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

Top 5 Wednesday/ 2018 Reading Resolutions

January 3rd:

Top 5 Wednesday/  2018 Reading Resolutions

For this Top 5 Wednesday, we were supposed to pick our top 5 reading goals for the year. I decided to put my six down on the list.

Top 5 Wednesday is a group created by Lainey of Ginger Reads Lainey on Booktube. It is now hosted by Sam of Thoughts on Tomes on Booktube. Here is a link to the group on Goodreads if you are interested in joining. 

6.) Read more series that I own. I have plenty of series that I want to read this year. So a majority of what I want to read are those series. 

5.) Read at least one classic a month, one of them is definitely going to be Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Also, to go along with this, I am going to also have two classics months, April and May that I read five classics that I will pick out before. I did this last year and really enjoyed it.

A list of more that I want to read:
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Candide by Voltaire
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
One of Jane Austen's books

4.) Read more of Rick Riordan's series. Last year I read the Percy Jackson series and this year I would at least like to read one more if not more.

3.) Read at least one of the Discworld series books by Terry Pratchett a month if not more.

2.) This is a reading/ blogging goal. I would really like to start a series monthly where I compare a book to its movie adaptation or adaptations. This is something that I have been wanting to do for so long.

1.) Finally, I would like to read at least a hundred books this year. I will be writing a review of each book I read this year here on my blog and Goodreads. This will be on Sundays.

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.

Bookish Goals for 2018

My Bookish/ Blog/ Writing Goals for 2018

These are just some of the goals that I have made for myself for 2018. I cannot wait for this year and all that will happen in it. I hope everyone has a great year also. 

📚 Reading Goals

1.)  Read 100 Books

2.)  Read at least one classic a month- One of them being Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

3.) Classics months- April & May

4.) Rick Riordan month- this is a maybe. I do want to read more of his series this coming year though

5.) At least one Terry Pratchett book per month, though I do plan on reading at least two most months.

6.) Read at least one new 2018 release each month.

💻 Blog Goals

1.)  Review books read each week- I started doing this in September and have done it every week since. I really love reviewing every book I read. I will be reviewing books on every Sunday for the week.

2.) Tag Tuesday

3.) Top Five Wednesday

4.) This is a maybe- Once a month, compare a book to its movie adaptation. I think this would be a great addition to my blog that I would enjoy doing. Some of the books I am planning on doing are Stardust by Neil Gaiman, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Hogfather by Terry Pratchett, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (this is going to be a miniseries), and so many more.

5.) Movie reviews post once a month.

📓 💻 Writing Goals

1.)  Finish my second book

2.)  Outline my third and continue it

3.)  Journal each day during the year

Week 17

Week 17 Reviews
December 23rd- 31st

Book 1- Father Christmas's the Fake Beard 
(short story collection)

by Terry Pratchett 

Read December 22nd -24th 

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This is a great collection of short stories that for the most part I really enjoyed. I love Terry Pratchett's humorous style of writing and the wit that he always uses. This is no exception to that. Below I will give a short review for each of eleven short stories and a rating for each. The illustrations in this book were also great and I loved how it was designed. Overall, it was a joy to read his Christmas tales.

"Father Christmas's Fake Beard"
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I believe that Terry's stories that deal with Father Christmas are the best from this collection. Each just shows the joy of the holiday and are quite honestly just enduring tales. This one is told through a series of notes, where a store has hired someone who they believe is a fake Father Christmas (Santa Claus) for their toy department. Throughout the course of the memos, they slowly realize that they may have been quite wrong. The hijinks that continue on are quite hilarious.

"The Blackbury Pie"
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The first story dealing with the town of Blackbury, I liked these stories but not a lot. This story is about the mayor of the town wanting to give something to everyone in the town, especially the hungry, for Christmas. He decides on a giant pie. The story continues on from there.

"Prod-Ye-A'Diddle Oh!"
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Another tale from the town of Blackbury, about a game played on New Year's Day that is a cross between rugby, hopscotch, shove ha'penny, and vandalism. In the tale, a man who is the best on his team is trying to win the hand of the mayor's daughter, but the mayor gives him a request to do something he really doesn't want to do. This was a good story but the town of Blackbury really isn't that interesting.

"A Very Short Ice Age"
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A story about a little boy trying to navigate a large snowstorm. This one was quite simple but really cute.

"The Computer Who Wrote to Father Christmas"
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Father Christmas goes into an office and has a great conversation with the computer there. A sweet tale that has an equally great message and ending. I loved this one above the rest.

