The Book Stacks

Hi all! Welcome to another lovely edition of Thursday Thirteen.

Instead of listing off more books, authors, etc, I wanted to get your responses for a few questions I have. So feel free to answer any or all of the questions in the comments section or use your answers to these questions for your own Thursday Thirteen.

If you opt for the latter, please leave a link in the comments section letting me know you’ve done so.

Almost Friday!

1. What book(s) was(were) used to teach you to read?
2. What was your favourite book as a child?
3. What is your favourite book now?
4. What is your favourite genre?
5. Do you like to stick to your favourite genre or do you make a point of getting books you wouldn’t normally read?
6. Has a book ever made you want to write a book?
7. What was the last book you read? Did you like it?
8. What are you reading right now? Do you like it?
9. Have you ever hated a book? Why?
10. Have you ever not finished a book?
11. How many books do you read in the average month?
12. How big is your home library?
13. Do you like keeping books or giving them away?

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on Write Anyway, Fiction Scribe, and Long Relationships

Mr. Book Stacks (my husband) is going to be doing a few guest reviews in the future of the books I got him for Christmas. Before he does that, though, I thought I would give you a taste of what the man I call Mr. Science Fiction likes for books.

1. Tunnel in the Sky, Glory Road & The Red Planet - Robert Heinlein

2. Dune, Dune Messiah & Children of Dune, Whipping Star & The Dosadi Experiment – Frank Herbert

3. Ringworld, The Ringworld Engineers, Ringworld Throne & Ringworld’s Children, The Integral Trees & The Smoke Ring – Larry Niven

4. The Well World series – Jack L. Chalker

5. Eon, Eternity, Forge of God, Anvil of Stars, Songs of Earth & Power – Greg Bear

6. The Uplift War series – David Brin

7. Schild’s Ladder – Greg Egan

8. The Riverworld series – Phillip Jose Farmer

9. Mission – Patrick Tilley

10. Up the Walls of the World – James Tiptree Jr.

11. The World of Null-A, The Pawns of Null, Null-A Three - A A.E. van Vogt.

12. The Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov

13. Neverness – David Zindell

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on Write Anyway, Fiction Scribe, and Long Relationships

Hello everyone! I hope you had a fabulous Christmas (or a fabulous break if you don’t celebrate Christmas). I had a lovely quiet Christmas with my husband.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get thirteen books for Christmas. (Fortunately for our credit card, though. Hehe.) So I can’t list thirteen books/presents. However, I can list…

1. Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card
2. Speaker of the Dead - Orson Scott Card
3. The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley
4. Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg
5. The Artist’s Way - Julia Cameron
6. Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott
7. Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai - Yamamoto Tsunetomo
8. The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein
9. The Lorax - Dr. Suess
10. Strunk and White: The Elements of Style - William STrunk Jr. and E.B. White
11. No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog - Margaret Mason
12. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
13. A travel guide for whatever country you are in. Get out and see things! This world is a beautiful place. *cough*Americanshavethelowestownershipofpassports*cough*

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on Write Anyway, Fiction Scribe, and Long Relationships

Because we can’t be mature all the time…

I’m in the mood to be a little silly today, so I figured I’d post up all those funny book titles I’ve heard of along with a few new ones as well. Enjoy!

1. The Complete Guide to Becoming a Better Person in All Areas of Your Life by Henows Ital
2. Improving Your Mental Health by In’ernet Dip Loma
3. Evil Breath by Hal I. Tosis
4. Flatulence: Social Crime or Primitive Communication? by Iva Smell
5. Spots on the Wall by Hoo Flung Dung
6. The Cat’s Revenge by Claud Balls
7. Twenty Years On The Saddle by Major Bumsore
8. The Hungry Dog by Norah Bone
9. The Ghost In The Attic by Howey Wailes
10. Walking To School by Mr Bus
11. Ghosts by Sue Pernatural
12. The Omen by B. Warned
13. The Purpose Of The Chair by Sid Down

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens at Fiction Scribe, Write Anyway, and Long Relationships

Welcome to another Thursday Thirteen.

I have been thinking a lot about my past lately and remembering the things I had while I was growing up. I learned to read early (thanks to my cousin) and read anything I could get my hands on. (This led to rereading a few books when I was older and could understand more of what was going on.) I decided to list…

1. The Monkeys and the Water Monster: and two more monkey stories - Retold by Bernice Chardiet (I still have a copy of this book. It’s a bit yellowed, but it’s still pretty good condition for being thirty-three years old.)
2. The Lorax - Dr. Suess
3. Horton Hears a Who - Dr. Suess
4. The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein
5. The Missing Piece - Shel Silverstein
6. The Jolly Postman - Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg
7. The Arthur books - Marc Brown
8. Where’s Waldo books - Martin Handford
9. Choose Your Own Adventure Books - R.A. Montgomery
10. Animorph series - K.A. Applegate
11. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz
12. The Goosebumps Books - R.L. Stine
13. Any books about true accounts of ghosts - I was obsessed with ghost stories when I was younger

And there you have it. A glimpse into my childhood reading habits. What books did you read as a child?

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on Write Anyway and Fiction Scribe

While some people may consider it unromantic to give your significant other a list of things you would like for Christmas, I think it’s smart. (If the partner asked for the list, at least.) Mr. JM wants me to make a list of things I would like for Christmas, so I got to thinking about the books I would like to have…

1. All the Xanth novels - Piers Anthony
2. Song of the Lioness Quartet - Tamora Pierce
3. The Bride Series - Catherine Coulter
4. Story - Robert McKee
5. The Green Rider trilogy - Kristen Britain
6. World Building - Stephen Gillett
7. Wreck this Journal - Keri Smith
8. The Tamarack Tree - Patricia Clapp (I would love to have this book. I read it once when I was young and then it was lost and I couldn’t find a copy.)
9. 1000 Journals Project - Someguy
10. The Post Secret books - Frank Warren
11. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles - Patricia Wrede
12. What Comes After Crazy - Sandi Kahn Shelton
13. Any books by Trudi Canavan

So there you have it? What’s on your Christmas list?

Check out my other Thursday Thirteen on Fiction Scribe

1. The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley - This book inspired me to finally write my own books.
2. The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein - I gave this book to my brother on his wedding day. This book taught me about unconditional love.
3. The Boxcar Children (1st book) - Gertrude Chandler Warner
4. The Bride Series - Catherine Coulter
5. The Animorphs Series - K.A. Applegate
6. Polgara the Sorceress - David Eddings
7. A Piece of Normal - Sandi Kahn Selton
8. Oh! The Places You’ll Go - Dr. Suess
9. The Lorax - Dr. Suess - When I read this as a little girl, I became more aware of the world around me and what I and others were doing to it.
10. Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg - This book helped me get back to my writing when I was first battling depression.
11. Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott
12. The Harper Hall Trilogy - Anne McCaffrey
13. The Song of the Lioness Quartet - Tamora Pierce

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens at Fiction Scribe and Long Relationships

1. Shelfari - I’m brand new to this site (I was invited by Shobahn Bantwal) and I like the look of it so far. If you are a member of this site, let me know. This is my page (which I have yet to add anything to).
2. Library Thing - I don’t actually have an account on this site (yet?) but the idea is definitely cool enough to get on this list. If you have an account there, please leave a comment with what you think about it.
3. Booking Through Thursday - I found this meme blog a while ago and have been meaning to join in, but you know how life is. Basically, you post your answers to book related questions every Thursday. JM likes.
4. Kimbooktu - This is a blog with all kinds of awesome gadgets for book lovers.
5. Your Shelves - This is by the same person who runs Kimbooktu. This site features pictures of people’s libraries from around the world.
6. Library Ghost - This site is about Willard Library in Evansville, Indiana. Word is the library is haunted. You can do your own ghost watching using the cameras they have set up in the library.
7. Adventures in Reading - This blogger not only owns around 1,000 books but also works in a book store and blogs all about books!
8. FullBooks.com - This site has thousands of free books. Enough said.
9. Book Crossing - This is an awesome site where people ’set their books free’ to wander the world. Check it out.
10. Librivox - Free audio books. Enough said.
11. BooksPrice - On this site you can save money by comparing book/textbook prices.
12. Book-a-rama - This an ‘all about books’ blog with a little bit of everything book related.
13. Book Slut - I’ll admit it; I really like the name.

Check out my other Thursday Thirteen on Fiction Scribe

If anyone from Conflux reads this, they’re going to be shocked, as I’m going to list some books everyone there insulted. That’s okay, though, because it isn’t as if I grew up with a critic on my shoulder telling me what ‘good’ fantasy books I should be reading. Hehe. Feel free to comment and tell me your recommendations!

