Top 10 Tuesday- Holiday Book Wish List



A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

I haven't participated in this meme in some time but this week's topic is irresistible :)

1)  11/22/63- Stephen King
His latest is getting lots of great reviews.  Time travel, alternative history...juicy.

2)  Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen DeGeneres
If it's anything like Ellen's show, this should be a cozy barrel of laughs :)

3)  Are You There, God?  It's Me, Margaret- Judy Blume
A children's classic I've never read.  I've got to see what all the fuss is about.

4)  Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck
I've never read anything by John Steinbeck and I'm determined to get a move on.

5)  Karlology- Karl Pilkington
I love The Ricky Gervais Show and Karl's naive, all-too-serious quips are priceless.

6)  Sense & Sensibility- Jane Austen
Sad fact:  I have a copy of this book already (and it's a good, pocket-sized edition) but I have cover envy.  I love the Penguin classics hardcover edition.  And I have the same type of edition of Emma, Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and a similar one of Pride & Prejudice.  And it's preeeetttyyy...

7)  Last Night in Twisted River- John Irving
I've read 3 Irving books and can't get enough.  It's been some time since I've read something of his and have had all good things about his latest.

8)  Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland- Gerald Clarke
This biography is supposedly being adapted into a biopic with Anne Hathaway.  I love the TV-movie with Judy Davis and Garland's life with all its ups and downs was fascinating.

9)  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings- Maya Angelou
A classic I've been meaning to read for some time.

10)  Contact- Carl Sagan
I need more science fiction (or maybe it should be called science almost-fact, given the accuracies of so many classic books in this genre).  The movie was quite underrated, probably because of silly controversy over the subject matter.

Hope Santa is good to you.  If you've been naughty, you'll get the most boring, long-winded, stream-of-consciousness book with unrelatable characters, no discernible plot, no quotation marks to indicate dialogue, and will be full of typos.  Or Twilight.  Whichever is worse :)  (No offense to visitors who like Twilight--it was the easiest title to poke fun at).

Top 10 Tuesday--Favourite Books Read in School

A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

I haven't participated this in so long, I needed to update the mem button :D  But I couldn't resist this week's topic:

It's a freebie--use this week to write a top ten list about ANYTHING in literature.

Nice!  I've decided to recall my top 10 favourite books read in school, whether by my own choice or as assigned by the teacher, and how they have stuck with me all this time.  I'm going to split the 10 books between elementary, high school, and university.  Here goes...

1)  Curious George Goes to the Hospital- Margret and H.A. Rey (Kindergarten)
Whenever we visited the school library, I made a beeline for the small bookshelf with the row of yellow CG books and plunked myself there for the entire time.  My favourite CG book was the hospital visit.  The vocabulary words were a bit more challenging with the doctor's equipment and I loved the picture of George's X-ray with the tiny puzzle piece in his stomach :)

2)  From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler- E.L. Konigsburg (5th grade)
My teacher did a unit on museums, touching on the Museum of Natural History and exhibits on Egypt and Italian Renaissance.  For science, we built security alarm systems (very creative endeavour!).  It was an imaginative book and the way my teacher connected all the subjects to the novel but not relying too much on it or going overboard was just right.

3)  This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall- Gordon Korman (6th grade)
My teacher read this aloud to us every day for the first week of school to get us settled back into school mode from summer vacation.  It was a great icebreaker and very funny with all the mishaps that occur at Bruno & Boots' school.

4)  The Pigman- Paul Zindel (7th grade)
In 7th grade, I finally got to read the novel that my dad had been teaching 7th and 8th graders for years.  It was a modern fable, kind of like a domesticated King Kong morality tale, with two teenagers befriending an old-fashioned neighbour, eventually taking advantage of his possessions to the point of breaking him.  It was the first really serious jolt I ever got from a book about how we need to value friendship and people that we care about.

5)  Twelfth Night- William Shakespeare (9th grade)
This was my first foray into Shakespeare and bless my teacher for making the transition smooth and easy for me.  I could actually understand the language, themes, and story as we worked on translating it to modern language.  Anyone scared to read Shakespeare ought to start with this play.

6)  Lord of the Flies- William Golding (10th grade)
Another jolting reading experience, this time touching on leadership, bullying, and survival.  It was dark, disturbing, and unforgettable.  Perfect timing for a teenager to read it.

7)  To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee (11th grade)
Just when you think you've learned enough about civil rights and racism (a huge topic in 8th grade curriculum), this book slaps you upside the head.  My god, is it ever brilliant.

8)  Death of a Salesman- Arthur Miller (12th grade)
This brought back memories of The Pigman (see #4).  Another tale of a disgraced man who had every intention of being great and how things gradually fall apart.

