Julia Reviews Soulbound by Kristen Callihan

Title/Author: Soulbound by Kristen Callihan

Publisher/Year Published: February 2015 by Forever/Grand Central Publishing

How I got this book: I was provided an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Why I read this book: I absolutely adore The Darkest London series!

Rating: 4.5 stars

(warning, very minor spoilers for the earlier books in the series)

Summary:

When Adam's soul mate rejected him, there was more at stake than his heart. After seven hundred years of searching, his true match would have ended the curse that keeps his spirit in chains. But beautiful, stubborn Eliza May fled-and now Adam is doomed to an eternity of anguish, his only hope for salvation gone . . . 

No matter how devilishly irresistible Adam was, Eliza couldn't stand the thought of relinquishing her freedom forever. So she escaped. But she soon discovers she is being hunted-by someone far more dangerous. The only man who can help is the one man she vowed never to see again. Now Adam's kindness is an unexpected refuge, and Eliza finds that some vows are made to be broken . . .

If I had to choose one romance series out there now to declare my favorite this series would be it. Soulbound is the sixth book in The Darkest London series and it lives up to the expectations I have formed for this series. 

The thing with this series, unlike a lot of other paranormal romance series, is that each book is completely unique. I have yet to read in the six books the same storyline at all. Each character isn't just a slightly different writing of the same trope. It's wonderful and refreshing. 

Soulbound is the story of Adam and Eliza. We met them in the fifth book (I think... it actually may have even been the fourth), where Eliza is killed but her soul not ready to leave this world. Adam is summoned to turn her into a Ghost in the Machine (GIM), in which the just killed person declares themselves to serve Adam and in return he gives them a clockwork heart and life again, unaging and with some cool powers (like being able to leave their body and like flit around like ghosts).

Well, when Adam sees Eliza, he does not make her a GIM but chains him to her and disappears. In the fifth book she is freed but this is the book where their story takes off. Eliza is living with the Fae queen and struggling to figure out life in London. She is faced with some horrid prospects and what she was running from in Boston has followed and found her in London.

She stumbles on a captured Adam and comes up with an idea to run involving him. But how do they break him free without any of the powerful Fae knowing? Seriously the story is the secondary part in my opinion; the romance between the two takes the lead.

Adam has a lot to atone for from the previous books, but he needs to if he is ever going to have his curse lifted and find true love. Eliza has to learn to forgive for past transgressions and see Adam for who he really is. I loved how much the story focused on the two of them. And the ending is seriously not what I expected! 

I love these books. They are some of the best, most unique paranormal romances out there. I will say if you haven't read the other five, that book six isn't the best place to start. Can you read it as a stand alone? I guess... but I wouldn't recommend it. You would miss a lot of the background of the secondary storylines as well as the beginnings of the relationship between Adam and Eliza. But I would recommend this entire series. Callihan continually surprising me with engaging stories and character and is truly one of the best out there in paranormal romance today.

If you are looking for a great paranormal romance set in lovely Victorian London, this series is the best. Other reviews of the first five books in the series can be found at these links -  Firelight, Moonglow, Winterblaze, Shadowdance, and Evernight.

I thoroughly enjoyed Soulbound and can't wait to see what is next in The Darkest London. 

Lori Reviews The Intern's Handbook by Shane Kuhn

Title:  The Intern's Handbook

Author:  Shane Kuhn

Publication Information:  April 2014 by Simon & Schuster

How I Got a Copy of This Book:  I can't remember exactly how I got a copy of the ARC, but the publisher asked if I would be interested in reviewing the book, so I decided to give it a shot.

Goodreads Summary:  Interns are invisible. That’s the mantra behind HR, Inc., an elite "placement agency" that doubles as a network of assassins-for-hire, taking down high-profile executives who wouldn't be able to remember an intern’s name if their lives depended on it.

At the ripe old age of twenty-five, John Lago is already New York City’s most successful hit man. He’s also an intern at a prestigious Manhattan law firm, clocking eighty hours a week getting coffee, answering phones, and doing all the grunt work no one else wants to do. But he isn't trying to claw his way to the top of the corporate food chain. He was hired to assassinate one of the firm’s heavily guarded partners. His internship is the perfect cover, enabling him to gather intel and gain access in order to pull off a clean, untraceable hit.

