Top Ten Tuesday: Top Twelve Books I Enjoyed but Don't Talk Enough About

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme formerly hosted by The Broke and the Bookish,
now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl!

Top Twelve Books I Enjoyed 
but Don't Talk Enough About

1. Murder, Magic, & What We Wore (Kelly Jones) (review)
2. Love and First Sight by Josh Sundquist (review)
3. Daughter of the Pirate King (Tricia Levenseller) (review)
4. The Accidental Highwayman (Ben Tripp) (review)
5. Arclight (Josin A. McQuein) (review)
6. Undertow (Michael Buckley) (review)
7. Avalon (Mindee Arnett) (review)
8. Rebel Mechanics (Shanna Swendson) (review)
9. The Leveller (Julia Durango) (review)
10. Indelible (Dawn Metcalf) (review)
11. Hold Me Like a Breath (Tiffany Schmidt) (review)
12. Relax, I'm a Ninja (Natalie Whipple) (review)

What favorite books do you rarely talk about?

The #FridayReads Review (12/13/19)

Welcome to The #FridayReads Review, a regular Friday segment where I share what I've been reading the past week, and what I'm planning to read next! Want to join the Friday fun? Post your own #FridayReads Review and leave the link in the Comments below, or just Comment with what you've been reading!

>> CURRENTLY READING <<

Kamisama Kiss vol. 3 by Julietta Suzuki (PBK)

I just can't seem to get interested in novels this month, so manga it is! This is a particularly favorite series by a particularly favorite manga author, and I'm excited to binge the entire thing straight through - I've previously only read it volume by volume as they released. Currently at the beginning and feeling so nostalgic. It's been nine years this month since I started reading it - almost a decade! Where does the time go...? Anyway, I'm hoping to generate a series review from the experience, so be on the lookout for it early next year!

The Writer's Guide to Creating a SF Universe by Ochoa & Osier (HBK)

Although this was written back in the '90s and is therefore rather out of date in some scientific areas, I'm learning a ton about logical space worldbuilding and generating mounds of ideas for several SF books I'm currently working on. It's also made me curious about what space science does look like nowadays, and I'm really enjoying the further research that curiosity has encouraged! Moral: never discount "out of date" reference materials.

>> ON HOLD <<

Cress by Marissa Meyer (PBK)

As thrilling as this book is, I think I burned out on the series trying to binge the entire thing and am seriously struggling to keep reading. (Apparently I am not the binge type when it comes to novels.) I'm two-thirds through though and determined to finish it soon!

>> JUST FINISHED <<

Twinkle Stars vol. 5 by Natsuki Takaya (PBK)

4 Stars. An emotionally charged teen romance of first love and familial angst from the author of the wildly popular series, Fruits Basket. It had lots of tears but ultimately hope and happiness, and despite all the used tissues I really quite enjoyed it. Review to come. 

>> [POSSIBLY] READING NEXT <<

(subject to change with my ever-shifting reading whims)

Emma Omnibus vol. 1 by Kaoru Mori (HBK)

I adore her Bride's Story series and discovering the omnibus editions of this older series at the library so it's finally time to binge it!

So what are you reading this week?

The #FridayReads Review (11/1/19)

Welcome to The #FridayReads Review, a regular Friday segment where I share what I've been reading the past week, and what I'm planning to read next! Want to join the Friday fun? Post your own #FridayReads Review and leave the link in the Comments below, or just Comment with what you've been reading!

>> CURRENTLY READING <<

Cress by Marissa Meyer (PBK)

After my next read didn't work out (see DNF below), I couldn't help but go straight into the next Lunar book. Even for a paperback it's so heavy it hurts my hands, but the story continues to be engrossing. So excited to finally be continuing this amazing series!

Wild Ones vol. 7 by Kiyo Fujiwara (PBK)

Needed a manga fix so I decided to re-read this favorite 10-volume series for enjoyment and review. Such a fun and sweet story of young adult love with a humorous yakuza twist. Look for my review later this year!

>> DNF <<

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud (PBK)

DNF at Page 62. In brief summary, I had 4 problems with this book: the writing, the setting, the lack of initial backstory, and the dull voice. Although I can enjoy a good ghost story, I had to push myself to read as far as I did and just couldn't muster any interest in continuing Lucy's ghostly adventures. For my full DNF review, see here.

