Top Ten: Television Shows

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and Bookish.

Teen Wolf

MTV

I started watching this show last fall and I marathoned season 1, 2, and 3A in about two weeks. Mind you I did have school at that time. I absolutely love this show. Basically it is about teen wolves...and a handful of other paranormal beings. If you can just make it through the first season (which was pretty bad) it just get so much better from there. Season 4 premiered June 23 and I just can't.

The 100

The CW

This show is based on the book (by the same name) written by Kass Morgan. I actually haven't really heard anything about that book, but I must say this show is really good. It's about a group of teenage delinquents who are sent to Earth from the Ark, the space station that houses what is left of humanity after a nuclear war. The Ark is dying and the teens have the mission to see if Earth is habitable. When the teens get to Earth they are on their own to find food, shelter, pretty much everything. Since I haven't read the book I can't speak to how faithful it is to the book, but either way this is a great show. 

Reign

The CW

Before this show I don't think I had really watched any historical dramas, but I must say this show has made me love them. There is just something about the time period that is so fascinating to watch. This show is about Mary Queen of Scots, and while I don't know much about her original story, I know there has been much critique about the writers taking great liberties with the facts. I'm one of those people who honestly don't care how close they stay to the actual facts. Within reason of course, I wouldn't be very happy if Mary took out her cell phone to make a call. Overall, though, this show is down-right addicting.

The White Queen

Starz

This was actually a mini-series that came on last summer on Starz. I started watching this summer after Reign wrapped up its season and I  was desperately craving another historical drama. This show follows the story lines of three women: Elizabeth Woodville, Anne Neville, and Margaret Beaufort. This show is much more historically accurate than Reign, but just as enjoyable.

Elementary

CBS

This show is a modern take on Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is recovering drug addict and Joan Watson is his sober companion. They live in New York City and are consulting detectives for the NYPD. If you like crime dramas I would definitely recommend this one.

Person of Interest

CBS

I'm actually having a really hard time deciding how to describe this show... Its just really complex and awesome. Its under the allusion that the government has created a machine that spies on all of America to recognize terrorist threats, but it actually sees all threats. So there are two guys who try to save all the people the government finds "irrelevant". Yeah. Just trust me, its good.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Nickelodeon

This show is my childhood. Legit. I can reference to this in every facet of my life. I'm very lucky to have friends and family who have watched and loved this show as well so that most of my references aren't wasted. But seriously if you have never see this show, get your life together and go marathon it.

Whose Line is it Anyways?

The CW

This show was also a big part of my childhood, even though it probably shouldn't have been, you know, content-wise. But my older brothers loved this show so I always wrangled myself a spot on the couch while they watched. This show is hilarious! And you could watch the same episode over and over again (which I have done) and it is just as funny every time. The CW recently picked up this show again with most of the original cast, and it's okay, but if you want the full experience go and watch the seasons with Drew Carey as host. Unbeatable.

So You Think You Can Dance?

Fox

This is my favorite "reality show". I try not to consider it as a reality show because it tries to focus more on the dance than the drama of the contestants. They actually very rarely show any drama between contestants. But in all actuality this show is great. The dancing is great and its entertaining. I have pretty much watched every season since season 2.

America's Next Top Model

The CW

This show is actually my reality show guilty pleasure. I tried to watch the show from the first season, but got really bored halfway through season 2. This show has been on forever! Season 20 ended last year and season 21 starts this August and I can't wait. Some of the old seasons are annoyingly out-dated but the newer ones are really good. And by good I mean unnecessarily drama-fillled goodness. And they added guys to the mix last season. (Bonus!)

What are your favorite shows?

Review: To All The Boys I've Loved Before

To All The Boys I've Loved Before
Jenny Han

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

Waiting on Wednesday: Talon

Waiting on Wednesday's is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Talon

Talon #1
Julie Kagawa
October 28, 2014

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons

Why I Can't Wait: I have read all of Julie Kagawa's books that have been previously published and I have given all of them at least 4 out of 5 stars. And come on, a book about dragons? Yes, please.

Review: Horde (Razorland #3)

Horde
Razorland #3
Ann Agurrie

The horde is coming.

Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.

Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.

This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity

Rainbow Book Spines

     It has been snowing like crazy where I live which has resulted in 7 unplanned days off from school. So instead of doing more productive things like doing homework or studying, I have holed myself up in my "office" and have been attempting to organize it. 

