Hello everyone! I hope you’re all doing well π
So I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a weekly feature of my own for the longest time… Everyone always seems to love them so much and they are so easy to do and share. But I’d never really come up with anything interesting. Until now!
I know there are similar features out there but I just wanted something a bit more simple and generic for now to get the ball rolling, and then go for more elaborate topics in the future. I could do this only for myself, but that would be no fun at all!
I’m counting on finding lots of new books to read and hopefully get people to read some of my faves as well π A win-win for everybody.
So if you decide to take part (which I would love for you to do!) check the boxed text below. Have fun sharing recs with everyone β€
π’ Because I’m posting this one today, many people might not have a chance to do it. So I’ll extend the theme into next Thursday as well. The week after that will be a different theme, which I’ll announce on my blog beforehand (possibly on the sidebar). I’ll do that at the beginning of every week so that everyone can plan ahead π π’
Theme Thursday is a new biweekly feature created by Sophie @ Blame Chocolate where bloggers can share recs and newly found books featuring that week’s theme.
- There will be a different theme (genre, trope, etc) every other Thursday. You can check the theme calendar here.
- Those participating have to list titles that feature that theme in some way (doesn’t have to be the main theme of the book).
- You can use the three main categories: Books I’ve Read/I’m Reading, Books I Want to Read, and Other Books That Fit The Theme but this isn’t mandatory.
- You can repeat books in different themes, if they apply, and choose as many as you want.
- You don’t have to take part every week! Just when you feel like it.
- You can use #BlameThemeThursday on Twitter and other social media to make TT posts easier to find.
- Finally, use this boxed text in your post, which doubles as a pingback. If you want, you can change the pingback link to that of that week’s post π
- P.S.: Feel free to use my banners!
The reason only one person (me) chooses that week’s theme is to avoid repeated themes in the following weeks. But I want this to be a community thing so if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments or email them to me!
This week’s very first theme is: Mermaids! Because I’m a sucker for them and they were the first thing that came to mind hahaha (I promise to be a bit more original in the future)
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π« Books I’ve Read/I’m Reading:
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π« Books I Want to Read:
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π« Other Books That Fit The Theme:
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This is it for this week! π I might have forgotten some but I didn’t want to include all of them anyway. I hope you guys enjoyed this post and decide to share your own β€
Don’t forget to pingback so I can check out your recs! I’m always looking to expand my very tiny TBR, after all πππ
Oooh this is a nice idea Sophie! I participate in the Top 5 Tuesday but maybe I’ll play with you from time to time if the theme fits! My favorites are Royalty, Fairy, Autism or any handicap, Retellings, Single parent, Childhood Sweetheart, Angels …. LOL
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I’m glad you like it, hon! Yeah I know there are many similar features out there but I always find them a bit intimidating since they’ve been around for so long and a lot of people take part hahaha
I’d like this one to reach those proportions but I’ll be happy to keep it nice and homey too π
I love Royalty, Fairy and Retellings! I’m sure those’ll pop up in the near future but I haven’t decided on the next theme yet.
If you want, you can do Mermaids next week as I’m extending the theme until then π I’d love to see your recs β€
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OMG this is so cute! I love it! I’m definitely going to partake in this. π
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I’m glad you like it, Ashley! β€ I hope to see you arounds lots ^^
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Love this idea!
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Glad to hear it, Crystal! β€οΈ
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Such a cool idea!! π I’m currently very busy, but I’ll definitely take part when I have a bit more time, because I really like having a theme for my posts π
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Oh that’s a shame, Caro! I hope to see you in the future then π
Glad you like it ππ€
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Loving this new blog feature. I am hoping to participate. In the meantime, I requested Into the Drowning Deep from my library yesterday. I really look forward to this book, I’ve heard great things!
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Thanks Gretchen! I’m glad to hear it β€οΈ
Definitely do, I’d love to see your recs π
I’m not sure about that one as it feels too horror for me… But I did hear great things about it so I hope you enjoy it!
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Thank you!!!
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I have The Mermaid on my TBR list too. I’ve read most of Christina Henry’s books (her fairytale inspired ones; Alice, Red Queen and Lost Boy) and really loved them so I know The Mermaid is going to be amazing too, I just need to actually get around to it. π I have read Sea Witch and it was an incredible book, I really hope you enjoy it as well. I don’t see many retellings of The Little Mermaid but this one by Sarah Henning is a favourite of mine for sure, and I’m really excited for the second book in the series now as well.
This is a great post, and a great idea for a new feature as well, I can’t wait to see your next post. π β€
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Oh yeah, I’m totally planning to read the rest of Henry’s retellings, they sound sooo good. I also adore the covers hahaha
I hope you do very soon!
It’s great to hear Sea Witch is incredible. I was under the impression it was about Ursula but I read the synopsis again and it doesn’t seem like it is. I’m not sure! Maybe I confused it with a different one. But it sounds interesting all the same π
Thank you, Beth! I’m glad you enjoyed it and I hope to see some posts of yours as well β€
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Oh well I hope you enjoy them all then, I mean theyβre very gruesome but theyβre really good stories too. At the moment I think my favourite is Lost Boys.
Iβm not sure, I think it kind of is but itβs like her origin story. Either way itβs a great read.
Thatβs all right. π β€οΈ
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Oh then I guess I’ll have to endure that to get to the awesomeness π Thanks for the warning, Beth!
Ah I see… Makes sense I suppose! And it should be interesting ^^
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Awesome that you’ve created this! I really loved to kill a kingdom and want to read sea witch π
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Thank you, I’m glad you like it π To Kill a Kingdom is my favourite book of 2018 β€ I'm looking forward to Sea Witch as well!
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Love this idea! Mermaids are my favorites! These are really great recommendations! I loved To kill A kingdom, DOTPK, and Poseidon! I haven’t read Christina Henry’s The Mermaid but I’ve heard great things about it.
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I’m glad to hear it! Mermaids are my favourites too ^^ Thanks so much, Raven β€ I haven't finished DOTSQ but I loved the first book so I'm excited to see what comes out of it! Henry seems to have a ton of retellings under her belt and I'm looking forward to trying them all π
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Oh this sounds like such a cute idea. I have never tried a weekly feature before, but I might just try it out with this one.
Oddly enough I have not read many Mermaid books so that is something that needs fixing!!
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I’m glad to hear you liked it, Rendz! I haven’t either but I felt if I started one, I would have too much peer pressure to back out XD (bookish peer pressure solves procrastination and laziness)
I was honestly surprised I hadn’t either! Because they are honestly one of my favourite mythical creatures and I adore The Little Mermaid β€
I hope to see a post of yours tomorrow then π
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I adore mermaid books I blame it all on my childhood love of The Little Mermaid. I have only read mermaid romances though. Nora Roberts had a fun trilogy with a mermaid character and she was my favorite because she had such a free spirit, and full of energy and love . Some of my other favorites would be The Last Mermaid by Shana Abe, Goddess of the Sea, Soul Song by Marjorie M. Liu, Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts
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Hahaha same here! I have sadly not tried many, though… Thanks for sharing, I’ll definitely check those out π Mermaid romances are usually super cute β€
If you want, you can write an official post about it tomorrow! *wink wink*
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Oh I love this idea! So The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite movies ever yet the few mermaid stories I’ve picked up in the past have been such a let down. And they aren’t ones on your list. I’m really looking forward to trying Daughter of a Siren Queen and To Kill a Kingdom. Ohhh I need to look into Of Poseidon, that one looks great!
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Glad you like it, Jen! π Maybe you’d like to take part tomorrow? I’d love to see your recs!
Oh I’m sorry to hear that… But at least that hahaha
I’ve read very few but the ones I did read were quite good π I’m hoping to get to pick a few more soon. I have a giant list on GR just waiting patiently for me xD
To Kill a Kingdom was my favourite book of 2018 so I honestly hope you love it! *fingers crossed*
I’m still waiting to finish DOTSQ… But I adored the first book so I have high hopes for it. There was just something not as gripping about it, but maybe it’ll get better as it goes.
