Top 5 songs that remind me of books!

Top 5 Wednesday is back!!!

Today’s topic is songs that remind me of books! If you’d like to do T5W, you can find the list of topics here!

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5 – The Lay of Thrym by Tyr

This song I associate with Brent Weeks’ Lightbringer series. I must have been listening to it or something when I originally read the first book, because now whenever I hear this, the characters pop in my head!

4 – Iron by Within Temptation

This song doesn’t remind me of a single book in particular, but it reminds me of the kind of book where the main protagonist has to overcome some obstacle and inevitably has one of those ‘don’t give up, never surrender’ moments.

3 – Don’t Stop by Innerpartysystem

This one and the remaining songs on this list will be technically cheating, because they are related to the book. This song – Don’t Stop by Innerpartysystem – is related to Death Note because it’s on this AMV I have linked. It’s pretty well edited too so I suggest checking it out

2 – Hollow by Submersed

Again technically cheating because I relate this song to Fullmetal Alchemist because of this AMV. it’s pretty great though!

1 – Hand of Sorrow by Within Temptation

I just learned the other day that this song was written about Fitz from Robin Hobb’s Farseer trilogy, so how could I not include it?!?! I’ve known this song for like a decade but it never clicked that it was about him until I saw it on the internet and now I feel like a ding dong for not seeing it earlier! It’s totally about him, man.

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And that’s it! Lemme know if you listened to or liked any of these songs! Happy reading!

Top 5 books I didn’t get to in 2019

So at this point in time, I’m very aware of what books I’ll be focusing on from now until the end of the year. I made a post about it the other day, in fact. But that means there are books I obviously didn’t get to. This post will be about those, and hopefully they’ll get picked up shortly into 2020.

The Dragon Republic by R. F. Kuang – Bought this I think the day after release day and then…. never picked it up! The third one’s been announced now, so now I’m pressured.

I read Dark Matter this year by Blake Crouch and really liked it, so I wanted to pick up this, Recursion, as well. Just didn’t get there unfortunately.

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter – I picked this up on impulse without knowing anything about it, was (and am) excited for it, and haven’t read it yet. Whoops. The cover looks super neat.

The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwitch – When I bought this one, I was surprised to see that it was released in paperback! It just came out this year and went directly to paperback. So obviously I grabbed it, hauled it, and now it sits on my shelf looking pretty.

The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks – Does this really surprise anyone? It’s been on my ‘currently reading’ for literally a year. I really, really need to finish this book. One day? One day.

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And that’s it! Tomorrow’s post will be my 10 in 2020, and some of these may end up on there, we’ll see. Until then!

Top 5 bookshelf collectibles

Hello, Happy Hump Day! Today’s topic is top collectibles on the bookshelf, whether they be collectible books, decorations, etc. I’m hoping the ones that I picked turn out to be a bit unique. But who knows, I might be totally unoriginal. Onto the things!

If you would like to participate in T5W, you can do so here!

McGonagall’s wand

I went to Harry Potter world this past October, and I picked up McGonagall’s wand! It stays in its box, because I don’t trust myself not to break it.

The Fullmetal Alchemist pocket watch

…and action figures and staff. My sister got me the pocket watch as a gift one year and I absolutely adore it. While not directly on my bookshelves, it’s on a display shelf right next to them. 3 Oct. Don’t forget.

Globe bookends

These were a gift from my parents for Christmas two years ago. I had no idea something like this even existed. I almost cried when I got them though. They’re fully functioning – they spin and everything. I. Love. Them.

Sonata Arctica drumstick

Sonata Arctica is one of my favorite bands – I’m particularly a fan of their older stuff. Once upon a time, I went to their concert and was pretty damn close to the front of the stage (another time I was at the front, but that’s a different story). At the end, the drummer threw sticks he had used and yours truly caught one. You can see, it’s all beat up.

Masks

I don’t know what it is, but I really like the aesthetic of these things. I bought them a long time ago, back in 2008 or so, from a store called Earth Bound, which has since closed down, at least in my area. Man, I love these masks.

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And that’s it! I don’t have too much on my shelves, but what I do have, I really like. Happy reading!

Top 5 books that started out iffy but ended up spiffy

And if you can bare with me here, we’ll be done in a jiffy!

