Top Ten Tuesday: Worlds I would NEVER want to live in

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they post a new topic that the participants come up with a top ten list for.


Hey guys :) This week's top ten is about book world's we'd NEVER want to live in, no matter how much we liked the actual story. Or about character's whose shoes we'd never want to walk in. I'll give you 5 of each.


World's I prefer watching from the outside

Fever series - Karen Marie Moning
After the walls come down and the dark fey enter the world, most humans die. No power, little food, lots of baddies... I'd be toast.

Blood of Eden - Julie Kagawa
Either donate blood to your local vampire or live on scraps and be backstabbed or killed by rabids? Again, I'm not the most physically fit person. I wouldn't make it for too long. And it's a very bleak and hungry kind of life.

Wither - Lauren DeStefano
To be kidnapped on the street and sold to some old rich dude to bear his babies, then die at 18? Can't imagine anything much more horrible. Pregnant over and over, then death *shudders*

Any totalitarian regime that restricts knowledge and burns books
Book burning is one of the worst things ever, and one that makes me the angriest. Destruction of knowledge, of beauty... no. Think Fahrenheit 451. Definitely not a society I'd want to live in.

Coldtown - Holly Black
I'm actually divided on this one. Living in a Coldtown is very dangerous. You can never get out. Law is barely existent.You need connections, and you need your wits. Vampire slaying skills are advisable. And yet... I do feel the allure of the place. The never-ending parties. Immortal creatures. Desire. Passion. I admit, I feel torn. In the end I wouldn't make it though.



Characters I wouldn't want to trade places with

Cassel from the Curse Worker series by Holly Black
If you can't even trust your brothers or you mom, life is bleak. Loving the daughter of the biggest crime lord around, also not good. Having an ability everyone wants to use to strengthen their own position? Yeah, better make sure they never find out...
Seriously, ma heart ached for Cassel :(

Karou - Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
The things that girl is forced to do... and her position is even worse at the end of that book than it was at the beginning!

Juliet - Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Slandered, beaten, bullied, put away into asylums and detention centers, isolated, forced into electroshock therapy... there's pretty much nothing that girl hasn't been subjected to. And her touch kills. Everyone. Apart from maybe the son of her worst enemy, who used to hold her prisoner.
Yeah, being Juliet truly sucks, despite her incredible powers.

Kaylee - Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent
That girl never gets a moment of peace. Some hellion always wants her soul, or her loved one's souls, or is possessing innocent strangers... her love life isn't a piece of cake either. Though I sure wouldn't mind spending some time with Tod ;)

Matthew Swift - Urban Magic series by Kate Griffin
That dude. Always in over his head! Made Midnight Mayor against his will. Always some crazy sorcerer or fey queen or other strange personified part of the city to deal with. Not to mention the annoyingness and not quite trustworthiness of his own Aldermen. Let's not even talk about the women in his life. The guy doesn't stand a chance. I feel this strange affection for him though. Can't resist the scruffy reluctant hero type with awesome magic, I suppose.


This was actually harder than I thought! What do you think of my picks, and what/who made your list?

Stacking the Shelves: A Feast of Cake, Murder, and Moonlight

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews to showcase all the books we got in the past week. Those can be bought, won, gifted, for review, borrowed, print or ebooks... no matter, just share what you got :)

*sigh* I really wanted to write a review yesterday, but instead the day went by with annoying but necessary things such as vacuuming, cleaning the whole kitchen, doing laundry, and finally putting up some of my many posters. I really like the way the walls look now though, so that was worth it :)
Tomorrow (aka today when you're reading this) I'm going to my mum's to bake Grittibänze with her (Swiss tradition in early December) and on Sunday it's baking Christmas cookies with my cousins. So... very bakey weekend ;) I'll post a picture of the Grittibänze because I can't explain what they are.


