Top Ten Tuesdays - Diverse Books

Uh oh... It's actually Wednesday. Sorry!

Here we are again for another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is books or characters that are examples of 'diversity'. I've put inverted commas in there because diversity is often quite difficult to qualify. It seems to be a trending topic lately (for quite a while actually!), but it's not always clear what diversity really means. I guess in this context, I'm talking about books and characters that represent experiences outside of the 'norm' that is usually presented in books: straight, white, from the UK or North America, with a certain type of background or outlook on life.

I initially decided not to do this topic, just because I wasn't sure I actually had enough books to mention (and I'm definitely lacking in some areas of 'diverse' experiences), but having read other people's lists, I realised that I do actually have quite a few books to mentions. So without further ado, let's get on with the list.

1. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

I first read Their Eyes Were Watching God last year, and was completely engrossed by the story and blown away by how much it opened my eyes to people's different experiences. Janie, the protagonist, not only has a completely different experience to my own in that she is black and lives in the American south in the early 20th century, but she also has a totally different outlook on life and love. Even the use of dialect plunges you into a completely different world. This is a type of experience that is ridiculously under-represented in literature.

2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon

I spotted this on Katie from Words for Worms's list yesterday and just had to include it. Christopher has autism and therefore processes the world and interacts with people differently. This book is great for understanding people with autism and helping people know how to interact with them better, most importantly it leads us to empathise with Christopher and helps us to see his point of view.

3. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

This slightly unexpected book (or is it a collection of novellas?) addresses grief and love in its different forms. But the reason it made it onto this list is because it features a transgender character, which is exceptionally rare in books! And the character is interesting and well-rounded. Besides, the book is great! Well worth a read even without it's 'diversity' bonus points.

4. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

The stories of four mothers and four daughters, all of Chinese immigrant families, intertwine in this novel about what it means to straddle two cultures and feel like an outsider in both. I think the most powerful part, for me, was the struggle of these families to understand and love each other across cultural barriers. An amazing book!

5. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I don't think I can recommend this book enough. The experiences represented here are not only diverse in the sense that they take place in Africa (a continent that is wildly under-represented in my reading and, I suspect, in many other people's too), but the two main characters also both go on to experience different continents themselves and go through changes, both in themselves and in their perception of the world. It's also a really interesting look at race in America and the experiences of an illegal immigrant in the UK.

6. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

This is probably the most famous of Schlink's books, but he also wrote a brilliant detective series about Gerhard Selb ('Self' in English!). This offers an interesting look at post-war Germany and people's complex motivations for doing what they do.

7. The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson

Shoutout to Susie from Girl with her Head in a Book who hates Jacqueline Wilson (sorry! :P), and who was very scathing about her novel The Suitcase Kid in her Top Ten Tuesday this week. But I vividly remember being really challenged by Jacqueline Wilson's novels when I was reading them as a child and young teenager. The Illustrated Mum is the example that comes most readily to mind; it's the story of a woman with bipolar disorder, told from the perspective of her young daughter. Throughout the book, we see the main character struggling to balance her fierce protective love for her mum on the one hand with her frustration and fear on the other. I remember discussing this one with my own mum afterwards.

8. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

Another one inspired by Susie's list (she disliked this one too! :P). I found this book to be a highly complex and nuanced look at race relations in colonial India, with Forster's trademark subtlety and understanding of human interaction. This book is so interesting, particularly in that all the characters are so flawed; even the 'good guy' is only free from prejudice (or at least relatively so) because of circumstance.

9. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

This book offers the perspective of an unrepresented and misunderstood character from Jane Eyre, which addresses the wider issue of white stories being given more page-space and importance than those of people of colour. I didn't actually love this book all that much, but it was really interesting and thought-provoking, and it's definitely worth a read as it offers a really important perspective.

10. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I almost just put this as an honourable mention on the end of #1, but I just couldn't do it! This book (more than) merits a space of its own. It encompasses so many issues such as racism, the experiences of women in black communities, sexuality, abuse, faith, the nature of love, and the complex relationship between Africans and black Americans. Plus it's beautiful and heartbreaking. What more could you want?

So there you have it! I'm aware there are some massive gaps in my reading and there are still loads of types of people that aren't represented, but I still wanted to share a couple of book recommendations nonetheless.

As usual (but perhaps especially in this case), if you have any recommendations of your own, let me know in the comments! Feel free to share your own lists too :)

Top Ten Tuesday - Hyped Books I've Never Read

Hello and welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday, hosted as always by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is top ten hyped books that I've never read, of which there are MANY. Some of these I don't ever intend to read, some of them I might get to eventually, and some of them I'm actually pretty embarrassed to never have read them... Oh well, that's what summers are for, ain't it!?


Anyway, let's get on with the list!

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This one is particularly shameful because not only do I own TWO copies of it (and have done for several years...), but it's also super short, AND Harper Lee's other book is coming out this month. I really really really have no excuse for this one! Hopefully I'll get to it this week while I'm on holiday though.

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth

This has been hyped by some as the next Hunger Games,but I'm just not fussed about it. I haven't read it and I don't intend to. Sorry Veronica!

3. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

This might not be such a hyped read for some, but I'm a massive Agatha Christie fan, and I'm slightly ashamed not to have read what is probably the most well-known book by the queen of crime.

4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

I haven't actually read anything by Margaret Atwood, and I'm not sure if I'll get to anything of hers any time soon. She's an extremely popular author though, and The Handmaid's Tale is the book that I've heard mentioned the most, so maybe I should give it a try..?

5. The Giver by Lois Lowry

This one has cropped up a lot lately in videos and blog posts about books everyone has (or should have) read. So it's possibly a little embarrassing that I haven't. I think it's better known among Americans though, so I possibly shouldn't feel too bad. I do own it though and I imagine it'll be a quick read, so I should probably get to it soon.

6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I've read The Hunger Games. I enjoyed The Hunger Games. But I never quite got round to reading the second book (or the third for that matter). Do I want to read it? Kinda. Will I ever get round to it? Probably not.

7. Nineteen-Eighty-Four by George Orwell

This book is super famous and I really want to read it. So why haven't I? Who knows.

8. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

As a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes short stories, I really don't know why I haven't picked up what is probably his most famous work. I also own this one, so maybe I'll get to it this summer.

9. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I know this book has received a lot of hype in the last couple of years (hence why it's on this list!), but to be honest it really doesn't appeal to me. On top of that, my flatmate read it and was underwhelmed, so I think I probably won't ever pick this up. 

10. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

And finally, we come to another very famous, very popular book that I'm sure deserves all its hype and that I really really want to read, but I just haven't! Life, eh?

So there you have it! My top ten hyped books that I haven't read. Any surprises on that list???

Let me know in the comments what you think of my list. What hyped books have you not read (yet)?

Top Ten Tuesday - 2015 Favourites So Far!

Hello again blogosphere! So, I know I'm a little late on the Top Ten Tuesday front (only by one day!). but I have been reading other people's lists and enjoying reading about their favourite books of the year, so I just couldn't resist getting involved.

Of course, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted as always by The Broke and the Bookish, and this week's theme - as you can probably tell from the above paragraph and the title of the post! - is top ten books from the year so far.

My year of reading so far has been very stop-start, interrupted by uni stress and finals and post-final slumps where all I wanted to do was knit and watch YouTube videos... I haven't actually counted, but I'm pretty sure I haven't even read ten books in total this year yet (woops!). I certainly haven't put out that many reviews! I do have reviews lined up for all the books I read, I just haven't got round to polishing them and making them publish-worthy. Anyway, I'm still going to do the list, but I'm cutting it down to Top Four, otherwise it'd just be a list of the books I've read, and that's not quite so interesting ;) (also, I couldn't think of a fifth one to make it a Top Five!)

So let's just get down to the list then shall we?

(In no particular order...)

1. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

I didn't actually get as far as actually writing a review for this one, just because I really didn't know what to say about it, apart from that I LOVED it! This is a graphic memoir about Marjane Satrapi's life growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, and her then moving to Austria (I think that's actually in the second book, but I got a bind-up of the two). I whizzed through this book in one train journey, and I just found it so so interesting. It's a very hyped book but it's absolutely worth it! It was heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time, and also taught me a lot about the history of a country and time period with which I was wholly unfamiliar. Highly recommended!

3. The Martian by Andy Weir

This one was a very recent read, and one that I picked up because of all the hype that it's received. I thought the premise sounded really interesting, and had heard that it was really funny too! And I was absolutely not disappointed! At first, I did think the writing style might not be for me, but as I got into it I found it really engaging and I struggled to put the book down to carry out day-to-day tasks like eating and talking to people. In the end, I finished the book in almost one sitting and was gripped from start to finish. It perfectly balances nerdy scienciness with humour and action-adventure type shenanigans. And it feels really believable right to the end! Top stuff! :D

2. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

So I know everyone loves this book so it's kind of redundant to put it on a favourites list, but it's significant to me because I was sort of unconvinced that I would like it as much as everyone else. My brother got it for me for my birthday a couple of years ago, and I'd just kept putting it off, partly for that reason. But I'm glad to say that I absolutely loved it! Though it does come with the downside that I now care if I read spoilers, and there is no corner of the internet that is safe from GoT spoilers (cry).

3. The Beach by Alex Garland

This is probably vying for the top spot on this list. I absolutely LOVED this book! It was recommended by a friend who just told me that it was really clever and that it was her favourite book. And then she pressed it into my hands in the bookshop where we were browsing and coerced me into buying it (not that I really need much persuading when it comes to book buying). I won't say too much about it, just because I think it's one of those books where it's best to go in blind (besides, I have a full review coming soon! Be sure to stay tuned for that one!). But I will say that I couldn't stop talking about it when I'd finished it, and I kept making other people read it so I could discuss it with them. Just read this book! It's great! :D

Hmm... So I think I've exhausted my favourites for this year so far! 

Honourable mentions go to Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote (both re-reads), the former because it changed my opinion, and the latter because it confirmed it.

Let me know in the comments what your favourite books of the year so far have been! And feel free to link your TTT post :) 

Top Ten Tuesdays - Books for the Beach

Today's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted, as always, by The Broke and the Bookish) is a list of books that I plan to have in my beach bag this summer. Since I'm not sure I will actually go to the beach all that much this year (if at all), this is probably going to be a purely speculative list. I've decided to choose a mixture of books I've read already and books I'd like to get to that I think would make good summery reads. 

So anyway, let's get on with the list, shall we?

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Or any Jane Austen book really! This is possibly my favourite of her novels I've read so far (which is all of them apart from Mansfield Park), and I think it would make a great beach read. It's really witty and has a light-hearted feel to it, but there is also so much substance and the writing is wonderful. 

2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Light, fun, really inventive, hilarious, not to mention completely insane! This is probably one of my favourite books of all time and I think it would be a perfect summer read, though to be honest I could read it any time of year!

3. Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee

This book has such a wonderful atmosphere and the description of the scenery is so vivid. It's just perfect for inspiring you to get outdoors and into the countryside. 

4. A Room With a View by E.M. Forster

I think I mainly associate this book with this time of year because I read it in the summer of my first year at uni, in those glorious days when exams were over but I hadn't yet re-started at my minimum-wage job. But the Italian setting is also very fitting (it's always summer in Italy, right?), and the subtle portrayal of daily human interaction, though not exactly always a barrel of laughs, seems strangely appropriate to this time of year. 

5. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

Apart from being set during the summer and featuring a (sort of) summer holiday, this book is absolutely hilarious. I'm talking side-splitting, laugh-out-loud funny. It'll make you want to annoy your family/friends/significant other by reading bits out while they try and sunbathe in peace. Plus the way it's structured means you can dip in and out whenever the mood takes you. Perfect for beach reading!

6. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (a.k.a. J.K. Rowling)

Now we move onto the portion of this list made up of books I haven't read yet. I've heard mixed things about this book and I'm sure there are better murder mysteries out there. But I do still want to give it a try, and from what I gather the style isn't anything too taxing. 

7. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I think I associate Marquez's books with summer simply because they are set in South America where it's hot... But they are also a mixture of human passions and magical realism, which I think is also fitting. Last year I read One Hundred Years of Solitude on the beach, so maybe this year it's time to give this one a go.

8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

This book is really short so I feel like it would make a great beach read. Plus I just really really want to read it. It's been sitting on my shelf for ages and I am slightly embarrassed that I haven't read it already. Into the beach bag it goes!

9. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding

I read and really enjoyed the first Bridget Jones book last summer, and I'd like to give the sequel a read this year. It's another one I imagine would be easy to dip in and out of. Besides, Fielding's writing style is so hilarious and sarcastic. Perfect for an easy-going beach read.

10. ?????

My brain is failing me. Any suggestions of great beach reads??? 

Top Ten Tuesday - Bookish Buzzwords or Favourite Qualities in a Book

Hey everyone! It seems now I've dipped my toe back into the blogosphere I just can't stay away, so here's another post (only two days after the last one!? *cue general astonishment*). As you can see from the title, this will be a Top Ten Tuesday post (a weekly meme hosted, as always, by The Broke and the Bookish), and this week we have a free choice of topic.

I've seen a few BookTube videos lately called 'Bookish Buzzwords', in which people talk about the words used to describe books that make them immediately want to read them. (Sorry if that's a confusing way of putting it... I blame revision for my lack of eloquence! :P) Since I can't think of that many words that do that for me, I've also decided to include my favourite qualities in a book, that will normally make me enjoy a book more.

So yes, waffly introductions aside, let's get to it!