Hello, Happy Hump Day! Today’s T5W topic is books I thought I would hate but ended up liking. Problem is, I don’t pick up books I think I would hate. So I’m altering the topic a bit. Today will be books that started out iffy: either books I knew had mixed reviews going in, or books that when I started them, they weren’t really speaking to me, and then ended up spiffy: then I ended up really liking them! So.. a milder form of the topic, I guess?

If you’d like to participate in T5W, you can do so here!

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Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas

So, this series overall I like pretty decently. It’s not my favorite, but I like it. Going into this one, I had heard it was very divisive among the fan base. Plot and world-expansion wise, it went over well… with some people. And with other people, it basically caused them to drop the series. Well, I read it, and I really liked it. This is probably my favorite one in the series, honestly. I really like the direction the plot went in it, so I’m hoping the next one will be good, too.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I read this back long before I started my blog. At the time, I didn’t read too many long novels (shocker I know) so the size of this one intimidated me. I had also never read a mystery thriller of its scope. And when I started it… the writing dragged at me. I remember struggling through the first hundred and fifty pages or so. But soon after that, the plot picked up and I buzzed through the rest of it in a few days. I really liked this one.

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Same as above here – the writing was dense for me at first and I couldn’t really connect with anything. I picked it up on audio though, and then I was able to fly through it. Once it got to the point where the characters started telling their stories, I was hooked. It just took me a bit to adapt to the premise, I guess? Who knows. I really enjoyed this book though.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

This book, it was the writing – again! The main character in this book speaks in an accent, and the accent is written out in the book. Since the book is told from his point of view, the words are written out how he would spell them. It definitely took me a few chapters to get into the book because of it, and I didn’t find myself invested until maybe half way through. I’m glad I stuck with it though – this series ended up being one of my all-time favorites.

Twelve Kings of Sharakhai by Bradley P Beaulieu

This is number one because it’s the most recent case. I started this book back in July or so and got about half way into it. I honestly was rather bored. I can’t even put my finger on why. But since it was a buddy read, instead of DNFing it, I put it on the back burner. My buddy reader did as well. Only in the last week or so did I pick it back up. And man, I don’t know what changed, but I must have been in the mood for it this time around, because I really liked the second half of it. The book, had I forced myself through it last summer, would have gotten a 1 or 2 stars from me. But putting it down and letting myself come back on a fresh start bumped the book up to 3.25 stars. It was solidly entertaining, and I’m glad I gave it that break.

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And that’s it! Have you read any of the above? Do you plan to? Lemme know!

Top 5 Spring Reads

Happy Hump Day! And for those who celebrate it, Happy Holi! We’re having a Holi party at work today and while I don’t celebrate it myself, a bunch of my coworkers do, so there’s gonna be a bunch of food and I’m so excited.

Today’s topic is spring reads, and it’s a bit up to interpretation. So, I’m going with top books I’d like to read this spring. Note this will not include books on my O.W.L. Readathon TBR (which will be up soon). So it’ll basically be books I wanna read in May.

If you’d like to participate in Top 5 Wednesday, you can do so here!

5. The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang

I bought this a while ago, and have since added it to my 10 in 2019 list. Considering I should actually, y’know, try to read the books on that list, I want to get to this one. Some people really like to read fantasy during the fall. I really like to read fantasy during the fall! …and the spring! ….and summer and winter. I have no specific fantasy season, man.

 

 

 

 

 

4. Deathless by Catherynne M Valente

Another one on my 10 in 2019 list, it’s one I’ve been eyeing for ages. I’m hoping to love this. It follows Koschei the Deathless, a character in Russian folklore who is akin to devils and witches. Should be goooood!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Yet another on the 10 in 2019 list, I figured I’ll just knock out as many as I can in May. This is the book the movie was based off of, and considering I adore the movie, I decided I want to read the source material. I’m hoping I like this just as much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Saga volume 9 by Brian K. Vaughan

I’ve fallen behind in Saga! Well, not too far behind. This is the only volume that’s out that I haven’t read. This one will likely come with a reread of volume 8 so I remember what in the world is going on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

And this – this is the one I wanna read the most. I bought it the other day in preparation for my book buying ban (which… will also be posted about soon). I want to have some good things to reading during the ban, so I got this book as one of my allotted March purchases to do just that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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And that’s it! Planning on reading any of the above? Happy reading!

