This week’s topic (Outrageous Things I’ve Done for the Love of Books) was submitted by Aggie’s Amygdala, and is a pretty daunting topic if I’m being honest! I’ve said it before, though, I’m not just going to select topics based on ones I can easily complete myself! There’s a lot of participants! If the word “outrageous” doesn’t fit your list, then change it! Shocking? Bold? Crazy? The point is to show off our nerdy, bookish badges of honor. Anything goes this week. Now, I’m not one to jump outside of my comfort zone often, so I chose the word “uncharacteristic” to describe my list picks. These are things I normally wouldn’t do.

Started My Own Book Blog
I was never a blogger! I tried personal blogging and whatever, but fell out of love with it. This is honestly the longest hobby I’ve ever had, and that baffles me!

New Moon Midnight Release Party On a School Night
The Twilight series was the first series I really went crazy over. I was not much of a recreational reader since school ruined books for me. Up to that point I never understood the appeal of midnight release parties, but I was SO EXCITED to get New Moon in my hands that I went anyway and was totally exhausted the next day.

Went to ALA Las Vegas with Really Bad Pneumonia
I LOVE attending ALA, so much that pneumonia wasn’t going to keep me away. I sat on everything I could, and I had this pale, cold, clammy sheen to my face the entire time. I was dragging my dead corpse around the convention hall, basically.

Went to Kathryn Purdie’s Burning Glass Launch Party with a Migraine with Aura
Similar to the above, I do bookish things instead of taking care of myself.

I Got Rid of Clothes to Make Room for More Bookshelves
I seriously never thought I’d do something like this, but I got rid of a dresser to get more bookshelves!

What nerdiness is on your list this week?

This week we’re talking about why we read the books we read! I’m pretty sure all of us have a list of things we look for when we read a book’s synopsis or read book reviews. Some of us might even be sold on a book’s cover alone! These are the things we’re talking about today. Hopefully you’ll have some suggestions for me based on my list!

1. Travel Destinations

This first one is a bit of an umbrella pick for me, but I had to do it this way or else all ten of my picks for this topic would be different countries! I love traveling to my favorite places and places I’d like to visit through books, so if I see that a book is set in Italy or France or Greece, etc. my interest is immediately piqued.

2. Characters On Vacation

In the same vein as above, I’m all about going on vacation with book characters. If characters are traveling abroad, going on class trips, going to boarding school, or road tripping I get excited!

3. Fauxmances/Relationships of Convenience

This is a HUGE one for me! I love the fake romance/fake marriage turned full-blown love story.

4. Non-Paranomal, Non-Erotic Romantic Suspense

I LOVE romantic suspense, but so much of what’s out there has a paranormal aspect to it or is too explicit for me. I don’t want a romance to be suspenseful because he’s a werewolf. I want a murder or a missing person or a serial killer or SOMETHING with a strong accompanying romance. Those are so exciting and swoony to me, and are my absolute favorite kinds of books.

5. Workplace Romance

I love the tension of a really great, forbidden workplace romance!

6. Nerdy Characters

I love the sexy nerds as romantic interests. I also love nerdy or bookish heroines that I can relate to.

7. On the Water

I love books set on cruise ships, pirate ships, sailboats, yachts, ferries, lifeboats, etc. I gobble them up like you wouldn’t believe.

8. Heists

I love heists! Jewelry, art, antiques, rare books, I’m here for all of it.

9. Wilderness/Survival Settings

I love it when characters are off the beaten path, whether by choice or not. Camping, hiking, getting lost or stranded on a beach or in the wilderness… Perhaps a boat goes down or a plane crashes and the characters have to learn to survive. Throw in a little suspense or danger into one of these settings, and it’s even more of a must-have for me.

10. Underwater Settings

I love books that take place in fantasy underwater cities or compounds. Mermaids are an added bonus!

Do you have any books you’d recommend to me based on my list?
What makes you want to read a book?

This week’s TTT is an audio freebie! I’ve recently jumped onto the audiobook bandwagon, and so I was really excited to do this week’s topic because I’m hoping to find a lot of audiobook recommendations from all of you! Narrators make or break an audiobook for me, and you’ll see from my picks below which narrators are my favorites!

Five Audiobooks I Loved

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater 
Steve West made me fall in love with Shawn Kendrick.
I also love the musical elements, which Maggie composed herself!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Jennifer Ikeda does a really great job with this book!

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron
Fiona Hardingham is great, and I felt like the atmosphere of the
audio was perfect for the tone of the book.

