Top Ten Tuesday: Back To School Freebie - Books We Wish Had Been Required Reading in University and Best Required Reading Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week bloggers post their top ten on a previously suggested topic. This week's topic is top ten back to school freebie. I chose 5 books/authors I wish had been required reading in university and 5 of my favourite required reading books. I studied English and Spanish literature and linguistics and I feel there should have been a lot more required reading than there was.

1. Shakespeare plays

I had a Shakespeare course but it only focussed on his comedies with the exception of Romeo and Juliet which we had studied the before as well. If there had been other Shakespeare courses to make up for this gap, I would not have minded because I really enjoyed his comedies, but now I feel I don't have a broad view on his entire work (his poems were often discussed but still).

I would have liked to study his tragedies and historical plays as well. In particular, I'm sad to have missed out on Othello and Hamlet. Thankfully, we did briefly discuss Macbeth in my first year.

2. Works by Charles Dickens

We were required to read no Dickens at all, and barely discussed him in other classes.

3. Works by the Brönte sisters

I wasn't required to read any of their books. I did read Wuthering Heights on my own during high school though.

4. Moby-Dick

I had only one American literature class in which we had to read a lot of short snippets and the horrible Absalom, Absalom! by Faulkner and a wonderful Toni Morrison book, A Mercy. I would have liked to read this classic as well.

5. Elizabeth Gaskell

They did not even mention her in overviews of English literature. I love North and South, so it came as a shock to not study anything about her.

Now on to the books I was required to read and really enjoyed!

6. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

7. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

Actually all Shakespeare plays I've read could fit here, but I particularly enjoyed Twelfth Night.

8. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

I absolutely loved my First World War English Literature class! I went on to write my thesis on Richard Aldington's Death of a Hero and Mulk Raj Anand's Across the Black Waters.

9. Estrella Distante by Roberto Bolaño

Latin American literature class.

10. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway




Which were your favourite required reading books? Or which books do you wish you had read in school/university? Leave your thoughts down below!

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August TBR

I know August is almost over, but I'm still going to post a TBR for the second part of the month. After finishing my Master thesis, I got in a huge reading slump plus the weather is miserable in Belgium. I love reading outside in the summer but I haven't been able to with the exception of a couple of days. So here is my optimistic TBR!

1. Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) by Sylvain Neuvel 

Currently reading this one!

2. Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

This will be quite the challenge, I hope I can make at least some progress. I'm currently at page 300 and I was really enjoying it but had to put it down more than a month ago.

3. I hope to read at least one other book over 500 pages

4. I would like to read one classic

Instead of reading, I went to a couple of bookstores, so there are a couple of book hauls coming soon!

Which books do you plan on reading this month? Leave your thoughts down below!

July Wrap Up

In addition to a reading slump, I did not have a lot of time to read this month because I had to write my master thesis. At this point, I'm almost done with it, thankfully! This is what I read in the month of July!

1. Descender, Vol. 1: Tin Stars by Jeff Lemire

Really enjoyed this science fiction comic! 4,5 stars!

2. Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Yes, you are reading this right, I finally read Six of Crows! Inej is my favourite character! I do believe this book was a bit too hyped up for me (or this could just be the reading slump talking) but I still enjoyed it! 4 stars!

Currently reading the sequel!

3. I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After by Skottie Young

Reread. Still love this comic! 5 stars! 
Also, I made my friend, brother and his girlfriend read it too, and they all enjoyed it! Even though, the last two normally do not read at all. So I consider this a victory! :)

4. I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 2: Fluff My Life by Skottie Young

Not as great or funny as the first one, but I'm still looking forward to the third volume! 4 stars.

5. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

3 stars! Adorable but it did feel like insta love at times. Plus, I'm not really a contemporary young adult reader and this just proves it. I did really enjoy the Indian culture, I have no idea if it is accurate, but I would love to learn more about India.

6. Giant Days, Vol. 3 (Giant Days #3) by John Allison

This is such a fun comic series! 5 stars! Highly recommend it!

Which books did you recently read? Have read any of the ones mentioned above or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!

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A Very Late June Wrap Up

I'm incredibly late by posted my June wrap at the end of July, but here it is anyway. If you want to know why I haven't posted much this month, check out my previous post Life and Blog Update. I'm going to keep this short, so here are the books I read in June! Finally!

1. Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After, #1) by Tessa Dare

For some reason, I was incredibly into historical romance novels in the begining of the month. Really enjoyed Tessa Dare's books. I gave this one 3 stars.

2. If I Only Had a Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes, #2) by Lenora Bell 

I wasn't as impressed with this one. I gave it 2 stars and decided to stick to Tessa Dare's novels.

3. Giant Days, Vol. 2 (Giant Days, #2) by John Allison

I really enjoy this comic series! I'm sad they changed the art style though. 4 stars! Really recommend it!

4. Nasty Women by 404 Ink

My first non-fiction book and Netgalley arc! I'm so proud of myself! :)

Really enjoyed this one and I would highly recommend this collection of feminist essays! You can find my review here.

5. Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After, #2) by Tessa Dare

This was my least favourite Tessa Dare novel so far. Sadly, I was quite bored by it at times. My Goodreads rating is 3 stars but it's more a 2,5 stars for me.

6. When a Scot Ties the Knot (Castles Ever After, #3) by Tessa Dare

This book was hilarious! 4 stars! Recommend it! 

You can read all these Tessa Dare books separately, you do not need to read them in order.

7. And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1) by Kiersten White 

3 stars. You can find my review here.

