This week’s Top Ten Tuesday hosted by the fine folks at the Broke and the Bookish, is Top Ten bookish memories:

1. The first time mr. strivingcynic asked me out, we met on a weeknight at a coffee place and talked for hours. I was nervous about meeting him, but I had such a good time that I was happy that he asked me out again for the weekend. He said he’d give some thought to what we might do. When we next spoke, his thought was lunch and a visit to nice, local used bookstore. I loved that he suggested a bookstore…and the excursion itself is a very happy memory. We’ve gone back there and to local library book sales a number of times. 

2. Growing up, we had a room in our house we called “the library,” really just a spare bedroom which was used as an office and had lots of bookshelves. I used to love going in there and pulling books off the shelves to read their descriptions.

3. I’ve been to a number of readings, book signings, and author talks. I’ve seen Janet Evanovich several times (I complain about the books, but she is fun and spent hours and hours at the signings). More recently, mr. sc and I went to see Margaret Atwood speak about zombies at Princeton University. Also fun!

4. Before the idea of finding out of print works on the Internet existed, I had some fun hoping to turn up books at used bookstores. One of my happiest finds was a copy of Isak Dinesen’s The Angelic Avengers. I was less happy when the book hit a crucial point (lives in peril) and skipped ahead 20+ pages. Looked like the pages were just missing. I ended up interlibrary loaning it to read the missing chapter.

5. When I was at college, I told my father I wanted a proper dictionary for my birthday. Imagine my surprise when a really heavy Random House dictionary came in the mail. Carrying it back to my dorm was not such a great thing, but the memory makes me smile.

6. Random book conversations. I remember once getting into a conversation about Hemingway with a guy on a train. No idea how it started. I also remember talking to the guy next to me on a flight who was reading Mourning Becomes Electra.

7. Pretty much any time I get a book as a present is a top bookish memory for me.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by the folks at the Broke and the Bookish), is: Top Ten Most Frustrating Characters Ever. Yep…I’ve met some frustrating characters in my day. I think with me, frustrating often equals unlikable…

1-2. Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. I have often felt that reading WH is like being locked in a room with a bunch of people you don’t particularly like. I find both Heathcliff and Catherine pretty horrible. Selfish, self-centered, and cruel. I much prefer poor Edgar Linton even though you’re not supposed to.

3. Carrie Bell in The Dive from Claussen’s Pier, by Ann Packer. Although I can sympathize with Carrie’s predicament (she’s falling out of love with her fiance when he’s paralyzed in an accident), she’s a pretty lousy friend who uses people and doesn’t seem to worry too much about hurting anyone.

4. Lee Fiore in Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep. There’s a lot I like about Lee, but she just makes some choices and comes to some conclusions that make her a pretty uncomfortable person to spend time with. A good “get over yourself” is needed.

5. St. John Rivers in Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. I don’t dislike St. John, but he’s a difficult guy to like. So lofty, so cold…the kind of guy who is able to ignore the fact that he’s in love because it interferes with his goals. And (SPOILER ALERT) he utters one of the most horrible lines in literature to Jane when he tells her “You were formed for duty, not for love,” (made worse considering the circumstances under which he says it).

6. Angel Clare in Tess of the D’urberville’s by Thomas Hardy. (SPOILER ALERT) What, just because he “fell” doesn’t mean it’s acceptable for Tess. After all, it’s different..she’s a woman. And thanks to her disgrace…a totally different woman than the one he thought he was marrying. “You were one woman. And now you are another (and now I need to go away for a very long time to deal with the fact you did the same thing I did).” Guaranteed to make me angry! 

7. Stephanie Plum in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum mysteries. Now, I love Stephanie…I really do, but her lack of clarity on the “which of these hunky men do I want to be with?” issue is just a tiny bit frustrating.

