Top Ten Tuesday | Series I'd like to finish

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Series I’ve Given Up On/Don’t Plan to Finish', but I feel like I've talked about this fairly recently or at least recently enough that my answers won't be any different, so I decided to talk about the series I'd like to finish instead!

I'm a terrible finisher, but since devouring the Six of Crows duology earlier this year I've rediscovered my love for reading whole series so I'd like to finish some more series this year if I can.

The Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemisin: I read and really enjoyed The Fifth Season and started reading The Obelisk Gate and then just got distracted by other things. I'd really like to return to this series, though, because it's one of the most original fantasy stories I've come across and I love the way it straddles fantasy and science fiction.

The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan: I tried reading A Natural History of Dragons a few years ago and couldn't get into it, but earlier this year I ended up listening to the audiobook during my commute to work and enjoyed it. I'm not desperate to continue this series, but I'd definitely like to try the other books via audiobook at some point.

The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger: So far I've read Soulless, Changeless and Blameless and this series is one I turn to when I'm in the mood for something quick and fun - I'm hoping to finish this series this year!

The Glamourist Histories series by Mary Robinette Kowal: Another series that's light, fun and easy to read. I've only read the first two books so far but I've liked them enough to want to finish the rest of the series.

The Mistress of the Art of Death series by Ariana Franklin: This series is unusual in that it never got to end properly because the author sadly passed away after completing only four books, and I've seen from reviews that the fourth book actually ends with a cliffhanger. I don't actually love this series, but like the above series I find it really easy to read and I like the characters enough to want to know what happens to them. I've read three books so far so, even though I know it doesn't have an ending, I'd like get to the fourth book at some point.

The His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers: I really enjoyed Grave Mercy and I loved Dark Triumph, and yet for some reason I still haven't read Mortal Heart. LaFevers is bringing out some more books following these characters next year, though, so I definitely need to get to it soon.

The Fruits Basket series by Natsuki Takaya: Fruits Basket is one of my favourite animes and I started reading the manga but still haven't finished reading the series - I'd like to, though!

The Newsflesh trilogy by Mira Grant: Feed is one of my favourite novels of all time and I loved Deadine, too, but I'm ashamed to say I still haven't read Blackout. Oops.

The Girl From Everywhere duology by Heidi Heilig: I thought The Girl From Everywhere was so fun with such a unique take on time travel, so I'd like to try and get to The Ship Beyond Time this summer.

The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix: I adored The Old Kingdom series when I was younger, Sabriel remains one of my favourite books from my childhood/early teens, but I haven't read Clariel or Goldenhand yet and, to be honest, I think I might have to re-read the earlier books before I do.

Which books made your list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | Unfinished Finished Series

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Ten Finished Series I Have YET To Finish', and I found this topic really, really difficult. I'm amazed I managed to make it to eight, because for a while I honestly thought I might have to settle for three.

I love a good series, don't get me wrong, but I was wary of them for the past few years. I was tired of the same structure to every trilogy I picked up, which is one of the main reasons I read so few YA series nowadays. I've read quite a few first books in series, but I didn't want to include series on my list that I knew I wasn't going to continue. I hated Legend and I wasn't all that impressed with Angelfall, so there was no way those two were going to make their way onto my list.

In terms of series, I have a lot more finished series that I haven't started yet, never mind finished, so I wasn't going to include them either. And then there are the series I love that are ongoing, such as the White Trash Zombie series and The Lunar Chronicles, as well as a lot of graphic novel series that I love.

So in the end I managed to scrape together eight, and here they are!

The Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy: I didn't start this series until I was in uni, and I thought it was fantastic. I speed through these books and they're so much fun; I love Derek Landy's sense of humour. Then uni got in the way, and for whatever reason I just didn't return to the series - I want to, though! I read the first six, I believe, but rather than start at book seven I think I may actually re-read those first six and read the series in its entirety from start to finish.

The Dust Lands trilogy by Moira Young: One of the few starts to a YA trilogy that I loved was Blood Red Road, and even though I own Rebel Heart and Raging Star I still haven't read them. Boo me!

The Joanna Stafford trilogy by Nancy Bilyeau: This historical crime trilogy came to an end this year, and I read the first book, The Crown, in February. I enjoyed it (and reviewed it here!) and I got my hands on a copy of the second book, The Chalice, I just haven't read it yet. I'm not sure when I'll complete the trilogy as I'm hoping for the release of an edition of the third book, The Tapestry, that will match the two I already own.

