Tag Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

February 5, 2013 · 6:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Bookish Memories

top ten tuesday

Good morning ladies and gents!

It’s Tuesday, which means time for Top Ten Tuesday hosted by the lovely gals over at The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic is a bit sappy, but I kind of love it – Top Ten Best Bookish Memories. Let’s take a walk down memory lane…

HIMYM

1. Reading the Outlander series for the first time - Of COURSE my first pick is Outlander-related! The honeyman convinced me to give Outlander by Diana Gabaldon a try during our first year of dating, and then bought me each book after that as I flew through them. I was completely sucked into it, and the honeyman witnessed me sobbing while reading the books a lot. It’s a miracle he stayed with me after seeing me ugly-cry over a book.

2. All my Outlander presents – Every Christmas since I read Outlander for the first time, the honeyman has gotten me a piece of Outlander jewelry, because he is the sweetest <3 And last year for my birthday, my sister Heather got me the 20th Anniversary edition of Outlander SIGNED by Diana Gabaldon!

3. Working at Waldenbooks - Well, this hardly needs explaining! I worked at Waldenbooks for almost two years before they closed, and I loved it there. Not only was I working with books, which was the BEST, I also really cared about all the people I worked with. I miss it.

4. Harry Potter releases with my sister - Oh, Harry Potter mania. I miss the days of anxiously awaiting for the newest Harry Potter to come out. I went to two midnight releases with Heather I think, and they were always fun.

5. Re-arranging all of my books - Umm basically, a part of me loves any chance or excuse I get to play with my books. Moving is always a little exciting because I spend so much time going through my books (logging them, purging a bit, re-arranging them on shelves), but now and then I get a new shelf or something that means I get to play with them a bit. Seriously, it’s like a little girl playing with her dolls.

6. Author tweets - One of the COOLEST things about living in the digital age is that Twitter exists, and because of it I occasionally get to talk to authors! The best was that last year, Diana Gabaldon tweeted to say happy birthday to me. I’ve also had authors contact me to say thanks for a positive review, and recently I had a big long debate with an author over gun laws. I love getting to converse with authors, without having to go somewhere far away to see them in person!

7. Getting coffee and books at Borders - Whenever me and Heather wanted to get to hang out, we usually ended up at the Borders near her house to get coffee and look at books. It was the best. Since Borders closed we don’t get to do that anymore :-(

8. All the blogging - What, book blogging counts as bookish memories, right? Seriously though, I can’t even pick just one blogging moment. I love interacting with other bloggers, I’m amazed every day at how awesome and lovely ya’ll are.

9. Annual library book sale - Every year my local library holds a giant book sale at the mall, and it’s FANTASTIC. This is the first year in a while that I didn’t get to go, because I couldn’t get out of work and was busy. But usually I take a half day at work so I can be there as SOON as the sale starts, and I spend an hour or two looking through all the books and taking home a big bag or two for so cheap. It’s really fun.

10. When I stopped being a book snob - Well, I’m still a teeny bit of a book snob, but back in the day when I first started working at Waldenbooks, I basically only read non-fiction and a little bit of literary fiction. Then a fellow co-worker (who is now and still my very good friend) suggested I get over myself and try a romance novel, and she suggested Bet Me. It’s still my favorite romance novel to this day, and I also read SO many different genres now – romance, sci-fi, fantasy, YA, westerns… pretty much anything.

Alrighty, so those are my ten! I’m sure most of you have much cooler things like meeting authors or going to big bookish events, but I haven’t done any of that stuff, so here are my humble little bookish memories. What are some of yours?

~Sarah

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January 29, 2013 · 4:19 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters That Frustrate the Bejeezus Out of Me

Top Ten Tuesday

Good morning ya’ll!

It’s Tuesday and unfortunately I’m at work, but the plus side is that I get to do The Broke and The Bookish’s Top Ten Tuesday post bright and early! And this week’s topic is bound to be loads of fun – Top Ten Most Frustrating Characters Ever! Let the ranting begin!

Me to frustrating characters.

1. Frannie from The Stand by Stephen King- Frannie is at the top of the list because I JUST finished The Stand a few days ago. She’s one of the only female characters in the book, and while she started off okay by the middle of the book I kind of wanted to slap her. She wouldn’t stand up for herself when a guy she was travelling with was making her really uncomfortable – she kept tip-toeing around because she was worried he’d get upset, but it’s not like they were a couple and he wasn’t beating her or anything. And she constantly second-guessed herself, proclaiming that she must be having “woman vapors”. Good god King, this isn’t really how you view women, is it?

