Top 5 Books of the Year! | Top 5 Wednesday

2014 has been a fantastic book year for me, not only in terms of what was released, but also for the sometimes slightly older books and series I discovered. I'm glad to have found these stories this year:

1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Read my review here!

2. Zac & Mia by A.J. Betts

Read my review here!

3. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Read my review here!

4. Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Read my review here and read about my experience meeting Moira Young here!

5. The Saga series by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Read my review here!

Honourable mentions:

Black Widow, Vol. 1: The Finely Woven Thread by Nathan Edmondson
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Come Closer by Sara Gran
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

What's one of your favourite books you read in 2014?

December Book Haul!

I got a few books this month! Most of them were gifts (thanks, friends!), though I did win a book through Goodreads and I did pick one up from Book Outlet. Regardless of how I got my books, I'm excited to read them!

1. Yes Please by Amy Poehler

2. The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon

3. The Infects by Sean Beaudoin

4. Sign by Lou Rera

Enter Goodreads giveaways here!

5. The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie

What books did you get this month?

Top 5 Wintry Reads | Top 5 Wednesday

These books are all excellent in their own respects, but I love the way they remind me of winter with their beautifully-described settings and the feelings they evoke.

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Christmas break. Need I say more? I love knowing what Hogwarts is like when so many of the students are back home: the grounds are covered in snow, the halls are practically empty...it adds another aspect of magic and mystery to the place.

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

If you've ever experienced social anxiety, or found yourself deeply in love with a TV show, movie, or book and its characters, you'll probably love this novel. The lovely descriptions of the snow falling at night when there are so few people on campus take me back to my school years.

3. War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Read my review here!

Joey the horse takes us through all the seasons of the year, but the winter scenes really stuck with me. Not only was it dreary, it was also incredibly dangerous for the soldiers and the horses to be out in the cold for so long - the injuries sustained were just terrible. This is an emotional book, and well worth the read.

4. The Shining by Stephen King

The Overlook Hotel is iconic not only for its grand beauty and murderous tenants, but also for its isolation come wintertime. If you like being creeped out and want to prepare for the upcoming winter, this book is for you!

5. The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks

In the wake of a tragic bus accident that killed several children, residents of the small town Sam Dent try to cope - but with all their secrets and lies, who is to blame? Like in The Shining, the winter setting emphasizes the loneliness and separation the townspeople feel in the aftermath of the accident.

What's your go-to wintry read?

"Hugs and Misses" by Wilhelm Staehle | Book Review

Click the image to head over to Quirk's website!

"Hugs and Misses: 30 Postcards of Awkward Romance": how could I not be intrigued, based on the title alone?

Awkwardness is part of my life, whether I'd like it to be or not, and oftentimes I think it results in some funny, albeit cringe-worthy situations.

As the title would suggest, this book contains 30 postcards, each with an illustration and some dialogue portraying - you guessed it! - an awkward romance.

There's such a wide variety of postcards in this book, and I found most of them hilarious. Some of these are gems, so I'm going to pick a few postcards from "Hugs and Misses" and frame them so I can put them on display!

These humourous postcards result in everything from sympathetic smiles to laugh-out-loud fun, so this book is perfect for the awkward romantic in your life!

*This book was sent to me by Quirk Books as a review copy. All my reviews are honest and based on my own opinions.

Goals and TBR | Bout of Books 12

As you may have read, I'm doing Bout of Books 12! In the past, I've made big lists of books I wanted to read during the week of the read-a-thon, and I haven't quite met my goals. This time around, I'm trying to be more realistic while still pushing myself.

Goals:

• Read two books and one graphic novel
• Participate in at least three challenges
• Participate in at least one Twitter chat
• Make daily progress posts
• Read for at least one hour every day

To-Be-Read:

1. Yes Please by Amy Poehler

 

2. The World According to Garp by John Irving

3. Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale by Joss Whedon, Chris Samnee, Dave Stewart, Steve Morris and Zack Whedon

I'm so excited for Bout of Books 12! Have you signed up yet? What will you be reading?

Top 5 Historical Books | Top 5 Wednesday

This week's Top 5 Wednesday topic is "Top 5 Historical Books", or, any book that isn't set in the present time.

I'm not going deep into the past with these because I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but the books on my list do take place at least one decade into our past.

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This series takes place in the glorious 80's, although because it involves so much space travel, we mostly get to see what the rest of the (hilarious) universe was like back then.

2. War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Read my review here!

This is such a beautiful book. It shows how awful WWI was, not only for humans, but also for the animals used. It's a new perspective - a horse's! - and I think it does a wonderful job of showing the deep bond between humans and animals and how it can transcend tragedy.

3. Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins

Set in the 80's, Watchmen is a critique of the superhero genre that manages to be satirical, philosophical and political all at the same time. And it doesn't stop there, either.

4. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Read my review here!

Without giving any spoilers about the plot, there are scenes in this novel that take place in the present time, and also scenes that take place in 1940. It makes for a truly fascinating read.

5. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

A poignant tale that questions and re-imagines what it means to be human, this novel takes place in the 90's.

What are your favourite novels set in different times, past or future?

I'm doing Bout of Books 12!

Bout of Books 12 is right around the corner and once again, I'll be participating! I truly love doing this read-a-thon, as you might have guessed from the last two times.

If you're new to Bout of Books and have no idea what it is, here is the official blurb from their website:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 12 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. -From the Bout of Books team

I love the low-pressure nature of this read-a-thon, and the fact that your only real competition is yourself. As someone who loves reading but doesn't really breeze through things, that's a big plus for me. And that's just a small part of what I love about Bout of Books!

Are you joining Bout of Books 12? Leave me a comment below to let me know!

November Book Haul!

Hi there! This month was a huge month for me, in terms of getting books. I got them in various ways: giveaways at the INSPIRE! Toronto International Book Fair, as ARCs, as birthday gifts, Goodreads First Reads, and good old-fashioned bookstore buying.

This is a massive (and, might I say, wonderfully full of awesomeness) haul, but remember: many of these were free and many are from second-hand shops - so you, too, could get this many books for far cheaper than you'd think!

Without further ado, here are the books I picked up during November:

1. Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

2. The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March

3. Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland

4. You are Here by Chris Hadfield

5. An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

6. The Cider House Rules by John Irving

7. A Son of the Circus by John Irving

(American Horror Story has gotten me interested in circus life again)

8. Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

(I think you might be noticing a pattern here - the summaries of John Irving's novels are SO intriguing.)

9. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

10. Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

11. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

12. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

13. When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

14. Divisible by Six by Andy Rane

15. Hamlet by William Shakespeare

16. Cinderella Screwed Me Over by Cindi Madsen

17. Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander

18. The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

19. Hugs and Misses: 30 Postcards of Awkward Romance by Wilhelm Staehle

20. Saving the CEO by Jenny Holiday

21. Love Me to Death by Marissa Clarke

22. Seal of Honor by Tonya Burrows

23. Wrong Bed, Right Guy by Katee Robert

24. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

25. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Those are all the books I got in November! I had lots of fun browsing the shelves at Value Village and other shops like it. Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Quirk Books for all the lovely books - I'm excited to read them!