For this week's
Top Ten Tuesday, we're talking about the books we have loved most since starting our blog. You know, the books that cause a reader to go all embarrassingly fangirl and make her alienate all her friends by blathering on about them for days and days and days ...
Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson (Grand Central Publishing, 2010)
"I enjoyed reading this novel -- while Ro's behavior and choices weren't always easy to accept, her story was a compelling one and I found I simply had to hang on to the bitter end. I think, if you enjoyed Stephen King's
Rose Madder, Sophie Littlefield's
A Bad Day for Pretty, or Sherri S. Tepper's
Gibbon's Decline and Fall you might enjoy
Backyard Saints. (I know, you're thinking those novels have nothing in common with each other, but I think they do share a common sensibility. I just can't put it into words and, believe me, I've been thinking about it for days now!)"
The Blue Place by Nicola Griffith (Harper Perennial, 1999)
"I really loved that the violence was all so matter-of-fact and in-character with everything I’d come to understand about Aud. Another author might have tried to justify Aud’s behavior with the use of some kind-of emotional breakdown or the insertion of heart-rending monologue. Instead, Griffith writes Aud as she is. A woman who sees what must be done and does it. No hand-wringing or emotional ambivalence. If Aud were male, she’d be just another hard-edged James Bond or Jason Bourne type. As a female, she’s ground breaking (and pretty darned hot)"
Chi’s Sweet Home: Volume 1 by Kanata Konami (Vertical, 2010)
"Holy flippin’ fish fingers, Batman!
Chi's Sweet Home this is the sweetest, most adorable, squeetastic kitty manga the world has ever seen. I do not know how I managed to miss this series for so long, but now that I have read the first volume, I indeed to read the rest as soon as possible."
DramaCon, Volume 1 & 2 by Svetlana Chmakova (Tokypop, 2005 & 2006)
"I’ve only read the first two volumes, but ohhhh such fun! The series is very sparkly and cute with lots of spontaneous (and adorable) chibi-fication of overly excited characters. Seriously, I haven’t enjoyed a manga this much since I read
Chi’s Sweet Home. Except for a scene or two, I've grinned my way through both volumes. And lest you think
Dramacon, with its star-crossed romance and general tweeness, is just for the ladies, I will have you know I have had to fight The Husband for possession of each volume."
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman (Viking, 2008)
"I liked this novel so much I stayed up until three in the morning to finish reading it. Yes, the plucky heroine sucked me in, but the soul-searching and world-building held me fast. Set in a mythical land reminiscent of ancient China, Goodman has created a unique and compelling novel. Fans of Tamora Pierce's
Alanna or Sherwood Smith's
Crown/Court Duel or Lian Hearn's
Tales of the Otoro series will probably like this book, as well as anyone interested in Eastern cultures. Or dragons. Or plucky heroines. I look forward to reading the next book in the duology,
Eona: The Last Dragoneye."
The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry (Gallery Books, 2011)
"As we all know, I love foodie novels and
The Kitchen Daughter is no exception. If you loved the magical realism of foodie lit like
Like Water for Chocolate or
Crescent, I think you'll really enjoy
The Kitchen Daughter. I devoured this book in one sitting and then I read it again, slowly and savoringly, over the course of a week. Even now, days after finishing it, I crave more of Ginny's story.
The Kitchen Daughter is one of the few novels I've read this year that demands a sequel. Or a movie. A movie would be acceptable!"
Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson (Penguin Classics, 1996)
"Ever since I first read it, I've wanted to crawl inside Flora Thompson's
Lark Rise to Candleford and set up house. I'm a sucker for her homey, rural descriptions even though I know she has, in many ways, dressed poverty up in pretty ribbons. The tweeness overrides common sense."
The Night Watch written by Sarah Waters & read by Juanita McMahon (Recorded Books, 2006)
"This book made me want to cry. Or throw up. Aside from
Jane Eyre when I was twelve, I've never felt so completely ... ensnarled ... by a book. Kay, Viv, and Helen were more real to me than some people I know."
The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse Comics, 1995)
"It’s the story of Helen Potter, a sexually abused teenage runaway living on the streets of London with her pet rat with nothing holding her together except her love for the works of Beatrix Potter and (maybe) her hallucinations. Now, you might not think a graphic novel dealing with issues like incest and homelessness could be described as "uplifting," but that is exactly what
The Tale of One Bad Rat is -- truly uplifting and wonderful."
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden (Scholastic, 2006)
"Tomorrow was a brilliant read with well fleshed characters and a compelling story line which constantly kept me wondering what would happen next. Ellie and her friends all behave in believable ways and there is nothing that happens in the story which seems improbable in today’s world."