Top 5 Wednesday: Books Featuring Witches

Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Samatha at Thoughts on Tomes. The guidelines and topics can be found on the Goodreads group.

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These can be “witch books” or books that happen to feature witches as characters, whether they are main characters or side characters. 

So, to be completely honest, I haven’t read that many great “witch books” so for some of these answers I’ve taken the term in a broader sense. Here goes the list!

1. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

This is the first book in the Discworld series in which the witches appear, though there are more of them in the series. As I’ve said many times before, Discworld series is fun and clever at the same time, and I think everyone can find something they like in these books. Even the book titles are witty – rites sounds the same as rights – equal rights. Which is fitting because the main character is a girl who wants to become a wizard, not a witch, even though girls are supposed to be witches while boys are supposed to be wizards. It’s a silly rule and she decides to break it.

2. Macbeth by William Shakespeare

The Three Witches are crucial for the plot of this great play. Also, The three witches from the Discworld series are actually inspired by the Three Witches from Macbeth. Pratchett’s second witch novel, Wyrd Sisters, alludes to Shakespeare many times. The title of the novel is also a nod to Macbeth. Witches in Macbeth are called Weird Sisters (or Weyward), and weird here comes from the Anglo-Saxon wyrd which means fate or destiny. The name tells that witches are foretellers of fate, which also makes them connected to Fates from the Ancient mythology.

3. Wicked by Gregory Maguire

To be honest, I like the ideas presented in Wicked more than the actual execution, but I still think this book is worth mentioning. I’ve actually never seen the musical, which I’ve heard is great, but maybe one day… And, of course, The Wizard of Oz is another great book with witches. 😉

4. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

Now this is the case when I mention witches in a bit broader sense. Narigorm is a rune-reader, but she is also much more… I can’t actually reveal anything else because it would be a spoiler, but I certainly think she could be considered a witch. Company of Liars is a very interesting, atmospheric book, set in the Middle Ages, and I would really recommend it. You can read more of what I thought about it HERE.

5. Bright Air Black by David Vann

Bright Air Black is a retelling of the myth of Medea. Is Medea really a witch? This could be debated, but the other character certainly do call her that. And it’s an amazing book worth mentioning every time I get the chance. 😉 You can read more about it HERE.

And that’s it! Do you have any books with witches to recommend?

Top 5 Wednesday: Favourite Bromances

Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Samatha at Thoughts on Tomes. The guidelines and topics can be found on the Goodreads group.

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Bromance = platonic relationship between two characters who identify as male. 

Oh, my, this topic is great! Now, I know I haven’t posted in a while, and I’m sorry. I will try to post more often from now on, but I needed a little break for some not that interesting reasons. So, I’ll just skip this introduction and get right to my list of favourite bromances, because this is where the fun starts! 😉

1. Spider-man and Deadpool

I’ll just start with my (probably) all-time favourite pair. Spidey would be angry with me for this, because he refuses to call Deadpool his friend, but he’s wrong and we all know it. Deadpool admires Spider-man, but that doesn’t stop him from doing stupid things. And, while I expected more from the comics that deal with their relationship, they are still my favourite bros. With a hint of romance, to be completely honest. 😛

2. Jezal dan Luthar and Logen Ninefingers (The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie)

(This may be a mild spoiler, since this friendship develops slowly, but I try not to give many details.) When you first meet these two, you’d never say that they might become friends. Logen is a warrior from the North, a strong, feared man who wants to become a better person. Jezal is initially a handsome, but vain knight. This quote describes him well:

He wiped his face, and then—his favourite part of the day—gazed at himself in the looking glass.

And yet, they learn to recpect one another. It is interesting how Logen, a man who is tormented by all he did in the past, actually helped Jezal become a better person. At the time Logen was feeling particularly bad about himself, he asks Jezal if he’s an evil man to which Jezal replies “you’re the best man I know”. Neither of them are truly good, and they cannot fight all of their flaws, but the respect they have for one another in the end is wonderful to read about.

3. Hamlet and Horatio

Yes, this is Hamlet. From the 1921 silent film in which Hamlet is female. 😉

It can be argued that Hamlet is actually insane, but I’ll leave that for another time. XD What is obvious from the play, though, is that the only person Hamlet can truly trust is Horatio. He helps Hamlet the best that he knows, and remains loyal to the end. After Hamlet (and everybody else) is dead, it’s Horatio’s role to tell the story of what had happened to the world.

