Top 5 Wednesday

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Lainey from Gingerreadslainey & is now moderated by Sam from Thoughts On Tomes. Each week there’s a different bookish related topic (this varies & isn’t always strictly books) & you get to list your top 5 books or bookish answers related to the topic. This week’s topic is Authors You Are Waiting on Another Book From— These are your favorite authors who you want to write another book but haven’t yet. Or they are writing something, but no title or synopsis has been released and it isn’t coming out until 2018. Try to keep this to authors who haven’t announced anything concrete about a new book, not authors that have a highly anticipated release coming out before the end of 2016.

The entire day I walked around with only 4 until I got home & walked past my shelves….yea sometimes all you need is walk past some shelves to jog that memory 😉 These topics lately have been requiring a bit more thought & I LOVE it!

1. Pierce Brown- Morning Star, the conclusion to the Red Rising trilogy was an absolute roller coaster of a ride & I did NOT want to get off! I am a Howler for life & need more of this beautiful man’s work…I follow him on Twitter & Instagram just for the little crumbs he throws our way. A spin off is definitely in the works but there has been no mention of a publication date, he is in the writing stages from what I can gather…sigh…can’t rush greatness 😉

2. Erin Morgenstern– The Night Circus, One of my favorite books for the beautiful lush world it introduced me to. I had never read nor listened to anything so magical & haunting until I came across this woman’s work & as I mentioned to another blogger earlier today, this author shrouded in a bit of mystery just like her book SooO if anyone knows ANYTHING about Ms. Morgenstern & the possibility of a new book please share ~~*crosses fingers, does a little chant*~~

3. Benjamin Alire Saenz– Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, I read this book & instantly fell in love with this man’s poetic style of writing. From what I’ve gathered, it’s hard to get a book out of this guy lol, but every once in a while he drops a gem. Goodreads has been updated with a cover-less photo of There Will be Other Summers (Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe #2) but no publication date, this saddens me 😦

4. Kathryn Stockett– The Help, What ever happened to Ms. Stockett? I am not one to read much Historical Fiction but The Help pulled me in from page 1! This book did an amazing job in covering race & politics in the 60’s. The characters have stuck with me both after reading the book & watching them come life on the screen.

5. George R.R. Martin– A Song Of Ice & Fire- I don’t think this needs an explanation because I’m pretty sure I’m one of MANNNNY holding our breaths for the next book in the series…MY MAN PLEASE DON’T MAKE US WAIT ANY LONGER!

So, these are my Top 5 Wednesday picks. Please let me know if any of you fellow book bloggers are also eagerly awaiting any of these authors & drop your link down below so that I can take a gander 😉

Top 5 Wednesday

1. The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Although I love Fantasy, I’ve mostly read Young Adult Fantasy. This was my first “Adult” Fantasy read & it was not an easy one to really get into. The characters in this trilogy are all shades of effed up (especially our Protagonist lol) and it is super slow to begin with but ultimately I ended up falling in love with the world, characters, and story.

2. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

My first Magical Realism read & I had no clue what MR was until I read A Monster Calls. This book broke my heart into a million little pieces. A Monster Calls is sad & beautiful but the Magical Realism aspects MADE this story for me. I’m now always on the lookout for a good MR read. I read The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton, another Magical Realism story & loved it.

3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
This book was definitely out of my comfort zone because I REALLY disliked Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (another circus themed book). It has been years since I read Water for Elephants that I totally forgot I DNF’d 80% in. I was weary of picking up The Night Circus but I’m so glad that I did. Erin Morgenstern made the circus come to life with lush details & oddball characters. The writing alone made this book one of my ALL time favorites.

4. Why Not Me? By Mindy Khaling
Books by comedians. I’d rather listen than read the works of some of my favorite funny people but I made an exception for Mindy Khaling since she is a Godess in my eyes lol (totally obsessed with The Mindy Project, can we discuss that finale?!?!). No regrets here, she actually still comes off funny on paper. I enjoyed Why Not Me? More than other similar books I’ve read by famous comedians. I’m even looking forward to *crosses fingers* Amy Schumer’s new book The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo later this this year.

