Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Would Recommend to X Person

 

It's been a long time since I did a Top Ten Tuesday post, though the meme (started by The Broke and the Bookish) has always been a favorite of mine. So help me get back into the habit by posting lots of comments!

This week's topic is books you would recommend to different sorts of people. I get to pick what sorts of people I'm recommending the books to, so this should be fun. :)

1: For tea-drinking anglophiles with a crazy sense of humor, I would recommend Soulless by Gail Carriger. Fraught with silliness and British stoicism, this book and the rest of the Parasol Protectorate series is not to be missed.

2: For older brothers who don't believe women can write good novels, Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, the first novel set in the sci-fi world of Barrayar & other planets and the precursor to the magnificent Vorkosigan Saga. Trust me, it works like a charm. My brother went through the series faster than I could borrow them from the library.

3: For kids who were told too many Robin Hood stories before bed, I recommend The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan, first novel of the Ranger's Apprentice series. It's not just for kids, either, people in my house between the ages of 27 and 10 were fighting over them when we first discovered the series.

4: For sweet-sixteen, never-been-kissed girls who spend too much time daydreaming, I recommend Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, as well as its sequel, Lola and the Boy Next Door. It's just so dang cute. :)

5: For those who like their endings bittersweet, leaving them smiling through tears, I recommend Delirium by Lauren Oliver, plus its sequels. I've read the book 4 times and it still makes me cry, in the best possible way.

6: For people who are always complaining about how awful their lives are, anything by Sherrilyn Kenyon would do the trick. The way she tortures her characters...Yes, your life could be so much worse.

7: For the escapist who wishes a magical world would open up under her feet, Random Magic by Sasha Soren is just the thing to add a little spark of wonder to your day.

8: For someone who reads far too many sad stories with far too many sad endings, I would say read If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch. Based in a tragic, all-too-believable scenario, it offers a bit of hope.

9: For someone who would like to try urban fantasy but can't stand the whole sex/vampire/shirtless guys on the cover books that monopolize most of the genre, I recommend Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews and everything else that writing duo has ever written. Truly, this person will come back to you full of gratitude.

10: For the aspiring writer who needs hope that it will get better, I recommend Eragon by Christopher Paolini & Sequels. That series is the clearest example I know of how a writer just gets better and better with more practice.

I hope you enjoyed my list!

                 Lieder Madchen

Top Ten Tuesday: Out of my Comfort Zone

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is books that you read that were out of your comfort zone.

This is a fiendishly difficult topic for me because I have been reading so many different genres since I was small that there is hardly anything that isn't in my comfort zone, except for books that I have no interest in whatsoever and therefore have never picked up.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan 

I was extremely hesitant to read this because at the time I was not a huge fan of chick-lit or contemporary YA. I am so glad that I did read it, though, because it has led me to try out several other wonderful books in the genre.

Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey

This book was so out of my comfort zone that I don't think I can list all the reasons, boxing, lesbian heroine, vigilantes, etc. I grabbed it because of the title (my sister's name is Olivia and I couldn't help myself) and the lovely cover. I didn't really care for the book and skimmed through huge chunks of it, but it is good to try new things sometimes. :)

A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer

I saw this one for free as an Amazon kindle book (back when my kindle app worked) and I just liked the cover so I purchased it. I hate most westerns, but the story was a cute romance.

I honestly cannot think of anything else. I read action-adventures, suspense-thrillers, a tiny bit of horror, romance, historical, sci-fi, fantasy and practically everything in between.

                       Lieder Madchen

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved But Never Reviewed

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Reviewed. I would like to add a Yet onto the end of that, as I will probably be reviewing some of these books in the future. As usual, my Top Ten list is in no kind of order.

Die For Me by Amy Plum
I loved this book when I read it a few months ago, but for some reason I never got around to writing a review.

Archangel by Sharon Shinn
I have been meaning to review this one, but it hasn't happened yet. I love the world and the characters and the wonderful romance.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
This book is so cute and so much fun! My sister and I both read it and now I have loaned it to my cousin, maybe I will review it when she has finished it.

Divergent by Veronica Roth
I really meant to review this one, but when I read it I got so caught up in the story that I forgot to pay attention to language content for my ratings. I don't think there was really any swearing, but I guess I am going to have to read it again...just to make sure...

Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce
This is one of my favorite books in the whole world. I can't count the many times I have re-read it and at some point I am going to have to tell you people how wonderful it is. :)

The Sand-Reckoner by Gillian Bradshaw
I even went so far as to borrow this from the library to review it because it had been a year since I first read it and I was a little fuzzy on things like swearing and sexual content but things came up and I had to return it without re-reading. It is a wonderful book, though, and I will make sure to review it someday.

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
I love everything by Lois McMaster Bujold, but this, the first book I read by her, is special. I could read this book ten times in a month and still find new things to think about.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I am a little scared to take on a classic such as this in a review. What could I say that someone else hasn't said better before? But it is such a wonderful book that I am sure I will gather up my courage one day.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
I love the Scarlet Pimpernel. I love his adventures, his girl, his century, his disguises, the trouble he gets into...this is one of my very favorite historical classic romance.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini
I used to be utterly obsessed by this book when I was younger. This is the first novel that had me trolling fan-sites in search of book news and movie development. I have got over my obsession, but Eragon still has a special place on my bookshelf.

                                Lieder Madchen

Top Ten Tuesday: Evil Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week is a freebie, so I get to pick my Top Ten. In honor of the visit of Lacey Weatherford on Songs and Stories, I have decided to finally write down my list of Evil Authors who torture me with awful cliffhanger endings.

This list is in no particular order.

Lacey Weatherford, author of the Of Witches and Warlocks series. Every single on of her books ends at the wost possible moment, leaving you pounding your head against the wall and begging for the next book to come out just a little bit faster. And she thinks it is funny! (Go here to read my review of one of her books and an interview with the lady herself. She is giving away e-books to every commenter!)

Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices. She has not one, but two cliffhangers tormenting readers at the moment. After reading City of Fallen Angels I was in a cliffhanger fueled high for over a week. Plus, she posts teasers every few days, exacerbating the pain.

Lauren Oliver, author of Delirium. The evil cliffhanger at the end of Delirium was so convincing that it made me cry. I hadn't had a book make me cry in years.

L. Carroll, author of the Lor Mandela series. Yes, her endings are evil, but I promised to forgive her if she sent me a copy of her third book when it comes out, so I will try not to complain too much. I will just say, that ending was not nice. At all.

Matthew Reilly, author of the Shane Schofield series, the Jack West series, Contest and Temple. I am not actually annoyed with this author at the moment, but I can still remember the ending of one of his books where one character had literally fallen off of a cliff, another was captured by villains and the rest were in mortal peril. It was perhaps the most exaggeratedly evil cliffhanger I have ever read, and I had to wait a whole year for the next one.

Veronica Roth, author of Divergent. The ending wouldn't really have been a cliffhanger if it hadn't been for those hints...grr.

Scott Westerfeld, author of the Uglies, Midnighters, Peeps, Succession and Leviathan series. I really can't wait for Goliath to come out after the ending of Behemoth.

Christopher Paolini, author of the Inheritance Cycle. OK, so his books do not necessarily end with the worst cliffhangers, but there are always so many hints and loose ends and unresolved issues that I want to smack him for taking so long to finish the last book.

Sherrilyn Kenyon, author of the Dark-Hunter series, the Chronicles of Nick and numerous other series. The Chronicles of Nick have me so confused. I read some of the Dark-Hunter books before them, and  the time paradox and merging realities thing is driving me nuts! I can't wait to see what happens in Infamous.

Becca Fitzpatrick, author of the Hush, Hush novels. I just read Crescendo a few weeks ago and I may go crazy before Silence comes out. That ending was just mean.
                 Lieder Madchen

Top Ten Tuesday: Underrated Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Underrated Books.

I love this topic! There are so many books that I love that hardly anyone else has read so I am going to have fun sharing a few of my favorites.

The Seer and the Sword by Virginia Hanley
This is one of my favorite YA fantasy/romances ever. When Princess Torina is given Landen, a prince from a conquered kingdom, as a slave, she frees him without hesitation. They grow up together but are then separated by chaperones. Torina falls in love with the handsome, charming Vesputo. But Landon knows that he cannot be trusted and tries to warn Torina of the threat to all their lives. (I won't say anything else because it would ruin it. I love this book!)

