I’m a little sad that this week is a cover freebie because I. Am. Tired and fresh out of ideas right now. 😂 I thought I’d do illustrated covers but then realised that I had already done an illustrated cover post for the last TTT cover freebie… So then I thought about what covers I’ve been loving lately and thought I’d share some of my favourite contemporary romance covers from 2020. Looking at the covers below, it’s really easy to see what kind really catch my eye: they’re (mostly) illustrated, bright and colourful, and just gives an all around fun-loving impression!
Okay, so basically I did another illustrated covers post but for romances HAH…
And I know this is a cover trend I’ve heard people say is “overdone” and that they’re completely over it, but I’m still 100% living for it! LOL if physical copies of contemporary romances weren’t so pricey I would love to add all of these to my physical shelves, but *wistful sigh* as it is, I’ll have to be satisfied with having them in my digital library (for now!) 😉
So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is:Books for My Younger Self (these could be books you wish you had read as a child, books younger you could have really learned something from, books that meshed with your hobbies/interests, books that could have helped you go through events/changes in your life, etc.)
Over the last couple of days I’ve been thinking a lot about the middle grade fantasies that I’ve read and that I still really want to read, and these thoughts fit so well with this week’s prompt, so I was quite excited to dive right in. Then I realised that I actually have more MG reads on my TBR than ones I’ve read so this week I’ve split the post into read and unread books, but they’re all books that I think my younger middle-school self would’ve very much enjoyed reading!
So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is:Books that Make Me Hungry (They could have food items on the cover, foods in the title, be about foodies or have food as a main plot point… they could be cookbooks or memoirs, etc.)
Ooh, this is an interesting prompt and it’s one that I don’t think I’ve ever done for any of my weekly memes, so yay for something new! I’m a big foodie and can wax poetic about my favourite foods but I don’t think I’ve ever searched out a book because of food. Though I’ll admit that when there’s food on covers (especially if they’re bold/colourful illustrations/images) I’m much more likely to pause and read the blurb 😂
The books I chose aren’t 100% about food but they all made me hungry at some point, whether it’s craving something specific that a character eats or makes in the story, or other random dishes from the same cuisine. Just writing this out now and thinking about the scenes in the books I chose is actually making me quite hungry (and I’m now really looking forward to my next snack/meal) 😂
that secret crush – our hero is a chef who’s opening his own restaurant. he cooks for the girl he wants to woo. i was swooning and hungry while reading this book.
soudrough – yes, this book is about sourdough but it does go beyond that. the cravings for sourdough and delicious soup was so strong i think i ate this combo for a few days after i finished reading! so good.
wicked as you wish – the big scene with the filipino feast did me in. of the countries we’ve lived, we stayed in the philippines the longest (9 years) and for me, comfort food is synonymous to filipino food. the food scenes in this book are guaranteed to make you just as hungry as i am now!
pumpkinheads – this whole book was a big adventure through a pumpkin patch and it was chock full of delicious fall foods that had me literally drooling. i also blame the amazing artwork by faith for making the food look even MORE delicious. i swear i could taste and smell everything!
summer at swallowtail bay – there’s a lovely summer food fest in this book and reading about the various (food and drink) vendors really had me craving some of my favourite comfort foods from when i lived in the UK. Like pork pies, scotch eggs, bacon butties, pork baps with apple sauce… 😭
the ingredients of us – this was a bittersweet story that really tore at my heart. but the baking/food was a definite bright point of the story and well, it kind of made me want to eat my feelings 😂 i loved that recipes were included in this one!
the astonishing color of after – the descriptions of the food in taiwan were so drool worthy and made me incredibly hungry. i’m pretty sure that i ordered my favourite taiwanese street food snacks (thank goodness it’s a popular thing here) immediately after i finished bawling at the end of this book.
the particular sadness of lemon cake – yes this starts with cake and there are plenty of food mentions in the story but the lemon cake at the start got me. i love lemon everything!
the little wedding shop by the sea – this one had me craving the rich decadence of wedding cakes. the really fluffy, buttercream covered wedding cake goodness that i love.
harry potter – i know, i know… but i can’t not mention this book because the feasts! the feasts were mind-blowing. i still remember how awed and a lottle envious (and hungry) i felt about all the delicious foods that would pop up during the school feasts. just… UGH. i still want it! 😂
When I first looked at today’s prompt I was stumped and *almost* decided to pass up on doing this or choosing a different topic. Just the thought of meeting my favourite authors let alone getting the chance to ask them questions already has me tongue tied and honestly? I’m just really bad at coming up with good/smart questions 😂 So that was pressure on my little brain that I didn’t know if I could handle today… Until I decided that I would just think of ten random/silly questions, and so I did. I’m not going to be identifying my favourite authors below but as I was writing down these questions I did have these authors in mind: V.E. Schwab, Neil Gaiman, Jay Kristoff/Amy Kaufman, Leigh Bardugo, and Laini Taylor. It goes without saying that these are just some of my favourites (in random order). Now without further ado…
How much time do you usually spend on research while writing a book?
