Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

So this week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday by the Broke and the Bookish is: Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To. Last year I had these great plans to read all these amazing 2014 releases and lets just say, I did NOT get through very many. I will hopefully make a dent in that pile this year. The list is not at all in order, but, I do explain the books that I am more interested in reading and the ones that I will probably be slow to pick up after loosing interest in them.

(Click on the images to go straight to their Goodreads page to find out more)

1. The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

This book received so much hype just before it came out and I was so excited about it. I don't know why I never picked it up, I always meant to but then would end up picking a different book instead of it. This has received fairly mixed reviews so I am in no real rush to read it, but I will hopefully get to it at some point.

2. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

I have to admit that I really enjoy fairy tale re-tellings, an area that I became interested in when I studied Angela Carter's work in Uni (if you like re-tellings check out The Bloody Chamber). This book is a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast and this is another one that received a tonne of hype prior to its publication. I have no real reason why I haven't read this one yet and I will get around to it eventually.

3. Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

This is another book that have been on the verge of buying many times but keeping putting off. I actually forgot about this book until I reread my post on my Top Ten 2014 Debut releases. This story is set in WWII and I just can't get enough of that time period. I studied history in Uni and this was one of my favourite subjects to learn about, I even went to visit Auschwitz-Birkeneau in Poland. I will hopefully read this book soon as I am still very interested in it.

  

                                             

4. Hexed by Michelle Krys

   I love any kind of paranormal book really, witches, werewolves, vampire, ANYTHING. This is a story about witches, which I actually haven't read much of. It appears to be a more witty and fun story while still drama-packed - have to have a bit of action at all times. Someyimes it is a breath of fresh air to read a more "light-hearted" book as I am more used to reading really heavy action-packed books. This is certainly not very high up on my TBR but I still would like to give this one a go.

5. Midnight Thief by Livia Blackbourne:

Female, kick-ass assassin portagonist, need I say more. I really, really wanted to love Throne of Glass because I love assassins and I love the whole medieval type setting. I, however, really did not like that book even a tiny bit so I am really hoping that this book makes up for the disappointment of ToG. I have heard very mixed reviews about this one though and that has made me very wary of picking this one up. This is another one that won't be an immediate read.

6. Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi:

I read the first book in this series (Under the Never Sky) just last year and was very surprised to find that I really enjoyed the book. I do really want to continue on with the series and I have no real excuse for why I haven't read the second book and this one yet but I will certainly be aiming to have them read by the end of the year.

7. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

This book is sitting pretty on my shelf and it is the final book in one of my all time favourite series (The Mortal Instruments) and yet I still have not read it, how? Well, I tried to, and then I got confused, like, really confused and so I thought, hey I will read the book just before this to refresh my memory. Oh but that just caused more confusion as I couldn't remember the book prior to that. So I have realised that I will have to start the whole series again, and this is a big commitment which will have to wait until I complete my Masters degree.

8. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch:

I am really excited for this one and have been since I heard about it. I am a major fan of fantasy, it is easily my favourite genre but I definitely do not read enough from it. I bought this just a couple of days ago while in Edinburgh so I do hope to read it soon.

9. Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott:

My main interest with this book is that it appears to me to be very similar to the Hunger Games. I haven't heard too much about this, but I have seen it floating around booktube a bit. I have very little expectations for this one as I haven't read any reviews on it, which is how I want to go into reading the book. This wouldn't be on the top of my TBR pile but I do want to get to it before the end of the year.

10. Alienated:

The reason I haven't picked this one up yet is simple: I am worried this is going to be the typical YA book over focused on romance. This one has also received a load of hype so I am intrigued to see what I make of it. The second book has either recently been released or will be soon, I am not certain about the dates, and this piqued my interest in Alienated again.

I could easily pick out more then ten books for this topic as I had a pretty bad year for reading last year. I went through a major reading slump in the summer so that drastically affected how many books I read. This year I want to get to some of those books that I missed out on in 2014 and those ten are just a few. Let me know what releases you didn't get a chance to read down below and, if you have a blog post on this topic, leave a link in the comments and I will only be glad to check it out.

