Top Ten Tuesday #88 - Things Books Inspire Me To Do

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Ten Things Books Have Inspired Me To Do Or Learn After Reading Them

While books inspire me to do many things, I unfortunately cannot act on most these inspirations, which is basically why I read books in the first place; to escape. So this is more of a list of things that books make me want to do--even if I can't actually do them--whether it be for financial or physical/mental reasons. 

The Throne of Glass series really made me want to be an assassin. Haha, ok, maybe just as a fictional thought. But it did make me wish I knew some Krav Maga or other self-defense techniques so I could kick ass like Celaena. 

The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis really inspires me to learn how to live off the land and be able to take care of myself in the wild and/or a post-apocalyptic situations. 

While I was never a hardcore gamer and don't play video games very often anymore (just the occasional Skyrim and Minecraft), I grew up playing Nintendo, Playstation, and Xbox. Ready Player One really made me want to go back to my roots and play all those 80's & 90's games like Space Invaders, Zelda, and more. I do still have my Super Nintendo... 

I've wanted to visit the Biltmore Mansion since I first learned about it as a kid and Serafina and the Black Cloak renewed that dream of seeing it one day. I have an obsession with big old houses and this one is pretty high on my bucket list. 

The Hobbit inspired me to make life an adventure. Whether it's visiting a new state park I've never been to before, going hiking off-trail, riding my bike for miles, or even just seeing the monotonous daily tasks as little adventures. Life can be tons of fun if you just see it differently. 

The Secret Garden is probably one of the most inspirational stories I've ever read. It inspires me to look for beauty everywhere. And, it may have fueled my love for nature. I love plants and one of my biggest dreams is to grow my own little secret garden some day. 

This one is going back quite a ways but when I was a kid, I wanted nothing more than to run away and live in a tree like Sam because of this book. I had my survival kit ready and everything. Problem was, there are no mountains in Florida. 
Of course, there are other things that books inspire me to do such as traveling. I basically want to go everywhere so I don't have any one book to list. 

Also, books inspire me in other ways. I'm always inspired to draw, paint, and craft. I love making bookmarks for books I love or for books I plan on reading. Sometimes I get a little extra nerdy and make Harry Potter wands or Halloween costumes. I'm sometimes inspired to take pictures of books (although not so much like everyone on instagram.) Basically, books inspire my artistic side. 
So, what do books inspire you to do? 

Book Blitz & Giveaways: The Chronicles of Hawthorne 1&2 by Rue

Book Tour Spotlight & Giveaway: The Gift by Rebecca J. Hubbard

Paperback: 62 pages

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (July 23, 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1515181839

ISBN-13: 978-1515181835

ABOUT THE BOOK

All eleven-year-old Pip wanted was a best friend. When Pip gets a horse for her birthday, she’s delighted. She thinks that the horse she names Buck will be her best friend from the moment that they meet. But she finds out that friendship does not come that easily.

Pip’s father gently guides her so that Pip can discover for herself how to make Buck a true friend. Pip's new friend, Buck, has a story of his own. After leaving his own herd, to move to Pip's house, he is looking for a relationship that will help him feel safe. He, too, learns that making a friend takes patience and understanding.

Told from the perspectives of both Pip and Buck, The Gift is a heartwarming and valuable lesson about friendship, trust and love, that will appeal to a wide variety of readers.

PURCHASE“THE GIFT” ON AMAZON

ENTER THEGOODREADS SIGNED BOOK GIVEAWAY HERE

 ABOUT REBECCA HUBBARD

Rebecca J. Hubbard is a master's level Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over twenty years of experience working with children and their families. She began writing short stories as a child for her own amusement and enjoyment. Rebecca discovered that she could facilitate the healing of her young clients by writing stories for them.

Currently, Rebecca works at Spirit Reins as a clinician and as the clinical supervisor where she practices Natural Lifemanship, ™ a Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy™ model.

Rebecca is a native Texan, who enjoys spending time with friends and family, including her two dogs, Idgie and Sully, and her two horses, Cash and Cloud. She also loves to read, paint and garden. Rebecca encourages readers to connect with her via her website and Amazon Author Page.

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The Sunday Post #29 - Post Vacation Fatigue

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things you received, share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead, and more.

Day-cation week was a success and now I'm worn out! We only had 3 days planned out beforehand but ended up staying busy every single day which meant very little reading time for me but I still ended up finishing the two books that I've been reading for the past couple of weeks. 
Our one rest day at home was spent building one of those swing set / slide combos (our little one's very early Christmas present.) We really enjoyed swimming at the springs we went to. My husband and I have always enjoyed visiting state parks to hike, camp, swim, or picnic at and we were glad to get back into that after two years. We visited family, went to the zoo, and had a couple of lovely picnic park days. 
To top it all off, we started playing Pokemon Go, which made all that driving around a little more fun for me while sitting in the passenger seat. I've never watched or played Pokemon before this week but I was curious about all the hype and I'm actually enjoying it. After a couple of trips to local parks, I can see that it is getting a lot of people out and about. Our parks are usually deserted but they were really hopping this week.
Now I have a ton of catching up to do. I have only read 4 books so far this month which is an all time low for the year. Hopefully I can find the time fit in a couple more! My TBR pile is getting kind of crazy!

This Past Week On The Blog

Reviews
Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library by Julie Gassman (picture book)
On Your Mark: The Adventure Begins by C.J. Milbrant
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Other
Stacking the Shelves #67
Book Blitz & Giveaway

Coming Soon

Book Reviews
Picture Book Review: Lionheart by Richard Collingridge
The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox
Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

Other
Book Tour & Giveaway
Book Blitz

Books I Finished This Week

What I'm Currently Reading

(ebook)
A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee
Middle-grade historical fantasy set in London with lots of witches! 

(physical book)
Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine
I enjoyed the first book but really have no clue where this is going yet since I just started it. 

I need to catch up with visiting blogs this week so leave a link in the comments for me! I hope you all have a lovely week! :)

Stacking the Shelves #67

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by TYNGA'S REVIEWS that features the books we bought, borrowed, were gifted, and were given for review.

----------------
I only have a couple this week!

PURCHASED

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee - It's been too long since I read To Kill A Mockingbird so I'll need to do a re-read before getting to this. (Hardcover)

The Beach by Alex Garland - I want to say that this one is on the '1001 Books to Read Before You Die' list. Or maybe it was some other list. It was also adapted into a movie with Leonardo Dicaprio back in the 90's (?). (Hardcover)

BORROWED

Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine - The sequel to Ink and Bone, this is an alternate history where the library of Alexandria survives and controls everything. 

Did you get anything good this week? 

Book Review: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Title: Stars Above

Author: Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #4.5

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: February 2, 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Retelling

Pages: 369

Source: Overdrive for Libraries

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis:

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories --and secrets-- that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

--
The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles. 
Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toil it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch...
The Queen's Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we're introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.
Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles. 

The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit. 
After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna. 
The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called The Princess.
The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder's first meeting from Kai's perspective. 
Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century...

My Thoughts:
If you haven't read any of the Lunar Chronicles, STOP READING THIS! Because these short stories are based off of the first 4 books, you might get spoiled if you read any further. Go read the books. They are all fairytale retellings told in a futuristic world. They are fast-paced, fun, and have lots of cute couples to "ship". 

Stars Above is a collection of short stories, mostly prequels, that give us a deeper look into the lives of the characters we have grown to love throughout the Lunar Chronicles and tell more of the characters beginnings. How Cinder came to be on Earth, how Winter ends up being 'crazy', how Wolf becomes Alpha... All the little questions we might have had while reading the books that were only touched on are now expanded and explained. 

I'm not going to talk about every single story. Some are worth noting, others were just okay. I think my least favorite was Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky. 

I really liked The Queen's Army, getting a glimpse of what it was like for Wolf to become Alpha of his pack.

The Little Android was the 'black sheep' of this collection. It definitely fits the bill but while all the other's were extensions of The Lunar Chronicles and the characters we know and love, The Little Android seemed to be it's own little story within the same world. I only vaguely connected The Little Mermaid to it but it was still a fun read.

The last story, Something Old, Something New, was something I didn't know I needed when I finished Winter. I thought Winter had a pretty satisfactory ending since it gave a pretty good idea what the future held for everyone. This was a nice little addition to that though. We get to revisit all our favorite characters and see what else is in store for their futures. 

Overall, while I felt like it wasn't necessary to read these shorts, it was nice to get the full story on things that were only mentioned in the series books. 

Book Review: On Your Mark: The Adventure Begins by C.J. Milbrandt

I won a free physical copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaways via the author and was encouraged but not required to give a review. This in no way affects my opinion of the book. 

Title: On Your Mark: The Adventure Begins

Author: C.J. Milbrandt

Series: Byways #1

Publisher: Byways (self-published)

Publication Date: November 25, 2015
Genre: Juvenile, fantasy
Pages: 50

Source: Goodreads Giveaways

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: 

Ewan, Zane, and Ganix -- three half-brothers take siblings rivalry to new lengths as they race each other across their homeland.

Magic isn't the only legacy Mr. Ian Johns wants for his bickering sons. The Postmaster hoped the boys would bond during a family trip, but they twist his vacation plans into a race. Ewan, Zane, and Ganix soon find themselves far from home, facing choices that are far from easy. Three routes stretch from coast to coast. The rules: each brother -and his two companions- must check in at post offices along their route. At these waypoints, they stamp in with their personal seal and report their progress by postcard.  

Book #1 in the Byways series introduces the Johns family and sees the brothers to the starting line. Ewan is dependable but shy. Zane has a rebel's reputation and a lone friend. Ganix has a gift for getting into mischief and enough luck to get back out of it. All three boys have inherited their father's magic  and a re Changers with an animal form. But they'll need more than a magical quirk to reach the finish line. A coming-of-age story times three with an educational twist. The storyline includes a state-based geography quest.

My Thoughts:

Mr. Ian Johns, Postmaster and shapeshifter, wants his three sons to get along so he suggests a long excursion to bring them together. The boys, who are all half-siblings meaning they have different mothers, have other ideas. They don't want to work together so instead they devise a race from the East Coast to the West Coast. 

This is the start to what I believe will be a fun, magical, and adventurous series of really short books. The mix of historical fiction with bits of fantasy and a cross-country adventure make this really appealing. 

Because this series starter is so short - less than 50 pages - we don't really get a good feel for the characters but the idea that they can shapeshift into their own separate animal form really sucks me into wanting to continue this series. I'm eager to see what adventures await them. 

I think one of the best things about this series is that each book takes place in a different state - this one in Delaware - and at the end of the book there is a 'game' that urges you to find things within the story that coincide with the state that the book is set in. There are also plenty of facts about the state. So not only is this a fun little story, but it can also be used as a learning tool. I can see this being the perfect curriculum for homeschoolers to learn the states and information about them in an exciting and unique way. 

I must also add that the cover art and illustrations for all of C.J. Milbrandt's books are illustrated by the very talented Hannah Christenson. Each and every cover is absolutely gorgeous. Even if I didn't like this book I would want this series for the covers. Luckily both cover and story are equally wonderful but I am a little extra happy that my copy of this book came with three postcard sized prints of the cover art!