Thursday, March 31, 2016

Discussion: Book Adaptations Change my Opinion

Sometimes my opinion for a book is swayed by an adaption, and, yes, sometimes I like the adaptation better than the book (a sin, I know)!  I don't think it's bad to like the movie/show better than the book, because, really, sometimes stories are meant for one particular medium and don't translate as well on another, and sometimes they work well on both.  But, that's not what this post is about, per say.  It's more about some recent adaptations that have gotten me excited or encouraged me to read the book.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
I read the first book in this series several years ago and loved it!  It was so much better than I had thought it would be and strongly reminded me of X-Men (of which I was a HUGE fan back then).  Now, with the gorgeous trailer for the film out (go watch it if you haven't yet, and go watch it again if you already have) I think it's time to pick the books up again.  I own the whole trilogy and I'm not really sure what's kept me from reading them all at this point.  So, yeah, while I knew I was already excited for this film and in love with the book, the movie has got me all ramped up again.

Me Before You
This isn't the sort of book I would regularly pick up, but after seeing the trailer for the film (which features the beautiful Sam Claflin) I couldn't help but hurrying over to Amazon.com and buying a copy immediately.  I still haven't read it, but it's high on my list to get to right now, and I'm rather surprised that it would ever have been the case.  I don't think there's been another movie or show from a genre I don't read that has gotten me to actually read the source material.

The Magicians
I read The Magicians several years ago and was not thrilled with it.  In fact, one could say I hated it.  Though, I suppose that might be too strong a word, because, by the time I finished it, I was so depressed by the story and the characters that I could feel nothing at all for the book.  I put it down, completely unsatisfied.  So, understandingly, when the show aired on The Magicians I wasn't really excited for it.  I only watched it because my Dad and Lauren (who's blog you should go check out ASAP) told me it was really a good show.  I sat down, and within the first ten minutes I was in love with the show.  It's dark, ambitious, and full of ambiguous, but not sceevy like I remember the book being, and actually a really good show.  Right now, it's one of my favorites.  And, actually, it may be convincing me to retry reading the book.  Crazy, yeah?  I'm still debating- I'm going to see how the ending of the series leaves me feeling, because that's where the book lost me.

Has an adaptation ever changed your opinion of a book?  Let me know in the comments!

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday: Furthermore

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine
The bestselling author of the Shatter Me series takes readers beyond the limits of their imagination in this captivating new middle grade adventure where color is currency, adventure is inevitable, and friendship is found in the most unexpected places.

There are only three things that matter to twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow: Mother, who wouldn’t miss her; magic and color, which seem to elude her; and Father, who always loved her. The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him. But it’s been almost three years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she’s about to embark on one to find the other.
But bringing Father home is no small matter. In order to find him she’ll have to travel through the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. Her only companion is a boy named Oliver whose own magical ability is based in lies and deceit—and with a liar by her side in land where nothing is as it seems, it will take all of Alice's wits (and every limb she's got) to find Father and return home to Ferenwood in one piece. On her quest to find Father Alice must first find herself—and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss.

Why I'm Waiting
I was not a fan of Shatter Me, but this sounds rather adorable!  I'm willing to give it a chance.  Also, this cover is fantastic!  Very whimsical.

Furthermore comes out August 30th, 2016

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Top Ten Last Five Star Reviews

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish







7. Rio Bravo (Graphic Novel Review)

8. The Force Awakens (Movie Review)

9. Horimiya (Manga Review)

10. Cress

Sorry for the lack of photo's this week!  What were you last couple of five star reviews?

Monday, March 28, 2016

This or That Book Tag

I saw this tag on Mariah's blog, Vibin With Books, and thought it looked adorable (I recommend checking her blog out if you don't already).

Reading on the couch or on the bed?
The couch when no one is home, but my bed the rest of the time.

Male or female main character?
Female main character, since they're easier to relate with.

Sweet or salty snacks?
Salty- I love cheezits :)

Trilogies or Quartets?
Trilogies that are done well, because I hate waiting for books to come out.  I do like quartets if the story doesn't fit well in a trilogy, though.

First person point of view, or Third?
I used to love first person POV, but the more I read, the more I appreciate third person (and, unsurprisingly, this is the POV with which I like to write).

Reading at night or morning?
I love reading in the morning, but I rarely have time, so I often read at night.

Libraries or book stores?
Book stores!  I love them because I can bring the books home!  But also, I'm broke, so that stinks.  I do love libraries, too, I just don't live by any with large collections, which is a shame.

