Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Fall 2020 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Well, it certainly is feeling like fall around here, so this week's post is right on target. I'm pulling out my Kindle and looking through my stacks to see what's there. 

Top Ten Books On My Fall 2020 TBR

Will I get to all of these? Probably not, but I hope to polish off at least half of them. What's in your Fall 2020 TBR pile?

Top 5 Tuesday - Top 5… Fave Characters P-T

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme that explores different topics. Originally created by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm, it is now hosted by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads. For a list of September topics you can click here. To participate, link your post back to Meeghan's blog or leave a comment on her weekly post.

We are back for another Top 5 Tuesday. Continuing with this month's theme, we are looking at favorite literary characters. Sometimes it's easy for me, but sometimes I struggle. Let's see what this week looks like.

Top 5… Fave Characters P-T

The Amazing Spider-Man cover art by penciller Jack Kirby and inker Steve Ditko 

Peter Parker or Spider-Man joined the comic book world in 1962. Peter lived with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben after the death of his parents. He is bitten by a radioactive spider, which enhances his athletic abilities and allows him to cling to walls and ceilings. Peter then develops a gadget that allows him to shoot webbing. 

Unlike the typical superhero of the day, Peter is a teenager and self-centered. He refuses to stop a robbery, which would prove to be an error he would always regret, because that same criminal would later murder his Uncle Ben. As Spider-Man's first story closes, Peter reflects upon the horrible lesson he learned; a lesson that he would carry with him from that day forward. 

Panel from Spider-Man, Amazing Fantasy #15

Dr. Quinn, is such a cheater's way to approach this, but I'm really at a loss otherwise. Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman is a television series that aired from 1993 to 1998. Michaela Quinn is the daughter of a Bostonian physician, who answers an advertisement for a doctor to practice in Colorado Springs, CO. From the moment she arrives, she turns the town on its head, making enemies and friends along the way. The show became so popular, that a few tie-in books were written by two different authors. So, I guess it works.

Rue only appears in the first book of The Hunger Games series, but her impact lasted throughout the series. She is the youngest tribute in the 74th Hunger Games and from District 11. She finds Katniss trapped in a tree by the career tributes and points to a tracker jacker nest. Katniss cuts the tree branch and the nest falls on the career tributes, killing two of them. Rue cares for a sick Katniss, who was also stung by some tracker jackers. They become allies and make plans to destroy the careers' supplies. Unfortunately, Rue is killed after being trapped in a net set up by the careers. 

Determined to show the Capitol that Rue was more than just a part of their Games, she covers her body in flowers before bringing her fingers to her lips and raising her arm, a gesture signifying respect and admiration in Katniss' District 12. District 11 sends Katniss a loaf of bread as a sign of respect and appreciation. (In the movie, a riot breaks out after Rue's death.)

Katniss will mention Rue and their friendship more than once in future books, and it appears Rue's death propels Katniss in wanting to take revenge on the Capitol and make them pay for the dreadful Games where so many lives are lost.

Miss Stacy becomes Anne Shirley's teacher after Mr. Phillips leaves. She is Avonlea's first female teacher. Well liked and admired by her students, she employs more modern methods of teaching, which become popular with her students. Anne is immediately drawn to her and considers her an ally as Anne studies for her entrance exams at Queen's Academy.

It is possible, without Miss Stacy's influence, Marilla would have encouraged Anne to seek out a more traditional lifestyle for young women her age. Instead, she joins the class of scholars and, later in the series, goes on to teach at a private women's college.

We meet Mr. Tumnus in C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. A male faun, he is the first Narnian Lucy Pevensie meets when she passes through the wardrobe into the land of Narnia. They become fast friends. 

When Mr. Tumnus invites Lucy to his home, he plans to lull her to sleep with his flute and bring her to the White Witch. He is, however, unable to go through with it and leads Lucy back to the wardrobe. Though Tumnus will pay the price for deceiving the White Witch, he takes the time to let Mr. Beaver know about Lucy and gives him the handkerchief Lucy originally gave to him so that she would know he is a friend. 

How do you like my list? Do we share any of the same favorites? What are some favorites I should add to my list?

Top 5 Tuesday - Top 5… Fave Characters K - O

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme that explores different topics. Originally created by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm, it is now hosted by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads. For a list of September topics you can click here. To participate, link your post back to Meeghan's blog or leave a comment on her weekly post.

