Armchair BEA: Children’s Literature

Posted in Blogging by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Today’s Armchair BEA topic is Children’s Literature:

From picture books to middle grade to young adult novels, this is a category that encompasses books that young and old alike flock to on a daily basis.

As a reader and as a mom, I love children’s books. When my kids were little, we had piles and piles of board books in every nook and cranny of the house. As they got older, we’d hit the library each weekend and come home with armloads of picture books. Older still, we moved on to chapter books and kids’ non-fiction books on topics as varied as jellyfish, how to build a castle, and what life is like on the International Space Station.

Now that my little guy is not so little any more (just graduated from elementary school!), his tastes have matured as well. We still read out loud together at night, although I’m guessing that he’ll tell me he’s too old for it in the not-so-distant future. Meanwhile, I’m enjoying it while I can. I love revisiting old favorites and discovering new and amazing authors and titles, and I love even more seeing my son get excited by a new book or be filled with wonder as we explore magical lands.

I think of all the books we’ve read, the best reading experiences for both of us have involved books about magical worlds. This is just my opinion, of course, but I do believe that children who are exposed to the wonders of fantasy through fiction grow up to appreciate a much broader scope of literary genres and imaginative flights of fancy. My personal favorites include:

The Harry Potter series. I’ve read it countless times on my own, and most recently read the entire series out loud (!) to my son over the course of a 10-month period. Amazing experience.
Narnia. I missed out on these books as a child, but I’m now reading these with my son and finding so much to love.
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials series) by Philip Pullman.
Half Magic and Knight’s Castle by Edward Eager. Or really, anything by Edward Eager.
A Wrinkle in Time.
The Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. For slightly older girls, especially, a fantastic series with an unbeatable girl power message.

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading good quality children’s literature, even when my son is too old and too cool to have his mom read to him any longer. There’s something so lovely about these books — the ability to dream, to take chances, to imagine, to believe.

So yes, I read children’s books, I review children’s books, and I love children’s books!

31May2013

Armchair BEA: Non-Fiction

Posted in Blogging by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

And for today’s second Armchair BEA topic: Non-Fiction — do you read it? do you review it? what types of non-fiction do you prefer?

My reading preference is strongly, strongly, strongly (yes, strongly!) weighted toward fiction — but I do sneak in some non-fiction, here and there, as the mood strikes me.

In order for me to read non-fiction, I have to feel some sort of attraction to the topic, and the writing has to be sharp and flowing. I shy away from how-to books, business-themed books (except those that relate to my real-world career), or anything that strikes me as dry and dusty. Very subjective, I know, but there it is.

I’ve had the best non-fiction reading experiences with memoirs, adventure stories, and books that focus on a particular person or challenge. Another category I enjoy is science — the weirder, the better. Basically, if it reads like fiction — fast-paced, interesting or quirky characters, some suspense or drama — I’ll give it a try.

Favorites from my recent reading history* include:

Ice Bound by Dr. Jerri Nielson (featured as my Flashback Friday pick today): The memoirs of the South Pole doctor who treated herself for breast cancer while “wintering over” in Antarctica.
The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure: The experiences of a woman and her obsession with Laura Ingalls Wilder. (Seriously!)
Into Thin Air and Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. Two very different topics, one amazing writer.
Life by Keith Richards. Just because.
The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum.
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. Yes, I read a football book. And I liked it.
Packing for Mars and Stiff by Mary Roach. If you think science can’t be hilariously funny, then you’ve never read Mary Roach.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

That’s just a smidgen, but you get the idea. I’ll always be a fiction girl at heart, but give me a good, well-written book that surprises me, intrigues me, or keeps me guessing, and I’m in!

*I realize that most of these are books that I read before I was a blogger. I’ve provided links to the two that I’ve actually reviewed here. In theory, I have no problem with reviewing non-fiction books on Bookshelf Fantasies — I just don’t read that much non-fiction; therefore, I don’t review much of it either.

