Category Top Ten Tuesday

Jun 30 2014
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Top Twenty Classic Fantasy Series!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I’m going a bit above and beyond this week, covering not only the top ten classic fantasy books I’ve read, but also the top ten I’d like to read. I just want to emphasize that I consider anything a “classic” that was published before I became a bookseller eleven years ago. Actually, some of them were written before I was even born. They are all a part of what I call the “essential fantasy list.” I realized that even though I consider these to be classics, I’m sure fantasy lovers from an older generation would have a very different looking list. What can I say? I picked titles that heavily influenced my reading journey and will always be nostalgic and “classics” in my eyes.

Top Ten Classic Fantasy Series I’ve Read:

 Top Ten Classic Fantasy Series I Want to Read:

 I know, Lord of the Rings isn’t on my list. I will probably lose a lot of street-cred, but I read it and, although I appreciate the heck out of it for what it did for the genre, I didn’t particularly enjoy it. Same goes for Wheel of Time… On the flip side, I also didn’t include more recent works such as Way of Kings and Name of the Wind because they haven’t been around long enough to be considered “classics” even though they’ll be near the top of my list ten years from now (in my opinion, they are perfect examples of modern fantasy and are revolutionizing how the genre is done).

 Anyway, this list represents my favorites and the ones I am most looking forward to reading. Would any of these fantasy books make your list?

 by Niki Hawkes

Jun 24 2014
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Top Five Favorite Book Cover Attributes!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 I definitely love having an excuse to talk about book covers. While you can’t entirely judge a book by its cover, I believe they are essential in that initial assessment of “is this the type of book I’d like to find out more about?” Today’s post was supposed to discuss book cover trends that I like/dislike but I decided to switch it up because I would call the things I like about covers attributes rather than trends.

Top Five Favorite Book Cover Attributes!

Dragons:

Dragon Champion by E.E. Knight
Dragon Avenger by E.E. Knight
Dragon Outcast by E.E. Knight

I know, of all the Dragon covers I have to choose from, why did I take three from the same author to showcase? There are so many and interpretations of what dragons look like, and I’ve always felt that these perfectly represents how I picture dragons. They are also frigging cool books.

Dresses:

Sever by Lauren DeStefano
Rapture by Lauren Kate
The Selection by Kiera Cass

Iwould be willing to bet that everybody will have this one on their lists today because in my opinion girls in pretty dresses is the most prominent book cover trend, especially in the YA category. I don’t care. I don’t like all of them, but I especially love these.

Luis Royo:

Reap the Wild Wind by Julie E. Czerneda
Riders of the Storm by Julie E. Czerneda
Rift in the Sky by Julie E. Czerneda

 I can’t have a cover geek-out without mentioning Luis Royo. Not only is he my favorite artist, but is responsible for my all time favorite book covers. I’ve chosen to represent the covers from the only Czerneda series I haven’t yet read (but am dying to).

Tattoos:

Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

 Yes, I realize Mercy doesn’t really have all of these tattoos, but I still think the covers are gorgeous and highly marketable because they decided to keep them anyway (there is actually an interesting story behind how Mercy ended up with tattoos on… One which I will talk about if I ever get around to posting the Q&A from the Patricia Briggs book signing). Anyway, I love the colors and the fact that the tattoos change to match the theme of each book.

Cloaked Thieves:

Way of Shadows by Brent weeks
Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan
A Dance of Blades by David Dalglish

I don’t know when it happens, but somewhere along the line I found myself drawn to cloaked figures on covers. Maybe it was the mystery they promise, but all of a sudden I had a dozen thief books on my shelf… not a bad problem to have. Unless you consider that I bought them solely on the covers (good thing they’re mostly good).

Well, that’s my list for now. I might add to it later, but these are definitely my top picks. What book cover trends do you like?

By nikihawkes

Jun 16 2014
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Top Ten Books at the Top of My Summer 2014 TBR List!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 Yay! The time has once again come for me to showcase the books at the top of my reading list. This is by far my favorite TTT topic because it reminds me how many truly amazing books I have yet to experience… a prospect that is incredibly exciting (and daunting, lol)! Without further ado:

Top Ten Books at the Top of My Summer 2014 TBR List!

Oh, man – so many good titles! I almost don’t know which one to start with. I have to thank Nikki over at There Were Books Involved for lending me her ARC of Killer Instinct (best blogging friend ever!) because it was by far the sequel I was most looking forward to this fall… I will probably start with that one because I can’t believe my good fortune. Yes, I know, why haven’t I already read Heir of Fire if I have access to it? I’m still letting Crown of Midnight sink in and I know I’m not going to be able to do anything else once I start it. But then don’t even get me started on how Partials is my all time favorite dystopian and I’ve not yet picked up the conclusion… Or the fact that there is a new unread Mercy Thompson book on my shelf. Gack! Too many books to read and not enough time!

 What books are at the top of your reading list?

by Niki Hawkes

Jun 9 2014
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Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2014

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Yay – this week is one of my favorite topics. I love geeking out about books I’ve already read, and there’ve been some good ones this year! Around May 2013, I decided it was time to start focusing more on the books at the top of my reading list and less on the ones that felt like obligations. I’ve stuck to it, and because of that have had the best twelve months of reading since I was a kid – a state of being I’d like to continue through the foreseeable future. :-)

Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2014

I had so many favorites that it was difficult picking out ten for this list… definitely a problem I want to have. Also, I don’t think it be fair to ask me to pick an absolute favorite – it would be impossible to choose! I love them all.

Here’s to another six months of superb reading!

 What’s the best book you’ve read this year?

May 26 2014
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Top Ten Books I’m Reading Before the Vegas Valley Book Festival 2014!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week is a topics freebee week, so I’ve chosen to share some of the books I’m hoping to have read before the Vegas Valley Book Festival in October. I went last year and came home with over thirty signed books. It was awesome, but I feel like the experience could have been even better had I read most of the books before getting them signed – I’ve read a lot of them now and wish I could go back and geek about it with the authors and asked them questions. So this year, I’m hoping to make the most of this experience and am planning way ahead!

Top Ten Books I’m Reading Before the Vegas Valley Book Festival 2014!

 Pretty awesome lineup isn’t it? Most of these were on my TBR anyway, and I’ve heard fantastic things about some of them.  There’s a partial list of authors attending on the VVBF website, and a few more in the About section of their Facebook page Things are subject to change, but hopefully the authors I’m most looking forward to will be there!

 Which author would you be most excited to meet?

by Niki Hawkes

May 20 2014
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Top Ten Books My Friends Recommended!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Today’s TTT was supposed to be Top Ten Books About Friendship and I have to admit I found the topic a bit… underwhelming. So instead I decided to showcase the absolute perfect recommendations my friends have given me over the years. A good friend knows exactly what kind of books you like to read, and mine haven’t let me down yet! Without further ado:

Top Ten Books My Friends Recommended!

 Some of the books above are among my all-time favorites and I am totally grateful my friends knew my tastes in reading well enough to single them out for me. There’s a chance I may not have picked them up so quickly otherwise, or worse, I may not of discovered them all… that’s a horrifying thought.

Anyway, what great recommends have your friends given you?

by Niki Hawkes