The His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers: I have NO IDEA why I still haven't finished this trilogy, it's kind of ridiculous. Maybe this is something I should get to this month, because I loved Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph.

The If I Stay duology by Gayle Forman: Maybe Where She Went is more of a companion novel than a sequel, but give me a break, I'm clutching at straws here. I really enjoyed If I Stay, it's probably one of my favourite contemporaries, so I'd like to read Where She Went soon.

The Healer trilogy by Maria V. Snyder: I didn't love Touch of Power, but I liked it enough to want to know what happens next.

The Khalifa Brothers duology by Salman Rushdie: I had to read Haroun and the Sea of Stories when I studied postmodernism during my first year of university, and I loved it. Now I just need to get my hands on a copy of Luka and the Fire of Life.

The Fruits Basket series by Natsuki Takaya: Love the manga and love the anime, I just haven't gotten around to finishing the manga yet!

Which books made your list?

#TBRTakedown Readathon | TBR

Over on BookTube Shannon @ leaninglights has announced a casual reading challenge to run throughout the first week of June, and as May was very busy and something of a slow reading month for me I thought I'd join in!

The TBR Takedown Readathon is all about crossing books off your TBR. Shannon has created five challenges that you don't have to follow if you don't want to, but I'm going to see if I can at least tackle one or two of them. 

A book that's been on your TBR shelf for over a year

Stargirl

by Jerry Spinelli

I'm pretty sure I've owned this for at least two years, if not more, after I found it for just 99p in a local charity shop. I've heard lovely things about it and it's not even 200 pages long, so I think it'll be a good read for a readathon!

An unread sequel sitting on your TBR shelf

Mortal Heart

by Robin LaFevers

I got this for Christmas and I still haven't read it. I'm terrible at finishing series no matter how much I love them, and it's about time I finished this one!

A first book in a series on your TBR shelf

A Darker Shade of Magic

by V.E. Schwab

I've heard nothing but amazing things about this one and I've owned it since February, so it's about time I read it.

An "out of your comfort zone" book on your TBR shelf

How To Be a Heroine

by Samantha Ellis

I'm not sure if this is out of my comfort zone exactly because the last book I read was a non-fiction book about heroines and I loved it, but I still don't tend to read much non-fiction. I'd like to cross this one off my TBR!

A book from your most recent book haul

Resistance Is Futile

by Jenny T. Colgan

This is the most recent book I hauled after I pre-ordered it. This is probably the book I'm least likely to get to, only because it's been on my TBR shelf the shortest amount of time!

Are you taking part in the readathon? What are you planning to read?

L is for LaFevers | Blogging from A to Z

Grave Mercy
by Robin LaFevers

I think all of us can be guilty of just looking at a book and thinking 'I don't think I'd enjoy that'. I'm certainly guilty of doing that, in fact that's what happened with Grave Mercy. Now I'll admit that by this point I think I know my taste fairly well, so while I'm always willing to try something new and I'm always open to reading out of my comfort zone with the chance I'll discover a new favourite, I'm also usually right when I think I won't like a book.

Grave Mercy is one of the few books that proved me wrong. I don't know what it was that convinced me to pick this book, and this series up, in the end. Perhaps it really was just that the promise of assassin nuns wasn't something I could turn away from, whatever the reason I'm so pleased I decided to give it a chance because now I love the His Fair Assassin trilogy. These books are so much fun, while also being packed with political intrigue and girl power. Are parts of them still a little cheesy? Yes, especially in this first book - the second, Dark Triumph, is much more sinister - but sometimes we all need a little cheesy, and the fluffier scenes are certainly balanced out with some much darker ones.

The Cake Book Tag!

I've seen this tag around, never did it and then forgot about it, and then yesterday I saw Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight post her answers and I thought 'huh, I should really have a go at this!'

Flour

A book that was a little slow to start off but really picked up as it went along

Year of Wonders

by Geraldine Brooks

I had a bit of trouble thinking of something for this one because a lot of the books I read are quite slow-building stories, and I really enjoy slow reads. Year of Wonders is an absolutely gorgeous book, and for the most part it's a rather slow book and then suddenly, towards the end, it just takes this turn. Very worth reading!

Butter

A book that had a rich, great plot

American Gods

by Neil Gaiman

This was my very first read of 2014, and ended up being one of the best things I read last year, too. There's certainly a reason this is regarded as Gaiman's masterpiece, and I can't wait for the TV adaptation!

Eggs

A book you thought was going to be bad but actually turned out quite enjoyable

Grave Mercy

by Robin LaFevers

What can I say? I didn't expect to enjoy this book all that much, and I ended up really, really enjoying it. 

Sugar

A sugary sweet book

Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams

by Jenny Colgan

Ha. See what I did there? This is a very cute book, and worth a read if you're a fan of contemporary.

Icing

A book that covered every single element that you enjoy about a book (funny moments, action moments, sad moments, etc.)

Feed

by Mira Grant

You all know how much I adore this book. This was my favourite book of 2014 and one of my favourite reads of all time and I love it.

Sprinkles

A book series that you can kind of turn back to for a little pick me up when you're feeling down

The Lunar Chronicles

by Marissa Meyer

Now obviously I love Harry Potter - if I had to pick an all time favourite series then that would be it, without question - but if I start re-reading Harry Potter then I want to re-read the entire series. If I want to just dip in and out of something, however, then it's The Lunar Chronicles I turn to; lately if I ever need a pick me up I re-read the scene where Cinder and Kai are finally reunited in Cress, because it gives me all the happy feels.

The Cherry On Top

Your favourite book this year so far

Signal to Noise

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I loved this book. It was exquisite and unexpected and I loved reading it, I was genuinely quite distressed when it was over. Highly recommended! You can check out my review here!

I Tag:

Mallory @ The Local Muse

Deanna @ Deanna Writes

Cristina @ Girl in the Pages

Becca @ Lost in Thought

Rachel @ Rachel Writes Things

Melanie @ Daydreamer to Writer

2015 Forgotten Histories Reading Challenge | Week 4

It's week three of the Forgotten Histories Reading Challenge, and this week's challenge is to read a book that is NOT set in Europe (including Britain) or North America.

Below are a list of books for any of you who are unsure as to which book to read. Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

The Narrow Road to the Deep North

by Richard Flanagan

The Timeless Land

by Eleanor Dark

The Lion Seeker

by Kenneth Bonert

Daughter of the Gods

by Stephanie Thornton

Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh

by R. L. LaFevers

Butterfly Swords

by Jeannie Lin

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

by Lisa See

The Russian Concubine

by Kate Furnivall

The Last Queen of India

by Michelle Moran

Arauco

by John Caviglia

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday | Womance

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find out everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is a freebie, so today I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite female friendships! If guys can have a bromance, girls can have a womance!

Katniss and Johanna from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins: I know so many fans of The Hunger Games are huge supporters of Katniss and Peeta's relationship, but it's always been one of my least favourite aspects of the series for a bunch of reasons I won't bother getting into now. Personally one of my favourite relationships in the series, other than the ones between Katniss and Prim and Katniss and Rue, was the friendship between Katniss and Johanna. Everyone worships Katniss, and I think Johanna is one of the few people who keeps her grounded and makes her feel semi-normal. I love their dynamic, and I wanted more Johanna in Mockingjay.

Agnes and Rosalie from Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë: Whether the relationship between Agnes and Rosalie can be described as a friendship is debatable, but it's certainly interesting and was one of my favourite things about the novel; by exploring the relationship between a governess and her ward Brontë explored what is expected of women regardless of their station and class. This is a great classic, and one I highly recommend - Anne has been the forgotten Brontë for too long!

Cinder and Iko from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: I want an Iko of my own. She's adorable, and I love that her and Cinder are such good buddies; Cinder goes through so much crap that she needs someone loyal like Iko on her side.

Ismae and Anne from Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers: The most obvious friendship in the His Fair Assassin trilogy is the one between Ismae, Sybella and Annith, and while I also love their relationship I really loved the friendship that blossomed between Ismae and Anne in Grave Mercy. Poor Anne is surrounded by enemies, and even though she has her brother Gavriel to watch her back, Ismae becomes the confidante that a young girl in her position needs. In return, Anne makes sure Ismae feels welcome in her court. Their relationship was one of my favourite elements of the book.

Beth and Jennifer from Attachments by Rainbow Rowell: I actually liked the relationship between Beth and Jennifer more than I liked the relationship between Beth and Lincoln - oops! These two are a lot of fun, and reading their messages to each other throughout Attachments reminded me of some of the conversations I've had with my own friends.

Tonks and Ginny from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling: I almost put Hermione and Ginny here because I do love their friendship too, but I loved how Ginny saw Tonks as a sort of cool big sister. That and I've always had a soft spot for Tonks; she's always been one of my favourites, and as a teenager I'm fairly sure she was my style icon. Not that my school would have ever let me dye my hair bright pink.

Nancy and Minerva from Pirates! by Celia Rees: This is another book in which the relationship between the two female leads is more powerful than any of the romances. I loved Celia Rees's books when I was a teen and still hold them very dear to my heart now; I think it's this book that made me want to search out more fiction in which friendship, and not romance, was the main focus.

Valkyrie and Tanith from the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy: Like Tonks and Ginny these two have a very surrogate sister feel to them. Tanith is one of my favourites anyway, but I loved the friendship she developed with Valkyrie and always love their scenes together whenever I read these books.

Lirael and The Disreputable Dog from The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix: One of the main reasons I love Garth Nix's writing so much is because in The Old Kingdom he created more than one female led fantasy story in which the main focus isn't romance. Sure Sabriel finds Touchstone, but that relationship is never the driving force behind the plot in Sabriel, and in Lirael Lirael's most important relationship is the one she develops with The Disreputable Dog who, despite being a dog, has always made me think of an eccentric, all-knowing auntie.

Ellie, Nadine and Magda from the Girls series by Jacqueline Wilson: As a child Jacqueline Wilson was one of my favourite authors; I read everything she wrote until the publication of Love Lessons which I didn't like at all. I don't like to say I grew out of her writing because I don't know if you can grow out of an author that you love, but as a teenager I didn't like her books directed at teenagers at all despite having loved all her children's books as a child. Having said that, the Girls books are definitely directed at a teenage audience and I loved them; Ellie is a fantastic heroine for Teen fiction, and I loved the emphasis this series has on friendship. And I don't think it hurt that I absolutely loved the CITV adaptation, either!

What did you talk about this week?

2014 TBR | Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To'. This is the perfect list for me because I'm rubbish at reading books the year they come out, and there were certainly plenty of releases in 2014 I wanted to check out and just... didn't.

So, on with my top ten!

Half Bad by Sally Green: I really should have read this book by now because I've owned my copy for around six months, then again there are books on my shelves that have been waiting to be read for much longer... In 2014 I achieved my MA in Creative Writing while working on a historical novel about witchcraft, which meant I ended up reading an awful lot of witchy books. For whatever reason I just didn't get around to this one!

Red Rising by Pierce Brown: I kept seeing Red Rising popping up all over the blogosphere throughout 2014 but it just didn't catch my eye. I'm not a big fan of the cover; to me it didn't look any different to a bunch of other YA covers I'd seen over the past few years so it didn't really inspire me to pay attention to what the story was about. I know you're not supposed to judge books by their covers but, hey, I do! After reading some of the reviews and actually reading the blurb I realised that the story actually sounds pretty cool, so I'm aiming to read it this year instead.

Alienated by Melissa Landers: This book just looks really fun. 2014 is the year I began to realise that sci-fi doesn't have to be this scary, intimidating genre; in fact 2014 is the year I realised I quite like sci-fi, meaning 2015 is going to be the year I read a lot of it. I'd like to add this book, and possibly the sequel Invaded, to that list because I have something of a weakness for fluffy sci-fi!

The Jewel by Amy Ewing: I didn't really start seeing this book around until very near the end of 2014, so I'd love to read it this year. People have been telling me to read The Handmaid's Tale for years (and really it's quite shocking that I haven't!) so as The Jewel has similar themes I may read the two of them back to back!

The Bees by Laline Paull: I've heard really mixed things about The Bees, which might well be the reason why I just never got around to it in 2014, but I still want to read it for myself. The paperback has been released fairly recently but if I'm going to get it I want that pretty hardback...

Thief's Magic by Trudi Canavan: I don't think I read any high fantasy in 2014. Shocking, I know. I've also never read any Trudi Canavan. Strike two. I love the sound of Thief's Magic, but the gorgeous hardback is still £20 and, as I mentioned before, I can't afford to spend that much on one book!

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers: As a massive fan of the His Fair Assassin trilogy I had ever intention of reading Mortal Heart last year, especially after receiving a copy for Christmas! But as soon as Christmas was over life was absolutely hectic all the way through to New Year and I just didn't get to it. I'll be reading it soon, though!

Viper Wine by Hermione Eyre: This book sounds right up my alley, but I just didn't get around to buying a copy of it, never mind reading it! Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on it soon, but the hardback edition I love is still fairly pricey.

Lamentation by C. J. Sansom: I love the Matthew Shardlake series, and the only reason I haven't read the latest installment is because it's not out in paperback yet. As gorgeous as the hardback is all of my other Shardlake books are in paperback and I want them to match.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton: Every time I went into Waterstone's I saw this gorgeous book, but I was a student for the majority of  last year and I couldn't afford to buy full price hardbacks whenever I felt like it - they're so expensive these days! But a couple of weeks ago WHSmith were selling off hardback editions of The Miniaturist for just £5 (they were cheaper than the paperbacks!) so I snapped one up and now I can cross it off my TBR this year.

Which books made your top ten?

What's Up Wednesday! | 07/01/15

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for readers and writers to stay in touch!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What I'm Reading

Since the last WUW I've read My Family and Other Superheroes by Jonathan Edwards, The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan, Witch by Damian Walford Davies, Burial Rites by Hannah Kent and White Ravens by Owen Sheers.

Right now I'm reading The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau, and just this morning I started The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse. I'm taking part in the Bout of Books 12 this week; I haven't set myself any challenges because they only stress me out and I don't want to turn reading into something that brings me stress. I'm taking part so that I can get 2015 off to a great reading start!

With that in mind I want to try and finish both The Crown and The Winter Ghosts this week, and I also want to try and read The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier, Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers and A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf.

What I'm Writing

I'm ashamed to say I've written barely anything over the holidays! I'm aiming to enter a few writing competitions so I've been trying to tweak, complete and write some short stories that have been stuck in my head for a while. One story in particular has been driving me nuts, so some of the people from my MA course are very kindly going to read it and tell me what they think.

Then yesterday inspiration struck, so I started scribbling in my notebook during my lunch break. I don't think any character's voice, without a story, has ever come through so clearly before; I won't say much (because I'm not even sure what it is yet!), only that whatever it is is from the POV of a biracial dragon whose parents own a Chinese restaurant.

What Works For Me

Actually writing when I get a new idea. I have this habit of thinking of an idea and 'saving it' for later, as though writing it later is going to make it somehow better, but most of the time when I do that what actually happens is that I convince myself it's a bad idea or I forget something (especially if I don't have something with me to jot the idea down!) and the idea doesn't get written the way I want it or it doesn't get written at all.

This has worked for me very recently! The story I mentioned above isn't exactly a story yet, it's just this very loud character talking through me; I have no idea what I'm going to do with what she's telling me once she's finished talking...

What Else Is New

I had a great Christmas and New Year! I spent Christmas with my family and got some great presents, including a bunch of books and DVDs I'd been after. And then I spent New Year in York, the most haunted city in Britain, with my best friend; we shopped, ate, drank, went to the cinema to see Night at the Museum 3 (and I totally teared up near the end; I'm going to miss seeing Robin Williams in new films) and binge watched the first three seasons of Parks and Recreation. Why have I never watched that show before?

I'm still enjoying my job and my wages, and last night I bought tickets for me and my parents to go and see The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. I enjoyed it - I certainly enjoyed it better than the other two films which, while good, felt very much like "Bilbo and the Road Trip" to me - but I think I'm always going to love The Lord of the Rings more. Eowyn's my home girl.

What's new with you?

Best Couples of 2014 | Top Ten of 2014

While looking through the list of books I've read this year I realised that I haven't actually read all that many books which are romance orientated. Obviously a book doesn't have to be romance orientated to include a great couple, but I haven't come across many of those this year either. I've read a lot of great books this year, but not a lot of couples made my heart melt.

But there were a few that I loved, and a few that I liked, so I've managed to put together a list of ten! Quite a few of these are two couples from various series I've enjoyed most this year.

Couples I Love

Cinder and Kai from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: I had to use Scarlet for these two because I read Cinder in December 2013, and I didn't want to cheat! While I like Scarlet and Wolf they're probably my least favourite of the couples in The Lunar Chronicles purely because they were very instalovey, and I'm not a fan of instalove. Cinder and Kai I adore. I love their chemistry and the way that I can never quite predict what one of them is going to say to the other. Add to that that this is a retelling in which Cinderella has two prosthetic limbs and Prince Charming is Chinese and I'm a very happy bunny!

Sybella and Beast from Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers: So far Dark Triumph is my favourite book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy. I loved Sybella as a protagonist, she's raw and vulnerable and hard as nails, and I've loved Beast since meeting him in Grave Mercy. Put the two of them together and I love them even more. Plus it was nice to see a character being described as conventionally unattractive. Sybella never claims that he's handsome in any way but she still loves him, and that's something we need to see more of in fiction. Though I imagine it'll be a few years before anyone dares to publish a book with a conventionally unattractive woman in the starring role...

Natalie and Flynn from Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han: This was probably my favourite story in the collection - reviewed here! - and now I desperately want a whole novel dedicated to Natalie, though I'm sure the possibility of that happening is highly unlikely.

Dona and Jean-Benoit from Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier: These two were just so much fun to read about. I loved this book!

Lilian and Henry from Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan: These two are basically the reason that parts of Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams broke my heart in two. I'm still sad about it!

Couples I Like

Mia and Adam from If I Stay by Gayle Forman: I ended up enjoying If I Stay a lot more than I thought I would - look out for my review in January! - and I liked Mia and Adam's relationship. It feels like one of the more realistic relationships I've come across in contemporary YA.

Bod and Elizabeth from The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: Okay, so I know Elizabeth's dead and Bod is a child for the majority of the book, but at the very end of the story, when Bod is a teenager, there's a hint of something a little more there and I really liked Elizabeth.

Cress and Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: Cinder and Kai are still my favourite, but these two were absolutely adorable. I want more of them in Winter, please!

North and Marigold from It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins: This time around I used the American cover just to spice things up a little. I hadn't read any Perkins before this and now I'd quite like to check her novels out. I really enjoyed this story, and thought North and Marigold were way cooler than I was as a teenager.

Ismae and Gavriel from Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers: I don't like these two quite as much as I like Sybella and Beast, but they're still a lot of fun; their growing fondness for each other was a lot of fun to read throughout Grave Mercy.

Who made your list?

Top Ten Tuesday | Santa Baby, Slip a Story Under the Tree | Twelve Days of Christmas!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find out everything you need to know about joining in here!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing This Year'. I had to narrow it down to ten, because books are mainly what I ask for every birthday and Christmas - in fact I'm pretty sure my family and friends are sick of me asking for them by now.

I've decided to split my list into two mini lists; one of them being historical fiction and the other being science fiction. Why? Well because historical fiction is probably my favourite genre, and science fiction is the genre I've really started to learn more about and appreciate this year.

So, without further ado, here are my top ten!

Historical Fiction

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers: I'm desperate to get my hands on a copy of the third and final book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy! I fell in love with this trilogy after reading Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph earlier this year, and I can't wait to see how LaFevers wraps this story up. I've put it on my Christmas list (in fact most of these books are on my Christmas list) so I'm hoping my parents will be kind enough to put a copy of this book beneath the tree for me!

The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau: Who doesn't want to read some historical crime with a nun for a protagonist? I've heard great things about this series, and I'm really eager to read some female-led historical crime.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: Frankly it's appalling that I haven't read this book yet. It's been on my TBR for far too long and I need to read it, because I've heard nothing but amazing things about it.

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine: A retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses set in the '20s? Yes please!

The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier: As any regular reader of my blog will know, I've fallen in love with Daphne du Maurier's work this year and I'd really like to read this. I'd love to see how she writes time travel!

Science Fiction

Valour's Choice by Tanya Huff: Tanya Huff's one of my favourite authors, but so far I've only read her fantasy fiction. I love her Blood Books and now I'd really like to give some of her science fiction a try. I love the premise of Valour's Choice, and I'm a big fan of all the female-led sci-fi I've been seeing lately.

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I've heard a lot of people describing this as 'Twilight with aliens'. While I no longer like Twilight, though I won't deny that I did like those books when I was a teenager, I do want to see what this series is all about for the pure and simple reason that it sounds fun. Not every book we read needs to be an amazing, groundbreaking piece of literature. Sometimes I like reading books that have been written purely for the sake of bringing enjoyment to the reader, and this sounds like one such book. Not only that, but I've actually been hearing mainly positive things about it.

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund: I'm not the biggest fan of Jane Austen. At some point I want to reread Persuasion, the very book that made me dislike her in the first place back when I was around 18, to see if I can appreciate Austen more now that I'm older, but before that I'd like to give For Darkness Shows the Stars a try, because it is a sci-fi retelling of Persuasion. There's a chance that reading this might actually make me more eager to reread the book that inspired it, so I'm hoping to find it under my tree on Christmas day!

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner: Honestly one of the main reasons I want to read this book is because it has such a gorgeous cover, but it's also another a book I've heard nothing but great things about. Even if the idea of being stranded in space gives me the heebie jeebies.

Alienated by Melissa Landers: Like Obsidian, this sounds like another fun bit of sci-fi. I'm slowly getting into the genre, so I'm not quite into epic sci-fi just yet. I love sci-fi that combines people from outer space with people from earth, so this is right up my street!

Which books made your top ten?