Tag Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Extraordinary Book Titles

In: Blog Hops

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I’m going to assume that this week’s prompt is asking us to make a list of book titles that are unique and attention grabbing. Everything on my list is something that grabbed my attention so thoroughly I had to pick it up and read the blurb as soon as I spotted its title. Since most of them are still on my TBR, I won’t go into detail about them this time.

1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, #1) by Seth Grahame-Smith

2. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin

3. Fairy Tales Written by Rabbits by Mary A. Parker

4. Never Slow Dance with a Zombie  by E. Van Lowe

5. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

Two story library with a painted vault ceiling

6. Go the Fuck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach

7.The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1) by Catherynne M. Valente

8.Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

9. Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don’t Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook by Sarah Schmelling

10. Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection by A.J. Jacobs

Top Ten Tuesday: Character Traits I Love

In: Blog Hops

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Wooden figurine posed to look as if its grieving, despondent, curious, and happy. This was such a fun and easy prompt to do.

The stock photo attached to this post made me think of all of the different emotions the same character may show in the same story.

1. Intelligent

They don’t have to be geniuses, but I do enjoy reading about how bright characters see the world.

2. Warm and Affectionate

There’s something about characters with this personality that make them irresistible to me. I can appreciate many different types of flaws in a character so long as they start from this base.

3. Active

I exercise regularly and enjoy spending time outdoors. It’s nice to read about characters who are also into staying active.

4. Cautious

There’s something to be said for thinking things through before rushing into a possibly dangerous situation.

5. Quirky

I was about to put the term strange here, but maybe quirky is a little bit more accurate. Characters who wander off the beaten path of life are alluring.

6. Easygoing

While I  can and do also enjoy stories about people who can be high-strung, I generally prefer to read about folks who take a more relaxed approach to life.

7. Bashful

There aren’t enough books out there about folks who are quietly amazing but who will never be the life of the party. For example, I would have loved to read a chapter or two of Anne of Green Gables from Matthew Cuthbert’s perspective. He was honestly more interesting to me than Anne was because of how shy he was about sharing his feelings.

8. Innocent

Honestly, I’ve grown weary of reading about shady protagonists who may not be trustworthy. Retaining some innocence is a good thing no matter how old someone is.

9. Thrifty

That is, it’s nice when characters take care of what they own and are mindful of how they spend their money.

10. Creative

It doesn’t matter how that creativity is expressed. I’m always interested in reading about people who can take an ordinary moment in life and find the beauty in it somewhere.

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Titles with Numbers in Them

In: Blog Hops

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Open book on a table. The book is in Spanish, there is a cup of tea nearby, and there is a leaf lying in the middle of the book.This week I had no idea what to say about any of these books, so I’m simply going to list them with links to their Goodreads pages for anyone who wants more information.

I’ve read the first nine from front to back. Someday I hope to be able to get through all of A Tale of Two Cities, too.

1. 1984 by George Orwell

2. Molly: An American Girl: 1944 by Valerie Tripp

3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

4. The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings #2) by J.R.R. Tolkien

5. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

6. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

7. The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede

8. These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner

9. The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing

10. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Fall 2019 TBR

In: Blog Hops

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I decided to narrow this week’s topic down by only discussing books that have been or will be published in the autumn of 2019. When I actually read them depends on how long the wait lists are at my local library, but I’m hoping at least a few of these titles will become available soon.

Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls by Jessica McDiarmid book cover. An eye with a native american symbol for a pupil and spruce trees for eyelashes is crying a single tear on it.

1. Title and Author: Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls by Jessica McDiarmid
Why I Want to Read It: The murders and disappearances of Indigenous women is a serious issue here in Canada. Our mainstream media isn’t giving this topic the attention it needs, so I’m glad to see there’s a book about it.
Publication Date: Today

Alex McKenna & the Geranium Deaths by Vicki-Ann Bush book cover. Image is of sprayprainted outiline of man's head with an X over where his eyes should be.

2. Title and Author: Alex McKenna & the Geranium Deaths by Vicki-Ann Bush
Why I Want to Read It: A witch who can speak to ghosts? Sign me up! I’ve also been trying to read more novels about characters who are trans in general, so that addition to the plot is icing on the cake.
Publication Date: Today

How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones book cover. Image on the cover is of a red, abstract swirly object.

3. Title and Author: How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones
Why I Want to Read It: 2019 has not been a year of reading many memoirs or autobiographies for me. I’m trying to change that before the year ends for good.
Publication Date: October 8

:The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson book cover. Images on the front are drawings of a man and woman. Their organs are showing for illustrative purposes.

4. Title and Author:The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson
Why I Want to Read It: I never grow tired of reading books about all of the unusual things the human body can be capable of doing.
Publication Date: October 15

Small Hearts by Bryan W. Dull book cover. Image on front is of yearbook photos. Some faces are crossed out.