Do you have any weird/quirky superstitions or rituals that are part of your writing process?
What’s one of your favourite quotes from one of your books?
What’s the funniest/weirdest/coolest moment that struck as inspiration for one of your books?
Do you have a favourite out of the books you’ve written (for sentimental or any other reason)?
Do you write with music or shows/movies on? If yes, what is your favourite band/show/movie to listen to?
If you could see one of your books be adapted into a series/movie which would you pick?
What are three of your favourite tropes to read or write about?
Would you survive living in the world(s) in your book(s)?
Can you describe your most popular book in the most boring way you can think of?
I always see a lot of people commenting about how they always think about what books should be made into shows or movies but I actually don’t ever think about it? Well, not never but not often and usually not until I’m asked! 😂 But once I started thinking about it I realised there are quite a few I’d love to see as either. Although whether I’d actually watch them or not would be a totally different thing because just like with all the books waiting to be read on my physical/digital shelves (look at me calling myself out), I have a long as list of shows/movies that need to be watched, too. I mean, eventually… Right? 😅
Sadie: I think this would be such an awesome show! Especially with the podcast and mystery elements plus the different timelines and perspectives. I would love to see it come to life on the screen!
The Kiss Quotient + The Bride Test: I can actually see this playing out as a really awesome show where the romances are playing out around the same time and it makes my little Asian heart so happy! Pls can has this in life?
The Lunar Chronicles: This would be such a fun high-stakes adventure sci-fi show. I could see it all happening as one big show like GoT and it would be awesome 😍
One of Us is Lying: This was a fun mystery/thriller that was set in high school and gave me some serious Breakfast Club + How to Get Away with Murder vibes. I think it’d be a great show or movie!
Neverwhere: This is my favourite Gaiman book and American Gods comes in a close second. I haven’t seen the American Gods show yet but I’d love for this one to also be made into a show!
We Were Liars: This is a book that has really mixed reviews and although I actually (somehow) predicted what was actually happening with our MC, it still managed to emotionally shake me. I really think this would make a great short show!
The Simple Wild: I loved this book so much. I want to experience the Alaska that they do and I would love lovelove to see Calla and Jonah (*swoon*), their banter and love come to life!
Red, White and Royal Blue: I came through with the unpopular opinion for this book because while I did enjoy it, I didn’t love it as much as everyone else did. That said, I think it’d be a really awesome show and I could definitely see it being a huge hit!
The Flatshare: I absolutely loved the fuzzy feelings this book gave me and I think it would do as good a job as a movie. Just think how cute and sweet it would be seeing these two lovelies on screen 🥰
Daisy Jones and the Six: This is cheating a bit because it’s already being made into a movie (not by Netflix) but I’m so excited for it, it can’t not be on this list 😂 I think I want this to happen mostly so I can finally hear the music.
So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: books I loved but never reviewed.
Well, this is probably one of the easiest prompts for me because prior to the tail end of 2018 I never really wrote reviews for the books that I read (whether I loved or hated them) but I did (mostly) leave star ratings on Goodreads! Actually, I realise that plenty of the books that I rave about on my blog are books that I read pre-blogging/reviewing and I’m finding that a little frustrating because I know I loved these books but also my memory is horrible…But I digress!
So I’ve gone on Goodreads and taken a look at all the books I’ve rated five stars and randomly chose ten of them (in no discernible order). Although I’m not much of a re-reader except for some ‘staples’ (like Austen), I’m very tempted to read some of these again just so I can write reviews for them because they definitely deserve it!
So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: books with colours in the title.
I thought this prompt would be super easy but it turns out I was very wrong 😅 I wrote it while staring at the books on my shelf and I couldn’t see one read title that had a colour in it, and only one book title immediately came to mind for the prompt. Even digging deeper into my Goodreads read list didn’t give me as many results as I’d hoped to find! So to make it easier for myself, I’m going to split this list into read and to be read books with colours in the title because it turns out I’ve got a lot more on my ‘to-be-read’ list (*surprise surprise*) 😂
READ
Words in Deep Blue – absolutely crushed my feels & one of my 2020 faves so far! Spinning Silver – loved Novik’s magical writing and this unique retelling Scarlet – the second book in one of my all favourite YA SFF fairytale retellings 😍 The Golden Compass – a dark and fantastical adventure full of magic and wonder that i really enjoyed! Red Queen – this first book was a total winner for me, but sadly the sequels were not!
