Top Ten Tuesday

     

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Bookish Memories

This is another tough one. I decided to highlight books from my childhood that have impacted my life. Because as Meg Ryan so eloquently said in You've Got Mail, "When you read a book as a child, it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does."

I'm going rogue for this last eleventh "bookish thing" on the list.

Huge shout out to Wishbone. I gained a love for classics and reading from this dog! I was a devoted viewer as a kid. I never missed an episode. I wish he was still around, and I wish he was streaming somewhere for me and my kids to watch.

The Prince and the Dressmaker

Title:  The Prince and the Dressmaker

Author:  Jen Wang

Date Published:  February 13, 2018

Genre:  Graphic Novel, YA

Rating:  ★★★★☆

My Thoughts:

-    While browsing the graphic novel section of the library, I noticed this little gem. It looked fun, so I took it home.

-    Frances is a seamstress, and she creates a very bold dress for someone important, and it catches the attention of the prince. The prince hires Frances as his personal tailor, but in secret she creates beautiful and edgy dresses for Sebastian to wear when no one is looking. Sebastian creates an alter ego, and his style becomes the talk of the town. 

-    I loved the messages of the story. For Sebastian it was all about being true to yourself and not hiding what makes you happy. For Frances it was about not giving up your own dreams for someone else's dreams, no matter what. 

-    I really liked the art style, and I loved all the dresses that Frances designed. This story was perfect for the graphic novel style.

Thank You!

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This is my favorite holiday. I strongly believe in the power of gratitude and the way it can change our lives. I love all the Thanksgiving foods. I love the National Dog Show, and I even enjoy the parade. It is going to be a good day!

A Small Grateful List:

-    I'm grateful to my friends who still read my blog even after my long long hiatus. Thank you for sticking around and noticing that I'm back.

-    Thank you for your comments. I read and reply to each one.

-    Thank you for your blogs. I love reading them. I love finding new books read. Thank you!

-    Thank you for visiting my little blog! It makes me happy that people are reading all my thoughts that I send out into the void.

-    I'm so grateful for books! They are always there to comfort, entertain, and escape into. Thanks for all the adventures.

-    I'm grateful for the internet for allowing bookish people to connect and find each other. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving day! I appreciate you! You are amazing and beautiful! 

I Am the Messenger

Title:  I Am the Messenger

Author:  Markus Zusak

Date Published:  January 10, 2002

Genre:  Contemporary, New Adult

Rating:  ★★★★☆

My Thoughts:

-    This was a re-read for me, but I only remembered a couple of things, so it was almost like reading it for the first time.

-    Ed Kennedy lives a pathetic and mediocre life. He lied about his age to become a cab driver, and he doesn't particularly like his job. He is in love with his best friend, but she doesn't want to be with him. His family gives him grief, and his friends are kind of jerks, but they grow on ya. Throughout the story Ed receives a series of playing cards with random info written on them. Ed has to find the person the card is directing him towards, figure out what they need, and help them. Some of them are easy, and some of them are scary hard. 

-    I love how much is packed into this one story. I love that the story helps readers realize that everyone has story. Everyone has struggles and stories to tell. It made me stop and think about all the people I pass throughout my day. What are their stories? I also love that Ed changes and becomes a better person because he is helping others. 

-    I love the Doorman. Ed's dog reminds me of my dog, and he is one of the most endearing pets I've ever come across in a book. 

-    The author breaks the 4th wall a couple of times. It is so random and weird, and I don't even know how to feel about it. 

-    Sometimes Ed comes across as a creeper. I get that he has to observe these people to help them, but sometimes he comes across as a creeper, especially when he keeps ogling all the girls. 

-    The book can be crude at times, but I think it is supposed to be crude on purpose. There is a point to it all, so I'm not sure if I like it or not. 

-    The ending! THE ENDING! WHAT!?

-    The writing is beautiful, and each word is so purposeful. Zusak is such a unique and lovely writer. There will never be another author like him. 

