Top Ten Tuesday: My Summer TBR List

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Over at The Broke and the Bookish (where I also review things), we like to do this thing called Top Ten Tuesday. Every week is a theme, and everyone gets to create a list.

This week, the topic is....

Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR List
For me, this means books published between June 21st through September 21st, technical summer :)

1. Thief of Shadows (Maiden Lane, #4) - Elizabeth Hoyt
Fourth book in the Maiden Lane series (which I love), I will be jumping over people to get to this book. I think this book holds the most giveaways I entered to win a ARC. Can't. Wait.

2. A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis (The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard, #2) - Jillian Stone
Ever since I saw Hysteria* this weekend, I have been thinking about the first book in The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series. Little did I realize this book was right around the corner! Now I have more fun history facts and non-conventional historical romances to look forward to.

3. The Ugly Duchess (Fairy Tales, #4) - Eloisa James
James is one of my auto read authors. Her Fairy Tales series, a loosely connected series only being a series because they are all based on fairy tales, have been hit or miss for me. This one is based on the Ugly Duckling.

4. The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister, #1) - Courtney Milan
I've been reading a lot of Courtney Milan lately and reviewing it on here a lot, too. She is a really good author technically, but sometimes I just get annoyed so much with one little thing... BUT I liked the novella that was the precursor to this series. So book one is a definite try.

5. Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) - Sarah J. Maas
This book one me over at this sentence in the Goodreads description: "Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin." A girl/woman being a badass? yes please.

6. The Unnaturalists - Tiffany Trent
Yay! Some new steampunk to read! I love that this one seems to have an aura of mystery around it. Definitely something worth looking in to.

7. Riveted (Iron Seas #3) - Meljean Brook
though I have not yet read the second in this series, I really liked the first. Knowing that the third is out makes me want to keep reading!

8. Medusa, A Love Story (Loves of Olympus, #1) - Sasha Summers (Goodreads Author)
So I only had 7 written on here and I thought I could find some list on Goodreads that would help flesh me out to 10. Well, I didn't find 10, but I did find this. I love mythology and this series sounds so promising.

9. ???

10. ???

So I bet ya'll have your lists filled, but I don't. Help me fill in 9 and 10!

*Hysteria is a GREAT movie. It's a British comedy about, among other things, the TRUE history of the vibrating massager. Check it out if it is near you!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Non-Book SItes

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Over at The Broke and the Bookish (where I also review things), we like to do this thing called Top Ten Tuesday. Every week is a theme, and everyone gets to create a list.

This week, the topic is....

Top Ten Non-Bookish Sites

Holy Crap. I didn't realize how my internet habits have slowly gravitated to bookish sites... wow. The most common sites on my chrome page are: Goodreads, Facebook, Smart Bitches Trashy Books, My blog, The Broke and the Bookish, Gmail, Photobucket and the Library. lol.

Let's see what I can dig up.

Top Ten Non-Bookish Sites

1. Fark
Fark is a new aggregation website where boys who live in their mothers basement make up headlines for popular articles. But it has some witty things sometimes, and often there are some pretty fun arguments for me to read. But mostly it keeps me updated on the news when I check it out. And sometimes give me a laugh. And sometimes more an eyeroll.

2. Post-Secret
Oh, post-secret. How I love you. I used to hang out and the community there for about a year in college. Now I just pop by for the Sunday Secrets. Still love reading them on Sundays.

3. Smart, Pretty and Awkward
I have no idea how I found this blog, and it is not something that I read every day. But it usually has some fun quotes, some good advice and occasionally fashion tips that I can listen to :)

4. Dear Girls Above Me
DGAM is a hilarious blog where Charlie quotes and comments on the two very girls who live above him. They say some really dumb things sometimes, and often the resulting commentary is quite funny.

5. Questionable Content
QC is the one web comic I follow on a regular basis.(The other comic I read when I remember is XKCD). I love Marten and all the girls at the coffee shop. The now world mixed with the future is quite entertaining.

6. Almost Fearless
Such a fun travel blog written by a woman who quit her job and her, her husband and her baby and started living around the world. It is fun to experience the world with them, especially Cole who is now two.

7. Cleolinda's LJ
I've followed Cleolinda for forever. Though she doesn't post too much anymore, when she does it is usually about movies (sometimes books). She is super intelligent and a great writer. She wrote the Movies in 15 Minutes blog as well as some super popular twilight commentaries.

