Top Ten Tuesday (10): Top Books to Read in 2018

Hello everyone!
So this year is going to be good, I'm hoping. Good for me for university, for work, and most importantly, for reading! I figured I'd get back into the Top Ten Tuesdays that I haven't really posted since, well, 2015...but here's to second chances, right?
Anyways, the top ten books that I want to read in 2018! This list includes adult books, teen books, and a bunch of other books as well, but none of them are new releases for 2018. Here's hoping I can get to all of them by the end of the year. I seem to have a hard time reading everything on my top ten lists..

1. Voyager (Outlander #3) by Diana Gabaldon
       I started the Outlander series about 2 years ago, and between working and getting my degree, I've never been able to sit down and read the third book. I'm really hoping to get back into them this year.

2. Lord of Shadows (Lady Midnight #2) by Cassandra Clare
       This one I've owned for awhile now, but I don't want to read it until the third book in the series comes out, because I've heard mixed things about the ending. Hopefully the third one does come out in December, and I can get around to reading this one!

3. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
       With Iron Gold coming out, I've finally decided this year is the year to read this series. I've owned them all for a long time, and now that there's a fourth book, I need to hunker down and finally read them!

4. All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
       I've been, let's say, saving this book since it came out. I'm not sure when we're going to get a new Maggie Stiefvater book, so in lieu of that, I've been saving this one. However, one of my coworkers read it a couple weeks ago, and she said it was really good, so I may just sit and read this one this year. I feel like it will be a great, quick read.

5. The Young Elites by Marie Lu
       It's been a couple years now since I've read the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu, and I'm really missing her writing style. I don't want to reread Legend just yet, so I feel like this trilogy will be another great one to read.

6. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
       I've been meaning to read this series for, well.....years. And years. Hopefully 2018 will be the time.

7. The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) by Brandon Sanderson
       It's now been almost 2 years since I've read the first two books in the Mistborn trilogy. I really, really want to read this one, but it's been crazy busy for me lately. This year, I'm going to finish it, no questions asked. I'm excited to see how it ends!

8. Artemis by Andy Weir
       This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2017, so I'm frustrated that I haven't read it yet. This one is definetely on the top of my pile, because I absolutely love The Martian, and Andy Weir's writing style.

9. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
       This one has really been circulating around booktube and my work lately, and I know a lot of people who have absolutely loved it. It seems to be a quick, enjoyable read, so I'm hoping I can get to it soon!

10. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
       This one was on my TBR for 2017, but it wasn't anywhere near the top, so I never got around to it. Now that it's been out for awhile, I've heard nothing but amazing reviews of it, so I'm definetely going to be reading it!

Review: Graphic Novels Part Two

Hey everyone! I figured that since I had a fair amount of things to say about quite a few different graphic novel standalones and series, I'd split it up into two reviews. This is part two!

Here is the link for part one!

Saga Vol 1-8 by Brian K. Vaughan
       I've seen everyone on booktube reading Saga on and off for the past few years, so I figured I'd give it a go and see how it was, and just, WOW.
The artwork in the series is absolutely amazing. It's consistent, and all the characters are drawn beautifully. (This series is definitely a mature series, however).
The storyline is completely perfect. It's a story about aliens in space, travelling the galaxy, as well as a war happening between a planet and its moon, and how everyone in the galaxy can be affected in a negative way because of it. It's a story about war, sadness, and guilt, but also about love and how anything can be overcome by it.
The characters are amazingly well thought of. Every single character is weird and different (as they should be - they ARE aliens), but they are also so well developed, and they still develop a lot throughout the story. Everyone is connected in some way, and even though some characters only see each other once in awhile throughout the volumes, they still are all connected and are affecting each other in some way or another.
Overall, every single volume is amazing, and I know I'm going to be reading and rereading them time and time again.
Overall - ★★★★★

Archie Vol 1-4 by Mark Waid
       I used to read the Archie comic books when I was a kid, and I have such fond memories of going to flea markets at the cottage and buying boxes of old Archie comics, and I'd sit on the porch or in the woods by a stream and spend the rest of my time at the cottage reading them. With the new Riverdale TV show that came out (and yes, I do watch it - a guilty pleasure of mine) I missed the Archie comics, so I figured I'd pick up the new graphic novels.
The artwork is the same idea as the original comics, but there is a modern spin on it. I liked how they stayed true to the characters (Betty and her cars, Jughead and his crown, etc.) and how they didn't change anything massive or drastic.
The plots of the graphic novels, the storylines themselves, are different from the original comics, but in a good way. They all focus around one massive problem, and it is usually solved by the end of the novel, and another problem occurs. I enjoyed the plots themselves because they reminded me of the originals and they still had a bit of a modern spin on them.
The artwork itself was also enjoyable, and just like the plots, is similar to the original comics but with a bit of a twist on it.
Overall - ★★★★☆

Paper Girls Vol 1-3 by Brian K. Vaughan
       The first novel of this series I had a lot of mixed feelings about. I knew going into them that they were supposed to be strange and that the reader was supposed to struggle a little bit in the first volume, but honestly, I had zero idea of what was happening. The only reason the first volume for me got two stars instead of one was because the art work was really pretty and I loved the style.
That being said, going into the second volume was a lot easier, because I had some idea of what was happening, and I knew it was going to be super weird. The second volume was better than the first because I was able to follow it a lot better, and the third was better than the second for the same reason.
The only problems I have with this series is that they are so fast paced, that something will happen and you don't have a chance to understand what is happening before something else crazy happens. I personally love fast paced novels, but these are on a whole different level.
The art work in this series is the only reason that I kept reading them after the first novel. The art work is futuristic while being older, and I love the style. Also, as I said above, I LOVE Saga, and knowing that Brian K. Vaughan had his hand in this series really helped to keep me reading.
I'm going to keep reading this series as it comes out, and see where it goes and how my views change as I get further into the series.
Volume 1: ★★☆☆☆
Volume 2: ★★★☆☆
Volume 3: ★★★☆☆.5

2018 Resolutions

Hey everyone! Where did 2017 even go?? I can't believe how fast it went, but here's to new year and even more books! I figured I'd share with you all some of my 2018 bookish resolutions, so here we go!

