked this up or a re-read and I'm just not enjoying it as much as I remember. It's been going on for about a month now.

What book have you yet to read because...

2) ...you just haven't had the time?

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I picked this book up because of the hype surrounding it, I keep meaning to read it but I just haven't yet.

3) ...it's a sequel?

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi. I pre-ordered this book, so I've had it for about two years now and I still haven't read it yet. I kept meaning to get to it, but now it's been so long that I would have to re-read the first two books. I do plan to read the series soon so I can say I've finished it.

4) ...it's brand new?

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard. I just got this book last week so I don't feel too bad for not reading it yet.

5) ...you read a book by the same author and didn't enjoy it?

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld. I've heard really good things about this book, but read The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld which I really didn't like, and I think that's putting me off reading this book.

6) ...you're just not in the mood for it?

Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Sherman. I haven't heard too much about this book since it came out, but I know it's the first book in a YA Historical Fiction series. And I'm just not in the mood for historical fiction at the moment.

7) ...it's humongous?

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld. I tried not to use the same book twice, but this is the largest book on my physical TBR pile. It's 599 pages according to Goodreads.

8) ...because it was a cover buy that turned out to have poor reviews?

Icons by Margaret Stohl. I bought this book around the time it was released, so it's been sitting on my TBR pile for about 2 years or so. But then I heard some not so great reviews and I was kind of put off of it. The cover is quite lovely, though.

9) What is the most intimidating book in your TBR pile?

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I don't really know much about this book except that it's Historical Fiction, and there was a lot of hype around it. It just feels like a very intimidating novel.

10) Who do you tag?

You, reading this right now. But really, anyone who wants to do it should do it.


So, that's the My Intimidating TBR Pile Tag. Like I said, anyone who's reading this that wants to do it, should do it. This is the kind of tag I really enjoy doing, and it gives you a chance to really look at you TBR which isn't something I tend to do very often. Are any of these books on your TBR? Or have you read any of them? Should any of these be bumped up my TBR because they're great?
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you next time with my next post.

Happy Reading!
Morgyn @theadventuresofabooknerd

Top Five Wednesday: Least Favourite Book in Your Favourite Series (T5W March 30th)

Hello! It's Top Five Wednesday time again. Top Five Wednesday was created by gingerreadslainey on Youtube. There's is a link to the Goodreads group < here > if you want to join.

This week's topic is your Top Five Least Favourite Books in Your Favourite Series. This was a hard list to come up with because I have a bad habit of not finishing series. I'll usually only read the first book or two unless I'm really loving it. But I did manage to come up with a few after really thinking about it, so here they are.

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling.


I have a love/hate relationship with this book. On the one hand, I love the Harry Potter series, I've been a fan most of my life. On the other hand, the angsty, angry Harry is hard to get through. And I've seen a lot of people that have this opinion.







4. Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr.

This is the fourth book in the Wicked Lovely series, and one of the things I loved about this series is that every book followed new and/or different characters but the story did all tie together at the end. But I didn't love this book. I just wasn't the biggest fan of the characters this book followed, so it just kind of fell flat for me.

3. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin.

When I first read A Game of Thrones, I loved it.. And then I read this sequel. It is the second book in the series. This is the first book I've ever actually skipped chapters while reading. (I skipped all of Catelyn Stark's chapters.) And it took me a very long time to pick up the next book after I finished it.
Side note: I actually ended up picking up the third book as an audiobook and I ended up enjoying it so much more for some reason, I think it's just easier to follow in audio format.

2. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi.

This book kind of felt like a bridge between the first and third book to me. Kind of like it was filler and was only there to get from Point A to Point C. I loved Shatter Me and Ignite Me, and I've always felt like this book would have worked better as a duology instead of a trilogy.

1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

I did not like this book. I don't like to share that opinion because so many people love this series, and I love it too. I just don't like the way it ends. I loved The Hunger Games, and I really liked Catching Fire, but this book just never sat right with me. It's mostly that I didn't agree with a lot of the things that happened in the second half of the book that ruin it for me. I haven't even seen Mockingjay Part 2 yet because I know I just won't like it as much as the rest of the series, and I just don't want it spoiling my enjoyment of the rest of the series.



Well, that's my Top Five Wednesday this week. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you next time with my next post.

Happy Reading!
Morgyn @theadventuresofabooknerd

Top Five Wednesday: Books You DNF (T5W March 23)

Top Five Wednesday was created by gingerreadslainey  on Youtube.
Here's a link to the Goodreads group if you want to join.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday


This weeks topic is Top Five Books You DNF (Did Not Finish). I try very hard to finish books, even if I have suffer through them. I hate to DNF books. Usually, if I can't finish a book I'll just put it down and come back to it in a few weeks and eventually finish it. I only DNF the books that are truly torture to finish.

5. Half Bad by Sally Green. I don't know what to say about this book, other than I thought it was very boring and slowly paced, and that it's currently on my TBR shelf waiting for me to pick it back up and give it another shot. And I want to. I want to finish this book. Hell, I even want to like this book. But every time I go to pick out a new book to read, I just never pick it up. I'll probably never pick it up now, considering it's been about a year since I started it. But I might, someday.

4. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I actually almost finished this book. I hated almost every minute of it, but I got really close with this one. I think I stopped reading about 40 or so pages from the end of the book. Because at that point, the book just felt finished to me. There was no reason to keep reading because the conflict had been solved, and I had made it through enough of the book that I could say I read it. Even then, I regret reading that far. 

3. Crossed by Ally Condie. I read Matched around the time Dystopian's started getting popular (right after The Hunger Games) and I didn't like it. It was pretty painful to finish but I finished it, and every other Dystopian novel I could get my hands on. So I picked up Crossed. And sure, I didn't like the first book so I wasn't going to like this one. But I was 15, and hopeful, so I gave it a shot. I got about a third of the way through before I out it down and never went back.

2. Carrie by Stephen King. I picked this book up one day at work, while I was on my lunch break and had nothing else to do. The movie had just come out (the one with Chloe Moretz) and I was looking to try getting into Stephen King. This book dragged for me, and I would start making excuses not to read it. So, when I was about halfway through the book, I decided to watch the movie and just never bothered finishing the book.

1. The F-It List by Julie Halpern. I stopped reading this book about 20 pages away, and then promptly got rid of it. I picked up this book expecting it to be not great, but readable. It wasn't. This book was the most childish and immature thing I've ever read. And honestly, this book is the reason I'm so reluctant to pick up YA Contemporary.

Book Tag : Reading Habits Tag

This tag was created by TheBookJazz on Youtube

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
I like to read in my bed, mostly. I like to lay down when I'm reading.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Depends on whether I can find a bookmark or not. It's usually a bit of both. 

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages?

It depends on why I'm stopping, but I generally just prefer to stop at the end of a chapter. It just seems easier to me for some reason. 

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?

I try not to eat or drink while I'm reading, because I tend to be a bit of a messy person. But sometimes I'll have a cup of tea, or something with me. And if it's a really good book, and I can't put it down, I will read while I'm eating.

5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?
Sometimes I'll read during commercial breaks when I'm watching TV. But I find listening to music or anything like that is very distracting.

6. One book at a time or several at once?

I try to only read one book at a time, because I have a bad habit of starting several books before I finish one

  
7. Reading at home or everywhere?

I'm really easily distracted, so I find it hard reading anywhere but at home. I'll usually listen to an audiobook while I'm on the bus, though. So there's that.

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?

Usually, I'll read silently. Sometimes I'll find myself reading dialogue out loud though, so a bit of both.

9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

Never intentionally, but I always find myself wandering ahead a little. 

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

I try very hard not to crack the spine, but it is inevitable.

11. Do you write in your books?

Never.

12. Who do you tag?
Anyone reading this that wants to do it.

Book Tag : Unpopular Bookish Opinion Tag

I've seen this tag floating around for a while now, and I thought it would be interesting. I love to share my unpopular opinions.
I don't know anyone to tag, so I tag whoever is reading this and wants to do it. It's fun, I promise.
This tag was was created by thebookarcher on youtube. 
(Disclaimer: these are just my opinions, I do not mean to offend you, your favourite books, or authors.)

QUESTIONS:

1. A popular book or series that you didn't like.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski. I bought this one because everyone was raving about it. Saying I was disappointed is an understatement. I didn't even finish this book, I found it boring, predictable, and the romance just didn't do it for me.

2. A popular book or series that everyone else seems to hate but you love.

The closest I can think of is the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr, I don't think people hate it though. I've just heard a few meh reviews, but nothing I would consider hate. But I loved it, Wicked lovely was one of the books that really got me into reading to begin with.

3. A love triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with OR an OTP that you don't like.

Rose/Dimitri from the Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I've only read the first two books, but I was not feeling it. There was something about it, I don't know if it was the age difference, or the teacher/student-like relationship, or what but it was kind of creeping me out.

4. A popular book Genre that you hardly reach for.

Romance and Mystery are really the only genres I don't tend to read.

5. A popular or beloved character that you do not like.

Celaena Sardothien. 

6. A popular author that you can't seem to get into.

Cassandra Clare. I've tried. I've tried reading The Mortal Instruments three separate time and I only make it to City of Glass, and I've read The Infernal Devices and I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. Needless to say, I won't be picking up her new series.

7. A popular book trope that you're tired of seeing. (examples "lost princess", corrupt ruler, love triangles, etc.)

Love triangles, love triangles all the way. 

8. A popular series that you have no interest in reading.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I listened to the audio book for the first one and I had to keep going back because I would fall asleep. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. And they're big books, so I have no plans on reading the rest of the series. 

9. The saying goes: "The book is always better than the movie," but what movie or TV show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?

The Maze Runner. I tried reading The Maze Runner once and I got about 60 pages in before I just gave up. The movie was much more enjoyable. (Plus the movie has Dylan O'Brien, which makes everything better).