Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I want to Re-read

Now this is a topic near and dear to me! I actually made a list not too long ago of books I want to re-read that is currently 293 books long and still growing (will be posting it in the near future). However, I won't bore you with that list right now and just share the normal ten... and by ten I mean a cheating ten and by cheating ten I mean I may put several books from one author on the list and count it as one. ;)
If you are interested in doing a heavy duty re-reading challenge in 2015 I have opened up the sign-up page for my 2015 Hard Core Re-Reading Challenge and you can view it HERE.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee- I re-watched the movie recently and it just gave me a yearning to re-read the book. I remember enjoying it when I first read it but I think I could get a lot more out of it now. 
2. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain- I read them back in the day and I'd like to re-read them now. I remember enjoying Huckleberry Finn but I don't remember enjoying Tom Sawyer as much.
3. David Copperfield and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens- Two of Dickens' novels that I wasn't as crazy about when I read them but they are two of the first I read so I'd like to give them another chance as they are some of the most highly acclaimed. Plus, David Copperfield is one of my Dad's favorite books and he thinks that my not loving it as he does is a serious character deficit. ;) Since my Dad is normally an excellent judge of books, I feel that probably I should give it another try. :)
4.  Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul- This book made a big impact on my spiritual life back when I read it my freshman year of high school and I would love to re-read it now that I'm older. 
5. Little Britches and others in series by Ralph Moody- These are essentially the male version of Little House in the Big Woods. I enjoyed them as a kid but never read the last three so I'd like to re-read these so I can read the last three with more understanding. Plus, they are great books so I want to re-read them anyways. :)
6. Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss- I've mentioned my wanting to re-read this a few times here on the blog but essentially my reasoning is that I didn't like it when I first read it several years ago but my siblings insist it is an exceptional book so I'm going to try to re-read it. I think part of the reason I disliked it is because it is one of the few books I read after watching the movie and I loved the movie and the book and the movie are just not the same. 
7. Emma by Jane Austen- This is the only novel of Jane Austen's that I'm not absolutely in love with. I love the Kate Beckinsdale movie but the book I just found somewhat tedious. Not saying at all that I didn't like it, I just did not enjoy it as much as Austen's other books. Mr. Knightley is almost my favorite of Austen's heroes. I have been assured by my brother though that it is better with a re-read so I am going to try that. 
8. Little Women and other in series by Louise May Alcott- Such as classic and one that I have always loved. I'm not re-reading this one because I'm trying to like it better but because I love it so much. :)
   
9. Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood and The Story of King Arthur and His Knights and Roger Lancelyn Green's King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table and The Adventures of Robin Hood. These books are how I came to know of the legends of Robin hood and King Arthur as a kid. Watching The Adventures of Merlin has reminded me how little I recall. So I'd like to re-read them to refresh my memory. 
10. P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels- I don't think there are words to describe the wonders of Wodehouse's novels. Pretty much they are just classic, amazing british humor at its absolute best. It's been awhile since I've read his Jeeves and Woosters series so I would love to re-read those. 

There's so many more books I'm dying to re-read but these are my top ones.
Again, if you have a long list of re-reads you want to tackle next year be sure to go to THIS blog post to sign up for my re-reading challenge. 

I'm also hosting the 2015 Birthday Month Reading Challenge and you can check that out HERE.

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Classics Club Spin #3

Time for another Classics Club spin! If you are unfamiliar with how classics club spins work, basically I am going to make a list of twenty books from my Classics Club book list and next Monday The Classics Club is going to "spin" a number and whatever book it is that corresponds with the number on my book list I will have to read before January 5, 2015. This has always challenged me to read something maybe I was putting off to read and is tons of fun. :)
So here's my list!

Books I'm dreading

1) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
2) The Divine Comedy by Dante
3) Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
4) Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
5) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Books I'm neutral about

6) Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin

7) Shirley by Charlotte Bronte

8) Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs 

9) The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

10) Dracula by Bram Stoker

11) The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

12) The 39 Steps by John Buchan

13) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

14) The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

15) An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

Books I'm excited about! 

16) Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw

17) Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesslinger

18) The Way we Live Now by Anthony Trollope

19) Armadale by Wilkie Collins

20) No Name by Wilkie Collins

I'm excited to see what I get so check back Monday to see the result of the spin! 

P.S. Be sure to check out the two reading challenges I am hosting for 2015! The Hard Core Re-Reading Challenge HERE, and the Birthday Month Reading Challenge HERE. 

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It's Monday! Trying to Read...

I know I didn't post an "It's Monday" last week but it's been stressful with nursing school! For clinicals I'm doing ICU right now which is amazing and I love it but there is so much paperwork involved! I did get to see an open heart surgery, which has been my dream since taking Anatomy and Physiology three years ago. It's also something I get to mark off my bucket list. :)

Currently Reading

• Prayer by John Bunyan
• Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James
• King Solomon's Mines by H. Ryder Haagard

Finished this week

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling- Finally finished my re-read of the Harry Potter series. :) I kind of want to re-watch the movies but I kind of don't have the time. You can read my review of the whole series HERE. 

Coming Soon (hopefully)

I really need to finish reading these as they are the last four books left for my "To-be Read Pile Challenge". Once I finish these and finish the book Prayer that I am currently reading I'll have everything read for my reading challenges this year!!!

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
• Here I stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland H. Bainton
• The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

PLEASE NOTE

I am hosting the 2015 Hard Core Re-reading Challenge and sign-up is now available so if you aren interested go to THIS blog post and join in the fun! :)
I am also hosting the 2015 Birthday Month Reading Challenge and you can sign up for that HERE. 

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2015 Birthday Month Reading Challenge

I had a brainwave about a reading challenge (well hopefully it's a brainwave and I'm not stealing someone else's idea) so I'm going to host ANOTHER challenge! :)

Rules (And when I say rules please realize I'm one of the most flexible people in existence)

• First off, this challenge is for EVERYBODY! That means YOU! I want anyone and everyone to join in on the fun!
• How this challenge works is that each month you read a book by an author who has his or her birthday in that month. So for example in December you could read a book by Jane Austen because her birthday is December 16th and in July you could read a book by J.K. Rowling because her birthday is July 31st. So you will end up reading twelve books all together for this challenge. 
• At the beginning of each month I will try and post a list of some author with their birthday in that month as a prompt. You should start and finish each book in that month span but if you don't make it that's okay. :) The ultimate goal is to get all twelve books completed before the end of the year. 
• The challenge officially runs from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015. 
• At THIS POST you can link up your reviews of the books you read for this challenge. That way not only can everyone enjoy other people's review but also that is how I'll keep track of how many books you complete for the drawing at the end (see below). I don't care how short or long your review is. :)
• Those participating in this challenge will be entered in a drawing for prizes! There will be three winners. The first place winner will get their choice of a book or a literary trinket (costing $20 or less) from Amazon. Second place will have the same option only costing $15 or less and third place the same costing $10 or less.... because I'm a poor nursing student people! ;)
• All forms of books are allowable including actual book, ebook and audiobook. 
• If you don't have a blog but still want to participate you can sign up with a comment and use Goodreads for reviews or I suppose even comment on the reviews page with your reviews. I don't want to exclude anyone from joining in the fun. :)
• You can sign up below with the Linky tool. Registration is open from now right up until the end on December 31, 2015. 

Sign up here!

P.S. Be sure to check out my Hard Core Re-Reading challenge HERE!

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Announcing the 2015 Hard Core Re-reading Challenge!!!!!

There are so many books that I really want to re-read that I have decided to host the 2015 Hard Core Re-Reading Challenge! This is for those of us who have a loooooooong list of books we want to re-read.

Rules (And when I say rules please realize I'm one of the most flexible people in existence)

• First off, this challenge is for EVERYBODY! That means YOU! I want anyone and everyone to join in on the fun!
• I suggest you make a list of books that you want to re-read for 2015 and post it with your sign up post. You are welcome to add to it as the year goes on and you definitely don't have to read them all. I recommend it be a suggested list and you can just chose books off of it as you go along.
• The challenge officially runs from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015. ONLY books started AND finished in that time frame will count. 
• You can post your reviews for this challenge at THIS POST. That way not only can everyone enjoy other people's review but also that is how I'll keep track of how many books you complete for the drawing at the end (see below). I don't care how short or long your review is. :)
• For every ten books you re-read your name will be entered in a drawing and if you complete the challenge you signed up for it is entered again. So even if you go overboard and think you can re-read fifty books but only end up re-reading 20, you can still be eligible for prizes! There will be three winners. The first place winner will get their choice of a book or a literary trinket (costing $20 or less) from Amazon. Second place will have the same option only costing $15 or less and third place the same costing $10 or less.... because I'm a poor nursing student people! ;)
• All forms of books are allowable including actual book, ebook and audiobook. 
• If you don't have a blog but still want to participate you can sign up with a comment and use Goodreads for reviews or I suppose even comment on the reviews page with your reviews. I don't want to exclude anyone from joining in the fun. :)
• You can sign up below with the Linky tool. Registration is open from now right up until the end on December 31, 2015. 

Levels

Level 1 10-20 Re-reading itch
Level 2 20-30 Re-reading bug
Level 3 30-40 Re-reading fever
Level 4 40-50 Re-reading paralysis
Level 5 50+ Re-reading coma (if you can do this I highly commend you!)

Sign up HERE

I'm super excited about hosting this challenge. This year I did reading challenges for the first time and I have had tons of fun and have been challenged with my reading so I'm hoping to have double the fun (and challenge) hosting my own. :) As 2015 draws closer, I look forward to signing up for far too many challenges and I hope you will join me in that. :) If you are looking for challenges to sign up for, Novel Challenges is a blog that is kind of a central for all of the reading challenges so that's a great place to start. :)
Have a great day and God bless. :)
P.S. Be sure to check out my Birthday Month Reading Challenge HERE.

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Book Review- Harry Potter (Re-Read)

For my re-reading challenge this year I re-read all of the Harry Potter books, not that I needed to, I've done it many times before. However, I also had to write a review for them for my my re-reading challenge and that is something I have never done before. I have mixed feelings on so much from these books but I also love them so much. Therefore, my review may be jumbled. Basically, I'm going to talk about the aspects I didn't like and assume I loved everything else. :)

First things first, I am a Christian and yes I read Harry Potter. I happen to think that the Christians that don't read Harry Potter have somewhat valid concerns, however, in my opinion if you read them with a discerning mind knowing that these books are just like any other fantasy... not real, there is little there for concern. I will probably not give my young children Harry Potter... I will probably wait until they are older or at least if they are younger read it with them so we can talk through some of the issues it presents. I read them when I was a teenager and I think that was a good age to enjoy them at while still being discerning.

So a few thoughts on the books. One of my least favorite aspects of the later books (starting in the fourth book) is their incorporation of teenager love stuff. Not that I mind there being romance in the books, just that it was too mushy, silly and over the top. On that note, I am glad that everyone ended up marrying who they did. Ron and Hermione were meant for each other no matter what J.K. Rowling says! Harry and Ginny were nice together as well though I agree with my brother in that Luna Lovegood and Harry could have worked together. I'm not sold on Ginny... I think Hermione telling her to move on from Harry was a good idea but then dating multiple other guys to get to him seemed a little ridiculous to me. However, it all turned out in the end and I'm happy with it. :)

Now I would love to hear your opinions on Snape. All through the series J.K. Rowling drove you crazy trying to figure out if he was good or bad. His story shocked me at the end I must say but I liked it. However, I don't get people liking Snape and thinking he was so romantic loving Lilly Potter all these years because frankly I thought it was rather creepy and I thought all the time that he knew her when she was living he was kind of creepy about her. Yes, he was very brave and he made the right decisions in the end, but did he make them for the right reasons? Food for thought.

I don't really have a favorite of the novels. I really love them all. The fifth was my favorite for a long time but I just can't chose anymore. I think maybe I do prefer the later ones though, despite my quibbles with their romanticism that I mentioned above. J.K. Rowling could have definitely done some tighter writing to make them shorter though... maybe left out some mushy yuck? ;) The first one though always has a special place in my heart. I feel it has more of the british humor in them that I so enjoy. It's lighter, it's more magical, it's that first glimpse into the whole magical world that Harry is entering and it's our first glimpse as well. That line "You're a wizard Harry" was the beginning of such a great adventure!

As for the movies I want to re-watch them again now that I've re-read the books but I don't really have time (which never seems to stop me though). However, from what I recall, I like the first and second, the third is pretty good but then as the books get longer the movies start having trouble accommodating, which isn't necessarily the filmmakers fault... there was a lot to incorporate into the films but maybe they should have done two parters with others besides the last. Four was okay, five made me mad and six didn't make me happier but I felt that the seventh was pretty well done as they did it in two parts. There was just too much left out of five and six and it came back to bite them later.  There was too much left out of all of them in my opinion and it came back to bite them for those too but especially in five and six. All in all though they are pretty good films. I am a book purist so don't listen to me when you want an opinion on a book to film adaptation as normally it's negative. ;) One specific note I want to make on them are that I think they didn't do justice to Ron's character and that makes me unhappy. :(

So there's my thoughts on Harry Potter. :) I'd love to hear your thoughts too so please comment!

P.S. Check back tomorrow for an important post!

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Top Ten Characters I Would Want to be for Halloween

I don't really celebrate Halloween (except candy of course, any excuse to eat candy ;)) but if I could, here are my top ten characters that I would dress up as for Halloween.

Literary

1. Eowyn or Arwen from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
2. Anne Shirley from L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series
3. Lizzie Bennett from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
4. Mary Poppins from P.L. Travers Mary Poppins series
5. A hobbit from Tolkien's The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings

Non-literary

1. Clara Oswin Oswald from the T.V. Show Dr. Who
2. Amelia Pond from the T.V. Show Dr. Who
3. A Weeping Angel from the T.V. Show Dr. Who
4. The T.A.R.D.I.S. from the T.V. Show Dr. Who
5. Rapunzel from Disney's Tangled (after her hair's been cut obviously) ;)

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Top Ten New Series (Books) I Want to Start

If you've been following my blog for awhile you'll know that I don't really read new books... I just don't. So this list of my top ten new series books I want to start is more of a hypothetical "if I had to read a new book this is what I would read" kind of list, though some of these I do think maybe someday I'll read. Don't get me wrong, I do read some modern books, but not a ton. The old stuff is pretty much always better. :)

1.  Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
2. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker- This is a book that I actually do want to read
3. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)- Passively interested in reading this just because it's J.K. Rowling. 
4. The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan
5. Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston- Looks like a spin off of Ender's Game with Mazer Rackham... this I could actually seriously be interested in reading. 
6. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer- Actually kind of interested in reading these... I've heard a lot of good things about them. 
7. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
8. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
9. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
10. Elizabeth is Missing- the psychological part from a nursing perspective kind of intrigues me. 

So do you all have any advice for modern books for someone who is almost strictly a classics reader? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. :)

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It's Monday! (And reading took the back burner)

I had a test this last week that I went crazy studying for so the reading I got done was super limited. It was even my school's fall break but I was so focused on studying that there was no difference for me. :( Pretty much the extent of my reading was doing a little of my re-reading through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. I'm still currently reading John Bunyan's book Prayer but besides that nil for this week. :( Hopefully though I can get a little more reading in this week betwixt my school.
How about y'all?
Linking up with Book Journey.

