My Favorite Audiobooks/ AudioFile's 2017 Best Lists

🎧 My Favorite Audiobooks 📚

For quite some time, I have been wanting to make a list of some of my favorite audiobooks. I decided that this would be the perfect time after such a great year of them. Below I have listed my top ten favorite audiobooks of all time. These are in no particular order. Then below that, I have two of the lists from AudioFile's 2017 Best Audiobooks.

🎄 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (both audiobook editions read by the author and the other read by Stephen Fry.): This is one of my favorite books and this is my favorite audiobook of all time. I have listened to both versions and I will say I love both. The narrations are amazing. Both Douglas Adams and Stephen Fry had a way of narrating these books that brings out the humor every time you listen to them. I love the dry wit in this book and their dry way of delivering the narration is the best. 

☃️ The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell (read by David Tennant): David Tennant is an actor that I have always loved. I love the characters that he can create. Each character that he narrates in this wonderful book, is brought to life in a way that I cannot get enough of. This has now become a series that I cannot wait to get more of the books from. I will definitely be listening to the other audiobooks that he narrates. 

🎄 Struck by Lightning by Chris Colfer (read by the author): I'm a big fan of all of Chris Colfer's book and also his audiobooks. I'm a big fan of when authors read their audiobooks and his are just very good. I love the little voices that he makes. What is really is great about an author reading their own book is that they know their characters so well and the scenes so well. His Land of Stories series are also very good. I recommend any of his books. 

☃️The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (read by Mark Hamill): Mark Hamill is known for his voice acting and is just one of my absolute favorite audiobook narrators.  

🎄 Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (read by the author): Carrie Fisher's memoirs are some of my favorites. I have loved her since I first saw Star Wars when I was around 5 or six. This is my favorite of her memoirs that I have read or listened to. Having her read her own memoir is probably the best part of listening to this. Like I have said and will continue to say, I love when authors read their books. This is about her family and Star Wars and it's just incredible. I will be reading/ listening to this on December 27th in honor of Carrie. 

☃️ Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (The BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation): This is a dramatization of the novel that features a full-cast. This was a wonderful production that I thoroughly got engrossed in. I'll have to check out some more of the BBC Radio Dramatisations because they are pretty incredible. It's like listening to a play but in audio format. Pretty incredible. 

🎄 Neil Gaiman's Stardust (read by the author): Neil Gaiman's audiobooks are some of the best. His voice is so soothing and just adds to the experience of reading his books. I fell in love with this book four years ago and the audiobook three years ago. It's beautiful. 

☃️ The Odyssey by Homer (read by John Lee): Never thought that I would love a version of this better than the Robert Fagles translation from the Penguin Classic Deluxe Edition, but I really adore this narration. I listened to this in a few days because I just fell in love with it. The Odyssey is one of my top favorite classics and I cannot get enough of this. The next time I decide to read this I'll definitely listen to this edition. It's the best.

🎄 Mort by Terry Pratchett (read by Nigel Planer): Nigel reads a good amount of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. This is the first one that I have listened to his narration and I fell in love with it. He's definitely my favorite of the narrators for the series so far and cannot wait to hear his rendition of Hogfather when I get to it this month. 

☃️ The Amazing Book is Not On Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester (read by the authors): Dan and Phil are my favorite YouTubers and this audiobook was just as great as their videos. I loved listening to them read this book. Great production. 

AudioFile's Best Audiobooks of 2017

For the last two months, I have been working with the magazine AudioFile reviewing at least two audiobooks for their online and print magazine. Before I started working for them, I really liked looking at their website for reviews. Their reviews are short and concise at 110-125 words.

 For December, they picked a list of the best audiobooks in nine different genres, Young Adult, Children's & Family Listening, Fiction, Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Biography & History, Memoir, and Nonfiction & Culture. I was asked if I would like to share any of the lists on my blog and I said yes right away. The lists I chose were Young Adult and Children's & Family Listening. Below I have provided the lists, reviews that various reviewers on their website have written, SoundCloud sound clips for some of the audiobooks, and interviews with some of the narrators for the books. 