9)  The Diviners- Margaret Laurence (3rd year English major)
A Canadian epic and coming-of-age story that I couldn't put down.  Incredible prose and quirky, loveable characters.

10)  Flaubert's Parrot- Julian Barnes (4th year English major)
One of the most unique writing styles I've ever come across.  It breaks barriers of what literature ought to be and doesn't fail to fascinate, even if you have no idea who Flaubert is ;)

Top 10 Tuesday- Literary Family

A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

Oooh....this was too good a topic to pass up this week :)  My odd, wild literary family would consist of:

1)  Father--Jules Tonnerre from The Diviners by Margaret Laurence for his music, his legendary stories, and his adventures.

2)  Mother--Kate Gulderson from One True Thing by Anna Quindlen for her unconditional kindness, her talent in arts & crafts (she could teach me a thing or two!), and her strength.

3)  Brothers--I'd love to have two:  Hassan from The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for his loyalty, generosity, and love; and Christopher from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon for his knowledge, his curiosity, and his challenges.

4)  Sisters--I'd love have two:  Anne from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery for her imagination, her literary sense, and her ability to see the world for all its beauty; and Bridget Jones from Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding for her humour, her self-acceptance (for the most part), and her boyfriend, Mark Darcy, who we will envitably fight over :D

5)  Grandfather--Jacob Jankowski from Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen.  His stories of the circus will leave me spellbound.  I have to admit that I saw this on many top 10 posts today & couldn't resist "borrowing" him :)

6)  Grandmother--Marilla Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.  Even though she's an adoptive mother, I see her as a grandmother figure with her no-nonsense attitude, heart of gold, and acceptance of others' differences.

7)  Uncle--Will from About a Boy by Nick Hornby for his carefree ways, his laidback habits, and his spoiling of young children in his life :D

8)  Aunt--Muriel Pritchett from The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler for her quirkiness, her love of animals, and her awesome clothes!

9)  Cousin--Lisbeth Salander from the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson, because she doesn't have a family of her own and would need a person & place to turn to when she's in trouble.  You know, besides Mikael ;)

10)  Pet--this was a great suggestion for a family member by Anne @ My Head is Full of Books!  I would choose Marley the dog from Marley & Me by John Grogan, who would ruin the house but be a lot of fun, and Flaubert's parrot from Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes, who is a stuffed bird but has a fascinating history behind him :)

What a wild & crazy family that would be!

Top 10 Tuesday--Book to Movie Adaptations

A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's theme is Top 10 Book to Movie Adaptations.

Another theme that I simply can't pass up!  To focus the scope a little further (and cut down the list considerably), I've only listed books that I've read & their adapted movies (which I've seen).  Click the book title for my review (if available) and the movie title for more info on it.  In no particular order:

1)  Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery--adapted in 1985 starring Megan Follows as Anne, Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert, Colleen Dewhurst as Marilla, Richard Farnsworth as Matthew, and Schuyler Grant as Diana.

2)  The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler--adapted in 1988 starring William Hurt as Macon, Geena Davis as Muriel, and Kathleen Turner as Sarah.

3)  Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding--adapted in 2001 (and a sequel in 2004) starring Renee Zellweger as Bridget, Colin Firth as Mark, and Hugh Grant as Daniel.

4)  My Autobiography by Charles Chaplin--adapted in 1992 as Chaplin starring Robert Downey Jr. as Charlie Chaplin, Geraldine Chaplin (Charlie's daughter) as Hannah Chaplin, Moira Kelly as Hetty Kelly & Oona O'Neill, Anthony Hopkins as George Hayden, and Dan Aykroyd as Mack Sennett.

5)  The Color Purple by Alice Walker--adapted in 1985 starring Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, Danny Glover as Mr./Albert, Margaret Avery as Shug, and Oprah Winfrey as Sofia.

6)  The Green Mile by Stephen King--adapted in 1999 starring Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb, Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey, David Morse as Brutal, James Cromwell as the Warden, and many more (a fantastic ensemble cast!)

7)  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey--adapted in 1975 starring Jack Nicholson as Randle McMurphy, Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched, Brad Dourif as Billy, Danny DeVito as Martini, Christopher Lloyd as Taber, Scatman Crothers as Turkle, and Will Sampson as Chief Bromden.

8)  "Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption," a short story from Different Seasons by Stephen King--adapted in 1994 as The Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne, Morgan Freeman as Red, Bob Gunton as Warden Norton, and James Whitmore as Brooks Hatlen.

9)  The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris--adapted in 1991 starring Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford, and Ted Levine as Jame Gumb.

