Books From Before Blogging

I haven't done a Top Ten Tuesday in a really long time. This week's topic grabbed me though. This week, the bloggers from The Broke and the Bookish wanted to know the top Ten Books That Have Been On Your Shelf (Or TBR) From Before You Started Blogging That You STILL Haven't Read Yet. Since I recently started looking back at my blogging past, having passed my 10th blogging anniversary, I started to wonder, what books have been sitting on my shelf, unread, for over 10 years? My posts on Suicide Squad and The Humans are going to have to wait, because I need to know this now.

1. Appointment with Death, by Agatha Christie - I own 4 of Christie's books, why did I stop reading at 3?

2. It, by Stephen King - What is wrong with me? King is one of my favourite authors and I've read loads of his other books, but not It?

3. The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton - I picked it up on the cheap after having reading Ethan Frome and it's just sat on my shelf.

4. Fury, by Salman Rushdie - Again, I got it on sale, after having read Haroun and the Sea of Stories, and it has just sat there.

5. Jacob's Room, by Virginia Woolf - I took a class on Woolf, but Jacob's Room was not one of the books we read. I bought it anyway.

6. Almost all of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles - My Hubby and I were both reading these books. I was also reading Rice's Mayfair Witches books. Somehow I have never made it past Tale of the Body Thief. I will soon though (maybe).

7. A Perfect Pledge, by Rabindranath Maharaj - I read Maharaj's short story collection The Book of Ifs and Buts and loved it, so I picked up this novel... and it's followed me for years.

8. War and Peace, by Leo Tolsoy (can we include Crime and Punishment & Ulysses here?) - They're long and scary. Based on length alone, I'm more likely to read Crime and Punishment than the other two.

9. The Tiger Claw, by Shauna Singh Baldwin - I don't know why. It just hasn't been read yet.

10. From Ink Lake, edited by Michael Ondaatje - It's a collection of Canadian short stories. Seems like my kind of thing, but nope. It's sat on my shelf as long as the rest of them.

I thought there would be more, but last year I started making an effort to read the books that I've had for a long time. That's part of the reason I got around to reading Tale of the Body Theif. Seeing this list has reminded me how much I wanted to read each of these books when I bought them. Hopefully, I get to at least one of them soon.

Top Ten Characters I'd Like To Check In With

I haven't done a Top Ten Tuesday in a really, really, long time. But I saw this week's topic and it really connected with me.  How many times have you read a book and imagined what life was like for the character after the story's end? I know I have. Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever find out.I certainly didn't know there would be a sequel (or two) to Oryx and Crake when I first read it. Margaret Atwood isn't known for writing trilogies, but I'm so glad she created MaddAddam. I didn't think there would be books after Wicked either (and I still have to read them). Sometimes that hope to know what happens to the lives of our favourite characters is fulfilled, but most of the time, nope, we don't get to know.

Here are my top ten characters I'd like to check in with - in no particular order:

1. Offred from The Handmaid's Tale - Never going to happen, because the ending is perfect, but I still wish I knew what happened to her.

2. Roland from The Dark Tower series - I will try not to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the whole series, but I want to know if Roland breaks the cycle.

3. Harry Potter - Harry Potter!

4. Laila from A Thousand Splendid Suns - Did her life turn out okay?  It seemed like it would, but after such a difficult beginning, I'd like to make sure.

5. Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird - ... Oh wait....

6. Del from Lives of Girls and Women - I just want to know.

7. Lena from the Delirium series - That ending! Come on!

8. David & Tell Ullman from The Demonologist - That ending! Come on!

9. The Baudelaires from A Series of Unfortunate Events - Who do they become when they grow up?  (Do they grow up?)

10. The Time Traveler from The Time Machine - Where does he end up?

I refrained from including any series that I know has another book out or coming out that I haven't read yet.  As much as I wanted to include Blue Sargent (from The Raven Cycle) or Betsy Taylor (from Undead), I didn't, because there are books to read and maybe once I reach the conclusions of these series I won't be wondering (I know what happens to MaddAddam's Toby and Katniss from The Hunger Games). These are all characters that still capture my imagination. Who do you wonder about you close the book?

It's Gotten A Bit Chilly: Top Ten Books On My Fall Reading List

I'm really hoping (more than usual) to actually stick to My Top Ten list for Fall books.  Can I read these 10 books by December?

