Ten Bookish Worlds/Settings I'd Never Want to Live In

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from That Artsy Reader Girl involves Bookish Worlds I’d Want to/Never Want to Live In. Since I did a similar post a while back about Bookish Settings I'd Love to Visit, this time I'm going with Worlds That I Would Never Want to Live In. I'm using both real places (but as they are described in the book) as well as fantasy worlds for this one.

1) Panem - The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

2) Tanakuatua - Web by John Wyndham
It's an island of spiders that learn how to work together like ants. Enough said.

3) England - Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

4) Menzoberranzan - Drizzt Do'Urden books (Forgotten Realms) by R.A. Salvatore

5) The Boat - Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Tales of Beedle the Bard (J.K. Rowling)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk. This book is second that I've completed for my 2018 TBR Challenge, so I am definitely on better track than I was last month.

bloomsbury.com

What it's about:

In J. K. Rowling's wizarding world, Beedle the Bard is our version of the Brothers Grimm, or Hans Christian Anderson. This book is a collection of magical fairytales that witches and wizards have grown up with, alongside a commentary from former headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore. This collections contains both stories Harry Potter fans know (Tale of the Three Brothers) and new ones to enjoy.

TMST - Books Compared to Other Books

Are you more inclined/less inclined to read books that are compared to other popular books or authors? That's this week's Tell Me Something Tuesday topic from Rainy Day Ramblings.

Definitely less inclined. There are extremely rare cases when I find that these comparisons are accurate, or are not a complete rip-off of another author's work. I think a lot of the time that this is a bit of a money grab or selling tactic. 

In the same vein, I also dislike when a quote from a similar author is on the cover telling me how much they loved this book. I might like an author's writing in a certain genre, but that doesn't mean I like what they like to read. This is also tricky if an author writes in more than one genre. For example, if Meg Cabot really enjoyed a Sarah Dessen book, that might be fine as a recommendation if you like Princess Diaries, but might not mean anything if you are into the 1-800-WHERE-R-U series.

Best Character Nicknames and Shortforms

Nicknames are a big part of a character's identity, and they can be so creative and fun. Choosing a great nickname is just as important as a choosing their name - it can even mean more than their given name. This week's Top Ten Tuesday from That Artsy Reader Girl is Top Ten Best Character Names, but I decided to give it a bit of a spin with nicknames instead! So, here are some favourites!

1) Real Name: Tobias Eaton
    Nickname: Four
    Book: Divergent series by Veronica Roth

2) Real Name: Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington
    Nickname: Nearly Headless Nick
    Book: Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

3) Real Name: Erik
    Nickname: The Phantom of the Opera
    Book: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

4) Real Name: Anna Marie
    Nickname: Rogue
    Book: X-Men comics by various authors

The Kissing Booth

A Netflix original, this movie is based on the 2012 novel by Beth Reekles.

tunefind.com

What It's About:

Two best friends give birth to their babies on the same day at the same time. Their children, Lee and Elle, are inseparable from that moment on. They can count on the other for everything - especially their love of dance. Starting grade 11, Elle's changing body catches the eyes of many of the school's boys, and she isn't exactly sure how to handle all of this new attention. But when Elle's childhood crush starts to notice her as well, Elle starts to think that things might be looking up - except that it violates one of the most important friendship rules she and Lee made as children: "Relatives are totally off-limits."

TMST - Review Books for Publishers or Yourself?

I want to thank Rainy Day Ramblings once again for hosting this fun discussion. This week's Tell Me Something Tuesday topic is "Are most of your review books for publishers or are you reviewing books of your choice?".

Books I Disliked/Hated But Am Glad I Read

This week I am splitting my Top Ten Tuesday into two parts: Books I Disliked But Am Glad I Read, and Books I Originally Disliked But Grew To Enjoy. I don't tend to typically dislike a lot of the books I read because I am rather picky about what I choose, however every once and a while there is something that just doesn't sit well with me. So, here's my entry for this week's topic hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, split into two lists:

Books I Disliked But Am Glad I Read

1) The Professor - Charlotte Brontë
Yes, my beloved Charlotte is on this list. As much as I adore Jane Eyre, this book just didn't work for me. I'd like to pick it up again in a few years to see if my opinion changes, but I am still glad I got to read more of her work in order to get a more thorough understanding of her writing.

2) The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
I hate this book. Sorry to all of you who love it, but it is one of my most hated novels of all time. I'm glad I read it only because I at least tried, and can honestly say it isn't my thing.

3) The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Although I don't hate this book, I really just found it dreadfully dull. I wanted to gain a further understanding of Plath, and to some degree I did, but it felt overall rather stagnant (I suppose that's the point). It was interesting in the sense that it is semi-autobiographical though.

4) Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
Charlotte's sister also makes an appearance on this list! There are some wonderful moments in this book, and it is hands-down one of my favourite stories, but I didn't particularly enjoy the book. The cockney slang was nearly impossible to follow, and I found it took away from the feeling of the story in a lot of ways. It's one that I think works much better as a movie (*gasp*) and I do think I will re-read it again one day to see if it improves (but really, just watch the 1992 film because it is one of the best movies ever).