Top Ten Tuesday #48: Colorful Covers

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic:

Colorful Book Covers

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do a post that’s entirely focused on book covers 😀 and not go a bit overboard with it, lol. Below are 12 books with beautiful, colorful covers: 6 I’ve read (linked to reviews) and 6 that are on my physical TBR.

Books I’ve read

An Embarrassment of Witches by Sophie Goldstein (illus.) & Jenn Jordan

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Moonstruck, Vol. 1: Magic to Brew by Grace Ellis, illus. by Shae Beagle and Kate Leth

Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper by Charles Perrault, illus. by Camille Rose Garcia

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

Books on my TBR

A Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, illus. by Camille Rose Garcia

Erté: Art Deco Master of Graphic Art & Illustration by Rosalind Ormiston, illus. by Erté

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

Last Stop on the Reindeer Express by Maudie Powell-Tuck, illus. by Karl James Mountford

Zodiac by Romina Russell

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LET ME KNOW IF YOU’VE READ ANY OF THESE.

Top 5 Tuesday #51: Books I’d Rerate

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm, and now hosted by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.

This week’s topic:

Top 5 books I want to rerate

(Are there books out there that you loved the first time you read them but now not so much? Or maybe it’s the opposite and you didn’t enjoy a book the first time you read it, but later on you changed your mind?)

I’m pretty set on the ratings I give books. Well, to be more accurate, I’m pretty set on the ratings I give books once I’ve posted a review of them. I rate the books I read on Goodreads as soon as I complete them. But sometimes, once I start reflecting on the book to draft my review, I’ll end up changing the rating I initially gave it. This often happens with comics and picture books since they are short and I’ll read them quickly without giving them the time they deserve. That’s why I often read those a second time before starting on my review and finalizing my rating of them.

Top 5 Tuesday #50: I Want to Redo My First Time With These

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm, and now hosted by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.

This week’s topic:

Top 5 books I wish I could read again for the first time

(Rereads are still great, but there is a kind of magic in reading a book for the first time.)

I decided to focus on some of my favorites. The first time I read these books was such a wonderful, magical experience that I’d love to experience it, feel it, again. But I’ve reread them too many times for that to happen now.

Saga series by Brian K. Vaughan, illus. by Fiona Staples

Top 5 Tuesday #49: Five 2-Star Reads

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm, and now hosted by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.

This week’s topic:

Top 5 *freebie*

Ugh! I’ve been fighting to understand this Block editor thing, but it’s just NOT working well for me. It either doesn’t work in the way I want it to and includes too many parts in my posts or, when I think I’ve got it right, the preview is in no way what I was shooting for. I’m frustrated and annoyed, so here is a post of books I rated 2 stars that I’d recommend anyway because, yea, I didn’t like them and they frustrated me as I read, but I finished the book anyway. Quite like WordPress: annoying to use but, for now, I’m using it anyway.

(Btw, I managed to get this post to look the way I wanted because I started it out in the Classic block and, just so I could change the size of the photos, had to convert it to all Blocks. This thing is infuriating to me.)

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

Top 5 Tuesday #48: Middle Grade Books

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created and hosted by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm, and now managed by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.

This week’s topic:

Top 5 middle grade books

(What are some of your favourite middle grade books?)

I enjoy reading middle grade novels. My favorite genre in this age group is, of course, fantasy. It’s just so enjoyable and lighthearted (even when the story is dark, there’s still some lightness to it so it doesn’t pull down the reader too deep into heavy emotions). Unfortunately, I haven’t read middle grade books as often as I’d like lately, but I’m hoping to correct that soon and start reading at least one middle grade book each month.

The books below aren’t all favorites, but I enjoyed reading each one.

Watch Hollow by Gregory Funaro

Top Ten Tuesday #47: Funny Ones

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic:

Books That Made Me Laugh

These are a few books that managed to elicit a laugh from me… not that that’s a hard thing to do, lol.

Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-San, Vol. 1 by Honda (illus.)

The first in a manga series about a bookseller who works at a comic book shop. Since I also work at a bookstore, I could strongly relate to all the situations mentioned in the comic. All the booksellers are drawn wearing a mask, and the protagonist, Honda, wears a skull-face mask. It’s a funny read. I highly recommend it.

Top Ten Tuesday #46: Mardi Gras Theme

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic:

Purple, Yellow, and/or Green Book Covers
(in honor of Mardis Gras, which is today!)

I’ve always wanted to attend Mardi Gras and, if not for corona, I’d most likely have been there this year. But instead, I’ll celebrate it on my blog by doing this TTT meme. Below is a selection of read and unread books that fit the theme. If I reviewed the book, I’ll link to the review.

(NOTE: If the layout below looks wonky, it’s most likely because you’re viewing this on your phone in the WordPress Reader app which, for some reason unknown to me, keeps messing up the layout when I use certain gallery settings to format image layouts. If you view it on the website instead, it will show correctly.)

Top Ten Tuesday #45: Books I Want to Reread

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic:

BOOKS I Want to Read Again

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Top 10 Tuesday post, but I couldn’t pass on this one because it’s the perfect topic for me. I’m a major rereader. I enjoy revisiting stories I love and even those I didn’t to see if my mind has changed. If I didn’t complete a book, it’s highly possible that I might reread it to see if my mood is more in tune with the book then.

Being spoiled on how the story will end doesn’t turn me off either. Most times, I’ll still anticipate what will happen next and will be at the edge of my seat speeding through the book although I know exactly how it all wraps up. I reread to revisit worlds, reengage with characters, and reflect on the author’s prose. And the experience is always different from when I first read the book.

Well then, here are 10 books I’d like to reread.

Rasputin’s Daughter by Robert Alexander

I read this years ago when I was in high school and loved it. It’s historical fiction about the notorious mad monk, Rasputin. The story is narrated from his daughter’s POV. I recall it being a very engaging, gripping read. I wonder if such will be the case when I revisit it.

Top 5 Tuesday #47: Books I’m Glad For & Top Recs

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created and hosted by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm, and now managed by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.

I’m doubling up on topics since I didn’t do this post last week (haven’t been in a blogging mood). So…

Last week’s topic:

Top 5 books I’m glad I read

Books I’m glad I read this year (or other years)

Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better by Pema Chödrön

This is actually a speech that Chödrön gave at her granddaughter’s graduation. It’s very inspiring and something I needed to read at the time I read it. Failing at something is often seen as the most horrible thing to happen, but after reading this book, I’ve started to realize that failing is not the end. It can be the beginning of something new, something better.

Top 5 Tuesday #46: Books I Haven’t Read Yet & New Authors

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created and hosted by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm, and now managed by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.

I’m doubling up on topics since I didn’t do one of these last week. So…

Last week’s topic:

Top 5 new authors

2020 debut or new-to-me authors

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia