Top Books of 2019

I'm back! Sorry, I've been doing a lot of stuff lately, like reading, writing, and buying more books.

But one post I knew I needed to bang out was my top books of the last year! I did my top everything else, TV shows, movies, games, and even a link to my music. You can check out that post HERE in case you missed it!

But even though I made my top books of 2019 like New Years day or something, I haven't posted it! I've had the list sent up this whole month! Again, I also don't have my own computer, since my current one doesn't really work beyond turning it on... (New one coming soon, I hope!) So I have to post while elsewhere, making it much harder (I can't do it on my phone, trust me, and my tablet is worse than my phone).


But I'm here now, and here is the books I loved the most!


Okay, so first of all STATS.


READING STATS

According to Goodreads:

Pages Read - 41421
Books Read - 180
DNF'd - 9
Rereads - 24
Longest Book - A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin
Shortest Book - Working is a Lousy Way to Earn a Living
Most Popular - Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
Least Popular - Dare to Be Happy by Helen Lowrie Marshall (I added it and am the only one to read it so far)
Average Rating - 4.4 stars

And yes, I track through Goodreads, because it's the easiest to use, and is the most accurate out of the few reading apps and websites that I've tried. I've used it since 2012, and until something much better comes along, I'm not changing.


Now, onto the books!

HONORABLE MENTIONS
To start things off, let's start with the books that didn't make my top ten this year.

The Death of the Mighty Thor

by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, G Willow Wilson

I read the last graphic novel is this miniseries within the Thor Marvel universe where Thor son of Odin is no longer Thor, and a mysterious woman is the new Thor. And it's awesome. This series is heart-breaking, empowering, fun, sad, and hilarious. I absolutely loved it. Each installment had me begging for more. I honestly want Thor to be retired forever and this female Thor to stay in power. She was so brilliant and I just adore her.

Because there is only the five volumes and the ending is only alright to me, and we won't be getting more female Thor it's only an honorable mention.

The Valiant

by Lesley Livingston

This is book one of a trilogy about a female gladiator. And yes, they were real, we have proof, they were just rare.

I loved the main character. Fallon is so independent, and so damn strong. I just loved her and was so excited to see what would happen.

However book 2, The Defiant, I hated like right away. Sadly there's no way I will continue this series, and as a stand alone this book isn't strong enough to make the top 10.

Thrawn: Treason

by Timothy Zahn

This book was originally on my top ten list, but it just missed the mark, which is why it's technically in the number 11 spot here. I love Thrawn. I love this character, and I love this book series. I can't wait to read the original two series by Timothy Zahn about this character he created back during Legends. I trust that I'll enjoy it. I loved every one of these books in this trilogy so far, and I honestly hope we get more books about Thrawn, especially after the amazing Rebels Finale.






10







The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One
by Amanda Lovelace


The final of Lovelace's poetry collection trilogy, Women are Some Kind of Magic, did not disappoint. I adored this book, and these poems, although out of the three it was the one I least liked, which is why it's in the number 10 spot, instead of higher up like the last two were in the years I read them. But it's still one of the best books I read out of all 180 from last year.


This book focuses on healing after a bad relationship, rather than the broad one from the first book, or female rage like the last one. But it's still quite good and powerful. I really liked it, and will continue to compare all poetry to this amazing poet!






10









Your Name, volumes 1, 2, 3
by Makoto Shinkai, and Ranmaru Kotone


Tying with Mermaid's Voice is Your Name. I first heard about this story when the movie was released in theatres here in the US. I eventually got curious and rented the movie, but the beginning confused the hell out of me. So I looked to see if this was a manga, and it was! So I rented that instead, and BOY, am I glad I did!


This follows first a girl, and then a boy who are missing days, and then realize they're switching bodies and living a day in the body of the other person, on the other side of Japan. There's humor, and it looks cute, until the end of volume one, when suddenly they've stopped switching and the boy had to find out why.


This is a beautiful story about how these two people who have never met, ever, become friends and fall in love, just by leaving little notes for each other at the end of each day.


It's really unique, and really sweet. I love it, and wish there was more than just the three volumes! I have to know what happened after that end!






9









The Kane Chronicles
The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, The Serpent's Shadow
by Rick Riordan


This was the one Rick Riordan series he personally wrote that I had never picked up. I had started last year by rereading both Percy Jackson series and the Heroes of Olympus series, and it felt natural to move onto The Kane Chronicles.


