Meme: Book Tag

Thanks to Sierra at Happily Never Ending.

I have never seen or hear of this little chain meme before, so I did a little clicking back through the tags, and it seems pretty cool. It looks like it will be a great way of learning more things about different bloggers, and also a cool way of finding some new blogs.

The Rules:

1. You must post the rules.
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create ten new questions to ask the people that you have tagged.
3. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.
4. Let them know you've tagged them!

The Questions for me:
What was the first book you reviewed?
On this blog, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Looking back at it, this may have been a copy from Goodreads to get things going. So the next one, Beastly by Alex Flinn may have been the first one I reviewed for the blog.

What's your favorite movie that is based off a book, i.e. Twilight?
This is a hard question. I think a lot of movies are based off of books. I think I am going to have to go old school and say The Princess Bride. I actually didn't like the book as much.

Where do you usually read?
In my bed or on an airplane are the two places that I read most often. Close runners up in the summertime: by the pool or under a tree.

Paperback/Hardcover or Tablet?
I really enjoy the feel of a book. Paperbacks are my favorite. I get tired holding up hardbacks after awhile. I am sure Harry Potter gave me carpel tunnel by itself! However, carrying around 3 books or so in a backpack all over the airport is killer on my back, so I do have my Nook, that I love and have started using a lot more recently.

When did you become a blogger?
I had been reviewing on and off on Goodreads since about 2008. Jamie, who is the founder of the College Students group on Goodreads, asked if anyone would be interested in starting a blog. We gathered a group of about 12 of us.

Since it looked like so much fun, I decided to start my own around that time too. Though my activity hear was almost non-existent last year, I still blogged at The Broke and the Bookish. That all began the fist day of summer 2010.

So TL;DR, June 2010.

Trivia: It was not a book blog, but I had a Geocities blog back in like 2003... so I have been doing this general thing almost 10 year 0.0

Favorite thing about blogging?
Finding new and awesome books. I think the best thing that I have taken away from blogging is other people's blogs. I read more reviews, and more reviews for different genres, and thus my TBR shelf has grown exponentially.

Less favorite thing about blogging?
I think my least favorite thing is feeling some sort of pressure to get a review up during the week. Sometimes I have felt bogged down by reviews that I had promised. It's easy to fall into "blogging is another job" sort of mentality. But this year I have been going strong and growing as a blogger. So at least currently, I am not feeling like that :)

Do you want your future career to have something to do with books? Like publishing or professional reviewer?
I have a career now, which is strange to say. I actually started my job the same day I posted my first review. It doesn't have anything to do with books, unless you count that I get to read them when I fly around the world.

I used to want to be a librarian, but it didn't really work out. I have more talent with computers. I've always had the dream of one day being a writer, so we'll see where that takes me.

Blog inspiration?
This is an awesome question because my blog was originally inspired to be the place where I wrote all of my reviews for all the challenges that I did on Goodreads. That is why it is called "The Competitive Bibliomaniac." I figured it was sort of a crazy about reading competitively sort of thing.

I like calling it "CompBiblio" though. It is way shorter for one thing. I am toying with the idea of just changing it. We'll see :)

Team Edward or Team Jacob? Or Team Peeta or Team Gale?
Oh, Twilight. I am not a fan, but I did read the first three. I really don't root for any of them. But if I had to chose I would chose Jacob before he went all crazy in Eclipse.

As for The Hunger Games. I have to say, outside of the shipper wars, I really like the ending to the series. Well, outside of the sadness. But yeah, I was Team Peeta.

Trivia: I like that his name is Peeta and he works in a bread store. Peeta Bread :)

New Questions:

1. When/Why did you start book blogging?
2. What are some things about your blog (reviews, features, etc.) that you are most proud of?
3. If you had to invite three characters over for dinner, who would you invite and why?
4. If you could mandate that everyone read one book, what would it be and why?
5. Do you read reviews of books before you read a book (if you know you are going to read it)?
6. Do you judge books by their covers?
7. EReaders vs Books vs Audiobooks: thoughts?
8. What kind of criteria do you consider when writing a review? (characterization, plot, grammar, enjoyablility etc.)
9. What is your favorite thing about book blogging?
10. What is your favorite genre?

Who I Tag:
Daisy @ Between The Pages
Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl
Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner
Jess @ Tangled Up In Blue
Tahleen @ Tahleen's Mixed Up Files
Jessica @ Books a True Story
JJ iReads @ JJ iReads
Momo @ Books Over Boys
Carrie @ In the Hammock Book Reviews
Eleni @ La Femme Readers
Sarah @ Bookish Sarah


If you don't want to do it, no problem. Come back and leave a link if you do though :)

Top Ten Tuesday: 2011 TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Everyone is welcome to join in.

This weeks Top Ten is Top Ten Books I resolve to Read in 2011. This kind of relates to the books I have on my 2011 TBR Challenge. So what I am going to do is pull ten off that list and extrapolate a little of why I want to read them and what I have been waiting for!

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
My favorite class that I took in high school was called "Classic and Modern Novels." This class consisted of 40 minutes a day of uninterrupted reading during school. It was bliss because there were only a few rules 1) Two Classics 2)read 30 pages a night (ha) 3)do an essay after you finish a book. I loved it. Now what does this have to do with Hitchiker's Guide? One of my friends in the class read the trilogy (lol) and I have been wanting to read it since then.

2. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The first book I put on my Goodreads TBR list back in December of 2007. Enough said I think.

3. 1984 by George Orwell
I've been told by so many people that this book is good. I want to be able to say so for myself.

4. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
Love fairytale retellings! And I have heard this one is one of the best!

5. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
ANother book that has been recommended to me from multiple sources.

6. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
I read The Book Thief and really wanted to read more by Zusak. My sister read this book and right now is reading The Book Thief. She reiterated how good this book is and how I should read it.

7. Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
I really want to try this author. I think this would be a good book for my book to movie comparisons.

8. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
I wanted to read it in high school and never got around to it.

9. Paradise Lost by John Milton
This is a life goal of mine. It will be a challenge but I really, really want to get through it. And understand it too.

10. Lady Most Likely by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway
This one isn't actually on my list, but I've seen it promoted so much that I really want to read it. Also, I just realized something. When I was in high school, 3 friends and I used to take turns on something we called "The Notebook" (nothing to do with Nicholas Sparks though ha). We should each write a chunk of story and then tag the next person to continue it. It was so much fun. That's what these three ladies did with this romance novel, and I am excited to read how it turned out!

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Heroines

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Everyone is welcome to join in.

This week's top ten is:
What are your top ten favorite heroines?
or in my case, females in novels.

1. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter) - I love how awesome she is at all times. Smart, sticks to her guns. Harry doesn't fully realize what a gem he has in Hermione.

2. Eowyn (Lord of the Rings) - She is completely kickass, cares enough about her country to not sit around and sew. She is the most awesome female character in the series.

3. Jo March (Little Women) - I loved her when I was little. I'd still love her now (except that she didn't love Laurie... but that is another rant I guess). I'd want her to be my friend.

4. Hyacinth Bridgerton (The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn) - The youngest of eight, she grew up (before our eyes) to be a pistol who says was she thinks and screw the consequences. She is also quite sarcastic and hilariously funny.

5. Jemma, Duchess of Beaumont (The Desperate Duchess Series by Eloisa James) - A month into her marriage she walks in on her husband cheating on her. After a morning peroid she pretty much said, screw him; I'm living my own life. We get to watch her grow and change as she fall back in love with her husband.

6. Dinah (The Red Tent) - She is portrayed very relatable. She love her mothers and want to keep the their traditions alive, despite even the men saying no.

7. Lyra (His Dark Materials) - One of the first series that I read with a female main character. She's got gumption and is not afraid to do what is necessary.

8. Annique Villiers (The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne) - She is a spy. Completely BA. She doesn't take any shenanigans and doesn't wait around for a man to save her.