8. Hazel Woodus in Gone to Earth, by Mary Webb. Hazel is probably more annoying than frustrating. She’s the “spirit of nature that can’t be contained” heroine. She can be a little hard to take. Stella Gibbon mocks her type wonderfully in the character of Elfine in Cold Comfort Farm.

9. Hilly in The Help, by Kathrynn Stockett. Hilly is meant to be unlikable…and she is. Every one of Skeeter’s (or anyone else’s) encounters with her left me clenching my jaw.

10-11. Uncle Pumblechook in Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. He’s like nails on a chalkboard every time he shows up to talk about how great he is. His complete denial of reality is pretty frustrating!

What characters frustrate you?

Happy New Year!

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by the folks at the Broke and the Bookish), is Top Ten Books I Resolve To Read In 2013.

Now, I’ve learned that I don’t like “resolving” to read books because I like to be somewhat spontaneous in my choices (If I read 100 books a year, this wouldn’t be an issue, but since my goal is 25, I feel like such a resolution is a “commitment)”.

But, what I can tell you is that I finally read the first Harry Potter (Sorcerer’s Stone) last week and want to incorporate the remaining 6 into my reading this year…I may not get to all of them, but I will have them on my mind as my “next” choices.

I also suspect I will read Jennifer Weiner’s The Next Best Thing, and Janet Evanovich’s Notorious Nineteen because I usually read at least one of each every year. I will probably also read an Anne Perry (I’m a little behind on her Monk series and Pitt series) and probably a mystery by Elizabeth George (I’ve got her latest on a shelf here).

Otherwise, who can say?

How about you? Willing to commit to a few books in 2013?

Happy day before Christmas!

I’m doing this week’s Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by the folks at the Broke and the Bookish), a little early since I want to have a “Merry Christmas” post up for Christmas. This week is a freebie since many people will be busy celebrating with family and friends. Rather than doing a straight top ten, I thought I’d comment on something I noticed in my reading this year…”the bookalike” phenomenon. I read a number of books that reminded me of other books for one reason or another. So, here goes.

1/2. Similar plot. Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella and What Alice Forgot, by Liane Moriarty. Now, I enjoyed both of these books very much, but there’s no way the similarity in plots could escape me (and I suspect if I poked around on the Internets, I’d find comparisons). Both involve heroines who had head injuries leading to amnesia. Both women wake up these incredibly polished, formerly “messy” creatures and have no idea how they got there. Only one actually recovers her memory by the book’s end, though.

3/4. Similar heroines. Yes, Remember Me? and What Alice Forgot are an example of this, but I’m thinking of another two books I read: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley and The Little Friend by Donna Tartt. Both feature preadolescent girls, Flavia De Luce, 11; and Harriet Dufresne, 12. Each tries to solve a mystery involving a murder affecting her family. Each has an older sister who is a bit drifty (although Flavia has another sister as well). Both are precocious; Flavia with chemistry and Harriet with her interests in Houdini and Scott the polar explorer. Both come from families that have lost their status. Only one actually solves the mystery.

5/6. Similar disappointment [SPOILER WARNING]. Both The Little Friend and In the Woods, by Tana French have a central mystery that remains unsolved. Although some argue that it’s somehow more “literary” or “true to character of the detective” not to solve the mystery…it kind of sucks if you’re reading. One of these books does have another central mystery that does get solved, but it’s not enough. I found it much more disappointing in The Little Friend, which I found difficult and hard to enjoy (animal deaths in almost every chapter, some of them really awful, is just one of the fine features of this book). I’m planning to read more Tana French, but would think twice before reading more Tartt (I’ve already read The Secret History).

7/8. Similarity where I wouldn’t expect there to be any. The Little Friend and The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Both of these books feature story lines about white children being essentially raised by/having close relationships with their African-American maids. Both The Help and Little Friend have families where the mom is checked out/overwhelmed, leaving the maid to do the majority of the child minding.

