Category Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

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Ahhh…Summer, the Time of Beach Reads!

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

Everyone is welcome to join.

Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out your list! If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It’s a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic:
Ahhh…Summer, the Time of Beach Reads!

1.  The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand.  Set on Nantucket Island, as many of her books are, this is a sweet story involving (primarily) the restaurant staff of this popular eatery.  Perfect for a quick summer read.

2.  Home to Italy by Peter Pezzelli.  This is the first book I read by Pezzelli, and I was not disappointed.  It starts in Rhode Island with the death of Anna, Peppi’s wife, but it quickly transitions to Italy as he returns to the land of his birth, reconnects with an old friend, and falls in love again.  It’s predictable, but after a but of a herky-jerky start, Pezzelli settles into a quick & easy style that is perfect for a day at the beach.

3.  Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik.  As with most (or all?) of her books, this one is set in Minnesota, and centers around a group of women living on the same street who decide to start a book club.   It evolves to much more than that, of course, and though the arc of the story is fairly predictable, it is well written and has a lot meat on the bones.  Landvik has an writing style that makes for a fast, easy and enjoyable read, perfect for the beach.

5.  Bitsy’s Bait and BBQ by Pamela Morsi.  I was drawn to this book by the eye-catching title, and found it to be exactly the right thing for a summer read.  It is set in the South, a setting I love, and it has the predictable love story.  However, the writing is engaging and the characters are loveable, so it makes for a delightful read.

6.  Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson.  This was Jackson’s debut novel, but the unusual title suggested right away that it would be a book worth reading.  I was not disappointed.  This is a Southern author whose works I love, and because characters reappear from time to time in different books, this first novel is the ideal place to start.  It is a quick and easy read, but truly enjoyable on every level.

7.  The Last Beach Bungalow by Jennie Nash.  A beach setting, which (obviously) is a great beach read.  I think I picked this up because of the cover art, and it was a lovely, if predictable, summer read.  Great for relaxing in the sun.

8.  The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright.  I love epistolary novels, and this is no exception.  It is the story of a 39 year marriage, documented in a letter written each Wednesday by Jack to Laurel, and it plays out for their children, who are home to attend their funeral.  Though it sounds like a downer, it is not, and it is rich with all the elements of a classic love story.  Worth the time, and great for the beach despite the subject matter because it is quick and easy to read.

9.  Sweetgrass by Mary Alice Monroe.  I have read several of Monroe’s novels over the years, but I particularly loved this one.  I love the Southern setting of South Carolina, the typical “Southern” way (even in the way Monroe writes), and the cultural issues that she included.  It has an authentically Southern feel.  It also deals with some heavy subjects, but Monroe does not have a heavy hand, which makes it a lovely summer read.

10.  Hearts on a String by Kris Radish.  A story that illustrates a grandmother’s anecdote about the thread that connects all women, it is sweet and fun and easy to read.  Radish always has some fairly implausible element to her story lines, but in the end it doesn’t matter, because she touches you, entertains you, and lets you escape from regular life for a bit.  You will not be disappointed.

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REWIND! Had to Have These Books, but They’re STILL Languishing on the Bookshelf…

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

Everyone is welcome to join.

Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out your list! If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It’s a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic:
REWIND!!
Top Ten Books I Had to Have…but are STILL Languishing on the Bookshelf
(click here for original post)