Top 5 characters that are definitely in Ravenclaw

Hello, happy Hump Day!

Today’s T5W topic is characters that embody my Hogwarts house. I’m pretty solidly Ravenclaw so I’m gonna pick characters that are Ravenclaw-y too!

If you’d like to participate in Top 5 Wednesday, you can do so here!

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According to the Harry Potter wiki, traits that Ravenclaws possess are:

• Intelligence
• Wit
• Wisdom
• Creativity
• Originality
• Individuality
• Acceptance

So with those in mind:

Alise Finbok from The Rain Wild Chronicles by Robin Hobb

Alise is the daughter of a prominent trader who enters a marriage of convenience with a man who is a bit of a dick. But through her marriage contract, Alise is able to journey up the Rain Wild River to lands of the Elderlings, a long-dead people who left nothing but ruins behind. Her goal in life is to catalogue and record every bit of information she can learn about dragons and the Elderlings. A pioneer of knowledge.

 

Tyrion Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

The only Ravenclaw (or Hufflepuff, arguably) in a family of Slytherins, Tyrion is another one that’s very apt to gather knowledge. He’s intelligent and quick-witted. No point going into further detail because, well, pop culture.

 

 

 

 

Winry Rockbell from Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

I could also see arguments for Gryffindor here, but I think due to Winry’s intelligence and her lack of risk-taking, she’s more of a Ravenclaw. Winry is the Elric Brothers’ childhood friend and automail mechanic. She’s very good at what she does, and she gets rather nerdy and excited when being shown new automail technology. She’s fantastic.

 

 

Karris White Oak from the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks

Karris is one of my favorite characters in the series if not my favorite. She’s always calculating, refining her techniques, predicting opponents’ motivations. And she’s really weirdly poised while doing it all. Karris is classy, and very, very Ravenclawy.

 

 

 

The Fool from the Tawny Man trilogy by Robin Hobb

The Fool is the reason why I decided to participate this week. He was the first character to pop into my head when I started brainstorming. He’s creative, he’s refined, he’s intelligent, he’s definitely an individual, he’s accepting and loving, he has a wit that is both funny and mischievous. I think every needs a Fool to be their buddy.

 

 

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And that’s it! You know, it was weird – to compose this list, I just went down through my ‘read’ list on goodreads, paused at each book and picked out a few characters… it was really really easy to be like ‘no, he’s a gryffindor’ or ‘no she’s a slytherin’. Like, it was no problem categorizing them. Harry Potter is so prolific, man.

So what do you think! Agree? Disagree?

Top 5 books on my TBR

Happy Hump Day!

Today’s topic is books on the top of my TBR! I’ve made a 10 in 2019 list, which are my ‘top’ books to be read this year, but the ones immediately in my future are… not all on that list, hwe hwe. And one of them, I don’t even own yet.

If you’d like to participate in T5W, you can do so here!

5. The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks

Fourth book in the Lightbringer series, I’ve been ‘currently reading’ this for months, but I haven’t actually touched it in, well… months. But, I’ve been listening to a lot of TYR lately, which is a band whose music I associate with this series, and it’s getting me in the mood. If you haven’t read this and you don’t mind copious description of boobs, look this one up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

This is another one I’ve been ‘currently reading’ for ages. Hell, this was a book I made an exception for in my book ban last year. I started it, got maybe a third of the way through, and got distracted. Such is life. I did really enjoy what I read though, and hope to get back to it soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida

This is the one manga on the list! I’ve actually picked this one up as well, though I haven’t marked it as such. I’m about a third of the way through it and it’ll likely be the first out of all of these that I actually finish. I’m rather enjoying it so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

I’ve been itching for this one recently. My husband borrowed this from me and ended up reading most of it in one sitting. He still has yet to finish it but I’m about out of patience:  I’ll just pick it up and leave his damned bookmark in there. With Crouch’s new book coming out soon, I wanna hop on it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

This is the one. This is the book I wanna read that I don’t own yet… because it’s not out yet! This book comes out on January 29th, and I’m ready, man. I plan to buy it on release day. I thought about pre-ordering, but I’ma go to the bookstore and get it. Immediate gratification and all, y’know. Between now and then, I hope to finish at least one of the above, if not more. But ugh, I’m so pumped.

 

 

 

 

 

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And that’s it! Have you read any of the above? Do you wanna? Wanna buddy read? Happy reading!

