Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I've Read So Far In 2013

Each year, I participate in the Good Reads Reading Challenge. I love being able to keep track of the books I read and share them with others. The nerd in me likes to compare how many pages I've read from year to year. This year, I have decided to read 50 books, and I have already read 22 books. You can see all of  the titles I have read here.

Here are the best 10 I have read this year- in no particular order! Unfortunately, I have read some real stinkers this year- but I think I can squeak out my top 10.

#1, 2, 3& 4. I have read (for the first time) 4 of the Harry Potter books this year. I will use all four of them as 1 entry.

I may be 39, but I am a huge Potter Head. I am obsessed- and no matter what the topic of conversation, I can make a Harry Potter reference. My husband and 9 year old are sick of me going on and on... "It's just a book" they say. "You are done reading them." they say. They don't know that these books have become part of my soul. I still can't talk about Snape or Sirius without getting tears in my eyes. I adore these books and the stories and the characters and the fact that they made me think and that I read them to my 2 daughters and we will always have that in common. I wish I could go back and read them for the first time again.

5. Flesh & Bone (Benny Imura #3) by Jonathan Maberry: God, I wanted to love this book. I 5 stared the other 2 titles in the series and erected a monument to Tom Imura in my basement and became so obsessed with zombies that my family called an intervention. I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. So it is on the list because I loved the IDEA of this book.

 Why didn't I love it? This book was a stepping stone- an ends to a means- to get from book 2 to the final book in the series. I didn't feel like anything in this book helped me to further my understanding of the series or characters. In this book- all of the characters got deep and philosophical on me- ain't nobody got time for that int he middle of a zombie apocalypse!

6. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer: Oh.... how I waited and longed for this sequel! I was not disappointed! I loved how the 2 stories (Cinder & Scarlet) ended up being tied together.

7.  Dodger by Terry Pratchett: This book started my obsession with Victorian England. The setting and the characters screamed of Oliver Twist and I found myself wishing I had a cockney accent (I would never shut up if I did!) I loved that this book was historical yet found a way to blend the facts with the story seamlessly. The insertion of Sweeney Todd and Charles Dickens was so fun and I found myself doing research to keep up. Boys will love this book as well!

8.  The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding: Again, my need for jolly old England brought me to this book. This book is full on wytch hunter, spooky creature, supernatural goodness! There were so many made up creatures that I totally bought into in this book. More or less- a wytch hunter finds a girl in need and discovers that she is possessed by the demon that will bring the end of the world. It is his mission to save her soul and take down the bastards that want to free the demon.  So good!

9. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson:After reading Dodger, I was on the look out for anything that might feed my Victorian England obsession. Now, this story doesn't take place when Jack the Ripper was alive, but it takes place on the very spot where his murders were committed and I learned so much about the history of his dark deeds. (Again, I researched as I read!) This book takes a paranormal twist that had me guessing until the end! Again, I wanted a cockney accent after reading this book! I also wanted to devour more books about Ripper! Good books make you want to read more books!

10.  Dark Life by Kat Falls: I loved the futuristic UNDERWATER world. I had never read anything that takes place under the sea before- and it was wonderful!  This book had good guys, bad guys, bad guys that were good guys, the future of society riding in the hands of the main character... plus the beauty and mystery of the deep sea. Boys would LOVE this book!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 on your TBR Pile

This week, the theme at The Broke & Bookish is TOP 10 BOOKS ON YOUR TO BE READ PILE. I have about 450 books on my TBR list, so this will cover the first 2% of my list.

1. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Burnt
2. The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancy
3.Invisibility by Andrea Cremer
4. Fire & Ash by Jonathan Maberry (Doesn't come out until September!!)
5. Caring is Creepy by David Zimmerman
6. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
7. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
8. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
9.The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
10. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

See the rest of the books I want to read on my Goodreads page! 

Top Ten Tuesday

This week at The Broke and Bookish, the theme for Top 10 Tuesday is "Top 10 Book Covers". 

I am sharing my top 10 favorite Judy Blume covers. 

 

Over the years, these covers have been remade to fit the current generation. Each reprint, I feel so much older and less hip. (Was I ever hip?) It is so cool to me that all Judy's books need are a cool new cover and a whole new generation of girls will devour them. That doesn't happen to every book. Judy has the Midas touch when it comes to books for middle grade girls! So, these are the exact book covers that I read- checked out from The Penn Elementary Library back in the day... circa 1984. 

Do you recognize these covers? Which are your favorites?

 Are You There God? It's Me Margaret was published 3 years before I was born. 