If you would like to find more audiobooks to listen to, I'd recommend looking at these lists and listening to previews of the ones that interest you. I know I want to pick up many of these books/ audiobooks after looking at them myself.

Here is a link to their AudioFile Ezine if you would like to check out audiobooks from the other categories. 

AudioFile's 2017 Best Young Adult Audiobooks

🎄 American Street by Ibi Zoboi, read by Robin Miles
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/123267/

☃️ The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman, read by Michael Sheen

Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/129077/

SoundCloud sound clip: https://soundcloud.com/audiofilemagazine/the-book-of-dust-la-belle-sauvage

🎄 The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee, read by Christian Coulson

Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/129231/

SoundCloud sound clip: https://soundcloud.com/audiofilemagazine/the-gentlemans-guide-to-vice-and-virtue

☃️ The Go-Between by Veronica Chambers, read by Karla Souza
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/124723/

🎄 The Gold-Son by Carrie Anne Noble, read by Gerard Doyle
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/128854/

☃️ Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner, read by Michael Crouch
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/124495/

🎄 The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, read by Bahni Turpin

Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/123306/

SoundCloud sound clip: https://soundcloud.com/audiofilemagazine/the-hate-u-give

☃️ Honestly Ben by Bill Konigsberg, read by Dan Bittner
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/128289/
Exclusive Narrator Video- Dan Bittner: https://youtu.be/B6N9RXXD0ss

🎄 The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz, read by Robbie Daymond
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/124496/

☃️ Landscape with Invisible Hand by M.T. Anderson, read by M.T. Anderson
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/131036/

🎄 Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, read by Jason Reynolds
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/131274/

☃️ Love and First Sight by Josh Sundquist, read by Pat Young
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/118409/

🎄 Nyxia by Scott Reintgen, read by Sullivan Jone and Dominic Hoffman
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/131473/

☃️ The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein, read by Maggie Service
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/128924/

🎄 Solo by Kwame Alexandar and Mary Rand Hess, read by Kyame Alexander
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/130144/

☃️ Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, read by Kate Rudd
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/131416/

Exclusive Narrator Video- Kate Rudd: https://youtu.be/u3LExCsaQZY

AudioFile's 2017 Best Children & Family Listening

🎄 The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya, read by Pablo Cartaya

Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/127848/

SoundCloud sound clip: https://soundcloud.com/audiofilemagazine/the-epic-fail-of-arturo-zamora

☃️ The Ethan I was Before by Ali Standish, read by Kirby Heyborne
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/123290/

Exclusive Narrator Video- Kirby Heyborne: https://youtu.be/MY_OurTUDZE

🎄 Flying Lessons & Other Stories by Ellen Oh [Ed.], read by Dion Graham, Samantha Quan, Meg Medina, Julia Whelan, Adam Lazaree-White, Tim Tingle, Abigail Revasch, Sunil Malhotra, Kwame Alexander, and Dominic- Hoffman
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/122310/

Exclusive Narrator Video- Dion Graham (of one of the stories): https://youtu.be/cb50lSS9T0Y

☃️ Freedom Over Me by Ashley Bryan, read by Patricia R. Floyd, Kevin R. Free, and Jenny Sterlin
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/130159/

🎄 Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, read by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Kate & Lily Weyant, Quin A. Seaman, and Ryan Cassel
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/127084/

☃️ Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly, read by Ramon de Ocampo and Amielynn Abellera
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/124521/

Exclusive Narrator Video- Ramon De Ocampo: https://youtu.be/Uo0bZLOu9a4

🎄 I'm New Here by Anne Sibley O'Brien, read by Frankie Corzo, Ariana Delawari, Ramon De Ocampo, Ruth Livier, Anne Sibley O'Brien [Note]
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/119006/

Exclusive Narrator Video- Ramon De Ocampo: https://youtu.be/qNzK8dWy8Z4

☃️ In the Shadow of the Sun by Anne Sibley O'Brien, read by Jackie Chung
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/128819/

🎄 My Brigadista Year by Katherine Paterson, read by Frankie Corzo
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/131602/

☃️ The Playbook by Kwame Alexander, read by Ruffin Prentiss III
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/123599/

