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- Top Five Books of 2020
  
  Posted at 10:56 am by Laura, on December 31, 2020
  
  It’s that time of year! Everyone is sharing their favorite books from 2020, and for the first time in a very long time I have to struggle to pick five from the pile of five-star reviews rather than accept the meager few as my top.
  
  When I made it my goal to read for quality over quantity this year (even though I did give a number and didn’t reach it), I found myself really enjoying reading for pleasure again (who would’ve thought?). This resulted in tossing aside several books to the DNF and TTFN, and diving deep into the ones I was truly enjoying. Several four-, four-and-a-half-, and five-star reads came forth, and it was such a joy! I can look back on my reading year in 2020 fondly.
  
  Top Five Books of 2020
  
  “But Laura,” you say, “there are six books here! Can’t you count?”
  
  Top Five Books of 2020: Born a Crime, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, The Happy Ever After Playlist, Mexican Gothic, and A Darker Shade of Magic make my top most top five of the five-star reviewed titles.
  
  Five other five-star reads include Becoming, Digital Minimalism, The Lost Words, Recommended for You, and The Once and Future Witches.
  
  The Top of the Top Best Book of 2020: The Year of the Witching, solidifying itself as one of my favorite books ever. All the stars to this book. All of them.
  
  And of course, my clients!
  
  Shielded by KayLynn Flanders
  
  The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice by Lisa DeSelm
  
  These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
  
  ~
  
  Looking forward to another great reading year in 2021!
  
  Posted in books, Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged books, personal, top five books
- Top Five Books of 2019
  
  Posted at 3:47 pm by Laura, on December 30, 2019
  
  Though I want to participate in the End of Year Book Survey, I frankly don’t have the time this year to answer the questions, provide links, add images, and be silly with Ron Swanson gifs (that was my plan––I’ve recently started watching Parks & Rec for the very first time and ohmygosh Ron is my spirit animal). So instead I thought I’d highlight my favorite books read this year and point out some honorable mentions.
  
  Top Five Books of 2019
  
  The following books received big fat five stars from me as standout favorites.
  
  KINGDOM OF COPPER by SA CHAKRABORTY
  
  THE FLATSHARE by BETH O’LEARY
  
  AYESHA AT LAST by UZMA JALALUDDIN
  
  CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC by SOPHIE KINSELLA [review to come!]
  
  DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME by MHAIRI MCFARLANE [review to come!]
  
  And of course, my clients…
  
  If you haven’t already, you need to pick up the books by my clients that came out in 2019: Bear No Malice by Clarissa Harwood, Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno, and Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri.
  
  Get a head start on your 2020 reading list by adding Shielded by KayLynn Flanders, These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong, and The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice by Lisa DeSelm to your Goodreads TBR!
  