Stravaganza: City of Masks by Mary Hoffman
This book is absolutely beautiful, the characters, the setting, the story...I can't believe it isn't more popular.
Lucien has cancer and there is little hope of recovery. When his father gives him a book about Venice, he is transported into another world while he sleeps. In this world he is healthy...and he meets a girl.

Cleopatra's Heir by Gillian Bradshaw
I think that all of Gillian Bradshaw's novels are sadly underrated. In my opinion, she is one of the best historical fiction authors alive. After the death of Cleopatra, there were differing reports of her son Caesarion's death, but what if he didn't die at all? What might happen to him then?

The Golden Rendezvous by Alistair Maclean
Anyone who watches classic old action movies will know who Alistair Maclean is, but how many of them will have heard of one of my favorites of his novels, The Golden Rendezvous? While Where Eagles Dare and The Guns of Navarone were made into films, this one was for the most part ignored. John Carter works on a cruise ship where he is plagued by bored, wealthy young women and a series of murders.

Everything by Catherine Asaro
Catherine Asaro writes sci-fi and fantasy and does a wonderful job with both. Her fantasies are lovely romances and her sci-fi demonstrates magnificent world building skills. Her novel Veiled Webb has surprising depth to both the characters and the story, especially.

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
This is a brilliant fantasy with strong characters and a fascinating world. Cazaril used to be a healthy young man, not so very long ago, but the war and life as a Roknari galley slave has broken his body. He stumbles home and finds himself with the task of tutoring the Royesse and her sister. Now, teaching two young ladies can be difficult enough, but what if one of them is cursed?

Archangel by Sharon Shinn
This is the first of a beautiful, evolving series about angels and men and women and theology. Gabriel is to be the next archangel, and so it is time for him to find his chosen bride. When he asks the oracle for her name, though, she is nowhere to be found. Rachel is a slave to a wealthy family, but due to the kindness and generosity of a young girl, she is about to be free. Until and arrogant angel snatches her up and tells her they are destined to marry.

The Westmark Trilogy by Lloyd Alexander
While Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles are well known, the Westmark Trilogy is not. I have always preferred this shorter series because the main character is much less whiny and annoying than Taran. This series is about Theo, a printer's devil turned rebel by circumstances who ends up traveling with a fraudulent count, a dwarf and a thief named Mickle.

The Secret of Dragonhome by John Peel
I discovered this book by accident at my local library a few years ago and picked it up on an impulse. It was so much fun! Melanie and her brother are Talents, people with specific magical abilities. All of the Talents in the kingdom are being gathered to fight in a war, but Melanie will not cooperate. She runs away with her brother and finds herself in a huge castle with a mysterious lord and his young son.

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
This is the first steampunk novel I ever read, before I even knew what the genre was called. I love the story, characters, world and everything. I think everyone should read it. Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the airship Aurora. Born in the sky, he has no fear of heights and thinks of himself as lighter than air. When the ship is taken down by pirates and a storm and they are trapped on an island in the middle on nowhere, all he wants is to fly again. However, he will have to deal with pirates, strange creatures and a very stubborn girl before that can be accomplished.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Should be Required Reading for Teens

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Books That Should be Required Reading for Teens.

Once again, I am going to divide my list in two. I will have a list of all the books teens (like me) should read for educational purposes but will actually enjoy and a list of books that teens should read just for fun.

Top Ten List of Books Teens Should Read That Their Parents Actually Want Them To.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Not only is it beautifully written and will improve your vocabulary, but it also has a great story that will be enjoyed.

Shakespeare - I know a lot of teens don't like Shakespeare, but if you let yourself relax and just go with it, the plays can be a lot of fun. Plus, you will then be able to catch all of those pesky references to them that can be found just about everywhere.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - Know all of those fantasy books you like? They probably wouldn't exist without this wonderful epic.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy - OK, so maybe this one will not be on every required reading list of classics, but it should be. Maybe you could sneak it in while studying the French Revolution.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - A lovely story of family and growing up that can be read over and over. (I should know.)

The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas - This one can be enjoyed by teenage boys and girls alike with its web of intrigue, romance and a hefty dose of swordfighting and poison.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - I haven't read this one yet, but I still have a couple of years before I am no longer a teenager. :)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - According to my mom, this one is required and I am going to have to read it soon.

