Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Things (That Aren't Books) That I'd Like to Own

I got this idea from http://thebrokebookgirls.blogspot.com and it originates from http://www.brokeandbookish.com. If you are interested in learning more about this weekly series click here.

Top Ten Bookish Things (That Aren't Books) That I'd Like To Own

1. Clear Book Holder
   
   
2. Map Bookshelves
   
3.  Colossal Bookmarks
   
4.  DFTBA Book Shirt
   
5.  Papasan Chair
   
6.  Attic Library
   
7.  Moon Reader
   
8. Cardboard Swirl Shelves here
   
9.  Book Stairs
   
10. Book Arch in the Garden
    

This was a little more difficult. Bookish things that aren't books that I'd like to own, but really, I only want books. But this was fun. Yay TTT!

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Unique Books I've Read (April 8)

I got this idea from http://thebrokebookgirls.blogspot.com and it originates from http://www.brokeandbookish.com. If you are interested in learning more about this weekly series click here.

Now, I'm a big fan of the odd, absurd and unusual, so this week's Top Ten is right up my alley. 

Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read

1. The Silent Gondoliers by William Goldman -- The legend of Luigi the master gondolier and aspiring singer. Very odd premise, but more beautiful each time I read it.
2. Swords for Hire by Will Allen -- Not what you'd expect. Classic hero's journey but so, so funny and clever.
3. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness -- Strange dreamlike quality to story and writing is haunting. Odd, but one that you won't be able to stop talking about.
4. The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope -- American history meets a ghost story. Not scary but everything ties together in such a wonderfully unique way! One of my absolute favorites.
5. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery -- At first glance, there doesn't look like there is much that is unique about the story. But it was the only one of L.M. Montgomery novel's meant for an older audience. I love the heroine who defies tradition and her stuffy family. It's a novel about fulfilling your dreams and living life to the fullest. It's descriptions of nature stand out as some of the best descriptive writing I've ever read.
6. Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster -- A bildungsroman epistolary novel. Sweet, touching and funny, you will be hard pressed to find another like it.
7. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende -- Completely original tale that invites the reader to become a part of the story. However, the second half does drag a bit. But the first half more than makes up for it.
8. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride -- Unique supernatural powers, unique take on the supernatural genre and a snarky protagonist? Sign me up! 
9. The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud -- The footnotes were the most unique part of this series. I remember being so impressed by the depth of the world that Stroud created and how interesting Bartimeaus was.
10. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman -- Literally anything that Neil Gaiman writes is unique with a capital U. The man is a master. Out of everything that I've read from him, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is the most unique. It blends reality and fiction, nightmare and dreams. "It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark."

I liked this week's prompt. Uniqueness in books is something to be cherished and remembered, especially after I read the same paranormal-dystopian-love-triangle YA novel. Same story with different titles. What have been some of the most unique books you've come across?

Top Ten Tuesday: "Gateway" Books/Authors In My Reading Journey (April 1)

I got this idea from http://thebrokebookgirls.blogspot.com and it originates from http://www.brokeandbookish.com. If you are interested in learning more about this weekly series click here.

Top Ten "Gateway" Books/Authors In My Reading Journey

1.  The Boxcar Children -- These were the first books that I remember being excited about reading. I remember my mother making a copy of all the title from the back of one of the books so I could see which ones to get next at the library. These were a very large part of my childhood.
2.  The Baby-sitters Club by Ann Martin -- Like the Boxcar Children, The Baby-sitters Club series was transformative for me. I remember when Mary-Ann got her hair cut super short, that inspired me to cut my hair. Simple, but that was probably the first time I remember being so influenced by a book.
3.  The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede -- When I was in elementary school, I remember one of my fellow students pulled Searching for Dragons off of the shelf and asked how anyone could read such a BIG book. Prideful elementary student that I was, I took it on as a challenge and fell in love with it.
4.  Anna Karenina--Freshman year of college, I took a Comparative Literature course and this was the one book that our professor promised us that we would read again, out of all the books we read that semester. It was also the novel that got me started reading Russian literature, which I won't say that I'm an expert on or an avid fan of, but it does enrich my life.
5.  American Born Chinese -- Junior year of college, I had to take an Adolescent Literature class for my major. "Had to" pshaw! I got to read YA fiction for CREDIT. Tell you what, I aced that course. In the class we had to read a whole variety of YA literature. One type was graphic novels, which I hadn't paid much attention to. I didn't really understand the appeal. American Born Chinese changed that for me. First of all, it is a Printz medal winner and it had such depth. I am sold on the idea of graphic novels, all because of this book.
6.  Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World -- Likewise, in this class, we had to read some non-fiction which I had never really been a fan of. SatBotW (it's a mouthful) changed all of that. For once, I was fully engaged in a true story. I was fascinated and couldn't put it down. It also furthered my fascination with the Arctic exploration era. Ernest Shackleton FTW!
7.  Neil Gaiman -- I've never been one to appreciate anything in the horror genre. I don't willingly see scary movie or tell scary stories around the camp-fire. Neil Gaiman made me appreciate horror like I've never done before. I think it's because he gave meaning to the horror. It wasn't just to scare. It was meaningful and beautiful.
8.  Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Number 8 and 9 are both important for different reasons. I think Hitchhiker's Guide was technically the first example of true Science Fiction that I remember reading. And if I were to be honest, I think Sci-Fi is one of my favorite genres now.
9.  Stainless Steel Rat -- Harry Harrison's series is one of my favorites. It straddles the border between Sci-Fi and Satire and it's one that has opened up new opportunities of other Sci-Fi books like Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury.
10.  Murder on the Oriental Express -- Last but not least, Agatha Christie's immortal mystery Murder on the Orient Express. Like I said earlier, I'm not one for suspense, and always read the end of the book to see how it will resolve itself, but with this one, I didn't. And I saw how exhilarating it was to not know the ending. And I wanted to read more mysteries because Christie did such a good job with it. Classic.

So this is probably waaayyy more than you wanted to know, but these are my Top Ten Gateway Books that opened up new books, genres and authors for me on my reading Journey. Let me know what books have been gateway books for you! I love comparing books and experiences.

Top Ten Tuesday:Things On My Bookish Bucket List (March 25)

I got this idea from http://thebrokebookgirls.blogspot.com and it originates from http://www.brokeandbookish.com and http://www.thebookwheelblog.com/50-bookishthings/. If you are interested in learning more about this weekly series click here.

I want to do more regular series on the blog. This is going to be a Tuesday regular. I will take most of my ideas from the blogs I mentioned, but if it strikes my fancy, I might do a random list. This week's topic is Top Ten Things On My Bookish Bucket List

1. Meet John Green and Hank Green -- Favorite youtubers and creative geniuses
2. Read Moby Dick
3. Social Media Storm (instagram, pinterest, blog) the books I read as I finish them. #BooksWithBeddes
4. Read War & Peace
5. Someday turn a classic novel into a vlog a la Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Another example of Hank Green's genius.
6. Read Crime and Punishment
7. Visit Prince Edward Island from Anne of Green Gables
8. Blow my Goodreads Reading Challenge out of the water like last year.
9. Read at least one truly non-fiction book year.  
10. Update my school library with at least new 50 books a year

Whew! It was a little difficult to come up with 10 things, but it was fun! Tune in next week for Top Ten "Gateway" Books/Authors In My Reading Journey