Scroll down for Bloggiesta wrap-up.
Seems I'm in a blogging rut of a sort. I post reviews and Cat Thursday, but nothing much else. Trying to get back into the swing of things. I have Banned Books Week at the end of the month so want to be in a better frame for (almost) daily posts that week.
I decided to participate in
Top Ten Tuesday this week. It has been a while. I actually like making lists so not sure why I don't do this every week. Here are my top ten favorite literary fiction novels (these may also fall into other categories):
In no particular order...
1.
The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger - I loved, loved, loved this book. Even after seven years, it still stays with me. It was actually one of my first reviews on this blog (
HERE).
2.
The Keep, Jennifer Egan - This book blew me away. It was utterly what I was not expecting and that made it all the better. If you haven't read this...well, you really should.
3.
The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold - This was another of my first reviews on this blog (
HERE). I liked this because of it being a cautionary tale, but also the story was incredibly poignant.
4.
The Color Purple, Alice Walker - Not much explanation needed here. The movie is actually one of my favorites. I read the book years later and loved it even more. Brilliant story. (
Review here)
5.
The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro - Ishiguro is a brilliant writer. He knows how to get to the meat of what makes people tick, and it's not always pretty, or ideal. He is one of my favorite authors which is why he makes the list twice...
6.
Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro - This is a book not to read if you don't want to sob uncontrollably. Also, don't go watch the end of the film after reading the book. More uncontrolled sobbing. The movie was good. The book is better. The book makes you think...really think...which is my favorite kind of book. (
Review here)
7.
The Invention of Wings, Sue Monk Kidd - A wonderful book, based in fact, about the strength of the human spirit and bonds that can't be broken.
8.
The Mountain Story, Lori Lansens - I actually just finished reading this a couple of weeks ago and haven't even had time to review it yet. It is not just about being stranded on a mountain, but about people...what they do to each other and how they love each other in spite of it all.
9.
The Gift, Cecelia Ahern - I know Ahern is categorized as a "chick lit" author, but this book is not chick lit. It was a great book to read at Christmas because it has a message, but would be good to read any time of year. Another "will have you sobbing" book.
10.
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak - I think everyone has read this so it will be apparent why it's on the list. A book about human bonds, love, tragedy, and how books can bring people together. (
Review Here)
R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XI
11th year! So glad to have Carl at
Stainless Steel Droppings back hosting again. I'm a bit late with this sign-up, but I have a ton of spooky reading going on this Sept-Oct. Yay!
My levels of participation:
Read four books, of any length, from the very broad categories earlier defined as perilous. They could all be by the same author, a series of books, a random mix of classic and contemporary or whatever you like.
Here's what I have on my plate:
- The Night Parade, Ronald Malfi (currently reading)
- The History Major, Michael Phillip Cash (currently reading)
- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs (currently reading, hosting read-along at Castle Macabre)
- Salem's Lot, Stephen King (read-along in Oct. for TuesBookTalk & the Stephen King Challenge)
- The Kept Woman, Karin Slaughter
- various other horror novels
Edgar Allan Poe:
The Mask of the Red Death
The Pit and the Pendulum
H.P. Lovecraft
The Dunwich Horror
The Dreams in the Witch-House
I've already seen
Ghostbusters and
The Disappointments Room and I have to finish watching the last few episodes of
Stranger Things. American Horror Story's new season starts tomorrow!
Movies I'm also planning to see:
Morgan
The Blair Witch
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
The Girl on the Train
Ouija: Origin of Evil
Rob Zombie's 31
Rings
and tons of scary movies and paranormal/horror TV shows on television!
BLOGGIESTA!
Goals:
finish working on the new community reading site I've been promising since August :(
completed site url: http://www.gathertogetherread.com/finishing touches on new perpetual reading challenge accompanying the intro of new sitesign-up post for FrightFall Read-a-Thon- create button for new reading challenge to start January 1, 2017
- visit other participants
- work on book catalog and my home library site (A Library, Collected), if I have time
- ...if I think of anything else
mini-challenge at Guiltless Reading - create a book map Done. Here: http://www.truebookaddict.com/p/my-book-map.html
I accomplished a bit...not a ton, but I'm satisfied. :-)
Recent book acquisitions...
from Goodwill:
Treasured Stories of Christmas (from Norman Vincent Peale, Helen Steiner Rice, Pearl S. Buck, and more)
The Curious Cast of Benjamin Button, F. Scott Fitzgerald
The American Senator, Anthony Trollope
Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History, Fawn M. Brodie
Redcoats & Rebels, Christopher Hibbert
The Light in the Ruins, Chris Bohjalian
What's going on in your Reading life?