  1. The Millennium Series by Stieg Larsson
    I bought the audiobooks when they were first released because my husband & I were both interested in them, and we listen to audiobooks together on road trips.  They are still on the shelf almost a year later…one road trip this year, and not long enough for even one of those books.  Sad.
  2. A Thousand Splendid Sons by Khalid Hosseini
    I bought the audio version of this and The Kite Runner at the same time.  Listened to The Kite Runner and LOVED it, but have not gotten to this yet.
  3. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
    This set has been on my shelf for at least 10 years, and has followed me through several moves.  I purchased it with the conviction that I should read it, because it’s an incredible shame that I never even knew they existed when I was an adolescent.  Still there…still waiting…
  4. Hearts in Atlantis & Insomnia by Stephen King
    I have loved Stephen King since I was in 9th grade, and have devoured 30ish of his books over the years.  For some reason these never made it past the bookshelf, and I eventually got rid of both, though I have since re-purchased Hearts in Atlantis in audio format.  The last several King books I’ve “read” were actually listening experiences, and that is proving to be my preference lately.
  5. If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
    Purchased for a book group read, I had grand hopes of finishing it.  I barely got started, and with the distractions of a new baby and home renovations, it was abandoned and is still on the shelf.  I haven’t discarded it, so there is hope that eventually it will make it into the pile of current reads.
  6. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
    I bought this book when it was causing a stir on the book scene, and it sat on the shelf for years.  I finally sold it to the used bookstore, only to repurchase in audio format.  Still there, but I’m hoping to get to it this year.
  7. The Bourne Series by Robert Ludlum
    These sat on my shelf for years until I finally sold them when I was getting ready to move out of state.  They were a recommendation from my brother, and for some reason I never got excited about reading them, even after having seen the movies.  They are still on my TBR list, so hope is still alive that I will read them one day.
  8. Everything Monica McInerney has written
    McInerney is an Australian author, and I stumbled across her books Family Baggage and The Alphabet Sisters through http://www.dearreader.com.  I devoured those books and started looking for more, only to discover that the rest of her books had only been published in Australia.  Thanks to my online book club, I had a contact, and over the next year I exchanged books with her…she sent me the McInerney books I couldn’t get in the States, and I sent her book club selections that were difficult for her to find.  I have read a couple more of them and I love them, but I hate the thought of finishing the and having no more to look forward to, so I space them out.  Silly, I know, but sadly true.
  9. Complete sets of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway
    For some reason, I thought I needed “the complete set” of whatever classic author was on the radar at the moment.  So I bought them…in fact, I bought the book club editions, which have virtually no resale value when one decides to part with them.  I have not parted with them, but I’ve not read them either.  They do, at least, look good on the bookshelf.
  10. The Space Between Us & If Today Be Sweet by Thrity Umrigar
    I have been on an Indian literature kick for the past couple of years.  It’s not a constant pursuit, but when I find Indian novels that look interesting, I can’t resist buying them.  Not only did I purchase these, but I bought The Space Between Us at full price, which is almost unheard of for me.  They are still on the shelf, and I will get to them, but I signed myself up for all these reading challenges this year…

Updates 6-5-12: 

  • My husband and I (finally) listened to the first Larssen book – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – last year on a road trip.  We loved it, and we’ve been saving the other two until we can listen together.
  • I listened to This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald last year.  I recognize how good Fitzgerald always is, but I didn’t love the book.  So four down…
  • Listened to For Whom the Bell Tolls last year – well, half of it – and I thoroughly enjoyed the half I got through.  It is a long and heavy book, and after 9 discs, with 9 still to go, I needed some lighter fare.
  • I got rid of the Stephen King books (both heavy hardback editions), and I have Hearts in Atlantis on my audio shelf.  I doubt I will ever read Insomnia unless I get a renewed interest in all things Stephen King.  I’m still a fan, and I have read enough of his books to know that I’ve (likely) read the majority of his very best work already (The Stand, The Green Mile, The Tommyknockers, It, Salem’s Lot, all of his books from the 70s & 80s).  What I haven’t read (and still want to read) is already on my shelves (Lisey’s Story, Hearts in Atlantis, On Writing, some of his short stories / novellas).
  • I have added to my collect of Monica McInerney books as they have been published in the US, but have not (yet) gotten back to them.  I’m sort of savoring the memory of what I have read so far, and enjoying the anticipation of reading more.

That’s it!  More updates to come at some point…hopefully…unless I get sidetracked with some other wonderful book.  Too many books, and not nearly enough time to read them all.

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These (Books) Should Have Some Staying Power

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

Everyone is welcome to join.

Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out your list! If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It’s a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic:
These Should Have Some Staying Power
(or Books Written In The Past Decade That I Hope People Are Still Reading In 2042)

1.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett – Excellently written and deeply moving, this is a powerful & thought provoking reminder of part of our nation’s history.

2.  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows – A beautifully written epistolary, and definitely worth of a place in the literary canon.

3.  Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling – Not only are they well crafted and packed with action, the story line from start to finish is incredible, and they have been instrumental in getting kids (even professed non-readers) steeped in reading again.