Top 5… Fave Characters K - O

Katniss Everdeen is one tough young woman. She winds up the adult in her family and hunts to keep them fed. She volunteers as tribute to protect her younger sister, Prim. Without even trying, she becomes the face of a rebellion, and she will survive to spite them all.

Lois Lane might be Superman's love interest, but she is also an award-winning journalist for the Daily Planet. Intelligent and determined, she was one of the first female characters to appear in superhero comics. Lane has evolved over the years, but I remember the Lois from the 70s and 80s in her various comic book and TV show forms.

Moaning Myrtle is a former Ravenclaw student whose ghost haunts the second floor bathroom where she was killed by Tom Riddle. Bullied when she lived at Hogwarts because of her appearance, she returns after her death to seek revenge against her tormentor, Olive Hornby. Because Harry is kind to her, Myrtle develops a crush on him. It is one of the reasons she can't keep secrets from him. Though she annoyed a lot of people, Myrtle could be helpful from time to time. 

Nancy Drew, along with the Hardy Boys, introduced me to the world of amateur sleuths that I love to this day. The daughter of a lawyer, Nancy is clever, independent, and has a life filled with social activities, sports, and volunteering. She started solving mysteries as a teenager. 

I'm sure if I thought long and hard about it, I would find a character in a book for teens or adults that I love whose name begins with O. I simply didn't want to think about that because this big, blue octopus, voiced by Fred Savage on the TV series, is too adorable to ignore. My girls loved the adventures of Oswald, his dog Weenie, and his friends Daisy and Henry when they were little.

That's my list for this week. Hope you enjoy it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’m Scared to Re-read

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Books I’m Scared to Re-read

I read The Thorn Birds for the first time after the movie staring Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward came out. I've read it several times since, usually skipping much of the narrative and getting right into the dialogue. I'm not sure I would be as enamored with it if I read it now.

It took me a while to actually read the Left Behind series. I rarely read anything popular when it first comes out. I finally gave it a chance after the third book had come out and I was hooked right away; blew through the entire series as each new book released. As one would expect in a book about the end times, there is a lot of death. I'm not sure I want to read that these days.

I began reading this series in high school and went right from one book to the next until I was done. I'm sure my mother never would have allowed it if she were alive. Some sexy scenes in these books. My fear in re-reading a series that came out so long ago is that the writing won't capture me the way it did when I first read it and that might be disappointing. I've never read anything else from this author either. 

This was probably one of the creepiest series I read when I was a teenager. Not sure I could handle the content now. It is so disturbing to me as a wife and mother. 

While I found the pace of this book to be very slow, I recall how eloquently written and intriguing it was. The mystical aspects of the book didn't do much for me, but it's woven deeply into the plot. This is a book I really enjoyed then, but would never feel the need to read again. It's pretty dark. 

Jerome Charyn's I Am Abraham is a riveting, intimate, and compassionate portrayal of Lincoln. I'm a huge fan of Charyn's work, but not sure I would ever dive into this one again. Some of the subject matter might turn me off.

This was an excellent book. Not my typical read and not your typical vampire story, which is what drew me to it in the first place. Loved it. Don't know how I would feel if I read it again.

This was a fascinating book, but I don't know if I could tolerate the content anymore.

Here's another great book that I loved when I read it, but I fear I don't want to read about cyber bullying these days. I've watched my kids go through too many things. I don't want to read about them too. 

This is the book that changed my mind about dystopian fiction. Avoided the genre before this book. I'm really scared if I re-read The Hunger Games I won't like it as much as I did the first time.

That's it from me. What are some books you're scared to re-read?

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: The Anatomy Of Panem - A Look at the 12 districts in THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE comes out this Friday. AMC theatres everywhere are gearing up for this blockbuster film. On 11/21 you can see THE HUNGER GAMES and THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE back to back at AMC's double feature event! They are the only ones giving away collectible victor dog tags from THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE, so don't miss out!

This video is an unofficial look at each district in Panem, the Victors that will be involved in the Quarter Quell in THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE and some info about each district. There is also this infographic that we shared with you back in October.

Feel free to share if you enjoy this video.

Books to Film - Your Likes and Dislikes

With The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins coming to the big screen soon and Dr. Seuss' The Lorax taking the top spot at the box office last weekend, my mind has been on books turned into film lately.

My ten-year-old daughter and I are eager to see, The Hunger Games. Actually, she's eager to see it. I want to see what they've done to it. Most times I think the book is better than the movie, and usually, if I can't get into the book, the movie doesn't float my boat either.


