Top Ten Tuesday is a weakly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They love lists as much as I do, so it's only fair to tip my hat.
Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery: She has an imagination that would trump most novelists. She’s incredibly driven, positive, a fierce friend, and loving companion. Her red hair is the bane of her existence, and she love love loves poufy sleeves.
Laura Ingalls from the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder: Okay, it’s been way too long since I read this series to say in detail why, but so many good memories involved with this one. Who could deny that any girl growing up on the prairie in the nineteenth century is one tough cookie? I plan to reread this one soon!
Jo March from Little Womenby Louisa May Alcott: She won’t settle for what everyone else thinks is best for her, she follows her heart, she loves to read and write. She’s a wonderful friend, daughter, and sister, even though she’s incredibly stubborn and willing to fight.
Matilda from Matilda by Roald Dahl: Matilda remains one of the kindest most optimistic people despite never really being loved as a kid. She finds her way to the library, and reads everything. Not afraid to stand up for others.
Herald Talia from the Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey: Well, pretty much anyone who becomes a herald is automatically on the ‘really good person’ list, but Talia is incredibly strong for her stature, unfailingly brave, and willing to lose her life for queen and country.
Herald Elspeth from the Mage Winds series by Mercedes Lackey: Oh Elspeth. I hated her at first, she was such a brat as a kid, but as an adult? It’s possible I love her more than Talia. She wants to do her thing, isn’t hungry for power, and is up for going through some weird and scary stuff to help not only her country, but others she deems worthy.
Lyra Silvertongue from His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman: She’s scrappy, good at spying and climbing, a steadfast friend, and she will walk through hell (and quite a few other places) for the chance to save the world and those she cares about.
Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling: She’s a little goody-goody smarty pants who somehow always gets wrapped up in trouble. She’s not all girly and frail, she stands up for what’s right, and she’s good at what she does because she works hard.
Arya Stark from the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin: Again, scrappy. Love this girl. She holds the right grudges, but is good about finding the opportune moment for things. She’s smart, resourceful, and completely unconcerned with her nobility while incredibly concerned with her family.
Now see the last spot is hard to fill, there’s so many characters I love, so I’ll just list a few more that could have gone in this spot. Some I’ve read too recently to put on an ‘all time’ list, but I could certainly see them going there: Lucy Pevensie from Narnia, Eugenides from The Queen’s Thief, Violet Adams from All Men of Genius, Jessica Darling, Sophie Mercer from Hex Hall, Ismae from Grave Mercy, Cameron Post, Puck Connelly from The Scorpio Races, Scarlet, Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle, Kate Daniels, etc.
Apparently, I’m all about the strong women! Though Eugenides did sneak in there at the end…
Top Ten Tuesday is a weakly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They love lists as much as I do, so it's only fair to tip my hat.
So this week’s ‘official’ topic is tips for new book bloggers, but get this friends, I am a new book blogger! I feel like giving advice when I’ve been blogging for 3.5 months would be a tad pompous of me, so instead I’m going to do something else I think is totally wonderful and fun. The Book Rat and Basically Amazing Books are hosting a Fairy Tale Fortnight for these last several weeks of April! I love fairy tales, as I know many of you do as well, so you ought to go over and check out the festivities! There are lots of wonderful posts, chances to participate, and giveaways for all. Yesterday I posted my review of Shadows on the Moon, a fabulous retelling of Cinderella set in a fantasy world much like feudal Japan. Today I’m going to share with you some fairy tales and retellings that I adore most, or want to read desperately.
Okay people, if you call yourself a fan of fairy tales, and you haven’t read the marvelous Fables by Bill Willingham, you really need to drop everything and do so. Stat. It tells the story of fables in exile after they’ve escaped their homelands to live in our own world, a refuge from the evil adversary that has destroyed their worlds. I adore this series so much, and think that any fairy tale fan should read it, even if they’re not usually into graphic novels.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer: My review here. I adored this futuristic Cinderella as a cyborg story, and cannot wait for the rest of the series which promises to draw on other favorites, like Little Red Riding Hood. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen: My review here. I realize Robin Hood is more of a folk legend than a fairy tale, but I’m going to have to argue that that’s a very fine line, and since this is my list I’ll include what I want! Stardust by Neil Gaiman: If you held a gun to my head and made me choose a favorite author, I’d probably say Neil Gaiman. I love everything this man does, but Stardust was its own unique fairy tale esque story that shouldn’t be missed.
