Top Ten Pre-Blog Reads

I find it a lot harder to remember the books I read before I started blogging. One of the reasons I actually started this blog was to keep track of what I read, and it has been helpful in that way. These are the books that stand out in my memory from the days before I recorded my thoughts on every book I read...

1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. This was my favourite book for a long time. It would still hold that title, except I feel like it's been so long since I read it, I need to revisit it to reconfirm - or rethink - my love.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I used to reread this every year - sometimes more than once a year. I haven't read it since I started blogging. I miss it.

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I think this makes my top ten practically every week, no matter what the topic is. It's such a stunning book.

4. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It gives me All The Feelings.

5. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Mr Thornton. 'Nuff said.

6. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. An absolutely haunting dystopia, it contains some hope in its tale of the strength of the human spirit.

7. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. This is another book that is a top ten repeat. It makes me smile every time I read it.

8. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Strong characters, beautiful imagery, a fantastic plot and powerful writing. One of my all-time fave stories.

9. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta. My best friend throughout my teen years, and still a great novel to read as an adult.

10. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding. I don't think any other book has made me laugh so much as this one.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books I Want Santa To Bring Me

1. The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling. I feel like the only person in the world who hasn't read this book.

2. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. Everyone I know adores this book, and every time I see a new, glowing review, I kick myself for not owning it.

3. Metamorphoses by Ovid. I love Greek mythology and I've been meaning to read the Metamorphoses for years, so I'd love to get it as a gift.

4. Saved by Cake by Marian Keyes. This not only looks like a totally adorable cookbook, it also sounds like an interesting and potentially moving read, focusing on how baking literally saved Marian's life as she recovered from depression.

5. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson. This twist on the Peter Pan tale sounds intriguing and has gotten amazing reviews from people I trust.

6. The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens. I loved The Emerald Atlas when I read it last year, and I've been looking forward to reading its sequel for awhile. I just need to get my hands on it!

7. Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart. I'm obsessed with Miranda's self-titled sitcom, and her book sounds just as hilarious and delightful.

8. On Writing by Stephen King. I'm hoping to focus more on my creative writing in the new year, and it seems like this book is a must-have for all aspiring authors!

9. The Illiad and The Odyssey by Homer. I specifically want the Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics edition of Homer's work, because it looks gorgeous. I'm obsessed with this collection.

10. The Original Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. This edition of Mary Shelley's classic includes two versions of the story: the original that Mary wrote, and the version we all know, which was heavily edited by her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley. I'd love to see the original and compare the two.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

What's on your wishlist?

Bookish Buys: Halloween Puppehs

I was going to make this post about literary costumes in honour of Halloween, but then I thought - you know what would be more awesome/hilarious? DOGS IN COSTUMES. And here we are. The poor dogs - some of them look like they need a pint of dog beer after the trauma and humiliation of being forced to wear these things...

Harry Pawter from Gypsy Eyes Clothing

Thing One/Two from Little Dog Fashion

Frankendog from Paws Point

Queen of Hearts from Paws Point

Little Red Riding Hood from Down Under Dog Designs

Dracula from Down Under Dog Designs

Sherlock Holmes from Down Under Dog Designs

Snow White from The California Chi

Robin Hood from Dog in a Fez

Bookish Buys: Nail Decals

I'm a bit obsessed with nail art lately. I've been collecting supplies like nuts - now I just have to actually, you know, do my nails...

Alphabet nail decals from Nail Days

Sweet Valley High decals from I Heart Nail Art

Frankenstein decals from Cha Cha Covers

Sherlock Holmes decals from Inspired Nails

Typography decals from Inspired Nails

Jane Austen decals from Inspired Nails

Wizard of Oz decals from Wear by Claire

Harry Potter decals from RLR Creations

Dracula decals from Cha Cha covers

Bookish Fun: Cubee Craft

I love these pop culture paper figures from Cubee Craft. They're pretty easy to assemble, so even an unco person like me can do it. I made Fezzik from The Princess Bride awhile ago, and he sat on my desk for a long time, until we moved offices and he got crushed in the process (the downside of being made of paper). I need a replacement, I just have to pick which one...

