T5W: Fancasting!

T5W is a weekly meme created by Lainey from gingerreadslainey, now hosted by Sam from ThoughtsOnTomes. You can check out the goodreads group to learn more.

 

September 20th: Favorite Fancasts
–Discuss your preferred fancasts for some of your favorite characters. (Fancasts means actors you’d like to play your favorite characters or imagine your favorite characters as) 

 

This was probably the hardest T5W topic ever for me because it’s not really something I ever think about (Plus a lot of my favorite characters were in books that have already been made into movies, and I actually liked the casting.) I actually almost didn’t even do it because it took me so long to come up with five, but I finally managed!

In no particular order…

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Eddie Redmayne as Kell Maresh (A Darker Shade of Magic)– I think I’ve only seen him in Jupiter Ascending (was that what it was called?), because I still haven’t seen Fantastic Beasts, but he was my first thought when I wondered who I could see playing Kell.

 

 

Kristen Bell as Karrin Murphy (The Dresden Files)– I know it was a show, but I didn’t even make it through the first episode. If they did it better, or made some into movies, I think I can see Kristen Bell as Karrin.

 

 

 

Jenna Coleman as Celia Bowen (The Night Circus)– I almost went with Bailey Madison, but, even though Jenna’s possibly a bit too old (wasn’t Celia like 18ish?), I can see her as Celia. But I haven’t read the book in a few years, so…

 

 

 

Evanna Lynch as Persephone (The Raven Boys)– So for this to work, I think the movie would have to happen years from now because Persephone is a bit older than 26, right? (I don’t remember ages being given, so I’m just guessing.)

 

 

Keegan Allan as Levi (Fangirl)– Ok, I can’t really explain this, but I re-read Fangirl after I started watching Pretty Little Liars on Netflix in 2015 or 2016, and for some reason, Keegan got stuck as the image in my head of Levi.

 

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What do you think of my choices? Agree/Disagree?

Who would you cast for some of your favorite characters?

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T5W: Books Without Romance

T5W is a weekly meme created by Lainey from gingerreadslainey, now hosted by Sam from ThoughtsOnTomes. You can check out the goodreads group to learn more.

 

July 5th: Books Without Romance
— A few (very, very few) people complained about the “shipping” topics lately, so I thought it would be good to talk about books that don’t have a romantic subplot! This is a really hard one, so if you can’t find any, you can talk about some where the romance is super super minor. Like barely mentioned… at all…

 

I thought this topic was going to be really difficult, but after I started thinking about it, my problem was narrowing it down to only five books that I couldn’t remember having romance.

Here we go, in no particular order, as usual…

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cover; links to goodreads

 

 

 

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab– One of my all-time favorite books that I try to make everyone I know read ❤

 

 

 

 

 

cover; links to goodreads

 

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire– Ok, so there might have been some flirting or something in this novella, but no actual romance-romance

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cover; links to goodreads

 

 

 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams– Another all-time favorite that I try to force on everyone (and probably feature way too often). I think there was some romance(ish?) later in the series, but it was so minor I’m not even sure it was there

 

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cover; links to goodreads

 

The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick– This book of 4 kinda connected stories didn’t–if I remember correctly–have any romance, but it’s possible I’ve forgotten. If I did forget it, it’s because the romance was super minor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

cover; links to goodreads

 

 

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie– I don’t remember romance in this, but it’s been several years since I read it. All I do remember clearly is the ending and how this book made me think, “Hmm, maybe I could like mysteries…” and now I actively seek them out somewhat regularly.

 

 

 

 

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What are some of your favorite books with no romance?

 

Top 5 Wednesday: Books that Would Make Good Video Games

T5W is a weekly meme created by Lainey from gingerreadslainey, now hosted by Sam from ThoughtsOnTomes. You can check out the goodreads group to learn more.

 

April 12th: Books That Would Make Good Video Games
–Since I’ve been in video game hell (in a good way) for the past year, this topic is timely. Remember, not all video games are action games! The Sims has proven that 🙂

 

Confession time: I don’t play many video games. I want to, but I am so bad at basically anything that isn’t Nintendo (and I suck at plenty of Nintendo games, too). So, I’m really unqualified for this topic, but I’m giving it a shot

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A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab– Ok, I think it would be so freaking cool to explore this universe and play as your favorite character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anything from Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha-verse– I want to be a Grisha! Or break into the most secure prison in the world, or…Well, basically I want to do anything in that universe.

