Top Ten Tuesday: Book Turn Offs

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  

Here are my top ten book turn offs, or the techniques and character types I typical don't enjoy.  There are always exceptions for me when a book does so much right that I can overlook the downsides, but usually these things make me want to throw my book.

1. Love Triangles. These CAN be done well, but they usually aren't.  I only like a love triangle when there is legitimate confusion about which person you love (Raven Boys I love you) and none of the wishy washness that is Twilight.  I think we all knew you were going to choose Edward, Bella.

2. Hand of God rescue endings (Dues Ex Machina) I'm sorry Dean Koontz, but you are the primary offender.  Any time the characters should die at the end of a story or something bad should happen but there is a last minute rescue from a completely unbelievable source.

3. Mary Sue characters.  I make a few exceptions, but when a character is kind and pretty and good at EVERYTHING it is boring.  They need faults to balance them out. The worst is when characters have faults that are actually strengths.  This is not an interview!

4. Lack of quotation mark.  A lot of the time when quotations are dropped it just makes the reading more confusing and turns a lot of readers off. (not you "The Road", I love you always). 

5. An Object of Power in fantasy.  Just let the lord of the rings have this one guys, you know you can't top it and you seem like copycats.  Harry Potter kind of overdid this in my opinion, but I still love it.  Please don't stone me for saying that.

6. Reworkings of literature that butcher everything beautiful about the originals. Some people will never get to read the original story because you poisoned them.  I'm all for allusions to other works, but using it as the basis of your own feels too much like theft to me.


7. The morally and emotionally tortured Vampire.  I accept it in Louis from the Vampire Chronicles, otherwise it just feels stale.   If you really cared that much you'd step into the sun, you emo.


8. Prophecies.   Let me tell you the entire story in a few paragraphs so that the rest of the book has no suspense.  Sometimes there are cool twists on the meanings of prophecies that saves them from this fate, but often times they just suck the life out of a story.


9. Series Recaps. I hate it when the second book (or third or fourth...) does a tv style recap of "what you missed in the last episode".  Anyone who can't remember should reread the first book or look up a summary.  I know I don't pause midlife and say "in case you didn't know me when I was 12, here's what you missed".


10.  Characters that are blatantly a glorified version of the author. I'm talking to you Stephen King, Joe Hill and especially Glen Duncan.  I can't prove it, but I know you think you're that werewolf.

  

What's are your Book-turn-offs?  Leave us a link & we'll be sure to visit!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on our Fall TBR List!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  

This week our list (brought to you by Randi!) is Top Ten Books on Our Fall TBR List! This was a toughie. I actually have a "fall TBR" that's 80+ books long. And that doesn't even count the majority of the fall releases I'm clamoring for!

Click photos for a link to the book's Goodreads page.

Randi's Top 10 Fall TBR Books - not in order because I'm too lazy for that

1. Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. This middle grade novel featuring an "extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl" as the protagonist sounds delightful. I can't wait to do a joint review of this book with Becky! - Release date: August 29th 2. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis. I've heard nothing but awesomeness about this post-apocalyptic YA novel. (And I already pre-ordered it.) - Release date: September 24th 3. Just One Year by Gayle Forman. This book has been on my TBR since January...right after I finished Just One Day. I need this book in my life. (Also already pre-ordered!) Release date: October 10th 4. Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield. Honestly, it doesn't really matter what this book is about (adult gothic fiction) because I adored Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale, which earned her a spot on my list of auto-buy authors. Release date: November 5th 5. Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller. Another auto-buy author and another book I've already pre-ordered. I'll read anything Trish Doller writes! Can't wait for this one. Release date: September 24th

6. Magic Marks the Spot (Book 1 in The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series) by Caroline Carlson. Pirates + middle grade + female protagonist = sounds like a promising debut! Release date: September 10th
7. Crash into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry. And yet another auto-buy author (are you seeing a trend here?). Isaiah is awesome (hello, tattoos!) and I can't wait to get his story. Release date: November 26th
8. A Feast for Crows (A Song of Fire and Ice #4) by George R.R. Martin. I binge-read the first three books in August and could not put them down. However, after that, my brain needed a break because these books give me ALL THE FEELS and they are immense. I have a lot going on with student teaching, so I took a little break. But I'm looking forward to buying the to-be-released paperback version of book 5 this fall & I will probably read 4 & 5 back to back once that happens. Also, it's pretty awesome that my cooperating teacher for student teaching is an avid Song of Fire and Ice fan as well! :) Release date: a long time ago!
9. Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford. What an amazing writer! I fell head over heels for Ford's writing style with Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet earlier this year. Count me a huge fan! Another auto-buy author & a pre-order. Release date: September 10th
10.  Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein. My #1 looking-forward-to-read of fall 2013. It's pre-ordered and I will probably be jumping around my living room with happiness when this book arrives. Code Name Verity was just...I don't even have words. Release date: September 10th

What's on YOUR fall TBR list?  Leave us a link & we'll be sure to visit!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I would like to see as movies with casting suggestions!

