Top 5 Wednesday l August 2017

August 9th: Second Book is Best

I have been reading lots of stand-alones lately and I was a little stumped when I saw this question and nothing immediately jumped out at me as an answer. Looking back at goodreads was a little bit of a shock I haven't read a series since May! So older stuff from before 

• Fever, The Chemical Garden Trilogy, Lauren DeStephano
• Scarlett, The Lunar Chronicles, Marissa Meyer
• Finders Keepers, Stephen King - this is less of "best" than they are equally amazing
• The Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers, JRR Tolkien - I was the most invested in this book and its characters during the sequel, it had the most action in my opinion as well
• Visions, Kelley Armstong  - the entirety of book one, was setting up book two. 

August 16th: Characters' Fitness Routines You Want

Weight lifting, strength centred training is my style. Grateful that I do have the time and resources to workout regularly. I always get a thrill out of other girl characters fallowing the same kind of routines (as its not uncommon but its not really common either)

• Shadow Hunters, Cassandra Clare
• Camp Half Blood, Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan
• Alanna's Training, Knighthood, The Song of the Lioness, Tamora Pierce
• Brienne's Training, Knighthood,  A Song of Ice and Fire, George RR Martin
• Menolly, Acrobate/Spy, The Sisters of the Moon, Yasmine Galenorm

August 23rd: Books from Before You Joined the Online Book Community

• Firebringer, David Clement Davis
• Redwall, Brian Jaques
• Goosebumps, RL Stine
• Twilight, Stephanie Meyer
• Harry Potter, JK Rowling

August 30th: Favorite Bromances

-- I think we have done this topic before in the distant past, but who doesn't love a good bromance? Bromance = platonic relationship between two characters who identify as male. 

• Harry and Ron, Harry Potter, JK Rowling
• Sam and Frodo, Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
• Sam and John, A Song of Ice and Fire, George RR Martin
• Gem and Will, The Infernal Devices, Cassandra Clare

I am excluding characters where one was gay, just because love/lust motivated half the relationship in many cases and the bromances tend to fall apart once feelings are known (Jace and Alec - Cassandra Clare Mortal Instruments - came to mind right away)