What are your non-fiction tastes? Any favorites to recommend?

30May2013

Armchair BEA: Literary Fiction

Posted in Blogging by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

And for today’s Armchair BEA topic: Literary Fiction — how do you define it? What are some great examples?

While I’m tempted to give the same answer as I did for definining classics — “I know it when I see it” — I’ll try to actually say a bit more. For me, when I think of literary fiction, I think of books in which the language itself is a key piece of the reading experience. Interesting or unusual word choices, lyrical phrasing, thoughtful use of symbolism, a unique approach to sentence structure — these are all elements that elevate a book for me into the realm of literature. On top of the language itself is the subject matter and how it’s presented. Literary fiction can have any topic, any setting, any type of character — but should have more going on in it than heavy action or a pulse-pounding plot. Literary fiction makes me think about what I’m reading — not just in terms of “what will happen next?” — but really think about the deeper meaning of events and choices, the way the characters express themselves, the signs and symbols that might add another layer to the plot itself. Finally, I tend to equate literary fiction with beauty, especially in terms of beautiful writing and beautiful descriptions.

Some of the best books I’ve read in the past couple of years that I would consider literary fiction are:

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Doc by Mary Doria Russell
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Another part of today’s prompt from the Armchair BEA organizers is:

Name a novel that hasn’t received a lot of buzz that definitely deserves it.

I think I’ll switch that up a bit and mention an author who deserves much more attention than I think she gets, and that’s Mary Doria Russell, author of five amazing novels (so far!), on topics ranging from space exploration to WWII to the old West to Lawrence of Arabia. What makes each and every one of her novels a literary masterpiece, in my mind, is her incredible talent for choosing just the right words to express a feeling, a mood, a setting, an emotion. Her writing is beautiful and never fails to just slay me; in fact, I wrote a post about the emotional impact her book The Sparrow had on me when I reread it last year.

So, literary fiction. How do you define it? Are you a fan? And what are your favorites?

Thanks for stopping by! Don’t miss my giveaway today, ending soon!

3May2013

Flashback Friday: Smoke and Mirrors

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday is my own little weekly tradition, in which I pick a book from my reading past to highlight. If you’d like to join in, here are the Flashback Friday book selection guidelines:

Has to be something you’ve read yourself
Has to still be available, preferably still in print
Must have been originally published 5 or more years ago

Other than that, the sky’s the limit! Join me, please, and let us all know: what are the books you’ve read that you always rave about? What books from your past do you wish EVERYONE would read? Pick something from five years ago, or go all the way back to the Canterbury Tales if you want. It’s Flashback Friday time!

My picks for this week’s Flashback Friday:

Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman

(published 1998)

From Goodreads:

In the deft hands of Neil Gaiman, magic is no mere illusion… and anything is possible. In this, Gaiman’s first book of short stories, his imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders — a place where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under “Pest Control,” and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks. Explore a new reality — obscured by smoke and darkness, yet brilliantly tangible — in this extraordinary collection of short works by a master prestidigitator. It will dazzle your senses, touch your heart, and haunt your dreams.

I know I’ve said about a thousand times that I just don’t do short stories. Smoke and Mirrors is one of my happy exceptions. This collection includes pieces short and long, creepy and mysterious, and just about all are genius. In my humble opinion. My very favorites are Nicholas Was, a one-page story that will guarantee that you never think about Christmas in quite the same way, Snow, Glass, Apples, the most disturbing version of the Snow White story that I’ve ever read, and The Wedding Present, which is actually a wonderful story embedded in the book’s introduction.

Really, you can’t go wrong with any of the stories in this superb collection. And coming from a person who just does not get into short stories, that’s saying a lot!

So, what’s your favorite blast from the past? Leave a tip for your fellow booklovers!

