Top Ten Book Titles That Could Be Crayola Crayon Colors

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and The Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is kinda ridiculous, which is just the way I like it! If you've ever looked closely at a Crayola crayon, you'll notice some of them have funky names like "Deep Space Sparkle", "Big Dip O'Ruby", "Banana Mania", and "Wild Blue Yonder". Today's task is to find some book titles of books I've enjoyed that would fit right in with these crazy colors!

1. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - This would be a great title for a blood-red crayon for all the creepy drawings kids make to freak out their parents!

2. Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian - As the name implies, this would be a gray, ashy color

3. These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch - I'm imagining a pretty ocean blue like the Caribbean sea!

4. Cold Falling White by G. S. Prendergast - This would be one of those white crayons that you almost never use unless you're drawing on black paper

5. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - For this crayon, it would be a super light blue like the frost that tips plants in the morning in winter

6. A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies - Taking 'Dark' from the title, this crayon would be a pretty black

7. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater - This color would be, you guessed it, blue!

8. House of Ivy and Sorrow by Natalie Whipple - Kids would grab this crayon and color every single plant in their picture with it, making a giant swath of green

9. Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian - I see this color as a reddish-orange that would invoke flames when used!

10. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - And to finish us out, this would be a patriotic coloring set that kids could use on either side of the pond!

Were you a coloring aficionado when you were a kid? Think my names hit the mark? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Books That Give Me Autumn Vibes

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and The Artsy Reader Girl. This list is based mostly, though not entirely, on color scheme.

1. The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L. Armentrout - The pinkish-red with the falling confetti makes me think of falling leaves.

2. Chosen at Nightfall by C.C. Hunter - The colors and the trees make me think of fall, and the birds make me think of birds migrating south for the winter.

3. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas - This is the bright yellow of many of the falling leaves, and the sparks are the pops of red.

4. If I Should Die by Amy Plum - Some great fall coloring! The decals also make me think of vines snaking around buildings.

5. Endless by Jessica Shirvington - Orangey fall colors and falling feathers like falling leaves.

6. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - This book is really great for fall representation, as it literally centers around the first frost of the season! Plus, look at that gorgeous apple!

7. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins - This is more early fall/late summer, but it makes me think of back to school.

8. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi - This has some fall and some spring vibes, but the colors make me think of fall blooms.

9. Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards - Instead of a bright red phoenix feather, imagine a bright red leaf.

10. The Reckoning of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin - Fall colors with sparks like falling leaves!

Top Ten Books I Could Re-Read Forever

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and The Artsy Reader Girl.

1. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

2. Sweet Evil (series) by Wendy Higgins

3. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

4. Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

5. Last Will and Testament by Dahlia Adler

6. Vampire Academy (series) by Richelle Mead

7. The Scandal of It All by Sophie Jordan

8. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

9. Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

10. Awaken by Meg Cabot

Top Ten Books on my Winter TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

1. Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole - I think this book has come up on every TBR post I do.

2. Ensnared by A.G. Howard - Also this one. See a pattern?

3. Fairest by Marissa Meyer - I was sad that Winter got postponed, but I'm excited to learn about the Evil Queen's backstory!

4. A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd - Frankenstein retelling? Yes please! Also, the final book in a trilogy that I LOVE!

5. All That Burns by Ryan Graudin - Just give it to me now!

6. Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier - I really enjoyed her first series that was published in english, and I'm excited to read this one too. If only I could read German...

7. The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout - This may be New Adult, which I don't read, but I want it!

8. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - Another genre that I don't read much of, but I've been waiting for this book for years!

9. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski - After The Winner's Curse? I'll take this sooner rather than  later!

10. Frostfire by Amanda Hocking - A new book series, and the cover alone has dragged me in!

Waiting on Wednesday (40)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spines, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen! (Just note, this is an adult novel. She's the only adult book author that I read.) First Frost is the sequel to Garden Spells that I've been waiting for for years! I don't know how long after Garden Spells this takes place, but I don't care! I'm so excited for this book! I features both a teenage protagonist, as well as two adult women. It's cool, cause it's gonna focus on both family and young love. Just give it to me now! I got to meet Sarah last January, and can't wait to meet her again this January!

