Tag: RickRiordan

Writing with Myths & Legends

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Greek, Roman, Egyptian myths and legends are some of my favourites, tales that I find incredibly intriguing and fascinating. Since I find them so interesting, I attempt using these cultures stories in my own stories. This is something that requires lots of research in order to do it right, so I thought I would list the resources I use to do this because not only is it fun to learn about mythology, but it is also fun to write within these worlds!

Myths and Legends (TV Show)

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This is an amazing TV show on Netflix that is a great tool for storytellers. It talks about different myths and legends from different parts of the world, and discusses how the writers of these stories used different techniques in their works. You will walk away from each episode knowing a little more about mythology than you did before so I highly recommend it!

Rick Riordan Books!

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Want a fun and entertaining way to learn mythology? Rick Riordan books are the way to go if that is the case. He is an amazing writer of middle grade and YA who weaves different mythologies into his stories. For example, his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series focuses on Greek mythology, the Heroes of Olympus series focuses on both Greek and Roman mythology, the Kane Chronicles trilogy focuses on Egyptian mythology, and his Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard trilogy focuses on Norse mythology. You learn so much and it will make you want to keep knowing more!

Podcasts

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There are so many great podcasts on whatever you want, which means there are also a lot of options when it comes to discovering different myths and legends. My number one recommendation is the Myths and Legends podcast because they offer podcasts on such a wide variety of civilizations. Anywhere from Greek to Indian to Chinese this podcast has at all! It is a great source of info because when you are walking or driving or on the bus you can listen to it or if you are just sitting down with a hot drink.

Those are the three main ways I learn myths and legends and I hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: Prepping for Camp NaNoWriMo!

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Audiobook Recommendations!

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Hello! I am back after my two day hiatus after the busyness that was the winter Biannual Bibliothon. While it was loads of fun, it was a little draining but over the weekend I recharged and am ready to blog! Lately I have been listening to a lot of audiobooks, I think I listened to about 4 this past week, and have been loving them, so I decided to share a few audiobook recommendations with you guys and some tips if you are just starting out. I hope you enjoy!

Audiobook Tips for Beginners:

  1. Choose An Audiobook That You’ve Read the Physical Book Of – When it comes to your first few audiobooks, I find that it is a lot easier to ease into the world of audiobooks when you listen to a book you have already read. When adjusting to audiobooks, it can be difficult to retain all the info you hear while listening to the story, so my advice is to start of listening to a favourite book of yours!
  2. Free Audiobooks! – If you aren’t sure if you will like audiobooks, try borrowing them from your library. And I don’t mean borrowing the 30+ disk set, but borrowing from their online selection. Lots of libraries have links on their websites to online libraries where if you use your library card, you can electronically borrow books and audiobooks on your phone or computer, and they are free!
  3. Don’t Waste Audiobook Time – There are so many times throughout the day when you could be listening to an audiobook. So instead of watching mindless YouTube videos while getting ready, press play on an audiobook! You can also listen to them while walking around, driving, doing mindless tasks, etc, etc. Don’t waste perfectly good audiobook time!

Now for my audiobook recommendations!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

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Not only do I recommend this physical book, but the ebook is so much fun! I get the exact same feel as I do when I physically read it, and listening to the book come alive just brings so much more to the story. This is one I am actually currently listening to, and it is nice to discover the world of Fangirl in a different medium.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

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I don’t have a specific book recommendation for this one, but really any of this series would be amazing on audio. I have only listened to the fourth in full, and snippets of some of the others but listening to the fourth was a blast, and the person who voiced it did a great job of giving each character a different voice and making the journey so much more fun!

The Selection by Kiera Cass 

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Listening to The One on audiobook was really good, I felt the tension between the characters and really felt the emotion I felt while reading the physical book, which is obviously what you want from an audiobook. While it did sound a little robotic, I quickly got over that and became so incredibly invested in the story. I can only imagine that the first book, The Selection, would be just as good!

Peter Pan by James M. Barrie

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Really, I think that any children’s book would be magical in audiobook format. I listened to this book during the Biannual Bibliothon, and it was fun listening to Wendy, John, Michael and Peter’s adventures in Neverland. Again, it brought the story to life in a way like a movie would, and while I was walking around and listening to this book I would get so invested in the story I would wander around for hours. Also, it is really short (about 5 hours or so) so a perfect first audiobook!