TO-BE-READ
Jade City – definitely finishing it this year! Gods of Jade and Shadow – hoping to read it this year coz i’ve only heard amazing things! The Black Kids – just started this last night. it’s giving me a whole mix of feels… The City of Brass – shame on me that this is still on my TBR pile! i need to get on it asap! The Green Mile – the movie wrecked me but have always wanted to read the book too!
So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: authors I’ve read the most books by.
This week’s topic is pretty straightforward and although it should be easy I have to admit I was a little stumped to figure out who I’ve read the most books by. I have to admit that I don’t actually know the number of books that I’ve read for each author and I’m also really tired right now so I don’t have the energy to look it up (I’m so lame, I’m sorry, friends!), and so I’m ballparking it here… I’m also keeping this short since this week has already felt like the past three months combined and is it really only Tuesday? 🙃 Welp.
Jodi Picoult and Nora Roberts really take the top spots for this because I used to devour their books starting from high school and when I picked up reading again after I finished uni. I’ve also read almost all of Michael Crichton’s books after I discovered a bunch of his books in the secondhand bookstore when I moved to Cambodia and started reading again (the same time as Roberts’ books actually which were also found in abundance at the secondhand store)!
I’ve read about half of V.E. Schwab’s books including some of her earlier works (The Archived series) but I’m still planning to read her latest middle grade books eventually… If I can work up the courage to since it’s all ghost-y and stuff!
Pretty sure that when it comes to romances I’ve binged a large number of Mariana Zapata and Christina Lauren (including their much earlier and quite smutty romances back in the day)! 😂 I love these three authors so much and they’re always my go-to recs.
I realise that I’ve actually read all of Leigh Bardugo’s books, save for her latest two releases. I read her series years ago before knowing that such a huge book community existed online and that the books had such huge followings lol. Same goes for Laini Taylor! All I have to finish now is Muse of Nightmares… *cough*
Then of course there are my more ‘recent’ favourites: Jay Kristoff (& Amie Kaufman) andNeil Gaiman! I still have a lot of Gaiman to read although I’ve already read a fair few of his books. Of course I can’t wait to read more of Kristoff and Kaufman, too!
So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: most anticipated releases for the second half of 2020.
Well… Considering I have 100+ books marked as 2020 releases, it was definitely… “fun” narrowing it down to just ten for today’s list 🤣 Yes, we should all already be aware of the fact that I have a very problematic relationship with that ‘want-to-read’ button on Goodreads–it’s all too easy to click! Adding books to my already endless TBR only ever became a problem when I joined the book community and I really don’t foresee this problem going away any time soon (unfortunately for my TBR and savings)! Obviously this list of ten is a smol peek at the books I’m looking forward to getting my grabby hand son, but they are the ones that came to mind first. I’m so excited for some of these I can’t even! Also, I tried to mention books that haven’t made an appearance in my more recent posts (even though I’m definitely still very excited for them–especially Cemetery Boys and Cinderella is Dead!)
So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: Top Ten Tuesday Turns 10! Option 1: pick a past TTT topic you’ve done and re-do/update it (Perhaps you’d remove certain books you put on the list back when you first wrote it, or perhaps you have 10 MORE books you’d add to that list now. You could also re-visit TBR posts, whether seasonal or series you need to finish, etc., and tell us if you’ve read them yet or not. Any variation of this idea works. Feel free to be creative.) Option 2: pick a past TTT topic you wish you’d done, but didn’t get a chance to do (the list of topics is below).
Happy Birthday, TTT! What an incredible feat to have such a successful weekly meme that has been running for 10 years with over 500 topics. Very inspiring 🥰 I remember the first time I came across a TTT post and thought wow, I wanna join in the fun! It was in the ‘early days’ of my blogging journey and I remember questioning whether I would even be allowed to do the TTT posts because I was a total noob! Then I remember writing it in March and saying that I suck at making lists (and that’s still very true) and because of that I thought I might not do TTTs regularly. Well, more than one year later and I’ve only missed a small handful of topics and it has quickly become my favourite weekly meme. I’m so glad that I didn’t let my noob fears stop me from doing it and I’ve discovered so many new blogs/blogging friends through it. It has been an awesome experience being part of an amazing community and I hope to continue with it every week for as long as this blog is alive 💜💙💜
For this week’s topic I decided to go with a slightly tweaked version of option one and share with you a list of ten of the TTTs that I’ve done including the very first one. I might include updated notes or comments on some of these but not all because (let’s be real) I’m lazy AF and some of them might not need any changing/updating!
So without further ado, let’s take that stroll down Top10 (memory) lane!