The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer - You should know the story long before you become a teenager, but as a teen you should read the original. (Though not necessarily in the original Greek.)

The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder - For its portrayal of real life in the past.

Top Ten List of Books That Teens Should Read Because They Want To.

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - No explanation necessary.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - This one is for older teens because some parts are rather disturbing, but the story and ideas in it are fascinating.

Redwall series by Brian Jacques - This one is for young teens before they outgrow it.

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen - This story is about understanding and respecting the past as well as truly appreciating the present.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - This story tells of the importance of love and free will.

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare - Because everyone should give the paranormal series a try, even if they don't think it is their genre. If this series doesn't make you like it, none will.

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon - Guaranteed to get any teenage boy who spends too much time on his computer to read.

Rafael Sabatini's adventure novels - Everyone loves a pirate and there is some good historical stuff in them, too.

Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce - OK, so maybe there isn't any particular reason to throw these onto the pile, but I love them.

Anything by Patricia C. Wrede - Because everyone needs a laugh now and again.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors I Would Die to Meet (4)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

The usual disclaimer that my Top Ten lists are not in any particular order...

This week's list is: Top Ten Authors I Would Die to Meet

OK, for this one it is going to be more of a Top Twenty, with ten dead authors and ten living.

Top Ten Dead Authors I Would Die to Meet:

Jane Austen, for the obvious reasons that her books are magnificent and she has a great sense of humor.

J.R.R. Tolkien, because I love The Lord of the Rings and it would be fascinating to discuss history and mythology with him.

Alexandre Dumas, because he wrote The Count of Monte Cristo, one of my favorite books of all time.

William Shakespeare, author of Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Cymbeline, the Sonnets...

Baroness Emmuska Orczy, who wrote one of the greatest adventure romances of all time, The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Howard Pyle, author and illustrator of medieval tales involving Robin Hood, King Arthur and many knights in shining armor.

Robert Ludlum, because I want to know what he would think of the way Eric van Lustbader absolutely massacred his wonderful Bourne series.

Douglas Adams, because I know he would make me laugh.

Brian Jacques, because I think he was a really nice guy and I read his books over and over again when I was younger.

Eva Ibbotson, because her stories are so lovely.

Top Ten Living Authors I Would Die to Meet:

Lois McMaster Bujold, because she wrote two of my favorite series ever and I want to know how on earth she manages Miles Vorkosigan.

Sasha Soren, because if she is even half as much fun in person as she is online... :)

Maria V. Snyder, because she wrote the Study series and invented Valek for which I will love her forever.

Cassandra Clare, because I love her characters, her books and Jace.

Juliet Marillier, because she retold my favorite fairytale (The Wild Swans) in such a beautiful way with her book Daughter of the Forest.

All of the writers on AustenAuthors.net, particularly Abigail Reynolds, Marsha Altman, Vera Nazarian, and Mary Simonsen, all of whom are so lovely in their e-mails.

Lauren Willig, because she was the first author I interviewed and she was absolutely wonderful. Plus, her books are so much fun!

Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, because I would love to ask them more about their marvelous Letter Game.

Gillian Bradshaw, who writes the best historical fiction novels I have ever read.

Tamora Pierce, because she invented such an entertaining world and then sicced Aly Homewood on it.

Bother, If I hadn't run out of space I would have added L. Carroll of the frustrating cliffhangers, Cameron Dokey of the lovely fairytales, Elizabeth Chadwick who writes books about my grandparents and....well, a lot more.

Top Ten Tuesday (3)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's Top Ten is: Rebels in Literature.

OK, here are ten of my favorite literary rebels. (In no particular order.)

Sir Percy Blakeney, aka The Scarlet Pimpernel from The Scarlet Pimpernel series by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. One of my all-time favorite book heroes, Sir Percy rebels against the horrors of the French Revolution by rescuing aristos from the guillotine.

Alex and Lena from Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I loved this book! Alex and Lena rebel against the world to be together.

Eona from Alison Goodman's Dragoneye novels. Eona dresses as a boy to pursue her ambitions and will take on anyone and anything to achieve her goals.

Yelena Zaltana from the Study series by Maria V. Snyder. She rebels against pretty much everything. Family, friends, torturers, kidnappers, assassins, teachers, nobility, Valek...well, she doesn't always rebel against Valek. :)

Tris and Four from Divergent by Veronica Roth. They both left their homes and families behind to make new lives for themselves.

