Top Ten Tuesday: Places to Read

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is a “pick your own topic” week. Since I haven’t been doing the meme very long, I just browsed the list of past topics and chose one that took my fancy: top ten places to read.

One: the couch, with my son. Tonight after dinner, my son (who is too young to read his own books) was curled up on the couch watching TV, leaning against me while I read a few chapters of my current read: Wicked After Midnight by Delilah S. Dawson. I’m looking forward to the day when he can read a book instead and we can turn the TV off!

Two: bed. I do most of my reading here. I’m a single girl with a queen sized bed, so believe me when I say there is some epic sprawling that happens. I stayed up half the night reading Forget Me Not by Stacey Nash and, more recently, Unclean Spirits by Chuck Wendig.

Three: our courtyard. Regular readers of my blog will know I bought a new townhouse last year. It doesn’t have the gorgeous sun-drenched balcony my old house did, but the little courtyard has the same comfy outdoor furniture, and is surrounded by leafy trees. Last summer, reading until the summer light faded from the sky, I devoured a few books there: City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare and Running Home by Julie Hutchings.

Four: the bath. This is a dangerous choice, and you need to be prepared. I keep a dry facewasher on the edge so I can dry my fingers before turning the pages. And the first time I dropped a book in the bath I cried — I’ve never been brave enough to risk it with the Kindle. But I used to read heaps of books in the bath. I do it less often these days (since my bath is mostly the purview of kids toys) but I did finish Wicked As She Wants by (again) Delilah S. Dawson in the bath late last year. 🙂

Five: the dining table. It’s not ideal, I grant you, but if I’m eating lunch and want to read a bit over food (which I do a lot), this is the best place to do it. Remember how I said Lauren McKellar broke my heart into pieces when I read The Problem With Crazy? That’s where the tragedy happened. On the bright side, I was close to a dustpan and brush so I could sweep up the shards!

Six: public transport. When I went to university I used to have an hour of bus commutes each way. That time was my time; I didn’t study on the bus, I read novels. These days I have to drive so I can drop the child off at daycare or preschool, but when he’s older I’ll catch the bus to work to save on parking. (Most memorable bus read? Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey. There’s a grim story to that, though — maybe one for another time.)

Seven through ten: anywhere else. Anywhere I have to wait, especially for appointments. Pretty much anywhere is far game except driving my car or having a shower. I’m an expert at reading while walking, and I don’t even bump into or trip over things. Which is ironic, really, because I bump into or trip over things when I’m not reading.

Maybe there’s something to that…

What’s your favourite place to read?

Top Ten Tuesday: Friendship

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is ten books about friendship. But since I mostly read urban fantasy and fantasy, where friendship isn’t the primary focus, I’ve gone for ten eight books where friendship is an important part of the story. (It should be ten but I’m tired.)

Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein. Sam and Frodo. Sam and Frodo. In some ways there’s a master/servant vibe here — and some people would claim an unrequited love thing too — but Sam is the ultimate selfless friend. I adore him. (You could also look at Legolas and Gimli as another example from these books.)

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling. The friendship between Harry, Hermione and Ron is as beautiful and realistic as you’ll find. Yes, realistic — because even though they are at a wizard school fighting a snakey supervillain, the relationship itself has its ups and downs. And it doesn’t turn into the typical love triangle we often see in young adult fiction.

Arrow’s Flight by Mercedes Lackey. This is the second book in the Arrows of the Queen series; I singled it out specifically because this is when we see Talia and Kris’s friendship at its wonderful, complicated best. They end up sleeping together, but she’s in love with his best friend, and it all gets a little confusing there for a while. And friendships can be like that at times.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I love the relaxed friendship between Simon and Clary. As with the previous book, it gets complicated and a little messy, but at the end of the day these guys have a friendship you could take to the bank. (Plus I just love Simon.)

Pivot Point by Kasie West. The friendship between Addie and Laila is one of the strongest I’ve seen in young adult fiction. I can’t explain without mega-spoilers, but Addie basically gives up everything for Laila. It was heartbreaking. And you should read this book.

