top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I Would Follow On Social Media

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday was created byย The Broke and the Bookishย back in June 2010. It is currently hosted byย That Artsy Reader Girlย and, as is stated on the blog, it was โ€œborn of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.โ€

It’s time for another TTT and I’m loving the theme for this week! Dive into your imagination and think of the top ten characters you would like to follow on social media. Just thinking of my faves having a Twitter or an Insta makes me wistful because it’s not gonna happen but I WANT IT TO!

*cough* Anyways. To the list!

#1. Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series

Can you imagine Hermione with a Twitter account? In a world where there is a magic-compatible Twitter? Calling out everyone’s bullsh*t and just generally being awesome.

#2. Zachary Ezra Rawlins from The Starless Sea

I bet Zachary would have an amazing book blog. He seems like the type that would be able to wax poetic about books that he loves. And Mirabel could help with the aesthetic! I would read it.

#3. Tuesday Mooney from Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts

If Tuesday decided to have a social media presence, I feel like she would have a super weird and Gothic Instagram that I would drool over. Or just a weird blog that features interesting obituaries. I’d be all over it!

#4. Olive Torres from The Unhoneymooners

Olive’s humor is my humor, so I’m sure I would be trying to stifle laughter at work as I casually scrolled through her Twitter. Her sarcasm is on point and Twitter is basically built on sarcasm, so I’m sure she would thrive.

#5. Gideon Nav from Gideon the Ninth

Gideon is hilarious. This is just facts. And her dark humor would fit so well onto Twitter! I would follow her to get a good chuckle throughout the day. Also, maybe she would post random sword-fighting videos! Ugh, I would die.

#6. Jack Wolcott from the Wayward Children series

I’m having difficulty deciding what type of social media Jack would go for. Probably a blog about the science of reanimation or some such thing. Perhaps a Pinterest with just a bunch of macabre pins. Whatever form her social media presence would take I would jump all over. She’s just so intensely interesting and I want to know more!

#7. January Scaller from The Ten Thousand Doors of January

I don’t know why, but I feel like January would have a beautiful Instagram. Especially if she’s travelling around between multiple doors and taking photos along the way. Can you imagine how amazing that would be?! Instant follow.

#8. Jess Brightwell from The Great Library series

I bet Jess would have a killer book blog. The man is obsessed with book! And he’s clever and funny, so I’m sure he’d have rather engaging posts. His love of books would shine on his blog. I can’t imagine not being drawn to that!

#9. Fie from The Merciful Crow

I just want to see Fie destroy anyone and everyone on a large, social platform. Probs Twitter. She is short and to the point, so Twitter would be perfect for her. And her dry wit would fit in so well. She would be a complete troll to all the privileged asses and I am here for it.

#10. Maia Tamarin from Spin the Dawn

Maia would have THE most amazing Instagram (and probably Etsy shop)! I want to see pictures of all the beautiful clothing that she sews. I mean, I have a visual in my head, but I want to actually see them. I would scroll through her Insta all the time and dream of being able to afford her clothing.


Are there any characters you would love to follow on social media? Did you do your own Top Ten Tuesday? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

book reviews

Book Review: Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts

Title: Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts

Author: Kate Racculia

Genre: Mystery/Contemporary

Source: Borrowed (library)

Rating: โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…

Book Links:

Amazon::B&N::TBD::Indiebound::Goodreads

One Sentence Synopsis

Tuesday Mooney, a loner with an interest in the macabre, becomes embroiled in a treasure hunt across Boston when a wealthy eccentric dies.

Favorite Quote

“The point of a game is the experience of playing. The obstacles and the choices you make to get to the objective. The possibility of winning, the danger of loss, shapes the game. Risk and reward give the game suspense, a plot. But winning or losing is not the whole point.”

Continue reading “Book Review: Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts”
book tag

Book Tag: Bookish Heavenly Virtues

Bookish Heavenly Virtues Tag

I realized the other day that I haven’t done a bookish tag in quite some time. Then I discovered this tag over at The Pine-Scented Chronicles and it looked really unique! So, ya know, I snagged it ๐Ÿ˜‰ I do love a tag with interesting questions that really make me wrack my brain for books to match. Time to jump in!


CHASTITY: Which author/book/series you wish you had never read?