Anyway, let's get to the books! I've only got one pic of print books for you, the rest is all ebooks:

George R. R. Martin: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows.
All of those were gifted to me by one of my best friends, who moved to Belgium the day afterwards. I really miss having her close :( But now I have an excuse to fly to Belgium every now and again ;)


For review

The Falconer, by Elizabeth May
The Murder Complex, by Lindsay Cummings
A Creature of Moonlight, by Rebecca Hahn

I've wanted The Falconer for forever!! I was surprised that I got approved o.O The Murder Complex is for download on Edelweiss, and since I've been following the author on twitter for like 2 years, I really wanted to check it out :) Creature of Moonlight was more of a whim, but it sounds like epic fantasy with dragons, so...

Bought ebooks

Night of Cake and Puppets, by Laini Taylor
Unravel Me, by Tahereh Mafi
Proxy, by Mindee Arnett

Laini Taylor was a given, and when I saw Unravel Me for only 2.50$ I just HAD to have it!! Shatter Me was so good (I read it about a week ago) and the matching Unravel Me edition only comes out in February, so this is a great way to get to read it earlier :) Proxy I wanted because I have Avalon, Mindee Arnett's full length, for review, and I like a prequel novella to get into the setting, especially if it's sci-fi.

That's it from me :) How was your week, and what pretties did you decorate your shelves with?

Top Ten Tuesday: 2014 releases I'm dying to read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they post a new topic that the participants come up with a top ten list for.

This week is about which of next year's releases we're most excited about


Aaah, I love this topic! :D I always marvel at how many great books are coming out. Here's the ten that look best to me, though there are many more I could have included.
I hope the slideshow works, if you're reading this as an email you might want to open it on the actual blog.





Unhinged (Splintered #2), by A.G. Howard
I loved Splintered so much and really hoped there'd be a sequel! I need more Morpheus and I felt that Alyssa had unfinished business.

The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3), by Michelle Hodkin
It was supposed to be published this October but got pushed back to June 2014. I. Need. It. Now!!! Seriously I just want to see Mara kick ass and, well, get her retribution. Because does she ever deserve it.

Fiendish, by Brenna Yovanoff
I really like that Brenna Yovanoff writes standalones! It's a nice change from the usual YA, which seems to be all series. I love the look of this one. Creepy houses and girls... yes please!

Oblivion (Nevermore #3), by Kelly Creagh
I've seen three versions of this cover so far and I'm not happy with the coloring of any of them quite yet. No matter what though, the content will be fantastic and is very likely to rip my poor heart to pieces.

Talon, by Julie Kagawa
New series! With dragons! And an order tasked with finding and destroying them. Can't wait for it to get a cover and a more precise description.

Throne of Glass #3, by Sarah J. Maas
Again, no cover, no title. But I need this sequel!! The end of book 2 suddenly made the world of this series so much bigger, I can't wait to see where it all goes from here.

Between the Spark and the Burn (Between #2), by April Genevieve Tucholke
I'm not quite happy with the font here. I think they should have stuck with the one from the first book. Bug again, as long as I get more of that lovely prose, I'm not about to get all huffy ;)

The Winner's Curse, by Marie Rutkoski
I really enjoyed Rutkoski's The Shadow Society and I love the concept of this one! I also remember reading a very early review and it was extremely positive, so my hopes are high.

Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3), by Laini Taylor
Duh. Who doesn't want to know how this all pans out?!

The Lovely and the Lost (The Dispossessed #2), by Page Morgan
The description is very vague as of now but I love the Gargoyle lore and glimpses of further world building, and I'm very curious to see where this  series is going.

Runners-up: Cruel Beauty (by Rosamund Hodge, I have an ARC), Tell the Wind and Fire (by Sarah Rees Brennan, apparently a modern retelling of A Tale of Two Cities), Strange and Ever After (Susan Dennard).


Okay, that's it! Do we have any picks in common? I'm very curious to see what people came up with and add some more to my TBR of upcoming books :)

Top Ten Tuesday: sequels I can't wait to get my hands on

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they post a new topic that the participants come up with a top ten list for.


