It’s Top Ten Tuesday again! It’s a weekly bookish list hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! This week’s topic is:
BEST CHARACTER NAMES
I’ve decided, for best character names, I’m going to take that as beautiful and unique names that I would seriously consider naming a child or animal. I might not necessarily love all these characters, but I definitely love their names!
Elsie from Elsie Dinsmore
Ever since I first read the A Life of Faith version of Elsie Dinsmore when I was 8 years old, I loved her name! I remember I always used to name my Barbie dolls Elsie, too.
Marilla from Anne of Green Gables
I seriously would consider naming my daughter Marilla. I think it’s just such a pretty name! I think calling her Rilla would be super cute too, just like Anne’s daughter.
Mia from The Princess Diaries
Another name I really adore is Amelia, and Mia for short. It’s such a beautiful name, but it’s also one that is a lot of fun!
Tally from Uglies
While this name is more of a unique, I think Tally could make a really cute name for a child or a pet. I can totally see a super friendly puppy named Tally, especially. Like, how cute?!
Esme from Twilight
I just really adore the name Esme! I think it’s so cute and pretty unique.
Jonas from The Giver
Jonas makes such a unique name (if you don’t count the Jonas Brothers…😂). I really like it, and could totally see my son, or at least a pet being named that in the future!
Landon from A Walk to Remember
Another name that I really adore for a boy is Landon. It’s such a nice name, and I feel like it rolls right off the tongue, lol.
Newt from The Maze Runner
Newt is a name I actually really I like it! I appreciate that it’s not typical and is very unique.
Dorian from The Picture of Dorian Gray
I think Dorian is a very unique and memorable name! I could totally see myself naming a future cat or rabbit, Dorian!
Xander from House of Dark Shadows
I really like the name Xander. It’s a name that I feel like has gained a bit more popularity, but is still fairly unique. Plus, not many names start with the letter, X, so honestly, I think that’s one of the reasons why I like it!
Those are some of my favorite bookish names! What are yours?
Thanks for reading!
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Hey everyone! I’ve been pretty absent from blogging this May, due to schoolwork and end of the school year activities. That being said, I’m officially on summer break, and I actually have time to do things again! I’m looking forward to reading and blogging more consistently again.
While I was on my semi-hiatus, however, something exciting happened with my blog. You can probably guess from the title of this post (and because you’re visiting my blog right now, lol), but I got a new logo for The Calico Books! I’ve had my old one since the very beginning, and while it’s served me well, this new one expands upon everything I wanted the original logo to look like. It was created by the lovely Lucy, from That Book Gal. She was so great to work with, and perfectly captured my vision!
I’m so excited to finally be using the new logo!
I’m so happy with how far The Calico Books has come these past two years, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future has in store! To all of you who have read, liked, commented, and followed, THANK YOU!
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Title: The Ugly Teapot by Fred Holmes
Pages: 205
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure
Published by: Self-published (March 30th, 2016)
Summary
Fourteen-year-old Hannah Bradbury loved her father so much that she worried about him constantly. After all, he was a photographer who traveled to the most dangerous places in the world.
To allay her fears, each time he came home he brought her silly gifts, each one with supposed magical powers: the Seal of Solomon, the Ring of Gyges, even Aladdin’s Lamp. It was that lamp Hannah found the most unbelievable, for it looked like an ugly teapot. Nevertheless, her father assured her it was real, and made her promise to save her three wishes for something very special.
Then . . . six months later . . . the unthinkable happened. Her father was killed while on assignment to Baghdad. And so on the day of his funeral Hannah did something she never thought she would ever do.
She took out that teapot and gave it a rub . . .
The Ugly Teapot by Fred Holmes is a timeless tale, filled with magic and adventure. More importantly, it will make you believe in the overwhelming power of love.
What I Thought
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you to the author!*
When I was asked if I would be interested in reviewing this book, I instantly said yes. The plot sounded so intriguing. Plus, it just looked like such a fun middle grade read. This book, while I ended up not loving it, still has a lot of appeal.