9. Alexia Tarabotti (The Parasol Protectorate Series by Gail Carriger) - She secretly works for the queen, deals with supernatural being and her immediate family, and carries around an umbrella that could take out any sort of creature imaginable.

10. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) - It sort of pains me to put her on this list because I don't really like her that much, but I can't deny that she is a tough cookie. I did like her in The Hunger Games, so 10 she is.

It's a sad state of affairs when I can only name so many women characters that I love without completely resorting to a list made up of romance novel heroines (which I also think would be a short list). Interesting.

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I'd Punch

Today's Top Ten Tuesday from The Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten Characters I hate (and would like to punch in the face):

1. Scarlett O'Hara
I hate her as a person, which says a lot for the author that I can hate someone so much who is fictional. She is a very well written character, but selfish and annoying and if I ever knew someone like her in real life, we would not get along well at all.

2. Bella Swan Spoiler
On the complete opposite end of the poll, we have Ms. Swan. I dislike everything she stands for from a feminist perspective, and really a human perspective. People more loquacious than me have extrapolated on her faults, so I will just summarize it: If I ever met her she wouldn't be punched but bitched out, sort of like an angry intervention. "HE DISCONNECTED YOUR CAR!!" etc.

3. Trad
Oh, The Lords of Discipline: the man love, coming of age military novel by Pat Conroy. So Trad is the rich Charlestonian aristocrat who has his flaws. I understand flaws but certain life choices he made seriously made me want to drop kick him. Actually, he would probably beat me up since he is militarily trained, but a swift kick to the nads wouldn't hurt.

4. A wide array of romance novel heroines
I've read my share of romance novels. In fact, I've probably read my share and those five people over there's shares of romance novels. I've read good ones, quite a few in fact, but there are some that just have the most bland, paper cut out heroines that you could probably generate with an online character generator. I couldn't even name them for you they were that forgettable. Suffice it to say that there have be quite a few that I would want to join Jane Austen's Fight Club

5. Romeo and Juliet
Don't get me wrong, I think this is a beautiful love tragedy. Not my favorite of Shakespeare's works, but still not bad. But Romeo and Juliet were whiny teenagers who did it wrong. And when I say "it" I mean life. They didn't think things through and acted too impulsively stupid for me. Hence the punch in the face.

6. Amy March Spoiler
Brat. She is SUCH a brat. I didn't like her at 12 when I first read Little Women, and I don't like her now. I still don't understand how she gets Teddy! Fun fact: When I was younger and watched the movie version (with Christian Bale whom I loved even then) Kirsten Dundst played Amy and I didn't like her as an actress for a while because of it! I know, petty. But I was 12 or younger.

7. Grawp
Really, JK Rowling? What point did he serve? I kept hoping there would be a point. No. Point. I can see what Umbrage was suppose to be (though I guess I would punch her too.. or maybe try to out mind game her), but this was a pointless plot line that really just bumped up word count in Order of the Phoenix. So I guess not a character I hated, but one I thought was pointless.

8. The Cast of Lord of the Flies (except Piggy)
I really hate this book, and I really disliked these kids. And I know the point is to see how we degenerate into savages blah blah blah. I don't like this book, don't like these characters. End of story.

9. Dan Brown
For what he did to Robert Langdon. I really liked him in Angels and Demons, but then he went and killed the magic. I know he are not a character, but I really just want to punch him in the face.

10. Denethor
For what he did to Faramir (who needs a hug) and the whole country (state?) of Gondor. What a little bitch, to be quite frank. I just want to hit him in the face with the palantir.

