Classic Months- April and May 2018

Classic Months April and May 2018

For the next two months, I will be reading at least the following eight classics. The order I have listed below will be the order that I plan on reading them in. They will not be the only books that I read during the two months, but I will definitely be reading these ones. Last year, I also did Classic months and I enjoyed it. It's great to dedicate some time to the classics and I love reading them. 

April: 

🐇 The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois- This was recommended to me by one of my students almost two years ago. I never got the opportunity to read it at the time because of all the work with student teaching and at my university but I knew that I wanted to eventually. The student told me at the time that it was one of his favorite books ever. I recently picked this up at a book sale and wanted to make it the first book that I read this month.


🐇 Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson- I will be watching a movie version of this for my Perspective review. This will be my second Robert Louis Stevenson story. My first was The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. I did not really like that story that much but I'm hoping that I like this more. I'm excited to pick this up, especially in regards to comparing it to the movie that I plan on watching with it.


🐇 Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome- This is supposed to be a very funny novel and I hope that it is. I have been looking forward to reading this ever since I found it at a book sale two or three years ago.


🐇 Persuasion by Jane Austen- I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice in February and planned on picking up another one of Jane's books sometime soon. So I figured why not pick up one this coming month. This was her last finished novel and I had a professor tell me how much he loved it. I can't wait to pick it up.


Other books that I may also read:
🐇 Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome- A continuation of Three Men in a Boat. Depending on my feelings for the first book, I may or may not pick this one up. I'm hoping that they are both good.


🐇 The Mystery Of Briony Lodge by David Bagchi- A cross between the characters of Three Men in a Boat and Sherlock Holmes. It looks like it is going to be really funny. This one is not a classic but I figured that if I like Three Men in a Boat enough I should probably pick this one up too.

May:
🌸 The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare- I have never read this play and have heard that it is a good one. I don't know much about it going in which I believe is going to be an interesting way of reading it. There has never been a time that I have read one of his plays knowing nothing about it. At least that I can think about. This I think will be my twelfth read play of Shakespeare's. I hope to read at least three more this year.


🌸 This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald- I have only ever read The Great Gatsby and a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time and I have been wanting to read another one of his books. This is the first book that he ever wrote. He wrote it when he was twenty-three years old and it's semi-autobiographical. I can't wait to devel into another one of his books and I'm hoping that it is a good one. This is probably the book that I have hyped up the most from any of the books that I plan on reading these two months.


🌸 Orlando by Virginia Woolf- Virginia Woolf is another author that I have been wanting to read more of for years. I enjoyed Mrs. Dalloway the two times I have read it for class. Also, I have read a couple of her short stories and parts of Room of One's Own. Virginia Woolf is one of the most interesting writers that I have ever read and I want to eventually read the rest of her works. Especially this book and her letters.


🌸 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame- I believe that I watched the Disney short made of this story when I was a child but I don't really remember too much of it. This is another book that I have been meaning to read for years but have not had the chance yet. I will be watching a movie version of this called Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (Wind in the Willows in the UK) for my Perspective review. I don't know if it's another story loosely based on the book or if it is directly based off of this book. This was made by some of the Monty Python troupe (who I love so much) and has many of them in it, so I'm looking forward to seeing their take on the story.


I will also be reading:
🌸 The Willows in Winter by William Horwood- A sequel to the original The Wind in the Willows by another author. I don't know how this is going to be but I do plan on reading it. We will see.

Dedication to Terry Pratchett

Dedication to Terry Pratchett

March 12th, 2018

It has been three years since Terry Pratchett's death on March 12th, 2015. There's not a day that I don't think of his books or how amazing his mind was. He will always be missed. #SpeakHisName. He has become one of my favorite authors of all time and is a writer that I admire a lot. 

I remember when I first picked up one of Terry's books. It was in late 2013, I was trying to find books that were similar to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and Good Omens was recommended to me. I had never heard of Terry Pratchett before this but I had heard of Neil Gaiman before, having read Stardust. A little bit after that I bought the book and fell in love with the writing style. After I read the book, I looked up what else Terry had written and found out about the Discworld series and all of the other books he had written. At the time, the Discworld series was at forty books, which intimidated me. I wanted to pick the books up but a forty-book series (which would become a forty-one book series) scared me away a bit. 

On the day of his death, I was on Facebook looking at posts on a Harry Potter fan page. They had posted about Terry that day saying that he passed away earlier in the day. I remember looking at the quote that they had put, “No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away...” ― Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man, and tearing up a little. I never knew the man in real life and I wish that I had. I really at the time did not even know him as a writer either and on that day I vowed that I would read his entire Discworld series someday. 