1. Allegiant - Veronica Roth

2. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

3. The House of Mirth - Edith Wharton

3. The Thousand Orcs - R.A. Salvatore

4. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

5. Champion - Marie Lu

6. Fool - Christopher Moore

7. The Last Policeman - Ben H. Winters

8. The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater

9. Horns - Joe Hill

10. Carrie - Stephen King

Can I get all ten of these books read in three months?  Probably not, I never do, but I'll try.  There are definitely a few that are more of a "priority" than others, series conclusions, must-read-before-seeing-movie, but I do want to read all of them.

Thanks to The Broke and The Bookish for hosting.

Top Ten Books I'd Like to See Made Into Movies

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and The Bookish was originally done on April 2011 (wow, I've been doing this meme a long time!)  Here is my original list, plus a few comments:

1. Oryx and Crake, 2. The Year of the Flood – I’d like to see both books made into movies. I think they’d be horrific and disturbing and fantastic films. They’d (hopefully) be the kind of movie that makes an impact, where you never really forget the story, just like the books.

Comment: This still holds.  I don't know if it will ever happen, though.  I'm reading MaddAddam right now and so far could be added to the list too.

3. The Hunger Games – Oh wait. They’re already making this into a movie. Yay! It better be good.

Comment: I really enjoyed The Hunger Games movie and I'm looking forward to Catching Fire.

4. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Oh wait. They’ve already made a Swedish movie, now we’re just waiting for the “Hollywood Blockbuster” to come out. I’ve heard the Swedish movie is amazing. The Hollywood movie better be good.

Comment: I never got around to seeing either version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  I don't know why.

5. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Though parts of the book dragged, if you take some of it out, this would make for an exciting movie.

Comment: I think this would still make a good movie, but after reading some awesome books in the last couple years, I might replace it with John Scalzi's Redshirts.

6. Wicked – It’s a musical already, but it’s not as close to the book or as dark as the book. I think a movie could really show Elphaba at her best and worst.

Comment: I would still love to see a dark, movie version of Wicked.

7. Remember Me? – This one might make up for not having a great interpretation of Confessions of a Shopaholic I think the premise and outcome are unique and interesting. It wouldn’t be another formulaic chick-flick.

Comment: I think someone did a TV show with this sort of premise.  It didn't work out.  Instead, I think I'd like to see Wither, though I don't think a movie that has pregnant teenagers would fly.

8. The Paper Bag Princess – If they’ve done Where The Wild Things Are, why not The Paper Bag Princess? Let’s give the girls someone fantastic to look up to. It’s one of my favourite children’s books and I think a movie of it could be wonderful.

Comment: I still would love to see a movie about Elizabeth besting a dragon.

9. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – This would be so awesome.

Comment:  I don't know if this movie is ever going to happen.  It was, then it wasn't, and now I don't know.

10. A Series of Unfortunate Events – I know they did a movie encompassing the first three books, which was fantastic. I enjoyed the performances of Jim Carrey, Glenn Close and the actors who played the Baudelaire siblings. They’d probably have to start over since the actors have aged so much, but they’re such wonderful books, I think it would be worth it.

Comment: I think a movie of Who Could It Be At This Hour? would be pretty cool instead.

What books would you like to see made into movies?  For those who did this topic before, do your choices still hold?

Hmm... I Don't Think So: Top Ten Words/Topics That Make Me Not Pick Up A Book

Opposite of the April 30th topic, the Broke and the Bookish want to know what are the Top Ten Words/Topics That Will Make You NOT pick up a book.  I want to be entertained or enlightened and engaged when I'm reading. I often read "serious" books, ones that deal with difficult topics, that can make me cringe during certain scenes. However, if some of these topics are repeated too many times in the synopsis, they can make me put the book down (though not always).  I think I've become more sensitive to certain things since becoming a parent.  It's something my hubby has notice too.  There are really only three phrases in this vein.

1. Child abuse

2. Serial killer

3. In the mind of the killer.

I just can't handle it if it's graphic.  I read a novel once, and it was so graphically violent and constantly violent, it bothered me for ages.  I also don't like it when violence is used to replace character growth.

Below are words/topics that turn me away for other reasons.  Mostly because I get bored/annoyed.  I read a pretty wide variety of genres, but if these words are too prominent, I'm bound to put the book down and move on to the next one.  I like fluff sometimes, but not too much.

4. Girl needs saving

5. Love triangle

6. Boy/man teaches girl/woman about love

Well, apparently I couldn't make it to ten.  This is just my opinion and is completely subjective.  I have read books that all 6 of those topics were a part of (though not the same book, though that might be interesting.)  I read a fair amount of Young Adult books (I think), but if I see the equivalent of any of those  three phrases splashed all over the synopsis, quotes, etc, I often find a different YA book to read.  In the end, I think it's about quality, not quantity.  You know what I mean?

Let's Get To Know Each Other: Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

This week The Broke and The Bookish want to know who we think are the Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition.  I did this topic way back in March 2011; I won't repeat authors.  I didn't even make it to ten last time. Can I 2+ years later?  I'm going to include along with the author's name, something they've written that I've enjoyed.  In no particular order.

1. Lauren DeStefano - The Chemical Garden Trilogy

2. Miriam Toews - A Complicated Kindness

3. Morgan Rhodes - Falling Kingdoms

4. Colleen McCullough - The Thorn Birds

5. Katherine Mansfield - The Garden Party

6. Zora Neale Hurston - Their Eyes Were Watching God

7. Khaled Hoseinni - And The Mountains Echoed

8. Richard Ford - Canada

9. Octavia Butler - Kindred

10. Donna Morrissey - The Deception of Livvy Higgs

I reached ten!  I know some of these authors have won awards and have multiple books under their belt, but a lot of them I don't see on other blogs.  I don't read about them in newspapers and magazines.  I try to talk about them in real life with people and they don't know who they are!  For some of these authors, if it wasn't for Goodreads or my attraction to pretty/interesting book covers, I might not even know about them.  Some are "classic" authors that have been forgotten when others are constantly discussed.  Each of those ten books I loved, for different reasons, and I would recommend them.

Who do you think deserves more recognition?

The Book Was Better - The Top Ten Best and Worst Movie Adaptations

Picking the Top Ten Best and Worst Movie Adaptations sounded easy, but has become a bit of a difficult one for me.  I don't think I've ever watched a movie and thought, wow, that was better than the book.  Not once.  If I happen to see the movie first, I often don't read the book; there are no surprises when I know what's going to happen.  There have been some good adaptations though.  I've split my list up, five best and five worst (or something).  In no particular order (sort of):

Best:

1. The Lord of the Rings series - Deserves the number one spot.

2. The Harry Potter series - So great.  I need to watch all the movies again... and again.

3. The Hunger Games - I really enjoyed the first movie and I have high hopes for the rest of the series.

4. Dracula - The movie is insanely over-sexualized, but still grabs at the essence of the characters in the book.  It definitely brought darkness back to vampires after all the campy stuff that came before.  Will the new Dracula demolish the teen vampires I see everywhere lately?

5. Interview with the Vampire - I still enjoy watching this movie.  It was one of my first vampire movies/shows.  It was bloody and interesting and I loved Claudia.

Worst:

1. The Time Machine - Deserves the number one spot.  Have you seen it?  It was brutally awful.

2. Confessions of a Shopaholic - The movie was okay, but absolutely nothing like the book, which I love.

3. The Da Vinci Code - The book was long with lots of explanations... and they kept pretty true to that in the movie, to its snoozy benefit.  Sometimes cutting stuff out is a good idea.

4. Superman III - I think it might have been the worst of all the Christopher Reeves as Superman movies.  Superman has such rich source material, but they just weren't using it well.  (It counts.  Comicbooks.)

How do I only have 4 for this section?  Basically, because if I hear that the adaptation is bad, I don't watch the movie.

Not Sure:

1. Memoirs of a Geisha - They only really adapted the middle of the book, but I still really enjoyed it.  I'm not sure if it's a best or worst though... Opinions?

2. War of the Worlds - I thought the modern interpretation was really interesting.  I enjoyed Dakota Fanning in it.  I'm not a huge Tom Cruise fan (though this is the second movie of his I'm mentioning), but I think he did the desperate-single-dad thing well.  Opinions?

We'll See:

1. The Hobbit series - I couldn't help but mention this one.  I'm not sure how I feel about it.  I enjoyed the first movie, but felt it was a bit long.  I also still can't believe they are making three movies out of one book.

2. World War Z - I haven't seen it yet.  I want to and I don't want to.  Basically because I can tell from the trailers that it's not like the book at all.  I've heard there's no Battle of Yonkers.  Also, Zombies don't run!

More than 10, I know, especially if you count the series.  What do you think about these adaptations?

Usually I link to books on Goodreads.  Today, however, I've linked to Rotten Tomatoes. 

Thanks to The Broke and The Bookish for hosting.

You Scare Me! Top Ten Most Intimidating Books

It's the end of the day and I'm finally getting a chance to make my Top Ten from The Broke and The Bookish.  I had a long Canada Day weekend.  It was fun, filled with family and fireworks.  I'm back home and I just couldn't resist this week's topic: Top Ten Most Intimidating Books.  Here they are in no particular order.

1. Ulysses, by James Joyce - It's HUGE!

2. War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy - It's HUGER!

3. Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - It seems a little mental, and deep, and possibly violent (and LONG). Also, it's so CANON.

4. Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood - I LOVE Margaret Atwood and I've read so many of her wonderful books, but something about this one... I don't know if it's the LENGTH, that SO MANY PEOPLE LOVE IT or what, but I'm scared of it.

5. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hoseinni - I LOVED A Thousand Splendid Suns and And The Mountains Echoed. The Kite Runner was his first book that for some reason I didn't read.  It was made into a movie (which I haven't seen) and also a graphic novel (which I also haven't read).  I feel like I've internally HYPED this one up so much, I'm scared to be disappointed.

6. The Stand, by Stephen King - I watched the mini-series oh so long ago and I remember loving it.  The Stand is also supposed to be King at his BEST.  I've read loads of his work, so I don't know what this one intimidates me more than the other stories I haven't read yet.

7. The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum- What if I HATE it?

8. The Walking Dead (Compendium #1), by Robert Kirkman - What if I HATE it? (I LOVE the show.)

9. Wizard's First Rule, by Terry Goodkind - I've heard such good things about this book and series.  But ALL the books are so HUGE.

10. A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson - Again, I've heard great things about Bryson and his writing.  People LOVE his books.  What if I don't?

Honourable mentions:

Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll - Same feelings as The Wizard of Oz

Tale of the Body Thief, by Anne Rice - I started this series, but never read past Queen of the Damned.  They were great books and I've always intended to finish.  They're just so long and there are so many other books vying for my time.

So, apparently I'm intimidated by big books, in general.  I also fear being disappointed by books other people love.  Sounds pretty normal to me :)

Sorry my CAPS LOCK button kept getting stuck.

What books are you intimidated by?

The Best So Far: Top Ten Books I've Read So Far In 2013

What are the best books I've read so far in 2013?  The Broke and The Bookish want to know.  I've been lucky.  Except for one truly disappointing book, I've read some really great novels so far this year.  I've limited the list to just novels, because if I included the fantastic poetry and short stories I've read on this list, I would have a much more difficult time deciding what titles to include.  

In no particular order, the best books of 2013 so far:

1. The Deception of Livvy Higgs, by Donna Morrissey

2. Legend, by Marie Lu

3. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

4. And The Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hoseinni

5. Falling Kingdoms, by Morgan Rhodes

6. Redshirts, by John Scalzi

7. Dead Ever After, by Charlaine Harris

8. The Wind Through The Keyhole, by Stephen King

9. Everything's Eventual, by Stephen King

10. The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis

What are the best books you've read so far this year?

More Sunny Days! Top Ten Books On My Summer To Read List

This week the topic from The Broke and The Bookish should be very easy.  I'm really looking forward to all the books on my Summer To Read List.  Some of these books relate to my Beach Reads, but they're not all "beachy", but they are definitely books I've had on hold too long and this summer seems like a great time to read them.  I've sorted them by author because I think I feel like binge reading....

