Top Ten Tuesday: Non-bookish hobbies

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is non-bookish hobbies. Wait, is there such a thing? You mean there’s something people do for fun that doesn’t include books???

Honestly, other than reading, there’s really not that much I’m doing for fun these days… so I thought I’d include my current hobbies and my pre- (and hopefully post-) COVID activities too.

Pre-COVID, some of my favorites hobbies and amusements:

Travel (Oh, I miss travel so much!)
Museums
Hiking, especially at state and national parks
LIve theater
SEEING FAMILY

And these days…

Long walks
Jigsaw puzzles
Phone/Zoom/FaceTime with distant friends and relatives
Binge-watching TV series

… and that’s all I can think of that doesn’t include books or reading!

As for today — Election Day — I’m grateful to have my job, blogging, and participating in TTT to distract me. This is going to be a LONG day.

What are your favorite non-bookish hobbies? What are you doing to entertain yourself during COVID?

If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!

27Oct2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten (OK, actually eleven) Witchy Books for Halloween!

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is a Halloween Freebie. I’m keeping it simple and featuring books about witches — mostly books I’ve read, plus three from my TBR list that I’m really looking forward to.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow — a 2020 favorite! (review)
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs — part of the ongoing Mercy Thompson series, but this one has some very bad witches in it! (review)
The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry — despite the title, this book has much more to do with witches than ghosts. Loved it. (review)
A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers — another 2020 favorite (review)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare — not actual witches, but about witch hunts in the Colonial era. I think every kid who grew up in Connecticut (like me!) read this book at some point. (review)
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (review)
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian — new release coming in April 2021
The Factory Witches of Lowell by C. S. Malerich — coming in November 2020, and I think it sounds amazing.
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson — haven’t read yet, but I intend to!

Yes, that actually makes eleven books. I realized I had an extra, but couldn’t decide which one to drop!

What are your favorite witchy books?

I’d love to hear about your Halloween topic, so please share your TTT link!

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20Oct2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Read Because Someone Recommended Them to Me

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books I Read Because Someone Recommended Them to Me.

I could probably list hundreds, but here are the first 10 that come to mind… with a big THANK YOU to the amazing people who did the recommending! (With review links where available, in case you want to know more about the books…)

1. Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland: Recommended by my husband’s friend, whose book group read this over the summer. (review)

2. Finishing School series by Gail Carriger: Even though I loved the Parasol Protectorate series, I was under the impression that I wouldn’t care for these books — but my daughter kept insisting I needed to give them a try. She was right! So enjoyable. (review)

3. Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell: A captivating novel about Shakespeare and his players, which I probably never would have read except that my book group picked it for a group read. Loved it! (review)

4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Reid Jenkins: I’ve loved this author’s works, but for some reason didn’t get around to reading Evelyn Hugo despite owning a copy… until all the rave reviews from other book bloggers convinced me to finally read it. Thank you, all! Such an excellent book. (review)

5. The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler: I had never heard of Octavia Butler as of about 15 years ago, before a coworker (who’s also once of my best book buddies) urged me to read this. Truly a life-changing read.

6. Kate Shugak series by Dana Stabenow: I first heard of these books because they were recommended by another favorite author, Diana Gabaldon, on her “Methadone List“. The Kate books quickly became favorites, and I hope the author never stops writing them! (series overview)

7. If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser: My son, who is the most reluctant of readers, insisted that I read this book. And since he almost never reads willingly, I had to check it out to see what it was that made such an impression. (review)

8. The Blind Side by Michael Lewis: I am not a sports fan. At all. So why would I read a football book? Because one day while driving to work, I heard a review on NPR, and it was so highly recommended that I thought I’d give it a try. Glad I did!

9. All of Tamora Pierce’s books! I could list tons of books recommended by my daughter, but Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books were her favorites as a teen (and probably still are), and I finally got around to reading them over the past couple of years. And with minor exceptions, thought they were excellent!

10. I would be remiss if I didn’t include Letters from Thailand by Botan, which is the book that is at least partially responsible for me falling in love with my husband! If he hadn’t recommended it, we might never have started talking about books, and we all know how a booklover’s heart glows when you get on our favorite subject! If you want to know the backstory, you can check out my post here.