I watched Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea on PBS prior to reading the eight-book series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The first time I read the Anne of Green Gables series, I skipped nothing, even the long descriptions. While I loved the books, I found the first two movies more enjoyable than the books they were based upon.

The relationship between Anne and widower Morgan Harris in the movies was a fabulous storyline, and helped make Anne realize what--and who--she really wanted in life. SPOILER: I have to admit, though, that I wish Gilbert hadn't been engaged to Christine Stewart in the movie and broken it off when he came to terms with the fact that he would never love anyone but Anne. This doesn't happen in the books. Yes, he knows Christine Stewart, but there is no romantic involvement between them.

I wasn't thrilled with Anne of Green Gables - The Continuing Story, and I haven't watched Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning. I might make the fourth Anne movie part of my collection, but without Megan Follows, and with the character of Gilbert deceased, it won't hold the same charm for me.

As many of you know, the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder is one of my favorites. For a long time, I read this series annually, just like my Anne of Green Gables books. And, just like with Anne of Green Gables, it was the film version of these books I came to know first.

Little House on the Prairie, which starred Melissa Gilbert and the late Michael Landon, was based upon Wilder's classic children's series. Landon felt he must create storylines unique from the books in order to have enough material for a show; something that put him at odds with producer Ed Friendly.

There are usually two camps of Laura fans: those who love the show and those who refuse to watch it. I see the books and the shows and movies based upon the Little House series as different ways to honor Wilder's legacy. I enjoy them equally.

The Stand by Stephen King is my favorite book. I was a bit hesitant to watch the TV movie because so many of his books don't do well on film. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It helps I love the work of Gary Sinise. Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe also did a superb job. While there were noticeable changes made for the movie, they flowed well.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is said to be a great American novel. I was forced to read it in high school, and then had to suffer through a movie that not even Robert Redford's famous eyes could make me like. I still don't know why it appeals to people. Feel free to enlighten me.

Are you eager to see The Hunger Games? Have you seen Dr. Seuss' The Lorax yet? I hope you'll share some of your likes and dislikes when it comes to books made into movies.

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Mad Max meets Blue Lagoon in this action-packed romantic tale that will soon become a blockbuster movie.

Katniss Everdeen lives in Panem, the remains of what used to be North America. Her father deceased, Katniss makes her home with her mother and younger sister, Prim. Living in poverty, Katniss has learned to hunt and trade for her family's needs.

Long ago, the districts waged war on the Capitol and suffered a devastating loss. As terms of surrender, every year each district sends one boy and one girl to compete in an annual televised event known as "The Hunger Games." When Prim is chosen to represent District 12, Katniss volunteers to be the tribute in her place. While the terrain and rules may change, the one thing that remains constant in the games is "kill or be killed."

This is not a book I would ever have chosen to read. I find its premise disgusting. The Lil Diva (10) was given this book as a present from one of her teachers. Since she is such a reluctant reader, yet was eager to read The Hunger Games in anticipation of seeing the movie, I decided the best way to handle it was to read it with her.

The plot aside, Collins is a masterful storyteller. She knows how to pull the reader in and keep them turning the pages. What unfolds is the story of a bright, independent young woman who learns to hunt illegally so that she can feed her family now that her father is gone. She has a close, yet confusing relationship with Gale, who also hunts.

Katniss is soon turned into a brave sibling, who protects her younger sister from certain death. The other tribute from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, the bread boy. It is Peeta's budding friendship with Katniss that provides the emotional side to this tale of death and woe. The kids have been trained for survival. Without the relationship between Katniss and Peeta, you simply have a story of horrible loss of life.

I didn't care for the ending, which only in some ways wraps up the loose ends, but it will provide a nice flow into the second book of the series. This isn't a book I would have allowed my daughter to read without me. It contains graphic violence that is more appropriate for older teens and adults. She is eager to read the next book in the series, Catching Fire. I haven't decided yet if we'll continue. It will be interesting to see what Hollywood does to this story for the movie. The special effects should make give it an epic Narnia battle type of feel, but I'm hoping they don't ramp up the romance too much.

Have you read any of The Hunger Games books? What are your thoughts? Were the next two books more violent than the first one?


Title:  The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
ISBN-10: 0439023483
ISBN-13: 978-0439023481
SRP:  $17.99 (hardcover)

Our family received a copy of this book as a gift. I also purchased the Kindle version of it. I received no monetary compensation for this review.


This is the third book I've read for the following challenges: