Tag Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters We Almost Named Our Cat After

Lists, News and Fun, , ,

achillesFor most of my adult life, I’ve had two cats. Which made it extra terrible about eighteen months ago when we lost both to health problems within just a few weeks of each other. Losing a pet is never easy, but there’s something really awful about knowing they suffer and trying to figure out when it’s the right time to end their pain. Sorry. Didn’t mean to begin on such a down note.

The good news is that not too long after we lost our kitties, I fell in love with this handsome boy whom the rescue named Achilles, since he’d had a pretty serious leg injury as a kitten. Between my daughter’s love for Greek mythology and my husband’s love for Brad Pitt, it seemed like a perfect match.

Fast forward a bit– we always intended to have two cats again, but it seemed like every time we looked into adopting a second one, something went wrong. At last, our vet’s office called with the news that they had kittens in need of homes. So we decided to offer this little guy a place in ours.

And then began the real battle. A name. The vet staff had been calling him Cheese, which, considering the little ham that he is, I suppose I can understand. My daughter has these very intense infatuations with different shows or movies, so she lobbied hard for characters from her current favorites. My husband, the engineer, wanted something sci-fi oriented or something that coordinated with our other cat’s name. I, of course, lobbied for a name with a literary connection. Here were the top ten choices that didn’t make the cut…

1. Hector from the Illiad

via GIPHY

It seemed an obvious go-to, since Hector and Achilles were rivals in the Illiad. Then we wondered if we were asking for trouble in naming them after mortal enemies. Maybe not the best idea, despite its cleverness.

2. Knightley from Emma

via GIPHY

My daughter and I had recently discovered the BBC version of Emma (which if you haven’t watched, you should!) so Knightley seemed like an excellent choice. My husband hasn’t seen the movie, though, and isn’t familiar with the story, so we agreed to try to find a name we all felt some connection with.

3. Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet


Okay, my favorite thing about the novel Anna Dressed in Blood was the fact that the protagonist has a cat named Tybalt. I thought that was such a clever idea! And I’d been telling myself that someday, when I got to name a cat, that was going to be the name I reached for. I’m not sure why we discarded this one. Maybe because we’d talked about it too much over the years.

4. Paris from the Illiad

via GIPHY

This one didn’t last long. I kept thinking it was a reference to Romeo and Juliet, and I’ve never liked the character Paris because he seemed weak to me. Also, it reminded me of the movie Troy, in which Paris’ most redeeming qualities are making sad moony eyes at everyone and lusting over Helen. Blech.

5. Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird

Since this is one of my favorite books, I had to pitch a name from the cast. But no one else in my very small family has read it (YET) so I got voted out on this one, too. Also, maybe it’s a little weird to name a cat a type of bird?

6. Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica

via GIPHY

Okay, so I know Starbuck is a girl and our kitten is a boy. I don’t think he’d mind. And it’s such a cool name. My daughter had no idea who that was, and my husband wanted something that at least kind of coordinated with our other cat’s name. So boo.

7. Birdseye from Christy

My daughter was hooked on the 1994 Television series Christy when we brought our kitty home, so she was interested in choosing a name for a cat from that show. While it’s a great cat name, Birdseye was also not a great guy, so we ended up ruling this one out.

8. Robotron from Robotron (a video game)

WE ARE NOT NAMING OUR CAT ROBOTRON. Just no.

9. Gandalf from Lord of the Rings

via GIPHY

Which is so awesome. But how do you name a kitten Gandalf? Seriously. We just couldn’t get our heads around it.

10. Sirius Black from the Harry Potter series

via GIPHY

Another great idea that just didn’t gain enough traction. Plus would it be weird to name a cat after a character who shape-shifted into a dog? Hmm. We weren’t sure either.

So what DID we name him?

So… what did we end up naming our little furball? Ultimately we named him Bo. My daughter insists his middle name is Knightley and calls him that instead. He’s been a great addition to our little family. He and Achilles are friends and seem to get along great.

Save

Save

Top Ten Books On My Wish List

Lists, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Wish List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is which books top our wish lists (because every review blogger has one miles long, I’m sure).