Rhine from Wither by Lauren DeStefano. Married to a man she does not love and imprisoned in a world she hates, she never falters in her determination to be free.

Miles Vorkosigan from the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. Miles leaves a life of wealth behind to start an interplanetary armada with the help of only two friends and becomes the most notorious man in the universe despite being crippled and quite short.

Charis from The Beacon at Alexandria by Gillian Bradshaw. Having no interest in being a proper maiden and marrying the nasty fellow her father has engaged her to, Charis disguises herself as a eunuch to study her true love. Medicine.

Tally Youngblood from the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. Even though she is not in her right mind most of the time, she still manages to rebel against those who seek to use her.

Robin Hood and Maid Marion. They abandon their wealthy lives as nobility to give aid to the weak against the tyrant Prince John and his minions.

Top Ten Tuesday (2)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's Top Ten is: Reasons Why We Love Book Blogging!

Only ten??? Okaay....

I love book blogging for the books! It is a great way to fuel my reading habit since I have all these wonderful books pouring their way onto my shelves from authors who want me to review them or giveaways on other blogs.

Followers. I love, love, love followers. I love all the comments they leave and the feeling of delight when I realize there is another person who pays attention to my ramblings and nonsense. :)

I love that my reading has changed since I started blogging. I have branched out into genres I never touched before and I notice things in books that I never saw before.

Other book bloggers. I have so much fun watching what other bloggers are doing and talking to them about basically anything. I love talking to other people who share my love of the written word.

Authors. Is there anything cooler than loving a book and then talking to the person who wrote it? Making friends with them? I don't think so. Well, maybe having authors approach you because they want you to read their books. :)

Book tours. I had so much fun on the Random Magic book tour it is not even funny!

ARCs. I still feel a fiendish delight every time I read a book that isn't out yet.

Events. I love joining fun blogging events like the Book Battles or YA Bachelor Month (see sidebar) where many bloggers participate just because they feel like it.

This may sound a little odd, but I love blogging for the responsibility of it. Whenever I join an event or tour or accept a book to review, I am making a promise and somebody, be it an author or another blogger, is counting on me to hold up my side of the bargain.

Discovery. When blogging, I am always discovering new things. New books, new authors, new ways to have fun. I have been blogging for just under 6 months and everything is still fresh.

Writing. I have always had stories running around in my head, but since I started blogging I have also started writing them down. I have finished two short stories and submitted them for anthologies. One was turned down and the other is still pending, but the point is that I finished them. Before, I had pages and pages of ideas but nothing that I had ever completed.


Okay, so that was technically 11, but close enough. The above list is not in any kind of order; my top tens never are.

                           Lieder Madchen

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's top ten list is favorite book settings. Now, I find it impossible to put my top ten lists in order, so I am just going to share ten of my favorites in a mostly random order.

London, England. This is one of my favorite settings for practically any book. There are times when I read books just because they are set in London.

Tortall from the works of Tamora Pierce. I love the world Ms. Pierce created. I love the magic, the cities and the fantastic creatures that fill it.

Ixia and Sitia from the Study and Glass series' by Maria V. Snyder. If Maria V. Snyder invented it, I love it. Enough said.

Talia from the Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman, especially the city of Bellezza. Italy mixed with magic and a Venice made from silver. Beautiful.

Archeld and Bellandra from Victoria Hanley's The Seer and the Sword and sequels. I would love to visit these places, especially Bellandra with its peaceful people and their art.

Luminaux from Sharon Shinn's Samaria novels. Luminaux is such a vivid and interesting city filled with creators and music. I could live there.

Pern from the works of Anne McCaffrey. I really, really want to meet a dragon.

Idris from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. Just imagine a city of glass hidden away in modern Europe and nobody knows that it's there.

Sherwood Forest from the Robin Hood legends. I grew up on Robin Hood and King Arthur, but I always loved Robin more. If only he wasn't so devoted to Marion, but then again, that is part of why I like him so much.

Pemberley, Derbyshire, England. Mr. Darcy lives there. It has a lake. Darcy is known to swim in said lake. Need I say any more?

This is my first Top Ten Tuesday, but I am sure there will be more!

                            Lieder Madchen