The Lunar Chronicles Tag

Hi Everyone,
I was cruising the blogosphere, as one does, yesterday and saw a post from Brittany of The Book Addicts Guide celebrating the release of Winter, the final book in The Lunar Chronicles, with some fun and games. I was originally going to do a different tag this week but I figured, with the release of Winter I would do this one. I'm so excited to finally read the last book in this series. It's so fantastic. But I'm also terrified. I've been rereading the series and I just started Cress. I want to finish it before I start Winter so I'm delaying reading it for a little bit. So I'm doing this as my The Lunar Chronicles fix.

Cinder - The Cyborg 
A Book that is misunderstood and underappreciated

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
I'm picking The Magicians mostly because I know it is a book that a lot of people hate, especially die-hard fantasy fans, but I love it. I think that it's misunderstood because it plays so much with the tropes that it's almost a parody or satire. I love that about it but I think a lot of people really didn't enjoy that. Also the MC is whiny and annoying but I find him realistic.

Kai - The Prince
A book about royals/royalty

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
There is a reason that the TV show decided to call it Game of Thrones (beyond the fact that it's the title of the first book in the series). This book is essentially about a power struggle behind all the rich and powerful families in a kingdom all vying for control. There's also ice zombies and dragons but mostly it's all political intrigue.

Adri - The Evil Stepsister
A book with a horrible/cringeworthy parent

The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
Oh man, I seriously cannot even begin to explain how vile and cringeworthy that Dortchen's father is in this book. I mean I maybe should because there are probably some serious trigger warnings for people in it. Like the child abuse is real strong here. This is not a book for the faint of heart.

Iko - The Spunky Sidekick
A book with your favorite happy-go-lucky character

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
This one was pretty hard for me. Most of my favorite sidekicks are sarcastic and jaded, those are my people after all. But then I almost picked this book for a different category and realized, nope this is such a perfect answer for this question. Wayne is seriously one of the best sidekicks because he is so happy-go-lucky and the perfect foil for Wax.

Scarlet - The Rescuer
A book with a character on a mission

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
I LOVE this book, this series. It was my first Brandon Sanderson book and I never looked back after reading it. David Charleston, the main character, is definitely on a mission. The first book in the series is about him trying to kill Steelheart, the Epic who killed his father and is terrorizing the city where he lives. Plus he actually goes on missions with The Reckoners.

Wolf - The Fighter
A book with a brutal fight (with words or fists)

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
There are lots of great fight scenes in the Throne of Glass series. I could have honestly just said the series because throughout most of it, Celaena is kicking ass and taking names as Adarlan's Assassin. But then that thing that happens in the middle of Queen of Shadows between two characters and that thing happens at the end and makes everything else look like a walk in the park (vague explanation is vague).

Levana - The Villian
A book with the absolute worst villain

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
This was the hardest for me because I usually love villains but like, sympathetic villains. Those are the best villains if you ask me. But the question is who is the worst villain. That's much harder. And despite the fact that I didn't love this book. I have to say, The Commandant in An Ember in the Ashes is without out a doubt a heartless and evil character.

Thorne - The Rascal
A book with the best schmoozer

The Martian by Andy Weir
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
Another hard one because the Loveable Rogue is my favorite trope. I changed my mind at least five times for this answer. Eventually Mark Watney seemed like the only logic choice though. He's not really a Loveable Rogue but he is a really fantastic schmoozer, hilarious and intelligent. In the book they actually mention how those personality traits were one of the reasons he was chosen for the Mars mission

Cress - The Hacker
A book about technology/science fiction

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
Most of this book takes place within a virtual reality game with the characters trying to become the creator's heir by finding keys that he hid in the game. But everyone spends most of their lives inside OASIS now so the book has some really great themes about humanity and it's relationship with technology. Plus it's just an all-around amazing book.