What books made your list this week? Please share your TTT link!

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13Oct2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Super Long Book Titles

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Super Long Book Titles.

I did a similar topic several years ago, so I’m challenging myself to come up with a new list without repeats (even though some of the titles from my earlier post are true favorites). In any case… here are my top 10 books with awesome long titles!

1. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman: I haven’t actually read this one, but I’m usually a fan of his books, so I’ll need to get to this sooner or later. And hey, that’s a great title!

2. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz: I listened to this YA audiobook (narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda!!) and loved it.

3. If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name by Heather Lende: Charming non-fiction about life in small town Alaska. Added bonus: cute moose on the cover!

4. The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases edited by Jeff Vandermeer and Mark Roberts: A strange little guidebook to weird (fictional) illnesses — I picked up this book at a library sale a couple of years ago, and while I haven’t read the whole thing, it’s fun to open at random and read in small doses.

5. The Day the Babies Crawled Away by Peggy Rathmann: This was such a favorite picture book to read with my kids! I love the story, the rhymes, and the illustrations!

6. The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn’t by Gail Carriger: A delightful short story from a favorite author, finally revealing the backstory of a mysterious character. As always, lots of good fun.

7. How I Magically Messed Up My Life in Four Freakin’ Days by Megan O’Russell: I’d never heard of this book until a few days ago when it popped up on one of my Amazon recommendation lists. I don’t know if I want to read the story, but I do love the title.

8. Alexander, Who Used To Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst: Since I included a different Alexander book the last time around, I thought this would be a good one to mention. Judith Viorst’s books are so funny and clever.

9. European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss: I’ve been a little obsessed with the Athena Club trilogy this year, and since I’ve already talked about the 1st in the series quite a bit, I thought I’d switch things up and include #2.

10. My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me edited by Kate Bernheimer: This is a repeat from my earlier post about book titles, but it’s just too good not to include! This is a terrific collection of new and retold fairy tales, and the title has always stuck with me.

And there you have it – a random assortment of all sorts of books with long book titles.

What books made your list this week? Please share your TTT link!

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6Oct2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Covers That Give Off Autumn Vibes (2020 edition!)

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Book Covers with Fall Colors/Vibes.

I just did a similar post last fall, so I’ll try not to repeat any books! When I think of autumn, I think of browns and oranges and yellows — so here are a selection of books from my shelves with cover colors in a fall palette.

What books make you think of autumn? Please share your TTT link!

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29Sep2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite quotes about books and reading

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Favorite Book Quotes.

My focus this time around is quotes about reading. Here are some quotes I love:

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
– Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”
– Lemony Snicket, Horseradish

“… a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”
– George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

“She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.”
– Louisa May Alcott, Work: A Story of Experience

“A library is infinity under a roof.”
– Gail Carson Levine

“Despite his money and his looks and all the good-on-paper attributes he possessed, he was not a reader, and well, let’s just say that is the sort of nonsense up with which we will not put.”
– Eleanor Brown, The Weird Sisters

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
– Philip Pullman

“Reading one book is like eating one potato chip.”
– Diane Duane, So You Want to Be a Wizard

“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”
― C.S. Lewis

“Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself.”
― George Bernard Shaw

What book quotes do you love? Please share your TTT link!

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22Sep2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 books on my TBR list for fall 2020

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books On My Fall 2020 TBR.

So many books to look forward to! Most are upcoming new releases, but I’m including a couple of books from my shelves too.

(Click on any of the book cover images to see larger versions.)

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Dying With Her Cheer Pants On by Seanan McGuire. A collection of three new stories… and of course I’ll read anything she writes.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Serpentine by Philip Pullman: A new novella set in the world of His Dark Materials.
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman: It’s been almost a year since I bought a copy of this book! It’s about time to read it.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie
A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong
The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett — my next Discworld book

What books are you most excited to read this fall? Please share your TTT link!

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1Sep2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that make me hungry!

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books that make me hungry.

Yum. I’m not a foodie, but I do love to eat — and I love it when books I’m reading feature delicious-sounding food.

My top ten picks:

1. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han: Lara Jean is always baking, and I want to try everything!

2. The Chocolate Thief by Laura Florand: I didn’t love the book all that much, but the artisan chocolates sounded amazing.