So here’s a funny story. I was cleaning off the top of the dresser yesterday (It’s been a while, but let’s not talk about that.) and I totally struck gold. I found A BARNES & NOBLE GIFT CARD. Unused. For forty dollars!

Which of course translates into only one thing: book shopping!

My book wish list is ridiculously long and full of loads of books I am pining for, but here are the books which will be competing for purchase on my shiny new gift card. While some of the books I’m pining for most are still only available for pre-order, you’ll only see books already released on my list. I’ll save the pre-orders for another day. (Note: Sadly, basic math says I can’t buy all of these books with my gift card, so I’ll have to narrow it down from ten to the ones I want most up to the ceiling of my card. First world problems.)

Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury – I read a sample of the first few chapters of this book and definitely want to read the rest. In fact, I don’t know why I haven’t bought it already or at least tracked down a copy through the library.

The City of Ember (The First Book of Ember ) by Jeanne DuPrau – I know almost nothing about this series, except that one of my closest friends (and one of my only friends in real life who reads YA and admits to it) LOVES this book. And that, my friends, is good enough for me. I trust her. Even though she did not like Cry, the Beloved Country, which made me cry inside just a little bit.

Mindwar by Andrew Klavan – Strangely, I’ve only read the third book in this series, but I really enjoyed a lot of things about it. It gave me things I wanted from Ready Player One. I liked the characters, too.

The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey – I’ve been absolutely pining for this book since I read The Girl at Midnight. And it’s finally here! The Girl at Midnight definitely reminded me of Daughter of Smoke and Bone with its other-world and girl-out-of-her-world things it has going on. I loved the characters. Loved the story. Can’t wait for more.

Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh – this book hit my radar when Katherine Marsh released another book called The Door By the Staircase, which also sounds great. Jepp deals with issues of fate, and I find myself desperate to know how his quest resolves.

X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz with Kekla Magoon – I forget where I first noticed this book. I think it might have been in a BuzzFeeds list or something. This is a novelized story about Malcom X, co-written by his daughter. Definitely interested in this one.

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz – I might be the only person who hasn’t read this book. At least, that’s what I think whenever I see it, like, everywhere on the interwebs. Every time I read a historical novel I tell myself I should read them more often. I love the idea of reading a story set in the early 1900s about a girl who dreams of being more than a hired girl. Looks awesome. Must read.

Starflight by Melissa Landers – I think I saw this one advertised on Facebook, and actually, I can’t recall reading any actual reviews of it. Reading the book description makes me think Firefly meets These Broken Stars, which sounds like a great pairing to me. (If I had you at Firefly, we should be friends.)

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab – I’m a huge fan of the type of fantasy-scape described in the marketing copy. Also– the copy claims this is perfect for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater and Laini Taylor? That’s me! (Okay, confession: I need to read Holly Black. Haven’t yet. But I will. Hopefully soon. but Stiefvater and Taylor are pretty sure bets for me.) Also I read some cool stuff on Victoria Schwab’s twitter page. That might be where I first learned about this book, actually. So, yay Twitter.

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson – I saw this on several must-read-type Top Ten Tuesday posts, and the description made me laugh so hard I almost had tears. Yes, please! There is never enough furious happiness in my life.

Save

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Made Me Want to Learn Things

Blogger's Favorites, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,

Top Ten Tuesday is a Weekly Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is about books that inspire us to learn new things, or at least make us wish we could! Here are some of the books that made me want to take up new hobbies.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – parkour

Reading about Inej’s amazing spider-like abilities made me wish I was athletic and brave enough to learn some parkour. It looks like so much fun. Well, until you watch all those reels of fail videos. Ouch!

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley – glass blowing

Okay, this one is only slightly cheating because I’ve always wanted to learn glass-blowing anyway. Fun fact: a girl I grew up with actually has an arts degree in this. Anyway, reading about Lucy and how she feels about and connects with her art really made me wish we had local classes that I could take.