Erland - The Doctor
A book with an illness or revolves around medical issues

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
I don't read these kinds of books. They are sad on purpose contemporary romances and those are not my thing. But I did read The Fault in Our Stars before I started blogging. It was super hot at the time and I was just curious what the fuss was all about. I liked it but I didn't cry because I'm a soulless automaton sent from the future to show humans why emotions make you weak. Or a cyborg without tear ducts (LIE!).

Winter - The Unsound Mind
A book with the craziest character you have ever read

The Young Elites by Marie Lu
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
I mean. sure Adelina Amouteru is pretty crazy. In The Rose Society she is slowly descending into madness as she learns more about her abilities and gets more powerful. But Teren Santoro is nutso cuckoo. Have you read The Young Elites? I don't want to spoil you so I will just say that homeboy has some serious self-loathing issues and does things that are terrifyingly insane. And then in The Rose Society he levels up the crazy.

Jacin - The Soldier
A book with a military theme

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
(My Review / Add to Goodreads)
One of the main characters in this book is a British fighter pilot during World War II. When her plane goes down in Nazi occupied France, her passenger and best friend is captured and I think tortured (although I don't remember that part, probably blocked it out) until she agrees to give up military secrets. Throughout her explanations we learn about the two girls friendship and their time in the military. It's wonderful.

People to Tag: I'm not really going to tag specific people because I don't remember who has done this tag and who does or doesn't like doing tags. So instead I'm going to tag anyone who pre-ordered Winter and hasn't started it yet. So if you fit that category and want to do this tag consider yourself tagged.

Have you been able to start Winter yet? Are you loving it? Are you crying yet? How late did you stay up reading? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stippong by and HAPPY READING!

Murder Mystery Book Tag

I saw this tag on BookTube ages ago. Like a year ago probably. It was created by MarisaReadALot and I saw Books of Amber and Lindsey Rey do it as well. At the time I was trying to keep my BookTube channel afloat and I thought this tag was right up my alley. So I planned it all out and then never filmed the video. So as part of my mystery themed month, I was looking for a post and I found this one. So I don't think anyone brought it to the blogosphere (correct me if I'm wrong) so I'm going to do that.

The goal of this tag is to create your own episode of CSI (or any other of those police procedural shows) using book characters. It's a short tag but I added a few more questions just because I want there to be a little bit more to it. So here are my answers.

1.) Favorite Murder Mystery 

The Veronica Mars by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham and The Diviners by Libba Bray 

I don't read a lot of legitimate murder mysteries and the ones I do read I don't love because I don't find them super mysterious. But I am a huge Veronica Mars fan. The TV show is my all-time favorite and the books are pretty good too. I love them mostly because of V. I also recently read The Diviners by Libba Bray and loved it. It's got a great mystery too.

2.) Victim 

Diana Bishop in A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

So I thought I had stopped talking about how much I didn't like this book but it has been I think 3 times in the past two weeks? Oops. I know a lot of people like it but it wasn't for me. And that's mostly because I hated this character. She started off with such promise and then became a Bella Swan romance obsessed idiot who gave in far too easily! I wouldn't cry many tears if she were to end up six feet under. I may be the one to do it in fact.

3.) What World Does It Take Place In?

 The Final Empire/Elendel from The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

I am absolutely obsessed with the Mistborn trilogy and a lot of that has to do with the world. It's one of my favorite fictional worlds ever. The magical systems, the turmoil, the political intrigue, the characters. UGH, I love it! Seeing a murder mystery in this world would make me so happy. Plus the new series, starting with The Alloy of Law reads a bit like a more traditional mystery. I mean the main character is a PI so it totally works.

4.) Lead Detective 

Cealena Sardothian in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

I may be fixated on this because I read Queen of Shadows recently and it's flawless and this would mean more time with my girl Caelana. She's smart and sassy and is surprisingly adept at solving mysteries. In every book I have always been impressed by how good she is at figuring out things that even Chaol and Rowan didn't notice. Plus she's a trained assassin and incredibly kickass which would come in handy when it comes to the culprit.

