Top Ten Tuesday: My Meet-The-Author Wishlist!

The ultimate list-makers meme! Originally created by The Broke and the Bookish, 

and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

In my long life as a book blogger, I've been super lucky to have met some of my very favorite authors already, wonderful amazing inspiring people including Sharon Cameron, Cat Winters, Susan Dennard, Malinda Lo, Marissa Meyer, William Ritter, Martha Brockenbrough, Kerri Maniscalco, Kendare Blake, April Tucholke, Victoria Schwab, HollyBlack, David Levithan, and gaahhhhhhh the ever amazing Judy Blume (!!!! The only one I've ever actually cried when I met her), and ahhh so so many more.  I've been incredibly lucky. But there are so many more I'm dying to meet, so here's my author-meeting bucket list!😍

Sarah Beth Durst: Sarah is amazing and we've been in touch so many times over the years. She's been so generous in reaching out to me and I'm always ready to help promote her fantastic work.  Finally getting to meet in person would be awesome!

Mary Weber: I've been a huge fan of Mary's since her debut , Storm Siren, and she just seems like she'd be the coolest person ever to sit and chat with over tea and baked goods LOL. 

Shea Earnshaw: I was this close to meeting Shea last year at a small NorCal trade show, but sadly her signing was cancelled due to a fogged-in flight and I was so bummed. And this was before I fell in love with her enchanting debut, The Wicked Deep. 

J.K. Rowling: Well, obviously. ;P

Emily Bain Murphy: Her debut, The Disappearances, blew me away! I'd want to meet her to have my books signed (I have a few copies of it lol) and to pick her brain about what she has in store for us next!

Erin Cashman: This sweet lady was a blast to be in contact with when we were setting up her book promos and interview for Uncharted. Another debut that I absolutely loved this year!

Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton (aka The Lady Janies!): As hilarious as their books are, I can only imagine what it must be like to get them in a room together and hear them chat about books!!

Bethany Griffin: To find out where she has gone to and convince her that I need more of her amazing spine tingling words!! 

Emily X.R. Pan: To let her know her Astonishing Color of After was the first book in a long time to make me ugly-cry at it's sheer beauty in storytelling.

Neil Gaiman:  Again, obviously. ♥

Well, that's ten..so I guess I'll stop there. By force haha. I could go on for a while. 

So who's on your author wishlist? Please link me up to your TTT! :D

Top Ten Tuesday {Fondly Forgotten Reads}

The ultimate list-makers meme! Originally created by The Broke and the Bookish, 

and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme: books we loved but barely remember. This is a funny subject for me.  My memory is...not great. So this actually happens to me A LOT lol.  Which basically results in this conversation over and over again:

fellow bookworm: "Have you read this book?"

me: "Ooooh yes, it's fantastic. I loved it. You should read it. "

fellow bookworm: "Oh cool, what's it about?"

me: "uh....."

So. Here's a few that I know I loved. Just probably don't ask me why. Or what happened. Or what the characters names were. ;)

So what are some books that you remember loving..but just don't remember? 😕

Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2016!

I don't know why I don't participate in this meme more often...I love making lists :D Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  To find out more and check out future topics, click on over there!!

This week's topic is all about featuring the "New-to-Me" authors we all read this year!  In looking back through my reviews, I realized I read a LOT of books by authors I had previously read and loved. But I did find a few new favorites! Some of these are new to me---some of these are just NEW, but completely blew me away in their magical debut awesomeness! :D

Lisa Maxwell, author of Unhooked

This. was. amazing. A new favorite book by a new favorite author. When I have time, I definitely plan to go back and try some of her older stuff.  And her upcoming title, The Last Magician, sounds incredible!

Wendy Spinale, author of Everland

Well, I certainly had my Peter Pan retellings covered this year. This steampunk-laced Neverland was a great one, and I can't wait to see this Neverland converge with Wonderland in her follow up, Umberland!

Kenneth Oppel, author of Every Hidden Thing

This author is anything but new, but this was my first time reading his work. And I loved it. Every Hidden Thing was one of my most anticipated books this year, and it was worth every second of waiting. 

Julie Buxbaum, author of Tell Me Three Things

I fell so in love with this book.  It was like You've Got Mail for the new generation, and absolutely just as charming. Julie B is going to change my outlook on reading contemporary stories. ♥

Joshua Khan, author of Shadow Magic

Another new favorite for me. I can't tell you how excited I am to continue this series with Dream Magic in 2017, and Burning Magic in 2018!!

Alexandra Bracken, author of Passenger

Yep, I read my first Alexandra Bracken book with Passenger. And I totally fell in love with her amazing storytelling talents! Will definitely be seeking out her other work, and devouring Wayfarer soon!!

Evelyn Skye, author of The Crown's Game

SUCH gorgeous writing. Loved The Crown's Game so much. The magic, the romance, the fooooood. This was definitely one of my favorite books this year. The wait for The Crown's Fate is killing me. 

Alwyn Hamilton, author of Rebel of the Sands

This book was such a stunner. So adventurous and wildly romantic and just really fun and cool. I am lucky enough to have book 2 in my hands and it's all I can do not to throw everything aside and start it!! :D

Roshani Chokshi, author of The Star-Touched Queen

This was one of the most imaginative stories I've read this year. So beautiful and dark and twisty.  I can't wait to read more of her amazing world-building in Crown of Wishes.

Jay Kristoff, author of Nevernight

Somehow I jumped into Jay Kristoff's amazing writing with his first book for adults LOL.  It was bloody and violent and erotic---and I still ended up loving it xD.  No regrets and I'm definitely looking forward to more in this series and also trying out a few of his YA books!

That's my top ten! What new authors did YOU discover this year??

Creeptastic Covers! {Top Ten Tuesday}

I don't know why I don't participate in this meme more often...I love making lists :D Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  To find out more and check out future topics, click on over there!!

This week, TTT gets spooky! Bloggers can pick their Halloween topic of choice, be it top ten horror stories, bookish Halloween costumes, books that will scare you,...or Top Ten Creeptastic Book Covers, which I've done here!  YA has some of the best creepy covers out there, if you ask me. These may not be THE scariest or the bloodiest, but these are 10 of my spine-tinglers:

LOVE this cover. It's one of my favorites off all time.  Not to mention this book began my deep love of everything that Cat Winters writes!

This ghostly image is so eerie to me. She looks like she's about to choke herself of those blood-red nails. 

This book is filled with creepy photography, that is supposedly unedited in any way from it's antique state.  At first glance this pic is not anything special, until you realize the little is levitating.  (Funny thing is, she is actually one of the most charming characters in the book!)

The washed out sepia and the angle of this really sets the tone of this one. With the wierd shadowing, to me it almost looks like she is just standing with her face to a wall.

 

This cover will always be one of my favorites, too. Stark black and white illustration with the splash of blood at her legs and the floating rose petals. Also one of my favorite books ever!

Not sure what exactly makes this one as creepy as it feels to me. The lighting, maybe? It just IS. 

Another that is not particularly creepy at first glance..until you notice the splatter of blood in the corner. 

This one just feels like chaos and madness and motion and I love how she's breaking through the floor and the rest of her seems buried. It's the hand grabbing her foot that really sends chills down my spine, though!

 

 

Some book covers are creepy, and then some feel even creepier after you've read the book and it's just as terrifying.  This is the case with Daughters Unto Devils...horror inside and out.

I always thought this one was creepy just on it's own, but when it was about to come out, there was a horrific sidebar banner to go with it, with all these haunting whispers and scratches. Scare me to death the first time I heard it and didn't know where the sound was coming from LOL.  I think of it everytime I see the cover.

So what do you think? These get you in the Halloween mood?  In case you haven't read any of these, most of them (aside for Madness so Discreet & This is Not a Test which I haven't read yet) are also books I highly recommend for perfectly creepy Halloween reads!

Top Ten Tuesday : My Auto-Buy Authors!

I don't know why I don't participate in this meme more often...I love making lists :D Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  To find out more and check out future topics, click on over there!!

This weeks topic is Auto-Buy Authors.  Those authors that I check monthly for new title announcements on Goodreads, and count down the days until I can pre-order it. I've got a few of those :D But here's ten of them, in no particular order:

1. Marissa Meyer - The Lunar Chronicles is one of my fave series of all times. PLUS her next series is about the teen Queen of Hearts. O_O  She's putting out the exact stories I want to read, and she's doing it with tons of AWESOME.
2. Cynthia Hand - I'm always a bit wary when my fave authors go from fantasy/paranormal to contemp, because I don't normally read much of the latter. But the divine Ms. Hand did this and I devoured both.  Gotta love that.
3. Mary Pearson - I read her Adoration of Jenna Fox waaay back when and loved it--and now her Kiss of Deception series lands her solidly on this list of auto-buy authors.
4. William Ritter - Okay, the man has only put out two books. But I loved both in the Jackaby series and if he keeps those coming, I'll keep buying them without a second thought. :)
5. April Lindner - her retellings of classics have been some of my favorites. To this day, with everything else I've read the past 5 years, I still consider Jane one of my fave books ever.
6. Amie Kaufman - Even though she's only written as half of two amazing writing duos, it seems everything she touches is something awesome that I need to read!
7. Susan Dennard - Loooooved her steampunk zombie debut series, and can't wait to start Truthwitch; I'm pretty sure I'll be buying anything Susan Dennard writes until the end of time. lol 
8. Bethany Griffin - Another of my faves that I know I can go to anytime I'm in the mood for something deliciously dark and gothic!
9. Rachel Hawkins - Her writing is so fun and funny and exciting and swoony and creepy..she is just all the best things wrapped up into one.
10. Cat Winters - There is nothing like the way this wonderful author brings the dark days of history to life, and with such great unforgettable characters, and so much creepiness! Absolutely brilliant every time.

