Top 3 most anticipated releases for the second half of 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday we create a list inspired by a particular topic! This week is about the new releases we're anticipating from June-December. 

Usually I would be at a loss coming up with new releases I'm looking forward to BUT since I started bullet journaling I've been on top of new releases! I'll only share my top 3 today though because the majority of them are already released (since I'm just waiting for the Danish translation). 

First off I want to talk a bit about my relationship with new releases, the 3 I'm looking forward to can be found down below! 
I've never really understood the hype around new releases, I mean, I get that you really want to read the book but I've never picked a book up the minute I got it. Patience is a virtue, right? I actually preordered Carry On by Rainbow Rowell and I haven't read it yet, my most anticipated release OF THE YEAR was A Court of Mist and Fury and I haven't read it yet. I believe in waiting for the right time, so that is what I do. 

The one I'm anticipating the most is probably The Scarlet Hour by Andrea L. Wells which is the sequel to The Violet Hour! It is scheduled to release on October 11th! I can't wait and I'll hopefully receive an ARC beforehand! 

Since I also have a Danish blog I have some where I'm just waiting for the Danish translation! But these two are my most anticipated ones in that category! 

• Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover which releases on the 23rd of September! 
• Illuminae (Illuminae, #1) by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman which releases on the 27th of October

Which new releases are you looking forward to the most? 

Top ten beach, or summer, reads

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday we create a list inspired by a particular topic! This week is about beach reads! 

Since it's basically summer now it's perfect for beach reads, I've switched it up and made it beach and Summer reads since I consider them Summer reads! 
For me a Summer read is either contemporary or features adventure, or both! 

Lorali by Laura Dockrill
First up is Lorali by Laura Dockrill which I actually read on the beach last year! It's about a mermaid named Lorali! It takes place both on land and in the sea!
I really, really enjoyed it and I believe the author posted something on IG about a sequel!
You can read my review here.

Forget You by Jennifer Echols
I just read Forget You this month and it was quite good! There's beach parties so that's something! The main character Zoey is in a car accident and loses a bit of her memory. She can't remember what happened that night and the book is about her trying to find out what happened and realising her true feelings and friends. It's definitely a page-turner!

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
Another one I read on the beach last year, or maybe the year before, but there's also beach scenes! I was disappointed with this one, but it's a good beach read nonetheless.
It's your standard contemporary; boy meets girl, but this time the guy is a celebrity and, well, I can't remember much.

The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
I read this in April and I absolutely loved it! It's a time travel book and a good chunk of the book takes place on Honolulu, Hawaii! For me Summer is the time for adventures and this definitely features adventure!
Read my review here.

Half Irish by Peter J. S. Waugh
Another book I've just read! This mainly takes place in Ireland, so you get an Irish summer vibe with rain and a bit of sun once in a while.
You can read my review here.

How to Love by Katie Cotugno
I read this a few years ago and I loved it! It's an older YA which features teen pregnancy and a love story, of course. It's quite good and I always think of Summer when I look at it!

All of the Above by James Dawson
Lastly there's All of the Above which is one of my favorite books of all time! I received it during Fall last year and I devoured it! It has LGBT themes, our main character is an introvert who loves to read and well, contemporaries are the bomb for Summer.
Read my review here.

How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski
Another one I read last Summer! Friendship and roadtrip - that's all I'm gonna say.
Read my review here.

I wanted to share some of the books I hope to read this Summer, starting next month; 

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
This should be THE summer book! I bought it on my trip to Ireland in September 2014 and it's been on my shelf ever since! As far as I can remember there's two friends, the extrovert goes on vacation of something and leaves a to do list for her introvert friend which she has to complete before the Summer is over.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I know that memoirs aren't the typical Summer read, but this is full of adventure so I think it's perfect! I know there's some different cultures and traveling so there's that.

The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella
Again, contemporary. I finally found the last copy I needed to complete my collection so I can now read them! I've used one and a half year to look for cheap copies of the entire series so it's anticipated now!

The Losing It series by Cora Cormack
I know I'm going to be reading this series because I have received the first one for review from a Danish publisher and I'm on the list for the sequel which releases in July here in Denmark! Definitely looking forward to it!

Top ten genres I feel different about as time has passed

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday we create a list inspired by a particular topic! This week is about books we feel different about as time has passed, but I'm making it genres I feel different about as time has passed instead. 

I thought I'd make this a more interesting post so instead of naming some books, I'm talking about genres! I've been wanting to do something like this for a while and the opportunity presented itself.

