Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Signs That You Might be More Obsessed With Books Than You Think

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme originally created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently run by That Artsy Reader Girl.

It's Tuesday again! Wow, that week passed quickly. It's been a little bit crazy the last little bit, what with everything that's been going on. But I've finally started to settle down into a new kind of routine, which is nice. Normalcy is nice.

Onto this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic! Today, the prompt is ten signs that you're a book lover. I had a lot of fun coming up with my answers for this prompt (I got to use the beautiful gift of humor. Though I may or may not be that funny.)

Sign #1 - You spend good portions of your weekends reorganizing your bookshelf.

Yeah, totally not guilty of this one. But seriously, have you seen all the incredible ways you can organize your books?! If only I had more shelf space.

Sign #2 - If you accidentally tear a page in your book, your heart does a mini freak out. 

Please. Tell me I'm not the only one. 

Sign #3 - You use anything and everything at hand that might work as a bookmark. 

Sticky note? Sure. Receipt? Go for it. Pen? Oh yeah.
Because heaven forbid you have to search around for an actual bookmark. 

Sign #4 - Your current read distracts you from other tasks (oh look at that, you burned the spaghetti sauce. Again.)

Raise your hand if you've ever done this. *silently raises both hands* I'm notorious in my household for the fact that I cannot keep track of things that are cooking. It usually has something to do with books. Or, you know, Pinterest. 

Sign #5 - You watch far too much Booktube

I got sucked into the wonderful realm of Booktube a few months ago. And I'm well and truly addicted. It makes me kind of want to start my own Booktube channel even though I know I don't have time for that. *sigh*

Sign #6 - You spend an inordinate amount of time looking for books to add to your already overwhelming TBR. 

Because you can never have too many books to read. Right? Right? *glances at overflowing Goodreads TBR* 

Sign #7 - You read multiple books at the same time. 

This is a given. Who reads just one book at a time? Why not two or three or four or ten?

Sign #8 - Going to the bookstore is your idea of a great outing.

My mom took me book shopping for my nineteenth birthday, and you can bet I loved it! Used bookstores are amazing, magical places. <3

Sign #9 - You love the smell of books

I love the smell of new books. That's why I love Chapters so much. There's a coffee shop in my local Chapters store, and the smell of coffee combined with the smell of books is heavenly.

Sign #10 - 90% of your conversations revolve around books

Tell me I'm not the weirdest, geekiest young adult who's ever existed.


That about wraps it up! Can you relate to any of this? What are some nerdy bookworm things you do? Let me know in the comments!

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer [Spoiler-Free Review]

Letters to the Lost 

by Brigid Kemmerer 

Genre: YA contemporary romance

My Rating: ★★★★★

Description: 

Ever since her mother, a famous photographer, died, Juliet Young has left letters on her grave. They're personal, private. 

That is, until Declan Murphy, working in the cemetery for court-ordered community service, finds one of Juliet's letters. And writes back. 

What happens next will change both their lives. 

Overall Thoughts

This book is beautiful and heartwrenching and hopeful all at the same time. I loved every minute of it. I loved the characterization and the writing style and the plot. I've always had mixed feelings about the young adult contemporary genre -- I either love the books, or there's something that takes away from my overall enjoyment of an otherwise good book. That was not the case with Letters to the Lost. 
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read.

The Characters

I love the cast of this book so much. You have Juliet, who's mourning the loss of her mother and dealing with that grief as she struggles with school and relationships. She makes a lot of mistakes, like judging people on face value, but I loved how much growth she experienced over the course of the book.
Then there's Declan, who is working in the cemetery for his court ordered community service. His struggles with guilt and depression felt genuine and honest, and I loved his personal growth as well.
The secondary characters were excellent. I want to thank Brigid Kemmerer for creating some excellent parental figures in a YA book -- Juliet's dad, Rev's parents, and Frank all felt very genuine and real and human, which is more than I can say for a lot of YA parental figures.
I can't really get into a discussion about every single character in this book, but just know that they're all amazing.
(And sidenote, I loved the portrayal of a Christian character in a piece of secular media in a way that doesn't make me angry. In fact, I would say that Rev is one of my favorite portrayals of a Christian character in media.)

