Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Love That Were Written Before I Was Born

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Love That Were Written Before I Was Born

This week’s TTT is about books written before we were born. I was born in 1992 so these books were all written and published before then...

1. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (Originally Published 1817)

2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Originally Published 1925)

3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Originally Published 1985)

4. The Mist by Stephen King (Originally Published 1980)

5. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (Originally Published 1958)

6. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (Originally Published 1939)

7. The Girl Who Invented Romance by Caroline B. Cooney (Originally Published 1988)

8. The Glass House People by Kathryn Reiss (Originally Published April 1, 1992... barely made the cut! My birthday is August 4th, 1992 😅)

9. Carmilla by J. Sheridan La Fanu (Originally Published 1872)

10. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Originally Published 1813)

***

What year were you born? What are some of your favorite books written before you were born?

Let me know in the comments or drop a link to your TTT!

Happy Reading Bookdragons!

-Taylor

If You Like That... Read These (Sleepy Hollow)

 

Hey Bookdragons! Fall is Coming! (although let's be honest, September 1st is the beginning of the fall season to me.) I don't know about you, but I have plans to read all kinds of thrillers, mysteries, and spooky books to get the feeling of the season. And one of my favorite classic books and it's movie adaptation is the perfect fall read...

Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the quintessential fall read and if you love it as much as I do you'll want to devour all the retellings. Retellings you say? Yes!! Retellings aren't just for fairy tales! There have been quite a few amazing Legend of Sleepy Hollow retellings and I'm here to tell you about them. Each of these are unique takes and reimaginings of the classic story. There's a little something for every reader. Most of these I've read and loved but there are a few that are still on my to-be-read list...

The Hollow (The Hollow Trilogy Book 1) by Jessica Verday

The Hollow trilogy by Jessica Verday is the first Sleepy Hollow retelling I read. It also blossomed my interest in perfume making. 

Wake the Hollow by Gaby Triana

While not my favorite Sleepy Hollow retelling, I did really enjoy this book. It's a standalone, so no cliffhanger endings. It also brings in one of my favorite female authors, Mary Shelley. Diversity alert: The main character Micaela is half Cuban. 

The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck

I almost don't want to include this book on this list since it was a near DNF for me but it is supposed to be a Sleepy Hollow retelling... before the author got sidetracked maybe? Anyway, I see some people on Goodreads liked it so I guess it's hit or miss. Like I always believe, you need to be the judge. You may love what I dislike and I may dislike what everyone else loves.

Crane (The Legends Saga Book 1) by Stacey Rourke

Crane is the most recent Sleepy Hollow retelling I've read and it's my second favorite after the Hollow Trilogy. Ireland is a spunky lead and I love that Stacey incorporated Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle into the Legend's origin story. P.S. the second and third books bring in Edgar Allan Poe and H.G. Wells so if you love classic gothic lit you must read these books!

Before I move on to retellings I haven't read here's some Shameless Self Promotion...

Headless by Taylor Fenner

Headless is my new adult debut and much sexier than any of my other books. As for the retelling part, our heroine Cora is the Headless Horsewoman taking vengeance on the men of modern-day Sleepy Hollow. 

Grab a Copy!

The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo

This one sounds like an interesting historical fiction retelling and one of the few retellings I've seen set during the actual time period which The Legend of Sleepy Hollow takes place. And Katrina turning to witchcraft? Sign me up!

For all these books and more including tv show and movie novelizations visit:

Goodreads Listopia - Sleepy Hollow Retelling

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 28 January 2019

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

What I Read Last Week:

I really enjoyed this book! It's got everything I love, Southern Gothic appeal, run-down mansions, magic, and suspicious deaths. 

This is admittedly not one of my favorites by Wendy Higgins, but I did enjoy it. Psyche reminded me a bit of Aerity from the Eurona Duology and I loved the setting. I think my problem was that I'm unfamiliar with the original myth that is the source material. 

What I Am Reading Now:

I'm going to do this! It's going to take me a while but I'm going to read War & Peace. I'm about 30 pages in and my goal is to hit page 300 by the end of January. I'm figuring I'll be finished sometime by the end of March.

Up Next:

The author contacted me through this blog to read and review her upcoming book and I'm all too happy to oblige. I have it on my kindle and I'm going to alternate between War and Peace and Kingdom Cold.

(Audio)Book Review: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition by Margaret Atwood

Narrated by Claire Danes

Blurb:

"Are there any questions?" The final line in Margaret Atwood's modern classic, The Handmaid's Tale, has teased and perplexed fans since the book's original release more than 30 years ago. Now, in this Audible Original production, listeners get some of the answers they've waited so long to hear.