10)  One True Thing by Anna Quindlen--adapted in 1998 starring Renee Zellweger as Ellen, Meryl Streep as Kate, and William Hurt as George.

Top 10 Love Stories

A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

I couldn't resist the topic this week!  I'm going to keep it short & include some movie couples as well.  This is in no particular order.  I watched #6 last night--one of my favourite movies :)

1)  Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe- Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery
2)  Elizabeth Bennet & Fitzwilliam Darcy- Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
3)  Morag Gunn & Jules Tonnerre- The Diviners by Margaret Laurence
4)  Henry DeTamble & Claire Abshire- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
5)  Cecilia Tallis & Robbie Turner- Atonement by Ian McEwan

6)  Harry Burns & Sally Albright (Billy Crystal & Meg Ryan)- When Harry Met Sally...
7)  Rick Blaine & Ilsa Lund (Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman)- Casablanca
8)  Shrek & Fiona (voices of Mike Myers & Cameron Diaz)- Shrek
9)  Grusinskaya & Felix (Greta Garbo & John Barrymore)- Grand Hotel
10)  Edward & Kim (Johnny Depp & Winona Ryder)- Edward Scissorhands

I also can't help but mention a few (ha!) more:
Wall-E & Eve- WALL-E
Phil & Rita (Bill Murray & Andie MacDowell)- Groundhog Day
Walter Burns & Hildy Johnson (Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell)- His Girl Friday
Paul Verrall & Billie Dawn (William Holden & Judy Holliday)- Born Yesterday
Harold & Maude (Bud Cort & Ruth Gordon)- Harold & Maude
David Huxley & Susan Vance (Cary Grant & Katharine Hepburn)- Bringing Up Baby
Mickey & Holly (Woody Allen & Dianne Wiest)- Hannah and Her Sisters
Joel Barish & Clementine Kruczynski (Jim Carrey & Kate Winslet)- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Tramp & the Blind Flower Girl (Charlie Chaplin & Virginia Cherrill)- City Lights

Top Ten Tuesday- Characters to Name Your Children After

A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

I'm on a hiatus from most midweek memes, but I decided to chime in on this week's topic:

Top 10 Characters/Literary Figures That I'd Name My Children After

Great idea!  I don't have any children but I've often thought of names I like, especially when an interesting one rings in my ear.

At the moment, my favourite girls' names are:  Gwen (not sure where I first heard this name) and Eva (from WALL-E, and yes I know that her name is actually Eve, but how cute is Wall-E saying her name that way?)
and for boys:  Elliott (from E.T.) and Charlie (I love the way Katharine Hepburn says Humphrey Bogart's character's name in The African Queen like CHAW-LEE :D).

So, I have to admit that most names I've thought of are from movie characters, but here's some literary character names I like, an even 5 for girls and 5 for boys:

GIRLS

1)  Ramona~ from Ramona Quimby series by Beverly Cleary~ A unique name that's stuck with me since childhood.  I heard that this is Maggie Gyllenhaal & Peter Sarsgaard's daughter's name, which sounds so sweet.

2)  Briony~ from Atonement by Ian McEwan~ not that I condone her actions in the book but Briony is another unique-sounding name...the only thing is that you would probably think of deception whenever you heard it :/

3)  Ada~ from The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver~ I'd drop the "h" so it was a palindrome, a nifty reference to her hobby in the book :)

4)  Marilla~ from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery~ I always think of a generosity of spirit when I hear her name (albeit over time when it came to adopting Anne).

5)  Celie~ from The Color Purple by Alice Walker~ It makes me think of freedom and sisterhood.

BOYS

6)  Finn~ from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain~ a symbol of boyhood curiosity & adventure

7)  Harry~ from Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling~ but of course!

8)  Jacob~ from Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen~ reminds me of courage, perseverance & strength

9)  Grady~ from Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon~ fresh in my mind since I recently finished it :)

10)  Laurie~ from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott~ this is probably a set-up for teasing but I love this character!

I was wondering if any book bloggers who have kids named them after literary characters?  And what names did you come up with for your top 10?

Top Ten Tuesday

A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is

Top Ten Characters I'd Like to Be Best Friends With

First of all, sorry for missing the Monday meme.  I've never missed one before but it would have been identical to last Monday, I'm afraid :(  But to miss out on two memes back-to-back?  That's not happening!

In no particular order...

1) Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

As a child, I always imagined being best friends with Anne.  I always admired and tried to adopt her zest for life and her incurable optimism :)  I know what you're thinking: what about Diana?  Well, I felt that Diana grew apart from Anne when she didn't move on to college.  Aside from Gilbert, Anne needed a new gal pal.

