Books I Want to Re-Read

**I originally used this topic as my freebie, but alas, it's this week's topic as well! I decided to re-post it with a few edits.**

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

There are books that you love, and may even be your favorite, but you know re-reading them won't be the same. And then there are those books that you know will only be better the second time around. These are some of those books:

1. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
3. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (Want to read this? Enter my giveaway to win a previously read copy!)
5. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
6. The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
7. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
8. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
9. The Hunger Games Series  by Suzanne Collins
10. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

All of these books have great plots, but I think the reason I really want to re-read them is because I miss the characters.

Which books do you want to read over and over again?

Love and (a book) light,

~Dorothy

Top Ten Books on My Fall To-Read List

Hello from Northern Virginia! Thankfully, we weren't affected by Irene other than a few trees being knocked over.

These week's Top Ten Tuesday is about the top books on my to-read list. Be sure to check out The Broke and The Bookish where this meme is hosted.

You all know I love my Kindle. However, I still have 3 shelves of books, many of which I haven't read yet. It's time I showed my paperbacks a little more love.

1. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield -This is the October pick for one of the book clubs I attend.

2. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez -I've heard such great things about this book. I can't wait to start it!

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak -This is another book I've heard nothing but good things about.

4. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon -I love the artwork on the cover. The plot also sounds very interesting.

5. Everything Beautiful Began After  by Simon Van Booy -I picked this book up at the Borders closing sale. I love the texture of the pages; that's one thing the Kindle can never imitate. 

6. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford -I've been wanting to read this for a couple years, and I finally found a copy at a used bookstore. 

7. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley - I absolutely loved The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, the first of the Flavia de Luce mysteries. I absolutely adore Flavia, and I can't wait to see her again in this book.

Now for the non-fiction picks:

8. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi - I won this on a blog giveaway a while back. I really like the concept behind this memoir, and I'm looking forward to gaining perspective on the many things that we take for granted in this country.

9. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell -I've read The Tipping Point, and I really enjoyed Gladwell's writing. I'm working my way through the rest of his books.

10. The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - No, this book has nothing to do with the movie with Natalie Portman. This is a book about the disproportionate impact of highly improbable events. 

Guess what? I didn't pay full price for any of these! Some were from garage sales, some from used bookstores. One of them I bought new from Barnes & Noble online for close to 40% off. That's usually how I choose between paperbacks and Kindle eBooks -whatever's the cheapest! 

Are any of these on your to-read lists? I hope you have new additions to your list after reading this post!

Love and (a book) light,

~Dorothy

Books that Deserve More Love

Hello, lovlies.

Let me first say that these books aren't incredibly obscure or anything, but I do feel they deserve more attention than they get. Nevertheless, Please scroll through and see the titles that I wish you would pick up.

1. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant: This is one of the few historical fiction novels I've read, but I absolutely adored it. This is the story of biblical Dinah, Jacob's only daughter. We hardly ever hear of a woman's perspective, especially in an ancient text. This brought out Dinah as more than just a sister to Joseph.

2. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: Flavia de Luce is my kind of heroine. It's like Harry Potter all over again, no? Actually, she's more like a Hermione. She is so clever and anyone that doesn't fall in love with her is an ugly toad. Really though, I'd like to see this book (and series) get more attention than it has.

3. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese: This book is perhaps my favorite of all time. For all the attention and acclaim it has received, it is still underrated in my mind.

4. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl: I would say this book is -different. I can see one's opinions going either way on this one, but if you like to try different things, give this a try. It is truly a unique work.

Some of these are on my Kindle, and some were borrowed from kind fellow booklovers. Here's a shot of the ones I own with a peek at the accent wall in the "study" of our new home. :)

5. I, Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis: This is a great historical fiction novel about the subject of the most famous painting in the world and who she was to Leonardo da Vinci. Maybe my lack of history savvy is the reason I was so impressed, but I have yet to hear another blogger or friend talk about it.

6. Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior: Amidst all the hype over Freakonomics and Malcom Gladwell's books (both of which I really like, by the way), I'm surprised this book hasn't received the attention the others have. It is a very accessible non-fiction work about, well, how we can't resist irrational behavior. Reading this book will make you think twice about your choices and make more rational decisions.

7. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks: I read this book a few years back, so I don't really remember all the details. However, I do remember being left with feelings of awe for such a intricately woven story. In fact, I'm adding it to my re-read list right this second. I have to add that this novel won the Pulitzer Prize, and while I am thrilled that it has received critical acclaim, I think not enough readers have had the pleasure of reading this book.

8. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See: OK, so a book that is soon to be adapted into a movie can hardly be called underrated, especially one by Lisa See, but hear me out. Until recently, I hadn't really heard many raves about this book. I thought it was beautifully written and had high praise for it, but no one I knew, in real life or in the blogging community, had read it. I'm glad to see that it is finally getting the attention it deserves. I can't wait to see the movie! It's been a while since I've read the book, so I won't be too nitpicky about the details they get wrong like movies often do.

I hope you add at least one of these titles to your To-Read list. Do share some books that YOU think deserve more praise.

Love and (a book) light,

~Dorothy

Books Tackling Tough Issues

Each of these books tackles a tough issue, whether it's dealing with a loss of a loved one or infidelity in a relationship. Be sure to check out The Broke and the Bookish to see which books other boggers selected for this list.

1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer -This novel tells the story of how a family deals with losing a loved one during 9/11.

2. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls -This is a haunting memoir beautifully written with fervent emotion. Jeannette has been through many things that many of us can only imagine. Her family lived so poorly, she "aspired to be white trash." Her parents wer afflicted with many faults and vices, and she and her siblings had to fend for themselves as a result. This is an account of how a young girl conquered poverty, hunger, and abuse.

3. A Time to Kill by John Grisham -Grisham's first work tackles the controversial topic of racial discrimination in the court systems, specifically with white-on-black crimes and vice versa. This novel will have you wondering whether there really is a time to kill.

4. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay -This novel told the story of a family that was victim to Vel d'Hiv -Paris' dirty little secret. This is where French, not Nazi, soldiers rounded up Jewish families in Paris and sent them to different concentration camps. Read my review here.

5. The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham -This is Grisham's first non-fiction work. It chronicles the journey of a man wrongly convicted of a crime, and how he fought to prove his innocence. I don't believe the issue of wrongful convictions receives the attention and support it deserves.

6. Mathilda Savitch by Victor Lodato -I can't tell you too much about which "tough issue" this book is about without giving a lot away. More vaguely, it's about a girl that deals with the loss of a sibling.

7. Something Blue by Emily Giffin -I know what you're thinking -since when did chick lit deal with tough issues? Really though, this book deals with infidelity in a unique way. It really shows you that relationships and are less black and white than we may make them out to be without completely condoning betrayal and deception.

I didn't quite get to 10, but each of these books wonderfully addresses topics that are hard for most of us to think about in our mundane, everyday lives. Sometimes reading about how fictional characters deal with tough issues can help someone that is going through the same thing. Which "tough issues" book would you recommend?

Love and (a book) light,

~Dorothy

Top Ten Books I'm So Happy Were Recommended to Me

It's time for another Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's list is the top ten books that were recommended to me. Here goes!

1-3. The Hunger Games Trilogy - I don't normally read YA books, so when my friends told me about The Hunger Games, I was a bit skeptical. Finally, I had looked at it enough times at Barnes & Noble with some interest that when my friend Ashley said she was going to read it, I followed suit. We had bonded over Harry Potter, so I definitely trusted her judgement. I'm so glad I did! I absolutely loved this trilogy and have recommended it to others since.

4. A Time to Kill by John Grisham -Way back before I had a job and could afford to buy books, everything I read was borrowed from the library or from a fellow bookworm. One of my friends let me borrow her copy of A Time to Kill, and I have been a Grisham fan ever since. I've read every single one of his novels up to The Appeal. I've since been trying to read other books on my TR list, but Grisham definitely has a special place on my bookshelf. In fact, one of my favorite memories is my mom calling me from some thrift shop or garage sale asking, "Do you already have 'The Client'? How about 'The Broker'?"

5. Special Topics in Calamity Physics  by Marisha Pessl -Believe it or not, this *is* a novel, and a spectacular one, too. It was recommended by my former boss, also a bookworm. I found it very interesting; the chapters are titled as sections of a syllabus. It's quite long, but well worth it.

6. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin -Here's another example of something I would have never picked up on my own. Chick lit is definitely not my thing, but sometimes you just need a quick, entertaining read. Something Borrowed exceeded my expectations of books of its kind. So much so that I ended up reading Something Blue as well. This was recommended by one of my work friends and seconded by Ashley (see a trend here?). :)

7. The Giver by Lois Lowry - This wasn't recommended to me so much as forced upon me in my Adolescent Literature class. I am so glad the professor included this in the syllabus, because this is one of my favorite books. I even got my mathematician husband to read it, and he loved it just as much.

8. Agatha Christie - I'm cheating a little bit here, because I can't remember the book that started it all. All I remember is that my grandmother, also a huge bookworm, loved mysteries, especially by Agatha Christie. One day I picked up one of her mysteries and I fell in love. The plots are always brilliant and are predictably unpredictable -if you think you know what's going to happen, you can go ahead and scratch the ending you have in mind. Christie never fails to deliver, which is why she's the bestselling author of all time.

9. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks -This book made its debut on my blog on this post. I can't seem to stop talking about it. This was recommend to me by the same boss that recommended Special Topics in Calamity Physics. I really want to re-read this someday. One of my many faults is that I don't remember a lot about the books I've read (thus this blog was born), but I do remember this novel being beautiful.

10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson -Again, this was recommended by my former boss. I guess I owe her much thanks! I really enjoyed this novel, but they could have taken the violence down a couple notches. I really did like the plot, and the mystery aspect is really what attracted me to this book.

One of the best parts of reading is recommending books to people and finding out they loved it. So tell me, what are your recommendations?

Love and (a book) light,

~Dorothy

Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I've Never Read

For this week's Top Ten Tuesday, we got to pick a previous topic that we did not get to participate in. Since this is only my second time doing Top Ten Tuesday, I had a lot of great topics to choose from. I decided to post the ten books that I can't believe I've never read.

Let me just say that I *love* books, I really do; so try not to judge me for not having read these books. I went to high school in the Philippines, so I missed out on all the classics. All of these books are on my to-read list. I *will* get to these, I really will.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee -Everyone loves it and It's an American classic. Even my husband, who rarely reads fiction, has read it. I'll get to it someday.
2. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne -Everytime someone makes a reference to Hester Prynne, I completely miss the point. This seems right up my alley, too.
3. Animal Farm by George Orwell -Again, the point of so many references in our culture, and I have no clue what people are talking about. I am very close to reading this one; it's on my bookshelf.
4. 1984 by George Orwell -I know, I know. Don't hate me. The godfather of all dystopian books. This list is very humbling.
5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen -I tried; I really did. I just couldn't get through the first few chapters. That was a few years ago, so I'm going to give it another try very soon.
6. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley -Another dystopian classic that I've failed to read.
7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky -Seems like everyone who was once a teenager and claims to have loved books had the decency to read this. Again, don't hate me.
8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley -Another classic that I missed out on because I moved to the Philippines.
9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte -Yet another classic. I'm working my way there, though! I just finished Jane Eyre. This one is probably the next classic I'll read.
10. His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman -I started reading the first book for a children's literature class, but I didn't finish, only because I was so busy with all my other classes and this book was optional.

So there you have it. I have listed the books I haven't read, and in doing so I've probably committed book blogger suicide. I *will* read all of these one day, though. Really!

Love and (a book) light,

~Dorothy

Top Ten Books I Want to See Made into Movies

Top Ten Tuesday! This is my first time participating, and I'm really excited about this week's topic.

Be sure to check out The Broke and the Bookish where this meme is hosted.

1. The Giver -I am interested to see how the turning points in the book would play out in a movie. No spoilers, but if you've read it you probably know what I'm talking about. (*cough* the apple)
2. The Hunger Games Trilogy -My wish is coming true; the first movie comes out in 2012!
3. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan -I imagine the movie as something like The Memoirs of a Geisha.
4. People of the Book -I loved this book; I would love to see it in a movie that does it justice.
5. The Red Tent -I would love to see the history and culture come alive in a movie.
6. Sarah's Key -This could be a powerful movie, given that very few know about the 1942 Vel d'Hiv Roundup (see my reflection here).

This is technically 8 because of the Hunger Games Trilogy, but I'll try to update the list if I think of anything else.

What books would you like to see on the big screen?

Love and (a book) light,

~Dorothy