T5W: INDEPENDENT LADIES

Hello all and welcome back! This weeks Top 5 Wednesday is favourite independent ladies – that is, five ladies who aren’t distracted from getting shit done by their love interest (but they can still have a romance subplot). Here are my five choices below!

Inej from Six of Crows

MY !! GIRL !!! I adore Inej and she is such an independent queen! I really loved that she’s only really in The Dregs for what it does for her, and all the parts of the series where she thinks about going to find her parents. Her focus is pretty much always on her own growth and her own goals and I really loved that. Even though she does have that romance with Kaz, I enjoyed that she put her foot down and demanded he do what is right by her or she’s not interested. Biggest queen, I adore her.

 

Frances from Radio Silence

This is such an obvious choice because there is no romance in Radio Silence and Frances makes a point of it! One of the main themes of this book is that girls and guys can be best friends without having romantic feelings, and I loved that so much. Frances is just out here doing her art and getting her marks we stan!

 

Laia from An Ember in the Ashes

Laia is ALSO my queen! She is one of my favourite “strong independent women” ever! I think she’s such a great character because even though she has a strong romantic subplot, her story mostly revolves around her growth and her motivations outside of the romance. I also think she has a phenomenal amount of character growth which makes her a strong character independent of the romance. I feel similar about her and Inej in terms of their romance versus independence as characters.

 

Juliette from Shatter Me

Now this one is kinda controversial, since it is a romance focus series, but I think Juliette still hugely counts. The majority of her character arc is about her learning that she doesn’t need a man or someone to validate her to be valid. Even though she ends up in a relationship, that was because she was able to separate and recognise her own worth outside of her relationship so I think it counts. I really liked her storyline about developing her own agency and independence.

 

Rin from The Poppy War

Rin has literally no romantic cares in this world and I’m here for it. This is such a huge epic fantasy and I loved how Rin played such a huge role but there was NO romance drama, it was soo refreshing. Rin could literally murder me in an instant but I love her. Her character is so interesting because (in my opinion), it isn’t really sympathetic or unsympathetic either. She kinda just exists in all her complex glory and I love it!

Those are my choices for independent ladies in books! Let me know what characters you think fit this prompt. Also, know I can feel yall wanting to fight on Juliette already and KNOW I will fight you right back.

until next time!

 

 

T5W: BOOKS ON THE TOP OF YOUR TBR

Hi all, and welcome to my first Top 5 Wednesday of the year! I decided I did want to keep doing these in 2019 when I liked the topic, and I do like this one a lot! The last few topics were all ones I had written anyway, but I don’t think I have talked about the top books on my 2019 TBR yet and I want to!

I decided to keep new releases out of this because … obviously I wanna read all those. Instead I decided to focus on the backlist books I really want to get to this year.

Lets jump right in.

If We Were Villains by M.L Rio

 

I have heard SO many amazing things about this book! It is a dark academia novel and those are my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE. Anything involving murder at pretentious art school is something I’m going to like. A lot of my friends love this, and it’s been compared to The Secret History which I loved, so I’m 100% sure I am going to adore this book.

 

 

 

 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

 

This book has been on my TBR for YEARS and it’s definitely time to finally read it. It is a post-apocalyptic book but follows a travelling Shakespeare company and that just seems right up my alley. I’ve heard it is character driven which I love, and it’s sort of a study on humanity which I also love. The premise just seems so unique and interesting to me and the longer this sits on my TBR the more I feel I need to pick it up so THIS IS THE YEAR.

 

 

 

 

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

 

I adored The Secret History by Donna Tartt and have been really wanting to read this since. There is also a movie coming out this year, so I want to read this before then. I don’t know exactly what this is about, except the main character is a boy who steals a painting at the beginning of the book. Regardless, I trust Donna Tartt and I am sure I’m going to really like this.

 

 

 

 

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

This series has also been on my TBR for years and I recently found all the books at a thrift store so now I can finally read them. I want to read ALL the books I own and haven’t read this year so I would want to read these anyway, but of all the books I own these are definitely the ones I am most looking forward to reading. I’ve heard this is a really great fantasy series with a really interesting main female character!

