Here are the questions for Week 8. Answers should be posted on May 27th.

In the Pile:

Finish Undone by Sara Humphreys
Finish Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown
Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
Forbidden Sister by V.C. Andrews
Game by Barry Lyga
The Grass is Always Greener by Jen Calonita
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Below Stairs by Margaret Powell
The Yard by Alex Grecian
12th of Never by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Read-along Books

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
Debutantes by Cora Harrison

Tackling My TBR Thursday is a new weekly feature at Once Upon a Chapter. I’ve used a feature before to highlight books in my TBR pile. The difference with this feature is that once a week I am going to highlight a book from my TBR “pile” (any book listed in my GoodReads profile before 2/7/13; clearly preorders do not count) that is going to be an upcoming read. I have a goal to get my TBR down. Even if it isn’t a drastic amount, down in general would be good. To meet that goal, I’m hoping to read at least one TBR book a week.

This week’s highlight:

On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm.

A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana?s in trouble, since it?s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her ? and her rare Faeriewalker powers ? dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking?s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?

It?s important that if you are re-reading this series that you answer the questions based only on the knowledge that we have so far!

1. Harry uses the Marauder’s Map to get to Hogsmeade. We’ve already discovered we’re a group of rule followers, so my question is what place in Hogsmead would you have gone too?

Honeydukes hands down. It makes me sad that we don’t have any proper candy shops anymore. I’d love to step in and purchase some Bertie’s Botts Every Flavor Beans among other things. I would definitely stop by the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer. I’ve made them at home and they’re pretty good but I’d like to have one straight from the source. I can’t remember the exact recipe but I’ve found a few on Pinterest. It’s been a few years but I plan on trying this recipe in the near future.

2. Is anyone else annoyed with Professor Trelawney? The woman is driving me batty! Do you believe in psychics? If not psychics, do you believe in any thing that would fall into a similar category?

I have to admit that I do. There’s been more than one time that my intuition has been correct about something. Now that’s not to say that I think I’m psychic. Not even close. The thing is if you make enough statements or predictions you’ll be right one of those times. I like to believe that there’s something out there just outside of our perception.

3. Hermione snitched out Harry’s new gift to Professor McGonagall. Do you think she was right?

I do. I know that we end up finding out that there was nothing wrong with the broom, but with so much going on around the school and with Black being in the school without anyone knowing it, it only makes sense that Hermione told someone in a position to help. Imagine if she hadn’t said anything and something seriously wrong did happen to Harry. Hermione would never forgive herself. I completely understand why she did what she did. Frankly I was a little upset with Ron and Harry for acting like such dbags.

4. We finally get Snape’s impressions and feelings about Harry (though really it’s James Potter he hates) and why. Thoughts?

Ready for this one? I totally get where he’s coming from. I do. I’ve known people in the past who have done the exact same thing. Never anything so serious as the other person would die but the same goal and end. Granted this is a Snape vs. Dumbledore thing but I can see a bit of the truth in both stories. I don’t think James is completely innocent in the matter as Dumbledore wants us to believe but at the same time I don’t think James only saved Severus to save his own skin. Nothing is ever that black or white.

5. The strain of Hermione’s course load is starting to show in her behavior. If you had to put a label to yourself, are you on over-achiever (like Hermione), a level-headed achiever, or an under-achiever?

Total over-achiever BUT I rarely accomplish the things I set out to do. For example; I make a list daily of the things I’d like to accomplish that day. I do it at home and at work. I get a great sense of achievement from crossing something or writing DONE beside something on a list. I always put more on the list than can be accomplished because you never know when a task will be much shorter than expected. It keeps me focused on what needs to be done. If I don’t accomplish the entire list what wasn’t accomplished goes on the beginning of the next day’s list.