Top Ten Tuesday: The Last Ten Books That Gave Me a Book Hangover

I haven't done Top Ten Tuesday in a long time, but decided to join in this week. You can see the complete list at That Artsy Reader Girl.

1. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson - I read this book in January after it being on my shelves for so long. I am thinking I am just going to have to move on to book 2 this weekend, because my reading has slowed right down since finishing.

2. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire - I am still thinking about this book. I did it by audio in 2019 and got a physical copy during a sale last year. I am planning a reread for 2020 in print. Seanan McGuire is quickly becoming a favourite author. I have so much of her backlist still to explore, though!

3. The Black Prism by Brent Weeks - I can't believe after reading this last year and being blown away, I still haven't read book 2. Hopefully sometime this year!

4. Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley - I think if I had to pick a favourite book for 2019 it would be this one. I love dogs and this book just got to me. 

5. Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff - I didn't know what to think when I finished this book. I loved this trilogy overall, one of my favourites ever, and it took me some time to get around the fact it was over! 

6. The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry - I recently finished this book and loved it. It is a book about books, which I love. I am not sure why this book is not better known. It deserves way more attention!

I could only think of 6. Hopefully 2020 will fix that!

Top Ten Tuesday - Holiday Gift Guide - Ten Books to Buy the Graphic Novel Reader in Your Life

 A Game for Swallows ~ Good story and art. Talks about an important aspect of history from the view of someone there.

Batgirl - I am enjoying this run of Batgirl. The one before it, not as good, but still readable.

Deadpool - Pretty much anything Deadpool. He is a fun character.

Giant Days - Fun series about a group of university students. Believable, but also a bit of the unbelievable thrown in.

Hexed - I was listing comics I read this year, so since I reread this series earlier this year... It counts! One of my favourite series!

Lazarus - Love series with strong female leads. Definitely recommend this one!

Lumberjanes - Another series I reread this year, so it counts. A mix of the believable and the unbelievable. Good for the slightly younger and older reading crowd.

Morning Glories - Things are not all as they seem at this boarding school. Each volume brings new things to discover!

Paper Girls - Brian K. Vaughan in general is awesome. This series is off to a good start!

Saga - Another series that I reread this year, so totally counts. Love this series and it just gets better and better!

This is just a random collection of books I have read this year. There are many other awesome series out there.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke & the Bookish

30 Days of Books ~ Day 30

Day 30 ~ Your Favourite Book of All Time

If I had to pick one... It would be this one... For some reason this book will always have a special place in my heart.

30 Days of Books ~ Day 28

Day 28 ~ Favourite Title(s)

As an aside, I have read all of these books and according to Goodreads I have not read any of them! I really slack on keeping track on my reading.... But, anyway, on to the prompt. There are other authors that have great titles, but I am going to go with Alexandra Fuller's titles. I love them! She is also a great author. She spoke at my graduation from university and I quickly read her afterwards. I keep meaning to get to her other books! If you have never read her, she writes great non-fiction!

30 Days of Books ~ Day 27

Day 27 ~ The Most Surprising Plot Twist or Ending

This is a really hard question... I am sure something has surprised me, but I am usually pretty good at guessing endings and plot twists ahead of time. Days from now something will pop in my mind, but at the moment I am drawing a blank... So, I am going to go with this book. The ending was the closest to surprising of anything that I have read so far this year. (If you haven't read this, you should!!)

30 Days of Books ~ Day 26

Day 26 ~ A book that changed your opinion about something

Let's face facts... When I was a teen, I hated teen fiction. I just couldn't seem to find one that connected with me (other than Madeleine L'Engle, but I saw that as more science-fiction than from a YA viewpoint). Fast forward to blogging and review copies. One of my first review copies was A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. It was getting a bit of buzz, but this was a different world than blogging is now... I figured it was not my thing, but I like to try and branch out a bit. And, I loved this trilogy! If I hadn't read it, I probably would have came around to the YA books that are crazy popular the last few years in a different way, but this was my gateway book!

