Top Ten Classics I Intend to Read... Eventually

I have taken this post idea from Carrie at Reading To Know, who in turn got the idea from Bluerose's Heart. Each one of our lists differ, so when you're done checking mine out be sure to click the above links and see what ten classics made these ladies' lists.

On Reading Classics
Over the last decade I have read quite a few classics and I know that is all due to the ladies in my book club. They are the ones that encourage and challenge me to read the classics, both modern and ancient.

When it comes to classics I am reminded of a quote by C. S. Lewis:

"It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones."

Of course I'm not always very good at following this reading-rule-of-thumb, but I do try to keep it in mind and broaden my reading to include old as well as new, non-fiction as well as fiction, and the challenging read as well as the light and easy. My "Top Ten Classics" list includes some very old reads as well as a couple more recent "classics." It includes some challenging reads and some less challenging, but somehow they are all books I've known I should read and intend to read... eventually.

My Top 10 List (in no particular order):

1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

 I've enjoyed Jane Eyre, but the depressing story of Heathcliff and Catherine is one I just haven't rushed to read... Yet so many people love this book and insist I must read it... One day I will.

2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

I started reading The Grapes of Wrath in high school. I enjoyed Steinbeck's descriptive writing, but was turned off by a particular character in the story. Even so, everyone says this is a must read classic and so I know I really should get to it sooner than later. I managed to read East of Eden, so how much worse could this one be?

3. The Thousand and One Nights by Anonymous

 Ever since the early 90s when I first saw the Disney adaptation of Aladdin I have wanted to read this book. I think it could be a very interesting read.

 

4. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I cannot believe I have not read this novel. I mean, I love a good mystery and who could be better than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!?

 5. Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace 

I've never really thought about reading Ben-Hur, but if Anne Shirley enjoyed it so much she couldn't put it down for Geometry I think it must be worth the time.

6. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 

Another read I started in high school, but never finished. If it weren't for my book club I doubt I would have ever finished a Dickens because of my experience in high school... But since then I have read and loved no less than three Dickens novels. I will one day return and finish this story.

 7. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

This story has always struck me as weird, but I've heard by a good friend that it is definitely a worthwhile read. I hope one day to see for myself why she likes it so much.

8. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

This is one novel that I know I must read. I know it will be a challenge, but I think I'll be glad I read it when I'm done.

9. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Saw the movie, loved it. Know I will probably love the book even more. Sadly can't say I've ever read any Dumas. Really to be a well-read reader I should read at least one and this one interests me the most.

10. Silas Marner by George Elliot

Read and loved Middlemarch years ago. I have since heard that Silas Marner is also an very good read. I've put off George Elliot for a while because she's not exactly a breeze, but perhaps in 2012 I'll get this one off my TBR list and onto my review shelf.

So that's my top ten list. Have you read any of these? Any thoughts of encouragement or discouragement about reading them in the next year or two? Are any of these books on your list? Leave me a comment and let me know, or better yet, leave a link so I can check out your own "Top Ten Classics I Intend to Read" list.

Happy reading!

Literary Meme - Answers

I must confess I am little disappointed I didn't get more guesses on Monday's Literary Meme post. Maybe they were harder than I thought? Or maybe everyone is recovering from a busy October. At any rate I promised to post the answers later in the week, so here I am.

The following titles are five of my favorite books; not all-time top five favorite, but definitely five books I have read, I have loved, and I think you should read! (When available I have linked the title to my review.)

~*~

1. "All the Hill was boiling with excitement. On every side there rose a continual chattering and squeaking, whispering and whistling, as the Animals discussed the great news." -- Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson

2. "London was enjoying the first day of spring; the clouds which had obscured the atmosphere for weeks had been swept away in the night and the old grey city was stretching herself and relaxing happily in mild air and golden sunshine." -- The Blue Sapphire by D. E. Stevenson

3. "A rickety carriage was slowly ascending the hill, and from the place of honour on the back seat, the single passenger surveyed the country with interest and admiration." -- Lavender And Old Lace by Myrtle Reed

4. "London. Michaelmas Term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln's Inn Hall. Implacable November weather. As much mud in the streets, as if the waters had but newly retired from the face of the earth, and it would not be wonderful to meet a Megalosaurus, forty feet long or so, waddling like an elephantine lizard up Holborn Hill." -- Bleak House by Charles Dickens

5. "No man knew when the Shuttle began its slow and heavy weaving from shore to shore, that it was held and guided by the great hand of Fate." -- The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett

~*~

What about you? What are five books you have read, loved and think I should read? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Literary Meme

I have to admit I am feeling a little burnt out after the month of October, it was a busy reading and blogging month for me. So... I am taking a bit of a leave today and reusing a meme that I posted back in July of 2008. Mind you, I am changing up my selections, so don't think you can cheat by looking up what the answers from the previous post because you can't. That list was completely different from today's list. You can, however see my answers for the 2008 meme here.

1. Pick 5 of your favorite books. (Doesn't have to be your top 5, any 5 will do.)
2. Post the first sentence of each book. (If one sentence seems too short, post two or three!)
3. Let everyone try to guess the titles and authors of your books.

~*~

Since last week when Scholastic launched their "You are what you read" website I've been giving the concept of a "bookprint" a lot of thought. While the following five books aren't the ones I plan to list in my bookprint they are books I have read and that I have really enjoyed; some I've read once and others I've read more than once. Can you guess the titles and authors of these five books?

1. "All the Hill was boiling with excitement. On every side there rose a continual chattering and squeaking, whispering and whistling, as the Animals discussed the great news."

2. "London was enjoying the first day of spring; the clouds which had obscured the atmosphere for weeks had been swept away in the night and the old grey city was stretching herself and relaxing happily in mild air and golden sunshine."

3. "A rickety carriage was slowly ascending the hill, and from the place of honour on the back seat, the single passenger surveyed the country with interest and admiration."

4. "London. Michaelmas Term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln's Inn Hall. Implacable November weather. As much mud in the streets, as if the waters had but newly retired from the face of the earth, and it would not be wonderful to meet a Megalosaurus, forty feet long or so, waddling like an elephantine lizard up Holborn Hill."

5. "No man knew when the Shuttle began its slow and heavy weaving from shore to shore, that it was held and guided by the great hand of Fate."

~*~

Can you guess which five books these quotes came from? Leave a comment with your guesses and I'll post the answers later in the week.

P.S. Curious about some of the other book themed "memes" I've posted in the past? Click on the label "meme" to view all the memes dating back to 2008.

My Favorite Romantic Reads

In honor of today being one of the most romantic days of the year I thought it might be fun to list my top 10 favorite romantic reads. In this list you will not find any chic-lit or the cheap "romance" novels you might find at the grocery store check-out line. Most of these books are classics; several are books I've read multiple times, and they are all books that I have finished with that delicious sigh of contentment a reader has when the story ends perfectly.

Happy Valentine's Day!

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

2. Persuasion by Jane Austen

3. The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett

4. The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery

5. Betsy's Wedding by Maud Hart Lovelace

6. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

7. The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie

8. He Fell in Love with His Wife by Edward P. Roe

9. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

10. Random Harvest by James Hilton

As you might have guessed it was very difficult to keep this list to only ten, so because I can't help it, here are the ten runners up that didn't make it to the first list, in no particular order: Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Lavender and Old Lace by Myrtle Reed, Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell, Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman,, Celia's House by D. E. Stevenson, Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens, The Blue Sapphire by D. E. Stevenson, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carsen Levine, and Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge.

What about you? What is your all-time favorite romantic story? Or your top ten, twenty, or more?

My Life In Literature Meme

Using only the title of books you have read this year (2009), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title.