By Cassandra Clare:

1. Clockwork Angel

2. Clockwork Prince 

3. Clockwork Princess

4. City of Fallen Angels

5. City of Lost Souls

By Sophie Kinsella

6. Twenties Girl 

7. Can You Keep A Secret?

By Margaret Atwood

8. Oryx and Crake (re-read in preparation for Maddaddam)

9. Maddaddam

By H.G. Wells

10. The Time Machine

Maybes:  H.G. Wells - Under The Knife

Lauren Oliver, Delerium, Pandemonium, Requiem

I may also start reading the Anne [of Green Gables] books.

So, what I've come to learn by making this list is that there are a lot of books I want to read this summer and I'm not 100% sure which ones to prioritize.  Maybe I'll just catch up on the Undead Series. 

Well, I think I might have failed this week's list...

What's on your summer to-read list?

Time to Lounge In The Sun! Top Ten Beach Reads

It seems like every year just as the beach season starts, The Broke and The Bookish want to know, what are your Top Ten Beach Reads.  This will in fact be my third "beach read" list.  This year the topic also specifically asks how YOU define a beach read.  

Usually, if a list is repeated or I've done something similar, I'll try not to repeat the books.  This time, I'm going to think about what I would want in a beach read and see what makes my top ten this week, even if it was on one of the previous lists.  For me, when I want to take something to the beach, I want it to be a page-turner.  It doesn't have to be fluff, it could be anything that will keep me engaged.  It also needs to be something I can put down at any point and come back to without feeling like I need to catch up.  What if I want to take a dip in the water?  Or build a sand castle?  I don't want to feel like I can't leave the story.  In no particular order, my Top Ten Beach Reads.

1. Anything by Sophie Kinsella.

2. The Undead Series, by MaryJanice Davidson

3. The Hunger Games Trilogy, by Suzanne Collins

4. The Divergent Trilogy, by Veronica Roth

5. A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket

6. The Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling

7. The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

8. Anything by Jane Austen

9. The Sookie Stackhouse Series, by Charlaine Harris

10. Redshirts, by John Scalzi

Well, apparently I like taking mostly genre books to the beach....  What are your favourite beach reads?

Let's Go! My Top Ten Books Featuring Travel In Some Way

I'm doing this week's Top Ten in order to challenge myself.  Before compiling this list, I didn't think I read a lot of books that involve travelling and I was right.  It's not something I've ever looked for specifically.  After looking at the books I've read, I'm going to tweak this list a little.  I'm going to make this a bit more about "journeys" than about "travel", though they will still be a type of physical journey.  Here are my Top Ten Books Featuring Travel In Some Way, in no particular order:

1. Canada, by Richard Ford - Going from a town in Montana to the middle-of-nowhere Saskatchewan can be quite interesting.

2. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, by Sophie Kinsella - Becky is excited to go to Manhattan and manages to bring all her London problems with her.

3. Prodigy, by Marie Lu - Traveling through dystopic America, an interesting contrast between two sides/extremes of the country.

4. Fever, by Lauren DeStefano - Another pair traveling through a different dystopic America, one that's really unsettling and possibly even more dangerous.

5. The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis - Takes us through Narnia.  I'd love to visit.

6. World War Z, by Max Brooks - We travel around the world, post-Zombie War, aka World War Z.

7. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel - If you count floating around in the ocean as travel.

8. The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien - They certainly travel far and there's a lot of walking.

9. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King - The Ka-Tet travels farther than any other in Mid-World.

10. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger - TIME Travel.

What books have you read about travel?  Do you have any recommendations for me?

Maybe I'm Not A Light & Fun Reader

This week I found the Broke and The Bookish's top ten topic more difficult than usual.  Apparently, I don't read a whole lot of "Light and Fun" type stories.  There are a few though.  Let's see if I can make it to ten.

1. Anything by Jane Austen - They're classic, but they're romantic.

2. The Shopaholic Series/Anything by Sophie Kinsella - Kinsella's books are hilarious and my go-to read when I want something light.

3. The Undead Series, by MaryJanice Davidson - Undead might be about vampires, but Queen Betsy is hilarious.  I have to catch up on this series.

4. The Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series, by Charlaine Harris - I started this series when I needed something light to read.  There's a fair bit of violence and sex, but whatever, it was light for me.

5. The Mortal Instruments/The Infernal Devices series, by Cassandra Clare - I've read the first three books in The Mortal Instruments series and I found them quick, fun reads.  Maybe not light?  Again, a fair bit of violence in these books.  

