Top Ten Tuesday — 2012 New-to-Me Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

I read a ton of New-to-Me authors this year.  Here’s my 10 highlights:

1. Mira Grant — I thoroughly enjoyed Grant’s Newsflesh trilogy.   I can’t wait to see what else I could read from this author.

2. Rhiannon Frater — Another great zombie trilogy.  I’ve been seeing a huge bunch of rave reviews for Frater’s other books.  I must check them out.

3. Madeleine Roux — I’m sensing a trend of great zombie authors…  Anyway, loved these two companion novels.

4. Libba Bray — The Gemma Doyle trilogy was great.  Looking forward to other books.

5. Philip Pullman — Very layered books

6. Mike Mullin — Scared the crap out of me.

7. Kendare Blake — Another scary book.  I really want to read the sequel.

8. Carlos Ruiz Zafon — The Shadow of the Wind was a great love letter to books and literature.

9. Robin McKinley — Sunshine was so beautiful, I’m kind of afraid to read her other books for fear that they won’t live up to it.

10. Lev Grossman — The Magicians was very complex and interesting.

 

Top Ten Tuesday — Santa Please Bring

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

Here’s my Christmas wish list this year:

1. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

2. Reached by Ally Condie

3. City of Lost Souls, Clockwork Prince, and Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

4. The Twelve by Justin Cronin

5. The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

6. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

7. Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

8. Empress of Rome by Kate Quinn

9. A Lady Most Willing by Julia Quinn

10. Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

 

Top Ten Tuesday — Winter TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

I’m cheating this week.  The real topic is “2013 New Releases I’m Looking Forward To,”  but here’s the thing: I don’t usually keep up with new releases. Sure, I grabbed them from time to time, but it’s usually because someone else recommends.  I don’t sit and wait for the new releases.  Instead of the real topic, I’m sharing my Winter TBR list.  The topic seems to have been left off the list for this season.  These books are all those that I need to read by the end of the year to knock out some reading challenges.

2012 Still Need to Reads

1. The Magician King by Lev Grossman

2. The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (about halfway through)

3. Mythology by Edith Hamilton (currently reading)

4. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

5.  The Firemaster’s Mistress by Dickason

6.  Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes

7. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

8.  The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees

2013 First Up Reads

9. The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming

10. Rest of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series

Fall TBR Recap — How I did based off of previous TTT post.  Pretty close to reading them all! (20/27)

1. As the World Dies trilogy by Rhiannon Frater
2. Feed by Mira Grant
3. Deadline by Mira Grant
4. The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming
5. The Maiden’s Hand by Susan Wiggs
6. At the Queen’s Summons by Susan Wiggs
7. P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern
8. A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn
9. Mythology by Edith Hamilton
10. The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison
11. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
12. The Girl from Junchow by Kate Furnivall
13. The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall
14. The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees
15. As You Like It
16. King Lear
17. Pericles
18. Cymbeline
19. Othello
20. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep? by Philip K. Dick
21. Snow Crash By Neal Stephenson
22. Outlander series
23. HP 7
24. A Wrinkle in Time by L’Engle
25. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
26. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
27. Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes

 

Top Ten Tuesday — Bookish Wants

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

This week’s topic was a freebie.  With the holidays coming up, I thought I would take the opportunity to highlight some of my bookish wants.  Now this won’t be a list of books I want, but rather bookish gifts I want.  Enjoy the pretties…

And to any relatives or friends looking for gifts for me for Christmas, these are great ones.  Plus I have a wishlist posted on Amazon including specific books I want.

1. Jane Austen Penguin Classics — I know I said no books, but these are more like art than books.  I really really really want the entire set for my house. Check out those gorgeous spines… I especially love the feathers on Persuasion.  Link is to only Persuasion, but will lead to the others.

2. Out of Print’s Pride and Prejudice Shirt or the Matching Tote

3. Storiarts Persuasion Scarf on Etsy

4. Library storage bins from RoadsidePhotographs on Etsy

5. Hand Painted Necklaces from Heather Kent on Etsy — variety of designs

6. Vintage Dictionary Prints from TheRekindledPage on Etsy — Love the Alice ones!

7. Pride and Prejudice necklace from JezebelCharms on Etsy

8. Doctor Who and Alice mashup print from Parodies Lost on Etsy — two of my favorite characters in one print!

9. Red Riding Hood tee from binarywinter on Etsy

10. Beautiful handmade journals and sketchbooks from Bookgirls Studio on Etsy

 

Top Ten Tuesday — Kick Ass Heroines

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

Just in time for Halloween I present some Kick Ass Heroines.  Dress up as one of these awesome ladies!

