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?

Waiting on Wednesday // Resurrection Girls by Ava Morgyn

Resurrection Girls by Ava Morgyn

Publisher: AW Teen

Publication Date: October 1st, 2019

Pages: 272

Add it on Goodreads!

Summary (from Goodreads):

Olivia Foster hasn’t felt alive since her little brother drowned in the backyard pool three years ago. Then Kara Hallas moves in across the street with her mother and grandmother, and Olivia is immediately drawn to these three generations of women. Kara is particularly intoxicating, so much so that Olivia not only comes to accept Kara's morbid habit of writing to men on death row, she helps her do it. They sign their letters as the Resurrection Girls.

But as Kara’s friendship pulls Olivia out of the dark fog she’s been living in, Olivia realizes that a different kind of darkness taints the otherwise lively Hallas women—an impulse that is strange, magical, and possibly deadly.

I really like this cover and this title and the summary sounds interesting. I think the premise of writing letters to death row inmates is interesting.

What books are you looking forward to this week?

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?

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag // 2019

How is 2019 already halfway over? How am I actually doing well on my reading challenge? I think I'm only 4 books behind, having read 21/52 books so far! I'm pretty proud of myself for having not felt like I did very well this year overall.

I have been living for these fun-themed, month-long readathons! I passed the OWL's in April and I think I'm going to be able to read all the books for the prompts in the Game of Booksathon that is going on for June. Usually, I feel like I do really bad at readathons, I think they're fun and I like to participate, but I usually like... make a TBR and move on with my life. But this year, that is all that is getting me to read.

But anyway, here are the books that I am freaking out about so far this year.

Best Book You've Read So Far in 2019?

I would have to say that hands down, The Shadowglass by Rin Chupeco was the best book I've read so far this year. This book might be the answer to a lot of these questions, but oh my goodness. This series gets better and better with each book. There aren't very many series where the first book isn't my favorite, but this is one. This book.... No words. Check out my review!

Best Sequel You've Read So Far in 2019?

Honestly, The Shadowglass, but in the interest of giving some unique answers I will go with The Last Life of Prince Alastor by Alexandra Bracken. Gotta put my fave author on this list somewhere, right? This is the sequel and finale for The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding. This series was so much fun and I enjoyed the glimpses we got into how Honor Redding got the Reddings into the mess they're in. If you are already wondering what on earth you're going to read during October, may I recommend this series?

New Release You Haven't Read Yet, But Want To?

Song of the Dead by Sarah Glenn Marsh is the second book in the Reign of the Fallen duology. I loved Reign of the Fallen when I read it.. like so much. Since I have been in such a YAY NECROMANCY mood lately, I don't know why I haven't finished reading a book series about necromancers, but here we are. Also, the covers for this series are SO pretty.

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year?

Keeping on with the necromancy theme that is prevalent in the answers for this tag so far, I am going to go with Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. I am so glad that I follow so many people who have been talking about this book because otherwise I don't know that I would have heard about it! And I believe this is an adult book about lesbian necromancers and I am so down for that.

Biggest Disappointment?

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid was easily my biggest disappointment of the year so far. I have heard SO much about this book and about Evelyn Hugo so I figured that with all that hype, this book must be something, but I wasn't particularly impressed by it myself.

Biggest Surprise?

I am going to call A Curse So Dark and Lonely my biggest surprise of the year. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie ever, but I feel like I have been really wary of retellings of it lately?? I don't know why, I haven't really read any that I thought were particularly bad. Besides being weirdly wary of that, I also don't really like books that take place in both a fantasy setting as well as the real world. So, I was kinda "meh" going into this, but I ended up liking it a lot more than I was expecting to. I truly couldn't give you a good explanation as to why I was not expecting to like this book so much, maybe it was a case of being let down too often by the hype, but I'm so glad that I read this book! I loved it!

Favorite New Author (Debut or New to You)?

I haven't really read much this year by authors that are new-to-me. I think I have read three new-to-me or debut authors this year so far, but I don't know that I LOVED any of the books I've read by them. So, I don't think I have a good answer to this question.

Newest Fictional Crush?

I don't really have one of these either. 

Newest Favorite Character?

I don't know that he's a NEW favorite character (definitely a favorite, but not a new one), but after finishing the series, I think I have a deeper appreciation for Kalen from the Bone Witch series. 

Book That Made You Cry?

The ending of The Shadowglass made me UGLY CRY.

Book That Made You Happy?

I don't think I liked this book as much as everyone else seems to have, but it was fun and cute and there were parts of it that made me happy.

Favorite Book-To-Film Adaptation You've Seen This Year?

I think re-watching The Darkest Minds with my boyfriend was the only time I saw a book to movie adaptation so far this year so I guess that one is my answer.

Favorite Review You've Written So Far This Year?

I have not written very many reviews this year. So, I would say either White Stag or Daisy Jones & the Six. I didn't really like those ones that much and for some reason, I usually like my more negative reviews better. I think it's because I actually have coherent stuff to say.

Most Beautiful Book You've Bought This Year?

*sweats nervously in The Shadowglass*

What Books Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year?

          

Okay, a book that came out this year already that I really want to read by the end of the year is The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman. I have been seeing so much about this book lately, I just really want to get it read.

A book that has yet to come out, but I really want to read promptly is Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco. I can't wait to see how this series ends!

And a book that came out before this year that I need to get my shit together and read is Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. I reread Six of Crows in April so I could get this one read, hopefully I will get it done soon!

Have I convinced you to read The Bone Witch series? What have been some of your favorite books so far this year? Least favorites?

Waiting on Wednesday // Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: September 3rd, 2019

Pages: 336

Add it on Goodreads!

Summary (from Goodreads):

All's faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author Jen DeLuca.

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

This book sounds super cute and the Renaissance Faire setting sounds like so much fun. I'm hoping that this will inspire me to actually go to the nearest faire this year. I am pretty sure there is an unofficial Harry Potter themed weekend this year at the one I would go to. But I have made plans to go several times and the people I'm planning to go with always bail on me.

What books are you looking forward to this week?