1. Time travel

This is probably the biggest buzzword for me. If a book or film has time travel in it, it automatically makes me want to read it that little bit more (or a lot more). This also works for films and TV shows. I just think it's really cool and I love how different authors tackle the subject in different ways. Some take it really seriously and are really careful about the consequences of the characters' actions, while some just have them do whatever the heck they want (I'm looking at you Back to the Future)! 

2. Food

This is a pretty big one too! The first book I remember reading where I the setting and descriptions really came alive for me was The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson, and that was 99.9% because there were so many descriptions of cakes. Seriously, delicious food descriptions are a winner for me every time. I'm currently reading the Song of Ice and Fire series, and though lots of the food in those books is a little weird, I often find myself drooling over it anyway. 

3. Talking animals/animal friends

This one probably applies more to past-me's tastes, but it's still up there with my top bookish tropes. Think the daemons from His Dark Materials, think Hedwig from Harry Potter, think the direwolves from ASOIAF... Pre-teen me (and adult me!) would eat that stuff up!

4. Books that make me cry

Paradoxically, I tend to try and avoid books I think will make me sad, but if a book has the power to make me well up then it normally sticks in my memory. I guess this is kind of the opposite of a bookish buzzword, as books described as tear-jerkers don't tend to appeal to me before I read them... But they're the ones I end up remembering the longest.

5. Flawed characters

I don't necessarily mean characters I don't like (though sometimes it does!), but if a character is just too perfect it doesn't feel real. To me, a character who is totally perfect and has their life together is so much less interesting than a character who struggles with their flaws.

6. Mystery

While I really like straight-up murder mysteries as a genre, I also love when books in other genres have mystery elements too. It doesn't have to be a murder! Any kind of puzzle-solving, slow-revealing-of-clues scenario is really interesting to me, and if the reveal is done well it can make a book stick in my head for years to come.

7. Magical realism

Particularly if it's done well, this can be a really fascinating!

8. Something sinister

It's difficult to put my finger on exactly what I mean by this, and it's another thing that I don't necessarily seek out from my books, but books just tend to make a stronger impression on me if they have a dark and sinister undertone to them. One of my favourite childhood books The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett is a perfect example of this. It's for young readers so it's not gory or graphic, and yet it still has this sinister atmosphere of threat that makes the book really powerful.

9. Inventiveness

Of course, all creative writing is inventive, and some genres lend themselves more readily to inventiveness than others. But there is just something so amazing about reading a book full of ideas that feel completely new. 

10. Humour done right

Making me laugh is a sure way for a book to make me re-read it again and again. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Three Men in a Boat and anything by P.G. Wodehouse are winners for me.

So there you have it! My Top Ten Tuesday list for this week :) Let me know what your bookish buzzwords/favourite book qualities are in the comments below. And be sure to link to your TTT post if you did one :) Thanks for reading!

Top Ten Tuesdays - Favourite Heroines

Back again for another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Hooray!

This week's topic is a really exciting one, and it is:

Top Ten Heroines from Books

1. Hermione Granger 

This will come as a surprise to no one, but this lady is one of my favourite book heroines! She's bossy, occasionally misguided, and possibly a bit too obsessed with homework, but she's so brave and kind and intelligent. While I also love Emma Watson, the film just doesn't quite capture Hermione in all her flawed splendour, not least because her hair is nowhere near bushy enough!

2. Bridget Jones

One of my dearest friends absolutely loves the Bridget Jones books, just because she finds Bridget so relatable. She always has the best intentions but somehow never follows them through... I think we can all relate to that! Plus she's hilarious. What's not to love?

3. Emma Woodhouse

The eponymous heroine of Jane Austen's Emma kind of snuck up on me as a favourite. I found her completely infuriating while I was reading the book, but she grew on me towards the end, and she's the Jane Austen heroine that has stuck with me the most out of all of them. Sure, Lizzie Bennet may be a lot less annoying, but for me she just wasn't quite as memorable!

4. Miss Marple

While I prefer Hercule Poirot on screen, Miss Marple has got to be my favourite character from Agatha Christie's novels. She seems fluffy and harmless, but her mind is razor sharp and she understands even the darkest facets of human nature. Plus, you can't beat Christie for a cosy mystery.

5. Mary Lennox

This heroine of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is one of my all-time favourite characters, simply because she undergoes such an incredible transformation during the story. It's so wonderful to watch her grow from a sullen, sallow sulk into a happy and healthy child, completely full of life.

6. Tiffany Aching

While I still think The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents is my favourite children's book by Terry Pratchett, the Tiffany Aching books are not far behind. Tiffany is not really that special (apart from, ya know, being magic 'n all), but she's shoved into crazy situations that she has to make sense of, and she just does it in such a real way.

7.  Lyra Belacqua

Lyra is the heroine from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (which I love and desperately want to re-read!) and has always been a firm favourite of mine. In a lot of ways, she's very average and unremarkable, but she is forced to make some brave decisions and we see her grow so much as a character.

8. Roberta Waterbury

The heroine of The Railway Children (affectionately known as Bobbie) is another protagonist on this list who is entirely unremarkable, though in this case she doesn't have any dramatic decisions or daring escapades thrust upon her. Instead, we see her deal with the everyday trials of childhood and her attempts to make sense of the world. We, as the (grown-up) reader, are in the privileged position of seeing and understanding things that Bobbie does not - we see her naivety and flawed judgement, and we love her all the more for it!

9. Jo March

Jo is the protagonist of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and she's definitely the best of the March sisters. She's feisty and opinionated, but also tries her hardest to do the right thing, even though she falls short on many occasions. 

10. Minerva McGonagall

OK, so I know I've already included a Harry Potter character on this list, and I also know McGonagall isn't exactly the heroine of the stories... But since she's my absolute favourite HP character I couldn't not include her! Not only is she fiercely loyal to the school and students, even when this puts her in serious danger, she also captures everything I loved about my favourite teachers at school - very strict but understanding and ruthlessly fair.

So there you have it, a list of my favourite heroines of all time! To be honest, I could add loads more to this list (including pretty much every Jane Austen character), and this list would probably include different people if you asked me on a different day... But oh well! I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

Who are your favourite heroines?

Top Ten Tuesday - Book-Related Problems

Woops! Didn't mean to leave such a big gap between posts... Though I suppose I've had worse gaps than 10 days (sigh). Anyhoo, it's time for another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted, as always, by the lovely people over at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Book-Related Problems I Have

1. Misplacing books

Seriously, this is a thing... I do this with everything (TV remote, keys, phone, you name it!). I have it in my hand, and the next thing I know I've put it down on the arm of the sofa or in the fridge and I can't for the life of me remember where I put it. I'm always doing this with books I'm reading, and it drives me nuts!

2. Too many books at once

I don't do this all the time, but when I do, I go crazy! Earlier in the academic year I had about eight books on the go at once, and that's just too many for my poor frazzled brain to keep up with! So I'm sticking to one-book-at-a-time until the summer...

3. Heavy books on the go

This is one of the snags of having to take a book with you wherever you go... Sometimes it's just not practical to lug around a giant Harry Potter book in your bag (though that doesn't often stop me :P). Let alone trying to take multiple books with you when you embark on a year abroad... Thank goodness for Kindle!

4. Trying to decide which format to buy

Speaking of which... Kindle books are much more portable, it's true. But physical books are nicer to read, and they often have lovely covers. But you can look up words in ebooks at the click of a button (especially useful with foreign language books!). But physical books look great on the shelf, and you can lend them out much more easily... (Let's not even get started on audiobooks!) Dilemma!

5. Trying to relate to people who don't like Harry Potter

Worse still: "It was OK." *shudders*

6. Wanting to talk about books way too much

Sometimes I just want to gush about a beautiful writing style or rant about the most frustrating characters in the world (I'm looking at you, Wuthering Heights!). Not to mention all the chatting about Harry Potter that I like to do (see this entire post for examples...) But, let's face it, most people just aren't that interested in talking (or hearing!) about books, especially if they've not read them. *sigh* This is why I'm so grateful for the internet!

7. Book hangovers

Related to the previous point. Some people just don't understand how hard it is to emerge from a fictional universe. And it's hard to explain why you're moping around because of an event in a fictional character's life, or because a book has made you look at your life in a new way.

8. Missing your stop on the bus/train

It's happened more than once. And it's embarrassing every time. 

9. Choosing what to read next

The struggle is real.

10. So many books, so little time...

Seriously, there are way too many books in the world. And, let's face it, I won't read more than a tiny fraction of them in my lifetime (much as I would love to!). Sometimes, this realisation gets a little too much.

Hmm, so this was a little more Harry-Potter-heavy than I intended, but hey! I hope you enjoyed this TTT list! 

What are your biggest book-related problems? Let me know in the comments (and feel free to link to your TTT post!)

Top Ten Tuesdays - Books to Read with My Bookclub

So, for today's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted, as always, by The Broke and The Bookish), we'll be looking at:

Top Ten Books to Read with My Bookclub

Now, I don't actually belong to a bookclub, so I've decided to take it in a hypothetical sense, and choose books that I think would benefit from discussion with a group of other people (or just books that I love talking about!). 

1. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

I know I just wrote a review of this, but I'm so intrigued to see what people think of the (almost) main character Holly Golightly. I find her so fascinating, that, although I'd be worried people might spoil my view of the book by liking it less than me (this actually happens to me and I hate it!), I'd be willing to risk it just for a great bookish discussion on the matter.

2. Look We Have Coming to Dover by Daljit Nagra

This collection of poems about the Indian immigrant perspective is something that I feel would benefit from group discussion, as I always find I get more out of poetry that way!

3. Villette by Charlotte Bronte

Having only just reviewed Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte as part of a readalong, I'm itching for more classic book discussion! I actually started reading Villette at the start of the academic year, but uni work quickly piled up and I put it down in favour of lighter and easier reads. It wasn't that the book wasn't good (quite the opposite!), but it was a book I felt deserved my full and undivided attention. I'd love to read this with a group and discuss all of its wonderfulness together!

4. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

This might be my favourite book by Agatha Christie, and it might also be her most accomplished. I'd be so interested to see if anyone managed to work out whodunnit before the big reveal.

5. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

This is another that I started reading last term and ended up putting down because of work commitments. Plus I had loads of other books on the go at the same time, and The Luminaries is HUGE, so I knew I wouldn't get the satisfaction of finishing it any time soon! I've heard mixed things about this book - some people absolutely adore it and others, like the flatmate I borrowed it from, were less impressed. And what better way to ensure lively discussion than picking a book that divides opinion!

6. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

This is the last of Jane Austen's main novels that I haven't read, so I'd love to get to it soon. Plus, I know I could discuss Jane Austen for hours! And people often have quite different opinions on her characters, so I'd be interested to compare thoughts.

6. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

This is another book that I've been meaning to read and would love to have an excuse to get to! I feel like I've heard nothing but great things, but I'd still be interested to compare what I think to the opinions of other group members.

7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I know a lot of people who studied this in school, but I never did. There's got be something fuelling all those classroom discussions!

8. The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton

I first read this back when I was about 19 and working full-time in a coffee shop, and I would read it on my half-hour lunch breaks. I never wanted to go back to work afterwards because I was always so engrossed in the book! But even though I was so in awe of the amazing writing and blown away by how evocative it all was, I don't think I understood half of what was going on! This is definitely a book that would benefit from a re-read and a thorough discussion with other people.

9. Jonah's Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston

I read Their Eyes Were Watching God last summer, and couldn't make up my mind what I thought of it at first. But it was a book that I couldn't stop talking about (to my mum, my friends, my boss in France), and the more I thought about it and talked about it the more I realised how much I liked it. I'm really really hoping this other novel is the same!

10. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

I know this is totally cliché and there probably isn't that much more to say about it that hasn't been said a million times already... But nevertheless, I don't think I'll ever get tired of talking about this series! And I'd love the chance to talk about it with a new group of people :D

So there you have it! My Top Ten Tuesday list for this week. :)

What do you think of my list? What are your top ten choices for this week? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday - New-To-Me Authors for 2015

So today's Top Ten Tuesday hosted (as always) by The Broke and the Bookish was about my top ten releases of 2015. But since I don't generally read books as they come out and most of the books I read were published years ago, I don't really have many anticipated book releases for 2015.

I wasn't going to do a post for today, but then I stumbled across this post by Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library, and thought I'd take a leaf out of her book (metaphorically, that is).

So today's list is going to be:

Top Ten New-to-me Authors I'd Like to Read in 2015

1. Neil Gaiman - I own The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Smoke and Mirrors, but a friend of mine has been trying to get me to read Neverwhere for years. This year is the year I find out what all the fuss is about!

2. Alexander McCall Smith - I actually own quite a few books by this author, and my mum owns the entire No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, so really I have no excuse! I don't know why I've never picked up one of his books, but I'm excited to do that this year.

3. Zadie Smith - I bought White Teeth in a recent book haul, and have heard great things about it (though mixed reviews of her other books...), so I'm keen to get to it this year.

4. George R.R. Martin - My brother gave me A Game of Thrones last year for my birthday (in 2013!!!) and I got about three chapters in before having to head back to Germany where I was living at the time. And that book's not exactly the one you wanna lug through Europe on the train... But I really want to get back to it this year, and maybe read the rest of the series if I enjoy it! I know I'm probably the last person to read this book on the entire planet...

5. Junot Diaz - I put The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao in a TBR post for autumn 2014*, and needless to say I didn't get round to reading it! I got very close to starting it a few times, but studying just got in the way, sadly. I'm very keen to get to it this year though, and I'd love to explore more of his writing.

6. Donna Tartt - I've been hearing people raving about The Secret History (which I really want to read but am slightly intimidated by, due to its size!) and The Goldfinch, which won the Pulitzer Prize last year I believe. I'm hoping to get to one of those books this year.

7. Elizabeth Gaskell - I've heard some amazing things about North and South, which would probably be where I would start with her... But I just love discovering new 19th-century authors, especially women!

8. Octavia E. Butler - I mentioned in my 2015 resolutions post that I'd like to be more adventurous with my genres and that I'd bought a sci-fi (ish) book to kick-start that plan. Well the book I bought was Kindred by this author. I've heard some really fab things about her and can't wait to discover her for myself.

9. Marjane Satrapi - OK, so this one's kinda cheating because I already read one of her books (Persepolis - review coming soon!), but I read it this month so she still counts as a 2015 debut-for-me author. She's done a couple of other graphic novels that were listed in the back of Persepolis, and I'd love to read them in the original French if I can get hold of them!

10. Alice Walker - Finally, I'd love to read The Color Purple this year, as well as discovering what else she has to offer!

*Fun fact: That post was also my very first Top Ten Tuesday! Ah, memories ;)

********

So, that's all folks! Feel free to link me to your TTT post for today, whatever the topic, in the comments below! 

Who are the authors you'd like to get started on in 2015? Let me know in the comments :)

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Want to Re-read

Today I'm going for another Top Ten Tuesday, as always hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish.

Today's topic is:

Top Ten Books I Want to Re-read

Some people never re-read books. I am not one of those people. I have books that I re-read quite regularly (though not so much now I'm a blogger) and, to me, the sign of a great book is that I want to re-read it.

So without further ado, here are the books that I would most like to re-read:

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

This is obviously Charlotte Bronte's most famous work, and although I didn't read it that long ago, it was before I began reviewing books in a meaningful way, and I find it hard to remember what exactly my thoughts were about it. I feel like writing reviews of books solidifies my thoughts on them, as well as making me think about them in a more focussed way while I'm reading them, so it's sometimes hard to compare my reading pre-blog with my reading now.

2. A Room With a View by E.M. Forster

This is a very similar reason to the one before. I read A Passage to India this summer and fell in love with Forster's writing all over again. Like Jane Eyre, I remember absolutely loving it, but the specifics escape me. I definitely want to reread it in a more focussed way and document my thoughts about it so I can remember them more clearly.

3. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I've seen this book all around BookTube, and it seems to be the only Christie book that people have actually read (or at least the only one they ever talk about) which is a shame as she's written so many great books. Having said that, this might be my favourite of her books as it's so ambitious and unique. I would love to reread it in a reviewing frame of mind and pick out exactly why I fell in love with it.

4. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngosi Adichie

This book, unlike the others on this list so far, was one that I read when I was much younger and don't really remember anything about. I still have it on my bookshelf and was considering getting rid of it, but having recently read Americanah and come to appreciate how subtly special Adichie's writing is, I would love to reread this as an adult and assess it properly.

5. The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

This was one of my absolute favourite books as a child, and probably still makes the list of my most-loved books. Part of the reason it makes this list is because I lent out the book to a friend and am doubtful about ever getting it back... And they say absence makes the heart grow fonder! Basically, not only does this book mean a lot to me for sentimental and nostalgic reasons, but it also stands up to scrutiny as a brilliant novel that merits ALL the rereads!

6. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

This book probably shouldn't make the list because I never really read it properly in the first place, but hey ho. This was one that I studied briefly in school for my GCSEs, but we didn't have time to read it properly. I remember vaguely appreciating that it would be an important book for me to read properly, since obviously it's been so influential and has held up so well over time, but I just never got round to it. So many books, so little time!

7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Another Bronte! I read this one just after Jane Eyre and at the time didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much. I'd gone into it with certain expectations, namely that it was going to be this amazing gothic romance, but anyone who's read it will know that it's not actually all that romantic. In fact, it's kind of twisted. I don't actually have a problem with that, but since it wasn't at all what I was expecting, I was completely thrown by it and this probably influenced my opinion at the time (I think I was also confused by the way it's narrated). Since then, though, the story has stuck with me in such a powerful way, which has made me want to reread it and re-judge what I really think of it.

8. The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton

This book was my first Chesterton (who is now one of my absolute favourite authors), and at the time I had no clue what on earth this book was about. I remember being thoroughly confused the whole way through, especially since I had just finished reading The 39 Steps, which is quite a straight-forward read. Basically, I completely missed all the symbolism and just couldn't get my head around it. So I'd love to read it again with a clearer head and with my reviewer brain in action to see what more I can get out of it.

9. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

Basically, this book is hilarious. And I can always do with something on hand to lift my spirits!