So, not even close to ten...  I find a lot of the Young Adult Dystopian series I've read in the past couple years "fun", in that they are quick and enjoyable reads, but they deal with some heavy/dark subjects and I don't know that they qualify for this list. Even some of the series I have up there might not really be what the topic intends.  I guess I'm not really into "light" books.  Oh well.  Maybe I'll discover some this week looking at everyone's lists.  Any recommendations?

Calling To Me: Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Pick Up A Book

The Broke and The Bookish are asking us this week what are the Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book.  I don't think any particular word or topic will make me automatically buy a book, but there are some that will make me at least pick it up.  I am drawn to these topics for different reasons.  They are genres that I've found many loved stories, or they call to me and my personal history.  In no particular order, here are the top ten topics I'm drawn too.

1. Dystopian - This comes from reading -and loving- The Handmaid's Tale and 1984.  They are classic dystopian to me.  It's why I picked up The Hunger Games.

2. Immigrant/Immigration - My parents immigrated to this country (separately, they met here).  Reading other immigration stories, I feel, gives me an insight into what they and my many relatives went through.  It's why I picked up The Book of Ifs and Buts (plus I really liked the title).

3. Caribbean: Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, etc. - Anything from the country my family is from, and the surrounding areas, will at least get me to pick up the book.

4. Multi-Racial/Bi-Racial - Again, this has to do with my family.  It's the reason I wanted to read Prismatic.

5. Myths - I enjoy myth retellings/interpretations.  This will get me to look at the book, even if I don't buy it.

6. Zombies - This is a recent thing.  I don't buy a ton, because I can only read so much of one genre, but after World War Z and The Walking Dead I seem to be picking up Zombie fiction more and more.

7. Short Stories - I love short stories collections, whether from one single author, like Stephen King's Everything's Eventual or from many authors, like Forty Stories.  Single author collections are great because sometimes you don't need a whole novel to tell a tale.  Multi-author anthologies are also great because it's an easy way to get a taste of authors you've never read before.

Wow, it's been a while since I couldn't come up with ten.  I'm not an overly picky book shopper.  I buy loads of books.  Hmm...

What words/topics appeal to you?

What A Surprise! Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did

This week The Broke and The Bookish want to know what are the Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did.  I decided to split the list, 5 each.  They're in no particular order.  Hopefully my ramblings are understandable.

I thought I'd like MORE:

(aka, Disappointed)

1. Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations, by Alexander McCall Smith - Everyone seems to love Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books.  I'd heard such good things about them. When I saw a copy of Heavenly Date and Other  Flirtations not only did I pick it up because of Smith's reputation, but I love short stories and I liked the title.  I was sadly disappointed.  I've since read another of Smith's books, a novel, not No. 1 Ladies, and also didn't really like it.  He's not a bad writer, just something about his style doesn't appeal to me.

2. Girl meets boy, by Ali Smith - Girl meets boy is a book from the Canongate Myth Series.  Up until this installment, I had enjoyed each Myth book.  They're all by different authors, so perhaps there was bound to be one I didn't really like.  It's a slim 149 pages, but it took ages for me to get through.

3. Undead Reckoning, by Mike Slabon - I was really looking forward to this self-published zombie-fantasy novel.  I've been getting more into zombies (perhaps blame Walking Dead) and I want to support self-published authors and Slabon seems like a genuinely nice guy.  I really wanted to love this book, but sadly didn't.

4. The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie, by Alan Bradley - Why do people love The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie?  I expected to love it too.  They synopsis, what other people were saying, all indicated to me that I would enjoy the book.  I found Flavia so irritating, I just couldn't handle it.

5. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen - Unlike the other books on this list, I really liked Pride and Prejudice.  I loved Lizzy and Darcy; all the characters were fantastic.  It's a great story.  I read it after I read Sense and Sensibility, which I loved.  The way people spoke about Pride and Prejudice, I expected to love it more than Sense and Sensibility and that just didn't happen.  So while I still enjoyed it, I didn't love it the way I expected.  Right now, Sense and Sensibility is my favourite Austen.

