Top 5 Wednesday: Books You Want to Read Before the End of the Year

Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.

Today's topic is all about books you want to get to this year. I have so many books I want to finally read, most of which are books I already own, so this was hard for me to narrow down to just five, but I managed it.

BOOKS: 

1984 by George Orwell

This is incredibly well-known and something I probably should have read by now. I have been slowly working my way through my physical TBR, but focusing on my classics. I've had this for a few years now, and really just want to finally read it.

Series I've Started

I was completely inspired to do this by a video by Book Roast (linked here). These are all of the series I've started. I will be letting you know where I'm at with each series, whether or not I'm continuing with it, and why or why not. These are just book series I've started, this doesn't include comic or graphic novel series.

DNF - I did not/ will not continue this series.
Ongoing - I plan to continue with this series.

BOOKS: 

House of Night Series by P.C Cast (DNF)

I struggled to read through Marked, book 1 of this series. It was so incredibly cheesy and reeked of the authors' I'm-trying-to-appeal-to-the-youths dialogue. I have a bindup of the first two novels in the series, and immediately after finishing this, decided I would not be reading the second book. Not only will I not be continuing with this series, but this has left me wary of the author as well.

Legends of the Goldens Series by S.B.K Burns (DNF)

This was a very strange book. The protagonist is a psychic vampire who got knocked up by a human but has a thing for an android. This novella is only around 100 pages, but it was all over the place and left me very confused by the end of it. There isn't enough introduction to the world in the beginning of the book, so things you feel you should already have known, you don't end up finding out about until it's too late to make sense of the information. I gave this two stars and have DNF'd the series.   

Ghostgirl Series by Tonya Hurley (DNF)

I read this when I was about 14 and although I enjoyed it at the time, I never continued with the books. If I wanted to read the other books, I'm sure I would have done it by now, so I'm considering this series DNF'd. 

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite LGBTQ+ Books (Non-Cis M/M)

Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.

The topic for today is one I'm actually super excited about, and it is "Favorite LGBTQ+ Books that do not feature cis M/M relationships". I have a particular beef with the fact that whenever LGBTQ+ books are mentioned, it is almost always books with a cis M/M relationship. Now don't get me wrong, I love that are so many books featuring gay relationships and, of course, I would like to continue seeing more published. I just feel that we should also be promoting and publishing works that focus on other spectrums of the LGBTQ+ community, specifically more books with F/F relationships (Natasha from Cats and Paperbacks has a great post examining F/F relationships in YA. I'll link that here in case you're interested.) However, for this topic, I've tried to find books that represent different aspects of the spectrum. So, below are my Top 5 Favorites fitting this topic.

BOOKS: 

George by Alex Gino

This is a really cute MG novel about a young boy who is trying to understand why he doesn't feel comfortable in his body and likes certain things he's told he's not supposed to. I'm using he/him/boy terms because I'm not sure if George is clearly identifying himself as a girl by the end of the book, I think it just indicates that the story is leaning in that direction (correct me in the comments if I'm wrong!). I loved this book and think it's a great way to start a conversation with children about gender identity.

Book Unhaul

First, a little backstory - I've always been that reader who held onto their books and refused to unhaul any. I actually used to be horrified by the idea of getting rid of any of my books. Lately, though, I've been really burdened by the number of books I own and was wanting to go through and purge my collection. I've seen more and more people mention unhauling books and I recently read The Art of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (post on that is linked here) and was super inspired to finally do it. Most of these will be donated, I might sell some or do a "books for trade" thing with a few, but I'm definitely getting rid of all of them. Not all of these were bad or books I disliked, but they're all books I don't want to keep, so even if I liked them I'd rather them go somewhere where someone else who will love them can find them. I'm not sure how many books are on this list exactly, but it's a lot, so settle in.

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Fathers/ Father Figures

Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.

In honor of Father's Day, today's topic is Favorite Father/ Father Figures.


1. This is probably no surprise, but my first pick is Luke from the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I love the relationship between him and Clary, especially in City of Ashes when I feel he is his most fatherly. And I appreciate the good-stepdad representation this book has because so many YA books have uncaring or cruel step-parents.

2. Choice two is Big Mav from The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. A large part of THUG's story is Starr's family dynamic. I loved how her family was represented in this, especially her father. He is someone she absolutely loves, even though she doesn't always feel close to him or like she can talk to him about anything. At one point, he realizes this and although the situation becomes a bit of a mess for Starr, I thought it was beautifully resolved and I loved the relationship her and her father ended the novel with.

3. Though I wasn't a huge fan of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is one of my favorite fictional father's. He isn't overly strict and allows his children to be curious and to be thoughtful instead of telling them what is right and what is wrong. Encouraging a child to think for themselves and form their own opinions, rather than telling them what their opinions are, is something I will always appreciate in a parental character.

4. In the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Haymitch isn't technically Katniss' father, but I think everyone can agree he's definitely a father figure in her life. I love the dynamic between him and Katniss. He's helpful when he needs to be and shows that he cares for her, even though it's sometimes done in an unusual way, and she proves that she cares for him as well by showing him tough love, which seems to be what Haymitch needs. It's clear from book one that they are important to each other, and I liked that they showed us this rather than expressing it through words.