September 10: Top Ten Books I Would Love To See As A Movie/TV Show (set in a perfect world...in which movies don't butcher the books we love.) -- originally done April 2011

Ummm, can I do a full ideal cast list for each of these movies?  Just kidding, but seriously, that should be a top ten tuesday option.  

1 The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. I'd really like Carey Mulligan to play Celia and Jospeh Gordon Levitt to play Marco.

2.The Magicians, by Lev Grossman.  Jesse Eisenberg would be a superb Quentin, nerdy yet a little bit mean. and Rooney mara as Alice.

3. The Snow Child, by Eowen Ivy with Mia Wasikowska as the Snow Child.  Best Russian folktale ever.


4.The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. Can Carey Mulligan just play all the female leads over 25?

5.The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw.  I could see this as a bbc mini series complete in a season.  I trust the BBC to make the casting calls.

6. The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater. This is such an awesome story I don't see how it could avoid being destroyed.  I'd really like Josh Hutcherson to play Sean and Lily Collins as the female lead.

7. Shadows on the Moon, by Zoe Marrio.  I just finished this one and OH MY GOSH.  I'd really like Curtis from Misfits to play the male romantic lead.  The scarification/tatoos would look really sweet. 

8. Sharp objects, by Gillian Flynn.  This would make a creeptastic and gothic movie.  Make it happen Hollywood.  I'd like Chloe Mortez to be the creepy younger sister and Jennifer Lawrence to be our main character

9.Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card.  
My dream came TRUE!  Well, maybe, I guess we'll see soon enough.  I have a feeling the movie adaptation will be warped into a children's story.

10. The Brides of Rollrock Island, by Margo Lanagan.  It may be the only Lanagan book I've liked, but I love it with the passion of a thousand suns.  I think the atmosphere would make for an awesome drama/horror combo.

What do you think of my casting choices?  Share your own list with us below!

Top Ten: Character Crushes

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  

This week our list (brought to you by Randi!) is Top Ten Characters I'd Crush on if I Were a Fictional Character! As I'm sure many of us do, I collect book-boyfriends like I collect...umm...books. (I looked around and realized the only thing I really collect is books!) Anyway, I love falling for characters, whether it's because I want to be his/her best friend or because I have a character crush. So, without further ado, enjoy this list of my top ten character crushes!

Click photos for a link to the book's Goodreads page.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: If you haven't read these...you're missing out!

1. Laurie from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - one of my very first literary crushes (which, granted, can be attributed at first to Christian Bale's role as Laurie in the 90s film version!). I've never gotten over Laurie. 2. Valek from Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder - Valek intrigued me from the start and I rode Yelena's emotional rollercoaster of feelings right alongside her. I just finished this and can't wait to continue the series. 3. Ian from The Host by Stephenie Meyer - Oh, Ian. He's one of the sweetest and kindest characters I've ever met. In fact, as I was reading, I accidentally told my husband "You are SO lucky Ian's not real!" Oops!  4. Roger from Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson - Roger is one of those guys you just have to love. He's such a sweetie and a genuinely kind person. And he's crazy about music - always a plus. 5. Matt from Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park - Matt's got the nerdy-and-quirky-yet-sweet-guy vibe going on and I couldn't help but find him absolutely adorable.

6. Jem from The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassie Clare I have been Team Jem since I first started this trilogy. Jem will always have a piece of my heart! Again, a nice guy who would do anything for the people he loves.
7. Jase from My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick - Oh, Jase. I feel like I'm on repeat, but such a genuine and sweet guy. The way he interacts with his family and the love he shows them make me love him all the more because he is so caring!
8. Jace from Rachel Vincent's Shifters series - Another Jace. WerecatJace. I don't know what it is about Jace...he's protective (overly so, to the point that sometime's it's annoying) and funny (often inappropriately so!); I couldn't help but like him.
9. Gabriel Merrick from Brigid Kemmerer's Elemental series (and all the Merrick brothers, really) - Oh those Merrick boys...I loved them all from Book 1 (Storm), but in Book 2, Spark, which is Gabriel's book, he totally stole my heart...which is kind of funny since he was my least favorite brother in the first book. He has a tough-guy attitude, but eventually shows his vulnerable side. When that side came out, he totally became my new favorite. Followed by Michael.
10.  Noah from Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry - Oh jeepers. I gotta have at least one tattooed "bad boy" on the list. I just can't even explain Noah. His vulnerability, determination (to the point of hardheadedness at times), and sense of responsibility (at least where his brothers are concerned) made me melt.