So there is my list. I bent the rules a bit and got a tad violent, but I mostly get angry with authors for not living up to my expectations. This was actually quite hard because most bad guy characters I understand, think are written really well and would love to have tea with to discuss their motivations and life choices.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Characters

Today's Top Ten Tuesday is Favorite Fictional Characters sponsored by The Broke and the Bookish

1. Remus Lupin - Harry Potter
I know. It's like on every one of my lists, something HP related, but during my fan girl days I was in love with this character. I had literary discussions on every facet of his nature described through what little we knew of him (at the time). He inspired the game of taking out the main word in a tag line and replacing it with the word Remus. (Still play that game to this day. Example: "Nobody does it like sara leeRemus" or "Remus: Just do it" or "With a name like Remus, it has to be good" It makes everything surprisingly sexual. I have a notebook lying around somewhere with a ton of these). Honestly, every character in this whole series stirred my imagination (I wrote a parody song my freshman year of college based on Everybody Aught to Have a Maid called Everybody Aught to Have a Snape) . I even wrote a page on how Draco was not a well rounded character right before book 6 came out. So in long winded summary, all of the characters in this series spoke to me, but Remus was my favorite. I would have defended him until the end.

2. Dexter Morgan - Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Who would have thought that I would ever loving being in the mind of a serial killer. I would hate it, unless it was Dexter's. This guy can make his problem seem like biting nails in its banality, and do it with an edge of sarcasm that makes me keep turning pages. Not to mention Michael C. Hall embraces him to a T.

3. Ruark Beauchamp - Shanna
My first favorite romance novel, Ruark was thus the first guy to sweep me off my feet, my Mr. Darcy if you will. Well, if Mr. Darcy was a pirate and a convicted felon. I remember loving lots about his character, like his... manliness? And that when I saw him show up just briefly mentioned on a page of another novel, I cried for joy.

4. Charlie Gordon - Flowers For Algernon
From romance novel hero to heartbreaking protagonist, I will never forget the connection I felt to Charlie the first time I read Flowers for Algernon. I don't even think I could explain it, just something about him and the feel of the play that makes me feel as well.

5. Beatrice - Much Ado About Nothing
I read this play in college and absolutely fell in love with Beatrice. Seriously, what a badass. Then I saw Emma Thompson play her in the movie and it was sealed. I mean one of her lines is "I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me. " How awesome and girl power is that? And then it just gets all turned on its head and her relationship with Benedick is pretty much the definition of "made of win".

6. Mr. Darcy - Pride and Prejudice
I kind of feel like a sham for putting him on here seeing as I have never successfully read this book all the way through, but I still feel like I know him. Whether through movie, TV *cough*Colin Firth*cough* or just general life discussion, Mr. Darcy is the perfect man that every woman wants. It's because he is well rounded, a good soul but not without his flaws. He can admit his mistakes, but only after pulling teeth. He's a very human character. It's hard not to love him.

7. Odysseus - The Odyssey
When I read the Odyssey in high school, I really related to Odysseus. His tasks were compelling and all the things he brought upon himself and his men just made me hope and cheer him on. It's a great story and he is a great, well rounded, human character.

8. Leopold Dautry, Duke of Villiers - The Desperate Duchess Series
Another romance hero, but he is a special case. His character developed over the course of a 6 books series, culminating in his own book. It was awesome to see his development and watch his happily ever after unfold. A chess champ he almost succeeded in having me take up the sport again, but then I came to my senses. I suck at chess. But he is a flawed character, and I love him for his improvement.

9. Eowyn - The Lord of the Rings
When I was in to LotR, I read the last two books and fell in love with how badass she was. There are tons of awesome male characters in this world, but not many female. Eowyn is is exception. She is so much more awesome in the book than she is in the movie. She gave me a nice girl power feel reading about her.

10. Jo March - Little Women
I was introduced to the March sisters right when I started reading again after a dry spell. I loved Little Women so much I actually purchased it, which is not something I did often. I loved how powerful she was and how she had the gumption to take her dreams into her own hands and accomplish them, all while helping her family out. I could also relate to her strong will...

So there you have it folks. My top ten favorite characters of the moment. Hope you enjoy and head on over to The Broke and the Bookish to participate as well.

Book Blogger Hop July 29 - Aug 2

Welcome people from the hop. The answer the today's question of Who is your favorite new-to-you author so far this year?