The Intern’s Handbook is John Lago's unofficial survival guide for new recruits at HR, Inc. (Rule #4: "Learn how to make the perfect cup of coffee: you make an exec the best coffee he’s ever had, and he will make sure you’re at his desk every morning for a repeat performance. That’s repetitive exposure, which begets access and trust. 44% of my kills came from my superior coffee-making abilities.")

Part confessional, part how-to, the handbook chronicles John’s final assignment, a twisted thrill ride in which he is pitted against the toughest—and sexiest—adversary he’s ever faced: Alice, an FBI agent assigned to take down the same law partner he’s been assigned to kill.

My Thoughts:  This book was extremely fun to read.  I've gotten rather into thrillers over the past few years.  This book reminded me quite a bit of Archer if Sterling Archer were doing a long-term undercover assignment.  The protagonist, John Lago, is pretty smooth.  He's an assassin who is great at what he does and he's a bit cocky about it.  But he finally meets his match on his last mission ever.  The ending is one I didn't see coming, but once I got there, it was the only ending that there could be.

Most of the book is Lago writing instructions and tips for future assassins.  Occasionally, there are FBI transcripts.  These transcripts do an excellent job of furthering the plot in ways that John's narrative could not do.  He also includes his rules for how to do his job.  John spends a good amount of time discussing how being an orphan helps him do his job because he has not had an easy life with clear rules and feelings towards other people.  This was really interesting to ponder.  Finally, he gets to the point where he finishes his handbook and continues to tell the story.

I really enjoyed the thriller from a first person perspective.  I'm sure there are other novels out there that use this technique, but I haven't read any before, so it was new for me.  I liked the depth that it brought to the story.  And I liked the voice of John Lago.  He was intelligent and funny, but also removed and distant.

I read good bits of this book with NCIS playing in the background.  This was a great combination!  Both are about agents who have a job to do.  The NCIS agents sometimes bend the rules to the breaking point in order to get their man.  John is an assassin who disregards all rules and laws to get his man (who is usually a very bad person who really kind of deserves to die, even if it's not exactly legal).

Four stars for a fun read and an awesome narrator!

How do you space out your books?

I’ve noticed an odd phenomenon lately. Usually, when I finish a book, I’ll feel the immediate need to fill that book-shaped void in my life—I’m sure you’re all familiar with this feeling—and in a lot of cases, I start a new book almost immediately. Recently, though, this hasn’t been the case.

Part of it is due to blogging guilt. I know that if I don’t write a review within a few days of finishing a book, the review is either not going to get written (likely) or it’s just going to be a shitty review (more likely). It’s even harder to write a review of one book when I’ve already started reading another, because by then I’ll be caught up in the world of the new book and my brain will only reluctantly return to the world of the old one.

The other part, though, is something else with which I’m sure you’re all familiar: the book hangover.

I’ve been experiencing this a lot more lately. I’ll finish a book, have that I need to start a new book RIGHT NOW thought…and then not start another book for a day or two (or three).  For example, I finished Ready Player One (so good!) on Friday, and I’ve been meaning to start Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones since then, but just haven’t quite made myself do it yet. And I’m not really sure why, other than the fact that I only just finished my review of Ready Player One. So maybe now my brain will stop guilting me into NOT reading.

But while this most recent time has been a more extreme version of the book hangover, I’ve begun to notice that I need at least a day between books. This is in sharp contrast to most of the rest of my life, wherein I’ve pretty much always finished a book and immediately started another. This doesn’t mean I don’t want to start a new book; I almost always want to start a new book. But there’s this mental block that prevents me from doing it.

I’m curious about how our readers read! Do any of you have this book hangover issue? I know everyone has different reading timelines and preferences—some people can read on a schedule, some are mood readers; some read slow, others read fast; some drink it all in, some skim. (For what it’s worth, I’m halfway between a schedule and a mood reader, and I generally read pretty quickly because I tend to skim.) I’ve also noticed that my reading habits have definitely changed over the years. Did blogging influence your reading habits? It has definitely changed mine, in the ways I mentioned above as well as in things like making me think a lot more critically about what I’m reading.

I want to hear from you! How do you read?

Top Ten Tuesday: Our Favorite Heroines

For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here!

(I'm planning on updating the list this week...sorry, haven't had time!)