Content Warning:  Sexual Abuse, Violence, Language, Grief, Sexual Content

Top Ten Tuesday

    

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Characters I'd Love An Update On

Fun prompt! I want an update on ALL the characters. Ha!

Fisk - I would love to know more about Fisk and his guild. I would love a book just about Fisk.

Jane - I have always been curious about what happened to Jane. I would also love a book from Jane's perspective. 

Citra and Rowan - I am dying for an update! I feel like there needs to be more books in this series!

Taran - I'm sure Taran and the gang are all doing well, but I would love to know. 

Everyone - I want an update on all the characters in this book. Are they happy? Do they get together now and then?

Claire and Gabe - I'm sure they are happy, but I'd like to hear their catching up conversations, and I wouldn't mind spending more time with them and Jonas. Son is the last book in The Giver series. I'd recommend reading them all. SO GOOD!

Peeta and Katniss - Did Katniss really tell her kids about the Hunger Games? Did Katniss and Gale ever see each other again? Have they reconciled? I'd love an update.

Everyone - I'd love an update on everyone in this book. Where are they? How are they doing? Have they learned and grown from their past?

Christy - I need more than an update on Christy. I need a whole sequel. 

Ed - Does Ed have more ambition? Does he do more with his life? Does he marry Audrey? Does Ritchie make a better life for himself? Does Marv get a happy ending? Does Ed keep in touch with everyone he helped? I could use a lot of updates on this one.

Siege and Storm

Title:  Siege and Storm

Author:  Leigh Bardugo

Series:  The Grisha Trilogy #2

Date Published:  June 4, 2013

Genre:  YA, Fantasy

Rating:  ★★★☆☆

My Thoughts:

-    I have mixed feelings about this book. I don't really care for the characters. Mal and Alina are driving me nuts. Their moodiness and everything is just too much. I liked Sturmhund, but I'm not sure if he can be trusted, and I don't like that Alina has a third love interest. Ugh!

-    I felt like this book was a little slow. It was hard to just sit and read it, but I am invested in the story, so I pushed through.

-    I love the world that the author has created. I love the conflict, the magic, the culture. She did an amazing job. I just wish I loved the characters as much. 

-    The ending to this book has quite a cliffhanger. Wowza! I hope the next book and the ending to the trilogy is satisfying. 

-    Here is a nice little trailer for your enjoyment:

First Book in the Series

(Click on the cover to see my thoughts on the book.)

Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years

Title:  Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years

Author:  Julie Andrews (Emma Walton Hamilton)

Date Published:  October 15, 2019

Genre:  Nonfiction, Autobiography, Memoir

Rating:  ★★★★☆

My Thoughts:

-    The introduction of the book is a recap on Julie Andrew's first memoir, Home. I appreciated the recap. The information was vital to fully understand Julie's Hollywood years. 

-    I was expecting the book to be more about stories from her various films, and while there are a few stories, the book mainly focuses on Julie's personal life. She led a very busy and fulfilling home life with children, husbands, constantly moving, constantly traveling, work, etc. I'm impressed she was able to balance it all. 

-    I learned a lot about Julie Andrews through this book. My favorite thing that I learned is that Julie has a wicked sense of humor. Despite her very clean image, she can be a bit naughty. It made her even more endearing than she already was. 

-    I fully enjoyed the first half of the book, then it dragged a little for me. I felt like her life kept repeating itself for a while. It picked up again towards the end. 

-    Overall, I really enjoyed getting to know this lovely lady. Now I want to go watch a bunch of movies she is in that I haven't seen yet. 

Top Ten Tuesday

   

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Books to Read If You Love/Loved X

This is an interesting prompt. My first gut reaction was fantasy or dragons. I also thought about fairytale retellings, but I decided to showcase my favorite fandom! Here are my top ten recommendations if you love STAR WARS!

 

If you can't tell, I devour everything Star Wars: movies, books, comics, TV series, etc. I cannot get enough! It is my second religion. I wish the books would get as much love as the movies because they are amazing! I love the canon and legend books. Good stuff!

