Top Ten Tuesday: Songs I Wish Were Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at Broke and Bookish. This week's theme is songs I wish that were books. There are quite a few books that I wish were books but I'm just going to list some of those. I have a linked all the songs so if you haven't already heard them, you should check them out.



1. Gravity by Sara Bareilles - I've been in love with this song since I first heard it in on So You Think You Can Dance. This could be interpreted so many ways but I think it would be perfect as a new adult novel where the main character struggles with some type of addiction.

2. Lost & Found by Lianne La Havas - This would definitely be a contemporary. This would follow someone as he/she lost him/herself in a relationship, romantic or not, in order to not feel like they were alone.

3. Beautiful by Me'Shell NdegéOcello - If you haven't seen Love & Basketball, there is a song by this artist called Fool of Me. That song is also amazing and one of my favorites. I'm sucker for a good love story, and that's exactly what this song is.

4. Save Him by Justin Nozuka - This song is very emotional. It deals with domestic abuse, and I think it would be interesting to see how this subject would be handle in a novel.

5. Candles In The Sun by Miguel - This is another song that is very emotional. There are some many problems that are brought up in this song that I would love to see be covered in one book, or even a series. Being one of those songs by

6. Waiting Game by Banks - I love this song and I would love to see it any book form.

7. Q.U.E.E.N. by Janelle Monae - This is one of my favorite songs by Janelle Monae! This song is basically about being yourself and being proud of that. I really want to see this is a book form.

8. I'm Gonna Show You Crazy by Bebe Rexha - There are few different ways this can be translated into a novel. I would be interested in seeing the interpretation.

9. Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machines - This is one of my current favorite songs. I'm sure there are already books out that would go along with song. It wouldn't hurt to have one more though.

10. Formation by Beyonce - There has been so much controversy around this song but I still love it. Not only is the song catchy but it celebrates everything it means to be an African American. It lets people know they don't have to be ashamed of what it means to be them. I would like to see this in book form but to go along with this I would love to see more racially diverse books across popular genres and all age groups.

January Wrap Up

Hey everyone! I hope January was a good month for everyone. It flew by for me and we're already halfway through February and I'm just now getting this up. After the end of last year, I spent most of the month trying to get back on a steady uploading schedule. Since this wrap up may be a little lengthy I'm just going to go ahead and get started.

2016 Reading Challenge

Like I mentioned in my 2016 reading challenges post I set my goodreads reading challenge to 50 books for the year. In January I managed to read 4 books towards that overall goal. If you haven't seen it already, I added a tab to keep track of the challenges I decided to take part in this year. There is a link for the 2 challenges that have specific challenges for them. I will do my best to update that list as often as I can so feel free to check them out whenever you want.

New to My Shelves

I went a little crazy when it came to buying books in January. Even though I only made 3 different purchases I got a lot of books. Since there are so many books I'm going to link my haul/unboxing videos. To be fair though, one of the Book Outlet orders I made in December I just got them in January. If you read any of the books I got let me know what you thought about them.

Books I Read

After forcing myself to read so much at the end of December I wasn't really in the mood to read in the beginning of January. However, I did still manage to read a few books during the month.

A Court of Thorns and Roses | Death Note: Black Edition Volume 3 | Alex + Ada Volume 1 | The Lightning Thief

What was some of your favorite January reads?

Waiting on Wednesday | The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
Publisher: Razorbill
Expected Publication Date: February 23, 2016
Pages: 352
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description

She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world...

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years -- a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

Why I'm Waiting

I haven't heard anyone talking about this book but I've seen it around a lot on goodreads. Like a lot of other books I decide to read I didn't know what this was about but when I finally saw the cover I thought it looked interesting so I added it to my to read list. Today I finally read the description and I knew right away that I wanted to read this. I've been really into all the fairy tale retellings, or at least the one's that I've actually read. I'm not sure if there's a written version of Aladdin, if there is I haven't read it, but I loved the movie. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Jessica Khoury explores a different take on Aladdin!

Anyone else looking forward to this release? If so, why are you excited about it?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Fictional Crushes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at Broke and Bookish. This week's is a Valentine's Day themed freebie and I decided to go with my Top Ten Fictional Crushes. These aren't in any specific reason because I love them all for different reasons.

Mr Darcy from Pride & Prejudice - Although he was stubborn for the most part, once he realized he wanted to be with Elizabeth he let her know. Darcy was always looking out for everyone's best interest but when the time came he was willing to go against what was expected of him to be with Lizzie. I can't wait to reread this!

Jack Force from the Blue Bloods series - From the time Jack was first introduced he didn't fall into the stereotype of the popular kids. Jack did anything for Schuyler, even if that meant breaking rules or risking his own life. 