 

Lori says:

1.  Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice  I love how real she is.  Aside from her interest in reading, I can totally relate to her foibles as well...and I think most people can too.

2.  Mame Dennis from Auntie Mame  The name of my personal blog was inspired by her.  She is so fun and exotic and well-meaning, though everything always messes up for her, then comes out all right in the end.

3.  Nora Ephron  OK, fine.  She was a real person.  But I think she was the heroine of her own essays, which are totally amazing.  She's funny and smart and totally relatable.  A true pleasure to read and read about.

Jamie says:

4. Celaena from Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas: SHE IS MY FAVORITE EVER. I feel like I've watched her grow so much in these first 3 books of the series and I cannot wait to see how her arc continues to develop. SHE IS BADASS.

5. Adelina from The Young Elites by Marie Lu: Adelina is such an interesting pick for me but she really sticks out. She isn't always your typical heroine because she is sort of a villain too! But she's so complicated and I just really FEEEEL her despite how difficult it could be to get past some of her choices.

6. Sam from Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley: So my first two picks are fantasy but LET ME JUST TELL YOU...there is nothing like real life badassness. She has physical and mental strength that I can't even fathom and what she endures in this book is NUTS. Seriously, YOU NEED TO MEET HER.

7. Skylar from I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios: This is another contemporary YA but the kind of quiet strength Skylar has to rise from her circumstances and have her eye on what she wants...I couldn't help but root for her so hard! She is an amazing heroine that I won't soon forget. PLUS the other main character, Josh, is just as amazing!

Bridget says:

8. Alice Quinn from The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Alice is your typical painfully shy, super-smart girl…until you get to know her. Quentin may be the main character, but Alice is truly the hero of The Magicians. You have to read it to find out why, though—I’m not going to spoil it for you.

9. Daenerys Targaryen from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. If there’s such a thing as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl in the fantasy world, Dany would be it. Young, beautiful, incredibly strong but also witty and intelligent, all the men in her world pretty much want her—but her only interest is in reclaiming her lost throne (and in her dragons, of course). Getting through A Song of Ice and Fire can be a slog, but reading about all of Dany’s badassery is what gets me through.

Julia says:

10. Lyra from the His Dark Materials Series - Lyra is awesome. Reading this book as a 17 year old, she was a bit young to fully relate to, but I understood her. She learned through trial and error and experience. She didn't wake up being the hero but had to grow into it. I love that series and I love her as the heroine. 

Kimberly says:

11. Elisa from the Fire and Thorns Series- Elisa is such an amazing character. I liked her even when we first meet her in the first chapter of Girl of Fire and Thorns, and she grows SO MUCH. She goes from being likable, to being incredible. Her determination, her loyalty, her faith. I adore her. 

Tell us your favorite heroines!!

Kimberly wants to know: if you could read any book for the first time again, what would you pick?

If you could go back and read any book/series for the first time again, what would you pick?

This was a Top Ten Tuesday topic back in 2011, so it will seem familiar, however, I was dying to talk about it and see what others would say.

For me, my automatic reaction is, and will most likely always be: Harry Potter.

But this got  me thinking about other books/series that really affected me. What other books would I want to experience again?

The first one that came to mind is the Fire and Thorns series. I ADORE those books, and have read the series twice. However, reading it for the first time was magical. I wish I could recapture that feeling!

The next one I thought of was The Book Thief. Oh, that book. I have suggested it to everyone I can possibly think of. I remember getting the chills the first time I picked it up and was introduced to Death's unique narrative. The storytelling is beautiful. Heartbreaking, but wonderful.

So You Want to Be a Wizard. This is the series that introduced me to the wonderful quote “Reading one book is like eating just one potato chip.” I immediately identified with the characters and fell head over heels in love with the story. I was 12 when I first read it, I'd love to experience that feeling of delight I had when I read it.

Those books were the ones that stuck out to me the most, though there are others. What about you? What would you pick?? Please, share in the comments below!

A Cocktail and Conversation: Influences In Your Reading Life

Every other Thursday here at the Broke & The Bookish is  A Cocktail Conversation time. One of the TB&TB members will pose a question to 2-3 of the other members of TB&TB crew about books, life, music, etc and then they'll answer and we can converse about it. So grab a cocktail & cozy up for some conversation. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, friends.

 The question:

"Is there anyone who helped make you the reader you are or helped cultivate your love for reading?"