And I loved them! They are so funny and well written! I'm so sad we only have these 3 books (plus the three short stories) with Carter and Sadie! They're so funny and fun! I just want more of them!!!


Now to reread and finish the Magnus Chase trilogy and reread the Trials of Apollo.






8


  


Tea Dragon Society, Tea Dragon Festival, and Aquicorn Cove
by Katie O'Neill




I tried to decide which one of these is better than the others, but I couldn't. They're all too good!


The two Tea Dragon graphic novels are so cute and sweet and fun. Others have compared the little dragons to pokemon, and I totally agree! I want all the plushies! There is so much diversity, and the stories are just cute!


And Aquicorn Cove is just as beautiful and cute as the Tea Dragon books, but is about the ocean, and how it's being polluted. Over half of the oceans trash is from fishing, in particular the plastic nets that small time fisherman and the big huge ships use. When they break, they don't break down in the ocean like organic nets do. This is killing the ocean, more than anything else, save perhaps global warming. Changing from plastic straws is not going to do anything to help the environment. And this graphic novel was written to try to bring this knowledge to light. But it wasn't as cute as the Tea Dragons.


So here are all 3, and you should read them! They're lovely!!!






7









My Hero Academia
by Kohei Horikoshi




I had heard about this manga/anime, but was told the worst description of it I've ever heard. So I avoided it for years, until I saw just how big it was, and decided to try it.


So let me give you a proper description.


This world it's common for people to have powers, called quirks. A few become villains, using their quirks for whatever they want, while others become heroes. Deku wants to become a hero, but is one of the 1% of the population without a quirk. And then the number one hero of Japan, All-Might, is impressed when he tries to save a bully from school and offers him a chance: his power, One For All.


It's a heart warming story, and I just adore this manga so much! It's very inventive and fun, although the perverted characters piss me off and are antiquated humor that shouldn't have been written in. But the rest of the story is so good I can ignore that and just enjoy the rest of the manga.






6









A Storm of Swords
by George RR Martin


One of the biggest things to happen last year was the ending of the Game of Thrones TV Show. Which sucked. HOWEVER I read 3 of the 5 books last year before the series went down the toilet, and then because it did so. (Although I'm hating Feast for Crows so I kinda DNF'd it and want to pick it up again this year).


Out of all the books, this one is the best by far. It is just so well done, and the writing is at it's best. Also not having Theon really helped, I hate his chapters. Dany and Jon's stories were at their best, and Sansa's was just so intriguing. I couldn't help but put it so high because this series means so much to me and this book was just so well done.






4









A Blade So Black
by L.L. McKinney


I was interested in this book when I first heard about it, and then I heard that people were hating on the author over something stupid, and decided to just buy it Black Friday 2018. And BOY am I glad I did! I LOVED this book! And I got to meet the author, who is amazing!!!


This is an Alice in Wonderland retelling, with a black Alice who kicks ass and kills monsters. I absolutely love her! The world was so unique, and all the anime references really got me excited. I just loved it!!


If you haven't picked this book up, what are you doing with your life?






3

Fangirl
by Rainbow Rowell


What's this? A contemporary? On MY TOP TEN LIST? EGADS!!!


Yeah, yeah, I read a contemporary I actually liked last year. When has that happened? Oh, like NEVER. I hate how most have this over blown drama, where people refuse to say something that for no good reason, or they don't believe each other. They show symptoms of mental illness, and no one does anything about it.


This book does NONE of these things! There is mental illness rep that is accurate and brilliant, people grow apart and mess up, and become closer than ever. Plus a mega fangirl who writes fanfiction, who has anxiety, and relies a little too much on a sister who wants to grow in a different way? YES PLEASE!!!


I loved this book so much! I need to get all the special editions now, and have already bought the two fantasy spin offs about Cath's fanfiction! :)






2









Orange, complete volumes 1 and 2, and Orange Future
by Ichigo Takano




This manga has become popular with a bunch of book people online who don't like manga. That means I *had* to read this. And boy oh boy, it deserves all the buzz and hype it's gotten.


This follows Naho, who receives a letter from her future self telling her that she needs to be careful, because one of her friends is going to commit suicide, and she needs to stop it. It's powerful, moving, and dives deep into reasons behind suicide, as well as how to help someone who is suicidal. It's powerful, and, not to be cheesy, but it really shows the power of friendship, and how it can save lives.


But, of course, trigger warning for suicide, because we see both the current time, and the future where the friend did kill himself. It doesn't show it, not really, but it shows just how heartbreaking suicide is on those who are left behind.






Now, are you ready for the ones? I have not one, not two, but THREE. Because all of these are some of the best books I have EVER READ!!! And the one is tied as the best I've read of ALL time! But it's part of a series so it ties with the other two.






1C









The Folk of the Air Series
The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing, and The Lost Sisters
by Holly Black


Technically I read Queen of Nothing this year, but I have to add it on, because the series as a whole has been on my mind all year, and is still on my mind. This is one of the best series of all time, for sure, and I absolutely love it!


Jude's father and mother were murdered, and their murderer kidnapped her and took her to Faerie, a place of cruel immortals who enjoy tormenting her and her twin sister. Her number one tormentor is none other than the youngest prince, Cardan. Jude ends up in the middle of politics just as everything goes to hell in Faerie, and the only way for her to survive is to team up with Cardan.


I can't express how much I love this series. The whole time you're wondering what is going to happen next, who will die, who will betray, and who will win the fight for the throne. I mean, seriously, it's like Game of Thrones, but much, MUCH better, and with the BEST ending you can hope for!






1B









The Infernal Devices
Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess
by Cassandra Clare


This was also the year where I fell in love with Cassandra Clare again. I got a little burnt out when Clockwork Prince was released back in 2011. That was almost a decade ago!!! Then the movie came out, which was mediocre at best, and then the TV show, which I love. I know, I know, the purists hate it but I'm not that! I didn't even like her stuff anymore when I first saw it and had gotten rid of it all.


But then I got all of her books thanks to the show, and this year really tried to continue where I left off. The second trilogy in The Mortal Instruments are meh, like the movie. Seriously, I'm not a fan of it. It will never make my top anything.


But that is NOT true for Infernal Devices. Seriously, this is ALSO one of the BEST SERIES OF ALL TIME. THE BEST LOVE TRIANGLE FOR SURE!!! Princess is right up there with ACOMAF, which is my undisputed favorite book I've ever read. NOW I HAVE TWO!!!


I cried so much reading this series. Will's story broke my heart, and the love the three of them have for each other and you just want them all to be happy! I even cried happy tears at the end! I'VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE FOR ANY STORY EVER!!!!


If you don't pick up any book on this list, PLEASE READ THIS SERIES.






1A









Sorcery of Thorns
by Margaret Rogerson


The last one that ties with those two series is a stand alone, Sorcery of Thorns. Set in the same world as An Enchantment of Ravens, yet in a completely different country, this follows a girl raised in a library, filled with grimoires, spell books of sorcerers. The world was so interesting, and so well done, and the CHARACTERS! OMG I loved them all! At least our main trio. And our girl Elisabeth is NEVER powerless. She's put into a situation where you think she can't get out, and SHE DOES!!! SHE'S SO BADASS!!! GAH!!! And Thorn is so cool and cute and funny. And SILAS!!! OMG I LOVE HIM SO SO SO MUCH!!!


I cannot rate this book highly enough! I loved the ending so much I screamed (and then my dad came in wondering if I was okay cuz I didn't realize with the middle of the damn night)










So those are the top books I read in 2019. I hope you guys had a great reading year as well and I hope this year will be just as good (though I wonder if anything can top me number ones.)


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Monthly Favorites ~March 2015~

So the month has passed! I had a few posts to make before I could get to this one, but here's what I was obsessed with in March!

BOOKS

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Book Review

I finally managed to read this, after wanting to for years and years. I'm sad I didn't read it sooner, because I think I would've liked it more if I'd read it as a teen.

From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa

Read online for free

This was one of my favorite manga in high school and the beginning of college, but I've never been able to purchase it since Borders went out of business. And even then it was hard to find it. But I found it online and have been rereading it, and I still love it!

Check out what else I read in my March Wrap Up

MOVIE

How to Train Your Dragon 2

I finally got to see this, and BOY is it GOOD! I adored it and watched it twice!

VIDEOS

This video is hilarious. Disney set up a fake construction zone and then had Disney characters mimic those passing by. Apparently they've been doing this in several malls all over America and Canada. I wish they'd come to my town!

Here is the master himself, JRR Tolkien, reading the brilliant Riddles in the Dark, where Bilbo meets and beats Gollum at his own game. While it's different from the movie's interpretation, the movie really is close. Especially how Andy Serkis does Gollum! IT'S JUST LIKE TOLKIEN! If your fan in the slightest you really should listen to it! It goes faster than you'd think!

Ya'll should know that I love me some violinists, with Lindsey Stirling and certain YouTuber mentioned below. I found this on Tumblr, and had to track down the vid on YouTube so I can listen to it all the time! DSharp does Glad You Came, and BOY is it good! His performance goes beyond just the music, making it fun to watch as well as listen. Very well done!

YOUTUBER

Taylor Davis

YouTube Channel

Ya'll should know about her from my 2014 Music Favorites. I found her because of her amazing Legend of Zelda covers, but she has quite few covers, and now has her own album out! She's very talented and I love listening to her music.

BOOKLR

bookandwords

Tumblr

Heather from bookandwords was the first real member of Booklr that I followed. She's obsessed with Criminal Minds and books, so her picture is always of Reid reading. :)

MUSIC

Crazy by 4MINUTE

This is my favorite of the month by far. I fell in love with the dancing in the choreography video and then got the song in my head, and now I can't stop listening to it!

I Want You to Know by Zedd ft. Selena Gomez

Music Video

I was alerted to this awesome song by Spotify, and I just keep listening to it. It's really well done!

Piece by Piece (Album) by Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson's newest album dropped, and it's really well done! I liked Heartbeat Song when it came out, and then the album dropped, and I just loved it!

The honorable mention is Selena. March 31st was the 20th anniversary of her murder. I grew up in a predominately Mexican area of town, so I heard her music everywhere. First I fell for her music, and then for what she stood for. Then I saw the movie and learned her story and what she faced, and the tragedy of her murder when she was only 23. Selena was the first woman to sing Tejano music to ever do well, all while barely being able to speak Spanish (she was born and raised in Texas). But she kept performing, despite being booed at along with her brother and sister as kids. By the time she was a teen she was getting bigger, and at 15 she won best in that genre, winning it a total of NINE times. She won a Grammy for Best Mexican/American Album in 1994. Sadly, one year later she was murdered by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Salvidar, who'd been embezzling from her. Selena went to confront her, trying to work things out, and was shot and killed.

I love her music, and found her spirit amazing. She was so hard working, so giving. It was a tragedy to lose her so young. She continued to win awards after her death, as her English album dropped just after. Her family has continued to rerelease her music as her fans are just as strong in their love for her even today. I often find myself in the mood to listen to it. Even now I find myself wanting to cry listening to "Dreaming of You", the title track.

So those were my March favorites! What were you obsessed with this past month? Did you also know about Selena's anniversary?
:)

Monthly Favorites ~January 2014~

Hey guys!

Sorry for not posting a week in pics. Don't have very many, but there'll be one up next week, I promise!

Are you excited for February? I am! And NOT for Valentine's Day. Talk about a bummer, that happening when I'm super single and all, am I right? But I am excited for several reasons: Gem Show next weekend, Gilbert Temple Open House, and Ray getting a job! Which means we might go to Phoenix ComiCon!!! Sweet!

But we're not here to talk about February. We're gonna talk about January. January Favorites, to be precise! I may not have been all that busy this past month, but I do have some favs to share with ya'll!

So here they are!

BOOKS

Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian

I finally got my hands on Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian. And

O

M

G

It's SO good! At first I had trouble getting into the beginning while how *SPOILER* Opal Koboi gets out of jail. *DONE NOW* But the rest is just amazing, and by the end I was racing to get to the next page and see how Artemis survives this one. Brilliant end to the series, and the very last line is just the greatest. Well done Eoin Colfer. Well done.

Akage no Anne (Anne of Green Gables manga)

Read it for free here: http://www.mangahere.com/manga/akage_no_anne/

Yes, the title means Anne of Red Hair, but ignore that, because this manga is so well done! The lines are directly from the novel! Sadly, this is not out in English, but I'm enjoying this. The landscapes are just breathtaking.