P.S. Check out these Hamlet illustrations!

4. Sam and Frodo

Does this one even need an explanation? Sam is the best friend one can hope for. Frodo would be lost without him. Anotther great friendship from LOTR is the one between Legolas and Gimli, but Sam and Frodo are my pick for this list.

5. James Potter, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black

There are so many sweet friendships in the Harry Potter series. Ron and Harry are definitely the first that come to mind. And there are also Newt Scamander and Jacob Kowalski from Fantastic Beasts, the newest addition to the magical world. And, yet, I just had to put there three on the list. From what we learn about them, it is obvious that they were extremely close. They even learned to turn themselves into animals in order to help their werewolf friend.

Bonus, my favourite friendship from a tv show: Captain Flint and John Silver (Black Sails)

Black Sails is my favourite show, and Flint and Silver are just a small part of what makes the show so great – but an important part. Eventually, everything leads to these two. Their dynamic kept me at the edge of my seat (a polite way of saying I was emotionally unstable while watching it.) I want to say so much more, but I also want to persuade the people who haven’t seen the show to watch it, so I don’t want to say too much. Just watch the show, you’ll understand!

So, what are your favourite bromances?

Top 5 Wednesday: Book Covers I’d Live In

Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Samatha at Thoughts on Tomes. The guidelines and topics can be found on the Goodreads group.

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This is a great topic! I’ll just start showing some lovely covers, straight away! 🙂

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone illustrated by M. Kay

Well, we’ll just get this out of the way because, of course, I need to have a Hogwarts related book cover on this list. Everyone wants to live there. I (still) don’t own any of these editions, but I think they’re gorgeous! This is the entire illustration. Just look at this!

2. The Wordsworth Classics Edition of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

It just looks so peaceful. And such a gorgeous view! Also, I really wish I could paint, but I’m very bad at it. Maybe I could learn?

3. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

How pretty is this, ha? Barcelona, here I come!

4. These editions of the first two Vampire Chronicles books

This is how I would live if I ever became a vampire. (There’s still time, I might.) I mean, what’s the point of being a vampire if you don’t live in a big creepy house, right?

5. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

So, I get a gorgeous mansion with this one? Ok, I’m gone, bye!

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Top 5 Wednesday: Children’s Books

Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Samatha at Thoughts on Tomes. The guidelines and topics can be found on the Goodreads group.

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“This can include Middle Grade (but try to recommend more than just Harry Potter and Percy Jackson!) Feel free to talk about your childhood faves or more recent reads.”

This is such a nice topic! I tried to remember the books I liked in primary school, and I came up with this list. (There are some great books by Croatian authors that loved as a child, but they haven’t been translated to English so I’ll leave them out of the list.)

1. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

This is the first book I remember falling in love with. I loved all the characters, and it made me believe my stuffed animals are alive, too. XD I have two Eeyore toys, he’s my absolute favourite (and you can see one of them in the photo.)

2. The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen

Image courtesy: Pixabay.com

When I was a child, I hated unhappy endings, but Hans Christin Andersen intrigued me for some reason. When I heard that the Disney version of The Little Mermaid is based on a story by Andersen,  and that it was actually a sad story, I was a bit disappointed, but also interested to know the original story. When my mother told me that The Little Match Girl was one of the saddest stories she’s ever read, and that she still couldn’t get over it, I had to know what the story was about. Anyway, among the many tragic stories that I (strangely) grew fond of, The Ugly Duckling actually had a happy ending, but it made me cry the most. I’ve always had a soft spot for animals. This story stayed with me ever since I first read it. What The Little Match Girl was for my mother, The Ugly Duckling was for me. (P.S. He’s not ugly, he’s ADORABLE, what’s wrong with you?)

3. Fear Street series by R.L. Stine

Anything by R.L. Stine, really. I was a horror-loving child who was scared of everything. I’m not joking, I couldn’t sleep with my lights off for a very long time, but I was always attracted to horror. Crazy, I know. I would go to the library and borrow anything with R.L. Stine’s name on it, and my library had more Fear Street than Goosebumps books, so I decided to put Fear Street on this list.

4. The Paul Street Boys by Ferenc Molnár

Paul Street Boys statue in Budapest. Photo from Wikipedia.