Character driven or plot driven story lines?
Not even a question for me- I need character driven storylines or I DNF the book immediately.  


I tag:
Anyone who wants to do this!

Sunday, March 27, 2016

TV Wrap Up

This is where I wrap up and review all the TV I've been watching this month.

The Magicians Season One, Episodes 5-9
This show continues to stun and engage me!  I'm even considering picking up the books again... we'll see, though.  It's gotten much darker- extremely darker (I'm looking at you episode nine- you're just messed up!)- but it's managed to pull off this darker tone quite a bit.  While Quentin's storyline is the most engaging, I'm rather curious to see where Julia's story goes, since I have absolutely no idea at this point.  It has started to falter in the last two episodes, so I hope they start to do more with her again.  And, officially, I have a favorite character: Eliot!  He just comes off the screen and is so lively!  If you watch the show, I'm curious to know who your favorite is, so please comment below!

The Flash Season Two, Episodes 11-13
I just finished the first part of the Earth-2 storyline and I adore it so much!  I mean, yeah, more than that has happened in the few episodes I saw this month, but that storyline is just so great!  And the wardrobe?  I love it!  I think that may actually be my favorite thing about that world.  Wow was that episode awkward though, haha :)  If you watch you know what I'm talking about- the good kind of awkward.

Arrow Season Four, Episodes 11-13
Can I just say Felicity is my role model?  I mean, she's freaking awesome, even confined to a wheel chair.  Which, by the way, there need to be a bunch more wheel-chair bound bad ass characters, because I've noticed a lack in media (shall we get on that Hollywood?).  This whole business with Malcolm and his hand had me on the edge of my seat, which was wonderful.  I loved being swept up completely by this show again.

Legends of Tomorrow Season One, Episodes 2-4
This show has gotten much better, I must say.  And the MVP of the team is Martin Stein, who has to be my absolute favorite and an absolute surprise!  Also shining in the show (to no one's surprise, I'm sure) are Captain Cold and Sara, who's amazing.

Shadowhunters Season One, Episodes 8-10
The parallel universe episode has to be my favorite so far.  It was so cool and I'm so glad they've gone in this direction.  I know the show still has many flaws, but, you know what, I'm really glad it's on the air and that it's getting a season two, because seeing these characters come to life has been such a joy.  My biggest problem right now is Lydia and Alec because MALEC people MALEC!  Let's see how this pans out, though.  I enjoy Lydia outside of the part where she's killing MALEC, but whatever.

The Shannara Chronicles Season One, Episodes 3-6
I'm still really enjoying this show, and, while it drags occasionally, still seems to play like a movie.  It keeps me entertained and always guessing what will happen next.  I have no idea where the show is going but I'm expecting to enjoy it!  Again, I only have one problem, and that's the strange love triangle they're working so hard to push.  I get it, everyone's into everyone, but can we please skip over all of it (since it's underdeveloped) and just move on with the exciting bits?

Daredevil Season Two, Episodes 1-4
I'm going to do a full review of the show at some point, but since I wasn't able to binge it this year (I had more pressing things going on the day it dropped, aka C2E2) I'm only able to catch an episode or two a week.  I love what I've seen so far, especially the Punisher, who is the centerpiece of the show this season.  He's fantastic and it's one of those roles that just draws my attention every time he's onscreen.  I really hope Netflix gives him his own show, sooner rather than later, because it would be phenomenal!

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Wrap Up (The One Where I Went Back to School)

It's funny that the title of this wrap up has to do with going back to school, because I'm currently writing this from my bedroom at home.  I'm actually back again for a short weekend trip to celebrate Easter with my family.  I know it's tomorrow, but we're actually celebrating it today, and I'll be heading back to school tomorrow morning.  School has started again and I'm rather fond of all my classes so far.  My editing class has us reading articles about the publishing industry, and they're so interesting!  I mean, it probably helps that I'm super obsessed with that same industry, but they really are interesting.  Right now I'm in the middle of an (rather long) article about how scummy amazon is (no surprise there) and it's keeping me entertained.

Finished Last Week
Nothing :(  I think I'm in a book slump and I really need this to change!  If you have any advice, please let me know in the comments!

Currently Reading
There are so many books I'm in the middle of at this point, let me just put it in a list for you, in the order I plan to finish them:
- Age of Myth
- Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge
- White Night
- Bentwhistle the Dragon #2
I want to finish at least one of these this week, hopefully two.