MOVIES

Despicable Me

Yes, this movie came out a long time ago, and so did it's sequel. And yes, I've seen it like, 5 times. But I watched this with someone who wasn't sure they'd like it, and they did. Which made me like it even more. Absolutely adorable, this!

Cloud 9

Saw this just last night, and I really, really like it! So cute!

FASHION

My Teal Pants

Yes, the picture's sideways, but it's already uploaded on the site, so I can't fix it without a headache.

*ahem*

Anywho, these pants are so awesome. Wearing bright colors helps with depression, so when I'm really down, I pair these with this bright purple sweater I have. Totally helps, too! :)

YOUTUBER

LaToya Forever

Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/latoyaforever

This girl was an ad on Youtube, and I couldn't help but watch a video. Then another. Then four more. Then I was hooked and now I've seen almost all her videos. WARNING: she cusses, like, a lot. But she's just too funny. And I live with my brother, so...yeah. But I really like her, and if you need a laugh, watch her. She's hilarious!

VIDEO

Bored Swedish Marines do Grease Lightning

OMG, this video is hilarious! Someone shared this on Facebook, and I've shown everybody since, and now you! I love how the moves and choreography are identical, but it's completely their own!

MUSIC

AKB48 - River

Yup. I like anime, K-Pop, and now I'm back to being addicted to J-Pop. This is the largest girl group in the world, with 89 current members, split into different groups. They've taken over Japan, literally, I mean, you can't escape them. Everyone knows almost all their songs, and they perform every day, with different groups taking different days.

And I'm addicted. Dang it.

But you watch the video on Youtube and read the lyrics (it is in Japanese), then you'll see why I love the song. It basically says life can be like a big, wide, dangerous river, but there's always the other shore, and you'll make it if you just keep trying. And then I like the sound, and yeah. Addicted.

Lee Hyori - Bad Girls

Yup. Addicted to K Pop.

This song is just really fun, and the music video is really funny. It's bashing the lesson that you must always be perfect, which is even worse in Korea. While I am a basically a good girl, I'm not afraid to be "bad" and kick ass when it needs it.

Katy Perry - Dark Horse

Did you see the Grammys? I didn't see most of it, honestly, since it started with Beyoncé acting like a hoe, but then LL Cool J won me over with his awesome speech about how music brings everyone together. I wanted to watch to see P!nk and Taylor Swift perform, and my mom to see Ringo Star perform. But then we saw Katy Perry's performance.

No, she wasn't trying to summon the devil, you superstitious morons. I've been assigned to sit next to a devil worshiper who really did try it, and that's NOT what he did, and not how it's done. (Yeah, I met the weirdest people, seriously).

But I LOVED it. It was so good (though I muted the rapper, since I don't like his part), and so well done. I've found it on youtube and showed my girl Ray, who loved it too. And now I'm addicted to the song. It's just so cool! Very well done.

So that was my January Favorites!

What about you? Saw a cute movie or vid, or maybe found a new group to love? Let me know in the comments below!

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My Week(s) in Pics! ~1/4 - 1/19~

Hey ya'll!

Sorry for not posting one of these recently, I was having trouble getting my pictures, and for a bit there it was a real pain to get them off my camera because of the card I use. BUT! I managed to get the slot on my new (it's actually old) computer to work. YAY!

*Ahem*

Anywho, here's some things that have happened in the past few weeks!

Did you know that Anne of Green Gables has a MANGA!? Because I didn't! Only the first three books are in manga form, but I'm totally reading them! Already on chapter 5 of the first volume

Been voting for Lindsey Stirling on Dance Showdown, and paused it right at this face. LOL!

You can vote for her here: http://www.danceon.com/video/91-lindsey-stirling-becomes-americas-next-top-model 

My mom's friend gave her some more makeup! Some of this is going to my best friends :)

Some flowers by the back door are in bloom! These are called Christmas Cactus, because they bloom in the winter. I love how one of theme is part red flowers, and part white. So pretty! :)

It was a steak and potato kind of night! ;)

Oh, and the steak was super thick, so I was full after!

Just some things I'm always grateful for!

This is the fourth day of the Inner Beauty Challenge from Benefit Cosmetics. You can learn more about it here: http://innerbeautychallenge.com/

And to see my first day challenge, check it here: https://www.facebook.com/llobrien13/posts/563140887096144

That was my past week!

Did you take on a challenge, or find something new?

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