This book fills me with such a rage. I understand that characters in books don’t have to be likable, but dear LORD. These characters weren’t just “unlikable”, they were detestable! And the story itself was just completely uninteresting to me, so I really had nothing to enjoy. This is the book that put me off classics for a long, LONG time. Just… no thank you.

TEMPERANCE: Which book/series did you find so good, that you didnโ€™t want to read it all at once, and you read it in doses just to make the pleasure last longer?

There are a few that fit this category, but I’ll pick the most recent one. I absolutely adored The Starless Sea and I definitely wanted to make it last as long as possible. I found myself finishing a chapter and purposely putting the book down because, if I didn’t, I would just tear through the entire book! It did help that I was reading it for a book club and we had a reading schedule. I could just tell myself I couldn’t read past a certain part because then I would be too far ahead! Either way, I already wish I could jump back into this world โค

CHARITY: Which book/series/author do you tirelessly push to others, telling them about it or even giving away spare copies bought for that reason?

The Great Library series! If I could make everyone I know read this series, I would! I love this series so much and it just doesn’t get the attention it deserves. It’s bookish. It’s got the whole found family thing going on, which we know I love. And later books have a bit of a quest aspect, as well! This series just ticks a lot of boxes for me and I want to be able to gush about them to someone who has read them!

(Sidenote: this could work for TEMPERANCE, too, because I still haven’t read the final book in the series. I don’t want it to end!)

DILIGENCE: Which series/author you follow no matter what happens and how long you have to wait?

*deep sigh*

I want to believe that George R.R. Martin will give us the ending to this series before the end of time. I do. But even my eternally optimistic self is starting to doubt. I just want to read Winds of Winter, dammit! I’m too invested in this story to not know how it ends!

And we are most definitely ignoring the TV ending.

So, as much as it is a knock to my optimism every year, I will follow this series and this author until we finally get a conclusion or I die. Honestly might die first.

PATIENCE: Is there an author/book/series youโ€™ve read that improved with time the most, starting out unpromising, but ultimately proving rewarding?

This book is exceedingly long. So. very. long! And, though it started on a fairly high note, it slowed down a fair bit fairly quickly. There were quite a few times that I thought about giving up… but I am SO glad I didn’t! This is one of the few classics that I ended up really loving! Even with the slog in the middle, this was still a wonderful book and it had a lot more going on than I had originally thought. I’m so glad I stuck with this one.

KINDNESS: Which fictitious character would you consider your role-model in the hassle of everyday life?

I know, I know… I already included The Starless Sea on this list, but it’s been a loooong time since I’ve connected with a character as much as I did with Zachary Ezra Rawlins! He is me as a book character. I don’t know if his homebody ways would be considered as a good thing to model my life after, but it’s the life I want to lead. Also, the way he reacts to all the strange circumstances of this book are way better than what I would have come up with… He’s a kind, smart person and that’s really all I’m striving to be in this world.

HUMILITY: Which book/series/author do you find most under-rated?

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles is another series I wish I could make everyone read. I read these books as a child and absolutely loved it. Actually, these were the only books I would read for about a year, heh. Once I read the first one, I had to have the subsequent books and I just read and re-read them over and over. I’m extremely sad that, during one of my family’s many moves, these books disappeared. I would love to re-read them again! I honestly don’t know how popular or not these books are or were, but I feel like I don’t hear about them nearly enough.


If you find this bookish tag as interesting as I did, consider yourself tagged! I’d love to see other readers’ answers to this questions. So, if you decide to join in on the fun, drop a link down below!

And, as always, happy reading!

www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: Feb 19, 2020

Itโ€™s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. What do you think youโ€™ll read next?

If youโ€™d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia: This book is such a damn treat! I’ve mainly been reading this at work as my lunch break book and it’s made me late a couple of times, heh. It’s just, when I start reading, I don’t want to stop! I love the mystery, the game, the characters… this book is freakin’ wild in the best way.

Recently Finished

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

After the Flood by Kassandra Montag: This book was a surprise, tbh. I read it solely because of a Booktuber’s recommendation and wasn’t sure if I would actually like. I ended up loving it! You can read my review here.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren: I jumped on the hype train with this one and was happily swept away. This was quite literally laugh-out-loud funny and just a fun ride! You can read my thoughts in my recent mini-review post all about romances.