Last Week

Next Week
Sunday-- TV Wrap Up
Monday-- This or That Tag
Tuesday-- Top Ten Tuesday
Wednesday-- Waiting on Wednesday
Thursday-- Discussion
Friday-- Lady Midnight Spoiler Free Review
Saturday-- Wrap Up

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Totally Should've Tag

I was tagged by Christina over at Books and Prejudice to do this book tag!  If you're not already, you should really go follow her blog!

1. Totally Should've Gotten a Sequel
Oh this is hard since for me it tends to be the other way around where the book shouldn't have gotten a sequel.  But... how about Soundless by Richelle Mead?  
I wasn't a huge fan of the book itself, but I think that's because of how short it was and how little development happened in that time.  Had this been a duet or trilogy I might have liked it a lot more.

2. Totally Should've Had a Spin Off Series
For me, this is a no brainer.  When I was much younger I was on love with the Eragon series of books and I'm still waiting for my spin off.  I know the author has said he plans on either a prequel of some sort or a companion series, but I've been over here waiting for a long time and I don't think it's ever going to happen at this rate.

3. An Author Who Totally Should Write More Books
This is another tricky one for me.  I guess I would go with... Ransom Riggs.
I'll admit, I've only read the first book in his series, but I would pick up any novel he writes.  I can't wait to see what he works on next!

4. A Character Who Should've Ended Up with Someone Else
I don't think I have one for this.  It's hard to think of one, at least.  Most of my ships either stay intact by the end, or I don't think the other pairing is really that bad.  I did have some problems, originally, with Aelin and Rowen, but the more time passes, the more I actually like them together.

5. Totally Should've Ended Differently
While I'm sure there are many books I think this about, I just can't come up with any right now!  Or at least any I feel that strongly about.  The closest I can come to is End of Days.
I felt like the ending was rushed, which prevented me from getting everything out of it that I would have liked.

6. Totally Should've Had a Movie Franchise
I've put deep thought into this one- the Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld.  It's steampunk at its greatest and is full of art that makes the whole story come to life.  It would look gorgeous on the movie screen and I hope someday, someone realizes this.

7. Totally Should've Had a TV Show
Well, Shadowhunters is already a TV show, but is it to much to ask for a Infernal Devices TV show?  I don't know if Freeform could pull off a period piece, but I'm willing to let them try.

8. Totally Should've Only Had One POV
Allegiant.

9. Totally Should Have a Cover Change
Another really hard one.  I like most covers that come on the market, to be honest, and as long as they stick with one theme I'll take them.  But, I suppose, I've never been fond of the Twilight series' covers.

10. Totally Should've Kept the Original Covers
So MANY.  But can we talk about the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater?  I love the original designs (and the fact that the print inside was always colored) and while the new covers try to keep some of the general feel of the original covers, they don't quite manage it.
(Sorry for the shit pictures)

11. Totally Should've Stopped at Book One
I can't think of that many, but I'm going to go with Divergent.  I liked that one the best out of all the books in the series and if the ending were tweaked a bit it probably could stand on its own.


I've been doing a lot of tags lately, and I'm getting a little lazy at tagging people tonight, so I'm not tagging anyone specifically.  If you're interested in the tag, please do it!  And let me know, because I want to see your answers!

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

If Books Could Speak Tag

I've created a tag!  I was sitting in the car wondering what my books say about me, and then realized that would be a really fun tag.  I looked to see if such a thing existed, but I couldn't find one, so I created one.  This is the first tag I created, so I hope people enjoy doing it!

The Rules: 
1. Thank the blogger that tagged you
2. Pick 5-10 books from your shelves randomly
3. Decide what that book would "say" if it could talk
4. Tag other bloggers!

My Books:
I picked these with a random number generator and decided to take my own pictures, but you can randomly choose the books any way you wish and don't need to include original photos.

The Retribution of Mara Dyer: You want to read me, don't you?  You even went to the bookstore the day I came out to try and buy me but they ran out before you got there, so you had to have them order you one.  And we both know how awkward you are with those things.  Besides, the cliff-hanger from book two should have had you reading me immediately and I'm rather disappointed in you.

 Finnikin of the Rock: I promise I'm just as good the second time!  And I promise other people will love me just as much!  Don't give up recommending me, please!  You'll find someone else to talk about me with sooner or later, and if it's later, feel free to read me again and again and again and again!

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Why don't you think about me anymore?  I mean, I get why you didn't pick up my sequel, even though I'm sure it's as good as I am, but you read me in one sitting!  And recommended me to one person.  One person!  Even books you haven't read get more recommendations than I do :(  Maybe you just need to read me again.  I recommend bringing me on vacation- I am a perfect summer read, after all.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown: You used to think I didn't sound very good, but now you know I'll be a great book.  You love everything else by my author, so you'll love me.  Plus, it's been a while since you read anything about vampires?  I can wait, though, don't worry.  I've waited this long.  And then you'll be singing my praises *smug*.

Frostbite: Speaking of vampire books, not to complain since you've read me several times, but when will you finish Bloodlines?  I know, I know, I'm not part of that series, but I really care.  I mean, I'm the book where Adrian was introduced and I know he immediately made his way into your heart.  So why not see where his story will end?  I can't promise you'll enjoy it as much as you once would have, but shouldn't you at least try?

Illuminae: I am satisfied because you are satisfied.  Completely surprised you, didn't I?  I don't mean to brag, but I'm one of the best books you've ever read.  And one of the most beautiful.  That's all.

The Battle of the Labyrinth: I laugh every time you look at me because I remember being one of the first books (actually, the second book, thank you very much- we all know second is the best, after all) that kept you up past your bedtime reading with a flashlight under your blankets.  Good times.  Simpler times.  And that ending!  I remember- I was your first cliffhanger!  Ruined your life for a few weeks :)

Red Pyramid: I was a little bit of a let down, wasn't I?  I know, I know, I'm sorry.  But I wasn't bad, just overhyped.  Thank your friend for that one, not me.  Please just finish my series, though!  I know you want to!  It's a decent conclusion (at least, that's what you've heard...)

The Bane Chronicles: Yeah, I'm looking at you.  And tapping my foot, because I'm pretty sure you promised yourself back when I came out that you would read me because you were that excited for me.  I mean, how can you call yourself a fan of the series if you haven't read me yet!  Are you going to do the same thing with Shadowhunter Academy?  Because you better read me first!

Clockwork Prince: *says nothing because the cover says a million words to the fangirl inside of me and I melt a little bit because JEM*


I Tag:

I'm looking forward to seeing what other people have their books "say"!

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

5 Star ARC Book Review: Tell the Wind and Fire


Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Edition: eGalley courtesy of Netgalley
Release Date: April 5th, 2016
Rating: 5 Stars

I received a copy of Tell the Wind and Fire from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

Tell the Wind and Fire was one of my most anticipated releases this year for a couple of reasons.  One, I absolutely love the classic Tale of Two Cities and had never read a retelling of it before, and, two, because it's a standalone novel, something I don't read many of.

This novel follows Lucie Manette, a light magician who was born and raised in the dark city.  In order to get out of the dark city and save her father, she had to take drastic measures, carving herself into nothing less than an iconic figure.  Now, several years later, comfortably settled in the light city and in love with the heir to a fortune of money and power, the dark city has begun rising, and she's at the center of it.

I loved the characters in this book.  My favorite was easily Carwyn, Ethan's doppleganger, but I ended up loving Lucie for her unique personality and Ethan as well.  Lucie, to me, didn't read like other female protagonists.  She wasn't hot headed, like many of the ladies that take center stage, or cold and calculating (which seems to be the only other option, sometimes).  No, she was straight up practical and weighed everything carefully, and honestly, no matter how virtuous or despicable, and made a decision that made sense in the situation.  I rather enjoyed seeing her make only good (or at least, good for the situation in that it worked) decisions without being the smartest one in the room.  It made it easy to connect to her.  While Ethan doesn't get as fleshed out as I would have liked, he did end up growing on me, and the way he treats other people was wonderful to see.  I do wish other characters had the chance to shine, though, since I thought certain background characters had more personality than they were given.

My favorite part of the novel, though, were the social underpinnings.  Obviously, there was tension between those with power and those without, highlighting, perhaps, some of the things going on in our society, but above all there were clear and direct messages about how to treat women and humans in general.  Lucie, when interacting with Carwyn or Jim, and even Ethan, would make a point, either out loud or in her head, to announce how you should treat the person you love.  There are about a trillion beautiful quotes that have to do with this topic, so I recommend reading the novel for this reason alone.

The plot was very good, though somewhat predictable since I have read Tale of Two Cities and knew that this was a retelling.  I liked the original spin on the story that Brennan has taken, though, and there were several moments (particularly near the end) that surprised me.  Of course, I can't tell you what those are without spoiling you.

This book comes out rather soon, so I really recommend you go and pick it up as soon as you can.  It's a great novel with wonderful prose on top of all that.  And the cover.  Did I mention that?  It'll look great on your bookshelf!