5. Title and Author: Small Hearts by Bryan W. Dull
Why I Want to Read It: I’m still deciding if this is the right book for me, to be honest, but I do like the idea of reading about the aftermath of a school shooting rather than the crime itself.
Publication Date: October 15

Supernova Era by Liu Cixin book cover. Image on cover is of bright ray of light hitting Earth.

6. Title and Author: Supernova Era by Liu Cixin
Why I Want to Read It: There aren’t many books out there about supernovas. I get excited every time I find another one.
Publication Date: October 22

When They Come for You: How Police and Governments are Trampling our Liberties - And How to Take Them Back by David Kirby book cover. Image on cover show three houses. One of them has been targeted by a red dot from a missile launcher.

7. Title and Author: When They Come for You: How Police and Governments are Trampling our Liberties – And How to Take Them Back by David Kirby
Why I Want to Read It: Civil liberties are important. It’s crucial for everyone to know what their rights are and how they should respond if their rights or the rights of someone close to them are violated.
Publication Date: October 29

The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown book cover. Image on cover is of a young girl staring straight ahead.

8. Title and Author: The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown
Why I Want to Read It: So many of the books on my list this week are serious. A fun, middle-grade horror novel might be just the thing to help me relax after them.
Publication Date: November 5

The Deep by Rivers Solomon book cover. Image on cover is of a mermaid swimming in the ocean with a whale.

9. Title and Author: The Deep by Rivers Solomon
Why I Want to Read It: I love the origin story of these characters’ ancestors. The thought that pregnant slaves who were thrown overboard ships hundreds of years ago somehow managed to thrive on the ocean floor is fascinating.
Publication Date: November 5

Wild Life: Dispatches from a Childhood of Baboons and Button-Downs by Keena Roberts book cover. Image on cover is of young girl sitting on an inner tube in a lake. She is surrounded by hippos.

10. Title and Author: Wild Life: Dispatches from a Childhood of Baboons and Button-Downs by Keena Roberts
Why I Want to Read It: The author of this memoir spent part of her adolescence in a remote part of Botswana thanks to her parents’ field work with baboons. This sounds like such a cool way to grow up that I’d love to know more about it!
Publication Date: November 12

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Things to Eat/Drink While Reading

In: Blog Hops

 

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Seriously, how fun was this prompt? I had such a good time coming up with my list this week, and I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone else answered it, too.

1. Mint Tea

Caffeine tends to make me anxious, so I try to stick to caffeine-free beverages and foods as much as possible. Mint tea both smells and tastes nice.

2. Vegan Yogurt

I’m not vegan, but I eat a lot of products marketed to that demographic group due to my milk allergy. Non-dairy yogurts have gotten pretty good these past few years, so thank you to the vegan community for creating a demand for them. You’re awesome.

3. Salted Pistachios or Other Mixed Nuts

Nuts are such a satisfying snack.

4. Fresh Fruit

It’s hard to remember the last time I tried a new type of fruit and disliked it. Just about any sort of fruit is delicious to me.

sliced and whole Kohlrabi sitting on a cutting board. There is a knife placed beside them.
This is what kohlrabi looks like.

5.Crunchy Vegetables

I love crunchy vegetables like carrots, celery, radishes, or kohlrabi. It’s so satisfying to munch away at them, especially if I’m reading something a little frightening or atmospheric. Somehow having a plate of food to snack on makes me feel a bit less nervous in those circumstances.

6. Hard-boiled Eggs

I eat hard-boiled eggs with a little salt and pepper. They’re amazing. As soon as I pick up another bottle of hot sauce at the grocery store, I might try them that way next.

7. Cinnamon and Sugar Toast

This has been one of my favourite snacks since childhood. It’s even better if the toast is whole grain. My mom always bought healthy bread like that when I was growing up, so I developed a strong preference for it.

8. Grape Jolly Ranchers.

Will I eat other flavours of jolly ranchers? Absolutely, but the grape ones will always be my favourite. They are so delicious.

Peanut Butter spread on a sliced apple9. Almond Butter.

Honestly, any nut butter is appealing to me. it can be spread on toast, apple slices, celery, and so much more.

10. Sardines

I totally expect to be the only Top Ten Tuesday blogger who mentions this snack this week, but I love sardines. They have such a unique taste, and I find them really filling. They’re also a good source of certain nutrients like calcium and Vitamin D that I need to make sure I consciously include in my diet due to my milk allergy .

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Tropes

In: Blog Hops

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl I had such a good time putting this list together. How many of these tropes do all of you also enjoy? 1. Unseen Antagonist This trope tends to be most common in the horror genre. The main characters either never meet the antagonist or have encounters with him or… Read More