Writing/Plot

Something I found very interesting about this book was the fact that although it's a first person, dual perspective book, the chapter headings don't tell you who's narrating the chapter. A few times early in the story, I had to do a doubletake when I realized that it wasn't Juliet's POV that I was reading (or vice versa.) But once I was into the story, it wasn't confusing at all.
I liked how every chapter starts with one of Juliet's or Declan's letters to each other, and I loved seeing the way their relationship develops through those messages.
The plot was well-paced and compelling. This book is definitely character driven, but the plot events hold up well and helped to structure the book.

Content

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: References to physical abuse. References to a suicide attempt.
There is some swearing. Not too much as I can recall, though.
A few sexual references. At one point in the story, a character finds a photo of two people in bed (with the implication of sex.) An instance of nudity.
There isn't any horribly violent content that I can recall.
A character smokes. 

Because You Love to Hate Me [Spoiler-Free Review]

Because You Love to Hate Me 
By Amerie (editor), Renee Ahdieh, Soman Chainai, Susan Dennard, Sarah Enni, Marissa Meyer, Cindy Pon, Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Adam Silvera, Andrew Smith, April Genevieve Tulcholke, Nicola Yoon

My Rating: ★★★

Description: 

13 stories of villainy from 13 well-known YA authors. 

My Review

The problem with a short story anthology, honestly, is that everyone is going to find at least one story that they don't like. The opposite is also true, of course, but I feel like the mixed ratings for this book on Goodreads may have something to do with the fact that everyone has different opinions on every single short story in the book. So rating the whole book is hard because, well, I had different opinions about every single short story in this book. It was a mixed bag for me, honestly. 

But without further ado, let's just get into it.

The Blood of Imuriv by Renee Ahdieh 

My Rating: ★★

This story started out strong, but the rest of it never really lived up to its killer opening. While the concept itself was intriguing, the execution was lacking, and I wish the author had spent more time on the parts of the story I was actually interested in (the main character can see nightmares?? Gimme more.)

CW: Descriptions of blood, violence. Minor swearing? 

Jack by Amerie 

My Rating: ★★

This was just a story. Nothing really stood out to me as special, and the end twist was shocking (not in a good way) because there was little to no foreshadowing for it. 

It wasn't the worst story in the anthology, but it definitely wasn't my favorite. 

CW: Violence, references to cannibalism. Reference to kissing. 

Gwen and Art and Lance by Soman Chainai 

My Rating: ★★

The idea of a story being told entirely through text messages (or IMs, or whatever it was) was very interesting to me. 

But it quickly grew confusing, and the storyline, while halfway interesting, never really had a proper arc, and so lacked meaning. Gwen's character was interesting (in a twisted sort of way). She's manipulative and will do anything to get what she wants. However, overall, this story didn't really stick with me. 

CW: Sexual references. Some language. 

Shirley and Jim by Susan Dennard 

My Rating: ★★★★

At this point in the anthology, I was starting to worry that I'd be reading 300+ pages of 2-star stories. And then came along this gem. 

I loved it! A Sherlock Holmes retelling, with both Sherlock and Watson being recast as female, it was well-written, engaging, and had an excellent story arc. The character of Moriarty was fascinating as well, and I love what the author did with his character in her retelling. 

CW: Kissing. Potential minor swearing?

The Blessings of Little Wants by Sarah Enni 

My Rating: ★★★

This story was fairly solid. Though that said, I keep forgetting that I even read this story... my thoughts keep blanking when I see this title, and then there's the moment of realization: oh, that story. So it wasn't very memorable. 

But the characters were interesting, and the plot and writing were both solid. I wish the end had had a little more foreshadowing, but it was a fairly good twist. 

CW: Violence, descriptions of blood. 

The Sea Witch by Marissa Meyer 

My Rating: ★★★★

I loved the concept of this story! It's a sort-of Little Mermaid retelling, focusing on the backstory for the Sea Witch. The writing was good, and the characterization and character arc (descent into villainy) was actually very well done. 

CW: Nudity, kissing, descriptions of blood. 

Beautiful Venom by Cindy Pon 

My Rating: ★★★

TRIGGER WARNING: Rape

I liked this story. It casts the character of Medusa in a new light and shows her backstory and what caused her to become the way she is. 

