Beauty and the Beast Tag

Beauty and the Beast is, hands down, my favorite Disney movie and has been ever since I saw it as a child. I relate to Belle a lot, wanting to move away from her small town and see the world, not to mention her being a bookworm. When I discovered there was a book tag, I thought I'd do it so there'd be one bright spot today as this post will be live on Black Friday in the US.

I saw this tag originally on The Bibliophile Girl written by Kirsty. The creator of this tag is another blogger, also called Kirsty,  and she writes at Kirsty and the Cat Read. 

‘Tale as Old as Time’

A popular theme, trope or setting you will never get bored of reading.

It's overused, I know, but I don't mind so much the trope of the Chosen One. As long as it's done well, I mean, it's still an exciting device to use and has been for hundreds of years. You've got the classic Greek heroes to more modern examples like Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, and countless young adult heroines.

'Belle'

A book you bought for its beautiful cover that’s just as beautiful inside too.

All of Brian Selznick's books are beautiful, but this was my first. The cover is beautiful, especially with the clockwork detail beneath the title, but it's defining beauty is when you look between the covers. It's a combination of the written word and the illustrations within telling the story of an orphan boy living in a Paris train station, keeping all of the clocks working, that make the magic come to life.

'Beast'

A book you didn’t expect much from but pleasantly surprised you

I received this book as a part of my OwlCrate subscription last year and only got around to reading it this year. At the time that I received it, I think that I looked at it and thought that it wasn't something I would have picked up myself, so I wasn't sure what I was going to think about it.

I was very happy when I did finally read it because it turned out to be a four star read and one of my favorite reads of the year. There was a lot of emotion in it and the plot twist near the end was so heartbreaking that I actually found myself in tears. While that doesn't sound like a good thing, it really is and I'm hoping to share it with as many people as possible now.

'Gaston'

A book everyone loves but you don’t

I see this graphic novel get recommended a lot and I know it is well liked. My husband has read the first few volumes and likes it a lot. I read the first volume but I just could not get into it. The art is done nicely enough, but the story felt sluggish and boring.

'Lefou'

A loyal sidekick you can’t help but love more than their counterpart

Samwise Gamgee never got near enough credit in Lord of the Rings. He carries Frodo through most of the journey, emotionally, figuratively, literally at the end. He's a supportive figure and does what he can for Frodo, even when he sees Frodo veering toward a dark place (i.e. when Smeagol shows up).

'Mrs. Potts, Chip, Lumiér, and Cogsworth'

 A book that helped you through a difficult time or that taught you something valuable

The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati taught me something valuable, in that it is possible for fiction to get a mental illness portrayal correct for once. A lot of the time the author either gets the facts completely wrong or over exaggerates a facet of the illness to the point of absurdity and offense. Ms. Fortunati, while writing about a difficult topic (bipolar disorder), showed me that she cared and that there was someone out there was strove to get it right.

‘Something There’

A book or a series that you weren’t into at first but picked up towards the end

The first time I tried to read A Series of Unfortunate Events I remember disliking it a great deal, but I tried again this year and have so far been enjoying each volume more than the next. I think the humor was lost on me as a child. I've gotten a bit more expansive as I've gotten older in terms of what I find funny. Dry humor is much more pleasing to me, for example, so bring on the rest of the Unfortunate Events.

‘Be Our Guest’ 

A fictional character you’d love to have over for dinner.

There are so many to choose from, but the first one that comes to mind is Albus Dumbledore at Christmas Dinner. Any time I read about him at Christmas Dinner with the Hogwarts students, he always sounded like a fun person. There were times when he was at the head table, but in Year Three he sat at the small table with everyone and made them all feel welcome. For all the problems I had with him regarding Harry over the years, he does know how to treat his guests at the holidays.

All pictures, quotes, and videos belong to their respective owners. I use them here solely for the purpose of review and commentary.

Stranger Things Book Tag

When I first saw this show being advertised on Netflix, I wasn't sure if I would watch it. I love supernatural type shows, but I am not the biggest fan of Winona Ryder. I had one afternoon where I wasn't sure what to watch, so I decided to give Stranger Things a shot and whoa! I'm glad I did because it wasn't just supernatural. It was dark and interesting and mind bending. I'm just sad there's only one season at the moment!

While I'm waiting for season two, why not reflect on the show by comparing key aspects of it to my favorite thing, books? I saw this tag originally done by Ava at Bookishness and Tea and I want to thank her for doing it so well. 

The Vanishing of Will Byers

The First Book in a Series That Left You Intrigued and Slightly Confused

I think this is one of the first book in my recent trend with books that has characters that are villains or anti-heroes that I like more than I would have in the past. The Darkling, for example, starts out as something of a good person, or at least you're lead to believe he is. By the end, though, perceptions have changed and you aren't sure what's happened, only that what you believed clearly is either wrong or is warped.

I haven't read the rest of the series yet, but I'm curious to see how this turns out. His development especially is confusing because I'm not sure how I'm meant to view him.

The Upside Down

A Book With a Setting You Would Never Want to Live In

Westeros has some great stories in it (three cheers for Daenerys!) but I would never want to live there. I'm sure there are some beautiful landscapes and the architecture in some of the cities is gorgeous in the show, but the politics would make my existence there a terrible thing. I don't have the stomach for political intrigue and if you don't play that game here, you're soon a dead man. This is all besides the fact that the medical technology is obviously medieval, so I'd probably die sooner than necessary anyway.

Eleven

A Book You Own That Is Somewhat Damaged, But Loved to Pieces

I found an old copy of Sherlock Holmes stories at a garage sale years ago and it was the most complete edition I've ever seen. Have you ever noticed how volumes these days will say "complete" but will actually be volume one of however many? Well, this was a hardbound edition and it was the real deal. It's too old to have a ISBN, so the above picture will have to to, but it's been well loved since I got it. The binding is a bit fragmented at this point and coming away from the paper, so it stays shelved now until I can find a professional book mender to bring it back to life.

Mike, Lucas, and Dustin

A Trilogy You Always Go to Whenever You Need a Pick-Me-Up

This one is sort of true, sort of not? When I need a pick-me-up I do turn to Lord of the Rings, but it's because I want to try and actually finish the book rather than because I've actually finished it and want to reread it. I love the movies and have watched them dozens of times, but it's been difficult for me to actually finish the book because it's so long. I know it's also not really a trilogy, though it is traditionally published as a three volume set, so does this count really? Sure, why not? All hail Sam, the true hero of the book!

The Demogorgon 

A Book With a Terrifying Beast You Wouldn't Want to Face in a Dark Alley

There are a lot of monsters that show up in this series, but the zombies are the scariest ones I've ever come across. They aren't glamorized at all. They barely retain their humanity, regardless of what people want the animators to do with them, and  they start to rot rather quickly, so they're disgusting as well as inhuman.

Dr. Brenner

A Book With a Villain Who is Both Manipulative and Dedicated

The systematic emotional abuse that takes place within this novel is amazing. It's unbelievable that Josephine is able to get away with this and it makes me fear for my interactions with people because if there are people out there that can deceive so well, what hope is there for those of us that must interact with them, never mind the poor souls that live with them?

Nancy Wheeler

A Book You Didn't Expect to Love

When I first read the description for this, I thought it would be entirely  too cheesy for me, too lovey dovey. I am so glad that I not only read this book, but also the two companion novels that followed. I didn't like them as much as I did this one, but if I hadn't started with this one, I wouldn't have gotten to any of them.

Anna and the French Kiss ended up being a lot of fun. Anna was the airhead I thought she would be and Etienne wasn't the typical overheated YA hero. Their story was a fun contemporary read.

Hawkins, Indiana

A Book With a Setting That's Just a Little Bit Strange

This is probably a bit more than a little bit strange, but it's my favorite recent strange setting. Things sound like they're going "normally" for a minute, then one thing changes just enough to start the snowball rolling downhill towards weird. The main character, for example, is blanched of color. The whole world depends on color in an extreme way. Their day to day activities are...odd, to say the least. It's a weirdness that rivals Wonderland and Narnia. It's a jumble of crazy that's fun for a weekend read.







All pictures, quotes, and videos belong to their respective owners. I use them here solely for the purpose of review and commentary.

Halloween Book Tag

It's almost Halloween and what better tag to do the Friday before than the Halloween Book Tag? This tag was created by Naomi the Book Lover (Happy Birthday to her - lucky to have a birthday on Halloween!), but I saw this tag on Jesse the Reader's channel. Check out both videos because they've both got some great books as the answers.

Carving Pumpkins:

What book would you carve up and light on fire?

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews had a lot of buzz going for it around the time I picked it up. It sounded like something I would've liked regardless, so I bought a paperback copy and started reading. I kept reading even though all the signs were there that it was not going to be a good read; I was hoping it would get better. Spoiler alert: it didn't. It was a horrible book. Nothing f'ing happened, the characters were a disappointment, and I wouldn't mind carving this one up for the Halloween pyre.

Trick or Treat:

What character is a treat, what character is a trick?

Treat: Iko from Cinder by Marissa Meyer is definitely a treat for me. She's always got a quip ready and I can't think of a time when she's down (I haven't finished the series quite yet).

Trick: The Darkling in Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo was a trick of the highest order. Okay, maybe some people saw his betrayal coming, but I was really hoping for it not to be true. Up until the last quarter of the book, really, I was hoping that things would turn out to be a horrible misunderstanding, his mother would be a terrible liar, something like that. Nope, he's just a jerk who wants to murder and take over the world. Damn it.

Candy Corn:

What book is always sweet?

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya is always good for a sweet time. Sure there are a few tough time to get through, issues that need to be discussed, but overall there's a lot that makes up for that stuff.

Ghost:

What character would you love to visit you as a ghost?

Marco and Celia from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern are interesting magicians. One was born with an enormous amount of talent, one was taught magic. Through their trials they end up creating something amazing, fall in love, but also die (sort of?). I'd love to visit with them as ghosts because hopefully they'd be in a teaching mood and could pass on some of what they learned in their short lives.

Dressing Up in Costume:

What character would you want to be for a day?

Lada Dragwyla from And I Darken by Kiersten White might be a bit much for some people, but if I'm only going to be this character for a day, it might as well be someone that's the complete opposite of my personality. Lada's so strong, so forceful; she doesn't take any crap from anyone and that's awesome.

Wizards and Witches:

What is your favorite Harry Potter moment?

I don't know that I'd say there's one specific moment in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling that's my favorite, even though it is my favorite book, it's more a couple things that happen. While Harry has been accepted by this point as an honorary Weasley, this is the first book when he meets members of what would have been his family had his parents lived: his uncles Remus and Sirius. He doesn't get much time with either of them when he has this knowledge, and in fact spends most of the book thinking Sirius is a murderer, but it's still a monumental occasion in the series.

Blood and Gore:

What book was so creepy that you had to take a break from it for awhile?

Misery by Stephen King isn't really bloody or gorey except for a couple of scenes, but it had a spectacular creep factor that made it difficult to read it in one straight shot. I'd get this weird feeling in my stomach or goosebumps like something was watching me out of the corner of my eye. That's when I knew it was time for a happy read for awhile.

All pictures, quotes, and videos belong to their respective owners. I use them here solely for the purpose of review and commentary.

TAG: The Netflix and Books Tag

Wandering around the Internet one Sunday night I found this tag had been done by Kendra at Reads and Treats. I was binge watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix at the time, so I thought why not finally do this tag?

It was originally conceived by Christy at Novel Ink and Lauren at Bookmark Lit.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Unlikable Characters

This book had such a unlikable main character that I couldn't even finish it. She was foolish and careless and didn't have any respect for the people closest to her that were trying to protect her from making the same mistake twice.  There was a lot of eye rolling and hair tugging on my part.

Vampire Diaries: Your Ship Sank or Didn't Happen

Celaena Sardothien and Dorian Havilliard. There were a couple of choices for Celaena in this book and Dorian felt like the right one, but she rejected him because she wants to protect him from the king, which I get but it still stinks. This is only the first book in the series and there are at least five more books to go, so there's always the chance that things will work out, but for now that ship has a smoldering fire aboard and is slowly sinking into the dark, dark ocean.

Friends: Best Cast of Characters/Friendships

It all starts in The Shop on Blossom Street when the main cast of characters meet and start to become the best of friends. It's really the foundation of the whole series. You learn their backstories, their weaknesses early on, and then as more books come out you realize that while more characters might be introduced, they're there to become a part of this circle of friends rather than to separate them.

Gossip Girl: Hate That You Love or Guilty Pleasure

This series is definitely a guilty pleasure. I hadn't really thought of it that way until I thought about the fact that I find myself defending my reading of it when the subject comes up. It may not be my favorite series ever, but I do like it and I think I might even reread it soon.

Doctor Who: Long Series You Loved

This series is so long that I still haven't finished it. It has twenty-nine published volumes and a thirtieth that was meant to come out in 2008 but was postponed and then put on hold indefinitely after the author's death in 2011.

It's a mystery series about a journalist who solves crimes with a little help from a pair of Siamese cats, Koko and YumYum.