  ~~~
  
  What were your top favorites of 2019?
  
  Posted in books, Update Post | 2 Comments | Tagged books, personal, top five books
- Top Five Books of 2016
  
  Posted at 3:25 am by Laura, on December 30, 2016
  
  LEAVE ME by Gayle Forman || I fell in love with Forman’s writing all over again, and every step of Maribeth’s journey felt sure, raw, and honest. I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation of all her decisions, and simultaneously relaxed, like I was leisurely catching up with an old friend.
  
  SALT TO THE SEA by Ruta Sepetys || I cannot stress enough how important it is to read Salt to the Sea, to read Between Shades of Gray, to reflect on your life and the lives lost after reading. Sepetys understands the nature of humanity on such a deep level. I trust her completely.
  
  ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes || Me Before You isn’t a full-blown romance. It’s about two individuals from very different worlds, experiencing life in very different ways, coming together and finding love in the most unlikely circumstances, and, belatedly, navigating the effects of that love and their diverging life plans. It’s not sudden and sweeping, but slow, heartbreaking, tense.
  
  TRAITOR ANGELS by Anne Blankman || I am astonished, and I want nothing more than to roam Oxford again and picnic by the river and revisit my studies on the English Civil War, with a copy of Milton by my side and Renaissance historians gushing about the Italian progress. When an author can make me miss academia at this level, I promise you the book they wrote is excellent. And Blankman’s is exactly that.
  
  THE LIE TREE by Frances Hardinge || First, this is proper gothic literature. The muffled, dark atmosphere — a never-ending sense of foreboding, a constant feeling that one is being watched, hair-raising, spine-chilling — is all you need to develop the urgency in Faith’s quest, to really paint the unstable time in history and fluctuating dynamics of the household. While there’s a death, a creepy plant, and some bumps in the night, this isn’t blood and gore. This is proper horror, proper suspense, proper uncanny, and thus creates proper gothic.
  
  Which books made your Top Five for the year?
  
  Posted in books, Update Post | 3 Comments | Tagged books, personal, top five books
- Top Five Books of 2015
  
  Posted at 5:05 am by Laura, on December 20, 2015
  
  The most difficult post: selecting five fantastic books from the 66, as of December 20th, I read this year! Thankfully, the season rewind helped me narrow down my favorites from the year even further.
  
  A Madness So Discreet || Daughter of the Forest || Into the Dim
  
  A MADNESS SO DISCREET by Mindy McGinnis is, by far, the best YA book I read this year. Historically set, a close analyzation of mental illness and suffrage, and a thrilling mystery throughout. Also? No romance. YA can be successful without romance, folks.
  
  DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST by Juliet Marillier because I can’t get enough of Marillier and she needs to be on every top list ever ever ever.
  
  INTO THE DIM by Janet B Taylor is not available to the public yet (not till March!), nor have I posted a review for it yet (not till February!), but wow. This was the answer to a YA Outlander, with a more scientific/less-fantasy spin.
  
  Under a Painted Sky || The Royal We
  
  UNDER A PAINTED SKY by Stacey Lee grabbed me from the very first line. Simply written, an unusual (“unusual” in that it’s rarely written about) point in American history, with a variety of characters and backgrounds. An absolute joy to read — and I can’t wait to read Lee’s future work!
  
  THE ROYAL WE by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan is purely my candy choice. It’s fun, it’s funny, and it was an immediate winner for this royal-phile. You could call it my guilty pleasure, if you want. I loved it.
  
  Honorable mentions: The Lake House by Kate Morton, The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord, All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.
  
  Which books made it to your Top Books of 2015 list?
  
  Posted in books, Update Post | 9 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, genre: romance, genre: young adult, top five books
- Top Five Books of 2014
  
  Posted at 8:40 pm by Laura, on December 17, 2014
  
  The most difficult post of the year: selecting five fantastic books from the 66, as of December 17th, I read this year!
  
  Goodness. This year was full of discoveries. If last year was deemed The Year of Gothic Literature, this could be called the ARC Frenzy (so. many. ARCs.) or The Year of Contemporary YA. Seriously, why hadn’t I read Gayle Forman sooner? Or Rainbow Rowell? Or Stephanie Perkins? They’re definitely my top YA authors now — I will follow their publishing career to the ends of the earth. This was also the year I stumbled upon Morgan Matson, Jenny Han, and Huntley Fitzpatrick. What a fun experience!
  
  In no particular order, here are my Top Five Books of 2014!
  
  For more favorites: Top Five of 2013, Top Five of 2012. To see the full list of books I read in 2014, feel free to see my Goodreads Challenge!
  
  Outlander by Diana Gabaldon || Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins ||
  Just One Day by Gayle Forman
  
  A time-traveling historical fiction with a dash of romance, now a hit TV series, is totally worth the volume of words and pages. If you haven’t giggled in a while, travel to Paris and relive your first romance! And finally, one magical day abroad can change your life forever.
  
  Clearly there’s a foreign theme going on…
  
  Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell || Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman
  
  Break personal barriers and overcome anxiety your freshman year in college, or shatter your entire belief system to save hundreds of people your uncle despises. These young women are daring in their own way!
  
  Some honorable mentions include Indiana author Sharon Biggs Waller’s A Mad, Wicked Folly, the Buffy-esque series starter Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins, and quietly beautiful The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston. There are two great books coming out in January 2015 that I read this year and loved (and will most likely make it into the Top 5 of 2015!), Geek Girl by Holly Smale and All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven — reviews to come.
  
