15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 12

Continuing the meme, here's Day 12...

Day 12: How do you fight blogger fatigue?

I tend to blog in spurts, so sometimes I get a bit of blogger fatigue.  It happens to us all.  But, I always try and make myself relax and take a bit of a break if I need to.  I would think that anyone who actually reads my blog would understand if I need to take a small break.  And sometimes I keep blogging, but scale back on memes and weekly routine posts.  I try and focus on personal posts and book reviews.  All of this helps me get my blogging energy back.

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 10

Continuing the meme, here's Day 10...

Day 10: How do you choose what book to read next?

Every December I start to lay out my next year's reads.  I find reading challenges that look interesting, or just pull from previous challenges.  I make lists of potential books for those challenges out of my overflowing TBR stacks.  I might also throw in a few new releases I know I want to read.  Once I have my master list fairly complete, it goes into the new year's reading challenge page on my blog.  I also keep a paper spreadsheet in my reading folder.  This is my master list of books to read during the year.

Then, I try to break my master list down into monthly lists.  I usually try and space out my genres throughout the year.  Sometimes I have reading challenges that are month specific (like this year's Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge).  Usually I just try and divide my reads across the month.  Once I get these monthly lists set, I then grab January's stack and put it into my ottoman in the living room.  These are my go to reads.  The upcoming months are taken from the boxes and put into my short bookcase.

When I need a new read, I dig into the ottoman and find something that strikes my fancy.  On the crazy off chance that none of those books sounds good, I go to the short bookcase and grab something off there.

This sounds like a very methodical process to approach my next read.  And in most cases, I follow it.  Of course, there is always the chance that I stop by the library for some unexpected read, or grab one at a book sale, or snag one from an Amazon free deal.  But for the most part, I go into the year knowing what I want to read in the coming year.  To help keep me on track, I have also started doing a Monthly TBR post.

Looking at changes in my life this year (work and baby), I am thinking about scrapping this entire process for 2014 and just reading whatever I feel like.  No challenges, no monthly TBR pile, no big plans.  But there's a little part of me that loves the structure of my big plans.  We'll see how I feel come December.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that has a huge reading choice process...

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 9

Continuing the meme, here's Day 9...

Day 9: Why do you blog about books?

I started this blog as a way to keep track of my reading.  I read a ton of books, but often can't recall the titles or if I liked some of them.  I wanted a good place to track all of that.  Once I began, I started branching out to personal posts, other media, and bookish events (readathons, challenges).  I'd still say that this blog is primarily a journal for my record, but it's always nice to have visitors.

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 8

Continuing the meme, here's Day 8...

Day 8: Quick!  Write 15 bullet points of things that appeal to you on blogs!

1. A witty voice (or sarcastic, or just unusual)
2. Fun graphics
3. Good blog design -- not too cluttered or cutsy
4. Posts other than WOW, In My Mailbox, or Book Tours
5. Personal posts -- they don't have to be about your personal life, but I tire of reading something that sounds like a publishing house put it together
6. Interesting memes -- Top Ten Tuesday participants, for example
7. Fun challenges (personal or web wide reading challenges)
8. Good grammar
9. Fun gifs (I'm a sucker for animal ones)
10. At least some books in common with me -- they don't have to agree with my thoughts, but I like some overlap with reading interests

I can't think of any other good ones, so 10 will have to suffice.

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 7

Continuing the meme, here's Day 7...

Day 7: Talk about your blogging quirks.

Blogging quirks?  I have to think about this one...  I guess I tend to blog in spurts, but my readers won't really know it.  I tend to go through cycles of blogging ahead 2-3 months for my weekly meme posts (Music Monday, Quote Wednesday, Top Ten Tuesday).  And then I let them publish when scheduled.  If let up to a weekly basis, I would probably let those memes fall behind.  This way I guarantee myself to finish them.  That's really the only quirk I can think of.

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 6

Continuing the meme, here's Day 6...