 

 

 

 

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs:
The Untold Story of a Lost World by Steve Brusatte

 

The last book on my list is a non-fiction! This won the Goodreads Choice Award for non-fiction and I hadn’t heard of this before that but as soon as I read what this was about I wanted to read it. I LOVE Dinosaurs and have always watched/read as many things as I could about them. I am on hold for the audiobook of this at the library, and I cannot wait to start it. YEE HAW FOR DINOSAURS.

 

 

Those are my top 5 TBR picks (from the backlist!) ALOT of my Top TBR books are new releases this year (does anyone else feel like there’s SO MANY coming out compared to last year??) but there are still so many exciting books already out to get to too. What books are on the top of your 2019 TBR?

until next time

T5W: BOOKS TO GIVE TO SAGITTARIUS PEOPLE

Hello all! This weeks Top 5 Wednesday was a make your own topic and I thought about what I wanted to do for a while and decided on making a list based on star sign. People have been talking about the Zodiac a lot recently and we are currently in the Sagittarius part of the zodiac, and also I am a Sagi so I just decided to go with this.

Sagittarius are typically curious and energetic. They’re open minded, love travelling and exploring and are generally extroverted and optimistic. They also have a strong sense of humour and enthusiasm. They generally have large friend groups and strong family and partner relationships.  So I’ll be recommending books which are compatible or representative of these kinds of traits!

1: Undead Girl Gand by Lily Anderson

what it’s about: Undead Girl Gang follows Mila Flores, who is convinced the ‘suicide’ of her best friend is fake, and that her friend was actually murdered. In order to solve the mystery, Mila uses an ancient Wiccan spell to bring Riley back from the dead. The spell works, but Mila accidentally brings two other girls back from the dead, and none of them can remember how they died. Together, they only have a week to solve the murder before the girls return to their graves.

why it suits the sagittarius: First of all, Undead Girl Gang definitely requires an open mind. There is literal ghosts and Wiccan armies and all sorts going on. But if you embrace it all it’s such a fun book. The humour is also on point, and this book places a huge emphasis on the importance of friendship, which is also important to Sagittarius’.

 

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2: Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry

what it’s about: Michael is an atheist who is sent to St. Clare’s a strict Catholic private school. In his first class, he’s relieved to meet a girl called Lucy who calls out a nun in class for her teachings about saints. Thinking he’s found a fellow non-believer, Michael approaches Lucy. It turns out Lucy is actually a devout catholic who wants to be a priest. Lucy introduces Michael to Heretics Anonymous, a group comprising  of Lucy, Avi (who is Jewish and gay) and Eden (who is pagan). The group decide to take action at the school to expose hypocrisies in the schools education and the Catholic faith.

why it suits the sagittarius: A large focus on this book is about being open minded, which is something Sagittarius like to be. The book examines theology from all sorts of angles and emphasises that being open minded and understanding of religions is extremely important. The value this book emphasises are one’s that Sagittarius value. There is also lots of discussions of different religions and groups and this could be appealing to a Sagittarius. Finally, like Undead Girl Gang, this is hilarious and focusses on friendship quite a lot.

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3: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

what it’s about:  In this world, humans have left earth and joined the Galactic Commons, a collection of space species including aliens that co-exist under one government. Rosemary is a human who joins a crew tunnelling through space to a small planet that is joining the GC. It follows the crew and the experiences Rosemary has on board the ship.

why it suits the sagittarius: The main character’s journey would definitely appeal to a Sagittarius. This book focusses on Rosemary’s travels around space and all the new things she experiences and Sagittarius are big travellers. This book also explores how being open-minded and thoughtful about other people and how they are unique is actually beneficial, and overall this book celebrates diversity and difference. This is something that would appeal to a Sagi!

 

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4: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

what it’s about:  When Etta is kidnapped at a music recital, she discovers she comes from a line of time travellers capable of jumping through time and place. She is charged with hunting down and recovering an object her mother hid at some point in history in order to win her freedom.

why it suits the sagittarius: Sagittarius love travel and this is the ultimate travelling adventure. This book allows you to visit so many amazing places and times and Bracken’s writing is so vivid it’s like being there. Etta is also so optimistic and although she is in a bad situation she makes the most of it, which feels like Sagittarius qualities.