I found it very interesting, and at the same time very sad. 

There were a few places where I felt that I needed more explanation, which is why this is only rated 3 stars. But it was well-written and Mei's character was excellent. 

CW: See trigger warning. Sexual jokes. References to sex. Some violence. 

Death Knell by Victoria Schwab 

My Rating: ★★★★★

So... *guilty face* I may have picked this book up just because I knew Victoria Schwab had written a story for it. 

Yeah. I know. Sorry not sorry. 

But this story was everything I wanted it to be and more! I knew going in that I was going to love it (because I have loved every book I've read by Victoria Schwab.) The writing was beautiful, simple and elegant. Third person, present tense for the win! I also loved the characters and the character arcs and ahh just everything about this story. 

CW: A flashback to a kiss. 

Marigold by Samantha Shannon 

My Rating: ★★★

This is another story that suffers a bit from the lack of foreshadowing. It's about faeries, and a girl who has been traded to the faeries in exchange for the queen's daughter. Her brother and her lover go in search of her. 

The writing style didn't appeal to me hugely, and like I said before, lack of foreshadowing took away from my enjoyment of the end. But it was still a decent story, just not the best.  

CW: Implied off-page sex and a few references to sex. Some swearing? Gun use. 

You, You, It's All About You by Adam Silvera 

My Rating: ★★★

This is one of the few pieces of writing that I've read that's written in second person (you did this, you did that.) It was an interesting narrative choice, and I feel it worked very well. 

The foreshadowing for the end was done very well. 

The reason that this isn't a four star is because there was one thing that kept getting brought up, but that stretched my suspension of disbelief. 

CW: Drug use, kissing. 

Julian Breaks All the Rules by Andrew Smith 

My Rating: ★

This story was not enjoyable for me at all. The writing style really grated on me (I hate it when the POV character talks to the reader, especially if they're trying too hard to be quirky). It was also just a little bit too disturbing for me.

CW: Violence, drug and alcohol abuse, nudity, a brief mention of a couple having sex, sexual references. The main character is a psychopath, and his thoughts are disturbing to read. Profanity. 

Indigo and Shade by April Genevieve Tulcholke 

My Rating: ★★★★

This was a very interesting take on Beauty and the Beast. The end was shocking, and also really emotional. I liked it a lot. There's not really much else I can say without spoilers. 

CW: Kissing, sexual references, violence. Maybe some profanity? 

Sera by Nicola Yoon 

My Rating: ★★★★

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. I found it really interesting and original. 

CW: Violence. There might have been profanity?

Overall, I'm giving this anthology 3 out of 5 stars. But if you liked Victoria Schwab's writing, you should read it just for Death Knell. Because Death Knell made the whole book worthwhile. 

Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

I've seen this tag everywhere in the online book community, so even though it's a few years old, I'm going to give it a try anyway. :) This tag and the tag questions were created by The Book Archer on YouTube.

Photo by Ed Robertson on Unsplash

1) A popular book or series you don't like

The Maze Runner by James Dashner and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. Both of these books get a ton of hype in the bookish community, but I just... didn't connect with either story? You can read my reviews to get a better idea of why I didn't like them, but basically... The Maze Runner was juvenile. The characters changed to fit the plot, and there were multiple (very bad) plot holes. The Cruel Prince was slow, and I never rooted for any of the characters. I also hate that the fandom ships Jude and Cardan, since it's such a toxic relationship.

2) A popular book or series everyone else seems to hate but you love

I honestly could not think of one. Books that are hated... oh man, this is going to sound mean... but books that are hated are generally hated for a good reason. The only series that comes close is The Safe Lands Trilogy, which seems to get a lot of hate for the way it included tough topics and was marketed as Christian Fiction. I haven't read these books in years, so I have no idea if I'd still like them if I read the series again, but I guess I'll go with that.

3) A love triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with OR an OTP that you don't like

Oof. Will I name names? I know I'm going to offend somebody no matter what I pick. 'Cause I do have a few, unfortunately. To keep things civil, I'm going to go with a less well known YA series, Inkworld. I won't give too much information about the third book, Inkdeath, but Meggie did not end up with who I wanted her to end up with. It confused and disappointed me when I read it (granted, I read the book a long time ago, so my opinions might have changed, but... I don't think it's likely.)