This is a book by a Hungarian author which was required reading for us in primary school. I read it again last year because I was working in a school and my students were supposed to read it, and I think it’s a very powerful, though quite sad book. Most of my students liked it, too.

5. W.I.T.C.H.

I loved W.I.T.C.H. comics so much I tried drawing my own version of it. And I’m not good at drawing. XD This comic is so magical, and all the girls have their own unique personalities. They had amazing powers, and they fought agains evil, but they also had problems in their personal lives. I hated the animated series, though, because they changed the story and I couldn’t accept that. XD I’d really like to know if any of you have read this? Who was your favourite? Mine was Cornelia.

Honourable mention: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I put this book as an honourable mention because I didn’t actually read it as a child, I’ve read it a few years ago, but I really loved it! And I think I would’ve loved it as a child, too. It’s just the right combination of creepy and cute. 🙂

Aaaand that’s it. So, what were your favourite childhood reads?

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Top 5 Wednesday: Authors I Want to Read More from

Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Samatha at Thoughts on Tomes. The guidelines and topics can be found on the Goodreads group.

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This week’s title is quite self-explanatory. We all have those authors that we really, really want to read more from. So, let’s start with the list! These are listed in no particular order:

1. Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is an amazing author, and a very productive one. His books are fun and clever, they make you laugh, but they also make you appreciate Pratchett’s wit. Some also carry messages that I find very true and important. I love his books, and, luckily for me, there are many more for me to read. 🙂

2. Margaret Atwood

The only Margaret Atwood book I’ve read is The Handmaid’s Tale. I know, that’s horrible and needs to be rectified! I recently bought a copy of Penelopiad, and I can’t wait to read it! The Odyssey from Penelope’s point of view? This has to be amazing!

3. Daphne du Maurier

I’ve read four of her books, and loved all of them. Du Maurier creates such an amazing atmosphere, and manages to be both descriptive and exciting. That’s something I can’t help but admire.

4. Edith Wharton

I loved The Agnocence and The House of Mirth. Of course I want to read more!

5. Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak’s Honour is one of my favourite books ever. Her writing is just beautiful, and she portrays the characters and their feelings very vividly, making them seem real. The themes of Honour are not happy ones. It speaks about immigration, the clash of cultures, and honour murders. I think this is an important read, which manages to present different points of view without any kind of judgement. I absolutey want to see what else this amazing author has written!

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All of the photos are from Goodreads.

Top 5 Wednesday: Books that Would Make Good Video Games

I wasn’t sure what to do with this topic… I like to play video games, but most of the books I read are not very action packed. And, yes, not all video games are action games, but it was still hard to find the books that would fit this topic. Here’s what I came up with:

1. Tales of the Ketty Jay series by Chris Wooding

This was the first series that came to mind. It would be a fun adventure, and yes, there would be lots of different action missions. It would be amazing to step into the role of an airship pirate!

2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Several Neil Gaiman books would be really fun as video games, but, in my humble opinion, this is the most game-like one. The world of London Below hides a lot of traps, and you also have to escape the creepy thugs Croup and Vandemar… A lot is going on in this book!

3. Vicious by V. E. Schwab

Victor and Eli have superpowers, and that is a great start for a game. I also think it would be interesting to be able to choose to play either as Victor or as Eli. The game could add a bit more of what they did in the meantime – especially with Eli hunting all the people with powers – before the final conflict between the two.

4. Alice by Christina Henry

This would be a great horror game, with a lot of puzzles and dialogue. Not for kids at all, though. XD This retelling of Alice in Wonderland is very creepy and violent, but I think it would look great as a game.

5. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Yes, I know Harry Potter games already exist, but I would like a game where you create your own character, and go to Hogwarts. It would be so amazing, like a combination of Pottermore and The Sims, I don’t know… XD But if we can’t go to Hogwarts we can at least play a game where we do. 😉

So, would you want to play these games?

Top 5 Wednesday: Top SFF Books on My TBR

Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Samatha at Thoughts on Tomes. The guidelines and topics can be found on the Goodreads group.