Describe yourself: A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) -- (Sarah means "Princess")

How do you feel: Nothing But the Truth (Avi)

Describe where you currently live: The Blue Castle (L.M. Montgomery)

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Door in the Hedge (Robin McKinley)

Your favorite form of transportation: Winona's Pony Cart (Maud Hart Lovelace)

Your best friend is: Miss Buncle Married (D. E. Stevenson)

You and your friends are: A Weaver of Dreams (Myrtle Reed)

What’s the weather like: Breaking Dawn (Stephenie Meyer)

You fear: Death On the Nile (Agatha Christie)

What is the best advice you have to give: Journey to Bethlehem (Delos W. Lovelace)

Thought for the day: Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (Agatha Christie)

How I would like to die: The Sleeping Beauty Proposal (Sarah Strohmeyer)

My soul’s present condition: On The Incarnation (Saint Athanasius)

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

If you follow any book blogs at all then it is very likely you already know this week is Book Blogger Appreciation Week.

From the various blogs I follow it's clear everyone has a different idea of how to celebrate. Some are posting interviews with bloggers, others are posting book or reading related memes, some have book give-aways, and others just a variety of details about themselves or the book blogging world.

After thinking it over I've decided to post two BBAW related posts. The first, today, is a meme I found over at My Thoughts Exactly entitled: 5 Words or Less, which I can tell you already I will turn into a 15 Words or Less Meme. The second post is set for Friday and will include a short list of book blogs I follow and why I think they're so great, so be sure to come back and check it out.

And now without further adieu... here is my 5 Words or Less meme...

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Not on a regular basis. If I do it might be apples and cheddar cheese.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
No! I do jot down quotes in my Book of Books.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?Bookmarks, post-its, tissues even!Laying the book flat open?
Bookmarks, Kleenex, or random scraps of paper.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
I like both, but have been on a fiction binge for sometime.

Hard copy or Audio Books?
Hard copy. Audio Books are great for long car rides, but I haven't had any of late.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I can do both, but prefer to stop at the end of a chapter.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
Depends. If the book is too hard to set down I wait.

What are you currently reading?
Check out my Shelfari shelf: http://www.shelfari.com/semehrens

What is the last book you bought?
The Real Mother Goose with Pictures by Blanche Fisher Wright

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I have more than one book going at a time, but can only read one at a time. :)

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
It depends, usually stand alone books, unless it's a great story plot.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
There are three: Elizabeth Gaskell and Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Maud Hart Lovelace.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
I'm such a nerd, they're by genre (i.e. fiction vs. non fiction) and then author's last name.

What about you? Leave a comment and link to your own 5 Words or Less meme. And Happy Book Blogger Appreciation Week!

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If you're interested in learning more feel free to click on the Meme label to see other Memes I've posted about books, me and my reading habits.

Booking Through Thursday: My Preferences

Ok, so this is from last week's Booking Through Thursday post. I missed posting it then, but didn't want to skip it altogether.

Preferences, what do I prefer?

Reading something frivolous? Or something serious? Generally it depends on my mood. Lately I've preferred the frivolous which requires less concentration and time, but most of the time I prefer the serious, the classics.

Paperbacks? Or hardcovers? Definitely hardcover.

Fiction? Or Nonfiction? While I enjoy both and what I read is pushed by my reading moods, I lean towards favoring fiction over nonfiction.

Poetry? Or Prose? Prose.

Biographies? Or Autobiographies? I enjoy a good biography, but I think it's always more interesting to read a book about a person by that very person.

History? Or Historical Fiction? History; though historical fiction can be fun.

Series? Or Stand-alones? Stand-alones, though series can be fun.

Classics? Or best-sellers? Classics.

Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose? Straight-forward, basic prose.

Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness? Plots!

Long books? Or Short? I like long books, if they're good and worthy of the length. Short books are good for giving me more time to read other books.

Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated? It depends on how good the illustrations are. If they're good, I enjoy a few, but long ago I learned to illustrate books in my imagination and often times it's better than any artist's drawing, especially when the author is a good story teller.

Borrowed? Or Owned? Classics I prefer to own. Best-sellers, Christie mysteries, books I'm unsure about I prefer to borrow.

New? Or Used? If it's old I love used. If it's a new publication or too expensive to buy as a great used copy, then I prefer new. ~

What about you? Leave a comment with a link to your own meme.

Bookshelf Meme

It's been a while, but Carrie at Reading to Know tagged me in the Bookshelf Meme and I realized today that I never responded with a post. Well here it is!

Tell me about the book that has been on your shelf the longest.

This is a difficult one to answer as I have several books on my shelf that I carried with me from my previous home before I moved states away and got married. I think possibly the one set that has been on my shelf the longest would be The Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace. I first learned about this series in my early teen years, they were favorites of my mothers when she was a teenager.

Two books from the series (Betsy Was Junior and Betsy And Joe) currently sit on my bookshelf. I stumbled upon them at a library book sale when I was 18. They were published in hardback during the 1940s and are in excellent condition. Later I added the rest of the series when they became available as new printing by Harper Collins, but unfortunately I've since managed to lose them in a box in my parent's attic. I've searched and searched but never been able to locate that box. I hope one day to find and add to my bookshelf the rest of my missing books.

Tell me about a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (i.e. a person, a place, a time, etc.)...


There are many memories linked to the books on my shelf, but to answer this I have chosen Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My first memory of this book, or rather the Little House series is as a young child. My dad used to read to my siblings and I each night in turn. On my turn I remember sitting on his lap in the rocking chair as he read through the Little House series. I remember especially The Long Winter being a loooong book.

I also remember my sister and I using our colored pencils to bring color to the black and white illustrations in the book.

Little House in the Big Woods is actually my daughter's book. It was given to me just before her birth and waits on my shelf for the day when my husband or I will read it aloud to her. I plan to to collect the rest of the books in the series as time and availability allow.

Tell me about a book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used book store, prize, etc.)...

As I have mentioned this before, I obtained an entire collection of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets at a used bookstore when I was a teenager and living in New York. It was completely by accident that I even stumbled upon the set, but I was proud of my find because I obtained 40 books for $0.50 each and I thought that was an excellent deal. The books are in hardback and in fairly excellent condition. I am not a big reader of Shakespeare, but I do enjoy reading the plays from time to time and I love that I have my own copies.

Tell me about the most recent addition to your shelves...

Yesterday I used the last of a gift card to add two new books to my personal library. The first, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens was on my 2009 Reading Projection list and the second, Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery is on my nightstand and one of my selections for the L. M. Montgomery challenge I joined. Until now I didn't own any of the Anne series and it might seem odd to buy book three alone, but I've recently read the first two books and figured I could go back and fill in with them at a later time.

Tell me about a book that has been with you to the most places...

The only book that has gone with me to the most places would be my Bible. Whenever I travel I take it with me.

The one book that has traveled the furthest with me was King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green which I was reading at the time of our trip to Oahu, Hawaii in 2007.

Tell me about a bonus book that doesn't fit any of the above questions...


Years ago I stumbled upon Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater while browsing the local library. I remember I really enjoyed the story -- a great read aloud for kids, but also a fun read for adults, but what I remember most is the illustrations. Robert Lawson is one of my favorite illustrators. He has illustrated numerous books, most famous Ferdinand and Ben and Me. He also wrote and illustrated one of my favorite books of all time, Mr. Wilmer, which Carrie at Reading to Know read and reviewed recently.

It has been years since I've read Mr. Popper's Penguins, but having just remembered it is on my bookshelf I am tempted to re-read it this year.

The Rules:
1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!
2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.
3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.
4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water...
5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc.