EROTICA
Let's just start with erotica. I'd never thought I was going to read it, let alone enjoy it. It's still very much out of my comfort zone, but I'm beginning to enjoy it. I had a hard time with sex scenes in books until, well now, and I think it has very much to do with my age! At 19 I feel like it isn't exactly 'wrong' to read books with sex in it, and I definitely think it's something you should wait to delve into until you're ready. I read it once in a while but I definitely prefer my mature YA and NA books for now! So, I've gone from a 'never' to a 'every once in a while'. 
Mature YA and NA was, and is, the perfect way to ease myself into it though. I mean, I love Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover and I really enjoyed Forget You by Jennifer Echols and both books have sex scenes. I feel like I've grown! 

HISTORICAL FICTION
I love the idea of historical fiction, like I've talked about many times, but I don't really enjoy historical fiction. I have a good deal of HF on my shelves but I usually shy away from them. Honestly I'm afraid I'll get disappointed, because I usually am. Although, I've bought All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer, Red Queen and The Other Boleyn by Philippa Gregory, all the Edward Rutherford novels (which is currently translated into Danish) and a few others. I've even tried reading The Book Thief - two times and I've never gotten more than halfway through and even that has been a struggle. 
So, I still read it once in a while but I don't think it's my genre. 

NONFICTION
I'd never thought I'd be a reader of nonfiction - but I actually love it. I don't really read biographies, and I fear I never will, but I like memoirs. The Happiness Project is one of my all time favorite books, A Room of One's Own is high on the list as well! I also just read Som i et spejl which is a Danish book (not translated, yet) about 7 important female characters in literature. 
I've even received the Danish edition of Popular by Maya van Wagenen for review and I'm really looking forward to it! 
As long as it's memoirs and about literature, I guess I like it. 

CLASSICS
Another genre I thought I wouldn't enjoy. I'm still not totally into it, since I have a hard time finding ones I need to read. I have all of Austen's works though and a bunch of the Wordsworth editions, a massive copy of Les Mis and many others. I was unfortunately disappointed by both A Clockwork Orange and 1984 which was the ones I wanted to read with a passion! So, my real problem is a fear of disappointment! 

YA
In 2012 I didn't think about the fact that books were divided into YA, childrens and adult. I knew where the YA books where at the library but I never thought about it. Then after discovering booktube and bookblogging in 2013 I became obsessed with YA and read mainly that. Now, I still enjoy it, but it's far from the only thing I read.
I feel different about YA know because, well, I am a bit older, but I also feel like we read about the same tropes all the time. There's not much new in YA. Sometimes I even have a hard time distinguishing books e.g. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven and My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga.

NA
Just like erotica there was a time where I said 'never' but around my 17th or 18th birthday I thought I might as well try a book or two and well, The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski is still one of my favorite books. I've also just read Ugly Love which was so, so good and I have Losing it on my TBR shelf!
I fear that I'll come across some of those books that are written solely for the sex scenes, but I feel like it's a bigger problem in erotica and not new adult. The main reason I enjoy new adult though, is the fact that the characters are older, more my age and I can relate to them. I have a hard time relating to YA characters at this point.

SHORT STORIES AND NOVELLAS
I was unsure whether to include this or not, but it is a writing genre, so why not?
I've always had a hard time with short stories and novellas, but I'm really starting to enjoy them! I have Kindred Spirits on my shelf, I have a collection of Fay Weldon's short stories waiting to be read and reviewed, I've just bought a short story collection from Penguin and I actually own a bunch of anthologies!
When I need a book I can jump in and out of, I think an anthology is great. You can read a story here and a story there! I've been disappointed in the past though, but I'm trying to pick 'better' - e.g. find ones I actually want to read.

Is there any genres you feel different about, now?

Top ten books I picked up on a whim

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday we create a list inspired by a particular topic! This week is about the books we've picked up on a whim.


The books I read on a whim
The Selection (The Selection, #1) by Kiera Cass
I needed a quick audiobook and I stumbled across The Selection. I had no intention of actually reading it, but I couldn't find anything else so I picked it up. I loved it and I quickly read The Elite and The One afterwards. I saved The Heir and The Crown for this year though and I've now finished the series!

