TTT: Top Books I Was "Forced" to Read

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, this week's topic: Top Ten Best "Forced" Reads.

Thanks to some Elementary/Jr. High School teachers, I've read these great books:

1. Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

2.  The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen by Lloyd Alexander

3. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

4.  Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Some miscellaneous "forced" reads:

5.  The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman...read this interesting book as required for a college Anthropology course.

6.  The Plague by Albert Camus...read for a High School English/Philosophy course

Lastly, thanks to my book club (The Btown Booksters) I've read:

7. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield...great gothic bookish story!

8.  We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver...haunting!

9. Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell...again, haunting.  The Btown Booksters seem to have an affinity for these types of books :)

10.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn...despite all of the buzz surrounding this book, I wouldn't have read it if it weren't for my book club because I was convinced I wouldn't like it (due to others stating that the characters were despicable).  I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong!

Towering TBR

This new segment on the blog came about because my desire to read new books vastly outstrips my ability to dwindle down my TBR list...oh, to have more free time!  Anyways, these are some new additions to the good ol' TBR:

Rootless by Chris Howard...a blogger somewhere recommended this and based on their description of the book I new I had to add it to the TBR.

The River King by Alice Hoffman...I've read her before and want to see what else she has in her repertoire!

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer...this one made the list thanks to positive hype.

A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes...the premise of quirky history-themed short stories engaged me enough to add it to the pile.

Paris by Edward Rutherfurd...if I ever travel to Paris I am definitely reading this before or during my trip!

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Sequels Ever

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, this week's topic: Top Ten Best Sequels Ever.

1. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss...this sequel I actually liked better than the first novel in the series which never seems to happen - but Rothfuss just keeps getting better!

2. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley...love McKinley's strong female protagonists and this story was one of my faves growing up.

3. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis...I didn't even realize this was the 2nd book in a series because it stands alone so well.

4.  The Crowded Shadows by Celine Kiernan...I really loved this lesser-known YA fantasy trilogy and the second installment had me glued to my couch flipping pages like mad.

5. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness...if you're a regular reader of my blog then you know that I absolutely LOVE this trilogy!

6. The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart...who doesn't love the Arthurian legend?  This series knocks my socks off!

7. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman...one of the best YA trilogies out there (IMHO) and the second book is amazing.

8. The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig...such a fun series filled with intrigue and romance!

9. The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander...one of my fave authors as a kid, this second book in the Chronicles of Prydain is fantastic.

10. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson...this thriller trilogy had me staying up well into the wee hours of the morning!

Aaaand I'm Back! No Really, I Am.

So, the dust has settled from these crazy last few months and...what was I thinking that I could fit blogging into my schedule??  I wish that I was that organized but it was just NOT happening :)

On the Ponte Vecchio with the hubs

What has happened in the time I've been away? Welp, I took a fabulous trip to Rome, Venice, Florence, and London.  I also moved to new city (helloo Indianapolis!) the day before I left for Europe - talk about stressful!  Since then, I have been busy with smaller weekend trips and getting settled into our new house.

Of course, throughout this time I've managed to fit some reading into my schedule.  The reviews for these books should be coming shortly:

As you can see from my previous post, I really wanted to read some historical fiction set in the European locales I'd be visiting.  Unfortunately, I always start packing my books early (it's a lengthy process in our house) and I had already sealed away the few books I owned that would fit my reading wants.  I definitely want to check out some of the books that y'all recommended.  Oh, and when I was in Florence EVERYONE was talking about the newest Dan Brown book as it apparently is set in Florence.  So I may have to check out that sucker too!  Be on the lookout for some new reviews, TTTs, and Towering TBR posts!

Sorry for the loooooong hiatus

Hey folks!  Sorry for the crazy long break from blogging...once again life is getting in the way.  I am moving AGAIN (remember I talked about it before) so things are pretty hectic right now!  Most of my time is spent packing books away rather than reading :(

Indianapolis here we come!

I have been reading but it's been more re-reading rather than taking on new books.  I think when I get stressed I prefer the comfort of my favorites rather than getting engrossed in a new book.  Does anyone else feel that way?

Another event on the horizon that I'm really excited about is a trip to Italy and London!  Does anybody have any recommendations of books with settings in Rome, Florence, Venice, and/or London (especially historical fiction)?  I think it might make my sightseeing more fun if I had some bookish context.  My updates might be a bit slapdash and sporadic for the next few months but I will try and post while all of this craziness is happening :)

Pin it and do it: Faux Inlay Dresser

Trish from Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity is once again hosting the "Pin It and Do It" challenge which I finally decided to partake in this month!  For this challenge you can use anything you've pinned whether it be recipe, craft, etc. and try your hand at doing it.  I'm a total Pinterest addict so I knew I had to take part (with actual photographic evidence).

Here's the pin I used for inspiration to transform my boring IKEA dresser (original post located on Design Sponge):

I have to admit while the idea to use this pin for my dresser and the sketched outline were both by moi...the hubs stepped in for the staining because "I was doing it wrong."  Haha...little did he know that his staining the dresser was exactly my plan!  All kidding aside, I am super excited by the results.

Here's my before pic:

And here is the dresser post-transformation (please excuse our clutter):

Yay!  I'm so happy with the results.  All we have left is to stain and put on the knobs and this sucker is ready to go!