Bridget says:  Definitely my parents, which I'm sure is a pretty common answer—they're the ones who would read to me all the time, and later financially supported my book-buying habits (along with my grandparents). Later in life, I can claim influence from tons of people who have recommended books, helping me shape my preferences into what they are today—especially my lovely cobloggers and commenters both here and on my own blog! <3

Julia says: There are few people that cultivated my love of reading early, primarily my parents. They read to me as a baby, which helped get things going. Also in grade school, my dad would take my sister and I to the library every Wednesday. So we had that base love of reading. The third person who really helped turned me into the romance lover I am today is my cousin, Erin. She came over one summer day around the age of 12 and introduced me to romance novels. She let me borrow her favorite (So Worthy, My Love by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss) and I was hooked. So I can thank her for introducing me to my favorite genre of books.

 

 

 

Jamie says: I remember being read to always by my parents/them letting me buy books but one of the biggest things that I think made me into the reader I am today is my stepmom. We split time between my dad's house and my mom's but we were always there every day in the summer. My stepmom would take us once a week to the library and just let us roam for 30 minutes in the kid section while she went and looked for her own books. It was this tradition I just LOVED. She let me take out ridiculous stacks and I think that being able to wander and discover made me find so many different things. I would read SO many different things because I had time to wander. Nobody was rushing me out of there. That HABIT of going every week helped me to be a consistent reader. Plus I REALLY looked forward to it!




What about you all? Who helped cultivate your love for reading/make you the reader you are today?

Top Ten Bookish Problems We Have

For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here!

 

 

 

 Bridget says....

1. I’m getting old. No, seriously guys. I remember my parents talking about how they could never read all that much because it made them fall asleep, and I remember scoffing because how could you fall asleep while reading, reading is awesome! But now…I’m lucky if I get through two chapters before my eyelids get heavy. And that goes for almost every book I’ve read recently. Maybe I need to get my eyes checked.

Kimberly says....

2. MOVING. I moved twice in six months. Moving my books? Even worse than moving my ridiculously heavy couch. I now have all of my books nicely organized in my living room and library. We don't even think about moving to another house because neither me or the Mr. want to move my books. AGAIN.

3. Choosing which edition to buy. It's a serious dilemma! UK edition? US? I have two editions of Harry Potter, the original US hardbacks ( midnight release hardbacks!) and the gorgeous new paperback editions. I'll be adding the new illustrated editions too....

Jana says....

4. I want to read everything at the same time! It never fails. I'll be reading one book I've been DYING to read while longingly looking at my shelves at another book I'm DYING to read. I wish I had the brain to read 5 books at once and keep up with them all, but I'm a 1 (sometimes 2) book kinda girl.

5. I don't have enough space! I love physical books, but I have so many that they are becoming furniture. I love ebooks because they take up no space. But how do I decide when to buy a physical copy and when to buy a digital one? I like pretty covers. I love owning physical copies of my favorites so I have something to read when the apocalypse comes and electronics are no more (haha). I don't know what to do!!

Julia says....

6. Series! Everything is a series. I am not particular about many things, but I am about reading or watching something in the order it was intended. It doesn't matter to me if it can 'stand alone'. I must read everything in order! It makes things really difficult sometimes when I hear that book 3 of a 6 book series is wonderful and I should read it. But I can't until I read one and two. Also, finishing a series is almost impossible.


7. This goes along with my last one but forgetting what I have read in between reading books in a series. So book 1 is published in a certain year, and then even if it is only a year later, it is so hard for me to remember specifics about book one! That is one of the reasons I love it when I write reviews of books in a series. I can use it to jump start my memory of events. I will definitely have to use wikipedia to remind me of the events in A Song of Ice and Fire for when (if ever) Winds of Winter comes out!

Jamie says....

8. I can never ever return my library books on time: NO SERIOUSLY. I have no reason half the time other than I'm just too lazy to go or I forget about them. I mean, my money could be going towards worse things but BASICALLY I KEEP THE LIBRARY OPEN WITH MY "donation."

9. I always forget about the books on my Kindle: I'm a physical book kind of gal but I totally love my kindle! Especially for egalleys. But I tend to forget about the books on there because I will always grab for a physical book first when I survey what I have available to me to read.