What’s Next

The Last Human by Zack Jordan: Time to get to my March ARCs! This is a sci-fi that follows the last human in the solar system who has to keep the fact that they are human a secret. It sounds like it’s going to be interesting.

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu: I read an excerpt of this (and won a copy!) on BookishFirst. I absolutely loved the excerpt! This is the story of Mozart (but not the Mozart you’re thinking of) and a magical kingdom and I am here. for. it.


How is your reading week going? Have you finished any stunners lately? Let me know in the comments! Or drop a link to your own WWW Wednesday post!

And, as always, happy reading!

top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Hangovers

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday was created byย The Broke and the Bookishย back in June 2010. It is currently hosted byย That Artsy Reader Girlย and, as is stated on the blog, it was โ€œborn of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.โ€

Tuesday has rolled around again and it’s time for another TTT. This week’s theme is book hangovers. As in your top ten books that left you so wrapped up in the world and the characters that it took you awhile to pick up anything else to read. Or, if you did pick up another book, you just couldn’t get into it.

I’ll be honest, this doesn’t happen to me as much as I would like it to! I tend to roll right along after finishing a book, even if I absolutely loved it. As I was going through my recent reads, though, I did find ten books that had this impact on me in varying degrees. After looking at the list, I think the common theme is that they were all beautifully descriptive and had interesting concepts in addition to characters I instantly loved.

So let’s take a look at my top ten last books that gave me a book hangover!

Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday: Book Hangovers”
book reviews

Mini Reviews: Romance Edition

Though I tend to be a genre-hopper, there are two genres that I generally avoid. One is Westerns (I don’t like them in movie form, either) and the other is romance. Recently, however, I had noticed there were quite a few romance novels out there that actually sounded… interesting. I’d heard about them on Booktube, in Goodreads groups, or over on book Twitter. The more I heard about them, the more I thought that maybe it was time to lift my arbitrary and, frankly, silly ban on romances.

I ended up picking up three new adult romances that I had heard a lot about and found the most compelling: Well Met; Get a Life, Chloe Brown; and The Unhoneymooners. And, lo and behold, I liked all three of them! Let this be a lesson to myself. Don’t judge a genre by your preconceived notions!

(Although I’m still not sure about Westerns…)

Anyways, let’s get to the reviews!

Continue reading “Mini Reviews: Romance Edition”
book blogger hop

Book Blogger Hop: Feb 14 – 20

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created byย Crazy-For-Booksย and is currently being hosted byย Coffee Addicted Writer. Every Friday, a new question is posted for book bloggers to answer in the coming week. The purpose of the hop is connection and community. You can discover new blogs to follow, new books to read, and you may end up with some new followers, as well!

This Week’s Question

Image by Coffee Addicted Writer
Continue reading “Book Blogger Hop: Feb 14 – 20”
book reviews

Book Review: After the Flood

Title: After the Flood

Author: Kassandra Montag

Genre: Dystopia/Science Fiction

Source: Borrowed (library)

Rating: โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…

Book links:

Amazon::B&N::TBD::Indiebound::Goodreads

One Sentence Synopsis

After the world is covered in flood water, Myra takes her youngest daughter on a harrowing journey to try and rescue her oldest daughter who was taken by Myra’s husband.

Favorite Quote

“But I knew that was the kind of hope that betrays. The kind of hope that’s an illusion, that shackles you to your desire. I needed hope built on real possibilities.”

Continue reading “Book Review: After the Flood”
top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Love Freebie!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish back in June 2010. It is currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and, as is stated on the blog, it was โ€œborn of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.โ€

With Valentine’s Day coming up this Friday, this week’s TTT is all about love! You would think it would be easy to come up with a topic centering around love and books, right? Not so much for me this week. I’ve been training in a new section at work and my brain has been mush by the time I get home. I can barely focus on reading, let alone being creative!

But I finally settled on a topic! I’m going to talk about the top themes or tropes I love in books! You may remember me mentioning that I’m still learning what I love in books, though, so this is list is going to stop way before ten, heh. I’ve got five things that, when done well, make me fall for a book every time. So, without further ado, here are my…

Top Five Book Tropes/Themes I Love

#1. Books about books

I mean, this one is probably pretty obvious because I’ve mentioned it quite a few times, but I love a good book about books! Or a book within a book! Unf, give me all of those. I think I connect with this theme so much because, usually, there is a character in the book that loves books just as much as I do. It’s amazing to be able to connect to character that shares a similar passion and hear them describe their love with far prettier words than I’m ever able to conjure. I feel very seen.