The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey. Pretty much any relationship between a dragonrider and his or her dragon could be described as a perfect friendship, because that’s how Anne described the bond: as the perfect friendship. But the relationship between Jaxom and his dragon, Ruth, goes beyond the others. From the moment Jaxom defies everyone to save Ruth’s life, they are the sweetest pair ever.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I’m a bit conflicted about this inclusion, but Peeta and Katniss have the kind of friendship forged in the hardest of times. Sure, he may want it to be more from the start, but he respects that she isn’t sure and still cares for her. The best relationships are built on that kind of friendship.

Buffy: the Vampire Slayer by various. I wasn’t sure whether to include this, but I have about a dozen Buffy novels on my shelves (some novelisations of the episodes but others stand-alone books). And the friendship between Buffy, Willow and Xander is a lot like the one between Harry and his closest friends: complicated, loyal and real.

I have two slots free. What books would you add to my list? 🙂

Top Ten … Monday: Female Book Characters

Tomorrow’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is “books I nearly put down but didn’t”. But I’m pretty stubborn about finishing books—and these days seem to have hit on a string of awesome ones—so the category didn’t really work for me. Instead, I’ve decided to do my own thing, after a suggestion from a friend on Facebook: my top ten favourite female characters. Looking over the list, they all have strength and determination in common. (I’m also doing it on a Monday because I’ve got something else scheduled for tomorrow, and I’m a rebel, me.)

Hermione Granger, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I can relate to Hermione, because I was a lot like that in school. I wasn’t as bright as her (although given the opportunity to study transmogrification I would definitely have applied myself!), and I couldn’t levitate chairs, but I was socially awkward and above average, academically. That’s why she’s first on my list. Also, she’s a great role model for teenage girls, full of courage and empathy.

Cinder, Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I only just read this, and I really liked Cinder. She had a balance of defiance and practicality that I admired. Given the way she’s treated, she could have very easily become sullen, but she clearly loves Iko and Peony. Also, a female main character who’s a mechanic cyborg? Made of win!

Isabeau, The Witches of Eileanan by Kate Forsyth. It’s been years since I read this series (if I were stranded on a desert island it’d be top of my pile of books). But I loved Isabeau, a fiery redhead who is a little overconfident at first but learns restraint the hard way. Plus, I adore the Scottish brogue.

Coraline, Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Regular readers of my blog will know I only read this in the last month. I love how self-possessed Coraline is, her willingness to “go exploring” and determination to do what’s right and beat the bad guy. And she’s only twelve!

Gaby, The Rephaim by Paula Weston. This is another awesome series with a confident main character who manages to be human (ironic, under the circumstances) because of how the loss of her twin brother shattered her. She does eventually learn to kick butt, but it’s a gradual process rather than an overnight montage.

Yukiko, The Lotus War by Jay Kristoff. Yukiko is yet another strong, butt-kicking female with a gentler side. (Noticing a theme here?) She has a hard personality at the start, but under the circumstances—absent mother, drug-addled father, poisoned world, secret power—that is understandable. However, the dynamic between her and Buruu is awesome.

Katniss, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Ah, self-sacrificing, self-sufficient Katniss. She’d seem cold except she sacrificed herself to save Prim. And genuinely cared about both Gale and Peeta. Also, as much as I didn’t adore the third book in the series, there’s no denying that her reactions to events were realistic and very human. Poor, broken Katniss. 😦

Granny Weatherwax, Discworld by Terry Pratchett. Crotchety, powerful and confident, demanding of respect, Granny Weatherwax is a powerful witch who’d rather do what’s right than what’s nice. But she always looks after those she considers to be hers…whether they’d agree or not!

Lessa, Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. Lessa is the talented main character in Dragonflight, the first book McCaffrey wrote in this huge series. Like Granny Weatherwax she doesn’t suffer fools and can have a sharp temper, but is also compassionate and clever.

Eowyn, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein. Shieldmaiden of Rohan, not afraid to take up a sword in defence of her people, she really struggled with the expectation that she’d stay at home and mind the children and elderly. Plus, she killed the Witch-king. Go Eowyn!

Who are your favourite female characters?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to read if you liked the movie

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is my top nine books you must read if you loved the movie or TV show (and one you shouldn’t if you loved the play). In some ways, it’s probably redundant, because I can’t imagine I have too many readers of this blog who wouldn’t have read the books first anyway. But I guess you never know when someone might wander in from the untamed wilds of the internet, looking for ideas.