Day 6: Describe how you shop for books.

Well, I'm currently on a book buying ban because of my closet of towering unread book boxes.  But usually I do have a routine.  I don't normally buy books full price.  Clearance racks are my weakness.  If I'm actually trying, I bring my list of books I'm looking for.  It's old school; a handwritten list of books to finish series I've started buying and a few stand alones.  The list is 10 pages.  I try to remember to bring my list so I can avoid rebuying books (done that a few times, oops!).  Other than the list, I sometimes grab things that look interesting.  But like I said, I'm not buying books right now.  Surprisingly it's going well.  I've stuck to my ban and read a ton of books in my owned stacks.  Feels good to weed out the stacks.

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 5

Continuing the meme, here's Day 5...

Day 5: Recommend a tear jerker.

There have been many books in the last few months that left me in tears.  I can't quite tell if it's the quality of the book or just my crazy pregnancy hormones.  At any rate, I'm going to go with Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand.  It's the true story of a WWII survivor.  I knew he survived his ordeals at sea and as a Japanese POW, but at every devastating event, I broke down in tears.  It's a great inspiring true story.  Pick it up, but make sure to have some kleenex handy.

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 4

Continuing the meme, here's Day 4...

Day 4: What's the last book you flung across the room?

I didn't actually fling it across the room, but I came close with our last book club book The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.  It's a fictionalized account of Ernest Hemingway's first marriage to Hadley Richardson.  I can't stand Hemingway, so of course his character irked me.  But I found that Hadley's weak nature made me even angrier.  There were a few times when I felt like throwing the book across the room.

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 3

Continuing the meme, here's Day 3...

Day 3: Who are your blogging BFFs?

I'll admit to being a very insular blogger.  I don't reach out to others as much as I would like. My schedule often gets in the way of reading and commenting on other blogs.  Sometimes I can't even get my blog posts written.  So, I guess I really don't have any blogging BFFs.  A little sad, but I started this blog for my personal benefit.  I didn't give any thought to reaching others in the beginning.  It's only becoming more appealing to reach out a few years into this experiment.  Possibly in the future...

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 2

Continuing the meme, here's Day 2...

Day 2: What's your bedtime reading ritual?

Back when I was younger, I would consistently read a few chapters from my books before bed.  But now, my life is not so routine.   If the boys are here, I try to read them a chapter or two of whatever book we're reading at the time (right now it's The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan).  If the boys aren't here, I'm much more sporadic about reading nightly.  I try to go to bed at a decent hour (usually 11pm) and settle in for a chapter or two.  Some nights I really get into the books I'm reading and find myself only stopping hours later, utterly exhausted.  Some nights J and I get into a tv show and end up watching until I am too exhausted to read.  I want to get more consistent about my reading, but with baby Arthur coming in October, that's not likely to happen.

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 1

I am so far behind on my blogroll, but I ran across this one and wanted to join up.  Beyond my weekly meme posts, I haven't been very creative with my blog posts.  This is a great chance to change things up.  So here we go...

Day 1: Make 15 book related confessions.

1. I am a cover snob. I'll fully admit to being drawn in by pretty covers.  And if I don't like the cover, I won't read the book.  It takes a lot to get me to read books I don't like the cover.  
2. I love fluffy romances. I read just about everything, but my go to for sheer entertainment is fluffy romances.  They're predictable and unrealistic, but I love them just the same.
3. I give myself 50 pages to love a book. If I'm not immersed in 50 pages, I DNF the book.  I used to finish books no matter what, but I've realized that there are just too many books out there to waste my time reading things I don't like.
4. I often disagree with the populace about what books I like. My book ratings often don't agree with averages on Goodreads and I'm perfectly okay with that.
5. I abhor writing in books. I just can't see how people can destroy books my writing in them.  No way, not for me.
6. I have put myself on a book ban because boxes of unread books in my closet. I went on a bit of a book buying spree over the last three years and now I have at least 7 boxes of unread books taking up tons of space in the closet.  And don't even get me started on the unread ebooks cluttering my iPad.  Therefore, I have put myself on a book buying ban for the entire year.  I can only buy books for book club or if it's one to finish up a series I've been wanting.  So far, I've only bought 4 books this entire year.  I am doing very well...
7. I love and hate young adult books. Overall, I can't get into young adult books.  However I do read them occasionally.  I got back and forth.
8. I was a classics snob from late middle school to my mid-20s. I went through a phase lasting over 10 years where I thought you had to read only classics if you were to be a serious reader.  Thankfully I have grown out of that idea.  I now read almost anything and I'm much happier about it.
9. I hate all of Charles Dickens. Speaking of classics, I learned a long time ago that I cannot stand Dickens' writing.  I've tried and tried and I just can't read him.
10. I love Jane Austen, but hate the Brontes. J doesn't understand how I can like one but not the others.  To me, Austen and the Brontes are worlds apart.  Don't confuse the two.
11. I have to buy all the books in a series before I start reading said series.  This may have contributed to my boxes of unread books cluttering my closet.
12. I love browsing the stacks of the library. I could spend hours in a library just browsing.  I tend to find interesting reads picking a shelf in a random aisle and looking at all the books.  This is why I prefer to go to libraries alone.  I don't like to be rushed.
13. My Goodreads TBR shelf is absolutely out of control. At last count, it had 1884 books.  I'll never get to all those, especially when I constantly add more.  I really need to stop...
14. I'd rather read a book than go to any social gathering. I'm not anti-social, but I'd really rather curl up with a cup of tea and a good book.
15. Even though I own an iPad, I still resist ebooks. Another thing that J just doesn't understand.  I still prefer the feel of a book over the iPad.  I am slowly and reluctantly reading ebooks, but it's more because I hate lugging around pounds of books during travel.

Top Ten Tuesday - Spooky Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

1. Anything by Stephen King -- He is the master of the unsettling.  My favorite has to be The Shining.  Topiary animals still creep me out.

2. Autumn by David Moody -- I had to include a few zombie stories.  And this one is the scariest zombie story I have every read.  You must read it!

3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- A fun mash-up between my favorite author and my favorite monster.  Delightful combination.  Not exactly scary, but those illustrations are beautiful works of art. 

4. Anything by Edgar Allan Poe -- My favorite scary author of all time.  My 6th grade reading teacher did a whole unit on him.  Some of the other students hated his stories.  I found them fascinating. 

5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley -- Not a traditional scary story, but a horrifying vision of a possible future.  I definitely don't want to live in that world. 

6. Coraline by Neil Gaiman -- A fun scary story.  I was definitely creeped out by the Other Mother and I read this for the first time last year.  My kids were too scared of her to see the movie when it came out.  Very creepy!

7. Dracula by Bram Stoker -- The grand daddy of all horror stories.  I love it!

8. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan -- A very moody zombie story.  Not exactly scary, but it is unsettling.

9. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova -- I love the old vampire stories and this one feels like it's centuries old.  The combination of digging into the past the supernatural is too good to pass up.

10. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz -- I read these over and over as a child and they creeped the hell out of me.  I still find them scary even after all these years. 

Top Ten Tuesday - Irresistible Covers

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

Author note: Computer was acting up so no pretty pictures...

This week's topic is Irrestible Covers and Titles, but I have a confession to make.  I am a sucker for a pretty covers.  They matter much more to me than the titles.  I know that's a bit shallow for a dedicated reader.  But they're so pretty!  Therefore, I am making this list Irresitible Covers...

1. Twilight Saga -- I know that I've seen this style over and over lately, but I really loved the Twilight saga covers when they were released.  They're simplistic, yet engaging.  They have meaning, but aren't overwhleming.  I love the look of these.

2. The Hunger Games trilogy -- Confession time, I haven't actually read these.  But I just love the covers.  I can't wait to get the second and third book so I can read before the movie releases.

3. Autumn by David Moody -- So creepy!  I love the distorted face.  It really scares the crap out of me.  I don't even have to know that the story's about zombies.  I'm scared already.

4. Fables series -- Each volume's cover is so intricate yet beautiul.  I find them fascinating.  I want copies of these to hang in my house.  Yes, I am that geeky and proud of it!

5. Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger --  I'm so in love with steampunk right now.  I especially am drawn to steampunk clothes.  These covers have beautiful clothes amongst interesting black and white city scapes.  I love the look: modern and yet old.

6. All of Jill Mansell -- I love these redone covers.  They are definitely chick lit, but no half naked men or women.  They're tasteful yet whimsical.  I especially love Staying at Daisy's with Clarissa the dog featured. 

7. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris -- Makes me giggle every time I see it.  Plus, the stories are just wonderfully delightful. 

8. Zombies vs. Unicorns -- Usually anthology covers are pretty blah with tons of names and writing.  I love the simplicity of this cover.  And I'm obsessed with zombies!

9. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan -- I've read that lots of people don't like this cover, but I love it.  I usually shy away from covers with people. I like to create an image of the character in mind.  But somehow this was exactly how I pictured Mary.  Love it!

10. The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff -- Very simplistic yet stylistic.  It's not overwhelming, but there's enough going on to catch my eye.  And this book is one of my favorites this year.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books with Magical First Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

I have those books that I love so much, I wish I could read them again for the first time.  There's some so magical about the first dive into a book.  You don't know what's coming next.  You wait on the edge of your seat for the story.  Will it end happy or sad?  Will the characters change or stay the course?  Will there be any unexpected twists?

1. Entire Harry Potter series -- How can you not get sucked into the magical world?  I loved every minute of these stories.  Often I read the book in one sitting, ignoring my need for food and sleep.  That is the definition of a magical read!

2. Jane Austen novels -- I love her world and characters.  The first time I finally read one (probably not until high school/beginning of college), I was amazed that I hadn't grabbed one of these before.  I was hooked.  I love J.A.  I reread her books all the time.  I watch all of the film/tv adaptations.  I even read and/or watch Austen related stories.

3. The Awakening by Kate Chopin -- This book set my on the path to a Women's Studies degree in college.  I don't think I would have ever picked this book up on my own.  I'm thankful it was set in my path by a great HS English teacher.  It opened my eyes to Feminist Theory!

4. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury -- I didn't read this one until college (I know crazy!).  But this is one of those books that sucks you in and doesn't let go.  The story is so compelling and scary.  I don't ever want to live in that world!

5. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card -- J's recommendation.  He was amazed that I had never read it, but to be honest, I am not a huge fan of science fiction.  At least I wasn't.  I am still figuring out the types of scifi that I love.  I think I'm leaning more towards the soft scifi/fantasy books.  Ender's Game blew me away with the world, the characters, and the storyline.  I plan on passing this on to my boys this next summer.  I know N would love it!

6. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll -- I am such a fan of this book now.  I wish that I remembered the first time I read it.  I am sure that I loved it to bits.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books With Endings That Left My Mouth Hanging Open

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

Books that left my mouth hanging open, from surprise, anger, disgust, happiness, etc.  There have definitely been a few that I just couldn't speak afterwords or found myself sputtering out nonsense.

1. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa -- Such a cliffhanger.  What is going to happen?  I couldn't wait for The Iron Knight.  Thankfully I got a Net Galley of The Iron Knight to read.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Loved the series.  Loved the ending to the story.  But the epilogue just bugs the crap out of me.  I can't stand epilogues.  They are too Cutesy cutesy wrap-ups.  Not needed.

3. LOTR: The Two Towers -- Are Frodo and Sam going to make it?  Tolkien leaves us on such a cliffhanger.  OMG!

4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- I didn't think I was going to like a Jane Austen retell, but I loved it.  A surprising experience.

5. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan -- Such a great book.  Very scary and the ending killed me.  What was going to happen to Mary?  We find out in the next book, but it's not quite what you think.

6. The Prestige by Christopher Priest -- I did not see that one coming.  It totally threw me for a loop, but in a good way.  I loved the ending.

7. Emma by Jane Austen -- Overall, I like this book.  However, the ending where Frank Churchill sorta apologizes to Emma just gets me every time.  I can't stand it.  I then want to feel like he didn't mean to lead Emma on, but he did.  I have these mixed feelings about Frank.  I don't like it.

8. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald -- Such a beautifully sad ending.  It is just so beautifully written.  I love it!

9. The Awakening by Kate Chopin -- An unexpected ending.  In retrospect, the ending completely makes sense for the story and Edna's journey.  It's great.

10. This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer -- I liked the first two books.  They were interesting takes on a dystopian world and survival.  However, the third one's ending just made me so upset.  The tornado was so convenient.  Everything just changed in the last 10 pages.  I didn't like it one bit.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books to Reread

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

So many good books, but really I only reread the really really good ones.  There are a few on my shelf...

1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley -- My favorite dystopian novel.  I still haven't decided if I'm okay with the society or if I want to collapse.

2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams -- Always a good one to reread.  In fact, I should reread this every year.

3. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon -- Need to reread so I can read the rest of the series.  Plus, it is amazing.

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald -- A high school favorite.  It's on my list to reread soon.

5. The Fables Series -- Just love it!

6. All of Jane Austen -- Duh!  Have you read my blog?  I love JA!

7. Shakespeare -- Always something more to get out of the Bard.

8. Harry Potter series -- Always good to refresh.

9. Autumn by David Moody -- Very scary zombie book.  Must read again.

10.  The Host by Stephenie Meyer -- I like this better than the Twilight series.  Been meaning to reread it.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books Everyone Has Read But Me

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

There's so many books out there I want to read.  But there are definitely a few that everyone has read and I just haven't gotten to them.  Sometimes it's because I have issues with waiting between books in a series.  I want the whole series with me before I dive in.  I know crazy, but I just have waiting problems.  Then, there are those books that I want to read, but somehow I haven't gotten to them yet.

1. The Hunger Games -- Have The Hunger Games, but can't justify paying hardcover prices for the other two.  Until I find them or somehow get them from the library (crazy long hold list), I will have to wait.  Hopefully I can get to them before the movie comes out.  I really want to see it, but can't do that without reading the books first.  Such a dilemma.

2. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -- I must admit that I don't have a huge interest in these, but they've gotten some much press that I feel like I should read them...

3. Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger -- I finally found the 4th book in the series at the Borders closing sale.  I have them up to read before the year is out.  I know there's a 5th coming, but I figure I could possibly wait a few months for that one.

4. Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost -- Almost found all of these on clearance at Half Price Books.  Waiting on an opening in my reading schedule to throw these in.  I've heard so many good things, I have to read soon.

5. Shiver/Linger/Fever by Maggie Stiefvater -- Intriguing and such beautfil covers.  I don't have any of these, so it'll be awhile.  But they're definitely on my list.

6. A Game of Thrones by George Martin -- The tv series was amazing.  I need to read these.  However I don't have any of these and they're so dang long.  This is will be a challenge.

7. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffennegger -- It's been on my shelf for probably two years.  And yet, still it sits.  I have really wanted to read this one.

8. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare -- So intrigued...

9. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead -- Another that fell onto my radar this year.  Everyone seems to love them and I haven't read a single one.