4) A popular book genre you hardly ever reach for

Romance. I like a good romance subplot as much as the next person, but straight-up romance is something I hardly ever reach for.

5) A popular or beloved character you don't like

Tobias from Divergent. I hate him, honestly. Sorry. He's just... really not likeable? I don't know what else to say.

6) A popular author you can't seem to get into

Veronica Roth. I've tried a few of her books now, and I've always come away unsatisfied. Divergent had a good plot, but I didn't like the main characters, and while I liked the main characters in Carve the Mark, the plot never really started. So I guess maybe her books just aren't for me.

7) A popular book trope you're tired of seeing

The "everyone's a couple" YA trope. You know, where literally every major character is in a relationship by the end of the story? Yeah, I'm tired of seeing it. More platonic friendships, please!

8) A popular series you have no interest in reading

The A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. I am planning on reading Throne of Glass, but I've heard that ACOTAR has a lot of sexual scenes in it that are... quite graphic. I know that I don't like reading these scenes, so I'll just avoid the series entirely. (Disclaimer: I have nothing against people who are fine with reading these books and scenes. They're just not something I, personally, like reading.)

9) The saying goes: "the book is always better than the movie", but what movie or TV show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?

The Lord of the Rings. I did like the books, but the movies are so much more enjoyable and magical for me. The characters feel so much more real in the movies than in the books, too.


I'm not going to tag anyone in particular, but if you're reading this and haven't done this tag already, consider yourself tagged! <3


And that's all for my unpopular opinions! What are some unpopular opinions you have? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: Fantasy Books That Give Me All the Feels

I'm so excited to do this week's Top Ten Tuesday! I honestly had a hard time picking what to do for today's topic -- genre freebie, which means a lot more thinking on my part, and then narrowing down the millions of options I now have. But in the end, I decided to go with a topic I know really well -- fantasy books. And more specifically, fantasy books that give me all the feels, whether those be happy feels or sad feels or any other kind of feels.

Basically, the fantasy books that have stayed with me.

For the sake of ease, I'm not including Harry Potter on this list. First, because I include Harry Potter on pretty much all of my lists, and it's starting to get embarrassing. (Am I that obsessed?) And two, because I want to talk about some fantasy books that at least some people haven't heard of. And I'm pretty sure the entire Internet knows who Harry Potter is.

So, without further ado, let's get started!

1. Mistborn: The Final Empire and The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Okay, The Well of Ascension did give me some serious feels as well. But the first, and especially the last books in the trilogy were an emotional rollercoaster, and I am not ashamed to say that I cried (actual tears) at the end of The Hero of Ages. 

2. This Savage Song and Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab

Victoria Schwab's writing in these books was. So. Beautiful. Every time I think about these books, I want to re-read them to experience them all over again. The emotions I felt while reading these books are just more than words can express. The characters and the character arcs and the hope despite the darkness just hit me right in the feels.

3. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Oh, look, it's my newest, latest, and greatest obsession! But this series also hits you in the feels. Repeatedly. With a sledgehammer.
The end of The Raven King, especially, was amazing and beautiful and also a freaking gut-punch.

4. The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, and Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

I know, I know, I can't stop talking about these books. I'm sorry. Not sorry. But these books are so, so good! I can't stop recommending them to anyone and everyone who will listen.
The characters are so lifelike and real, and some of the scenes (in all three books) gave me chills. Or made me tear up. Or made me outright laugh.
Which I consider to be an amazing thing.

5. Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier


My mom actually read this aloud to me and my brothers a few years ago, and I remember distinctly the part where I was actually starting to tear up listening and had to turn away so no one would see me crying over a kid's book. :P
Auxier has a gift for writing children's stories that are timeless, and his books are criminally underrated. Sweep is my favorite of his stories, though I have yet to read The Night Gardener. 

6. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I still can't get over the ending. It was so perfect. I'm going to start getting into spoilers if I say any more, but suffice it to say that Maggie Stiefvater knows how to end her stories well. And with tears. I won't say whether they're the happy variety or the sad variety. You can find out for yourself when you go read this book. *gentle push towards Overdrive because you shouldn't break quarantine for a book*

7. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

It was the movie that made me cry first. Then the book. Well. Technically they only both made me tear up, but it still counts. The ending, though! You know those endings that are... not sad exactly... but still make you cry so hard? Like the end of the Les Miserables movie? That's what the ending for this is like, too. And so even though I like the movies better, this book still makes it onto my list.

8. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Does this even count as fantasy? *quickly Googles* Well, Wikipedia says it is, so I guess I'm rolling with it. I love this book. It's a really quick read, but it stays with you. And yes, it nearly made me cry. Most of these books nearly made me cry. If I read it again, I probably will cry.
This is a book about a boy whose Mom has terminal cancer. There's a monster, and fairy-tale like stories, but at its core, this is a story about grief. And it handles it beautifully.

And that about wraps it up! Bookworms, now it's your turn! What are some fantasy books that you cried over (or laughed over)? Have you read any of the books on this list? Let me know in the comments!

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Sorcery of Thorns
by Margaret Rogerson

Genre: YA high fantasy

My Rating: ★★★

Description:

Elisabeth has lived her whole life as an apprentice in the Great Library of Summershall. She is charged with the task of keeping the grimoires -- magical books created by sorcery -- safe. And keeping the outside world safe from them.
But when an accident occurs and a grimoire escapes, Elisabeth is dragged into a centuries old conspiracy, alongside one of her greatest enemies -- a sorcerer.

Overall Thoughts

A fun, enjoyable book, but nothing super special. It's still worth a read if Victorian fantasy or books about books are things you like, but overall, there are probably more unique stories out there.

I was pretty conflicted with my feelings over this book by the time I finished Sorcery of Thorns. On one hand, I loved the magic, the whole concept of librarians being guardians of monstrous books, the Victorian setting, and Silas (who, let's be frank, is the best character in the whole book.)
On the other hand, I couldn't connect with the main character, Elisabeth, who felt very bland and stereotypical. As a result, I couldn't get on board with the romance. I also feel like the plot wasn't the most original out there, but it would have been fine had the main character been more relateable.

The Characters

The characterization was a bit all over the place. 

Elisabeth, the main character, was overall very bland. I couldn't connect with her character voice at all, and though she did have her moments, overall I couldn't really ever root for her as a character because I just... didn't... care all that much. She was like a number of YA female protagonists I've seen over the years, so she doesn't stand out as anything special. Without giving anything away, I also feel like she didn't end up being that relevant to the completion of the story goal, so I'm not sure why she was the main character at all. 

Her love interest (not really a spoiler, guys) Nathaniel, was okay. I liked his personality, and he had a few really awesome pieces of dialogue. I think I would've liked him a lot more if he didn't have this weird obsession with Elisabeth. I mean, come on, dude, you could do a lot better than her! 

And then there's Silas. Who was, by far, my favorite character. He's the butler, which should tell you... literally everything you need to know. He was great. Truly. I literally was reading the book for him at some points. 

Plot/Pacing

There's not really much to say in regards to plot. It starts out interesting, but soon devolves into a more stereotypical fantasy storyline. Which I would be fine with, if the characters were interesting enough to outshine the plot itself. 

The pacing was good, however, for the most part. There was a portion of the book where I literally put it down in the middle of an action sequence and didn't pick it up for three days, but that was less of a pacing problem than the fact that I just wasn't rooting for Elisabeth at all. 

Worldbuilding

I'm happy to say that the worldbuilding was really fun. I loved the whole idea of the Great Libraries, and the grimoires and Maleficts and literally everything to do with the libraries. I adored the concept, and I loved the way it played out on page. 

The sorcery element was not my favorite, but I still enjoyed it. It's a soft magic system, so there weren't many rules explained on page, and it seemed very typical fantasy magic overall. I still thought it was fun, though. (I call the weirdest things fun. The sorcery in this book literally involves trading away years of your life to demons. *shaking my head*)

Content

Recommended for ages 14 and up. 

POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNING: A character is implied to have some form of PTSD, which results in nightmares. 

Violence is not well-described, but there are several fight scenes and descriptions of blood and wounds. Several descriptions of monsters that could be disturbing for some readers. Some grimoires are made by binding body parts to them which... is exactly as gross as it sounds like. Characters use magic and swords to fight. 

Sexual content is limited to kissing and a few vague references. One kissing scene is pretty sensual and drawn out, with one of the characters starting to undress the other character. They are interrupted before it goes too far. One male character mentions that he "fancied" another male character at one point. 

Swearing is limited to some mild curse words. 

Characters drink alcohol.

A Study in Charlotte [Charlotte Holmes, #1] by Brittany Cavallaro

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, you all. With the threat of COVID-19 now so close to home, I really hope you all are staying safe and healthy. Social distancing isn't easy, but it is necessary to keep this disease from spreading. 

Stay safe at home, everyone. And remember to wash your hands frequently! 

A Study in Charlotte [Charlotte Holmes, #1]
by Brittany Cavallaro

Genre: YA mystery

My Rating: ★★★★

Description:

Going to school in Connecticut wasn't Jamie Watson's idea. Not only is he going to be moving within driving distance from his estranged father, but Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the descendant of the famous Sherlock, who has inherited both his renowned intellect and caustic personality. It's awkward, and things just get worse when a Sherringford student ends up murdered. And it looks like Jamie and Charlotte have been framed.
Now, it's a race against time to find the killer and clear their names... before anyone else ends up dead.


Overall Thoughts

I liked this book. It's not a new favorite, but overall, I thought it was a great story, and I enjoyed reading it.
I had heard mixed things about A Study in Charlotte before I ever picked it up. In fact, I avoided it for the longest time because of some of the things I'd heard regarding content. While those warnings were definitely founded (this is not a book I would be recommending to young teens) it was still a good story and I genuinely enjoyed reading it.

The Characters

The characters were great. I enjoyed Jamie's narration of the events, and even though I tend not to like first person, retrospective, I did enjoy it in this book. I feel like the style worked really well for the story, especially since Jamie had a very unique and recognizable character voice and personality.
Charlotte was also a very interesting character. I can't say that I liked her all that much -- she's not a very likeable person, overall -- but as a character, she was well-developed and interesting.
The other characters were all over the place. I feel like a lot of the secondary characters got sidelined, without too much development. I also feel like several adults in the story sometimes didn't feel quite genuine/real/whatever -- their reactions didn't exactly seem human. But overall, those were really small portions of the book, and I still liked the characters overall.

Plot/Pacing

The mystery was fairly slow moving in terms of how the pieces were put together. I did like how active Charlotte and Jamie were in the plot -- they made the decisions, and those decisions propelled the plot forward. There was no "oh boy, we stumbled on this clue by accident, ha ha, how cool is that" stuff happening, for which I was very grateful.
The pacing of the book, however, was well done. I was never bored, despite the length of the chapters, and the writing style kept me engaged throughout the story.

Content (potential spoilers)

Recommended for ages 16 and up.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Drug abuse, sexual assault, rape, references to suicide.

Violent content includes a fist fight between two characters. Gun use. An explosion occurs at one point. Characters are poisoned. At one point in the story, a girl is attacked and it's found that a plastic jewel has been shoved down her throat. References to rape and sexual assault, which could be triggering to some readers.
Sexual content includes kissing, several instances of innuendo and a few references, as well as mentions of rape and sexual assault (as discussed above.)
Swearing includes several (maybe ten or fifteen) uses of the f-bomb, as well as other offensive language.
Drug abuse is discussed, and a character takes drugs (recreationally) at one point in the story. Discussion of drug dealing. A character smokes.

Books I Bought for the Cover

Most of the time, I consider myself good about not buying books solely because they would look good on my bookshelf. I like taking the time to really research a book, what other readers are saying about it, etc. before I even consider picking it up from the bookstore.

But sometimes, it is hard to resist the pretty covers. I'm sure some of you feel the same way, right?

Photo by Jason Wong on Unsplash

So today, I'm going to be talking about books I actually did buy for the beautiful cover. I haven't read all of these books yet, so this isn't really a recommendation list, but if one of these books looks interesting to you, by all means, check it out!


1. Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendall

Excuse the glare off my bone-white skin. :P

What I knew before I bought it:

• It's a Les Miserables retelling in the vein of The Lunar Chronicles

This is one of two books on this list that I've actually read. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it, either. It was a fun, enjoyable book, but definitely not a really worthy retelling of Les Mis. I still want to try book 2, Between Burning Worlds, when it releases this year, however.

2. The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

© 2020 by Rambles from My Library

What I knew before I bought it:

• It's a Viking-inspired fantasy novel

I'm still incredibly excited to read this book! It seems right up my alley, and the cover definitely doesn't hurt. I bought the hardcover edition, and it was so worth it for the gorgeous inside cover. 

Beautiful, right? I hope the story inside lives up to the fantastic cover!

3. There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

© 2020 by Rambles from My Library

What I knew before I bought it: 

• There are six alternating points-of-view 
• And something about the world ending (oooo)

This book was a total impulse buy, but the cover on Goodreads doesn't do the real one any justice. My photo probably won't either. I'm really excited to read this book, both for the cover, and the amazing title (my inner fangirl adores it.)

4. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

© 2020 by Rambles from My Library

What I knew before I bought it:

• Fantasy library!
• It's a standalone novel

This book is actually next on my TBR (after The Raven King, of course), and I'm really excited to read it! Sorcery of Thorns has been incredibly hyped up ever since it released, and I'm hoping it lives up to that hype. But I'm not going into it with any expectations based on the hype. Only my own based on the fact that there's a LIBRARY, and it's Gothic fantasy, and it just looks super incredible. Yeah, okay, I may have unrealistic expectations. Update: I've finished it, and I have opinions. Keep your eyes peeled for my review!

So, bookworms, have you read any of these books? Have you ever bought a book solely for its cover, and if so, what did you think of that book? Let me know in the comments! I can't wait to chat with you all. 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Spring 2020 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme originally created by The Broke and the Bookish and currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

TBR planning is both a wonderful thing and a horrible thing for me. Wonderful because who doesn't like picking out new books to read? Horrible because I have to pick some books over other books, and that makes me sad.

Regardless, TBR planning is something I've been trying to be more purposeful about, so this Top Ten Tuesday is absolutely perfect for me. :)

Photo by Aung Soe Min on Unsplash

So, some books that are lined up on my TBR for this spring? Let's get into it:

1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I want to read this book just to have an opinion on it. :) It's a series that everyone seems to have an opinion on, one way or another, and I'd like to see what I think of it myself.

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I want to read this for various reasons. Mostly because I've heard the writing is phenomenal, and I adore good writing in the books I read. Also, magical circus? Yes, please.

3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I'm reading this book kind of as an assignment from my Mom. Apparently even when you graduate from homeschool, you can still get assignments from your teacher! :P This is a very controversial book, so I'm interested to see what my opinions on it are. And so is my Mom. :D

4. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I want to read this because... reasons. It just looks like my kind of book.

5. Jackaby by William Ritter 

I get serious Doctor Who vibes from reading the back of this book, so of course I want to read it! Anything to get the bad taste of "The Timeless Children" out of my mouth.

6. The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Do I even need to explain why I want to read this one? It's by Victoria Schwab. Of course it's on my TBR.

7. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

So this is... not my usual genre. But who cares? It looks like a fun story, and I got it brand new at Chapters for incredibly cheap, so bonus points for that!

8. Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

It has become my mission to read every book Brandon Sanderson has ever written. So of course I have to read this one.

9. The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

Norse. Inspired. Fantasy. I love it already.

10. There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

It was the cover + the book trailer that sold this book to me. I want to read so bad. End of the world stakes, an epic title, six people standing against the forces of evil... give it to me now. After I finish the three books I'm already reading.

11. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Please refer to point number 8 in case you're wondering why I want to read this book. Also, Cosmere.

12. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodie Meadows, and Brodi Ashton

It just looks so funny. And I need more funny books in my life, as so many I've read recently have ended in (happy, but also sad) tears.


Will I read more than just that in the spring? Probably. Hopefully. But these are the books I'm for sure going to try to get to, so there's that. Bookworms, let me know what books you have planned to read this spring! And if you don't do TBRs (I get it, I really do), what's a book you're looking forward to reading soon?