Top Ten Bookish Confessions

Top Ten Tuesday is an awesome meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and though I very rarely participate in any type of meme anymore (I admit I suck) I thought the topic was interesting so I'm participating this week. Plus, I don't think you guys want yet another review.

So here are my top ten bookish and bloggish confessions.

1. I have a schedule for every book I read. It goes something along the lines of 3-4 library books, review books, and then personal titles. 

2. I rarely read books I got just for myself and not from the library or for review. It took me more than a year to read Angelfire, not because it was awful (it was pretty awesome) but because there are so many other books in the way. 

3. I never review more than one book on Netgally because I forget about them. Never mind my Kobo is broken right now (*sobs*) but in general I never use it. I have library books and review titles. I've forgotten ebooks before because I'm not used to them. I'll always review a hard copy faster than an ecopy. 

4. Before reading a book, I will search on Goodreads for a 5 star review and a 1 star review. I feel like that way I'll temper my expectations and I'll be better informed. 

5. I usually read longer reviews. I want someone to be specific about things they liked and didn't like, and I want details. I mostly write my reviews in a sort of essay format- intro, three paragraphs (about plot/characters/setting/interests/likes/dislikes), and conclusion (where I'll give a star rating). 

6. My new star rating system: 

1 star= Didn't like the book.

2 stars= An okay read, didn't particularly enjoy it but not too bad. 

3 stars= Liked the book. 

4 stars= Wow, really great read. 

5 stars= You can not top this. Everything I want from a book, no weaknesses, incredible. 

This rating system may not be visible yet (since most reviews i post here are very old). 

7. I use a mathematical approach to give a final star rating. Each book can get 1 to 5 points in the following categories: setting, my interest when reading, plot, characters, and mythology (I mostly read paranormals, but if contemporary it will be something like how realistic the book is). 

8. I dog ear books. Bad habit, I know. Since I've gotten some awesome bookmarks from authors I've stopped doing it as much. 

9. I prefer paranormal/fantasy to contemporary. Best books I've ever read have been in those two genres, no matter how much contemporary I read. 

10. On the library catalogue, mostly I pick books based on cover without reading the summary. If a cover makes a book look like it's in my genre, I'll probably request it 

So those are some of my confessions. I could probably go on, but more than 10 is overkill. What are some of yours? And thanks for visiting! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Halloween Picks

Top 10 Tuesday is a meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. It's all about making bookish lists so I thought I'd give it a try and see what happens. This week the list is books perfect for Halloween.

1. Possessions by Nancy Holder. This book is really creepy. I read the trilogy and there are some huge twists and turns you don't want to miss. I was really nervous while reading this book in the dark and that doesn't happen often.

2. Bad Girls Don't Cry by Katie Alender. This book surprised me with how well it was done. It's the usual scary story but the way it's done makes it awesome. I loved this book.

3. Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish. This book is a standalone and it was so different from anything else I've ever read. The monsters were described as scary so I think this book is perfect for Halloween!

4. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. Have you even seen the photos? Those are all creepy and the presentation is so fabulous that this will be a great pick for Halloween.

5. Slayed by Amanda Marrone. This book isn't all that creepy but we have vampires and some other monsters. It's more of the light Halloween and it's still fun to read. Also a standalone that can be finished pretty quickly!

6. Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink. This is a satisfying trilogy about two sisters that can save or destroy the world. The suspense and overall mood is so creepy that it's a perfect fit for Halloween.

7.  Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey. What would Halloween be without a ghost story? This one is also historical so doubly perfect!

8. Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton. Magic with BLOOD! I can not say how creepy this book was. Magic is a given at Halloween and is made 10 times more scary once you bring in the blood. 

9. Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow. This book excels in action, doesn't shy away from the dark and gritty plus we meet a lot of the supernatural. Definitely great for Halloween. 

10. Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz. There's a lot of rituals, mystery, and suspense as you struggle to find out who is the antagonist. 

So those are my picks for Halloween. I tried to pick books that all have creepy or suspense factors as the usual paranormal doesn't scare me too much though they are fun to read. Have you read anything from my list? Tell me about yours and be sure to leave a link! Happy Halloween everyone!