Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Recommend The Most

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. 

This week's topic: Top Ten  Books I Recommend The Most

An Everlasting Meal

One of my favorite books about cooking. It opened my eyes to meal planning and how to stretch your food. 

Almost Perfect 

I adore this love story between a boy and a MtoF trans girl. I think everyone should read Almost Perfect.

Across The Universe

For anyone who thinks they don't like books about space, Across The Universe is the perfect book. It's about space but it doesn't feel like it. Revis makes you feel like you are on the Godspeed.

 Incarnate

Imagine being new among people who have been together for five thousand years. Meet Ana, the first new soul to be born in Heart. Is Ana a mistake, someone who will destroy Heart, or someone who will help save it? Meadows builds a gorgeous world that I adore visiting. 

 The Rook

O'Malley built this crazy wonderful world that I loved spending time in. Fast paced, imaginative, and hilarious is how I describe The Rook.

The Fault In Our Stars

I imagine The Fault In Our Stars will be on a lot of lists today. And it deserves to be. Augustus and Hazel will make you laugh and cry. It's a book that sticks with you.

 Ready Player One

I think I have recommended Ready Player One to every person I know. If you love the 80's and video games, Ready Player One is the book for you.

My Life In France

Anytime someone tells they are too old to learn something new, I suggest they read Child's My Life In France. Julia learned to cook when she was in her late 30's. She accompanied her husband, Paul, to France and spent her time learning to cook. She had many failures before she became the famous Julia Child. Her story never fails to inspire me.

The Night Circus

A magical and beautifully told story that I recommend to people who don't like fantasy. I think the story is so well told that it doesn't feel like fantasy.

Y: The Last Man

My favorite graphic novel series. I always recommend Y: The Last Man to those who think comic books are all about superheroes. Y: The Last Man was so engaging and well written. 

What books do you recommend the most?

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I've been waiting to read Scarlet since I finished Cinder last February. I was slightly disappointed that this one followed Scarlet rather than Cinder but I quickly got over it because Meyer weaves Cinder and Scarlet's stories together so well.
Scarlet's grandmother is missing. Scarlet doesn't know how to find her or why she might have been taken. When Scarlet meets Wolf, a mysterious street fighter, who offers to help her, she jumps at the chance especially since he seems to know where her grandmother is being held. I liked Scarlet. She's got guts. She's got a quick temper but she's quick to help. I adored Wolf. A hulking man who turns shy at times, swoon! I loved Scarlet and Wolf's interactions. I smiled whenever they were on the page together.
Cinder and my favorite, Iko, are back. Cinder's story picks up right where Cinder left off. Kai got little page time but I see him playing a large part in the next book. I enjoyed the developments in Cinder's story especially when it intersected with Scarlet's story.
I'm loving this series. I cannot wait for the next book! I was so sad when I finished Scarlet. Meyer writes some great characters in a fascinating world. Others who shared their thoughts on Scarlet: A Room With Books, Read. Breathe. Relax., Good Books and Good Wine, On The Nightstand, Alexa Loves Books, and Ink and Page.
This is my third read for the Mammoth Book Challenge.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

Awkward:

-So sad Google Reader is shutting down. Loved Google Reader.

-A few friends are going through a shitty time. Totally sucks. None of them deserve the pain they are going through.

-The gym. Haven't been since early February. Don't think I'll be back til after we get our stuff moved from the old apartment.

-Yes, we still have some things at the old apartment. Sigh. Still moving crap 3 weeks later.

Awesome:

-Made the switch to Feedly. Really loving it as my replacement to Google Reader. Feedly makes me less sad. 

-Asunder by Jodi Meadows is awesome. Read it. Read Incarnate first if you haven't. Totally in love with the Newsoul series. 

-Great customer service from Apria Healthcare, Full Circle, and BECU. I love talking to friendly and helpful customer service folks. 

What's been awesome and awkward for you this week?

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Shards and Ashes

I'm not entirely sure where I heard about Shards and Ashes. But since Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, and Veronica Roth were involved, I was super excited.

Scott Pilgrim and The Infinite Sadness

Continuing my Scott Pilgrim adventure.

The Best Chicken Recipes

I have a confession. I don't like chicken. I particularly dislike cooking it. I usually undercook it. If I don't undercook it, I overcook it. Neither makes a good meal. I tend to make a lot of beef. But I need to make more chicken. It's good for us and we won't get bored with my beef dishes. I'm hoping The Best Chicken Recipes gives me one or two winners.

What did you get this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. 

Today's topic is Books I HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread.

The Host

I bought The Host soon after it came out while I was still in my Twilight haze. Tai read it and I think he liked it. But I still haven't pick it up. 

