Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Books I'm Dying to Read!

Keep in mind that naturally I have a very loooooong TBR(to be read) list and it's a challenge to choose only 10 from so many choices. Plus, as a bonified bibliophile I'm always on the lookout for more! So, I'll put my Top 10 choices down of ones that have been on my mind recently.
Remember, if you'd like to read more Top Ten choices or participate in making a list of your own, check out The Broke and the Bookish for yourself.

1. Evermore by Alyson Noel - At times, all it takes is a little background information from the author herself to get you excited about reading a book! The only secret I keep/is immortality. ~Emily Dickinson

2. Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1) by Cassandra Clare - I absolutely love the cover of this book! Plus, it is set in Victorian London and I love that era. Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - I'm sure I'm cheating a bit here because I've read about the first 5 pages already but I haven't had time to immerse myself in this book yet. I'm dying to see how things will end and I have to admit I'm a bit afraid of how it will turn out too. Whereas Katniss kills with finesse, Collins writes with raw power. -Time Magazine

4. Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alyson McGhee - I enjoy reading her books and so do my children. This fun new book is a collaborative effort and should come out later this month but it may take some time to get my hands on one. Funny, ebullient ... two friends, three adventures.

5. Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd - I've been hearing all sorts of great things about this book! As you know, I love Jane Austenish stuff so this is right up my alley. This is a superb retelling of the Jane Austen novel in which the house at Mansfield Park becomes the scene of one murder after another.

6. The Seventeen Second Miracle by Jason F. Wright - After I heard Jason F. Wright speak once at Time Out for Women, I've been a fan of his books. I look forward to this one! To the teachers who believed.

7. Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - I know very little about this book but I like the premise and the fact they collaborated to write it. So cool! In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

8. Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey - I'm always so excited to start a new year of reading in a local Classics Book Group I attend. This is the first book choice of 2011. I happen to like Westerns once in a while and this seems like pure classic. Perhaps more than any other novel, contributed to the concept of the American West.

9. Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed - This book will most likely take me a long time to read but I hope that it will be very interesting. With penetrating insights for today, this history of the world economic collapse of the late 1920s presents unforgettable portraits of the four men whose personal and professional actions as heads of their respective central banks changed the course of the twentieth century.

10. Sophie Scholl and the White Rose by Annette Dumbach, Jud Newborn - Ever since I read The Silenced by James DeVita I have been interested about Sophie Scholl. I haven't found the time to read this version of her story yet and I'd like to. "We will not be silent! We are your bad conscience!" they exhorted the German people to stand up and fight for freedom.

Let me know what books have been on your mind and what you've been dying to read in your comment! Too bad, making and finding time to read all I want can be a complex project of itself but I'm content to keep trying! Eventually, I'll make progress, read and learn something in the process which makes all the difference. Reading is so worthwhile.

Also, if you're interested in book blogs like I am be sure to check out Book Blogger Appreciation Week going on this week! You'll find lots to read from these amazing book bloggers and enjoy reading their blogs in the process. Be warned: reading book blogs can become addictive! ;)

Top Ten Tuesday(1): Favorite Books

I discovered this on Lu's Book Blog and I realized that I love to follow The Broke and the Bookish on twitter so I thought I'd participate in her meme: Top Ten Tuesday. Today's top ten is

What are your top ten all-time favorite books?

1) The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter - This is the first classic literature that stands out in my mind. My mom suggested I read it when I was young and complaining of boredom which that adds to the meaning that comes behind reading it for me. Isolated, human fragility, and perceptive are just some of the words that describe it and give you a sense of this book. Simplistic yet well done.

2) The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - I was completely captivated and really enjoyed the main character, Lily. There are many quotes that I love in this book.

3) The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien - I like all of these books but I really do love a beginning of a story and this is one of those rare perfect beginnings.

4)Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - another one that I love the series as well but this is another awesome beginning to entertaining characters and a dystopia novel that will have you questioning everything you know in the world he created and the one you're in now.

