Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Retellings

The topic for Top 5 Wednesday today is 'Favorite Retellings".

You can find the group, created by Gingerreadslainey here.

I was really excited to pick out my books for this topic because I really love a good retelling. That became the problem. I couldn't decide which ones I wanted to include. I knew my top two but after that most of them were tied. I decided to make it 9 plus one non book for an even ten. 

So without further ado... my Top 10:

#1: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Book of a Thousand Days is tied for first for my favorite Shannon Hale novel (along with the next selection). It is a retelling of Maid Maleen by the Brothers Grimm. 

Shannon Hale has taken their tale and reset it in an Asian inspired world. 

"When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years because of Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment. As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. With the arrival outside the tower of Saren's two suitors- one welcome, the other decidedly less so- the girls are confronted with both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows."

This book is awesome. It is exciting and interesting and has some great plot twists. 

 #2: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

This is the other book that ties for first place as my favorite Shannon Hale novel. 

The Goose Girl, the first in the book series The Books of Bayern, is a retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale by the same name. 

 "Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, spends the first years of her life under her aunt's guidance learning to communicate with animals. As she grows up Ani develops the skills of animal speech, but is never comfortable speaking with people, so when her silver-tongued lady-in-waiting leads a mutiny, Ani is helpless and cannot persuade anyone to assist her. 

Becoming a goose girl for the king, Ani must learn to use her own special powers to find her true destiny."

This book is really magical. It was the first book I ever read by Shannon Hale and now I have a shelf of her books. Her writing is beautiful. 

#3: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

I don't know if it is a retelling as much as an alternate history but I love it. 

 "Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men. Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered. With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever."

I love the character of Deryn. I love the crazy way they speak and the alternate steampunk version of history. I really enjoy the whole series. 

#4: This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

 This book is a retelling/ prequel to Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. 

 "Victor and Konrad are the twin brothers Frankenstein and inseparable until Konrad falls gravely ill. In the forbidden Dark Library, Victor finds an ancient formula, and seeks an alchemist to recreate the Elixir of Life. With friends Elizabeth and Henry, he scales highest trees in the Strumwald, dives deepest lake caves, and each sacrifices a body part."

I really enjoyed this book and its sequel when I last read them. However, since then I have read and loved the original Frankenstein and I'm not sure how I would feel about them anymore. I need to reread them very soon to find out. But for now, I will include it based on my feelings when I read them last. 

#5: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

 

I really enjoyed Cinder, obviously a Cinderella retelling. I haven't finished the rest of the Lunar Chronicles series yet but I am looking forward to reading the rest of them after having read this book. 

" Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future."

#6: Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

This book is written by one of my really good friend's mom. I have met her a few times and she is a really sweet woman. I was excited to read her book to support her but I had no idea I would enjoy it so much. It is a retelling of the Bluebeard tale. It is one I was only slightly familiar with but from what I knew about it, I knew it was a very gruesome tale. 

Jane managed to tell the story without going too gross while still being able to keep a gothic feel to it. 

"When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world."

#7: Beauty by Robin McKinley

 Beauty is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I am very partial to the story of Beauty and the Beast, my favorite fairy tale, and I wasn't sure I would like it. But I really did! 

"Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage. When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?"

#8: Entwined by Heather Dixon

Entwined is a retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses. 

I had a few issues with the book, feeling like some of the characters weren't completely fleshed out, but overall I really enjoyed it. 

 "Just when Azalea should feel that everything is before her—beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing—it's taken away. All of it. And Azalea is trapped. The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. So he extends an invitation. Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest, but there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late."

#9: Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale

This graphic novel tells a new version of Rapunzel's story full of girl power and excitement. 

 "Once upon a time, in a land you only think you know, lived a little girl and her mother . . . or the woman she thought was her mother. Every day, when the little girl played in her pretty garden, she grew more curious about what lay on the other side of the garden wall . . . a rather enormous garden wall. And every year, as she grew older, things seemed weirder and weirder, until the day she finally climbed to the top of the wall and looked over into the mines and desert beyond. Newbery Honor-winning author Shannon Hale teams up with husband Dean Hale and brilliant artist Nathan Hale (no relation) to bring readers a swashbuckling and hilarious twist on the classic story as you've never seen it before. Watch as Rapunzel and her amazing hair team up with Jack (of beanstalk fame) to gallop around the wild and western landscape, changing lives, righting wrongs, and bringing joy to every soul they encounter."

And finally, #10: The Once Upon A Time television series

This series retells pretty much everyone's stories and I love it. 

It is really engaging, creative, and fun to watch. 

To be honest, I hope they end it soon while I am still loving it and give everyone that I love a happy ending. (Especially Hook and Swan!)

Do you read retellings? 

What are some of your favorites? 

I tag anyone who would like to do this! Let me know in the comments if you do so that I can see what your choices are. 

Top 5 Wednesday: 5 Books I am Thankful For

With Thanksgiving coming up tomorrow, Ginger Reads Lainey picked the top 5 books for Top 5 Wednesday to be books we are thankful for. 

I thought about this topic a lot and the different reasons to pick each book. I didn't want to pick all of the same books I always pick when thinking of my favorite books so I tried to narrow it down to books that either made a big impact on me or have really strong memories connected to them. 

Of course, that could be most of my bookshelves... so this was hard to narrow down. 

#1: I HAD to include Harry Potter by J.K Rowling

It is safe to say that most of my book posts will include Harry Potter in some form or another. 

These books have really been a huge part of my life since the day I randomly picked this copy up on an impulse as I was standing in line in Smiths. Not only do I have all of the memories of reading the books, midnight book releases, waiting for each new book  to come out but also then sharing them with my mom, going to the the movies as they came out, and then finally sharing them with my daughters. 

I am so grateful for this whole series. 

#2. It is also no surprise that I am including Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

This book is part of who I am. It really is. They say the books you read as a child become a part of you in a way that no other reading you will ever do does and that is true for this series. 

I will always associate so many amazing memories with this series.

Lucy Maud really gave the world a gift with the creation of Anne. 

#3. Keeping with the L.M. Montgomery theme I am going to add The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery Volume 1

I bought this journal when I was on PEI in 2002 (the last time I was there) and I remember starting to read it while taking a bath in a little cabin we were staying at. Within the first few pages she was talking about visiting the town we were in and I remember feeling so thankful to be able to not only be on PEI but to be there for the second time and to be sharing it with my parents. 

I love reading through her journal entries. There is a lot of writing and underlining in this book because I relate to a lot of what she wrote. We had a lot in common just as I always thought we would.

I still want to read the rest of these volumes and hopefully will soon. I am really interested in seeing if, through her journals, I can detect the chain of events in her life that led her to eventually commit suicide. I am so sad that she had such a sad life as she got older and I love to read these entries when she was still young and having a good time seeing the beauty in life. 

#4. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The reason this book makes the list is because it was one of the first long books (and then series) that I read out loud with Abi and Maddy. There are so many awesome memories associated with reading these books together. Tears, laughter, and our wonderful trip we took to the Ingalls homestead when we finished them. I will never forget watching them run around the farm in the pioneer outfits I made for them and Maddy falling as she ran down the hill (just like on the TV show). 

And finally, #5. Mrs. Sharp's Traditions by Sarah Ban Breathnach.

In this book she takes us through the year month by month looking at and learning about Victorian home life and traditions. I read this when Abi was still very little and a lot of our own family traditions have come from this book. I have always had a fascination with that time period and loved so much about it. So reading this book was life changing and led to so many of our fondest family memories. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about the books I am grateful for. 

What books are you most grateful for? 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Top 5 Wednesday: Top Authors You have Discovered this Year

The Top 5 Wednesday topic this week is the 5 authors that I have discovered this year that I like the most. You can join the Goodreads group created by Lainey or see other people's posts and videos here.