5. Burying Water series by K.A. Tucker

New Adult. I’m a newbie to this genre & I have Gretchen over @Chicnerdreads to thank for my newfound addiction. I can’t say much about this new genre (yes, I’m calling it a genre) other than what I’ve read, I have really enjoyed. This is a series that I’ve been reading in btwn my other books & it keeps me from falling into a reading slump. It also doesn’t hurt that K.A. Tucker can write a hell of a character! I have gone through it with these books lol but she is a now a favorite of mine.

Top 5 Wednesday

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Lainey from Gingerreadslainey & is now moderated by Sam from Thoughts On Tomes. Each week there’s a different bookish related topic (this varies & isn’t always strictly books) & you get to list your top 5 books or bookish answers related to the topic.
This week’s topic is Favorite Literary Fathers/Father Figures, chosen in celebration of Father’s Day. I seriously had a small pool to choose from and it’s because we don’t really see much positive representation of the “Parentals” as I like to call them, (include myself as a mommy of two) much less father figures. I count myself blessed for having an AMAZING relationship with my father & wish there were more positive father figures in our books, especially LGBTQ.Here are my top 5:

1- Mr. Mendoza (Aristotle & Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe)

It’s hinted that Mr. Menzoa suffered from PTSD after his time in Vietnam which affected his relationship with Ari. Mr. Mendoza however, realizes that Ari has an internal struggle going on & steps up to help him come out. Mr. Mendoza plays a key role in getting Ari to follow his heart & go after Dante. I loved seeing these two come together in the end & that Ari got the support he needed from his father.

2- Arthur Weasley aka Mr. Weasley (Harry Potter)

Although I also love Sirius Black because he always looked over Harry from afar & made sure he was never in need, I have a special place in my heart for Arthur Weasley. Mr. Weasley took Harry in as one of his own brood (a not so small one at that) & never treated him less than any of his sons. Seeing Mr. Weasley advise Harry & take care of Harry was heart warming. Even when Harry & Ron got him in trouble with his job for stealing his flying car to get to Hogwarts, Mr. Weasley did not come down hard on neither one of the boys.

3- Eddard Stark aka Ned Stark (Game Of Thrones)

I know i’m one out of a zillion who felt the loss of our beloved Ned Stark especially after he captured our hearts. Ned Stark loved all of his children including his “love child” (dislike the word “bastard”) Jon Snow equally. The many lessons in honor, loyalty, and leadership that he imparted on his children quickly made him a favorite of mine.

4-Haymitch Abernathy (The Hunger Games)

Ok, so he couldnt hold his liqour! so what! If I lived in their world i’d probably be staring at the bottom of a bottle often too LOL! all flaws aside, Haymitch really took care of Katniss & Peeta and made sure they survived. Haymitch served as a mentor to these kids & truly loved them.

5-Luke Graymark aka Lucian Garroway (Mortal Instruments)

My love for Luke goes back to his history with Jocelyn and how when she told him she was pregnant with another mans baby, he offered to marry her. She declined, but still his heart was in the right place. Afterwards, Jocelyn & Luke do enter a romantic relationship and he was an AMAZING father figure for Clary. How much cooler can it get than having a wolf for a step-dad?

Luke from the Shadowhunter tv series:

Luke from the Shadowhunter movie:

💭 This weeks topic has me now wanting to read more books with positive father figures so I will be on the hunt. If any of you have some suggestions, please let me know & I will def check them out.

Top 5 Wednesday

This week’s topic is Favorite Character Names. This also being my 1st T5W, I thought about my top 5 ALL morning smh lol SO, here they are:

1. Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter)– her name as strange & lovely as she is. I love me some Luna 😁

2. Celaena Sardothien aka Aelin Galathynius (Throne Of Glass)– Any way you put it, her name says one thing…Bow Down Bit***!

3. Mustang (real name: Virginia au Augustus; Red Rising)– Loyal, smart as hell, & strategic. A force to be reckoned with.

4. Karou & Akiva (Daughter Of Smoke & Bone)– yes, I cheated a little and chose two but c’mon now, these names are as strange as Lainey Taylor’s beautiful (still weird) writing. I miss these two.