2. Cathy from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE Wuthering Heights. But Cathy is responsible for basically ALL of the misery in this book. She’s selfish, easily influenced, and whiny. UGH.

3. Everyone in A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan - OHMYGOD THIS BOOK. It was horrible. I don’t remember a single character in this book that wasn’t a complete train wreck. I think the characters I find MOST frustrating are ones that are the cause of their own problems and you just want to slap them for being idiots. Enter every single character in this book.

4. Lydia from Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen - Oh Lydia. You dumb, ditzy girl. She must be one of the first female characters in fiction to be in the ”But he said he loved me!” situation. Lucky for her, she has some loving people in her life that force the situation to work out, and she never even gets to learn from her stupid mistake.

5. Brianna from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon - I very slowly grow to like Brianna, but she can be kind of irksome. She brings the term “headstrong and foolish” to life. She’s also really, really temperamental sometimes and I get irritated with her for being such an irrational brat.

6. Rachel Morgan from Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison - UGH. I was so excited to try The Hollows series, but the main character Rachel absolutely ruined it for me. She was not nearly the kick-ass witch I was expecting; she was a real wuss and annoyingly whiny.

7. Savannah from Stay by Allie Larkin - Again, the main character ruined this book for me. Savannah is one of those train wreck people that I want to slap. She drinks too much, is all hung up on a guy that’s a douchebag, and gets herself into problems but they all get magically solved for her. Blah.

8. Emo Will Grayson from Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan – The W.G. that was written by David Levithan was really emo and annoying and kind of an ass. And this furthered my dislike for David Levithan, he seems to be unable to write characters that aren’t all teen-angsty and dramatic.

9. Dasha from The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons - Okay sure, Dasha gets screwed over a bit by her little sister. But when her little sister is working her ass off to keep them both alive, Dasha is still a total bitch to her and really lazy.

10. Bernadette and her husband from Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple - I feel like this book might have been slightly more interesting if I had liked the characters more. But Bernadette is a woman who used to be awesome, but somehow got trapped in a downward spiral of crazy and agoraphobia. It’s annoying that she won’t slap out of it. Also, her husband is an ass.

So those are my ten! I’ve realized that there’s something different between annoying characters and frustrating characters. Rather, that frustrating characters are always annoying, but annoying characters aren’t always frustrating. Interesting…

So what characters do you find yourself frustrated by?

~Sarah

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January 22, 2013 · 1:52 pm

Top Ten Tuesday: Settings I Want More Of

Top Ten Tuesday

Good afternoon peoples of the blogosphere!

It’s Tuesday, so it’s time for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and The Bookish). I’m a little lazy at the moment, so hopefully this comes out semi-interesting and coherent. This week’s topic is Top Ten Settings I’d Like to See More Of. Let’s do thing thang.

1. Alternate universes – Alternate universes are SO much fun because almost anything can happen. It’s like the science-y version of using magic in books, it kind of gives you a free pass. Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series is a good example of an alternate universe (or at least an alternate Britain), and so is Robert J. Sawyer’s Neanderthal Parallax trilogy. I need more!

2. Space - Yeah yeah, there are already some good YA and some good sci-fi books set in space. But I want more! In particular, I’d like to see more books set on terraformed planets. (That’s a planet in which humans take technology there and actually turn the planet into one able to support human life, changing the atmosphere and environment of the planet. Just like in Firefly.)

3. The past – But not like, just a couple hundred years ago. More like the dinosaur age. Basically I want a book version of Terra Nova, which was an AWESOME show and hate Fox even more for cancelling it.

4. Under the sea – Why aren’t there more of these? I can’t think of one.

5. The Harry Potter universe – Okay, okay, I know J.K. Rowling wants to be done with Harry Potter. But she created such an amazing world! She could totally write more books set in the wizarding world, but decades before or after the events of HP. It seems such a waste not to.

6. International Space Station – Well this is kind of like saying “in space”, but more specific. I can’t think of any books set there, and it seems like it’d be fun.

7. Russia / Canada / tiny New England towns – Cause there aren’t enough / any and I want them.

8. Pangea – I can’t think of a single novel that takes place in the time when all of the continents were one big land mass. A little bit of sci-fi/fantasy/magic could totally make that a really cool setting.

9. CERN – The European Organization for Nuclear Research (no clue how they got “CERN” out of that) is where the Large Hadron Collider is and they do all sorts of particle physics experiments. Robert J. Sawyer wrote Flashforward which kind of took place there, but it wasn’t my favorite. Someone should try it again!

10. The Nightside – I’m a little over halfway through the Nightside series by Simon R. Green and it’s SO fun and weird. I know that this series is over, but maybe he’ll eventually come back to write about the Nightside through other characters or something.

OKAY so now that I’ve let all my nerd out here today, I’m going to go blog hop and then read for a bit.

Anybody have any good recommendations for these settings? What are some settings you want to see more of?

~Sarah

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January 1, 2013 · 10:44 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Promise to Read in 2013

TTT

Happy New Year everybody! It’s time for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and the topic today is perfectly fitting, since it’s the first day of the year: Top Ten Books I Resolve to Read in 2013.

Medical Apartheid

1. Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington: I have started this book twice, always make it about 100 pages in, and then SOMETHING stops be from finishing it. It’s really tough subject material (the history of medical experimentation and torture on black Americans), so it’s partly that I literally feel sick and depressed while I read it. Also, something always seems to come up that makes me too busy or something to read, and then by the time I got my mojo back I go on to other things. THIS YEAR I WILL FINISH THIS BOOK, DAMMIT.

Assassin's Apprentice

2. Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb: I bought this book like a year and a half ago at Jenn’s recommendation, and it sounds so good! But I still have not gotten around to reading it. This be the year, it shall.

The Count of Monte Cristo

3. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: I have friends that have been trying to get me to watch the movie version for over a year, but I keep insisting that I have to read the book first. So you know, I should probably do that. But having it as an excuse to not watch a movie when I don’t feel like is awfully convenient…

Gibbons Decline and Fall

4. Gibbon’s Decline and Fall by Sheri S. Tepper: I’ve had this book on my shelf for ages, and I really enjoyed her book The Gate to Women’s Country. I honestly don’t know much about the book except that it’s good, feminist-y, science-fiction and that sounds good.

5. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: Again, had it for YEARS and still haven’t read it. And I hear that it’s all sorts of good.

***Okay I’m having a hard time coming up with books, because basically I own like 500 books that I could put on this list, with nothing more interesting to say than “I’ve had it forever, I should read it soon.” SNORE. So, I’m going to list Five Bookish Resolutions instead.***

6. Read more currently popular books: See, I love that I kind of just read whatever I feel like. I like that it keeps my blog original. But I also feel like I kind of miss out sometimes by ignoring whatever books are all popular and at the top of the NY Times list and stuff at the moment. So, I’m going to try to pay more attention and read the ones that interest me. (I’m not going to just read any old stupid thing that for some reason is uber-popular *coughFiftyShadesofGreycough* at the time.) I may end up hating some of them, but that’s okay – I read a lot of books last year that I was indifferent towards. I want to read books this year that I either really love or really hate. I want to FEEL THE THINGS.

7. Read 100 books: Well this doesn’t really need explaining.

8. Read more stand-alone books: I got really sucked into some series and trilogies this year. I’m going to try to avoid that, because while I may end up loving them, it gets boring not being able to talk about the sequels because of spoilers. I’m going to try to finish the ones that I’ve already started, but I’m going to be hesitant to start new ones.

9. Read more classics and non-fiction: Actually, I didn’t do too bad on my non-fiction reads last year. I got really interested in popular physics books. I want to read at least 10 classics to keep me on pace with my list for The Classics Club, and I want to read at least 10 non-fiction books. (Also, I own SO MANY non-fiction books that need reading.)

10. Keep up with bloggy stuffs: Basically just try to keep up with Googlereader, bookish websites and articles, commenting, etc. This usually directly relates to how busy I am, or how tired from work during the later half of the week. I’m going to try to keep up more though. It bums me out when blogging gets pushed to the side.

So there we have it! What are your bookish resolutions this year, whether it be books you want to read or just bookish goals?

~Sarah

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December 11, 2012 · 6:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite New-to-Me Authors of 2012

TTT

Hey guys! Soooo it’s a Tuesday, which means time for Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and The Bookish! This week’s topic is an interesting one – Top Ten Favorite New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2012. My list is sadly a total sausage-fest, as you shall see…

1. Simon R. Green – Author of the Nightside series that I’m currently in the middle of. This series has been one of my favorite discoveries of the year.

2. Richard Kadrey - Author of the Sandman Slim series.

Mira Grant

3. Mira Grant – The author of the FANTASTIC Newsflesh trilogy. It was awesome. I may have to re-read it this coming year.

4. Gideon Defoe – Author of those snarky The Pirates! books that are so silly and so much fun.

Michio Kaku

5. Michio Kaku - This may seem weird cause he’s a physicist and obviously writes non-fiction, but the book I read by him was really interesting and really fun. And it’s hard sometimes to find science non-fiction that’s well written and not too hard to understand. I’m really looking forward to reading more by him.

6. John Gribbin – Basically everything I just said about Michio. And In Search of the Multiverse is probably one of my favorite reads of this year.

7. Deborah Harkness – I flew through her All Souls books. I can’t wait for the third.

Ernest Cline

8. Ernest Cline – Ready Player One was SUCH a cool book, and I can’t wait to see what Cline comes up with next.

9. Robert J. Sawyer – The Neanderthall Parallax trilogy was AWESOME and what first really made me want to read more about quantum physics. Unfortunately, Flashforward kind of sucked as a novel, but I’m still looking forward to trying some of his other books.

10. Matthew Hughes – I’m really enjoying his To Hell and Back series, which is about superheroes and crime-fighting and Heaven and Hell and just all kinds of oddness.

Seeee what I mean? Hardly any ladies on this list. And a TON of trilogies and series. I think I need to focus next year on reading more stand alone novels, and more female authors.

So what authors did you discover this year?

~Sarah

 

 

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November 27, 2012 · 8:56 am

Top Ten Tuesday: 2013 Book Releases I’m Excited About

Good morning guys! It’s Top Ten Tuesday, and since I (still) have no reviews to post, this seemed like a good idea! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and today’s topic is Top Ten Most Anticipated Books for 2013. I probably can’t come up with ten because I’m so out of the loop on these things, but I can try!

 

1. Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon – The 8th Outlander book!!! Hopefully will be out during the fall of 2013. I can’t wait!!!!

2.  The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn – This will be the 3rd book in the Smythe-Smith quartet. Her romances are so funny and sweet.

3. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini – This is the author that wrote The Kite Runner, and I really loved that book, so I’m psyched to see how his third novel is! Apparently will be released in the spring of 2013.

4. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell – Attachments was AWESOME, and I SO cannot wait to her Rowell’s next book! It comes out in the U.S. in February, the day before my birthday! So I know what I’ll be using any birthday gift cards on…

5. The Theoretical Minimum by Leonard Susskind – So you guys may have noticed that I was on a bit of a physics non-fiction kick this year. This book apparently helps to teach you the basic skills and knowledge needed to go into physics. Which of course I have no intention of doing because I’m just not that motivated, but I’m excited to see what I can learn from this book that will help me understand some of the other physics books out there! This comes out January 29, 2013.

6. Hell to Pay by Matthew Hughes - This is the 3rd book in the To Hell and Back series that I discovered this year. I’m really hoping that it won’t be the last. This comes out in late February as well.

7. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen – I love Sarah Addison Allen’s books – they’re perfect magical realism reads. I can’t wait to read her newest one, which is supposed to be out sometime next year.

8. The Good, The Bad, and the Witchy by Heather Blake – This will be the 3rd book in the adorable Wishcraft mystery series, and should be out in the spring of next year.

9. Club Monstrosity by Jesse Petersen – Jesse is the author of the super awesome Living With the Dead zombie series, and she’s coming out with a new book in April about monsters! Can’t wait to check it out.

10. …. – OK, I can’t think of one last book for this list! BUT, there are plenty of authors that I hope just announce news next year of their upcoming books: Patrick Rothfuss, Deborah Harkness, Richard Kadrey, Jennifer Crusie, etc. So you know, I have that to look forward to. Hopefully.

So that’s my list! What other 2013 releases are you excited about?

~Sarah

 

 

 

 

 

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November 6, 2012 · 10:34 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Things I Love

Good morning ya’ll! So first thing’s first – if you live in the US, hopefully you’re registered to vote and if you are – get out there and vote! Don’t forget, and don’t be so lazy that you decide not to go. It’s important!

Anyhoo, so today’s Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and The Bookish) is a freebie! So, I’m just going to list some of the bookish things / stuff that makes me happy inside.

1. Claire’s ring – I have this replica of Claire’s ring (from the Outlander series) – the honeyman got it for me for our first Christmas together :-) It’s my absolute favorite piece of jewelry. And the website that it comes from, The Author’s Attic, makes a lot of jewelry for fans of Diana Gabaldon, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, and more.

2. Bookstores – I loooove going into bookstores. Sadly there’s really only one left in my town, but I would go there every day if I could. And whenever people with e-readers mention how e-readers are great because you can just buy a book on the couch instead of having to drive to the bookstore, I’m so confused. Going to the bookstore to buy a book is one of the best things ever!

3. Pinterest – Not specifically bookish itself, but it’s enabled me to hoard bookish pictures, ideas, and quotes like nobody’s business (plus some reviews here and there, which I really need to get better at updating).

5. The library embosser my sister Heather got me for Christmas last year! It’s SO AWESOME to be able to emboss the inside pages of my favorite books :-) Can you tell that Heather is like a gift-giving genius???

6. Twitter - Again, not inherently bookish. But it enables you to chat with your favorite authors! And book bloggers!

7. Readalongs and readathons – These are two big things in the book blogging world, and they’re everything that I love about our community- there’s such a sense of camaraderie during readathons, as we all struggle to stay awake while we read together and join in on challenges, etc. And readalongs are SO awesome for reading books you normally might not have read otherwise, while getting to chat about it every week with AMAZING people!

9. Any bookish GIF. Cause they’re fun!

 

9. This shirt – I actually just bought this at Target, either to sleep in or to work out in. Yay Seuss!

10. MY books – Obviously. I could literally sit in my spare room with the futon and four big bookshelves all day and be totally happy.

~Sarah

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October 23, 2012 · 6:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Set the Halloween Mood

Good morning peeps! So, it’s been a while since I’ve done a Top Ten Tuesday post (hosted by the wonderful The Broke and The Bookish)… partly because I felt like I was repeating my responses too much, and partly just from laziness. But I took at the prompt for this week and it turns out I’ve read enough decent books for this topic in the yast year, so here we are! The topic is Top Ten Books to Get In the Halloween Spirit.

Also, in case you’re interested, here are the links to my Halloween picks for the last two years: 2011 and 2010.

Nightside, Simon R Green

1. Nightside series by Simon R. Green – I’m 3 books into this series right now, and it’s so, so awesome. The series revolves around P.I. John Taylor, and the world he comes from – the Nightside, where it’s always 3 am and anything can happen. This series is such a fun mix of paranormal, mystery, fantasy, action, and gore. And they’re only about 230 pages each, so they’re quick reads too! (Also, that first book in the picture is a volume of the first 3 books – the first book is Something From the Nightside.)

Mira Grant

2. Newsflesh trilogy by Mira Grant – The best zombie series I’ve read. There’s zombie horror, government plots, intrigue, twists – it’s so, so good. I’m thinking I may have to re-read these next year.

3. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton – If you’re looking for something a bit more nerdy, this was a really fun book. I enjoyed the science behind it a lot, but the action and suspense was INTENSE. What’s scarier than being chased by dinosaurs??

4. Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey – I thoroughly enjoy the bad-assness of James Stark, and he’s at his best when he’s killing something. There’s magic, voodoo, demons, trips to Hell, lots of drinking and swear words – enjoy!

Deborah Harkness

5. All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness – I flew through these books, and I can’t wait for the third! It’s a really unique twist on the world of witches, demons, and vampires and all wrapped up in history and big plots and awesomeness. I was really hesitant to read these because of the hype, but it’s well-deserved.

Libba Bray The Diviners

6. The Diviners by Libba Bray - Alright, I’m reading this now. But so far it’s good and just the first chapter totally sets the tone of spooky-ness.

7. Coraline by Neil Gaiman – I just finished this as part of a readalong, and it was SO PERFECT for Halloween – especially when reading it in the middle of the night when it’s all quiet and dark out. There’s a brave little girl, a bizarre alternate world, and an awesome black cat.

Heather Blake

8. Wishcraft series by Heather Blake – This is a cute new cozy mystery series, and they’re perfect if you’re looking for a little murder and intrigue, but with a big heaping side of magical and sweet. Darcy Merriweather is a witch – specifically, she’s a Wishcrafter; able to grant wishes as long as it’s within the rules. But learning her new set of powers is a little tougher as she’s also trying to solve surprising murders that crop up in the magical little town.

to hell and back, matthew hughes

9. To Hell and Back series by Matthew Hughes – This is a wonderfully unique series in which socially-inept Chesney gets to play a crime-fighting superhero, along with his demonic sidekick Xaphan. The Damned Busters is the first book, and I definitely recommend it. The third book comes out in the winter – I can’t wait!

Oscar Wilde

10. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde – If you’re more into classics, this should be perfect for you – a beautiful, vain young man is able to stay picture-perfect, while a portrait ages and shows the cost of his sins and depravity.

So, yay! Can’t believe I was actually able to come up with 10! I have read a whole lot of good fantasy/sci-fi this year, so that helps.

What do you recommend for Halloween reads?

~Sarah

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September 4, 2012 · 9:36 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Want to Read This Fall

Good morning guys! Soooo, it’s Tuesday, and that means Top Ten Tuesday by The Broke and The Bookish. Today’s topic is Top Ten Books on Your Fall TBR List. Wellll, I already listed the books I want to read in September in the Monthly TBR meme, but here’s the books I’m kind of hoping I’ll get around to later this fall sometime.

Sarah Jio, Blackberry Winter

1. Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio - This comes out September 25th, and since I loved Sarah Jio’s last novel The Bungalow, I’m really looking forward to this one.

2. The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events) by Lemony Snicket - Can you believe that I have never read these books? Me neither. I really want to though.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon

3. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - I’m SO excited that another Cemetary of Forgotten Books book is out, but I really want to re-read The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game first, so it might be a while before I get to it.

4. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce - This is a different take of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale, and I think this would be a perfect Halloween-time read.

5. The Diviners by Libba Bray - Comes out in about 2 weeks and I’m so excited to read it! LOVED Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.

6. Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington - I started reading this book a few years ago and had to stop because it actually made me feel sick while reading it. I’d really like to try it again and finish it.

7. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - It’s kind of ridiculous how many classic horrors I haven’t read. Maybe this will be the year I can knock one off my list?

8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle - Re-read! But I haven’t read it since I was in 3rd or 4th grade. And I really want to go on to read the other books in the series.

9. The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander - I enjoyed The Kitchen Boy by this author so much that I immediately went on Paperbackswap and ordered his other books about the Romanovs, so I’d really like to finally read another one.

10. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - The only Austen novel I haven’t read. I think I’ve been putting it off because I’ll be sad to have no more “new-to-me” Austen books to read, but I think the time has come.

 

What books are you looking forward to this fall?

~Sarah

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August 28, 2012 · 8:14 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Confessions

 

Good morning guys! It’s Tuesday! Which means it’s game night, but also that it’s time for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Bookish Confessions. Should be fun ;-) Let’s get to it!

1. I am the WORST at reading the books I check out of the library. Unless of course it’s something I’m absolutely dying to read, in which case I usually just go buy it. At least 70% of the books I check out these days go back unread.

2. Also, I’m pretty bad at returning stuff on time. But I never mind paying the fines, cause you know, it goes towards the library. And I love the library.

3. I TECHNICALLY did not finish Jane Eyre. I read like 2/3 of it and just couldn’t take it anymore, so I skimmed up until the last couple chapters. Blech.

4. I write / highlight in my books. I use post-its too, but I’m not too shy about underlining a good quote unless it’s relatively new and expensive. Classics and non-fiction get written in the most.

5. I believe there ARE some movies that are better than the book. The Time Traveler’s Wife, for instance. Or Marley & Me.

6. I’ve thrown books out before. *Hangs head in shame* They were sitting around forever, I never got around to bringing them to Goodwill, and I got in one of my “get rid of all the clutter” moods. I cringe thinking about it.

7. As much as I’ve always loved reading, I avoided basically ALL literature classes in college. Partly because back then I wasn’t much interested in reading classics, and partly because I didn’t want a teacher telling me how to read or analyzing the crap out of books.

8. I don’t even have much interest in Goodreads anymore. I used to really miss it, but I didn’t get on there much because it was blocked at work and when I’m at home I’m doing other stuff. But now I just hear so much drama coming out of it that I’m kind of glad I haven’t used it in ages.

9. I’m really hoping that at least one of my nieces/nephews grows up to be a big reader. I need more people in my life to talk about books with!

10. I bring books into the bathtub with me all the time. And I haven’t yet dropped on in the water. (Knock on wood.) Of course, this isn’t really a confession… more like an accomplishment :-)

 

So, what are some of your bookish confessions or quirks?

~Sarah

 

 

 

 

 

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