10. Persuasion by Jane Austen

This book was my first Jane Austen (I think I picked it because it's the smallest...) and is a bit of an unconventional choice as a way of getting into her writing. I don't think it is a particularly good place to start with her, as it's actually quite different to her other novels. It's quite subdued and less lively, and it's a little sadder and more thoughtful. There is none of Austen's trademark wit, and the fact that this book was her last really shows through. Now I've read much more of her books, I would love to reread this one with a fuller knowledge of her style so I can compare it more thoroughly.

So I'm going to be cheeky and add in a sneaky number 11, because I just thought of another book that definitely needs to be on this list!

11. The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne

Not many people know that the author of Winnie the Pooh wrote a murder mystery novel. I certainly didn't until I randomly spotted it in a charity shop and just had to snap it up! I read it a couple of years ago and remember absolutely loving it. But I'd love to re-read it with my new-found reviewer's brain and see what I make of it.

I found it in this beautiful vintage classics edition too!

Phew! I hope you enjoyed my list! What are some of the books you want to re-read? I'd love it if you let me know in the comments, or linked me your post if you did one too. 

Top Ten Tuesday - Places Books Have Made Me Want To Visit

So here we are again with another Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish,

Today's list, as you can see from the title, features places that books have made me want to visit, be they fictional or real. So without further ado, let's get on with the list!

1. Hogwarts

Yup, I'm starting with the big one... Basically, this place is pretty much my dream. A magic school in a castle with moving pictures and secret passageways and four-poster beds and fires and an awesome library and feasts and towers and a creepy forest and WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE???

2. Vienna

This is the first place I ever remember wanting to visit from a book. When I was in primary school, I was part of a group chosen to read the shortlisted books for the Smarties book prize (I think!) and say what we thought of them. One of the books was The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson, part of which is set in Vienna, and I was absolutely enchanted by the descriptions of the place. I remember there were some especially brilliant descriptions of cakes...

3. Yorkshire

This is another place inspired by a children's book! This time it's The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I actually love the descriptions of the Yorkshire moor in this book so so much!

4. Bath

The city of Bath features in a lot of Jane Austen's novels, and though the city itself is never described in much detail, I was still inspired to go there by her writing. I've now been to Bath many times, and it definitely lived up to my high expectations.

5. Macondo

This is the fictional* South American village/town in Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. Despite the fact that a lot of pretty awful things happen in this place, it still has a certain magic about it that I found irresistible when reading the book. There is also something so intriguing about a newly founded place where all its inhabitants are making a completely fresh start.

6. Greenery Street

I think I've mentioned this book a couple of times before in other posts, but I love the book Greenery Street by Denis Mackail. It's basically the story of a young couple who buy their first home in the idyllic Greenery Street, and is just a humorous portrayal of their daily lives. But there is something so beautiful and charming about the setting in that book that I really wish it was real. (Who knows, maybe it is..!)

I think that's about all I can think of. Sorry that's not ten places! If I come up with any more I'll let you know! Until next time, friends!

What do you think of my top ten (well, top six)? What would your top ten bookish places be? Let me know in the comments!

*Wait... Is it actually fictional?

Top Ten Tuesdays: Fall (Autumn) TBR

So today's post is going to be something a little different. I've come across lots of these posts on my travels through the blogosphere, and it seems like such a fun way to add a bit of fun to your blog posts while interacting with other bloggers in a new way.

So I've decided to take part in the Top Ten Tuesdays meme, hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. (Excitement!)

I almost certainly won't be doing one of these every week, but some of the lists coming up look so much fun that I'll definitely be doing at least some!

Anyway, this week's topic is:

Top Ten Books On My Fall To-Be-Read list

(Though, of course, as I'm a Brit I would say 'autumn TBR list' instead, but hey!)

1. Wide Sargasso Sea - by Jean Rhys

2. The Catcher in the Rye - by J.D. Salinger

3. The Unbearable Lightness of Being - by Milan Kundera

4. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - by Junot Diaz

5. The Joy Luck Club - by Amy Tan

6. Manalive - by G.K. Chesterton

7. The Color Purple - by Alice Walker

8. Brideshead Revisited - by Evelyn Waugh

9. Jonah's Gourd Vine - by Zora Neale Hurston

10. To Kill a Mockingbird - by Harper Lee

You can see some of those in this snap of my uni bookshelf.

Of course, I'll be insanely lucky to get anywhere near that many books before next summer since I'm also supposed to be a final year student with essays and stuff... But we'll see how we get on! I definitely want to read at least the first three, so that can be my more realistic, slightly less impossible TBR list for this 'fall' (it's autumn you guys!).

What do you think of the books I've chosen? What are the top ten books on your TBR list for this season? Do you participate in Top Ten Tuesdays? Let me know in the comments.