"Good King Wences-lost"
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A tale about a king that loves helping people, a large snowstorm, and a man lost in that snow. Hilarity follows as the king goes out into the snow to try and help a man. Also, a little bit of miscommunication. This was overall a solid piece.

"The Weatherchick"
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This one was actually my least favorite out of the overall collection. It's about a chick in the town of Blackbury that controls the weather.

"Judgement Day for Father Christmas"
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Father Christmas and many other mythical creatures are put on trial.

"The Abominable Snow-baby"
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A cute tale about a woman that befriends a baby abominable snowman and the troubles that this causes. This is another tale from Blackbury and is my favorite from that collection of tales.

"The Twelve Gifts of Christmas"
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A take on the twelve days of Christmas song. It makes the idea of someone giving those gifts to their love make much more sense and also the idea of it even more silly at the same time. So enjoyable to read.

"Father Christmas Goes to Work at the Zoo"
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When Father Christmas is forced to get a day job because he is bothering his wife at home. Let's just say I was not expecting competency with these jobs. 

Book 2- Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

Read December 27th

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This was a reread for me and I just adored it so much. Just recently I did a post on Carrie Fisher for the year anniversary of her death.

A good amount of this book was quite hard to read especially her talking about death and wanting to live for certain milestones. This has become sort of a poignant tale that holds a lot her personality and the story of her life up until the age of fifty. A great set of stories and mishaps from her life that I have enjoyed reading a second time around. I recommend this book to any fan of Carrie's, whether that be from Star Wars or from any of her other works. It is a gem. Also, the stage show/ documentary is really good too. 

Book 3- Hogfather by Terry Pratchett 

December 26th -29th 

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~ Brief Synopsis ~

This is the twentieth book of the Discworld series, though you do not have to read the rest of the series to read this. Also, this is book four in the Death subseries which focuses on the character of Death. I do recommend reading the series because you may miss out on the jokes. I have done reviews for the Discworld books earlier in the year and will link them below for you to look at if you would like. (I skipped ahead a little in the books because I wanted to read this for Christmas. I will be going back and continuing where I was at in January).
Terry Pratchett's Discworld 

This book takes place the night before Hogswatch (basically Christmas in the Discworld). The Auditors have decided that they need to "remove" the Hogfather...so they contact the Assassin's guild and Mr. Teatime (pronounced "Teh-ah-tim-eh." ) is sent to "inhum" him (though the Hogfather is more of a deity than a human). It becomes Teatime's mission to figure out how to kill the Hogfather because technically he can't die. Death has taken over the role of going down chimneys, giving kids gifts, and is trying to save the world. Susan, his granddaughter does not understand why he is doing this and goes on an adventure to try and help. 

~ Characters ~

Death is and will always be my favorite character in this series. We follow him and his manservant, 

Albert, as they go from house to house trying to spread the joys of Hogswatch and keep the children's faith in the Hogfather. Death is still trying to understand humans and the emotions that they show in situations. Reading about his adventures where he gives gifts to children, such a sword to a little girl (it's educational, obviously), is some of the best parts of this book. He has most of the best lines in this novel and his end speech is one of my favorites that I have read all year. (By the way, Death's dialogue in the books is marked in small caps. In the quote below I have put it in caps.) 

“All right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need... fantasies to make life bearable."

REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.

"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—"

YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.

"So we can believe the big ones?"

YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.

"They're not the same at all!"

YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.

"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point—"

MY POINT EXACTLY.” 

― Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

Susan Sto Helit is the granddaughter of Death, who at the beginning of the novel we meet as a governess for two children. She is trying to keep the monsters away that the children keep seeing and also stay as normal as possible. As the granddaughter of Death, she has special powers. She is able to use his voice in certain instances throughout the novel to get people to do what she wants them to do. Also, she is able to see things that will happen as if they are memories. This was my first time reading a book with Susan and I really enjoyed her as a character. Her's is another one of the four different plots that we follow along in the novel as she tries to find out more about where the Hogfather is and what Death is doing. She's not afraid of speaking her mind even to Death and that is an enjoyable aspect of the story. I cannot wait to read more about her. 

Mr. Teatime, is the hired assassin, whose mission is to "inhum" the Hogfather before the morning of Hogswatch. This man is an insane genius. He can literally come up with a full proof plan for assassinated anything in a few minutes and is quite creepy to read about. One of his eyes is made of glass and the other is only a pinhole that he can see through. This man is innocent looking but you can tell by the way that he talks that he's far from innocent. Also, it is questioned throughout the entire novel if he was one that killed his parents when he was a small boy. I won't put it past him myself. His plot is the third that we follow throughout the novel. 

The final subplot which connects in with the story is at the Unseen University, with the wizards there. The wizards of the Unseen University are some of the most interesting characters in this series. They always seem to mess things up and just cause problems. Much of the humor in this novel comes from their scenes. Each time one of the wizards mentions a lare or penate, they are created instantly to fill the void that the Hogfather has created. Many of these creations are just so comical and just bring so much humor to this dark book.

Some other characters that were in the novel that were also quite interesting were The Death of Rats, Quoth the Raven,  Bilious the oh God of Hangovers, and the Cheerful Fairy. This is really just to name a few because there are so many characters to mention. 

~ Ending Thoughts ~

This book 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 and I cannot wait to read more of them next year. Out of any book or series that I recommend on this blog, this is the one that I recommend the most. 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. 

 I will be watching the miniseries in the next couple of days for this novel and I cannot wait. 

Book 4- Groo: Play of the Gods

December 29th 

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~ A Short Synopsis ~
The Groo graphic novels/ comics have been around for decades and I remember when I first heard about them when I was a kid. This is my first venture into his tales and I can honestly say that I'm surprised by how much I really enjoyed this simple little graphic novel. This follows along Groo, a very idiotic barbarian that literally ruins everything around him with just being there. His ultimate mission in this tale is for the search of the best cheese dip in the world. Hilarity follows him in every movement as he ultimately changes the course of the everyone's lives around him. Groo's dog, Rufferto follows him around as he adventures throughout this book and interjects little side comments throughout. He reminded me of Garfield in his way of making fun of the actions of Groo, similarly to how Garfield makes fun of Jon. It was quite funny to read.

~ Writing Style ~
Throughout the whole piece, we see not only the adventure of Groo but also the reactions of the Gods watching everything going on below them. The queen of the land is trying to spread out into other lands surrounding their own and spread the word of their one god to these lands. Each of the Gods blames Diothos for the fact that he is the only one that they are trying to worship and anyone believing in anyone else is getting hurt for it. As a famous sailor leads them to the land that he discovered each person has their own plan. The sailor wants to get gold for himself and leave the others. The priests want to spread the word of their god no matter what the cost, even if they have to hurt people (this actually becomes a funny joke throughout). Groo is tricked into coming for the best cheese dip and no one really wants him to come along.

What I really liked about the style of writing was the switch back and forth between the gods and the humans that they are arguing about. It was an interesting and rewarding choice in creation because this just added to the humor.

~ The Art, Lettering, and Coloring ~
The art style is wonderful to look at. It still has this old type of style with bright popping color for each of the characters. Each character stands out with their own specific styles that fit their characteristics. One of the best scenes is when the citizens of the new land start thinking up new gods. There are really ridiculous ones such as The God of Repetition (who then repeats everything he says multiple times throughout), The God of Spelling Things Backwards, and my favorite: The God of Procrastination. Each of these gods looks different from each other and many have a look that matches what they are gods of. The more gods added to this scene looked great together.

The lettering really is nothing too spectacular but it goes along perfectly with the style of the drawings and the coloring. All of the dialogue stands out great against what is happening in the images. They look great together.

~ Final Thoughts ~
This is the graphic novel that I wanted and needed to read at the end of the year. I loved the humor and the style of each panel. Groo was a character that grew on me almost instantly. The poor guy keeps messing up everything for many of the people around him and many will run away to avoid him. He doesn't even seem to realize or care and I found him enduring. The only downside that I really found in this piece was how slow it was at the beginning. It took me quite some time to actually get into this but once I did I was hooked. The art style and writing style make for a great experience. I cannot wait to read more of Groo's tales from the past and any more that will come out.

*I received this book for free for an honest review*

Book 5: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Illustrated Edition)
by J. K. Rowling
Read December 31st 
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This is probably the seventh or eighth time that I have read this book, really I have lost track now. It was actually this book that really got me into this series and hooked. It has been my favorite of the series since I was around ten and it still is. Even after reading it so many times, I still get so much joy reading this book. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin are my two favorite characters from this series and I love their introductions in this book. I recommend this book to anyone who has never read it and also to those that have. What a great way to end this year of wonderful reading. Also, the illustrated edition is the most stunning book that I have ever seen. I recommend also getting the illustrated editions of the whole series they are beautiful.

Happy New Year to Everyone! 
Did you know that Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was published 200 years ago today? I thought that was pretty darn cool. I completely recommend reading it. It's a pretty good book and different than I ever expected.