Grey’s Anatomy: All the Feels

The Raven Boys has a couple of those moments where no matter how bad you think you know the next page might be, your heart really isn't ready for it. You read it, expecting tears, but then they don't come, just the soul aching wrench as one or more of your favorite characters gets into a fix or a plot twist is revealed.

How I Met Your Mother: Bad Ending

I'm still sore about this book. Nothing freaking happened in the end. I mean, literally. Nothing of any importance, nothing that was alluded to either in the description or  throughout the narrative, FREAKING happened. It was like the plot got cut off with a hideous pair of shears and someone typed up a hurried conclusion.

Supernatural: Favorite Paranormal/Fantasy

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was one of the earliest stories I ever remember hearing. It left such a profound impact on me that for years I would check closets, just in case, since I don't think I've ever been in a house with a proper wardrobe. To this day it makes me more than a little sad that I haven't found a doorway like Lucy did, leading to a land of adventure, even if that adventure did start out a bit dark at first.

Freaks & Geeks: Left You Wanting More

The story takes place over a couple of hours and I was left with a few questions or at least a few curiosities. I mean, the main character is in kind of a shitty situation with a girlfriend he's not really in love with pregnant with his kid; he's half in love with a soon to be former co-worker. I wish I could've found out for sure what happened to everyone after their last night.

The OC: Series That Should've Ended Earlier

I liked The Selection and gave it four stars, but The Elite was barely a three star read for me. I have a feeling that that book was completely unnecessary and this series is going on for much longer than it needs to. Why not just combine The Elite and The One? That would've made things much better, though I suppose it wouldn't have made quite as much money.

Girl Meets World: Should Have a Spin-off

I could really go for a spin-off book for this one, something about the origins of the Hempstock family. I know there are a few clues and whatnot in this book, but I want something more indepth that really gets into the hinted at mythos behind Lettie and her mother and grandmother.

That 70’s Show: Set in a Different Time Period

This was one of my favorite series when I was a teenager. It's about a sixteen year old girl, Annie, who idealizes what life was like in the 1800s. She finds out, one day, exactly what it's like when she accidentally slips through time and ends up in her hometown, only it isn't 1995 anymore: it's 1895. She copes decently well with this, considering her study of etiquette and fascination with how things were done, but there's still a lot of danger for a girl who is out of her own time. Both Sides of Time is the first book of in a series of four.

Orange is the New Black: Couldn’t Stop Reading

This had a lot of weirdness going on that brought up a lot of questions that I needed answered before I could put it down. I think I only did so a handful of times because the story just begs for you to finish it as soon as possible. There's a dakr and sinister edge to the quest of the main character that will leave you with an uneasy feeling until you know what fate awaits her.

Parks and Recreation: Made You Laugh Out Loud

Jim Butcher certainly has a way with words and Harry Dresden is the perfect mouth piece for his wit. This is the beginning of the Dresden Files and I often find myself quoting the book aloud, laughing as I do so, to my husband and refusing to share the book until I'm done.

One Tree Hill: Favorite Book Boyfriend

This one feels like a bit of an old fashioned choice, but Carl Brown from Joy in the Morning is an amazing man. He's dedicated to his profession, but would do anything for his girlfriend then wife Annie. He supports her in her dreams, even if they're not necessarily the norm for women of the day. Plus, he works himself to the bone to support his family, even when giving up would be so much easier. He's a good man, that Carl Brown.

Breaking Bad: Favorite Villain

I spent the second half of the book, after the big revelation that the Darkling was actually a bad guy, hoping and praying that he wasn't actually and that something would turn out to be a lie. Since that didn't happen, though, I'm now content to read the rest of the series with him as my favorite villain. He's charming and intelligent, like a Russian version of Loki of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Modern Family: Best Family or Parents

The Weasleys are the ultimate family. I have never read of a family that was more welcoming and accepting of someone that wasn't related to them. Molly Weasley does her best for her children and will help any of her children's friends out, no questions asked, just because they are important to her kids. That kind of acceptance is beautiful.







All pictures, quotes, and videos belong to their respective owners. I use them here solely for the purpose of review and commentary.

TAG: Would You Rather?

For my tag today I decided to tackle the Would You Rather tag. Amber over at Only True Magic did her own version and tagged anyone that hadn't yet done it, so here I am. Be sure to stop by and check her version of it out here.

You would think that question with only two options would be easy to answer, wouldn't you? No! They aren't! Every time I thought I had this down, my mind found another way to skew the question and then it went off on that tangent until I was finally about to figure out a coherent way to tell you all what my answer was. Let's see what I managed to figure out, eh?

1. Rather read only a series or stand-alone books?

If I could be guaranteed that the standalone would have all loose ends tied up by the end, then I would choose standalones. The longer that a series goes on, the more chances to has to have dud books, especially book two in a trilogy. I'd rather avoid that and have, say, a 900 page monstrosity in one go.

2. Rather read a book whose main character is male or female?

I'd choose to read female main characters because at least that voice would be more similar to the one in my head.

3. Rather shop only at Barnes & Noble (or other actual bookstore) or Amazon?

For the pure thrill of being able to pick up books and look through them, feel them, check out what they look like under their dust jackets, I would have to choose physical bookstore, especially used bookstores because they tend to be really cool treasure troves. 

For the sake of my wallet and the fact that they give me the ability to buy more books, I'd have to go with Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Saving $6 off a new hardcover really adds up.

4. Rather all books become movies or tv shows?

Television series. Given the right channel or online network, a book could be transformed into a true epic and on tv (or Netflix, Hulu, etc.) they'd have the time to get into all the side stories, character arcs, etc., that we love in a book rather than glossing over them or ignoring them completely. 

5. Rather read 5 pages per day or read 5 books per week?

5 books a week sounds great in theory, but I think that would be too many stories to cram into my poor little head week after week. I'd start forgetting the details about them and that would be sad. 5 pages a day would give me more time to think about what I read and it would build up anticipation for the next day.

6. Rather be a professional book reviewer or an author?

I wanted to be an author when I was younger. In high school I would sit in class and start story after story when I was supposed to be taking notes. However, after college and even after majoring in Creative Writing, I don't think that I have what it takes anymore. Maybe someday that will change, but for now I think I would be much happier writing about the book I enjoyed, and even the ones I didn't, if it meant I could help people on their way to finding books that they, in turn, could enjoy.

7. Rather only read the same 20 books over and over or get to read a new book every 6 months?

I tend to re-read a lot and am perfectly content with that. Even with stacks upon stacks of new books to read I tend to go back to the old favorites, so I'd pick that option: the same 20 books over and over. Harry Potter, of course, is going to take up most of that list, but what would the other 13 be I wonder?

8. Rather be a librarian or own a book store?

Definitely a librarian. I've never been one, so I'm sure there are plenty of inner problems that I have no idea about (budget meetings, etc.), but after having worked in a bookstore and having had the pressure of trying to sell membership cards and magazine subscriptions, I think that a library atmosphere would be more up my alley.

9. Rather only read your favorite genre or your favorite author?

I think I would rather stick with my favorite author. It would be hard to choose one, but I think I know who it is and she's got a fairly decent sized library of work so I would be set for awhile, not to mention that the genres she writes are diverse enough that I wouldn't be stuck reading the same thing over and over again.

10. Rather only read physical books or eBooks?

Physical books just feel better, plus I do feel some eye strain when reading eBooks that I don't get when I read physical books. There's just something about holding the book and seeing how much you've got left to read, holding the heft of a huge book in hand, and knowing you've got a backpack full of potential reads that could take out a mugger in needed that makes physical books the obvious choice. :)

These were fun to answer, really, in the end. If you haven't done this tag yet I strongly encourage you to. Leave your link in the comments so I can see what your choices were.

TAG: Pokemon GO! Book Tag

This tag was created by Aentee from Read at Midnight, though I found this tag via Jess from Princessica of Books. Both bloggers are fun to read, especially this tag post. Please have a look.

I'm an old school Pokemon fan. I grew up with the anime, watched every episode of the original series, etc. I wanted to have the games when they first came out, but at the time I didn't have a GameBoy. Now, though, I'm old enough to enjoy the fandom at will and I have been having a lot of fun searching out Pokemon in the real world with Pokemon Go.

When I saw that Jess had done this tag, I had to read her post and then I decided that I just had to do this tag myself! The questions are cute and a good sidekick to the game (which, if you haven't tried yet, please do!). 

Starters: The Book That Started Your Love of Reading

I don't have that great of a memory, especially if we are talking about ten to twenty years, but I think that it had to have either been Anne of Green Gables or A Wrinkle in Time. I remember reading both when I was young and loving them a lot. We were supposed to read A Wrinkle in Time in class that year, but I couldn't wait and read ahead while the others read their chapters aloud. It was that good!