SO who are YOUR Auto-Buy Authors?

Top Ten Tuesdays: TV Show Favorites!

I don't know why I don't participate in this meme more often...I love making lists :D Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  To find out more and check out future topics, click on over there!!

This weeks topic is TV shows or Movies. I love way too many movies, but strangely I don't really get into too many TV shows. Here, though, are a few that I've really loved.  Seems like the shows I love don't always make it past two seasons LOL, not sure what that says about my taste xD. Quirky, I guess? 

The Twilight Zone

 I grew up watching Twilight Zone rerun marathons with my Mom, pretty much everytime we caught one on TV. I suppose it's part of what gave me love for the eerie and paranormal!

Dead Like Me

This show was so fun, about a girl who gets killed by a toilet seats that falls back to earth from an exploded space shuttle. She gets tapped to be a grim reaper and must learn the ropes of taking souls. Great, great hilarious dialogue. 

The Catherine Tate Show

 

This a british skit comedy which I started watching just to see what else "Donna" from Doctor Who could do! I thought it was kind of stupid at first, but it quickly grew on me and it's now probably one of the most quoted shows in my house. :D

Gilmore Girls

LOVE me some Gilmore Girls. We have the collector's edition full series...my daughter and I do a rewatch every year. I'm thinking it's almost that time again...

Pretty Little Liars

 I turned up my nose at this one at first, but my daughter got me watching it eventually and now I'm hooked.  Oh, those outits---sometimes really cute, sometimes completely ridiculous! But always fun to watch.

Monk

Aw, Monk. OCD detective in San Francisco. Hubby and I loved this one, but I think watching it only made us more germaphobic right along with Monk. :)

 Wonderfalls

 Like I said...quirky. And director Brian Grazer does quirky so well. Dead Like Me is also one of his. This one was about a girl who starts hearing voices from stuffed animals and statues, basically anything inanimate with a mouth would talk to her. 

Pushing Daisies

 Another Brian Grazer.  Loved this show so much. The style of it is so cool, kind of retro and fun. And a bit dark, since Ned ( Lee Pace) can bring people back the dead with a touch, so of course he uses it to solve crimes for the reward money LOL.

Downton Abbey

 Gorgeous and soapy...and the costumes!! I swoon for vintage frocks.

 Doctor Who

 I admit it. Freely and proudly. I'm a Whovian. I adore this show...little nervous about the new Doctor but I'm sure it will be ok (please, be ok). David Tennant will always be my Doctor (and this scene above will always be one of my favorite heartbreaking moments of the show).  He was the hands-down best Doctor, but Matt Smith had most of the best stories (Vincent and the Doctor---favorite episode ever. Makes me cry every time).

  Sherlock

 I've seen all different version of Sherlock Holmes, but with this show, BBC nailed it. It's so amazing. Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch are absolutely perfect in these roles. It's freaking torture that there are only a few episodes per series and looooong lengths of time between each one.

So there it is! My TV life!  Pretty much the only other things I watch on TV are HGTV (House Hunters International is my fave) and The Graham Norton Show on BBC (most hilarious talk show ever!). Oh and the occasionally competition show (Face Off, The Voice)  What's your TV life like?

Top Ten Books I'd Love to Redesign

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  I usually don't participate in this one, but when I saw this week's topic I couldn't resist! :D

TOP TEN COVERS I'D LOVE TO REDESIGN!

I did like how this one matched the first, but I don't know, she just looks wierd and overly-photoshopped to me.  With the content of these stories, it would have been neat to see something more steampunkish as well!

Sort of the same problem with this one. The first cover was pretty, then it got to this one and she just looked so fake and slightly distorted. And a little too much with the swirls.

This was a pretty cool story and while the cover encompasses what it's about, it looks kind of cartoony and self-published to me. 

I love these books to death--but the covers, all three of them: Not so much. Both characters look like snotty super models posing awkwardly for the camera.

This one just feels lazy to me.  Stock photo of girl. Stock photo of fence. Slap them together with a boring-fonted title and we're good to go?  No.

Loved the first cover of this series. SO pretty. This one is a bit cheesy though. It's something about her top hat and the pose.

Again, loved the first cover of this series.  But this guy just looks so corny to me. Still love the title design, though.

You know, I acually love this cover, but I'd also love to see how this series could be redesigned to make it look less like an MG series. 

 

 

Yeah this series is pretty, BUT it always bothered me that in the book Clara was either very blond or had dyed orange hair.  Why the brunette on all the covers?  I love the Aussie cover for exactly that reason.

With so many gorgeous covers out there getting redesigned unnecessarily, WHY on earth have the cheesy VA covers never been touched??  This series wins for my absolute #1 set of covers that seriously needs a cheese-free makeover. :D