Naked Cover Books | Top 5 Wednesday

This week's Top 5 Wednesday topic is "Naked Cover Books" or, hardcovers without dust jackets!

1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

This is actually my mom's, but I stole it from her because I think it's gorgeous. It even has gilded pages!

2. The Great Gatsby and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'm a big fan of the flapper look, so I love that there's one on the cover of this edition of Gatsby.

3. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

I love the way a lot of Quirk Books' novels look, visually. This one is light blue with silver lettering. The inscription on the front cover says "Perplexus Anomalous", which is the name of a future character.

4. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The brown leather paired with gold writing looks so nice, and the "JRRT" insignia on the front is very cool.

5. William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher

Another one from Quirk Books, this book looks like it's covered in distressed swirls of paint.

What's your favourite book without a dust jacket?

Characters You Wish You Were More Like | Top 5 Wednesday

1. Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series, written by J.K. Rowling

I want to be like Hermione in that I really want to go to Hogwarts. We both have muggles for parents and like Hermione, I know I could do well at Hogwarts. She's a fantastic student and while I definitely did well in school, I could benefit from having Hermione's intelligence and dedication (couldn't we all?).

     2.   Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins

Katniss is a badass. There's no denying it. I don't by any means long for her place in the Games, but she's incredibly self-reliant and resourceful - and boy, does she know how to use a bow and arrow! I love archery but haven't developed skills anywhere near Katniss-level.

     3. Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, written by J.R.R. Tolkien

Although he's undeniably a home-body and he loves to be alone (qualities I share and I think are perfectly normal sometimes), Bilbo goes on an adventure when opportunity literally comes a-knocking. He pushes his personal boundaries by agreeing to help Gandalf the Grey and the Dwarves.

     4.   Reagan from Fangirl, written by Rainbow Rowell

Reagan always has a witty remark to make. I find that in books, films, and TV shows, the characters who provide comic relief tend to be my favourites, and I'd love to embody that more. Though her snark often masks it, Reagan can also be quite sweet and is always willing to help out a friend.

     5.   Saba from the Dust Lands trilogy, written by Moira Young

Saba has the same quality of self-reliance that I so value in Katniss. Saba definitely has some poor qualities, but it's the fighter in her that I love. Her brother means more to her than the world, and she proves that by, against all the odds, overcoming all the incredible obstacles she faces while trying to rescue him.

Which character (from books, movies or TV shows) do you wish you were more like?

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" | Movie Review

I went to see "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" with my best friend Christine today.

I really enjoyed all the action and adventure in this installment. It was great to be introduced to new characters, like Bard, and also get more of a background on characters like Legolas, who we know from the Lord of the Rings series.

Most of the plot-lines were interesting and relevant to the story, although the love triangle was unfounded.

Benedict Cumberbatch was awesomely threatening as Smaug and I was really stressed out during his scenes, which I think is a good thing as we're talking about a ginormous, fire-breathing dragon here.

I'm also really glad this film wasn't shot in 48 FPS again, because watching "An Unexpected Journey" made me dizzy.