Disclaimer: These images are all stills from the various movies and TV shows. I make no claims to ownership…although I wouldn’t mind owning Richard Castle. Just saying.

Harry Potter. Given how fabulously popular — and justifiably so — this series was, it’s hard to imagine there’s anyone left who loved the movies and hasn’t bothered with the books. But if you’re one of those, GO READ THE BOOKS. The richness of Rowling’s world is masterfully executed, and there are little moments in the books that never made it to the movies.

Lord of the Rings. As with Harry Potter, there are plenty of moments in Tolkien’s world that didn’t make it to the movies. Walk with the hobbits; you won’t regret it.

The Hunger Games. I loved the first two Hunger Games books (and liked the third). The movies really did them justice. I’m actually hoping the Mockingjay movie/s make me love the story more than the book did, which is a little peculiar, I admit. But regardless, read the first two books in the series at least. You won’t regret it.

Sookie Stackhouse. The True Blood TV show took some fairly hefty liberties with the plot and characters, for example letting some survive that died in the books. While that doesn’t bother me — I’m not a purist about these things — the books are fun stories in their own right.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. A lot of my friends, who fondly recall the original dodgy BBC TV series of these books, really didn’t like the movie. I enjoyed it — I can still burst into a rendition of So Long and Thanks For All The Fish — but the Hitchhikers books were my first experience of comedic fiction. It was a revelation. Read it and laugh: it’s good for the soul.

The Mortal Instruments. As a disclaimer, I haven’t seen the movie yet. But I really liked this trilogy (with a slight qualifier on the last book in that I wish Clare had resolved one plot element sooner than she did).

Castle.  This is a weird one on my list, because the TV show came first. Now there are ghost-written books by “Richard Castle” that parallel the books the character writes on TV. Maybe it’s my giant crush on Nathan Fillion, but I really liked them too — and I don’t usually read crime fiction.

Divergent. I haven’t seen this movie either, but I loved the first two books in the trilogy. I’ve held off reading the third, given the reaction it provoked among fans…

Eragon. The Eragon movie was, let’s be honest, a stinker. I wanted to like it, given I enjoyed the series (and it has ANIMATED DRAGONS!), but I just couldn’t. If you’re the same, loving stories about dragons and wanting another one, these books could be for you.

Wicked. Ok, this is an anti-recommendation. A warning, if you will. I’ve been obsessing on the Wicked musical lately, and I’ve also read the book. If you love the musical and want to follow Elphaba’s story in more depth, don’t get too excited or it may leave you wanting. When the musical was written they took elements of the book and then strung them into a coherent story, whereas the book is disjointed. I’ve been really wishing someone would write a book based on the play’s version instead, but I guess that’s never going to happen!

What books would you recommend to others?

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I Crushed On

I thought about going with “characters that broke my heart” for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, but as most of them did it by dying, I thought it’d be a bit spoileriffic. Instead, here are ten characters I’ve had a crush on over the years.

One: Masterharper Robinton from the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. I think Robinton was my first book crush — kind, charming and a musically gifted older man (at least to me as a teenager when I read it). I adored him.

Two: Aiken Drum from The Saga of the Exiles by Julian May. Aiken is the classic charming bad boy — society offers him the choice of jail, “docilisation” or euthanasia, but instead he chose to be exiled back in time. He comes good in the end…sort of…

Sam Merlotte

Three: Louis de Pointe du Lac from Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. I fell in love with vampires when I read this book. I eventually fell more or less out of love with them again by the time I encountered Edward, but Louis was the classic reluctant vampire, full of self-loathing.

Four: Sam Merlotte from The Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris. I was torn between Sam and Eric, but at the end of the day Eric’s completely domineering personality tipped me over toward Sam. (Bill? Meh.)

Five: Herald Kris from the Heralds of Valdemar trilogy by Mercedes Lackey. This was a tossup between him or Vanyel, but in Vanyel’s case it was always going to be unrequited. :S

Simon Lewis

Six: Simon Lewis from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. Strong, confident and funny, but also a total nerd. That’s my kind of boy!

Seven: Silk/Prince Kheldar from The Belgariad by David Eddings. Clever, confident, cynical, Silk is one of those characters who laughs at the world so that he doesn’t have to face his problems.

Eight: Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. At first I preferred Gale and Peeta seemed a bit wet. But Peeta grew on me. Like cookie dough in the oven. 🙂 The way he and Katniss lok after each other is really sweet, even if there’s a heavy dose of self-preservation on her part.

Aragorn

Nine: Aragorn, son of Arathorn from The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein. The first time I read this I was more fixated on the hobbits and not that interested in Aragorn. I think that was because of my age, because as I got older…wooh! (Also, Viggo Mortensen with black hair and a beard!)

Ten: Jean-Claude from the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurel K. Hamilton. Think of Eric from the Sookie Stackhouse books, only French and even sexier. That’s Jean-Claude. He is much better at restraining his inner beast than Eric, though.

Who would you add to the list?

Top Ten Tuesday: gateway books

Inspired by my fellow Aussie Owned and Read blogger Emily Mead, I thought it might be fun to do the Top Ten Tuesday meme from over at The Broke and the Bookish. (I may not do it every week; I’ll see how I go.)

Today’s theme is gateway books—books that got you into reading, an author that got you into reading a genre you never thought you’d read, a book that brought you BACK into reading. That sort of thing.

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. This was the first high fantasy I ever read (which I read obsessively in my pre-teens), and the first one that made me realise make-believe stories could be for older kids too.

The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. I picked this up thinking it was high fantasy (and after The Hobbit, dragons were a thing for me). But, as anyone who has read the entire series will know, the Pern books are actually light science fiction with a draconic twist. I then went on to read pretty much everything McCaffrey ever wrote, which included a lot of other light, character-driven sci-fi—and everything I could find by anyone she ever collaborated with too.

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling. I remember hearing news stories about teenagers queuing outside bookstores for a Harry Potter release—I think it was The Goblet of Fire. I was so impressed I grabbed a copy of the first book to see what all the fuss was about. Thus began my love of YA. (The same thing happened with Twilight later but, although I read the first two books in that series, I didn’t like either Bella or Edward very much, which made it hard to get into.)

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff. Jay is an acquaintance of mine (we used to be part of the same club) so I was curious to see what his debut novel was all about. I was familiar with the idea of Steampunk but hadn’t read any. AND I LOVED IT. I’ve since gone on to read other Steampunk—Dehlilah S. Dawson is particularly awesome—because of Stormdancer.

The Witches of Eileanan series by Kate Forsyth. I’ve blogged about the revelation that was Kate Forsyth’s high fantasy series before. In short, it was a revelation to me: Australians could publish high fantasy! And do very well at it, thank you very much.

The Problem With Crazy by Lauren K. McKellar. I hardly ever read contemporary fiction. But this latest release by McKellar—which, again, I read because I know her personally—blew me clean out of the water. I think I’ll look a little harder at new adult contemporary, especially the issue-driven stuff, because it was ah-MAY-zing.

The Stone Cage by Nicholas Stuart Grey. This was the first fairytale spinoff or retelling I ever read. It’s a Rapunzel retelling from the perspective of the witch’s cat.

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series by Laurel K. Hamilton. This is one of the early urban fantasy series I read. I loved Anita and her world of vampires and werewolves. Anita’s a little different from your average urban fantasy heroine in that she raises the dead with sacrifices for a living, between slaying rogue vampires on behalf of the police. (As an aside, once you get past about book eight in the series it transitions to erotica, pretty much. That’s not really my genre so I lost interest. Others may appreciate it, though.)

The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland. As I’ve said before recently, I read a lot of picture books nowadays. Like all other genres there are good ones and very, very bad ones. This is one of those picture books that shows you how beautifully illustrated, funny and thoughtful they can be.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I went through a phase where I read a lot of what I’d kindly call nerd novels: those based on or in worlds from roleplaying or computer games. There’s a definite appeal to reading a book, knowing you can actually create your own story in that world (something fanfic writers can appreciate, I’m sure). Other than Dragonlance, I’ve also dabbled in World of Darkness and World of Warcraft fiction. The WoD stuff in particular has some pretty epic backstory, even though the game is as addictive as many illicit drugs.

What books would you say were your “gateways” into new genres or experiences?