8. Mark Watches
I don't check out Mark Watches as much as I used to, but that there is a fun community. Mark watches (and reads!) things an episode at a time and then comments on them. He started with Twilight, I jumped in at Harry Potter, but now does a ton of different things. But! Beware! There is a heavy spoiler policy, because the fun of it is that he goes into these things blind so we get to see it like we are watching it for the first time.

9. Woot!
Woot is a daily deal site. I actually had to stop going to shirt.woot! because I was going broke with all the cute clothes! Nooo! They have NEW. CUTE. CLOTHES! I am going to go broke making this list.

10. That Guy with the Glasses
I love this site. It has music and movie video reviews. I ended up on this site because of a link to Nostalgia Chick (The Smurfette Principle) and stayed for the Nostalgia Critic (Moulin Rouge). Then I expanded to Paw's reviews of Musical Movies and Todd in the Shadows Pop Song (and now One Hit Wonders) reviews! Love this site!

Honorable mentions, and also the obvious, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. Done.

Mod Post: TTT and RAK

Hello everyone! Happy May Day to you all! It was a cloudy dreary where I am today, but the sun managed to peek out a little.

Three things:

FIRST: Today is Top Ten Tuesday and my list is the one over on The Broke and the Bookish. I feel like most of you follow both, but just in case you don't and are curious, my Top Ten Books I'd Like to See As a Movie are over there!

SECOND: For the month of May I have decided to take part in Book Soulmates Random Acts of Kindness (RAK). What this means is that I sign up on a list which includes my wishlist (now a helpful link in my menu bar). Then people somehow chose who they want to send an RAK to and contact them for their info (a little shady... but you can check out the people).

The cool part is while new books are probably the most happily accepted, people are asking for gently used already read ARCs, eBooks, etc.

Which you sign the list to receive, it is also required that you give to at least one person. It doesn't have to be a book or new, handmade things are even welcome. It's just that they want people to give to.

I am not sure what I am more excited about, the giving or the receiving.

HOW THIS AFFECTS YOU: What I've decided is that if there is a book I get that I read and don't feel the need to keep for whatever reason, I will pass it on in a giveaway (sadly most likely US only, depending on how poor I am that month).

I am really excited about this whole business!!

THIRD: I changed the name of the website so it actually match the URL. It was getting rather long and I've been abbreviating it CompBiblio for a while now. I like it :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Books I've Wanted to Read/Read Based Mostly on their Covers

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Over at The Broke and the Bookish (where I also review things), we like to do this thing called Top Ten Tuesday. Every week is a theme, and everyone gets to create a list.

This week, the topic is.... Top Ten Book Covers and I've decided to make more specificly into...

Top Books I've Wanted to Read/Read Based Mostly on their Covers

1. Taming of the Duke - Eloisa James

While not the most obvious cover chose for my list, I remember this book very vividly. I was at the mall with my friends and just drawn to this cover. I don't know what it is. The abs? The slight disarray? Whatever it was, I was a poor college student and put it back. But I kept seeing it everywhere. The abs. They were following me. Finally I couldn't take it. I bought the book on sale at Wal*Mart and loved Elosia James' books ever since. Yeah. It lived up to the abs. (More so after I read the first two books in the series.)


2. Across the Universe - Beth Revis

This cover just grabs my attention and makes me stare at it for what seems like hours. What draws me first is the colors, my eyes blinded by the bright purple and pink universe. Then the silhouette evokes the childlike whimsy of that mind thing (where it is a vase or two faces) but the more you look you see that it isn't an illusion but two faces. And in my mind two faces in a rather sensuous pose. This cover just takes my rough exterior and melts it into a puddle of love and sensuality.


3. Touched - Corrine Jackson

I literally know two sentences about this book. She can heal people, but everything she heals becomes her own pain. Okay I guess it turned into one. But this cover evokes in me a sense of peace with her "gift." It's bright colors and the design moving up the side. It is just so pretty. I hope the actual story lives up to the prettiness.


4. Everneath - Brodi Ashton

This cover is what initially drew me to read the description, which then hooked me in. Even when I was reading it I would sometimes just close it and stare (which is how I noticed the weird out of proportioned arm.) But in general, the sweeping skirt evokes mythology and magic, which is exactly what Everneath was all about.