4.  Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larssen – With an unusual protagonist and an oddball sidekick, technological intrigue and danger in spades, this is a detective / mystery series that rises above the rest.

5.  Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen – So well researched and realistic that it is hard to believe this is “just” a novel, but it is, and it is stellar.

6.  The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas – Controversial, and therefore so worth the read.

7.  The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – A gripping story that spans a generation (or two), an emigration to the U.S., and all the difficulties and joys that are part of life-changing events.

8.  No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy – It’s dark and disturbing and violent, and written so well that you can’t help but be effortlessly carried to the end on McCarthy’s words.

9.  Rain Gods by James Lee Burke – As will all of his novels, the writing is wonderful, but this one is an especially gripping, disturbing tale of serial murder.  Similar in scope & setting to No Country for Old Men, it is my favorite of the two, though both are worthy of being in the literary canon.

10.  South of Broad and My Reading Life by Pat Conroy – Really, I would say anything by Pat Conroy should have longevity, and there are several that have already proven their mettle, but since we’re focusing on the most recent decade, I must include both of these books.  Pat Conroy is as accomplished an author as we have currently writing, and I believe all of his works will have staying power for decades to come.

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What I Read When I’m Not Reading Books

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

Everyone is welcome to join.

Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out your list! If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It’s a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic:
What I Read When I’m Not Reading Books

1.  Facebook:  I admit it, this is where I am the most…even if it’s running in the background while I’m doing other things.  It’s an addiction.

2.  Drudge Report:  I’m a news junkie, and I have a collection of sites that I read regularly, but Drudge is almost always my first stop.

3.  Word Press:  I love how WP’s Dashboard page is set up.  The reader is very easy to navigate, and Freshly Pressed is a really cool feature to see great new posts.  Because I follow more WP blogs than any others, this is a frequent stop for me.

4.  Fox News:  No question, it’s the news junkie in me.

5.  Breitbart:  Yep, another news site that is a daily stop for me.

6.  Twitter:  I’m become more and more enamored with Twitter the more often I go there.  It’s hilarious!  Bonus:  since I post my blog entries to Twitter, I’ve gotten a lot of new followers, and several of my posts have been re-tweated.  One (apparently) was re-tweated enough that I’m still getting enough hits on it that it is by far the most read blog entry that I’ve written so far.  Here’s the link if you’d like to read it (and I’d be honored if you did):  http://thespotts.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/april-4-d-dude-your-dumbassery-is-showing/.

7.  Hot Mess Mom:  This is a hilarious blog written by a girl with whom I attended high school.  I didn’t know her personally, as she was a couple of years behind me, but we have a number of mutual friends.  This is an almost guaranteed laugh every time I read it, which is why it is one of my favorites.

8.  Paltry Meanderings of a Taller Than Average Woman:  This is a hilarious blog written by Christy Carrington Lewis.  She is a self-confessed blatherer about people and things that interest her.  Stop by and enjoy her wit and sarcasm.  It’s definitely worth your time.  Here is a link to my very favorite post…so far:  http://paltrymeanderings.com/2012/02/24/i-love-the-smell-of-napalm-in-the-condo/.

9.  I Can’t Watch, Is It Over Yet?  Like People of Walmart, Awkward Family Photos, Damn You Autocorrect, and Why Did You Buy Me That?, this blog is funny, and it gets funnier the more you read.  You almost can’t look away, and I have had many moments of tear-inducing laughter for which this blog is responsible.

10.  People I Want to Punch in the Throat:  I’ve been following her since her hilarious Elf on the Shelf post, which went viral over Christmas.  She is now a contributing writer for Babble.com, and her blog is also published on Huffington Post.  Don’t forget to read the comments as well…they’re nearly as funny as the post.

11.  Life is Grace:  One of the several blogs I follow that chew on what it is to be a Christian, to have faith, and to be saved by the grace of God.  She doesn’t post as often as I would like to read, but I always enjoy her thoughts.

12.  Dictionary.com:  I write almost daily, and I am constantly referencing this site, not only for definitions, but for synonyms, other related words, and background linguistic information.  Of the free dictionaries available online, it is the easiest to use, and I love it.

Well, there’s the list, plus a couple of bonus sites.  I encourage you to check them out!  And, if you have a recommendation to send my way, I’d love to have it!