Well they are all romance novels, but there is nothing wrong with that!! I loved Jennifer Ashley's Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, and can't wait to read the next one that just came out! Also there was Joanna Bourne's The Spymaster's Lady. Others that I have not reviewed (yet) by really liked were Gail Carriger (my review of Soulless will be up soon) and Laura Lee Guhrke's Girl Bachelor series.

OH! How could I forget Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games

So stay awhile. Check out the place and see if you'll like it. I mostly review romance and general fiction with a dash of young adult and a small pinch of non-fiction.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books Ever

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Everyone is welcome to join in.

This week's top ten is:
What are your top ten all-time favorite books?

1. The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
So as you will see throughout this list, I cheated. Badly. I love HP. I could read it thousands of times and not get sick of it. But right now my favorite out of the 7 is 3 but I've only read 6 and 7 once. So there is that. I am planning on doing a GREAT REREAD before November!

2. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
So sue me. I love this book. It is made of crack for me. It may be that it sends me back to Rome. I can see all the sites as Langdon does. This is the best Langdon book out of the three. The other two are just... God awful. But this one is great.

3. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I could read this every day. I get so involved with the characters and it never fails to bring me to tears. I love the back and forth between the two lives. Normally I hate first person books, but man do I love this.

4. The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn
Again, another cheater. This is a romance series about 8 siblings named in alphabetical order (Anthony, Benedict, Collin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth). Each has their own book where they find their respective love. I recently read them all over again and just became connected to each and every one of them. I could relate in some way be it big or small. And they are quite funny books. If I had to choose out of them though, the last reread's favorite was On The Way to the Wedding (Gregory's book)

5. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
Man, this series grabbed me and still has not let go! I was sucked in right from the beginning into this dystopian world where kdis fight to the death. I am on pins and needles waiting for the conclusion in a month. If I had to chose between the two I've read, The Hunger Games is where it is at.

6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I don't even think I could tell you what this book was about besides a girl with Death as the narrator. But I do remember how it made me feel and the reactions it induced in me. It moved me enough to give it a 5. I rarely give 5s.


7. The Desperate Duchess Series by Eloisa James
Another romance novel series. This one is Desperate Housewives meet Georgian England. I fell in love with the characters who were reoccuraning throughout the series which made some of the more memorable ones the last ones. Plus there is chess. My favorite is the 6th and last, A Duke of her Own.

8. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein
I went through a Tolkein phase when I was in high school. I read the whole series and the Simarillion (I liked elves). But this series (outside of the tl;dr detail in some of the rock/forrest scenes) is awesome. The movies bring it to life, but especially Return of the King, I can feel the war. I can feel their emotions. Plus awesome made up languages.

9. The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy
I'm not usually into military novels, but this one was so interesting and slightly mysterious. I read it for a high school novels class. At first I was "Meh" but by the end I could barely read through my tears. It was such a moving book. Highly recommended.

10. Dance with the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon
I started off loving the Dark-Hunter series, and this is one of the beginning of it. I think it is the 3rd or 4th. I love this one. The message is to not judge a book by its cover, everyone has depth, you never know where someone else has been. It's just beautiful. Then more recently the series has turned to repetitive trite but that is a different story.

Top Ten Tuesday: Desert Island Books

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish:

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week's Top Ten list is:

Top Ten Books I'd Want On A Desert Island!

This is particularly hard for me. I enjoy books as I read them. Then I move on. It depends on my mood too. Oh, well. At least I'll give it the good ol' college try. Can't fail a challenge now can I?

Let's set the scene. My plane crashed, I survived. I'm on an island. My nook is shot with the water. But BEHOLD! A trunk washes ashore. Inside I find these ten books.

1. The Harry Potter Boxset - JK Rowling
I don't even care if this is a 7 book group cop out. But I think I could read Harry over and and over and love it every time. It's such a fun read, even in its darker moments. But if I had to chose one, I'd pick Prisoner of Azkaban because I love that one to death!

2. The Worst Case Scenario Almanac - David Borgenicht
Dude. I am on an deserted island. I'm going to need help no matter how tongue in cheek it is.