Snow Falling On Cedars

I bought Snow Falling On Cedars so long ago. I wanted to read it before I saw the movie. I still haven't seen the movie. I wanted to read it since it was set in Seattle. Still haven't read it.

Stiff

I'm going to add Stiff to like this list despite the fact I didn't buy the book. I actually borrowed from an old coworker. We don't work together anymore and she told me to keep the book. Still haven't read it. Feel a little guilty about it.

A Million Little Pieces

I bought A Million Little Pieces after My Friend Leonard came out. My BFF Ashley bought My Friend Leonard. At one point she also had A Million Little Pieces but loaned it to someone and never got it back. I bought A Million Little Pieces to read it first and then borrow My Friend Leonard. Never did either.

The Almost Moon

After reading Lovely Bones, I decided I wanted to more of Sebold's work. I found The Almost Moon at Half Price Books. I was excited to buy it but again it's still sitting on my shelf.

The Eternal Ones

Another one I didn't actually buy. When Marta used to work for the large internet retailer, I was sometimes able to score books that publishers sent for review. The Eternal Ones was one of those books. I was super excited to read it then I read My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares. I heard The Eternal Ones had a similar plot and since I was so in love with My Name Is Memory, I never picked up The Eternal Ones.

American Wife

Another one I borrowed from an old coworker and never gave back. I was excited to read it but since it's loosely based on Laura Bush, I kind of lost momentum. 

Sense and Sensibility

I've owned Sense and Sensibility so long I can't remember why I bought it. Did I buy for school? Did I buy it because I love the move version and wanted to read the book? I don't remember. After reading Pride and Prejudice, I decided that Sense and Sensibility was my next Austen novel.

1984

I'm fairly certain I bought 1984 during one of those I-can't-believe-I-haven't-read-this-classic-I-must buy-it-and-read-it-immediately. I had a lot of those episodes during my mid-twenties when I read chick lit exclusively. My friend Erin and I would talk about how we needed to read more "grown up" literature. I'm sure 1984 was purchased during one of those buying sprees while I was devouring anything resembling Bridget Jones.

I could only think of nine. Most of my books are still in boxes. If they weren't I'd probably be able to think of the tenth. Oh well. What are some books you HAD to buy but still haven't read?

Weekend Cooking: The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn

I've checked out The Kitchen Counter Cooking School at least 3 times from the library. I'm glad I kept checking it out. It was a great read and really reinspired me in the kitchen.
I read Flinn's The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry a couple of years ago. I enjoyed it but I enjoyed The Kitchen Counter Cooking School more. The Sharper Your Knife was about Flinn's experience at Le Cordon Bleu. The Kitchen Counter was about real life. As a part of a real life experiment, Flinn decides to offer free cooking classes those who have little cooking experience or those who believe they are poor cooks. Flinn chooses her pupils by what they can do and what they eat. The majority of her students don't cook fresh vegetables. Most buy their groceries in boxes or rely on take out. Flinn attempts to teach them about real food and help them kick the processed food/fast food diet.
I am very interested in ditching processed foods and eating more real whole foods. I definitely enjoyed Flinn's lessons. Some were very basic but you could see that these are building blocks. You need to learn how to cut before you cook. I could relate to Flinn's students. I too fall into the trap of take out being quicker than making something at home false thinking. I also hate cooking for just myself (not that that's a regular thing). So I enjoyed the quick meal ideas, the tricks and ways to make cooking quicker and healthier.
I would definitely recommend The Kitchen Counter Cooking School to anyone who wants to learn more about cooking. Even accomplished home cooks will learn something. Others who shared their thoughts on The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: Love, Laughter, and A Touch of Insanity, Devourer of Books, Bookshelf Bombshells, Mother Daughter Book Club, and Chaotic Compendiums.




Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston

I added The Winter Witch to my library after seeing the beautiful cover. Witchcraft, a small Welsh town, and a mute young woman sounded like an interesting combination. I was surprised how much I enjoyed The Winter Witch.
Morgana hasn't spoken since she was a child. Her father left and her voice went with him. Morgana has lived happily with her mother until her mother marries her a man from another town. Morgana must move to a new town and live in a strange home with a stranger. Cai is a drover, he drive cattle from their Welsh town to London for sale. As a head drover, Cai must be married. Cai's first wife passed away and he must marry Morgana in order to do his job. This isn't a love match for either Cai or Morgana but both hope to find respect and companionship out of their match.
Brackston does a excellent job of slowly fleshing out Morgana and Cai. Morgana is a strange one and has been ridiculed for not only her muteness but for the magic that she weaves. Morgana has also been able to weave magic although it mostly happens as a defense mechanism. Cai is still wounded from the loss of his first wife. I loved how Cai and Morgana's relationship grew and evolved throughout the book. I really enjoyed the romance of the story.
I really enjoyed The Winter Witch. It had some mystery (another witch makes life difficult for Morgana) and plenty of romance. Others who shared their thoughts on The Winter Witch: Girl Lost In A Book, Charming Chelsey's, and The Big Nerd.
This was my fourth read for The 2013 Historical Reading Challenge.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Cookbooks, cookbooks, cookbooks. I was reading The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn when I stopped at the library. I immediately headed to their small cookbook section and loaded up my bag.