🎄 A Poem for Peter by Andrea Davis Pinkney, read by Channie Waites
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/130160/

☃️ See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng, read by Kivlighan de Montebello, Brittany Pressley, Graham Halstead, Michael Crouch, Jason Culp, and a Full Cast

Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/123866/

🎄 She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton, read by Chelsea Clinton
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/129008/

☃️ The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan, read by Michael Crouch
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/134080/

🎄 Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews, read by Dion Graham

Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/134771/

SoundCloud sound clip: https://soundcloud.com/audiofilemagazine/trombone-shorty

☃️ The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, read by Jayne Entwistle

Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/128818/

SoundCloud sound clip: https://soundcloud.com/audiofilemagazine/the-war-i-finally-won

🎄 Writing Radar by Jack Gantos, read by Jack Gantos
Review on Audiofile Website: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/128984/

The Subject Book Tag

Tag Tuesday/ The Subject Book Tag

November 28th, 2017

Created by: Rachel Reviews All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=horhLd1rZIY&list=TLO-pzAeZv4hZgu2_NcoiFUOuhkSskbVdB.  

Questions, Pick your favorite:

1. Math- Crime Novel:
🍁 Insanity series by Cameron Jace- Can't say that this is your normal crime novel, but Alice and the Pillar are trying to solve what is going on in England to save the citizens from the Wonderland creatures. This series is a favorite of mine and I completely recommend it. If you want to learn more about it I would recommend looking it up. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19549410-insanity. I will be reviewing it early next year when I reread the books again. Can't wait for the eighth book to come out.

2. Science- Science Fiction/ Fantasy Novel:
🍁 Science Fiction: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams- The best Science Fiction book that I have ever read (though The Time Traveler's Wife is technically Science Fiction I really don't count it). British humor/ wit is my favorite thing to read. I have probably read or listened to this book six times because I love it.
🍁 Fantasy: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling - from childhood and now
The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo- My most recent favorite from this year.

3. English Lit- Classic Novel:
🍁 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald- The narration, characters, and story are everything to me. Love Gatsby.
🍁 The Odyssey by Homer- This is really equal to me with The Great Gatsby. I have loved Greek Mythology since I was a child. This is just so great. I love the story, the characters, and also the setting (Ancient Greece). So this is just perfect for me.

4. Art- Beautiful Cover: For this one I'm going to pick my favorite of the books I read this year instead of overtime. I will be doing a beautiful covers post sometime soon. There have been so many beautiful covers that I really loved this year but this one stands out.
🍁 The Wendy Project by Melissa Jane Osborne- This book's cover matches its contents so perfectly. I could look at the artwork in this graphic novel everyday. The story is also just so good and heartbreaking. I love Peter Pan retellings.

5. Languages- Translated Novel:
🍁 Inkheart by Cornelia Funke- I first read this when I was in ninth grade and I loved this story. I wanted to be able to read characters out of books and to be able to go into them. I will be reading it again soon.

6. History- Historical Fiction:
🍁 My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows- I wanted a book similar to this about the Tudors ever since I learned about them in my tenth grade History class. This was everything I wanted and so much more. I loved the historical aspects of Jane's tale but also the changes that made it, its own thing.

7. Geography- Novel not set in UK/USA:
🍁 The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller- Set in Ancient Greece (this is a favorite setting of mine). Love, Love, Love this book. I cannot wait for Madeline Miller's new book Circe, which is inspired by The Odyssey. I've already have it pre-ordered.

Friday Reviews Week 12

🦃 Friday Reviews Week 12 🦃 

November 18th- November 24th, 2017

Book 1: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Narrated by Kim Mai Guest

Listened to November 15- 18th, 2017

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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. 

There were times that I liked Xifeng and then could not stand her in another action. She's not the type of narrator that you are going to automatically like and the comments she makes can be quite horrible. That does not mean that she does not have likable characteristics. I really did feel for her many times throughout this story. Her actions are for her own gain and that's intriguing. The stars tell Xifeng that she's destined for greatness and she really believes it. Anyone standing in her way really does not stand a chance, even the man that has loved her their entire lives (I loved him with all of my heart). 

I enjoyed trying to figure out what would happen next in the story, even though I know the original so well. The thing is that yes this is based on a fairy tale, but it is as its heart Xifeng's story. It became so much more than what I expected and I'm so glad. Xifeng chooses her destiny which she knows (believes) that she deserves above anything else. Her character sort of reminds me of Lady Macbeth in the fact that she's willing to literally do anything to get what she wants. This woman is manipulative, conniving, but also has a caring side to her at times that would surprise me. 

With great and imagery, this book played with my every emotion until the very last word. I cannot wait until the next book comes out, which I will definitely be picking up. 

*I received the audiobook for an honest review. Thank you so much*

Book 2: Plank's Law by Lesley Choyce

Read November 19

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I really enjoyed the humor throughout this book. Trevor has spent a good portion of his life knowing that he had Huntington's disease and has spent most of that time going day to day not really living. I liked the relationship that Trevor has with Plank, an older man that he befriends at the beginning of the novel. Plank was one of the best parts of this novel with his snarky sense of self. When I first read about him in the description, I really wanted to read this book. He did not disappoint me. 

The overall message of this book is one that has been said before but that did not detract from it. It's to live every single day to the fullest. To make the most out every moment that you have. Trevor starts to try to complete items on his bucket list. With the help of Plank and a girl named Sara, he realizes that there might be more important ways to spend his life. 

The only real issue I had with this book is how rushed certain parts seemed throughout. I would have enjoyed getting to know the characters more and I feel that the relationship between Trevor and Sara could have been expanded upon. To me, their relationship, at least at the beginning of it, seemed forced. I would have liked them getting to know each other a bit before "falling in love." This story was very sweet and I loved how they both supported each other. 

Plank's Law is a sweet story of living in every moment that you have left and was a story that I liked reading. I just wish that there was more to it and that Trevor and Sara's relationship was fleshed out more. 

*I was given a copy of this book for an honest review. Thank you.*

Book 3: Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting

By Brian Gordon

Read November 24, 2017

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This is Brian Gordon's first book. Earlier this year, I read his second book that came out this year. This was just as great as the second and I really loved the comics. Brian Gordon is someone that I will have to continue to follow because his comics really make me laugh. I cannot get enough of these. They have become some of my favorites that I have read with comics.

My favorite from this book. 

If you like comics you should pick this and the second one up. You will most likely like this. I will say that he does swear in these books. So it may not be for the children.  

Book 4: The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

Read November 22rd- 25th, 2017

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I first heard about this book early last year and was intrigued by the premise. It is a story about the city of Canaan, where our narrator Nadia lives. It's a safe, structured community within white walls. No one knows why they are behind the walls and what happened before, at least that is what most in the city believe. Every twelve years the city descends into bloody chaos caused by the Forgetting. This is a day where everyone loses their memories unless they write it down. Everyone carries around their book, where they write their identities and lives.

Nadia is the only person that she knows that has never forgotten. As the days get closer to the next Forgetting, Nadia tries to use what she knows to help prevent everyone losing their memories. Along with the glassblower, Gray, she finds out about the past. 

This book did not disappoint me at all. It was very interesting and I did not ever expect some of the twists throughout this novel. I loved the narration of Nadia and learning about the world through her perspective.

Books You're Thankful For/ Top 5 Wednesday

Books You're Thankful For/ Top 5 Wednesday

November 22nd, 2017

For this week's topic, we were supposed to pick out our top 5 books that we were thankful for. 

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. 

5.) Disney's Wonderful World of Knowledge Vol. 10: Myths and Legends- This was one of the
books that I first fell in love with when I was probably about eight. I really do not know how many times that I actually read this book, but it was a lot. The major focus of this book is on Greek Mythology and this was my introduction to many of those myths. I have always loved Greek Mythology and I believe that this is one of the reasons. Also, Disney's Hercules. Each of the World of Knowledge books was told by a certain character and this one was by Minnie Mouse, which I had loved at that early age. I haven't picked this book up in a very long time and I might just do it sometime soon. It would be great to see again what really got me into Myths and Legends when I was a kid. I'm thankful for this book because of the love of both of these that was instilled in me at such an early age. This whole series is very good for children. I loved every book I read from them.

