Top Ten: Books I Recommend Most!

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 books I recommend most!  This is a hard list for me, because I don't usually "recommend" books.  I don't like it when said person doesn't love the book as much as me, lol. Sorry Randi.  I usually just "suggest" books based on what I know about the person in question or what I've recently read and liked.  If I magically found someone I thought would appreciate similar books as me, I'd recommend these, though...

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

The Scorpio Races~ For fans of gothic romance.  I love the magical realism of the carnivorous horses that ride out of the water every year.  If you don't like this book, you may not have a soul :). The Curiosities~ For fans of short story collections like zombies vs. Unicorns.  The author commentary and bizarre sketches are the best part! The Age of Miracles~ I'd recommend for fans of the City of Ember.  This is a really fast, bleak dystopia but it felt very real.  It is suitable for younger ages and would be a great book club read.   The Poison Eaters~Another good book for fans of Zombies vs. Unicorns.  I love the dark, magical worlds of Holly Black! The Diviners~ Oh, my gosh.  This book is a wild, dense ride of magic, mystery and horror.  I liked how the magical elements were subtle/dormant for most of the story with just whispers of it rising up like fog.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake~ For fans of Chocolat!  The magical realism and food really hooked me.  I warn you, though, this is a very bizarre tale.

The Snow Child~ For fans of literary fairy tale adaptations.  This book has a very measured pace and is not for everyone.  If you like a lot of atmosphere, the you may enjoy it. The Night Circus~ For fans of Harry Potter who have grown up.  If you're looking for a new magical reality to captivate you with its detail and atmosphere, look no further. The Magicians~  Also for grown up harry Potter fans who want something snarky, hard-edged and utterly depressing haha.  It's like the Harry that would have been, if a school for wizardry did exist.  I actually liked this way more than HP, please don't stone me to death. The Thirteenth Tale~ For fans of Jane Eyre and/or the Turn of the Screw.  If you want a windy mystery with heavy gothic elements and books galore, this is for you!

Have you read any of these? What did you think?  What is on YOUR Most Recommended List? Link us up!

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!

Picture Book Spotlight: Clever Jack Takes The Cake & The Duchess of Whimsy

Picture Book Spotlight is an original weekly post that will highlight relevant and/or popular picture books and suggest age groups and storytime themes for them. It will also include a mini-review. 
Today I have a double whammy because these two books share so many themes.  Another great pairing would be Apple Cakes.

Title: Clever Jack Takes The Cake
Author: Candace Fleming Pages:40 Audience: K-2 Themes: fantasy, fairytales, food, love, humor 

Summary: 
What would you do if you were invited to the princess’s tenth birthday party but didn’t have money for a gift? Well, clever Jack decides to bake the princess a cake.

Now he just has to get it to the castle in one piece. What could possibly go wrong?                                      

My Thoughts:  I LOVED this picture book. It has really charming illustrations and a storyline that will make you slap your head and laugh at the same time. Jack tries to take a cake to the princess but little by little it gets eaten away by other creatures on his journey.

Title: The Duchess of Whimsy
Authors: Peter de Seve Pages: 32 Audience: K-2 Themes: fantasy, fairytales, stories, food, love, humor

Summary:  
The great New Yorker artist Peter de Seve teams up with the author of bestselling Toy Boat in a slightly outrageous fairy tale. The Duchess of Whimsy is fancy and fussy—and definitely not ordinary—surrounding herself with wild friends, fabulous foods, and fancy dress. The Earl of Norm (ho hum) is completely ordinary, but he adores the Duchess. She ignores him, until the chef gets sick, and her friends have to make a super supper—which includes tracking down truffles, spinning sugar stars, and looking for quail eggs.

But the Earl is hungry! He sneaks off to an ordinary grilled cheese sandwich—and suddenly takes the Duchess’s eye. Maybe there’s something to simplicity after all. Maybe there’s something to the Earl after all . . .

This deliciously told and illustrated love story by the remarkable de Sèves shows how utterly charming and extraordinary a picture book can be                                           

My Thoughts:  Cute! I loved these whimsical ;P illustrations full of color and fun and crazy things. The story is about a normal Duke who falls in love with the Duchess of whimsy. The moral is you should get to know people before judging them. Because this is really focused on romance, I probably wouldn't read it for a storytime. It has a very princess-story feeling with your typical themes. The language was fun and had some rhymes.

Mini Reviews (Becky): Fairy Tale Anthologies Continued

Fairy Tale Anthologies

I'm currently in a storytelling class where I learn to tell tales without using a book. Terrifying, right?  One of our major responsibilities is to read as many story collections as possible to find stories that appeal to us.  As Randi well knows, I dislike most of what I read, so this is really taking some digging.

My first row reviews the scary anthologies I have been reading and the second just shows some general collections.

Scary Stories

Passion and Poison, by Janice M. Del Negro.  This is a very small collection of YA horror stories to tell aloud.  I loved how each of them had a strong female protagonist, and a few of them were very familiar, as they had been adapted from traditional stories.  Del Negro really makes these stories her own by adding creeptastic imagery and new character names.  I loved the grayscale illustrations!
Here There Be Witches, by Jane Yolen.
Ask the Bones: Scary Stories from around the world, by Arielle North Olson and Howard Schwarts.

A Wolf at the Door: and Other Retold English Fairy Tales by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.

General Collections

Ten Small Tales, by Celia Barker Lottridge Possibly the worst collection I've read lol.  I don't know if it is because these stories are aimed at very young children, but it seems like all the flavor has been washed out of these stories.  I could barely get through them, and this is a short book!  Needless to say I won't be telling any of these. The Boy Who Lived with Bears: and other Iroquois Stories, by Jospeh Bruchac A stunning collection of stories and images.  I would have no problem telling any of these, and I enjoyed the trickster tales.  My favorite was the book's namesake.  This collection has a lot of authentic atmosphere and spirit (or it feels that way to me).   A Treasury of Trickster Tales, by Valerie Marsh I normally don't care much for trickster tales, and I care even less for animal tales lol.  I thought this book did a good job with them, regardless, organizing by anti-hero and adding all kinds of supplementary telling devices such as sign language, cut outs, puzzles,etc.  Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Russia, by Virginia Haviland.   I would not mind owning this collection.  It has most of my favorites from Arthur Ransome's larger collection and streamlines the stories while keeping the colorful imagery and spirit.  I prefer Ransome's version of the snow child, however.  The illustrations are messy but atmospheric.

Picture Book Spotlight: Lovabye Dragon

Picture Book Spotlight is an original weekly post that will highlight relevant and/or popular picture books and suggest age groups and storytime themes for them. It will also include a mini-review.

Title: Lovabye Dragon
Authors:Barbara Joosse Pages:32 Audience: K-2 Themes: fantasy, fairytales, friends, humor

Summary:                                                      

When a lonely dragon follows a trail of princess tears, a beautiful friendship is born. They march and sing, roar and whisper, hide and seek, then settle into snug companionship at bedtime. Barbara Joosse’s fiercely protective and gently loving dragon cavorts across the pages, endearingly illustrated by Randy Cecil. At the end of the day, who can resist curling up in the embrace of a lovabye dragon?

My Thoughts: This is a really cute, simple rhyming story about a princess who wishes for a dragon friend. She cries silver tears that drip all the way to the dragon's cave. He wakes up and they find each other. This would be a great pick for a dragon storytime The illustrations are muted colors, adorable cartoon-style with a hilariously goofy looking dragon. I'd pair with Puff, the Magic Dragon!

Top Ten Favorite Characters in Fantasy (Becky)

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 favorite characters in the fantasy genre! 

Fantasy is my favorite genre, right after horror haha.  I tend to like antiheroes or straight up evil characters better, possibly because I find them harder to understand and more of a challenge.  So here are my picks in reverse order. 

10. Achmed from Rhapsody:child of blood: tall, dark, cranky and awesome.  What more could you ask from an anti-hero?  He usually does the right thing in the end...usually.

9. Damon from Vampire Diaries: Damon vascilates from outright evil to vulnerable and lonely.  I love a redemption seeker!

8. Vivian from Blood and Chocolate: I like the complexity of Vivian's emotions and her inner strength.  She's  strong woman/werewolf :).

7. Julian from the Forbidden Game:
Who doesn't want a semi-evil demon stalker who may be young and gorgeous right now, but will eventually warp into a disgusting monster?  He was being a creeper when Edward was still a baby.  I like to picture him as David Bowie from the Labyrinth.  

6. Scarlet from Sisters Red:
Possibly the coolest and most tragic female character in fantasy.  She is laser-focused on wiping out the wolf-like creatures that hunt young women.  She doesn't even have time for the attractive boy who is in love with her.

5. Celia from the Night Circus:
Ok, so I mostly want to be Celia, minus the magical torture her father puts her through in her training.  Then I'd get Magic and Marco.

4. Julia from the Magicians:
Julia is cray cray in such an awesome way.  She's really the only character in the magicians I wanted to identify with...at least in some ways.  Her epic struggle to obtain magic was fascinating.

3. Sean from the Scorpio Races:
I love moody, monosyllabic, male characters.  Sean seems so wild yet focused.  Definitely a win for Stiefvater.  

2. Lestat from Interview with the Vampire:
This hardly needs explination. Best vampire ever?

1. Quentin from the Magicians:
There isn't much to like about Quentin and I think that's why I love him.  He represents the worst in all of us, trying too hard, always wishing for more, and screwing up royaly.

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!

Mini-Reviews (Becky): Fairy tale Anthologies

Fairy Tale Anthologies

I'm currently in a storytelling class where I learn to tell tales without using a book. Terrifying, right?  One of our major responsibilities is to read as many story collections as possible to find stories that appeal to us.  As Randi well knows, I dislike most of what I read, so this is really taking some digging.  My first row reviews the anthologies I liked and the second shows anthologies that didn't appeal to me for one reason or another.  Expect another similar post later in the month because I just brought home another stack of these, lol.

p.s.  I don't know why the covers of these are so tragic.  Most of them are pretty old, but that hardly explains the hideousness of some of them.

Favorites

The Troll with No Heart in His Body, by Lise Lunge-Larsen.  This was my first and favorite collection.  There is something about Norway that just screams old magic to me.  This collection of troll stories includes all my favorites and some I'd never heard before.  It contains just the right amount of frightening imagery without getting too adult.  I also love how most of these are trickster tales.  My very favorite tale? The Eating Competition!
Old Peter's Russian Tales, by Arthur Ransome. Russia is another of my favorite locations for fairy tales.  I like cold climates and lots of landscape atmosphere.  Having just read the Snow Child, I was delighted to find "Little Daughter of the Snow".  In the end, this is the one I decided to tell for my first class performance.  Wish me luck! Ready-To-Tell Tales: Sure-Fire Stories from America's Favorite Storytellers, by David Holt. I'm still in the middle of this collection, containing both traditional and authored tales, tailored by some of the best known storytellers with bio information on each of them.  Favorites include Godmother Death, The Black Prince, and Urishima Taro.  Honestly, though, I'd feel comfortable telling any of these and I suppose that is the point lol.  I kind of want to buy it.

Multicultural Folktales: Stories to Tell Young Children, by Judy Sierra.

I love how this marvelous collection offers felt board ideas as well as providing sanitized versions of folk tales and rhymes appropriate for the 3-5 crowd.  My favorite story was a tie between the Stonecutter and Stone Soup.

Least Favorites

English Fairy Tales, by Joseph Jacobs The compiler notes in the back that these versions of fairy tales were often overlooked when face with the smoother, more romantic French adaptations. I could see why....these were gritty and without much appeal or charm for me. The People Could Fly, by Virginia Hamilton I really wanted to like this one, but the structure of the stories fell flat for me.  I felt like they built up dramatic tension and then rushed the endings and completely left out any kind of satisfying conclusions for most of them.   I also had trouble with the dialect. The Wonder Clock, by Howard Pyle These tales felt like endless repetitions of the same elements without satisfying conclusions or justice and were too gritty for the age group I think they best fit.  Many of them seem like they may have other versions or adaptations that I would like better and have been streamlined. Mightier Than the Sword, by Jane Yolen.   Most of these just didn't catch my attention.  They may have more appeal to boys.  I did enjoy the Magic brocade immensely, however.