Note from your friendly Bookshelf Fantasies host: To join the Flashback Friday fun, write a blog post about a book you love (please mention Bookshelf Fantasies as the Flashback Friday host!) and share your link below. Don’t have a blog post to share? Then share your favorite oldie-but-goodie in the comments section. Jump in!

25Apr2013

Flashback Friday: The Basil and Josephine Stories

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday is my own little weekly tradition, in which I pick a book from my reading past to highlight. If you’d like to join in, here are the Flashback Friday book selection guidelines:

Has to be something you’ve read yourself
Has to still be available, preferably still in print
Must have been originally published 5 or more years ago

My picks for this week’s Flashback Friday:

The Basil and Josephine Stories

The Basil and Josephine Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald

(Stories first written from 1928 – 1931; collection published 1962)

From Goodreads:

Fourteen of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s best-loved and most beguiling stories, together in a single volume In 1928, while struggling with his novel Tender Is the Night, Fitzgerald began writing a series of stories about Basil Duke Lee, a fictionalized version of his younger self. Drawing on his childhood and adolescent experiences, Fitzgerald wrote nine tales that were published in the Saturday Evening Post about his life from the time he was an eleven-year-old boy living in Buffalo, New York, until he entered Princeton University in 1913. Then from 1930 to 1931, with Tender Is the Night still unfinished, Fitzgerald wrote five more stories (also published in the Post) that centered around Josephine Perry, Basil’s female counterpart. Although Fitzgerald intended to combine the fourteen Basil Lee and Josephine Perry stories into a single work, he never succeeded in doing so in his lifetime. Here, The Basil and Josephine Stories brings together in one volume the complete set, resulting in one of Fitzgerald’s most charming and evocative works.

F. Scott Fitzgerald is certainly having a moment, isn’t he? Between the soon-to-be-released movie extravaganza of The Great Gatsby and the newly published Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler, there’s an absolute Fitzgerald revival going on right now. Which got me to thinking… Yes, I read The Great Gatsby in high school, just like everyone else. I also, at various times, read This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and the Damned, and Tender Is the Night. But the Fitzgerald work that has really stuck with me over the years is the collection of stories found here in The Basil and Josephine Stories. These stories, focusing on two young, privileged characters and their pursuits and struggles, beautifully convey a time and a society that continue to fascinate. This is one story collection that I don’t mind reading, over and over again.

So, what’s your favorite blast from the past? Leave a tip for your fellow booklovers!

Note from your friendly Bookshelf Fantasies host: To join the Flashback Friday fun, write a blog post about a book you love and share your link below. Don’t have a blog post to share? Then share your favorite oldie-but-goodie in the comments section. Jump in!

22Apr2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Thought I’d Like MORE or LESS Than I Did

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week.

This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I Thought I’d Like More/Less Than I Did. Expectations are funny things, aren’t they? It’s easy to pre-judge a book, either because of author, genre, cover, size, or any of a zillion other factors. Here are the books that surpassed my expectations, and those that fell far short, alas…

Books that I ended up not liking nearly as much as I’d hoped:

1) This One Is Mine by Maria Semple. I adored Where’d You Go, Bernadette when I read it last year — at which point, I decided I simply had to read more by this author, so I picked up her earlier novel… and hated it. Seriously, I hated almost everything about it. (You can check out my review to find out why!).

2) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I didn’t hate this book, but I also didn’t love it the way I’d expected to. The Night Circus is beautifully written and the fantastical elements of the circus are lovely, but the plot itself just didn’t do anything for me. The love story was underdeveloped, the rivalry made no sense, and ultimately, I just didn’t feel as though the story was as dramatic as it wanted to be. Plus, I never do like novels that revolve around magicians… but that’s a pet peeve of mine to explore another time.

3 & 4) American Gods and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I love Neil Gaiman, almost all of the time. I’ve had his upcoming novel on preorder for months now. But both of these books disappointed me. I just could not get into American Gods (I know, I know, it’s supposed to be his masterpiece), and I found Neverwhere too scattered for my taste. Ah, well. I still count Stardust and The Graveyard Book among my favorites.

5) Untold Story by Monica Ali. I thought this book would be terrific — a reimagined history in which Princess Diana did not die, but rather faked her own death in order to escape the pressures of her miserable life and start a new, anonymous life where she could be at peace. It sounded promising, but after reading it, I thought it was just awful. The Diana character was so vague that she could have been anyone, and really, haven’t we already read books about a woman who runs away, changes her identity, and starts over? The whole thing was just unbelievable, and I ended up not caring about the characters or the resolution of the story at all.

Okay, enough of the negative. Let’s turn this list around! Here are five books that I ended up LOVING, when I really wasn’t sure I’d even like them:

1) Doc by Mary Doria Russell. I’ve learned a lesson by now. If Mary Doria Russell writes a book, I will love it. End of story. When Doc was published, I really wasn’t interested. Who, me? Read a Western? What do I care about Doc Holliday? If I were really interested, couldn’t I just rent the Tombstone DVD? Hence the lesson. I have loved every single book written by Mary Doria Russell, and Doc is no exception. I could gush more, but I’ll restrain myself.

2) Redshirts by John Scalzi. I like science fiction, but I was never a Star Trek fan. In fact, I think I’ve maybe only seen one or two episodes, and those were watched under duress. Still, Redshirts sounded like a lot of fun, and yes, I’m so happy I read it! Funny, smart, full of clever twists — Redshirts was a blast to read.

3) Revenge of the Girl With a Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg. With the lipstick on the cover and the cutesy title, I expected a typical variety of a “Mean Girls” YA novel. Instead, I found Revenge to be a sensitive portrayal of a girl who faces challenges and has to make some decisions about the kind of person — and friend — she wants to be. This book manages to be funny and full of girl power at the same time as it asks some hard questions about popularity and fitting in.

4) 11/22/63 by Stephen King. OMG, this is a huge doorstop of a book, and most of it takes place in the late 1950s! Can you say long, boring trip down memory lane? That’s what I expected, but I was drawn to it anyway because of the time travel elements as well as the focus on the JFK assassination. As usual, I should have had more faith in the amazing writing powers of Stephen King. With an incredibly intricate plot, tense drama, a love story, and some truly scary, good old human evil nature, 11/22/63 is definitely one of the best books I’ve read in the past few years.

5) You Know When The Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon. I really, really don’t like short stories. I usually avoid them like the plague. Still, I’d heard such good things about this particular story collection that I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did. This set of interconnected stories about a group of army wives at a Texas base is moving and lovely, and so worth the time. .

What books were a surprise to you? Any favorites that you really didn’t expect to like? Sound off!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider following Bookshelf Fantasies! I’m so happy you stopped by!

15Apr2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Childhood Favorites

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week.

This week’s top ten topic is Top Ten Tuesday REWIND — pick a past topic you missed or one you want to revisit! Looking back at topics from before I found the wonderful world of Top Ten Tuesday, I decided to go with a list of the ten books (or series of books) that I remember loving the best, so long ago in the distant days of my youth…
Knight's Castle

1) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. In early readings, I wanted to be Beth (go ahead, psychoanalyze me based on that little fact!), then envied Amy her world travels, but finally came to appreciate Jo in all her prickly glory. Pop culture references to Little Women always make me happy — like when Joey read it on Friends. Classic, in so many ways.

2) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. It just never gets old. I’m trying to convince my 10-year-old to read it, mostly so I’ll have a good excuse for rereading it myself.

3) From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. Seriously, wouldn’t you love to run away to live in a museum? This books was responsible for my mad scribblings, throughout my youth, of a whole bunch of half-written stories involving running off to exotic locations and having crazy adventures.

9 of my top 10 childhood favorites — I can’t believe I still have all of these!

