Top Ten Tuesday - Backlist Books I Want to Read

Today's theme for Top Ten Tuesday is backlist books I would like to read. It seems that ever since I started my blog, I have read more books from debut authors or books that are brand new. I have almost completely stopped reading older books. It used to be that I found an author I enjoyed and read everything they had out. 

I deleted almost all of my TBR list on Goodreads but there are some that I know I'd like to read.

This one has been on list for quite a while. I hear nothing but good things about it. Why have I not gotten to it yet?!

This one has been on the list for a while too but what makes this one even worse? I own a copy and still haven't read it.

I absolutely adore the magical realism in Addison Allen's books. I read several when I first found her but stopped when I started getting ARCs that needed my attention. She is high on my list of authors to get back to reading.

This one sounds good. I have picked it up a couple of times but never actually started reading it.

I need to find a copy of this because I really want to read it!

I broke a personal rule to never watch a tv show/movie without reading the book first. That's why this one hasn't been read. I already know the story. I think I will love the book even more than the show but some other shiny new book always pulls my attention away from this one.

I really enjoyed the first one in this duology. Sort of back on a dystopian kick so this one is being read soon...finally!

Jesse the Reader talks about this one so when I saw a copy on the library book sale shelf, I had to grab it. Owning it is another reason to read it soon!

Another one that Jesse mentioned. I never picked this one up because I loathe the cover but he made it sound so interesting. Want to get to this one soon.

A couple of my favorite booktubers have mentioned this one. Sounds like something I would definitely enjoy!

Top Ten Tuesday - Longest Books I Have Read

Top Ten Tuesday for this week is the longest books I have read. Check out everyone else's lists at That Artsy Reader Girl.

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - 1,177 pages
A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin - 1,125 pages
A Feast for Crow by George R.R. Martin - 1,061 pages
Voyager (Outlander #3) by Diana Gabaldon - 870 pages
A Game of Thrones by George R. by R. Martin - 848 pages
Winter by Marissa Meyer - 827 pages
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin - 784 pages
The Passage (The Passage #1) by Justin Cronin - 766 pages
Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman - 658 pages
Night Film by Mirisha Pessl - 640 pages

So apparently George R.R. Martin is my go to for long books?

Top Ten Tuesday - Books On My Fall 2018 TBR

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday is books on my fall 2018 TBR. I am such a mood reader that I don't do well with TBR lists but there are some books that I would like to read before the end of the year.

Have had this one on my list for a while. When the movie was announced, it made me want to read it. Since I heard the movie bombed, it was pushed down the list again. Still want to get it this year though.

I have had this one on my bedside table for a ridiculous amount of time. I am not sure what is keeping me from reading it. What makes it worse is I purchased the 3rd book too. So they are both side eyeing me.

She is the author of one of my all time favorite series. I have heard mixed things about this one recently from readers with my same tastes so I don't know how much I will end up enjoying this one.

Tried this one when it first came out and put it aside. Little Book Owl is doing a read-along for it though so I want to try it again.

Another Little Book Owl read-along. Another one that I tried when it first came out. This one was so beautifully written that I wanted to savor every word. Since I had quite a few books checked out from the library at the time, I set this one aside to get to later.

One of my real life friends recommended this series to me. Sounds like my kind of reading!

Spotted this one at the bookstore and thought it sounded good. Put it on reserve at the library and it has taken forever to get. Apparently every one else thinks it looks good too.

I am horrified that I haven't read this one yet! I loved the first and have enjoyed all of Victoria Schwab's books that I have read. Need to reread the first one to refresh my memory and then dive into this one.

Top Ten Books I Could Reread Forever

This week's theme is books I could reread forever. 

1. The Night Circus. I can't even with this. It's soooooooooo good!

2. Hunger Games trilogy. I love these even more when I reread them. Such a good story. A great reminder that your life can always be worse :-)

3. Grisha trilogy. Well written escape into another world.

4. Six of Crows duology. Think I love these even more than the Grisha trilogy and that's saying a lot.

5. Long Way Down. Words fail me with this one.

6. Heist Society trilogy. A bunch of fun. Cute books. 

7. Shades of Magic trilogy. Schwab is one of my all time favorite authors. Her books continue to impress me.

8. Illuminae trilogy. Even though I haven't read the 3rd one yet, I know I am going to love it. This series is everything!

9. The Newsflesh trilogy. Zombies on steroids. 

10. Harry Potter series. Because Harry.

This was one of the easiest prompts. It was interesting how many of my favorite books are part of a series. Maybe because you can really get to know the characters when you visit them more than once.

Top Ten Tuesday Love Themed Freebie

This week's theme is a love related freebie. I'm picking my top swoony authors of which there will not be 10. I don't read many books in the romance genre but I have a couple of go to authors if the desire (see what I did there?) strikes me.

1. Leigh Bardugo. This one might be a strange choice at first glance but...the Darkling. Y'all. I can't even with him. He's swoon. And Kaz. Oh my.