This week is about sequels we can't wait to get our hands on, and there are definitely more than enough of those >.<



Unhinged, by A.G. Howard (Splintered #2)
Need more Morpheus. He and Alyssa have unfinished business. I tried my best to get an ARC, but no luck. Two more months...

The Retribution of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin (Mara Dyer #3)
Because the ending of book 2 was a mindfuck. Seriously. And then to find out it's been pushed back 9 months?! Ugh. I want Mara to bring down havoc and get her revenge.

Oblivion, by Kelly Creagh (Nevermore #3)
Probably one of my favorite serieses ever, so I'm sad to see it end... but I need more Varen and Isobel. Kelly Creagh's world is just so beautiful and creepy and dark. And that wonderful prose *sigh*



City of Heavenly Fire, by Cassandra Clare (Mortal Instruments #6)
I prefer The Infernal Devices to TMI, but I want to see how it all ends.

Hunting the Dark, by Karen Mahoney (Moth #2)
I really enjoyed Falling to Ash. Moth is a great character and I loved the support cast as well. There's no cover for this one yet, but you guys should check out Karen's writing anyway :) Oh, and if goodreads is to be trusted, this one will be out on my birthday ^^

Dreams of Gods & Monsters, by Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3)
Laini Taylor is a magician with words. And of course I want to know how Karou and Akiva and Ziri forge their way onwards.



The Next Throne of Glass novel by Sarah J. Maas
Crown of Midnight was so, so good!! Seriously. I thought it was a trilogy and at the end I was like 'how is she going to wrap this up in just one more book?!' but then I saw that there are about six planned, so yay! No cover or description yet though.

Strange and Ever After, by Susan Dennard (Something Strange & Deadly #3)
I love the characters and the world! I own book 2 but haven't read it yet (need to get to that) but I know that once I finish, I'll crave the next one.

The Forever Song, by Julie Kagawa (Blood of Eden #3)
Because Allie is kickass and the ending of book 2 was just meeeeeaaan. Plus I want to see more of Kanin. Very intriguing character. Again, no cover, but at least there's a description.

The Lovely and the Lost, by Page Morgan (The Dispossessed #2)
Again, I want to go back to the world and learn more about gargoyles and all the rest that's going on. The writing was great as well. No description yet though *sigh*


What do you think of my picks, and what books made your own list?

Top Ten Tuesday: books I would like to see made into a movie

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they post a new topic that the participants come up with a top ten list for.

This week's topic is the top ten books we would like to see made into a movie... in a world where movie studios don't butcher our precious books.


Honestly? I'm not even so crazy about books I like being made into movies. Not because of casting choices and the like but because when I read, that already is like a movie in my head. I also never imagine characters modeled on certain actors - they look a certain way in my head, but it's not like any real people I know.
That being said, here are ten books/series I would like to see made into a movie or TV series, in no particular order.

Laini Taylor - Daughter of Smoke and Bone
There actually is talk of a movie! But anyway, it'll probably be years until it comes out. The world building here is just so amazing - I would love to see Karou's Prague and the exotic places she goes to, as well as Eretz of course! The special effects/make-up would have to be out of this world amazing to pull it off though.

Kendare Blake - Anna Dressed in Blood
This would actually be cool as a series! It would mean more time to develop characters, plus new episodes could be written, for instance about some of the ghosts Cas hunted before he met Anna. It would be awesomely creepy!

Cassandra Clare - The Infernal Devices
I know it's been optioned with the same studio that made City of Bones, but again, it'll take forever until there's a movie - if there is. I would love to see it though! I'm a sucker for Victorian London :)

Erin Morgenstern - The Night Circus
Okay, this is pretty much impossible to make into a movie, partly due to the narrative style and how much it relies on language as a medium, but wouldn't it be epic? It would be like 12 hours but whatever - while I was reading, I so wished I could see the circus for real and walk among the tents!

Holly Black - The Curse Workers trilogy
I know I feature this series all the time in my top ten lists! But it just somehow has a cinematic quality to it. It would have to be sharp, with quick cuts, an a lot of light and shadows - sort of in the style of old film noir movies!