Anything by Shannon Hale: I’ve just started reading Shannon Hale this year, and so far as I’m concerned with her MG work, she can do no wrong. She writes wonderful fairy tale esque books that any fairy tale lover will adore.
Anything by Robin McKinley: I need to read these retellings in a bad way. McKinley doesn’t only wright retellings or fairy tales, but I have heard absolutely amazing things about those she does, and plan to read some asap.
Anything by Juliet Marillier: Another author that weaves together her own fairy tales with retellings of those well-known. I picked up Daughter of the Forest recently, and plan on reading pretty much everything else she’s written as well.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weakly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They love lists as much as I do, so it's only fair to tip my hat.
Some books are liars. They dress up with covers and titles and blurbs that really throw us off what the book is actually all about. I’ve scraped up a list of eight of these deceiving reads, let me know what books fooled you!
Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez Charges: Title Deception This book should have been called ‘Scary obsessive stalking in the time of cholera’ in my mind. To me, this book wasn’t about love, it was just creepy.
Sloppy Firsts – Megan McCafferty Charges: General Appearance This book looks like it’s fluffy, light, and completely throw-away dime-a-dozen contemporary YA. IT IS NOT. It is amazing and wonderful, and has very much beneath the surface.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson Charges: Title Deception I do not, for the life of me, understand why this was the chosen title when translating “Men Who Hate Women” from Swedish. I don’t. It’s beyond me. This book doesn’t center completely around this ‘girl with the dragon tattoo’. But whatever, I guess I probably wouldn’t read a book called Men Who Hate Women either.
Midnight in Austenland – Shannon Hale Charges: General Appearance This book would appear, generally, to be a companion novel to Hale’s lighthearted romance, Austenland. And while I suppose that remains true, it is so not the same kind of book as Austenland. It’s not so lighthearted, and more of a mystery.
Going Bovine – Libba Bray Charges: Cover/Title Deception So for some reason this title/cover combo had me believing that mad cow disease somehow turned the main character into a cow? Not so much. Still, a fun, quirky read.
Juliet Immortal – Stacy Jay Charges: Cover Deception Sure, the cover’s gorgeous, but it has absolutely no bearing on the story. Again, unnecessary dress, but more than that why the heck is she huddled on some rock on the beach? I’m pretty sure open water was never even mentioned in this book…
The Name of the Star – Maureen Johnson Charges: Cover Deception I’m fairly sure I’m not the only one who assumed from this cover that The Name of the Star was a historical fiction. It is not. It is a contemporary paranormal with elements of history in it and the girl on the cover is barely mentioned.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weakly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They love lists as much as I do, so it's only fair to tip my hat.
Some days are just better spent curled up with a book, and little else. Here’s a list of books I’ve read recently in a single sitting and absolutely adored doing so! They’re all fast, completely engrossing reads that I absolutely couldn't put down, and wouldn’t want to. Pick one up on a day when you have no obligations, and I guarantee you won’t regret it!
I Hunt Killers – Barry Lyga Reviewed here. I Hunt Killers is a thriller—the kind you can’t put down. Partially because you know you’ll have nightmares if you don’t get some kind of resolution before you try to sleep, and partially because you just can’t look away. I ate this up this past week, and am ready to thrust it into so many people’s hands—particularly guy friends who would probably be more amenable to this than some paranormal romance or faery junk I’m usually thrusting at people.
Sloppy Firsts – Megan McCafferty OMG you guys. There is a reason so many people talk about this series. I had written it off as shallow teen contemporary, and thank goodness I had to pick it up for book club. I’m not going to lie, I read this one in two days. And that was a HUGE mistake. Because I literally could not sleep I was stressing out so much about Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie. Heck, I couldn’t sleep for stress after I finished. I highly suggest when you pick up this book, you just go ahead and get the whole series on hand, because you will want to start Second Helpings the instant you finish Sloppy Firsts. I wish with every fiber of my being that I had read this book in high school.
Fables: Homelands – Bill Willingham Okay, I had to pick an exact trade to link to, so I picked this one, but really? Anything in the Fables series belongs here. One of my all-time favorite graphic series, and certainly my favorite still in publication. Fables tells the story of all of the fairy tale and storybook characters we know after they have been exiled to our world running from an evil adversary. If you love fairy tales, and/or retellings, this series is for you—even if you haven’t done graphic novels before!
