Top Ten Tuesday: books i would buy if i had a million dollars

A habit all bibliophiles have in common, I am sure, is desirously stroking every book in a bookstore and whispering to it, "I will take you home someday, I promise, I promise, I just need to make some money because I am poor, but one day...!"

(I do that, anyway.)

And we can't help dreaming what books we would buy if we got a million dollars (because obviously we'd spend it on books). Here's my shopping list (since I got new shelves now YAY). It also has more than ten on it because pshh who follows rules.

(Covers link to Goodreads)



The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

I finished The Raven King last week and OMG I LOVED IT. (Prepare for a flailing squeeing review soon!) But I don't OWN any of this series! THIS IS A SIN. I need them on my new bookshelves NOW.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

This one too... I reread it on Audible (which I really enjoyed - I think I'm going to do more audiobook rereads), and now I want to put it in my own physical collection <3



The Grisha Series by Leigh Bardugo

I read this one a loooong time ago, but it was the first time I had ever read YA Slavic Fantasy. And so well written by someone who wasn't Slavic at all herself (as far as I can tell?) So yes please, put these pretties on my shelf, posthaste.

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

Don't kill me, no I don't own the Harry Potter books. And now there are so many editions, I don't know which ones to get! I'm thinking that I'll wait until all the new illustrated ones are out and buy those, because those are stunning. Though, by the time they're all out, I'll have kids of my own probably, and so I'll be buying it for them I suppose. :-P


Daughter of Smoke and Bone and the rest of that series by Laini Taylor

I desperately need a reread of these. I downloaded them as audiobooks, so I'm really excited to reenter this gorgeous world (which I realize I never reviewed on this blog. oops.). But I'd really love to have the physical copies on my shelves!

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

I'm going to see Marissa Meyer in November on the Heartless tour (if all goes as planned) so I can get this there and complete my signed Lunar Chronicles collection! (And also get Heartless of course *heart eyes*)

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

How have I not read Six of Crows yet? I know I will love it. I'm also going to see Leigh Bardugo this fall on her Troublemakers Tour (hopefully), so I want to get allll her books for that. And dang those covers are stunning! The colored pages too... Maybe I'll get the box set!

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand

I actually saw this when I was in Barnes and Noble last time, on a SIGNED BOOKS TABLE because it was SIGNED (duh) but I resisted buying it because I was there on a mission to buy a gift for my sister's birthday. (Unfortunately, I didn't buy her a book, but I did buy her a hovercraft, which is almost as good.) Everyone is saying that My Lady Jane is hilarious, and I love the cover, so please put it on my bookshelf?

The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye

I heard this is Slavic-inspired. That is all I need to know to say GIVE IT TO ME NOW


Anything by Victoria Schwab

Everyone is raving about Victoria Schwab, and I am so slow in getting to her books! I KNOW I KNOW I MUST READ THEM

The Penguin Drop-Caps Collection

So I just spent a good hour looking at photos of this collection on instagram. Basically, it's a 26 book collection of (mostly) classic books, with each one corresponding to a different author representing a different letter of the alphabet. And do you want to know what the best thing is? When you put them in alphabetical order THEY MAKE A RAINBOW. I AM ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE.



If you had all the money in the world - what books would you buy? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: Nearly Ripe Books for 2016

You know I don't usually talk about upcoming releases, because I'm not always on top of that stuff (I'm a little behind in the book publication world). But this Tuesday I managed to scrabble together five books that I'm very excited to pluck off the shelves once they're ripe and ready later this year. This week's TTT topic is Anticipate Releases for the Rest of 2016 - and I'm doing only five because, like I said, I'm not too good at staying on top of things.

(Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate all the gorgeous cover art? OMG MY EYES. I made them all extra large sized for better ogling. And if you click them you'll end up on their GoodReads pages so you can add them to your TBR posthaste.)

1. Heartless by Marissa Meyer
(Release Date: November 8th, 2016)


More magical Marissa Meyer retellings? This time with THE QUEEN OF HEARTS? Count me in. I'm so excited for this! SO EXCITED.

2. A Torch Against the Night by Saaba Tahir
(Release Date: August 30, 2016)


I absolutely adored An Ember in the Ashes, and think it ended on the AWFULLEST cliffhanger. Barely any conclusion! So of course I need book two ON THE DOUBLE.

3. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
(Release Date: September 27th 2016)


I did read Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, you just don't realize it because I binged them last year and was too lazy and absolutely overwhelmed to write a review. I ADORED THEM SO MUCH. And then the prologue for Strange the Dreamer was released and I suddenly realized how much better my life would be if that book was in my hands.

4. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
(Release Date: September  27th, 2016)


Yes yes, I know I haven't even read Six of Crows yet. But I loved the Grisha books so much, and I KNOW that I will love Six of Crows lots too, that I'm ALREADY excited for Crooked Kingdoms. It's allowed.

5. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
(Release Date: August 9th, 2016)


For some reason this book makes me think of Venice, or at least the intrigue and murder of Renaissance Italy. And I LOVE it. I don't know if that's intentional, and I suppose I will get a better idea of what time period / location the world is actually based on when I read the book, but when you get names like Mia Corvere and Senates and Republics and Red Churches and Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder thrown around in the synopsis - I'm fascinated.

