Sunday, June 1, 2025
Saturday, May 31, 2025
May Reads 2025
๐ธ May Reviews ๐ท
May 1st- 31st
This is one of the best years I have ever had for reading with both the amount of books that Iโm reading and also enjoying. In May, I read 14 books with a total of 4627 pages.
By Diana Wynne Jones
Read May 1st-3rd
Pages: 288
Release Year: 1980
Book 75: Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures
(Stephen Fryโs Great Mythology #2)
By Stephen Fry
Read May 3rd-4th
Pages: 415
Release Year: 2018
By Adam Rex
Read May 6th
Pages: 128
Release Year: 2025
By M. Stevenson
Read May 6th-7th
Pages: 352
Release Year: 2025
By Travis Baldree
Read May 9th
Pages: 304
Release Year: 2022
By George Orwell
Read April 10th-12th
Pages: 320
Release Year: 1949
By Stephen Fry
Read May 13th-15th
Pages: 400
Release Year: 2024
By C. S. Lewis
Read April 29th- May 17th
Pages: 76
Release Year: 1961
By Venessa Vida Kelley
Read May 16th-18th
Pages: 464
Release Year: 2025
By Alexandria Warwick
Read May 18th-19th
Pages: 432
Release Year: 2025
By T. Kingfisher
Read May 24th-29th
Pages: 306
Release Year: 2020
๐๐๐
By Wendy Martin
Read May 30th
Pages: 304
Release Year: 2025
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Animal Companions: Cats in Fantasy
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.
Cats in Fantasy Books
Ever since I first watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch, I have been obsessed with fantasy stories that have cats in them. Especially, sarcastic talking cats who are oftentimes a wizard or demon in the body of a cat. Here is a list of some of my favorite fantasy felines.
1. Greebo from The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett- Greebo is the cat/familiar of one of the witches in the Discworld series, Nanny Ogg. He is old, highly intelligent, and scarred from many of battles with other creatures. Greebo does not like be touched by anyone other than Nanny Ogg. Funnily enough, Nanny believes him to be a fluffy and friendly kitty, even though she usually is a great judge of character. Greebo is usually just an intelligent cat but there are a couple of times Nanny turns him into a man. Greebo plays a role in Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade, Carpe Jugulum, and Wintersmith.
2. Silas from Sorcery of Thorns and Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson- Silas is a highborn demon from the Otherworld, who has been in the service of the Thorn family for centuries. His current master in Sorcery of Thorns is Nathaniel Thorn. Silas can take on both a cat form and a human form. He is definitely a favorite of mine.
3. Maurice from The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett- Most of Terry Pratchettโs Discworld series is for adults (though plenty of younger readers do pick them up) but there are few books in the series meant for younger readers. The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents is one of those books. Maurice is a talking cat who works with a piper and a gang of rats. He leads his rats into town making the townspeople believe they have a plague and have the piper lead them out with his music. Then, when they are done they all share the money. The rats are intelligent because of eating garbage from the Unseen University (the wizard school in the Discworld) and Maurice is intelligent from eating one of the rats.
4. Mogget from the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix- Another cat who is also a demon. In fantasy, we love our sarcastic cats who are actually demons bound in the body of a cat. Mogget is my favorite part of this book. He is an ancient spirit who is clever, very sleepy, and always trying to get people to take his binding collar off. Under no circumstances should this be done.
5. Throgmorten in the Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones- In The Lives of Christopher Chant, Christopher is given a ginger cat named Throgmorten by Millie. Throgmorten was a temple cat who likes to tear people apart just because he can. Heโs very moody and doesnโt get along with too many people other than Christopher who saved his life.
6. The Cheshire Cat from Aliceโs Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll- Perhaps one of the most famous cats from literature, this list would not be complete without the Cheshire Cat. Alice meets many strange characters throughout her journey in Wonderland. The Cheshire Cat and his smile was always my favorite from the book. I love how mischievous he is.
7. Mr. Laszlo from The Okay Witch series by Emma Steinkellner- Mr. Laszlo is a talking cat who is more than he seems. Iโll always be a sucker for a story about a young witch or wizard learning about their powers with the help of a feline companion.