10. I have books on my shelves that I bought at least 6-8 years (or more) ago that I've never read: I just get so distracted. I get all excited and buy books and then I forget about them because the next new shiny thing comes back. I've culled some because my tastes have changed but I feel REEEAALLY guilty about some of them still being there. Going to try harder to read those!

Tell us your bookish problems!!

Julia Reviews The Devil Takes a Bride by Julia London

Title/Author: The Devil Takes a Bride by Julia London

Publisher/Year Published: January 2013 by Harlequin Books

How I got this book: I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Why I read this book: I rarely get historical romances from Harlequin in the mail, so I figured I would try this one! Plus I've been meaning to try Julia London

Rating: 3.5 stars

I don’t like reading books out of order when they are in a series. I don’t like watching TV out of order when it is a series either for that matter. Call it a character flaw. So when I saw The Devil Takes a Bride show up at my doorstep I thought, “I must read The Trouble with Honor so I can read this one and review it!” Well that didn’t go so well.

Now I was trepidatious. Would I even be able to finish it? I decided that I liked Grace enough from the bits I saw her in the first book to give this a try. And I am glad I did because I ended up liking it in the end.

The Devil Takes a Bride starts off with Grace trying to trap a husband to save her family from the streets. It’s not an ideal action,and she is reminding me a lot of her sister right away which worried me. But once the trap had sprung and she caught the wrong man, things got better. Well, not for her, but for my reading experience. It went a different direction from the first book and focused on the couple just trying to make the best of bad situation.

Grace is far from perfect and is trying to grow up while accepting her fate. Jeffery, the lead, is a recluse by choice and has some nontraditional habits… sexually and mentally. The book is really about figuring out how the two of them can figure out each other without making the other’s life miserable. Jeffery needs to see how he can integrate people into his well ordered world while also understanding that he can open up. Grace needs to see how life isn't all fun and games and that real life is something that is hard and that you work hard for.

I just love how the two of them play off each other. Both failing to understand anything about the other off the bat. They had to grow into each other. That is one of my favorite romance tropes - the married in haste and now we have to make the best of this trope. I was a bit worried though that Jeffery's ails would be healed by the Power of Lurve, but luckily that isn't the case. Instead we just get a non-traditional duke.

In the third act though, more of the secondary characters make appearances which started to drag on for me. The main story had a teeny bit going on at the end, but in my mind they had already solved the main conflict. It was more about figuring out secondary story lines and almost unnecessary. It didn't hold my attention as much as when the story was focused on the two of them.

Overall the book was a nice read for me - a great couple with a sizzling romance. The secondary characters were okay, but they made the ending drag a bit. Despite that I am glad I read it and enjoyed it.


PS. Apparently the book was originally called The Fall of Lady Grace which in my opinion is a vastly superior title. I want to call it that from now on instead of yet another rouge/devil/scoundrel + bride combo.

Thanks to Harlequin for providing me with the ARC for this review!

Broke and Bookish Book Haul for 2/1 - 2/14

Daisy's Book Haul

Bought:
-The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: I think I might own this in Dutch already or it's gotten lost in my parents' house somewhere, but after watching the movies, I really want to read this, cause when I tried it the first time years ago, I just couldn't get through it, so maybe this pretty version will be enough motivation to actually do it.
-The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn: Julia Quinn is awesome, of course I bought this latest release.
-Catch a Falling Heiress by Laura Lee Guhrke: same goes for Laura Lee Guhrke, I really love her books!
-The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon: So I've read this already, but it's AMAZING and I needed my own shiny hardcover!

Egalleys for review:
-Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone: I'm always intrigued by mental illness, and I've heard amazing things about Tamara Ireland Stone's writing, so I'm excited for this one!
-The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey: YAYYYY!!! I'm so excited for this!! It sounds awesome :)
-Forever For a Year by B.T. Gottfred: this sounds like it has a real possibility of breaking my heart, I'm SO in!
-Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson: steampunk isn't usually my go-to genre, but this sounds really interesting and I really like Shanna Swendson's writing.

Dove Arising Video Reveal

Hi everyone! Jana here. Have you heard of Dove Arising by debut author Karen Bao? It's a YA sci-fi book being released on February 24th, about a girl who lives in a colony on the moon. She hasn't spoken much since the death of her father, but when her mother is arrested by the government she enlists in the Militia and goes on a quest to save her mother and free her siblings. Sounds pretty exciting, huh?

