(Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish. Want to make your own list? Clicking the image will take you to this week’s post. Happy listing!)
It’s 75 degrees outside, every Mountain Laurel in town is blooming and stinkin’ up the place, and the creepy-crawlies (bees, mostly) have returned — it must be Spring! Here’s the books I’m hoping to read before summer.
1. Scarlet (A.C. Gaughen) – Nothing like a good re-telling of an old story.
2. The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafón, trans. Lucia Graves) – Got this as a Christmas gift, and am letting it ripen on the shelf.
3. The Woman in Black (Susan Hill) – I’m way too big a chicken to watch the movie, and the book will be better anyway.
4. Year of Wonders (Geraldine Brooks) – I loved her novel March as well as her non-fiction The Nine Parts of Desire, and I can’t wait to find a copy of Brooks’ most recent work.
5. Dealing with Dragons (Patricia C. Wrede) – This was the first real fantasy novel I read, and it and Norton/Lacky’s The Halfblood Chronicles cemented my love of the genre. Time for a re-read.
6. America Walks Into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops (Christine Sismondo) – Stories about booze!
7. The Year of Living Biblically (A.J. Jacobs) – I liked The Unlikely Disciple (which was written by that author when he worked for Jacobs) and I’m interested to see what ridiculous and/or meaningful situations this book brings the reader into.
8. A Sacred Feast: Reflections on Sacred Harp Singing and Dinner on the Ground (Kathryn Eastburn) – I love Sacred Harp, and I’m in the process of educating myself on its history. This should be a good place to start.
9. Mistress of the Art of Death (Ariana Franklin) – A Christmas gift that I should have picked up before now. But I need to put some time between it and The Hangman’s Daughter, if only so I can get some sleep! Reading this will also count toward the Pay it Sideways Challenge.
10. Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston) – I’m not normally a fan of 20th century “classics,” (I read a fair amount of them in high school and didn’t enjoy it), but Janie sounds like an intriguing character. Reading this will also count toward the Back to the Classics Challenge.
What books do you want to read this spring?
**Did you know I’m holding a giveaway for The Hangman’s Daughter? Giveaway ends March 26th, so sign up now for your chance to win!**
I read Year of Wonders a few summers ago and really enjoyed it. Maybe I’ll get to March this summer.
Happy reading!
I’m glad to hear another good thing about Brooks’ book! I skimmed a review a couple weeks ago that didn’t have nice thing to say. 🙁
Yes, read March! It’s got some parts that are tough to read, but it’s so beautifully written.
oohh Shadow of the Wind is good! I just finished Zafon’s The Angel’s Game and loooved that one too. I’ll be posting my review tomorrow.
lol @ ‘ripen on the shelf’ – yeah I have a few of those too. I was actually sorting through some of the ripest ones today trying to prioritize my reading list. So many books, so little time . . .
I’m looking forward to your review. I have no clue what the book is about, but the cover along makes me want to buy a copy.
Books are a lot like fruit. You can’t pick them at the wrong time or they’re unpalatable. It has to be just the right time for any given book. 🙂 And I agree, there’s too many and not enough time.
I hope you enjoy your reread of Dealing With Dragons. I loved those books!
I remember so little about them, other than that I liked them. Something to do with the main female character being totally awesome. I’m excited to dive back in.
Their Eyes Were Watching God remains in my lifetime top ten. I hope and trust that you will find beauty in Hurston’s prose and courage in Janie.
Can’t wait to find out more about Sacred Harp music through your review…
I’m kind of worried about Hurston’s novel. I had to read many 20th century “classics” in high school, and invariably didn’t like them — mostly because I felt a lot of it went over my head. Hopefully I’ve grown enough (and don’t feel pressured by something like a class) to over-analyze. Janie seems like a character I could really love.
I could talk about Sacred Harp all day; stick around and you’re bound to read/hear more. 🙂
I’ve read #4, #7, and #10 and all were really fantastic! Great list 🙂
Thanks, Kat! I’ve heard some great things about A.J. Jacobs’ book, and can’t wait to get a copy. I imagine he ends up in some bizarre situations.
The Shadow of the Wind was pretty good…very engrossing and intriguing. I’ve had The Year of Living Biblically for ages but still haven’t gotten around to reading it. It sounds crazy, but interesting.
That’s what I keep hearing about Zafon’s writing. And I just read a review of another of his books, The Angel’s Game. Sounds just as engrossing.
I hear ya about books that you’d had for ages but still haven’t gotten around to. Thank goodness for things like holidays and long weekends or we might not get any reading done!