A Tale of Beauty and Beast by Melanie Callier
I can’t pinpoint why I loved this so much, but I did! I’m a sucker for
B&B retellings, and even though the narrator did a rather crummy job on the
Beast’s voice, I still enjoyed listening.

Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan
Phoebe Strole and James Fouhey both have great voices, and I loved listening
to this. It was so rich and exciting.

Five Audiobooks I’m Excited to Listen To

Sherwood by Meagan Spoooner
Fiona Hardingham is wonderful to listen to, and
I loved Meagan’s Hunted so I can’t wait for her next retelling.

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Steve West is one of the narrators, GUYS. I don’t even know what the story is
about, but I bought it anyway.

The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas
I’ve actually read and loved this book already, but Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell)
herself narrates it so I need to re-read!

Made for You by Melissa Marr
I’ve heard great things about MacLeod Andrews, and this book sounds great!

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
Julia Whelan reads her own book! I’ve heard she’s an awesome reader, but
I bet she’s even better reading her own book!

What are some of your favorite audiobooks? Why?
Can you recommend any amazing narrators (I LOVE STEVE WEST)?

Can you believe Spring is in just a few days?? I LOVE winter, but I’m actually kind of looking forward to warmer weather. I never expect that it will happen, but it always does. This week’s topic might break your wallet, but that’s kind of ok right? What’s on your Spring TBR?

Virtually Yours by Sarvenaz Tash
Virtual reality dating service. What could possibly go wrong?

Bridal Boot Camp by Meg Cabot
This little novella sounds like so much fun!

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda
I love a good murder mystery, and this one set in an idyllic little hamlet sounds like the perfectly creepy kind.

When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
I’m reading Cleeton’s first “Cuba” book right now and can already tell I’m going to want this companion ASAP. I love the writing!

Sherwood by Meagan Spooner
This is out today!! I loved Meagan’s Beauty and the Beast retelling, Hunted, and am excited to see how she retells Robin Hood! Also, I’m pretty excited that Steve West and Fiona Hardingham narrate the audiobook I’ve pre-ordered.

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West
I love Kasie West, and her books are just the kind of light and fluffy springtime happiness I need.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
It’s time, guys! I’ve been wanting to read this for years and now I’m buddy reading it with a friend, so it’s finally going to happen!

The Way You Love Me by Miranda Liasson
This sounds so sweet and heartwarming, plus we’ve got a bookish heroine!

You Say It First by Susan Mallery
This new series sounds like a lot of fun, and centers around fairy tale destination weddings!

The Beholder by Anna Bright
I love a good swashbuckling fantasy, and this one is a mash-up of The Odyssey and Cinderella. I’m there.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?
Do we have any picks in common?
What kind of books do you like to read this time of year?

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is about standalone books I wish had sequels (we did this same topic back in 2013. See mine here!). I used to really love series, but now I really appreciate a good standalone that I can just read and be done with and not have to worry about cliffhangers or remembering what happened a year later when the next book comes out. That’s not to say, however, that I’m always happy when a standalone ends. Sometimes I want more of the characters, or sometimes there’s a secondary character I read about that I’d like to see at the front of their own book! Whatever the case may be, here’s my list of books I’d like a sequel for.

1. Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
This book isn’t even out yet, but I SO want a book about Birdie’s Aunt Mona!

2. I Temporarily Do by Ellie Cahill
I love the two main characters, and I want to know what happens to them after this book ends. Maybe a really long epilogue would suffice.

3. Till Death by Jennifer Armentrout
Ok, so I don’t technically need a sequel… I just need more romantic suspense like this because it’s amazing. Maybe sexy FBI agent Cole can tackle more serial killers.

4. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
I just need more Josh and Lucy!!

5. Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White
I love this world, and I’d love more Finn!

6. Love, Lucy by April Lindner
I loved Jesse and Lucy so much in this book, and I want more of their story! What’s college like for these two? (In know there is a companion novella, but it’s not an additional story. It’s just Jesse’s point of view.)

7. Atlantia by Ally Condie
Another awesome world that I’d love to read another book set in!

8. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
There was SUPPOSED to be a sequel and the publisher decided to pull a sucky move. I’d still LOVE to read it!

9. Degrees of Wrong by Anna Scarlett
I just loved this book, and think a sequel would be amazing! I love the world and the characters, and there was room left for more development.

10. Winter by Marissa Meyer
I just really miss my Lunar Chronicles team, and all the companion/sequel novellas aren’t enough! I’m also sad that I haven’t liked anything Marissa has written since… *weeps*

Which books do you wish had sequels?