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I love this idea and the theme for this week! I liked To Kill a Kingdom but it turned less dark and it let me down a bit, so Iβm super excited to pick up Into the Drowning Deep. I somewhat recently read Rolling in the Deep (prequel… or something?) and it was totally terrifying… so Iβm excited but also scared. π
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Thank you, Amy! I’m glad to hear it π I was hoping TKAK would be a bit darker too to be honest, but that didn’t make me love it less. Drowning Deep sounds really creepy and terrifying for sure! So it might be what you were expecting from TKAK and didn’t get π I haven’t read either in the series but I’d like to try it someday!
Looking forward to reading what you think β€
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Great idea! Features like this are always such fun. Unfortunately I don’t post often enough to keep up any on my own blog, but I’m looking forward to following along and commenting here!
The one book on your list that I’ve read is to Kill a Kingdom, though I’ve thought about reading Daughter of the Siren Queen too. I liked to Kill a Kingdom, but would have loved it had it not been for the ending… I’m not sure entirely why anymore, maybe it felt too melodramatic and the main characters lost some of the uniqueness and spark I’d liked about them, whereas the rest of the book felt more unique and unpredictable? I still liked it and rated it 3.5 stars (well, 4, cos Goodreads doesn’t allow half stars)… I just wish the ending had been as great as the rest for me so I could have whole-heartedly 5-starred it.
The only other mermaid book I’ve read that I can think of is Ice Massacre. I wasn’t sure about at first but ended up liking it a lot (also a 4-star read for me).
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Thank you, Nicola! Ugh, I don’t post all that much either, which is why I decided to make it every other week instead of weekly as planned That way it won’t feel as demanding I think.
Really? I actually loved the ending! I thought it was really appropriate and didn’t force them to choose between their love and their duties, which would have completely ruined it for me.
I’ll have to check that one out, though it sounds pretty darn vicious to me hahaha
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Yes good to do it fortnightly if it gets too demanding to do it weekly. And true, it was good they didnβt have to choose – I guess it was more the climactic fight scene and the way it was written that made me stop connecting with/believing the characters and story right when I wanted to be loving it – hard to say exactly why though. And haha yeah the title sounds vicious, and it is vicious, but not much more so than To Kill a Kingdom!
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Oh my god To Kill A Kingdom! β€β€β€β€
I love this! Such a great idea. Hmm… themes I love… okay so not exactly a theme but I love a good coming-of-age memoir by a woman. Ooh – good love triangles? Most of the time they’re the worst but sometimes they’re the best! Also love a good fake relationship to real luuurve story a la To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
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Did you love it too?? :O :O :O PLEASE SAY YES
That is a theme! I wanted to keep this open to all kinds of tropes and stuff, and that most certainly is one π
I have to admit I don’t read much of those but from what I’ve seen in your blog they sound amazing! (the ones you like, anyway)
Aw I love those too! When done well, they can be so adorable β€ Do you know of any other books like that?
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I love it SO MUCH. I read it a few months back when I was having the worst month and it was my escape from the drama!
Ooh so in terms of fake love to real luuurve you have Sam and Evie in The Diviners series and then the typical romance novel like The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (you can probably guess the plot of that one, haha).
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I know, right? I mean, it was a different kind of drama but it tore your heart out in a good way, at least hahaha
Ooohh I’ve heard so much about The Diviners! I’m a total sucker for wedding stories Kinsella-style… I know they’re totally predictable and cheesy but I’ll be damned if I don’t devour them in a single afternoon xD Thanks Lydia! π
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Ooh, look at all these tempting mermaid reads. I’ve only read To Kill a Kingdom and Daughter of the Pirate Queen, but did enjoy both. Hope this new feature is a success and if I get a chance, I will definitely participate!
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That’s awesome! I have yet to finish DotPK but I loved the first book (I just feel like this one hasn’t been able to pull me in as much as its prequel did…)
Thanks so much, Alicia π I hope you get to join once in a while β€
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Ahh what a lovely idea for a feature, Sophie, I love it and wish it a great success! β€ I love the books you picked out here, I've been wanting to read more books about Mermaids and I've heard great things about Daughter of the Siren Queen and Sea Witch, can't wait to read both! π
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Thank you, Marie, I’m glad you enjoyed it ^^ Aww, thank you!