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Bookishly Quotable

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

Everyone is welcome to join.

Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out your list! If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It’s a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic:
Bookishly Quotable (in no particular order)

1.  “I’ve had an elegant sufficiency; any more would be a superfluity.”  –Fred Chappell, I Am One of You Forever, Uncle Gurton (character in “The Beard”)

2.  “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”  –Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It

3.  “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”  ―Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who!

4.  “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.”  ―Kathryn Stockett, The Help

5. “People are often unreasonable and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you.  Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.  Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.  Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.”
–Kent M. Keith, Paradoxical Commandments

6.  “Do you remember me telling you we are practicing non-verbal spells, Potter?”
“Yes,” said Harry stiffly.
“Yes, sir.”
“There’s no need to call me “sir” Professor.”
The words had escaped him before he knew what he was saying.”
―J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

7.  Acts 20:24…However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

8.  Psalm 73:26…My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

9.  “Books are living things and their task lies in their vows of silence. You touch them as they quiver with a divine pleasure. You read them and they fall asleep to happy dreams for the next 10 years. If you do them the favor of understanding them, of taking in their portions of grief and wisdom, then they settle down in contented residence in your heart.”   –Pat Conroy, My Reading Life

10.  “Honor is the presence of God in man.”   –Pat Conroy, The Lords of Discipline

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It’s Spring…and Here’s What I Want to Read

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

Everyone is welcome to join.

Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out your list! If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It’s a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic:
It’s Spring…and Here’s What I Want to Read

1. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson – I’ve read & enjoyed all of her books so far, and I’m looking forward to this one.

2. The Social Climber of Davenport Heights by Pamela Morsi – Fun, fast reads that are a nice break between heavier ones.

3.  At Home with the Templetons by Monica McInerney – An Australian author that I was introduced to several years ago.  At the time, she was just breaking into the US market, but she has taken off since then, and her books are always good.

4.  Flies on the Butter by Denise Hildreth – a new Southern author for me, and the title is intriguing, so it’s on my list.

5.  Testimony by Anita Shreve – This has been on my bookshelf for several years, and I will (finally) get to it this spring.

6.  The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty – I’m about 100 pages into this book.  It’s not exactly what I expected, especially having read The Rest of Her Life previously, I am still enjoying it.

7.  A Death in the Family by James Agee – One of the (several) classics I will read (or listen to) this year.  It is waiting for me at the library now, so this will be a spring selection.

8.  The Geometry Sisters by Luanne Rice – Another light read for me, but since I’m behind in my reading goals for the year, it will be another quick read, and it gets another book off my personal bookshelf.

9.  Howard’s End is On the Landing by Susan Hill – I started this a few months ago, then got sidetracked onto other things.  I will finish it this spring.

10.  Through His Eyes:  God’s Perspective on Women in the Bible by Jerram Barrs – This has been a Bible study book, and it’s been hit & miss for me, depending on the focus of each particular chapter.  I’ll finish it over the next several weeks, and will (hopefully) find it an overall positive experience.

That’s all for me…at least so far.  I actually hope to read more than the above, but planning too far ahead is never productive for me when it comes to reading, as my mood almost always dictates what I choose, and it’s fairly unpredictable.

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What Do You Mean, You Don’t Like to Read?!

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

Everyone is welcome to join.

Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out your list! If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It’s a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic:
What Do You Mean, You Don’t Like to Read?!

1.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins…It’s a compelling story, but more than that, it is very easy to get caught up in the drama of the games because you’re not struggling with the writing.  It is well written, but not dense or difficult.  I’d recommend it to anyone who complains reading is boring.

2.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett…Not just because I loved it (and I really, really l-o-v-e-d it), but also because it is a nearly perfectly constructed book.  The story is compelling, certainly, but it is also historically relevant, hilarious, infuriating, and touching.  All of those elements should make it a great read for anyone.

3.  ”Why I Live at the P.O.” by Eudora Welty…a short story, great for dipping a toe in the water before committing to an entire book <gasp>.  Further, it is riotously funny, and as true as any story can be in relating the shenanigans & foibles of a crazy Southern family.