Stephen King - The Dark Tower series
Definitely would have to be a series, this is a couple thousand pages too long for movies. But god it would be soooo amazing! But Stephen King would have to have a lot of say on the set or it wouldn't work. Or maybe the scope is too big and the series is better off staying a book? Hm...

Kim Harrison: The Hollows series
Too epic for a movie - this would have a to be a series! I'd love to see Jenks, Rachel, and Ivy on the screen! And Kisten *gets all nostalgic* I don't think it'll happen though. I remember Kim Harrison saying a few years back that so far she always declined offers from producers and the like.

Lia Habel - Dearly, Departed
Steampunk costumes, airships, and zombie battles! I would love to see this amazing mixture of Victorian and digital age! It's somehow like being in the future and in the past at the same time. And it would be great visually!

Melissa Marr - Wicked Lovely series
There's also been talk of a movie or TV series but I have no idea where that's at. It's one of my top favorite fairie series though so I'd love to see it on the screen! The characters are some of my top favorites :)

Anonymous - The Book with No Name (the Bourbon Kid series)
This simply because it would be batshit crazy. Quentin Tarantino would have to direct it. It would be funny and gruesome at the same time.

I'm not sure that those are the top most amazing-est picks I could have made. In fact, I bet that I'll check out other blogs and think 'damn, how could I forget?!' - so link me up, and let me know what you think of my picks :)

Top Ten Tuesday: most memorable secondary characters

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they post a new topic that the participants come up with a top ten list for.


This week is all about the favorite secondary characters we can't get out of our heads

I love secondary characters. Sometimes, they actually appeal to me more than the main ones. However, trying to come up with a top ten made me realize that sometimes it's actually quite hard to determine whether someone is a secondary character or part of the 'main character crew'. Because let's face it, there is usually more than just one main character, it's just that one of them is often the narrator.

Anyway, here are - in no particular order - some of my favorites

Jenks - The Hollows series, by Kim Harrison
Jenks is a pixy with a temper and one of the foulest (and funniest) mouths you can imagine. Also, he's got a wife and over 50 children populating Rachel's back garden! As her pixy sidekick, he's ace at disabling security so Rachel can do some reconnoitering. And he's also simply a good and loyal friend.

Uncle Mort - Croak series, by Gina Damico
He's a Grim reaper and the first one to keep Lex's temper in check. Also, he's got the craziest hair, a motorcycle, and a really cool house. He's also not averse to bending laws if he sees it fit. The kind of guy you want at your side when the shit hits the fan.

Magnus Bane - The Mortal Instruments / The Infernal Devices, by Cassandra Claire
High Warlock of Brooklyn. Throws the best parties and has an extravagant fashion sense. Always getting involved in Shadowhunter business despite himself. I love his relationship to Alec (there should be more LGBT couples/characters in YA) and I think it's fascinating that he's in both series and in a way helps tying the stories together.

Sabine - Soul Screamers series, by Rachel Vincent
She's one of those cases where I'm unsure whether she'd count as a main character. At first, I hated her. But she and her blunt but honest statements really won me over. Even if she was hard on Kaylee, there was usually some truth to what she was saying. Best frenemies, I guess, but seriously - Sabine gets some of the best lines! Also, the girl is literally a Nightmare and feeds on fear. Not something you come across very often in YA.

Will - Masque of the Red Death, by Bethany Griffin
Again, is Will a main character? I can't decide. But I've always preferred him to Elliott. He's devoted to his siblings above all else, he's kind, and well... he's the type of guy I find attractive ^^' Dark, quiet, handsome, tattooed... with just a hint of danger.

Dani O'Malley - Fever series, by Karen Marie Moning
Dani's just badass. The youngest of the Sidhe-seers and the one with the highest fae bodycount. She's got superspeed, she's fierce, and she's still got that swagger that comes from feeling young and invincible. And still there are these moments when you realize that she's seen and had to deal with things that should be well beyond the scope of a 14-year-old. I really need to read Iced, the spin-off series that focuses on her.

Vlad - Night Huntress series, by Jeaniene Frost
Vlad's also got his own spin-off books but I haven't read  them yet. He's the Vlad Tepes. Dracula. Only without the cape. Instead, he can let other vamps go up in flames. Also, he's a snarky, kinda cynical anti-hero and he loves to piss Bones off. In short, he makes me laugh and he's protective of Cat, so I like him.

Adrian Ivashkov - Vampire Academy series, by Richelle Mead
Is he a secondary character? I think so, at least in the first couple of books. I'll be honest, it took me a while to grow to like him, partly due to the fact that he's constantly drunk in the beginning. However, I felt so sorry for him at the end of VA and I'm very glad he's in a way getting a 'second chance' in Bloodlines. He's a combination of genius, madness, and self-deprecation-masked-by-cockyness I find fascinating. There's a lot more to him than you'd expect at first.

Ziri - Days of Blood and Starlight, by Laini Taylor
Oh Ziri. How I cried for you in DoBaS. I hoped for your happy ending against hope, and of course my hopes were dashed. For now. But I love how Laini Taylor expanded his role in this sequel! I can't say more without spoilers but let's just say Ziri has a special place in my heart.

Barron Sharpe - Curse Workers trilogy, by Holly Black
I'll be honest: I don't like Barron. I feel kind of sorry for him... sometimes. But he's fascinating, and that's more important to me in a character than that they're likeable. He can erase or alter other people's memories, but there's a backlash against himself and he erodes his own memory, taking with it parts of his personality. If he didn't write it down, he wouldn't remember who he was. There's something tragic in that, as well as something pathetic and nefarious.

So that's my top ten! A close runner-up was Jackal from Julie Kagawa's The Eternity Cure because of his sarcastic remarks and reluctant change/development of character. I love how he pushes Allies buttons.
What do you think of my top ten? Do we share any picks? And what did you come up with? I'd love to get to know some new books/series I might like based on the secondary characters in them :)

Top Ten Books I've read in 2012

Hi everyone :) I'm part of the Top Ten of  2012 event co-hosted by Rachel from Fiktshun, Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Jaime from Two Chicks on Books  and  Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads.

Each deay from December 24 to December 28, the participating bloggers post and link up their top ten of a certain topic. I'm really glad they allowed for multiple categories and a few honorable mentions, otherwise I'd have a very tough time choosing! I've read sooo many amazing books this year :) I've ordered mine into paranormal / fantasy books and contemporaries. The list is about books we read in 2012, even if they came out earlier.

 Paranormal / Fantasy:

Days of Blood and Starlight, by Laini Taylor
I read both DoBaS and Daugher of Smoke and Bone in 2012, but I think the second book was even better than the first. It doesn't really matter though, because I absolutely adored both! The writing is just phenomenal :)

The Lux Series, by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I'm just putting them both together here. Yes, I'm a little cheater :P If you made me pick though... gah. I don't know. I loved Onyx and seeing Katy come into her was awesome, but I think I liked Obsidian just a tiny bit better ^^ I'm really curious for Opal, I'll have to get it soon.

Enshadowed, by Kelly Creagh
I waited a whole agonizing year for this book to come out and it was worth every single second! Soooo good! I love Varen. He's hands down my favorite book boyfriend. And Isobel grew so much during this novel! The lore. The Poe aspect. The beautiful, beautiful writing. I need more! You can read my review here if you're interested :)

Something Strange & Deadly, by Susan Dennard
My first zombie novel, and I loved it sooo much! I mean I kind of knew it would be great, but it was just so much more than I had expected! The historical aspect was phenomenal, and I loved the dynamics between Daniel and Eleanor ^^

Dearly, Departed, by Lia Habel
Yes, another zombie book. I think I always pick the steampunk zombie books that aren't the usual zombie apocalypse book. I've never read one of those, and I doubt that I'd like them, but I was blown away by this one! The world building is amazing, and Bram totally made me believe in a zombie love interest! And despite the gore, it was a fun read too :)

The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
I don't know why it took me so long to read this book. It was soooo beautiful! I felt completely pulled into the world of the cirque des rêves and my mind still goes there quite often. This book is so well-structure and thought out! It made me laugh and cry and feel pretty much the whole emotional spectrum.