Do you have any mermaid book recs? I’m always in the mood for them but usually so busy with other stuff (like ARCs) I never end up picking them up… I’m hoping to change that, and hope you do too π β€
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Hmm at the moment I can only think of To Kill A Kingdom which you already talked about… I need more mermaids books haha π
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You had a great idea with this meme! π And I am so looking forward to next episode because I love pirates! Marmaids aren’t my cup of tea, but I hope to read To Kill a Kingdom, sooner or later (and you are really sponsoring that book, so I am even more curious about it!)
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Thanks Susy! I’m glad you found it enjoyable π
I decided to space the feature a bit and only do it every other week. So Pirates will be up this Thursday ^^ (I was also ill and didn’t have much time for blogging unfortunately…)
Oh really? You’re the first person I’ve heard say that hahaha But hey, there are enough themes to cater to everyone’s tastes π
To Kill a Kingdom is THE book of 2018 for me. I know I hype it a lot but I just have to, it was that good. So I hope you love it too β€
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Oh, I’m sorry to read that you are feeling unwell! I hope that now you are feeling way better! And I am really looking forward to this Thursday, even if I fear for my TBR!!!
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I am, thank you β€ Just a really bad cold, but it's gone away for the most part now π
Hahaha I think we all do XD
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Love your new Theme Thursday Sophie! Mermaids is a great start! I have read The Mermaid by Christina Henry and loved it. Daughter of the Siren Queen, Sea Witch, and To Kill a Kingdom are still on my TBR. Hope you will enjoy reading them!
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Thank you, Jasmine! β€ Mermaids are such a beloved trope of mine, I had to start with it hahaha
I honestly hope you love them, TKAK is my absolute favourite of the list but I found the others very enjoyable too π
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Awwww I love mermaids but never seem to find books that execute them well!! I will have to try some of your recommendations. And what a simple and easy meme to participate in!! Super fun β€οΈ
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Ugh, I hear you! I found To Kill a Kingdom did an amazing job at it, by turning the beloved myth into something deadly and vicious instead. A great twist, and in my opinion very well executed. But of course you may disagree after you read it since we all have very different tastes. And I personally don’t mind reading reinvented retellings over and over again, which some people do.
I hope you enjoy all the recs, though I can’t vouch for the ones I haven’t tried of course π I also hope to see some of your Theme Thursday posts once in a while ^^ β€
Thanks so much!
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Oh this is a fantastic feature! Such a wonderful (and simple) way to recommend books based on interest. Want to read a book about mermaids? Awesome, I got some recs for you? Pirates? Lovely, I know just the one. I love mermaids, but I haven’t read many books about them. So seeing this post has helped immensely. The TBR grows longer, per usual. I’d love to take part in this! I’ll try to whenever I can think of some good books to share π Good thinking, Sophie β€
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Hahaha yes, that was my main goal with this! I’ll sometimes have this sudden urge to read about a specific trope and will have to scour Goodreads and the entire web for it, but I’d much rather get recs from my fellow bloggers, whose tastes I will usually trust over some random list π
That’s awesome, Azia! I hope you can take part once in a while ^^
This week’s theme is Boarding Schools so if you have any suggestions, be sure to get a post ready for Thursday. I’m excited to read about your recs! Thanks so much hon π β€
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That’s true, I’ve gotten so many amazing recs from bloggers.
I’m sad that I missed the theme last week! I even had a couple of suggestions but forgot to throw the post together. I’ll have to prepare for it this week! π
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Oh that’s fine, hon, you’ll get plenty of opportunities to do so and I look forward to reading them all π
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I love the idea of this feature! π I’ll definitely be doing it in the future. I don’t think I have read any mermaid books? (Well, aside from The Little Mermaid.) I do have To Kill A Kingdom, Sea Witch and Into the Drowning Deep on my TBR. Great post! π
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Thank you, Anna! Glad to hear it β€
I definitely thought I'd read more than I actually did… Which was disappointing but at the same time I thought "hey, more books for me to explore and read, yay!" xD
I hope you get to read them soon π I can only vouch for TKAK but I'm very interested in the other two as well.
Thanks so much again, lovely!
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