30 Days of Books ~ Day 25

Day 25 ~ A character who you can relate to the most

Jilly! I love Jilly! I honestly am not like her per say, but I just have always been drawn to her... I think it is because de Lint writes regular people in extraordinary situations. It makes the characters easier to relate to while you are enjoying the fantasy aspects. It is not just Jilly. I love all the characters in Newford, but if I am reading a new book description for one of his books and it mentions Jilly... I get really excited! She may not be like me, but you can still relate to her.

30 Days of Books ~ Day 24

Day 24 ~ A Book You Wish More People Would've Read

I am going to go with this graphic novel series I read this year. The author is getting buzz for Rat Queens, but I had never heard of this series before. And, I should have! I really enjoyed it and can't seem to find if there is another volume coming because I recommend it less if it doesn't get a better ending... I have lots of questions that I am looking forward to checking out the answers to. Plus, Peter Pan retelling in WWII. Great idea!

30 Days of Books ~ Day 23

Day 23 ~ A Book You Wanted to Read for a Long Time but Still Haven't

There are so many, but I glanced at my bookshelves and this is the one that caught my eye. I have owned this book for so long and still haven't read it. I just did a huge purge earlier this year and another one this past weekend. I kept this book through all the purges. I need to read it because I have no doubt that I will like it, but I have found I am reading a lot more fantasy than historical fiction in the last couple years. It is just where my mood is... I need to get back to a favourite genre, though!

30 Days of Books ~ Day 22

Day 22 ~ Favourite Book You Own

I was never super close to my maternal grandfather. My grandparents were divorced and he lived away my entire life. There were visits and phone calls here and there, but he had remarried and had a life with his new wife and the child they had together. So, I was very surprised when he gave me an old volume of Longfellow's poems a few years before he died. I didn't have it handy to take a picture, sadly, so this is definitely not the right edition... But, of all the books I have received over the years, it is the one that I consider the most special. (Even though I am not really a huge poetry reader...)

30 Days of Books ~ Day 21

Day 21 ~ Favourite Book from your Childhood

I always associate this as my first book that I read by myself. So, while there might be other childhood books that I enjoy more, this one has a special place! It is almost always the book I buy for all the various baby showers and babies I have come across over the years.

30 Days of Books ~ Day 20

Day 20 ~ Favourite Romance Book

I read this series and there is romance in it... That counts right? I am sure there are other books that would work for this prompt, but I guess I don't think of books as romance and was really stumped! But, Roarke and Eve make a good couple in this series!

30 Days of Books ~ Day 19

Day 19 ~ Favourite Book Turned into a Movie

I finally saw the movie and the movie and the book are both so well done! I am happy I finally saw it and I am planning to reread the book this year at some point. Both are very recommended!

30 Days of Books ~ Day 18

Day 18 ~ Book That Disappointed You

Okay, let's admit it... This series has never clicked for me. But, in my defence... No books with teen protagonists ever really worked for me. My reading tastes have changed, I admit it, so I do plan to try again and see if it works for me. I just haven't got to it yet!

30 Days of Books ~ Day 17

Day 17 ~ Favourite Quote from (one of) my favourite books

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."

There  are many others that I enjoy, but this is just a great opening line and sets the scene for the novel so well!

30 Days of Books ~ Day 16

Day 16 ~ Favourite Female Character

I am going to go with Anne from Anne of Green Gables and the sequels. I still remember collecting the series from a local bookstore when I was little. And, then I read them one summer and loved them. I have two copies of Anne of Green Gables because I have an old copy that belonged to my mother. Anyway, I just love Anne and her optimism and spirit and the way that she looks at the world. When you read these books it is like a breath of fresh air! 

30 Days of Books ~ Day 15

Day 15 ~ Favourite Male Character

Hard question... But, I went with one of my favourite series based around a male skeleton. I LOVE Skulduggery Pleasant! For starters, a series based around a walking, talking skeleton was pretty original at the time that I started this series. And, then... He is just so fun! I used to say he was my book boyfriend... And, yes, he is a skeleton. lol The quick wit and humour that these books are written with has made this one of my very favourite series. And, it mostly comes down to Skulduggery Pleasant! If you haven't tried this series, you should!