2. Kasie West. She writes light, contemporary young adult romances that I actually enjoy. She is one of the few romance writers that I can even attempt to read.

3. Katie McGarry. The queen of swoon. I love her romance books because there are always things going on besides the romance. She tackles tough issues.

4. Marissa Meyer. Her books have good book boyfriends!

5. Tarereh Mafi. I know that her Shatter Me series got mixed reviews but I personally thought that there were some swoony scenes in there.

6. Sarah J. Maas. I haven't complete the Court of Thorns and Roses series yet but wow. Fans self.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read

For this week's theme I decided to use my Goodreads list instead of using books on my shelves because I can tell when I added them. The bad thing is that I deleted a ton of books from this list last year because they have been on there forever without being read. These are the ones with the longest dates now.

Added January of 2013!

Guessing I didn't enjoy the first one enough to continue with the series. 

This one needs to be added to my Classics challenge so I can get it off the list.

I love this cover so very much.

Top Ten Tuesday = the One Where I Make Up My Own List

It's Top Ten Tuesday!

I didn't know how to answer this week's prompt over at That Artsy Reader Girl so I made up my own.

Goodreads has this nifty little thing that shows you a list of your most read authors. Since I started adding my books on there, these are my ten most read authors:

Robert Kirkman - The Walking Dead graphic novels
Brian Vaughan - The 7 Saga graphic novels
Marissa Meyer - 6 books
George R.R. Martin - 5 books
Katie McGarry - 5 books
Mira Grant - 5 books
Leigh Bardugo - 5 books
V.E. Schwab/Victoria Schwab - 5 books
John Green - 4 books
Og Mandino - 4 books

Top Ten Tuesday...on a Friday!

Top Ten Tuesday has moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is our bookish resolutions/goals for the year. I've been batting around a few ideas this month but haven't put them down on paper yet. This theme is perfect for me to finalize my list!

1. Read 75 books before December 31, 2018. I read 74 last year but that included graphic novels so 75 is going to be a stretch for me. 

• Read in 2013 - 85
• Read in 2014 - 40
• Read in 2015 - 59
• Read in 2016 - 31

The highest number read was in 2013 when I was the most active on my blog and in the book community. I am hoping that being back on my blog will help me have better luck reading this year.

2. Read one classic per month. I would like to average one classic a month. Giving some leeway on this one...if I read 2 in a month, I can skip a month. I tend not to reach for classics but, generally speaking, I enjoy reading them when I do pick them up. Hoping that having this goal will put them more on my radar.

3. Read a mix of adult and young adult. I have gotten much better at not just reading YA. Not that there is anything wrong with reading just YA but I want to read more adult.

4. Read a mix of personally owned and library borrowed. I am terrible at reading my own books. I read library books because they have a due date. I don't want my own to look "used" or to get dirty. But then they sit on my shelves and gather dust instead. I challenged myself several years ago to alternate library books with owned books and did really well. 

5. Complete 5 series this year. I haven't nailed this one down yet. I need to check my Goodreads list to see what needs to be completed.

6. Buy more books. "What?!" you might ask? You need to challenge yourself to buy MORE books? Well sort of. I am terrible at buying new books because of the cost but I love them so much. Less guilt is my real goal.

7. Read some old favorites. There are quite a few authors that I used to read that I never pick up anymore. When I was the most active in the book community I was receiving ARCs and didn't read many by the same author. I would like to read some of the authors I loved before.

8. Reread. I want to reread all of Leigh Bardugo's books, The Hunger Games trilogy, The Night Circus, and The Shatter Me trilogy. I am sure there are others that can be added to this list!

9. Complete 3 challenges. I am terrible at challenges. I start them but don't follow through. This will be the year of follow through! 

10. Read at least half of the book club books. Am a member of 2 different book clubs. Since I have a hard time forcing myself to finish a book that I don't enjoy, I have a tendency not to read the book club selections. I would like to read at least half of the books this year even if I HATE them. :-)

Top Ten Tuesday - 10 Authors I Really Want to Meet

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event at The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic is the top authors we'd like to meet. I have an aversion to meeting "celebrity" types because I'm afraid that they will be jerks and that will make me hate their team/tv show/books/etc. But if I had to choose which ones I'd take a chance on I'd pick...

(In no particular order)

Leigh Bardugo....I've fangirled over all of her Grisha trilogy books and she is the nicest on Twitter. She actually was near me in Florida but my car at the time wouldn't make the trip. Sad face. Plus she gave me the Darkling...future husband #2. I know he's kind of evil but...

John Green...to tell him that I almost couldn't finish The Fault in Our Stars because all the feels. I could break out in sobs right now just thinking about the line that shattered me.

Ransom Riggs - because anyone who can craft an outstanding story (or two!) from creepy vintage photographs has got to be all kinds of awesome.

Katie McGarry - She is the Queen of Swoon and the only romance books that I read, let alone actually purchase, are hers. Perhaps she could summon my own hot boy to swoon over.

Sarah Addison Allen - her books are so magical. I've loved every single one I've read.

Natalie Lloyd - her book A Snicker of Magic is one of the most heartwarming books I've ever read. To write something so sweet, you've got to be sweet.

Mira Grant - to beg her to make the Newsflesh trilogy a series of way more than just 3. I can't get enough. Never have hundreds of pages flown by so quickly.

Patrick Ness - his Chaos Walking trilogy is one of the most original series out there (although the dog scene - heartbreak) and A Monster Calls crushed me in the best possible way. That man can write!

Cynthia Rutledge - I read her long ago and loved her work. Back before all the social media today, you'd have to write a letter or an email to your favorite authors. Not only did she write back but she sent me my first ever autographed book. That kindness has never been forgotten.

Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games got me back reading when I was going through the darkest time in my life. It let me escape from my reality and for that I am very grateful.

Top Ten Tuesday - REWIND: 10 Tips for New Bloggers

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event from The Broke and the Bookish. Today's topic is REWIND, picking a topic we loved from before or one we might have missed.

I've chosen my top ten tips for new bloggers. Nothing earth shattering but things that I think we all need to be reminded of from time to time...

1. Find your own voice - Whether writing more formally or writing with a ton of slang, find your own voice. Write how you want and make it sound like you. There is no one else just like you...be the unique voice that you are without trying to be someone else...even if they are super cool!

2. Don't worry about posting every single day - life is busy and sometimes we think that we have to post every day or our "numbers" will go down. Blogging should be fun and if you are forcing your self to post just to post, your writing won't be as good so your readers won't enjoy it as much AND you'll end up not liking your blog. Post when you have something to say. Don't worry if you don't. Which goes with...

3. Don't worry about your "numbers" - it's fun to get ARCs, comments, followers and page views but sometimes worrying about it too much takes all the fun out of blogging. Blog for yourself and you'll always be happy!

4. Try something new - whether it is a new weekly/monthly feature, a new genre, a new page theme...don't get stuck in a rut. Do something new to shake things up a bit.

5. Know why you blog - this goes a bit with #3 that if you always blog for yourself you'll always be happy. Trying to impress other people won't always work but writing a blog because you enjoy writing a blog always will.

6. Get out there and meet people - one of the best ways to become involved in the blogging community is to get out there and meet people. Through Twitter or Facebook or events like Top Ten Tuesday, you'll meet people who will become friends and that's the best thing about blogging!

7. Don't forget to comment - comments make the blogging world go round so don't forget to comment on your favorite blogs when you have a chance. Everyone loves to get feedback and to know that someone is reading (and enjoying) what they have taken the time to write.

8. Remember there is no right way - it doesn't matter how you format your blog - whether you post only reviews or a mix of reviews and other stuff. What matters is that you're doing it your way. 

9. Have fun - this is worth its own number...have fun. What's the point of blogging if it is a chore?

10. Keep learning - if you keep learning you'll always keep growing as a blogger and your blog will continue to get better - better to read, better to write, better to have. 

Top Ten Tuesday - REWIND: 10 Tips for New Bloggers

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event from The Broke and the Bookish. Today's topic is REWIND, picking a topic we loved from before or one we might have missed.

I've chosen my top ten tips for new bloggers. Nothing earth shattering but things that I think we all need to be reminded of from time to time...

1. Find your own voice - Whether writing more formally or writing with a ton of slang, find your own voice. Write how you want and make it sound like you. There is no one else just like you...be the unique voice that you are without trying to be someone else...even if they are super cool!

2. Don't worry about posting every single day - life is busy and sometimes we think that we have to post every day or our "numbers" will go down. Blogging should be fun and if you are forcing your self to post just to post, your writing won't be as good so your readers won't enjoy it as much AND you'll end up not liking your blog. Post when you have something to say. Don't worry if you don't. Which goes with...

3. Don't worry about your "numbers" - it's fun to get ARCs, comments, followers and page views but sometimes worrying about it too much takes all the fun out of blogging. Blog for yourself and you'll always be happy!

4. Try something new - whether it is a new weekly/monthly feature, a new genre, a new page theme...don't get stuck in a rut. Do something new to shake things up a bit.

5. Know why you blog - this goes a bit with #3 that if you always blog for yourself you'll always be happy. Trying to impress other people won't always work but writing a blog because you enjoy writing a blog always will.

6. Get out there and meet people - one of the best ways to become involved in the blogging community is to get out there and meet people. Through Twitter or Facebook or events like Top Ten Tuesday, you'll meet people who will become friends and that's the best thing about blogging!

7. Don't forget to comment - comments make the blogging world go round so don't forget to comment on your favorite blogs when you have a chance. Everyone loves to get feedback and to know that someone is reading (and enjoying) what they have taken the time to write.

8. Remember there is no right way - it doesn't matter how you format your blog - whether you post only reviews or a mix of reviews and other stuff. What matters is that you're doing it your way. 

9. Have fun - this is worth its own number...have fun. What's the point of blogging if it is a chore?

10. Keep learning - if you keep learning you'll always keep growing as a blogger and your blog will continue to get better - better to read, better to write, better to have.