3. Chocolat by Joanne Harris: How can I not love a book about a chocolaterie?

4. Like Water for Chocolate: Are we detecting a theme yet?

5. All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin: Okay, one more chocolate book! This story is set in a world where chocolate and caffeine are illegal, but there’s enough black market chocolate around to make me crave it really badly.

6. Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev: The story takes place at a reality show cooking competition, and every single dish sounds amazing!

7. The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais: The story of a chef’s quest to establish a gourmet Indian fusion restaurant in France is full of absolutely mouth-watering descriptions of the food.

8. The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs: In times of stress, Mercy bakes… and since she’s always in the middle of some supernatural conflict or dangerous adventure, there are chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles galore.

9. Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders: A non-fiction choice, this is actually a cookbook. If you knew me IRL, you’d think this was hilarious, since I absolutely don’t cook. So why do I have this book? Because it’s Outlander, and it’s so pretty! I really enjoy looking at all the Outlander-themed food, even if I’ll never try the recipes.

10. Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan: There are so many Jenny Colgan books I could include here, especially since she kindly includes recipes in her food-themed books. I love this one especially because I have such a sweet tooth for baked goods, and the cupcakes in this book all sound amazing.

What’s on your TTT list this week? Please share your links!

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18Aug2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that should be adapted into Netflix shows or movies

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books that Should be Adapted into Netflix Shows/Movies.

Two of the types of watching I like to do on Netflix are (1) scifi/fantasy series and (2) light and fluffy romantic movies. Yes, these are really completely different, but each takes me away from the day-to-day and lets me become immersed in other worlds or other people’s lives. And who doesn’t need that right now?

My top ten picks:

First, to be made into one or more seasons of a series:

1. The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black: The story of mortals being raised in Faerie and rising to power by their wits could be so excellent as a series! I’d love to see the scenery, the magical elements, and the characters themselves.

2. The Finishing School series by Gail Carriger: Can you imagine how awesome this would be as an ongoing series? Maybe one season per book? The characters, the costumes, the dirigibles — I need this in my life!

3. InCryptids by Seanan McGuire: I think this could have a little bit of a Grimm or Supernatural vibe, but a little more light-hearted. A big extended family of cryptozoologists dealing with scary enemies and all sorts of entertaining otherworldly beings. All this, plus ballroom dancing!

4. Wanderers by Chuck Wendig: Well, now probably isn’t the best time for a series about a pandemic wiping out humanity — but I loved this book, and could see the story working as a 10-part series.

5. The Beauty (graphic novels) by Jeremy Haun: Again, a story about a virus maybe isn’t a great choice — but it would be very cool to see this story about beauty being a sexually transmitted disease brought to life. It’s weird and dark, but I think it could work!

6. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi: The concept is so fantastic, and don’t we need another great space battle saga in our lives?

Next, a bunch of sweet books that would make great rom-com movies:

7. Well Met by Jen DeLuca: Romance at the Ren Faire! And since there are two more books on the way, if the first movie was a success, there’s material for more.

8. The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary: The basic concept of two people sharing an apartment but never meeting is just so cute. I’d love to see it on my screen. I bet it would be hilarious to watch.

9. The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan: Any of the three books in this loosely connected series would be great, but this one is my favorite. Between selling books out of a van, finding true love in the Highlands, and dealing with a strange but endearing family, I think it could be a hit! And like with Well Met, there are more books, so more related plots to spin off!

And finally, a book that I think would make a terrifying movie:

10. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: The clothes! The setting! The creepy house and the weird people there! It’s just begging to be made into a film.

**Updated to add: Wishes do come true! Hulu is developing Mexican Gothic as a series! Woo hoo! Read about it, here.**

What’s on your TTT list this week? Please share your links!

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11Aug2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved but Never Reviewed

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books I Loved but Never Reviewed.

Between my blog and Goodreads, most of my more recent reads got at least a short review. So, for this topic, I mostly went back to books I read in my pre-blogging days… or books that I loved so much or that are so universally adored that there didn’t seem to be much point in writing a review (other than the old short stand-by: “I loved it!).

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (yes, really– for all that I talk about this book on my blog, I’ve never written an actual review)
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
11/22/63 by Stephen King
March trilogy by John Lewis
Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler