Top Three Thursday: TV Shows

Hey everyone!

Since I’m a little behind on my reading, I’ve decided to do something a little bit different for Top Three Thursday today. I’m going to talk about my favourite TV shows, but if it’s not your cup of tea then I totally understand!

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Doctor Who

Always and forever my favourite. I’ve been watching it since I was five years old and it always has and always will have a special place in my heart. My favourite doctor is the ninth doctor because he’s the doctor I’ve started with. My favourite companion was Clara, followed closely by Bill and Donna!

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Call the Midwife

I adore this show!! I’ve been watching for the last couple of years and rare is there an episode that doesn’t make me at least tear up at the end. I think what I love most about this show is how, season after season, it has a minor change in the cast, whether that be a new addition or an old favourite to leave, but it always has the best story-lines delivered with such raw, tender emotion.

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Rupaul’s Drag Race

This show!! I’m so addicted! I love how incredibly diverse it is and how each contestant has such a different backstory. Every season it manages to shock me and leave me positively gagged, henny! I’m really enjoying season 10 at the minute, can’t wait for tomorrow’s episode. My fave drag queens from the show (too many to name!) but some of them include: Shangela, Adore Delano, Alaska, Alyssa Edwards, Sharon Needles and Katya!!

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What about you all? Let me know your top three TV shows (if you can even decide) in the comments below!!

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Top Three Thursday #10

Hey guys! Today I’m back with another Top Three Thursday and this week’s theme is my favourite childhood books!

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All Hal had ever wanted was a dog. “Never!” cries his mother. “Think of the mess, the scratch-marks, the puddles on the floor.” But on the morning of Hal’s 10th birthday, the unbelievable happens. He’s allowed to choose a puppy at Easy Pets, a rent-a-pet agency (a fact his parents keep from him). The moment he sees the odd-looking terrier, he knows he’s found a friend for life. But no one tells Hal that Fleck must be returned and when Hal wakes up on Monday morning, Fleck is gone. If dog and boy are to stay together they’ll have to run away…

From the reknowned Eva Ibbotson comes her final novel, a tale laced with humor and full of heart, and stunning in its beauty and all things dog.

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I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He’s about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you’ve ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despite appearances?

R. J. Palacio has written a spare, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next. With wonderfully realistic family interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short chapters, Wonder is accessible to readers of all levels.

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In the tradition of Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot, Cirque Du Freak is the frightening saga of a young boy whose visit to a mysterious freak show leads him on a journey into a dark world of vampires. Filled with grotesque creatures, murderous vampires, and a petrifying ending, Cirque Du Freak will chill, thrill, and leave readers begging for more.

And what about you guys? Do you have similar childhood favourites as me? Or if you’ve got different ones, let me know below! x

Top Three Thursday #9: Favourite Christmas Books

Hello everyone!

I suppose for this week’s Top Three Thursday, the title is a little bit deceiving! I don’t think I can think of three books that are christmas-themed so I’m going to choose three favourites that remind me of Christmas in some way!

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Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I remember reading this 2 years ago, around December/Christmas time and it was the book that made me fall in love with Rowell! She’s such a gorgeous writer, who has some of the best characters and relationships that really stick with you. Also, this book is absolutely fantastic!

 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Although I have only read about ten or fifteen of Christie’s books, I’m a huge fan. And I don’t particularly know why, but I for some reason associate Christmas most with her books. They’re just the kind of ones that you can cuddle up with and read in one sitting – or perhaps because both Witness for the Prosecution and And Then There Were None were serialised for TV the past two Christmases.

 

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

I can’t do this post without mentioning my favourite book! I adore Great Expectations, as I’m sure most of you already know, and I love love love re-reading this around Christmas time. Hopefully I finish this month’s TBR quite quickly so I can get around to reading it!

And what about you guys? What are some of your favourite reads around Christmas time?

 

Top Three Thursday #8: Favourite Villains!

Hello again! I’ve really grown to love doing Top Three Thursdays because they’re something different, but I’ve been doing less of them recently because I’m stuck for prompts. I’m going to turn to you guys and if you have any ideas of things I can turn to for Top Three Thursdays then let me know in the comments!!

For today’s one, however, I’m going to talk about my top three favourite villains! (A word of which I always spell wrong).

 

Holland from the Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab!

He is one of my favourite ever villains because Schwab did an excellent job of adding so much depth to this character, and some points in the book you just can’t help but root for him.

 

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Queen Levana from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer!

I adore Queen Levana because as well as Holland, she has the such depth to her. I always think the best villains are the ones who are able to justify themselves – the ones who believe they are the hero and everyone else around them is the villain. Not to mention poor Levana’s backstory is so heartbreakingly tragic. I loved this novella so much.

 

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Count Olaf from Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events!