Hex Hall – Rachel Hawkins I have been so happy in the past few weeks to see some more people picking this series up since the final book, Spell Bound has been released (like Jasmine—welcome to the Rachel Hawkins loving club!). I can’t remember what made me pick this one up, I mean, the concept seemed so done with a witch going to supernatural reform school full with vamps and werewolves, and to be frank the title “Hex Hall” didn’t exactly instill confidence. But boy was I right to give this one a chance, Hawkins is legit funny, very unique, and I lapped this one up in a sitting.
Radiant Shadows – Melissa Marr Again, any book in the Wicked Lovely series (reviewed here) is a one-day read, but I’ve picked my favorite of the quintet, Radiant Shadows. I love love love this YA urban fantasy series, which presents an unsurprisingly beautiful and dark portrayal of the fey. While the books follow a tangential storyline, each book focuses on different characters, meaning for me that I got to continue the story without getting bored. Love it!
Unearthly – Cynthia Hand Reviewed here. I don’t care if you’re sick of paranormal romance, this is one that’s worth on going back for. Believe me girls, you will swoon. I certainly did. Sure, it takes place in my home state, so I’m biased, but two words: Tucker Avery. Besides, Unearthly features Clara, a girl worth cheering for—she’s got background, she’s not afraid to go against…well…God to do what she thinks she must, and she has one of the best mother-daughter relationships this side of Gilmore Girls.
The Thief – Megan Whalen Turner Reviewed here. So…stick with this one. Trust me. It’s like you’re reading along, minding your own business, thinking ‘well this is a decent road-trip young young adult fantasy’ and then BAM! You get hit with an awesome train, head on. I loved this series so SO much—I gushed about it in reviews all throughout March. Megan Whalen Turner transcends genres, and keeps readers on their toes, I couldn’t recommend it more to any fantasy reader.
Cinder – Marissa Meyer Reviewed here. I know, I know, you’ve heard of this one a lot this year. Any you know why? Because it was AWESOME. I sat down to ‘start’ this one day, and before I knew it it was quite late at night, and I had hit the last page. This is such a well-done futuristic retelling of Cinderella. If you like fairy tales and sci fi, you will love Cinder. The only problem with this one? The fact that we have to wait till 2013 for the next installment.
Scarlet – A.C. Gaughen Reviewed here. Talk about damned good retellings! This was such a cool and unique twist on Robin Hood, that I couldn’t help but fall head over heels and devour it. I was actually kind of sad about how fast this one went by, I could have kept going for some time. A story where Will Scarlet is really a chick?! Seriously, sign yourself up for that.
The Iron King – Julie Kagawa Okay, so, I just got through The Iron Daughter this weekend and performed so many facepalms for the duration my lifeline may permanently be engraved in my forehead, but The Iron King? Totally a breeze. I found this to be one of the most engrossing books I’d picked up this year and I thoroughly enjoyed Julie Kagawa’s play on fey mythos.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weakly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They love lists as much as I do, so it's only fair to tip my hat.
This week it's spring fever! So let's talk about those books you just can't stand to put down. Those books so good you would consider (or even would) calling in sick to stay home and read. Or at least shirk some duties like cleaning the dishes in the sink and filling out your tax returns for...The following are all books I'm either dying to pick up, or couldn't put down. The books I'll read in one sitting without realizing how many hours have passed. Which, of course, makes them some of my favorites of all time, or some of my most anticipated reads (clicky for GoodReads):
Top Ten Tuesday is a weakly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They love lists as much as I do, so it's only fair to tip my hat.
Ah spring...I'm not going to lie to you, I don't like it. It's my least favorite season. In fact, March is my least favorite month of the year. I get allergies, it rains a lot (and I hate cold rain), it's just generally crappy. Sooooo, as a result my top books of my spring to-read list have nothing to do with the season. I might pick winter reads, or summer reads, but my spring reads remain these books that I'm just plain excited to get to. So with no futher ado, here are the top 10 books I'm most excited to read this spring (clicky for GoodReads):
10) Witch's Brew - Heidi R. Kling: I picked up this book a while ago, but haven't gotten to it yet. It seems kind choose your own adventury, and I'm excited to check it out.
7) The Iron Knight - Julia Kagawa: Okay, so, I still have only read the first in this series, but I am really looking forward to getting through the rest of it before summer!
6) Railsea - China Mieville: Futuristic Moby Dick retelling with railways and giant moles? Um...yes please!
5) Magic Strikes - Ilona Andrews: I've read and enjoyed the first two installments of Kate Daniels's story, and everyone says Magic Strikes is where it gets really good, so of course I'm excited to go there!
4) Shadows on the Moon - Zoe Marriot: I'm really excited for this Cinderella retelling with a Japanese twist. Though I will say this is a case of US cover sucking while the UK cover is gorgeous.
3) A Conspiracy of Kings - Megan Whalen Turner: I've loved the first three parts of this series, and have been putting off reading the fourth one with the knowledge that it'll be a looooong time before there's a new one.
2) Scarlet - A.C. Gaughen: One of my most anticipated reads of the year! I finally picked up a copy last week, and am positively giddy about finally reading it.
1) Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein: I have heard nothing but wonderful, beautiful, next-to-perfect things about this book, and I am so ready to carve out some time to finally read it. I also like the UK cover of this one better, but I like the US cover as well.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weakly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They love lists as much as I do, so it's only fair to tip my hat.
I love me some good ol' fashioned time travel. So here are my Top 10 Time Travel books. I know I'm missing some staples because I honestly haven't read things like Time After Time yet. You don't need to tell me, believe me, my tbr time travel list is loooooong...as always, clicky for GoodReads, and enjoy!
#10 - A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle: Like many young readers, this was my first run in with time travel and I freakin' loved it! I'm sad to say, however, that this is in my pile of books I should never have reread. I reread A Wrinkle in Time about two years ago, and was incredibly disappointed. It didn't hold up for me, or it would have been higher on this list.
#9 - The Time Machine - H.G. Wells: This classic is much better than the movies would have you believe. A must-read-staple for any time travel fan.
#7 - Bearing an Hourglass - Piers Anthony: Piers Anthony may be one of the most misogynistic, formulaic fantasy authors out there, but I still thought The Incarnations of Immortality series was pretty cool. While my favorite of these books was actually Death (On a Pale Horse), Bearing an Hourglass had a pretty sweet take on Time.
#6 - When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead: So...this is where I put a book I haven't actually read fairly high on my list. Why? Because I know I'm going to love it, and I am going to read it this year! It's on my list for the Award Winning Reads Challenge.
#5 - The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger: I loved this book. I almost wish it had a different name, because it is so hard to get men to read this one. Sure, there's romance, but there's also a really cool and unique take on time travel that I haven't seen anywhere else!
#4 - A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickons: A lot of people overlook this one as time travel, but think about it! It totally fits the bill. One of my favorite Christmas stories, ghost stories, and time travel stories all in one. I plan on rereading this one this year.
#3 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling: Here's where we're getting into some of my all-time favorite books. One of my favorite Harry Potter and Time Traveler books, I covet a time turner like it's nobody's business.
#2 - Rant - Chuck Palahniuk: Forget Fight Club, Rant is by far my favorite Palhaniuk. Another unique take on time travel and immortality.
#1 - Blackout/All Clear - Connie Willis: I love love loved this duology. I'm dying to read the rest of Connie Willis's Oxford Time Travel books, but I find it hard to believe anything could top Blackout and All Clear as they're set during WWII. Learn British history in an entertaining way!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weakly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They love lists as much as I do, so it's only fair to tip my hat.
Okay, since choosing my Top 10 favorite covers of all time would take hours of deep contemplation and soul searching, forget it! We're going Top 10 favorite YA covers of 2012. That makes it easier since a lot of covers aren't even out yet, and I can safely cut out MG and adult books! Since this week's all about the covers, I'm going to stay quiet and just let you enjoy the pretties. Let me know what you think and what covers you picked!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weakly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They love lists as much as I do, so it's only fair to tip my hat.
This week? BEST TOP TEN TUESDAY EVAR!!! However I'll warn you now, there will be some vulgarity, so don't read/listen if you hate the swears. If I could assign theme songs to books (and I totally do in my head), it'd look something like this:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Theme: Stadium Love by Metric
Every living thing pushed into the ring, fight it out to wow the crowd. Guess you thought you could just watch...no one's getting out without stadium love.
Sure, this song's talking about animal fighting in a stadium, but is that really so different than throwing a bunch of teens in the arena for a fight to the death for the spectator's entertainment? I think not.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Theme: Little Bit by Lykke Li
Hands down, I'm too proud for love, but with eyes shut it's you I'm thinking of. But how we move from A to B it can't be up to me, 'cause you don't know. Eye to eye, thigh to thigh, I let go. I think that I'm a little bit, little bit, a little bit in love with you. But only if you're a little bit, little bit, little bit in love with me.
This song can be interpreted several ways, but to me it comes across as a chick who's totally in love with her friend, but is too scared to move beyond friendship unless she knows first that he feels the same way. Sound familiar Anna fans?