Sister Pact by Stacie Ramey/How to Be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras – painting

Both the protagonists in these books are painters, and I loved the imagery and descriptions of how painting made them feel and how they expressed what they were feeling in the things they painted. I dabbled with painting while I was in school, and I’ve always wanted to continue with more classes. This made me really hungry for it.

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson – poetry

I love poetry. I love that a talented poet can use only a few words to paint an incredibly vivid picture and communicate powerful emotions to a reader. This book made me want to write poetry, even though my attempts are often cheesy and hopelessly abstract in a bad way.

PIE by Sarah Weeks – baking

(Honorable mention: Good Grief by Lolly Winston, which isn’t YA, but definitely made me wish I was a baker! I would love to have Sophie’s cheesecake recipes. Yum!)

I don’t know if anyone could read this book and NOT want a slice of pie. The best part about this? The author anticipated this and includes recipes in the back of the book! I love cooking, but I’m horrible at baking. This book made me want to give it another try. Like, now.

To Get to You by Joanne Bischof – skateboarding

Despite the fact that I took ballet lessons for years of my life, I’m not the most coordinated person. (I think the idea that dancers are graceful is a bad stereotype anyway. We spend most of our time in wide open spaces where there’s nothing to trip over/bash into, so put us in a room with breakables and floor height changes and see what happens.) I stood on a skateboard one time. I liked it. That’s about as far as that went. I would love to learn to actually do even some of the most basic skateboarding moves. While the skating isn’t a HUGE theme in the story, the ease with which Riley moves and how soothing it is to him definitely made me envious.

The Feuds by Avery Hastings – ballet dancing

I took ballet classes for lots of years, and even though it’s been a long time, I do still miss it. I loved reading about a dancer. It’s always fun for me to read books about ballerinas because I actually know what the names of the moves are and have done them. It’s like reading a book with some Spanish dialogue and being able to trot out your high school Spanish and follow along without needing the interpretation.

The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos and I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert – music

Books about punk rock kids hold a special place in my heart because for the last let’s not talk about how many years, I’ve been writing about a trio of punk kids myself. Music is another hobby I’ve dabbled in– once upon a time someone handed me a guitar and a chord dictionary, and I went from there– but I’ve never really taken lessons or learned anything complex. Both these books made me want to take up music again.

What about you?

Have you read any books lately that tempted you to pursue new hobbies? If you’ve read any of the books on my list, did you like them?

Top Ten Underrated Books

Blogger's Favorites, Lists, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme lists underrated books, or books with fewer than two thousand ratings on Goodreads. I’ve talked about a lot of these books before. Some are indie or small press novels. Others remain largely undiscovered for reasons I can’t quite figure. All are books I would happily pick up and read all over again.

Top Ten Underrated Books

Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kurke

You know when you find one of those books where the writing itself is as beautiful as the story? Glass Girl is like that to me. Big emotions, great characters, and a totally swoon-worthy romance. I’m no cowgirl, but I totally loved this Wyoming story.

To Get to You by Joanne Bischof

This one took me by surprise. After reading the back cover copy, I wasn’t totally sure what I’d be getting into. Something about best friends and a cross-country trip? Reuniting with an estranged parent? It sounded a little Hallmark-y to me, in all honesty. Bischof won me over with her straightforward writing. She kept it real when it came to Riley’s relationship with his dad. I liked the way she set up the relationships – the history between Riley and his parents, and his developing relationship with the girl.

The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill

Seriously. If you have a girl in early teens and you’re looking for clean, funny books with a lot of heart, and you haven’t read anything by Stephanie Morrill, just stop now and fix that. I always laugh. I always cry. I always wish for another chapter. Good stuff. (Did I mention she has a historical mystery coming out next year?! I. Can’t. Wait!!!)

I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires by Cathy Gohlke

Every time I read historical fiction, I think I should read more of it because I enjoy it so much, especially when it’s as done as well as Christy Award-winning author Cathy Gohlke’s novels. This novel goes deep and paints the Civil War in stark detail. For history fans interested in a clean read, this is a must.