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Ultimate Book Tag

I was tagged by KayCee K at Wonder Struck to do the Ultimate Book Tag! Thanks KayCee K!
I'm going to tag: Smiling Shelves, Once Upon a Twilight, Chased by My Imagination, Nut Free Nerd, Spoonful of Happy Endings, Caffeinated Life, Reviews from a Bookworm, Jayne's Books, I Wished I Lived in a Library, Turn the Page Reviews, and Ravens and Writing Desks. If I didn't tag you but you'd like to join in feel free to! :)

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?


Not normally.


2. Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you and why?

J.R.R. Tolkien definitely! He really gave birth to modern Fantasy.


3. Harry Potter series or the Twilight Saga? Give 3 points to defend your answer.

Harry Potter - 1. I haven't read Twilight. ;) 2. The characters are really well developed and well written. 3. The plot is interesting and keeps you guessing until the end.


4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what is it in (besides books…)?

A backpack yes, a bag just for my books... no.


5. Do you smell your books?

Absolutely! I love the smell of old books. :)


6. Books with or without little illustrations?

I don't care. If it has illustrations that's fine and if it doesn't that's fine too. :)


7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn’t quality writing?

There are definitely some children's books that have stuck with me through the years and have superior writing but there are some that reading back over them after being older I see their inferior writing. Those would probably be The Homeschool Detective Books, The Boxcar Children books and The Happy Hollister Books... I guess probably The Hardy Boy books too but I don't want to admit it! I still would re-read those books. :)


8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!

I can't think of any off the top of my head but I'm sure there are.


9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?

Doctor Seus's ABCs... I got my own copy at an antique shop earlier this year. :)


10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?

My copy of Little Women is I think the thickest... not sure why.


11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being an author?

Yes. Not really at all right now besides my bog as I'm busy with school.


12. When did you get into reading?

Since birth practically. My parents read to us until we could read, which I was starting to around three or four. By around five or six I was reading pretty much exclusively on my own.


13. What is your favorite classic book?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.


14. In school was your best subject Language Arts/English?

Probably. I didn't really have a best subject. What I liked the best was reading, history, Spanish and English. I still think it is weird I ended up in a science field. :)


15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated…what would you do?

People that give me books normally know me well enough to not give me one I will hate. If they did, I guess I would just put it on my shelf and someday when I was bored, if I felt like it was worth giving it a second chance, I would read it again. If not, there it would stay most likely.


16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or theHunger Games?

I haven't read The Hunger Games but I have read Harry Potter and I guess a lesser known series that I would say is somewhat similar to it is The Binding of the Blades series by L.B. Graham.


17. What is a bad habit you always do (besides rambling) while blogging?

Probably not being consistent with my blogging.


18. What is your favorite word?

I got through cycles of having favorite words. It was "beguiling" for awhile,


19. Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? Or all of the above?

I'm not up on all of the differences between these so I'm just going to go out on a limb and say geek... even though that's not on the list. I'm just getting into sic-fi with Doctor Who and Stargate: Atlantis and of course I've always enjoyed Star Wars. I also like fantasy such as Lord of the Rings.


20. Vampires or Fairies? Why?

Fairies. Because I don't like Vampires and I had to chose. ;) Besides that though, I read a lot of fairy tales growing up so I've always enjoyed reading about them. :)



21. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?

Weeping Angels... Sorry, just went all Doctor Who on you guys. :) They're one of my favorite "villains" from Doctor Who.


22. Spirits or Werewolves? Why?

Werewolves! Cause of Doctor Who. Tooth and Claw is a great episode!


23. Zombies or Vampires?

Neither?


24. Love Triangle or Forbidden Love

No love triangles please! I'm not crazy about forbidden love either though but when it comes to choosing I guess it's forbidden love.


25. AND FINALLY: Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?

Action packed with a few love scenes mixed in.


If I tagged you, or if you just want to hop in and answer the questions anyways, please answer the questions in a blog post and comment with a link so I can see what you said. :)
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