Fast forward to last year, I had asked my parents for my college graduation present for the Discworld series (well the ones that were out at the time in the Gollancz Discworld Collector's Library series). I started reading the series in March and fell in love with the Discworld and its characters. Now, I wish that I had read the series years before but I'm glad that I'm reading them. Terry has not only become one of my favorite writers of all time but also someone that I look up to as a writer. I'm still a young writer in regards to someone like him and one day I hope to be half as good as him. He was one incredible man.

I have read nine of the books so far and I'm reading Eric right now. If I wanted to I could have read the series probably in two months, three at the most, but I didn't want to. I enjoy writing my reviews of these books and taking the time to really feel a part of each book. I have enjoyed every visit to Ankh-Morpork, the Unseen University, my time with each of the characters: Rincewind, Death, Granny Weatherwax, the Librarian, the Luggage and so many more. I want to be able to take the time to enjoy this series for the first time and can't wait for many more readings of the books. 

So on this day, I wanted to honor Terry with this dedication. Over the past year, I have enjoyed writing reviews on here for the books I have read (well besides The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, I wasn't doing reviews at that time) of his and will continue to do so. I have also enjoyed talking about his books and recommending them to anyone I can. If anyone is feeling intimated by his books like I was, don't be. It's a series that I believe everyone should try and trust me if you're a fantasy fan it probably won't be hard to get sucked in by this world. He had a one of kind writing style that I cannot get enough of. My Terry Pratchett collection keeps growing all the time and I hope one day I'll be able to say I own all of his books. 

Love you, Terry. 

InLoveAThon TBR

💖 My InLoveAThon TBR 💖

The InLoveAThon is a Valentine's Day themed read-a-thon that was created by 

Cristina from Cristina's Journey on Booktube. There are ten challenges to choose from, though you only have to do 7 of them. Below you will see the challenges and the books that I plan to read for each of them. I am doing all of them but the first. 

It goes from February 9th at 12 am to February 15th at 11:59 p.m your time.

Challenges

▸ Read a book from your favorite romance author.

     💝 I'm not doing this one

▸ Read a book that has your favorite romantic trope.  

     💝 Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli - friend to lover

▸ Read a book with a prince/princess.

     💝 Beauty and the Beast, while Beauty is not technically a princess at the beginning, she is one by the end. So I am going to count it.

▸ Read an original fairytale and watch the Disney movie or a film adaptation.

    💝 Beauty and the Beast- this will also be my Perspective adaptation for the month. 

▸ Read a book while eating some Valentine treats. 

    💝 I'll be eating some Dove chocolates while reading one of these gems. 

▸ Read a book that takes place in a location where you would love to spend Valentine’s Day.

    💝 Beauty and the Beast- It takes place in castle which would be really cool. 

▸ Read a book with pink or red on the cover.

     💝 Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 

▸ Read an LGBTQ+ love story.

     💝 Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 

▸ Read a classic love story.

     💝 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin is a classic love story so that fits perfectly

▸ Read one of the hosts favorite Contemporary/Historical Romance books. 

    💝 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin- this was picked by Paper Faerie
      I have been wanting to read this for quite sometime so I guess it's finally time. 

InLoveAThon's Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/inloveathon
Cohosts and the books they chose for the final challenge:  
Cristina's Journey // Losing It

The Bookish Babbler // Song of Achilles

Paper Faerie // Pride and Prejudice

Tiny Book Dragon // Fill in Boyfriend

jordyn, discombobulated // Hunted

HardbackHoarder // To All the Boys I've Loved Before or The Hating Game

My Favorite Books of 2017

Favorite Books Read in 2017

Here are my top ten percent favorite books of the year out of two hundred, so twenty books (well sort of). All of the books that I have listed below are in order of how I read them this year. I will mention below this list what my top five favorite books were. I did not count any of my rereads from this year though because I reread my top six favorite books of all time. I have reviews for most of these books here on my blog. If there is a review for it, I'll put a 📚 beside it.

1.)  A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness- Read January 9th
 When I first heard of this book I was not really sure about it. It was getting a lot of hype as this book with a heartfelt message. I then picked it up and read it in a few hours. This book is one of the most moving books that I have ever read. I was not expecting the overall message in this book. I made sure to go in not really knowing much about it, which is how I recommend reading it. The monster's tales that he told Connor were great and I loved it so much. I will say that this is a tear jerker and broke my heart.

