Top 5 Wednesday: Future Classics

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 "Future Classics", so here's a handful of books I think will be just as well known in the decades to come.

Top 5 Wednesday: Best Books You've Read So Far in 2018

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 I get to talk about a few of the best books I've read so far this year. I've read so many good books that this was actually a bit of a challenge to narrow them down.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: TBR Benchwarmers

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 I chose the topic "TBR Benchwarmers". These are books that have been on your TBR way too long.

BOOKS:

The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

I really have no excuse for this one. It's been sitting on my since 2015 and I still have not read it. I've heard amazing things about this, and continue to hear about it even though the hype has died down a bit, but for some reason, I just haven't picked this up yet. It even sounds like exactly the kind of thing I would enjoy. I do plan to read this sometime this year as part of my new TBR rule which I briefly mention in this post. Maybe I'll get to it this summer? It seems like it might be a good summer read. 

Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: Recent Additions to Your Wishlist

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 for Top 5 Wednesday I chose the topic 'Recent Additions to Your Wishlist'. I thought this seemed like a really fun topic, and might give you some insight into the kinds of books I like to read, but that I might not always find an opportunity to talk about here.


BOOKS: 

The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde

I've mentioned The Picture of Dorian Gray a few times before. It is one of my absolute favorite books, but I haven't gotten to read any of Oscar Wilde's other work, so this collection is a must for me. Wilde's work encompasses plays, essays, letter, and poems in addition to his stories, and this is the complete collection of that. 

Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: Books You've Read Because of Booktube/Bookblogs

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.

For today's Top 5 Wednesday topic I'll be talking about something I'm sure we've all had first-hand experience with, and that is 'Books You've Read Because of Booktube/Bookblogs'. I have been suckered into reading a hyped book on more than one occasion and it hasn't always worked out well, so below I'll be sharing some of these books with you.


BOOKS: 

Rook by Sharon Cameron

I read this in 2015, around the time it was published, for a booktube book club I participated in at the time. This was a dystopian/historical fiction retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel (which I've never read) and is set in a version of France that has experienced a new revolution and is being controlled by a religious sect. I don't remember much of this now, but I know at the time, I really liked this and gave it 4 or 5 stars. This is a book I hope to reread eventually and after I've read The Scarlet Pimpernel first.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This was soooo hyped up on booktube around the time of its release. Like many other people, I fell into the trap and bought and read this just because a bunch of people online told me to. I read this in one sitting and absolutely loved it after. However, in the three years since reading this, I still haven't continued with the sequel and no longer necessarily plan to. The world was fairly interesting but fell into quite a few of the YA dystopian/fantasy tropes that were common at the time. Since reading this, I no longer feel this is a 5 star read, and honestly don't know how much I'd like it if I reread this now.

Bitch Planet Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick

Bitch Planet is a comic book series where unruly women or women who do not fit the idea of femininity are sent to, and imprisoned on, another planet for their crimes. I was so excited to start this when I first got it. The idea of women committing a crime by not being what men want them to be was such a cool idea, and I was sure I was going to love it. The artwork was well done, and the story was interesting, but it did have a few issues. I felt that parts of the story were confusing or poorly explained, and it seemed to jump around a bit too much and covered too many things and characters for it to be considered a 5 star read. I know other people have noticed these same issues, and although I haven't read the next volume in this, these issues may or may not be resolved in the continuations.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

I saw this recommended quite a bit on youtube between various booktubers. I know the Sookie Stackhouse series is fairly popular and spawned an even more popular show, but I did not understand the hype for this. I liked the first book enough to read it, but the concept as a whole felt pretty basic and I have absolutely no intention of continuing with this series. If you like generic characters and plots this is the book for you. If not, I would say pass on this. 

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

This series follows our main character, Amy Gumm, as she is thrown into Oz and finds herself joining an organization working to dethrone the now-evil Dorothy. This series did not disappoint me. I really enjoyed reading about a version of Oz I've never seen before. In this, Oz has been twisted into something darker than the world presented to us in the original series and movie, good is wicked and wicked is good, and I found the concept to be creative and interestingly done. This is a series I continued reading and I highly recommend this to anyone who might be interested. 

✿ Have you read any of these? What are some books you read because they were hyped up on booktube or in the book blogging community? Comment below, or subscribe to BookSass. Thanks for reading!

Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: Books I Disliked, But Love To Discuss

For today's Top 5 Wednesday Rewind topic, I chose 'Books I disliked, but love to discuss'. Some of these were books that disappointed me, some I was very unsure about going into them, and some I just plain hate.

