Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Things!

This week's Top Ten Tuesday, that was originally started by Broke and Bookish, is bookish things that you may want to own (or already own). It can range from something like book ends to something you can wear, or whatever! So, let's try and do this! I don't even know if I'm going to get to ten!

1. Pride and Prejudice Scarf

I first saw this from one of my friends. I thought it was beautiful and quite classy. You could even read it while on the bus or something! It is quite expensive though, running at around $42, but if you love P&P it's a must-have.

2. Dictionary Toms

These are quite expensive as well at around $54, but they're out of stock everywhere! I love that you can take a bit of geek with you wherever you go. It also adds a little something to your outfit! I think these are amazing and have been on my wish list for ages!

3. Emma on a Poster

Although many of you can't really see the image, it is literally all of Emma on a poster. I first heard of this from my best friend who had gotten The Great Gatsby on a poster as a gift for Christmas. However, I love this one of Emma more. The blue and grey spaces are all of the words composed onto this elegant picture. I think it would be amazing as a decorative piece in any space (but especially your library). These are cheaper and more likely to be next on my buy list at $24. 

4. The Great Gatsby Shirt

I've seen a bunch of people with this shirt, I still love it. I think it's super cute and plays a nice homage to the old cover (since the movie cover came out). It's such a classic cover and something that people immediately recognize. I think it'd be wonderful to wear around with you! It's on outofprintclothing for $28 which isn't too too bad, but it's still expensive for a shirt.

5. United States shaped bookshelf

As disorganized I'd think this would be, I think that it would be a fun way to display books. Totally be a conversation piece at the least! It just bothers me that the smaller states like Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts don't get shelves and Alaska and Hawaii aren't even represented! But I do love California ;) I saw this on Pinterest so I don't even think you can buy it somewhere- I just thought it was amazing.

6. This Sweater

Shamelessly, I took this picture off one of my friend's Facebook. I am incredibly in love with this sweater and I am in the midst of asking her where she got it. It is amazing! And usually, I'm not a person who typically likes font/writing on her clothes, but I will make an exception with this! This, this is simply beautiful.

7. A beautiful bookish tattoo

This is a generic picture I found somewhere, but I want a quote from a book that I find impeccable that really speaks to me. I have a couple of tattoos already and this is definitely next on my list!

8. Harry Potter Shirt

This is a shirt available on Etsy for about $15. I think it's so simple and chic- which is exactly how I like to dress. 

9. Winnie The Pooh Print

Etsy seems to be the place I go to for bookish things. I love this print. I love how old school Winnie the Pooh looks- him without the red shirt. It would go great in a nursery (if I had children)! 

10. Always Necklace

I've loved this necklace for a while- I love how the always is written. I love that it's on a Doe. I love simple and dainty necklaces. It's perfect and I would love to wear this!

That's 10 bookish things I would LOVE to own. Let me know what's on your top 10 bookish things wish list! I would love to read all about it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Unique (Super Late)

This was the Top Ten Tuesday from two weeks ago--my first top ten. Top Ten Tuesday was started by Broke and Bookish! I still wanted to do this one cause I thought it was incredibly interesting (and unique!). So, let's get to it!

1. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

I read this in.. oh god, elementary school! And I thought it was the most beautiful story. It was relatable--set in High School--but it had a sense of...mystic air about it. I loved that the story (spoiler alert!) didn't end with them together. I also loved how different Stargirl was from just about every other person. It expressed a moral that has been there and done that a number of times, but it did it in a way that made it so different than other contemporary books out there. (If you can't tell, I love this book)

2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankly, I think I'm cheating with this one, but hey! I won't tell if you won't. The original monster story done like no one other. It both frightened me and interested me. I dislike reading stories that make me want to put the book down because of fear, but I'll read them if they're really interesting. I loved how the monster seemed to have a kind of humanity to him. And no! Frankenstein is the doctor, not the monster. :)

3. Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld 

One of the first dystopians I read, which turned me onto dystopians! I thought it was beautifully done and written on Westerfeld's part. The story was so well done. I thought that the idea of technology and how they're changed are both things that many authors haven't touched, or haven't done as well. I also loved that he included different ethnicities as well!

4. The Giver by Lois Lowry

Oldie but goodie. I think that this is a fantastic read about a world that is totally and completely different from ours, but at the same time so incredibly relatable. The idea of people not experiencing negative emotions is something that is so interesting and exciting to me. I loved this! Lois Lowry writes amazing books!

5. Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling 

Okay, another cheat. But! It must be said. I don't feel like this needs an explanation by any means so I'll just say a couple of words. Magic. Dumbledore. Chocolate Frogs. That's all you get!

6. Unwind by Neal Schusterman

Although this cover is particularly scary, I think that this story (albeit creepy) is super unique! It's about a world where people are taken apart for body parts when their parent's deem them unworthy or have them for part purposes. It's super engaging and follows the lives of different characters that each have a stake in the body part business, but for different reasons. It's super graphic when they go into detail about taking a person about--it gave me the heebie jeebies. 

7. Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

I love this series. There are so many different aspects to this series that I find unique and love. I love how it reverts back to the whole getting around on horses, but also has a unique technology that not everyone has access to. There are also different species within the series, but I still don't really find it an alien/sci-fi series. It's more dystopian to me and you will definitely fall in love with the characters.

8. Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

I'm sure we've all also heard about this one. Greek gods and goddesses and their children fighting monsters from hell? Sign me up! There are a lot of Greek god/goddess novels now, but none of them quite like Percy Jackson. He has to save the world! I love how it's up to the kids of these Greek gods and goddesses that have to save the world versus the actual gods and goddesses themselves.

9. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

I love that this story is told in the perspective of a dog about his owner's life. It was the first of its kind when I read it! And it was incredibly heartwarming and gut wrenching. I love dogs; I fall in puppy love daily. But hearing the lives of humans through a dog's perspective is quite interesting and super unique. This is amazing! 

10. Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

This is another one of those I feel like I just don't need to explain. There's witches, lions, and centaurs, oh my! Kings and queens, fighting to gain control back over a land but from kid's perspectives? That's just amazing! I love the storyline and it's a super fun read! 

That's it for my first Top Ten! Let me know what are your top ten most unique books! I would love to read some book suggestions! :)

Forgiving Lies Series (Forgiving Lies & Deceiving Lies) by Molly McAdams

Forgiving Lies (Forgiving Lies #1)

Written by Molly McAdams

Genre: New Adult

My Rating: 3 ½-4

Goodreads Summary:

A matter of secrets...

Undercover cop Logan "Kash" Ryan can't afford a distraction like his new neighbor Rachel Masters, even if she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. To catch a serial killer, he needs to stay focused, yet all he can think about is the feisty, long-legged coed whose guarded nature intrigues him

A matter of lies...

Deceived and hurt before, Rachel would rather be a single, crazy cat lady than trust another guy, especially a gorgeous, tattooed bad boy with a Harley, like Kash. But when his liquid-steel eyes meet hers, it takes all of Rachel's will-power to stop herself from exploring his hot body with her own.

A matter of love...

As much as they try to keep it platonic, the friction between them sparks an irresistible heat that soon consumes them. Can Kash keep Rachel's heart and her life safe even as he risks his own? Will she be able to forgive his lies ... or will she run when she discovers the dangerous truth?

What Did I Think?:

Eek! This is my first review so be gentle! I first came across this book when I was reading another blog (I forgot which) and thought it sounded…not bad. I was hesitant at first because I read one of Molly McAdams’ other books, Ashes to Ashes, and I didn’t really enjoy it. However, this one intrigued me, so I thought I’d give this one a try. This book? Well, I didn’t think it was half bad. I really enjoyed Kash’s and Rachel’s easy banter. But, the parts with Blake scared the bajeesus out of me.

I also really loved Mase and Kash’s characters, they were the epitome of lust worthy men. I understood Kash’s hesitation about being in a relationship with Rachel, but I felt like her hesitation should have been…more. After everything that happened to her, I would have thought it would take a whole lot more for her to even think about being in a relationship since she had already been so hesitant. I just didn’t believe Kash’s response to the whole Blake and Rachel’s ordeal. Someone you love has left for something unbelievable and you just let it go?! I was outraged.

The one thing that made my rating for this book go up was that empathy spark. It’s the gauge within me that lets me know if I’m really into a book or not. I don’t know when it will happen. It could be because of good writing or believability of the characters. However, it did happen while I was reading during the scenes with Blake and how hurt Kash was when Rachel leaves. Overall, I’d give it a 3 ½-4 stars. I think it was because of the empathy spark that this book got rated the way it did.

Deceiving Lies (Forgiving Lies #2)

Written by Molly McAdams

Genre: New Adult

My Rating: 3

Goodreads Summary:

The irresistible, blazing-hot sequel to New York Times bestselling author Molly McAdams's Forgiving Lies.

Rachel is supposed to be planning her wedding to Kash, the love of her life. After the crazy year they've had, she's ready to settle down and live a completely normal life. Well, as normal as it can be. But there's something else waiting—something threatening to tear them apart.

Kash is ready for it all with Rach. Especially if all includes having a football team of babies with his future wife. With his line of work, he knows how short life can be, and doesn't want to waste another minute of theirs. But now his past as an undercover narcotics agent has come back to haunt him ... and it's the girl he loves who's caught in the middle.

Trent Cruz's orders are clear: take the girl. But there's something about this girl that has him changing the rules and playing a dangerous game to keep her safe. When his time as Rachel's protector runs out, he will turn his back on the only life he's known, and risk everything, if it means getting her out alive.

What Did I Think?:

Hmm. I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first. What was lacking? The feelings and how angry and hurt Kash were by Rachel’s abduction. I know he said he was having a hard time, but I didn’t feel it with him. The person that I empathized the most with? Trent. I get being stuck in a crappy situation. I just thought that Trent deserved better than what he got because of how good a man he is. Rachel was someone else who got stuck in a bad situation…again. Seriously, how many situations is she going to get into. She is quite possibly one of the unluckiest people ever. I hated, absolutely hated, Kash’s reaction to everything. He was upset, I get it but he took it out on a person trying to cope. It would have destroyed me. Overall, I give it 3 stars. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. I really do hope that Trent gets a story of his own. I would love to hear how he is doing!