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5.) Sidekick  

Chubs in The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken 

Chubs is perhaps my favorite sidekick period. He's snarky and sarcastic but fiercely loyal. He's also a really smart and bookish type which a part of me thinks that all sidekicks need to be. I know it's a bit cliche but I don't care. Plus he'd be a great contrast for Caelana's brashness. Imagine the banter you guys! And Vida might be there too which would be extra fun.

6.) Weapon/Manner of Murder 

Avada Kedavra from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

I mean this seems like a fool proof way of killing someone, right? The killing curse is fast and leaves almost no weapon or trace behind for the detectives to use to track down the killer. And if they aren't wizards they would be extra confused by the fact that a person could suddenly just drop dead. I think it would be a really interesting to see a mystery where Avada Kedavra was used.

7.) Red Herring 

Adelina Amouteru in The Young Elites by Marie Lu

All good mystery books need that character who distracts you from the real killer. I'm picking Adelina because The Young ELites is basically a villain origin story and most people think of her as a dark and twisted character but I see her as much more complex than that. She's broken and devious but she has been mistreated for so long who can blame her. Plus she is still open to love and compassion. I don't see her as a sociopath (yet?)

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8.) Culprit 

Arya Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

Okay, okay. So for my culprit I wanted to pick someone dubious and after a few ideas I decided on Arya. She's basically an remorseless killing machine at this point but she has this incredibly emotional motivation behind it all. I'm not a huge fan of her character development but that is sort of why she would be the perfect culprit. Plus she is now being trained by the Faceless Men and the prospect of an Arya/Celaena final showdown makes me so giddy! Especially if they were mistings or mistborn. *dies*

There you have it. My answer to the slightly adapted Murder Mystery Book Tag. It's very fantasy heavy but I'm okay with that. If you are a fan of tags and mysteries then consider yourself tagged, you should definitely do this one and leave me a comment with your answers. I want this to catch on because I'm so curious to see other people's answers. Although I will tag a few people I know like doing tag posts and can help me get this spreading. Let's see....

Tracy at Cornerfolds
Eileen at BookCatPin
C.J from Sarcasm and Lemons
Octavia and Shelly from Read Sleep Repeat
Brittany from Book Addicts Guide

I hope you enjoyed this post. Woud you watch this show? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Unpopular Opinions Tag

I was tagged by CJ Listro of Sarcasm & Lemons (thanks CJ!) and I am honestly so excited to do this tag. I am always really nervous about sharing unpopular opinions but I also really like talking about things that I hate. I think you can learn more about a person and their tastes by finding out what they don't like. If you are a frequent reader of My Thoughts Literally many of these will not be a surprise to you but here are some of my unpopular opinions.

Before I go any further, a disclaimer. If I bashed your favorite thing ever please don't hate me. I don't think any less of you because you enjoyed this thing, please don't think any less of me because I didn't. Cool? Cool. I trust you all!

1.) A Popular Book or Series You Didn't Like

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Goodreads

There have been so many super hyped books recently that everyone loves that I have been meh about but I wouldn't say I hated any of them. But I seriously hate this book. I'm more of an Emily Bronte kind of girl. I tried to read this book, I really did, but I just couldn't handle it. I'm going to probably freak out a lot of people by saying I found it boring and predictable but I also hate Mr. Rochester. How is he a romantic hero in the vein of Mr. Darcy to people? Spoiler alert: He imprisoned his mentally unstable ex-wife in the attic and then put the moves on his employee. That's not sweet and romantic. That's a jerk move!

2.) A Popular Book or Series That Everyone Hates But You Love

The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman - Goodreads

This one was probably the hardest one for me to think. I'm not often trying to justify why I liked a book when other people didn't. And while I wouldn't say this is a series that "everyone hates" but it is definitely super unpopular within the fantasy world. It's the kind of book that you either love or hate. I love it. I find it super creative and very tongue in cheek. The main character is a whiny little brat but I love him. I want him to succeed and get his hearts desire even though he's such a pessimist,



3.) A Love Triangle Where The MC Ended Up With The Person You Didn't Want Them To End Up With.