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This week’s topic are fantasy and science fiction books, but the ones you haven’t read yet, but want to read SOON! There are much more than five SFF books I really want to read, but here are the six books that first came to mind so I guess I want to read them most. Yes, I said six. Five is not enough this time. 😉

1. Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan

I ordered this book recently and I can’t wait for it to arrive! I loved the first book in the series, A Natural History of Dragons, which you probably know since I’ve talked about it a lot. Lady Trent is a dragon naturalist, and that is basically my dream job. I have to read this, soon! Actually, I have to read all of these books. The last one comes out in a month or so. 🙂

2. Royal Assasin by Robin Hobb

I’ve recently read the first book in the Farseer Trilogy, Assasin’s Apprentice and I can’t wait to continue with the series. I really like the main character, Fitz, the world, and I want to learn more about the Fool!

3. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

I’ve heard great things about this book. It’s supposed to be a very character driven science fiction/ space opera with aliens – which sounds amazing. My boyfriend actually bought a copy recently, so I’ll borrow it from him. Soon, of course. 😉

4. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

I don’t know much about this book, but it is set in the Middle Ages and has some magical elements, so it’s a combination of historical fiction and fantasy. I’m a bit obsessed with the Middle Ages, so this is a must-read for me.

5. The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell

This is the first book in Bernard Cornwell’s series about King Arthur, and as a huge fan of Arthurian legends I need to read it! Also, I kind of want these covers… They are so pretty. (Yes, you shouldn’t judge the book by the cover, but just look at them!)

6. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

This is an epic fantasy book, also a first in the series which is often classified as dark fantasy. It’s supposed to be very, very violent and gritty, and that kind of draws me to it… I’m probably crazy. XD But I think dark and violent books can be great if done well. That’s why I can’t help being intrigued by this one.

Have you read any of these? Did you like them?

Top 5 Wednesday: Favourite Angsty Romances

Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Samatha at Thoughts on Tomes. The guidelines and topics can be found on the Goodreads group.

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Talk about your favorite ships that have a healthy side of angst. (definition: adj.: describes a situation or literary piece which contains dark, depressing, angry, and/or brooding emotions from the participating characters.)

I’m not a fan of romances, but it turns out there are some I can’t help but adore. Romanticism and the Victorians take the stage this time! (Tbh, most of these are not healthy at all.)

1. Catherine and Heatcliff (Wuthering Heights)

So much angst in this one! Both Cathy and Heathcliff have their issues, and they are not exactly likable (especially Heatcliff). However, they are well-rounded, complex characters and they have reasons for their actions, though that doesn’t necessarily justify them. This love story is more than a love story, and that’s what made it a classic.

2. Lestat and Louis (The Vampire Chronicles)

Don’t you dare tell me theirs is not a love story! And it’s angsty as hell. Louis is angsty in general, actually. XD

3. Batsheba Everdene and Gabriel Oak (Far From the Madding Crowd)

This is the only positive one on this list, I think. XD The relationship between these characters develops slowly, and unlike most Victorian male characters, Gabriel is actually a nice guy.

4. Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky (Anna Karenina)

There is so much pain, misfortune and angst in this love story… Most of you probably know what happens but I’m still not going to say much, because I don’t want to spoil anything to anyone. This book is wonderful, and it rings very true even today. I do have some problems with Tolstoy’s portrayal of an “ideal” love – Kitty and Levin – but I’ll leave that discussion for another time.

P.S. I actually really liked the 2012 film with Keira Knightley, though most people seem to disagree. The fact that it was filmed in a theatre is a nice way to express how people wear masks and play the roles they are supposed to (actually the roles the society expects of them). It was very artistic.

5. Werther and Lotte (The Sorrows of Young Werther)

Werther’s one-sided love for Lotte was the one that started (or at least made popular) a lot of literary tropes, so I had to include it. Readers identified with Werther so much that many young men comitted suicides just like he did – yes, a wave of suicides happened after the publication of this book. Sometimes the influence of books can be horrible. And even though Goethe strongly criticized the Romantic movement later on, he still said:

It must be bad, if not everybody was to have a time in his life, when he felt as though Werther had been written exclusively for him.

I’ll leave it to you to decide if you agree with this. 😉

Honourable mention: Countess Ellen Olenska and Newland Archer (The Age of Innocence)

Apparently, I don’t like romance at all! I wouldn’t call this relationship romantic, but it is very angsty – and I really wanted to include it so I’m putting it as an honourable mention. Newland falls for Countess Olenska, or to be more precise he becomes obssesed with her. She knows their relationship is doomed, but cannot help falling for him, too. Tragedy ensues…

What did you think of these books? Do you find these angsty couples as influential as I do?

