T5W: Tropes I usually hate, done right

I almost didn’t do this one because a) I was having a really hard time coming up with more than 2, and b) I’m sick and have felt like garbage all day. But I finally feel semi-human again, and I tried.

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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.

August 8: Books You Liked with Tropes You Usually Hate
–Pick some of your most hated tropes and discuss books (or other media) that actually handled that trope well

I’m not sure if these actually count/work, but my brain is still kind of going “uuuuuggggghhhh” from being sick, so I apologize if they don’t all work.

In no particular order…

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Friends Who Are Secretly in Love

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee– I mean really. I usually end up rolling my eyes sooo hard at this trope (and I did a few times while reading GG, because I wanted to shake Monty and Percy), but I kind of loved it in this one. When I wasn’t ready to cry or scream, that is 😛

 

 

Insta-Love

 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor– I think this is the only book I’ve ever read with insta-love that I liked. 

 

 

 

Girl Changes Her Life After Meeting a Guy

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab– I won’t go into details about this one, but I think this counts? It was just done in a way that’s really different from most cases of this trope happening.

 

 

 

Tragic Background = Asshole Character

Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo– All I’m going to say is “Kaz Brekker.” 

 

 

 

Strong Female Character

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff– Usually, the #StrongFemaleCharacter is a girl who’s into things that aren’t “traditionally girly,” which…Hanna kind of is. She is a badass, but she’s also the kind of badass I wouldn’t want to cross, whether she’s wearing training gear or fancy clothes.

 

 

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T5W: Future Classics

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 11th: Future Classics
–What books do you think will stand the test of time?

I think this was more stressful than it should have been haha. I first sat down and couldn’t come up with anything. It was one of those “I can’t remember a single book I’ve ever read” kinds of moments (ok, more like half an hour, during which time I just sat and stared at my shelves and actually almost cried, but let’s not talk about that).

But I finally came up with 5, so yay! In no particular order, as usual…

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The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan– I think his books are going to stick. Maybe not all of them, but I have a feeling that in another 10ish years, they’re going to be considered modern classics, as Harry Potter is now.

 

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid– I read this last summer and I still think about it a lot. I still hate the description because it makes it sound different from what it was actually like, but it was really good, very timely, and I hope it makes it as a classic. (My review.)

 

 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn– Confession: I haven’t read this one. I tried (several times, ugh), and couldn’t get into it. I also didn’t like the movie, or Sharp Objects (which I actually did manage to finish, but barely). I think Gillian Flynn’s writing just isn’t for me, idk. But this book exploded a few years ago, and people are still talking about it and referencing it regularly, so I have a feeling it’s eventually going to be considered a classic.

 

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab– Maaaaaybe it won’t become a fantasy classic, but I think it should, and I hope it does ❤ (Do I need to explain this one, and why I chose it?)

 

 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern– I feel like I don’t have to explain this one, either. The writing, the story, the cover ❤ It’s still a really popular book, and I see it as a lot of people’s favorite/in their list of favorites pretty regularly. I honestly can’t remember a time (since I became aware of the bookish parts of the internet a few years ago) when I haven’t seen this book pop up on social media at least once a week.

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What are some books you think are destined to become classics?

Top 10 Tuesday: Books That Take Place in Another Country

This is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish, and is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week, there’s a theme and you choose ten books that fit it. Check out upcoming topics here.

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Woooow, I haven’t done a TTT since December I’ve meant to do so many since then, but I am terrible about remembering and I have no clue why. *sigh* Oh well. This week, I actually managed to remember, and I love the topic, so let’s get to the books!

(I’m in the US, btw.)

In no particular order…

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There’s a lot of England on this list

 

 

 

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (England)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (England…I think)
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (again, England…I think)
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (England, but there’s 4 of them!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (England)
The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle (I *think* this is set in Ireland)
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer-Bradley (it’s an Arthurian retelling, so wherever that is specifically, sorry )
The Witches by Roald Dahl (set in England and Norway, I think)

 

      

 

 

 

 

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor (Czech Republic)

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Spain)

 

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Honestly, I know I’ve read books that took place in other countries, but either A) I couldn’t remember them, B) they took place in a lot of different places (like how in most, I think, of Dan Brown’s books they’re moving around a lot) and I couldn’t remember locations, C) I didn’t like them enough to include them on a “favorites” list, or D) they were non-fiction (and maybe that would have counted for this week’s prompt, idk, but I decided not to use them).

But I still really, really need to read more books set in more places, so if you have recs, please leave them below! I have a few set in other countries that are on my TBR pile, but I haven’t gotten to them yet 😦 Hopefully soon, though.

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What are some of your favorite books set in other countries?

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?

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?