2)  Claire Abshire in The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I felt that Gomez & Charisse were not close enough to Claire to be considered friends, and with Henry's long, sporadic absences, she really needed a strong friend.

3)  Ruth in The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton

Someone really needed to step in and protect this poor innocent girl.  I felt that nobody really loved and protected her, not realizing the need to guide her until it was too late.

4) Jo or Beth March in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Everyone loves Jo and I definitely see why.  But I always felt that Beth, being so mousy and introverted, needed a close friend as her sisters all seemed to be apart from her.

5) Celie in The Color Purple by Alice Walker
I admire Celie's perseverence to reunite with her sister, but also to build her self-esteem, self-awareness, and learning how to read.  I would have loved to be her pen pal :)

6)  Carrie White in Carrie by Stephen King

For those scratching their heads, think of it this way:  If Carrie had one true friend, would she have wreaked havoc like she did?

7)  Valentina in Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Poor Mouse.  She was the closest friend her twin Julia had but was the loneliest person in the world.  A friend would have convinced her not to go through with her unthinkable plan at the end (I won't spoil it).

8)  Duncan Garp in The World According to Garp by John Irving

The only boy character I can think of that I really connected with as a friend.  I'm not sure why, but I sympathized with him & felt that he was ignored by everyone around him.

9)  Offred in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

While I wouldn't want to live in Gilead (*shiver*), I was drawn to Offred's unwillingness to give into the regime and how she kept pining for the truth about her loved ones.

10)  Rose Feller in In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

I certainly felt like I had a lot in common with Rose (except for the shoe shopping--I have fussy feet & hate the time & effort it takes to find reasonably priced, comfy shoes), and besides Maggie & the bluntly honest Amy, Rose didn't have a necessary support system.  Maybe I could have been her shrink :D

Top 10 Holiday Books

A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is:

Top 10 Holiday Books

1)  The Night Before Christmas- Clement Clarke Moore
I always enjoyed reading this on Xmas Eve before going to bed.  It brings out the Xmas spirit in everyone.

2)  How the Grinch Stole Christmas- Dr. Seuss
It really turns the holiday on its head with a great message about redemption, overconsumption, and how to melt someone's heart with kindness.  The 1966 animated movie is enjoyable, practically a carbon copy of the book.

3)  A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens
I had a pocket-sized children's edition of this story & was pretty freaked out by the ghosts, but it's a great message.

...Wow, this is a tough topic :/  I'm usually so caught up with planning for the big day, that I don't read many holiday-themed books (just my regular reading material).  Since Christmas movies tend to be more my fortee this time of year, here's some favourites:

4)  National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
The funniest movie ever!  My family & I watch this every Xmas Eve, and have for a decade (ever since I was old enough to watch it).

5)  It's a Wonderful Life
Classic tearjerker that never fails to bring your hopes up.

6)  Edward Scissorhands
You're probably wondering how this ties into the holidays, but the scene with Edward carving the ice sculpture is just magical.

7)  The Polar Express
The book has amazing illustrations, and the movie has impressive animation with toe-tapping music.

8)  Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
This is a hilarious SS special that I used to watch every year.  The music is great and Cookie Monster (my fave Muppet) has many funny bits.  Here's a sampling from YouTube:



9)  Babe
This is a good movie for Thanksgiving as well.  The mice always make me laugh :D

10)  The Family Stone
The latest edition to my Xmas movie bonanza.  It's such crazy fun with some tearjerker moments as well.  The cast was fantastic!

Top Ten Tuesday

A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is:

Top 10 Villains, Criminals and Other Nasties

In no particular order...*spoilers may ensue*

1)  Pinkie Brown- Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
A despicable, sociopathic gangster wannabe with a cruel disposition towards everyone, especially women.

2)  Iago- Othello by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare created villains that still rub us the wrong way to this day.  You can't help but despise Iago for his fatal games of trickery and deceit.

3)  Mr. Hyde- Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The evil other half resulting from a botched scientific experiment.

4)  "Big" Jim Rennie- Under the Dome by Stephen King
This character proves how sleaze, greed, and power are a lethal combination.

5)  Regan & Gonneril- King Lear by William Shakespeare
Two oldest daughters of the tragic King Lear whose greed does them both in.

6)  Jack- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Another fatal misuse of power, this time by a child unwilling to be anything but the leader.

7)  George Harvey- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The creepy, murderous neighbour who continues to live as Susie watches from above.

8)  The Firm- The Firm by John Grisham
Cutthroat group of crooked lawyers take advantage of a young, impressionable man fresh out of law school.

