Top Ten Tuesday: Like This? Read This!

As always, TTT is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

AND WE'RE BACK! After a break last week, due to us basically not having time and/or forgetting (oops!), we're happy to be back with TTT this week. This week's topic is Top Ten Books if you like X tv show/movie/comic/play/etc. Or.. as we summed it up: Like This? Read This!

So I just got home from a vacation yesterday, so my part of this week's TTT is a big on the shabby side. Oh well. As I've mentioned multiple times, I'm a Whovian. Which means I love me some time travel and space books. So.

If you like Doctor Who....

Then check out these books:

1. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

2. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

3. Timebound by Rysa Walker

4. The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

5. Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

Any space or wibbly-wobbly books you'd suggest to me?

Gosh. This weeks TTT really had me stumped. As far as my taste in TV goes, I pretty much watch a little of everything. Except reality TV. No Real Housewives for me. Anywho, this list took a lot of brain power. So here you are ...

If you enjoy the following TV shows, you'll  enjoy these books! 

1. The Mindy Project

This show is my favorite! I live for Mindy Kaling. She's my bff ... She just doesn't know it yet. 

Goes great with ...

Or 

Not only can I relate to Mindy Kaling and her Mindy Project character, Mindy Lahiri, but I also totally relate to Cannie Shapiro and Bridget Jones. These three go together like cake and ice cream and vodka. 

2. Orphan Black 

Are you part of the Clone Club? If not, you're missing out. This show is amazing! 

Goes great with ... 

Or 

Both books are clone related. But each book tells a different story. They're both beautiful and heart wrenching. 

3. The Walking Dead

I'm fully aware that this TV show is based off of a comic/graphic novel (whichever you prefer to call it). However, I actually like the show more than the books. 

Goes great with ...

The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy was my first foray into zombie land. It had me hooked! 

4. New Girl

I could sing the praises of this show all day ... ALL DAY, SON! 

Goes great with ...

There's no Schmidt. But there's Stargirl and she's awkward and unique and refuses to be anyone but herself. She's very much a "Jessica Day." 

5. Reign 

Reign is my guilty pleasure. It's a complete and utter fictionalized account of Mary's marriage to Francis. The writers of this show take some MAJOR creative liberties. Typically crap like that infuriates me. I'm a stickler for historical accuracy ... But this is just too good for me to care. It's like mideval Gossip Girl. 

Goes great with ...

The Anne Trilogy is one of my favorite historical fiction trilogies. Posie Graeme-Evans does a wonderful job transporting you back in time. There's forbidden romance (naturally), illegitimate children, bitter Queens and the intrigue of the English Court. What's not to love? 

So, what's on your list?

Review: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Book: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line

Series: Veronica Mars #1

Released: March 25, 2014

Publisher: Vintage

Pages: 336 (Nook Version)

Stars: 5 out of 5

The book picks up where the movie leaves off. It’s spring break in Neptune which means all the co-ed's are coming out of the woodwork. When a girl goes missing while on a wild spring break getaway with her girlfriends, Veronica Mars takes on her first case after returning to Neptune. But Veronica hits a few snags in her investigation early on. Because Neptune, where the rich get richer, where the people will do everything in their power to make sure their income isn’t jeopardized.

It's Veronica Mars! Nothing is as it seems and Veronica finds herself in the company of people more dangerous than she had originally thought. But when a new lead in the case brings someone she thought long gone back into her life, Veronica must do something even harder than solving this case; she comes face to face with her past.

   Okay, for those of you who don't know, Lindsay and I are huge Veronica Mars fans. Kristen Bell is amaze-balls and I personally believe anything she touches is gold. But first and foremost, she will always be Veronica Mars in my eyes (and heart)! 

I've seen all of the VM episodes so many times that I can probably quote most of them. And of course I bought the digital version of the movie and I watch it at least once a week. Team Logan! Anyway, color me totally stoked when Rob Thomas, that evil genius, decided to release Veronica Mars books! That's right, books ... Plural. Not one, but two! It's like having another movie or tv season all over again. But instead of having to wait for the next episode, you just keep turning the page to find out what happens next! Love it. 

