Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Books When You Need Something Light & Fun


Top Ten Tuesday is a super fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  

The three of us LOVE a fun story that makes us laugh so we collaborated on this list for you all.  Enjoy!  



Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding – I don’t think it’s possible for this one to get old.  It still makes us laugh.  And we forgive the movie adaptation simply for the hilarious and sexy casting of Colin Firth.  









Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis –  Three words for you.  The puppy, Twinkles.











Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich – Let’s just say that it’s yet again the dogs that make us snort our drinks through our noses.    









Paranormalcy by Kiersten White – Because it’s just so *bleeping* cute!










Let’s Pretend this Never Happened by Jennifer Lawson (a.k.a. The Bloggess) – Grab the kleenex.  You will be laughing so hard that you WILL cry.









Must Love Dragons by Stephanie Rowe – Because Satan is HILARIOUS!










The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella – This one will have you in stitches.









Eye Candy by Tera Lynn Childs – Completely adorable.  All the candy talk will have you reaching for the Jelly Bellies.









You Suck:  A Love Story by Christopher Moore – If Christopher Moore can’t make us laugh then there is something horribly wrong.  









Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – Happy! Happy! Happy!  Such a HAPPY story!










Hope you enjoyed the list.  Share some of your favorites with us! 

Top Ten Books I'd Want On A Desert Island

 

 

Or ... Top Ten Books I'd Want On A Dessert Island

 

Are you kidding me? Solitude. Quiet. No squabbling kids? Sign me up stat! Along with the sunscreen, the iPod with the never ending battery life and some (lots) of chocolate, pie, ice cream and cakes galore, I’ll me bringing these books with me for company …

 

Anna and The French Kiss

 

If I’m going to be stuck somewhere on my own I definitely need to bring this feel-good book with me. How can one not fall in love with this gem? It’s sweet, nothing overly dramatic. Just about a quirky girl falling in love for the first time with an equally quirky boy, set against the romantic backdrop that is Paris, France. Yep. This one is a winner and is always there for a good pick-me-up.

 

Hush Hush

Come on now. You expect me to go to a desert island without Patch? Of course I’d bring Hush Hush where he and I first met. What? Okay fine. Where Patch and Nora first met.  (She really gets in the way, doesn’t she?) Anyway, my snarky archangel in tight fitting black shirts will deliver me from utter boredom with his clever lines and his insatiable appetite for … tacos.

 

 

City of Fallen Angels

 

Jace. Rain. Brick walls. An unforgettable trip to the grocery store.

 

Secret Diary of Adrian Mole 13 ¾

And here I revert back to my childhood.  I’d first heard about Adrian Mole as a kid when it was made into a British TV series. A dry-humored, sarcastic boy fumbling through adolescence with a large contempt towards people he considers intellectually inferior was an instant hit. This series has always driven me to fits and giggles. So many things about it ring true of those excruciating teen years. This series has a special place on my bookshelf and in my heart.

Starter For Ten

Another British gem. Please don’t rely on the movie version to understand just how brilliantly funny this book is, even if it stars James McAvoy, one of my actor crushes. Set at a university in the 80's, Starter For Ten follows Brian Jackson who's greatest dream is to be on the TV show "University Challenge". He gets his chance and all sorts of nonsense ensues. Growing up is kind of a pain. 

The Trouble With Paradise

 

It’s rather fitting that I should include this on the list since a portion of the book does indeed take place on a desert island. Never has a romance heroine been as adorkable as Dorie. Plus there’s a hot French doctor in this should I need immediate medical attention.

 

Fifty Shades of Grey

 

Why not? It would be utterly ridiculous that I’d be on a desert island in the first place so I might as well bring something so completely removed from reality and yet so fabulous at the same time. This guilty pleasure goes great with chocolate dipped strawberries.

 

 

 

Every Day

I have no idea how David Levithan came up with the concept but he carried it out spectacularly. Levithan's beautiful writing struck a deep chord with me. It's hard to shake off the feelings that overcome you as you read this book. To me, this is an instant classic that everyone should read.



Saving June

As sad as the premise is, it's full of sweet moments, laughter and music. This was on my Top 10 list for 2011 and this touching story continues to be a favorite.









A Discovery Of Witches

I've been trying forever to read this but there's always something else that has to get done before I even crack this open. And now I have motivation. Aside from all the praise heaped upon this book, I have it on good authority that should this ever become a movie, the actor who plays Captain Hook on Once Upon A Time, Colin O'Donoghue, would make a great Matthew. And yes, I consider that motivation enough. I don't think anyone who knows me well is surprised by my reasoning here.






And there you have it - my Top 10 Books I'd Want On A Desert Island. There's a bit of variety to cover any mood I'm in and most importantly, I hope I don't run out of desserts.


~ Bel



 

 

 

 

Top Ten Tuesday (1)

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Series I Haven’t Finished Yet

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Broke & Bookish.  Today is a Top Ten Tuesday Freebie, so I’ve decided to tell you about the Top Ten Series that I stopped reading because waiting for the next book in the series was driving up a freaking wall and I decided I needed to wait until the series were finished so I could read them all at once.  If you are a regular on the blog you know that I find waiting a year for the next book in a great series pure torture.  So, without further adieu:

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

 

 

At the end of City of Fallen Angels I seriously considered throwing my book across the room (but I can’t be that mean to my books).  The idea of waiting an ENTIRE year for City of Lost Souls was awful!  I needed to know what happened next, but as is the way with these things, I got involved in other things and was able to endure.  When City of Lost Souls was released I decided I might as well save myself the heart ache and wait for the final book. 

 

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

It’s impossible not to love our favorite stalking angel, Patch (just ask Bel).  I thoroughly enjoyed Hush, Hush and have listened to Bel gush over Patch through Crescendo, Silence and now Finale.  I am sad that the series is over, but very happy that I can now find a cold and snowy weekend in the next couple months to immerse myself in the awesomeness that is Patch!

 

The Body Finder Series by Kimberly Dierting

I LOVE this series!  But since there’s only one more coming, I decided to wait.

The Psychic Eye Series by Victoria Laurie

Victoria Laurie has three different series.  Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye; the Ghost Hunter Series and The Oracles of Delphi Keep Series.  I recommend them all.

The Immortals After Dark Series by Kresley Cole

 This one is for our 18+ crowd.  Part of me hopes this series never ends.  Kresley Cole is an amazing writer and this series is seriously HOT!  The author just released the first in a YA series (Poison Princess), I’m excited to see what she does in a YA genre.

The Dark Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Another one for the 18+ crowd.  Seriously there are so many books in this series that I may need to take a sabbatical from work to read this one when it is finally done. 

Chicagoland Vampires Series by Chloe Neill

Amazing series.  Everyone should read it.

The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore

Who knew aliens could be this fun?

 

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

 

Ok, technically I haven’t started this series, but waiting for the Vampire Academy books was torture enough, I thought I would save myself the grief and wait until this one was finished to start it.

And finally…

Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent

What series are you waiting to finish?

~Shel