The publisher contacted me and asked if I would be willing to reveal one of the four propaganda videos here and at my personal blog, That Artsy Reader Girl. The first one was revealed on Hypable yesterday, and the rest are being revealed by IceyBooks and Fangirlish.

Top Ten Things Daisy Likes/Dislikes When It Comes To Romances In Books

For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here!

I LOVE romance in books, I love shipping the ship and swooning and crying at all kinds of trouble. So these are my likes and dislikes about romances in books:

Dislikes

1. Instalove: Seriously, can this please die? I mean, everybody knows this one, two people look at each other and BOOM love enters and nothing else matters but that guy/girl. Yeah right. Obviously I believe in insta-lust, but let's not make that prettier than it is ok? There is such a thing as instant attraction, but you don't love someone when you first meet them, there has to be some kind of relationship building going on.

2. The stalkerish-type of love: You all know I'm talking about the creepy 'I'm ALWAYS watching you' type of relationship (*cough* Twilight *cough*). It's weird. It's creepy and it's not romantic.

3. The helpless heroine who needs constant saving: Because I mean, really? I am perfectly capable of tying my own shoelaces and doing LOTS of other things on my own. I don't fall down a well every other minute and I expect my heroines to have the same sense and not have all the too-stupid-to-live moments just so we can see the hero flex his muscles a bit more.

4. Any kind of non-consensual intimacy: Ok, repeat with me: it's only sexy when both people want it. Please stop trying to romanticize rape, it's not ok.

5. Spinelessness: This can be either the hero or the heroine or both. I HATE when the couple just keeps taking crap from each other without speaking up and basically forgiving them ANYTHING they did wrong, even if it's something really bad or just plain annoying or at least has me going WTF? This also counts if one part of the couple is just agreeing with the other over EVERYTHING. Please just have an opinion about something.

Likes

1. The funny mixed in with the romance: I love when an author can bring the funny along with the romance, both Tessa Dare and Julia Quinn are masters at this and have scenes in their books that are laugh out loud funny for me, which put the couple in awkward situations and they bond over this. I love this.

2. People with history getting together: I love it when it's two people who have known each other for a long time, cause they have a solid and believable basis for their lovestory: the brother's best friend, the boy/girl next door, the best friend turned love interest. Those kind of story arcs work for me usually.

3. The hate-to-love relationship: LOVE THIS! There are all these sparks and BANTER and then BOOM they kiss and it's magical and electric and just I LOVE THIS OK?

4. Pirates: pirates go well with everything, including romance. Also, this goes really well with another thing I like: girls dressing as guys as a disguise. I especially like this when the pirate starts questioning himself cause he's developing feelings for a 'boy'.

5. The slow burn romance: I just love a good slow burn romance filled with all these small moments and glances and then the tension just builds and builds until you want to smash the two characters together and yell at them to JUST KISS ALREADY!! OMG, I love it when this happens cause then I'm SO rooting for the couple and it's so satisfying when they finally get together.


So tell me, what you do like/dislike seeing in your books when it comes to romance?

Julia's Top Ten Classic Books that She Can't Believe She Hasn't Read

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I like to consider myself well read, and compared to the majority of the population, I am. But despite my 50 odd books a year and my proclivity to call myself "bookish", I am woefully under-read in the classics. Here are the top ten of those that I can't believe I haven't yet read.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
I know, guys. I know. The long-time readers of this site will recognize P&P's presence on my list, since it's been there in 2010, 2011, 2013, and on my Booklikes page in 2014. I don't know what else I can say to this, really. I love romance. I love this story. But for some odd reason I just haven't read this book. It's a bucket list read for me, that's for certain.

2. 1984 by George Orwell
I love dystopian future stories. I love sci-fi movies and probably should branch out into some more sci-fi lit. But 1984 remains unread. I wonder if I just have to be in the right mood to read this one. The last time I tried, I was in China and not in the mood for such depressing literature (because I was feeling alone in the real world. I didn't need my lit to reflect that). I wonder if now that I am generally happy if it would be a good time to pick this up, especially with the parallels of the online/governmental experience today.

3. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Out of the seven, I am pretty sure I have only read three, at most four. These books, this series right here, are the books that brought me back into reading. I had been half-assing my reading tests up until that point, because somewhere between kindergarten and third grade I lost the reading bug. Then I found The Magicians Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and I loved those kids. But when I read A Horse and His Boy, I was thinking, "Who are these people? Where are Lucy and Susan?" and I stopped reading. I fully blame my compulsion to read things in series order and Harper Collin's for making that order Chronological instead of Published order. I want to go back the read the rest of the series that brought me back in the fold, but as of yet I have not.

4. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
In high school, one might say I had an obsession with The Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth. I read The Lord of the Rings after I saw The Two Towers movie and fell into a world of fan-fiction and obsession. Hell, I was so into elves I even read The Silmarillion. But I never read The Hobbit. I tried, but it's tone is so different from the rest that I could just not get into it. I am not sure that it would be any different now, although I am not so obsessed with middle earth that I couldnt see the forrest from the Ents anymore. I want to give this one another shot.

5. Paradise Lost by John Milton
I realize this book isn't on everyone's To-Read list, but it has been on mine for over ten years now. I fell in love with the idea when we read a snippet in British Literature. Then that love was solidified when I read Golden Compass. But, I still really want to read the original epic poem. Alas, what I think has been holding me back on this one is finding a good annotated version that can help with some of the allusions and references.

6. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
I use the phrase all the time, but I have never read the work on which it is based. Every time I say it, too, I think to myself, "I really should read that book." I feel like it says something about the book when the title makes it into the vernacular, and I want to find out what!

7. The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Here's a classic many people can't believe I haven't read. I loved The Lords of Discipline and have told myself since then that I needed to check out more of Conroy's work. I just haven't gotten around to reading this one (or any others) yet. Hopefully someday soon!

8. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Really this could read any book by the Bronte sisters. I feel guilty about Jane Eyre the most, so much so that I had different movie versions in my Netflix queue to watch that I would not allow myself to view until I read the book. Well that didn't turn out too well. I still want to read the book!

9. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
I am lumping this as a classic because I think of it as a classic fantasy series. These books are one of the series to read if you like fantasy, or so I've been told. I have actually been told by multiple people that I would like these, but alas, they sit lingering in my TBR queue hopeful that one day I will get to them.

10. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
For similar reasons as 1984, I feel like I haven't been in the right mindset to read this one yet. But really that is a silly excuse. Apparently I own two copies of it on my eReader too. No excuses now. I must get reading!

What about you all? What are some classics that you can't believe you haven't read yet? Are there any that didn't make my list that I should check out?

Link up your own list of books you cant believe you havent/want to read below. Happy Tuesday!

Broke and Bookish Book Haul for 1/18 - 1/31

Daisy's Book Haul

Gifted/Bought:
-Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg: got this from my friend Debby @ Snuggly Oranges because she is awesome and culls her bookshelves and I'm just dying to read it!
-The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes: I am forever searching for that next amazing fantasy novel out there and this sounds amazing!
-Love, Lucy by April Lindner: I really enjoyed Catherine and this one sounds so good! Set in Italy and just a whole lot of YES!
-A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger: so I recently read The DUFF and it was AMAZING. So I decided to buy this, because.
-Shut Out by Kody Keplinger: same reason. I will quite possibly read this soon.
-I Was Here by Gayle Forman: after If I Stay and Where She Went, I will basically auto-buy anything by Gayle Forman.
-Ensared by A.G. Howard: this was actually already on last time's Book Haul, but I noticed after I took the picture and I'm too lazy to get back up and take another picture without it in it. I've already read it and it broke my heart and put it back together and I just have so much love for this series!
-Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead: I still need to start this series, but I cannot resist buying them as they come out.
-Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare: I LOVE Tessa Dare, she brings the romance and the funny and it's awesome! I hope this one will be amazing as well!
-The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall: ALL THE EXCITEMENT! I cannot wait to dive into this book!

Egalleys for review:
-Uprooted by Naomi Novik: this sounds like an amazing fantasy novel and I'm SO IN!
-The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler: it's Sarah Ockler. She's awesome.
-The Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski: this sounds like it could potentially break my heart. I love those kinds of books.
-The Virgin's Daughter by Laura Andersen: what if Queen Elizabeth had a daughter? I don't know, but I want to find out!
-Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil: the sequel to Get Even, which I really enjoyed!