   "The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line" runs with the typical Veronica Mars plot. There's a case she needs to solve, anyone and everyone is a suspect, there's all the familiar faces, and of course big twists and turns. I almost expected to feel like, "yeah, yeah. I've heard this all before." However, there's a new feel to the story. Veronica is not a teenager anymore. These aren't high school kids she's dealing with. Mars Investigations is struggling,

on the verge of closing the doors and she desperately needs this money. For the first time Veronica is the one calling the shots, taking care of business, and everyone is relying on her. For me, the storyline takes on a much more mature tone. The plot in general really had me guessing. I didn't expect the major plot twist at all and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. 

This is the first book that I've read in just a matter a few hours in a very long time. As a new mom, I value sleep. Once my son is down for the night, typically, so am I. But this book had me hooked. I stayed up so I could finish it and it was worth it! 

I loved feeling so in tune with the book. I felt as if could hear and visualize everything exactly how it was on the show and in the movie. That was my only reservation in the beginning. I was afraid of feeling disconnected from the Neptune and characters I know and love. Fortunately, Rob hit the nail on the head and totally did the world of Veronica Mars justice. I can't wait for the second book!

   For all the VM fans out there, this book is a home run! And for the rest of you, you're missing out. You need some Veronica Mars in your life ... After all, they say she's marshmallow.

Thursday Thoughts (2)

Thursday Thoughts is a weekly meme hosted by Ashley over at OK, Let's Read.

So... I totally meant to participate last week, but didn't because of reasons, but I'm glad to be back this week! Today's topic is Choosing Books.

I've always been an avid reader, even when I was little. I was totally the kid hiding under the bedspread with a flashlight staying up late to read a book type. So, it's only natural that my book choosing process has changed as I've grown older. So to make this easier, I'm going to break this in to sections for each age range (starting with high school... which was more than 10 years ago for me. Yeah, I'm old, at least in the YA blogging world) to show you how my reading selection process has changed.

This was probably the time in my life that I struggled the most with book selection. The reason for that? I wasn't actually allowed to CHOOSE the books I wanted to read. I took AP English all throughout high school, and because of that, the books I read were the ones mandated by my teachers. Now, that's not to say that I didn't read some absolutely fantastic books while I was in high school. I read some of my all time favorite books during that time period. Some of which I own, and have read multiple times since then (Gone with the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, and A Tale of Two Cities just to name a few). But for every wonderful, amazing book I read, there were definitely some that I hated with a the power of a 1000 suns (Grapes of Wrath, Things Fall Apart, The Old Man and the Sea, By the Skin of Our Teeth, and basically anything by Thoreau). I remember during my junior year in particular, I read every other book assigned. Thank goodness for SparkNotes (is that still around?).

College was another slow reading time during my life. I still read books, but not nearly as often as I did during high school and nowhere even close to what I read now. I was an Early Childhood Education Major, so I read a lot of children's books (and educational texts and articles. Yay.). I did often carry a book around with me for breaks during my classics. The books I most often chose during this time were by far and away Classics. Jane Austen is my favorite, and this is when I purchased the copies I own of every single one of her books.

I am a mood reader. I pretty much read whatever I'm in the mood for. If I need something light, I pick up a contemporary. Need something more in depth that takes me to another time, place, or new world altogether? I'm going to pick up fantasy or sci-fi. I used to go to the library all the time (not so much now, I'm a book buyer now, more than a library-goer) and I would often choose books by authors I'd read before. Or, OR I would choose a book by its cover. Ha. It works well on most occasions. I found some super cute and fun books by choosing it by the cover.

I can say, without a doubt, that blogging has changed how I choose the books I'm going to read. Before blogging I knew very little about when books were coming out (except for a few favorites) and debut authors. But now? Sometimes I feel like it overtakes the rest of my life. I have a calendar where I keep track of book releases. On that calendar I keep tract of DRCs or ARCs I have to read. Now within that framework, I am still most definitely a mood reader. I choose books based on what I want to read. Now I'd say that fantasy/sci-fi is my favorite genre, but those books generally require a lot more focus. Since I've been in this slump, I can't seem to read anything to heavy, so I've been sticking with the contemporary genre. Luckily I've read some AMAZING contemporaries during this time.

So, how do I pick books now? Well, I do it a few ways.