Chasing Lilacs by Carla Stewart

I love when authors tackle difficult subjects with poise and honesty, and that’s just what Carla Stewart does in her debut novel Chasing Lilacs. Twelve year-old Sammie faces her mother’s mental health issues and suicide during a time (the 1950s) when these things were hushed up. It’s a bit darker than some of my other selections here, but still a worthy read.

Wind and Shadow by Kathy Tyers

Okay, don’t read the Goodreads copy because it’s really confusing. This book is a continuation of Tyers’ Firebird series, so it’s probably best to start there. I read this one first, and I promise it’s not as confusing as Goodreads makes it sound. Wind Haworth was my favorite character. She’s a young diplomat trying to find her place in a very tense politically volatile situation. I really liked the marriage of politics and sci-fi in this novel.

Liberty by Annie Laurie Cechini

This is a light, fun sci-fi story that I think would appeal to fans of Firefly. A quirky crew and a space mission. What’s not to like? Definitely worth checking this one out.

Update – sorry. It looks like this one is currently out of print!

Mercy’s Prince by Katy Huth Jones

I remember being really impressed with the fact that the characters don’t whine when they’re faced with really tough choices. (I mean, let’s face it. Whining can ruin a great story. Even Luke Skywalker’s whining got old, right?) I found the whole can-do attitude and the story itself really intriguing and refreshing.

Traitor’s Masque by Kenley Davidson

I love fairy tales retold, so as soon as I saw this retelling of Cinderella, I was intrigued. This isn’t a classic Cinderella. Davidson’s heroine finds herself recruited to spy for an unknown Lord who promises, in exchange, the one thing she wants most: freedom from her step-mother’s domain. What will she do when completing her task requires her to betray the prince with whom she’s falling in love?

Curio by Evangeline Denmark

I read this book months ago and I still wake up thinking about it sometimes. I loved the story-within-a-story element to this novel. What is it about a boy with wings that I find so intriguing, too? Gah. I loved it. If you’re a fan of dystopian stories or steampunk, you definitely have to check this one out.

Have you read these books?

If you’ve read and enjoyed any of these books, help the author out. Take a few minutes and rate them on Goodreads and post a quick review! You don’t have to do anything fancy. Think of two things you liked and a book or genre that you found similarly enjoyable whose readers might also enjoy the book. Post, and you’re done!

Doing this really helps an author out. Amazon and other sites have goofy rules about what promotional tools authors can access based on the number of reviews posted for their work.

Save

Top Ten Middle Grade Reads

Blogger's Favorites, Lists, Middle Grade 8-12,

Top Ten Middle Grade Reads (2015-2016)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today, my spin on the topic is this: middle grade reads. As the parent of an enthusiastic middle grade reader, I’m always looking for books that will spark conversations, explore interesting ideas, or generate all those deep emotions as only a well-written book can. Here are the best of the middle grade books I’ve read in the last couple of years.

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I loved the way the author used information about jellyfish in this story, but what was ultimately most powerful was Suzy’s voice. This story packed a big emotional punch, and I love that.

The Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng

Review to come | Amazon | Goodreads

While I haven’t made it to posting this review yet, this is another must-read, in my humble blogger opinion. I completely identified with Anna’s struggle to connect with her friends and find peace in her identity.

Grayling’s Song by Karen Cushman

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Quirky characters were the big win for me in this novel. I mean, seriously?! A shape-shifting mouse? So cute. And the team of unlikely allies reminded me of the team of odd part-dragon characters helping Seraphina in Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman.

Escape from Sudan by Amanda DiCianni

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

This was another unexpected find. When the author, who’d been a missionary to this part of the world, approached me with Escape from Sudan, the subject of the story definitely interested me. Books like this one are great ways to start conversations about world events and to introduce those ideas in ways appropriate for middle readers.

It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

This is another tale with a powerful punch. In the wake of the hostage crisis in Iran, an Iranian-American girl navigates a suddenly hostile California town. She’s smart, funny and immediately goes for the heartstrings. I want this book in classrooms everywhere.