What do you think of my crush-list? Who made YOUR list of Character Crushes?  Leave us a link & we'll be sure to visit!

Top Ten: Books At The TOP Of My Spring 2013 TBR list!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  

This week our list (brought to you by Randi) is Top Ten books at the TOP of my Spring 2013 TBR list! It just so happens that I made a reading list just a few days ago full of books that I can't stop thinking about reading, need to reread, or simply need to read for various reasons. I'm trying to make good use of my reading time so I've started planning things out. Here are 10 from that list. Surprisingly this includes only ONE new release.

Click photos for a link to the book's Goodreads page.

1984 by George Orwell, I feel slack in my reading of the classics, despite the English degree. This seems like one that everyone should read at some point. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen,I feel I need to read a Sarah Dessen book since I have come to adore YA contemporary - I happen to own a copy of this one. Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood, I love books about food/cooking/baking and this middle grade read has been on my radar since last summer. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon, I occasionally find my mind wandering to Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall Fraser at odd moments...ever since I read Outlander a year ago. I've avoided picking this up because the length is daunting, but I've got to know what happens (happened?)! Lord of the Flies by William Golding, I hated this book when I read it in high school; however, I've come to realize that my feelings toward a book can really be altered by the context, so I'm willing to give this a reread and hope that I feel more kindly toward it!


Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, I've heard awesome things about this trilogy and after winning a copy of the final book from Epic Reads (thank you!), I splurged for copies of the first two books and, despite my resistance to angel-related books, I'm going to give it a go. Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson, I won this from a Goodreads giveaway months and months ago and have not gotten around to reading it yet. But I love foodie books (see previous mention in this post!) and have read some very enjoyable memoirs recently, so it's time to crack it open! The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, I've never read any of Hemingway's work, a fact which needs to be remedied, especially considering the sentimental attachment to his name ~ my honeymoon suite was called the Hemingway suite! Emma by Jane Austen, I still haven't managed to read an Austen novel and my friend Rachel (who is a huge Austen fan) suggested I start with Emma first. I've got to start somewhere. Clockwork Princess by Cassie Clare, Ohmygosh, ohmygosh. The final book in The Infernal Devices trilogy is being released in a week! I'm scared to read this book (once it arrives, I've already put in my pre-order), but am also anxious to find out what happens with Tessa, Jem (GO JEM!), and Will.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?  What is on YOUR Spring 2013 To Be Read List? Link us up!

Top Ten: Best Bookish Memories

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  

This week our list (brought to you by Randi) is Top Ten best bookish memories! 

1. Meeting Lois Lowry Last fall I got to meet Lois Lowry! Okay, so we didn't chat or anything, but I did hear her speak, which was pretty cool. And she answered a lot of questions from the crowd. And she signed all my Giver series books! I'm so nice that I also got Becky a signed copy of The Giver. ;)

2. The Little House Experience I looooved Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books as a child. I remember having a book giving details about some of the things talked about in the book, for example, BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES. And my mom and I made them. :) Great memory!

3. Sharing a love for Dean Koontz The first time I walked into my friend Rick's apartment (the Rick that is now my husband!), I noticed his bookshelves (as booklovers like us always do!). I was happy to see that he had quite a few Dean Koontz book as Koontz was one of my favorite authors in high school. Turns out he's a favorite of both of us & that was one of the first things I realized we had in common. :)

4. Yesterday I'm student teaching at a local high school (YAY!) and there was a student who had started reading Ashfall by Mike Mullin for his Silent Sustained Reading book. I mentioned to him that I really liked that book, especially since it takes place in our state (Iowa! Go Hawks!). He seemed shocked that I had read the same book he was reading! I told him there was a sequel - "REALLY?!" :) Last Friday he was nearing the end of the book, so I took in my copy of Ashen Winter, book 2, and told him he could borrow it. Yesterday he handed it back to me, this 400+ page book, and told me thank you, that he read the entire thing over the weekend! And when a student next to him challenged him about having read the whole book, he says "Yeah, I did! *blank* happens!" (Spoiler free) ;) Which just so happens in the last 50 pages or so, not that I doubted him! That was a great moment, knowing that I shared a book with a student and he loved it!

5. Book-stealing Mom We visit my in-laws in New England every year and Christmas 2011, I happened to take my copy of The Help with me on our visit. I sat it on the dining room table while we watched a football game and my mother-in-law picked it up to see what it was about...and got sucked in. She tried to give it back to me, but I told her I had brought plenty of other books so she should finish reading it. She loved it! Then I finished it & we got to chat about it. Then she called a few weeks later to tell me I just had to see the movie! This past Christmas, I took House Rules by Jodi Picoult and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green just for her to read because I thought she'd enjoy them. I love sharing books!

6. Being the Book Master My sister-in-law came to our family Christmas and immediately asked if I had any books she could borrow - yep, two huge bookshelves full! Though we differ a bit in our reading (I'm not big on straight romance of the adult variety), I handed off Something Like Normal by Trish Doller (which she read overnight and loved) and Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park. Again, book sharing is awesome!

7. Starting a book blog with my friend Becky! Of course! How could I leave this out?! Becky & I got our B.A. degrees in English together and thank goodness kept in touch afterwards. Now she's a soon-to-be librarian and I'm a pre-service English teacher. Who better to have a blog about books, right? :)

8. The Best Book Store Christmas in New Hampshire, so beautiful. Anyway, my friend Dave needed to hit up the used bookstore for some Christmas gifts...and of course I demanded to go, even though he and my husband knew we'd end up being there all afternoon. ;) This building was FULL of books. Everywhere. It was amaaazing. I gave the shopowner (a former teacher) my contact info in case he gets class sets of books since he has quite a few teacher customers. The first day, I walked out with 47 books for $58. The next day, we went back (hehehe) and I got the condensed (read: tiny print) copy of The Oxford English Dictionary for $2! The new set is $350+! 

9. Joining the Geeks Who Read Book Club! I have met so many other awesome book-lovers in this book club and it's great to have a regular place to discuss a book that we've selected each month. Even when I didn't particularly enjoy the book (Beautiful Creatures), it's still a great time. I have fun chatting with them even outside of our discussion meetings. :) And I have gotten a TON of awesome book recommendations!

Well, that's all I can think of at the moment, but I think they're some pretty great bookish memories, if I do say so myself! So what are YOUR best bookish memories? Link us up!

Top Ten: most frustrating characters ever

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  

This week our list (brought to you by Becky) is Top Ten most frustrating characters ever.  Brace yourself, because it seems like most people love these characters that I could. not. stand.

1. Bella Swan from Twilight. Is there anything redeemable about Bella?  She is just weak and self-punishing, clingy, awkward, a little bit stupid, self absorbed. 

2. Anna from Anna and the French Kiss.  I think Anna is just Bella without vampires. She is obsessed with having a boyfriend in a way that may be realistic but is pathetic and unappealing.  She has nothing but first world problems.  Just live your life, woman, boys do not matter that much.  

3. Jake from The Last Werewolf.  Ugh, Jake is just a waste of literary space.  He's completely apathetic, revolting in his sexual appetite, and such a whiner. 

4. Every single person in Beauty Queens. Enough said.

5. Jane from the teen adaptation of Jane Eyre.  This adaptation failed to capture any of what made the real novel great.  Jane, as a character, does not translate well to a contemporary time period, at least not here.

6. Patch from Hush Hush.  Really ladies (Randi)? Patch is just annoying and self satisfied and a little bit of a stalker/assaulter.  If you're going to go that route, pick Damon from Vampire Diaries.  HONESTLY.

7. Beth from Little Women.  Beth may have been paralyzingly shy, but I cannot believe any person in the world is that unerringly selfless.  It makes her seem very flat compared to the other sisters.

8. Every single character from Girl in the Steel Corset.  This book should have been published online as terrible fan fiction and left there.  If you can't bring something worthwhile to a classic, I suggest you let it be.

9. Peeta from the Hunger games.  Ok, so I actually like Peeta, but I just wish he'd get over Katniss.  He wastes so much time protecting her and loses so much.

10. Lily from Lies Beneath. I cannot for the life of me understand why Calder fell so instantly in love with Lily. She is completely average and very slow on the uptake.  I'm sorry, but if a human girl is going to rock the life of a supernatural creature, she better have some kind of special attributes.