1. Katnis Everdeen from The Hunger Games — She’s just awesome.  I think we can all agree that she did the best she could with the lot given.  I love her battle moments and the quiet moments.

2. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter —  I think if these books had come out when I was young, I would have dressed as Hermione for every Halloween.  Even at the beginning of the series, you know she will eventually kick some serious ass.

3. Alexia Tarabotti from Parasol Protectorate — You wouldn’t immediately think proper Victorian lady for this list, but Alexia can kick ass when she needs to.  I love her “proper” fighting!

4. Madame Lefoux from Parasol Protectorate series —  Her inventions are killer (sometimes literally) and she has style.  Even when she betrayed Alexia, she did it for love and family.  I love her character throughout the series.

5. The Female from The Boys series —  Her story is tragic.  She never speaks.  And yet, she’s the deadliest weapon The Boys possess.

6. Death from Sandman series — Come on, she’s Death!  How bad ass is that?  Plus, she’s a great counterpoint to her brother Dream.  And she still has a kick ass wardrobe.

7. Annabeth from Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series —  The ultimate daughter of Athena (always my favorite of the Greek goddesses).  She is smart, gorgeous, and dangerous.  The perfect woman.

8. Thalia from Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series —  She sacrifices everything first to guard Camp Half-Blood and then becomes a Hunter of Artemis.  She is a bad ass!

9. Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland — Not an obvious choice.  But she does navigate Wonderland and defeat the Queen of Hearts in a way.  I love her…

10. Cinderella from Fables series — The ultimate spy posing as a fairy tale princess.  I loved the glimpses of her in the main series.  And she even gets her own spinoff.  From Fabletown with Love.

And for your viewing pleasure, check out the BAMF Girls. Hilarious!

 

Top Ten Tuesday — Spooky Books

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

It’s the haunted holiday season…  I thought I would share my favorite spooky books.  But anyone who knows me, knows that I love love love zombie books.  So my Top Ten is going to be the Top Ten Spooky Zombie Books.  Enjoy!

1. Autumn by David Moody — Very dark, very adult zombie series.  Full of gore, just how I like it.  And I must say that this entire series really does scare the crap out of me…

2. Allison Hewitt is Trapped and Sadie Walker is Stranded by Madeleine Roux — I loved the idea of Allison Hewitt blogging the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse.  The second book a lovely treat of zombie books.

3. Newsflesh trilogy by Mira Grant — A different type of zombie book, but oh so good!

4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies — One of my favorite classic books mixed with zombies while still keeping the Austen style and passages… loved it!  I liked Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters a bit less than P&P&Zombies.

5. As the World Dies trilogy by Rhiannon Frater

6. The Walked Dead comic series — I started reading the comic series after I started watching the TV series, but the comics still hold their own.  I love the stark black and white cells.  A masterpiece of spontaneity.

7. Living with the Dead trilogy by Jesse Petersen — A more funny zombie novel about a couple reconnecting throughout the ordeal.   I loved this series so much…

8. World War Z by Max Brooks — Documentary style highlighting the after effects of the zombie apocalypse.  I was really looking forward to the movie version, but I hear it’s on the rocks right now.  Boo…

9. The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy by Carrie Ryan — My favorite YA zombie series.  I love the look of the world years afterward.   The first one was my favorite hands down, but the other two were really good also.

10. Zombie Blondes by Brian James — Stepford Wives meets zombies in this YA novel.  It was plenty creepy to keep me entertained.

 

Top Ten Tuesday — Favorite Places to Read (Rewind)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

This week’s topic is rewind; choose a previous TTT topic.  I have moved since doing this topic, so I thought  I would revise my favorite places to read.

1. Living room chair — J often finds me draped over the arms of the chair reading a book.   I still love my chair, but if we had a bigger place, I would love a couch to read on.

2. My bed — Every once in a while I read a few chapters before bed, but I get too sleepy for marathon reading.

3. The balcony — We get a nice breeze on our balcony, plus I get natural light!  It’s only annoying when there’s a ton of loud people in the pool.

4. Beside the pool — Usually only during the weekday when no one’s there.  I like the sun but really love the peace and quiet.

5. At the local coffeehouse: Bean Scene Cafe on Murphy St, Sunnyvale — Love the atmosphere and the coffee…  Plus it’s only a few blocks from the apartment.

6. The Sunnyvale Library — Not that often.  I prefer to grab books and go, but I have been known to sit and read.  It’s got nothing on ACPL…

7. Starbucks — If it actually gets a bit cooler, I love grabbing a pumpkin spice latte.

 

Top Ten Tuesday — Series I Haven’t Finished

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

I’ve really worked at finishing unfinished series I have lying around, so this weel’s list is going to be shorter than 10.

1. Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus —  The boys and I were in the middle of reading Neptune’s Son when they went back to Indiana.  So I will have to wait until Thanksgiving and Christmas to get back to this one.  I may not have the will power and may just finish reading it before then…

2. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander — I read Outlander two (three?) years ago at the urging of a friend.  I loved it!  But somehow I never continued reading the series.  I’ve had them on my reading challenge list for the past two years without success.  I really really really need to read these.

3. Lev Grossman’s The Magicians — I finally picked up The Magicians this year after J’s constant bugging.  Loved it!  Couldn’t wait to read the sequel.  And yet it sits unread on my iPad.

Comic series

4. Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman — I’m six volumes in.  I will be finishing these next year for my potential Neil Gaiman reading challenge.

5. Bill Willingham’s Fables — Waiting for the new volumes to be out and at the library.

6. Garth Ennis’ the Boys — Awaiting the arrival of the last volume of this series.

7. Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead — Four books in, I really should finish these.  I’m sure they will be on my first reads for 2013 and my next year’s graphic novel reading challenge.

 

Top Ten Tuesday — Bookish People to Meet

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

Last time I did this topic, I picked a mix of living and dead authors.  This time I wanted to highlight only living authors.  So here we go…

1. Neil Gaiman — I’ve really gotten into his Sandman series and now want to read all of his works.  Maybe I’ll make that a 2013 reading challenge.  Plus he’s married to Amanda Palmer (love her!) and his Twitter feed is just great.  I’ve put the new hardback version of Stardust on my Amazon wish list.  I would love the signed version (so expensive), but unsigned is okay.

2. Lev Grossman — I was blown away by The Magicians.  J keeps bugging me to read The Magician King and I really should, but so many books…

3. Richard Castle — Okay I’m cheating a bit…  But I really would love to meet Richard Castle and discuss his process.  As a bonus I would get to meet Nathan Fillion… Swoon!

4. Rick Riordan — The boys and I have fallen for his Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series.  I missed my opportunity to meet him back in Indiana a few years ago.  I don’t want to miss another.

5. Garth Ennis — The Boys is one of my new favorite series.  It’s so dark and twisted.  I would love to ask Ennis all about his inspirations.

6. Bill Willingham —  On the lighter side of comics, I adore the Fables series.

7. Robin McKInley — Sunshine may be my favorite book of the year, even beating The Hunger Games.  I would love to discuss fairy tales with McKinley.

8. George Martin — If only to encourage him to write faster and finish the series…

9. Mike Mullin — He has created one of the scariest series I have ever read.  And I’m a huge horror fan…  Must discuss super volcanoes with him.

10. Libba Bray — I liked her Gemma Doyle series and hear that her other books are amazing.  Plus every blogger who has met her has great things to say.  I should add her other books to my next year’s TBR list.

 

Top Ten Tuesday — Fall TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

My Fall TBR list is really my “I need to read to finish my reading challenges” books.  So really this should be a my Fall TBR categories and number of books.  Some of these are already sitting on my TBR shelf and others are definitely not going to get read…  So sad!  I’m sure some of these will end up on my Winter TBR list.

1. Zombie (7) — Rhiannon Frater’s As the World Dies trilogy; Feed and Deadline by Mira Grant; Sadie Walker is Stranded by Madeleine Roux

2. Fantasy (2) — The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming

3. Romance (3) — The Maiden’s Hand and At the Queen’s Summons by Susan Wiggs; P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern

4. Fairy Tales (5) – A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn; Mythology by Edith Hamilton; The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison; The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

5. Historical Fiction (6) — The Girl from Junchow and The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall; The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees;

6. Shakespeare (5) – As You Like It; King Lear; Pericles; Cymbeline; Othello

7. Science Fiction (3) – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep? by Philip K. Dick; Snow Crash By Neal Stephensob

8. Outlander series (5)

9. HP (1)

10. Classics (5) — A Wrinkle in Time by L’Engle; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson; Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes

11. Lots of nonfiction (too many to list)

Summer TBR Recap — more than half, but not great progress

1. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
4. Mythology by Edith Hamilton (started)
5. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
6. Neptune’s Sun by Rick Riordan (started)
7. The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman
8. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
9. A Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray 
10.  Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead 
11.  Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
12. Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi
13. Fairy tale retellings
14. Lots of romance from Susan Wiggs, Nora Roberts, Julia London, Paula Quinn and others
15. Finish the Semi-Charmed Summer Challenge