Totally Top Ten Tuesday (Numero 6)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the wondrous individuals at The Broke and the Bookish and participated in by so many wondrous book bloggers. So with no further ado, I henceforth give you...

Top Five (Yeah...I know...I'm slacking) Books 

That Made Me Think

1. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan | Oh. My. Goodness. Of all the books that have won the Pulitzer these last few years, this one must be among the most deserving for oodles and oodles of reasons. Among those reasons are the genius narration style (some of the book is told via Powerpoint slides) and the characters, but especially those characters. What moved me was Egan's way of creating a Paradise Lost for each one, then making the reader feel like the character is on his way to finding said paradise once more.
2. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens | Yes, this is a big and at times notoriously (and by "notoriously", I mean "obnoxiously") boring book. But no, it's not only for English literature professors who sit around all day drinking tea and hanging out with their cats. Again, characters are what play the main role here, and Dickens' genius is how he manipulates those characters into showing their true identities. Not to mention the fact that the story line somewhat parallels the Occupy Wall Street saga. Not to mention the fact that Christopher Nolan used it as inspiration for The Dark Knight Rises...yeuh!
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak | I know that I've been raving on and on about this book ever since I finished reading it about one year ago. However, the level of my infatuation only has this novel's deserving of that infatuation to blame--how can a book effectively narrated by Death not deserve it?   
4. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz | Living in a primarily Caucasian community, this novel made me think a hell of a lot about stereotypes. How interesting that its main character is one of the most not-stereotypical Dominicans the literary world has ever known. 
5. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck | The happenings of a California coastal and industrial town give you more perspectives on the art of human life than you can ever dream of. This is why you are my honorary bro, Mr. Steinbeck.

And now, the philosophy. You are honestly living under a Jupiter-sized rock if you don't know the significance of today. As far as 9/11 goes, it is my true and sincere belief that the time for pure mourning is over--we must never forget those who died on that fateful day, but also know that the significance of this event in World History does not stop at over three hundred casualties and the United States hating Iran who hates America who hates Pakistan who hates America and all the intricacies of international affairs. Instead, there is deep, emotional meaning in this day, like the emotional meaning explored in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. Emotional meaning like personal accounts of how the event broke a family apart, pieced a family back together, or made a family in itself. And it is only with the exploration of this emotional meaning, not lists of casualties, that the lives of the lost can be celebrated forever.

Frivolously Follow Me this Friday! (Numero Seis)

"Follow Me Friday" is oh-so-wonderfully hosted by Parajunkie's View and Alison Can Read. So what question is inquired today?

Do your reading habits change based on your mood?

Hell to the yeah. When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, and my reading habits change drastically. The much simpler novels on my bookshelf instantaneously become more attractive, and I  might not even complete them. Although relaxation by cracking open any kind of novel would probably help me calm down, my stress-engulfed mind will probably prioritize the problem at hand over reading. A relaxed mood, on the contrary, makes the more complex reads on my bookshelf seem just dandy. It is during these times that I venture into classic authors as well as longer works by modern authors (such as The World According to Garp by John Irving--a post about that one is in the works, I promise!). 

     Now, let's get funky with this subject; funky meaning philosophical, of course. Moods usually come about because either one sees the events happening to him as similar in nature, or one event is so potent that it overshadows everything else. An unwanted mood can therefore be solved in two ways, the first of which being that if a person has a case of seemingly similar, repeated events, he should attempt to think about how those events are different. Find optimism in some event if you are surrounded by pessimism in most events, for example. The other way by which an unwanted mood can be solved is, if one event is potent enough to overshadow everything else, attempting to think of reasons why that event isn't so potent. Why that event isn't so powerful.

      Because more powerful than any event or series of events is the human mind.

*PS: Please follow by R to the S to the S!  

Frivolously Follow Me this Friday! (Numero Cinco)

"Follow Me Friday" is hosted by Parajunkie's View and Alison Can Read. This week's featured blogs and therefore supreme administers of question are Oh! For the Love of Books and Ezine of a Random Girl, both of which are also composed by immensely interesting people indeed. So what question have they inquired of us today?

Activity: Take a picture or describe where you love to read most...

I actually have a tie. In first place, we have:

The bed in my grandma's guest room. This is the place where I sped through Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as well as cried when Mr. Potter waved his children goodbye. It is also a place of immense frustration during the school year...thank you so much for that, AP Chemistry. Really, you're just a doll.

Another favorite spot of mine is right in front of my house. One usually sees me there each morning of the summer, watching the neighbors pass on daily strolls. The breeze on pages of a book is a phenomenon that awes me to this day.