4) Knight’s Castle by Edward Eager. I read this book as a kid and loved it — but years later, all I could remember was that it was about kids entering into an imaginary world throught their toy castle in the playroom. I had no idea about the title or author and was never able to track it down, until my daughter came home with Half Magic by the same author, and something just clicked into place.

5) The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I just adored these books as a kid, and didn’t know enough at the time to be bothered by some of the outdated attitudes. I loved Laura and her family, the crazy struggles for survival in harsh circumstances, and of course, the love story between Laura and Almanzo. Whoa, those blizzards! I still get cold thinking about the kids trying to get home from school during a wild snow storm. Brrrrr.

Merry, Rose, and Christmas Tree June

6) Merry, Rose and Christmas Tree June by Doris Orgel. This story of a girl and her dolls just really stuck with me, and it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I finally tracked down a copy. The fact that it’s illustrated by Edward Gorey just makes it even more of a win.

7) The All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor. My sister and I could not get enough of these books about a Jewish family living on the Lower East Side of New York in the 1920s. Inspiration for many a game of make-believe at our house — we even asked to take on dusting chores so we could play the button game. (If you’ve read the books, you’ll understand).

8) Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White. Oh, come on, admit it — you cried when you read this one, right?

9) Tall and Proud by Vian Smith. I went through a phase where I read everything I could get my hands on about horses.* The only thing better than a horse book was a book about a girl fighting a dreadful illness. So what could be better than this terrific book (out of print now, I believe) about a girl with polio who learns to walk again for the sake of her horse?

*I felt like I should only include one horse book on this list, but it was a close call — so here’s my special little shout-out to the books of Marguerite Henry, most especially, Misty of Chincoteague, Stormy: Misty’s Foal, and Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West.

Horse books!

10) Light a Single Candle by Beverly Butler. In the same spirit as #9, this book about a girl dealing with blindness really resonated with my tween-self’s love of fictional heroines bravely battling illness, disability, or some other dramatic/tragic life event.

I didn’t think I’d come up with ten, but now that I’m on a roll, it’s hard to stop!**

**I realize that I excluded Judy Blume’s books, which should certainly be on this list — but since I did a whole post about Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret last year, I figure I’m covered already.

What are your favorite books from childhood? Share your childhood reading memories in the comments!

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8Apr2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. Top 10 Tuesday new

This week’s topic is Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger. As usual, I’ll put my own spin on it. For my list, I decided to take the “before” part of the topic to mean “immediately before”, and so I went back through my Goodreads books read prior to the birth of Bookshelf Fantasies last summer. Because I’m a number-crunching geek at heart, I took a quantitative approach to putting together this list. Moving backward from July 2012, I looked for any books that I rated 5-stars, and picked the first ten I encountered. I excluded graphic novels this time around, because otherwise my entire list would consist of Buffy, Fables, and Bone. (Check ’em all out, by the way! They rock.)

For your reading pleasure (?), I’m including snippets of my Goodreads review for each book. Without further ado, my top ten favorite books, read mostly in 2011 and 2012, from my pre-blogging days:

fevre-dream The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) Timeless (Parasol Protectorate, #5) The Fault in Our Stars All Men of Genius The Weird Sisters scottish-prisoner The Winter Ghosts 11/22/63 wonderstruck

1) Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin:

Written in the early 80s, Fevre Dream is as much historical fiction as it is horror. I loved the atmosphere of this book. Martin lovingly details the world of riverboatmen and their steamboats. With the main action occurring in 1857, Fevre Dream paints a gorgeous picture of an historical time full of adventure, competition, beauty, and corruption.

P.S. — It’s also a vampire book!

2) The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King:

This book, the 2nd in Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, is a stand-out. Apparently, I didn’t write a review of it at the time, but I’ll say now that this book moves the series forward into seriously complicated territory and introduces the key characters who will remain central in the ensuing books. A gunslinger, an abandoned child, a junkie, a woman with no legs — to say that these four make odd traveling companions is an understatement. This book is powerful, and the concept of the doors is magnificent. I really, really, really need to get back to this series.

