Wordless Wednesday: Persistent Bird

Top Ten Books I've Read in 2010

How can I possibly limit myself to

ten favorite reads this year???

I read 255 books this year!

The ten best?

Tough call.

So I'll do ten lists of favorite books.

How about that?

Best Books About Happiness
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The How of Happiness

The Way to Stillness

59 Seconds

Joie de Vivre

The Pocket Therapist

Hector and the Search for Happiness

Over Hyped

Sarah's Key

Who Moved My Blackberry?

Thoughtful and Spiritual

Same Kind of Different as Me

If the Church Were Christian

Mystically Wired

Celebration of Discipline

Best Children's Chapter Books

The BFG

The Iron Giant

Stuart Little

Amazon Adventure

Tashi

Best Children's Picture Books

The Church Mice and the Ring

Mister Magnolia

The Boy Who Grew Flowers

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

Come Away From the Water, Shirley

Mr. Fox

The Elephant and the Bad Baby

Brilliant Books I'm Not Cool Enough to Appreciate

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

Logicomix

Selected Works of T. S. Spivet

Best Travel Books

Country Driving

The Lunatic Express

A Year in Provence

The Lost Girls

Grounded

Favorite Fiction

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro

The Stone Angel

The Spare Room

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

The Three Musketeers

Gone With the Wind

Let the Great World Spin

Midnight's Children

Odd (But in a Good Way) Books

The Interrogative Mood: A Novel?

Anagrams

The Tattooed Map

Skellig

Nothing

And the Pursuit of Happiness

Memorable Nonfiction

Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

At Home by Bill Bryson

Serve It Forth by M.F.K. Fisher

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Library at Night

Okay, okay!

Because you are begging me,

here it is:

a rather random list,

Top Ten Books I've Read in 2010:

And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman

Skellig by David Almond

Serve It Forth by M. F. K. Fisher

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Amazon Adventure by Willard Price

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Mister Magnolia by Quentin Blake

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

Sunday Salon: The Best of 2010 in Books

1. Best book of 2010?

Three-way tie:

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

2. Worst book of 2010?

Old Gringo by Carlos Fuentes

3. Most Disappointing Book of 2010?

Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love)

4. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2010?

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu

5. Book you recommended to people most in 2010?

Skellig by David Almond

6. Best series you discovered in 2010?

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

7. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2010?

Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake, Michael Morpurgo, David Almond, Salman Rushdie

8. Most hilarious read of 2010?

The BFG by Roald Dahl

9. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2010?

Amazon Adventure by Willard Price

10. Book you most anticipated in 2010?

And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman

11. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2010?

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Caldecott Winner 2010)

12. Most memorable character in 2010?

Oscar, the cat who anticipates when an elderly person is

about to die in Making Rounds With Oscar by David Dosa

13. Most beautifully written book in 2010?

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

14. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2010?

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

15. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2010 to finally read?

Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock (first Nancy Drew!)

If you want to fill out this survey, head over to The Perpetual Page-Turner and add your link to the list!

Quiet Masterpieces

Here is a question from The Blue Bookcase
designed to provoke discussion:

What literary title (fiction or non-fiction) do you love that has been under-appreciated?

We all know about the latest Dan Brown, and James Patterson isn't hurting for publicity.

What quiet masterpiece do you want more readers to know?



Most of my all-time favorite reads are literary reads.
Most of my all-time favorite reads are quiet masterpieces.


To choose my favorite quiet masterpiece,

I shall visit my list of favorite reads.

My All-Time Favorite Reads

Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon Happenstance by Carol Shields Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner The Box Garden by Carol Shields Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman Civility by Stephen L. Carter The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck Possession by A.S. Byatt The Rotten Island by William Steig Half Magic by Edgar Eager Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss Tadpole’s Promise by Jeanne Willis The World is Not Enough by Zoe Oldenbourg Working by Studs Terkel Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Watership Down by Richard Adams I, Claudius by Robert Graves Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murikami Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman The Last Shot by Darcy Frey Strong Measures edited by Philip Dacey and David Jauss Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett Material World by Peter Menzel      So, what shall I choose as my small favorite,
my favorite quiet masterpiece?  

How about Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell?   The story of Mrs. Bridge is the story of an ordinary person. Mrs. Bridge is just an average upper-middle class white housewife living in America in the middle of the last century.   But it is an extraordinary story. The book is written in little chapters, almost like long poems, little snapshots, about the everyday events in Mrs. Bridge's life.   No sensationalism. No Big Awful Traumatic Problems.   But a powerful story of a little life, a person who lived, in the words of Thoreau, a life of "quiet desperation."   A quote:    "They had started off together to explore something that promised to be wonderful, and, of course, there had been wonderful times. And yet, thought Mrs Bridge, why is that we haven’t — that nothing has — that whatever we — ?"     There's a Mr. Bridge, too, but I like Mrs. Bridge best.  
I'd love to hear your recommendations.    

A Readerbuzz-ish Christmas Tree (and a---Wordless---Song)

Merry Christmas

from Debnance at Readerbuzz!!!

Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings

Here they are (in no particular order):

Siberia is terribly intriguing,

though I'd never really want to go there.

Too cold.

A history of Paris told through the lives of Parisians.

I'm reading this in January.

(Maybe I should say,

I'm starting this in January.)

I've been coveting this since

the 2009 Texas Book Festival.

An upcoming group read.

Love travel narratives.

In the spring,

I'm taking a photography class.

Continuing my pursuit of all things French. 

I will learn Spanish in 2011.

I know it will be a brilliant novel.

I also know it will be a depressing novel.

Haven't been in the mood for depressing,

but maybe next year....

So that's it...ten books I hope Santa brings.

What do you hope Santa brings to you?

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!


Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

Walk-a-Mile

Every Christmas, our town

does something wonderful.

Walk-a-Mile.

People walk from church to church

in the heart of our town.

(Literal heart.

And metaphorical heart.)

This year, the Episcopal Church was the first stop.

Quiet. Peaceful.

Next was The Rock.

Amazing singing and dancing

And then we were off to visit

Templo Cristo Para Todos,

the Baptist Church,

and three more churches.

Songs. Scripture. Prayer.

Cookies, too.

A lovely night.

What Christmas traditions do you celebrate?

I hope you will stop by the others on the tour today:

Krissi @ LightingMyLight

Kaye @ The River Goes Ever Ever On

Lindy @ Virtual Advent

Here's the schedule for the 2010 Virtual Advent Tour.

Wordless Wednesday

Top Ten Books I'm Anticipating For 2011.

The question of the week from Top Ten Tuesday is:

What are the top ten books you are anticipating for 2011?

Oh dear.

I am not anticipating any books in 2011.

Help me.

What books should I be anticipating for 2011?

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

Pet Peeves of the Literary Sort

This week's writing prompt from the Literary Blog Hop

held weekly at The Blue Bookshelf:

What is one of your literary pet peeves?

Is there something that writers do that really

sets your teeth on edge?

Be specific, and give examples if you can.

For me, it's pretentiousness.

Pomposity. Grandiosity.

Call it what you will.

At its heart, it is smugness. Arrogance.

I have many, many other pet peeves.

But, for now, I will stop.

What irritates you?

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Places to Read

I can happily read anywhere.

But where is my favorite place to read?

10. I love to read with children at my school library.

9. My porch swing.

8 and 7 and 6. It was wonderful reading in San Francisco.

And Utah. And New England.

5. Who wouldn't love to read in a field of lavender in Provence?!

4 and 3 and 2. Honestly, to take the words of the amazing Dr. Seuss:

 

And I would read in a boat.

And I would read with a goat...

And I will read in the rain.

And in the dark. And on a train.

And in a car. And in a tree....

Okay. You get the idea.

But there is absolutely no doubt about

where my favorite place to read is.

I hesitate. 

I can hardly dare to show you this. 

You will be so jealous.  I know.

Oh, well, I will go ahead. 

If it is any consolation, I did not have this lovely place

until I was 51. You've still got time.

Here it is. 

It is my Reading Room.

Bienvenidos.

It has candles and fountains.

Three laptops, a Kindle, an iPad.

Coffee and a comfy chair.

A wonderful daybed.

Paradise.

Where are your favorite places to read?

Sunday Salon: Salman Rushdie!

Do they have exclamation points in Hindi? 

Or is it just understood that everything in India

should be said with an exclamation point?

I just finished Midnight's Children.

It is the masterpiece of Salman Rushdie.

And now I want to end every sentence I write about

this author, this book, with an exclamation point.

Midnight's Children!

A masterpiece!

Salman Rushdie!

Brilliant!

My husband and I went to see Salman Rushdie Friday night.

He talks just like he writes.

He speaks in beautiful metaphors

that seem to flow from his mouth

as naturally as rain from dark clouds.

I couldn't take any pictures inside,

so I must be happy with

the picture I took of the marquee.

There is a video of his event here.

Literary Blog Hop: Favorite Poem?

This week's question comes from Gary at Parrish Lantern:

What is your favorite poem and why?

This is an impossible question.  It's like asking me, "What is your favorite star in the sky?"

The answer is that I love them all.

Here's one I feel like sharing with you today:

The Orange

By Wendy Cope

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange

The size of it made us all laugh.

I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—

They got quarters and I had a half.

And that orange it made me so happy,

As ordinary things often do

Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park

This is peace and contentment. It's new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.

I did all my jobs on my list

And enjoyed them and had some time over.

I love you. I'm glad I exist.

Forgive me, but, The Orange feels very Christmas-y to me.

 No, it's not red and green.

 And there's no candy canes or Santas or elves.

Somehow Christmas-ish anyway.

Copyright Notes:

The photo is of an orange I had in my refrigerator. It's pretty big.

I don't know how it tastes.

I think I'll take it to lunch.

Wendy Cope, "The Orange" from Serious Concerns. Copyright © 1992 by Wendy Cope. Reprinted with the permission of Faber & Faber, Ltd.