Top 5 Tuesday #92: Some Spirit

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:

*freebie*

(Topic of your choice!!)

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Well, since we have a freebie topic and the theme for this month has been the Avatar: The Last Airbender show, I think I’ll go with spirit as my topic for this week, since spirit is an element that only the Avatar can bend.

Now, how do I choose books that fit this topic? Well… it was difficult.

Eon by Alison Goodman

The first in a YA fantasy duology about a girl posing as a boy so that she can be considered to become the next Dragoneye and bond with a dragon. I chose it for my spirit theme because the dragons in this series are more spiritual than tangible beings.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

These are YA paranormal books about a group of teens searching for the resting place of a dead Welsh king along ley lines in West Virginia. I chose it for my spirit theme because it has a ghost in it but also because it’s dreamy and atmospheric.

First Rider’s Call by Kristen Bell

This is a book I’m currently reading, and really enjoying. It’s the second novel in the Green Rider fantasy series, which focuses on the king’s messengers in the fantastic land this story is set in. I chose this for the spirit theme because we get even more ghosts in it than the first book, and those green riders, especially the protagonist, are quite spirited — they have a lot of heart and are dedicated to their king.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Ah, yet another YA novel. This one is historical fantasy about an amazing circus at which two magicians’ apprentices compete to see whose teaching style is best. I love this story. I can’t remember if there’s a spirit in it, but I chose it for how atmospheric it is and because it takes a lot of spirit — energy, dedication, and love of the circus itself — to keep the circus going.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

This is a YA paranormal series set in the late 1920s that focuses on a group of teens trying to prevent a bad spirit from taking over the world. I chose it for my spirit topic since the story largely focuses on spirits — ghosts — and the protagonist has a lot spirit — a lot of energy and heart.

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What would you pick for such a theme?

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Top 5 Tuesday #91: Airy Ones

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 with air

Calm like a monk, or wild like Aang? Don’t forget to breathe deeply. 💨🍃
(Variant: flight)

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Again I had difficulty coming up with selections that match the week’s topic, but I tried and managed to find four, because I limited myself to selecting only fantasy books (or books I believe to be fantasy, in honor of Wyrd & Wonder month).

A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos, transl. by Hildegarde Serle
Flight, Vol. 1 edited by Kazu Kibuishi
Air Awakens by Elise Kova
Flyte by Angie Sage

Top 5 Tuesday #90: Fire & Lightning

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 with fire

(We’re more into channeling Iroh than Ozai… but where are all our fire-benders at? 🔥☄️)
(Variant: lightning)

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OK, this week’s topic was difficult to find answers for, but somehow I managed to find books that fit.

Olympians, Vol. 1: Zeus, King of the Gods by George O’Connor (illus.)

First up is this middle-grade fantasy comic book that’s the first in a series about the Greek gods. This first volume retells select stories about Zeus, focusing on the god in his younger years.

The Shadow Saint by Gareth Hanrahan

This one may be a stretch, but I think there was a lot of fire in the war that occurs at the end of the book… but I can’t remember for sure. The Shadow Saint is the second in the Black Iron Legacy fantasy series that’s set in a world were the gods are at war.

Top 5 Tuesday #89: Nature & Magic

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 with earth

(Landlubbers, rejoice! We’re back on stable ground. 🌳)
(Variant: metal)

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Let’s see how long I go recommending only fantasy books for these Top 5 Tuesday categories since it’s Wyrd & Wonder month!!

For this week’s “earth” category, I’ve decided to focus on books where connection with land and nature figure strongly in the story.

Let’s Rewind: April 2023

So… April happened.

Prior to yesterday, it had been two weeks since I published a post or did anything related to blogging. I simply wasn’t in the mood, probably because I was doing other things. Well, let’s see what I did manage to get up to in April.

Let’s Rewind is my version of a monthly wrap up but instead of talking about only books, I include all types of other stuff, like articles… bookish news… commercials… random-ass links… movies… art… podcasts… cartoons… and whatever else happened to me in the month. You know, the usual stuff that people talk about in monthly wrap ups. So read on to see what I did and read this month. You might stumble upon something that interests you.

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I guess I needed to take it slow in April to recuperate from all I did in March. I spent the month recovering from slight illnesses (i.e., seasonal allergies), hanging out with friends and family, resting, and indulging in my growing fondness of houseplants (this time last year I was struggling to keep 3 plants alive. Now I own 12 (wow!) and am struggling with 2).

Top 5 Tuesday #88: A Lot of Water

Wyrd & Wonder is here! And I’m unprepared as always despite my best efforts. I haven’t yet done my TBR post, but expect just about everything I post this month to be part of the Wyrd & Wonder event, a monthlong celebration of all things fantasy.

So that means this Top 5 Tuesday post will include only fantasy-themed answers. It’s just wonderful that the theme for this month’s categories is perfect for Wyrd & Wonder. All categories are based on Avatar: the Last Airbender the four elements: water, earth, fire, air.

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 with water

(Water-benders, tell us all about those lakes, oceans and seas. 💧🌊)
(Variant: blood)

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The following are a variety of fantasy books in which water is a major part of the setting.

Let’s Rewind: March 2023

March… It was such a great month for so many reasons, and I’m glad I planned for it in the way I did. It was the best month I’ve had in some time.

Warning: This post is going to be longer than usually because I’m too excited to chat about where I went in March. Feel free to hop around to different sections, or skip it all.

Let’s Rewind is my version of a monthly wrap up but instead of talking about only books, I include all types of other stuff, like articles… bookish news… commercials… random-ass links… movies… art… podcasts… cartoons… and whatever else happened to me in the month. You know, the usual stuff that people talk about in monthly wrap ups. So read on to see what I did and read this month. You might stumble upon something that interests you.

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Do you remember back in my February wrap-up when I said in March I’d make up for not visiting a museum? Maybe not, but that’s okay. I remembered for both of us. And yes, I made up for not visiting a museum then in spades.

Top 5 Tuesday #87: I’ll Read These Soon

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 anticipated reads for April-June 2023

(What are the books you can’t wait to hold in your hands the most?)

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I’ve decided to make this a reading TBR post since I don’t know of a bunch of books coming out soon. I’ve avoided doing TBRs throughout the year for some time now, but I’ll give this a go to see if I actually read these.

Top 5 Tuesday #86: The 5 Ws

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 with the 5 Ws in the title

(who, what, when, where, why)

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I really like this week’s topic and have managed to pull together 5 books that I own for the topic. But I’ve only read two of them.

Let’s Rewind: February 2023

And another month has come and gone, this time the short one, and it really just flew by. But here we are, in my favorite month of the year. 😄

Let’s Rewind is my version of a monthly wrap up but instead of talking about only books, I include all types of other stuff, like articles… bookish news… commercials… random-ass links… movies… art… podcasts… cartoons… and whatever else happened to me in the month. You know, the usual stuff that people talk about in monthly wrap ups. So read on to see what I did and read this month. You might stumble upon something that interests you.

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My plan in January to visit a museum each month took a nosedive in February. I made it to a total of 0 museums, but that’s OK. I more than made up for it this month (March, ‘cause I’m posting this late).