3) Timeless by Gail Carriger:

A fittingly fabulous end to a wonderful series, “Timeless” wraps up all the major plotlines of the Parasol Protectorate series with panache. Replete with all the delights of London society, hive and pack politics, dirigible and steamer travel, and adding in a journey to mysterious Egypt, “Timeless” delivers all the whimsy, humor, adventure, and romance of Gail Carriger’s earlier entries in the series.

4) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green:

Here’s what I wrote in the immediate aftermath of reading this book:

This book killed me. Just killed me. I haven’t cried this much or this hard over a book since… well, I have no idea since when. The Fault In Our Stars is beautiful and brutal and honest and funny. Perhaps when I am less emotional and more coherent, I’ll come back and write a proper review. For now, I’ll just say that this story of love and death truly deserves all the attention it’s been getting. I found it impossible to put down, except for those moments when I had to get up to take some deep breaths and fetch some more tissues. Wow.

So, yeah. I guess you could say it had an impact on me.

5) All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen:

I kept my comments brief on this one:

LOVED this book. A delightful mix of steampunk and Shakespeare, with action, adventure and romance thrown in as well.

That totally does not do justice to how fantastic this book is — what was I thinking? Strong female characters, gender-bending shenanigans, quippy dialogue, and evil automata… what more could you want?

6) The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown:

Oddly, I didn’t write a review of this one, despite the fact that I loved it so very much. A terrific book about sisters, family expectations and disappointments, plus: Shakespeare! Book love! Academia! Lots of good stuff.

7) The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon:

Off I go again on an Outlander-related rant:

Jamie Fraser. If those two words send thrills up and down your spine, then you will undoubtedly want to read The Scottish Prisoner. If, however, that name means nothing to you… well, it’s not that I wouldn’t recommend The Scottish Prisoner anyway; I just don’t think you’d enjoy it as much as we rabid fans do.

8) The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse:

Another one that I loved but didn’t review. Part ghost story, part love story, this haunting tale — set in the Pyrenees shortly after World War I — is beautifully written, and the superb woodcut illustrations are an added bonus.

9) 11/22/63 by Stephen King:

Well, I had quite a bit to say about this one:

Stephen King’s mastery of suspense, plotting, and character development is once again on display in 11/22/63. I thought I knew what to expect before I started; I found that I was wrong. King does remarkable things with a story I expected to be rather dry. After all, the bulk of the story takes place in the late 50’s and early 60’s, winding its way through well- and lesser-known historical events. How exciting could that be? Very exciting, it turns out. Once the story picked up steam, it was hard to put down. I want to avoid spoilers, but I will say that I was shocked to discover what a romantic story this was at its core.

And finally:

10) Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick:

Beautiful, beautiful book. “Wonderstruck” by Brian Selznick is described on the title page as “a novel in words and pictures”, but that doesn’t really do it justice… I’ll just say that I was moved, much more so than I expected to be, and really relished the experience of reading this lovely book with my 9-year-old son. I’d recommend it for parents and children to read together, but also wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to adults to read on their own.

Writing this blog post was actually a nice reminder of all the terrific books I’ve read in the last couple of years. What fun — it’s a bit like catching up with old friends.

Have you read any of my top 10? And what books are on your list this week?

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25Mar2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Recommend The Most

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is:

book love 3

Top Ten Books I Recommend The Most

I’m going to keep this week’s Top Ten post short and sweet — I’m away from home and trying to make do with a moody netbook and an unreliable Internet connection. So, no pictures, no interesting layout, and probably very little in the way of commentary. Still, I like this week’s topic, so here I go, quick and to the point. The books I recommend most often are:

1) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Book 1 of my favorite series for adults, Outlander is an amazing mix of adventure, romance, and historical fiction. Simply superb.

