Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was a Blogger

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish!

I love this week's TTT topic. Some days I even miss my reading habits back before I blogged, when I'd just step into a library or bookstore, pick up the titles that caught my eye, and give them a try. The following books run the gamut from children's classics to overlooked gems.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

I devoured books like I did food in my early years: consistently, but with little discrepancy between one type or another, and little interest in discerning the differences. That all changed when I found Ella Enchanted in fifth grade. Suddenly, reading could be magical. Characters could be role models I aspired towards.

Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech

Sixth Grade Honors English introduced me to Sharon Creech, and while I love all of her books, Chasing Redbird holds a special place in my heart. Every time I finished rereading this, I, too, wanted to discover an old abandoned trail behind my house that led me through off-the-grid mountains and familiy secrets. And, of course, I wanted a gorgeous boy to notice me as well.

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan

Homeless Bird was a random find I came across at my school's annual book fair. It was the first time I can distinctly remember reading about a girl who comes from a different culture and land than me, and yet made such a lasting impression on me.

Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer Hesser

Another random school book fair find, this book both terrified and enthralled me. Hesser wrote about Tara's struggle with OCD with such painful conviction that my eighth-grade self was convinced this was a memoir. I think this was pretty much the only book I read over and over again for several months that year.

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Here, finally, be a book on my list that many people have probably read! This random library pick of mine was probably way out of my league of comprehension in middle school, but was undoubtedly what led me to what is now my favorite genre: fantasy. This book will never budge from its place on the top of my McKinley favorites, because of its significance to me and my reading habits.

All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

The Princess Diaries were charming, but All-American Girl was my religion. There were lots I loved about it, from Samantha's pitch-perfect voice to the romance, but what I remember most is being in awe of Samantha for being able to pull off wearing combat boots with white-out daisies drawn on them.

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Her later books may have been more skillfully written, but Saving Francesca will always be my beloved for introducing me to Melina Marchetta (and Will Trombal, ugh my heart). I was Francesca and yet I wasn't, because she and her friends were effortlessly cooler and more enviable than I could claim to be at that age.

Love and Other Four-Letter Words by Carolyn Mackler

Carolyn Mackler may have gone on to write better books, but her debut will forever hold a space on my shelf. I wore out my library's copy of this with the number of times I borrowed it. There have been countless of contemporary YA books about moving and first love published since then, but this one was what started it all for me.

Tithe by Holly Black

And now we get to the good and dark stuff! This book was totally out of my league in terms of coolness points, but I read it at that sweet-spot age when arbitrary moody protagonists and I would forever retain a connection. Plus, I love saying the name "Rath Roiben Rye" to myself, over and over...

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Ah, I miss those days when I could walk into a bookstore and randomly pick up a book that looked and sounded good and have it later become one of my favorite books of my high school years. Libba Bray and Gemma Doyle did historical, paranormal, and darkly romantic waaaaay before anyone else did, which is why little has lived up to this book since for me.

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I'm intrigued by how so many of my childhood favorite books seemed to be award winners (just look at the disproportionate number of medals gracing the covers above). Nowadays, award winners seem to be a hit-or-miss with me. Have you, like me, ever wondered whether or not you would've loved a book as much as you did had you not read it exactly at the right point in your life?

Top Ten Books I Recommend the Most

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish!

Oh, this post is going to be easy-peasy for me to write. Because I only talk about a few books, ever.

The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

Recommended for you if:
- urban fantasy is your cup of tea
- you enjoy world-building so thorough it's almost too much...almost
- your panties get in a twist over the sexual tension between a snarky woman and a fiercely devoted (though occasionally adorably oblivious) Alpha

The Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty

Recommended for you if:
- you ever felt like you didn't fit in among your peers
- you appreciate snarky humor
- you think Holden Caulfield is a pain in the a** but still like teenage angst IF IT'S DONE WELL

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Recommended for you if:
- you appreciate the classics
- you are interested in reading a classic, but don't know where to start
- the idea of plots so elaborate and twisted you can't believe a human being actually made it up sounds appealing

Among Others by Jo Walton

Recommended for you if:
- you enjoy books from various genres
- you are a lifetime readers, longtime diarist, and/or aspiring writer
- you think my book pimping is effective, haha

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

Recommended for you if:
- books by Tamora Pierce, Gail Carson Levine, Patricia Wrede, Caroline Stevermer fill your "Favorites" shelf
- the phrase "light fantasy romance" is a turn-on
- you have Mr. Darcy on your list of most eligible fictional bachelors

Anne of Green Gables (and subsequent books) by L. M. Montgomery

Recommended for you if:
- you understand the value of good children's literature
- you think the word "feisty" is fantastic
- at any point in your life, you felt that having red hair would be great--but only if it's the right shade

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Recommended for you if:
- you love books that challenge typical notions about what a novel can and does accomplish
- you aren't afraid to be a little confused at the beginning of a story, not if the ending pays off big-time
- you appreciate authors who can string common words together like they're singlehandedly writing the entire realm of emotions into existence

The WVMP Radio series by Jeri Smith-Ready

Recommended for you if:
- the mention of "vampires" still makes a little spark of hope stir in your chest
- you've read every single book that Ilona Andrews wrote and are going crazy waiting for the next one
- you think True Blood is hot but Sookie is seriously lacking in character

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I've noticed that, with the exception of Among Others, the other books on my list are ones that I read several years ago. It's not that I haven't read anything recommendation-worthy since then, but I guess my thinking is that books that can retain my regard even after a century in publishing time are definitely worthy of recommending. How about you? Are your most recommended books generally stand-by favorites, or do you like recommending your most recent great finds more?

Top Ten Books I HAVE to Have

Top Ten Tuesday is an award-winning meme hosted at The Broke & The Bookish!

I decided to... personalize today's topic a bit. The actual topic is, "Top Ten Books I Had to Buy... But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread." This topic had a lot of overlap with my TTT post from last week (my Spring TBR list), and since it's my birthday today, I've decided to allow myself to indulge on making a list of the books that I have (present tense) to have for myself... despite the TBR mountain still being very large and all. All summaries taken from Goodreads.

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme

In a tower on the New Zealand sea lives Kerewin Holmes, part Maori, part European, an artist estranged from her art, a woman in exile from her family. One night her solitude is disrupted by a visitor—a speechless, mercurial boy named Simon, who tries to steal from her and then repays her with his most precious possession. As Kerewin succumbs to Simon's feral charm, she also falls under the spell of his Maori foster father Joe, who rescued the boy from a shipwreck and now treats him with an unsettling mixture of tenderness and brutality.

Out of this unorthodox trinity Keri Hulme has created what is at once a mystery, a love story, and an ambitious exploration of the zone where Maori and European New Zealand meet, clash, and sometimes merge. Winner of both a Booker Prize and Pegasus Prize for Literature, The Bone People is a work of unfettered wordplay and mesmerizing emotional complexity.

So, of course, after visiting New Zealand earlier this year, I had to become extremely interested in its literature, what similarities and differences it has with literature from other English-speaking countries. The Bone People is probably the To Kill a Mockingbird of NZ: numerous accolades, reclusive author, etc. Maybe I'll love it, maybe I'll hate it... but I want it, to give it a try.

2. Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

An utterly captivating reinvention of the Rapunzel fairytale weaved together with the scandalous life of one of the tale's first tellers, Charlotte-Rose de la Force.

Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from the court of Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. She is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens...

Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death, sixty-four years later. Called La Strega Bella, Selena is at the centre of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition, retaining her youth and beauty by the blood of young red-haired girls.

After Margherita's father steals a handful of parsley, wintercress and rapunzel from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off unless he and his wife give away their little red-haired girl. And so, when she turns seven, Margherita is locked away in a tower, her hair woven together with the locks of all the girls before her, growing to womanhood under the shadow of La Strega Bella, and dreaming of being rescued...

Three women, three lives, three stories, braided together to create a compelling story of desire, obsession, black magic and the redemptive power of love.

This book got loads of praise from numerous reviewers over the past few weeks. Add that to a lovely cover and a compelling synopsis, and I'm sold.

3. Underground Time by Delphine de Vigan

Every day, Mathilde takes the Metro to her job at a large multinational, where she has felt miserable and isolated ever since getting on the wrong side of her bullying boss. Every day, Thibault, a paramedic, drives where his dispatcher directs him, fighting traffic to attend to disasters. For many of the people he rushes to treat, he represents the only human connection in their day. Mathilde and Thibault are just two figures being pushed and shoved in a lonesome, crowded city. But what might happen if these two souls, traveling their separate paths, could meet?

Delphine de Vigan tells this story of urban isolation with poetic precision and resilient humor, in the much lauded follow-up to her bestselling No and Me.

No and Me was a short but bittersweet read that I picked up last year and did little swoons over. I love Delphine de Vigan's turns of phrases, the way she can use language to express the easily overlooked physical and emotional details of our lives. This one looks as if it will deliver along those lines as well.