What are you excited for in 2016? Link me your TTTs in the comments and I will slither around and enlarge my TBR list! (Like it needs enlarging) 

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall TBR

Hosted by the lovelies at The Broke and the Bookish.

Covers link to goodreads.

NO I'm not dead. Not yet. I'm actually very much alive and busy. My school schedule suddenly decided to become all encompassing and all demanding, and I started tutoring two hours a week at my university's writing center, and my friends decided to make Friday afternoons weekly volleyball outings (which I OBVIOUSLY have to go to), and my sister got a new mattress so of course all the bedrooms had to be entirely redesigned and remodeled, and my scholarship doesn't pay for study abroad so I have to apply for MORE scholarships if I want to go to Denmark in January. Yay!

Therefore, I'm sure you will forgive me if my TTT today is rather late and not at all descriptive. :-) This week's topic is Books on My Fall TBR!

1. Cleopatra's Shadows by Emily Holleman
This is my next read - I'm starting tomorrow. It comes out October 6th!


2. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh 
I've hear so much GOODNESS about this one - and that cover is splendiforous!


3. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
YES YES YES I HAVE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS DARLING <3 <3 <3


3. The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett
I fell in love with this nerdy title, and then when Cait reviewed it on her blog I knew it had to go to the top of my TBR. 


4. The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough
Can I just say COVER LOVE!? Also, more Cait reccs.


5. Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown
This TTT seems to be full of books on my TBR because of Cait. Well. *shrugs*


6. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
Awesome covers. LIBRARIES. What could be better?


7. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
There seem to be a lot of Sherlock Holmes retellings lately WHICH I AM TOTALLY COOL WITH.


8. Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
This has been on my TBR forever, but ever since Maggie Stiefvater live tweeted (and ALL CAPPED) her BBC miniseries viewing, it's been top priority!


9. The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey
What can I say? Another gorgeous cover. And I've been hearing loveliness about this one too.


10. Lock and Mori by Heather W. Petty
What did I tell you about Sherlock Holmes retellings being a thing? SQUEEEE


What's on your TBR this fall? And link me your TTTs!

Top Ten Tuesday: Fairytale Retellings

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the fantastic people over at The Broke and The Bookish! Covers link to Goodreads.

Today's topic is Fairy Tale Retellings! Along with the rest of the YA-readership and -writership, I am in LOVE with retellings. There's something comforting about having characters you (kinda) know from fairy tales popping up in your books, but then there's also the suspense of seeing how the author is going to twist it all. IT'S SPLENDID.

Here are my top ten retellings that I'm hoping to read sometime soon! Tell me which ones I should bump up to the top of my TBR.

1. The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman and Chris Ridell


I've never read any Neil Gaiman and this one just looks so magical. It's a combination of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, which sounds like perfection!

 

 2. Winter by Marissa Meyer


OBVIOUSLY this has to be on the list. I am dying to know how this series finishes and also really really want to fully meet Winter. I know we've technically been introduced to her already but I don't feel like I've fully understood her character yet. *flails around because NOVEMBER*
 


3. Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth


So I kind of just fell in love with this cover. This is most definitely on my TBR solely because of cover love. It made me think of old Europe and magic, and it wasn't until after I had added it to my TBR that I realized it was a Rapunzel retelling. It's both (French) historical fiction AND a retelling. And has a gorgeous cover. Triple check marks!
 

4. Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen


Another cover love addition. This one is a middle grade retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but I've heard it's not what you'd expect. It's apparently much darker, and there is more than one Beast. Mysteries abound! I'm very excited to read this one.
 



5. Valiant by Sarah McGuire


Does anyone actually remember the fairy tale of the Valiant Little Tailor? I think I vaguely do. Anyway that's what Valiant is a retelling of. It looks like a cute middle grade, and the protagonist is a girl. It hope it's good! (Also - cover love strikes again?)




6. Mirrored by Alex Flinn



This one is a modern retelling of Snow White. (I'm seeing lots of Snow Whites on this list!) I don't really know much about it other than that. It comes out this September.


 


7. A Thousand Nights by E. K. Johnston


If I said anything before about cover love, ignore it. THIS IS WHAT TRUE LOVE FEELS LIKE. I mean, look at that script! *collapses from the sheer beauty* Also, I've never read a retelling of A Thousand and One Nights, but I loved the stories as a kid, so I'm so ready for this.

 

8. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

More A Thousand and One Nights retellings! These seem really popular lately, which I am TOTALLY cool with. I've also heard nothing but excellence about this one so I am dying to read it.





 9. Dorothy must Die by Danielle Paige

Does The Wizard of Oz count as a fairy tale? IT DOES NOW, because I said so. Everyone says this book is magical and dark and creepy and just wonderful, so I've got to read it, right?





10. Never Never by Brianna R. Shrum


I am also saying that Peter Pan also counts as a fairy tale, because. Ever since I read Peter and the Starcatchers as a kid, I have had a soft spot for Peter Pan retellings. Will I like this one? I hope so.


NOTE: I had previously put Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher as #10 on this list, which is NOT a Peter Pan retelling, as far as I can tell. The confusion is forgiveable, I hope, since both Never Nevers are being released under a year of each other (the Hoover and Fisher was out last January, and the Shrum is out this September). Why do publishers do this? So confusing.


Which of these books have you read? Which should I read? Which are also on your list? Tell me ALL in the comments!