Those are a few audiobook tips and recommendations for any of you considering giving audiobooks a try, or for any of you who just were in need of some more recommendations. I hope you enjoyed this, and make sure you check out my last blog posts: 2018 Biannual Bibliothon Day 7: Write a Book Recommendation + my Day 7 Reading Update! 

Thanks 🙂

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2018 Biannual Bibliothon Day 7: Reading Update!

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Helloooo! It is day 7, the final day of the Biannual Bibliothon, and let’s just say I managed to end with a bang.

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Today I managed to complete 2 books, both which I briefly started yesterday. Most of my day was occupied by school and homework, however I managed to squeeze the rest of my reading in during then. I managed to complete the last 6 hours of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan on audiobook, and I loved it! I cannot wait to listen to more of the Percy Jackson books on audiobook because it is so fun and entertaining to listen to Percy’s adventures. The other book I managed to read was one I picked up late last night and that is London Belongs to Me by Jacquelyn Middleton. This was for the challenge of reading a book I have never heard of before, because before reading it, I had no idea what it was about. I enjoyed it, the writing was a little weak and the characters were kinda flat, but overall I thought the story was light hearted and fun, and was a nice way to end the readathon.

 

Day 7 Reading Count:

Books Finished: 2

Pages Read: 551

I had such a blast participating in the 2018 winter Biannual Bibliothon this year, and highly encourage any of you to participate in the summer session! There won’t be any reading/writing update this weekend for the obvious reason that I have been doing these reading updates all week, but on Monday I will be back online with a new blog post, and later next week I will share my January TBR where I touch on all the books I read this month, as well as what I managed to complete this readathon. Thank you for following me on this readathon journey, and I hope you enjoyed all the blog posts I put out this week! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: 2018 Biannual Bibliothon Day 7: Write a Book Recommendation!

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2018 Biannual Bibliothon Day 6: Reading Update!

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I know for a fact that what I will be taking away from this readathon, is my newfound love for audiobooks. Especially ones of books I have read previously, thus making it easier to follow the story. Throughout this readathon I have listened to a current total of just over 2 audiobooks, and enjoyed them both! Audiobooks are great for readathons because there is so much time during the day where you can’t physically read a book, but a lot of those times you can spend listing to a book instead.

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Anyways, now for what I read today. This is quite random, but I decided to listen to the audiobook for Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan, the 4th book in the Percy Jackson series. So far I am 4 hours and 30 minutes into it (163 pages) into it, and just decided to start listening to it because I enjoyed the books so much, that I was sure the audiobook would be another amazing experience. So far I am really enjoying it, but no surprise there. I also started London Belongs to Me by Jacquelyn Middleton, and I am liking it so far. The writing is a little weak in my opinion, but I am having fun following the main character as she follows her dreams in London. I am only on page 43 but I’m just so exhausted that I can’t bring myself to read anymore. Hopefully I will be able to power through it tomorrow since it is under 400 pages!

Day 6 Reading Count:

Books Finished: 0

Pages Read: 206

That is all for my day 6 reading update and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: 2018 Biannual Bibliothon Day 6: Favourite/Most Memorable Book of 2017!

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2018 Biannual Bibliothon Day 2: My Bookish Drink

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Happy day 2 of the Biannual Bibliothon! I hope your reading is going well but that most importantly, you are having fun 🙂

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So today’s blogging challenge is to create a bookish drink that is based on a book or character and then share its recipe, a picture of it or a picture of you drinking it. This one is hosted by the blog “Will Read for Booze” so you should definitely check them out! This was a tough one for me because I am awful at creating food/drinks that actually taste good…however I tried and that’s all that matters!

The Blue Twist

Inspired by Percy Jackson from the Percy Jackson and Olympians series by Rick Riordan

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Like a slushie, it is sweet, cold but very blue. Perfect to sip on while walking around on a sizzling summer day, and will leave you wanting more…I present to you, The Blue Twist!