Top Ten Tuesday - Sequels I'm Dying to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

So this week's topic is "Sequels I'm Dying to Read,"  but I have a big problem.  I don't have any Sequels I'm Dying to Read.  I know what you're thinking: "How can you not have tons of sequels lying around to read?"  There is an explanation.  I have a dirty little secret.  I don't read book series until all of them are published and in my possession.  Yeah, I'm kinda bad like that.  And it keeps me really far behind in the new releases realm.  (For example, I got The HUnger Games months ago, but haven't read it yet because I don't have Catching Fire and Mockingjay.)  So I've got nothing, nada, zilch for today...

Top Ten Tuesday - Books on My TBR List!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

This week's topic, in honor of the coming of fall, is Top Ten Books on Your TBR List.  I'm not planning on buying any books (we'll see how far that goes), so my list is all books currently sitting on my shelves.  I'm really trying to wrap up a ton of reading challenges.  I just spent a few days reorganizing my books to put the reading challenge qualifying books on top and in the bookshelf next to my chair.  Those are the books that I really need to read like now!

1. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler -- I've had this one for awhile and need to get a few more contemporary romances in before Sept. 30th.  This one also intrigued me.  So it's going to the top of the list.

2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams -- Counts towards science fiction and Page to Screen challenges.

3. Contact by Carl Sagan -- Another Science Fiction...

4. Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern -- Really need to wrap this contemporary romances and I heard good things about this one.

5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley -- One of favorite old books.  Counts for 2011: Back in the Day and A to Z: Authors (X).

6. The Girl from Jungchow by Kate Furnivall -- I"m intrigued by her books and settings.  Plus it counts for Historical Fiction and A to Z: Authors (F).

7.  The Blades of the Rose series by Zoe Archer (Rebel, Scoundrel, Warrior, Stranger) -- Been on my shelf for a few months and I really want to read them.  Plus they count as four for my Summer Romance - Paranormal Romance Challenged ending Sept. 30th.

8. Cotillion by Georgette Heyer -- Still have 4 to read for my Heyer challenge.  As much as I love Regency romance, this one has been hard to get motivated for.

9. The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn -- Some good looking historical romance for my 2011: Show It Who is Boss challenge.

10. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn -- Another historical romance for my A to Z: Authors (Q) challenge.

Reading Challenge Finished!

Today I finished my first big reading challenge!  I feel like I have hit a milestone...  it's a great feeling of accomplishment.  You ask, what reading challenge?  Zombies, of course.  I didn't think it would take me long to read 10 zombie books, but I thought it would take longer than this.  I tried to pick up a mix of genres for my weekly reading.  Yet, I somehow always ended up with a zombie book in there.  So here's my list...  the first ten were my original picks way back in December.  As you can see, I picked up some others to ultimately finish the list.

1. The Undead World of Oz -- Ryan Thomas
2. Zombies for Zombies -- David Murphy (2/5/11)
3. Flip this Zombie -- Jesse Petersen (2/13/11)
4. Zombies vs. Unicorns - Larbalestier
5. The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan (5/17/11)
6. The Dead-Tossed Waves - Carrie Ryan (5/23/11)
7. You are So Undead to Me - Stacey Jay
8. Undead Much - Stacey Jay
9. Zombie Blondes - Brian James
10. Generation Dead - Daniel Waters
11. A Zombie's History of the United States - Dr. Worm Miller (3/2/11)
12. Autumn - David Moody (3/6/11)
13. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After - Steven Hockensmith (4/10/11)
14. Autumn: The City - David Moody
15. Hungry for Your Love - Lori Perkins (4/21/11)
16. The Living Dead 2 - John Joseph Adams (5/9/11)
17. Once Bitten, Twice Dead - Bianca D'Arc (5/16/11)

I read some really good ones in there.  I think my favorite so far is Autumn by David Moody.  Very disturbing book, but not your typical zombie gore fest.  I still have the sequel Autumn: The City to read.  But I want to take a zombie break.

There's still a question hanging in the air: Should I increase this reading challenge to 20 books and keep going?  Or just keep it here and focus on the other challenges?  Keep in mind that I will still read zombie books throughout the rest of the year, I just won't have them count for a challenge!