The Falconer by Elizabeth May - Goodreads
 The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon - Goodreads

I mean I love both these books but the romance just didn't work for me. I'm not sure I would call The Bone Season a love triangle but one things for sure, I do not ship it. I know, everyone loves Warden. And everyone loved Kiaran. They're dreamy and badass fae like characters who cause everyone to swoon. Everyone except this girl. Not my thing. I also don't ship Rowan in Throne of Glass like a lot of people. Fairies do nothing for me romantically.

4.) Popular Book Genre You Almost Never Reach For

Romance. And any of it's subgenres.

I don't need romance to enjoy a book and so if the entire plot revolves around romance I'm just not going to like it. I will probably never go for erotica and if the genre ends in romance I will think long and hard about whether or not I will read it and probably decide no, no I will not.

5.) A Popular or Beloved Character You Didn't Like

Arya Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin - Goodreads 

You guys probably know I'm a huge Team Sansa kind of girl and I'm 100% House Stark but I just don't like Arya. I mean, I used to like Arya. She was my girl in book 1. But then she just had this downward spiral of crazy vengeance fueled ridiculousness, which is fair but not my thing. I'm definitely not a fan of her character development. I'm probably the only person who wants to see her keep her vows as a Faceless Man. She's just become so single-minded and I like my female characters to be well-rounded and not just become senseless killing machines.

6.) A Popular Author You Can't Seem to Get Into

Neil Gaiman

(PUT THE PITCHFORK DOWN!) I haven't really tried very hard. I read Stardust and didn't love it. I tried to listen to the audiobook for Neverwhere and got distracted. I need to read The Graveyard Book or American Gods. Those seem more my speed. Can we still be friends?

7.) A Popular Book Trope You're Tired of Seeing

Source

Manic Pixie Dream Girl. 

I redeemed myself, right? But seriously, can the MPDG just die already. It's annoying. You can make a girl quirky without making her an MPDG, just ask Rainbow Rowell. But more than that I hate the Good Guy falls for MPDG romantic trope. Can't the good guy fall for the good girl? And for that matter can't the good girl fall for the good guy? UGH!

8.) A Popular Series You Have No Interest in Reading

If I Stay/Where She Went by Gayle Foreman. - Goodreads

This should come as no surprise to most people who read my blog. I talk about it all the time. I DON'T DO SAD BOOKS! If a book is sad on purpose I really can't get on board. I'm sure this is a beautifully-written heart-breaking story of romance and a girl finding the inner strength to go on. I mean a lot of people love it. I will just never be reading it.

9.) Show/Movie Adaptation You Liked Better Than the Book


The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Goodreads


I was going to say Stardust for this one. I didn't love the book but I found the movie fantastic. But I think I'm instead going to go with this one that I think will be a super unpopular opinion and that's mostly because I didn't love the book. I predicted the ending so I didn't find it sad at all. I felt like a soulless automaton sent from the future to remind people that feelings are our downfall when I read the book. But when I watched the movie I sobbed like a baby.

People to Tag

Let's see, who likes tag posts? Whose unpopular opinions do I want to see?
1.) Elizabeth at Book YAbber
2.) Britt at Please Feed the Bookworm 
3.) Stephanie at My Bookish Itinerary
4.) Jessie at Jessie Reads Everything

What about you? What unpopular opinions do you have? How do you feel about these books? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers

I love these tag posts! I wasn't sure when I was going to be able to fit this one in but I'm kind of behind on my reading so bam! Here we go.

Rules
- Thank the blogger that nominated you, and link back to their site.
- Post the award’s logo onto your blog.
- Answer the 10 questions you’ve been asked.
- Nominate 10 other bloggers and ask them 10 questions.

I was nominated twice, so thank you to the lovely Brittany at Please Feed the Bookworm and Tracy at Cornerfolds. Both have fantastic blogs and are really


Answers to Britt's Questions

1.) If you could alter one storyline or ending what would it be? It can be anything you want!

