Top Ten Tuesday (6)

Each week the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish host a Top Ten list based on a certain bookish topic. Other bloggers are able to join in and post their own top ten answers. Here are my answers to:

Top Ten Childhood Favourites: 

I grew up on a steady diet of Children's Classics, not because they were forced upon me, but because I always gravitated towards them in bookstores. Maybe it was the pretty, often colourful covers, or the intriguing blurbs on the back. Either way, I grew to love them, and they were as much a part of my childhood as horses, and Barbies, and the pack of little figurine dogs I had (have, actually, never could give them away - I blame Toy Story). I keep all my Classics grouped together - apart from my Penguin Clothbound Classics - on my Ikea Hemnes "bookcase", which is technically a linen cabinet, but shhh. Here's a picture of the top, and one of the first shelf where my childhood books are:

Onto the list! All links will take you to the exact copies I have.

1. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, by L.M Montgomery
2. LITTLE WOMEN, by Louisa May Alcott
3. BLACK BEAUTY, by Anna Sewell
4. THE SECRET GARDEN, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
5. A LITTLE PRINCESS, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
6. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, by C.S Lewis
7. ALICE IN WONDERLAND, by Lewis Carroll
8. THE CALL OF THE WILD, by Jack London
9. WHITE FANG, by Jack London
10. THE LITTLE WHITE HORSE, by Elizabeth Goudge

Special Mentions: 

1. PETER PAN, by J.M Barrie
2. THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, by Kenneth Grahame
3. THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK/ ANNE FRANK, THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL, by Anne Frank (cover only, my copy is in English of course)
4. AESOPS FABLES, by Aesop
5. TALES OF THE GREEK HEROES, by Rodger Lancelyn Green, Alan Langford
6. Every single book written by ROALD DAHL

Top Ten Tuesday (5)

Each week the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish host a Top Ten list based on a certain bookish topic. Other bloggers are able to join in and post their own top ten answers. Here are my answers to:

Top ten unread books that have been on my shelves the longest:

Pretty covers lure me, and intriguing blurbs hook me. I think I've lost track of how many books I've brought that are now gathering dust on my shelves, slowly turning yellow with age. I'm sure I'll get to them... Eventually. Warning: there are a lot of series on this list. What can I say, I like to buy the second - and often third book - just in case I really like the first and don't want to wait. Shame about the whole "haven't even read the first" part, though.

1. CITY OF BONES, CITY OF ASHES, CITY OF GLASS, (The Mortal Instruments #1-3) by Cassandra Clare.
2. MARKED, BETRAYED, CHOSEN, (House of Night Books #1-3) by P.C and Kristen Cast.
3. WHILE I LIVE, INCURABLE, CIRCLE OF FLIGHT, (The Ellie Chronicles #1-3) by John Marsden. A sequel series to THE TOMORROW SERIES.
4. TOUCHING DARKNESS, BLUE NOON, (Midnighters #2&3) by Scott Westerfeld
5. TERRIER, BLOODHOUND, (Beka Cooper #1&2) by Tamora Pierce. 
6. VAMPIRE ACADEMY, (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead. 
7. IRONSIDE, (The Modern Faerie Tales #3) by Holly Black. 
8. EXTRAS, (Uglies #4) by Scott Westerfeld. 
9. EVERNIGHT, (Evernight #1) by Claudia Gray.
10. THE FINAL WARNING, (Maximum Ride #4) by James Patterson.

Top Ten Tuesday (4)

 Each week the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish host a Top Ten list based on a certain bookish topic. Other bloggers are able to join in and post their own top ten answers. Here are my answers to:

Ten books I read that were outside of my comfort zone 
(but was glad I read them in the end):


CHILDRENS/YA:

1. HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE, by J.K Rowling: Before I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone I was very much "Oh no, I only read books that have girls as the main character." What can I say, I was young, and boys had cooties. But when I did eventually pick it up, I was suffering from severe boredom - and a little pain after having my finger slammed in the door - at one of my family birthday parties. Needless to say the cover intrigued me, and I thought, "Oh, what the heck. It's this or Goosebumps again:

2. UNEARTHLY, by Cynthia Hand: Before Unearthly I was never a very big fan of the Angel trend that was going around. So when I checked this out from the library I was pretty much thinking: "Oh, this will be... interesting." I didn't think I would like it, but boy was I wrong.

3. LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI, by Melina Marchetta: I'm going to let you all in on a little secret: prior to reading Looking for Alibrandi I didn't really like Contemporary Young Adult novels. But all my friends were raving about this one, so I gave it a go and loved it to pieces.

4. SO MUCH TO TELL YOU, by John Marsden: One of those books that you read for school, and figure that you'll hate it. I soon learned that John Marsden is a brilliant writer, and So Much To Tell You is an amazing, touching novel.

5. UGLIES, by Scott Westerfeld: It seems really rather silly when I think back to the reasons I told myself that this book wasn't one that I would enjoy. In many ways it was because it was futuristic, and at the time I hadn't read anything like it. I'm very much a person who gets comfortable in one genre. 

OTHER:

6. THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY: There were three books, they were all large. My brother liked it, and boy books had cooties and were boring, right? Oh, young me, aren't you glad you were wrong?

7. PET SEMETARY, by Stephen King: I was never one for Horror novels, but my parents were always saying how much the movie adaption freaked them, so I figured I would check it out for myself. Of course, I always like to read the book first. The book scared me (and I loved it). The movie? Not so much.
8. THE BRONZE HORSEMAN, by Paullina Simons: This one is difficult for me to explain. I suppose I was a little dubious because I'd never really read such a moving novel before, nor one set in such horrific times. Certainly not one that the crept under my skin and stayed with me for so long after I had finished reading it. 

9. VANISHING ACTS, by Jodi Picoult: This was actually the first of Jodi Picoult's novels that I had read at the time, and I wasn't expecting to enjoy it very much. Crime, and law and such things were never really "my thing", but once I had the book in my hands - thanks to my sister - and read the synopsis I was pretty much hooked. 

10. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith: "What do you mean you added zombies to a classic? Are you insane, Seth Grahame-Smith?! ..Oh, but the cover is rather fantastic, even if I don't like zombies. Maybe it won't be so bad."

Top Ten Tuesday (3)

Each week the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish host a Top Ten list based on a certain bookish topic. Other bloggers are able to join in and post their own top ten answers. Here are my answers to:

Ten books perfect for reading around Halloween:

1. PET SEMETARY, by Stephen King
2. THE SHINING, by Stephen King
3. CARRIE, by Stephen King
4. DRACULA, by Bram Stoker
5. INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, by Anne Rice
6. DAWN OF THE DREADFULS, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
7. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
8. HARRY POTTER SERIES, by J.K Rowling
9. THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, by Arthur Conan Doyle 
10. PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, by Joan Lindsey

BONUS:

• CHARMED (based on the television series), by Constance M. Burge/Various authors.
• BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER  (also based on the television series), by Joss Whedon/Eric Powell.
• THE NIGHT WORLD SERIES, by L.J Smith
• WICCA/SWEEP SERIES, by Cate Tiernan
• PRACTICAL MAGIC, by Alice Hoffman

Halloween is not widely celebrated in Australia, and I've no idea why. You see it in the movies, read about it in books and it looks amazing, and so much fun. Now I have no idea if it's really like how it appears at all, but from what I've gathered it doesn't seem far from it. Usually my Halloween consists of handing out candy to very few kids, most of whom aren't dressed up, followed by the annual watching of Hocus Pocus, and Halloween episodes from Charmed and Supernatural; which are kind of Halloween-esque in themselves. And I read horror/thriller books, obviously. Because there's nothing quite like being freaked out. But it takes a really good book to scare me. Even from the list above only Pet Semetary and Dracula have made me feel unsettled. Nevertheless, I love this time of year, and I love spooky novels. 

Top Ten Tuesday (2)

 Each week the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish host a Top Ten list based on a certain bookish topic. Other bloggers are able to join in and post their own top ten answers. Here are my answers to:

Top ten books I bought because of their covers:

1.PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.
I love everything about this cover, and when I saw it on the bookshelf at Angus and Robertson I knew I had to have it, regardless of whether or not I liked the whole "mish-mashing of classics with 'new-age' ideas" craze that was happening at the time. (I do now.)

2. A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY, by Libba Bray
It's such a simple, fitting concept. Altogether the photograph is lovely, as it the model's pose. It definitely caught my eye, especially since it's coupled with such a great title. (See what I did there?)

3. WILDWOOD DANCING, by Juliet Marillier
Have you ever seen anything so enchanting? The colours are gorgeous, and her hair, her hair. All the details are just so beautiful. And of course the book itself is fantastic.

4. IMAGINARY GIRLS, by Nova Ren Suma
The angle of the photo, the red ribbon wrapped around her arm, the blurred text: all those things intrigued me. What did they symbolize? Did they symbolize anything at all? Then when I flipped the book over and read the synopsis I immediately wanted to go home and read it, because it just sounded so amazing. 

   

5. GHOSTGIRL, by Tonya Hurley
There is something undeinably fun about this cover, in an almost morbid kind of way. I think what got me the most was the silhouette - presumably of "Ghostgirl" herself - with her crazy hair, and the actual size of the book. It was so different to anything I had come across before.

6. THE GHOST'S CHILD, by Sonya Hartnett
It's whimsical, and pretty, and I love how there are only a few colours that have been used. Bonus points for the fact that it's hardcover.

7. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA (1-7), by C.S Lewis
I had already read all seven books individually prior to purchasing this particular omnibus version, which I simply couldn't resist when I saw the cover. Just look at the lion (Aslan), and how his mane is made of fiery-looking swirls. 

8. TWILIGHT, by Stephenie Meyer
It's such a simple cover: a pair of pales hands holding an apple, and yet... There is something undeniably captivating about it. And of course there is the great combination of white, black and red which has become very popular.

9. PRETTY MUCH EVERY POPULAR PENGUIN THERE IS, by various authors
They're $9.99, for one thing. And they're retro orange. I adore retro orange. I have a stack of these, even though I have plenty of other copies.

10. EVERY (ADULT) CLOTHBOUND PENGUIN THERE IS, by various authors 
They're so, so, so pretty. And hardcover. When I first saw them, taking up a whole wall just by themselves at Borders, it was as though someone had gone into my head, combined my love of hardcovers, classics, patterns and colour and created these. They're books made in heaven. 

Top Ten Tuesday (1)

Each week the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish host a Top Ten list based on a certain bookish topic. Other bloggers are able to join in and post their own top ten answers. Here are my answers to:

Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

1. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery: I'll never forget the first time I read Anne of Green Gables and discovered the wonderful world of Avonlea with the zealous, kindred spirit that is the protagonist. I've re-read this many times since, but there's nothing quite like the first time. 
2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K Rowling: I'm sure a lot of people have chosen this one. Who wouldn't want to experience the beginning of such an amazing series with the boy who lived for the very first time again?  
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K Rowling: ...Or the end, for that matter.
4. The Hobbit, by J.R.R Tolkien: I was fortunate enough to read this first, and not skip ahead to LotR, and boy am I glad I did. 
5. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R Tolkien: It took me a few restarts and quite a while, but I battled my way through this series. And in the end I fell in love with it - with the words, and the world, and the characters. 
6. The Lioness Quartet, by Tamora Pierce:  Words do not adequately describe.
7. On the Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta: The book amazed me. 
8. The Tomorrow Series, by John Marsden: So intense, so thrilling. Think under the covers, using a torch, with only the sound of pages rapidly turning; night after night. 
9. Sweep Series, by Cate Tiernan; Ah, my guilty pleasure books. I re-read them every so often. 
10. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer: That which showed me the way to the paranormal romance YA genre. I can very clearly remember devouring this one in a day.