My Top Ten Most Anticipated Novels For 2015

So this week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday by the Broke and the Bookish is: Top Ten Most Anticipated Debut Novels of 2015. Last year I really had to research this one as I wasn't sure which debut novels were coming out, and this year I realised I only had two debut authors on my anticipated releases for 2015 shelf on Goodreads. So I have decided to do my top ten anticipated releases of 2015 instead.
If you want to check out all my anticipated releases for 2015 you can find them all on my Goodreads HERE. For now though, here is my top ten:

(Click on the images to go straight to their Goodreads page to find out more)

The final three I want to read do not yet have their covers so here they are:

WINTER by MARISSA MEYER

(Lunar Chronicles series)
LADY MIDNIGHT by CASSANDRA CLARE

(New Shadowhunter series)
UNTITLED by RICK YANCEY

(The final book in the 5th Wave series)

So after reading a quite a few other blog posts featuring debut novels of 2015 I wanted to added the new releases debuts that I hadn't heard of and now want and the ones I forgot!

So, what are your top ten debut or non-debut novels of 2015? If you have participated in this meme be sure to leave a link as I would love to check it out.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2015

So this week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday by the Broke and the Bookish is: Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2015. Before I decided to write up this list I said I better read my list from last year which you can find HERE. Did I get through this last you may be asking....well, no, definitely not! One of my goals was to read 80 books this year and I only managed to read (at this current moment) 46 as I went through a major reading slump this year. My book blogging goal also suffered due to the start of my masters in September which left little time for reading or blogging. Last years goals were not very doable and as it was my first year making bookish resolutions I will forgive myself. This year, however, will be the year of realistic goals and so without further ado, here are my 2015 bookish Resolutions:

1. Blog at least once a week: When I first started blogging I was posting sometimes 3 or 4 times a week but I could not keep this up and ending up stopping altogether. This coming year I won't put too much pressure on myself as it is a hobby and pressurizing myself takes all the fun out of it.
2. Reread Harry Potter: This was a goal I had last year that I actually started only a couple of days ago. I think Christmas is the perfect time for reading HP and so I have sort of cheated with this one as I have read the first two books already.
3. Review books sooner: I have gotten much better at this lately, however, before I would tend to put off writing the review and then when I sat down to write it I would have forgotten everything I wanted to say. I now tend to write my thoughts up on Goodreads when I mark off that I have read the book so I don't forget everything and then write up my proper review here.
4. Only buy books I REALLY want: Seems a bit obvious but I tend to pick up all sorts of books just because I have heard others gush about them. I don't like contemporary books but have in the past bought several of them and hated them. I don't like to review these books as it is not the fault of the book but my own personal preference.
5. Read 50 books: I will still be very busy with my masters next year so I am not going to aim too high for the amount of books I would like to read. I have a 20,000 word dissertation to write so....yes not a great deal of free time. I nearly read 50 books this year with a major reading slump lasting several months so I think this is possible.
6. Start the Percy Jackson Series: I really want to read the Heroes of Olympus series but I don't want to read it without first knowing what happens in the Percy Jackson series. I am not particularly fond of middle-grade books but hopefully I can get through these to move onto the next series.
7. Read more non-fiction: I studied History in University and I am currently undertaking a Masters in Museum Studies. I am fascinated by history and would like to read more about certain time periods in history - particular the Viking and Norman eras.
8. Start the Game of Thrones Series: I have already read the first book but it was so long ago that I have no memory of it. It is my favourite TV show and I know I will love the books if only I could look past their chunkiness!!
9. Reread The Coldest Girl on Coldtown: This is one of my favourite books of all time, enough said.
10. Finish the series I have started: I have a habit of starting a series and even though I may love it, I don't finish it before moving onto another series. Obviously, I can't finish a series if the books aren't yet released but for the ones that are and that I have on my shelf, I hope to finish them.

If you have a list of your 2014 Bookish Resolutions feel free to leave me a link in the comments and I would love to check it out.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Will Make You Cry

So this week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday by the Broke and the Bookish is: Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry. This topic is a difficult one for me this week as I don't really read books that make me cry, and in fact, I am not really someone who cries very much. I didn't make ten for this one no matter how much I tried to think of books that made me cry and I happen to feature FOUR Harry Potter books...J.K. Rowling just gets me!