  • 1/2 Cup of Crushed Ice
  • 2-3 Drops of Blue Food Colouring
  • 1 Can of 7 Up or Sprite
  • 2-3 Drops of Lemon + Lime Juice
  • 1 Cup
  • 1 Blue Straw

This drink perfectly represents Percy Jackson because his mother is obsessed with making any drink or food she can blue. His birthday cakes are always blue, as well as the candy she brings home for them at the end of her shifts at the candy store. Including the lemon and lime juice is essential because Percy Jackson is a very sarcastic character, and it adds that bit of “jazz” to the drink.

That is all for my day 2 blogging challenge for the Biannual Bibliothon and I hope you enjoyed! I will leave a link to their Instagram and YouTube so you can check it out for any info on this readathon. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: 2018 Biannual Bibliothon Day 1: Reading Update! to see what I managed to read yesterday. Happy reading!

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2018 Biannual Bibliothon Day 1: The Snowy Day Book Tag! (Original)

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Happy day 1 of the 2018 Biannual Bibliothon!

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Before we get into the blog challenge of the day, I just wanted to quickly explain what you will be seeing on my blog for the next week. Every day I will be posting my blog challenge and then later on that day, I will be posting my reading updates where I go over what I read that day and what I got accomplished. So basically two blog posts a day for the entire week! Okay, now that that is out of the way, today’s blog challenge is to create your snowy day reading list and I decided to complete this challenge in the form of my own book tag. There are a lot of tags like this out there, but I just really felt inspired to create my own so I hope you enjoy!

#1: Weather Reports Say It’s Going to Snow Tomorrow! Yay! Pick a Book That Makes You Feel Excited

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Whenever I think about The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan I get excited because it was one of my all time favourite books when I was younger, and is still a book that I absolutely adore. It is fun and action packed and is full of amazing characters that you can’t help but love.

#2: It’s Snowing! Pick a Book Cover That Reminds You of Winter

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I am not really sure why, but the cover for A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas has always reminded me of winter. Maybe it is the blue of the cover? I don’t really know but when I see it I just get some winter vibes! P.S. It is an awesome book so go read it.

#3: Hot Chocolate Time! Pick a Book That Makes You Feel Warm Inside

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Right when I typed this question, I knew what my answer was going to be, and that is To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han. This book is warm and fuzzy and will make you feel all the feels…plus towards the end they go to a ski lodge and on top of all the feels you get some winter feels as well! Another fantastic book.

#4: Time to Get Cozy. Pick a Long Book You Could Read for Hours

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It was hard not to use this book for the other questions because I love it so much, and that is Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. It is a fantastic and entertaining book that is definitely not short, being 698 pages and all. I honestly could re read this book over and over until the end of time it is so good!

#5: Your Friend Comes Over and You Guys Have a Reading Party, But Uh Oh, They Forgot a Book! Pick a Favourite Book of Yours That You Know They Will Love

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Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout is a hard book not to like. Of course it has its flaws, and it isn’t the best literature out there, however it is a lot of fun. I have recommended this book to my friends and so far all of them have enjoyed it, so this is a no brainer!

#6: It Stopped Snowing But You Are too Busy Reading to Notice! Pick a Book That Sucks You In

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This is a book I was reading a few days ago, and like always, it just sucks me in and before I know it I have read a hundred pages. And that book is The Selection by Kiera Cass! A lot of people have problems with this series, but personally I adore the first three and think they are so entertaining and enjoyable that I could read them and just forget about the world around me.

And those are my questions and answers to my Snowy Day Book Tag and I had so much fun coming up with them. I hope you enjoyed my post for this day 1 of the Biannual Bibliothon blog challenges, and if you would like to do this tag then do it and tag me because I would love to see your answers! Stay pumped for the next few days of my blog posts coming your way and happy reading 🙂

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Series I Haven’t Finished…

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I used to be really good at finishing series, but now that I have less time than I would like to be able to read, it can be hard to finish a series. Some series though, I have no excuse to not finishing other than I just didn’t pick up the second book for whatever reason! Anyways, here are a few series I haven’t finished but do plan to.

Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

When I read the first book in this duology, I mostly skimmed it and didn’t really appreciate or understand what was going on…I feel like I had really high expectations for the book because of the hype, but also wasn’t in the mood to read it at the time so I didn’t love it like everyone else did and does. I do have the second book, Crooked Kingdom though, so I would really like to re read Six of Crows and then jump into Crooked Kingdom! I know I will like it once I actually read it, but when will that be? Hopefully soon.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard trilogy by Rick Riordan

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The third book for this trilogy is actually coming out in a few days, but sadly I still haven’t read the second book…I love Rick Riordan, and have made that clear on this blog, but I honestly didn’t love this series as much as his others. That is probably the main reason I didn’t read the next book once I got it, but I would really like to give it a second chance. Sadly, I would have to re read the first book which would take up more time, but maybe once the third book comes out I will just binge the trilogy. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan

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I know, I know, I am just not up to date with all of the Rick Riordan books! He just comes out with too many books in a year and once you fall behind…well good luck. Anyways, this was another new series by him that I didn’t absolutely adore. I did like it, but I feel like I need to give the first book a re read before jumping into the second one. It is possible that I compared it too much to the Percy Jackson series or the Heroes of Olympus series which is why I didn’t like it as much as I hoped. Hopefully that is the case because I know it is a series a lot of people enjoy!

Blood of Gods and Royals by Eleanor Herman 

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This is a really interesting and complex series that includes one of my favourite things, Greek mythology, which is the main reason I picked it up. I really enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to the second book. However, it was a new release which meant I had to wait an entire year before being able to purchase the second book, Empire of Dust. By then I wasn’t as excited because I completely forgot what happened it the book! So yeah, another re read to add to my never ending list because I really did like the characters and story line.

Those are a few series that I have started but haven’t finished…and hopefully in the future I will! I hope you enjoyed this blog post and don’t forget to check out my last blog post: NaNoWriMo Prep #1

October 2017 TBR!

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September wasn’t the best reading month, but I plan on turning things around in the month of October. I tried to choose books that gave me a cozy or dark vibe, so here are the books I plan to read!

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

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The Dream Thieves is the second book in The Raven Cycle series, which is a dark, whimsical series that follows a unique cast of characters. In the first book, The Raven Boys, we follow Blue, a sixteen year old girl from a family of psychics who had never showed any signs of possessing the same gift. That is, until one night when the soon-to-be dead walk by, and she sees one named Gansey. Things get complicated though, when she meets the not-yet-dead version of Gansey in real life, and she struggles to figure out what how they are connected. There is also a bit of Welsh mythology in this series which I thought was really cool, and I overall really enjoyed the first book and hopefully I enjoy this one too!

Simon VS the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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This book has so much hype around it so I thought it was about time I pick it up. It is also going to become a movie that comes out sometime in 2018 and stars Nick Robinson as well as some other very popular actors. Simon VS the Homo Sapiens Agenda, follows our main character named Simon, who is not-so-openly gay. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at the risk of being exposed unless he plays wingman for the class clown, Martin. I haven’t read a book like this, but since everyone who has read it loves it, I have no doubt I will too.

Ruby Red by Kerstin Grier

Ruby Red

Honestly, this is the perfect book to read during the fall time because it is dark and has magic. It is just a book that I can picture reading on a rainy day with a cup of earl grey tea…specifically earl grey tea. Ruby Red follows a girl named Gwen who comes from a family of time travelers, but it is her cousin Charlotte who is believed to possess the gene. But when Gwen finds herself transported back to the past, secrets slowly begin to unravel and the spotlight is shone on her as she is thrust into the world of time traveling, along with her annoyingly handsome counterpart, Gideon. I love, love, love this book and talking about it makes me want to not only re read it, but watch the movie as well!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan (Graphic Novel)

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I have been meaning to read this graphic novel since I bought it…but just haven’t. I am committed to read it once I finish Geekerella by Ashley Poston, and I am so excited to read a book I love in graphic novel format! This is the third book in the Percy Jackson series, which follows a boy named Percy Jackson who is brought to a special camp called Camp Half-Blood, which is for people like him, demigods. The books are filled with quests, adventure and action, along with awesome characters that you can’t help but love!

That is all for my October 2017 TBR, and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post: October 2017 Talk!

Auto Buy Authors!

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Sorry I haven’t been posting much this week, I have been out and about but am back now and will return with my regular posting schedule. Anyways, today I will be discussing my “auto buy authors” which are authors whose books I buy no matter what, just because I love their work so much! Don’t forget to comment any below any of your auto buy authors because I would love to know 🙂

Cassandra Clare

Cassandra Clare is the author of The Mortal Instruments series, The Infernal Devices trilogy and the Dark Artifices trilogy, as well as a few other novellas. All of her series take place in this amazing and complex Shadowhunter world she has created, a world that I adore so much which is why I consider her an auto buy author. I love her writing style and all of her characters, and have yet to be disappointed by a book she has put out!