I thought I'd like LESS:

(aka, Pleasantly Surprised)

1. The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling - So many people were complaining about The Casual Vacancy.  It wasn't Harry Potter, it was long, it was boring.  If you went in expecting it to be like Harry Potter then yes, you'd be disappointed, but I knew it wouldn't be.  I read the synopsis.  More than one it was mentioned that this was a book for adults.  It actually reminded me a bit of a Stephen King book.  I really liked it.

2. The Deception of Livvy Higgs, by Donna Morrissey - I knew I'd like Livvy Higgs, I just didn't know I'd love it!  I could seriously gush about it, but it would probably be simpler to read my review.

3. Living Dead In Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse #2), by Charlaine Harris - I read the first book in the series, Dead Until Dark and liked it.  I didn't think it was spectacular, but I had a box set and figured I'd eventually get to the rest of the books.  A while later I read Living Dead In Dallas and that was the surprise   Book 2 hooked me into the series.  I read five books in about two weeks, which is pretty fast for me.  Then, I borrowed book 8 because I just had to know what happened next. (I'm not going to talk about the most recent books.)

4. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee - I figured Lee's novel would be okay.  There would be some historical/societal/social stuff, but I didn't know.  I didn't know how amazing this novel really is and why EVERYONE should read it.  Everyone.

5. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy: A Trilogy in Five Parts, by Douglas Adams - My hubby told me to read it.  He usually only reads fantasy, but here he was trying to get me to read sci-fi.  I didn't know how awesome  Hitchhiker's  was.  I want to re-read it.  Multiple times.

Amazing Books From Long Ago

This week The Broke and The Bookish have asked what are my Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger. The only trouble I had with this list is remembering which books I read before I was a blogger.  I've been blogging since 2006 and that's a lot of books.  Then, I also had trouble narrowing it down to ten.  But here are ten favourites that have stayed with me over the years.  I plan on re-reading some (all) of them eventually.

1. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

2. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells

3. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

4. Kindred, by Octavia Butler

5. The Lord of The Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkein

6. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

7. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë

8. Lives of Girls and Women, by Alice Munro

9. The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath

10. Haroun and The Sea of Stories, by Salman Rushdie

I'm going to sneak in an honourable mention of books 1-6 of the Harry Potter series.

What books did you love before blogging?

You Must Read These!

I love this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and The Bookish.  I want to encourage reading and I'm always ready to recommend books.  I think my list is pretty diverse.  I try to recommend books based on the person because I like for everyone to have good reading experiences.  These are a selection of books that aren't just favourites, but one's I think other people will like.  In no particular order the Top Ten  Books I Recommend The Most:

1. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood - One of the best books ever.  It's so eerily possible.
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini - Another best book ever.  Good if you are interesting in the problems in the Middle-East from the perspective of someone who lived there.  Also good if you're interested in women's rights (and who isn't?).
3. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins - I've described this book as Extreme Survivor.  That still holds true.
4. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King - King's epic.  It's also good for those who don't necessarily like horror, because this lends itself towards fantasy.
5. 1984, by George Orwell - You want to know where "Big Brother" comes from?  Here it is.  It is so scary.
6. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells - Classic Science-Fiction: Wells' commentary on the British class structure, with our cannibalistic descendants.  I plan or re-reading this one soon.
7. The Shopaholic Series, by Sophie Kinsella - So fun!  Good for the beach, to relax, to forget about the world.
8. Flush, by Virginia Woolf - It is short and clever.  It's a great way to test out Woolf if you're not sure about diving in, probably the least like her other books.
9. Kindred, by Octavia Butler - It's been over a decade since I read it, but the story has stayed with me and I don't think it will ever leave.  To me, that's pretty powerful writing.
10. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley - Easily my favourite of the classic horrors.

So, read these books.  I highly recommend them.  What do you think I should read?  Recommendations?

Did I Forget To Read You?