 

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5: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

what it’s about:  Sapiens is a short but thorough work detailing the history of humankind from the first emergence of humans into the current age. It’s only 500 novels but packs in a lot of information, and Harari’s commentary is interesting and enlightening.

why it suits the sagittarius: Sagittarius love learning and having their mind opened and this teaches SO MUCH. Not only does Harari offer so many amazing and wild facts about humanity, his personal commentary on various social systems is also quite thought provoking. There is also a strong current of optimism about humankind overall despite many flaws and optimism is something Sagittarius value!

 

Those were all my recommendations for Sagittarius booklovers! Let me know if you’d be interested in seeing other horoscopes as I may expand this out. What books would you gift to the Sagittarius in your life?

until next time

T5W: BOOK WISH LIST

Welcome back everyone! We’re into December already I cannot believe it! This year has both flown by and also has seemed like it’s gone on FOREVER. I skipped a few Top 5 Wednesday’s recently but I’m back to do my Top 5 Book Wishlist books! This is essentially books on your wishlist you might like to receive as gifts/add to your collection.

My book collection is pretty strictly curated mostly due to lack of space and money but I do have quite a few books I would LOVE to own, so lets get into it!

1: Villains Duology by V.E Schwab

 

The villains duology (specifically in these white UK editions) is actually on my christmas wishlist. I really liked Vicious but wanted to see my thoughts on Vengeful before I bought this series, but I LOVED Vengeful. These new editions are also so stunning and would look excellent alongside the white UK Shades of Magic trilogy which I also own.

 

2: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Trilogy by Jenny Han

This is the other series I really really want to own. I finished this whole series this year and I loved it so much. I relate to Lara Jean a whole lot and I think about these books and characters pretty much everyday which is a good sign I love it. I also really want to reread these which is why I would like to own them. I also think these books are SO pretty, I love the covers so much.

 

3: The Young Elites Trilogy by Marie Lu

This is one of my favourite trilogies ever and I have wanted it for so long but never bought it. I was OBSESSED with this when I first read it in 2016 and I still think about it a lot. I loved the characters and was so absorbed in the plot. I’ve been wanting to reread these a lot recently and that usually is a big indicator I should buy them.

 

4: The Wicked King by Holly Black

I would love to have a preorder of this book down because I had so much fun with book one! I’ve also seen a RIDICULOUS amount of spoilers from arcs already so I feel I need to read this asap at release to avoid getting spoiled for everything. This comes out in January and I cannot wait!

 

5: Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray

This is the last book in the Diviners series I need to acquire and I WANT IT. I love this series so much and I spent ages trying to find a good copy of book one that wasn’t too expensive. Now I just need this book to complete my collection and I’m hanging out for it! Its been very difficult to find the edition I want though, but I’m hoping one shows up soon

what books are on your wishlist?

until next time!

BOOKS FEATURING MONSTERS ON MY TBR

Hi everyone! So you may or may not have noticed that I didn’t do Top 5 Wednesday yesterday (again, whoops!) Essentially, I was really struggling with the prompts (To 5 Books involving ___ monster) because I don’t read many horrors/monster books .. ever. I pretty much didn’t even have five books featuring the same monster, let alone five favourites with the same monster.

So I decided to switch up the prompt a bit and do Top 5 Books that feature monsters, that are on my TBR. This is still a bit challenging since I really don’t add monster books to my tbr ever BUT, I do have enough to put a list together. So lets jump into it!

1: City of Ghosts by V.E Schwab

So I guess ghosts aren’t technically monsters, but they still count as paranormal creatures so I’m including it. I love V.E Schwab and everything she stands for so of course I want to read her middle grade! I’m so intrigued by the premise of this one and have heard some great reviews.

 

 

 

2: Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner

Ok, here’s a book that has been on my TBR for AGES. This is an f/f enemies to lovers story involving killer mermaids. It sounds like a lot of fun and I really love mermaid stories and that good old ‘human falls for mermaid’ trope

 

 

 

3: Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

ANOTHER f/f mermaid story! I’m pretty sure this is killer mermaids anyway? if not, it’s at least killer water monsters. This is about scientists who have to study monsters in the ocean and I know its an f/f romance but I don’t know who between. Look, a lot of friends like this book which is why it’s on the TBR even though some details are a bit vague. But I trust the reviews. And I love Mira Grant! (Who is also Seanan McGuire if you didn’t know)

 

 

 

4: Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Moving away from evil mermaids, we’ve got zombies! I really like zombie stories, I find them fun and this one sounds great. It centres a black teenager who goes to a school were they are trained to kill zombies and I just think this premise sounds great. I have an ARC of this I STILL have not read!