5. Incarnate - Jodi Meadows

I think out of all the books on my list this is the one that will appear frequently. I mean what is not to love about this cover. The piercing stare, the bright colors contrasted with the light background, whatever that is on her face (butterfly?)Oh I get it! Butterfly, rebirth cocoon. I see it. Whatever it is its awesome. This is a book I need to read asap.


6. Born Wicked - Jessica Spotswood

Hmm. Another book cover I am drawn to that is making eye contact with the reader. Interesting. In this case the nymphetic tones of the cover tied in with the subject matter of the witches, just fit right into my wheel house. I was dawn in by the nymph and her eyes and stayed because it was an alternate history of witches in New England. Interestingly enough, not too many bright colors here to draw my eye like the other ones, but the muted tones with the impish girl give me at least the feeling that she is a bright star in a muted world. Yes, cover. I see what you did there.


7. A Rogue By Any Other Name - Sarah MacLean

Complete tangent for a bit. When looking in Goodreads for the link, I apparently have search in the past "A Rogue by any other leg" lol. I don't know why that amuses me so. Anyway, this cover isn't really anything special by historical romance standards. It is in keeping with a current trend that there is a solitary woman on the cover. But just something about her, maybe the pose or the flower or the red color makes me just want to read more. To read about what brought her to those stairs. Doubtful that this will have anything to do with the actual story, but it makes me want to read it anyway.


8. Of Poseidon - Anna Banks

I love love love the simplicity of the cover paired with the interesting font. The dark muted tones of the ocean, a tie with the title, acting with the great contrast of the white in her gown. I actually dont even know if I read the description of this book yet or if I just added it because unf this COVER! It is just wonderful.


9. An Affair with Mr. Kennedy - Jillian Stone
It's rare that a romance cover has anything at all to do with the book. The characters rarely look the same, the dresses are sometimes out of period (and pretty much in many different stages of disarray). So to see a cover that has not only everyone fully clothed, but everyone fully clothed in period appropriate attire and they vaguely look like the book characters is an automatic win. Pair that with the "We could be in danger" look in her eyes and the "Guess what I know" look in his eyes I just knew I wanted to read it.


10. Firelight - Sophie Jordan

Despite my general distaste for the story, I think this is still one of my favorite covers. I LOVE the hint of scales and the bright oranges and reds and yellows. I know she is a dragon and a firey one at that! Then there is something I didn't notice until I stared at this cover just now, her eyes are cat eyes! How awesome is that.

So those are mine. Link me yours!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I'd Give Theme Songs To

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Over at The Broke and the Bookish (where I also review things), we like to do this thing called Top Ten Tuesday. Every week is a theme, everyone gets to create a list.

This week, the topic is....

Top Ten Books I'd Give Theme Songs to

I am not sure we will get ten but while I was sleeping on the airplane today I was dreaming about what I would put in this list. Yes. Top ten Tuesday means so much to me that it has infused into my dreams.

Let's see what I can remember.

1. Soundtrack for Our Movie - Mae paired with The Hunger Games from Peeta's perspective

There's only so much I can fake / There's only so much that I can prove /
Well, do it in a minute, / I could go play the fool for you."

There is so much in this song that reminds me of Peeta and the emotional journey he goes through in the series. This particular quote shows how much Peeta is willing to do at the drop of the hat for Katniss, even up to playing the fool, in love, to save their lives.

Even just the pep of this song makes me think of Peeta. I do love this song. lyrics; song

2. Prisoner - Jeffree Star paired with Twilight from Edward's perspective

I got no regrets / And I remember the day that we met /
There was no way that I could forget you / So I followed you home /
And I waited 'til you were alone

And I crept / Into your room while you slept /
I laid next to you and I knew /That I could never let you go

I have no idea how this song ended up on my iPod. Nights in China culminated with music swapping and I got a TON of things. The first time I heard this song, I thought, "Holy shit. What is Edward Cullen doing making electronic dance music?" I seriously cannot hear this song without thinking of creeper Edward. lyrics; song

3. You Don't Know Me - Michael Buble paired with On The Way to The Wedding (Julia Quinn) from Lucy's perspective.

No, you don't know the one / Who dreams of you at night /
And longs to kiss your lips / And longs to hold you tight /
Oh I'm just a friend / That's all I've ever been / 'Cause you don't know me

Oh Lucy. The heartbreak that is a friend with unrequieted love... urg. Tears your heart out. But its a romance novel so there is a HEA (happily ever after). So that makes it all worth while lyrics; song

4. Harry Freaking Potter - A Very Potter Sequel for Harry Potter

You're Harry Freakin' Potter / We don't prefer Gandalf, / Merlin, or Oz, /
You're a whole lot hotter / With that lighting scar / you're a superstar to us all
If we're in trouble we know who to call

Seriously, this just how I feel about Harry Potter. It is totally cheating, but I don't really care. This song, along with Goin' Back to Hogwarts from A Very Potter Musical, pretty much sum up my whole feelings for the whole Potter experience. I heart them so much. lyrics; song

5. You and Me - Lifehouse paired with Across the Universe from Elder's perspective

You've got my head spinning / I don't know where to go from here /
'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do /
Nothing to prove / And it's you and me and all other people /
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you

Elder and Amy are both confused a bewildered throughout most of Across the Universe. Yet through all that, though there may be a bunch of other people on the ship, they are still falling for each other, if they want to or not. This is more for Elder, because he falls easier. :) lyrics; song

6. The Tower - Vienna Teng paired with Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage from Isabella's perspective

She carries the act so convincingly the fact is
sometimes she believes it /
That she can be happy the way things are /
Be happy with the things she's done

Yay! I love Vienna Teng. Her music tells a story of its own, but as I listened back through my iPod of sleep airplane realizations, this song came up and it fits a lot what what Isabella is going through with her estranged husband. Great book; great song. lyrics; song

7. Hey Now - Augustana paired with The Way We Fall

Hey we're just bleeding for nothing /
It's hard to breathe when you're standing on your own /
We'll kill ourselves to find freedom / You'll kill yourself to find anything at all

So lock all the doors / And put your child to rest
There's fire in the streets now / But it's quiet in your head

Yup. Surprisingly this song is doing a really good job of capturing the dismial reality The Way We Fall enhabits. It fits better just reading the words nut I think the song captures the book brilliantly. lyrics; song

8. Inevitable - Anberlin paired with Everneath from Nikki & Jack's perspective

Amazing how life turns out the way that it does /
We end up hurting the worst, the only ones we really love
I wanna break every clock / The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment / For the rest of our lives
Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now
I wanna be your last, first kiss / That you'll ever have

I love this song. It is hauntingly beautiful. I am kind of turning the words up on their head for their relation to Everneath, but they do relate. Taking this from Nikki's perspective with her limited time, well it put a different spin on breaking every clock. I think reading from both of them, urgh. Great!
lyrics; song

I think this is where I will stop. A solid showing I think. :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Save From My House

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Over at The Broke and the Bookish (where I also review things), we like to do this thing called Top Ten Tuesday. Every week is a theme, everyone gets to create a list.

This week, the topic is....

Top Ten Books I'd Quickly Save From My House
I am going to cheat the hell out of this one. Fair Warning.

1. My Bridgerton series
Running Total: 8

1a. My Chinese version of To Sir Philip, With Love by Julia Quinn - I know that this is two JQ novels, but this one is a bit special. I could get a copy of pretty much any JQ book in any bookstore at any time, but this book JQ sent me herself. And is in Chinese. One of my life goals is to be able to read this book. I am not very far...

2. My two signed books: Pleasure of Your Kiss and Night Pleasures
Running Total: 10

3. My old copy of Gone With The Wind
Running Total: 11

4. My library books (I don't want a fine!)
Running Total: 17

5. My Nook?
Running Total: countless

To be honest, I don't know. I don't buy books unless I want them and I feel like a lot of the books I have I could buy for pennies at any library sale.

Now if this was a Fahrenheit 451 sort of scenario and it was what I could quickly show into a bag.

1. Harry Potter 7: I am pretty sure I could mentally recreate the others... somewhat.

2. The Lord of the Rings

3. My copy of children's classics

4. My Nook

5. As many romance novels as i can shove into my bag.


So what about you? Link me to your lists and thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to check out my giveaway!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Broke My Heart A Little (Remix)

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Over at The Broke and the Bookish (where I also review things), we like to do this thing called Top Ten Tuesday. Every week is a theme, everyone gets to create a list.

Today is actually my week over there, so my list is on the main page. So in kind of a twist to the main theme this week, for each book I had that broke my heart (explained over there), I am going to find a book (here) that had the exact opposite effect, hopefully in the same vein as the first book.

Top Ten Books That Broke My Heart A Little (Remix)

1.Gone with the Wind broke my heart, but A Room with a View by E.M. Forster could mend it.
For this, I tried to to something that was comparative. I really liked Gone with the Wind, don't get me wrong, all my list I love, but A Room with a View was just ... fun (if I remember it correctly). It is set in Rome during a time when you needed chaperons. It's actually somewhat of a love triangle which is popular now right?

2. The Golden Compass broke my heart, but The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis could mend it.
I love The Chronicles of Narnia. It too is a fun book, like most of the His Dark Materials series. Though at times The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe can be sad, it doesn't wrench my heart like The Golden Compass.

3. The Lords of Discipline broke my heart, but Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott could mend it.
I had The Outsiders here at first, but then as I starting thinking about the book, it should be on the REAL list. That book tore a whole in my preteen soul! Little Women also was sad, but the overall emotion I feel about this book is just a great coming of age/sister story. Most of it is happy, and you can't appreciate the happy without the sad.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows broke my heart, but Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban could mend it.
Seriously, I love this series. Azkaban is my favorite (though I have never reread 6 or 7). I really think it is that I just love the marauders and no matter how it ends I still love it :)

5. The Hunger Games broke my heart, but Cinder by Marissa Meyer could mend it.
Yay! YA Dystopian! Hunger Games was a bit more gritty than Cinder, but Cinder's retelling of the fairy tale was wonderful. It took something old as time and made it new and unique. I can't wait for more of the series.

6. The Book Thief broke my heart, but All But My Life by Gerda Weissmann Klein could mend it make it slightly less sad.
Seriously, saying a Holocaust book is "happy" is not what I am going for here. All But My Life is horridly heart breaking in and off itself. But the main thing I remember from my book experience is her perseverance. My Freshman class in high school wrote her a letter and sent her some sweatshirts from our school for her and her husband, so what I remember of her is the picture of them in their matching hoodies saying thank you to us with a smile on her face. That is why it would make it better for me.

7. On The Way to the Wedding broke my heart, but What Happens in London by Julia Quinn could mend it.
Both of these are by Julia Quinn and are overall happy books. I just had a personal reaction to the first one. The second one is light and funny and has a scene I will never stop laughing over.

8. The Time Travelers's Wife broke my heart, but Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen could mend it.
I really loved both of these books. Water for Elephants has some sad moments, but overall I think it was a happy read. It was the perfect read for my beach read one summer. By the way, the movie did not do the book justice.

9. Tuck Everlasting broke my heart, but Everneath by Brodi Ashton could mend it.
I just finished this book, and you may be thinking "How do these really connect?" They are both stories that have the choice between eternal life and, well not. Both a great, and Everneath is slightly touching at times, it still with its mythology related awesomeness could make it better.

10. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie broke my heart, but Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare could mend it.
While all of the other books in the Mackenzie brothers series are excellent, as is this book, I tried to tie these together by romance novels that deal with one of the leads having a physical or mental challenge. In this book, it is deafness. While both books show them overcoming the problem despite the odds, Lily embraces her deafness. And of course love concurs all in the end.

Whew! Two complete lists this week was a lot of work!! Let me know what you think!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Book Club Picks

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Over at The Broke and the Bookish (where I also review things), we like to do this thing called Top Ten Tuesday. Every week is a theme, everyone gets to create a list.

As I write this I have a killer, killer headache and I just got off a 4hr flight of aweful turbulance, so I am going to keep my list short and sweet.

The common theme among all these books is they are thought provoking in some way and a discussion could easily come from them, wheter you like them, liked what they are, or not.

Top Ten Books Club Picks
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. The Book Thief by Mark Zusak
3. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
4. The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall
5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
6. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
7. Fatherland by Robert Harris
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
9. The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy
10. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Let me know what you think :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That I Was Surprised I Liked As Much As I Did

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Over at The Broke and the Bookish (where I also review things), we like to do this thing called Top Ten Tuesday. Every week is a theme, everyone gets to create a list.

This week is a Freebie. I stared at the screen for at least 20 minutes before figuring out what I wanted to do. Here is what I settled on:


Top Ten Books That I Was Surprised I Liked As Much As I Did

So these are books I read for one reason or another, maybe recs maybe I just found them on the shelf at the library, but the outcome is the same. I was genuinely surprised at how much I liked them.

1. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
In high school, one of my teachers recommended this series to me. This was the second book he recommended and the first turned out to be a disaster. Oh, how much I hated it! But I gave this a chance too and I was so glad I did. This series to this day remains the only series I wrote a fan-fic for. Yeah. That's how much I loved it.

2. Soulless by Gail Carriager
This book keeps popping up on my lists. This time it is here because I literally pulled this off the shelf in my college library with a limited collection and said, "What's the worst that could happen?"

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I don't even remember why I read this book. I know I didn't think much of it, especially after I learned of the damn triangle of love. But again, I was proved wrong by the general awesomeness that is this series.

4. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Don't everyone hate me at once, but I have a predisposed prejudice to YA fiction. I don't know why, because I do enjoy a lot of it. I think it has to do with the same general one girl, two guys plot I keep seeing in Goodreads summaries. So any YA novel I pick up I always have that chip on my shoulder. Well this pretty solidly knocked it off.

5. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
One of my friends kept telling me to read this book. I was intimidated 1)by its size and 2) by its genre. But wow did I love this book.

6. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Yay! Shakespeare misconceptions! In college, I was forced to read this book. As with most things we are forced to do I was predisposed to hatred and resentment. Well that and WS can be pretty rough to read. Well this book is hilarious and awesome. I was glad I read it!

7. So Worthy, My Love by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Let's go back to the very beginning. A very good place to start... so when my cousin handed me three romance novels at the age 12, I was a little skeptical about how she was describing them. This one was her favorite of the three. It was huge to my eyes. This was the second or third I read and I actually did like it, and it started up a love for romance that has been cultivated for 13 years.

8. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
I found this right after it came out. There was no Dexter show at this time so I had no idea what to expect. But apparently I should have expected awesome.

9. The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy
Yeah, Pat Conroy and your military academy book. A 17 year old girl is not traditionally predisposed to liking military coming of age novels (without pictures :)) and so I grudgingly read this for class. But by the end, there was no grudging at all.

10. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein
I was really into Lord of the Rings for a long time. Like all out nerd. Stay up late and talk on forums nerdy. I read the whole series and then started the Simarillion. It was the elf book and I liked elves, but it was Tolkien, and we had a love hate relationship at times. I liked it, and I was surprised at how easy it was to read.

So that it my TTT this week. How about you, dear readers. What book(s) have you read that you were surprised you liked as much as you did?

Feature at The Broke and the Bookish

Hey everyone. It's Tuesday, which means TOP TEN TUESDAY! Jamie's sister decided to have her baby so I jumped in to give my Top Ten list.

This weeks topic was Top Ten Books I Recommend for Someone Who Doesn't Read X. I wrote my list up on (mostly historical) romance novels.

Highlights include:

1. When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James
I love fairytale retellings, and this is a wonderful modernization of the Beauty and the Beast tale. Well modernization meaning it is still set in the past but not in the far distant past of legends. The hero and heroine are both dynamic and is has an interesting story propelling you to the end.

2. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Oh, the Bridgertons. I love this series. The Duke and I is the first one in that series. It's a family of 8 kids, one kid per book. Trivia! They are named alphabetically. The first one is the Duke and I. It is about the first gil Daphne and Simon. I love this story because it has just the right balance between levity and plot. Other favorite books in the series? The Viscount Who Loved Me, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton and On the Way to the Wedding.

Check it out @ The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Tuesday: Want to Read in 2012

Over at The Broke and the Bookish we do this thing called Top Ten Tuesday... here is my full list for..

Top Ten Books I'm Excited To Read in 2012

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt
The fourth book in the Maiden Lane series! I reviewed the first one here a really long time ago (I liked it), and just read the third book recently. The lead in to Thief of Shadows is just ... urgh!! I need this now!



Cinder by Marissa Meyer
This is the first line in the Goodreads summary: "Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing." WHAT?! How freaking awesome! Cinder, also the name of the main character, sounds like a mix of Cinderella and dystopian steampunkish ya awesomeness! I think... whichever. I am reading it!


Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Normally I dont get too into YA books because I am usually disappointed (yes I do realize this a sweeping generalization). I found this book on Goodreads a bit ago, immediately added it to my TBR shelf and told some friends about it. It looks like it is going to be a new twist on the greek myth of Hades/Persephone. I don't think it claims to be this, but reading the description, it sure sounds close. Regardless, I am excited to read it!


The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley
This is the fourth book in the Highland Pleasures Series that follows four brothers. So this is the last brother. The Duke. I am excite!



Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
I LOVE fairy tale retellings (or I guess legend retellings). This one looks promising. Robing Hood with a chick in the merry men? Yes please.


A Million Suns by Beth Revis
Loved Across the Universe! Absolutely cannot wait for the sequel! The first one was really good and Beth Revis is absoluvely awesome over twitter! I am hoping the continueation is just as good as the first!


The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James
Another fairy tale retelling (what is this? the third on the list?!) This one is a romance twist of the Princess and the Pea! I have this in my possession for the plane tomorrow so I am super excited about this!!



Trouble at the Wedding by Laura Lee Guhrke
I think this is the third in her abandoned at the alter series. I didnt care for the first one, like the second one a lot... so hopefully this one goes more toward the second :)


Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
I haven't read any of the angel books as of yet, but this one intrigues me. I have a high standard for liking it though... so we'll see. I really liked the idea of angel books.. i am just looking for the right one!



A Night Like This by Julia Quinn
Love Julia Quinn. This is the second in her new series!

There they are! What are yours? Do we share any?

Top Ten Tuesday Childhood Redux

I haven't done a top ten tuesday on this site in a long time... and I even did 5 of them on the main page! For those of you who dont know, I am the Julia @ the Broke and the Bookish....

BUT I KEEP THINKING OF BOOKS I MISSED!! And I want to list them

1. Choose Your Own Adventure Books
These were all things awesome and win... though i usually died by the 11th page turn...

2. The Beatrice Potter Books
Oh Peter Rabbit... I will never not love you.

3. Green Eggs and Ham
I am pretty sure I could still run through one of those rhymes.

4. The Roswell High Series
More of a preteen thing for me, but it was my first foray into sci-fi lit. Teen sci-fi.. and I read it because of the WB show.. but whatever :)

5. The Phantom Tollbooth
I loved this book. So, so much.

I think that is all in addition to my original list...(truncated below)

1. The Island of the Blue Dolphins - Scott O'Dell
2. Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein
3. Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger - Louis Sachar
4. The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton,
5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
6. Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt
7. Titanic: The Long Night - Diane Hoh
8. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
9. Aesop's Fables - Aesop
10. This book about milk and where it comes from.

Top Ten Tuesday: Debut Books

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 Debut Books. Now when I did it, some of these people may have previously been published but I made sure it was their first novel.



1. Soulless by Gail Carriger
Love this book! I grbbed it on a whim off my college's new book shelves. My introduction into steampunk.


2. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Loved this one too! A nice foray into science fiction with a dash of dystopia. Also I just had a Twitter conversation with her about how she came up with some of the language she uses in the books. SO NICE! And so interesting. AND a Firefly fan!


3. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
One of my favorite books. Always brings tears to my eyes.


4. The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne
Such a fun spy story with a romantic twist! Though technically classified as a historical romance novel, I really think of this book as a interesting story about spies, international relations and .. well passion.



5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
The birth of a DYNASTY (said like the old man from Mulan)


6. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
I really liked this book. There were some points that I thought were overly long and sometimes completely pointless, but overall it is a really good story with really thought provoking questions.



42. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Funny as hell and made of win.

8. The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
One of the most sensual writers that I happened to stumble into. Her first book was awesome and she has not faltered for me since.




9. Fatherland by Robert Harris
I LOVE this book. I reread it last year. It is an alternate history novel about what would have happened if Nazi Germany would have won WWII ant not the Allies. It is wrapped around a murder mystery and is just great! I'll have to give this one a proper review at one point..

10. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
I bawled through the last 150 pages of this book. It's surprising how much I love to hate Scarlett. She is such a bitch, but the book itself is outstanding.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish I Read as a Kid

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 Wish I Read as a Kid.

1. Any of the Nancy Drew Mysteries
Right when I started reading high powered again, I was the perfect age to enjoy these. I remember being in the library and thinking they looked very old and they must smell.. bleh! I'll take out this Choose Your Own Adventure (!) instead.

**Note.** I am looking at this Goodreads list on Favorite Childrens Books and totally just realized that I started the Little House on the Prairie books at book 2! No wonder I didn't like them! Now back to your regularly scheduled list.