All the pictures have clickable links which will take you to their Goodreads page in case you have not read them yet. I have tried not to spoil any books (except Harry Potter because seriously has anyone not read them? If you have not read HP do not continue as you will be spoiled).

So without further ado, here are the top seven books that had me bawling my eyes out like a baby:


The Book Thief

I don't want to give anything away but I will say that the end of this book had me absolutely hysterically crying; it wasn't pretty. This book is one of my all time favourites, in fact, if a book makes me cry over the characters, then that just shows how emotionally invested I am in the story.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Do I even need to explain this one? (Do not continue reading this if you don't want to be spoiled). I think Fred dying was the worst for me, FRED!A TWIN??How could J.K. Rowling do that? Oh and how about Tonks and Lupin? New parents! Oh gosh this book was amazing but totally awful. I really appreciate when an author can kill off popular characters. Let's face it, there were bound to be some casualties and it is far more realistic when some of the main characters have to be sacrificed. I nearly forgot Dobby, how!?...up there with Fred dying, possibly worse.


Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Ok, so Cedric Diggory wasn't a main character and I really didn't even like him all that much but for some reason I cried! Now, I only shed a tear, it wasn't the same as the last two books but just shows how much I love Harry Potter that such a minor character dying would upset me.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Dumbledore dies....Do I need to say more? Ugh, again, another Harry Potter book that had me bawling. Now that I think about it, J.K. Rowling killed a lot of my favourite characters...



Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix


Oh, look, it's another Harry Potter book. This was the first death in Harry Potter that really had me bawling. I absolutely loved Sirius Black. OK, so he had his flaws, but it was the opportunity of a new life/family for Harry and then, boom, DEAD! I blame Harry for it too, all his fault.

A Child Called "It"

This happens to be the only book on this list that I cried over not because of a death. This book is a true life story of Dave Pelzer whose Mother physically abused him for several years. What made it even more sad was the fact that the three other children and the father were treated normally, while Dave was beaten in so many horrific and imaginative ways. This book was truly horrifying, and while I am glad I read it, it still makes me feel so angry and upset just thinking about it, even though I read this about ten years ago. This book is not for the faint hearted.


Mockingjay

This is another book that had me crying (not too much) over certain characters deaths which I will not name. My favourite male character of the series dies...that was depressing. Then another, slightly major character dies too...which was totally unexpected and incredibly sad. I didn't have as many feels for the characters in this book as the others but I am pretty sure I shed a tear so I had to add it to my list.






If you participated in this weeks Top Ten Tuesday leave a link in the comments. Or, if you have not participated leave your list below :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Things On My Reading Wishlist

So this week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday by the Broke and the Bookish is: Top Ten Things On My Reading Wishlist (if you could make authors write about these things you would. Could be a specific type of character, an issue tackled, a time period, a certain plot, etc.) So, basically this post is going to be a run down of aspects I want to see more in the books that I read.

So without further I do, these are the top ten things I want to see in my books:

1. A main character that is not involved in a romantic relationship

I know, I know, most of the people who love YA, love the romantic elements in the plot. However, these days a great deal of the YA books that I have been reading have been treating the romance as the be all and end all. A plot that focuses almost solely on the blossoming romance between the protagonists really irritates me. That is a serious no-no for me.

2. A more realistic romance

So we have to have a romance in the story? Ok then, lets make it a realistic romance then. This means no insta-love...oh wow, my pet peeve of YA Fiction, I hate it sooo much! I want relationships like they really are: going out with different people (not falling in love with the first person they meet), unfulfilled crushes where the main character falls for a guy that either does not feel the same or simply turns out to be a complete douchebag. Or, if falling those options, simply a slow-building romance that happens naturally.

3. More diverse characters

Is it just me, or is anyone else sick of the same white, straight, skinny beautiful characters? I want something new and something different. That means including more characters who are LGBTQ, overweight, different ethnicities and characters with mental and physical disabilities. 

4. More diverse settings

By diverse setting I simply mean a different setting to America and England. I would love a story to be set in places much more exotic like the Amazon or the Arctic etc. Of course I also love stories set in made up places, the more exotic the better.