2019 Reading Goals

Welcome to the future! Time for goals! This also happens to be today’s Top 5 Wednesday topic, so if you’d like to participate in that, you can do so here! I have… way more than five. We’re just gonna roll with it.

Book and blog related:

• Read 50 books

I say fifty, but that’s really just a minimum. Ideally I’d like to read 80 or 100, but I’ll definitely be satisfied with 50 as well. Goodreads’ color this year is a dark purple and it’s nice and weird. If you’d like to add me on goodreads, do it!

• Finish the 10 in 2019 list

I’ve made one of these lists every year since 2016 – I’ve never finished it. I WANNA. AUGH.

• Keep book purchases around 4-5 books per month

I figure if I do this and then read 80, then I’ll knock my TBR down. I set my goal to 50, but I feel like 80 is attainable.

• Go on a 2 to 3 month buying ban

I’ve done this the last two years in a row, for more like 4 or so months, successfully, and it has really helped with the physical TBR count. I want to do it again this year, but do it in the late winter or spring, instead of doing it in fall, because all the good books come out in fall 😛

• Reduce physical TBR to 250 books. It currently sits at 283.

I hit my 270 goal… and then I added in all the books from my haul and popped it back up, ahahahaha. As stated above, this one really depends on me keeping my buying in check. Purging will also help out here, as will the buying ban!

• Finish the r/Fantasy Book Bingo Challenge by Mar 31, 2019

There are three months left in this – right now I’m reaaaaally close to a bingo. So, I think this one will end well.

• Post monthly book hauls

I did seasonal book hauls last year, and I feel like I got them lined up wrong. So this month it’ll go back to monthly, but hopefully will only contain 4-5 books each time.

• Maintain a S-W-S posting schedule

I did this goal last year as well and succeeded in it. There will be slight changes, like during November if I do Nanowrimo or in December during Blogmas, but overall it should be roughly this pattern.

• Keep track of statistics

In wrap ups and stuff, I really like seeing stats that people will talk about – page count, genre count, author stuff, etc. I wanna keep track of it, too.

Personal related:

• Make no personal resolutions except this resolution

For some reason, I do really well on reading goals, but listing things as personal goals ends up as self-sabotage. So, this year I’m not setting any. Sure, I have things I wanna do, but if I don’t make it ‘official’, the likelihood of me actually accomplishing it is, well, higher. Haha.

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There’s also the general goal of ‘stay alive’ but y’know, that’s kind of a given. Wish me luck! Happy reading!

Top 5 books I didn’t get to in 2018

I love this topic but ugh, it’s such a hit to the ego. All those motivational ‘I’m gonna read this and this and this and this!’ posts at the beginning of the year are always pulled into an uncomfortable light, because shocker, a lot of the books on the list I didn’t actually get to.

Every year, I make a 10 in 20xx post, listing ten books that, at the time, I very much wanna read. And while I still wanna read them come the end of the year, I’ve never actually completed the list. I think I need to examine what exactly is making me add a book to the list and what is keeping me from actually picking it up. Hm hm hm.

All of these books originally were mentioned on my 10 in 2018 list, and would you look at that, they remain unread.

If you’d like to participate in Top 5 Wednesday, you can do so here.

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Dragon Wing by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

I think the reason I didn’t start this one is because it intimidates me. It’s the first book in a seven book series, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that level of commitment.

The Edge of the World by Kevin J Anderson

I got this for Christmas years ago. Never picked it up. Want to. One day. Sigh.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

When my husband and I first started dating back in 2012, this was the first Christmas gift he ever got me. Have I read it, no. I’ve seen the movie and it’s one of my favorites. Does my husband know I still haven’t read this…? No, heheheee. I don’t talk about it.

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland

This book showed up on last year’s post of books I hoped Santa would bring. Santa brought it. And then it promptly went on my shelf and that’s where it stayed. Ahahah. I do wanna read it, though.

Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey

I read Leviathan Wakes aaaages ago, and adored it. I adored it so much, that I went out to the bookstore the same day and paid list price for this baby. I got it home, read ten pages, and then got distracted. My bookmark is still in it, ahahahaha.

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And that’s it! Will I get to these this year? Maybe! Will I add them onto this year’s upcoming 10 in 2019 post? …Also maybe! Woo! Happy reading!

Top 5 Anticipated 2019 Releases

Happy Hump Day! Today’s post will be 2019 releases I am most looking forward to. I plan to do a more fleshed out version of this post in January… but looking at my list now, I have exactly five titles, so I figured why not. If I come up with more later I’ll make another. If not, whatevs.

If you’d like to participate in T5W, you can do so here!

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Fence volume 2 by C. S. Pacat

Expected release: Jan 15th

Goodreads Synopsis of vol 1: Nicholas, the illegitimate son of a retired fencing champion, is a scrappy fencing wunderkind, and dreams of getting the chance and the training to actually compete. After getting accepted to the prodigious Kings Row private school, Nicholas is thrust into a cut-throat world, and finds himself facing not only his golden-boy half-brother, but the unbeatable, mysterious Seiji Katayama…

Through clashes, rivalries, and romance between teammates, Nicholas and the boys of Kings Row will discover there’s much more to fencing than just foils and lunges.

Gates of Stone by Angus Macallan

Expected release: Feb 19th

Goodreads Synopsis: AN EMPEROR’S DAUGHTER WHO WILL NOT BE DENIED
Just before her sixteenth birthday, Princess Katerina is refused her rightful place as heir to the Empire of the Ice-Bear–solely because of her sex. Determined to regain her inheritance, she murders the foreign lord she’s been ordered to marry and embarks on a perilous voyage to the lush, tropical islands of the Laut Besar in search of the vast wealth and power she needs to claim the Empire for herself.

A PRINCE FORCED TO TAKE A STAND
On a small island kingdom, Prince Arjun’s idyllic life is shattered when a malignant sorcerer invades, slaughters his people and steals the sacred sword of Jun’s ancestors. With his royal father dead and his palace in ruins, Jun reluctantly tracks the sorcerer and the magical blade far across the pirate-infested waters of the Laut Besar.

A SORCERER SEEKING TO DESTROY THE WORLD
Long ago the powerful relics known as the Seven Keys were used to safely lock away the terrifying evils of the Seven Hells. With Jun’s ancient sword in his grasp, the sorcerer Mangku has claimed the first Key, and begun his mission to unleash catastrophe upon the land.

As the destinies of these three entwine in the lawless islands of the Laut Besar, the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. For if the sorcerer cannot be stopped, the world itself will be unmade.

Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear

Expected release: March

Goodreads Synopsis: Haimey Dz thinks she knows what she wants.

She thinks she knows who she is.

She is wrong.

A routine salvage mission uncovers evidence of a terrible crime and relics of powerful ancient technology. Haimey and her small crew run afoul of pirates at the outer limits of the Milky Way, and find themselves on the run and in possession of universe-changing information.

When authorities prove corrupt, Haimey realizes that she is the only one who can protect her galaxy-spanning civilization from the implications of this ancient technology—and the revolutionaries who want to use it for terror and war. Her quest will take her careening from the event horizon of the supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s core to the infinite, empty spaces at its edge.

To save everything that matters, she will need to uncover the secrets of ancient intelligences lost to time—and her own lost secrets, which she will wish had remained hidden from her forever.

The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

Expected release: March 19th

Goodreads Synopsis: They said the war would turn us into light.
I wanted to be counted among the heroes who gave us this better world.

The Light Brigade: it’s what soldiers fighting the war against Mars call the ones who come back…different. Grunts in the corporate corps get busted down into light to travel to and from interplanetary battlefronts. Everyone is changed by what the corps must do in order to break them down into light. Those who survive learn to stick to the mission brief—no matter what actually happens during combat.

Dietz, a fresh recruit in the infantry, begins to experience combat drops that don’t sync up with the platoon’s. And Dietz’s bad drops tell a story of the war that’s not at all what the corporate brass want the soldiers to think is going on.

Is Dietz really experiencing the war differently, or is it combat madness? Trying to untangle memory from mission brief and survive with sanity intact, Dietz is ready to become a hero—or maybe a villain; in war it’s hard to tell the difference.

The Burning White by Brent Weeks

Expected release: September

Goodreads Synopsis of book 1: Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. Yet Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live.

When Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he’s willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.

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And that’s it! I feel like I should do a post on whether I actually end up reading anticipated releases. Sure I’m excited for a bunch, but I feel like my ratio of books wanted and books read is super skewed. Hm hm.

Happy reading!