The Book of Burger

I love burgers. I'm always looking for new ways to make them exciting.

The Farm: Rustic Recipes For A Year Of Incredible Food

I picked up The Farm to continue my education about eating and cooking seasonally.

The Splendid Table's How To Eat Weekends

When I first saw The Splendid Table, I thought it said eat weeknights. But no, eat weekends. I do love to make more time consuming food on the weekends so I'm looking forward to checking it out.

Scarlet

I have been anxiously awaiting to read Scarlet since I read Cinder last year. So happy it's finally here. 

What did you get this week?

The Buddha In The Attic by Julie Otsuka

 I added The Buddha In The Attic to my library queue because I was looking for Asian historical fiction. Additionally, The Buddha In The Attic also talks about the immigrant experience which I'm starting to actively seek out. This slim novel doesn't disappoint.
I knew going into The Buddha In The Attic that it was the story of young women immigrating from Japan to America to become wives to Japanese-American men after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. But this isn't the story of one woman or even two. Otsuka describes the women as a group and uses the pronoun "we" to describe the women's experiences. By using "we" it made it seem like they all experienced childbirth in the back of their husband's store, or they all were given an old ratty sweater by their employer. When one experienced joy, they all experienced joy. When it was pain, they all felt it.
The story starts with the women on the boat crossing the Pacific to meet their husbands. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of their life: work, children, marriage. The the war comes and the Japanese are targeted, enemies. The women experience fear, waiting for their husbands to be taken, being labeled traitors. Then the internment camps come and the women describe gathering their belongings, selling their businesses, preparing to leave, hoping to come back. The last chapter was written presumably by the Caucasians still living in the areas the Japanese had been removed from. This chapter talks about life without the Japanese. I found that chapter to be heartbreaking.
Overall, I was impressed with The Buddha In The Attic. Highly recommended. Others who shared their thoughts on The Buddha In The Attic: Devourer of Books, Life Wordsmith, Book By Book, and For The Love of Bookshops.
This was my third read for the 2013 Historical Reading Challenge.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

Awkward:

-Getting adjusted to our new (rental) house. So much to do!!

-I hit a wall on Monday and couldn't unpack one more box. I was so frustrated that I nearly pitched everything in the trash. It's been better since then.

-The amount of money I have spent in the last 4 days at the grocery store, Target, and Costco. Budget, what budget?

Awesome:

-Trader Joe's Flounder with Crab Meat Stuffing. Delicious. Both Dad and I can't wait to eat it again.

-Truly high speed internet and great cell phone reception in our new place. 

-The support of our friends and family. I can't thank our friends enough for coming and helping us move. It was huge. 

What's been awkward and awesome for you this week?

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

We're still getting settled in our new place but I was able to swing by the library and pick up a hold. Plus I browsed the YA section for a minute too.

Asunder

I was so excited last week when I got the notification that Asunder was available for me to pick it up. But I knew I might misplace it during the move so I waited til the last minute to pick this one up. The hold would have expired tomorrow. 

Leviathan

Westerfeld's Leviathan's series just missed being on my list of Top Ten Series I'd Like To Start. I spied the first in the series on the library shelf and decided to give it a try. 

What did you get this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I'd Like To Start But Haven't Yet

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. 

Today's topic is series I'd like to start but haven't yet.

The Infernal Devices

I find the idea of The Infernal Devices interesting. Plus something about that time period.

The Mortal Instruments series

With the movie coming out this year, I'm especially interested in starting the series soon.

Darkest Powers Trilogy

I love Armstrong's Women of The Otherworld. I imagine I'd enjoy her YA series too.

Outlander

I've heard nothing but good things about the Outlander series. It's on my list of books to read this year.

 The Mists of Avalon

A series about Arthurian legend. The length of the books is the only reason I haven't started this series yet.

The Uglies

I think I have even checked out the first book in The Uglies series but never actually read it.

His Dark Materials

Heard good things about Pullman's His Dark Materials series but haven't gotten around to it.

 Meredith Gentry

Tai keeps encouraging me to read Hamilton's series about faeries. He knows how much I like faeries.

The Iron Fey

Another fey series I'd love to start.

 

The Inheritance Cycle

I think I've picked Eragon from the library but never started it. 

What series do you want to start but haven't?