2.)  Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan- Read the whole series January 10th- 12th

I have decided to put all of the books from the Percy Jackson series in this list because it's a favorite of mine as a whole. This is a series that I should have read years ago and I kind of wish that I did. I have owned it for years and I just never picked it up. Shortly after I started the first book, I could not put them down. This has become one of my favorite series of all time and I still cannot stop thinking about it almost a year later. Each book stands out with the references large or small to the original Greek Myths. Greek Mythology is one of my favorite things to read about and I love that there are many middle-grade series that have such great use of these classics. Percy is such a relatable character and his way of narrating his tales had me laughing out loud. I was invested in his life and his friend's lives so much and I did not want to leave them. The Last Olympian was a great ending to this series and is one of my favorite endings to a series ever. It felt like the best way to close this series. 

I will be picking up more of Rick Riordan's series this coming year and I cannot wait. 

3.) Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt- Read February 11th- 12th
When I had first read the synopsis of this book a couple of years ago I thought that it would be a good book. Now after reading the book I know that I was wrong. It was not only a good book it was an amazing book. A great read and an amazing story. Toby and June's friendship was something that I could not get enough of. I really got attached to every character. Another tear-jerk of the year. I love the ideas of art, love, and friendship that fill this book. One of my favorites of the year for its incredible message and for characters that I loved more than anything.


4.) Stranger than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer- Read March 1st
 This is Chris Colfer's second young adult book and I believe it was just as good as his first Struck by Lightning. Cash Carter is a young actor from a very popular television show (Chris has said that this is somewhat based off of events in his life). Four friends who have been obsessed with the show since they were kids jokingly invite him on a road trip. They are very surprised when he says yes. Cash has been hiding many dark secrets though from everyone that explain his dejected attitude about everything. Slowly, the teens and Cash develop a deep relationship. I love the sarcastic humor throughout this book. I was not expecting how sad this would get.

5.) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde- Read April 20th-26th 📚
Dorian Gray is a self-absorbed man who treats the ones that love and care about him horribly. He becomes completely enamored by a portrait of himself that his friend, Basil Hallward painted of him. After another friend, Lord Henry mentions that he will eventually lose his beauty he becomes obsessed with the idea of how the painting will never lose its beauty but he will. Dorian sells his soul so that he would never age as his portrait changes. Over time he changes into a man that only cares for himself and uses those around him. The portrait then starts to reflect the man he truly is, a corrupt man who is vain.

It is interesting to watch Dorian's self-destruction as he loses every bit of redeemable qualities that he once had. The story is slow at the beginning but it is completely worth getting through the first thirty or so pages. Dorian becomes a detestable man that it is hard to feel a bit sorry for him but his decline into narcissism is one of the most interesting stories I have ever read. I would recommend this book to anyone. His self-absorption in the fact that his beauty will eventually end is quite fascinating and I kept wondering what else this man would do.

6.) Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi- Read May 1st- 3rd 📚
This was a great novel and it makes me want to read more of Tahereh Mafi's works. She writes in clever prose with beautiful lyrical writing. Also, her asides are quite funny along with the chapter introductions. She has a companion to this book that came out last year called Whichwood that I will be reading soon. This story is geared towards Middle Grade but I cannot help but think that anyone would have a fun time reading this (I believe anyone can enjoy a good Middle-Grade novel. I don't care what age you are). Not only is this a great adventure story but it also is a story about individuality. Alice is never afraid of being herself and will let anyone know this. She, I believe would be a great inspiration for younger readers and even older readers.


7.) 180 Seconds by Jessica Park- Read May 7th 📚
It's not every day that I adore a book from the first page of it but I became utterly hooked on this book from the very first page. There was something about Simon and Allison's relationship in the first chapter that made me adore them so much. I did not know too much going into this book. I knew that Allison was a college student who had been adopted at the age of sixteen. That interested me so much because one I had never read a book with a character that had been adopted at such a late age and was very interested to see what would happen. Her interactions with Simon (her adopted father) are so beautiful and I adored them immensely as characters.

8.) Bull by David Elliot- Read May 18th 📚
One of the greatest aspects of this book is the fact that it was written in verse. I can not imagine how long this book would have taken to write let alone contemplate. I love the idea of writing in verse myself since I love writing poetry and I love reading it. The author explains at the end the types of verse that he used throughout for each character. Every one of the characters speaks differently and brings new layers to the story.