How could Count Olaf not make this list? I love Lemony Snicket’s books (and am so excited for the show’s second season!) but I especially love how Count Olaf’s quirk was that he disguised himself as someone new each book. He actually kind of inspired one of my own villains.

 

 

So there you go! There’s my top three villains.

What about you? Who are your favourite villains? Let me know in the comments below!

Top Three Thursday #7: Favourite Protagonists

Hey guys! I’m sorry my blog has been a bit lacking this month thanks to the stress of my final year in secondary school, but I hope you’ve been enjoying my Top Three Thursdays. This week I’m back again, this time with my top three protagonists. This was so hard to choose and there’s probably lots I’m forgetting, but for now here are my top three!

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Alec Lightwood, from The Mortal Instruments

Of course I’m going to put Alec down. I can’t remember that well, but he was definitely one of the first (if not the first!) gay character I read about in a book. He’ll always have a special place in my heart.

Lauren, from Like Other Girls

Like Other Girls was one of my favourite books I read this yet. I think it was so tense and timely, especially being published at the height of the #Repealthe8th movement. I especially love Lauren because most people don’t. She’s the underdog really. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers say they really disliked her because of her harsh attitude and offensive remarks, but I love her because she came full circle in the end and realised how wrong she was.

Mia, from All About Mia

Mia from All About Mia is one of the most hilarious characters I think I’ve ever encountered in a YA novel. Her voice was so fresh and funny, and I couldn’t help feeling bad for everything she had to suffer through during the book!

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What about you? Who are some of your favourite protagonists? Let me know in the comments below!

 

 

Top Three Thursday #6: Anticipated 2018 Releases!

The title is described as “laugh-out-loud funny, and blisteringly on-point” which explores how social media affects one woman’s life. It features 31-year-old Tori, author of a motivational memoir, who spends her days posting messages to fans “telling them to ‘live the life they want’”. But she fails to follow her own advice, her relationship is suffering and she spends most nights on social media.

 

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Los Angeles, 2012. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood

poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to the eradication of demons and being the best, fastest and deadliest Shadowhunter since Jace Lightwood. Raised in the Los Angeles Institute, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian. As Emma hunts those who caused the death of her parents, the trail they’re following leads back to those they’ve always been taught to trust. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with Julian — her closest friend and, because he is her parabatai, the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

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The breathless finale to the New York Times bestselling Rebel of the Sands series will have you on the edge of your seat until the dust from the final battle clears!

When gunslinging Amani Al’Hiza escaped her dead-end town, she never imagined she’d join a revolution, let alone lead one. But after the bloodthirsty Sultan of Miraji imprisoned the Rebel Prince Ahmed in the mythical city of Eremot, she doesn’t have a choice. Armed with only her revolver, her wits, and her untameable Demdji powers, Amani must rally her skeleton crew of rebels for a rescue mission through the unforgiving desert to a place that, according to maps, doesn’t exist. As she watches those she loves most lay their lives on the line against ghouls and enemy soldiers, Amani questions whether she can be the leader they need or if she is leading them all to their deaths.

 

What about you? What are your most anticipated releases for 2018??

 

 

Top Three Thursday #4: Favourite Series

Hey! For today’s Top Three Thursday, I’m going to discuss my top three series!

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The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments will always be one of my favourite series because they were the first books I read where I saw a same-sex relationship and also a gay character. And of course it’s got such a wonderful plot with a fantastic range of diverse characters and it keeps you on the edge of your seat until its heart-breaking finale.

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The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

I love fairytale retellings. Who doesn’t? So of course with the first book in this series being about a futuristic Asian Cinderella, I immediately picked it up. It was fantastic and I really enjoyed the remaining books – Scarlet, Cress and of course Winter. I also loved the antagonist’s – Queen Levana’s – own novella, Fairest.

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Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab

I only finished this series last month but what an epic trilogy it was. The characters were glorious and the premise of the book – four different Londons that all had different magic – had me hooked instantly. Also some great representation of a m/m romance and badass characters!

 

So there are my top three series! What are your favourite series?

Top Three Thursday #3: Anticipated Releases (Sept-December 2017)

Hey guys! I’m back with another Top Three Thursday and I’m going to talk about the three books I’m looking forward to the most for the remainder of the year.

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‘They think I hurt someone. 
But I didn’t. You hear?
Coz people are gonna be telling you
all kinds of lies.
I need you to know the truth.’

Joe hasn’t seen his brother for ten years, and it’s for the most brutal of reasons. Ed is on death row.

But now Ed’s execution date has been set, and Joe is determined to spend those last weeks with him, no matter what other people think …
From one-time winner and two-time Carnegie Medal shortlisted author Sarah Crossan, this poignant, stirring, huge-hearted novel asks big questions. What value do you place on life? What can you forgive? And just how do you say goodbye?