Monday, March 21, 2016

ARC Graphic Novel Review: Kicking and Screaming (Black Canary, Vol. 1)


Author: Brenden Fletcher
Artist: Annie Wu
Edition: eGalley courtesy of Netgalley
Release Date: March 2nd, 2016
Rating: 4 Stars

I received a copy of Kicking and Screaming from Negalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

One of my close friends has been keeping up with this series loyally, going to the comic shop every few weeks to pick up the latest edition, so, even though I wasn't sure about it, I requested this on Netgalley and was approved (and now I've actually read ahead of him because he hadn't managed to keep up... so I feel the slightest bit bad....).  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it!

Kicking and Screaming follows Dinah (aka the Black Canary) after she has joined a band that's starting to get big.  She isn't really fit for the stage, being a superhero and all, but that doesn't really stop her from trying her hardest.  One of her band members, Ditto, it turns out, though, isn't really from this world, and some strange aliens, and Amanda Waller, and an ex-bandmate, are after her, so of course Dinah does all she can to protect this strange but charming kid.

I'm actually familiar with both the author and the artist.  Brenden Fletcher has been writing the most recent incarnation of Batgirl comics (of which I am a large fan) and, since Dinah features somewhat heavily in many issues of that, he has been writing this as well.  I liked returning to his writing, which still seems fresh even though I felt like it was somewhat of a strange direction to go with the character.  Annie Wu actually stepped in and was the artist for several issues of Hawkeye, which I'm another huge fan of.  While I wasn't the biggest fan of her when she was stepping in for Aja, I do love what she has done with this style for a Black Canary story line.  At first I wasn't sold, but after about one issue I was comfortable with it and found myself missing it the two issues she wasn't doing the art for.

My favorite part of the whole piece, though, was the self-contained story.  It wasn't super outlandish, made sense for the character, and still left enough loose ends to keep me wanting more.  Plus, the fact that there is only one major story going on, and it doesn't get sidetracked or just nudged at, had me very pleased.  I wasn't expecting such a well-rounded story (even though, under different, non-comic book circumstances I would call the ending a cop-out) and was more than happy to receive one.

Overall, if you're considering this one, I'd say pick it up.  It may not be what you're expecting, but it's very good in its own way.


Sunday, March 20, 2016

Dragon Loyalty Award: The Answers

Last week I posted the (Dragon Loyalty Award: the Great Game) questions (thank you Lauren for nominating me- follow her!) and it's time to reveal the answers!  Everyone who guessed got really, really close, so good job guys!  Thanks for playing along :) (I reposted the original post here for ease of reading)

The Rules:
1. Give seven (or nine) facts about yourself.
2. Tag other bloggers (dragons only).

So, four of these "facts" will be true and five false, or five true and four false.  Guess in the comments!  Good luck, everyone!

The "Facts":
1. I love the musical Wicked

2. My favorite superhero is Black Widow

3. I go to a small liberal arts college in the middle of nowhere

4. I have a horrible singing voice

5. I have an orange cat named Chester

6. I cut my hair (drastically) for the first time last summer

7. I finished writing a novel all on my own

8. I do surveys online to earn gift cards and money

9. I read books with the dust jacket on

The Answers:
1. True!

2. False- Hawkeye (Clint and Kate), Wiccan, and Angel are tied for my favorites!

3. True!

4. True!

5. False- I have a fat mini-dauchshund named Cosmo (named after the Fairy Odd Parents character)!

6. True!

7. False- my friend and I finished a novel together, but as of yet I've never managed to finish a work all on my own :(

8. True!

9. False- I can never do this, I have to take the jackets off and read the naked hardcovers all on their own :)


I Tag:
Okay, I'm a spaz and forgot to tag people in the original post, so I'm now officially tagging these fine bloggers *ahem* Dragons :)
Christina @Books and Prejudice
Emma @Awkwordly Emma
Michelle @Michelle's Minions
Mariah @Vibin With Books

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Wrap Up (The One Where I Went to a Con... or Two)

My spring break is quickly coming to an end (I head back on Tuesday) but it's been a pretty amazing spring break.  You may remember that I said I was going to Chicago's Heroes and Villains Fanfest last Sunday, which I did, but, yesterday, I also went to C2E2.  The funny thing about C2E2 is that I only decided to go the day before the event.  It was so much fun!  They both were, but the cool thing about C2E2 is that I went for one reason alone: to meet Michael J Sullivan, one of my favorite authors (he's in my top three) and get an ARC of his new book.  I did!  And now I'm currently reading it (everything else pushed out of the way, sorry about that, but this is one of my most-anticipated of the year and another that I've been waiting for for several years).  I also signed up for First In Line's giveaway that they're doing- they said they'd be mailing me a tote full of books, so I'm rather excited!

