Space Station Mir

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is "Top Ten Authors That I'd Put On My Auto-Buy List (basically an auto-buy list is no questions asked..you love this author so much that no matter what they wrote next you'd buy regardless of genre or subject matter)." There are plenty of authors whose entire works I want to read or have read-but most of those are no longer among the living. If I try to keep it to living authors... 1. Junot Diaz 2. Ann Brashares 3. Susanna Clarke 4. Margaret George Non-Living Authors on Auto-Buy 5. Jane Austen 6. L.M. Montgomery 7. Louisa May Alcott 8. Madeleine L'Engle 9. J.R.R. Tolkien 10.David Eddings

4. The Liberation of Jerusalem (Gerusalemme Liberata) by Torquato Tasso Did you know that The Iliad and The Odyssey are not the only epic poems produced in Western civilization? I mean, presumably you could have guessed as much since "epic poem" is a whole genre and Homer was (and is) so widely influential, but from the typical grade school and even university curriculum, you'd never know other epics exist (okay, The Aeneid too). Until you get to grad school that is. Torquato Tasso, a sixteenth century Italian, was a scholar and poet intimately familiar with classical epic and the more recent romance genre (so cleverly mocked by Cervantes in the same time period). The Liberation of Jerusalem is his attempt at the ideal Christian epic, which he lays out in theory in his Discourses , which I highly recommend to anyone interested in the epic genre. Among other things, he suggests that romances are really a sub-genre of epic, that only Christian miracles and not classi...

So the real Top Ten Tuesday this week is "Top Ten Favorite Romances," presumably in honor of Valentine's Day. But I don't read a lot of romance-focused books and would just end up reproducing my list of Top Ten Romances I Think would Last Outside the Book . Thus, a far more entertaining list of my top ten LEAST favorite romances. 1. Pamela and Mr. B from Pamela by Samuel Richardson Ugh. Marrying a wannabe rapist. Ugh. 2. Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Ugh. Marrying a lying bigamist. Ugh. 3. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Ugh. Marrying a stuck-up prig. Ugh. 4. Bella Swan and Edward Cullen from Twilight by Stephanie Meyer *Disclaimer* I have not actually read the whole book. However, the guy creeps into her house to watch her sleep? STALKER. Don't date him, girl. 5. Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Romances that end in dea...

As my last post elicited some objections from those who shall remain nameless, I would like to explain that my "top ten" posts generally consist of whatever first comes to mind and does not mean that there are not multiple other items equally worthy of inclusion. In order to rectify some oversights, then, I present a continued list of My Best Bookish Memories: 1. Reading The Chronicles of Narnia with my Dad Predating my reading of the Harry Potter books to my brother, my dad and I read this fantasy series together. I remember liking that I had read the books before he did, and getting to share them with him. 2. My Mom Reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to me Before I could read, my mom read me all of the Little House on the Prairie books (and dad subbed in a few times too). Definitely one of many incentives to learn to read in my household. 3. Picking Out a Book for my Sister the Day She Was Born I stayed with my aunt that night and I remember she took me to ...

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is "Top Ten Best Bookish Memories (waiting in line for a new release, meeting an author, or some sort of great experience with a particular book that was unlike others)." 1. The First Time I Went to a Harry Potter Midnight Release It was for the fifth Harry Potter book, Order of the Phoenix , and my mom had ordered copies for my sister and me. When it was time to go, my sister decided she was too tired, but my little brother begged to come along. At that time, he could barely even read, but staying up till midnight was an opportunity not to be missed! We waited in line at Borders (so sad!) and there were people passing out HP themed bookmarks and candies. My brother was totally impressed and was so well behaved that my mom decided to give him the book she'd set aside for my sister. The next day, my brother asked me to read it to him, so I started with the first Harry Potter book. He loved it and I was reading him Harry Potter for the...

I don't have the time for lengthy reviews, but I also don't want to neglect the books I've read so far in 2013. Thus, in a twist on Hemingway's six word story, I am challenging myself to write reviews in six words or fewer. 1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Life's a circus. We be players. 2. This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz Sucios (assholes) are damn articulate. 3. The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord (received for review from Tor, due out February 12 2013) Vulcan courtship, a firsthand account.