Books | Amy C. Shaw

Top 10 Books I Want to Reread

November 4, 2014 • 29 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is Top Ten Books I Want To Reread. Rereading seems like such a luxury. Like when will I ever have the time to put aside my ever-growing TBR pile and revisit an old book love? But, I want to get better at it in the next year. I doubt I will actually reread all these soon, but maybe in my lifetime. Here’s my list, in no particular order.

1. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I think I am going to try to reread the trilogy before the second Mockingjay movie comes out next year. I hope it really pulls me into the story again as it did the first time.

2. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

I read this back in high school, and I’m really curious if I would like it as much now as I did then.

3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

One of my all-time favorite stories that I really want to revisit via the book.

4. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

I like some of these books more than others, but I think I would like to reread all of them again sometime.

5. Rebecca by Daphene de Maurier

I really enjoyed this one in high school and really want to read it again.

6. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Another read from high school.

7. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

I wanted to reread this book right after I finished it. That’s pretty rare, especially for a book I gave 4.5 (not 5) stars to.

8. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

I read this back in middle school! I wanted to reread it before the first of the movies came out, but didn’t. But maybe one day…

9. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

And one last read from high school I feel I really ought to revisit.

10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Because I can never get enough of Rudy.

What books do you want to reread?

10 YA Halloween Costumes You Might Want to Try

October 28, 2014 • 19 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is Top Ten Books/Movies To Read Or Watch To Get In The Halloween Spirit OR Top Ten Characters Who I Would Totally Want To Be For Halloween. I don’t usually dress up for Halloween, and when I do, I generally keep it super simple. But I thought it might be fun to compile a list of characters that others might want to try out for Halloween.

Prom/Formal Dress Reuse

America from The Selection

Dress source

If you have a blue, ruffled dress hanging in your closest, you can pretend you’re America participating in The Selection.

Kestrel from The Winner’s Curse

Dress source

Have a dress that resembles Kestrel’s? Then brush up on your Bite and Sting game and strategize for a fantastic Halloween.

Lilac from These Broken Stars

With an emerald or jade gown you pretend to be Lilac on board the Icarus, or if you’re not afraid to, you can rip and tatter the dress for her look once she’s stranded on the planet surface with Tarver.

DIY

Katniss from The Hunger Games, The Girl on Fire dress

Pattern/tutorial source

If you enjoy making your costume, you might enjoy this DIY tutorial for Katniss’ girl on fire dress!

From Your Closet (or Thrift Store)

Katniss in the Arena

Source

There’s a chance you’ve got several of these basics in your closet: boots, khaki or olive green cargo pants, a black top, and a black jacket. Cap it off with a braid and bow, and don’t forget the Mockingjay pin!

Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Costume Theatre Style

Source

Even though The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet isn’t really YA and I’m really pulling from the Youtube series for inspiration, who cares? You can dress in one of Lizzie’s more iconic looks or, for even more fun, sport one of the costume theater outfits!

Deryn (Dylan) Sharp, from Leviathan

Source 1 and 2

For something unique, you might want to try this alternative history/steampunk look of Deryn disguised as a boy airman.

Tris from Divergent

Source

With the simple outfit of pants, tank top, and boots, added with the flair of bird tattoos (though I would advise against permanent ink) you can achieve Tris’ Dauntless look.

Hermione from Harry Potter

If skirts and sweaters are a part of your wardrobe, find some Griffyndor colors and perhaps a robe to add, and suddenly you’re Hermione!

Cinder from The Lunar Chronicles

Source 1 and 2

There are several ways to approach a Cinder outfit, mechanic wear or ball wear or prisoner wear or fugitive wear, showing her cyborg parts through clothing like these leggings or through makeup, etc. And if you dress for the ball, don’t forget the iconic red heel from the cover!

Are you dressing as a YA character for Halloween? If not, which of these would you dress as?

Birthday (& Beyond) Book Haul!

October 12, 2014 • 10 Comments

I promised to show you guys my birthday book haul, but after getting a Barnes and Noble gift card and ordering a book, I thought I would wait until I had ALL THE BOOKS, at least that I was planning to get for now, before showing the complete haul.

Birthday gifts: Behemoth and Goliath by Scott Westerfeld, The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey, and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Book order: Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler

Impulse “it was on sale” purchase: To Live is Christ to Die is Gain by Matt Chandler

Purchased with Barnes & Noble gift card: Echoes of Us by Kat Zhang and The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Needless to say, I think I’m in good shape until Christmas! (Except I will need to buy my next book club pick, The Young Elites before then, unless I can borrow it from the library…)

So about Shadows Beneath… one of my regular podcasts is/was (unfortunately, I just don’t get to listen to them liked I used to) called Writing Excuses, and features the authors who contributed to the anthology. So I was listening to one of their podcasts from like June (because I’m hopelessly behind) and they talked about this anthology now being available. Included in it are a new short story by each author, the first drafts of each of these stories, as well as critiques/notes/behind-the-scenes of the crafting of each story. Basically, it’s perfect for aspiring authors who want to see someone else’s writing process and the end result (which of course was the whole point). Oh, and apparently if I ordered it for Brandon’s store website, I could get it signed by him and a free e-book version. For less than $30, it sounded like a bargain; sign me up! So I ordered it pretty quickly after hearing about it! It took a while to process but only a day or two to ship out! I’m really looking forward to going through it!

And really, I’m looking forward to reading all these (well, except Behemoth, but only because I have already read it and enjoyed it :))! I’m so glad to have rediscovered my love for reading because new books give me such a warm happy feeling. 🙂

What’s been your latest book haul? What from my haul should I read first (or next, since I’ve already read Behemoth)?

Harry Potter Mini Reviews

October 3, 2014 • 8 Comments

Movies: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

While overall I liked the first two movies well enough, I do hope they get better. They’re not bad, but they are only pretty fair adaptations in my opinion. I don’t mind changes that help speed things along, but I hate completely unnecessary changes, some are even downright awkward, like Draco and Harry having their first encounter in front of everyone instead of on the train. I noticed the director changes after the second movie, however, so maybe I will like the next director’s way of doing things better. A lot of the direction felt inconsistent, with moments that felt well-done like the invisibility cloak, but then there would be simple scenes, like in the second movie when Harry and Ron are hiding from Dumbledore, Mr. Malfoy, etc. in Hagrid’s cabin and the whole scene was just so poorly staged. I do like the actors and actresses though, but of course I’ve known of who was who in the cast for years now, so I already feel familiar with them. I’m also looking forward to continue watching them grow up (even between the first two movies Harry had a growth-spurt and poor Ron was going through puberty!).

Book: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

See my review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone here

I don’t have too much to say about Chamber of Secrets, especially since I waited too long after reading this book to start writing this review, but it felt a little too much like it was trying to stick with the formula of the first book, and it didn’t really introduce very many new elements or character insights. I did, however, really like the chapters we got where Harry spent time with Ron’s family. It was nice to get more of Ron’s mom and to meet his dad, and I’m looking forward to more reading about the Weasleys (all of them!) in the future books. I’m surprised by how quickly Hermione was fine with breaking the rules (even suggesting it!), but I guess after everything that went down in the first book she realized things could get pretty serious at Hogwart’s. But still, why don’t these kids ever just tell the adults what’s going on?! But as mentioned before, I’m still really looking forward to continuing the series.

What are your thoughts on the first two Harry Potter movies and on The Chamber of Secrets book?

The Top 10 Books On My Fall TBR List

September 23, 2014 • 18 Comments

I read 7 out of 10 books on my summer TBR list! Not too shabby! I also finally read some long-awaited reads like The Screwtape Letters and the first two Harry Potter books, so go me! So now on to the fall list, which its completion will depend partly on whether or not I receive all the books I requested for my birthday. 😉 In no particular order…

1 & 2. Behemoth and Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

I know I’m getting Behemoth for my birthday (since I picked it out and then gave it to my husband to give back to me, lol), and will hopefully be getting Goliath as well. I am looking forward to continuing the series after impulsively buying and thus reading Leviathan!

3. Echoes of Us by Kat Zhang

Interested in seeing how this trilogy ends and hoping I remember enough from the first two books!

4. The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

I really enjoyed The 5th Wave when I read it back in May, so I’m hoping for a great follow-up!

5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

I’ve heard this is the book where the series really picks up, so I’m excited.

6. In The Shadows by Kiersten White and Jim Di Bartolo

When I saw the raving review and beautiful illustrations for this book at Oh the Books, I was intrigued, so I put it on my birthday wish list.

7. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

This is one I’ve been meaning to read a while, and am hoping to finally do so sometime before the end of the year.

8. Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

As many of you know, contemporary is not my go-to. But Courtney Stevens is a local author (in fact, I’ve seen her twice at writing conferences but never spoken to her) and blogger Kayla mentioned a “contemporary Peeta” character, so I’ve been wanting to check this one out.

9. Free to Fall by Lauren Miller

I’ve been interested in reading Free to Fall since finishing Parallel, and since I might see Lauren Miller next month at a book festival, that makes me ready to read this sooner rather than later!

10. It’s Kind of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

I still haven’t completely decided if I want to read this, but it’s about people in a mental hospital, which I think could help me with writing about teens in rehab (where a majority of my WIP takes place). If you’ve read this one I would love to know your thoughts on it to help me decide for sure.

What’s on your fall TBR list?

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