What I really liked about David's book was that, yes he stuck to the myth but he added character and motivations to the story that were not already there before. He explained at the end his process in writing this and I loved that he did this. This is one of my all-time favorite Greek myths and he added a layer to the story that made me love it so much more. Asterion, the Minotaur becomes a tragic character in this story that I loved. In the original myth he really never had much of a character but in this David makes the character have new dimensions. I felt bad for him.

9.) My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton- Read May 24th- 26th 📚
 I have said this before on this blog but I'll say it again. When I was in tenth grade I really loved learning about the Tudor family and everything else about England at that time period. Really, I just loved my history class at that time but still. I thought that their story would be an interesting historical fiction novel and I have been looking for one ever since. Last year, I heard of this book for the very first time and I knew that I would have to pick it up. Man, am I happy that I did. This became a new favorite historical fiction novel and novel with humor in it for me. I love the characters especially Jane and also the plot. The beginning of this novel is similar to what actually happened in history and then it becomes its own thing. I loved the mixture of history and fantastical elements and I could not get enough of it. Now this year, the Lady Janies have a new book coming out called My Plain Jane which I will be reading when it comes out. :)

10.) Heartless by Marissa Meyer- Read June 9th 📚
I adored this book and it was hard for me to read it at times because I knew what was going to happen to Catherine the whole time. This is the origin story of the Queen of Hearts one of the memorable characters of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Throughout the story, each of the denizens of Wonderland is shown and we learn how they ended up where they are and how they are in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Catherine is the future Queen of Hearts who has the affection of the King of Hearts who deeply loves the young woman. Catherine does not want his love or to become queen, she wants to open up her own bakery. She is known throughout the kingdom for her wonderful treats. At the ball, that she is supposed to be proposed to at, she meets Jest, who she falls hard for. She and Jest secretly court each other because of her family and the king. Catherine wants nothing more than choosing her path but she has fate to fight with. She will be the future Queen of Hearts even if she does not want it.

I really loved how Carollian the writing in this book was. Marissa Meyer did an incredible job creating her own story but also making it feel like it could have been written by Lewis Caroll himself.

11.) The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide by Chris Colfer- Read July 11th 📚
Chris Colfer has been a favorite author of mine since 2012 when his first book The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell came out. I have loved Chris from his first episode of Glee and I still do. His books are just so special to me and I kind of wish that they would have come out when I was a kid. That is not saying that I did not enjoy them now because I adore them. Really, I just wish I could have been lucky enough to grow up with them like the kids are now. I am much older than the target audience of this series, even though I don't really believe that you have to be a certain age to enjoy a book. The Land of Stories is one of my favorite series of life and that will never change. Every single year I have done a reread of each of the books leading up to the release of the new one (I'm going to miss doing this). This was a great end to a series that I have loved for five years. The characters are great, the lands he created are all so vivid, and this world is one that I would live in, in a heartbeat. I have compared the feeling of finishing this series to when I finished the Harry Potter series ten years ago. This is actually the first series that I read along with as each of the books was released instead of reading them months or even years later. This was the perfect ending book to a series that I have loved for years and I cannot wait to see the companion series that he is planning on writing. I will be reading it as soon as they come out. As I said above in Stranger than Fanfiction, I have read every one of Chris's books and I don't plan on ever stopping. Also, I am beyond excited for the movies. I may be one of the only adults that will be there without children, but I will be seeing it as soon as it comes out.

12.) Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor- July 30th- August 2nd

Laini Taylor has a writing style that I simply adore and this story was one of the best that I have ever read. Lazlo and Sarai's stories are beautiful and I could not get enough of this book. This is my second of her books with Daughter of Smoke and Bone being my first a few years ago. Strange the Dreamer has a world that I would love to live in and characters that I connected with so much. Also, that ending was powerful. I'm interested in seeing what will happen in the next book. Laini's style may not be for everyone but it is for me. It's lyrical, poetic, and each line feels alive in itself. This book was perfection.

13.) The Wendy Project by Melissa Jane Osborne, Veronica Fish (Illustrator)- Read September 2nd 📚

 This is a stunning graphic novel and is one of the best that I have ever seen visually if not the best. The illustrations/art by Veronica Fish are incredible and I just want to keep looking at them. The story is also great. I love retellings or stories that take a twist on original tales and this one was definitely very good. Melissa Jane Osborne takes the tale of Peter Pan and twists it into a story of grief and how to overcome great obstacles. The notebook-like design is not only clever and beautiful but it also goes perfectly with the story that Melissa is telling. I recommend this book to anyone that loves the original tale of Peter Pan and graphic novels. This was a great take on a classic story that I cannot get enough of. Also, it looks absolutely stunning and has a great texture to the cover. I could gush about it forever. Please, if the premise of this book sounds even a bit interesting to you, pick it up. You will not regret it. 

14.) The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell- Read September 10th 📚

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of this novel. The fantasy story was interesting and also cute. I rooted for all of the characters especially our two main characters, Xar and Wish. Also, the witches are interestingly different than I have ever seen before and are creepy. Cressida Cowell is great at story building and writes with a voice throughout the story that I could not get enough of. Her use of wit and narration are great parts of this story. This is the first book of Cressida's that I have picked up and know I will pick up others of hers. She is known for writing the popular How to Train Your Dragon book series that the two Dreamworks movies are based on. Middle-grade fantasy is a genre that I have always loved and this is an incredible example of one of the best. She builds this world that I felt like I was walking around in when listening to this book. The creepiness of these witches and also just the deep dark forest was perfect for the story. She says at the beginning that we may have heard of deep dark forests before but we really don't know what we are getting into. Her descriptions throughout were perfect to show this.

David Tennant did a great job creating a distinct voice for each of the characters. I have loved David Tennant since I first saw him in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire movie and also in a few episodes of Doctor Who.  He gave each of the characters a voice that seemed to fit their characters. My favorites were for the sprites, which were amazing. So adorable. He could literally read any audiobook and I would listen to them. That is because he made these characters come alive and created this atmosphere of a reading experience that I will never forget. Saying that I enjoyed listening to this book is an understatement. He made this book so much for me and I know that I will be picking up the rest of the series once they come out.

15.) Mort by Terry Pratchett- Read September 23rd- 25 📚
 The fourth book in the Discworld series and the first in the Death subseries, which is so far my favorite of the subseries. Death has been in each of the books so far because he comes when someone dies. This book focuses on him taking on an apprentice and then trying to find a more "normal" job for himself. Death both understands humankind more than we ever could because he has watched us for so long, but also is trying to still understand emotions and the actions of humans.
His adventures and quotes within this book our some of the best I have ever read in literature let alone in this series. This easily made it onto my favorites list. I can't wait to get more of Death's story throughout the novels.

16.) The Marvels by Brian Selznick- Read October 9th 📚

The Marvels tells two different stories that connect in such an amazing way. The first is told in about 400 pages of continuous pictures. It begins with a boy named Billy who is shipwrecked in 1766 and eventually finds work at a theater in England. Throughout this story, we follow the rest of his family throughout the generations and their life as actors. This is up until 1900 when Leontes Marvel is banished from the theater.

The second part of this story takes place almost a century later, in 1990, with the runaway Joseph Jervis. He has come to England from his boarding school to try and find his uncle. Albert Nightingale, his uncle, is known to be a strange man living in the most stunningly beautiful house, that contains many secrets. Joseph becomes fascinated in this house and his uncle. He tries everything to figure out what has happened in the past with his family and also the house.

I loved both sides of this story and especially the twist that we find out in the second part of this story. This is definitely my favorite of Brian Selznick's books. I would recommend reading this and his others. They are all very good.

17.) The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo- Read November 3rd-4th 📚
 This is a beautiful fairy tale collection set in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse. Each story in this collection is accompanied with illustrations on every page which grow with each page until they make a two-page spread illustration at the end. Besides the illustrations, the stories are just as stunning if not more. Leigh Bardugo's writing is one of my favorites ever and I could not get enough of each of these stories. Some were based on some of the original fairy tales and other classic tales, and others were completely of Leigh's own creation. I loved how each story had the feel of a classic fairy tale to them. Really, I could have had twenty more of these tales and I would have been happy. I hope that she will eventually write more of these. I'll definitely buy them. Also, I cannot wait to read more of her books this year. I will be at least reading her Wonder Woman book.

18.) Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao- Read November 15th-18th 📚
From the first sentence of this audiobook, I was hooked. I have not read many books where the villain was the protagonist. I really loved this retelling/ origin story of the Evil Queen. The Snow White fairy tale has always been one of my favorites and this twist on that was enjoyable to read. It definitely became a new favorite one for me out of any of the Snow White or any other retellings. I loved Julie's take on this story and how she made it her own.

My favorite aspect of this book was how Julie made this her own story. I just love how she took these classic concepts and twisted them into a novel that I could not stop listening to. It became one of my favorites last year among a list as you have seen here that is quite extensive. I cannot wait for the next book in this duology, which I will be picking up as soon as it comes out.

19.) Descender: The Deluxe Edition Volume 1 by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Illustrator)- Read December 13th 📚
I had heard so many incredible things about this graphic novel series since it had first come out. At the end of last year, I was lucky enough to get the chance to review this first volume for the website Impulse Gamer. This was even more incredible than what I had heard before. It is definitely in my top graphic novel picks along with I Hate Fairyland and the Wendy Project. The illustrations in this graphic novel are stunning watercolor designs that just pop out. The story was very compelling. I really connected to TIM and cannot wait to continue his story in the near future. This is one incredible volume that I would recommend to anyone to read. It has a great mix of action, adventure, and science fiction.

20.) Hogfather by Terry Pratchett- Read December 26th- 29th 📚
This has been a great year of reading and I'm glad that this was one of my final books of the year. I loved starting Terry Pratchett's Discworld series last year and cannot wait to continue with Pyramids this month. Hogfather was one of the darkest so far for me of the Discworld series and also the funniest. It was entertaining reading about Death saving Hogswatch and also the world along with it. So far this is one of my favorites of the series. Terry Pratchett was an incredible writer and person and I would recommend them to everyone. He was one of a kind and it devastates me to know that he has not been with us for almost three years now. What an incredible mind and person. I cannot express to you enough about how much you should read this book and the whole series in general. If you love a great fantasy you should read this. If you love the feeling around Christmas you should read this. And finally, if you love a great story you should read this. This was an incredible book that I cannot speak more highly of. Also, Death is one of my all-time favorite characters out of any book.

Top 5 Favorite Books of the year
5. Mort by Terry Pratchett
4. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
3. The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide by Chris Colfer
2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan (because I'm counting this as one)
1. The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

Anticipated 2018 Reads

1.) Circe by Madeline Miller- April 19th, 2018
I love Madeline Miller's first book The Song of Achilles so much. It is my favorite standalone retelling and is one of my favorite love stories. Circe is about Circe a goddess who is one of the most interesting beings that Odysseus meets in The Odyssey. This story follows her life as the daughter of one of the Titans, Helios, the god of the sun. This deals with her banishment on her deserted island and crossing paths with many of the famous figures of mythology including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his son Icarus, Medea, and of course Odysseus. Greek Mythology is and will always be one of my favorite things to read about and I cannot wait for Madeline Miller's take on these myths.

2.) Sea Witch by Sarah Henning- July 31st, 2018
One of the many retellings of The Little Mermaid that are coming out this year. This one is a take on the sea witch from the tale. As I'm sure anyone can tell who has read many of my posts I am a major fan of retellings. I haven't read really any retellings of The Little Mermaid. It is one of my favorite fairy tales ever and I cannot wait to read this and the many other retellings of it coming out this year.

3.) Neverland by Margot McGovern- April 1st, 2018
 This is about a girl named Kit Learmonth, whose parents drown in a storm on a boat when she was twelve. Now at the age of seventeen, she can't remember what happened to them and can only remember the stories that her father and her created about mermaids and pirates that took place on the little island that they lived on. She called this island Neverland. Her uncle is her guardian and has transformed the little island into a boarding school for mentally ill teenagers.

This just looks so good. I love Peter Pan, retellings, and books with boarding schools. Can't wait to see this take.

4.) Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge by Lisa Jensen- July 10th, 2018
A take on the Beauty and the Beast tale.

5.) The Diminished by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson- April 10th, 2018

A story about an Empire where nearly all are born with a twin. This story follows a singleborn, someone without a twin, which are quite rare. Also, a diminished, someone who has their twin die.

"As their sixteenth birthdays approach, Bo and Vi face very different futures—one a life of luxury as the heir to the throne, the other years of backbreaking work as a temple servant. But a long-held secret and the fate of the empire are destined to bring them together in a way they never could have imagined"- Goodreads.

This just looks like an intriguing premise that I look forward to reading.

6.)  Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Rise of the Empress # 2) by Julie C Dao- October 2018
I really do not know much about this book yet. The cover has not been released yet. I really enjoyed the first book which was a retelling of the Evil Queen from Snow White and the origins of how she became evil. It had Eastern Asian roots and was so good. This book I believe is supposed to be from a different perspective and takes place after the first. Cannot wait to get my hands on this one. It's one of my most anticipated books.

7.) The Looking Glass by Janet McNally- August 14th, 2018
A story about two girls Sylvie and Julia Blake. Julia renamed their favorite fairy tale book Girls In Trouble when they were little girls. Now, Julia has disappeared and no one knows what has happened to her or if she's okay. Sylvie is trying to carry on her sisters legacy at a prestigious ballet academy.

