Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Books on My Spring 2022 TBR
This week’s prompt is hard for me because I’m a mood reader. I might plan to read specific books because either they fit a challenge, they’re for book club, or I just want to read them. The problem is if I’m not in the mood, there’s no amount of obligation that can force me to read a book. With that being said, here are ten books I’d like to read this spring, mood permitting:
The first eight of these 10 are books I haven’t read yet and ones I really want to read. The last two Harry Potter books are on this list because I started a reread of the series in 2020 when I read the illustrated editions of the first four. Last year, I read Order of the Phoenix and I didn’t read the last two because last year wasn’t a good reading year. This year, I hope to read Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows so I can complete my three-year reread.
What about you? Which books are on your Spring 2022 TBR? Do we have any in common?
I’ve been learning in DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) that life is full of dialectics, or two opposing truths. In this case, the two opposing truths are: 1) I don’t agree with JKR’s stance regarding trans people, and 2) I still love Harry Potter.
Sunday Post and Sunday Salon are blog news memes hosted at Caffeinated Reviewer and Reader Buzz, respectively. It’s a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, andshowcase books and other things.
Feeling
I’m feeling accomplished. This week was spring break for my university and I used it to get caught up in most of my classes. I’m still not caught up in one class because I had a second bout of the stomach flu this week. Overall, though, I feel great about what I did accomplish and I hope I can catch up in the last class over the next few weeks.
I’m also feeling happy and nostalgic because tomorrow is my 24th wedding anniversary. Sometimes I can’t believe Corey and I’ve been married as long as we have. It’s been hard and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I finished reading and posted a review of THE SOUND OF STARS by Alechia Dow this week. I want to start reading NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty or FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell today. It just depends on if I’m feeling well enough. I’ve stated before that when I’m sick, especially with a stomach bug or major headache, I can’t read. My brain doesn’t let me.
Listening
This week I’ve been listening to Star Wars prequel music because the teaser trailer for the new Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ show dropped. I John Williams SOOOOO much. I especially love the Star Wars score and the prequel scores are absolutely beautiful. “Battle of the Heroes” from Revenge of the Sith is one of my favorites from the prequels.
Watching
I watched the new Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ teaser trailer and it looks f*cking amazing!!! I’m so excited! I love Ewan McGregor. And, I don’t care what people say; I also love Hayden Christensen as Anakin. Here’s the teaser trailer if you haven’t seen it yet:
Corey and I also watched The Adam Project with Ryan Reynolds on Netflix last night. We both really enjoyed it. It was funny, full of action, and very heart-warming. The kid they got to play young Ryan Reynolds was perfect! He acted just like Ryan Reynolds did. If I didn’t know he was his own person, I would’ve thought he was Ryan Reynolds’ younger self. Hmmm, do you think I can say Ryan Reynolds again? Ryan Reynolds…
Loving
I’m really loving bingeing How I Met Your Mother with Corey. It’s been a lot of fun. I’m really enjoying watching the whole show since I’ve only seen some of the pivotal episodes. And, I love spending the time with Corey.
Wanting
I want to get over this flu that I’ve now had twice in the last two weeks. My intestines are still cramping up horribly and I can’t eat much more than rice.
Needing
I need to see my doctor because of how sick I’ve been. My husband and I are worried I might have a mild case of C. difficile. I made an appointment, but his soonest opening isn’t until April 18. I also sent him a message through my patient portal, explaining what’s going on. Maybe, he’ll try to squeeze me in next week. Either that or hopefully someone will cancel so I can get in sooner. *fingers crossed*
Title: The Sound of Stars Author: Alechia Dow Series: The Starry-Eyed Universe #1 Genre(s): Romance, Science Fiction, YA Pages: 432 Source: Library For: Black History Month Rating: Sexual Content:
Seventeen-year-old Ellie Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library. When young Ilori commander Morris finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. But Morris isn’t a typical Ilori ... and Ellie and her books might be the key to a desperate rebellion of his own.
My Thoughts
I really wanted to read a book or two for Black History Month this year by supporting a Black author. Goodreads had a post at the beginning of February showcasing a bunch of books written by Black authors and THE SOUND OF STARS and THE KINDRED by Alechia Dow, companion novels in her Starry-Eyed Universe, caught my eye. Time got the better of me and I didn’t finish reading either of them in time. Fortunately, I finished reading THE SOUND OF STARS this week. Better late than never, right?
It took me a little bit to get into THE SOUND OF STARS. Once I did, though, I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up late reading it a couple of nights, savoring the story I was reading.
One of my favorite things about THE SOUND OF STARS was its message of inclusivity. There were so many LGBTQ+ characters, including Ellie. Dow didn’t shove a pro-LGBTQ+ agenda in your face or anything; she just had characters that identified in different ways and the other characters were accepting and considerate of them and their pronouns.
Some people were always valued, and some people never were. … We asked for equality and they thought we were asking for more.
I also loved how Dow used the invasion of Earth by the Ilori as a way to talk about racism, prejudice, police brutality, and other current hot topics. It added to the story by giving it more depth, strengthened Ellie and M0Rr1S’ connection, and made the story more memorable.
I really enjoyed Dow’s creativity. THE SOUND OF STARS was fun and engaging. I look forward to reading more books not only in the Starry-Eyed Universe, but written by Alechia Dow as well.
Have you read THE SOUND OF STARS? If so, what did you think?
https://i0.wp.com/jennielyse.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/review-thesoundofstars.png?fit=919%2C918&ssl=1918919Jenni Elysehttps://jennielyse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/logo_2024_black-1030x312.pngJenni Elyse2022-03-10 00:00:002024-07-27 17:09:05Review: The Sound of Stars
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Books with My Favorite Tropes/Themes
This week’s prompt is fun, isn’t it? There are so many tropes/themes I love. For this post, I’ve decided to focus on romance tropes since there are so many good ones. My favorites include: friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, fake relationship, forbidden love, soul mates, etc. I even don’t mind a little bit of instalove now and then. Just keep the love triangles away from me and I’ll be happy. Here are my top ten 12 books with my favorite romantic tropes/themes in them:
Forbidden Romance
Bad Boy
Forced Proximity
Supernatural Lover
Enemies to Lovers
Enemies to Lovers
Hidden Identity
Hidden Identity
Arranged Marriage
Friends to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Enemies to Lovers
What about you? Which books have your favorite romantic tropes/themes in them? Do we have any in common?
Sunday Post and Sunday Salon are blog news memes hosted at Caffeinated Reviewer and Reader Buzz, respectively. It’s a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, andshowcase books and other things.
Feeling
I’m feeling a lot better emotionally than I have in a long time (other than being worried and sad about what’s happening in Ukraine). It’s really interesting because last weekend I was in a pretty low place from losing my friend. Because of a few comments from my readers and the tools I’ve learned in therapy, I started to look at what happened differently.
Even though how my friend handled the situation is what upset me the most, I realized her feelings mattered just as much as mine did. I also realized even though I’m still sad, this is for the best and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of me because I’m no longer wondering what’s going on.
I finished reading THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER by CS Lewis on Monday. I started reading THE SOUND OF STARS by Alechia Dow again. I’ve been sick with the stomach flu or really bad food poisoning so I haven’t made much progress. (I can’t read when I’m sick. My brain doesn’t let me.) Now that I’m starting to feel better, I’m hoping I can finish THE SOUND OF STARS sometime this week.
Listening
This week because I have been sick, I haven’t been listening to anything really. So, here’s one of my favorites songs, “Cristofori’s Dream” by David Lanz. I’d love to learn how to play this on the piano.
Watching
Corey and I watched the first episode of the new season of Star Trek: Picard! Holy sh*t! It was amazing!!! I’ve never been this excited for a new season of Star Trek before!!!
Loving
I loved the season finale of The Amazing Race. It couldn’t have ended any better than it did, IMHO.
Wanting
I want my friend and her family in Ukraine and all her country people to be safe and not to have to worry about their freedom being taken away by Putin’s need for power and control. I hope the Ukrainian military and people can continue to defend themselves and that the rest of the world steps up and helps them. Also, f*ck you, Putin. #IStandWithUkraine
Needing
I need my body to recover a little faster from this flu or food poisoning that I’ve had this week. I’m no longer in the bathroom every five minutes, but I can still only eat rice and drink water. If I eat anything else, my intestines cramp up horribly. I just feel like my digestive system is sore and needs a break.
Title: The Sound of Stars