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake
A year late to the party, but I read this in the summer really quickly. I love Cas' voice! Can't wait for Girl of Nightmares to come out in paperback so I can finally buy it and they'll match. I'm really curious about what will happen!

The Soul Screamers series, by Rachel Vincent
Yup, I'm cheating again and just putting the whole series there. I read it all between January and June. Then I read more of Rachel Vincent's books. I'd love to list them, too, but that might be going a bit far with the rule-bending. I love Tod and Kaylee and Sabine. If I had to pick a single favorite from the series it would be If I Die.

Black Heart, by Holly Black
I love Holly Black. All her books. She is such a courageous writer! The Curse Workers Trilogy is a masterpiece, and this was the perfect conclusion! I'm really sad there won't be more Cassel and Lila stories, but I like where it left off. Doesn't mean my heart wasn't broken on the way through the book. Definitely worth the pain, though!

The Shadow Society, by Marie Rutkoski
I requested this on NetGalley on a whim and never expected to love it quite as much as I did! What a unique idea, and what a wonderful heroine! And my favorite poem played quite an important role in it :)

Contemporary:

Notes from the Blender, by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
I laughed so much when I read this book, and still it was about serious matters, too! I loved both Declan and Neilly, and getting their separate perspectives of the same events was awesome. Also, the authors actually GET Declan's perspective and know what they're talking about with his music etc.! I read it in a day.

Pushing the Limits, by Katie McGarry
I loved Echo and Noah! A wonderful book, again with dual perspective. They're chemistry is off the charts, and they make a great team. The tough issues both characters are dealing with were well-handled.

The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
This was the first contemporary I read this year. The first one I'd read in many years! I stuck firmly to fantasy for like half a decade (probably more) before that. I picked it up on a whim at the bookstore because I liked the cover. Then I saw that it was about a girl from the foster system, and it played in San Francisco. The first few sentences pulled me in, so I bought it. Then it was on my shelf for almost half a year. Then I read it, and my heart opened, I hurt, I cried, I was happy. It's a tough book, but a truly beautiful one.

Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins
This isn't something I would have bought if I hadn't read so many awesome reviews. I picked it when I won my first giveaway. It was such a fun, engaging read! I'm always scared there will be too much drama in contemporaries. I hate drama. But it wasn't too much in this one, and realistically handled. I really need to get Lola and the Boy Next Door soon!

The Breakaway, by Michelle Davidson Argyle
I finished this one yesterday but I just had to add it to the list! The issue of kidnapping, Stockholm Syndrome, and abusive / dependent relationships was really well-handled, in my opinion. I think I would have acted different from Naomi on quite a few occasions, but I could see where she was coming from and why she did what she did. My review will be up in February as part of the blog tour for the sequel.

Manhattan Transfer, by John Dos Passos
The only non-YA book I've got here. It's a classic, and the writing style takes a while to get used to, but then I found it hard to put down! There are dozens of characters, some of whom never show up again, but there are also reoccurring ones and I loved following the development and intersections of their lives over the years. It covers New York history from the 1890s to the mid1920s.

I didn't manage to come up with ten contemporaries. As I said, I'm new to the genre. There were a few more that I read and enjoyed but I didn't really feel like putting them into my top ten just to fill it up.

Here are a few other amazing books I read this year though. Some of them it was really hard to pit against each other and I wish I could have featured them on my list!

Honorable mentions:

Click the covers to get to Goodreads

What do you think of my list, and which ones made it onto yours? Tell me in the comments!

Tomorrow, I'll choose my top ten favorite covers of 2012. It'll be agony >.<