4.  The Green Mile by Stephen King…Though it has sense been published in book format, I read it when it was originally published in serial format, which for this particular book is ideal.  That is how I would recommend it, because each section is short, lightweight, and unintimidating.  Plus, it’s a fun throw back to the serial publication style that used to be popular.

5.  All Creatures Great & Small by James Herriot…and really, I’d recommend his entire series.  They are exceptional, and have such a quirky cast of characters that any reader will be stifling guffaws of laughter…and perhaps a few tears.  These are stories worth reading, reading again, and then reading to your kids.

6.  The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare…my most favorite book from my childhood.  I have read it several times, and while it is an (obviously) simple story, it is set back in early Colonial times when witch hunts were widespread, making it a great introduction not only to reading, but to historical fiction as well.

7.  The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama…it is a beautifully written story set during the 1930s when the Japanese invaded China.  The main character is a young Chinese boy who is sent to coastal Japan to recover from a bout of tuberculosis, and the book chronicles his year there.

8.  Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas and Sam’s Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson…these are very quick reads, as are all of James Patterson’s books.  However, these are a complete departure from his regular murder mystery fare.  They are sweet & touching stories of love & loss.  I loved them both.

9.  Playing for Pizza by John Grisham…I generally read Grisham when I’m looking for lighter fare, and this is no exception.  However, it is a unique story in that it is not a thriller at all, but the story of a football player who has to find an alternative option outside of the US leagues in order to continue playing football.  More than just a football story, it becomes a testimony to dedication and friendship as well.

10.  Night by Elie Wiesel…of all the Holocaust lit I have read, this one is (by far) my favorite.  It is just over 100 pages, and it tells Wiesel’s own stark, horrifying story in simple yet compelling language.  An easy read linguistically, it is shocking and upsettting, but what I would call a necessary read for anyone who seeks to have a full-bodied understanding of world history.

That’s it for today!  I’m looking forward to your suggestions!

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You Don’t Like Short Stories? Let Me Recommend…

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

Everyone is welcome to join.

Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out your list! If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It’s a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic:
You Don’t Like Short Stories?  Let Me Recommend…

1.  Why I Live at the P. O. by Eudora Welty
This is perhaps one of the funniest short stories I have ever read, and each & every time I reread it, I’m amused all over again.  It is a classic southern short story, full of family dysfunction, righteous indignation, ridiculous misunderstandings, and competitive one-upmanship.  Though easy enough to relate to if you hail from The South, it is truly a universal story of crazy family relations.

2.  A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
Flannery O’Connor was an astute observer of human nature and a harsh critic of hypocrisy, particularly that of overtly & publicly pious “Christians” who continually cast judgment on others, but could not see the deceitfulness of their own hearts.   O’Connor’s short stories are beautifully crafted & exquisitely worded expositions on society…nearly perfect in their construction, and with themes as applicable today as the time she wrote them.

3.  Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
In my humble opinion, this is perhaps the best of King’s short stories.  He is a master craftsman, especially of matters dark and horrific, and while this story departs to some degree from his typical fair, it is tightly crafted as his best novels.  And though the movie on which it was based is excellent, the story is (as is almost always the case) better, and therefore worth the read.

4.  The Body by Stephen King
Again, an exceptionally good story by the master of the horror genre.  If you remember the movie Stand By Me, then you know the plot, as this was the story on which the movie was based.  And again, as mentioned above, the movie is wonderful, but the story is better.

5.  The Dead by James Joyce
It is a psychological study if ever there was one, set in the familiar setting of the annual dinner and dance party hosted by some friends.  Throughout the evening, the socially awkward and uncomfortable protagonist undergoes an epiphany as he struggles through the evening, learning along the way how little he knows of his own spouse.  For those with a taste for heavier fair, this is Joyce at his best, but without the overwhelming difficulty (and length) of his more daunting works.

6.  The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
A truly beautiful story of love, and how true love puts the needs and desires of others before the needs and desires of oneself.  It is the Christmas spirit at it’s best, and while not an annual tradition at Christmas, it should be because of its flawless illustration of what Christmas spirit really is, and as such what (and who) the season is really about.

7.  The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain
A well known and favorite short story by Mark Twain, an author known for both his humor and his harsh social commentary, this story does indeed deliver on both counts.  It’s a humorous tale of a man given to betting on anything, and a short commentary on cheating.  It is not didactic or boring, and will leave you with a chuckle, but it is also a reminder to watch the eggs in your basket (to borrow another Twainism).

8.  The Night the Bed Fell by James Thurber
When a humorist writes a story of calamity and a hysterical woman, this is the story that results.  It is hilarious, truly hilarious!

9.  The Beard by Fred Chappell
Fred Chappell is known for his short stories, and the collect in which “The Beard” is published (I Am One of You Forever) is good as a whole.  The Beard, however, is my favorite of this collection.  It is riotously funny, metaphorical in its construction, and has perhaps one of the most perfectly worded and memorable lines in all of reading:  “I have had an elegant sufficiency.  Any more would be a superfluity.”  It is memorable not only because it is hilariously poetic, but also because it is the only utterance of the otherwise silent Uncle Gurton.

10.  The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick
An easy read linguistically, but a tough subject.  This story is set toward the end of WWII, and it is the story of a woman and her baby living in one of the Nazi concentrations camps.  It is brutal, but no more brutal than its subject matter.  Having read a number of books & stories set during the Holocaust, I can say that this is as good a place to start as any, due to its brevity.  It also provides a great lead-in to Ozick’s novella Rosa, which I ultimately liked better.

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This Year, I Am Going to Read…

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

Everyone is welcome to join.

Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out your list! If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It’s a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic:
This Year, I Am Going to Read…

1.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (currently reading) – To my knowledge, this is my first of “dystopian” fiction.  It’s not a category that I naturally gravitate toward, but since this trilogy is so highly recommended, I am giving it a shot.

2.  The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom – It has been on my TBR list for a while, and I’m determined to get to it this year.

3.  Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (audio) – Another one that has been on my TBR list (or perhaps on my “to-listen-to” list) for years.  I thought I’d get to it in 2011, but I did not.  I have great expectations for this year (pun intended). :-)

4.  Gazelle by Rikki Ducornet – I started this book a few years ago and then lost it.  When we moved to Arizona in 2010, I found it again, and it’s now on my nightstand, where it will stay until I finish it this year.

5.  Moby Dick by Herman Melville (audio) – The other colossal classic that I have meant to read…er…listen to for years, planned to listen to in 2011, failed, and now hope to get to this year.  It’s a mood thing for sure, and you’d think in a 12 month period, I’d swerve into that mood at some point.  This is going to be the year.

6.  A Personal Odyssey by Thomas Sowell – I gave this book to my father for his birthday in October, and both he & my mother raved about it.  I have it on my bookshelf now, and will read it this year…soon!

7.  The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson (audio) – My husband & I listened to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on our last road trip, and we both loved it.  Putting this on my 2012 TBR list means we must make the point to road trip & listen together again, and that’s definitely something to look forward to.

8.  Les Miserables by Victor Hugo – My preference is to listen to this book, as I tend to enjoy the chunkster classics much more in an audio format.  However, I want to get at least some of it under my belt, as it looks like a movie is coming out either this year or next, and I’d like to have read the book before I see it.  We shall see…

9.  Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer – A small book with a huge idea, and one that I’ve been wanting to read for about a year and a half.  Since I have a nephew & niece who are heading into the mission field sometime this year, I have a renewed eagerness to read it – then perhaps pass it along to them.

10.  Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor – I read several of these in 2011, and I want to complete them this year.  I haven’t decided if I want to read them in order or not, but I am determined to read them all by the end of the year.  She was a powerful writer, and the short story was definitely her forte.

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Santa, Please Bring Me These!

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

Everyone is welcome to join.

Just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out your list! If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It’s a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic:
Santa, Please Bring Me These!

1.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett:  Although I have already read this one (well, listened to it), I want to have my very own copy.  It is my favorite read of this year, and one I want to have on my shelves forever & always.

2.   Gift Card to my favorite local used bookstore…or Amazon.com.  I am one who would much rather pick my own reading material, given the choice, because unless someone knows precisely what my personal library looks like, it’s very likely that they will duplicate something I already own, pick something that doesn’t interest me, or pick something I’ve already read.  I’ve given books as gifts many times…successfully…but unless I provide a list, it’s as likely to be a miss as a hit.  I know it’s selfish, but it so much better to just let me make my own selections.  Really…much better.

And that’s it…