4.)  Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, and Terry Pratchett- I decided to put all three of these authors together because I am thankful for them for the same reason, their humor. Each author has written plenty of books that I could place on this list. Douglas Adam's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of my favorite books and its dry sense of humor never ceases to make me happy. Even just thinking about this book brings a large smile to my face. If I had to I'd probably read it every day. Neil Gaiman's books also have this British humor. His books are all very different but there is almost always this wonderful humor. I love the wit that his books hold and they have become favorites because of it. Finally, Sir Terry Pratchett. Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is slowly becoming one of the best series that I have ever read. He's also becoming one of my favorite authors, let alone one of the authors that I admire highly. My one wish was that I could have met him and Douglas Adams before they passed away. I could not pick between any of these books or authors because I'm thankful for them quite equally. They all will also be on next week's list.

3.) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger- This is my ultimate recommendation. It was one of my first adult fiction books that I ever read and became a favorite right away. I had first heard of this book when the trailer came out for the movie. I saw it at my high school's library and had to take it out before I saw the movie. The day afterward I stayed home very sick from school and literally laid on the couch all day reading it. Over the years since, I have read it five times. Each time I have still connected to it just as much as I did about seven years ago. I'm thankful for the writing style of this book. It is incredible with the non-linear format that Audrey Niffenegger writes in. This is the book that I could probably read at least once a month and would still adore it. It's my favorite book for a reason.

2.) The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer- I'm a big fan of retellings, especially fairy tale retellings. I grew up with the Disney movies and those stories became a passion of mine early on. Chris Colfer was my favorite actor from the tv show Glee and I remember finding out that he was writing a series with fairy tale retellings. I pre-ordered every single one of his books so far and don't plan on stopping anytime soon. Chris's books are some of my favorites and are my favorite retellings. I love his way of playing with the classic tales and making them his own. Watching his main characters, Alex and Conner grow up throughout the series has been a joy. This year the last of the series came out in July. It was a great wrap-up to the series. I'm thankful to be able to enjoy such a great series again that makes me think of my childhood with Harry Potter. The last time I felt the way I did at the end of a series was with Harry Potter and that was ten years ago. These books are everything to me and really are some of the best that I have ever read.

1.) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling- Like many who are fans of this series, it was the series that got me majorly into reading the way I do now. I was a reader before Harry, but I became an avid reader after Harry. It was actually the third book Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that made me fully immersed in Harry's world. I received the first three books as a Christmas gift when I was around maybe nine. At that time I read the first book but did not enjoy reading too much. Then I saw the first and second movies. The Chamber of Secrets did not help matters (I had a large fear of spiders. I still do). Then I watched the third movie and fell in love with the story. I become totally engrossed in the series and I had to finish the series. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black were and still are my favorite characters. I am thankful for this series because when I think about it I become so happy. It brings back great memories of waiting patiently for the seventh book to release at midnight, staying up until three in the morning reading, and getting emotionally attached to so many characters for the first time. Harry Potter was and still is something I am most attached to and I don't know who I would be without this series. I'm thankful to call this my favorite series of all time and I would never change that for anything.

Bookish Beginnings Tag

🦃 TAG Tuesday- November 21st, 2017

Bookish Beginnings Tag 🦃

The tag was created by Lauren of Reads and Daydreams. Here's a link to her video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq1vEMnwhyM

1. Tell us about what you loved to read as a child.
🍁 Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The BFG by Roald Dahl
🍁 The Richard Scary Books
🍁 Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
🍁 Where's Waldo books
🍁 Dr. Seuss books
🍁 Peanuts and Garfield Comics
🍁 Mary-Kate and Ashley books- I was obsessed with Mary-Kate and Ashley. I read most of their books about their movies and tv shows.
🍁 Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
🍁 Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
🍁 Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
🍁 Trivia books
🍁 The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
🍁 Books about history, such as President books, learning about the states- I read a lot of books to learn about things. A lot of books with random facts.
🍁 The American Girl Doll books, specifically the Molly books- I loved American Girl and the dolls when I was around eight. That is when I asked for Molly for Christmas. I got her that year and also the books. I loved reading those books and read them over and over again.

2. What was the first adult fiction you tried to (or want to) read?
🍁 Probably The Time Traveler's Wife and all these years later it has become my favorite novel. It wasn't at the time, but it is now. I did love it then though.

3. What was the classic book that you read (not because of school)? 
🍁 I've read so many classics that were not for school and I still do even after I'm out of school. Some of them are The Great Gatsby, A Christmas Carol (I also read this as a child), Shakespeare's play (A Midsummer Night's Dream) and The Illiad. They are just some of the classic books I read that I didn't have to for school. I love them so much.

4. Tell us about a book that made you realize a new favorite genre or writing style. 
🍁  I have always loved fantasy books. The first books that got me into fantasy were The Chronicles of Naria series.

5. What was the first literary prize-winner that you read (or want to read)? 
🍁 I really don't have a clue. We read a lot of them when I was in school. I believe that Where the Red Fern Grows might have been one of the first. I read that in fourth grade. There are probably some before that but I really have no clue.

6. What was the first piece of translated fiction that you read (or want to read)? 
🍁 Inkheart by Cornelia Funke which was translated from German. I read it in ninth grade, I believe.  I plan on reading the rest of the series this year, which I decided to do at the beginning of the year. It will happen.

Friday Reviews

Friday Reviews Week 11

November 11th- 17th, 2017

Book 1: All the Wind in the World by Samantha Mabry

Narrated by Maria Cabezas

Listened to November 3rd-12th
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The Characters:
First of all, I want to say that I don't like how at the beginning of this book we believe that the narrator and her boyfriend are cousins. It is not until a little bit in that we find out that they actually are just pretending to be cousins to stay safe. This was something that at first made me not really interested in listening further. I am glad that I continued.

Our narrator, Sarah Jac and her boyfriend, James are trying very hard to survive in the bone-dry Southwest. They work hard in the maguey fields trying to earn money so that they can eventually get enough to get a home for themselves. After a horrible accident at the ranch at the beginning of the novel, they are forced to flee. They travel to the Real Marvelous, a supposedly cursed ranch. Slowly the ranch and the people there start to take over their minds. Their plan for a future with each other seems to fade away with what is actually happening at the ranch.

Over the course of the novel, we find out bits and pieces of their past. It really helps add to each of their characters and their story as a whole. I loved the way Samantha Mabry told this story and could not get enough of the narrative. Sarah Jac is not a perfect character and does many actions that get her and James into trouble. It was probably the best part of this book being in her head and seeing her every thought. She really was a great, developed character.

The Setting:
The visuals that Samantha Mabry creates in this story are incredible. The imagery throughout the book is stunning and this was something that made me really like this book. I have not read many books set in the Southwest like this. It was interesting learning about what Sarah Jac and James had to deal with throughout this book.

The best part of this book for me was the magical realism aspects. There is a large mystery of what is actually going on at the Real Marvelous and I kept wanting to listen to find out more. From chapter 6 until the end I was hooked in.

The Narration:
It took me quite some time to actually get into this novel, especially with the narrator, Maria Cabezas. They really picked the perfect person to narrate this book. Her voice not only felt genuine but also really felt like she was Sarah Jac. Sarah Jac is not a likable narrator at first and does not reveal information in a way that I would have expected. I at first did not really enjoy listening to her every thought and really could not stand her way of narrating. Then chapter six happened and I could not stop listening.  I went into the book expecting one thing but came out somewhat heartbroken and heavily moved by this girl. Maria's voice is soothing which really helps when she is describing the imagery that Samantha Mabry wrote in her book.