I tag the hostesses of the following blogs:
Marie at Fireside Musings
Rebecca Reads
Noelle at Never Jam Today
Alicia at Confessions of a Bookaholic
Becky's Book Reviews

Have fun!

Random Meme

Carrie at Reading to Know posted this meme last Friday and I thought it would be a fun one to post. And since this week I have been bogged down with work and preparing for the upcoming holiday; and since I'm still working through a couple of my Nightstand reads, I thought today would be a good day to post it.

Things I have done are highlighted in bold and things that I think might count, but not to the letter are italicized:

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does an orchestra count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (define ill? I've taken a sick day from sheer exhaustion)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (both solar and lunar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I think I'm there...)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (Ah... Waikiki!)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted (actually, it was a chalk drawing)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (ages and ages ago)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (Do 4-H cookies count?)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (huh?)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (No, but I've had some sprains.)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (Been on one, but they weren't speeding.)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (My dream!)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I didn't kill it, but I helped prepare shortly after it was killed.
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (does preventing my daughter from choking count?)
90. Sat on a jury (I've been called, but was excused.)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

(Total: 48 in bold, 51 in bold/italics... not bad, but only half the items. Apparently I don't get "out" much. I need to get over to Europe.)

Tuesday Teasers -- "Nearest Book" Meme

The rules for this Tuesday Teasers type meme are :

* Grab the nearest book.
* Open it to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the sentence on your blog with these instructions.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

The nearest book happens to be one that I am reading, so look for a full review sometime later this week:

"Pauline and Petrova thought it very bad for Posy to be made so conspicuous, and to teach her not to get cocky they called her "Posy-Pretty-Toes" all the way home." ~ Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, Chapter 5, Page 56, Sentence 5.

A-Z Meme

No, I am not dead. I am still in the world of the living and the reading... I've just had a very hectic week. My apologies to my readers for the silence.

I found this Meme on Bluestocking Society's blog and thought it looked like fun.


The Meme asked for a list of favorite books from "A to Z", but I am changing it and listing "books that I have read from A to Z." And whenever possible I am linking the title of a book to the review posted on my blog. It was hard to list just one book per letter, so in the end I went with whatever book first came to mind when I saw the letter. There are many many more books I wanted to, but couldn't list. Here we go:


A - Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery
B - Bleak House by Charles Dickens
C - (All) Creatures Great And Small by James Herriot (is this cheating?)
D - Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
E - Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
F - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
G - Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
H - The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorn
I - Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
J - Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
K - King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
L - Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
M -The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
N - North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell
O - The Olive Farm by Carol Drinkwater
P - Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen
Q - Queen Victoria by Noel Streatfeild
R - Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell
S - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
T - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
U - Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington
V -
W - The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
X -
Y -
Z -


As I said before, this was a tough list. I realized as I thought through my reads that I have a LOT of books I enjoyed that start with the same letter, particularly "M" and "S". I couldn't think of books I had read with titles starting with the letters V, X, Y, and Z. So if you have a favorite starting with these, please leave a comment and tell me about the book. Or if you have your own list, please feel free to leave a link to your own meme.

A New Meme ~ About Me

For this meme I was tagged by Sherri at Bookopolis.

Here are the rules:

Link to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write six random things/unspectacular quirks about yourself.
Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog.
Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.
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Because this is my book blog I will attempt to keep these random facts related to books and reading. So here are some random facts about me, enjoy:

1. From the age of 5 until I was 12 I thought I wanted to be a librarian, so for a year when I was 11 I volunteered at my local library. At the end of the year I decided this was not the career for me.

2. I dislike gore, horror, and anything very scary... but I love a good murder mystery.

3. I am an author. I've written several short stories, and been published once.

4. I love lists. I find that I am less likely to forget something if I write it down, so I tend to write everything down that needs to be done, even if it's as simple as writing a note or making a phone call or what I want to blog about later.