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Garden Spells comes a story of the Waverley family, in a novel as sparkling as the first dusting of frost on new-fallen leaves...

It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly. As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree... and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store.

Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley’s Candies. Though her handcrafted confections—rose to recall lost love, lavender to promote happiness and lemon verbena to soothe throats and minds—are singularly effective, the business of selling them is costing her the everyday joys of her family, and her belief in her own precious gifts.

Sydney Waverley, too, is losing her balance. With each passing day she longs more for a baby— a namesake for her wonderful Henry. Yet the longer she tries, the more her desire becomes an unquenchable thirst, stealing the pleasure out of the life she already has.

Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has lost her heart to the boy she knows it belongs to…if only he could see it, too. But how can he, when he is so far outside her grasp that he appears to her as little more than a puff of smoke?

When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before. And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.


Lose yourself in Sarah Addison Allen's enchanting world and fall for her charmed characters in this captivating story that proves that a happily-ever-after is never the real ending to a story. It’s where the real story begins.

Release: January 20, 2015

Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait To Get

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

Oh dear, this is going to kill me, isn't it? I'm going to be doing actual sequels (as in second books) so that I don't completely die.

1. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski - Is this even a question?

2. Until the Beginning by Amy Plum - I was a little slow getting into Until the End, but I'm looking forward to this!

3. Deadfall by Anna Carey - A book entirely in second person? Count me in! Especially after the cliffhanger of book one!

4. Snow Like Ashes book 2 by Sara Raasch - There's not a title yet, but I want it!

5. Trail of Tears by Josephine Angelini - She is easily one of my favorite authors, as you can see by my profile picture.

6. The Death Code by Lindsay Cummings - The first book really surprised me with how much I loved it, so I'm really excited for this!

7. Unleashed by Sophie Jordan - The first book was amazing and original, so I'm excited for this!

8. All That Burns by Ryan Graudin - The first book was so amazing that needing the second book isn't even a question!

9. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - I loved Garden Spells, the only adult book that I've read, and I'm so excited to FINALLY get a sequel!

10. Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins - Paladins alone are rare in YA, but Paladins who also happen to be cheerleaders? They're nowhere to be seen, until now! So yes, I want this book.

There are a million more, but these are some of the top! What sequels are you looking forward to?

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

Rules:
1. Thank the blogger that nominated you, and link back to their site.
2. Post the award’s logo onto your blog
3. Answer the 10 questions you’ve been asked
4. Nominate 10 bloggers
5. Set 10 new questions for your nominees.

Thank you Em @ The YA Book Butterfly for nominating me!

1. If you were deserted on a desert island, what 3 authors would you want with you?

I'd probably want to bring the authors most likely to be able to get me off the island, or at least help me live as long as possible. Carrie Ryan seems to have done well with zombies, so she can probably be helpful. Ally Carter has GOT to have learned a thing or two from writing the GG and Heist Society books. And Amy Plum would be good to have around if the survival stuff in After the End is any hint, also, she speaks French which might come in handy.

2. If you had to go back in time and live in a different time period, which time period would you choose?

I really prefer the present, but if I had to choose, I'd love to see Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt!

3. Last book you had a love/hate relationship with?

Probably Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo. It was really good, up until the end where it A) fell flat and B) had the relationship stuff all wrong.

4. Favorite book that is outside your usual realm of reading?

Definitely The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. I generally dislike non-fiction, but I picked this book up a few years ago and couldn't put it down. In short, it's about a woman named Henrietta Lacks who got cancer in the 1950s and passed away. The end. Right? Turns out, the doctors took her cells, which reproduced abnormally fast, and sold them for research. To the science community, they were known as HeLa. There are now so many of her cells out and about that have been used for research that that could wrap around the world TWO AND A HALF TIMES!

5. Book that you loved that you think should get more attention?

Easily Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins. That book is just made of perfection. Also A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan.

6. What is your favorite book to movie adaptation?

I have a couple favorites. They are: The Fault in Our Stars, The Book Thief, and Catching Fire!

7. What is your least favorite book cover?

No contest, the cover redesigns for the Lux series. The first ones weren't perfect, but they are SO much better than these!

8. Which author do you own the most books from?

There are actually four authors tied for first with thirteen books. Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rick Riordan, Richelle Mead, and Cassandra Clare!