5)Charlotte's Web by E.B. White - This really was one of the very first books that I ever loved. I still have my very worn and tattered old copy of this book. I love to talk about this book because I think there is so much to it.

6)The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - This book is one of the saddest books but I loved the imagery and amazing language within its pages. Plath is poetic and I like her style!

7)Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling - Honestly, I love the whole series but I'm choosing this one since it is the one I've re-read a few more times than the others. I just love Dobie!

8)The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy - I love the legend of this book! It is silly to some but has depth and layers of meaning to me.

9)The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - This is a "must-read" each Christmas or at least most of them and if I don't get to read it I make sure to see a film adaptation of this book.

10)The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson - This book is fresh in my mind and I just can't forget about it so I'll add it here. It's one of those that changes in your mind after you read it and already, I feel I'm due for a re-read.

Is 10 all I get? I know that there are many more books that I love than this but this is my list for today.

***

Ok, I can't help it so I cheat since three more entered my mind before I published that I have to list, even if just for myself:

11) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

12) The Diary of Anne Frank

13)When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Thanks for reading through all of this!

Just for fun: Right now, see if you can quickly think of a favorite book and leave it in the comments. List the very first one that comes to your mind. GO!

My Reading in 2009

For me, it was an exploding year of reading! To my knowledge, it's the very best I've ever done. But perhaps it's because I actually kept track. I've really been enjoying Goodreads for that reason. Anyway, here are some stats (thanks for the idea Lula) of my reading for '09~

Overall count: 49.5 (hehehe, I'm saying the .5 to be funny but technically I did read half of the book at the end of the year but I'll finish it in 2010 and fully count it then.)

Non-fiction:7
Romances:8
Classics:6
Adult Fiction:11
Young Adult:13
Poetry:1
Graphic novels:3
Female authors:26
Male authors:17
Really disliked:4


Top 10 Favorites, in no particular order:

1. The Silenced by James DeVita: This was a very powerful read for me. It is a dystopian novel set in futuristic time but is based on an actual experience of Sophie Scholl who was an activist against Hitler in WWII. Through the eyes of this story, I felt powerfully what it must mean to be courageous. I really felt I took something from this book that will last within me for a long while. It has only grown as now I've read more and researched a bit about Sophie.

2. The Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld: These are magnificently written books that are also dystopian. They are true page turner's. It caused me wonder about the meaning of words like ugly and pretty. Yet, I feel the very heart of these books are the intimate elements of friendship.

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer: This book is told through letters only which caused me to realize the power and the old art of letter-writing. It feels like getting to know or reconnect with old friends again. Heartwarming!

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Another page turner! This book is also dystopian and isn't actually very pleasant yet I couldn't put it down. I truly felt for this created world and these characters. There is a lot to think or talk about with this book.

5. The Nature of Jade by Deb Calletti: This book will make you fall in love with elephants! Plus. many elements of this story have lasted with me. It was realistic yet vivid, hauntingly subdued and still hopeful.

6. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck: Fall into the simple life again through the eyes of a Chinese farmer and his family. As Wang-Lung experiences his life, it is poignantly clear even in what you feel through these words that there will be periods of good, challenging and miserable. I realized that perhaps in the beginning stages of our lives we have so much more than we realize. Take nothing for granted in this story and also get to know the character of the earth.

7. Emma by Jane Austen: How I love Emma and her grand intentions! She is so charming, affectionate and satiating. I find it hard to resist this idealistic classic!

8. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott: Reading this was simply horrifying for me yet is a tale that remains quite eye-opening and will not be easily forgotten.

9. The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci: In this graphic novel, the artwork is amazing along with the writing. A lot different and a better experience than I ever expected in reading a graphic novel. In the end, it left me wanting more.

10. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: Another horrifying, unforgettable book but in a completely different way. In his definite classic, Sinclair has proven the power in the written word. I've been really into books about this time period lately. This book made be thankful that we have an F.D.A. today even if it still may be problematic.

*Remember for more comprehensive reviews on the books I've read this year, please read my book review's on 5-squared.

Image credit: mandj98 - Creative Commons