     The main attraction in that room are my bookshelves and I have been wanting to do something new with them. So I thought, "Why not a rainbow?". I've seen many people who have color-coded their shelves and it looked great so why not me? I'll tell you why not. About a third of the way through I started to hate it. I'm very OCD when it comes to things being in order, especially my series, and for the shelf to be in rainbow order I would have to split up so many series and have them in random places. That would just not work. 

      So my compromise was to have little pile of rainbow ordered books on my center shelf. It looks nice and it does't cause me anxiety to just have a few books out of place. There were a few paperbacks that represented the color more, but I thought it looked nicer to have all hardbacks.

 Red- Reboot by Amy Tintera

Orange- If I Should Die by Amy Plum

Yellow- Rebel Heart by MoiraYoung

Green- Linger by Maggie Stiefvater 

Blue- Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Purple- Wake by Lisa McMann

In the end, I kept it in order by author. How do you organize you shelves?

Review: Champion

Champion
Legend #3
Marie Lu

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position. 

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.

Book Spotlight: The Offering

The Offering
The Pledge #3
Kimberly Derting 

True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy. Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks. When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom. But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.

Book Looks: This Is What Happy Looks Like

          

Book Looks was created by Jen and Books and Other Happy Ever Afters. I first saw it at Mostly YA Book Obsessed. It combines books and fashion, two things I love!

So this doesn't have a ton to do with the actual book, more so the cover. I have seen a couple of these types of posts around so I thought I would try it out myself. I have actually read This Is What Happy Looks Like and I thought is was pretty good. But I would recommend Jennifer E. Smith's other book The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight before this one.

Review: Fracture Me

Fracture Me
Shatter Me #2.5
Tahereh Mafi

As Omega Point prepares to launch an all-out assault on The Reestablishment soldiers stationed in Sector 45, Adam's focus couldn't be further from the upcoming battle. He's reeling from his breakup with Juliette, scared for his best friend's life, and as concerned as ever for his brother James's safety. And just as Adam begins to wonder if this life is really for him, the alarms sound. It's time for war.

On the battlefield, it seems like the odds are in their favor—but taking down Warner, Adam's newly discovered half brother, won't be that easy. The Reestablishment can't tolerate a rebellion, and they'll do anything to crush the resistance . . . including killing everyone Adam has ever cared about.

Book Haul #31: What I got for Christmas

This year I got two books for Christmas: Die For Me and Let The Sky Fall

 Let The Sky Fall came with some cool swag too: 2 bookmarks, 1 mini book mark aaaaannnnnddd

 A PERSONALIZED BOOK PLATE! AHHHH. I was quite excited when I opened this.  I really enjoyed this book so I can't wait for Let The Storm Break a little later this year.

I'm also excited I got Die For Me because I now have all the books in the series. I would highly recommend it too!

Also the biggest bit of awsomeness... I GOT A KINDLE PAPERWHITE!

The joy is unimaginable.

What did you get this holiday season?

New Years Blogging Resolutions

1. Don't Force It. I had a bit of trouble keeping up with my blog this year, that's no secret. I think one of the big reasons beside school, was that I was trying to force myself to write posts just so I could put something up instead of waiting until I was feeling creative. That kind of took the fun out of blogging. So this year I am only going to write my posts when the creative juices are flowing,

2. Be Somewhat Consistent. No more unplanned month long breaks. I will try to post at least three posts a week to start. I might write more some weeks but I think three is a good goal for now.

3. Interact. This year I really want to interact with other bloggers. I want to continue visiting and commenting on other blogs as well as responding to comments on my own. I know I do a little happy dance whenever I see someone comment on my blog so I just want to share the commenting love.

4. Read AND Review. Reading isn't the big problem here, it is writing reviews. I like writing reviews don't get me wrong but sometimes I finish a book and just can't think of anything at the time, so I put it down for later and then never pick it up again. That or when I do pick it up again I've already forgotten most of the plot. So this year I will not slack on reviews. I will try to put out at least five a month.

5. 100 Books. So this isn't exactly a blogging goal, it's a reading goal...close enough. I want to read 100 books this year. I managed the goal last year so i'm confident I can do it again. 

What are your new years resolutions (blogging or anything else)?