Just My Luck by Cammie McGovern

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Too often simple kindness gets overlooked in our fast-paced modern world. In this story, Benny wrestles with being kind to others in the midst of troubling family circumstances: his father suffered an accident and may never be the same. I loved Benny from page one.

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

As part of a school history project, Deja discovers the truth about what changed the New York skyline on September 11, 2001, and the connection it has to her family. While this one got a little preachy– a side effect of the classroom setting for many of the book’s scenes– I really appreciated the honest but not graphic look at another big moment in US history.

Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban

Review to Come | Amazon | Goodreads

I’m cheating a bit, since my review for this book won’t be posted until the middle of July. But seriously. Another great, really relevant book. A young girl is forced to leave her island town with her family to live in a Japanese Internment camp. The details are all gentle– it’s very middle grade level stuff– but it absolutely captures the message about how traumatic and wrong that moment in American history was.

When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I love the blend of noir and humor in this wacky mystery. This was one series that had both my daughter and me watching for release dates and rushing to the bookstore to get the copy of the latest release.

Between Shadows by Kathleen Cook Waldron

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I had the pleasure of meeting this author on vacation a few months before her book came out. My grandmother’s death was a hugely significant loss in my life, so when she described her novel about a boy and his family rediscovering one another after his grandfather’s death, I was instantly intrigued. I’m super excited that I got to read it!

What are your favorite middle grade books?

You’ve read my list. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which books top your favorites for middle grade literature? (Thing ages 8-12.) Leave a comment with your answer!

Save

Save

Save

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Blogs to Follow

Blogger's Favorites, Lists, News and Fun, , , , ,

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is a fantastic one: the best blogs to follow. I tend to follow several different kinds of blogs. I like finding other blogs that review clean books or which list content information. I think in part it makes me feel validated, and it’s always interesting to see the ways other sites break down the content information. I also like to follow what I’ll call a specialty blog, one that steers readers toward specific types of books– books about characters with disabilities, books by minority authors, etc. Then there are the good old trusty review sites where I find myself reading the reviews of books I’ve read and saying, “I know, right?!” and reading reviews of books I haven’t read and immediately adding the titles to my reading list. I should add lots of others to this list, but these are the ones far and above all others that I find myself returning to for inspiration, recommendations and ideas:

Reading Teen

I’ve probably been following this blog the longest out of all the others on this list. I’m not sure how I found Reading Teen, but I really love this site. I guest-posted a review of Panic by Lauren Oliver which you can find here. One of my FAVORITE posts by Andye is this one about sex in teen fiction.

Compass Book Ratings

When I first discovered this site, it was called Clean Teen Reads. I don’t visit as often as I’d like, but I’ve recommended it several times to readers who are looking for more specific content than I tend to give. For instance, regarding profanity, this site will tell you which words and how many times they’re used whereas I tend to give a more general overview.

Brown Books and Green Tea

This is a recent favorite of mine. I love the focus on multicultural books, but also the way the blogger breaks down her reviews and thoughts on books. She makes me think, promotes really interesting books for deep reasons, and when she recommends something, it’s top notch.

Disability in Kidlit

If I’m going to be honest, I have a real love/hate relationship with this blog. I LOVE the idea: books featuring characters with disabilities reviewed by someone diagnosed with the disability. This gives a really insightful look at what a story looks like from a very specific angle. And a lot of the time, I find myself thinking, oh, wow. I never considered that. However, sometimes I get frustrated because it feels like so many of the reviews are very negative and really expect authors to capture these disabled characters with absolute perfection, and the hammer falls hard on those who fail. I think it’s truly important that we have stories that feature disabled characters, but as an aspiring writer, sometimes I wonder if blogs like this might scare writers out of trying to include them in their stories? I don’t know. Honestly, I love having the perspective the bloggers bring to the table. I think it’s a really important perspective, and I think authors should strive to accurately represent their characters, disabled or not.

Author Laura L. Smith’s Blog

I often find myself encouraged and inspired by these posts. Like her writing, Laura’s posts are very authentic, but they still manage to pull us toward beauty and wonder. I love that. I need that in my life. She’s awesome. Go read her books, too!