  Which books made it to your Top Books of 2014 list?
  
  Posted in books, Update Post | 7 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: romance, genre: young adult
- Top Five Books of 2013
  
  Posted at 7:32 pm by Laura, on December 7, 2013
  Once again, 2013 was a difficult year to narrow down which books made my top five list. I read several ARCs this year (which I will not include in this challenge), as well as over 20 young adult gothic books and loads of fantasy. To see all the books I’ve read in 2013 (and to come at least in the few weeks we have left), check out my Goodreads challenge.
  
  In no particular order, here are my Top Five Books of 2013! To see my picks for 2012, click here. Those books still stand to be in a Top Five placement!
  1. Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole (see my review!)
    The epistolary format of this book was so well done. It’s rare to find a novel written entirely in letters — and done well! Plus, paralleling the storylines between two World Wars made it all the more powerful. I could go on and on about this book — all the themes of love, war, triumphs, failures, traveling across great lands and seas, life — but I’ll leave it here in hopes you get a chance to pick up this book one day.
  2. The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle (see my review!)
    This book was for my graduate thesis — and quite honestly was the one that helped me discover what I wanted to write for my thesis! I stared at it for weeks on the shelf at work, and began to wonder, “Is gothic coming back? And back in the YA format?” After those questions, I saw the gothic everywhere! So thanks, Laura Bickle, for unknowingly sparking this!
    Thesis epiphany aside, Hallowed Ones was terribly frightening. I thoroughly enjoyed it, all the gore and shock and transgressions and suspense. You’re in for a good story with this one!
  3. Shadow on the Crown by Patricia Bracewell (see my review!)
    If you’re an Anglophile in any way, or if you love history and monarchies and empowering women, this is absolutely a must-read. Follow Emma of Normandy as she begins her journey as queen of what we know today as England. It’s phenomenal.
  4. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (see my review!)
    I love fantasy, but I’m not one for dragon stories. This completely changed my entire perspective, and introduced me to a whole new world of YA fantasy I didn’t think was possible. Any musician, medieval history buff, and high fantasy indulger would enjoy this. Juliet Marillier’s Shadowfell is near-tie with this book.
  5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (see my review!)
    Every time a friend or customer asks for a good fantasy recommendation — or any recommendation, really — I always mention this book. The setting (Prague), the topic of art, the discussion on discrimination and stereotyping, the concept of war and love and tragedy and sacrifice, was daunting yet perfect. It blew my mind, I devoured the second book, and now I can’t possibly wait any longer for the third!
  The theme for favorite books of 2013 seems to be independent, empowered (and empowering) women in history and fantasy. Not too shabby!
  
  What are your favorite books from 2013?
  Posted in books, Update Post | 17 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: history, genre: young adult, goodreads
- Top Ten Tuesday: Book-to-Movie Adaptations
  
  Posted at 3:15 am by Laura, on November 10, 2015
  
  Top Ten Tuesday, a concept started by The Broke and the Bookish, is a themed post that connects bloggers to bloggers, bloggers to readers, and readers to readers. Every Tuesday has a special topic, and this Tuesday is Top Ten Book-to-Movie Adaptations I’m Looking Forward to/Still Need to Watch.
  
  I cheated a bit and chose some book-to-TV selections as well, because why not.
  
  Looking Forward to Seeing
  
  Mockingjay Part 2 || The Danish Girl || Outlander Season 2: Dragonfly in Amber
  
  Sherlock Season 4 || Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
  
  Still Need to Watch
  
  Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug || Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
  
  Testament of Youth || Brooklyn
  
  And for #10: A Rewatch
  
  The Book Thief, because snow and books.
  
  In conclusion, I adore Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Alicia Vikander. I see nothing wrong with this.
  
  Posted in books, Top Ten Tuesday | 7 Comments | Tagged books, movies, top ten tuesday
- Top Ten Tuesday: All Time Favorite Books
  
  Posted at 8:15 am by Laura, on March 3, 2015
  
  Top Ten Tuesday, a concept started by The Broke and the Bookish, is a themed post that connects bloggers to bloggers, bloggers to readers, and readers to readers. Every Tuesday has a special topic, and this Tuesday is Top Ten ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS from the Last Three Years.
  
  Oy. At first I thought this would be easy — just a quick scan of my top five favorites from each year — but now that I think about this more, some of the books listed below didn’t even make my Top Five of 20__ list originally. They stick out to me now, though, in one way or another.
  
  The Night Circus || Outlander || The Last Enchantments
  Shadow on the Crown || The Secret Keeper
  
  Mostly historical fiction, two of them fantasy-based, and all three set in England and/or Europe. Sounds about right for my tastes! Four of these authors were new to me at the time I read them and/or they were debuts, so it’s always exciting to find new people to follow.
  
  Fangirl || All the Bright Places || Anna and the French Kiss
  Between Shades of Gray || Prisoner of Night and Fog
  
  Three YA books are contemporary, speaking to who I am as a person (anxious and nerdy, deeply interested in psychology, giggly and a hopeless romantic), and two are WWII historical fiction but with a different perspective (lesser-known Russian history and through the eyes of a young pre-Nazi). Phenomenal books in their own right, and I’m constantly putting them in readers’ hands.
  
  What are your top ten favorite books from the last three years? Do we have any overlap?
  
  Posted in books, Top Ten Tuesday | 16 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: romance, genre: young adult, top ten tuesday
- Top Ten Tuesday: Romances in Books
  
  Posted at 7:15 am by Laura, on February 10, 2015
  Top Ten Tuesday, a concept started by The Broke and the Bookish, is a themed post that connects bloggers to bloggers, bloggers to readers, and readers to readers. Every Tuesday has a special topic, and this Tuesday is Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When it Comes to Romances in Books.
  
  What an interesting topic! A lot of what I enjoy about romances in books can also be things I dislike as well. Sometimes it all boils down to the writing — how the characters and their situations are portrayed. We’ll start with Dislike so that the post ends on a high note!
  
  Five Things I Dislike* When it Comes to Romances in Books
  *It all depends on the writing
  1. Insta-love — Sometimes this works. Most of the time it’s just annoying.
  2. Bickering — When the dialogue is all “witty banter” and suddenly it’s love, I roll my eyes and close the book. That’s not witty. That’s bickering, and it’s unoriginal.
  3. All Sex, No Depth — Don’t get me wrong, sex scenes are great, but that’s not enough to constitute love and romance. That’s just pure physical fun. It’s extra frustrating in YA when it happens too quickly into the story.
  4. Love Triangles — Just…why? Sometimes I understand if the protagonist has a long-time crush at the start of the novel and about halfway she likes someone else, but…do we need to have love triangles all the time? YA is notorious for this.
  5. Totally Hot Guys — Why is it (again, notorious in YA) when she meets the guy, he’s always super chiseled and muscular and beautiful? I mean, there were some hot guys when I was a teenager but they definitely weren’t marbled gods. (I just about cried when I met Levi in Fangirl. What a relief!)
  Five Things I Like When it Comes to Romances in Books
  1. Depth — Several of my favorite romances begin with an established friendship, comfort, honesty and understanding. Whether or not the romance blossoms slowly or rapidly, if it has depth, I love it.
    Discovery of Witches, Winter Witch, Outlander, Letters from Skye
  2. The Rush — You know the feeling! Your heart’s beating fast, you’re rooting for the couple, it feels just like your very first crush. Heck, it feels like that very first time you meet any love interest, so full of possibility.
    Anna and the French Kiss, Just One Day, The Bronze Horseman
  3. Total Honesty — When the characters are completely honest with one another, whether or not they’re together at the time…it just makes my heart flutter.
    Fangirl, Rebel Belle, Seraphina
  4. The Tension — Cause heck, who doesn’t love tension? Sexual tension, repression, emotional tension, all brilliant.
    A Mad, Wicked Folly, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Clockwork Angel
  5. Teamwork — When the couple works together as a team, not necessarily putting their love before anything else but at least making it just as equal as whatever else they’re passionate about, that’s when you know it’s real.
    The Night Circus, The Truth About Forever, Shadowfell
  What do you like most about romances in books? What grates your nerves? Do you notice differences in adult and YA?
  Posted in books, Top Ten Tuesday | 22 Comments | Tagged books, genre: romance, top ten tuesday
- Top 5 Books of 2012
  
  Posted at 10:26 am by Laura, on December 24, 2012
  
  It was very difficult to narrow down which books I wanted in the top five. Cassandra Clare’s second in the Infernal Devices series, Clockwork Prince, and Kate Morton’s The Secret Keeper had to be cut. To see a full list of what I read in this year’s challenge, feel free to browse here.
  
  2012 was a mix of contemporary and dystopian young adult with Victorian gothic literature. I read my absolute favorite genre of all time and explored a new and booming genre with relish. Here are my top five books of 2012, in no particular order!
  
  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
  
  The first and only novel by John Green written from the point of view of a teenage girl in the midst of heartbreaking cancer is full of life, wonder, and awe. The characters are charming and a joy to read, and as a previous Indianapolis resident I was so happy to watch all their adventures across my home city.
  
  Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
  
  Every person on this planet needs to read this book. I convinced my mother to read it — and it sparked hours-long discussions on Soviet history, her old Latvian friends, and the state of the Baltics today. I convinced history buffs to read it — and they are discussing untouched topics with their history professors. I convinced a friend who never reads nonfiction or YA, and she was moved to tears. This book, true accounts of Soviet Russia’s mass slaughter of the Baltics during and after WWII wrapped up in a fictional character, is beyond words. It is a must-read.
  
  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  
  Enchanting and riveting, this masterpiece is set in the late Victorian age as two magicians compete in a fierce challenge within a spell-binding circus. The characters, the setting, the dream-like qualities, and the love are so moving, you’ll never want to leave Le Cirque des Reves.
  
  A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
  
  Diana is supposed to be an American professor in Oxford, nothing more. But her magic draws attention to other creatures only heard about in myths, including the very predatory Matthew cannot seem to stay away. This is not the ordinary academic professor romance, nor are the witches and vampires sweet and kind. History, magic, alchemical texts, Oxford, Massachusetts, genetics, and chemistry merge together in this great, intelligent romance.
  
  Delirium by Lauren Oliver
  
  Hunger Games brought me back into the YA genre, and Delirium kept me in. I’m a hopeless romantic, so a story about forbidden love will always draw me in. However, Oliver does not make this dystopian cheesy or cheap. Love is forbidden because love is a disease. Love clouds judgement, causes unnecessary illness like fevers, sweat, lack of appetite. This concept is so beautifully written, and the characters so well-developed and intuitive, I could not put this down.
  
  Posted in books, Update Post | 3 Comments | Tagged 50 book challenge, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: history, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads
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- Hello, I’m Laura!
  
  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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