So as to avoid spoilers, there is a moment in The Hero of Ages that I will never ever ever be over. I would change that ending.

2.) How many books have you read?

In my whole life? No idea. It's probably close to 1,000. Maybe more.

3.) If you could only read one book/series for the rest of you life, what would it be?

Harry Potter. There are seven books and they never get old, no matter how many times I read them.

4.) Would you survive a zombie apocalypse?

No, and I don't want to! If the zombie apocalypse comes I would much rather become a zombie than try and survive as long as possible. I don't even care if they eat me instead of turn me. I have no skills that would help me survive in any sort of apocalypse!

5.) How do you tell people you're a blogger?

I don't really. If I do I say "I have a book blog." But I'm pretty secretive about it.

6.) What's your latest and greatest ship?

Latest: Adelina and Enzo in The Young Elites. Greatest: Vin and Elend in Mistborn or Chubs and Vida in The Darkest Minds trilogy (they're my new fave OTP)

7.) Name the book you would give your left arm for?

A Court of Thorns and Roses, the final book in The Raven Cycle, and The Winds of Winter!

8.) Who is your favorite author?

I'm not really sure. J.K. Rowling? Gregory Maguire? Rainbow Rowell and Brandon Sanderson are probably the latest faves.

9.) Why did you start book blogging?

To be able to share my love of books with others and to talk about books with more people.

10.) Show me how GIFted you are - One gif that best describes you!

Answers to Tracy's Questions

1.) What is one book you won't admit to liking?

Probably Twilight. I was a fan of it when it was popular a few years back. I mean I had tons of issues with it, most notably Bella and Edward, but I liked it.

2.) Who is your top book boyfriend?

Seriously Tracy, asking the tough questions. Elends pretty high up there. And Levi in Fangirl. And Thorne in The Lunar Chronicles, and Snape in Harry Potter. I seriously love Snape!

3.) What is your most treasured book?

That is another really tough question. I have a copy of Eats Shoots and Leaves that my aunt gave me before she passed away. It always makes me think of her and it's pretty special.

4.) What is one movie that you think was better than the book?

Stardust. But that may be because I listened to the audio book version which was not very good. 

5.) Have you ever written a super embarrassing fanfic

Yes! I used to write Harry Potter fanfiction that I was too embarrassed to show anyone. I read some of it recently and it is hilariously bad! 

6.) Do you prefer character or plot-driven books?

Plot-driven. I need good characters but if the plot isn't top notch then I won't enjoy the book.

7.) What is your favorite social media outlet for blogging?

Twitter. I am a Twitter fiend.

8.) Does your family read your blog

Nope. I know they know about it but they don't really read it.

9.) How many books have you reviewed this year?

I have reviewed 97 but I am about to finish my 100th book.

10.) What is the best giveaway you've won as a blogger?

I recently won a giveaway from GReads that was for The Young Elites and the entire Legend trilogy. That was a pretty fantastic giveaway!

My Nominees
Violet at Paper Worlds and Swirls of Ink
Monique at Mo_Books
Stephanie at Her Reviews
Octavia and Shelley at Read. Sleep. Repeat.
Becca at Pivot Book Reviews
Jessie at Jessie Reads Everything
Melissa at Bookmark Dragon
Elizabeth at Book YAbber

My Questions
1.) What is a book that you tell people you'vr read even though you never finished it?
2.) What series do you wish you started years ago?
3.) Who is your favorite villain?
4.) What book in a trilogy do you typically like best?
5.) What is your favorite genre and your least favorite genre?

6.) How important is romance to you in the books you read?
7.) What are the 3 best books you have read so far this year?
8.) What book do you just hate with a fiery passion?
9.) If you were trapped on a desserted island, what dessert would your island be made of?
10.) What is your favorite thing about where you live

That's all she wrote! Thanks again to Britt and Tracy for nominating me. This was a lot of fun! My nominees should feel no pressure to do it. If you want to then go for it. And of course, thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!