Where we read is as important as what we read, because reading is never simply words on a page. Although said words may be the lead actor, who's to say your environment is not the supporting actor (a category which Max von Sydow should win HANDS DOWN at the Academy Awards this Sunday night) ? If I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the sewage drains of New York City, my mind would probably not associate the book with childhood comforts, as it currently does. Same text, different experience. And it is the reader, not the book, that will affect in the larger scheme of Earth.

All you must to do "follow" me is click on the RSS button above. Thank you, wonderful people!

A Totally Top-Ten Tuesday! (Numero Cinco)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the wondrous individuals at The Broke and the Bookish and participated in by so many wondrous book bloggers. So with no further ado, I henceforth give you...

Top Ten Books (BUT ALL I CAN COME UP WITH IS SIX!) I Think Would Make Great Book Club Picks

1. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Book clubs tend to like books that make you want to scream at certain characters for doing certain things, and no book causes more vocal outbursts than Mitchell's account of the delightfully bitchy Scarlett O'Hara, whose gumption makes her a classic of American literature. Said book club can also have the experience of seeing the ever-so-famous movie version of Mitchell's novel. 

2. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

A definite tear-jerker, this one's narrator is a golden retriever named Enzo. Enzo really has a knack for understanding humans, and his thoughts make the book light-hearted and thoughtful simultaneously. This one is especially recommended for those book clubs who have dog lovers in their mix, for anyone who loves a canine will keep raving about Stein's novel years after the final page is turned. 

3. Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama

4. His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman

These would be fun reads just because of the public debates surrounding them. Not surprisingly, many people have claimed that the at times heartwarming anecdotes recorded in Dreams from My Father were fabricated to promote Obama's political career, while the counterargument has been that Barack wrote this as a senator of Illinois, not a presidential candidate. Such a debate, in my opinion, would be smashing; get a few representatives from the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street, and you've got yourself a real party.  The same goes for His Dark Materials-the argument over whether the trilogy promotes juvenile atheism gets people steaming in a hurry. 

5. Bossypants by Tina Fey

If anybody in your book club is going through hard times, this is definitely one to read. Up there with Joel Stein on the laugh-o-meter.

6. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

The simplicity in this novel is gorgeous-it is the story of a boy and a discovery. Yet in the process of his discovering, you get so much more (including illustrations so ingenious in their angles and detail that your jaw has no choice but to drop.) 

Book groups are one of the greatest institutions humanity has ever known. They are a way in which we can appreciate art not in a formal setting with professors screaming at us to write a dissertation about Shakespeare, but in a casual one, one surrounded by friends we know. The comfort brought on by this setting can allow literature to be interpreted in ways not possible outside the realms of a book group. Pretty chill, huh? 

In My Neglected Mailbox (Numero Cuatro)

This time around, I tried doing IMNM with my new iPod touch. Fancy, huh?

Dear Viewer Who Has Oh-So-Wonderfully Watched this Cry for Help, 

Just as a prologue to this post...if you don't know what "In My Neglected Mailbox" is, feel free to watch the video posted to the right titled "They Want to Be Heard".

First, of all, "In My Mailbox" is a blog meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren (www.thestorysiren.com) and Alea at Pop Culture Junkie (www.aleapopculture.blogspot.com) to let all of us book bloggers party on the web.

Second of all, the desperate book here is The Cider House Rules by John Irving. 

Third of all, I was initially attracted to this book because its movie adaption had such a beautiful score, a score so masterfully composed by Rachel Portman. Rachel, kudos to you and your beastly, composing talent! Here is a selection of the aforementioned soundtrack for listening pleasure:

Fourth of all, thank you for giving my boisterous books your precious time. Trust that there will be another one hating on me in the coming weeks.

Best wishes,

Uomo di Speranza

PS: Be sure to check out my funtastic, new post-"The Rachel Berry of Mughal India"-right over here!

The Top Ten of 2011...Totally!

2011 has been a large year indeed. When this year began, I was still but a burgeoning blogger with only three followers. At its culmination, however, I have ascended in the blogosphere and now own a moderately popular weblog with 89 wonderful, beautiful followers, a Twitter page, a Goodreads page, a Stumbleupon page, a Digg page, and more posts than ever before. How excellent, indeed! In order to celebrate what a wondrous year it has been, I have decided to partake in The Broke and the Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday this week, the subject of which is quite celebratory in nature. Therefore...