Featuring an all-new interview with Professor Piexoto, written by Atwood and performed by a full cast, The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition is a must-listen for both fans and newcomers alike. Emmy Award winner Claire Danes (Homeland, Temple Grandin) gives a stirring performance of this classic in speculative fiction, where the message (and the warning) is now more timely than ever. In addition to rich sound design that honors the audio origins of Atwood's classic, the special edition also includes a brand-new afterword from the author and an introduction written by author Valerie Martin (Mary Reilly, Property).

After a violent coup in the United States overthrows the Constitution and ushers in a new government regime, the Republic of Gilead imposes subservient roles on all women. Offred, now a Handmaid tasked with the singular role of procreation in the childless household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife, can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost everything, even her own name. Despite the danger, Offred learns to navigate the intimate secrets of those who control her every move, risking her life for mere glimpses of her former freedom, and records her story for future listeners.

Whether you're a fan of the original novel or someone who has recently discovered it, The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition will shock, impress, and satisfy all those who listen.

My Review:

The Handmaid’s Tale is a powerful novel that, in my opinion, should be required reading for everyone. I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of dystopian novels because I find them depressing. I tend to think we as a society stand on the verge of a dystopian society and the more unacceptable things we allow to carry on, the closer we get to living in a world like The Handmaid’s Tale, The Selection, or The Hunger Games. 

Even though I don’t generally like this genre of book and probably would not have enjoyed it when I was younger (and probably would not have read it now if I had not watched and become addicted to the Hulu show.. which admittedly I only started watching because I’d previously liked some of the actors/actresses in previous roles) I found the writing shined - horrifically describing a society and a new reality for Offred that the reader finds unfathomable as the narrator reminisces about the way her life was before Gilead. This book broke my heart while simultaneously scaring me far more than any horror novel could because the phrase in my mind while listening wasn’t “this couldn’t happen here” but instead, “oh my, what if this happened?” 

As I listened to the audiobook version of The Handmaid’s Tale instead of reading the book, I did enjoy Claire Danes’s narration as well as the other narration at the end of the audiobook. It was interesting to hear bits and pieces of what environments inspired the author to write this book and I found the essay to be spot on. It does feel as if the panel in the future was making light of Offred’s plight. On a side note, I hope that the end of Offred’s story is less vague when we get to that point on the Hulu show.

My Rating:

4 of 5 Stars!

#BookTag Saturday: The Star Wars Book Tag

For this week's #BookTag Saturday I'm tackling a tag a friend of mine tagged me with on Instagram...

💫Luke (A book that awakened your love of reading):

 Probably The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot - even though I was in the 3rd grade the first time I read it and didn't understand some of it.

💫Leia (A book that split your heart in two):

Sharing Sam by Katherine Applegate - the first time I read this book I had just lost a family member to cancer and it destroyed me. It still makes me sob when I try to read it.

💫Han Solo (A book you didn’t want to read at first but fell in love with it):

 The Selection by Kiera Cass - that the only one in the series I actually liked.

💫Padme (A book where the character fell in love with the wrong person):

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo! WHY MAL?!?!

💫Kylo Ren (A dramatic character that you love, even though you probably shouldn’t): 

Hmmm... Nan from the Rosemary Beach Series by Abbi Glines maybe? I loved her in Up in Flames.

💫Rey (A strong female character):

Elena Michaels

💫Obi-Wan  (A character who always sees the best in another):

 Jane Bennet? 

💫Finn (A favorite side character that deserves a full story):

Hm... idk. Nikolai is getting his own book, which I can't wait to read but other than that I'm drawing a blank.

💫Yoda (A book with a jumbled timeline for the plot)

Boy Heaven by Laura Kasischke - it jumps back and forth through time a lot.

💫Jar Jar Binks (A book you found boring or DNF): 

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake - and I still bought the sequel.

Audible Book Review: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Blurb:

A coming-of-age tale for the young and naïve 17-year-old Catherine Morland, Northanger Abbey takes a decidedly comical look at themes of class, family, love and literature. Reveling in the sensationalist - and extremely popular - Gothic fiction of her day, the story follows Catherine out of Bath to the lofty manor of the Tilneys, where her overactive imagination gets to work constructing an absurd and melodramatic explanation for the death of Mrs Tilney, which threatens to jeopardize her newly forged friendships.

This Audible Originals production of Northanger Abbey stars Emma Thompson (Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA winner, Love Actually, Harry Potter, Sense and Sensibility), Lily Cole (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Snow White and the Huntsman, St. Trinian's), Douglas Booth (Noah, Great Expectations, The Riot Club), Jeremy Irvine (Warhorse, The Railway Man, Now Is Good), Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark, The Illusionist, Alice in Wonderland) and Ella Purnell (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Never Let Me Go, Kick-Ass 2), amongst others.