If you'd like to know more about these books, the covers are linked to my 

thoughts on each one.

100 Days My Prince - 백일의 낭군님

 

My Thoughts:

-    Despite being Korean, I have been resistant to watching K-dramas. The ones I've been exposed to in the past were silly and over the top. My friend, Suey, is WAY into them, and she reviewed 100 Days My Prince on her blog. It looked interesting, so I gave it a shot. 

-    I was completely and utterly hooked from the beginning! This show is SO good! I loved every moment!

-    The crown prince is a very unhappy fellow, for reasons I can't tell you because of spoilers. He isn't having bedroom relations with is wife, and everyone is blaming him for the drought. He decides to make all the bachelors and spinsters get married so they can balance the yin and yang with baby making instead of him. Well, the crown princess is pregnant (gasp), and it ruining her father's evil plans, so they decide to kill the crown prince. During the incident, he does not die. Instead, he is wounded and gets amnesia. This is where the real fun begins. Hong-Sim does not want to get married, so to avoid getting beat to death, she "marries" this guy with amnesia that her dad found. The prince has no idea who he is, but he still has all his princely mannerisms and tastes. It is hilarious, trust me. All the while, there is all this back story and intrigue. The characters are all connected in intricate ways. It is AMAZING!

-    I cannot gush about this show enough. It is my new favorite thing. I went through so many emotions while watching: I had so much nostalgia, I laughed out loud, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat. This show has everything. 

-    ALL THE KOREAN STUFF!!!

-    My mom binged this in a few days, and she is watching another K-drama that is supposedly really good, and she wants me to watch it too. I might be hooked on K-dramas. We'll see. Suey is beyond excited.

-    p.s. I may have developed a little crush on one of the actors. His smile is so darn adorable! (sigh)

Let's Get Invisible!

Title:  Let's Get Invisible!

Author:  R. L. Stine

Series:  Goosebumps #6

Date Published:  March 1993

Genre:  Middle Grade, Fiction, Horror (not really)

Rating:  ★☆☆☆☆

My Thoughts:

-    Gnome used to be terrified of all things Halloween. She wouldn't go trick-or-treating because she didn't want to see the "scary" decorations or the "scary" costumes. Hubby and I slowly introduced her to things that might be "scary", and I started the tradition of reading a Goosebumps book with her every October. It has been about four years now, and she loves Halloween. She used to hate the Goosebumps books, but now she doesn't mind them. She has come a long way, and I'm so proud of her.

-    When I was a kid, I thought the Goosebumps books were so cool, but as an adult, I don't understand why they were so popular back in the day. 

-    Let's Get Invisible is about a boy and his little brother who find a full length mirror in their attic. The mirror has a light attached to it, which is weird. When they stand in front of the mirror and pull the chain to the light, they disappear. When the they turn the light off, they reappear. It sounds cool at first, but it isn't. 

-    Most of the book is this boy and his friends having a competition about who can stay invisible the longest. It is dumb. Nothing happens until about the last ten pages of the book. Seriously! The cool thing doesn't happen until the very end, and then the kid solves it, and the book ends. LAME!

-    Gnome and I were both SO bored, and we both felt like the book was really dumb. I guess when you are pumping out a book a month, they all can't be winners. 

-    If you are reading this series with your kid, skip this one. Trust me, you won't miss anything. 

Previous Books in the Series:

(covers are linked to my thoughts on the book, I had any)

October Stats

 Books Read: 8

Pages Read:  2,439

1 Star:  0

2 Stars:  1

3 Stars:  2

4 Stars:  5

5 Stars:  0

I had a good reading month. I'm doing better at balancing my time throughout the day. I feel like my days are more meaningful, and I can still have time to read and do other leisurely things. 

Goal Progress:

Goodreads Challenge - I am 4 books behind schedule. Hopefully I can catch up in November. (96/120)

Newbery Books -  Yes, I am still trying to read all the Newbery winners. I am reading them in order, and I'm in the 1950s. It has been fun to experience the progression in the reading world. (30/99)