The Princess Bride crew...

Westley	Buttercup	Inigo Montoya

Prince Humperdinck	Rugen	Vizzini

	Fezzik

Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort

               

Le Petite Prince

 Frankenstein's Monster

These ones aren't book characters, but they're so cool I had to include them:

The driver from Drive

Oscar the Grouch and Grover

Carl Fredrickson from Up

Conan O'Brien and Stephan Colbert

Moss from The IT Crowd

Dexter

Pash, Pick or Pass: Halloween Edition

Time to play Pash, Pick or Pass - a game where we pick from a random book trio and say who we'd pash (and dash), who we'd pick for a relationship and who we'd pass on all together.

The Contenders
In honour of Halloween, we're playing with some of the most famous literary monsters ever. And my, what a pretty bunch they are.

Count Dracula from Bram Stoker's Dracula

Frankenstein's Monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Dr Jekyll/My Hyde from Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

 

 

I know, I KNOW, this is, like, the hardest choice ever, right? Ahem.

My Choices

Pash: Dracula. He was the first sexy vampire, really, and without him it's likely there'd be no Edward Cullen, Eric Northman or Damon Salvatore (scary thought). That's definitely worth a pash - as long as he didn't get too close to my neck.

Pick: Dr Jekyll. OK, so Mr Hyde is super creepy, ugly and evil, but he's only around some of the time, and the rest of the time you get a brilliant doctor. So it's kind of like the male version of PMS. I can deal with that.

Pass: Frankenstein's Monster. I feel bad, because I do have a soft spot in my heart for him and think he's greatly misunderstood. But I just can't get past the whole body-made-out-of-rotting-corpses bit.

C'mon now, who would you pash, pick or pass out of this terrifying trio? I know you totally want to pash all three, but you'll just have to choose.

Top Five: Fave Books of All Time

I was obsessed with Ever After when I was 12. One of my favourite lines was when Prince Henry asks Danielle to pick a book that she likes, and she replies, "I could no sooner choose a favourite star in the heavens." At the time, I thought this was, like, way deep, and quickly adopted it as my own attitude towards books. Now I just think it's super cheesy, but I have to admit it still kinda applies. As an avid reader, I come across so many books that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (and a few that I hate, hate, hate), but over the years I've managed to whittle down a rough top five list of books that stay with me and repeatedly draw me back in. So, here goes: 

1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Dickens is my favourite author - I just adore his beautiful prose, quirky characters and sprawling stories - and David Copperfield is the epitome of these things. I always feel sad when I've finished reading it, not because of the ending, but because it ends. Even though it's mega-sized, I still can never get enough of Davey boy and the inhabitants of his world - from Betsey Trotwood and Mr Micawber to Steerforth and even the icky Uriah Heep. OK, I just talked myself into reading it again right now.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Picking up this book is like diving into a big, comforting pool of marshmallows, hugs and sunshine (corny, but true!). I first read it when I was 16 and have revisited it at least once a year since then, but my introduction to the story happened when I was nine and the amazing BBC series aired here. I watched my gran watching it, and I remember her explaining to me what prejudice meant and then telling me all about Elizabeth and Mr Darcy and their pride and prejudices (of course). She then lent it to me on VHS, and I still have her copy of episodes four to six. I treasure it, even though I can no longer watch it (thank goodness for remastered DVDs).

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I read this for the first time last year and was immediately blown away. I initially resisted reading it because it's narrated by Death and it sounded a tad morbid for my liking, but I was SO glad I persisted because it's just brilliant. I tell everyone I know that they HAVE to read it (it's missing from the pic above because it's currently on loan); I just can't rave enough about this beautifully written, surprisingly uplifting Australian (!) masterpiece.

4. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This haunting tale really strikes a chord with me in the way it deals with love and loss. Frankenstein's desperate attempt to avoid losing everything he holds dear has the opposite effect, and I can't help but wish this was different every time I read it. Of course, that wouldn't make the book anywhere near as powerful and I wouldn't love it nearly as much. But I am a sucker for happily ever afters.

5. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. This book has it all - it even says so itself: "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles." It just makes me happy. 'Nuff said.