9. Is there a debut 2015 author's book that you are looking forward to?

Definitely Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I actually just got an ARC of it and am ecstatic to read it!

10. If you read mostly YA, favorite adult book?

My favorite adult book is, no contest, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. It was the first adult book I read, and I read it multiple years ago. I really enjoyed it, which makes the release of the sequel in January even sweeter!

I Nominate:

Nikki @ Fiction Freak
Nova @ Out of Time
Ivey @ The Hopeless Reader
Stephanie @ Ohana Reads
Meredith @ Pandora's Books
Rachel @ A Perfection Called Books

I give up on thinking of any more. If you haven't done this yet, consider yourself TAGGED!

Now here are the questions!

1. Top book(s) of 2014 so far?

2. Best books with a one-word title?

3. Which book world would you want to live in for a day?

4. Do you prefer reliable or unreliable narrators?

5. Which book are you most looking forward to in 2015?

6. Which dystopian world do you think is the worst?

7. Which food from a book do you want to try the most?

8. What are some of the most beautiful (in your opinion) 2014 covers?

9. Zombies or unicorns?

10. Would you prefer a book set in the distant past or far future?

Favorites Giveaway Hop

I'm excited to be part of Stuck In Books Favorites Giveaway Hop! Check out this post for more details!

I was lucky enough to get to meet local adult author, Sarah Addison Allen in January for the release of her new book, Lost Lake.

See, proof! Fun fact: Her books are the only adult books I have read! I love all her books, but my all time favorite is her debut, Garden Spells. Fun fact 2: She is INCREDIBLY nice and it was a wonderful experience to meet her (despite how timid/nervous I was). I was lucky enough when I was at the event to be able to ask her if I could email her some interview questions. Much to my surprise (and glee) she said yes! And lo and behold, I give you, an interview with Sarah Addison Allen AND a giveaway for a signed copy of her novel, Garden Spells!

Besides Garden Spells and Lost Lake, Sarah has three other novels: The Sugar Queen, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, and The Peach Keeper. I recommend reading ALL of them. I read her books a couple years ago and haven't been able to forget about them since!

Go to the bottom to see the giveaway!

Interview:

Q. What originally drew you to writing?

A. My dad is a writer, so I grew up surrounded by his writings and the countless books he would read.  Whether it's true or not, I always assumed I had some writer DNA in me.

Q. What's the hardest part of writing?

A. Procrastination.  The hardest part of writing is actually sitting down to do it.

Q. What's your daily writing schedule like?

A. I always block a few hours out a day to write, not edit, just write and get words on the page.  Then I edit later.

Q. Do you take parts of yourself and/or others and put them in your characters?

A. Not consciously, but there's a certain level of emotional truth I try to put into all my characters.  I ask myself, How would I react to this, or that?  How would someone else react?  I think novels are essentially very cloudy mirrors, and you can always catch a glimpse of the author in them.

Q. What was your favorite book(s) as a child vs now?

A. The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes was one of my favorite books as a child.  I think To Kill a Mockingbird is my all-time favorite book as an adult.

Q. I hear that you're writing a sequel to Garden Spells (*squeals*). Can you tell us anything about it?

A. I'm still writing it, so it's still evolving!  I will say that it takes place ten years from when Garden Spells ends.

Q. Describe your most recent novel, Lost Lake, in five words. How about Garden Spells?

A. Lost Lake: Follow the mysterious alligator home.

Garden Spells: Don't eat the magic apples.

Q. What inspired you to write within the magical realism genre?

A. I first read magical realism in college, and it helped shape who I am as a reader.  Who I am as a reader, in turn, helped shape who I am as a writer.  Magical realism was part of my evolution.

Q. Which of your characters is closest to your heart? (Don't worry, I won't tell the others)

A. It's a tie between Evanelle in Garden Spells, Grandpa Vance in The Girl Who Chased the Moon, and Bulahdeen in Lost Lake!

Q. Last, but not least, do you have any advice to aspiring authors?

A. Be kind to yourself.  Don't compare yourself to others -- you are the only person with your unique voice.  Research the business.  And, most importantly, FINISH!  Finishing the story is one of the most important parts of writing!