I read this paperback copy in 1984. I remember it like it was yesterday

Fifth Grade: 1983

Fourth Grade: 1982

Jr. High 1987

Fourth Grade: 1982

Fourth Grade: 1982

Freshman year: 1988 

This book was a little close to home for a chubby fifth grader: 1983

 Fourth Grade: 1982

I read this book in high school- 1989.

I fell in love with this book, and to this day it is my favorite Judy Blume book.

Ha ha! bonus from Scott Niven!

Top Ten Tuesday

It has been a while since I have participated in Top Ten Tuesday at The Broke & The Bookish. But, this is a topic I HAD to make time for. (It is 1 AM, I have been working on this for TWO hours!) This week, we are asked to give a theme song to 10 books. Sounds easy, right? Wrong! My brain is full to bursting now! Enjoy- and stop by Broke & Bookish and find some other crazy bloggers who have taken on this week's challenge! You might find some new blogs, new books AND new music!!

The Hunger Games + Dog Days Are Over by Florence & The Machine

Wonder + Eye of The Tiger by Survivor 

Cinder + Dream On by Aerosmith

Peter Nimble & His Fantastic Eyes + I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for by U2

Thirteen Reasons Why + In The End by Linkin Park

Unwind + Hurt performed by Johnny Cash

The Knife of Never Letting Go + Sounds of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel

Between Shades of Gray + Miss Sarejevo by U2

Divergent + My Boyfriend's Back by The Angels

Warp Speed + Jeremy by Pearl Jam

Top 10 Comments of 2011

A blogger loves comments... and I think I might love comments more than most bloggers. I do a little happy dance in my mind every time I get an email telling me someone has left a comment on my blog. My happy dance looks a little like this:

I do get plenty of spam comments because I don't make visitor enter word verification, but the payoff is high. Everyone can comment- they don't have to have any type of account. My students can comment- and I LOVE that!  To show my appreciation for all of the fabulous comments I have gotten this year, I give you The Top 10 Comments of 2011!  (in chronological order, newest first!)

#10 comes from Julia, a Lemme student who happens to think my blog is amazing! (Hi Julia!!) After she read "It's Only Rock & Roll But I Like It", she wrote:

That's soo funny Mrs. Butcher!! I know you love to be a rockstar! -julia on It's Only Rock & Roll... But I Like It!

#9 My BFF Kirby Larson (I know!!!) visits the blog once in awhile and leaves comments for me! After reading my 2012 Newbery picks, Ms. Larson wrote:

From your mouth to God's ear! Thanks for your support, Madame Butcher. Kirby Larson on Madame Butcher Predicts the Future

#8 Karen from Kidsmomo shares my excitement for The Hunger Games movie trailer! I can feel the passion in her voice through the computer screen in her comment: 

No booktalk link this week, but of course I had to comment about the HG movie trailer! It looks AMAZING! But I totally agree with you about the lack of Haymitch. Out of all the actors, I'm most curious to see how Woody Harrelson does. There better be some real clips of him before March! Karen from Kidsmomo on Book Talk Tuesday (Hunger Games Trailer Edition)

And Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts is just as excited!!

AAAAHHHH!!!!! That was the first time I watched it! Wow. It's going to be so good. I already have major goosebumps and could cry just watching the trailer. I can't believe I forgot to turn on Good Morning America this morning before I left. I was going to purposefully stay home until 7:00 to watch and then I forgot! Thanks for posting this. I'll add our link tomorrow when our Tuesday post goes live. :) Jen Vincent on Book Talk Tuesday (Hunger Games Trailer Edition)

#7 My rock star status is raging out of control, as comment #7 proves. (Thank you, Kerry!)

I know nothing about playing guitar, but I have heard about your rock star status. Glad you are keeping up your image :) Good luck with your playing! Kerry on Rock Star Status Update 

#6 Sometimes the best comments are just simple words of kindness... this comes from Anna at a to z Library.

I just wanted you to know that I really love Book Talk Tuesday. Thanks for your work. Anna on Book Talk Tuesday (Very Late!)

#5 Deb Marshall is a very loyal visitor and very kind in leaving comments. This one made my day... my week!

I love how leah reads, I love how leah reads, I love how leah reads! Tell her thank you from me, please. It was like being in a storytime! Deb on Book Talk Tuesday

And Myra of Gathering Books was sweet too!