2. The Series of Unfortunate Events
I feel like this may have come out near the end of my childhood, but I will probably never read it now and thus never know what I could have experienced.

**Note.** Seriously why is Watership Down on the aforementioned list?

3. Julie of the Wolves
I owned this story. I bought it because the main character had my name (shallow I know. Sue me. I was 11). The cover was really cool and engaging. But yet, I never read it. I think I finally gave it away.

**Note.** Okay. Seriously. I've added like 14 books I read as a kid to my goodreads childhood shelf in the last 5 mintues.

4. Wayside School is Falling Down
I read (and LOVED) Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger and I believe I had the math games trivia fun book, but I am almost positive I never went back and read the two that came before "Stranger". I think I would have really liked them.

5. Where the Wild Things Are
I've never read it. Never seen the movie. Still don't really know anything about it. Maybe when I have a kid of my own someday, I'll make sure to give this book so I can read it...

6. Winnie the Pooh
I think I read this book, but I am not sure. I think reading it instead of watching the VHS would have been awesome to do. The more I think about it, the more I am starting to feel like I did read it... now I am not sure.. so I'll make this list 11 just in case.

7. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
I didn't even know it was a book until I just saw it on GR. I really liked the movie and probably would have liked the book even more had I known of its existence.

8. The Neverending Story
Another case of I loved the movie, but never read the book. It was so magical. In actuality, I would probably go back and read this one. I think it could hold some magic for this 24 year old kid.

9. The Polar Express
I've never read it. I've never seen the movie with Tom Hanks either. I don't really feel like I am missing anything, but it could have been a cute tradition.

10.Ella Enchanted
Could have been something magical (if you excuse the pun)

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Resolutions

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 Bookish Resolutions.

1. Read 100 books in 2011
2. Blog at least 5 times a week
3. Read more books while traveling (especially on Nook)
4. Complete the TBR in 2011 challenge
5. Read, read, read.

Well. I got 5 at least.

Edit: I thought of a 6!

6. Finish reading Grimm's Fairy Tales in my self proclaimed Grimm Challenge

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: Santa Baby...

Over at The Broke and the Bookish (where the reviews of the few books I have been reading have been living), it is Top Ten Tuesday, and today it is what books we want Santa to leave under our tree.

Here is my list (not including the one from that site. I am taking that as my bonus book!)

1. The Devil Wears Plaid
by Teresa Medeiros - Have yet to read it, love her books!

2. The Lady Most Likely...: A Novel in Three Parts
by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Connie Brockway -Really interested to see how this "round robin" approach worked out

3. Heartless
by Gail Carriger -I know its not out it but santa is made of magic!

4. I Am the Messenger
by Markus Zusak - loved The Book Thief. must read more

5.Firelight (Firelight #1)
by Sophie Jordan - Been on TBR shelf forever!

6. Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage (Highland Pleasures #2)
by Jennifer Ashley -First in series was made of win

7. The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance (Twenty Stories of Timeless True Love) -no explanation needed :)

8. The Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell -I want this to own as a classic from my childhood

9. The Lords of Discipline
by Pat Conroy -I want this to own as a classic from my adolescence

10. His Dark Materials
by Phillip Pullman - love this. want. now.

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: I Can't Believe I've Never Read It

I know it's a bit late (23 minutes late to be exact) but over at The Broke and the Bookish (where I am a regular reviewer) this was my week to do the Top Ten Tuesday list.

Here is an excerpt:

7. The Hobbit - I don't know if this will ever come off of this list. I went through a huge Tolkien craze my junior year of high school. I read the whole Lord of the Rings series followed by all of the Appendices and The Silmarillion. But I read 40 pages into The Hobbit and could go no further. I feel like this makes me less of a Tolkien fan, but I just couldn't get into it like the other three books.

8. Paradise Lost - I've wanted to read this book since we read an except of it in my high school British lit class. I even started it at one point, but after 30 pages of getting hit over the head with mythological references I had no idea about, I decided to put it on the back burner and read a book about Greek mythology in preparation. Well that took awhile and by the time I finished, I needed some light reading and never went back.

9. Anything by Dickens OK. This isn't necessarily true. I did read A Christmas Carol. But that was like reading the transcript of every movie version of that novel. So, I've never read Dickens. I feel like I should, but have never taken the initiative to do anything about it.

Also, from looking at the linky, there are way more people in the Never Read Dickens Except for A Christmas Carol club than I thought.

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.