Obviously anything I request from Netgalley is something I'm already interested in, and when I get an invitation, I almost always add it. I *try* to read by review date, but it doesn't always happen, especially when I'm in the middle of a book slump. During that time I'm just looking for ANYTHING to pull me out of it.

As for books to buy, there's a few bloggers I trust their opinion implicitly, so if they rave about a book, it will pretty much guarantee I'll pick it up. Conversely, if there's a book universally panned, I stay away. I don't usually read full reviews, but I'll skim the review and check for ratings, etc to see if it's something I'd like. This generally works out really well for me, and I've found some amazing books that I'd never heard of from fellow bloggers.

Then there's my auto-buy authors. I have quite a few authors that I will pretty much buy anything they release. I've fallen in love with their stories, their writing, and their style thus earning a spot on my auto-buy list. A few of these authors are: Sarah J. Maas, Rae Carson, Tahereh Mafi, Rainbow Rowell, Marie Lu, Kasie West, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Jennifer E. Smith, AC Gaughen, Marissa Meyer, and Veronica Rossi. There's so many more, but those are the ones off the top of my head.

And finally, books in a series. If I read the first book in a series and enjoyed it, I will most always pick up the other books in the series when they're released. I am also a person that doesn't wait for the entire series to be out, so I get to wait years for the entirety of the series to be released.

So.... how do YOU choose books?!?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Bookish Things We'd Like to Own

As always, TTT is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish

So this week's topic is Top Ten Bookish Things (that aren't books) That We'd Like to Own. We love posts like this. You know what we love almost as much as books? Book related things. Huzzah for book love.

Since there are so many available options, and my brain doesn't exactly like to think these days (hence the severe lack of posting on here lately and the fact that I'm writing this the day of), I decided to focus on bookshelves in particular. I get serious bookshelf envy these days. I have one tiny one in my living room and that's it. The rest of my books are stacked in a closet. My goal this spring/summer is to make room SOMEWHERE in my house for more books. It needs to happen. Anyway.... on to some of my favorite bookshelves I've found on the interwebs.

TARDIS Bookshelf

If I could make this happen I totally would. Alas my husband is not a Whovian.

Old TV Bookshelf

 This would be amazing in a home office/library.

A Bracket Bookmark

A bit impractical, but so fun! I think this would be awesome on a covered patio.

Scale Bookshelf

How fun would this be to use to display two different series?

Typographic Bookshelf

I want. But not for $944. Sad face.

Doorway Bookshelf

How cool would it be to have a bookshelf as a door?
Especially if it led to a room like a playroom for kids. Passageway to Narnia anyone?


Desk Bookshelf

How convenient would it be to have your desk made out of bookshelves?


Coffee (or Teacup) Bookshelf

 Wouldn't this be fabulous in a bookstore coffee shop?


Lighted Bookshelf

This be so much fun to decorate at Christmas with lights and garland.
Or hang ornaments off of it? Imagine the possibilities!


Hug Your Books Bookshelf

To be honest this one is a little creepy for me. But it's different.
 And hey, who doesn't want to hug their books?

So what bookshelf do you need in your life?

I'm baaaack!!! After a nine day vacation and a week of recovery, I have returned. Why is it that a vacation from the vacation is always needed? Anywho... This Top Ten Tuesday is right up my alley. There are so many bookish items I need that I could probably list a hundred. Instead I'm sticking to the rules and only listing ten. Here they are. 

1. Harry Potter Monopoly. 

Um, yes please! I would play this every freaking day. Best board game ever!

2. This really awesome book nook. I would never leave!

3. This really nifty table made out of upcycled books. 

Isn't it lovely? 

4. This little lamp.

It's so cute!

5. These Harry Potter Hogwarts textbook notebooks. 

I love these. I need them. 

6. These adorable owl bookends. Because ... Hello ... Owls and books are the best. 

Have I mention my love of owls?!

7. This amazing bookself. Seriously amazing! 

I wonder if I could find one only in the shape of Texas?

8. This Harry Potter book page art. 

I love Harry Potter. Can you tell?

9. This hanging book "shelf". I mean ... 

So creative!

10. This Teacup bookshelf! 

 

 I collect teacups so this is totally appropriate.

So what's on your list?