Fandom Mashups (81)

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
Honor! You've been dishonored by your peers and you must regain your honor at all costs! Which honorable characters are you going to call up to help?

1. Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender): This team would NOT be complete without Zuko! He spent three seasons of AtLA trying to regain his honor! He's definitely leading my squad!
2. Harry Potter: Not only did Harry have to deal with Voldemort, but he also had to put up with a lot of crap that attacked his character, like when he was suspected of being the Heir of Slytherin and when the Ministry of Magic basically called him a liar for saying that Voldemort had returned. Harry persevered like the trooper he is, though, and I feel he'd be more than willing to help others who've had their name dragged through the mud.
3. Brienne of Tarth (A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones): This lady does not take vows lightly and understands the importance of honor.
4. Gansey (The Raven Cycle): Gansey's loyalty to his friends and the lengths he would go to for them makes him an honorable character in my eyes, and I don't doubt that he'd do whatever was necessary to get some honor back for a friend in need.
5. Lisa Simpson: She's not a superhero, but you can always count on Lisa to crusade for justice, and in this case, restoration of one's honor!

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (154)

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme created by Uncorked Thoughts and hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! A list of upcoming topics can be found here.

This week's topic is:
Which Cast Member Do You Think Should Have Been Played by Someone Else?

I'll always be amazed by the incredible amount of acting talent in the HP films. I mean, it still boggles my mind! I can't think of anyone who was terribly miscast, but I have harped on Michael Gambon's Dumbledore in Goblet of Fire, when Dumbledore confronts Harry after the Goblet spits out Harry's name. The image of Dumbledore yelling at Harry kind of got stuck in my head, and I'm still a little traumatized by Mean Dumbledore every time I watch GoF, LOL.

Fandom Mashups (80)

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
In your intergalactic travels, you and your team have found yourself stranded on a (seemingly) deserted planet and you need some serious survival skills to make yourself at home. Who else is stranded with you?

1. Katniss Everdeen: Katniss knows all about surviving, and she'd probably have very little difficulty adapting her mad skills to another planet.
2. Spock: With Spock on the team, I have no doubt we could face whatever—or whomever—awaits us on the planet.
3. Aang (Avatar: The Last Airbender): Aang wields mastery of all the elements, which might come in handy if conditions on the planet are less than habitable.
4. Leela (Futurama): Leela's logged many space miles AND often bailed the Planet Express crew out of sticky situations, lol, so she's more than qualified to assist here.
5. Obi-Wan Kenobi: If I'm doing any kind of space travel, I'm bringing a Jedi Knight with me! XD

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (153)

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme created by Uncorked Thoughts and hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! A list of upcoming topics can be found here.

This week's topic is:
Would You Rather Take a Class Taught by Lockhart or Get Detention with Filch?

This is an easy one for me. Filch is such a creep, so I'd rather sit through Lockhart's classes and listen to him babble about himself for hours on end. I'd even rather deal with some Cornish pixies than whatever horrible detention Filch has gleefully concocted.

Fandom Mashups (79)

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
As a skilled Witch/Wizard, you've been experimenting with all kinds of magic and you accidentally used a spell you can't seem to control. Eeep! Who do you call on to help?

Haha, this would TOTALLY be me, messing around with magic and getting in over my head. XD So here's who I'm calling to help dig me out of my mess:

1. Dumbledore: Time to call THE expert on magic! XD
2. Kell (Shades of Magic): Not only is Kell highly proficient in elemental magic, but he can time travel as well. So we've got quite a few magical bases covered here.
3. Sabriel: As much as I hope I haven't accidentally raise the dead or anything, it's good to know we have a necromancer on our side, just in case.
4. Yelena (Poison Study): Yelena is highly adept at wielding magic, and I'm sure she'd have no difficulty dealing with the little problem I've created.
5. Magnus Bane (The Mortal Instruments): Magnus would probably only need a few seconds to put a stop to my haywire spell.

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (152)

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme created by Uncorked Thoughts and hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! A list of upcoming topics can be found here.

This week's topic is:
Would You Have Put Your Name in the Goblet of Fire?

Um, no. You can keep the eternal glory and whatnot; there's NO WAY I'm going for a swimmy swim in that lake. Or battling a dragon. Or running through a terrifying hedge maze and facing who knows what (or You-Know-Who, hahaha!). Also, I wouldn't want the hassle of dealing with Mean Movie Dumbledore if I put my name in and strictly wasn't supposed to. XD

Fandom Mashups (78)

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
You got out of bed this morning only to realize that you've gained superpowers overnight! Mutant? Metahuman? Superhero? Who knows? Who do you seek out to guide you in your newfound powers?