1. The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley
2. The Lioness Quartet - Tamora Pierce
3. The Immortals Quartet - Tamora Pierce (I like the Lioness Quartet more.)
4. Polgara the Sorceress - David Eddings
5. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles - Patricia C. Wrede
6. Green Rider - Kristin Britain
7. The Secret of Dragonhome - John Peel
8. The Axis Trilogy - Sara Douglass
9. The Pern Books - Anne McCaffrey
10. The Dragonlance Chronicles - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
12. Roc and a Hard Place - Piers Anthony
13. Heaven Cent - Piers Anthony

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on Fiction Scribe and Long Relationships

Thirteen Books to Help You With NaNoWriMo and/or NaBloPoMo

1. No Plot? No Problem! - Chris Baty
2. No One Cares What You Had For Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog - Margaret Mason
3. Get The Novel Written - Donna Levin
4. How to Write It: A Complete Guide to Everything You’ll Ever Write - Sandra E. Lamb
5. How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling - James N. Frey
6. How to Write Your Life Story - Ralph Fletcher
7. The Weblog Handbook: Practical Advice on Creating and Maintaining Your Blog - Rebecca Blood
8. The Writer’s Block: 786 Ideas to Jump-Start Your Imagination - Jason Rekulak
9. Write: 10 Days to Overcome Writer’s Block. Period. - Karen E. Peterson
10. The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Beating Writer’s Block (Pocket Idiot’s Guides) - Kathy Kleidermacher
11. Will Write for Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel - Cathy Yardley
12. So You Want to Write a Novel - Lou W. Stanek
13. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Novel - Thomas Monteleone

Good luck to all those participating! I’ll be offering prompts on Write Anyway.

I’m back! I couldn’t in good conscience, even while ill, leave a blog I just took over for too long. I’d be doing the wrong thing by Elisa if I did that.

Anyway, this week I thought I would do something a bit random and list…

Keep in mind that I keep my books in no particular order (except height - maybe I should rename this my thirteen tallest books?), and I’ve made no special adjustments. (I honestly just thought of the idea, so if I have any embarrassing books up there, you’ll get to know about them.

So here goes!

1. The Serpent Bride - Sara Douglass
2. The Inevitable Roundness of Everything - Chris Miller - Chris is actually a friend of mine and self-published this collection of short stories.
3. The Super Colossal Book of Sudoku - Will Shortz - Not exactly a novel, but still a book of sorts…
4. Bone - One Volume Edition - Jeff Smith - A fun graphic novel.
5. Whale Song - Cheryl Kaye Tardif
6. Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg
7. South Beach Chicas Catch Their Man - Caridad Pineiro
8. Alyzon Whitestarr - Isobelle Carmody
9. A Piece of Normal - Sandi Kahn Shelton
10. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis - I don’t think I’ve ever read this the whole way through, but the beginning where he talks about the capacity for good or evil being related to intelligence is quite interesting.
11. The Lab - Jack Heath
12. Project Apocolypse - Anita Bell
13. The Velveteen Principles - Toni Raiten-D’Antonio

So what’s on your bookshelf?

If you’d like to check out other Thursday Thirteens I do, head over to Write Anyway and Fiction Scribe.

Thursday 13 #10
Today is my birthday, and I have officially been blogging here for a year. Yes, indeed. It seems like forever and no time at all, somehow. In the interest of having a little fun this week in order to honor this auspicious occasion, I have chosen Romances for my topic. And anyway, since I am handing this blog over to my good friend JM as of Sunday, this is my last chance to cover this topic for a Thursday Thirteen.

Romances. Some people devour them, others call them “brain candy” and dismiss the entire genre. I generally find myself somewhere in the middle. I’ll admit that my favorite sub-genre is “Damsel in Distress” which isn’t very modern of me. Perhaps it has something to do with my love of good Old-Fashioned Melodrama. (The kind with the booing and the hissing. That sort of melodrama.) So here is a list of 13 Romances That I Have Enjoyed. I would like to note here that I have enjoyed many more romances than this small list, but a lot of mine seem to still be in boxes. I’d love to get recommendations (especially in my favorite sub-genre) if you have some to offer.