Hey everyone! It’s time again for another monthly wrap-up! April just flew by for me, and I have a feeling that May will, too! I’ve only got about two weeks left in the semester, and then I’ll be on summer break and I am SO looking forward to it. This semester of college has been a killer for me, especially in the past month or so. Because of that, I didn’t get to read or blog quite as much as I would have liked in April. I’ve got high hopes for May, though, so we’ll see how it goes.
Altogether, I finished 2 books last month.
BOOKS READ
– The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (ebook) \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
– The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo (ebook) \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STANDOUT BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Way You Make Me Feel really exceeded all of my expectations. This book was so sweet, summery, and heartwarming. I absolutely loved it!
BOOKS REVIEWED
Breakfast at Tiffany’s: A Short Novel and Three Stories by Truman Capote \\ ⭐️⭐️1/2
Just One Day by Gayle Forman \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
BOOK HAUL
I only bought one book in April, and that was The One Memory of Flora Banks. It was a signed copy, and on sale at Target; I just couldn’t resist!
MISCELLANIOUS
This month was a little quieter than March, despite that though, I still managed quite a few posts.
Here’s all the TTT’s I participated in April:
- Top Five Characters I Liked in Books I Didn’t Like
- Top Ten Favorite Christian Fiction + The Rebellion Cover Reveal
I also participated in a couple of Waiting on Wednesday’s:
I also participated in The Way You Make Me Feel blog tour! I shared my review, some of my favorite quotes, and a giveaway (which is still open until tomorrow, I believe!)
Lastly, I participated in Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon!
That wraps up my April! Hopefully I’ll get a bit more reading done in May, but overall, I still had a pretty good April, just a busy one.
Let me know how your April went!
Thanks for reading!
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Hey everyone! Today it’s my stop for The Rebellion Blog Tour! The Rebellion is book #2 in the Tales of Tarsurella series by Livy Jarmusch. In honor of it’s release next Tuesday, I’m sharing my spoiler-free review of the book! Also, just in case you’re curious, you can check out my review for book #1, The Coronation, by clicking here.
Title: The Rebellion (Tales of Tarsurella #2) by Livy Jarmusch
Pages: 345
Genres: YA, Christian, Contemporary
Published by: Self-published (May 8th, 2018)
Summary
Something is brewing. Like the far off rumble of a train in the distance, a rebellion is stirring. A cry for change arises in the midst of a traditional monarchy, where King Addison has inherited the throne. Who are the underground troublemakers? What is stirring their defiant banner and demand for change? Find out in The Rebellion! (The Tales of Tarsurella #2)
Vanessa Bennett lands her dream job working at the Palace in Tarsurella. She struggles to balance everything on her plate: life in a new country, stressful deadlines, crabby co-workers, college classes at the local University, and blossoming feelings of romantic adoration toward her boss–King Addison. Keeping up with her To-Do list, while trying to earn respect in Addison’s male-dominated administration, presents its challenges. Nevertheless, she can’t help but fight a reoccurring thought and the excitement rising with it: is Addison interested in her?
Addison is adjusting to his new role as King. Rumors of a rebellious uprising among the youth in Tarsurella intensifies, as acts of violence and protest break out across the city. Addison is determined to uncover the hidden instigator who fearlessly blogs democracy-driven ideals with a secretive pen name. Will Addison discover and expose the fiery rebellion leader? Or will his efforts fail to stop the rebellious thoughts spreading like wildfire, causing a heartbreaking rift in his divided nation?
What I Thought
*I received eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you to the author!*
After reading The Coronation earlier this year, I was so excited to read the sequel and not only that, but be a part of the launch team. If you read my review for The Coronation, you’ll know I loved it, and I’m so happy to say that The Rebellion did not disappoint, either!
Hey everyone! Well, Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon is now over, so it’s time I share with you all how it went.
After my last update, I read about 10 more pages of Illuminae, and then I fell asleep. Then, I woke up about 20 minutes before the readathon ended, and read until it was over. So, I was able to get to page 118 of Illuminae plus the 20 pages of The Ugly Teapot. Altogether I read 109 pages for the readathon!
Like I said in my other updates, I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to read during this readathon. Despite that, I’m still really content with how much I read. I’m looking forward to the next one, on Oct. 20th! 🎉
Did you participate in Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon? If so, let me know how you did!
Thanks for reading!
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Hello! I thought I’d check in and share with you all how I’ve been doing today. I haven’t had a whole lot of time to read, but I already knew I wouldn’t. However, I have read a little bit, and given the circumstances of today, I’m not too disappointed with how much I’ve read at this point.
So far, I’ve read 20 pages of The Ugly Teapot. I am enjoying this one, although I must say, it’s a little all over the place for me. I’m still super intrigued though, and am very curious to see how this one will end.
Also, I’m now on page 91 of Illuminae, so I’ve read 62 pages so far. At first I was a little confused with this book, but now I’m really loving it! It’s one that I just don’t want to stop reading.
It’s currently almost 11:00 PM where I live, so I’ll probably be going to bed in the next hour or so. So we’ll see how many more pages I read tonight. The readathon ends at 7:55 AM in my time zone, so depending when I wake up tomorrow, I may be able to squeeze in a little more reading.
Unfortunately, I’ve been so bad at updating my social media of my reading progress this time around, but I will definitely have a final update and wrap-up post up here on the blog, sometime tomorrow!
Thanks so much for reading!
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Hey everyone! Today is Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon! Just in case you don’t know, the goal of the readathon is to read as much as you can in 24 hours. To get all the details, check it out here!
I’ve actually got a pretty busy day planned, so unfortunately, I know I’m not going to be able to read as much as I would like. That being said, I’m going to try my best to read as much as I can.
I’m in the middle of two books that I started before the readathon The Ugly Teapot by Fred Holmes and Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. I’m on page 81 of The Ugly Teapot and my goal is to get this book finished today. For Illuminae, I’m on page 29, and that’s a pretty big book, so I know, chances are, I won’t be able to finish it, but I’m hoping to get a good chunk read.
I’ll check in later to share with you all how I’m doing. I’ll also be sharing my progress on Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram stories, so if you’re interested in how I’m doing, be sure to check out the links below! 👇🏼
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Hey everyone! I’m so excited today is my stop on the blog tour for The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo, hosted by Tin from The Book Maiden! I’m going to be sharing my thoughts about the book and some of my favorite quotes. Also, be sure to check out the end of this post, because there’s also a giveaway for a hardcover copy of the book! 🎉
Alright, let’s get started!
Title: The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo
Pages: 288
Genres: YA, Contemporary
Published by: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc. (May 8th, 2018)
Summary
Clara Shin lives for pranks and disruption. When she takes one joke too far, her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck, the KoBra, alongside her uptight classmate Rose Carver. Not the carefree summer Clara had imagined. But maybe Rose isn’t so bad. Maybe the boy named Hamlet (yes, Hamlet) crushing on her is pretty cute. Maybe Clara actually feels invested in her dad’s business. What if taking this summer seriously means that Clara has to leave her old self behind?
With Maurene Goo’s signature warmth and humor, The Way You Make Me Feel is a relatable story of falling in love and finding yourself in the places you’d never thought to look.
What I Thought
*I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you to the publishers!
Going into this book, I really didn’t know what to expect. The synopsis sounded interesting, though, so I decided to give The Way You Make Me Feel a chance. I’m so glad I did!
Title: Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Pages: 369
Genres: YA, Romance, Contemporary
Published by: Random House (Jan. 10, 2013)
Summary
When sheltered American good girl Allyson “LuLu” Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left.
Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.
What I Thought
I read the If I Stay duology a couple years ago, and absolutely fell in love with Gayle Forman’s writing. Just One Day has been on my TBR ever since. For Christmas, I received the Just One bind-up, and was so excited to finally have the chance to read it and it did not disappoint!
the calico books 