Jenny Han

If you like cute contemporaries then you will like Jenny Han. It’s as simple as that. The trilogies I associate Jenny Han with are her The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy and her To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, both which are amazing! To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is definitely my favourite book maybe ever because it is so quirkly and relatable and Jenny Han knows how to write cute romances! Needless to say, I will always buy a Jenny Han book because I am never disappointed.

Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen is another contemporary author who you have most likely heard of because she seems to have published a million books. They all take place during the summer and here are a few examples of some of the books she has written: Saint Anything, Just Listen, Along for the Ride…but she has many, many more. While they all are kind of similar, I love contemporary and never get bored of them which is why she is on this list!

Rick Riordan

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan was what initially pushed me into the world of reading, and therefore I will forever love Rick Riordan’s books, but also because they are amazing. He has written quite a few trilogies and series such as, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, the Kane Chronicles trilogies, etc, etc. Sadly I have fallen behind with his books lately, but I do have all of them and will catch up because his books always make me laugh and smile!

Richelle Mead

I wouldn’t say Richelle Mead is a favourite author of mine, but I do have a good majority of her books. I really liked her Vampire Academy series and have slowly been creeping into her companion series to that which is the Bloodlines series. She has published a few other books to, which I do have, and hopefully will get to them soon! Since I have most of her books I would definitely consider her an auto buy author and am excited to see what else she comes out with in the future.

Those are a few authors who I consider “auto buy authors” and I hope you enjoyed!

 

Bingeable Book Series!

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Imagine this: curling up in bed with a hot steaming cup of coffee or tea with a stack of books at hand. Doesn’t this sound amazing? Well if it does, then definitely keep reading for a lot of bingeable recommendations!

The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

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Obviously you have to read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series before reading this one, but if you already have then you need to pick this series up. The Heroes of Olympus series follows a group of demigods who band together to defeat the all powerful, Gaia, or who is better known as Mother Earth. There are five books and they are The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades and The Blood of Olympus. These books include a wonderful cast of characters and pages upon pages of epic quests and fight scenes.

The Kane Chronicles trilogy by Rick Riordan

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Yep, more Rick Riordan because his series are so much fun to read in a binge session. While Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and the Heroes of Olympus are influenced by Greek and Roman mythology, the Kane Chronicles is influenced by Egyptian mythology. It follows two siblings, Carter and Sadie, whose father disappears in a grand scheme to steal a valuable item from a museum. Later they learn that they are tied to the Egyptian world of gods and monsters, and that their father’s disappearance has to do with it. This series does not get a lot of credit for how good and fun it is, so when I see a chance I have to recommend it!

The Wrath and the Dawn duology by Renee Ahdieh

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Yes, yes, this isn’t a series but it is a fantastic duology that everyone needs to read. It twists around with the Arabian story of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights and it is filled with action, suspense and swoon worthy moments. I currently have not read the companion to the first book, which is the Rose and the Dagger, but I am getting it in the mail today so I will jump into it as soon as possible!

Shatter Me trilogy by Tahereh Mafi

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This is a trilogy where you pick up the first book and then immediately after you finish you want to pick up the other two books. But wait…this trilogy isn’t going to be a trilogy for long because Tahereh Mafi announced that she is adding two more books to this addicting series! This means you have time to catch up. The first book follows a girl named Juliette who has been locked up in a cell for almost a year but eventually breaks out with the help of an unusual friend. She soon realizes her breakout was more than she assumed and suddenly her whole life is flipped upside down. Love, love, love these books and definitely recommend them!

Anna and the French Kiss trilogy by Stephanie Perkins

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I know, this isn’t really a trilogy but while the books follow completely different characters with each book, they do intertwine eventually. The three books are Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and Isla and the Happily Ever After. This is a contemporary trilogy and each book is different so I won’t go into too much deal other than say that there are heart throbbing romances and heart shattering heart breaks!

Those are all the bingeable series I have for you today and I hope you enjoyed.