1. The Littlest Cowboy by Maggie Shayne - This book is the first in the Texas Brand series. Yes, I have read the entire series. I have a weakness for series that go through and marry a family off, one by one. This book really sucked me in. Maybe it was the baby. Or, it could have been the wildly diverse family. It doesn’t matter. And yes. There was a bit of Damsel in Distress in this one.
2. Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer - This was the second Heyer that I read. I have a friend who is a big fan, you see, so I was given a list to read. Yes, it is a Regency. She sort of originated the genre, didn’t she?
3. Miranda’s Viking by Maggie Shayne - Oh. I want to read this one again. What happens when a frozen Viking found by archaeologists thaws out and wakes up? Well, when Maggie Shayne is the author, the answer is romance. I’ve read this one several times.
4. Thunder & Roses by Mary Jo Putney - This is the first in a fabulous Regency series called “The Fallen Angels”. It has it all. Danger, romance, scandal, and colliding worlds. Oh, and it has a historical note at the end as well. I love well researched books.
5. Out-Of-This-World Marriage by Maggie Shayne - This is another of Maggie Shayne’s romances with a bit of fantasy in it. Infamous in my family for being the romance that my Father read and enjoyed, my Mum and I both have copies. This is rare, as both of us have limited space for books. Woman from another planet comes to Earth. Romance and the usual government entanglements ensue.
6. An Angel for Emily by Jude Deveraux - What happens when a guardian angel falls for a mortal under his protection? Hopefully, the answer is true love. A “fish out of water” story, among other themes.
7. A Husband in Time by Maggie Shayne - Part of a series written by a bunch of different authors, but can, in my series obsessed opinion, be read alone. Another Maggie Shayne fantasy romance. This time including time travel, and boys who who have always wanted brothers.
8. The Rake by Mary Jo Putney - Only tangentially related to her Fallen Angels series, this Regency involves a Rake and a woman who is hiding from her past. Will alcohol destroy any chances that they have?
9. Jennifer’s Outlaw by Karen Anders - Stranger comes to town, intervenes in an argument, and is nearly killed in retaliation. Can Jennifer and Corey defeat their personal demons and find happiness? This book takes place nowish in a small ranching town.
10. Angel Rogue by Mary Jo Putney - This is my favorite book of the Fallen Angels Regency series. It follows Lord Robert Andreville (better known as Robin) upon his return home from the war, where he was a spy against Napoleon. He’s been gone a while. When he happens upon a young woman determined to walk to London, what can he do but make sure that she arrives safely? He thinks it will keep him distracted, but this trip won’t be as easy as it sounds. (Yes, Robin is my favorite hero of the series. He’s dangerous and a bit broody.)
11. Annie’s Hero by Maggie Shayne - Normally, I don’t like stories of reunited lovers. There tends to be too much baggage. This one is the exception.
12. Lady of Skye by Patricia Cabot - A Victorian-era story that takes place in Scotland that includes a new Town Doctor and the old Town Doctor’s daughter with a passion for medicine against a Cholera epidemic. Love manages.
13. The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer - My favorite Heyer. Let’s just say that it’s best to avoid assumptions and leave it at that.

Thursday Thirteen, Romances, The Littlest Cowboy, Maggie Shayne, Friday’s Child, Georgette Heyer, Miranda’s Viking, Thunder & Roses, Mary Jo Putney, Out-Of-This-World Marriage, An Angel for Emily, Jude Deveraux, Husband in Time, The Rake, Jennifer’s Outlaw, Karen Anders, Angel Rogue, Annie’s Hero, Lady of Skye, Patricia Cabot, The Unknown Ajax

Ah, the lure of the Forbidden. Generally all that happens when you challenge a book is that you make other folks curious, and then they want to read it. And then, chances are, someone will want to make a movie out of it. Which will, of course, make folks curious about the book again. Especially if you insist on protesting the film. All that does is provide free marketing. So, really, if you don’t like a book, that’s just fine. Don’t read it. The moment you try to stop others from reading it too, your attempts are just going to have the opposite effect from what you want.

Seriously. It’s like telling me not to touch something. I have never outgrown the childish need to come running over and say “I’m not touching it” while waving my hands really close to whatever the item is. Anyway, here is a list of Thirteen Banned or Challenged books that I have read. What Forbidden Literature have you perused? If you need a little memory jog, check out ALA’s Banned Books Site.

1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Liked it)
2. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling (Loved them)
3. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Depressed me)
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (It was okay)
5. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (Liked it)
6. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (Loved it)
7. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (Liked it)
8. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (Liked it)
9. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Liked it more than I expected to)
10. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Loved it)
11. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (Depressed me)
12. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (Loved it)
13. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney (Liked it)

Be sure to check out the Thursday 13 over at Write Anyway. It is all about Freedom this week. (I should know…I’m guest posting there while JM is away.)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl, A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle, In the Night Kitchen, Maurice Sendak, Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighead George, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton, Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes, A Light in the Attic, Shel Silverstein, The Face on the Milk Carton, Caroline Cooney

Thursday 13 #8

Hello all! This week I offer you thirteen picture books that I love. It shouldn’t be too surprising to discover that I have reviewed every one of these books before. If you would like to know more about my opinions on each book that “I love this book” click on the book title, and it will take you to a review of the book. Yes. I love picture books and I really enjoy discovering new gems of the genre. Do you have any favorites to recommend? Do you agree with my selections? Please let me know.

1. Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
2. If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
3. Scaredy Squirrel by Mélanie Watts
4. The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Marianna Mayer
5. The Adventures of Cow by Cow (as told to Lori Korchek and photographed by Marshall Taylor.)
6. Sector 7 by David Wiesner
7. Mucky Moose by Jonathan Allen
8. Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard and James Marshall
9. The Moon Singer by Clyde Robert Bulla
10. Mars Needs Moms! by Berkeley Breathed
11. Art Dog by Thacher Hurd
12. Frederick by Leo Lionni
13. Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester

Thursday 13