9)  Mrs. Carmody- The Mist by Stephen King
What is even scarier about this character, aside from her extremist interpretation of the invasion and her decision to offer human sacrifices, is how many people came to believe in her.

10)  Nurse Ratched- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- Ken Kesey
Her cold, rigid demeanor coupled with an unwillingness to budge an inch from her calculated procedures is a recipe for disaster in a mental institution.

Tuesday Memes

A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is:

Top 10 Most Unfortunate Character Names

1)  Cushie & Pooh Percy- The World According to Garp- John Irving

And you thought Garp was an odd name...

2)  Morag Gunn- The Diviners- Margaret Laurence

3)  Hagar Shipley- The Stone Angel- Margaret Laurence

The first always makes me think of a dishtowel.  The second would bring an unfortunate nickname.

4)  Offred- The Handmaid's Tale- Margaret Atwood

The protagonist from a scary set of women's names with "of" __ (fill in male name).

5)  Piggy- The Lord of the Flies- William Goldman

Enough said.

6)  Mongo- Push- Sapphire (adapted into the movie Precious)

Precious's daughter with Down Syndrome.  This name is sad and shocked me to hear.

7)  Dill- To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee

Mind you, this is a nickname but do you really want to be thought of as a pickle? :D 

8)  Milkman, First Corinthians & Pilate Dead- Song of Solomon- Toni Morrison

Milkman is a nickname, the other two are randomly chosen Biblical names, and the last name is just eerie.

9)  Hamm, Clov & Nagg- Endgame- Samuel Beckett

Deliberately satirical, of course, in Theatre of the Absurd style.

10)  prot- K-PAX- Gene Brewer

Rhymes with "goat."  Purposely not capitalized.  Still strange.



A weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading.

Rules:
•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Down past the fisheye on the hall wall, I can see my white shape, of tented body, hair down my back like a mane, my eyes gleaming.  I like this.  I am doing something, on my own."

The Handmaid's Tale- Margaret Atwood
page 121

Top Ten Tuesday

A weekly meme hosted by Jennifer @ The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books That Made You Cry

An interesting topic...It's somewhat difficult for me, as I can feel sad while reading but rarely cry.  I cry more at movies & an occasional commercial (ever seen the Alzheimer's awareness ones?  Hoo boy).  So, these choices may be more related to sadness than full-blown sobbing.

*SPOILERS MAY ENSUE*

1)  Anne of Green Gables- L.M. Montgomery
When Matthew died.  Even in the TV movie version, I cried at the same part.

2)  Annie John- Jamaica Kincaid
At the end as Annie's mother runs alongside the train waving goodbye to her.  Such a poignant moment.

3)  The Book of Ruth- Jane Hamilton
The end is so shocking and sad, I felt it down to my core and it stayed with me so long afterward.

4)  The Color Purple- Alice Walker
When Celie is reunited with her family at the end.  The same part in the movie was just as tearful.

5)  One True Thing- Anna Quindlen
I knew how it would end as I saw the movie prior to reading it but I couldn't help it anyway!

6)  Marley & Me- John Grogan
I figured the book would end this way but I sobbed anyway.

7)  Death of a Salesman- Arthur Miller
At the end, you feel like you've lost a strange yet happy-go-lucky friend.

8)  Things Fall Apart- Chinua Achebe
At the end, when the colonization occurs & the white missionaries write off the entire tribe's history is just devastating.

9)  The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold
I cried a bit throughout this book given the circumstances of Susie Salmon and her tragic end, but also at the end because a little bit of hope lives on through Lindsay's baby girl.

10)  The Lord of the Flies- William Goldman
When Piggy dies and at the end when the young boy mouths "help me" to the rescuer.

Top Ten & Teaser Tuesday

I'm making a short & sweet post because that movie page exhausted me today...but I can't pass up doing the Tuesday memes :D

A weekly meme hosted by Jennifer @ The Broke & the Bookish.

In honour of Hallowe'en on Sunday, this week's topic is:

Top Ten Scariest Books

1)  Carrie- Stephen King- shocking climax, even by today's horror movie standards

2)  The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde- Robert Louis Stevenson- timeless scary story

3)  Going Rogue- Sarah Palin- picturing her as the potential VP (and Prez in waiting) couldn't be scarier :D

4)  The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe- the literary master of suspense in poetry & short stories

5)  The Shining- Stephen King- the movie also makes for a scary companion!

6)  The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold- lots of shudder-worthy scenes, especially when Susie's murderer is being questioned

7)  The Lord of the Flies- William Golding- how power breeds violence, even with young children

8) Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad- the darkest and most disturbing novel I've ever read

9)  Dracula- Bram Stoker- hard to avoid that one...

10)  Frankenstein- Mary Shelley- probably the best scary story & written by a woman, too!

A weekly meme hosted by Miz B @ Should Be Reading. 

I haven't participated in this one for a while, but I finally get the chance to mention my current read!

Her Fearful Symmetry- Audrey Niffenegger

"A random memory came to her:  We stood here together, my hand on the doorknob just like this.  A younger hand; we were young."

Top Ten Tuesday

A weekly meme hosted by Jennifer @ The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic:

Top Ten Literary Crushes

Sweet!  I love doing this meme each Tuesday because it really makes me think.  It comes down to either having too many or not enough, which makes me hark back to all the books I've enjoyed over time.

My first 5 are from children's books to account for girlhood crushes:

1)  Gilbert Blythe- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery- Sigh...

2)  Boots- This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall by Gordon Korman- Even though his best friend Bruno was the leader of the pack, Boots (often the fall guy in their pranks) was sweet & smart

3)  Jess- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson- I loved how his friendship with Leslie changed me for the better.

4)  Bart- The Babysitters Club series by Ann M. Martin- I related to Kristy the most and Bart was her boyfriend near the end of the series' run.  I liked him for all the reasons she did :o)

5)  John- The Pigman by Paul Zindel- the one & only bad boy I ever crushed on!


My final 5 are adulthood crushes:

6) John Sampson- Alex Cross series by James Patterson- He's a great sidekick for Alex Cross and so charming.

7)  David Drayton- The Mist by Stephen King- I love how he keeps his head together despite the tragedies and how he leads everyone without being a stand-offish type of hero

8)  Dale "Barbie" Barbara- Under the Dome by Stephen King- You cannot help but like a guy who genuinely means well and is stuck with the title of "new guy in town" the entire 1000+ page novel.

9)  Horatio- Hamlet by William Shakespeare- A loyal character who stands by his best friend, Hamlet, until the end and sends him off with the eulogy, "Good night, sweet prince."

10)  Barry- High Fidelity by Nick Hornby- Biting humour, gross hilarity, unconventional crush but would make a really fun companion :oD

Top Ten Tuesday

A weekly meme hosted by Jamie @ The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books I'll Never Read

Disclaimer:  I do not intend to offend or intetionally rip apart anyone's favourite book.  Please understand it's only my opinion.

This is a tough one as it's hard to deny reading a book unless it goes against all my convictions.  I'm more inclined to try a book and give up if it's not connecting with me.

1)  Twilight series--well...maybe the 1st one, which my mom has actually read before me :oD  I'm not into vampires and werewolves.  Seeing the 1st movie was just enough, thanks.

2)  Harlequin romance--I like romance that is built into a good story, not manipulated into a deliberate genre.

3)  Sleazy tell-alls--Any pseudo-celebrities who can barely write apply.  I like memoirs & autobiographies, but only of people I respect and admire.  Why bother otherwise?

4)  Self-help books--I think they all blend together and only repeat the same mantras.  The best self-help reading is a good work of fiction :o)

5)  Religious books--I respect the right to freedom of religion, and equally respect the right to pass.

For the last 5, I'm going to list books or authors that I won't read again.

6)  Jonathan Franzen--I read The Corrections and am reading Freedom.  I've had enough.

7)  Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad--Found it nearly unbearable.

8)  James Patterson--I've read many of his Alex Cross & Women's Murder Club books, but he's definitely peaked & ebbed for me.  His latest just doesn't seem to stand up to his earlier work.

9)  Lauren Weisberger--I liked The Devil Wears Prada but I'm just not that inspired to read more by her.

10)  A Million Little Pieces- James Frey- or anything else by this author.  Not because he lied about how little truth there was in his "memoir," but I wasn't fond of his writing style.

Post a comment & link to your list!

Top Ten Tuesday

A weekly meme from Stephany @ The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic:  Top Ten Authors

To quote Dwight Schroote from The Office (one of my favourite TV shows), "Question..."

How many books do you need to have read by an author in order to count him/her as a favourite?  I love some authors but have only read a couple of their books.  Hmm...*think, think, think* (Winnie the Pooh).

Another point is that I read eclectically and don't tend to zap through every single work by one author, except the very popular ones like Stephen King, John Grisham & James Patterson :o)  So, with that being said...typed, I mean...in no particular order:


1)  Stephen King--have read most of his biggies; the most addictive writer!  My favourites are Carrie, The Shining, and Different Seasons.

2)  Margaret Laurence--love The Diviners and The Stone Angel; want to read everything she's written!

3)  Jane Hamilton--A Map of the World and The Book of Ruth--will read anything new of hers.