4. Lust for Life by Jeri Smith-Ready

Ciara’s con-artist parents taught her three keys to survival: keep low, keep quiet, and most of all, keep moving. But managing WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll—not to mention becoming a vampire herself—has kept her in one place long enough to fall madly in love, adopt an undead dog... and make more enemies than she can shake a stake at.

A psychotic DJ, a wanna-be necromancer, and a posse of vengeful hippies would all love to see Ciara get her day in the sun—literally. To protect Ciara, her fiancé, Shane, has traded his flannel shirt and guitar for a flak jacket and crossbow. If she survives to walk down the aisle, will she recognize the man waiting at the altar?

In this final chapter of the award-winning WVMP RADIO series, Ciara must decide who to trust, whom to love—and whom to kill.

The WVMP Radio series is my UF drug of choice after the Kate Daniels series. By which I mean, this is the Kate Daniels series, except with hot vampires. Who can resist that? I am so glad that Jeri Smith-Ready was able to complete this series.

5. Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente

Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what devils or wicked witches are to European culture: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. But Koschei has never before been seen through the eyes of Catherynne Valente, whose modernized and transformed take on the legend brings the action to modern times, spanning many of the great developments of Russian history in the twentieth century.

Deathless, however, is no dry, historical tome: it lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever child of the revolution, to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation.

"Russian-inspired literature done right" is how this book was first sold to me. This was in the weeks following my utter disappointment with / anger towards a certain YA book published last year that I'll forgo naming here, in the spirit of keeping things positive on this post. All things I've heard about Catherynne Valente point to the fact that she is a supremely talented author, and I have no doubt that she can take a culture and weave it thoroughly and convincingly into her book.

6. Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

The master puppeteer, Gaspare Grisini, is so expert at manipulating his stringed puppets that they appear alive. Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, is spellbound by Grisini’s act and invites him to entertain at her birthday party. Seeing his chance to make a fortune, Grisini accepts and makes a splendidly gaudy entrance with caravan, puppets, and his two orphaned assistants.

Lizzie Rose and Parsefall are dazzled by the Wintermute home. Clara seems to have everything they lack — adoring parents, warmth, and plenty to eat. In fact, Clara’s life is shadowed by grief, guilt, and secrets. When Clara vanishes that night, suspicion of kidnapping falls upon the puppeteer and, by association, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall.

As they seek to puzzle out Clara’s whereabouts, Lizzie and Parse uncover Grisini’s criminal past and wake up to his evil intentions. Fleeing London, they find themselves caught in a trap set by Grisini’s ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance to shed before it’s too late.

Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz’s Victorian gothic is a rich banquet of dark comedy, scorching magic, and the brilliant and bewitching storytelling that is her trademark.

I've had my eye on Splendors and Glooms for a while, mostly because it's published by Candlewick and, amazingly enough, I have had a 100% success rate with my satisfaction with Candlewick books I've read. And now that this book has picked up a Newbery Honor, I think it's about time for me to see what it's all about!

7. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.

This is yet another Catherynne Valente book, but hey, she deserves extra spots on my wishlist. Somehow I missed the period when bloggers were swooning over this book, but I was delighted by the excerpts I've read.

8. The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox

One summer night in 1808, Sobran Jodeau sets out to drown his love sorrows in his family's vineyard when he stumbles on an angel. Once he gets over his shock, Sobran decides that Xas, the male angel, is his guardian sent to counsel him on everything from marriage to wine production. But Xas turns out to be a far more mysterious character.

Compelling and erotic, The Vintner's Luck explores a decidedly unorthodox love story as Sobran eventually comes to love and be loved by both Xas and the young Countess de Valday, his friend and employer at the neighboring chateau.

This is another book that worked its way onto my wishlist from my NZ trip. Then I took a closer look at that synopsis. An erotic love story between an angel and a human? Count me in!--if it's done right, of course.

9. The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

A major literary event--the complete, uncensored journals of Sylvia Plath, published in their entirety for the first time. Sylvia Plath's journals were originally published in 1982 in a heavily abridged version authorized by Plath's husband, Ted Hughes. This new edition is an exact and complete transcription of the diaries Plath kept during the last twelve years of her life. Sixty percent of the book is material that has never before been made public, more fully revealing the intensity of the poet's personal and literary struggles, and providing fresh insight into both her frequent desperation and the bravery with which she faced down her demons. The complete Journals of Sylvia Plath is essential reading for all who have been moved and fascinated by Plath's life and work.

I'll make a confession: beyond a handful of her poems for high school English class, I have not read Sylvia Plath's works. I tried reading The Bell Jar when I was younger but was probably too young or something. Nevertheless, journal writing has always interested me, being an avid journal writer myself. It's so different from one's published works, yet so revealing...

10. Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale—and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…

Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.

Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan—and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive...

Yep. So it appeared in a TTT post again, my teeny-tiny obsession with Ilona Andrews' books. It has that name on the cover --> reason for wanting it. That is all.

Happy Tuesday, everybody!

Top Ten Books at the Top of My Spring 2013 TBR List

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

Rather than pretend that I'm in the know about soon-to-be-released books and all that, the majority of books on this list will be books I can't wait to read when I visit the States in May and once again have easy access to recently released books!

1. Quintana of Charyn (Lumatere Chronicles, Book 3) by Melina Marchetta

I am waiting for the US hardcover version to come out in April, so my set can match. To tell you the truth, I'm so nervous about reading this book. I don't want this magnificent series to end, to not have a Melina Marchetta novel to look forward to.

2. Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, Book 2) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder was a tremendous surprise back in January 2012, and so I've been looking forward to seeing how Marissa Meyer carries forward the rest of her intriguing series.

3. Heart of Steel (Iron Seas, Book 2) by Meljean Brook

The Iron Duke was red-red hot! As soon as I finished it, I was dying for another Iron Seas book. It's unfathomable why I haven't got to this yet. Can't wait until May!

4. Books I bought in August 2012 but didn't read then: The Changeover by Margaret Mahy and The Winter Prince by Elizabeth Wein

I ordered these online the last time I was in the States, in August 2012, because they are the favorite books of some of my favorite bloggers. Sadly, they didn't arrive in time for me to enjoy them. No excuses this time, since I already own them and they're at home! ...somewhere...

5. Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

I originally dismissed this book as something I wasn't interested in, owing mostly to that syrupy synopsis and equally candy-like cover, but it's gotten lots of good ratings, so I want to give it a try.

6. Aussie YA: Notes from the Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell, Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood, and Slice by Steven Herrick

It's really sad that I own these highly acclaimed books, the latter two of which were a generous, priceless gift straight from an Aussie reader, and still haven't read them.

7. Dreamhunter (Dreamhunter Duet, Book 1) by Elizabeth Knox

Having just been in New Zealand and fallen head over heels in love with everything about it, I feel the need to learn more about it, starting with its literature. I've had Dreamhunter lying around forever; hopefully my memories of New Zealand will give me that extra push to really pick this one up.

8. Then Came You (Gamblers, Book 1) by Lisa Kleypas

It's been a while since I've read a historical romance along the lines of Sarah Maclean / Julia Quinn / Mary Balogh. This one comes highly recommended by a bevy of my Goodreads friends. Bring on the late night swoons!

9. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn is a much-talked-about author among the readers I know. I do this thing where I am greatly interested in reading an author's works in the order in which they were published. Hence why this is on my list.

10. Steel's Edge (Edge, Book 4) by Ilona Andrews

I am a lucky reader: it seems that every time I manage to come back to the States for a spell, there is a new Ilona Andrews book waiting for me to devour. I don't want to put any undue pressure on an author by saying that his/her/their books never let me down, but nine books and countless shorter stories later, Ilona Andrews just gets better and better.

Honorable Mentions:
The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, The Summer Prince by Alana Johnson

And as a bonus, here are some movies I want to find and watch when I'm back in the States, as the movie selection in China is also a bit touch-and-go:

• Labyrinth
• Pitch Perfect - Watched this already, twice, on the plane, but need to watch it again... and again... and again...
• Hitchcock
• The Intouchables
• Willow
• The Breakfast Club

Any recommendations or suggestions for me?

Top Ten Series I'd Like to Start But Haven't Yet

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish, and it's fun fun fun! (The few times I'm prepared enough to participate.)

Gahhh, how do I even begin to find all the series I keep meaning to read? *digs into LibraryThing and Goodreads*

1. Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott

2. Dreamhunter Duet by Elizabeth Knox

3. Savvy and Scumble by Ingrid Law

4. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

5. Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce

6. Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pierce

7. Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

8. The Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara

9. Arthurian Sequence / The Lion Hunters by Elizabeth Wein

10. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede

So, got any opinions? Recommendations? Pushes? Warnings? Advice?