8. The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger from the Oz series by L. Frank Baum- Another of the most famous felines on the list. I know that a lot of people grow up knowing about the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz movie. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book, The Cowardly Lion is much more brave than his movie counterpart. My favorite of the cats from the Oz series though is the Hungry Tiger. We meet the Hungry Tiger briefly in the first book in the series but his first major appearance is in the third book Ozma of Oz. There is a running gag with him where he constantly says he is so hungry he can eat a baby, but says he canโt because of his conscience. He is a good friend of the Cowardly Lion and goes on many adventures with him.
9. Gareth from Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander- Lloyd Alexander based Gareth on one of his own cats, who would seem to appear and disappear as if by magic. Gareth is a talking cat who has the ability to travel between nine different points in time, his nine lives.
10. Salem Saberhagen from Sabrina the Teenage Witch- Salem is a character that started out in literature before he was in any of the Sabrina shows. My first introduction to Salem was in the show Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which was one of my favorites growing up. His character was first in the Archie Comics series: Sabrina the Teenage Witch back in the 1960s. Salem was originally a powerful warlock who was turned into a cat for 100 years after trying to take over the world with many other warlocks and witches. He lives with the Spellmans. I love Salem so much I named my own black cat after him.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Books that Feature Travel (Roadtrip Books)
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 that Feature Travel (Road Trip Books)
One of my favorite types of books are road trips books, whether this be in contemporary, fantasy, or science fiction stories. Iโm writing my own fantasy roadtrip story and also have ideas for a contemporary one dealing with siblings.
1. Thirty Things by Cate Ashwood- One of my favorite road trip books will always be Thirty Things. It is my go-to for a favorite book to reread when I need a good pick-me-up. Finn and Nateโs story is one that I love and Iโll always be a sucker for a friends-to-lovers romance. I love following their story and the many adventures they go on throughout it.
2. Paper Towns by John Green- Margo Roth Spiegelman is a girl that Quentin has admired from afar his whole life, until one night she comes into his room. They spend the whole night going on an adventure together. The next day she disappears and Quentin believes that Margo has left him clues in a copy of Walt Whitman poetry for him to find her. He spends the rest of the novel trying to figure out where she went and goes on a road trip with his friends during his search. Paper Towns was always one of my favorite John Green books. I love the journey Quentin goes on in this book and the humor. One of Johnโs best.
3. Amy & Rogerโs Epic Detour by Morgan Matson- Amy and her mother are moving across the country and Amyโs mother wants her to get their car from California to Connecticut. The problem is that Amy has not been able to drive ever since her father passed away. Roger, a family friend, decides to help her out. They travel across the country together, as they both deal with their own baggage and fall in love. It is a sweet story and I love the scrapbooking element throughout. I know I would have a hard time reading this book now, especially with the content matter.
4. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell- The second book in the Simon Snow series, where Simon and Baz go on a road trip across America with their friend Penny. While on their cross country adventure, they find a whole lot of trouble.
5. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher- I love fantasy roadtrips so much and this one was a lot of fun. T. Kingfisher has become one of my favorite authors because of her writing style and sense of humor. This was the fantasy road trip of my dreams with characters you cannot help but love and a found family I would love to see more of in the future.
6. The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate OโShaughnessy- This is a heartfelt middle-grade novel which is about a young girl named Maybelle Lane, who goes on a road trip in search of her father. One day she hears her fatherโs voice on the radio as a DJ and decides that she is going to be go to a singing contest that he is judging. With the help of her neighbor, Mrs. Broggs, she travels to Nashville, along with a boy from the trailer park they live in. Maybelle, Mrs. Broggs, and Tommy form a found family and Maybelle learns about herself. It is a beautiful story that even after five years I still remember so much.