5. My final pick is Humbert Humbert from Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I know this one may be a bit confusing but bear with me while I explain. The topic for today is not good fathers/father figures, which Humbert certainly isn't, but he is one of my favorites to discuss and he is a father figure, so he makes this list. Humbert is one of the most interesting and distinct characters I've ever read. The idea of a fictional father figure is a character who acts fatherly. For the most part, Humbert's thoughts are NOT fatherly, but the dynamic between him and Lo often reflects that of a single father with a preteen daughter. When Lo is particularly bratty, he often responds to her behavior in the same way a father would to his daughter, which makes him seem almost relatable. This is then followed up with some reminder to the reader of what a trash person Humbert is. I've always thought it was interesting that as the reader, we are given these relatable moments, before immediately being reminded that Humbert is a pedophile and someone we should absolutely not find relatable. I don't know if this was by accident, or intentional on the writer's part to make the work more jarring. Either way, Humbert remains a very interesting character and one of my favorite father figures in literature.

✿ If you did a Top 5 Wednesday post, link it below in the comments so I can check it out. Subscribe to BookSass for more bookish goodness, and thanks for reading!

Reading Women 2018 Reading Challenge Check-In

This is a new-to-me reading challenge I've recently heard of and I've decided to start doing it. I really love reading challenges and how they diversify my reading or introduce me to books I wouldn't otherwise think to read. I'm doing several reading challenges already, but I enjoy them so, why not do another? The page for this reading challenge is linked here.

The prompt for this challenge is to read books by or about women, and under this prompt, there are 24 challenges (with a bonus 2) to help you find different kinds of books by women to read. Below is my anticipated TBR for each challenge. Completed challenges will be in bold.

Challenges:

1. A book by a woman in translation (bonus if also translated by a woman) - The Vegetarian by Han Kang

2. A fantasy novel written by a woman of color - The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.

3. A book set in the American South - Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. 

4. A short story collection - Almost Famous Women: Stories by Megan Mayhew Bergman

5. A graphic novel or memoir - Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

6. A book published by an independent press - Grace by Natashia Deon

7. A book set in Russia or by a Russian author - Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich 

8. A book with a viewpoint character who is an immigrant or a refugee - Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

9. A book by an Australian or a Canadian author - The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood

10. An essay collection - Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump's America by Samhita Mukhopadhyay

11. A book about someone with a chronic illness - Still Alice by Lisa Genova

12. A true crime book - Lizzie Borden by Arnold Brown (This is obviously written by a man, but the subject of the book is a woman)

13. A book by an African American Woman about Civil Rights - Black Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson

14. A classic novel written by a woman (bonus points if not Austen or a Bronte) - The Awakening by Kate Chopin

15. A poetry collection - Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments by Sappho

16. A book where the characters are traveling somewhere - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

17. A book with a food item in the title - The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith 

18. A book written by a female Nobel Prize winner - Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowbee

19. A book from the Reading Women Award 2017 shortlists - Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward 

20. A memoir by someone who lives in a country different from yours - I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

21. A book inspired by a fairytale - Ash by Malinda Lo

22. A book by a local author or recommended by your local bookstore - Beloved by Toni Morrison

23. The book that has been on your TBR the longest - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte 

24. A book in a genre you have never read - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Bonus:

25. A book by Virginia Woolf - A Room of One's Own

26. A book by Flannery O'Connor - A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories

Top 5 Wednesday: Summer Reads

Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.

Today's topic is Summer Reads. During the summer I tend to lean towards books that are light and fun, set during the summertime, or have an adventurous aspect to them. Some of these I've already read, and some are ones I've put on my own summer TBR.

BOOKS: 

Never Ever by Sara Saedi

This is a reimagining of Peter Pan that I read a few years ago. It's set during the summertime and takes place primarily on an island. I remember this being a very fun and quick read, which I think makes it perfect for summer.

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

*SPOILERS*    TW/CW: Suicide, Rape, Sexual Assault, Mental Health (Depression), 

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Publication Date: October 18, 2007
Format: Ebook - 288 pages
Rating: ★★★ (2.5)

Goodreads Page



I wasn't planning to review this book because it's been out for so long and I feel like everyone already knows what it's about or has already read it, but while reading it I had such strong feelings that I basically said fuck it, I'm doing a review. So here we go.

*First things first, while reading this I heard of the allegations against the author, Jay Asher. My review is not influenced at all by the author or anything concerning him personally. My review is strictly for the content of the book. Article here if you have no clue what I'm talking about.

When I saw the hype this book got, I thought I would love it. When I actually started reading it though, I realized I was not a fan, and thought for sure I would hate it. I thought it would be a one-star read, which is a very rare rating to come from me. It wasn't until a little over halfway through that it started to pick up and my thoughts on the content became conflicted. I cannot think of another book that has ever left me feeling so divided.

Review: 

The short and sweet answer to how I felt about this book? I have mixed feelings, but overall, I strongly disliked it. We'll get to why in a moment, but let's start on a positive note. I did like that this book brought a lot of discussion to the topics of teen suicide (and suicide in general tbh), bullying, and how your actions affect others, however insignificant those actions may seem to you.

Now for why I didn't like it. There were several reasons, but I'll start with the minor annoyances first.