Julia then sends her sister a list inside their old storybook and Sylvie starts to see signs of her sister everywhere. She goes with the help of her best friend's brother and his beat-up car to try and find her sister.

This sounds like a great mix of magical realism. Can't wait.

8.) Ruin of Stars (Mask of Shadows # 2) by Linsey Miller- August 1st, 2018
This is the sequel to Mask of Shadows. I really don't know much about it but I am highly anticipating the conclusion especially with the conclusion of the last.

9.) The Surface Breaks by Loise O'Neill- May 3rd, 2018
A reimagining of The Little Mermaid. This book is set beneath the sea, off the Irish coast, featuring a young mermaid, Gaia, who dreams of being human but could face a heavy price for her aspirations. So again, this is just a dream of mine. 

10.) Reflection (Twisted Tales #4) by Elizabeth Lim - March 27th, 2018
I have yet to read any of these twisted tales but they have all looked really great. This one is about Mulan and is based on the movie version of her story. This one follows Mulan as she has to journey into the Chinese Underworld, Diyu, in order to save Captain Shang after he is mortally wounded. She gets help from his lion guardian has they traverse Diyu, trying to save him. This just sounds like a great take on this story and I really want to check it out. I have heard that the Underworld has a feel like Dante's Inferno. I'm intrigued to see how this will be.

11.) Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon- March 6th, 2018 
I have never read Oliver Twist by Charles Dicken's but have known the basic storyline for some time. If I do pick this one up will also be picking up Oliver Twist. This is a reimaging with the title character being a female who has to pretend to be a boy for her own safety on the streets until she can be rescued. This looks not only interesting but that cover is one of the prettiest that I have ever seen.

12.) Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff- March 13th, 2018
I read the first book in this series back in 2015 when it first came out. It is a book made up of a fascinating dossier of hacked documents- including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more. It was a book that I really enjoyed and I wanted to wait to read the second book until the third came out. Finally, this one will be coming out and it will be great binging them all together.

13.) All of This Is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor- May 15th, 2018
A story about four teens befriending a YA novelist, who then find their deepest and darkest secrets in the pages of her next book. This book is told through interviews, journal entries, and pages from the book within the book. This is such an interesting concept and a book that I want to pick up this year.

14.) The Land of Yesterday by K.A. Reynolds- July 31st, 2018
"After Cecelia Dahl’s little brother, Celadon, dies tragically, his soul goes where all souls go: The Land of Yesterday. And Cecelia is left behind in a fractured world without him. Her beloved house’s spirit is crumbling beyond repair, her father is imprisoned by sorrow, and worst of all, her grief-stricken mother abandons the land of the living to follow Celadon into Yesterday.

It’s up to Cecelia to put her family back together, even if that means venturing into the dark and forbidden Land of Yesterday on her own. But as Cecilia braves a hot air balloon commanded by two gnomes, a sea of daisies, and the Planet of Nightmares, it’s clear that even if she finds her family, she might not be able to save them. And if she’s not careful, she might just become a lost soul herself, trapped forever in Yesterday." - Goodreads

I love middle-grade books and this looks like one of the best that is coming out this year. I also have heard that this has a lyrical style of writing similar to Laini Taylor and whimsical worlds like Neil Gaiman. Sounds like the best combination that I have ever heard.

15.) In Search Of Us by Ava Dellaira- March 6th, 2018 
 I read Ava Dellaira's debut Love Letters to the Dead a couple of years ago when it had first come out. It was a favorite of mine and I have been highly anticipating this one ever since. This is a parallel story about a mother and daughter each at age seventeen. Marilyn's tale is about the summer she fell in love and set out on her own path and Angie's story is about her search for her unknown father. I love stories that follow along with multiple perspectives and time periods and I cannot wait to see how both of these stories come together in this book.

16.) The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black- January 2nd, 2018
I love Holly Black's writing, she wrote one of my favorite series, The Spiderwick Chronicles.  I don't know much about this story other than the fact that it deals with the fey. Jude the main character, was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her sisters were stolen to live in the High Court of Faerie. She wants nothing more than to belong there, but can't because of her mortality. Many of the fey despise humans, especially the youngest prince, Prince Carden. To win a place in the court she has to defy him. Love the sound of this.