Here are some quick photo's from my trip to Heroes and Villains Fanfest and C2E2:
The entrance
Some of the cast of Legends of Tomorrow: Arthur Darvill, Caity Lotz, Ciara Renee (the last guy is the moderator)
They were very cool to see!  I didn't get a seat for this one, but I stood in the back and it was just as good a panel there as it would have been in a chair.
This was a panel entitled Men of Arrow
Neil McDonough, Paul Blackthorne, Echo Kellum, Colin Donnell, David Ramsey, and Stephen Amell
And here's a look at just one corner of C2E2, which was huge!
And some awesome Star Wars cosplayers that were there; I'm sorry I didn't get more photos
It was such a good time, both of them, but now onto bookish things:

Finished Last Week
I finished reading Lady Midnight, which was amazing!  I will be writing both a spoiler review and a non-spoiler review, which will be up in a week or so.

Currently Reading
I'm in the middle of White Night, Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge, and Bentwhistle #2, but all that is being pushed to the side as I embark on Age of Myth.  I'm only a chapter in but I like the story very much so far.  Once I finish it I'll go back to Nightshade Lounge, which I was also enjoying.

Last Week
Thursday-- Bookshelf Tour

Next Week
Sunday-- Dragon Loyalty Award: Answers
Monday-- Black Canary Review
Tuesday-- Tell the Wind and Fire
Wednesday-- If Books Could Speak Tag
Thursday-- Totally Should've Tag
Saturday-- Wrap Up

Did you do anything exciting this week?  Did you get any awesome books?  Let me know in the comments!

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Bookshelf Tour

I thought it would be pretty cool if I could show off my bookshelves a bit since I'm back at home.  I did the best I could with the pictures, but they aren't the best.  If you want to see more of my shelves I actually recommend checking out my instagram (some harmless self-promotion never hurt anyone).  Now, without further ado, my bookshelves:

Shelf #1

This is, more or less, my Harry Potter shelf.  I just shelve some of my Riordan books here for the time being.
And, yeah, this may be one of my favorite shelves.  I love tall hardcovers and I tend to love the books that are published as such.
It may appear that I am missing books 2 and 3 in Falling Kingdoms, but they're just at school.  Also, that cardboard thing in the middle is my copy of On The Merits of Unnaturalness which I treasure.
This is a bit of an anything goes shelf.  No real theme here.
Same here, except I have my Michael J Sullivan collection (I love his books so much!) and some of my Neil Gaiman collection.
Shelf #2

And here's the rest of my Riordan collection (minus what's at school) and my (too small) Schwab collection.
My Infernal Devices share a shelf with Maas books, but TMI and now Lady Midnight (that spot where's there's a gaping hole since LM is on my night stand) live here, next to Red Queen.
Just more books... that I either love or really want to read.  No theme.
And here's where you figure out I'm a little crazy about Shadowhunters.  I have all the new covers for TMI and TID, and also the first four TMI books in this weird hardcover I found one time.  So... yeah.
Here's part of my Holly Black collection (the rest is at school) and then adult fantasy and paranormal and such.

Shelf #3

My Dresden Files collection (haven't read them all- yet) and part of my Sanderson collection (also haven't read them all- yet).
Mistborn (which is so AMAZING), Night Angel (SO AMAZING), Farseer Trilogy (hopefully I'll read it soon), and Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell
Graphic novels, comics, and Star Wars stuff.  'Nuff said, I think.
Shelf #4

So these are all somewhat older books that I haven't read in a while, or even really thought of reading in a while.  But I like them all enough to keep them, and I don't see myself getting rid of them any time soon, honestly.
Same thing as above.  Behind Beautiful Redemption the second and third book in that series are hiding, as are the second and third in the Halo trilogy.
These are some of the books that I might consider reading again at some point, even though it's been some time since I was into some of these.
Some more adult fantasy and a middle grade book.  Those piled up (minus the big red one at the bottom) are ones I plan to un-haul at some point.  I think I'll be selling them to HPB just because it's always nice to get some extra spending money- and if I sell them there then I'm already at a bookstore where I can buy new books!  They are evil geniuses I tell you!

So, judge for yourself, I suppose, if I have too many books (is that actually a thing, though?).  Hope you enjoyed seeing my shelves!  Thanks for stopping by!