The Books:

• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews - This was the first book I ever DNF'd and to this day, is only one of three. I knew in the second chapter that I was probably not going to like this. I pushed myself through it until page 73 where I realized I would not be able to continue with it. I was trying very hard to make it at least 100 pages in, which would have been about 1/3 of the way through, but I just couldn't. The writing style wasn't just one that didn't click with me, it was plain terrible. It sounded like the author was trying way too hard to sound like a teen and failed miserably at it. The story is largely focused on a girl character who has cancer, but within that 73 pages I read, she's barely mentioned. I know this book is fairly popular and it seems like you either love it or you hate it, but for me, it was hate. 

• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - Ooooh boy. I have a review coming very soon for this and I think that will give more of an explanation as to how I felt towards this. Long story short, my feelings for this were incredibly conflicting. I didn't understand the point of the main character's existence, there was some very apparent blame put on the people this girl believed to be the reasons she committed suicide, there was one scene towards the end that I found particularly abhorrent. Maybe this book was helpful to someone, but I know it to have done quite a bit of harm as well. However, this is a book I love reading/seeing other reviews for, and getting to hear others' perspectives on.  

• Nameless by Lili St. Crow - This book is the perfect example of a great idea with poor execution. Nameless is marketed as something between the Godfather and Snow White. I loved the fantasy world the author was telling us about, but nothing in her writing showed us that the world was what she was describing. This book was riddled with problems ranging from confusing characters to inconsistencies in world building to over-explanation in certain areas while lacking in explanation when it came to the history of this fantasy world. Again, the idea for this was brilliant, unfortunately, the author didn't seem equipped to deliver.  

• The Old Man & the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - I have very mixed feelings toward this one. I think several things factor into my dislike of this novella. Firstly, I am not a fan of Hemingway as a person, so I'm sure that contributed in some way to any negative feelings I had toward this. Second, this is a book that was assigned reading for me in high school. While most of the books I'd been assigned in school I enjoyed, this was not one of them. I'm sure there is a deeper meaning I'm missing but at a surface reading level, this is a story about an incredibly unfruitful fishing trip. I can recognize that this is a work of literary fiction, but I just don't get it. This is a very good character study, but for me, that is just not enough. 

• Insurgent/Allegiant by Veronica Roth - These are actually two separate books, but they were equally as disappointing for me so I'll be talking about both as if they were the same book. I cannot describe how much I loved Divergent. I thought it was going to be the next big thing, I saw the potential for it and was beyond ready to see where the story was going. Unfortunately, where it was going was Insurgent, and subsequently, Allegiant. Not only did the world and characters not go in the direction I thought they would, but the storyline in both books felt lackluster at best. I love hearing from people who actually enjoyed books 2 and 3 of the Divergent trilogy because I just don't get it, and it's interesting to hear what they have to say. 

✿ What are some books you like talking about but did not like? Comment below, or subscribe to BookSass. Thanks for reading!

Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: Authors You'd Want to Write Like

This month our Top 5 Wednesday topics are Rewind topics. This means that instead of having new prompts for every Wednesday, we get to choose any of the topics from previous months and make those our topics for the month of May. The first topic I chose is "Authors You'd Want to Write Like".

Authors:

• My first pick is Leigh Bardugo. She has a very atmospheric writing style and is a master at setting a gritty vibe that carries consistently through her books (you can see this in her Six of Crows duology). She is definitely an author I look to for 'setting' inspiration as I aspire to create the kinds of settings she manages to achieve. 

• Adam Silvera is my second choice. I've only read one of his books, History Is All You Left Me, but it blew me away how invested I was in the character's lives after reading about them in just one book. I felt for them as if they were real people that not only existed but that I knew personally. I would love to be able to convey strong emotions in my writing as well as he does. 

• For my third author, I have Jack Ketchum. Ketchum is a really great author to read if you're looking for books that have topics or themes that are difficult to read or make the reader very uncomfortable, an example of this being his novella, I'm Not Sam. He handles taboo subjects so well and I hope that any writing I do that handles topics like that would be written as well as his. 

• Fourth is Cassandra Clare. Of course, I had to mention CC, how could I not? Her more recent books, such as her Dark Artifices trilogy, have been so completely realized and so well written IMO. She manages to cram so much into her novels without it feeling like the aspects of the novel were crammed into it. Everything from world building to politics to relationships (whether those be romantic, platonic, or familial) are combined seamlessly. My hope is that my writing would be so well put together that it blended as smoothly as hers does. 

