TV show pop-up shops have become more and more of a thing– some of my favorites have been inspired by Friends, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Gilmore Girls. I think it’s about time this becomes a bookish trends.
For today’s Valentine’s-inspired Top Five Wednesday, I’ll be discussing the five top fictional places I’d go on a date.
Summary: At the height of World War II, immortals Ares and Aphrodite are caught by the latter’s husband in a Manhattan hotel room. When Hephaestus puts his wife on trial, Aphrodite spins a tale that transports the gods twenty-five years earlier: the story of four morals whose lives are intertwined in the final year of World War I. They are: Hazel, a British pianist; James, a dreaming architect turned soldier; Aubrey, a jazz musician in the US Army and Colette, a Belgian orphan with a beautiful voice and tragic past. Filled with hope and heartbreak, their stories reveal that love can be a powerful force that rivals that of war.
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
My Thoughts:
Julie Berry’s Lovely War was one of my most anticipated books of 2019. I love almost all kinds of historical fiction, but books about the World Wars always have resonated with this bookish soul. I’m very excited to say that Lovely War now has a new home on a different 2019 reading list: my 2019 favorite books! This emotional and romantic story following four mortals (did I mention yet that this book is narrated by Greek gods and goddesses??) caught up in World War I captured my heart and more.
If there’s one bookish trend that has taken over my reader soul, it’s book sleeves. I didn’t start purchasing book sleeves until last year, but I can 100% say that they are worth the investment.In my experience, they have definitely prevented my books from being damaged in my bags. My book sleeves have becen the most useful when I bring books back and forth between home and college and on trips basically anywhere (the beach, the city, class, etc.)
Right now I have three book sleeves: 2 XLs (the Alice Print from Amazon and this fun summer pattern) from Book Beau and one from Amazon:
I think it’s about time to buy my first sleeve of 2019, so today I’ll be walking you through my book sleeve Wishlist.
Book Beau: Library Card
This book sleeve takes me back to my elementary school trips to the school library. As much as I love my library card, I would love for books to still have these logs.
For Book Beau, my favorite size is the XL (perfect for hardbacks and even two paperbacks), but I’ve been wanting to try the Jumbeau (it has a zipper!).
While we spent last week with our favorite fictional love interests for Valentine’s Day, today’s Top Five Wednesday features five love interests who don’t make the cut as one of my book boyfriends.
Cooper from Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West- By no means do I not like Cooper as a character, because I do! I love the chemistry and humor between him and Abby throughout Kasie West’s Love, Life, and the List. However, somewhat like Abby, I would not be into Cooper’s mixed signals.
Luca from I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo- I never understood why Desi was so enchanted with Luca from Maurene Goo’s I Believe in a Thing Called Love. He most definitely fits the angsty-artsy teenager trope. If it weren’t for Desi’s K drama inspired scheming, I think they would have not gotten together.
Summary: Lulu Saad is the type of girl doesn’t need anyone’s advice, especially with her three best friends by her side. At least that’s what she thought until she almost drowned a cute guy and made a scene during Ramadan that caused more damage than usual. With her friendships and family alliances on the line, Lulu needs to find her way out this mess soon, which may mean looking for herself first.
My Rating: 3.5/ 5 Stars
My Thoughts:
Early reviews for Aminah Mae Safi’s Not the Girls You’re Looking For Caught my attention, with much praise for the book’s biracial American Muslim protagonist. This YA contemporary debut definitely surprised me. The main character, Lulu, and her best friends deal with more serious issues than I realized upon reading the synopsis.
From the start, Not the Girls You’re Looking For sets a dark tone, as Lulu and her best friends party, drink, and hook-up with guys. I appreciate the book’s not-so unique cast, from Lulu’s mixed heritage to a certain character’s sexuality and finally, the fact that Lulu and her friends are certainly not perfect. However, the girls’ dynamic and personalities threw me off, as they often antagonize one another and drink or smoke through their issues at parties. While they each experience some character development towards the end of the book and I appreciate that they aren’t your typical YA cast, I had trouble connecting to them and the first half of the book.
Summary: After a personal crisis and getting kicked out of high school, seventeen-year Jane Sinner is going nowhere fast. When her parents push her to enroll in a high school completion program at the local community college, Jane agrees on one condition: she gets to move out.. and star on her college’s student-run reality show, House of Orange. Living in a Big Brother-esque set up with five other college students isn’t easy, but it’s better than living with her family, and winning the car at the end would be pretty nice. As House of Orange grows from a low budget web series to a TV show, Jane finally has the chance to prove that, with her cynical nature and tricks from her Intro to Psych course , she can win something.
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Besides Treat Yo’ Self (the best day of the year), the best holiday to come out of Parks and Recreation is Galentine’s Day. Created by Leslie Knope, Galentine’s Day is all about celebrating with your best gal pals.
In honor of Galentine’s Day, I think it is about time that I’ve shared my favorite episodes of Parks and Recreation. If you don’t already know, I am a Pawnee Goddess by heart. Parks & Rec’s humor and messages has always resonated to me. It’s my go-to TV show for comfort and laughs. I live in fear of this show being taken off Netflix and Amazon Prime, hence why I need to get the DVDs in my life ASAP.
Choosing the following episodes out of 125 options definitely wasn’t an easy task, but I’ve had so much fun reflecting on the show. Each favorite episode is listed by season and episode number.
Summary: Abby Turner’s summer isn’t turning out the way she wanted. Two of her best friends are abroad for summer vacation. Her mother’s anxiety issues are growing more each day. Her not-so secret crush on her best friend, Cooper, is quite unrequited. And she’s just been rejected for a local art show because her artwork has “no heart.” When Abby gets another opportunity to show her work, she isn’t going to take any more chances. Enter the list. From facing a fear to learning a stranger’s story, Abby creates a list in order to gain more life experiences to inspire her art, learning that she can’t change her art if she doesn’t change herself.
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
One of my blogging goals for 2018 extended to the most popular form of bookish social media, Instagram. Otherwise known as bookstagram, I’ve had Fangirl Fury (@fangirlfury) on Instagram since my blog’s creation back in February 2017. However, in March 2018, I decided to dedicate more time to bookstagram and my blog photos in general.
My goal for both platforms was to improve the quality of my photos. With bookstagram, I wanted to improve my scheduling. My bookstagram schedule is definitely not perfect, but I try to post at least twice a week, ideally aiming for 4-5 posts per week. If I need to take a photo for a blog post, it’ll likely end up on Instagram and vice versa.
I’ll be walking you through what it takes to create my blog photos and bookstagrams. Warnings that I am by no means a professional bookstagrammer, let alone photographer.
Summary: Rosie Radeke is a firm believer that happiness can be found in a mixing bowl. So imagine her happiness when she gets accepted to celebrity chef Denis Laurent’s culinary school in Paris, where Rosie’s cooking skills get put to the test.
Henry Yi grew up in his dad’s Chicago restaurant, and much like Rosie, his life-long love for food has found a home at the Ècole. Henry and Rosie quickly connect, but academic pressure from home and Rosie’s friendship with gorgeous bad-boy baker Bodie Tal makes Henry push his dream relationship away. As sparks fly between the two, Rosie and Henry must prove that they have what it takes to be chefs—if not to their nightmare professor, but to themselves.
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Fangirl Fury 