 

 

 

 

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling– Yeah, they already exist, but I think most of us can agree that they could have been better. I want to actually take classes and stuff.

 

 

 

 

Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy– Magic! Victorian boarding school! Girls rebelling! Mystery! I may be alone in wanting this, but I still want it.

 

 

 

 

 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern– How would this work? Could it work? I honestly don’t know. It’s been a few years since I read it, but I remember thinking at some point after reading it that I would like to play a game based on it.

 

 

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What are some books you think would make good video games?

T5W: Favorite Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books

T5W is a weekly meme created by Lainey from gingerreadslainey, now hosted by Sam from ThoughtsOnTomes. You can check out the goodreads group to learn more.

March 8th – Favorite Science Fiction & Fantasy Books
–In collaboration with the BooktubeSFF Awards, talk about your favorite science fiction and fantasy books of all time!

This topic has been so hard because fantasy is probably my favorite genre, and I’m starting to really enjoy sci-fi as well. I think instead of my literal, all-time top five, I’m just going to go with five books I would (or do) recommend the most often. They’re still books I love, they’re definitely favorites, but I could never actually come up with my top five because my list would change at least hourly. (These are also in no particular order.)

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (actually the entire series)– Of course I have to put these books on this list, because it’s Harry Potter. These books saved my life, and I will love them forever.

 

 

 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (the entire trilogy…in five parts)– If you’ve noticed, I mention this book series in almost every post. Why? Because it’s awesome and I love and I try to make everyone read it. It’s funny, it’s fast paced and easy to read, the characters are so great, and I will never shut up about it. This is also the book I usually recommend to people who want to try sci-fi for the first time/give it another shot/etc.

 

 

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff  — This is another book I try to get everyone to read. You don’t like sci-fi? Try it anyway, because it’s fantastic and just…different. The format, writing style, and pace make it such a quick read for such a chunky book, and I think this (as well as HHGTTG) is a great intro book for someone who’s not sure if they could get into sci-fi.

 

 

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab — *screams eternally internally* I don’t even know what to say about this book because it was just so good. Like, life-changing level of good. I read the sample before the first book was released and literally started screaming, and then I finally got it and read it and the screaming hasn’t stopped since.

 

 

~Tie~

You can’t make me choose between Shadow & Bone and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Sorry, but I just can’t. I have precious fictional children in both, I instantly fell in love with both, and I may or may not have a shrine to Leigh in my house (I don’t, but I want one). So…I’m just going to count this as one author instead of one book, how’s that? Is that still cheating?

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Are any of these your favorites, too? Tell me about your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books!

Harry Potter Moment of the Week: March 2nd

This weekly meme was created by Uncorked Thoughts and is now hosted by Lunar Rainbows.

The topic this week is: Which books would you recommend to Sirius?

I have been thinking about this topic for two weeks, and I’m honestly still not sure about my choices, so I’m kind of just winging it. I think that’s less because of Sirius and more because I’m always so nervous to suggest books to anyone, though, so here we go!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo — I think Sirius would appreciate the humor and camaraderie of the Dregs, and maybe be reminded of the Marauders just a little. Plus, there’s a lot of action and scheming, and I feel like he would like that kind of thing.

 

 

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (yeah, the whole series)– I can see Sirius loving the mismatched group of Aglionby boys and Blue, and thinking fondly of his own friends, before everything went wrong. I feel like he might relate just a tiny bit to Ronan, too, but I’m not sure about that.

 

 

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff — Exposing corruption? Loads of action? Weird but interesting formatting? Oh yeah, I can see Sirius getting into Illuminae.

 

 

 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams — Ok, so this is pretty much my “go-to” book recommendation for anyone, but I think it’s amazing. It’s light enough for escape when you need to not exist in this world, and I think that’s something Sirius could use sometimes.

 

 

 

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab — I think Sirius would love Kell and the different Londons, and I can imagine him enjoying the way magic works in this universe. (I have other thoughts on why I’d recommend this one, but I’m afraid of spoiling something for someone if they haven’t read it yet.)

 

 

 

Basically, I feel like Sirius would like action, possibly grey morality, and something fast-paced but light enough for escape. He had a rough life, so I think his book choices should be able to transport him somewhere else for a while.

 

What books would you recommend for Sirius?