8. Now I Rise (The Conqueror's Saga, #2) by Kiersten White 

I'm so grateful I got approved to read this arc through Netgalley! 4 stars! You can find my review here.

9. Red Rising (Red Rising, #1) by Pierce Brown

Last but not least, I finally finished Red Rising! I started it in May, but for some reason didn't get past page 40. I borrowed this book from a friend of mine who loved it, so I had to give it another chance. And I did end up enjoying the second half of the book so much more! 

Which books did you recently read? Have you read any of the ones mentioned above or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!

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Life and Blog Update

Hi everyone!

As you may have noticed, I've not been active on my blog for over a month now and I would like to give a little explanation. I've been working on my thesis which is due next week, I'm almost finished but it's a lot of work. Secondly, I've also had a relaxing trip to Spain with my family and I don't have an internet connection over there.

I have read a couple of books since my last post and I can't wait to tell you guys about them!

I'm currently reading Crooked Kingdom, Wild and Ship of Magic. Which books are you reading?

I can't say when my next post will be published, but I will be back in the land of bloggers after the fourth of August, which is the date my thesis is due. Thanks for sticking with me for this long without any posts!

Have a great week and happy reading!

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I've Read So Far in 2017

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week bloggers post their top ten on a previously suggested topic. This week's topic is top ten books I've read this year.

1. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

I absolutely loved this book! I'm currently watching the TV show and it's amazing as well! I definitely recommend both! 

I'm looking forward to read more Atwood in the near future! Recommendations are always welcome!

You can find my review here.

2. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

This book was amazing! I forced my mom to buy it in Dutch and she really enjoyed it as well and passed it on to my grandmother and she's enjoying it so much she wants me to make a list of books she should read which made my little reader heart so happy!

3. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty 

This was definitely a pleasant surprise since this is a genre I almost never pick up. I've seen two episodes of the TV show and I really liked them as well. I got my mom the Dutch translation for Christmas again she passed it around in our family and this month my aunt told us she liked it so much, she immediately bought all Liane Moriarty's other books. I'm kind of impressed my book recommendations to my mom are appreciated by the rest of my family as well! Because this actually has never happened before.

You can find my review here.

4. Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1) by Laini Taylor

This book is a gem! If you're only planning to read one young adult novel this year, let it be this one! You won't regret it! I didn't know anything about this book when I started reading it and I feel that's the best way to go! The only thing I'll say is that Strange is such a precious bookworm! I loved him from the start.

5. The Arrival by Shaun Tan

This is a beautiful graphic novel without any words. It's stunning!

6. Geekerella by Ashley Poston 

This one stole my heart because it portrays conventions so truthfully! I only started going to conventions last October but it certainly won't be my last! And also, FIREFLY references!

You can find my review here.

7. Giant Days, Vol. 1 (Giant Days, #1) by John Allison

This comic is about three girls going to university and it's a really fun read!

8. Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab

I read the entire trilogy this year and I can't get enough of this world and these characters! If you are looking for a good fantasy trilogy, you should definitely check this one out!

9. Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

This one is a modern young adult retelling of The Shop Around the Corner or You've Got Mail. It's a really cute romance and there are a lot of references to old Hollywood movies, which I completely adored! Great summer read!

You can find my review here.

10. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I read this for the very first time! I did watch the Megan Follows often but I never got around to reading the book. I'm so glad I finally read it because this was the perfect comfort read!



Which books did you like to most in 2017? Have you read any of the ones mentioned above? Or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!

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Stacking the Shelves: Netgalley Edition

Stacking the Shelves is co-hosted by Reading Reality and Tynga's Reviews. Each week bloggers post the books they purchased or received. I just recently started requesting books on Netgalley and these are all arc's I've been approved to read. With the exception of four books, most of these are pdf's, which I really struggle to read.

1. Nasty Women by 404 Ink

This is a collection of essays about what it means to be a woman in the 21st century, most if not all of these were written after the US elections last year. I really liked this book and I highly recommend it! You can find my review here.

2. Before the Rains by Dinah Jefferies

Sadly I didn't enjoy this book and I decided to not finish it in the end. You can find my review here.

3. Now I Rise (The Conqueror's Saga, #2) by Kiersten White

I enjoyed this more than the first book in the trilogy. You can find my review for the first book, And I Darken, here and my review for the sequel, Now I Rise, here.

4. They Can't Kill Us All: The Story of Black Lives Matter by Wesley Lowery

This is another non-fiction book and I've started this already and I am now 20% into it. Review to come soon!

5. Idaho by Emily Ruskovich

I've also started this book but I did not realize this was set during the winter as the blurb talks about a hot summer day. Since there is currently a heatwave in Belgium, I don't really enjoy reading about snow at this time. 

6. A Poison Dark and Drowning (Kingdom on Fire, #2) by Jessica Cluess

I'm really excited to read this one! You can find my review of the first book, A Shadow Bright and Burning, here.

7. The Broken Ones (The Malediction Trilogy, #0.6) by Danielle L. Jensen

Can't wait to read this one! I loved Stolen Songbird but I haven't read the rest of the trilogy yet, and I think I need to finish them first before I read The Broken Ones. Definintely doing it this summer, though!

8. How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry 

9. The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd

I also got approved to read Rotherweird and Don't Stop Me Now but they got archived before I had the chance to download them. I have purchased the latter and will review it this summer, though!

Which books did you get recently? Have you read any of the books mentioned above or are you planning to?