Pikachu: An Iconic Classic You'll Always Love

There are so many to choose from. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn has been a favorite of mine for some time now. I re-read it several times a year, even. Harry Potter, of course, but is it a classic yet? Yeah, just answered my own question there. *lol* Harry Potter will never get old. There's something new, some new way to think, every time I go back to read it. I don't think that'll ever stop being amazing to me.

Zubat:  A Book You Lost Interest In Because It's Literally Everywhere

I hate to say it, but the Divergent series has become more of a chore to think about reading than something I really want to finish. It was overhyped when it first came out, but I thought I would give it a try anyway. The first book, or at least the first half of it, is pretty good, but then I got spoiled for the ending of Allegiant because everyone was talking about it. After that, I got kind of bored with it. There didn't seem to be a lot of reason to push through the slow bits when I knew where it was all going.

Ditto: A Book That Reminds You of Other Books (Tropes) But You Still Love Anyway

Red Queen was a book that a lot of people told me was incredibly similar to other YA books, but I wanted to give it a chance anyway. I'm happy that I did. It does, admittedly, have all the things I was warned about, but it still had enough of it's own energy to make me like it.

Snorlax: A Book/Series You Have Not Started Because of Sheer Size

I can't think of a series that I haven't read any of, but there are a few I have picked up a volume in the series, read a couple chapters, then realized how enormous the undertaking is and backed off for awhile in favor of something else, the Discworld series chief among them.

Gengar: A Book That Kept You Up At Night

Creed by Trisha Leaver was a spooky one. It was like the novelization of a horror movie. I don't recall liking it very much in the end, but the reading of it up to a point was nerve wracking, especially when I started reading it around midnight.

Nidoking/Nidoqueen: Your Bookish OTP

I don't think I have as strong feelings as some towards certain couples. There are a few I like that may or may not be canon: Hermione/Viktor for one; Ronan/Adam; Celaena/Dorian. 

Rapidash: A Fire Hot, Fast Paced Read

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris was a real hot read and I think it was for two reasons. The first is because I went into it knowing that there were bad things afoot instead of thinking things were okay at first and finding to the contrary 50 pages in. The second is that I picked this book up while I was working and I had to shelve it, but having peeked at the first page while doing so I was hooked! Once I finally sat down to read it I was done in a matter of a day or two.

Eevee: Series You'll Never Get Tired of Seeing Spin-offs For 

My first answer feels like it should automatically be Harry Potter, but I was badly burned by Cursed Child, so I think anymore books in the HP series will have me very hesitant. 

Besides that, I don't think I could ever be tired of Percy Jackson books. I've only read two of them so far, but Rick Riordan has a writing style that doesn't seem to be waning any time soon.

Magikarp: A Book/Series That Was Surprisingly Awesome

Genshiken is a manga series that bored me at first, but I decided to give the rest of the series a chance. I reread the first book and continued onward, finding it to be much better the second time around. The series got a lot better. The first read might have just occurred at a bad time for me. I'm glad I went on with it because there's a lot of fandom culture regarding cosplay, anime, and video games discussed in later volumes.

Legendary: An Overhyped Series You're Still Excited to Read

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater is an overhyped series that I really need to get around to reading. I keep meaning to, but I misplaced my copy of The Raven Boys so that binge is on hold for a bit.

Mew & Mewtwo: A Collector's Edition You Wish You Owned

I went to Books of Wonder for the first time earlier this year and saw a signed first edition of Prisoner of Azkaban. That is my favorite Harry Potter book and I would love to have that. I think it was something like $400, though. :(

Poke-Egg: A Debut Novel You're Very Excited For

You Don't Me But I Know You by Rebecca Barrow sounds particularly interesting. It sounds like it could be really sad, but there's a lot of potential for hope, so maybe it will work out in the end? I'll have to wait until next year to find out, sadly, but I'll be sure to keep a sharp eye out for an ARC. :)

Lure Module: An Auto-Buy Author

Neil Gaiman. It doesn't matter what genre it is. Childrens, adult, non fiction: whatever it is, I will buy it. 

Server's Down: A Book Release You've Been Waiting on Forever

I have to wait until 2019 for the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which I am especially looking forward to for two reasons: 1) it's my second favorite book in the series, and 2) it is the biggest book in the series and I can't wait to see how big this thing is going to be!

All pictures, quotes, and videos belong to their respective owners. I use them here solely for the purpose of review and commentary.