 

Must Read Monday

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (Shades of Magic series, book 1)

When I read it: December 2015

Genres: fantasy; historical fiction(ish)

Recommended for: Fantasy lovers who want something different.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

What it’s about:

Kell is one of the last of his kind. He is a traveler. Travelers are magicians with rare and special talents that allow them to enter each of the parallel universes, which are connected by one city shared by all (and, coincidentally, all named London).

Kell was raised in Red London–a thriving city with an abundance of magic–alongside the heir to the throne, Rhy. Grey London no longer has magic and is ruled over by King George III, who clings to his obsession with the magic his realm has lost. White London has magic, but it’s a constant battlefield where everyone tries to cling to what magic they can find, and the magic doesn’t come easy. Black London fell long ago and is little more than a myth anymore, and no one really speaks of it.

Kell is the Red London ambassador, and every month he travels between the Londons to deliver messages to the rulers of each London. In his spare time, he smuggles things between the cities to people willing to pay for anything from the worlds they themselves will never be able to visit. It’s a dangerous past time with severe consequences, which he soon experiences himself.

When Kell escapes to Grey London, he runs into Delilah Bard, a clever thief with a thirst for adventure. After robbing him, then later saving him, she makes him take her with him to a new world so she can finally experience something.

Dangerous magic is on the loose and they can never be sure who to trust, but, somehow they have to find a way to save not just one world, but all of them.

This book, omg. If you spend much time in the bookish areas of the internet, you’ve probably seen plenty of people screeching about this one. I remember when I first heard about it, and I didn’t think it would live up to the hype. At that point, I hadn’t read anything else by Victoria (“V.E.”) Schwab, but I did have a couple of her books on my TBR, and one already on my shelf, so I didn’t really know anything about her and her writing. Then I got to read the sample of this from Net Galley and I almost threw my Kindle across the room because I couldn’t read the rest right then. (See my reaction post to that here.) And then life and book slumps happened and I ended up not reading it for almost a year, but I never stopped thinking about it.

Just trust me. If you want something that’s different, has wonderful writing, characters that could climb off the pages, and the perfect amount of world-building without bogging you down with too many details, pick up this book! At the time of this writing, the first two books in the Shades of Magic series are out. The second book is A Gathering of Shadows (which I still haven’t finished because I didn’t want to sully the experience by forcing my way through it during a book slump), and the third, A Conjuring of Light, is being released in just over two weeks (February 21st, 2017).

 

Have you read A Darker Shade of Magic? What did you think?

What I thought of the sneak peek of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Release Date: February 24th, 2014

(I got a sneak peek from Net Galley for review)

I’ve been putting off reading this because I knew I was going to enjoy it and I didn’t want to have to wait long for the full book. Well, yesterday I started it, I just finished it and

OMG the place the sneak peek ended had me shouting

I need the full book in my hands right now!

You guys, this book is going to be so freaking epic. I can’t even…I don’t have words. It’s just amazing!

Ok *deep breaths* Here’s the synopsis from goodreads:

From V.E. Schwab, the critically acclaimed author of Vicious, comes a new universe of daring adventure, thrilling power, and parallel Londons, beginning with A Darker Shade of Magic.
Kell is one of the last Travelers—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes—as such, he can choose where he lands.
There’s Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, ruled by a mad King George. Then there’s Red London, where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne—a place where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London…but no one speaks of that now.
Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see—a dangerous hobby, and one that has set him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations, who first robs him, then saves him from a dangerous enemy, and then forces him to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.
But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—and that is proving trickier than they hoped.

I am so in love with this story and I can not wait until February 24th so I can get a copy. I really might have to pre-order it because I don’t think I can handle the possibility that I won’t be able to get a copy.

This is my first V.E. (aka Victoria) Schwab story and I am quickly becoming obsessed. Her prose is delightful, pulling you into the scenes and showing you these amazing Londons, magic (and it’s potential consequences), an array of intriguing characters, and so much more.

The sneak peek was about 150 pages, and it was brilliant. I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next, and meeting some of the characters left me feeling  a whole host of various emotions. Some made me a bit sad, others were kind of terrifying, a few only made cameos so I’m not sure what to think of them, but mostly I was just really interested in learning more about them all.

I said it before and I’ll say it again

If you want to order a copy from an indie bookstore, you might also be able to get a poster. Check here for indies stocking signed posters.

Other links for pre-order: Barnes & Noble Books a Million Amazon