5. I have a library card for the US Library of Congress.

6. The oldest book I own was printed in 1845 and is a first edition.

Here are my six tagged bloggers: Amy, Carrie, Kathy, Veronika, Jessica, and Sarah. Tag, you're it. If you choose to play feel free to post a meme about yourself -- book related or not. If you do decide to post one, please comment and let me know.

Booking Through Thursday Meme

It's Thursday, which means we've nearly made it to the weekend and for many of us, a holiday weekend at that! To celebrate I'm posting two memes today. The first I found on Booking Through Thursday's blog.

What was the last book you bought?
Emma by Jane Austen (10.6.08 -- and no, I've never read it.)

Name a book you have read MORE than once
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. (There have been a few others, but this was the first that came to mind.)

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Yes, the Bible.

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
It depends, but mostly either upon the summary or recommendation. The cover can be appealing, but I always back it up with either a reading of the summary or reviews/recommendations to see what the story is.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Fiction.

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Tough question... probably the gripping plot. A book can have beautiful writing and go nowhere and that can be quite dull.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Hmm... this is tough, but maybe Mr. Darcy or Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. There are a few I'd include from current readings, and past readings, but this was the first that came to mind.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Bleak House by Charles Dickens, Paradise Lost by John Milton, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham, and Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery.

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
Rip Van Winkle And Other Stories by Washington Irving. Sunday, October 5.

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Yes, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens when I was a teenager. Also, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, also when I was a teenager. Both I intend to re-read/finish reading.

Blogging Meme

Carrie over at Reading to Know tagged me in the following meme.

Here are the rules:
1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.

2. link back to the person who tagged you.

3. link back to this parent post.

4. tag a few friends or five, or none at all.

5. post these rules— or just have fun breaking them.

So, from 1 to 5 in no particular order:

1. Blogging has given me a new outlet for my need to write.

2. On the flip side, I have done little to no journaling since I started blogging and I spend little time writing stories. The former has been replaced by my personal blog and the latter while on the back burner, I do hope to find more time for it in the future.

3. Another positive of blogging is that it has encouraged me to read more books, especially ones that I want to share with others. My "To Read" list is ever growing and by keeping this book blog I am forcing myself to find time to read every day, even if it's only for a couple minutes before bed.

4. On the flip side, it has also made me feel more anxious when I am unable to finish the book within a few days. I want to keep readers coming back to my blog and if I take too long to finish a book they might lose interest! (Gasp!)

5. Blogging has introduced me to really interesting and fun people and reunited me with people I've been acquainted with for some time, but haven't talked to much. Books and blogging are a great way to connect with other people.

I tag: Sarah at Industrious Fern, Jessica at The Bluestocking Society, Danielle at Dance By The Light, Sara at Keeping Up, and Veronica at Musings.

Classics Meme

1. My favorite classic is:
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with a close second being Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters. 

2. The classic I had the toughest time finishing is:

This is a hard question because there haven't been any classics that I've had difficulty finishing in recent months/years. The one that does come to mind is Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, which I tried to read in high school and never finished. I hated Dickens. I've since changed my mind and I plan to take on this book sometime in the future, but first I'm tackling Bleak House.

3. I would recommend...........to someone who doesn't read a lot of classics or who doesn't generally like classics because:
I would have to say one of Jane Austen's novels (maybe Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility or Persuasion) because her works are so accessible now, including very well made movie adaptations. For someone who doesn't like classics watching a movie version first is always a great way to grasp the story before plunging in to read the book. The first time I read Austen was when I was 16. I struggled to understand the writing, but after I watched the movie suddenly it was as easy as any other novel I had read. Of course audio books are useful too and some readers may find this an easier means to taking on a classic. And if the reader finds that they enjoy Austen they may find they are open to reading other classics. I think most people who say they don't like classics do so because they find them boring or think they will be boring, but if they find just the right book they might be surprised.

4. To me, a classic book is a book that:
Has proven itself through time -- not only by being still in print, but by being understood and enjoyed years later. I tend to think of classics as books prior to the 20th century, although other books like Gone With the Wind and To Kill A Mockingbird, both written in the early-mid 20th century are also books I consider "classics" so I guess my definition is a little broader than I thought. Revised then... Classics are books written pre-1950. In another 10 years or so I suppose we could move that date up a little.

5. The type of relationship I have with classics is:

I love them. I am learning to appreciate and understand them. I hope to broaden my mind (ie. learning/education), imagination, and vocabulary by reading classics.

Lit Flicks Kick-Off Meme

Bluestockings posted the first Lit Flicks Kick-Off Meme yesterday, but I wasn't able to post my own response until today:

1. Are you more likely to see a movie if it’s based on a book?
Not really, but I am more likely to read a book once I’ve enjoyed the movie… and vice versa. It just depends on what happens to catch my attention first.

2. Do you prefer to read the book first or see the movie first?
See above, it depends. When I can I do prefer to read first, but sometimes I find watching the movie, especially if it’s a more difficult book to read, helps me understand the book better. A good example - Shakespeare. :)

3. List one movie that was better than the book it’s based on, and one book that is better than the movie.
Hmm… This is tough… The movie Laura (with Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney) was much better than the book. And as for books… The Woman In White was definitely better than the movie I saw.

4. In your opinion, what film is the most accurate representation of the book?Hmm… Another toughie, probably Wives and Daughters (1999) or Pride and Prejudice (1995) both were very well adapted. Variations from the books were very minor if any. In both cases it was like reading the book while watching the movie they were THAT close.

Meme: Another 100

I found this meme on Carrie's Reading to Know blog and even though I've started my "100 Books You Must Read Before You Die" list, I thought I'd post my answers to this anyways. Here goes:

Rules:
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you love.
4) Strike out the books you have no intention of ever reading or read and hated. (Since blogger doesn't give the option of striking out, I put asterisks next to the ones I don't intend to read and bolded and put asterisks next to the ones I've read but disliked.)

Books that I am uncertain as to if I will read are not marked by anything (i.e. I'm undecided about reading Dracula, doubtful I will, but I've not settled). Books that I don't know anything about are likewise unmarked. This does not mean I will read them, nor does it mean I won't -- I just don't know enough at this time to comment.

5) Reprint this list in your own blog.


1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible (Over the years I've read the Bible, but this year I'm working through reading the entire Bible in 2008, over halfway through!)
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
***8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell ***
***9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman***
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (I've read some, but not all, eventually I will.)
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
***18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger***
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
***25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams***
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
***28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck***(Started it, refused to finish it, might try again someday.)
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma- Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (Why is this on here again? It's a repeat of 33???)
***37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini***
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres (Saw the movie, didn't know there was a book.)
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
***42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown*** (Read this book for Book Club, but can't recommend it.)
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
***49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding *** (Hated this book!)
*** 50. Atonement - Ian McEwan*** (Have no wish to read. Depressing story.)
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding (Read this, but can't recommend it.)
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
*** 83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker ***(Saw the beginning of the movie and hated it, turned it off, have no desire to read the book.)
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
***94. Watership Down - Richard Adams*** (Read part of this when I was younger, hated it. Not sure I'll ever finish it.)
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute (I totally forgot about this book. I seem to remember it was good.)
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare (Again, why is this on here, if above complete works is listed?)
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables– Victor Hugo

There are, according to this list, a lot of books I've yet to read. Most of the ones that are neither italicized or bolded or even marked with asterisks are books I've never heard of or know little about. I did notice there were a great number of Thomas Hardy books, which is interesting and no books by Oscar Wilde or E.M. Forster. Interesting...