* I was given a copy of this book for an honest review. *

Book 2: Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories 
in 25 Words or Fewer 
Edited by Robert Swartwood
Read November 15th, 2017
📚📚📚

As a writer, I really love the idea of being able to tell a story with only a small amount of words. This book was marketed as an experiment based on the story that was supposedly by Ernest Hemingway, "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn." I have myself always wanted to write my own six-word memoir and never have been able to write one that I felt fit perfectly. This book was more of the editor creating the hint fiction (25 words or less) with 125 stories by award-winning authors and also emerging writers. So when I saw this at a three dollar a bag sale, I put into my bag interested to read the little stories.

The stories were very strange to me and a good amount of them were just boring. I thought that this would be similar to the book of six-word memoirs that I read but most were not. The point that I always got out of these short stories was that they could stand by themselves and interest you to want to know more. That's the whole point of the one credited to Ernest Hemingway that I mentioned above. These really did not have that feel to them. Most don't even really tell a story.

There are three parts: Life & Death, Love & Hate, and This & That. In these parts mostly the stories focused on one topic. For instance, in Life & Death, almost all of the stories were depressing stories about death and not at all about life. 

That's not saying that there are not good ones in this collection because there are. This just really makes me want to write my own, maybe someday. 

Nostalgic Book Boyfriends/ Top 5 Wednesday

Nostalgic Book Boyfriends/ Top 5 Wednesday

November 15th, 2017

This week's topic is pretty self-explanatory, we were supposed to pick the book characters that we liked when we were younger. At first, I had a hard time picking characters for this, but then I really thought about my younger self and thought of the characters below. Some have some funny stories to go along with them. I also enjoyed thinking back to my time as an early reader for some of these books and characters. I really had a good laugh thinking about all of this. :)

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.

5. Prince Caspian from the Chronicles of Narina (in Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and part of The Last Battle)- Probably my first book crush, that I remember adoring when I was about ten. The Chronicles of Narnia was a series that I loved with all of my heart when I was young, I still do. My second favorite of the books is Prince Caspian. I enjoyed reading about Caspian growing up and the adventures that he went on throughout the book. Also, he was a daydreamer that always dreamed of escape. He escaped into adventures and I escaped into books.


4. Harry James Potter from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling- Harry was a character that I briefly had a crush on back a long time ago. I was not going to originally include him on this list, but I guess I have to admit to this. At the age of twelve, I wanted to be Mrs. Potter. It was probably because of his snarky attitude from the later books. I have always enjoyed this side of him. Now almost twelve years later, I can only laugh at this. :)


3. Adam Wilde from If I Stay by Gayle Forman- I first read this when it first came out when I was a freshman in high school. I then read it again in my junior year of high school and Adam reminded me of someone in my life at the time. What can I say, I like guys that can sing. I have yet to read the sequel, I'm kind of afraid that I won't like it as much as I love the first one. Also, I really wish they would have kept the original cover design for the second book. I have always loved this cover.


2. Kostos Dounas from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants- I read this series all within three days (well besides the fifth which wasn't out at the time) in 2007 when I was in eighth grade. This was probably the quickest I had ever read a series of books up until this point. Kostos was one of my earliest crushes from literature. I had always loved his relationship with Lena and could not get enough of his scenes in the books. In ninth and tenth grade, I would read certain scenes from the books over and over again. His scenes were some of the many that I would do this with. Now looking back on it, I really am not completely sure of what I really liked about him, but I do remember being obsessed with the books and him when I was fourteen. These books were everything to me when I was very young. They will always be special to me for those years.


1. Peeta Mellark from the Hunger Games Series- This was a series that I actually was not interested in reading until a good friend recommended them to me in my senior year. I blame her for my obsession with it. I borrowed each of them from my high school library and read them in three days, in between writing two essays. I specifically remember rewarding myself with another chapter (which became about five) each time I finished writing a paragraph. Needless to say, I became utterly enthralled in this story. One of my favorite aspects of these books was Mr. Peeta Mellark. I had a thing for the baker's son, from his first introduction. He's cunning, caring, smart, and a steady rock for Katniss when she is most vulnerable. I loved seeing him grow throughout the books and was devastated at the end of Catching Fire and in Mockingjay. He was the definition of selfless often willing to sacrifice himself for Katniss. So yeah, he was my favorite part of this series. I'll have to reread these sometime soon, it's been too long since the first time.