Towering TBR: Early May Edition

This new segment on the blog came about because my desire to read new books vastly outstrips my ability to dwindle down my TBR list...oh, to have more free time!  Anyways, these are some new additions to the good ol' TBR:

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini - I've loved both of his other books so I'm super-excited about this one!

Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer - I always love a good Heyer novel...and someone somewhere must've recommended this (I wish I could remember)!

The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway - I can't resist time travel novels and this one sounds especially good!

The Three Loves of Persimmon by Cassandra Golds - I found this recommendation over at the Book Smugglers blog and it really piqued my interest!

What new books have you guys discovered?

In Honor of National Poetry Month: Part IV

In Honor of National Poetry Month: Part III

Since it's National Poetry Month so I thought I'd add a few posts to the good ol' blog sharing some of my favorite poems!  This time I thought I'd share a poem from a local poet (she's the Director of the MFA Creative Writing Program at IU) from the collection Notarikon:

I Want To Be Your Shoebox by Catherine Bowman
 
I want to be your shoebox
I want to be your Fort Knox
I want to be your equinox


I want to be your paradox
I want to be your pair of socks
I want to be your paradise


I want to be your pack of lies
I want to be your snake eyes
I want to be your Mac with fries


I want to be your moonlit estuary
I want to be your day missing in February
I want to be your floating dock dairy


I want to be your pocket handkerchief
I want to be your mischief
I want to be your slow pitch


I want to be your fable without a moral
Under a table of black elm I want to be your Indiana morel
Casserole. Your drum roll. Your trompe l'oeil

I want to be your biscuits
I want to be your business
I want to be your beeswax


I want to be your milk money
I want to be your Texas Apiary honey
I want to be your Texas. Honey


I want to be your cheap hotel
I want to be your lipstick by Chanel
I want to be your secret passage


All written in Braille. I want to be
All the words you can't spell
I want to be your International


House of Pancakes. I want to be your reel after reel
Of rough takes. I want to be your Ouija board
I want to be your slum-lord. Hell


I want to be your made-to-order smorgasbord
I want to be your autobahn
I want to be your Audubon


I want to be your Chinese bug radical
I want to be your brand new set of radials
I want to be your old-time radio


I want to be your pro and your con
I want to be your Sunday morning ritual
(Demons be gone!) Your constitutional


Your habitual—
I want to be your Tinkertoy
Man, I want to be your best boy


I want to be your chauffeur
I want to be your chauf-
feur, your shofar, I want to be your go for

Your go far, your offer, your counter-offer
your two-by-four
I want to be your out and in door


I want to be your song: daily, nocturnal—
I want to be your nightingale
I want to be your dog's tail

In Honor of National Poetry Month: Part II

Since it's National Poetry Month so I thought I'd add a few posts to the good ol' blog sharing some of my favorite poems!  This time I thought I'd share a classic from the collection Songs of Experience:

The Tyger by William Blake

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?


In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?


And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?


What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!


When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?


Tyger! Tyger! burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

In Honor of National Poetry Month: Part I

Y'all it's National Poetry Month so I thought I'd add a few posts to the good ol' blog sharing some of my favorite poems!  Here's my first selection from the collection Hip Logic:

Nuclear
by Terrance Hayes

How to make a nation say,       uncle
In other words:       how to rule.
We learn
there will be no clue
before it happens.       No clear
sign from the Cosmos.       A clan-
destine airplane will appear       wrapped in the lace
of a black dream. Then a flash       like an ulcer
bursting in God’s gut. Citizens who goggle & race
about the city      as the sky becomes a caul-
dron.      The bones burn clean.

Any thoughts?  I always find poetry interesting fodder for discussion.  Happy weekend!

Quickie Review: The Shadow of the Wind

I lucked out big-time when I was on vacation because I read three amazing (5 star rating) books in a row!  The last of which I already reviewed here.  Whenever I try and review books after some time has lapsed since I've finished, I tend to lose the details.  Thus, I decided to just do a quickie review post.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Goodreads Summary:
Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

My Thoughts:
OMG!  Where has this book been all my life and why have I waited so gosh darn long to read it?!  The Shadow of the Wind has a little bit of everything: historic and foreign setting, mystery and intrigue, romance, and it's a gothic coming of age tale to boot!

This book had a very eerie and murky atmosphere that had me on the edge of my lawn chair.  Plus there were ghosts, masked men, and evil policeman adding more and more layers to this historical mystery.

The amazing characters - wowza! My favorites were Fermin and Daniel.  Daniel was just such a good-hearted little protagonist whereas Fermin was the more colorful and passionate character.  Sometimes I was smacking my head in empathetic agony over some of Daniel's actions but that's a typical feeling I have when reading coming-of-age stories.  Fermin stole a piece of my heart with his heroic displays of friendship.

Touching, atmospheric, and expressive...all of the books I read over my vacation were 5 star reads but The Shadow of the Wind is my personal favorite!

Towering TBR

This new segment on the blog came about because my desire to read new books vastly outstrips my ability to dwindle down my TBR list...oh, to have more free time!  Anyways, these are some new additions to the good ol' TBR:

Eon by Alison Goodman

Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell

 The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Orleans by Sherri Smith

Delia's Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer

Gulp by Mary Roach