Daemon Black from the Lux series - Like I've mentioned quite a few times since I started this blog, Daemon is one of my favorites. Once he truly cares for someone, the relationship isn't just physical. He is there whenever and for whatever.

Dimitri Belikov from the Vampire Academy series - There was so much back and forth with Dimitri but one thing that never changed was his love. He made sure Rose was strong enough to fight for herself but he was also there to comfort her when needed.

Adrian from the Vampire Academy series - Adrian was the opposite of Dimitri. He was sweet and always let it be known that he was interested in Rose. He was even willing to help Rose when he knew that she was interested in someone else. I heard some good things about him in the Bloodlines series so I can't wait to read that.

Garrick Taylor from Losing It - I love that he is so upfront about what he wants. He will let you know what he wants/what he's thinking. He's also able to adapt to a situation, so if you're feeling uncomfortable he will stop, not try to force you to do anything you're not ready for.

(For the next 2 keep in mind that I've only read the first book in the Throne of Glass series)

Dorian Havilliard from the Throne of Glass series - Dorian uses being the prince to his advantage but he doesn't rely on it. It might be a little foolish on his part but he isn't scared of Celaena and even surprised/flustered her a few times.

Chaol Westfall from the Throne of Glass series - Chaol is basically the opposite of Dorian. He knows everything she is capable of so he is wary of her. When Chaol is put in charge of getting Celaena back into shape, he does everything he can to get her back in shape but still does what he can in order to protect (like making sure she doesn't look as strong as she is around the others) her. 

Tamlin from A Court of Thorns and Roses - Tamlin was forced into his role of power but he handles still takes responsibility like it was his choice. He does everything to protect his lands. Not only that, when he brings Feyre to his land, he protects her and does what he can to make her happy.

Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses - Like I said in my review, Rhysand wasn't a completely bad person. It's clear that he had his own reasons for helping her but I'm sure there were other ways he could have helped without having her promise herself to him each month. I know there is going to more this and I wonder who is going to come out on top.

Who are some of your fictional crushes? Did any of these make the list?
Don't forget to link your TTT so I can check it out!

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan | Review

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: June 1, 2005
Genre: Middle Grade, Greek Mythology, Adventure, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 377
Source: Purchased
First Line: "Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood."
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

My Thoughts

I'm usually late joining the bandwagon when it comes to popular series and it was no different when it came to Percy Jackson. To be honest, I didn't know about this series until I started watching booktube. If I had known about it I'm 99% sure I would have read this a long time ago because I have been interested in Greek mythology since I first started learning about it. I heard so many good things about the series but I was a little worried about reading it since I'm almost twice Percy's age. I also saw quick reviews from people closer to my age reading the series for the first time and not liking it as much because the writing was for a younger audience, so that had me a little worried as well.

Despite all that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Lightning Thief. I wasn't really sure what to expect going into the series but I got everything I wanted. There was humor and adventure, and some serious situations that I wouldn't have expected to be dealt with in a middle grade novel. I really enjoyed the adventure the main characters were on and there were times that I forgot how young they were, especially Percy. Like any other kid at his age, Percy spends the book trying to find out where he fits in but he has to do it on a much broader level than just trying to fit in with friends.

The first book in this series was amazing. I'm looking forward to discovering more about Percy and the world that he belongs to. I hope the series continues as amazing as it started off.

Death Note: Black Edition Volumes 1 - 3 by Tsugumi Ohba | Review

Death Note: Black Edition Volume 1
Find on Goodreads

My Thoughts

This was a pretty strong opening to the series. Although I heard some good things so far I wasn't really sure what to expect and how I would like it. I was pleasantly surprised! Faced with the power of the Death Note Light Yagami goes a little insane, in my opinion, and although he had good intentions having that much power is never a good thing. Ryuk was my favorite character and I laughed a lot at him throughout this volume.

Death Note: Black Edition Volume 2
Find on Goodreads

My Thoughts

There isn't much I can discuss without spoiling this since it's volume 3 & 4. I enjoyed it but not as much as the first volume. This volume was more about continuing on with the story and learning more about how to use the death note. I was a little disappointed with the way the big twist ended but I'm sure something extremely crazy is going to happen in the next volume. Ryuk is one of my favorite characters and I was a little sad he wasn't as prominent in this volume. There were still moments where I was still laughing at his interactions with Light

Death Note: Black Editon Volume 3
Find on Goodreads

My Thoughts

This was my least my favorite of the series so far. There were a lot of slow parts when compared to the first two volumes. Ryuk was barely around and I think that had a little to do with not enjoying this one as much. The ending made up for the slow parts! A new enemy was introduced but I hope we get to see more of the old one again in the next volumes. The first half of this series has been really good from so far and I'm looking forward to continuing on with this series.