• Vladimir Nabokov is my final pick. Lolita is one of my all-time favorite novels. For me, it is a perfect example of what beautiful writing looks like. Though Nabokov's native language is Russian, Lolita was originally written in English, which I think shows what a strong grasp he had on the English language. If Nabokov can write so beautifully in a language that is not native to him, then my goal as a writer would be to obtain, and write with, the same level of understanding of English as he has.

✿ Those are my Top 5 Wednesday picks for today. If you did a T5W post, link it below, I'd love to check it out, or you can subscribe to BookSass. Thanks for reading!

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Fandom Items

Today's Top 5 Wednesday Topic: Favorite Fandom Items. These can be items you own or items that you want. I personally don't buy or own very many fandom items, so these weren't exactly easy to come up with, but I think I found some good ones.

1. This item is one that I want so bad and it is Louise Belcher's pink bunny ears hat. I think the ears are so cute and Bob's Burgers is one of my favorite animated shows.

2. The 'One Ring' from the Lord of the Rings series. I actually own a replica of this already on a neck chain and it's one of my favorite pieces of jewelry.

3. This isn't really an item, but it's another thing I've been really wanting to get. I want to get a Shadowhunter rune tattoo. I'm not sure yet what rune I want to get, I just don't want it to be the angelic rune, at least not the first one. I plan to get several, but I'm still looking for the right one to start with and where to actually put it.

4. Of course, Harry Potter has to be mentioned. There are so many fan items from this world that I would love to have, but I'll mention my most wanted and probably the easiest to find, and that would be a house sweater. I freaking love sweaters, and I have so few, none of which are HP related. I have been on the lookout for so long for a Slytherin house sweater that looks comfortable and well made. If you have any idea where I might be able to find one, please comment and let me know.

5. My last favorite fandom item is one that I already own, and that is my Lip Gallagher t-shirt. If you didn't know, there is a really great show called Shameless and on the show, one of the characters, Lip, has a white t-shirt in one episode with black text reading "Fuck you, you fucking fuck." And I own that same shirt. I don't really wear it out in public (for obvious reasons) but I love it.

✿ I hope you enjoyed this post! If you did, please feel free to subscribe to BookSass. If you did a Top 5 Wednesday post as well for this topic, comment the link below and I'll be sure to check it out. 

Top 5 Wednesday: Ideal Mash Ups

Today Ideal Mashups is the Top 5 Wednesday topic. Ideal mashups are mashups we would want to see, similar to when book synopses say something along the lines of "For fans of _____ and ______." This topic took me foooorever to come up with, but I finally thought of some I liked.

1. The 100 (TV Show) and Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. I really love the idea of The 100's post-apocalyptic world and I think it would be interesting to see some kind of paranormal group (like Shadowhunters) in a dystopian setting as paranormal dystopian isn't something I've ever seen happen before in a book. I would also love to see more badass female characters like Emma and Clarke.

2. This one is an ideal musical mashup - Deftones and Godsmack. Nothing would make me happier than to find a band that has the same sound as Deftones with a voice that's soft and eerie like Chino's, but that can also growl like Sully and has the same lyrical genius as Godsmack.

3. The shows - DeathNote (anime) and Riverdale. I think it would make for a very interesting story to have something with a dark kind of power like a death note fall into a town that is already creepy and has a subtle paranormal vibe like Riverdale. Imagine what that kind of power would do to a character like Betty who, although outwardly perfect, has a dark side. And every small town story has that perfect Betty character.

4. GTAV and Left4Dead. I love how interactive GTAV is and I love the storyline and world of Left4Dead. I want to see a zombie game with a world as big and developed as the one in GTAV. Instead of only being able to explore the areas that will advance you in the game, having the ability to move freely around an entire map and interact with other survivors, maybe forming alliances/communities would be really cool.

5. This mashup is a song/author combination. Avenged Sevenfold's song Nightmare and the author, Stephen King. I think the song lyrics could inspire a really creepy, old-timey mental asylum set story. An author like Stephen King who can write creepy and weird fiction well would do a great job, in my opinion, of bringing a story like that to life.

✿ I hope you enjoyed this post! If you did, please feel free to subscribe to BookSass. If you did a Top 5 Wednesday post as well for this topic, comment the link below and I'll be sure to check it out. 

Top 5 Wednesday: Auto-buy SFF Authors

Today's Top 5 Wednesday topic is auto-buy authors that write SFF. I personally don't read very much Sci-Fi, so most of these are auto-buy fantasy authors, but there's one on this list who did write a SF book that I liked well enough to want to continue with the series.

#1 - Cassandra Clare 

Of course, Cassandra Clare is on this list. She's not just one of my top 5 SFF auto-buy authors, she's one of my top 5 auto-buy authors in general. If you've browsed some of my other blog posts, then it's no secret I'm a huge fan of the Shadowhunter Chronicles. It was the series that reignited my love for reading, it led me to discover booktube, and it's the first series I ever felt the need to own all of the books to. Even if these weren't reasons for her to be on this list, I've found that her writing and the complexity of her stories get better with every book she writes. And it's for that reason that she remains an auto-buy author for me.

#2 - Leigh Bardugo

Leigh Bardugo is the only author I have ever preordered a book from, besides Cassandra Clare. I have not read her Grisha trilogy, but I have read and own the Six of Crows duology (Crooked Kingdom being the book I preordered). Her writing is so atmospheric and she has such a talent for creating interesting characters that are easy to be invested in. I can't wait to see what she does in the future, but I'll be reading her books regardless.

#3 - A.G Howard

A.G Howard's Splintered trilogy was my first time reading her work. I read the first book in one sitting and binged the other two books within a few days because I loved them so much. She's published a few other books that fall into the fantasy genre since, and although I haven't read them yet, I definitely plan to. She reimagined the world of Wonderland in such a dark and unique way that I trust whatever she publishes, I'll love.

#4 - Jay Kristoff

Though he writes fantasy as well as SF, the only book by Jay Kristoff I've ever read is Illuminae, which is a SF book he co-wrote with the author Amie Kaufman. I wasn't expecting to like the book very much as I'm not really into SF, but I freaking loved it. I found the mixed media writing style to be so interesting and different from anything I had seen before. I also genuinely enjoyed the plot, which again, was unexpected. The book primarily takes place on a spaceship, which did not appeal to me at all, but I really loved the setting and the way it was presented. If Jay Kristoff can make me a fan of a SF book, then I trust whatever he chooses to write and I'll buy it and support him for that reason.

#5 - Sabaa Tahir

I loved Sabaa Tahir's book, An Ember in the Ashes so much when I first read it. It's been a couple years since, and I still need to pick up the sequel. But this isn't because I didn't enjoy the first book, because I remember thinking it was amazing in fact. It's just that I had read it in one sitting and quickly forgot too many of the details to continue reading the series without rereading An Ember in the Ashes. I'm not sure when I'll get to that, but I definitely plan to. So I don't care what she publishes, I will continue buying her books because I know I'll love them no matter what they're about.

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Jokesters

I've been watching Sam's channel for years and have seen dozens of her 'Top 5 Wednesday' videos and it occurred to me that I could be doing the T5W topics here on my blog. So, hopefully, I'll be doing these every week.

✿ This week's topic is Favorite Jokesters, in honor of April Fools' Day. This was pretty tough for me, I don't know why, but I had such a hard time thinking of characters that fall into this category.

1. My first pick comes from the HP world, and no, it's not either of the Weasley twins, though I do love them. One of my favorite pranksters (and characters, in general) is Peeves. He is so mischevious and I loved reading every scene he was a part of. I think it's such a shame that his character didn't make it into the movies because they would have been even better with him.

2. Pick #2 comes from another one of my favorite series' and that is Simon Lewis from The Mortal Instruments. The topic post mentioned jokesters, pranksters, and funny characters, and while Simon isn't necessarily a prankster type of character, he is definitely a funny character. Simon is so witty and he always makes really cheesy jokes that are almost so cheesy they're actually funny and I absolutely love him.

3. This one is from the show Bob's Burgers and that would be Louise Belcher. She's my favorite character on the show for the reason that she's so funny. Any prank or scheme that the kids try to pull off is usually thought up by Louise. She's snarky and sarcastic and I love every bit of it.

4. Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare is one of my favorite literary characters period. But, he especially works for this topic because a majority of the play's plot is created by Puck's impish tricks. I love him even more for not seeming bothered at all by the fact that he causes so much chaos.

5. My final pick is a villain that comes from the DC comics universe. Don't worry, it's not the joker, it's actually Edward Nygma a.k.a The Riddler. I love everything about this character. The riddles, the drama, the complexity with which he goes about his schemes, I love it all. I have read comic books that feature the Riddler and I've been pleased with them, but my favorite portrayal of his character is on the television show, Gotham. I loved seeing the transformation from Edward to Riddler and I think Cory Michael Smith does a great job with the role.