The Book Forums

Welcome back to Top 5 Wednesday , a segment that I very inconsistently participate in; this week’s topic is 5 Debuts in 2017. The Caraval  Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game. Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over. But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

One book down, twenty-four to go! WOOP! Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Gansey is different. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been told by her psychic family that she will kill her true love. She never thought this wo

GOODBYE 2016 *cue fireworks* Now is now the time to forget everything that happened in the past year, and move forward creating New Year’s Resolutions we know we’ll never keep! READING Unlike in 2016, I’m actually setting a specific reading goal for this year. In 2017 I’d like to read at least 25 books, but hopefully I’ll read more. I also want to branch out more with the books I read. I’d like to get out of my YA Fantasy bubble and read more Contemporary or Historical Fiction. I read a lot of lessor known books and things I wouldn’t normally read in 2016 and I’m excited to continue that into 2017. MOVIES and TV During 2016, I dropped a few shows that I wasn’t feeling anymore. Going into 2017 I’d like to branch out, giving more shows and movies a chance, but I’d also like to not stick with any shows that I’m not enjoying anymore because I feel obligated to. During 2017, I’m going to only stick with the shows that I am actively enjoying and looking forward to, and ditch

Well 2016 is wrapping up with farewells from everyone! It was a great year for some and not so great for others, but now it’s time to take one last look at 2016 before launching into the hopes and dreams I’ve built up for 2017! Reading My reading goals for 2016 were vague and without a set number of books to read. With that said, I did keep to my goal of only reading things I enjoyed. Looking back on the year, I enjoyed most of the books I’ve read and I never wasted time powering through a mediocre book. During 2016 I also branched out a lot and read things I wouldn’t normally read. I found myself reading (and enjoying) a lot of indie and less popular books and it was nice. While I’m now going to have to go back and catch up on some of the more popular books and series that came out during the year, I don’t really mind. Notable Reads Bad Bloods: Shannon Thompson’s novels have yet to disappoint. Both November Rain and November Snow were great parts to a fast-paced story fu