We’ve talked about fictional items we’ve wanted for ourselves before, but in the holiday spirit, what fictional items would you give to friends and family? To participate in Top 5 Wednesday, just head over to their Goodreads Group and join the fun!
I definitely want a Self-Writing or Quick-Quotes quill for my mother who is a writer, but struggles to type or write longhand on many days due to a nasty combination of arthritis, carpal tunnel, and bone cancer. With this type of quill she could dictate to it on her more pain-filled days.
For my husband the Herbal from The Tale of Birle (’On Fortune’s Wheel’), it depicts detailed information about any plants that can be used for healing including how to grow them, how to use them, and pictures of each stage of growth.
The amazing portable art supply kit that Tamlin gives Feyre in ACoMaF, described as 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide and jam packed with compartments holding everything an artist on-the-go could need, for Em.
The magic tablecloth from The Two Princesses of Bamarre, which you need only shake out and ask for any meal, for my husband.
Some U-No-Poo (Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes) for every member of my husband’s family.
I don’t have it in me for a coherent review right now, but I’ll just say the ending makes me so happy every time I reread this. It’s so satisfying! I’m in a happy post-book haze now, so I’ll stop here.
What Are You Reading Wednesdays #WAYRW is a weekly feature on It’s A Reading Thing. Everyone is welcome to participate.
Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:
What’s the name of your current read?
Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.
Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?
The Tale of Birle (Tales of the Kingdom book 2, previously published as ‘On Fortunes Wheel’)
What he was doing, creeping through the world like a thief – where he was going to, in secrecy – what he might be fleeing from – those questions also she didn’t know the answer to. But she did know that only the Lords went beardless.
Ha! I like the Kingdom, but I wouldn’t live in any of the places they travel to in this book, not on your life.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at Should be Reading and revived on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three W’s!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Currently Reading:The Tale of Birle by Cynthia Voigt This is the second book in the Tales of the Kingdom series and was previously published with the title ‘On Fortunes Wheel’. Birle meets a mysterious stranger when he tries to steal from her father. She chooses to follow him on his travels and this takes her to places she never could have imagined. For anyone curious about the Tales of the Kingdom books, this is a loosely-connected, non-magical fantasy series. One of the odd things for me is that I identify less with Birle than I did last time I read this series. I can only chalk it up to the fact that I was still a teenager then. It doesn’t make me like her any less though. Actually, it’s almost making this reread feel more like a first-time read, which I’m very pleased with.
Recently Finished:The Tale of Gwyn by Cynthia Voigt This is one of the Tales of the Kingdom books, previously published as ‘Jackaroo’. Jackaroo is a sort of Robin Hood/Zorro type hero, and in the Kingdom, he’s just a legend. Gwyn is an innkeeper’s daughter and doesn’t believe in heroes like Jackaroo. But while taking cover in an abandoned home, Gwyn finds a mask and clothes, which leads her down a path fit for a legend. I like Gwen so much! Ah! Also she and Burl are too precious at the end. I remember liking this book the other times I read this series, but it’s actually become one of my favorites in the series. And like all Voigt’s novels it left me with such a satisfied feeling. I just wanted to sit there holding the book and basking in it.
Reading Next:The Tale of Oriel by Cynthia Voigt This is the third Kingdom novel, previously published as ‘The Wings of a Falcon’. Oriel and Griff escape the cruelty of the island with a stolen treasure. But it’s not as easy to find a new safer life as they hoped. Their adventure leads them into unknown dangers, like armies and Wolfer raids. I remember so little about this one for some reason, so I’m very excited. I know I liked it and it was good, but for the most part this will be a fresh story for me. It’s also different from the other three Kingdom novels because the main characters are boys.
Fear lay down on top of her like a black cloud, trying to get into her mouth through her clenched teeth. There was nothing she could do but wait, and hope that the danger – a danger she couldn’t even lift her head to meet – might not notice the little boat, drifting helpless through the fog.
– Cynthia Voigt, The Tale of Birle (previously ‘On Fortune’s Wheel’), page 93
Version: Paperback, 432 pages Published May 26th 2015 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books And A Beat.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at Should be Reading and revived on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three W’s!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Currently Reading:The Tale of Gwyn by Cynthia Voigt This is one of the Tales of the Kingdom books, previously published as ‘Jackaroo’. I got this copy from the public library, because my own books are still boxed up and sad, so this is the first time I got to see the new covers/titles for myself. I had heard of the change back when it was just in the planning stage. They aren’t quite as interesting as the old titles, but at least now you can tell at a glance they are part of a series. As for the new cover… I’ll just say I miss the Vermeer painting covers. I’m pretty excited to reread the Kingdom books. It’s been several years since I picked up a Voigt novel, which is way too long! Jackaroo is a sort of Robin Hood/Zorro type hero, and in the Kingdom, he’s just a legend. Gwyn is an innkeeper’s daughter and doesn’t believe in heroes like Jackaroo. But while taking cover in an abandoned home, Gwyn finds a mask and clothes, which leads her down a path fit for a legend. For anyone curious about the Kingdom series, it is a loosely-connected, non-magical fantasy series.
Recently Finished:Forest Born by Shannon Hale I love the Books of Bayern. I’m clearly on a Middle Grade roll here. This was actually my first time rereading Forest Born (the fourth Bayern novel), and I loved it way more than the first time I read it. I mean I liked it then too, but I was racing through it desperate to know what would happen, and this time I got to take my time and really enjoy Rin and her story. This book focuses on Razo’s little sister, Rin, a forest girl who isn’t sure the forest wants her anymore. Her desire to find her place is a driving force in her life, sending her on an adventure through Bayern to the neighboring Kel. Rin and her new friends, the magical girls from the three previous novels, must find out who is attacking Bayern cities and prevent a war. I think my favorite part of this story was the banter between Enna and Dasha, they’re honestly adorable. I also noticed, for the first time, a parallel between the way the various speaking gifts affect a person (when not balanced) and mental illness. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but it’s fascinating.
Reading Next:The Tale of Birle by Cynthia Voigt Another Tales of the Kingdom novel, this one was previously published as ‘On Fortunes Wheel’. Birle is a long-time favorite character. Birle meets a mysterious stranger when he tries to steal from her father. She chooses to follow him on his travels and this takes her to places she never could have imagined. For anyone curious about the Tales of the Kingdom books, this is a loosely-connected, non-magical fantasy series.
Currently Reading: 
Recently Finished: 
Darkestwings Reads