Top Ten (But I'll Just Do Five, Thanks) Favorite Books of 2011

1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

A modern classic in every meaning of the phrase, Mockingjay renewed my faith in YA literature. Before I devoured this book, I was thoroughly convinced that all YA lit concerned were vampires and lost love and suicide and bullying and being yourself, all in a most bland manner. But Mockingjay has an innovative theme presented in an even more innovative manner. Kudos to Ms. Collins!

Read my post about this book, "To Kill a Mockingjay"

2. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Seldom do I read stories that have anything to do with the athletic world, but this was a worthy exception. Unbroken truly provides a groundbreaking insight into the essence of resilience, and the sometimes cruel effects it inflicts on its bearers.

Read my posts about this book, "How to Succeed (Period)" and  "Zamperini on 'The Edge of Glory'"

3. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Yes, everyone on Earth has read this one, but that doesn't make the fact that it's an excellent novel any less true. Stieg Larsson has a strict doctrine of giving us a startling gale of true reality when other sources of entertainment (namely, television programs) do anything but. Said piece also helped me survive every one of my finals, which is a gargantuan accomplishment in itself.

Read my post about this book, "The Post of Not-So-Sweet Revenge"

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Another book that taught me something new about the literary world. This time, it was that prose and poetry can, in some cases, be the same thing entirely. The meter of Zusak's words and the poignancy of his narrative still haunt me to this day, not to mention grant me the ever-useful ability to say "Asshole" in German

Read my post about this book, "On a Day of Death-9/11/01"

5. The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck

Everyone who knows me also knows how much of a sucker I am for Mr. Steinbeck; he never fails to impress, and this supreme piece of literature is no exception. Here is an author who deserves your time, no matter how many minutes you may spend pondering the true meaning of his words. A Paradise Lost of modern America.

Read my post about this book, "Obama, Be a Ghostbuster!"

And now, a bit of philosophy to wash this celebration down: life is a journey. We've all been told this, yes? All discovered this by some means? Well, a journey always has landmarks, these landmarks usually being the the most memorable parts of one section of this journey, or maybe the entire journey itself. Whether memorable in positive manner (like the books mentioned in this post), or a negative one, memories of these past landmarks can aid in making landmarks found in the future much more familiar to oneself, and therefore much easier to work with as your life's journey continues.

Frivolously Follow Me this Friday! (Numero Cuatro)

"Follow Me Friday" is hosted by Parajunkie's View and Alison Can Read. This week's featured blogs and therefore supreme administers of question are The Book Addict and Books and Beyond, both of which are also composed by immensely interesting people indeed. So what question have they inquired of us today?

It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. so we want to know what you are thankful for – blogging related of course! Who has helped you out along the way? What books are you thankful for reading?

How excellent, considering today is my blogoversary! Anyway, I would say that, above all, Kerrin at My Kugelhopf helped me establish this blog in the first place. Her blog was the first I ever read, and after enough minutes drooling at the beautiful pictures of pies and pastries and cakes and knishes she has taken (please do yourslef a favor and scurry over to see them!), I started paying attention to the concept of what I was reading....your life, on the internet....a main focus...no editorial board to get through. Hey, this thing called a blog was pretty sweet.

Now....books I am thankful for reading? My top two must be:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
This book is why I write. As an eight-year-old, I saw the fantastic world Rowling created and immediately wanted to have that, to have a place where every detail flowed from my pen, where my mind was supreme (I wasn't the most usual eight-year-old...)  My first story was about two abandoned Arctic foxes, quickly followed by an attempt at the Great American Novel. I have been attempting ever since.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
To sum up this book in a few words, "The Catcher in the Rye with a better theme." I was astounded with how well Chbosky recreated the situation of an unconfident teenager in an arrogant world. The medium used-letters to an unnamed "friend"-proved to be absolutely genius. So much did I adore this novel that when I discovered how so many parents discourage their youths from reading it becuase of "offensive content", there was nothing to do but formulate an argument against such censorship-you can see the products of this effort (and comment about what you think!) here.

So why do people have need to give thanks in general, one may inquire? It truly is related to fear. The Pilgrims feared their future, so they decided to dwell on what they possessed at the present moment. My schedule might resort to overload this year, causing me to not read a single world until Finals week. Entire families gather round tables and stuff themselves with American staple-foods because, well, who knows if someone will die or become broke or commit suicide in the coming year? Humans are used to controlling everything. They cannot control the future, but they can  dwell on their present so much so that the future is nonexistent.