This video clip has made me smile (and is bound to make me smile the entire day). I have a feeling the words "I love my red shoes, I love my brown shoes" would be ringing in my ear all day. Soooo lovely! I have a nine year old and I would frequently video-record her reading aloud as well. She's into Goosebumps lately - and a bit of Jerry Spinelli on the side. :) Myra on Book Talk Tuesday

#4 I think I may have to pass my Rock Star status on to a true rock star- Mr. Colby Sharp. I don't know where he came from or when he showed up, exactly, but he has taken the blogging world, kid lit world and Twitter world by storm. He is a dad, a teacher, and advocate for children and children's literacy... oh and nerds!  I know he is uber-busy these days, so I am thrilled when he stops by and says hey! 

Laurel Snyder is quickly becoming my favorite author. She symbolizes everything that is right about kid lit. Colby on Books Were My Salvation

and

Best book you ever read, maybe the coolest review I have ever read. Great review for a great book. I have noticed a bunch of people bashing the ending of this book. Not sure what they are talking about. I loved this book cover to cover. Have you read Wednesday Wars-the companion to Okay for Now? Colby on Book Talk: Okay for Now

 

#3 My 1 Year Blogiversary brought many kind comments... including this one from Sarah at  Try Curiosity:

Congrats, Kelly. Love your blog and the great service you provide in keeping us all connected and focused on BOOKS. My blog started as a way to keep track of all of my library classes. Coming from a middle school teaching background, I wasn't used to having SO MANY different classes to prepare for. Blogging helped me keep it straight, forced me to reflect, and communicated to parents. Three years later, I'm still chugging along! Have a great week everyone, Sarah on Book Talk Tuesday

#2 I just love Read Aloud Dad. Really. Truly. Love him.

A child can never be blamed for telling the truth, can she? ReadAloudDad on Shameless Self Promotion

#1 Ah, Bigfoot! You never fail to crack my stuff up! 

You’re all so busy. I feel kind of guilty that today all I plan to do is take a hike, read, and eat donuts. Bigfoot on Book Talk Tuesday

Thank you to everyone who has commented over the last year- and thank you to those of you who thought "I should leave a comment", but didn't! At least it crossed your mind! just remember, comments make me feel like this:

And when the librarian is happy, everyone is happy!

Top (10) Tuesday for March 22, 2011

Over at Broke and Bookish, the topic of this week's top 10 is:

Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves 

(all those things that annoy you in a story, with book covers, bookstores, etc.)

Librarians love books... some of us love books too much.  I am a borderline obsessive compulsive librarian, not so bad that I annoy my patrons and coworkers, but I have my quirks.  If I didn't, I wouldn't be doing my job.  I have way more than 10 bookish pet peeves, so I have listed the top 10 of my 100 bookish pet peeves! : ) 

1.  I hate it when people (kids and grown ups alike) dog ear the pages in a book.  You never get those creases out- never!  All you need is a bookmark- an old envelope, a post it, a gum wrapper... anything!  

 




2.  I hate food crumbs in books! We all have to eat- even librarians.  But, we don't have to eat WHILE we read and if we don, we can lean over so we don't get cookie crumbs (or other crumbs) in the book!  

3.  This will give me the shakes, dry heaves and diarrhea (my students have been told).  Messy bookshelves.  Messy bookshelves are my biggest enemy.  But, messy shelves are a sign that kids have been looking at books... right?  Right?

4.  Spelling errors in final copies of a book drive me nuts (grammatical errors too!) In an ARC, I can totally understand, but a final copy?  No way!

5.  Date due slips are so 1990.  Really- we don't need them!  But, no matter how many times I ask Follett to stop putting these slips on the beautifully illustrated end papers, they keep appearing.  You can't rip them off either, because they destroy the book.  

 6.  I am reading a book- and enjoying it.  Great plot, great characters, great dialog.  I am getting near the end of the book and I realize that the author is no where near ready to wrap this baby up!  Then, I get to the last chapter  and the ending is shoved into the final 12 pages of the book.  Too fast!  I like my books to be nicely paced, with plenty of time to soak up the ending! 

7.  May be it is my over-stressed, full to bursting brain, but I don't like books with too many characters.  I applaud an author who tries to jam 15 awesome people into 1 book.  However, I would rather get to know 3 or 4 characters really well instead of having to flip back through the book just trying to remember who is who.  Less is more!

8.  People get sick of me saying this, but I will say it again.  I hate it when Hollywood takes an AMAZING book and turns it into a movie.  We have enough movies, we don't need more!  Come up with your own ideas for a change, guys- don't steal my patrons from me!  I have never seen and never will see: Bridge to Terabithia, Because of Winn Dixie, Holes... the list goes on and on.  A little part of me dies each time I offer a sweet, young child a copy of The Tale of Despereaux and they say "I've seen the movie".  Stop the insanity!

 9.  I may make a few enemies here- and I hope we can make it through this post together- but, I really don't like sequels.  Ok, 2 books fine- but 5 or 6?  Really?  I loved Among The Hidden, but by book 4, I was over it.  Dan Gutman hit it out of the park with Million Dollar Shot, but come on!  Do we really need all of those other million dollar books (or Ms. Roopy is Loopy for that matter!) I know it is all about The Benjamins, but think of the children.  

10.  I always tell kids (even my own) that if someone copies you, it is a compliment.  I guess I really don't feel that way, because I get very irritated when this happens in the book world.  Just because Pinkalicious is a super cute book and little girls love it, doesn't mean that we need 50 other books about a girl who likes pink and eats cupcakes. Edward & Bella took vampire books to an all new level- I think Barnes and Nobel now has a "Paranormal Romance" section.  Really?  Original much?  I shouldn't complain as long as kids are reading, it shouldn't matter what they are reading... right?

You can also find this post linked up at OhAmanda's Tuesday Top Ten!

Top (10) Tuesday for March 15, 2011

This week at The Broke and the Bookish, the Top Ten is:

What book characters would you adopt into your family?

Reflecting on my list, it looks like I picked characters based on need- kids that need extra love and attention.  Most of these characters have put up a great fight to survive, and I could give them a soft place to land (if they could put up with my 2 rowdy daughters!)

Zulaikha from Words in the Dust 
by Trent Reedy (not in the Lemme Library yet)

I would love to adopt Zulaikha.  She grew up under the rule of the Taliban, so life in the US would be a shocking experience.  She has worked so hard her entire life, I would love to give her new opportunities.  If she lived here with me, could attend the University of Iowa

Zoe from Wild Things
by Clay Carmichael (F CAR)

I know she loves her Uncle very much, but I would love to give her a loving home.  She is sweet and very smart.  She has abandonment issues, but I could change that.  I am allergic to cats, so she can't bring her little stray friend.

David from David Gets in Trouble 
by David Shannon (E SHA)

I like naughty boys, especially cute ones and David is a naughty, cute boy!  I think if we could just channel his destructive behavior in a positive way, he could do great things. 

Piper McCloud from The Girl Who Could Fly 
by Victoria Forester  (F FOR)

Poor Piper.  She doesn't need anyone to adopt her, she has  fine parents- but I adore her.  After she breaks out from the evil government scientists, I could give her a great home.  I wouldn't make her hide the fact that she can fly- I would embrace it and encourage it.  

Nobody (Bod) from The Graveyard Book 
by Neil Gaiman (F GAI)

The moment Bod crawled up the hill to that graveyard, I knew I needed to adopt him.  Think how different his life would be if I would have adopted him before the ghosts got a hold of him.  He never would have to struggle with the choice between ghost life and the real world. Bod would make a sweet addition to my family.

Jona from The Giver 
by Lois Lowry (F LOW)

Oh, Jona.  Poor Jona.  Such a sweet, caring boy, given a task too terrible for such a young child.  I could adopt him and he could leave all of that behind.  He wouldn't have to get a job unless he wanted one- he could work in the food court at the mall, or get a job as a bagger at Hy Vee... very low stress options. 

Leonardo from Leonardo The Terrible Monster 
by Mo Willems (E WIL)

Leonardo has low self esteem, and I think that moving in with a loving family would help him.  We could all pretend to be scared of him- give him a boost.  I could enroll him in some monster training sessions at the rec center, and he could get really good at scaring.  If he finds out that scaring really isn't for him, we would accept him for whatever he is... scary or not.

Boots from Gregor The Overlander 
by Suzanne Collins (F COL)

Boots has a great family and doesn't need to be adopted, but I want her!  She is sweet, cute, charming and not afraid of bugs.  She could visit Gregor and her mom whenever she wanted- weekends and holidays.  My girls would love her!  We don't have roaches, but I'm sure she would be ok with that.

Xing-Xing from  Bound by Donna Jo Napoli (F NAP)

If I don't adopt Xing Xing, I will call DHS and have her taken away from that horrid step mother.  Xing Xing suffers not only at the hand of her step mother, but at the traditions of Ancient China.  She could live with me and I would wait n her hand and foot.

Angel from The Same Stuff As Stars by Katherine Paterson (F PAT)

If I adopt Angel, I would have to adopt her brother too, and that would be ok.  Angel is a smart, sweet, responsible girl who happens to have a mom that has made some pretty bad choices.  She would love me, as I am a librarian, and Angel loves the library.  Any child who would walk 3 miles to the library can live with me any time.