I put a similar list together for The Broke and The Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday a while ago.  So I'm going to only list books that weren't on my first list.  It sounds like it will be difficult, but it actually won't be.  In no particular order, the Top Ten books I HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread:

1. Brown Girl In The Ring, by Nalo Hopkinson - When I first saw this book, I knew I had to read it, but it sits untouched on my shelf.
2. The Wolves Of Mercy Falls, by Maggie Steifvater - I saw the box set at a discounted price and I'd heard such great things about the author and the series, but it's still sealed in shrink wrap.
3. Carrie, by Stephen King - I saw the new paperbacks looking pretty on display and there was Carrie.  I've read a fair amount of King's work, but not his first novel.  Why is it still waiting for me to read it?
3. His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman - I saw the paperback box set on sale (of course).  The price was right and I really want to read the books, but they just sit on my shelf.
4. Twenties Girl, by Sophie Kinsella - I love Kinsella's books, I've read a lot of them, so of course I picked this one up too... and then didn't read it.
5. The View From Castle Rock, by Alice Munro - I picked this up at a charity book sale after reading so many wonderful stories by Munro.
6. What the Dickens: The Story Of A Rogue Tooth Fairy, by Gregory Maguire - I enjoyed Confessions of an Ugly Step-Sister and Wicked, I couldn't resist adding to my Maguire books when I saw this one on sale.
7.  The Gargoyle, by Andrew Davidson - I heard brilliant things about The Gargoyle.  Readers I respect immensely recommend this book, so I picked it up... and put it on the shelf.
8. Girl In Translation, by Jean Kwok - It sounded so much like I book I would enjoy.  I picked it up at the same charity book sale that I bought The View From Castle Rock.
9. Her Fearful Symmetry, by Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife was great and I wanted to read Niffenegger's follow up and I still want to read it.
10. Girls of Riyadh, by Rajaa Alsanea - I just had to have it.  I wanted to read it so much.  I'm going to read it.  Soon (ish).  Bah!

Has anyone realized I'm a sucker for books with reduced prices?  I'm saving money by buying it, right?  Not really.

What books did you have to have and then didn't read?  Which one of these should I make a priority?

Flowers and Birds! (Top Ten Books for Spring 2013)

The sun is brighter, the days are warmer and growing long. Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming.  What are you reading?  This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and The Bookish is: what books are on your spring to-be-read list.  In no particular order:

1. The Wind Through The Keyhole, by Stephen King

2. A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness

3. The Deception of Livvy Higgs, by Deborah Morrissey

4. Prodigy, by Marie Lu

5. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells

6. Sever, by Lauren DeStefano

7. The Thousand Orcs, by R.A. Salvatore

8. Bodily Harm, by Margaret Atwood

9. The Raven Boys, by Maggie Steifvater

10. Falling Kingdoms, by Morgan Rhodes.

This seems like a pretty good order in which to read these books this spring.  Though I might switch 1, 2, 3, and 4 depending on how I feel after my current read... Or maybe I'll read 6 next.  Who knows?!  If I buy another book (highly probable), it could change everything.

What are you going to be reading this spring?

Top Ten Series I'd Like To Start But Haven't Yet

When I read the topic from The Broke and The Bookish for this week's Top Ten Tuesday, I knew I'd have a few Series I'd Like To Start But Haven't Yet, but I really didn't think I'd actually make it to ten!  My first list went beyond ten.  I actually had to narrow it down.  The crazy part is that these are all books that are not only the beginning of a series, but I also own! For whatever reason haven't read them yet.  Here are my top ten in no particular order:

1. The Raven Cycle (Book 1: The Raven Boys), by Maggie Stiefvater
2. Falling Kingdoms (Book 1: Falling Kingdoms), by Morgan Rhodes
3. All The Wrong Questions (Book 1: Who Could It Be At This Hour), Lemony Snicket
4. His Dark Materials (Book 1: The Golden Compass), by Philip Pullman
5. Forever Girl (Book 1: The Forever Girl), by Rebecca Hamilton
6. The Strain Trilogy (Book 1: The Strain), by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan
7. Cadence Jones (Book 1: Me, Myself & Why?), by MaryJanice Davidson
8. Legend (Book 1: Legend), by Marie Lu
9. Fallen (Book 1: Fallen), by Lauren Kate
10. The Wolves of Mercy Falls (Book 1: Shiver), by Maggie Stiefvater

What??? How did this happen?  I can't believe I own all these books, beginnings of series and I haven't read them.  This doesn't even count the series I want to start, but don't own yet.  I might have a problem...

What series would you like to start but haven't yet?

*Addition:  Top Ten Tuesday has been nominated for best meme.  Click here if you're interested in voting for The Broke and The Bookish (and check out the other nominees).