The Gunslinger - Stephen King
Theme: 99 Problems by Hugo
Tip my hat to the sun in the west, feel the beat right in my chest. At the crossroads a second time, make the devil change his mind. It's a pound of flesh but it's really a ton, 99 problems and a bitch ain't one. If you haven't got problems, I feel bad for you son. I've got 99 problems, and a bitch ain't one.
This Jay Z cover is amazing, and pretty much evokes the image of Roland Deschain all over the place. What can I say? The man's got a lot of problems. But a bitch ain't one.
52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody
Theme: Rich Girl by The Bird and the Bee
You're a rich girl, but you've gone too far 'cause you know it don't matter anyway. You can rely on the old man's money, you can rely on the old man's money. It's a bitch girl, and it's gone too far 'cause you know it don't matter anyway. Say money but it won't get you too far.
I haven't had the opportunity to read 52 Reasons yet, but is there any denying that this is the perfect theme? Heck, the covers of the book and the album are even similar. Both book and song are about rich girls who plan on relying on the old man's money, but learn the hard way it doesn't quite work like that...
Theme: I Am Not a Robot by Marina and the Diamonds
I'm vulnerable, I'm vulnerable, I am not a robot. You're lovable, so lovable, but you're just troubled. Guess what? I'm not a robot, a robot.
I have to hat tip Anna from Anna Reads for this one as she posted this song with her Cinder review, but it couldn't be more perfect. A troubled but lovable guy and a vulnerable girl who wants him to think of her as a person and not a robot? Mmmhmmm. Besides, that much glitter and body paint is amazing whether or not you're a robot.
The Odyssey by Homer | Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
So if there were a mashup of these two books I'm thinking:
Theme: Two Years Spent Before the Mast by Astronautalis
Two years spent before the mast and no one knows the secrets that we're hiding. If word got loose, you'd face the lash and thirteen loops would hold me fast and silent. Things are not always as they seem to be outside us. Devil got poor Persephone, but they can't take, they can't take you from me.
People! This song is awesome. I want someone to write it as a full length book, but until then I'll have to dream. Basically it tells the story of a sailor who finds a woman stowaway on board, and instead of throwing her in the brig, he cuts off her hair, dresses her as a man, and she works alongside him as a sailor. He plans to smuggle her off ship with the opium after eight weeks, but they fall in love and she risks staying on board to stay with him. So I think The Odyssey, for the years spent on a perilous journey at sea (and the mythology mentions), and Scarlet for the dangerous masquerade. LOVE IT!
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Theme: Buried in Teeth by Mariee Sioux
Buried in arms, buried in teeth, can't tell if we're being eaten alive.
This song has a very haunting feel, and the whole arms and teeth and being eaten alive makes it pretty pitch perfect for The Forest of Hands and Teeth.
Kick Ass by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.
Theme: Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler
Where have all the good men gone, and where are all the gods? Where's the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds? Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night I toss and turn and dream of what I need. I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
This song is just screaming for a teen boy with misguided notions of super heroes to put on some spandex and fight crime. Perfect for Kick Ass!
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Theme: This series is way too big for just one song. Hell, I'd love to pick a song for all of the major families, but I'll restrict it to my last two selections.
For the Lannisters: Runaway by Kanye West
Let's have a toast for the douchebags, let's have a toast for the assholes, let's have a toast for the scumbags, every one of them that I know. Let's have a toast for the jerkoffs that'll never take work off. Baby I got a plan, run away fast as you can.
We all know the Lannisters are the family for douchebaggery. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're dicks, and there's no denying it, but Song of Ice and Fire would be nothing without them, so cheers!
For the Starks: Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts by Wolf Parade
I've got a hand, so I got a fist, so I got a plan, it's the best that I can do. Now we'll say, it's in God's hands, but God doesn't always have the best goddamn plans does he? I ain't quite the beauty, pulls out two guns and shoots at the pretty pretty view. Gotta keep thinking, things, hunters, and kings to block out the view. I gotta get a new bell to ring, a new song to sing, a steady hand to ring, a readiness of things I do. I gotta get a new plan to bring to the people, people I can trick them into anything. Oh rust is just right in the light it's gold, it's gold.
Oh the Starks...we love them. And their direwolves. They're looking for a plan to iron out the jumble of things, hunters, and kings, and they're hoping the people will support them. Plus...um, hello? It's effing Wolf Parade!
That's it for me this week, hope you all enjoy listening to this awesomeness as much as I enjoyed allocating it. What books did you give theme songs to?
