Top Ten Tuesday

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share ten colorful book covers this week. I thought about choosing ten covers with crazy colors but I couldn't think of any books I've read to fit that prompt. So instead, I made my own rainbow of covers, choosing one cover to represent each color of the rainbow and added pink, white, and black to get ten. Click the title to read my review. At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson Circe by Madeline Miller The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith She-Rain by Michael Cogdill A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson, edited by Christopher Conlon That's my list! Have you read any of these? Which covers would you have chosen for each color? Link up every Tuesday at That Artsy Reader Girl! I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site.

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share ten book titles that work as Crayola color names this week. This is a bit abstract for me but I do love colors (there isn't a white wall in my house back home and I'm trying to convince my husband to let me paint our RV walls) so I'm going to give this a try. (As an aside, I just found the random sort function on my GoodReads shelves and I'm so excited to browse through them this way!) Snow Falling on Cedars (David Guterson)--This would definitely be an off-white but would the undertone be gray since it sounds shadowy? Green from the tree needles? Reddish-orange from the tree bark? This could go in a few different directions. The Inferno (Dante Alighieri, translated by Henry Wordsworth Longfellow)--My first instinct is that the color is a fiery red. But then I thought about the ninth circle and decided it might be a pure, icy white. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)--A burgundy so dark, it's almost black. Madapple (Christina Meldrum)--This would be a poison apple yellowish-green. Stardust (Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess)--I've never cared much for the metallic colors in the Crayola box but this needs to be a soft, mellow gold that actually looks good. Shiver (Maggie Stiefvater)--I can only think of the blue on the cover when I think of this title. Prodigal Summer (Barbara Kingsolver)--The lushest green you can imagine, the color of things reaching perfect ripeness at the heart of summer, just before they start to fade and turn brown. The Bright Forever (Lee Martin)--I don't know about the rest of the country, but the skies back home in North Carolina in late September and early October are a perfect, cloudless blue that you could fall into…

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share ten "Books I'd Throw into the Ocean." I interpret this to mean books that are just so terrible (in my humble opinion) that I think they belong at the bottom of the ocean. A few weeks ago, I shared ten books I gave away and most of those could go on this list. I'll avoid duplicates though. I didn't finish reading many of these so most links will go to the Malaprop's bookstore website. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn--The book that started my aversion to thrillers with the word girl in the title. I started listening to it on audio, loathed every character, and returned it to the library. I know there's supposed to be a mind-blowing twist but I just don't care enough to find out what it is. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins--The book that sealed the deal on girlish thrillers. An unreliable narrator who I would avoid at all costs if she were a real person? No thanks. I quickly gave up on this audiobook too. McTeague by Frank Norris--I had to read this as an example of realism in my American literature class in college. I almost never liked required reading. The plot was stark, violent, and depressing. That may be one aspect of real life, but there are moments of beauty too. This book and its "realism" just don't fit my worldview very well. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer--I loved Twilight and then this book about whiny, heartbroken, depressed Bella came along. The endless blank pages that illustrate her empty days pushed me over the edge. It took me a long time to stir up any interest in continuing the series but I did eventually read Eclipse. I liked it better but…

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share "ten places in books where I'd love to live." This is a fun prompt! I decided to focus on fantasy books. It was surprisingly hard to choose! I didn't want to choose a place like Westeros, where I would probably be killed in a war or burned up by a dragon. So these are books that have fairly safe, fun, fantasy lands. Links go to my review (if I've written one) or to Malaprop's Bookstore. BookWorld from The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde--Okay, this feels a bit like asking a genie for more wishes, but there's no rule saying I can't. In The Eyre Affair, people can enter books and characters can jump between novels. If I recall correctly, BookWorld is the nexus where they all meet and it's the gateway to every book. With access to BookWorld, I could jump in and out of every book at will! Daevabad from The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty--I wouldn't want to live in Daevabad during the time this trilogy is taking place, but going there a few years after things have calmed down? What fun! Magical peoples and creatures all coming together in one city, where magic carpets are a real thing? Let's go! Marsyas Island from The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune--As if the cover and the title weren't enough of a pull, the charming found family and the unquestioning acceptance of everyone is the icing on the cake. The Enchanted Forest from Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede--The Enchanted Forest isn't lacking in drama but the wizards really aren't as bad as they think they are and Cimorene and company easily keep them in check. How awesome would it be to visit…

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share our top ten books on our spring 2021 TBRs this week but I don't plan ahead like that. I decided to share ten fiction books that I never reviewed because I read them while I was on my extended blogging break. (You can also check out ten nonfiction books I never reviewed.) The [...]

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share a "spring cleaning freebie" this week. She explains, "For example, books you’re planning to get rid of for whatever reason, books you’d like to clean off your TBR by either reading them or deciding you’re not interested, books that feel fresh and clean to you after winter is over, etc." I'm sharing ten books I gave away in the past because I really didn't care for them. Links go to my review, if I've written one, or to the Malaprop's bookstore website. Walden; or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau--I love a good Thoreau quote as much as the next reader but I thought the actual book was dry and dense and Thoreau's attitude was too holier-than-thou. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy--I didn't write a review of this book so I don't remember why I didn't care for it when so many others love it. The Host by Stephenie Meyer--I have complicated feelings about the Twilight Saga (I haven't even bothered to read Breaking Dawn), but I decided to give The Host a try. It wasn't for me for a lot of the same reasons that Twilight ultimately disappointed me. A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire--I enjoyed Wicked (and loved the musical), still liked Son of a Witch well enough, and then this came along and completely ruined the series for me. Dracula in Love by Karen Essex--I disliked this book so much, I feel myself making an "Ick" face every time I think about it. Stealing Athena by Karen Essex--After giving up on Dracula in Love, I gave this book (by the same author) to the library book sale without even attempting to read it. Little, Big by John Crowley--Charles de Lint was…

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share a Valentine’s Day/Love Freebie this week. I'm not a big romance reader but I do pick up the genre occasionally. I also don't object if books in other genres have a strong romance angle. So here are my top ten romantic books. (Links go to my review, if I've written one, or to Malaprop's bookstore) Geekerella by Ashley Poston--This young adult retelling of Cinderella makes my geeky heart so happy! Soulless by Gail Carriger--A funny, smart, steampunk romance is a win for me. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, read by Deanna Hurst--A main female character who loves food? Who looks sensible on the outside but has a streak of fun on the inside if someone will only look for it? That's the romance for me. How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry, read by Fiona Hardingham--I've mentioned this book on a list recently. A book about books and love is the way to my heart. Persuasion by Jane Austen--I mentioned this last week as one of my favorite classics. But Captain Wentworth's love letter at the end seriously makes me weak in the knees. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig--This dual timeline book works much better in the past than in the present for me but the whole 12-book series kept me laughing and rooting for each new "historical" couple. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion--Main character Don's logical approach to love cracked me up! The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, read by Carly Robins--The plot is reminiscent of a gender-swapped Pretty Woman but also features a main character who has Asperger's syndrome. Who could resist? Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen--I love this local-to-me author for a lot of reasons. She writes…

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share "Books Written Before I Was Born (These can be books you’ve read or want to read!)." I'm going to share a list of some of my favorite classics. Links go to my review, if I've written one, or to the Malaprop's bookstore website. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (Published 1908)--One of my favorite books of all time. I love all of the Anne books and really almost anything Montgomery ever wrote. Persuasion by Jane Austen (Published 1818)--You guys can have Mr. Darcy; Captain Wentworth is the Austen hero for me. "You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope." *swoon* Rebecca (Published 1938)--I've read this classic several times. The Gothic melodrama, sinister Mrs. Danvers, and Rebecca's complete dominance of the book despite the fact that she died before it even begins create a masterpiece in my opinion. The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett (Published 1896)--I rarely liked my required reading for school but my American literature professor hit it out of the park when she assigned this one. I read it in college and then re-read it when I visited Maine on vacation. Jewett described that beautiful rocky coastline so well, it's practically a character. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Published 1960)--Fortunately, this classic was never assigned to me in any of my classes. My sister and I have very similar taste in books and she dislikes it because it was required for her. I love the whole Finch family but Scout's innocence and Atticus's stand for what's right earned them both spots among my favorite characters of all time. The Chronicles of Narnia (Published 1950 - 1956)--I believe my third grade teacher's assistant read The Lion, The Witch, and…

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share "ten new-to-me authors I read in 2020." I tend to read a lot of new-to-me authors and several books from my top ten books of 2020 would work for this prompt. I decided to list authors who didn't appear on that list but whose works I did enjoy. Links either go to my review (if I wrote one), or the Malaprop's bookstore website. I discovered Grady Hendrix last year and quickly read most of his back catalog, which is almost unheard of for me. My favorite was My Best Friend's Exorcism. I don't remember how I found Khalida Brohi's powerful memoir, I Should Have Honor, but I'm glad I did. She's such a brave, passionate woman, fighting to make life better for all women in Pakistan. I'm late to the Helen Hoang party but I finally arrived! I don't read much romance but The Kiss Quotient's humor and the main character's awkwardness appealed to me. I don't have Asperger's like she and the author do, but I'm not socially adept either. David Wellington--I don't typically read a lot of science fiction but something made me pick up The Last Astronaut. It was an intriguing take on the "first contact" trope. The audiobook, read by Megan Tusing, was very well done. Veronica Henry--Yet another romance. But with a title like How to Find Love in a Bookshop, how could I resist? James R. Benn--I read about WWII fairly often, but more from the civilian side. The first book of the Billy Boyle mystery series was a new look at the war for me. I've had Rachel Hawkins on my radar for a decade but I just read her first book, Hex Hall, last year and enjoyed it immensely. I first heard…

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share the "books I meant to read in 2020 but didn’t get to." If you've been around my blog for any amount of time, you'll know that I'm a mood reader and make very few bookish plans. So that means I'm posting my own list again this week. I shared my Top Ten Adult Audiobooks a couple [...]