Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Fanart

November 20, 2018November 15, 201822 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is a Thanksgiving freebie, and I was inspired by Melanie’s post to showcase some of my favorite fanarts! I’m so thankful for all the talented artists who bring my favorite characters/book scenes to life: you all are so amazing, seriously.

I was really excited to get into my old Deviantart account to find all my favorite pieces, but when I finally figured out how to login, almost all of them were missing my favorites folders 😩 Since I could only find the artwork from recent months, I tried really hard not to turn this post into Jude/Carden Fanart Appreciation post 😂 These artists are all so talented and I highly suggest checking out their work! (p.s. if you haven’t read Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo yet, spoilers ahead!)

wolvesofspring → “The Taste of Dreams”

This is one of the most beautiful pieces of fanart I’ve ever seen, and I’m really thankful it’s of one of my favorite characters, Sansa Stark. Look at this masterpiece. Look at it.

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nymre → “Painted Blue”

Okay, honestly most of the fanart I had saved on Deviantart were Zutara pieces because it’s 2018 and I’m still not over them and I never will be.

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Gabriella Bujdosó → “Maya and Amar”

I’m obsessed with this art and if anyone will be getting the December Faecrate, please keep me in mind! (there’s also an amazing Grishaverse fanart by this artist as well and I had trouble choosing between the two!)

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Melanie Bourgeois → “Jude and Cardan”

This is one of my favorite fanarts of The Cruel Prince, and every time I see it I get a little giddy.

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MORGANA0ANAGROM → “Darkling and Alina”

Leigh Bardugo called this “one of my favorite pieces of Grishaverse art ever” and I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment.

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Newsha-Ghasemi → “With Fire and Blood”

Here we are again with another GLORIOUS piece of Zutara fanart. The details of this are stunning. I want a poster of this hanging on the wall in my room. Untitled

Monica Borg → “Jude Duarte”

This amazing fanart captures the essence of Jude and The Cruel Prince quite nicely and I’m loving it.

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taratjah → “Chaol Westfall”

Oh, Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Gaurd and of my heart. This artist does so many amazing pieces of Chaol it was hard to pick my favorite one. Also, she does a m a z i n g work for FairyLoot. I hoard all her fanart pieces that come in the boxes. I could spend all day looking at her instagram.

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Anne-Marie → “Death and Night”

Another beautiful fanart from Roshani Chokshi’s The Star-Touched Queen series. I would absolutely love a print of this to frame on my wall.

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Nicole Deal → “Through the Dark”

Another artist with such incredible work it’s hard to choose my favorite, but this Malina piece is just *Italian chef kiss*

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Honorable Mention: Loweana → “Cardan”

Bet you thought you saw the last of The Cruel Prince fanart. I had to include an honorable mention spot because how could I not include this?

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I hope you enjoyed the list! There were soo many more I wanted to add but I had to restrain myself. I love looking at fanart so if you have any favorite pieces or artists, let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: Backlist Books

November 6, 2018November 30, 201823 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. As any bibliophile knows, our TBR seems to never stop growing (and mine seems to give me a strong case of anxiety), and so the books we meant to read end up getting pushed farther and farther back. Here are the top ten books on my backlist!

1. THE ALCHEMISTS OF LOOM by Elise Kova
2. DAUGHTER OF ALBION by Ilka Tampke
3. THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO by F.C. Yee

4. EVERY HEART A DOORWAY by Seanan McGuire
5. FROSTBLOOD by Elly Blake

6. THE HATING GAME by Sally Thorne
7. THE LIBRARY OF FATES by Aditi Khorana
8. RED RISING by Pierce Brown

9. ROOMIES by Christina Lauren
10. THE VALIANT by Lesley Livingston

Top Ten Tuesday: Spooky Shows to Watch on Netflix this Halloween 🦇

October 30, 2018October 31, 201816 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today was a Halloween freebie, and so I’ve put together a list of ten spooky shows perfect for a marathon night of watching tv!

1. CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA
The first season has just been released on Netflix, and I’m so ready for it. The first episode really sets the tone for what to expect out of this reboot and it’s a completely different kind of show than Sabrine the Teenage Witch – but in a good way. It’s a lot darker, grimmer, and definitely creepier. I’m excited to watch the rest of the episodes.

2. STRANGER THINGS
Why is season three taking so long?! I binge-watched the entire first season last year in one weekend and had absolutely no regrets. Stranger Things is a show unlike any other on Netflix (or anywhere else) and it’s popularity is earned. The creepy/mysterious story coupled with the 80s nostalgia and eerily perfect music makes it easy to watch episode after episode.

