Top Ten Tuesday: Winter 2019 TBR List

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Today I'm going to share a bunch of winter 2019 titles that I hope to read ASAP. These titles release between January 8 and March 19. I know publishing defines winter as January through April, but I'm still struggling to think of anything after March 20 as winter lol.

1. Black Enough by various authors

2. 29 Dates by Melissa de la Cruz (Got moved up to a December release, but it still counts, imo.)

3. Practically Ever After by Isabel Bandeira

4. The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

5. Spectacle by Jodie Lynn Zdrok

6. The Great Unknowable End by Kathryn Ormsbee

7. The Art of Losing by Lizzy Mason

8. We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Meija

9. Sherwood by Meagan Spooner

10. Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

What books did you list for Top Ten Tuesday? Share the link below, and I'll try to check it out!

Help Emma Tackle Her Backlist TBR

So often, as a book blogger and a publishing professional, I get caught up in reading the very latest releases or the ones publishing in the next few months. But I still have an extensive backlist TBR, and I'm creating polls for y'all to help me pick what to prioritize in early 2019! If you haven't read any of them, pick the one that you'd like to read yourself or that has the most interesting cover or whatever. There doesn't need to be a solid reason behind your choice. ;)

The Classics

Poll 1

Anne's House of Dreams Mansfield Park

North and South The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Middle Grade/Young Adult

Poll 2

The Loose Ends List The Penderwicks

The Other Countess The Bone Gap

Historical Fiction

Poll 3

Modern Girls The Nightingale

The Perfume Collector The Alice Network

Memoirs

Poll 4

Miriam's Kitchen The Sharper Your Knife

Voracious

The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge

(Because I'm the absolute worst and have barely touched this challenge.)

Poll 5

Matisse the Master The Phantom of the Opera

The Secret History Eva Luna

So go forth and vote! Polls will be open for a few weeks in an effort to get as much feedback as possible.

Rewind & Review #124

Created by Shae Has Left the Room.

~Guess who caught another cold? -_-
~I went to a gala with some friends, and it was fun to be fancy.
~Saw Once on This Island, which was great.
~Sarah and I went to Spot AGAIN. We're very predictable, lol. We got two of the fall desserts we got last time, since we figured they'd probably be releasing the winter desserts soon.
~My internship has been extended, which is a huge blessing as I continue to look for a full-time job.

Books I Received for Review

The Great Unknowable End by Kathryn Ormsbee (from S&S via NetGalley)
Spectacle by Jodie Lynn Zdrok (from Tor Teen via NetGalley)

Books I Bought

All the Wandering Light by Heather Fawcett
Amber & Dusk by Lyra Selene

Books I Read

Bluestar's Prophecy by Erin Hunter (reread)
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson (3.5 stars)
Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West
The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman (3 stars)
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See (4 stars)
The Resolutions by Mia Garcia (3.5 stars)
Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore (3.5 stars)

Blog Posts You Might've Missed in the Last Few Weeks

   (from 12/3-12/8)

• So You Like... #76
• The Cake-Flavored Book Tag
• The Great 2019 Preorder Giveaway

   (from 12/9-12/15)

• Top Ten Tuesday: Classics I Want to Read
• Exploring New York 2018 and 2019
• Random Friday: Winter 2019 Reads

Random Friday: Winter 2019 Reads

Want to participate in Random Fridays? Just do the following:

• Include the above image in your post and link back to my blog.
• Blog about this week's topic (or a variant of it).
• Add the link to your Random Friday post at the bottom of this one.

I'll be listing a few winter 2019 releases I'm excited for on Tuesday for Top Ten Tuesday, but I couldn't fit them all in one post, so here's some to start y'all off!

1. The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson (1/22/19)

I think it surprises people that I enjoy mysteries? I don't read a lot of them (mostly because most YA ones end up being thrillers, and I can't always get into that), but Truly Devious took me by surprise, and I'm so excited for its sequel.


2. Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway (2/5/19)

It's like fantasy-meets-history. Heck yes.


3. Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian (2/5/19)

I'm super eager to see what happens next.


4. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas (2/5/19)

I mean, obviously.

5. The Queen's Resistance by Rebecca Ross (3/5/19)
It's the sequel to a book I very much enjoyed this year.


6. If You're Out There by Katy Loutzenhiser (3/5/19)
Lizzy Mason raved about this book to me one day, so my hopes are very high.

7. When the Sky Fell on Splendor by Emily Henry (3/12/19)
I'm not a big sci-fi person, but...it's Emily Henry.


8. Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte (2/26/19)
Intriguing murder mystery fun in a fantasy world.

9. Night Music by Jenn Marie Thorne (3/19/19)
Yes, hello, I love Jenn's books so much.

What about y'all? What winter 2019 releases are you looking forward to?

Exploring New York 2018 and 2019

I've explored my new city a lot, and yet, there's still so much to see! This post is going to be about all the "touristy" things I've done, and then the ones I hope to do. (And I'm super open to suggestions.)

What I've Done

1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Many times, although there's still more to see. I've also been to the Cloisters branch, and it's so beautiful.

2. The Frick Collection
Even though it was super packed, I'm glad I did one of their Free Friday evenings, and I did it with two lovely friends to boot.

3. Morgan Library and Museum
All the books.

4. Bryant Park
Small, lovely, near work, and adjacent to the New York Public Library's Mid-Manhattan branch.

5. Chelsea Market
I've gone three times, and there's still so much to try.

6. Riverside Park
Where the end scene of You've Got Mail was filmed. I want to go again. <3

7. All the Broadway shows
There's still several I want to see (and a few I want to see again...)

8. Albertine Bookshop
It's French! And in an old mansion!

9. New York Historical Society
I went and explored the whole museum one Saturday, and then went again for the special Harry Potter exhibition.

10. the High Line
I walked a teeny part of it on a Sunday morning, so it wasn't too inundated with tourists yet.

11. Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Lacking a bit, since it was fall and parts of it were under construction, but it was still lovely and it'll be worth a second visit.

12. 9/11 Memorial and St. Paul's Chapel
Very sobering. 

13. Trinity Church graveyard


Bucket List

1. Go back to Ellis Island
My family visited in 2008, but I was a smol preteen whose memory sucked.

2. Properly explore Central Park.
I've been to the zoo and walked across the park a couple times, but I haven't seen the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, and apparently there's something called the Wisteria Pergola and a Literary Walk and a Shakespeare Garden??

3. Tenement Museum
I wanted to go to this back in 2008, but we couldn't fit it in.

4. Hamilton Grange National Memorial
I mean, obviously.

5. Brooklyn Historical Society
I've been to the New York one, and I think it would be nice to visit the one just for my borough.

6. a cat cafe
These always seem so cool. And I miss animals a lot.

7. all the food places
Likes Pies 'n' Thighs in Brooklyn.


What places do you want to explore where you live? Any New York suggestions?

Top Ten Tuesday: Classics I Want to Read

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

It's a freebie week! So I'm going to list out a bunch of classics I really ought to read.

1. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

I mean...I've seen the lovely 2004 adaptation, so obviously I should read this one, too, right??

2. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

Some people absolutely hate Anne's stuff, but others say it's better than Charlotte and Emily's, so I'm up for it.

3. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

And I call myself a Francophile.

4. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

I've seen the musical, which was...confusing at times (stuff felt left out).

5. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

There's a lovely web series adaptation so surely this book is worth it.

6. Middlemarch by George Eliot

I don't hear a lot about this one, but it seems to be a classic everyone should read??

7. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

More Gaskell! I should note I have read one of her short stories and written a paper about it for Brit Lit II.

8. Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery

I have a copy, so this'll happen soon, promise!

9. Five Children and It by E. Nesbit

It's on my list mainly because I want to collect the Drop Cap Classics, but also, this one sounds interesting! 

10. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

It's gonna happen, I swear! I've had a copy for, like, ages, and I just keep putting it of

What classics are your favorites/do you recommend? What classics do you want to read?