 

 

 

5: Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab

My girl hits the list for the second time. This is the sequel to This Savage Song which is .. LITERALLY .. all about monsters! In this world violent acts creates monsters and the type of act determines the type of monster it creates. Book one was super exciting and action packed, and I tend to love Schwab series endings so I’m HOPING

 

 

Those are my five books for today! I hope people enjoyed this post even though it’s not the official TFW topic. I just really am struggling with these Halloween themed prompts sadly!  What books featuring monsters are on your TBR?

until next time

T5W but it’s Thursday: FAVOURITE MONSTERS

Well before we begin here lets smash out a quick apology – that being, as the title states, that this is Top 5 Wednesday posted on a Thursday. Essentially, I am a dummy who forgot to schedule this post for yesterday.  BUT, with that said I still have a post, however belated. Today’s topic is all about favourite MONSTERS.  This is a really interesting topic because I’ve never really actually thought about it. I guess monsters aren’t really something I hone in on much when reading? I then thought about whether I wanted to do this generally or book specific and I decided to go book/movie/show specific so that is what we’re doing.

Anyway, with this long ass intro all being said lets get into it

5: The Grievers from The Maze Runner

These are the FIRST things that came to my mind. God, I hate these monsters so heckin’ much. My feelings about the Maze Runner are … not great after all That came out about the author but regardless the Grievers (especially as they were portrayed in he movie) freaked me out. They basically resemble giant, messed up spider/scorpion hybrid and I HATE spiders and scorpions.

 

 

4: The Demogorgon/Demo Dogs from Stranger Things

THESE LITTLE SHITS. Everytime they’d appear in this show I’d get nervous. These were so consistently terrifying, in the first season because of the mystery and the second because of their sheer number and viciousness. Although there is a much large villain in season 2 the Demo Dogs still unsettled me a little bit more. Definitely because they seem to defy space and can appear when you least expect it which I HATE.

 

3: The Basilisk from Harry Potter

I know Top 5 Wednesday encourages people not to use Harry Potter but I literally HAD TO with this topic. The Basilisk as seen in The Chamber of Secrets is the singular most terrifying monster I ever had to witness. For YEARS I would not watch this movie/read this book because watching the Basilisk scene where it’s chasing Harry so severely scared me as a child. Even now I feel uneasy watching it because I still feel deeply scared about it. No no no on that giant snake.

 

2: The Nogitsune from Teen Wolf

Teen Wolf has a bunch of cool monsters but the Nogitsune from season 3B is by FAR my favourite. First of all, it’s a really interesting monster with an actual backstory which is nice, and it was really interesting that this is actually a real monster from Japanese mythology! The actual appearance this monster takes and the manifestation of it’s physical form is SO CREEPY. The way it speaks is terrifying and the fact it turn people bad is even more scary then just being bad itself. 3B will always be my favourite season of Teen Wolf because I loved the Nogitsune but I will say the Kanima comes in a close second.

 

1: Pennywise from It

THE ULTIMATE scary monster. I feel like a lot of people would think of this one but Pennywise is really That Bitch of monsters. I really hate that he’s kind of charismatic but also straight up evil underneath it, and his appearance as the clown is both horrific and fun. The juxtaposition of his bright appearance and persona with his evil disposition underneath it way too much. He’s just otherworldly scary and I don’t like it. Also, I think the 2017 version of It was way more scary for me in terms of portraying Pennywise than the original tv show was. Bill Skarsgard nailed it, especially that SMILE. Urgh, got the creeps just thinking about it.

That is it for this week! Once again my apologies for the last post here but better late than never! I would love to hear what monsters are your favourites?

until next time!

T5W: FAVOURITE VILLAINS

Welcome back to my blog everyone! Today’s Top 5 Wednesday is favourite villains and I found this surprisingly difficult. Turns out I don’t have many villains I love?

In all honesty I am ALL about the soft heroes and don’t have much time for villains. But to me a good villain is usually compelling character wise, and has some sort of moral fortitude that is played up to an extreme extent. I usually like villains who are doing bad things for what the “right” reasons. Despite that there’s a bit of a mix on my list here today of all different types of villains. Lets get into them.

1: Amy Dunne from Gone Girl

OH how I love Amy. She starts off as the victim but is revealed to be the villain and oh lord how I love her character. She really has this strong righteous core and her villainy comes from this place of complete frustration and disdain toward social conventions but at the same time she is just Such A Weirdo. She’s completely fucked but it’s also so easy to empathise with her. I love her character and think she is just so interesting.

 

2: Eli Cardale from Vicious 

Similar to Amy, Eli does all these evil, terrible things and it comes from this real righteous idea he has of good and evil and his role in that. He’s basically a religious zealot and I just really loved that he’s so clearly bad but considered himself such a saint and a martyr.

3: Sebastian Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments

Sebastian is one of my longest running favourite villains. I really like that he has this strong presence and is extremely charismatic, especially in the TV show, but it so fucking evil underneath it. I also LOVE that Cassandra Clare pulled the rug out from under us about his humanity, it was a nice final twist. Also, the twin mirrors themes of him and Jace being raised identical, one angelic and one demonic, and how ultimately it was their choices not their personality that made them who they are is EXTREMELY interesting I love that shit.

 

4: Kilgrave from Jessica Jones

Oooh, here’s a villain I liked because he’s just so straight up, flat out, no doubt, BAD. I mean, he doesn’t think he is but the audience always does. I think I just really loved how David Tennant played this character, it’s that typical British charismatic villain. He’s one of those really clever villains who keeps outsmarting the main character but you just want to see go down SO BADLY. I just love to hate him.

 

5: Mrs Coulter from His Dark Materials

Another original villain fave. This one goes back a long way but I didn’t really appreciate what a great villain she was until I got older. Mrs Coulter is a great villain because she’s so real, she basically represents adults who lie and manipulate kids for their own benefit and there are LOTS of them out there. She exudes that elegence and ‘adultness’ you innately think you should trust as a kid but you shouldn’t. Also, she thinks her moral upbringing and beliefs should trump over peoples personal freedoms and safety and I just .. there is a lot of Mrs Coulters around and they can be hard to spot, Lyra doesn’t realise until it’s too late and similarly, I never really realised until I was older too.

That is my list for today! Villains are apparently not my strong suit but I would love to hear which villains everyone else loves!

until next time

TFW: Favourite Magic Systems

Welcome back everyone! Top 5 Wednesday is back and this is a topic I love so much! We’re talking favourite magic systems today and I am thrilled since fantasy is my favourite genre and worldbuilding is one of my favourite parts of fantasy. It was so hard to narrow my list down today because there is a whole bunch of magic systems I love so I’m gonna do an honourable mention section at the end! Lets get into my top five.

1: The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K Jemisin

This series is one of the most unique fantasies I’ve ever read. The worldbuilding is so interesting and complex and honestly I’m still trying to completely understand it. Essentially, in this world the magic users are connected to the earth and can tap into reverberations and shakes in the earth to generate energy. It’s hard to explain and I’ve never read anything like it. In this world, the magic users are also the oppressed class which was an interesting and unusual dynamic for fantasy.

 

 

 

 

2: The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

This is another series with a really unique magic system. In this series, 12 different metals can be ingested to give people power and each metal gives a different power. Most people can control one metal but some people can control all 12 and they are called Mistborn. I really liked how well thought out this system was and how the magic system was heavily ingrained into the society, politics, culture and history of the world.

 

 

 

3: Avatar: The Last Airbender

I keep mentioning this series in Top 5 Wednesdays but it’s just so good it can’t NOT be talked about. Avatar has such a great magic system that is simultaneously simple and complex. In Avatar, people can be born with the power to bend one of the four elements: water, earth, fire and air. Every generation, one person called the Avatar is born who can bend all four elements. I love how the magic system is tied to tightly with the world and culture. I also love how this magic looks on screen, basing the magic in martial arts and the way the use of the elements is animated is so beautiful and this series will always be my favourite.

4: The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini

An oldie but a goodie! I’ve always loved the magic system here. Essentially, magic users can use spells to perform actions but doing the spell takes as much energy as performing the action physically would. So for example, if you throw a small rock it’d just cost a bit of energy but if you moved a mountain the amount of energy that costs would kill the magic user. I just found this system super interesting especially since it also involves DRAGONS.

 

 

 

5: The Poppy War by R.F Kuang

This one is a NEW favourite but I am literally in love with it and would die for Ms Kuang if she asked. This is a military fantasy with magic. The magic system is built around shamanism, some people can harness the power of the Gods, usually by taking a bunch of opium that allows them to communicate with them. They gain the abilities of the Gods but at the cost of losing their own sanity. The magic was super cool in this, extremely devastating and I liked that the Gods weren’t necessarily a force for evil. This book is so dark but if you’re up for it I highly highly recommend.

 

honourable mentions:

The Grisha Verse by Leigh Bardugo: Love the different classes of abilities and the connection of the abilities with morality and culture was really great

The Young Elites by Marie Lu: I loved the wide array of powers and how people’s powers align with their personalities

Shades of Magic by V.E Schwab: I love how the magic system is based around language and how heavily magic is embedded into the worldbuilding

Vicious by V.E Schwab: The whole premise of magic here, that people need to have a near death experience to gain powers and their powers will mimic that death – is extremely interesting. I also loved the blend of fantasy and academia.

That is all for this week! I’d love to know what your favourite magic systems in fantasy worlds are?

until next time!

T5W: Favourite covers

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Gingerreadslainey and is now hosted by Sam from Thoughts On Tomes. Topics can be found at the Top 5 Wednesday Goodreads Group

Welcome back! It’s Top 5 Wednesday again and this is a topic I’ve been really excited about. This week is all about our favourite covers and I’m so glad because I have so many favourites and I never get to talk about them. Also, I admit I totally judge a book by it’s cover. But I don’t think thats necessarily bad .. a cover is for promotional purposes right? Regardless, a good cover really sucks me in. I’ve added books to my TBR purely for the cover and I’m more likely to later purchase a book I liked with a cover I like. Anyway, that was a really long intro but I think covers are so cool, and artistic, and they excite me. A fair heads up this will be more than five books because if we’re doing a list lets do a LIST. .

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

This cover is so, so beautiful I’ll never get over it. The art of Emma and the water is just stunning. In real life, there is all this shine on the water and hair and it makes the cover even prettier. I think this is my favourite cover of all time I really love it so much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

I haven’t actually read this book but I adore it’s cover so fucking much. This is a retelling of Jane Eyre except it tells the story of the Mr Rochester’s wife. Anyway, I think this cover is so pretty. The blues and greens contrasted with the white is so aesthetically pleasing and I love the font choice too.

 

 

 

 

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

I think I just really love blue based covers because this is another of my favourites. The bottle with the city inside is so cute and I love the reflection of the pirate ship in the bottle underneath. Also, the city has so many details when you look at it up close which I appreciate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

I have adored this cover ever since it was first revealed. I just think it’s so pretty and I love the art of the boy so much. The flowers and how they’re mingled in with the font is so pleasing to look at and I seriously love how soft this is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Another Cassandra Clare mention but I have LOVED this cover since 2013. I think the colour scheme is so pretty, the soft pink blended with that intense orange really looks so nice. Also, I’ve always loved the shadow/wispy look of these covers. I also felt intensely gat over this cover when it came out because Tessa’s dress and the open shoulders? super overwhelming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

This is another cover I have loved for a long time. I think this cover is so unique. I love the sketch style and the contrast of the pink and blue. The white snow spots give this a really whimsical kind of feel and it’s just overall so calming to look at this cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

I love all the covers in this series so much. It was hard to choose between this one and the cover for the first book but in the end I went with this one. The space background and way the colours blending into eachother in the starry sky is so so pretty and I love the style with the small people at the bottom. Also, the font choice is top notch here. I seriously adore this series covers so much

 

 

 

 

 

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

This book is coming out in 2019 but I instantly fell in love with the cover when I saw it. The artwork is seriously beautiful and I love the colour scheme. This is such a creative cover and genuinely looks like an artwork rather than a book. I love the scale of the bird versus the scale of the woman and this cover has made me so ready for this book to come out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ignite Me by Teherah Mafi

This is another series where I love every cover but this one is probably my favourite. For some reason I love the eye designs so much and I really like this nature theme with this one. Also, I think it has the nicest colour scheme of them all. The vines and flowers crawling over the page are so pretty and I love how they blend into the eyelashes. The Restore Me cover is a close second favourite in this series.