Out September 7th!

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Audrey is over romance. Since her parents’ relationship imploded her mother’s been catatonic, so she takes a cinema job to get out of the house. But there she meets wannabe film-maker Harry. Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn’t mean things are easy. Because real love isn’t like the movies…

The greatest love story ever told doesn’t feature kissing in the snow or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and zombies… YA star Holly Bourne tackles real love in this hugely funny and poignant novel.

Out October 1st!

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A collection of twelve dark, feminist retellings of traditional fairytales are given a witchy makeover, not for the faint-hearted, from one of Ireland’s leading writers for young people. You make candles from stubs of other candles. You like light in your room to read. Gillian wants thick warm yellow fabric, soft as butter. Lila prefers cold. All icy blues. Their dresses made to measure. No expense spared. And dancing slippers. One night’s wear and out the door like ash. You can’t even borrow their cast-offs. You wear a pair of boots got from a child. Of sturdy stuff, that keeps the water out and gets you around.

Out September 7th!

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Of course I also couldn’t go on without saying how much I’m looking forward to They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James and Fall Boys & Dizzy in Paradise by Jandy Nelson (though I’m beginning to doubt it won’t be 2017 anymore because I haven’t heard any news on it!)

 

What books are you anticipating most for the rest of the year? Let me know!

Top Three Thursday #2: Favourite Authors

Hello everyone! I’m back today with another Top Three Thursday and this time I’m going to be sharing my favourite three authors!

Obviously it has been difficult to narrow them down because of the amount of brilliant authors – like Sarah Crossan, Malorie Blackman, Lauren James, Patrick Ness, Jandy Nelson, Annabel Pitcher and Non Pratt – I could go on forever. But I feel my top three authors are definitely deserving.

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Cassandra Clare

Of course this queen is here! I’ve been a fan of her books for so long! I adore her cast of characters and I love how funny her dialogue is and fast-paced her books are. They’re also really diverse which I think is super important. The Shadowhunter Chronicles is a huge universe with a whooping six individual series and some companion books too. I really applaud her for the time and effort she puts into them and making them the masterpieces they are.

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Alice Oseman

Next up, of course, we have the wonderful Alice Oseman. Not only is Radio Silence one of my favourite books, but I adore her debut, Solitaire, and also the webcomic she puts her heart and soul into: Heartstopper. They’re all so incredibly diverse! She really puts a lot of effort into her work – she even makes podcasts from her novel on Youtube and vlogs too! I cannot wait for her third book – with a Muslim girl and a trans boy as the main characters! Amazing. I’ve had the lucky chance to meet Cassandra Clare and the author below (twice!) so I hope one day I’ll get to meet Alice!

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Holly Bourne

And finally, Holly Bourne has a special place in my heart. I fell in love with her feminist Spinster trilogy – with Evie, Amber and Lottie so naturally I rushed to read her other standalones, The Manifesto on How to be Interesting and Soulmates. I think it’s amazing how she threads much needed feminism into her works and intertwines them with mental health issues and of course romance! I cannot wait for It Only Happens in the Movies!

 

I hope you enjoyed today’s Top Three Thursday! Now it’s your turn – who are your top three authors? Let me know in the comments below!

Top Three Thursday #1: Favourite Books

Hey guys! It’s probably already a thing that I’m just not aware of, but I’m starting the Top Three Thursday tag on my blog. I’ll be posting on Thursdays, obviously, but it’s not always going to be guaranteed every week. I’m doing four consecutive Thursdays this month though so keep your eyes peeled!

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Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens

I love a good classic, and hence why Great Expectations will always and forever be my favourite novel. It has beautiful characters and it’s filled with rich imagery – I mean, the scene where he’s describing Miss Havisham’s wedding dress? Amazing. I have lost count of how many times I’ve read this gem. I have 3 different copies but none of them live up to the cover above! I need to get my hands on it, oh my!

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Radio Silence, by Alice Oseman

This is another book that I adore. I’m currently rereading it because it’s just…it’s too good for words. It’s the book you’ll probably hear me go on about in every Top Three Thursday, not going to lie. Alice Oseman is an incredible writer and her books are so relatable and diverse that it’s impossible not to love them!

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The Sky is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson

Most people I know prefer I’ll Give You The Sun, but as much as I loved it there was just something about Nelson’s debut that stuck with me. I’ve read it twice because I think it’s so lyrical and poignant and eloquent and I love the elements of music she threads so easily into it. Such a raw, gripping story that deals perfectly with themes of love and loss.

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So that was my first Top Three Thursday! I’ll be back next week with my Favourite Authors! But until then – let me know YOUR top 3 in the comments below!

Ross x