3. THE HAUNTING OF HOUSE HILL
I haven’t had the chance to watch this yet, but I’ve been hearing such great things about it and a lot of my coworkers have recommended it to me recently. From what I’ve gathered, Haunting of House Hill is a reimagining of the Shirley Jackson book by the same name. Since this show skips the dark thriller genre and heads straight into horror territory, this won’t be something I’ll be watching alone!

4. THE MIST
I watched the film years ago when it first came out, and I was excited to see that Stephen King’s novel was being adapted into a show as well. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after season one, but that just means it will be quicker to get through all of the episodes!

5. PENNY DREADFUL
Another show I’ve yet to watch, but that has been highly recommend to me by friends. I’ve always been intrigue by the show and it’s synopsis sounds right up my alley. Penny Dreadful is a psychological thriller featuring classical literary characters – such as Dorian Gray and Dr. Frankenstein – in a gothic Victorian England setting.

6. BATES MOTEL
I have to admit: I’ve never seen Psycho. I haven’t watch Bates Motel yet, but everything I’ve seen and heard about this prequel show sounds equal parts intriguing and thrilling. Backstories to villains are always interesting: who wouldn’t want to learn more about the twisted history of Norman Bates?

7. RIVERDALE
If you prefer a little murder mystery along with a good dose of high school drama, then Riverdale is the show for you. Compared to the comics, the show and characters are a lot darker and grittier, and I think it’s really well done. From suspense and mystery, to love triangles and budding friendships, there’s a little bit of everything here.

8. BLACK MIRROR
The thing I love best about this show is that each episode has it’s own story. Black Mirror is a thought-provoking show about the consequences of modern-and future-technology. Not all of the episodes are frightening per se, but most have some sort of eerie, suspenseful quality to them. The scariest part of the show is just how realistic some of the situations could be.

9. THE WALKING DEAD
Is anything more Halloween than zombies? This show has been running for a long time (long enough for me to loose interest) but the first few seasons were so good. Murder, suspense, morally grey characters, and a fight for survival against not only zombies but other humans? What more could you ask for?

10. THE VAMPIRE DIARIES / THE ORIGINALS
Vampires are almost synonymous with the word Halloween, so of course I had to include them somewhere on the list. I’ve never seen The Originals, but I was always a big fan of The Vampire Diaries. Featuring suspense, romance, magic, and lots of supernatural creatures, this a great low-key show to watch.

Top Ten Tuesday: Author’s I’d Love to Meet

October 2, 2018October 2, 201810 Comments

Happy October! 🎃 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. The theme for this week was authors we’d like to meet, and as soon as I saw it I couldn’t wait to start writing out my post!

1. GEORGE R. R. MARTIN
Although this list is not in any particular order, I have him on top because this man seems to be near impossible to meet. The only appearance he’ll be doing for his upcoming book, Fire and Blood, is a signing in New Jersey. I’m really hoping that once he finishes and publishes The Winds of Winter, there will be more opportunities to see him.

2. LAINI TAYLOR
Laini was at this past BookCon, and while I had intended to go to her signing, I had another event at the same time, so I gave the ticket to my mom to get my books signed. My mom said she was so friendly and took the time to talk with each person, and I think of all the signings I ended up missing, that was the one I regretted the most. Thankfully, Laini has an appearance at a bookstore not too far from me next week, and I’ve already reserved my spot to meet her!

3. LEIGH BARDUGO
I would love for the chance to meet this Queen of Young Adult Fantasy. She’s one of the most popular authors, and so tickets for her signings/meet and greets always sell out super quickly. I really hope she goes to BookCon again next year so I can finally meet her!

4. ROSHANI CHOKSHI
She has quickly become one of my favorite authors and I was so glad to see her name listed under the authors list for YALLFest! Meeting her is already top of my list for things to do while I’m there, and probably one of the events I’m most excited about.

5. TESSA DARE
I always talk about how much I love her books and how she’s the author I always recommend to Historical Romance newbies. She’s truly one of the reasons I really became to enjoy reading books in that genre, and I would love nothing more than to meet her.

6. KATE QUINN
Another author whose books are one of my absolute favorites. Her books are always so well written and researched, and after her most recent release, The Alice Network, I’m itching for more by her! I hope one day there is an opportunity for me to see her in person

7. J. K. ROWLING
As the author of the Harry Potter series, there’s no way I wouldn’t include her on this list. She’s another author who’s rarely seen out in the wild (at least for signings) and I would do anything for the chance to meet her.