 

 

 

Top 5 Wednedsday: Books I’ve Felt Betrayed by

Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Samatha at Thoughts on Tomes. The guidelines and topics can be found on the Goodreads group.

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Beware the Ides of March! What books (or characters) did you feel betrayed by, for whatever reason…big or small. 

It’s an interesting topic, so let’s get started:

1. Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice

First of all, I LOVE the first three books of The Vampire Chronicles. Love them to pieces and always will. The fourth one, Tale of the Body Thief, was not that good but, though I had some issues with it, it didn’t disappoint me completely. Memnoch the Devil was quite bad… And that made me so sad. From the day I read it, I decided to treat The Vampire Chronicles as a trilogy, because it really went downhill for me. Still, Lestat is amazing, so everything is forgiven. XD

2. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

I loved The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game, so when the third book in the series came out I was more than excited. Though The Prisoner of Heaven ties up the two previous books, it wasn’t as magical as they were. It was, and I’m so sad to say it, quite boring…

3. The Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

I didn’t expect much of this book, but when I started it I though I might be wrong. It seemed it would be interesting. And then – it wasn’t. I don’t care about the forbidden love of the two main characters! I wanted magic, and danger, and mystery! But a forbidden love story was all I got.

4. The Fire by Katherine Neville

This book is a sequel to The Eight, a book I found very interesting. It is a perfect example of why I prefer standalones to series. This sequel was completely unnecessary. And boring. Though I read these books quite a lot of time ago, I still remember the general storyline of The Eight, but I have forgotten what happens in this one. I only remember the disappointment.

5. On the Road by Jack Kerouac

I really though I would love this one. The premise seemed great, and many people love it. In the end, I didn’t like it at all. Reading it was a painful experience to me and I almost didn’t finish it. Don’t hate me, please!

So, that’s it! No hard feelings, eh? 😉

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Science Fiction & Fantasy Books

Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Samatha at Thoughts on Tomes. The guidelines and topics can be found on the Goodreads group.

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In collaboration with the BooktubeSFF Awards, this week’s topic is to talk about your favorite science fiction and fantasy books of all time. I was hard to choose just five, but here are my picks. Also, I mostly like the not-that-traditional approaches to both fantasy and science fiction so these might not be exactly what you are expecting. Still, I think they fit the category:

1. Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is amazing, and I love his Discword series, though I have many more books to read from it. Small Gods is my favourite so far, and it is one of the books in Discworld series that can be read as a standalone. It’s both fantasy and satire, with Pratchett’s incredible wit and humour.

2. Tales of the Ketty Jay by Chris Wooding

The Ketty Jay is a flying steamship, and her crew are pirates. Well, sort of. This book is part steampunk, part fantasy, part science fiction, but mostly adventure and fun! I love it, and the characters are amazing, deeply flawed but still lovable.

3. Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente

This is a very unique book. It’s a retelling of several tales from the Russian folkore, all put into one strange but beautiful story which tackles many different themes. This book is hard to describe, but I found it incredibly interesting, and Valente’s writing is great.

4.  A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

In this book, the main character, Lady Trent, basically lives my dream. She goes on an expedition to study dragons. The way in which dragons are portayed here is exactly how I imagine and like them – they are intelligent, magnificent animals. They are not evil (I really don’t like when dragons represent evil and have to be slain), nor do they speak human language. They are just a part of the world, living their own lives in their own way.

P.S. The gif is from Pete’s Dragon, a wonderful Disney movie that made me cry.

5. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Yes, I know what you are thinking: Do you have to include Frankenstein in every list you make?! Well, I guess I do. Come on, this is the book that started science fiction! How can I not include it? Also, it’s perfect.

Honourable mention: Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab

This series is a honourable mention because I still haven’t read The Conjuring of Light, but I can’t wait to! Shades of Magic took me by surprise – I liked it more than I thought I would. I think what I liked most are the characters, and the unique world. Vicious is another amazing book from this author, which combines science fiction and superheroes, and deals with the notion of good and evil. Highly recommend that one, too.

Another honourable mention: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Not in the top five only because I think everyone’s heard of it and it does not need introduction. However, this book is a gem! It plays and jokes around with fantasy themes, the characters are more than memorable, and it’s really a fun story.

This was a great topic, so you have to forgive me for mentioning more than five books. 😉 Can’t wait to read your posts, I really need more recommendations!

Happy blogging! 🙂