4)  Anna Quindlen--One True Thing--really need to read more of her but she is in a class all her own

5)  Julian Barnes--Flaubert's Parrot--will read anything new of his & maybe some older ones if I get to them!

6)  John Grisham--wiped out all his legal-themed novels in high school & university; I'll be reviewing them soon.  My favourite is definitely The Firm, but I also loved A Time to Kill, The Pelican Brief, and The Brethren.

7)  James Patterson--have read almost all his Alex Cross books & most of his Women's Murder Club books--I think he's past his prime, so I haven't read his recent work--my favourites are Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls and Violets Are Blue.

8)  Nick Hornby--High Fidelity & About a Boy--love his humour!

9)  Ken Kesey--One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

10)  Sue Grafton--A is For Alibi--I love the first book of the Kinsey Millhone series & want to read them all!

Just a short & sweet list for today. I have the afternoon off & need to tackle the last 300 or so pages of Under the Dome once & for all :oD

Top Ten Tuesday

A weekly meme hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's theme is Favourite Fictional Couples in Books.

This is a great topic!  Enjoy the choices, some a wee bit unconventional to spice things up :oD  Please be aware spoilers may ensue, and not all couples may be romantic ones!

In no particular order of preference...

#10- Henry & Claire- The Time Traveler's Wife
Despite the awkward breaks in their relationship, they stay loyal to each other as they await a reunion.

#9- Anne & Gilbert- Anne of Green Gables
I shamelessly borrowed this one from another list.  From an antagonistic relationship as children to civil teenagers to friendly young adults to love-struck grown-ups....awww...

#8- Morag & Jules- The Diviners
A true love match, though neither admits it, from their squabbling childhood to a transitional relationship after her doomed marriage and the conception of daughter Pique.

 #7- Muriel & Macon- The Accidental Tourist

A quirky relationship between an outgoing dog trainer and a cautious travel writer.  You root for it to happen all the way through.

#6- Jo & Laurie- Little Women
We all know it doesn't turn out as we wanted (Laurie and..AMY?!?) but you see the sparks between them and hope that maybe in some magical twist of fate, the novel will end differently...

#5- Nick & Nora- The Thin Man

Their chemistry and equal senses of humour make this a comic mystery ahead of its time.

#4- Bridget & Mark- Bridget Jones' Diary

Who else could fall in love but the two saddest, Xmas-themed sweater wearers at the annual turkey curry buffet dinner?

#3- Clarice & Hannibal- The Silence of the Lambs

I warned you I'd take a wild turn at this meme!  Getting past the ick factor of this relationship (far from romantic), they did turn out to make a great team.

#2- Johnny & Sarah- The Dead Zone

A romantic relationship ruined by a comatose accident that gives Johnny a sixth sense.  You still feel him longing for them to reconnect, but he does one better and sacrifices his life for everyone else's.

#1- Holden & Phoebe- The Catcher in the Rye

The best brother-sister relationship in a novel. I loved how Holden tried desperately to protect Phoebe from becoming worse off than himself.

Top Ten Words I Love

Check out this blog entry from Top Ten Tuesday:

readerbuzz: Top Ten Words I Love

Even though this is an old meme & not Tuesday, I'll give it a whirl :o)  Click on the word for a definition.  I'm a fan of single-syllable words because you can say them in one breath.  Of course, the long, breezy ones are fun to roll off the tongue!  In no particular order of preference...

10)  Calm--sounds just like what it means

9)  Read--but of course!

8)  Free--such a small word for a huge concept

7)  Quagmire--not just a Family Guy character...

6)  Whirl--as in "I'll give it a..."

5)  Spark--it brings to mind a bright idea

4)  Home--say it slowly and it sounds warm & cozy, doesn't it?

3)  Earth--sounds like home :o)

2)  Lovely--a beautifully sound, an endearing word

and...*drumroll please*...

1)  Chutzpah--pronounced "KOOTS-PAH"; I love the sound of it!

A Wednesday Top 10

This weekly meme is hosted by Jillian at Random Ramblings.  She poses this top 10 topic: 

Feel Good Books

"The books that will never fail to cheer me up, pick my mood up, get me out of a rut, and/or lift my spirits."

A good book never ages & can be revisited over again to be enjoyed on a different level of experience: finding things you didn't notice before, knowing the outcome & being able to feel the emotions expressed even deeper.

To be honest, I'm not much of a "re-reader" so choosing 10 books I have re-read, let alone re-read many times over as a comfort, is a challenge for me.  I guess movies are more of my comfort forte.  So, my choices may not be "comfort reading" to everyone, but they are books that have captivated me on more than 1 occasion & have stuck with me over time.