5. Platonic relationships

YA Fiction seems so focused on romantic entanglements that they forget to give the characters strong friendships, people they can trust wholeheartedly. Now this may be female/female, male/male or female/male friendships, a story that focuses on one of these more so then on a romance would be a book I want to read.

6. More fairytale re-tellings

Ever since I was introduced to Angela Carter's fairytale re-tellings I have been extremely interested in this genre. I have quite a few on my tbr shelf at the moment: Cinder, Alice in Zombieland and Splintered.

7. More normal parents and familial relationships

In nearly every YA book I read the parents are somehow not around, whether they are dead, simply abandoned their children, etc. either way they are always absent. A story with a strong adult role model, whether it be a guardian, parent, teacher, etc. would be a nice change.

8. Stories set in medieval setting

My favourite setting, if I were to pick a specific book, would be the world of the Lord of the Rings. A medieval style setting with people on horseback, fighting using bows and swords is my ultimate world. While urban medieval towns are interesting I am much more interested in the rural landscape, travelling through forests, etc.

9. Male witches (warlocks) and female werewolves

Confused by that title? Ya, I couldn't think of any other way to word it. Basically I want books to not be so gender specific when it comes to certain supernatural beings. I find that most books about witches have female protagonists while werewolf protagonists are mainly male. A book with a female protagonist who is female sounds great to me.

10. More assassins

I read Throne of Glass not too long ago thinking that it would involve a kick ass, deadly assassin, and at the beginning that appeared to be the case. However, Caelena was in fact, not all that kick ass, incredibly shallow, obsession with clothes and hated killing people, yes an assassin that doesn't like to kill and instead of killing their targets, helps them disappear. No, no no no no! I want a deadly assassin who kills for the thrill of it. Call me twisted but that's what an assassin is meant to do right?

So those were the top ten things I want to see in my books, what were yours? If you know any books that fit into any of those categories let me know in the comments below :)

Top 10 2014 Debuts I'm Excited For

Another Tuesday another The Broke and Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday. Today I will be telling you the debuts I am looking forward to over the coming year. Click on the images and you will be brought straight to the book's Goodreads page where you can check out the synopsis.

1. The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings: This book has been talked about a lot in the booksphere so I am really excited for this one. It seems to be a pretty dark story filled with assassins and murders and I like my dark stories. A LOT.
2. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge: I have to admit that I am obsessed with fairytale re-tellings and I have been since college when I studied Angela Carter's work (if you like fairytale re-tellings I recommend you check out this author). This book is a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast and this is another one that has been all over the book blogs.
3. Prisoner of Night and Fog: Asides from the gorgeous cover this is a story about WWII and I just can't get enough of that genre. I studied history in college and I was particularly interested in WWII and I have even been to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. I can't wait to see what this book has to offer.
4. Hexed by Michelle Krys: I love any kind of paranormal book really, witches, werewolves, vampire, ANYTHING. This is a story about witches, which I actually haven't read much of. It appears to be a more witty and fun story while still drama-packed - have to have a bit of action at all times.
5. Midnight Thief by Livia Blackbourne: Female, kick-ass assassin portagonist, need I say more. I really, really wanted to love Throne of Glass because I love assassins and I love the whole medieval type setting. I, however, really did not like that book even a tiny bit so I am really hoping that this book makes up for the disappointment of ToG.
6. Salvage by Alexandra Duncan: Being honest here I say the words "will appeal to fans of the Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood" and I was sold. I love Margaret Atwood for her thought provoking works on the role of men and women in society. I know this book is YA,so it won't be exactly up there with Atwood, I am sold on a good story about a women struggling in a male dominated society.
7. Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano: This book is very different from what I normally read because it is not dystopian or paranormal, it's a thriller. However, I chose the book because it sounded dark and ominous (always a plus) and because the girl lives in a trailer park and her mom's a stripper, definitely something different and I am really excited to get my hands on this one.
8. Half Bad by Sally Green: This is another book involving witches but the reason I chose this one is because it is told from the point of view of a male. Hallelujah. I sometimes find (and I really hate when authors do this) that the female protagonist in a story is always so whiny and pathetic; males on the other hand are rarely portrayed that way and so sometimes I like to read from the male perspective. It is different to the usual YA female main character that I am used to.
9. Scintillate by Tracey Clark: Not going to lie I saw the words Ireland and Irish in the synopsis on Goodreads and I immediately clicked want to read. So few books are set in Ireland, or contain Irish characters and, if there are Irish characters, they are usually padding characters who are the stereotypical ginger-haired joker/drunk...that does not appeal to me. There is also some paranormal activity going on in this book so it's a must read for me.
10. Creed by Trisha Leaver: This one has no cover yet, hence why you didn't see it above (find a link to the book's Goodreads page here. This story is basically a thriller involving a cult. Do I need to say anymore? I love any story that involves cults. I find them incredibly disturbing but they make for a really fascinating read.

So they are my Top 10 debuts I am excited for. If you have any recommendations please leave them in the comments below. Also, if you have a blog post on this topic, leave a link in the comments and I would only be glad to check it out. Until next time :)

Top Ten Tuesday - 2014 Bookish Resolutions

Today I decided to join The Broke and Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday. Click on the link and you will be able to find a list of their future Top Ten Tuesday topics and links to their previous memes. Today's Top Ten Tuesday is my book related resolutions for 2014. So, without further ado, in 2014 I am going to:


1. Blog, blog, blog: As I am new to the blogging world, my biggest aim for the New Year is to keep blogging  and reviewing books and all that good stuff. I have a tendency to start things with great intentions and then, once I realise how hard it is, I give up. Not this year!
2. Reread the entire Harry Potter series: It has been a very, very long time since I have marathoned this series and I am ashamed to say that I have most likely forgotten several aspects to the books . This needs to be corrected immediately as this series is my all time favourite. I have so many unread books on my shelves and because of this books I have read previously get neglected.
3. Don't let my TBR shelf get too big: It happens to the best of us, we buy our books in bulk and then keep buying and buying, somehow forgetting that we do in fact have a life and a job and various other responsibilities which hinder reading and thus end up with a pile of books gone unread.
4. Not buy so many books: This one goes hand in hand with number 3. If I focus on reading my TBR shelf and only my TBR shelf then I won't need to buy new books until they are all read. Yep, that means I am on a book buying ban until I read all my TBRs. This one is going to be tough.
5. Start and complete The Percy Jackson series: I have been wanting to start this series for well over a year now and still have not gotten around to it. One of my best friends highly recommends the series, along with every YA book lover. I have been putting off reading it because I worry that I will find it too childish and will give up on it before it gets to The Heroes of Olympus series which is what I am most looking forward to.
6. Join the library: Yes, you read that right, I am not a member of any library. The main reason for this being that I love to collect my books and don't ever want to part with them. However, I happen to be saving for my masters degree which I will be starting in September this year; leaving me with little to no money to spend on books.
7. Read 80 books this year: On my Goodreads profile I thought I would be hardcore and put down that I would like to read 100 books this year...what was I thinking? With a full time job and college coming up in September I don't think I will have THAT much time for reading, so I am going to lower my goal to 80 books which is still a large amount but hey, aim high right?
8. Read more Fantasy books: I love YA fiction but being someone who has an extremely low tolerance for romance in books I can get very frustrated by the genre. I love action, fighting, suspense and so of course I love the fantasy genre. Lately, however, I have found that I have been reading about 90% YA and 10% Fantasy. (Unfortunately I won't be able to start this until my TBR shelf is read and the book buying ban is lifted because I have very few fantasy books at the moment).
9. Read the Game of Thrones Series: This one links in with the last point on reading more Fantasy. I am a huge fan of the Game of Thrones tv series and I have so far read the first book in the series and started the second. I found it hard to read them as I had already watched the series and knew exactly what was going to happen. Time to plough through and get ahead of the series.
10. Review books when I finish them: This seems like a logical enough thing to do, however, I never seem to be able to manage it. If I don't review the book right away I tend to forget everything that happened in the story, I will even blank on character and place names. To write the best reviews I can I need to be on the ball!

Phew. That is a long list. I never EVER make resolutions at the turn of the New Year (except maybe I am never ever drinking again, but we all say that) and so this is going to be tough for me to accomplish.

If you have a list of your 2014 Bookish Resolutions feel free to leave me a link in the comments and I would love to check it out.