Category Top Ten Tuesday

Aug 18 2014
Image

Niki’s Top Twelve Must-Read Books!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 This weeks Post was supposed to be along the lines of must-read titles that other people have told me about. Because I haven’t yet read many of the titles that made that list (and therefore can’t personally vouch for their awesomeness) I decided to take a spin on the topic and present my own list of must-reads. I realize this must look similar to many of my other lists, but I just can’t can’t seem to stop raving about my all-time favorite titles. Now, of course, this list is only helpful if you’re a speculative fiction fanatic like me. ;)

Niki’s Top Twelve Must-Read Books:

Fantasy:

The Name the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

 Science Fiction (specifically Space Opera):

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
Survival by Julie E. Czerneda

Young Adult:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Partials by Dan Wells
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

 Urban Fantasy:

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

These titles have all earned their spots in my favorites list and are usually the first books I recommend to new readers of their given genre.

What books would make your list?

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 5 2014
Image

Top Ten YA Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic Books!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 I’ve wanted to put together a dystopian/post-apocalyptic list for a while now, mostly because I’ve read so many of them (it’s true. I lost most of 2013 to these novels… I regret nothing). I figured at the very least I’d be able to save people some time by presenting the ones I liked the most. I realize the dystopian genre did not start with the Hunger Games (or with YA in general, for that matter), but as they are my favorite representations, my list will be very YA-centric.

Top Ten YA Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic Books!

The top row represents my absolute favorites – the ones I can recommend with 100% confidence. Hunger Games is a given, but my favorite on the list is actually Partials by Dan Wells. The bottom row represents the ones that I enjoyed thoroughly, but know many readers who didn’t feel the same way. As a side note, I actually didn’t give The Testing of very high rating, but loved the second book enough to include it on this list. Also, The Selection by Kiera Cass would have made the list had the third book not been such a disappointment (I feel like it still deserves an honorary mention, though). I have I read so many mediocre dystopians that it’s nice to be able to pay homage to the ones I feel were above par.

 What’s dystopians/post-apocalyptic books would make your list?

by Niki Hawkes

Jul 29 2014
Image

Top Ten Authors I Own the Most Books From!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

My apologies for posting this TTT so late – it took a surprising amount of time and effort to round up all of these amazing titles. Before you view the photos, you need to know that I am a book hoarder. If you don’t believe me, this slideshow presentation should alleviate any doubt. I tried to keep the focus on the authors I’ve actually read the most books from, not just collected. I think my collection of Mercedes Lackey, Terry Brooks, and Anne McCaffrey books might surpass a couple of these here, but I haven’t had a chance to read them all yet… #booknerdproblems 

Top Ten Authors I Own the Most Books From!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my library. :)

by Niki Hawkes

Jul 21 2014
Image

Top Ten Series I’d Take With Me on a Deserted Island

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I’ve modified this week’s topic a bit because the original (Top Ten Characters I take on a Deserted Island) definitely would’ve been a mix of my Top Ten Book Boyfriends and my Top Ten Favorite Female Characters so I decided to take a different route entirely and present my:

Top Ten Series I’d Take With Me on a Deserted Island

Kind of a hodgepodge, isn’t it? These titles represent my lengthier book favorites across a few different genres. While series length doesn’t necessarily coincide with excellent books (although there is a relation… authors who write better tend to get longer publishing deals), I decided to be strategic with my choices and take the series that provided the most long-term enjoyment. It pains me not to bring some of the shorter ones, but I think I’d get tired of them sooner. I should clarify that if a saga consists of multiple series, I’m counting them as one as long as they have continuity. That might be considered cheating, but I don’t care – I want to bring ALL the books.

What series would you take? :)

by Niki Hawkes

Jul 15 2014
Image

Niki’s Top Movies and TV Shows!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

That’s right, bookish people do have interests outside of reading… cinematic adaptations of books count, right? ;)

Niki’s Top Movies and TV Shows!

Movies:

Epic. That one word sums up pretty much everything I loved about these three films. Add that to the gorgeous visuals of the world building and the overall fantasy feel, and I am in love. I could watch the extended Lord of the Rings trilogy all day every day… it’s my favorite.

While I love fantasy epics, I also will always hold dear these animated features. As far as animation goes, these are actually pretty different from one another (at least in my mind), which is why all three of them landed on the list – I consider them the best in their categories.

 I am a sucker for romantic comedies but not the slapstick crude ones that seem to have been flooding the market for the last five years. Call me crazy, but I don’t think a romantic comedy has to be overdone (or outright stupid) to be entertaining. Lucky Seven is one I don’t think many people have heard of, but I love the story (and Patrick Dempsey). While You Were Sleeping and Dirty Dancing are my mom’s favorites and somewhere along the way they’ve become mine too.