2) The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Unforgettable characters, moving plot, and so much to think about! Plus, absolutely beautiful writing.

3) Harry Potter series by J. k. Rowling. Whenever I meet a supposedly well-read person who hasn’t read HP, my solution is to nag them until they do (or until they no longer want to be friends with me, whichever comes first).

4) Lamb by Christopher Moore. I love all of Christopher Moore’s books, but Lamb is my absolute favorite. Hilariously funny, but never offensive.

5) 11/22/63 or Under The Dome by Stephen King. I consider either of these two massive books to be essential Stephen King masterpieces. For people who associate Stephen King strictly with his early horror novels such as Carrie or Cujo, I absolutely recommend checking out these two marvelously written novels.

6) A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. For anyone still wondering what all the fuss is about, start with this one. I dare you to stop reading this series after just one book.

7) Deerskin by Robin McKinley. I love Robin McKinley’s fairy tale retellings, but Deerskin, aimed toward an adult audience, is a cut above everything else she’s written, in my opinion. Gripping, intense, and intensely disturbing.

8) The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I’ve read this book so many times by now, and I just always love it. So romantic, so mind-bending — just essential reading.

9) Oryx and Crake or The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Nobody does chilling visions of the future better.

10) Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin. A look back at San Francisco in the 70s, the Tales of the City books capture a time and place so perfectly, and with such humor and compassion, that reading them is like stepping back into an earlier era.

Those are my 10! What’s on your list this week?

Happy reading!

17Dec2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Read in 2012

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top 10 Tuesday new Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is:

Top Ten Books I Read In 2012

I almost passed on this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, as I’m putting together one or two “best of ” lists for year-end and didn’t want to end up repeating myself. Then I thought I’d take a purely quantitative approach for this week’s topic, so I scooted on over to Goodreads, downloaded my books into an Excel spreadsheet (call me a nerd, but I really love spreadsheets), and sorted all of my 2012 books by the ratings I gave them.

I try to be consistent with my stars on Goodreads, and only give 5 stars to books that I consider to have excellent writing and/or an unforgettable or unique plot, or books that have had an indelible impact on me as a person and as a reader. The books included on this week’s Top Ten list are all books that I rated 5 stars. Some of these have reviews elsewhere on this blog, so if you want to know more, click on the links provided below.

Let’s get on with it! Here are my top-rated books of 2012, according to my oh-so-scientific Goodreads ratings:

1) Doc by Mary Doria Russell: Mary Doria Russell never fails to impress me, and all of the books I’ve read by her have simply blown me away. The Sparrow is and will always be my favorite, but Doc — historical fiction centering on Doc Holliday — surprised me by how much it got under my skin.

2) The Fault In Our Stars by John Green: I cried buckets. A powerful, amazing, wonderful book.

3) Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple: Funny, fresh, utterly delightful. (review)

4) The Dog Stars by Peter Heller: I loved this book about survival and love. Gorgeous writing plus a breathtaking plot. (review)

5) The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan: Margo Lanagan uses words and language in a way unmatched in anything else I’ve read. Beautiful. (review)

6) Locke and Key (graphic novel series) by Joe Hill: Creepy, scary, and wonderful.

7) Fables (graphic novel series) by Bill Willingham: I am head over heels in love with this series, and can’t wait for the next installment.

8) Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: Another young adult novel that left me in tears and kept me guessing until the end. Outstanding. (review)

9) Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin: An early work by George R. R. Martin, Fevre Dream is both historical fiction and a new and haunting twist on the vampire genre, with the terrific writing and world-building you’d expect from this author.

10) All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen: Steampunk, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, cross-dressing, rampaging automata… this book has it all! All Men of Genius was impossible to put down and just an incredible amount of fun.

There’s so many more that I read and enjoyed this past year! Overall, I’d say that 2012 was a reading year that rocked.

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