 

 

 

 

And there you go, those are ten of my favourite covers! Obviously I have a lot more and it was hard to narrow it down but these really are the ones I think about a lot when I think about best covers. What covers are your favourite? Do you have a theme or style you really like? As you can see with me I tend to enjoy art based covers and ones in blue/green shades usually.

until next time!

T5W: Classics I wish had modern adaptations

Welcome back to another Top 5 Wednesday! This week is classics I wish had modern adaptations which is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT since most of the classics I’ve read have adaptations, and good ones too. So I cheated a little bit with this topic but all well, I do what I want. Lets get into it.

 

1: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Technically, this does have a modern adaptation that came out in 2008 but I don’t think it counts because it …. changed the plot of the book A LOT and was kind of a prequel to Dorian Gray in some ways? Anyway, I would love an adaptation of this that is just unapologetically gay, to be honest. I love this classic a lot and it’s ALL about aestheticism which means so much could be done with it. Dorian Gray (2008) is okay but I think they could have done so much more with it and I’d love to see something modern that is more in the style of Great Expectations 2011 BBC miniseries.

 

2: Passing by Nella Larsen

This is an INCREDIBLE (and extremely underrated) Harlem Renaissance piece by a biracial woman about passing (for both white and straight) during 1920s America and I LOVE IT .. but it’s never been adapted. It’d make SUCH a good movie, like, I would want them to play up the sapphicness a lot but even if they didn’t it’d still be good. This is a really, really clever and interesting book. It’d make such a thought-provoking film and the setting is highly underrepresented so it’d be really cool to see that translated on film. Most pieces and adaptations from this time (cough. Great Gatsby) focus on flappers and speakeasies but don’t look at Harlem and African-American communities and how they were experiencing modernity but they SHOULD because it’s so interesting!

 

3: Sula by Toni Morrison

Another one of my favourite classics. It has an adaptation but it’s just a short youtube film so I’m not counting that. This is such a powerful book but also just a simple coming of age story that centres this really strong black woman as the main character and I enjoyed reading it A LOT. Morrison has kind of a reputation as being inaccessible but Sula was so easy to read and had such excellent characters. I think it’d make a really cool film, especially because it’d get to explore the setting (aka. the town called Bottom on the top of the hill) and it’d just be great.

 

4: The Secret History by Donna Tartt

This is more of a modern classic but I’m counting it. I would LOVE to see this in film because it hits all my aesthetic points. To be honest, Dark Academia, as a genre, is what I live for and this is the PINNACLE. I know Tartt refuses to sell the rights but I think this could be such an artsy aesthetic film, kind of like Kill Your Darlings, and I know I would love it a lot. I think this book has such a great format and concept and it would literally translate PERFECTLY onto screen, it’s almost written cinematically. It has so much potential.

 

5: Hamlet by William Shakespeare 

This one might be cheating but I have this Very Specific Idea for a Hamlet adaptation I wanna see. Essentially, a Hamlet adaptation that focusses on Hamlet’s life before the events of Hamlet and is like .. kind of a prequel historical fiction? Essentially, I would LOVE an adaptation of Hamlet that treats Hamlet as if he’s a real historical figure and feels more like a historical movie than a dramatised tragedy. I just think that would be really cool. Hamlet is probably my favourite Shakespeare character beside maybe Lady Macbeth and I would just love a series that focusses on him as a prince ruling his kingdom.

Those are my picks for this week! This was such a great topic and it was fun to actually look into which of my favourite classics had adaptations because there was some I didn’t even know about (Like Wuthering Heights featuring Kaya Scodelario?)

until next time!