The Shamer's Daughter (The Shamer Chronicles, #1) by Lene Kaaberbøl
I had 3-4 hours of train rides and I'd only read classics and required books that week, or something, so I needed a quick and easy read so I grabbed The Shamer's Daughter just before I ran out of the door. I actually managed to finish the book I was currently reading, Mrs. Dalloway, begin this one and I actually finished it on the train ride home!
At this point I've read the whole series, her Katriona series and begin her Wildwitch series!

I'm Still here by Clélie Avit
I picked this one up last month because I needed a quick read, but I also needed to read books from my 'to review' pile and this one jumped out. I read it in a single day and I loved it!
Elsa is in a coma but can hear everything around her, Thibault needs a place to hide and he finds himself in Elsa's room. And there's a blooming lovestory in the works. Such a quick read!

Forget You by Jennifer Echols
This one I've just finished, on Sunday actually. I'd finished the book I'd been trying to get through the last two weeks, I'd then picked up another book after finishing that one and then I finished that one too. I just grabbed this one because I have to read it before the Danish version is released in June. I managed to finish it just before midnight and I really, really enjoyed it. I have a bunch of problems with it though, but I think I'm free of the slump that has tried to catch me!

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
One day I found myself in need of another quick read and since I'd just received The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry I picked it up! I finished it before bed and it was quite enjoyable. Not as good as I'd hoped, but full of literature and books so very, very enjoyable!

The books I bought on a whim, this year

[geim] by Anders de la Motte
This one is the latest book I've bought! It was a hardcover wrapped in plastic so I had no idea what it was about since the back featured a phone with a text saying 'wanna play a game' and a yes and no button. That definitely sold it to me and I can't wait to pick it up!

The Enchanted by Rene Tenfold
I've seen it around but I've never known what it was about. Also, I'd never seen the cover on the edition I bought. It was cheap and it's about death row - I'm intrigued!

The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe
I love the 1950's and the summary mentioned both the publishing industry AND the 50's so I couldn't pass it up! Looking forward to reading it!

The Castle by Franz Kafka
I went to a bookstore and this one was on sale. I've been trying to branch out when it comes to classics and when I read that he never finished this one - it literally ends mid sentence - I knew I had to buy it!

Blue diary by Alice Hoffman
I've never heard about the author or the book but the summary intrigued me! A man brutally rapes and murders a young girl, 13 years later he's married and living a normal life when the police stumbles across new evidence which links him to the crime. So intrigued!

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I'd love to revisit

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday we create a list inspired by a particular topic! This week is all about characters we would love to revisit. 

I've been neglecting my Top Ten Tuesday's these past few weeks but I've made a blog planner for May and I'm hopefully going to start doing them again! I love lists and books so a mix of the two is THE BOMB! 

So, today is all about characters we would love to revisit. Either in 10 years or as a coming of age story if it's older characters. I'll explain everything as I go along, as usual

Dina from The Shamer Chronicles

Dina is the main character in The Shamer Chronicles by Lene Kaaberbøl. She's 10 years old in the first book and not that much older in the last one. I would love to read about her as an adult, how the world has changed, whether she has kids of her own and if they have the shamer eyes too. It would be quite an interesting read. 

Nix from The Girl from Everywhere 

I recently read The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig and I LOVED IT! I would love to get a novella or maybe an entire novel about Nix 10 years after the ending! I want to know where she've travelled to, where she wants to go, what she's seen. Also, her love life! Did she get kids, want any etc.? It would be so, so good! 

Auggie from Wonder

Wonder by R.J. Palacio is is one of my favorite reads ever! It's deep yet easy to read and I definitely think everyone should read it at one point in their life. I would love to revisit Auggie as a young adult or just as an adult. How his life has evolved, if it has gotten easier or tougher to life with the deformity and if he has a family of his own now! Auggie was such a fun character and I think it would be a funny and enjoyable read. 

Isac from The Fault in Our Stars

I intended to say Hazel, but I fear that it would get too many awful comments since we don't know whether she lives or not and I don't actually want to know. Isaac however I would love to read about, I think it would be intriguing since he's blind and it would be a great survival story and we'd probably still get some glimpses of Hazel and Gus. It will probably also be sad but I would read a book about coming to terms with blindness. There's not so many blind characters in literature and I would love to read more of it. 

Elsa and Thibault from I'm Still Here

I'm Still Here by Clélie Avit is one of my favorite reads this year and I so want to read about their relationship in 10 years from now! Do they get kids of their own, how is Elsa now etc. 

Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games

This is probably going to be quite a popular pick but I want more of them! The epilogue in Mockingly is simply not enough. 

There's bound to be some I've missed! Which characters do you want to revisit?