Some examples: The Starless Sea, The Great Library series, The Thirteenth Tale

#2. A game/puzzle aspect

If a book contains some type of game or puzzle aspect, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’m going to read it. My enjoyment of the book depends on how fleshed out the game/puzzle becomes throughout the story. I don’t like when it’s just there for flash, but when it becomes an integral part of the story, it’s just… *chef’s kiss* Can’t get enough of it!

Some examples: Ready Player One, The Westing Game, SLAY

#3. QUESTS

I mean, who doesn’t love a good adventure? I love when someone (or, better yet, a group of someones who may or may not get along) has to go on a journey to find the thing/save the village/murder the big baddie. I get so invested in their quest and have a burning need to know how it ends! Because, at my core, I’m a big softie who loves a happy ending. Not to say that I’m going to hate a book with death and mayhem and no happily ever after. I just like when there’s at least hope after a long journey and I love following our questing protagonist to that point.

Some examples: Spin the Dawn, The Merciful Crow, Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series

#4. Magic and whimsy!

Seriously, I adore a book with a bit (or a lot) of magical or whimsical elements. I typically read books as a way to unwind at the end of the day and I feel like, the more fantastical, the easier it is for me to feel transported. I find myself falling into these worlds and pulling them around me like the warmest, comfiest blanket. I love getting lost in books that play with the world as we know it. Perhaps it is because it let’s me imagine that magic truly exists, if only for a little while.

Some examples: The Night Circus, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, In an Absent Dream

#5. Found family

You know when a group of misfits are shoved together for Reasons and they have to learn to work together and eventually come to think of each other as family?

Yeah… that’s that good sh*t.

I am fortunate to have grown up with a very loving family, but the found family trope still calls to me. I think it’s the concept that, even if you have no blood family or they treat you like crap, there are still people out there that can love you. Reading about someone finding their people just gives me all the feels and I can’t get enough of it.

Some examples: A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Six of Crows, the Harry Potter series


There you have it; a short list of a few things I love in books! I’m sure with as much as I’ve been reading lately, this list will eventually be much longer.

In the meantime, why don’t you tell me about some tropes or themes that you love in books? Are any of these on your list? Talk to me in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

Uncategorized

Goodreads Monday: Feb 10, 2020

Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme that was started by Lauren’s Page Turners and I stumbled across on The Pine-Scented Chronicles. It’s a simple task to start your week: simply pick a random book from your Goodreads TBR and explain why you want to read it. Easy!

This Week’s Book

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

Goodreads Synopsis:

Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own.

Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, but when her beloved father is murdered, sheโ€™s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her fatherโ€™s killer, Hesina does something desperate: she engages the aid of a soothsayerโ€”a treasonous act, punishable by death… because in Yan, magic was outlawed centuries ago.

Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust even her family, Hesina turns to Akiraโ€”a brilliant investigator whoโ€™s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?

In this shimmering Chinese-inspired fantasy, debut author Joan He introduces a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception.

Why I Want To Read It:

I’m gonna be honest, the reason I wanted to read this originally was because the first Booktuber I ever started watching, Sassenach the Book Wizard, would not stop talking about this book! She raved about it and declared more people needed to read it so that the author would write a sequel. When someone loves a book so much that they are begging for a sequel, it definitely piques my interest.

That’s not to say that I didn’t find the premise interesting, of course! Political intrigue in fantasy settings is one of my favorite things! The fact that it was Chinese-inspired had me even more intrigued. And there is a strong female lead coming into her own as a young woman (and new empress)? Yes, please!

I’ve also been wanting to fit more Asian influenced stories and Asian authors on my TBR. I know I read a LOT of white authors and that’s not saying that I should stop, but I definitely need to be more conscientious of reading diverse books. I’ve already discovered a few amazing reads by diverse authors that I would’ve missed out on if I hadn’t been consciously trying to pick up books by POCs.

Now I just need to get off my butt and actually read this book!