7. The Hitchhikerโs Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams- I have adored this book for almost 13 years and consider it to be in my top 5 favorite books of all time. The story focuses on Arthur Dent and his friend Ford Prefectโs journey through space after the Earth is demolished. Ford is an alien and researcher for the revised edition of a guide book called: The Hitchhikerโs Guide to the Galaxy. He has been looking for a way to get off the earth for years and has finally found his opportunity. They hitchhike across the galaxy with Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian (another human that Arthur knows from Earth), and Marvin (a robot who is paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed). The humor in this book is top-notch. It is an adventure I reread almost every year in honor of Douglasโs life on May 25th.
8. Behooved by M. Stevenson- My favorite new fantasy road trip which has Bianca turn her husband Prince Aric into a horse on their wedding night. This has the perfect mix of cozy fantasy, romance, and humor. It just released today and I highly recommend picking it up.
9. Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett- Another fantasy roadtrip that I love. This is the 12th book in the Discworld series and the third book in the Witches subseries. It deals with Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick flying on broomsticks to the far-off land of Genua, after Magrat inherits a fairy godmotherโs wand. The trio encounter many strange sights and various creatures along the way. This is one of my favorite books from the Discworld series.
10. 100 Days by Mimsy Hale- 100 Days follows two best friends Jake and Aiden as they go on a trip around the USA, visiting every state in 100 days. They grow closer during their trek and eventually fall in love. It has been a long time since I picked this one up, but I remember loving it very much.
Monday, May 19, 2025
The Off the Top of Your Head Book Tag ๐
Tag created by @TheLibraryMouseGina
You are supposed to answer each question with the answer that first comes to your mind.
1.) What was your favorite picture book as a child?
๐ฅGreen Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss-
- One of my RIF (Reading is Fundamental) books in elementary school was an interactive copy of Green Eggs and Ham with flaps that opened up. I loved that book and read it all the time after I got it. I still have my copy in my childrenโs book collection.
2.) What series did you love as a child?
๐ฆ The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis-
- In elementary school, we had a library class and our librarian would read to us every week. One of the books she read was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I remember going to Walmart after that and begging my grandmother to get the collection of the books for me. I got the books for Easter and read them whenever I had the chance. It is still one of my favorite series and I still own that bind-up that she got me. I love almost all of the books, well besides The Horse and His Boy.
3.) The worst book you have read or tried to read?
๐ Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais-
- We read this book in my European Lit class during my first year of college. I hated every part of it and wish I could forget it.
4.) Your favorite reading or book memory?
๐ง I vividly remember reading Dracula for the first time in college about ten years ago now. It was so different than what I expected. The scene that stands out the most to me is what I call โthe lizard scene,โ which is when Jonathan is describing Dracula climbing up the side of his castle like a lizard. It made me laugh out loud the first time I read it because of how unexpected the description was. Iโm rereading the book now with Daily Dracula and having just as great a time.
5.) A book you loved as a movie?
๐ชด The Secret Garden (1993 version)-
- One of my favorite books as a child was The Secret Garden. It was great when I found out that there was a movie version of it. I love both versions of the movie that I have seen but the 1993 version will always by my favorite.
6.) A book you wish they would make into a movie?
๐ญ An Assassinโs Guide to Love and Treason by Virginia Boecker-
- This book was one of my favorites from 2018 and I still vividly remember it to this day. It is comped as a cross between Twelfth Night and A Knightโs Tale which are two of my favorite works ever.
7.) A book character that you would like as a friend?
๐ด Hester from A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher-
- Hester would probably be the character I would pick for this question. She is absolutely hilarious and I love her level of sarcasm and snark.
8.) A place you want to visit because of a book you read?
๐บ Santorini, Greece-
- In middle school and early high school, I was obsessed with The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares and have wanted to travel to Santorini ever since. It is such a beautiful place. It would be a dream come true to travel to Greece. Also, I adore Greek Mythology with all of my heart and would love to see so many of the sights in Greece, such as Athens.
9.) A nonfiction book you would recommend?-
๐ Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff VanderMeer-
- A great nonfiction book for imaginative fiction writers.
10.) If you could hang out with an author all day who would you pick and why?
๐ Chris Colfer-
- I have been a fan of Chris ever since I first saw him in Glee back in 2009 and then started reading his books in 2012. He just seems like a nice guy and I think it would be enjoyable to spend a day with him.
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