9/10. Unlikable heroines. Prep,  by Curtis Sittenfeld and The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, by Anne Packer. Both of these heroines were pretty hard to like in their selfish, self-centered ways. Lee in Prep is pretty young and compensates for being a scholarship student at a prep school in ways that don’t really make her easy to like. Although Carrie in Dive can be forgiven for being overwhelmed by her fiance’s paralysis, she takes advantage of and hurts people with her distance and tendency towards flight.

What books reminded you of other books?

It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the folks at the Broke and the Bookish. This week, the topic is Top Ten Favorite New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2012.

Interesting. Okay, so a look through my book journal shows I read 27 books (so far) this year. Of those, it turns out, 15 of them were “new to me” authors. I don’t know if I could really rank them in Top-Ten fashion, but I’ll try to name the 10 I liked the most.

1. Mindy Kaling. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me just cracked me up (and convinced me that Mindy and I could totally be best friends in case she’s in the market for one).

2. Suzanne Collins. I finally read The Hunger Games. More like devoured it…I think I got through it in 24 hours. Even though I’d already seen the movie, I found the book compelling.

3. Jenny Colgan. I’ve seen Colgan’s books in the chick lit sections when I’ve visited the UK, and finally bought one called Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe. It was really fun and I’ve asked Santa to bring me more.

4. Kathryn Stockett. I still haven’t seen the movie, but finally read The Help book this year and really enjoyed/was moved by it.

5. Sebastien Japrisot. I had seen the movie version of A Very Long Engagement a few years ago and was happy to find this at a used bookstore. Since I only had a vague memory of the movie’s ending, I was drawn in again to the story of the fates of five men who were put over the wire into no man’s land during World War I.

6. Jessica Kerwin Jenkins. I had seen reviews of Encyclopedia of the Exquisite when I came out and knew the trivia loving “where’d THAT come from” seeking tendencies I have would make this a fun book for me to read.

7. Curtis Sittenfeld. I own three of her books, but finally got around to reading Prep this year. Although the protagonist, Lee, isn’t always easy to like, I found this book difficult to put down.

8. Tana French. Another author where I bought several books before reading any. In the Woods is a bit maddening (one of the central mysteries is never explained–and the Amazon page for this book has a huge forum discussion about what might have happened), but I find I’m intrigued enough to want to read her other books.

9. Larry McMurtry. He’s written a ton, and my first foray into his writings is Books, about his ownership of a used bookstore. I enjoyed reading about his experiences (and fantasizing about owning a bookstore).

10. Geraldine Brooks. The People of the Book brought to life how books have meaning beyond what’s in their pages, and I enjoyed the time shifting technique Brooks used to show how the book in question came to be in the state it was in.

I was actually pleasantly surprised to realize I’d read so many new-to-me authors this year and hope I always have room for more.

Who were your favorite “new-to-you” authors in 2012?

It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the folks at the Broke and the Bookish. This week, the topic Top Ten Books I Wouldn’t Mind Santa Bringing Me. So appropriate since I just made a list of books I want for Christmas.

So, my ten (in no particular order)

1. -3. Funny lady books (since I enjoyed Mindy Kaling’s and Ellen Degeneres’s books last year). Bossypants, by Tina Fey; A Girl Walks into a Bar, by Rachel Dratch; and Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America, by Leslie Knope. All of these will be great for when I need a good laugh.

4.-5. Style books. The Truth about Style, by Stacy London; The Fashion Bible, by Tim Gunn. I love them both and want to see what they have to say.

6.-8. Books I heard of/read about that got I want to read. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot; Wild, by Cheryl Strayed; and Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline.

9.-10. Some chick lit. I Think I Love You, by Alison Pearson and anything by Jenny Colgan (except Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe, which I’ve already read).

And if this had been a top 15 or 20, I could have managed that as well! That’s part of the reason why I have a pile!

What books are on your “Santa” list?

It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the folks at the Broke and the Bookish. This week, the topic Top Ten Most Anticipated Books For 2013.

Now, at first I wasn’t sure whether this was anticipated as in “I hope to read this” or as in “book coming out in 2013.” Looking further down the list, there is a future top ten for hope (well, resolve) to read in 2013, so I think this is “coming out…”

I have absolutely no idea who has a book coming out in 2013. There are some authors I can pretty much count on having a book out every year…and without a doubt, I’ll end up getting a copy. These authors are:

1. Jennifer Weiner (Yes! Amazon lists a 2013 title from her called The F Word: My Life in Stories)

2. Anne Perry (Amazon lists both a new Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mystery and a new William Monk)

3. Sue Grafton (well, she’s not like clockwork, but it’s possible..okay, checked Amazon and there’s a listing a book coming out in January 2013 called Kinsey and Me: Stories)

4. Janet Evanovich  (she’s always got several things going on, but I didn’t see a Stephanie Plum for 2013…but it also looks like 19 came out last week).

5. Elizabeth George (another not like clockwork, and nothing turned up on Amazon, but if it does…)

6. Marian Keyes (again, not like clockwork, but The Mystery of Mercy Close is out in April 2013 [already out in Ireland]).

7. Looking back at my “authors I’m thankful for” post from last week, if Mindy Kaling wants to write another book, I’ll be getting it!

8. Sophie Kinsella, who should have been on last week’s list. Amazon lists a book for her called Wedding Night for 2013. And from the last book, I think Shopaholic should be heading to LA soon.

So, given the possibilities from authors who write multiple series, I think that will probably turn into 10 books for 2013.

Any books or authors you can’t wait to see make an appearance in bookstores?

It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the folks at the Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic which is perfectly timed for election day when we get to choose our leaders: “Top Ten Tuesday Freebie! Your time to pick whatever topic you’d like!” Usually these freebies wrack me with indecision, but I think I got this one.

I’m currently re-reading a book…so that led me to “Top 10 books I’ve re-read (or would like to re-read).” I can tell you that I have not re-read any of these books in the last nine or ten years, since I started keeping my book journal. And of course, I have a lot of new books waiting to be read. Still…

1. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. This is the book I’m currently re-reading. I think this is probably my fourth time through it (once in high school, once in college, once one other time….and now). I’m happy that I’m enjoying it again/still. I always fear that I might not get the same thing out of it.

2. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. Another one I’ve probably also read at least three other times (also thanks to being assigned it more than once). I think the last time I read Jane Eyre I was about 28, the age she seems to be at the end of the book. I wonder how I’ll find Jane now that I’m so much older than her.

3. Madam Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert. For reasons I will never understand, they had us read this sophomore year in high school. I was bored to tears, and like every other judgmental, think they know everything when they know nothing teenager in the class, I dismissed Emma B as a “slut.” Then a professor gave me a copy when I graduated saying it was his favorite book. I re-read it…I loved it. Emma and I had both suffered for love…”oh honey,” I wanted to say “sit down, let’s talk.”

4. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood. I know I’ve read this more than once…but don’t remember the last time. Between seeing Atwood in person the other week and recent discussions of female reproductive rights, I’d love to re-read this again.

5. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. Haven’t read this in forever. Haven’t read any Jane Austen in a while. Must remedy this.

6. Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York, by Gail Parent. I know I’ve read this chick lit before chick lit’s time hilarious book more than once…

7. The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood. This one I haven’t re-read, but I’d like to because I can’t remember the plot. I know the basics…I know the beginning and end, but I’ve basically forgotten all the middle. Drives me nuts.

8. Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton. I believe I was assigned this twice. I picked it up at a library book sale in the hopes of returning to it one day.

9. Bleak House, by Charles Dickens. Another one I’ve read at least twice. I have no intention of rereading it soon, but suspect I will one day.

10. The Shipping News, by E. Annie Proulx. I had a copy of this when I lived in Prague. Books in English were scarce so I ended up reading it two or three times during my two year stay there.

What books have you read more than once? What books would you like to re-read if you have the time?