>> JUST FINISHED <<

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (PBK)

4 Stars (re-read). This wasn't quite as enjoyable as Cinder since my dislike for 3+ POVs has only grown over the years and this one has at least 6 (I eventually lost count), but I was still reluctant to put it down and burned through it in just a few days. Still as original, vivid, and engrossing as the first time I read it, I can't recommend it and Cinder highly enough. You can read my full original review here.

>> [POSSIBLY] READING NEXT <<

(subject to change with my ever-shifting reading whims)

Fairest by Marissa Meyer (PBK)

So I guess I'm supposed to read this one before Winter? I'm really not crazy about Levana, but I'll give it a try.

So what are you reading this week?

The #FridayReads Review: #FierceReads Edition (10/25/19)

Welcome to The #FridayReads Review, a regular Friday segment where I share what I've been reading the past week, and what I'm planning to read next! Want to join the Friday fun? Post your own #FridayReads Review and leave the link in the Comments below, or just Comment with what you've been reading!

>> CURRENTLY READING <<

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (PBK)

Dove straight into this sequel after devouring Cinder and no surprise I have been burning through it too! My dislike for 3+ POVs has only grown over the years and this one has... well, at least 5 (I've lost count) so it's not quite as enjoyable as Cinder was, but I've still been reluctant to put it down and am now only a few dozen pages from the end. So happy this series is just as engrossing as I remembered! 
(You can read my original review here.)

>> JUST FINISHED <<

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (PBK)

4.5 Stars (re-read). I was a little wary to re-read this (second reads of older favorites can go bad for me), but I loved it just as much as I did before. I also didn't remember pretty much all of it (one of the very few perks of sieve brain), so it was like reading a whole new book! A brilliant and original fairytale retelling with relatable characters, an amazing world, and a stellar plot. You can read my full original review here.

>> [POSSIBLY] READING NEXT <<

(subject to change with my ever-shifting reading whims)

Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda (ARC)

I should slide straight into Cress but feel the need for some serious chills for Halloween so I'm planning to finally tackle Courtney's YA space horror! 

So what are you reading this week?

The #FridayReads Review (10/18/19)

Welcome to The #FridayReads Review, a regular Friday segment where I share what I've been reading the past week, and what I'm planning to read next! Want to join the Friday fun? Post your own #FridayReads Review and leave the link in the Comments below, or just Comment with what you've been reading!

>> CURRENTLY READING <<

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (PBK)

Was in a vague sci-fi mood so I finally grabbed this favorite for a re-read (I never finished the series and have been eager to). Although I was a little wary (second reads of older favorites can go bad for me), I'm loving it just as much as I did before! I also don't remember pretty much all of it so it's like reading a whole new book (one of the very few perks of sieve brain). Already excited for Scarlet next, which I recall I enjoyed even more than Cinder.

>> JUST FINISHED <<

Me & My Brothers vol. 11 by Hari Tokeino (PBK)

4 Stars. Re-read of the entire series for review. A cutie classic from my shelves about a teen girl who goes to live with her four stepbrothers and falls for the late-twenties eldest. Enjoyed the romance and hijinks as much as previous reads, despite the story moving way too fast. Review to come!

>> [POSSIBLY] READING NEXT <<

(subject to change with my ever-shifting reading whims)

Natsume's Book of Friends vol. 23 by Yuki Midorikawa (PBK)

Expecting this in the mail soon and I'm excited for a new volume of adventures with Natsume! I rather hope this favorite series never ends.

So what are you reading this week?

Release Spotlight: HEART OF IRON (Ashley Poston) | DAUGHTER OF THE SIREN QUEEN (Tricia Levenseller)

Today I spotlight an exciting sci-fi and sequel!

The first is YA sci-fi HEART OF IRON by Geekerella's Ashley Poston! With a young "scoundrel and outlaw" female lead and sentient android sidekick (my catnip), this Anastasia retelling has been my most anticipated winter release.

The second is sequel DAUGHTER OF THE SIREN QUEEN by Tricia Levenseller! Pirates aren't usually my thing but I thoroughly enjoyed Daughter of the Pirate King (you can read my review here) and have since been looking forward to continuing kick-ass Alosa's adventures.

If you haven't yet checked out these titles, see below for more info and order links!

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Title: Heart of Iron
Author: Ashley Poston
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Release Date: 2/27/18

Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them.

When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.

What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?

Add to Goodreads

PURCHASE:
Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository

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Title: Daughter of the Siren Queen
Series: Daughter of the Pirate King #2
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: 2/27/18

Alosa's mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. Still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, first mate Riden is a constant distraction, but now he's under her orders. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father's justice.

When Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared Pirate King. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first . . . after all, she is the daughter of the Siren Queen.

Add to Goodreads

PURCHASE:
Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository

Check out the first book!

Book 1: Daughter of the Pirate King

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository | My Review

Release Spotlight: PITCH DARK (Courtney Alameda)

Today I spotlight the new Sci-fi horror from Courtney Alameda: PITCH DARK! I'm typically not one for horror but I thoroughly enjoyed her debut, SHUTTER (review link at bottom), so I've been looking forward to her next story with great anticipation! If you haven't yet heard of this spooky title, check it out below!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: Pitch Dark
Author: Courtney Alameda
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: 2/20/18

Set against a future of marauding space scavengers and deadly aliens who kill with sound, here is a frightening, fast-paced YA adventure from the author of the acclaimed horror novel, Shutter.

Tuck has been in stasis on the USS John Muir, a ship that houses Earth’s most valued artifacts—its natural resources. Parks and mountains are preserved in space. 

Laura belongs to a shipraiding family, who are funded by a group used to getting what they want. And they want what’s on the Muir. 

Tuck and Laura didn’t bargain on working together, or battling mutant aliens who use sound to kill. But their plan is the only hope for their crews, their families, and themselves. 

In space, nobody can hear you scream . . . but on the John Muir, the screams are the last thing you'll hear.

Add to Goodreads

PURCHASE:
Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository

Check out Courtney's horror debut!

Shutter

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository | My Review

2017 End of Year Book Survey

It's time for the 2017 End of Year Book Survey hosted by The Perpetual Page-Turner!

Number Of Books You Read: 170
Number of Re-Reads: 6 novels
Genre You Read The Most From: YA Fantasy

1. Best Book You Read In 2017?

SCIENCE FICTION: Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre
FANTASY: The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye (review)
CONTEMP/HISTOR: Murder, Magic, & What We Wore by Kelly Jones (review)
NON-FICTION: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
MANGA: The Ancient Magus' Bride vol. 6 by Kore Yamazaki

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Starfall by Melissa Landers (review)

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? 

Good: Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller (review)

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones (review)

5. Best series you started in 2017? Best Sequel of 2017? Best Series Ender of 2017?

STARTED: The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye (review)
SEQUEL: A Poison Dark & Drowning by Jessica Cluess (review)
ENDER: Kamisama Kiss vol. 25 by Julietta Suzuki

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017?

A. Lee Martinez (via The Last Adventure of Constance Verity)

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller (review)

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

9. Book You Read In 2017 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017?

Roar by Cora Carmack

11. Most memorable character of 2017?

Nadim from Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017?

The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye (review)

13. Most Thought-Provoking/Life-Changing Book of 2017?

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2017 to finally read? 

Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2017?

I didn't mark any this year (I'm so bad about quotes)...

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2017? 

SHORTEST: Explorer: The Mystery Boxes by Kazu Kibuishi
LONGEST: Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (re-read)

17. Book That Shocked You The Most (Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)

A Poison Dark & Drowning by Jessica Cluess (review)

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) (OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

Zadim from Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Zadim from Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2017 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray (review)

21. Best Book You Read In 2017 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller (review)

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017?

Abel from Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray (review)

23. Best 2017 debut you read?

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye (review)

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight vol. 1 by Rin Mikimoto

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2017?

Kamisama Kiss vol. 25 by Julietta Suzuki

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones (review)

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

A Poison Dark & Drowning by Jessica Cluess (review)

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2017?

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2017 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2018?

Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2018 (non-debut)?

Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston

3. 2018 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Ink, Iron, and Glass by Gwendolyn Clare

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2018?

Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading Life In 2018?

Read more backlog!

6. A 2018 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

*          *          *

And that's it! Did you read any of these? What did you think of them? And if you filled out the survey as well, leave a link to your post in the comments below!