Here goes nothing...In no particular order, here's a list of 10, with some titles linked to my reviews:

1)  K-PAX- Gene Brewer

The captivating movie convinced me to try the book & I am still completely mystified and taken with it.  It's a blend of sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and philosophy that may expand your thinking about the existence of life in the universe beyond Earth.

2)  Different Seasons- Stephen King

How creepy is that cover?!?  It looks like an homage to the 2001: A Space Odyssey star baby.  This collection of 4 novellas is a masterpiece, allowing King to return to his roots in the shorter genre.  Two, if not three, of the stories will sound familiar.  Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption was adapted into one of the greatest critical films ever and The Body became the beloved coming-of-age tale Stand By Me.  A third story of the same title became the less than reputable Apt Pupil.  The final chapter of this collection, The Breathing Method, leaves your spine tingling long after finishing it.  This set of short stories together can easily compete with King's other accomplished novels as his best work.

3)  The Green Mile- Stephen King

I'm not a cop-out (really, I'm not), but King is an addictive storyteller & The Green Mile is my favourite novel of his.  It is horrific (it's what he does best), but the blend of fantasy & mystery lays a foundation of purpose that makes up the core of the novel.  King claims the adapted movie is better, but I argue that they are two different takes on the same story and that they both go beyond comparison.

4)  The Firm- John Grisham

I'm not being very original with this list, I know, but I cannot bypass this book that remains my favourite Grisham novel and one of the best mystery yarns I've ever read.  The movie was good in his own right, but did not fully utilize all the twists & turns that Grisham gave the novel a quality of being more than just a pageturner, but proves once again that popular fiction can be thought-provoking.

...Wow, I'm completely stumped by this list (and I've bent the topic around enough)!  Let's change this around a bit & I'll list books I want to reread when the TBR stack is a little smaller (just a little...).

5)  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time- Mark Haddon

There has never been a novel written like this.  Period.  The perspective of Christopher, a British teenage boy with Asperger's syndrom investigating the death of his neighbour's dog while confronting the absence of his mother, is acutely visual, purposely rigid in detail, and supplemented by drawings that are both baffling & eye-opening about how his mind works.  I badly want to revisit this, but will settle for some insightful comments :o)

6)  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- Ken Kesey

The trippy, beat generation writing of Kesey is hippie poetry through the perspective of the Indian and his encounters at the mental hospital run by the evil Big Nurse, who is appalled by the reckless behaviour of the newest inmate, Randle MacMurphy.  I was stunned by the story and its take on the treatment of mental illness and how both aggressiveness and muteness can be misinterpreted and handled in a disturbing manner.

7)  The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold

You may be wondering why I would choose a book that begins with a gruesome murder as a rereadable book.  I agree that there are mixed opinions about whether or not to even read it because of that very reason, but here's why I will reread it:  It is a fine piece of writing that reminds me of a china cup, ironically both brittle with its devastating scene that creates a wound in both the characters & reader, and built strong with its omniscent narration, fierce dedication to finding truth, if not justice, and a powerful will to allow for the story to end in peace.

8)  A Map of the World- Jane Hamilton

Because I recently read The Book of Ruth by the same author, I wanted to revisit an earlier book I read of hers.  I was immediately taken by the stark writing style and how harsh it came off, then how it build up to a point where the instigating incident causes everything to crumble, then go even deeper into the crux of the matter.  How the painstaking, slow rebuilding process is written will allow a new perspective on human nature's way of coping with trauma by, all at once, remembering what was yet not clinging to the "what ifs" that we habitually create.

9)  One True Thing- Anna Quindlen

I have recently penned a review & don't want to repeat it here, but I am very fond of Quindlen's writing and have every intention of re-reading this novel that takes a new perspective on mother-daughter relationships and how judgment is brought to bear against every character, only to be re-examined in light of a slow-building change and questions surrounding its end result.

10)  The Time Traveler's Wife- Audrey Niffenegger

This is likely on many readers' TBRR (to be re-read) list if you were as captured by the uniqueness of this fantasy tale as I was.  I had an inkling before seeing the adapted movie that it could not possibly capture all the intricacies of the writing, and I think most would agree that I predicted right.  The love story of Henry & Claire is tangled up in many complex ways by his uncontrollable, nearly lifelong ability/curse to time travel, yet you find yourself rooting for them to make it work despite or perhaps because of Henry's preview of the future & revisiting of the past.  When the time is right, I will feel drawn to this novel again, and I hope it sheds new light on it the second time around.

Please share with me your top 10 list on this week's topic.  I look forward to reading your responses, too :o)