17.) Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet #1) by Roshani Chokshi- March 27th, 2018
This book is being published by Rick Riordan's new imprint with Disney publishing and it sounds wonderful. This is about a twelve-year-old girl trying to just fit in at school. She spends her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art, and is waiting for her mother to return home from her latest archeological trip. Three of her schoolmates show up at the museum to catch her in one of her many lies and she lights the Lamp of Bharata which is cursed. She unwittingly realized the Sleep, who is an ancient demon whose job it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and mother get frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them.

A new series of books based on the myths of Indian culture. So yes, I'm a very excited.

18.) House of Night and Day by Gregory Funaro- Sometime in 2018
I really loved Gregory's Odditorium series when I first read it a couple of years ago. I still hope that it will be continued someday. This book is part of a Middle-grade fairy tale-flavored duology. Two children move into an ominous old house that sits right next to a feared dark wood, where an ancient magic lives. This includes carved wooden animals that fill the children's house that come alive at night. This will be coming out in fall 2018, well at least it is supposed to be. I love Gregory's writing style and can't wait to see what he does with this story.

19.) The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert-  January 30th, 2018
I'm going to put in the Goodreads synopsis here so I don't miss anything about this book.
"Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong." - Goodreads

This book is my second most anticipated novel from this year. I love the sound of this story and cannot wait to read about the Hazel Wood.

20.) The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang- February 13th, 2018
 A graphic novel about a Prince, whose parent's are trying to find him a bride. Sebastian is living a secret life that no one knows besides his best friend Frances. At night he puts on dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia- the hottest fashion icon in the world of Paris. This sounds like a sweet fairy tale that I wanted to read as soon as I heard about it.


21.) Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli- April 24th, 2018
The companion/ sequel to one of my most favorite contemporaries of all time Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. This one focuses on Simon's best friend Leah. She has been holding a lot of secrets from her friends even though her mother knows. This takes place during their senior year and is just everything I wanted. I cannot wait to read from Leah's perspective and also to get more of Mr. Simon Spier. :)

22.) My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2) by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton- June 26th, 2018 
"You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights." - Goodreads

I loved the first book by the Lady Janies: My Lady Jane. The humor was incredible and I cannot wait to see their take on Jane Eyre and also the life of its author Charlotte Bronte. I will be reading the actual book before I actually pick this up.

23.) Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer #2) by Laini Taylor- October 2d, 2018

I don't actually know much about this other than the fact that it is the sequel to Strange the Dreamer. Strange the Dreamer was one of my top five favorite books of last year and I can't wait for the sequel. I hope it's coming out this year.

24.) Dreamer (Traveler #2) by L.E. DeLano- April 10th, 2018
The sequel to Traveler a book about alternate dimensions and a girl named Jessa who finds out that she is one of the Travelers. People born with the ability to slide through reflections (such as mirrors) and dreams into the alternate realities. Jessa finds out from another Traveler, that she is dying in many of the other realities, and Finn the other Traveler, will do anything to stop her from dying. I have been looking forward to this book since I first finished Traveler.

25. The Strange And Deadly Portraits Of Bryony Gray by E. Latimer -February 13th, 2018
I actually have an e-arc for this book so I will be picking it up sometime this month. This is a middle-grade reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray. It sounds like it has the right mix of creepiness and also whimsy. I can't wait to pick this book up sometime soon. I will have a full review for this on here when I am done with it.

26. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw- March 6th, 2018
A mixture of Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic:  this is what first drew me to this story. In the town of Sparrow, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. They were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. For a brief time each summer, the sisters return. They steal the bodies of three weak-hearted girls, each time so they can seek their revenge. They lure boys into the harbor and pull them under.

Sounds extra dark and very intriguing.

27. To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo- March 6th, 2018

Yet another retelling of The Little Mermaid that is coming out this year. This one sounds like we get to hear the perspective of not only the mermaid but also of the prince. Princess Lira is of siren royalty and is the most lethal of them all. She has the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection. She kills one of her own and is punished by her mother the Sea Queen, who transforms into what they loathe most humans. She has until the winter solstice to get the heart of Prince Elian to her mother or she will be a human forever.

Prince Elian calls the ocean his home even though he is the heir to the most powerful kingdom on the surface. He hunts sirens as a hobby. When he rescues a drowning woman, she promises to help him destroy all of sirenkind. But can she really be trusted?

This sounds like a great departure from the original tale but also close enough to it to be a retelling. It's the one that interests me the most out of the three based on the original tale.


28. Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston- February 27th, 2018
 Said to be a reimaging of Anastasia with a science fiction twist. Yep, I want to read it.