A Bit of a Thinker - The Answers

Unfortunately even though one reader came very close no one was actually able to name all 11 of my favorite books... Maybe I should have done as Carrie did at Reading to Know and listed only 8? At any rate here are the answers:


1. "Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress." -- Middlemarch by George Elliot

2. "When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen." -- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

3. "This is the story of what a Woman's patience can endure, and what a Man's resolution can achieve." -- The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

4. "It is a Truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." -- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

5. "William Wilmer was twenty-nine years old before he discovered that he could converse with animals." -- Mr. Wilmer by Robert Lawson

6. "'Edith!' said Margaret, gently, 'Edith!' But, as Margaret half suspected, Edith had fallen asleep." -- North And South by Elizabeth Gaskell

7. "'I Wonder when in the world you're going to do anything, Rudolf?' said my brother's wife." -- The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope

8. "On the morning of the eleventh of November, 1937, precisely at eleven o'clock, some well-meaning busybody consulted his watch and loudly announced the hour, with the result that all of us in the dining car felt constrained to put aside drinks and newspapers and spend the two minutes' silence in rather embarrassed stares at one another or out of the window." -- Random Harvest by James Hilton

9. "The worst winter in fifty years, the old Scotsman had told me. I'd only been around for sixteen, but it was the worst I'd seen, and I was willing to take his word for the other thirty-four." -- Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman

10. "I believe that a well-known anecdote exists to the effect that a young writer, determined to make the commencement of his story forcible and original enough to catch and rivet the attention of the most blase of editors, penned the following sentence..." -- Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

11. "They didn't say anything about this in the books, I thought, as the snow blew in through the gaping doorway and settled on my naked back." -- All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot


There you have it... The titles and authors of all 11 of my favorite books. It was very difficult to pick 11, but these are the ones that came to mind. Who knows... maybe some day I'll post reviews, but until then know this... they all come highly recommended.

Final Call for Answers to A Bit of a Thinker...

I'm going to post my answers to my previous post "A Bit of a Thinker" tomorrow, so if you want to guess on what my 11 favorite books are please do so before Saturday.

So far we've got someone with 9 out of 11. Remember, if you guess all of them correct (without Googling the quotes) I will send you a free copy of one of my favorite books.

A Bit of a Thinker

Ok, so I totally swiped the title of this post and the idea for the meme from another bookworm, Carrie, at Reading to Know. She in turn got the idea from another bookworm. But it is too good an idea not to take and make my own.

Here's how it works: In this meme I am to post the first lines of 11 of my favorite books (this part is hard!). If you can guess them (all) correctly, I will mail you a copy of one of my favorite books (included in the meme). Feel free to guess as many times as you like. Just make sure you leave me with some way to contact you if you have guessed correctly. Also, please play honestly. Don't Google search for the answers. That's no fun. Be fun, be fair and we'll see what happens!

1. Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress.

2. When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

3. This is the story of what a Woman's patience can endure, and what a Man's resolution can achieve.

4. It is a Truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

5. William Wilmer was twenty-nine years old before he discovered that he could converse with animals.

6. "Edith!" said Margaret, gently, "Edith!" But, as Margaret half suspected, Edith had fallen asleep.

7. "I Wonder when in the world you're going to do anything, Rudolf?" said my brother's wife.

8. On the morning of the eleventh of November, 1937, precisely at eleven o'clock, some well-meaning busybody consulted his watch and loudly announced the hour, with the result that all of us in the dining car felt constrained to put aside drinks and newspapers and spend the two minutes' silence in rather embarrassed stares at one another or out of the window.

9. The worst winter in fifty years, the old Scotsman had told me. I'd only been around for sixteen, but it was the worst I'd seen, and I was willing to take his word for the other thirty-four.

10. I believe that a well-known anecdote exists to the effect that a young writer, determined to make the commencement of his story forcible and original enough to catch and rivet the attention of the most blase of editors, penned the following sentence...

11. They didn't say anything about this in the books, I thought, as the snow blew in through the gaping doorway and settled on my naked back.

Let the games begin! (And if you decide to participate in this meme, leave a comment with your answers or a link if you decided to post your own meme.)