For today's Top Ten Tuesday post, the topic is a freebie! I am not feeling particularly adventurous today as to come up with my own original-ish topic so I just did a quick scroll through past topics and picked this one because it is one that I have actually been thinking about lately.

I don't really know why, but ever since I started blogging, I have gotten SO bad about finishing series! I used to always read series back to back (if possible) before blogging! Maybe its because there are just so many books I want to read, there just isn't time to start new series AND finish old ones?

Anyway, the following list is ONLY the series that I found by scrolling through pictures I already had uploaded to Blogger. This doesn't account for any unfinished series I might only have on Goodreads or on my shelf. This is also, obviously, only the series that I have any desire to finish.

All of the following series are also series that I could finish right now if I wanted to because all of the books are out already (or in the case of Nevernight, ALMOST out).

          

1. Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

I loved this book? So much? And I loved her other book, Fear the Drowning Deep. So what am I waiting for?

2. Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

I also loved this book and I own the second book. What is stopping me? Is the power of the sequel just too much for me at this point?

3. Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts

          

4. Frostblood by Elly Blake

5. The Valiant by Lesley Livingston

6. Flame in the Mist by Renèe Ahdieh

          

7. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

8. The Island by S. Usher Evans

This series is, for the most part, exactly the type of books I have been wanting to read lately? But my aversion to finishing series strikes again.

9. Thrones of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I'm not so confused about why I haven't finished this one yet. I have become SO disenchanted with SJM's writing (which is sad because these were the first books I reviewed on my blog and also where I came up with the name for my blog). But I have to finish this series because I have already put so much time and energy into it and I also do enjoy some of the characters. I guess I'm just not mentally prepared to put myself through Kingdom of Ash yet.

          

10. Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

11. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Lately, I keep saying that I am ABSOLUTELY going to finish Crooked Kingdom and VERY soon. And I keep lying to myself and to you.

12. The Young Elites by Marie Lu

So there's that list. And just as a bonus, from my spot on the couch, I can see the following series that I have started and not finished (or read as far as I can in them at least):

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough

Those are just the ones that are not hiding behind my sloppy piles of books I'm too lazy to put back in their spots.

Are you good about finishing series? What are some series that you haven't finished, but would like to?

Top Ten Tuesday // Settings I'd Like to See More Of

Today's topic for Top Ten Tuesday is one that I don't think I have ever actually given any thought to before. What kind of settings would I like to see more of or at all in books? I feel like the thing that is the most important to me in a book are the characters. I don't care too much about plot (as long as it isn't just bad) and even less about setting. Or at least, that's how I feel right now without ever having given it too much thought. Now this is probably something that will really stick out to me since I have given it the tiniest amount of thought just now, but here we go.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

After giving this topic a little bit of thought, I have come up with two things. Renaissance Festivals and road trips.

One book that I am excited about for the rest of 2019 is Well Met by Jen DeLuca. It is set at a Ren Fair and that is something that I don't recall ever having seen before, but I think it sounds like so much fun! Maybe this setting stands out to me because I primarily read fantasy books which, depending on the era it's set in, I'm assuming Renaissance Festivals will have some similar elements.

I am saying all of this as someone who has never been to a Ren Fair, but desperately wants to go. There have been a couple times now that I had made plans to go to the one in Shakopee, Minnesota, but they ended up falling through both times. Love that for me. There is supposed to be an unofficial Harry Potter day or weekend this year in September, but I think it will be during when my sister and I are road trippin' to Indiana to see my mom, so I guess I'm not going to that!

And the other setting that I can think of that I would like to see more of is road trips. Here is my obligatory plug of The Darkest Minds, which is a road trip book and my favorite book ever.

I personally love going on road trips. My sister and I try to take a yearly road trip to Indiana to see my mom, which is so much fun. It's about a 12 hour drive from where my sister lives (16 hours from where I live). I look forward to this so much and I love reading about people going on road trips. I don't care where they're going or why they're going, the journey is the fun part for me.

I don't think that I have read very many road trip books, but I think I know of a few. I need to remedy this promptly after giving this topic some thought.

Those are literally the only things that I can think of. Since I mostly read fantasy books, I really just like my settings to not be real places. Fictional kingdoms, pirate ships, I don't care, just as long as it's not a real place on planet earth (and also is not outer space because outer space scares me). I guess more accurately, it can be a real place on planet earth as long as it's not taking place in present day.

I guess today's Top Ten Tuesday is another short one. I feel like all the topics since I started doing these again have been super challenging for me, but it's fun to try and figure these things out.

What are some of your favorite settings or settings that you think need to be featured more often?

Top Ten Tuesday // Auto-Buy Authors

     

1. Alexandra Bracken

It should come as absolutely no surprise that Alexandra Bracken is my #1 Auto-Buy Author. I first read The Darkest Minds when I was like.. 22?? I saw it listed on a recommendations list from Epic Reads for books you might like if you like to go on road trips. Wasn't 100% sure about it because I wasn't sure how much I liked the cover, but it sounded good. I ordered the first book, read a bad review, got scared, and then ended up loving it. I have loved everything she has put out so far, but The Darkest Minds series is still my favorite series ever.

     

2. Rin Chupeco

At the time of writing this post, I have only read Rin Chupeco's Bone Witch series, but I would say it is easily my second favorite book series ever! I liked The Bone Witch, LOVED The Heart Forger, and had my life ruined by The Shadowglass. I am currently reading The Girl From the Well (I've read like 2 chapters), but I think it is so interesting that the main character is a thing straight out of a horror movie. I am READY for her two new series that are coming out soon!

     

3. Lauren Oliver

I have always been somewhat of a reader, but Delirium is the book that got me to be an avid reader. I binged this book and finished it at like.. 2 am. It was SO good, I almost drove 20 miles to Walmart in the middle of the night to get Pandemonium because I needed it RIGHT then! I have enjoyed everything else of Lauren's that I have read. I haven't read any of her middle grade stuff, but I have read all of her YA up to Replica. I still have that series to read as well as Broken Things.

Back in 2013, I remember on Twitter there was a contest by Epic Reads (I think??) going on to try to win a package full of Lauren Oliver's favorite things. I don't remember exactly what we were trying to prove, that we were her biggest fans, maybe? This was my entry into the contest:

I kind of retold the story with watching tv vs. reading a book. Since it's kind of hard to read because it's so old and who knows how I even got this version of it, I will explain the different pictures.

1: 2013, a time where people would rather watch a story unfold on a television screen than let it unfold in their minds with a book. Reading is unheard of!

2: Three people laying on the floor watching tv.

3. Me creepin' in the book section of Walmart with a hat and sunglasses on and thinking, "I hope no one catches me reading this!"

4. My little book fort I made to represent the place that Alex and Lena went to be together in the first book. I think it was called 31 or 37 Brooks? Either way, my little sign says 31 (or 37) BOOKS. I used 31 (or 37) books to create this fort. I have a few books that were mentioned in Delirium (Shakespeare, Fairytales, Walt Whitman). I bought new tennis shoes because Lena likes to run and that's what I'm wearing. I have an orange because there was something important in the books that oranges reminded Lena of or something. I don't remember, it's been so long!

5. Me wearing a homemade Invalid (I think that's what it says and that's what they call the people who don't get the cure??) t-shirt with heart eyes, holding Delirium and saying, "This book makes me deliriously happy."

6. My sister wearing an Evil TV cardboard helmet.. thing that I made saying, "What are you doing?! Watch me!" And me saying, "I'd rather die reading a book than live in front of the tv!"

7. Me fake running from Evil TV saying, "We must get to the Wilds!"

8. Me gracefully trying to leap over a fence with my book in a large ziplock bag hanging from my mouth with the Evil TV grabbing it and saying, "MUAHAHAHAHA!"

9. Evil TV holding my book over their head in victory and me basking in my failure saying, "I love you. Remember, they cannot take it."

I got first runner up. I didn't know how Twitter contests like this worked. So I didn't know what to do about winning. I never got my prize.

ALSO, when the Delirium pilot was being considered for TV, I remember a big twitter thing going on with people tweeting support or something?? I tweeted about it. I used a line from the book and said something along the lines of, "'Anything is possible if you can just see the sky.' I can see the sky right now so #Delirium is definitely possible!" And Lauren Oliver retweeted it and it was a big moment for me.

I am glad the Delirium show never made it to tv though. I watched the pilot when they had it on Hulu for awhile and I didn't really like it.

     

4. Leigh Bardugo

I believe I have read everything except Crooked Kingdom and Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo and I have thoroughly enjoyed everything from her so far. I am SO excited for Ninth House. I am making more of an effort lately to dabble in adult works, so it makes me excited that one of my auto-buy authors is putting out an adult book.

There isn't a book of hers so far that I would ravenously flail over like the others on this list so far, but I know that I will highly anticipate everything that she puts out!

     

5. Kerri Maniscalco

I think this is going to only be Top Five Wednesday again! I would honestly say that the above four are the only ones that I think would TRULY make the list, but I adore the Stalking Jack the Ripper series and I am so excited to see what comes next from Kerri!

I kind of don't like putting authors on my auto-buy list if I've only read one series from them, I am pretty sure I have done it in the past and have had literally no desire to read other things from said author (so HOW could they be auto-buy?), but I am pretty confident in this addition to the list. I am READY for Capturing the Devil and I am hoping to see more amazing things from Kerri in the future!

Who are some of your auto-buy authors? Do we have any of the same ones?

Top Ten Tuesday // Character Freebie

Hello! This week's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is a freebie for something having to do with characters. I reviewed the list of past prompts and the one that jumped out at me was most dislikable characters! This one spoke to me because I just so happen to be reading a book right now where I STRONGLY dislike one of the characters (beyond just UGH VILLAIN) and it has been awhile since I talked about some of these characters.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. Information and prompts can be found here.

1. Val from Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau-Preto

Goodreads

I am currently listening to the audiobook of Crown of Feathers. I am only about 6-ish hours into it, but right now, I very strongly dislike Veronycka's sister, Val. I don't know if there will come a point in the book where I will understand her motivations more, but right now she is just coming across as cruel and controlling and I don't see any good reason for it except that she's just awful. I understand that they have pretty much been on the run for years since their grandmother died and Val's pretty much been the one to bear the awful weight of what has had to be done to keep them both safe in that time, but I don't think that is a good enough reason to be cruel and controlling like she is.

Edit: I finished this book. I do definitely understand Val better, but I still don't know that I like her... yet.

2. Warner from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Goodreads

I mean, I didn't like this whole book in general, but I think my main reason was knowing that Warner was the main love interest of the series. It has been like six or seven years since I read this book, I think, so I don't remember a lot of my thoughts about it, but I remember him being abusive to Juliette and that my friends, is not romantic.

3. Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Goodreads

Another case of romanticized abuse. Rhysand drugs Feyre at faerie parties where he forces her to wear skimpy clothing that leaves nothing to the imagination, in which she isn't comfortable in, and makes her dance for him in ways that make other characters uncomfortable to have to tell her about. Drugging someone and taking away their choices is also not romantic.

I don't think Tamlin is a better choice (despite what my positive review says), but I didn't think negatively about him until I read a post once about how both romantic options in the story are bad ones.

4. Nesta from A Court of Thorns and Roses

It has been so long since I read this book that I truly don't remember Nesta that well, but every time I think about this book, I still just get immediately angry because she is one of the first characters to pop into my head. After re-reading my review of the book, I think I thought she was selfish, mean, and ungrateful, but I don't really remember.

5. Liesel from Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Goodreads

I still think that this book might possibly be my biggest disappointment ever. I really did not like Liesel, at all. The words I used to describe her in my review were "whiny, pathetic, and jealous".

I guess this week is only going to be Top Five Tuesday because these are the only ones that stand out in my mind right now! Who are some characters that you really dislike? Do we dislike any of the same characters?

Top Ten Tuesday // Childhood Favorites

Hello and welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday post! Today's topic is to discuss childhood favorites! I thought this topic was going to be hard because the first three were the only ones I could think of off the top of my head, but I somehow managed to remember more books I liked when I was little! The struggle could have had something to do with the late hour in which I drafted most of this post, though.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. Information and prompts can be found here.

1. The House of Thirty Cats by Mary Calhoun

Goodreads

I read this book when I was in either 4th or 5th grade (I had the same teacher/classroom both years so I don't remember which year it was). Elementary school Cyra liked it so much that she stole the book from her classroom... and I still have it on my shelf.

2. A Hatful of Seuss: Five Favorite Dr. Seuss Stories by Dr. Seuss

Goodreads

I had this book when I was little and I remember loving it so much. I think my favorite was If I Ran the Zoo. I used to carry this book around at recess at school and there was a mean kid who would call me "Dr. Seuss Girl" (what a creative insult). I think this book got put in my mom's storage unit before she moved to Indiana and the contents of that unit were never seen again.

3. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I have probably told this story on here before, but I remember my mom giving me the first Harry Potter book to read when I was 10. I think I read the first chapter and thought it was boring and gave it back to her. Then the first movie came out at the time of my 11th birthday and my mom wanted to take me for it. She was so excited about it so I felt like I couldn't say no. But I was on the edge of my seat for the whole movie and was singing a different tune about the story afterwards! I always thought it felt so magical that I fell in love with HP when I turned 11 because the movies always came out around the time of my birthday so it really felt like growing up with the characters.

And every year the 5th graders in my school had a bake sale and they would use the proceeds to go to the book store and every 5th grader would get to pick out a book. When my sister was in 5th grade, she picked out the second book (she has never been really into HP all that much) and my grandma made her give me the book.

4. What Was I Scared Of? by Dr. Seuss

Goodreads

This was always another favorite Dr. Seuss story of mine. My mom always thought this one was hilarious. I found this glow in the dark edition of the book a couple years in Minneapolis and I had to buy it. It's so fun!

5. The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter

Goodreads

When I think of childhood books, this book always comes to mind because this was one that my mom used to read to my sister and I! I remember really liking Peter Rabbit.

6. Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I think all little kids in South Dakota grew up reading Little House on the Prairie books in school. I remember enjoying them. I've visited the homestead where her family settled near DeSmet, South Dakota. There are activities you can do there that her family would have had to do back in the day.

Here's a picture from my class trip there! I am in the Pooh sweater. I remember in 5th grade we had to do a project based on whichever book we were reading in English. My grandma had her Hutterite friends make me a Charlotte doll like what Laura had. It was so perfect and lovely and then my sister touched it and smeared stuff all over her face and ripped out the ribbons in her head that tied up her hair. Sad.

7. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Goodreads

This is the last Dr. Seuss book that have have real memories of enjoying when I was little. But I feel like I watched a movie of it instead?? I don't remember. But I did like this story!

8. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Goodreads

I read a few of these books in elementary school. I don't think I ever read very far into the series (which is totally still like me today to not finish a series..). I think I read at least three of them. I think the third one is the one that I bought from the bookstore after our 5th grade bake sale.

9. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Goodreads

I read this book originally in middle school, I think 7th grade to be exact. This is probably the only book I read in school that I loved so much that I bought my own copy of it. I used to pick this book up to flip through when I would find it while cleaning my room and I would end up laying in bed reading the whole thing. I am confident that I did that more than once. I think that this book might be the book I have reread the most times. I loved the movie too.

10. The Babysitter's Little Sister books by Ann M. Martin

Goodreads

These are some of the only books that I remember checking out from the library in elementary school. I know they weren't the only ones, but I can't remember any of the others. I don't think I ever read any of the Baby Sitter's Club books, I think I only read some of the books about Karen. I feel like I had kind of a love/hate relationship with them, but I kept reading them so I must have liked them!

What are some of your favorite childhood books? Do we have any that are the same?

Top Ten Tuesday // Books On My Summer 2019 TBR

So, for today's top ten Tuesday topic, I am going to be telling you what books I plan on reading this summer. Since I haven't been requesting anything, I don't have anything to read that is particularly pressing. I have been choosing reads lately based on prompts for readathons, so I don't actually know how accurate this list is for what I am going to be reading in the near future. A few of these are for the Game of Booksathon that I am doing right now and the rest are just ones that I thought I might like to finally get to when I peered through my shelves. I think that I have decided that I like reading more when I don't request books from publishers. I like my new laid back style better.

If you are unfamiliar with Top Ten Tuesday, here is a link to information and prompts.

1. The Women's War by Jenna Glass

Women's War #1

Goodreads

2. Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim

Goodreads

3. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows #2

Goodreads

4. The City of Veils by S. Usher Evans

Princess Vigilante #1

Goodreads

5. Romanov by Nadine Brandes

Goodreads

6. The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco

The Girl From the Well #1

Goodreads

7. The Suffering by Rin Chupeco

The Girl From the Well #2

Goodreads

8. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

The Poppy War #1

Goodreads

9. The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman

The Devouring Gray #1

Goodreads

10. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Goodreads

What books are on your summer TBR? Are there any of these that I NEED to prioritize?