3. The Illiad and the Oddessy by Homer
In ancient Greek with English. I know it exists, I've seen it. I can't find it now, but I know that this would pass the time. Love this epic tale of epicness

4. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein
I can see myself even getting through the endless walking through rocks scenes.

5. The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger
I just really liked this book. Every time I read it, it elicits new emotions for me.

6. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
I read this before he got hyped up, and I went to Rome to see all the sites in the book, and now it will always hold a special place in my heart.

7. Shanna by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
My first favorite romance novel. It;s long and adventuresome so I am sure I will not get bored. And I need a little happy romance on this list.

8. Paradise Lost by John Milton
Because with all this free time maybe I'll be focused enough to get through it. I really want to read it.

9. A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James
I need another romance novel, and I loved this one. Being at the end of the series I would hope that it would remind me of how much I loved the rest of the series. NO NO! I changed my mind

9. (revised) When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James
I have no real reason but that its in the middle so I will be able to remember more characters haha

10. "Physician's Desk Reference...
...hollowed out, inside: waterproof matches, iodine tablets, beet seeds, protein bars, NASA blanket and, in case I get bored, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. No, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Question: did my shoes come off in the plane crash? "

I can't think of a ten. I just don't love books that much to want to read them over and over for the rest of forever. So I'd make number 10 a ridiculously large blank journal, I think in this situation I'd rather write.

So I guess I failed at this. NO!!! GOT IT!

10. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
Because I'd want to see how this series ends!

FIN!

Waiting On Wednesday: A Kiss at Midnight

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine , that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James
Release Date: August 1st 2010

From Goodreads:

Miss Kate Daltry doesn't believe in fairy tales . . . or happily ever after.

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince . . . and decides he's anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions.

Gabriel likes his fiancee, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn't love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him.

Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after.

Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble . . .

Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune . . .

Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.

I love recreated fairy tales, but I have to say the Cinderella is one of my least favorite, but I have faith that Eloisa James will pull it off brilliantly.

Top Ten Tuesday: Childhood

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish:

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week's Top Ten list is:

What are your top ten childhood favorites?

In no particular order:

1. The Island of the Blue Dolphins - Scott O'Dell
I loved this book so much. I read it for a test and flew through it in two quick days. I am gearing up for a reread on this one.
2. Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein
I loved Shel Silverstein's books. You were lucky if you found them in at the school library and if no one else had checked them out yet. I loved these stories.
3. Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger - Louis Sachar
This was one of the newer Wayside books, but the first one I read. I will never forget the throwing out the window test of gravity, the cows, and the students themselves! Such a fun book for a preteen.
4. The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton,
7th grade. Coming of age. Even though it was the 50s for Ponyboy, I could relate to him so much! Two-bit, Sodapop, Darry, Dally and of course, Johnny. All of these characters I look back on fondly as a remembrance to the entrance to my adolescence.
5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
This book, and this series, are the ones that started me back on reading after I fell away from it. I will forever love this series for that reason, but also for its awesome world of fantasy and wonder.
6. Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt
Oh man the tears when I read this book. I didn't understand her choice. The 12 year old me would have chose eternal love in a heart beat. But I loved the book regardless.
7. Titanic: The Long Night - Diane Hoh
I remember this one too. Right at the beginning of my Titanic phase. These stories tore my heart. And I thought that this book ended better. And were far better characters than Jack and Rose.
8. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
I think I read this after I saw the movie, but I loved the book just as much. Who could not love growing up with these girls. Seeing their lives change from year to year while their sisterly dynamic pretty much stayed the same.
9. Aesop's Fables - Aesop
At a time when I wasn't reading too much of anything, I found the mythology club. Then I found these stories. I read them and loved them.
10. This book about milk and where it comes from.
You know, I couldn't remember the name of this book if I tried. Why? It's because it was the first book I can remember my parents reading to me. It was how we get milk (my grandfather was a milkman) but it was with pigs not people. That's all I remember