None of my choices are new authors that have been newly published. These are just the authors that I have read for the first time this year, so far.

#1: Anne Bronte

I read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall this fall and it was the first book I have ever read by Anne Bronte. 

I loved it so much that I can't wait to read Agnes Grey as well. 

She is such a great writer and I am so happy that I finally read her. 

 #2: Thomas Hardy

I really loved Far From the Madding Crowd. I loved Thomas Hardy's style and I am really excited that he has quite a few novels I can read next!

 #3: Mary Shelley

I just read Frankenstein. Mary Shelley is such a talented writer. 

I do plan on trying to read some of her other work. 

#4: Brandon Sanderson

I read The Way of Kings last spring after hearing about Brandon Sanderson for a few years. 

It is such an epic fantasy. So good. I want to keep reading this series and read his other works as well. I plan on reading his Mistborn books next. The only challenge is that his books are SO big. It is definitely an investment of time to read them. But I liked this one enough that I do plan on trying to read more of his books next year. 

#5: Rainbow Rowell

I have read a few other authors for the first time this year but I decided that, although she is not my very favorite, I had to mention Rainbow Rowell for number five for one simple reason...

I have read FOUR of her books this year alone. 

The first book I read was Fangirl. Then I read Eleanor and Park. Next I read Attachments and then most recently I read Landline. 

I don't love everything about her books but she is extremely talented at sucking you in and drawing you into the characters. They feel real and that makes for a really good read. The only exception for me was Landline. I didn't really like that one and it didn't draw me in the same way the other three did. 

Attachments was my favorite. 

*Have you read any authors for the first time this year?

Top 5 Wednesday: 5 Things on my Bookshelves

I missed this top 5 Wednesday topic and decided I would do it today. 

I love finding little things that "speak to me" to put on my shelves along with my books. 

Here are some of my favorite things I have placed on my bookshelves. 

#1: My Owl in Glasses Print

I got this print at FanX at the beginning of this year. The signature looks like it says J. Gates but I can't find his card so I can't remember exactly what the artist's name was. When I saw this print for only a couple of dollars, I had to have it. I got an inexpensive frame for it and it has become one of my favorite things. 

#2: My Beauty and the Beast Pops

I love Funko Pops. I don't know what it is about them, but I just love them. 

I had to get the Beauty and the Beast ones. I didn't buy Lumiere since I have a really cool Lumiere from Disney World (not a Pop) and I don't have Cogsworth yet. 

#3: My TARDIS and the 10th Doctor

Doug brought home this TARDIS Pop for me as a surprise a couple of months ago. I had just bought the Doctor so it was perfect timing. I love seeing them up on top of the bookshelf. 

#4: Harry Potter Pops

My favorite Pops. I had to buy them as soon as they came out. 

I have Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore. 

I plan on still getting Hagrid and Snape. 

#5: Anne of Green Gables shelf top

I got this Anne doll at a store in the Avonlea village in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island when my mom and I visited for the first time in 2000. I also got the pencil holder and the frame on that same trip. The picture in the frame is my mom and I dressed up like Anne at the visitor's center by the Confederation Bridge. I put my owl there just during the holiday season because I needed its spot on another shelf... but the fox is always by the Anne things because of my beloved P.E.I foxes. 

The book is the new one I bought a few weeks ago. All of these things make me so happy.

5 items seemed like a lot but I just couldn't leave it at that! 

So here are my honorable mentions: 

My Peter Rabbit and hedgehog plushies next to my Beatrix Potter library, my "Go Away I'm Reading" sign my sister gave me for my birthday a couple of years ago, my little stone hedgehog, my big brown owl, and my white owl candle. 

I just love looking at my bookshelves and seeing all of the books and all of these things.
My favorite kind of decorating is the kind that doesn't just look like it came out of a magazine, but that shows you who the people in the house are. And my decorations definitely fall more into the category of showing people the things I am interested in and love.

*Do you have any things on your bookshelves besides books?

Top 5 Wednesday: Graphic Novels (and Illustrated Novels)

Today's Top 5 Wednesday topic is Graphic Novels. 

This was a slight problem for me as, while I want to read more graphic novels, I haven't read that many that I have loved yet. 

In fact, in the above picture, Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale (illustrated by  Nathan Hale) is the only one that I have read and loved. It is such a fun re-telling.  

I bought Amulet Book One: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi because when I picked it up in the bookstore and read the first few pages I was hooked and wanted to finish it immediately. But then I was underwhelmed. The pictures are really good and the story is okay but as I have read the next few books (from the library) it seems to be dragging on. I think Abi might like it so I might have her try it out. 

The other three graphic novels pictured are all Abigail's. 

They are My Little Pony graphic novels and Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson. She has liked all of them, especially the My Little Pony ones but I haven't read them yet. 

As I thought about this post I decided that I didn't want to just write the above few paragraphs and leave it at that so I am switching it up a bit. 

Yesterday I went into the bookstore for one reason. To see the new illustrated Harry Potter and the Sorcerers's stone in person. 

It was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. I didn't buy it because it is pricey and it is ginormous. It is really large and hardback and so it is quite heavy. I am still thinking about it though and I might just have to get it anyway. So as I was thinking about this post and about the release of this amazing Harry Potter book, I started thinking about other novels that I have bought because of the illustrations in them. And that led to me setting them up for some pictures and sitting down to write about them.

Here they are: 

 #1: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Illustrated by Michael Hague

I knew I needed to buy this book because we were reading it for book club and Doug absolutely loves the cartoon. It is one of his favorite things. I looked at a few versions of it and then went into the library book sale and saw this older, slightly tattered one and knew it was the book I wanted. 

The illustrations are magical, beautiful, and perfect for the book. 

 #2: The Invention of Hugo Cabret, written and illustrated by Brian Selznick

While this novel isn't as long as the others, it is still much more than a picture book. 

It is a really nice story and the pictures are so engaging. In fact, the illustrations were the only reason I picked this book up. It had just come out and I didn't know anything about it. I just bought it because it was so different and I really wanted to read it that day. I am glad I did. 

#3: Wonderbook, the Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction 

by Jeff Vandermeer

I was in a writing funk when I saw this book and I thought it sounded interesting and had such a beautiful, cool cover. It is actually non-fiction but it is quite a large book with a lot of information. Not all of the illustrations are by Jeff. There is also a lot of art in it. To be honest, while there was some great stuff in this book, I wouldn't buy it again. 

#4: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld 

Illustrated by Keith Thompson

I saw this book, the first in a trilogy, in Target a few years ago and I was instantly drawn to its steampunk feel on the cover and in the illustrations. I am so glad I bought it because it has become one of my favorite series. The art is really fun. 

#5: The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon

I have not read this one yet. 

I just barely bought it on Friday. I bought it because of the cover and the illustrations exclusively. I hadn't heard anything about it. I asked one of the women in the bookstore if she had read it yet and she hadn't either but we both sat and gushed over the pictures throughout the book and the cool blurb. It sounds really good. When I got home I looked it up on Goodreads and it has some really positive feedback.  I hope I will love it as much as I love the artwork. 

*Do you have any graphic novels that you love?

*What are your favorite illustrated novels? 

*Would you buy any of these books based entirely on their illustrations?

*Are you going to buy the illustrated Harry Potter

Top 5 Wednesday: Banned Books

It's banned book week so the topic for Top 5 Wednesday for the Goodreads group is perfect. 

Today I'm going to talk about banned books. 

(This picture is of the display created by Rachel Moani in the Lacey Timberland Library)

When you look at a list of the books that have been banned and challenged throughout the years there will always be those that pop out at you as understandable. There are always a few that you think, "Yeah, I might not want my kid reading that."

However,  I don't think that is solved by censorship of the books. 

In some of them I might not like the story or content in general, some I might think is just not appropriate for their age yet. 

But as I help them to understand why something should or should not be read by them they will learn to make decisions that are best for them, not have someone else make those decisions for them.  

As parents, we are here to guide our children not push them.

“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.” – Voltaire

I read a great article about this just the other day written by Melissa at Imagination Soup called "Self Censorship Better than Book Banning". Check it out here.

I have been reading through lists of banned books over the last few days and pulled out a bunch of my books that are on the list. 

I am sure I missed some of them because there are so many different lists of banned and challenged books but here are just some of them: 

I decided to pick my 5 from the ones I actually own, not just the ones that I have read. 

#1: The Diary of A Young Girl, Anne Frank

This diary was banned because it was "too depressing". 

I think this is an important book because we see a real life. She isn't just a number in the people that were killed in concentration camps. We get to know her. It forces us to stop and think about all of the millions killed and remember that each one of them had a name, a face, and a story. 

#2: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

 Banned for its depiction of the end of slavery and blatant racism. 

In fact, just this year with the controversy surrounding the confederate flag, there have been many people trying to get it banned again. 

While, these accusations are partly correct- there is a lot of racism in this book, it doesn't portray everything completely historically accurate (it is fiction!)- I still think it was a very interesting book. 

It shows us all a side of the war/ end of slavery that we don't often look at or think about. I think it is always important to look at both sides of every story so we learn empathy and understanding of others. If we know why people react and act the way they do, we can help them to move forward. 

When questioned about inaccuracies in the book at a time when it was being challenged, Margaret Mitchell said she had spent " ten years reading thousands of books, documents, letters, diaries, old newspapers, and interviewing people who had lived through those terrible times" in preparation for writing the first draft.  

#3: Harry Potter by J.K Rowling

 (All of the books)

The Harry Potter books have been challenged and banned all over the world many times. 

The most cited reason is for its glorification of magic. 

When they burned it in New Mexico they said it was because it encouraged "lying, cheating, stealing, and witchcraft".

You can't google Harry Potter without having many hits for websites calling for the banning of these books. 

It makes me so sad. 

There is so much good to learn from these books: how to be a good friend, how to stand up for yourself and what you think is right even when it is toward your friends (I'm looking at you Neville), sacrifice, hope, love, loyalty, kindness, etc. I could go on and on. 

#4: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Banned for violence, for an absence of religion, for being anti- family (huh? She freaking volunteered to save her sister!), and for promoting rebellion. 

Yeah, it does promote rebellion. And that is a good thing. 

I am sure these people think that their children might start rising up against them with a three finger salute, whistling, when they are told to do their homework but to be honest if my kids did that I would laugh and then make them do their homework. 

There is a lot of violence and I can totally understand not wanting younger children to read that. 

I probably wouldn't encourage my daughters to read this until they are at least 12. But it is still a good story that shows self sacrifice and the consequences of war. 

#5: The Lord of the Rings by  J.R.R. Tolkien

These books have been banned in schools and libraries all over the country. 

Some of the reasons are: characters smoking, that it is anti-religion and Christianity (do they not know Tolkien was a devout Christian?), and that they are satanic and promote witchcraft. 

I love these books and think that if any of these people actually read the books they would realize that they are so wrong. 

Again, just like Harry Potter, the themes are of self sacrifice, loyalty, and friendship. 

I want to mention two honorable mentions. These books might have made my top 5 list but I don't currently own them. They are: 

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

and 

1984 by George Orwell

To Kill a Mockingbird was banned because it was "filthy", "vulgur", and "racist". 

1984 was banned because it was "pro communist" and "explicit". 

As you read this and looked at my pile of books above, I hope it gave you something to think about. 

I think that most of these bannings and challenges come about by two things: ignorance and lack of communication. If you communicate with your children and teach them to self-discern they will learn to choose for themselves. And if they read something that they find disturbing or confusing, it gives you a great place to jump in with a conversation. 

So, go read some Banned and Challenged books and let me know in the comments which books you love that have been banned!