Category: Top Ten Tuesday

Ten Books I Loved That Need to Become Movies

Posted May 13, 2019 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 12 Comments

I love movies. Sometimes I think I love movies and TV shows more than I love books, but let’s not get crazy here. For this week’s page-to-screen freebie I decided to share my book-to-movie wishlist. There’s like a million more that I’d love to see, but I’m going to be reasonable today. I can’t wait to see what topic you dreamed up this week!

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
It’s set in Hawaii, which is beautiful and I want to see the lavish honeymoon suite and fun activities they do!

Catherine and the Pirate by Karen Hawkins
This was probably my first favorite book that wasn’t a children’s book. It was also my first pirate romance, and I fell in love with it. I’d love to see the ship, the sexy pirate, and the ocean… and the swoons on screen.

Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae
The scenery alone makes me want to watch this movie, but the cute romance pushes it over the edge for me. Yes to all!

Captivate by Vanessa Garden
I’d love to see this “Glittering underwater world” for myself. It’s so opulent and beautiful!

Heist Society by Ally Carter
The characters visit such amazing locations around the world in this book, plus I love heist movies. And art! The Louvre!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
This is a really beautiful Beauty and the Beast retelling, plus it’s one of my favorite books ever. I love the worlds and the characters. I’d love to see the entire series on the screen.

The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye
Some of the enchantments done in this book sound amazing and so beautiful. I’d love to see the opulence, excitement, and scenery.

Cress by Marissa Meyer
I love this series so much, and would LOVE to see a miniseries or TV series made from it. But Cress is probably my favorite in the series and I’d really love to see her satellite.

Till Death by Jennifer Armentrout
This would be SO SCARY and an amazing movie!

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco
I love this book so much, and a wintry Dracula’s castle would make for a pretty amazing setting. But then you’ve got the chemistry between Audrey Rose and Thomas.

What topic did you choose to do this week?
Would you like to see any of these books as movies?

Top Ten Book Characters That Remind Me of Myself

Posted May 6, 2019 by Jana in About Me, Top Ten Tuesday / 7 Comments

I’m a very character-driven reader, so connecting with characters is pretty much a requirement for me if I’m going to enjoy a book. I love finding friends in the characters, and I really love finding things I have in common with them and can identify with. It was tough to narrow this list down to ten! I’m excited to see which characters you see yourself in this week!

1. Daisy from Every Time I Think of You by Tracey Garvis-Graves
On the surface, I have nothing in common with Daisy. But Tracey has this perfect way of writing characters you can find common ground with. I identified with Daisy’s feelings of inadequacy, her fear of failure, her concerns for the future, and her desire to tear down the walls she has built around herself.

2. Holland Baker from Roomies by Christina Lauren
She’s so relatable, and I think we can all see at least a small part of ourselves in her. She’s a 25-year-old plain Jane living in New York City (with the help of her two uncles who pay most of her rent), working a dead-end job (that her uncle got her) that is way below her qualifications as she tries to achieve her dream of becoming a published author. Who has been in this position before? *raises hand*

3. Lily from Just Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore
I really connected with Lily, to the point where I almost forgot I was reading about someone other than myself! Lily is high school me. She’s a bookish, organized, intellectual wallflower with a long list of things she wants to accomplish and her future all planned out. She wants a love story like the movies, but doesn’t think anyone even notices her. She is so me! I was a studious, shy, choir girl who was actually told by one of her best friends that she should be a bank robber because nobody would notice her come and go. I wish I’d had a friend like Lily to commiserate with.

4. Charlie from Save the Date by Morgan Matson
I really connected with Charlie. I understand what it’s like to have everyone needed things from you all the time. She’s kind of the glue that keeps the group together and sane. She’s the peacemaker, and I understand the kind of pressure that comes with that job.

5. Ana from Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Ana connects with music like I do. Music has always been one of the main elements of my life. It brings out such strong emotions and feelings in me. I connect with it on so many levels, just like she mentions throughout this story. I identified with her so much for this reason.

6. Bria from Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
Bria is an artist, and a traveler. Do you know who Bria really is? Bria is ME! Her love of art shone through everything she did, and everything she said. I totally identified.

7. Jane from Austenland by Shannon Hale
After dating a ton of losers, this single, 33-year-old, New Yorker has come to the conclusion that no man can compare to the sexy, debonair, and utterly romantic Mr. Darcy. She has given up on the male gender completely. Girl, I get it.

8. Maddie from Gentlemen Prefer Nerds by Joan Kilby
This girl is a nerdy cat lady. I am too!

9. Ellie from A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody
Ellie reminds me so much of my teenaged self: a bit of a perfectionist, someone who bites off more than they can chew, a people pleaser, a worrier, and a hopeless romantic.

10. Maddie from When A Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare
I loved Maddie. I thought she was hilarious, plus she’s bookish, artsy, and painfully shy. I get her. While I don’t have panic attacks when I’m surrounded by a few people, I know what it’s like to be a wallflower. And I know what it’s like to view life through an artist’s eye. I love that she wrote letters to an imaginary captain to avoid jumping into the dating pool. That’s something I could totally see myself doing.

Top Ten Inspirational & Thought-Provoking Quotes from Books

Posted April 29, 2019 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 9 Comments

I love a good quote, and I am always using the highlighting feature on my Kindle so I can remember those gems that make me think or inspire me. This week I’m sharing a few of those quotes with you! Can wait to see what you share!

1. “Somehow difficulties are easier to endure when you know your dream is waiting for you at the end.” 
― Lisa Mangum, The Golden Spiral

2. “When the sun shines, you let it shine on you” 
― Gayle Forman, Just One Day

3. “The world is vicious.’

Thomas brushed a lock of hair back from my face, his gaze thoughtful. ‘The world is neither kind nor is it cruel. It simply exists. We have the ability to view it however we choose.” 
― Kerri Maniscalco, Hunting Prince Dracula

4. “The most powerful weapon is hope.”
― Juliet Marillier, Heart’s Blood

5. “One often meets her destiny on the road she takes to avoid it.” 
― Jessi Kirby, Golden

6. “Maybe there were a hundred different ways to fall in love.”
― Mary E. Pearson, The Kiss of Deception

7. “Every form of art is another way of seeing the world. Another perspective, another window. And science –that’s the most spectacular window of all. You can see the entire universe from there.” 
― Claudia Gray, A Thousand Pieces of You

8. “People are going to judge you for all kinds of reasons for the rest of your life. Because you vote one way or the other, because you go to one school or the other, because you look a certain way. It’s a fact of life: you can’t make everyone happy. But you can make you happy” 
― Leah Rae Miller, The Summer I Became a Nerd

9. “Imagine, and it shall be. There are no limits.⁠⁠⁠⁠” 
― Evelyn Skye, The Crown’s Game

10. “With courage and hope, we can conquer our fears and do what we once believed impossible.” 
― Juliet Marillier, Heart’s Blood

The First Ten Books I Ever Reviewed

Posted April 22, 2019 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 15 Comments

Thanks to Rissi at Finding Wonderland for this week’s topic! I started blogging at The Broke & the Bookish in June of 2010 and started recording my thoughts on Goodreads even earlier, so holy moly I’ve been reviewing books for a LONG time. This week I’m sharing the first ten books I ever reviewed (the date my review was posted, along with the outlet it was posted on appears after the title).

I’m excited to see the first ten books you reviewed! Now, these reviews don’t necessarily have to be long, formal reviews. They could just be a sentence or two on Goodreads or a book retail site. Whatever your heart desires. Does anyone else read their old reviews and cringe a little bit? I do!! It’s also kind of crazy to see how my tastes have changed over the years.

1. The Host by Stephanie Meyer (March 10, 2008 @ Goodreads)
I joined Goodreads in March of 2008, and I’m pretty sure this was my first review there.

2. Traitor by Sandra Grey (May 25, 2008 @ Goodreads)

3. Sailing to Capri by Elizabeth Chandler (June 11, 2008 @ Goodreads)

4. Her Good Name by Josi S. Kilpack (May 1, 2009 @ Goodreads)

5. Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark (July 26, 2009 @ Goodreads)

6. Austenland by Shannon Hale (July 1, 2010 @ The Broke & the Bookish)
My first review ever! Oh, how I agonized over this review. It took me hours and I was so scared to post it!

7. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (July 25, 2010 @ The Broke & the Bookish)

8. Finding The Right Man For You: Dating Advice for Women by Lawrence J. Danks (August 15, 2010 @ Amazon)
This book should be fed to the goats. It was SO awful. lol. It made me SO mad (just go read my review). We were getting very few review requests, so I agreed to read this because “Yay! I’m a grown-up blogger who people are noticing!” I’m much more selective with the titles I accept now. I refused to even post this review on our blog, so it became the first review I ever wrote for Amazon.

9. Jane Morris: The Pre-Raphaelite Model of Beauty by Debra N. Mancoff (August 13, 2010 @ The Broke & the Bookish)
This is so not a pick that is characteristic of me and my blog here, but we were trying to review a very wide array of book genres so I threw in this book from an art history paper I was writing in college at the time that I loved so much I went and bought a copy for my own collection.

10. 501 Must-Visit Destinations by David Brown, Jackum Brown, Kieran Fogarty, and Rebecca Walder (September 9, 2010 @ The Broke & the Bookish)
I love travel, and I was still trying to not just read and review YA for TB&TB so I chose to highlight this one!

Top Ten Rainy Day Reads

Posted April 15, 2019 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 7 Comments

It’s been raining a LOT here in my neck of the woods lately, so this topic is pretty perfect for me. Thanks to Shayna at Clockwork Bibliotheca for submitting such a fun topic through my request form! What do you consider to be a “rainy day read”? When I think of these kinds of books, I think of cozy stories that I can jump into for an entire day rather than just an hour or two here and there. I’ve been going through some hard life stuff for the last week and a half and now I’m passing a kidney stone, so I’ll hopefully be back later to update my picks! For now, here’s the link-up.

What makes a book a rainy day read?
Which books did you pick this week?