In My Neglected Mailbox Numero Dos

Dear Viewer Who Has Oh-So-Wonderfully Watched this Cry for Help,

Just as a prologue to this post...if you don't know what "In My Neglected Mailbox" is, feel free to watch the video posted to the right titled "They Want to Be Heard".

First, of all, "In My Mailbox" is a blog meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren (www.thestorysiren.com) and Alea at Pop Culture Junkie (www.aleapopculture.blogspot.com) to let all of us book bloggers party on the web.

Second of all, the desperate book here is THE COLOR OF WATER: A BLACK MAN'S TRIBUTE TO HIS WHITE MOTHER by James McBride. If you do not want to experience it in book form, please feel highly encouraged to do so in musical form.

Fourth of all, thank you for giving my boisterous books your precious time. Trust that there will be another one hating on me on yet another post in the coming weeks.

Fifth of all, my response: This book definitely used different forms of the word "complete" in his video. And despite its obvious thoughtfulness, wouldn't Steve Jobs's life continue to "affect" as people use his ever-convenient devices? All of the effort he placed in his life is exemplified whenever I turn on my iPod for entertainment. But what do you think, viewer? I hope your opinion can help me decide whether delving into this piece is worth it.

Sincerely,

Uomo di Speranza

In My Neglected Mailbox Numero Uno

Exactly one day ago, in a (VERY) dark room, far, far away.....

Dear Viewer Who Has Oh-So-Wonderfully Watched this Cry for Help,

Just as a prologue to this post...if you don't know what "In My Neglected Mailbox" is, feel free to watch the video posted to the right titled "They Want to Be Heard".

First, of all, "In My Mailbox" is a blog meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren (www.thestorysiren.com) and Alea at Pop Culture Junkie (www.aleapopculture.blogspot.com) to let all of us book bloggers party on the web.

Second of all, the desperate book here is THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA by Gaston Leroux. If you do not want to experience it in book form, please feel highly encouraged to do so in musical form.  

Fourth of all, thank you for giving my boisterous books your precious time. Trust that there will be another one hating on me on yet another post in the coming weeks.

Sincerely,

Uomo di Speranza

Frivolously Follow Me on This Friday! (Numero Tres)

"Follow Me Friday" is hosted by Parajunkie's View and Alison Can Read. This week's featured blogs and therefore supreme administers of question are Lisa Loves Literature and Once Upon a Prologue, both of which are also composed by immensely interesting people indeed. So what question have they inquired of us today?

If you could change the ending of any book (or series),

which book would you choose, and why?

*Warning: Spoiler ahead for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

If you have not read it, get the hell off this page and PICK UP THE BOOK!

Almost every book-lover I know has devoured this novel as if its very words are heroin. Currently, the ending includes our ever-fascinating Lisbeth Salander deciding to subtly display her affection for Michael Blomkvist, the person who she has worked and slept with during the Harriet Vanger case, by purchasing him an Elvis Presley sign from the 1950s. However, the journey she makes to give this present ultimately shows her a prophetic portrait of Blomkvist and his occasional lover, Erika Berger, holding each other lustfully while on their way to Mikael's apartment. Lisbeth then departs from the scene and throws her gift into a dumpster, furious
     Now, this is quite a wonderful culmination since it really depicts Lisbeth's struggles to cope with the average life. But tossing that gift in a dumpster because she saw her potential lover with another woman is an action Elle Woods would perform. I want to see Lisbeth completely overcome by emotion and scare herself because of how overwhelming emotion is. I want to see her reaction to a much more shocking portrait.
     I want to see Blomkvist lustfully holding businesswoman Harriet Vanger, the missing individual who he located in rural Australia, instead

     And I desire that Lisbeth look at the two for a second and initially feel the equivalent betrayal she feels when Blomkvist is with Berger. Being Lisbeth, the woman would then become spooked to the highest feasible extent because she permitted her emotional thoughts for Blomkvist to overshadow her logical thoughts about how utterly unrighteous the couple's existence is; this relationship may cause him to have a bias towards the Vanger Corporation in his financial journalism. But the real core of the aforementioned event is Lisbeth realizing just how dangerous emotion is to the logical world. I want her to think, Is it really worth the risk?
    

A Totally Top Ten Tuesday! (Numero Tres)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the wondrous individuals at The Broke and the Bookish and participated in by so many wondrous book bloggers. So with no further ado, I henceforth give you...

Top Ten Books That Are On The Top Of

My TBR List For Fall

1. Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez (Released on October 18, 2011)

Liz at Consumed by Books, a person who I once twitter-stalked because of her ever-frequent and interesting tweets, has uttered that this novel is beautifully rendered with excellent writing. But who could not love the story as well?

"Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better ? Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected. Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall...." (from Shelfari)

I am a student musician, so the relatability factor seems awesome. Marvelous it is when you see a character as yourself, when you are reminded of why literature is so great.

2. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (Released November 8, 2011)

Once upon a time, one little boy in the fifth grade dreamt about the thrill he received when devouring the Harry Potter books two years before. He loved realistic fiction, but a hunger for fantasy still ravaged him. That was when he picked up Eragon, then Eldest four books later. I now have both read Brisingr and fostered an annoyance for the average book about rebellions toppling oppressive governments. Unfortunately, that is what this novel's plot seems to be composed of-

"Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle that the world has waited for."(also from Shelfari)

-but Paolini may surprise me. After all, he did take an absurdly lengthy amount of time to compose this "astonishing conclusion." (Do I seem a bit snippy about this? If so, then good.)

3. Looking for Alaska by John Green

I have heard amazing things about this book and was immensely ecstatic when I added it to my overstuffed bookshelf. It seems like a meditation on the element of risk in an excellent life, a lesson that control-freaks desperately needs to grasp.

4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This bibliophile has obtained the notion that if he doesn't read Stockett's novel soon, he cannot called himself bibliophile anymore. Is there anything else I have to say?

5. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

A novel that describes the intriguing lives of reporters and editors who toil for a Roman, English-language newspaper. First of all, I have a gargantuan affinity for Rome-I dream that Augustus Caesar and Virgil were my ancestors. Second of all, my novel has a great deal to do with newspapers, so this can definitely be considered research. Chapters written like short stories can definitely aid the daily plagues of an AP student as well...


6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

If my current obsession with coming-of-age tales didn't do it, Emma Watson (Hermione Granger!) starring in this novel's movie adaptation cemented my desire to experience the work.

7. So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger

As I have written before, Leif Enger's Peace Like a River was stunning, so I am very anticipative of completing this classic, felon-is-the-good-guy western. Yes, that's right, I had to put it down once. My brain deserves a heartfelt wave of apology.

8. The Color of Water by James McBride

Like a well-balanced meal, one's reading material should have differentiation. The nonfictional yarn of a Polish mother who raised twelve of her own, black children with incomparable gusto seemed too fascinating to resist.

9. City of Thieves by David Benoff

No joke, I am apprehending this sentence directly from the novel's back flap: "Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful colonel to use in his daughter’s wedding cake." Another coming-of-age tale that can righteously be featured on the Food Network-lovely!

10. The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz

Providing a fresh insight into living within the City of Lights (yet another place I find myself heavily desiring to reside in), recipes additionally lie within this nonfictional book's contents. The myriad of holiday parties organized for school organizations around December will be much more delectable if Dulce-De-Lece Brownies were served, don't you think?

And now comes the philosophy part of it all: Looking at that overcrowded bookshelf of mine, I previously found myself bewildered at where to begin my reading experience for the coming months. There is no time for confusion over a scholastically unnecessary matter within a high schooler's schedule. Yet with the composition of this list, everything seems more possible. The human mind is overflowing with different strands of thought that, often times, mix with each other to forge a smoothie of inaction. Written words, utterly physical and apparent, are often the best way to separate and individualize those strands, forming a new self of progressive action. And as I have stated before, life is only given to those who live.

Frivolously Follow Me on this Friday! (Numero Dos)

"Follow Me Friday" is hosted by Parajunkie's View and Alison Can Read. This week's featured blogs and therefore supreme administers of question are Jenni Elyse and Caught in the Pages, both of which are also composed by immensely interesting people indeed. So what question have they inquired of us today?

In some books like the Sookie Stackhouse series, the paranormal creature in question "comes out of the closet" and makes itself known to the world. Which mythical creature do you wish this would happen with in real life?

 

 

This will probably not be the average answer, but I would definitely choose ghosts like that of Marley in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. There are so many humans who share the condition that both Marley and Scrooge inflict on themselves: being completely oblivious to the greater world. We focus on our individual realm of work since, according to us, any other matter on Earth is really just some breed of distraction. A more common label for this condition is "being a workaholic."Although this doesn't necessarily mean that every workaholic is Ebeneezer Scrooge (I certainly like to think that I am not despite my friends saying differently during final's week), we all share a shrewdness and occasional disregard for the needs of others. Shrewdness can help us disregard the needs of ourselves as well-our need for that distraction. A balanced life in indispensable. The existence of ghosts like that of Marley can remind all workaholics that other phenomena than work are important in one's life. We will probably not be forced to roam the world in chains after death, but a harrowing and cautionary depiction of regret will be presented so that we do not ignore the world in chains during life.

A Totally Top Ten Tuesday! (Numero Dos)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the wondrous individuals at The Broke and the Bookish and participated in by so many wondrous book bloggers. So with no further ado, I henceforth give you...

*Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Wrote A Review For*

1. The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling

These books are both my childhood and the reason why the blog you are currently reading exists . As a rather cute third grader, if I do say so myself, I was taken by how J.K. Rowling created such an intricate world with mere words. Despite my slight lack of confidence (that continues to this day), I was willing to give the ambition one hell of a shot. Over the years, I have matured with Harry and used his daily battles as guidance for my own span of being, something this writer deeply thanks Ms. Rowling for.

2. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

Reuben Land is an eleven-year-old with asthma who, with his family, goes on a search for his criminal brother. It is a remarkable portrait of childhood devotion and how what one thinks is true can be untouchable.

3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Must I say more? A shocking display of unknowing innocence in the blatant face of experience with a man who, to this day, remains one of my favorite characters in all of literature. Atticus, I beg you to go out to dinner with me. Please?

4. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass

I have never seen anyone else reading this book, and that truly disturbs me. The true beauty of Mass's story is that one can comprehend its meaning from ages 10 to 110. Jeremy's father died, but the influence he had over his son did not perish in that car crash with him. And trust me, you will adore having his influence blessing the very essence of your own life as well.

5. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

By far one of the strangest and most enlightening novels ever composed. Pip is given the chance of a lifetime to become a member of the English aristocracy, and along the way meets an eternal Bridezilla plus the love of his life.

6. The Giver by Louis Lowry

A book that meditates on the existence of an nonconformist past on an utterly conformist now. Everyone on Earth should experience this tale of people who do not know what it is to live on their own accord and how they react to those who do.

7. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

What happens when unknowing ignorance has a streak of prolific wisdom? A young man named Holden Caulfied who is burned into millions of adolescent hearts each year that he is heard.

8. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Although this is an allegory for the American condition in the late 1890s, any period of world history that has past us still possesses a great amount of similarity to now. It is inborn.

9. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

It is not a habit of mine to cry during books, but this novel had Niagara Falls practically racing down my cheek. Betty Smith gives us a semi-autobiographical novel that so painstakingly describes how children lose the belief that their parents are infallible forces of nature with morals strong and unmoving as iron.

10. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

A moving tale from the very voice of innocence. I loved this book particularly because Boyne forces the reader to supply 75% of his reading experience.

So what moral can we obtain from this listing adventure? Just like these these books not being featured on le blog because they weren't read at a certain period, humans can also miss opportunities with a lack of correct timing. However, timing is something we cannot study for, cannot foresee. We must therefore both accept that some phenomena are not within our control and selflessly appreciate those that are.  

Frivolously Follow Me on This Friday!

"Follow Me Friday" is hosted by Parajunkie's View and Alison Can Read (didn't I tell you how HARD we book bloggers party?). This week's featured bloggers and therefore supreme administers of questions are Stuck In Books and Belle Books, both of which are composed by immensely interesting people, I might add. So what question have they inquired of us today?

If you could write yourself a part in a book,

what book would it be and what role

would you play in that book?

     Indisputably, a younger brother of Melanie in Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. When Melanie is in Atlanta with Scarlett, I would just love to be an indispensable asset to the two of them as they endure those horrid days of Civil War. I would be a person of the utmost benevolence, and when the Yankees are about to put Atlanta under siege, I would stay with my sister, later aiding both her Scarlett once Rhett has left them in the wilderness outside of Georgia's capitol.

     I also imagine me acting as an older sibling to the child of Scarlett, who is without a dominant male figure, once Melanie, Scarlett, Beau (Melanie's son), and Wade Hamilton are taking refuge in Tara after their escape. This is especially imperative because a child must be surrounded by diversity from an immensely young age. How successful can a man be if he is not comfortable with other men? The same would occur if a child is never presented with the existence of racial minorities-How successful can any person be if they are unable to deal with people ethnically different from themselves? An African American who cannot deal with Asian Americans? A European American who cannot deal with Mexican Americans? Any people falling under the aforementioned conditions would be simply incapable of satisfying what life expects from them since life, in the end, knows no color, no gender, nothing but which humans are capable of living. And that is a great amount of us.