If only I woke up with superpowers this morning, LOL! I could get the weekend chores done so much faster! XD Here's who I'd seek out to help me figure out what's going on:

1. Professor X: When in doubt, seek out the head of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters!
2. Aang (Avatar: The Last Airbender): If I could bend an element, or multiple elements (yay!), then I'd want to learn to control my powers from the Avatar himself.
3. Hermione Granger: Even though we're talking about superpowers here, I still feel that consulting Hermione would be extremely helpful. She'd totally figure out the source of my sudden abilities.
4. Obi-Wan Kenobi: In case I'm a Jedi?! XD
5. Ronan Lynch (The Raven Cycle): If I were to develop the ability to take objects out of my dreams like young Mr. Lynch, I'd attempt to seek out his advice, although I envision the conversation going something like this:
   Me: It's so awesome to meet you, Ronan! How do you manage this amazing talent that we both share?
   Ronan: F*CK OFF.
   XD

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (151)

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme created by Uncorked Thoughts and hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! A list of upcoming topics can be found here.

This week's topic is:
Which Books Would You Recommend to Hagrid?

Yay—it's the first HPMotW of 2017! I'm even happier because I actually wrote a post this week! :D

Since Hagrid loves creatures of all kinds, even ill-tempered ones, lol, I tried to come up with books that feature them prominently:

• Seraphina by Rachel Hartman: There's a good chance Hagrid would enjoy reading this because it has dragons in it!
• Sabriel by Garth Nix: Hagrid should get a good chuckle or two thanks to the snark of Mogget the talking cat.
• Study by Maria V. Snyder: No hippogriffs in this series, but there are some very cool horses!
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: Just tell Hagrid there are wyverns in this series, and he's sure to want to read it!
• This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab: There are legit monsters in this book, like, the super scary kind, and I'd love to know whether Hagrid would also find them terrifying or just seriously misunderstood. XD

2017 Releases I Need to Read

It's a new year, which means lots of new book releases to look forward to! All of these are on my must-read list for 2017:

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken
Publication Date: January 3

Seriously, I feel like I just read last year's Passenger, and here's the sequel, arriving tomorrow! Time travel fans will definitely want to add this duology to their TBRs.

The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman
Publication Date: January 31

I might have pushed the first book, The Dark Days Club, just a tad last year. XD Because it was soooooooo gooooooood!!! I'm not exaggerating! Words are inadequate to describe how excited I am for this book!

Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder
Publication Date: January 31

This is supposed to be the conclusion to Yelena and Valek's adventures, which have spanned 6 books and 1 spin-off series. I'm already feeling sentimental over this one; it's been about 7 years since I first read Poison Study, where it all began.

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
Publication Date: February 21

I'm not sure I can handle the conclusion to Schwab's Shades of Magic series after what happened in the previous book, A Gathering of Shadows. I love the elemental magic, alternate Londons, and the impossibly many-sided coat that belongs to Kell, one of the protagonists.

Alex and Eliza: A Love Story by Melissa de la Cruz
Publication Date: April 11

I must read this because . . . Hamilton! I love how the cover seems to be a nod to the musical's logo.

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: May 2

A year is never enough to recover from the ending of a Sarah J. Maas book, LOL. My mind continues to reel from the fifty million OMG! moments that happened in A Court of Mist and Fury.

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
Publication Date: May 23

After 9 Shadowhunters novels, I was a little wary that there was enough momentum for not only a 10th novel but 2 more whole series, but Lady Midnight totally smashed my skepticism. I love the epicness of the cover of Lord of Shadows!

Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab
Publication Date: June 13

Another awesome cover, and another 2017 release from V.E./Victoria Schwab. Scary stuff isn't usually my thing, but I can't wait to read more about Schwab's monsters!

And definitely NOT to be forgotten:

Throne of Glass 6 by Sarah J. Maas

No title or cover for this yet, but I'm sure it's going to wreck my life and leave me a sobbing mess before its last page. It's the series finale after all, and following the sheer devastation that Empire of Storms left behind in its wake, I don't know how I'm going to make it through this book. Maybe with lots of therapy and chocolate. XD

What 2017 releases are you looking forward to the most?

Reading and Blogging Resolutions for 2017

Happy New Year, friends! It's resolution time again! I find that writing stuff down makes me more inclined to do it, LOL, which is why I like making these lists at the start of each year. So here goes the 2017 edition:

• Read 35 books. My 2016 goal was 40 books, and I fell rather short at 30. If real life hadn't interfered so much, I think I would've made the 40. I was originally going to set this year's number to 30 and be happily surprised if I surpassed it, but then I felt like I wasn't being ambitious enough, LOL. Going in between the two numbers seemed like a good compromise.
• Create and stick to a reading/blogging schedule as much as possible. I'm a total planner addict (and washi tape addict), so it's not surprising that to-do lists and schedules work best for me. While I tried to be organized about reading and blogging last year, I feel like I could've been more dedicated to the sticking to the schedule part.
• Go to YALLFest again. Somehow, Ally, Melissa, and I managed to coordinate 3 ridiculous schedules and return to Charleston for this YA author festival. We're hoping to work the scheduling magic again for a third year in a row.
• Write discussion posts regularly. I'm participating in the Book Blog Discussion Challenge again and have quite a few leftover post ideas from last year that never materialized into actual posts. XD

It's a pretty short list this year, but that's so I can really focus on making my Goodreads challenge and getting ahead and staying ahead with blog posts.

Are you participating in any reading challenges this year? Do you have any blogging goals you'd like to accomplish in 2017? I hope everyone has an AMAZING reading/blogging year!