2018 RESOLUTIONS

1. Buy less books
I've been saying for a long time now that I need to take a break buying books, and just read the ones that I own and haven't read. Well, 2018 is the year for that. I've gone through my shelves and I'm *slightly* overwhelmed by the sheer number of books that I own and haven't read, so I'm really hoping to help deal with (or start deal with) that overwhelming number this year.

2. Read at least 60 books
This past year in 2017, I read a total of 57 books out of my goal of 52. I wanted to read a lot more than that, but considering I'm a full time university student 8 months of the year, as well as having a part time job year round, I'm happy with that number. However, I'm hoping to read a bit more this year, in 2018.

3. Finish all of the series that I've started and put down
I normally am really good about finishing a series as soon as I start it. I'll read every book in the series one after another, but when I either don't get my hands on the book for awhile, or the book doesn't come out for awhile, I end up putting the series down and not finishing it for a long time, which makes it hard for me to read because I can either re-read the entire series, or I can just read the newer book, and struggle with some of the things that I've forgotten. This year, I want to finish every series that I've started that is completely out, and get caught up with all of the ones that have new books out. This includes:

1. The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
2. The Kiss of Deception Trilogy by Mary E. Pearson
3. A Darker Shade of Magic Trilogy by Victoria Schwab
4. Cinder Series by Marissa Meyer

As well as quite a few others.

4. Read more diversely

In 2017 I started reading some new things that I've never read, as well as never been a fan of before. I've started reading a lot of graphic novels (per one of my friends' requests), as well as poetry and some non-fiction. I'm hoping to continue this into 2018, and find some new things as well.

Here's to a great reading year for everyone!

2018 Reads

2015 Reads | 2016 Reads | 2017 Reads

Last updated: December 31st, 2018

January

1. ★★★★☆       Stuff I've Been Feeling Lately by Alicia Cook
2. ★★★★☆       The Beauty of Darkness (Remnant Chronicles #3) by Mary Pearson
3. ★★★★★       Saga Vol 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
4. ★★★★★       Saga Vol 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
5. ★★★★★       Saga Vol 3 by Brian K. Vaughan
6. ★★★★★       Saga Vol 4 by Brian K. Vaughan
7. ★★★★★       Saga Vol 5 by Brian K. Vaughan
8. ★★★★★       Saga Vol 6 by Brian K. Vaughan
9. ★★☆☆☆       Paper Girls Vol 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
10. ★★★☆☆       Paper Girls Vol 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
11. ★★★☆☆.5    Paper Girls Vol 3 by Brian K. Vaughan
12. ★★★★★       Saga Vol 7 by Brian K. Vaughan
13. ★★★★☆.75  The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo
14. ★★★★★       Saga Vol 8 by Brain K. Vaughan

February

1. ★★★☆☆.5    The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
2. ★★★★☆       How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
3. ★★★★☆       Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent
4. ★★★★☆       The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn
5. ★★☆☆☆       The Wicked + The Divine Vol 6 by Kieron Gillen
6. ★★★☆☆.5    Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey
7. ★★★★☆       A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena

March

1. ★★★☆☆       The Bachelor Girl by Kin Van Alkemade
2. ★★★☆☆.75  I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman
3. ★★★☆☆       The Beauty that Remains by Ashley Woodfolk

April

1. ★★★☆☆.5    Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman
2. ★★★★☆       The Amateurs by Liz Harmer

May

1. ★★★★☆.5    A Breath After Drowning by Alice Blanchard
2. ★★★★★       Circe by Madeline Miller
3. ★★★★☆.75  The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
4. ★★★★☆       Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
5. ★★☆☆☆.5    My Ex-Life by Stephen McCauley
6. ★★★☆☆       Paper Girls Vol 4 by Brian K. Vaughan
7. ★★★★☆       Dead Girl Running by Christina Dodd
8. ★★★★★       Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi

June

1. ★★★☆☆       The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani
2. ★★★★☆       Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian
3. ★★★★☆       Our Animal Hearts by Dania Tomlinson
4. ★★★☆☆.5    The House Swap by Rebecca Fleet
5. ★★☆☆☆       Tin Man by Sarah Winman

July

1. ★★★★☆       I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell

August

1. ★★☆☆☆.75  Lear's Shadow by Claire Holden Rothman
2. ★★★☆☆       West by Carys Davies
3. ★★★★☆       Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians #1) by Kevin Kwan

September

1. ★★★★★       Herokiller by Paul Tassi
2. ★★★★☆       Game of Secrets by Kim Foster

October

1. ★★★★☆.5    An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
2. ★★★☆☆.5    The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson
3. ★★★☆☆       Sam & Ilsa's Last Hurrah by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
4. ★★★★★       An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
5. ★★★★★       Vicious (Villians #1) by V. E. Schwab

November

1. ★★★★★       Vengeful (Villians #2) by V. E. Schwab
2. ★★★☆☆.5    You Are the Everything by Karen Rivers
3. ★★★★☆       Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
4. ★★★★★       Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia
5. ★★★★★       Saga Vol 9 by Brian K. Vaughan

December

1. ★★★☆☆       The One That Got Away by Melissa Pimentel
2. ★★★☆☆.5    After Nightfall by A. J. Banner
3. ★★★★☆       Truth and Lies by Caroline Mitchell

Books read this year: 58/55