Tag Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

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Honestly, I haven’t read that many humorous books recently regardless of if we’re talking about tales published last year or thirty years ago.

I’ll share a few funny books I have read and hope I can get some great ideas for other reads from everyone else’s posts today.

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

It was a good read because… the author knows how to poke fun at herself while also inviting her audience to do the same when it comes to our own weird but funny stories about our pasts.

 

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

It was a good read because… everything and everyone was up for grabs here! There was no topic too sacred or mundane to joke about. This is one of the things I enjoy the most about Pratchett and Gaiman’s stories.

 

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

It was a good read because… of how skillfully but respectfully it picked apart the fairy tale genre and saved only their best bits to be woven together into something that was keenly self-aware but still somehow romantic and magical.

 

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, #1-5) by Douglas Adams

It was a good read because… it regularly defied reader’s expectations of how a science fiction adventure series should go. If you haven’t already noticed, I love it when narrators are aware of their genres and purposefully break certain rules in them.

 

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

It was a good read because… no one is ever too old or too young for puns!

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Technically, today’s topic was “Purple, Yellow, and/or Green Book Covers in honour of Mardi Gras.”

I’ve written so many posts about book covers of various colours that I tweaked it to be “Books About Mardi Gras” instead.

They span a wide range of topics, from  recipes to history to even zombies!

1. Gay as Mardi Gras  by Lily Velden

2. No Mardi Gras for the Dead by D.J. Donaldson

3. The Baby Dolls: Breaking the Race and Gender Barriers of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Tradition by Kim Marie Vaz

4. Mardi Gras Indians by Michael P. Smith and Alan Govenar

5. Mardi Gras . . . As It Was by Robert Tallant

6. Confessions of a Bi-Polar Mardi Gras Queen by Marie Étienne

7. Design A Mardi Gras Parade: A Coloring Book by Mr. Sean Gautreaux

8. Mardi Gras Greats: Delicious Mardi Gras Recipes, the Top 79 Mardi Gras Recipes by Jo Franks

9. New Orleans Carnival Balls: The Secret Side of Mardi Gras, 1870-1920 by Jennifer Atkins

10. Mardi Gras Zombies  by Bart Gnarly

 

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Every so often, a Top Ten Tuesday topic comes up that makes me wish I could read what is in everyone’s drafts folders for it as I work on my post.

Will you all choose books that were written hundreds of years ago?

Maybe you will pick books from many different eras instead?

Only time will tell!

 

1. The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7) by C.S. Lewis

2. The Stand by Stephen King

3. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

4. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

5. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

6. Animal Farm by George Orwell

7. The Color Purple  by Alice Walker

8. Native Son by Richard Wright

9. Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1) by Chinua Achebe

10. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

 

 

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As I’ve mentioned in other recent Top Ten Tuesday posts, 2020 wasn’t a typical reading year for me.

I read less than usual, switched my preferred genres and topics to more cheerful ones, and had some trouble finishing the books I did manage to get through. How many of you can say the same thing?

Here are a few of the new-to-me authors I did try last year. May this year give all of us more time and energy to try new authors!

 

Author: Nisi Shawl

What I Read from Them: Everfair

 

Author: Michael Christie

What I Read from Them: Greenwood

 

Author: Danna Staaf

What I Read from Them: Monarchs of the Sea: The Extraordinary 500-Million-Year History of Cephalopods

 

Author: Katherine May

What I Read from Them: Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

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My list will be a short one this week. I tend to be a mood reader, and 2020 only amplified that preference a hundred times over. Honestly, I don’t generally know what I want to read next with these few exceptions.

My hope is that I will be able to finish these books this year.

A Promised Land by Barack Obama.

I’ve read a few of President Obama’s other books and enjoyed them.

 

The End of Everything by Katie Mack

Ms. Mack gave a (virtual) talk at my local library this past autumn that was excellent. Between that and her entertaining Twitter account, I look forward to reading more of her thoughts on astrophysics soon.

Stargazing by Jen Wang

So many of you have talked about Stargazing that I simply have to check it out.

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These are my hopes for 2021. Some are serious while others are purely frivolous.

1. That all of us who can be vaccinated for Covid-19 will be able to receive that vaccine this year. Herd immunity saves so many lives.

2. That this pandemic ends quickly and the economy of every country stabilizes again.

3. That President Biden’s transition into the White House goes smoothly.

4. That Toronto gets at least one decent blizzard this year. I love how quiet our corner of the world becomes when there’s a thick layer of snow covering everything.

5. That Jana eventually chooses one of my submissions for a future Top Ten Tuesday theme. Haha!

6. That streaming services or TV channels make more science shows like Cosmos while we’re all waiting for museums to safely reopen. I love learning about how our world works.

7. That all of our favourite living authors release new books this year.

8. That everyone gets two weeks of paid vacation time to rest and relax after everything that happened in 2020.

I’d argue that frontline workers should get at least double that amount of time off in appreciation of everything they did in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc. to keep the rest of us safe, healthy, fed, and educated.

9. That I find the perfect job for my strengths, skills, and interests (and you do, too, if you also need this!)

10. That all of us have a peaceful, happy, and wonderful 2021.

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As always, I don’t know exactly when I’ll be reading these books. So much depends on if or when they arrive at my local library!

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

Release Date: January 19

Why I Want to Read It: I’m always interested in checking out Ms. Okorafor’s new stories.

 

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

Release Date: February 18

Why I Want to Read It: Intergenerational friendships always catch my eye.

 

Love Is for Losers by Wibke Brueggemann

Release Date: February 23

Why I Want to Read It: The title makes me giggle.

 

The Salt in Our Blood  by Ava Morgyn

Release Date: March 2

Why I Want to Read It: It sounds like something I would have loved to read as a teenager.

 

The Conductors by Nicole Glover

Release Date: March 2

Why I Want to Read It: The Underground Railroad is one of those historical topics that isn’t talked about enough in fiction.

 

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town  by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

Release Date: April 1

Why I Want to Read It: I grew up in various small towns. While that wasn’t the lifestyle for me, I do have a soft spot for books that accurately describe what it’s like to be part of such an insular and tight-knit community.

 

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal

Release Date: April 27

Why I Want to Read It: I enjoy the occasional werewolf story and am quite curious to see how the main character’s Lyme Disease affects the course of the plot.

 

The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary

Release Date: April 29

Why I Want to Read It: Oh, how I miss road trips! Maybe I can live vicariously through this one until it’s safe to do them again.

 

 

The Ones We’re Meant to Find  by Joan He

Release Date: May 4

Why I Want to Read It: I love the idea of characters using science to help humanity.

 

Jay’s Gay Agenda  by Jason June

Release Date: June 1

Why I Want to Read It: The title made me giggle. Yes, funny titles are something that can easily convince me to give a book a try.

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2020 was a topsy-turvy reading year for me, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many of you feel the same way. We’ve all been through a lot this year.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

(My review of it is here).

What I Liked Most About It: The world building was well done and there were many scenes I thought would be memorable on the big or small screen.

 

“Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter” by Kate Clifford Larson

What I Liked Most About It: I had a vague notion of the existence of a member of the Kennedy family who was lobotomized, but I didn’t know why that happened or what their fate was afterwards. Her tale was a sad, poignant one.

 

“The Ghost Child” by Sonya Hartnett

What I Liked Most About It: The magical realism added such a nice touch to the main character’s descriptions of what life was like for her in retirement.

 

“Zombies Run!: Keeping Fit and Living Well in the Current Zombie Emergency” by Naomi Alderman

What I Liked Most About It: Zombies might not be real, but there is a ton of great advice here about how to live as healthily as possible when your community is in lockdown, say, due to a worldwide pandemic.

 

“The Pull of the Stars” by Emma Donoghue

What I Liked Most About It: The descriptions of the 1918 flu pandemic, the medical treatments for it, and how hard these characters worked to keep their patients alive were mesmerizing.

 

“A Good Time to Be Born: How Science and Public Health Gave Children a Future” by Perri Klass

What I Liked Most About It: It gave so many reasons to be grateful to live in 2020, and it provided personal accounts from various historical eras on a topic that isn’t generally discussed in history classes. For the vast majority of human history, about half of all children died before reaching adulthood.  It took us multiple generations and the cooperation of countless scientists, politicians, and ordinary people to slowly create entire societies where the vast majority of children live.

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This week’s topic was Books I Hope Santa Brings, but my TBR list is already so huge that with a few exceptions I’ll make note of below that I’d rather not receive more books from Santa or anyone else this holiday season!

With that being said, there are some bookish items I wouldn’t mind receiving this holiday season.

Uninterrupted Reading Time 

What could be better than curling into a quiet corner of the house and reading for as long as your heart desires?

Dairy-Free Chocolate/Sweets

Grocery stores and coffee shops are filled with scrumptious holiday sweets at this time of the year.

I always get excited when I read the ingredient list for a new potential treat and realize that it’s safe for my milk allergy!

Caffeine-Free Hot Drinks

I don’t generally eat or drink while reading, but when I do these are the types of things I like to rummage around for in my cupboards. Some stories simply work better when you have something to sip or nibble on while reading them.

If Santa also wants to make my sweets and beverages low-calorie, I’d promise not to give away his secret for accomplishing that.

A Waterproof Case for My iPhone

So I can safely read ebooks while taking a bath, of course!

Warm Reading Socks

My feet grow cold in the winter. They need all of the coziness they can get.

Happy Endings for Protagonists 

Okay, and maybe some of the antagonists, too, if they truly regret their mistakes.

Audiobooks 

These are the one sort of book I wouldn’t mind receiving over the holidays because I can “read” them while exercising or cleaning my house.

I’ve found that the fantasy and young adult genres works particularly well for me in these scenarios, but I wouldn’t say no to science fiction, biographies, or many other genres as well.

Sequels to Unfinished/Disappointing Series 

I don’t want to hurt any author’s feelings by naming specific series here, but there are certain series that really should have been given better (or, in some cases, any) endings. I’d sure love if it they could all be wrapped up properly and respectfully.