My Review:

Let me start by saying that I've tried reading this book 4 times previously and never been successful. It's just so dry on the page, though I've always loved the gothic setting of Northanger Abbey.

That being said, the audible adaptation is fantastic! I liked how this was set up with a cast of narrators so that it played out like a stage play that you couldn't see. It made the story much more enjoyable. 

Catherine is sweet, but very naive - definitely quick to believe whatever people tell her and imagine that the things she reads could truly come into being. I've always hated Isabella Thorpe and her brother, John and I thought their personalities were well portrayed in the audiobook. And then, of course, there is the flirtations Mr. Tinley and his family. 

In case you are wondering, I did finish Northanger Abbey this time. I soaked up Jane Austen's words in this wonderful adaptation. If this were the first time I'd listened to an audiobook, I'd marvel at why I hadn't given them a chance sooner. I really wish more audiobooks were made in this fashion. Sometimes having only one narrator gets boring, it was nice for each character and the narrator to have a distinct voice in this one. 

Overall, I give the story a 4, or perhaps a 3.75 - I feel that sometimes Austen got lost describing rooms and dresses and such which got tedious and boring. But the audiobook I give a solid 5 stars! Well done Audible! 

Book Review: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Blurb:

'The Great Gatsby' written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published in 1925. The story is of the year 1922 and characters of this story live in the town of West Egg of the prosperous Long Island. Jay Gatsby is a young millionaire (born in a poor family) with mysterious quixotic passion for the beautiful woman Daisy Buchanan. The story explores the social change with decadence, idealism, resistance to change and excesses. It creates a portrait of the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties. 

My Review:

I can never tell when I read this book whether Nick Carraway truly liked Gatsby at times, or whether he was silently judging him.

The Great Gatsby begins with Nick arriving from the Midwest and reaqauinting himself with his distant cousin, Daisy and her husband. He doesn't yet know Gatsby but soon he will meet him and be drawn into Gastby's fantastical world where everything is fun and nothing is serious. 

But Gatsby has an ulterior motive - he's been in love with Daisy for years and wishes to see her again. As the dominoes begin to fall into place a deadly chain of events will be set off and Nick's life and the way he sees the world will never be the same again. 

The Great Gatsby is a classic for a reason. It has beautiful lines and a glittering, inviting world that you wish to be a part of. Goodreads and Amazon describe this book as a cautionary tale about the Jazz Era but I don't think Fitzgerald meant it that way at all. I think, in a way, The Great Gatsby was autobiographical to him. The wild parties were part of a lifestyle I'm sure he was accustomed to and perhaps he saw himself in Gatsby and his wife, Zelda, in Daisy; their difference in social stations and ill fated end mirroring and a premonition of his and Zelda's ultimate parting. 

Gatsby is my favorite character in this book for his unwavering hopefulness. He truly believed if he made himself into something that he would finally obtain the love of the woman he's infatuated with. Nick, as I said before, I'm not sure about. He seems to like and care about Gatsby at times but at others it's like he's judging him from not coming from the same world as himself and Daisy and Tom. Daisy comes off as an air headed, absentminded fool who as we learn doesn't truly care about anyone but herself and how society perceives her. Tom is the very same way, possibly showing us a glimpse of the rich in that era. I've never truly liked the character of Jordan Baker, she's so wishy-washy. Gatsby is alright as long as he's providing her with entertainment but ultimately she judges him too when she learns of his background and lack of good breeding. And Mrs. Wilson (who's first name eludes me  at the moment) is both yet another victim of the destructive tornado that is Daisy and Tom Buchanan and a cruel woman in her own right. Her husband was just a simple minded fool who loved his wife and became a pawn - a means to an end to get rid of Gatsby in the end. 

Overall, I really like this book. The parties and Gatsby's dizzying, carefree world are well set and the story is well plotted. 

My Rating
4 of 5 Stars! 

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #84

Once again this "WIR"-Wednesday I'm reading a few different books. Last night I started listening to Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo on audible and since I finished Riot by Jamie Shaw yesterday, today I'm starting a re-read of...

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Blurb:

FROM GOODREADS:

THE GREAT GATSBY, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.

Why I Chose This Book:

It's been a few years since I read The Great Gatsby, probably about a month after the movie came out to be exact and I absolutely love this story. I always feel so heartbroken for Gatsby and such contempt for Daisy. I'm on a no-fantasy ban on reading right now so I thought I'd pick this up for a change.