8. ADRIENNE YOUNG
Sky in the Deep was one of the best books I’ve read this year, and it quickly became one of my favorites. I was equally excited when I saw that she would also be appearing at YALLFest and that I would have the chance to meet her!

9. JENNIFER ARMENTROUT
She seriously impresses me in the way she can write books of all genres and age groups. I think have everything from her YA contemporaries to her YA paranormals, from her NA contemporaries to her adult romances. I’ve been wanting to meet her for such a long time now and I hope it happens one day soon.

10. SARAH MACLEAN
Another HR author whose books really got me hooked on regency romance. Her books are some of my favorite in that genre. She’s going to be at KissCon – what appears to be a romance novel convention – next spring right near me, and after looking at the list of authors appearing, I think I may try to attend!

Are any of your favorite authors on my list? If you could meet anyone, who would it be? Let me know in the comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Bookish Merch

August 14, 2018September 30, 20188 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today’s theme was a focus on our favorite bookish blogs/websites, but I tweaked it a bit and decided to do my favorite places to buy bookish merchandise (read: candles). I am absolutely obsessed with buying bookish candles: they smell great, they looking amazing on my bookshelves, and I love adding them to pictures for Instagram.

1. WICK AND FABLE
These are probably my favorite candles. Most of the candles I’ve bought are from this website, and there are so many more I’d love to purchase! They have a huge selection to choose from, the labels are always pleasing to the eye, and the scents are wonderful. They also sell bookish teas and have monthly themed boxes. [x]

2. ICEY DESIGNS
Even though full-size candles are awesome, they’re not so awesome for my wallet. I’ve bought the three-piece 2oz tins from this shop and they are marvelously. In addition to candles, they also sell a bunch of other bookish items including journals, pencils, pillow covers, and enamel pins – which are my newest bookish obsession. Monthly theme boxes are available as well (I got the Ember in Ashes one and it everything in it was amazing). And in case you haven’t hear, Hafsah’s (the shop owner) debut We Hunt the Flame comes out in the spring and it’s one of my most anticipated books for 2019! [x]

3. SPIDEY SCENTS
I actually just got my first few candles from them and I was very impressed. They smell great, the labels are atheistically pleasing, and the tops of the candle have glitter! They came wrapped in pretty tissue paper that was held together by superhero stickers, which I was ecstatic about. I will definitely be purchasing more from them in the near future! [x]

4. FLICK THE WICK
I’ve only purchased two candles from this shop so far, but there are so many more items that I would love to buy from them. There’s such a large variety of bookish candles to choose from, and they also have monthly themed boxes for purchase. [x]

5. MCL
This shop has been on vacation for the longest time thanks to being feature in Buzzfeed for their now-famous Hogwarts sorting candle. Since their items just came back, I haven’t yet bought anything from their store, but everything looks so amazing! They have create-your-own adventure candle story that I would love try out. In addition to candles, they also have bookish body products such as epsom salts, sugar scrubs, and bath bombs. [x]

6. ALCHEMY & INK
Another shop that has been on a vacation for a time, but I’ve been eying these candles for such a long time. The just had a restock last week, but unfortunately due to a technical glitch, I missed out on all the candles I really wanted. They also sell enamel pins and I can’t wait to add some of them to my collection. [x]

7. TOTALLY WICKED CANDLES
I love this shop, if only because it’s one of the only sites that sells a Sansa Stark candle, which is one of my favorite candles on my shelf. But besides my King and Queen of the North candles, they have a lovely selection of other bookish candles. I hope to eventually add more of their merchandise to my shelves. [x]

8. CANTERBURY ROAD CO
I have quite a few of these candles, and while they smell nice and look great on my bookshelf, I’m not the biggest fan of their labels. They have a new Uprooted candle that I absolutely need! [x]

9. NOVELLY YOURS
Another shop that I haven’t yet bought anything from, but my mom somehow got a free sample candle at BookCon (seriously, where did she find these things?!) and it smells so good. They also have themed monthly boxes available for purchase. I’ve casually browsed the website and one day I’m sure I’ll end up buying something! [x]

10. IN THE WICK OF TIME
Yet another shop that doesn’t yet grace my shelves, but I’m sure that won’t last long. I’ve looked around their shop quite a bit and there’s a whole bunch of candles that I would love to purchase, especially that Direwolf one! [x]

Paws and Paperbacks

Category: Top Ten Tuesday