Bookish Wishes

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Bookish Wishes

The Top Ten Tuesday for this week is to give a wishlist of books you would like people to get for you. I decided to change this a little bit and put books that I have read that I would like to eventually get a physical copy of for my collection. These are books I either read from the library or through eARCS. 

1. The Halcyon Fairy Book by T. Kingfisher- I read this book throughout January and February this year. It is divided into two different sections. The first is T. Kingfisher’s commentary on various fairy tales from many different countries. She is absolutely hilarious. I laughed so many times reading her comments. Then the second part is her book Toad Words which is a collection of her own fairy tales. This book is not sold anymore physically. I’m hoping I will be able to find a copy of it someday for my T. Kingfisher collection. 

2. Zamonien series by Walter Moers- I have read both the first and third books from the Zamonien series.  Only some of the books in the series have been translated into English. I read both books last year and loved them. It is my dream that all of the books in this series will be eventually translated and to be able to get them all. So far only the first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth have been translated into English. I do physically own the first book and have the third in audiobook. 

3 Jim Henson’s The Storyteller series by various artists - A few years ago, I read through almost all of this series with library books and loved them. Each book in the series focuses on a creature or type of character from folklore such as: witches, giants, sirens, fairies, dragons, tricksters, shapeshifters, and ghosts. I would love to eventually be able to get all of these books for my collection. 

4. The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter- I remember when Heather first announced that she was going to publish an origin story for the Evil Queen from “Snow White” that was loosely based on Anne Boleyn. This book was even better than I thought it would be. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of the book. It was a perfect book for me and I definitely want to add it to my collection sometime soon. Cannot wait for the sequel to come out next year. 

5. The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland- I read this book over two years ago and really enjoyed it. It’s a vampire novel about a woman named Collette who is also a preschool teacher. It is one of the most interesting novels I have ever read and I still have not picked it up for my own collection. Definitely, plan on getting it eventually.

6. Descender: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 by Jeff Lemire- Descender is a science fiction graphic novel series. I read an ARC version of the deluxe edition of this book almost eight years ago now for the first time and really enjoyed it. Then, I read it again about two years ago to read the second part of the series. I definitely want to add this to my graphic novel collection someday.  

7. Spear by Nicola Griffith- King Arthur stories have always intrigued me and this was definitely a great take on the folklore. I especially enjoy the relationship between Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot characters in the story. 

8. Death’s Country by R. M. Romero- I read Death’s Country last year with an ARC from NetGalley and fell in love with it. R. M. Romero is an incredible writer and I adore how her novels in verse so much. I could gush about this modern-day take on the myth of “Orpheus and Eurydice” all day and I do not know why I didn’t buy myself a copy of it yet for my collection. It will definitely be soon. 

9. Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa- Yet another book that I adore that I have yet to add to my collection. Most Ardently is a queer Pride & Prejudice retelling which I read last year with an ARC. It is one of the best young adult books I have ever read and is just a beautiful romance. 

10. The Collected Poems of J. R. R. Tolkien- These are the only books on this list that I have not read before. I have read a couple of the poems over the years, but not all of them. I’m hoping to add these beautiful books to my Tolkien collection. They are absolutely stunning in every way. 

All-Time Favorite Series

 

There’s no question in my mind what my all-time favorite series is. Discworld is the largest series I have ever read and it is definitely the best. I adore so many books in this series. Terry has been an inspiration to me for so many years and I’ll always feel joy when I pick up one of his books. Even when I don’t love his books there are so many great lines that just stand out. His writing was one of a kind. 

Currently Reading and Crafting

My ideal Sunday is doing some kind of art project or hobby and listening to an audiobook. Today, I’m listening to The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty and working on my beach scene diamond painting. Such a great book so far. 

Happy Birthday Daddy!

There is so much I would love to have the opportunity to tell you. I was lucky to have almost 31 years with you, but I can’t help wishing I had so many more. I love you and miss you every single day. You were a special father who taught us so much over the years. I know I wouldn’t be who I am today without you. Love you Daddy! 💖

~ Father Dear ~

A loving and present father is one of the greatest gifts

You can ever find in this life. 

My dad was the person 

I looked up to the longest.

He’s one of the reasons

I have worked as hard as I could 

To make something out of myself

Even when the self-doubt tried to stall growth.

Dear heart, please keep me going

Towards these goals

I had hoped I would be able to complete

Before anything was to happen. 

But sometimes our dreams look a little

Different with time and we 

Have to keep ourselves going even

When the days just keep getting harder. 

His was the voice of reason when 

It felt as if the world was falling apart

The person we would go to for advice

On every single one of life’s problems.

But what happens when he 

Is the one person I want to go to for 

Advice on how to handle all of this?

It hurts my heart to think of him gone. 

Father dear, I’d give so much

To be able to see you again

To hear your voice

To be able to hug you close.

Books Set During the Summer

  

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Books Set During the Summer

The Top Ten Tuesday prompt today is a Summer Freebie, meaning we were able to pick whatever topic we wanted that dealt with Summer. Here are ten books that are set during the summer that I have enjoyed. 

1. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares- One of my favorite book series in middle school and early high school was The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Each of the books in this series are set during the summer with Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen sharing a pair of jeans as they spend their summers apart. I remember loving the idea of this “magic” pair of pants that can keep these girls close even when they are so far away from each other. This was a very formative read for me that I still have fond memories of all these years later. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 18 years since I read those first four books. Also, this book is the reason why I have wanted to go to Santorini, Greece for a good portion of my life now. 

2. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare- One of my favorite Shakespeare plays that I read during the summer after I graduated from high school, in 2012. I love the antics of Puck in this story and how magical it feels. Midsummer Night refers to the night of the Summer solstice. This play is set in Athens and revolves around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta from Greek Mythology. It also deals with the fae who cause mischief during the events of the story. 

3 Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman- I read Call Me By Your Name about eight years ago during the summer because I wanted to read it before seeing the movie. It is a story about a teenager, Elio, who falls in love with an older man, Oliver, during the summer in Italy. Andre Aciman does an incredible job showing how fleeting a romance like this would be and also how fleeting summertime is. This book was an emotional one for me. 

4. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks- I have talked about this book on here before and is definitely one I think of for summertime. It is a story about a girl named Ronnie who goes to North Carolina to stay with her father during the summer. I definitely remember reading this book a couple of times during the summer along with watching the movie. 

5. Run Away With Me by Brian Selznick - The most recent book I have read on this list and is definitely one of my favorites. Run Away with Me is a historical fiction book set during the 80s in Rome. It follows two teenagers, Danny and Angelo as they fall in love during the summer of 1986. It is a story of first love, history, and the city of Rome itself. I love Brian’s books so much and how he always tells his stories through words and illustrations. This is one of my top five favorite books of the year and I look forward to rereading it very soon. I might just do so this month.

6. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan- The Percy Jackson books are set throughout the year but the majority of the books take place during the summer, while Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are at Camp Half Blood. I love Rick’s take on Greek Mythology and cannot get enough of these wonderful books. Many of Rick’s other series take place during the summer too. 

7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee- This book does not fully take place during the summer but there are many important scenes that do. It takes place between the years 1933 and 1935 and focuses on Jean Louise “Scout” Finch’s childhood. To Kill a Mockingbird is a beautiful story that stands out among many of the popular American classics. 

8. Aquamarine by Alice Hoffman- Another favorite from middle school for me, though I will say I always enjoyed the movie much more than the book. When I think of this book, summertime and magic come to mind. The story is about two girls named Claire and Hailey, who are spending their last summer together before Hailey and her mother move. They find a mermaid at the bottom of Claire’s family beach club’s pool and go on an adventure to help this mermaid named Aquamarine. Mermaids have always been my favorite mythological creature and I just adored this story as a young girl. 

9. Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett- I thought of this book for this list because it takes place on Midsummer’s night and deals with the fae just like A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is the 14th book in the Discworld series and the fourth book in the Witches subseries. I’m a big fan of Terry’s elves in this book. They are such an interesting depiction.  

10. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald- Gatsby has been a favorite book of mine for over 12 years now. I remember when I first read it after watching the Leonardo DiCaprio movie and falling in love with this story. Most of the book takes place during the summer of 1922 and follows Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan, and the titular  character Jay Gatsby. It is a story I definitely think about when I think of books set in the summer, especially because of one of the scenes near the end of the book. 

June TBR 2025