TV Shows:

All of these I have discovered it within the last year and oh my gosh I can’t get enough! I am patiently waiting for the second season of the Bitten, am almost ready to watch Serenity, and am in the middle of season two of Battlestar… I want to know why I haven’t bothered watching them before now – they’re crazy good!

 I can’t even put into words why I love Gilmore Girls so much. I’ve watched the season countless times but every time I do I fall in love all over again. White Collar is one that I’ve discovered within the last year and there’s not a thing I don’t like about it. I’ve always been fascinated with crime-solving shows but have been too squeamish to actually watch them. White Collar has all the mystery without the gore. Picture a television version of Oceans Eleven – awesome, right? And of course I couldn’t have a TV list without mentioning Friends – it was such a big part of my life for so long that it will always be one of the greats.

  Gargoyles is an incredible animated show that I love for the story (and, in part, the nostalgia). It’s one of those that I think is entertaining for adults while still being appropriate for kids. So You Think You Can Dance is easily my favorite competition show – I love dance. Vampire Diaries was my favorite show for the longest time (team Damon, baby!), but I’m sad to admit my excitement for it has diminished within this last season… I still stand by the first three or four seasons, though.

 After composing this list, I realized that my movie/TV preferences really aren’t that different from my reading preferences. I like epic science-fiction/fantasy, love stories, and humor. I’m nothing else if not consistent . :-)

What movies/shows made your list?

by Niki Hawkes

Jul 7 2014
Image

Niki’s Top Ten Blogging Confessions!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

As I am perfectly content letting people think I’m a rockstar book blogger, this post was kind of painful to compose. Today I will be hanging a lantern on all of the things that on a normal day I would be praying you guys don’t notice. Hopefully my blogging flaws will come across endearing rather than just plain sad. :-)

Top Ten Blogging Confessions!

 1. TTT are actually my least favorite posts to compose…

… but they are my most popular, so I do them anyway. On occasion I’ll get one that I’m super excited for, but after you’ve been doing them for more than a year, all the lists start to sound the same. I’ve recently decided it’s okay to skip one once in a while if it’s going to be totally lame (or change it to fit my inspirations, as I am wont to do).

 2. It took me two years to figure out how to add social media buttons to my sidebar…

… and it’s actually a lot less complicated than I thought it would be. I’m not a total tech-tard, but HTML codes are fricken confusing at first. You should’ve seen the party I threw when I finally figured out how to do it.

3. i suck at profraeding…

… or perhaps you’ve already noticed that? I go through and proof each of my posts at least three times before publishing and even then I’m still finding things to fix weeks later. I just get so caught up in what I’m saying that I already know what I mean… you know what I mean?

 4. I’ve never been able to “schedule” posts…

… because every time I write them, I can’t keep myself from hitting “publish” even if it means publishing two sometimes even three posts a day. The problem is when I do that, there will be a four day lag before I have the energy to do anything else. I just can’t help it though – I’m always so excited about what I wrote that I have to share it. Now.

 5. I am no longer a bookseller…

… as of the end of March this year. This is a big confession for me because it’s how I’ve branded my site. After spending eleven years with the company, I still feel like a bookseller even though I’m no longer one in title. I still hand-sell titles to people (not obnoxiously) whenever I go back to visit. Heck, I even had a coworker call me last week for some dragon book recommends for a customer. I’ve decided to keep the name though, because bookselling was my passion and I will always be a bookseller at heart. It doesn’t help matters that I was driven out of my job due to personal injury. I would have never chosen to leave on my own, but it became clear pretty quickly that I could no longer physically handle the job. Sad, huh?

6. I am OBSESSED with my blog…

… to the point where I will scroll through it several times a day – checking stats, updating the sidebar, proofing my posts (yet again), or just enjoying all the pretty covers. I have an addiction.

 7. I started this blog to promote myself as an author…

… but actually love the blogging more than writing. It has turned into a passion all its own, taking precious time away from my novels. And all the platform building might be in vain because I’ll probably end up starting a new site when I do become a published author.

8. I have been wanting to go self hosted for over a year…

… but am too intimidated to move forward with it. I’ve done all the research but I still feel like a fish out of water.

9. My review posting is consistently inconsistent…

… because I either post right after I finish a book or several months later, depending on my current level of motivation. Don’t worry though, I have great book memory and, when that fails me, I have copious notes.

10. Nothing makes my day better than you guys…

… because every time I see someone has liked or commented on a post, followed my blog, geeked out with me on FB or Twitter, or mentioned me on their blog, I get a huge emotional power-up. I love blogging so much I’d probably be doing it just for myself, but the fact that others take the time out of their busy lives to read and respond makes me feel really special. So thanks :-)

Phew! I feel so much better now that I’ve gotten all of that off my chest. :-)

What are YOUR confessions? (I won’t tell anyone…)

by Niki Hawkes