Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish People I Would Like to Meet

Over at The Broke and the Bookish, they have this thing called Top Ten Tuesday. Each Tuesday they give other bloggers a chance to participate in making a top ten list with them. This week's topic is "Bookish People I Would Like to Meet."

1. J.K. Rowling
Author of the Harry Potter books, as well as an adult book coming out at the end of the month, The Casual Vacancy. It would be so interesting to have the chance to sit down with her and find out more about both her work and her life. She seems like an incredibly interesting person and one I would really enjoy getting to know.

2. John Green
Author of one of my favorite books, Paper Towns, along with a number of others, John Green also started vlogbrothers along with his brother, Hank Green, a vlogging channel on YouTube where the two of them discuss a plethora of different topics.
Technically, I have already met him, but it was at a book signing and therefore lasted all of six seconds. I would really love to sit down and get the chance to talk with him about the things that inspire him as well as his passion for being proud of his own nerdiness.

3. Ray Bradbury
Though I have, so far, only read one of his books (I do intend to read more of his work in the near future), I definitely look up to this man and wish I could have had the opportunity to meet him. As many of you are probably well aware, Ray Bradbury passed on a few months ago. 
I especially appreciate the fact that most of Bradbury's "training" in becoming an author was self-taught. He taught himself to be a great writer by reading and studying in his own right. I can definitely respect that in a person.

4. C.S. Lewis
This is another author I will never get the chance to meet (in this life) because he is deceased. However, that hasn't stopped him from making a huge impact on my life. I was raised on the Chronicles of Narnia and have since read many of his other works in apologetics. I can hardly begin to explain the genius of this one man, but he has profoundly impacted my life and my faith, for that I am eternally indebted. If I could have coffee with one person in history, nine out of ten times, I would choose Lewis.

5. J.R.R. Tolkien
Though I have to once again admit to not having read all of this author's works, that doesn't stop me from being a huge fan of Tolkien. I have seen the movies at least ten times and haven't yet grown tired of them, I adored The Hobbit, and he was also the man who brought C.S. Lewis to Christ. The two of them were close friends, which I think is amazing, though I do hold a grudge against Tolkien for nearly talking Lewis out of writing the Chronicles of Narnia (Tolkien hated them).  All in all, though, Tolkien managed to create a fantastical world and iconic characters that still profoundly impact the work of many authors today. (Also, I promise I will read the Lord of the Rings trilogy soon! Don't shun me. They're sitting in my TBR pile, I swear.)

6. Orson Scott Card
After reading both Ender's Game and How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy, I couldn't refrain from adding Card to the list. His brilliance in the field of science fiction is well-known and I'm simply dying to read more of his works. He is a fascinating person and I would love to have the opportunity to pick his brain on more than one matter. 

7. Maureen Johnson
I met Maureen Johnson seconds after John Green, but this was, once again, a six second meeting. It lasted long enough for her to sign my cell phone and that was all. Not only are her books both lovely and exceedingly witty (I've read most, though not all of them), but she is a hilarious person and has quite a personality. If you don't follow her on Twitter, I suggest you amend that immediately. You won't be sorry. She is hysterical and incredibly interesting. Getting to sit down and talk with her would be a dream come true, and would probably involve some sort of crazy adventure.

8. Robin Wasserman
A close friend of Maureen Johnson (and probably of John Green, seeing as Maureen Johnson is a close friend of his), Robin Wasserman is a fabulous author in her own right. Her Cold Awakening trilogy is stunning and really makes you sit back and take another look at all the things you think you know. I really appreciate that in a story. I would love to have a chat with her about what inspired her to write what she did and how she managed to create such a complex, yet entirely engaging plot line. There are still more of her books that I would love to read, but haven't managed to yet. \

9. Ted Dekker

This man is pure genius. Honestly, the man cranks out novels at a pace I could never imagine emulating, yet each has a richness and texture to it that blows me away every time. Each new story is original and filled with twists and turns I could never have imagined. I think I would be a little scared to take a peek into this man's brilliant mind, but I wouldn't pass up the opportunity if my life depended on it. His works are amazing and I look forward to reading more from him. 


10. Megan Whalen Turner
I am in the middle of her "Queen's Thief" series and already I'm dying to pick her brain. I am a huge fan of Greek mythology and the like (from which she draws a great deal, in this series). Her characters are both relatable and believable, her stories exciting and filled with adventure. Sitting down and talking to her about what went into creating such a rich world and story would be simply wonderful. I can think of few things I would enjoy more.

Top Ten Tuesday: Vivid Worlds

Over at The Broke and the Bookish, they have this thing called Top Ten Tuesday. Each Tuesday they give other bloggers a chance to participate in making a top ten list with them. This week the topic is "Most Vivid Worlds/Settings in Books". 

So here are mine: 

1. Narnia
-I've been a huge Narnia fan since I was a kid and my dad read the books to my brother and I as bedtime stories that I eagerly clung to. Narnia meant Aslan, it meant a magical world where animals could talk and children could win battles. It holds a very special place in my heart and still hasn't stopped taking hold of my imagination.

2. The Magical Version of our World Seen in Harry Potter
-I'm a latecomer to the "Potterhead" grouping, only having discovered the wonder of this universe in the last few years, but I'm hooked. I love everything about the way J.K. Rowling integrated magic into our world and hid it behind closed doors so that when you're reading it, you can almost believe that it's all true. Then again, that would mean I was a Muggle in a magical world, so that's a downside . . .

3. Middle Earth
-Granted, I've only read The Hobbit, but I loved every bit of the world Tolkien created there. Also, I've seen the Lord of the Rings movies so many times I can practically quote the majority of it. Altogether, Middle Earth gets my thumbs-up for being wonderful, yet dangerous; majestic, yet scary. Everything about it simply urges you to find out more.

4. The World in Robin Wasserman's Skinned Trilogy
-This isn't the type of world I would love to be a part of (like the first three), but it's one I found myself engulfed in. It's very believable and realistic, drawing you in and making you ask questions that most novels wouldn't dream of diving into. The way she has formed each dilemma, each evolution of the way our world turned out, is something you can almost see happening. And it's quite a scary thing to observe.

5. Panem
-Despite my dislike of Suzanne Collins' writing style, she did manage to create a rather vivid picture of the futuristic world her book is set in. It's another believable, yet scary place to live. I wouldn't want to set foot in it, but I could most assuredly believe it.

6. Alagaesia
-In Christopher Paolini's fantastically crafted world, I managed to lose myself in a book that took me longer than most to read. Where I tend to get impatient with books that I can't tackle in a few days (which are few, because I read pretty quickly), these ones were a pleasure straight through. Paolini etched every bit of his world in clear contrast and made every bit as real and defined as the world we live in.

7. Amara
-It's been a while since I've read Donita K. Paul's DragonKeeper Chronicles, but I enjoyed them immensely. The different creatures Paul created were interesting and original, her dragons were varied and interesting, the story wonderful. It was entirely well done. 

8. The World in the Dragons in Our Midst Series
-Bryan Davis created an incredibly imaginative and interesting world in his series' detailing the lives of Billy Bannister and Bonnie Silver. There are actually three series within this series, of which I've only read the first two and that was probably four or five years ago. Still, the details and intricacies of the world he created stand out in their excellence.

9. The Worlds in Howl's Moving Castle
-This book is a wonderful journey and one I intend to reread as often as possible in the future. A large part of this is due to the worlds within it (yes there are more than one, but they're all connected). They are worlds of magic and war, of impossible contracts and things that shouldn't come to life but do. It draws you in and invites you to stay for as long as you should choose to remain.

10. Faerie
-I'll finish off with a world I'm not sure whether I would want to live in or away from, but one that takes one's imagination and soars with it. There are so many things I loved about the world Neil Gaiman created in Stardust and I would definitely cite it as a vivid world that I am quite fond of.

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR List

Over at The Broke and the Bookish, they have this thing called Top Ten Tuesday. Each Tuesday they give other bloggers a chance to participate in making a top ten list with them. This week the topic at hand is this summer's To Be Read list. This is meant to be each person's top ten books they are excited about this summer. They could be new releases or old favorites that you're planning on rereading: whatever you choose!

I thought this sounded like a lovely blog post idea and couldn't pass up the chance to do it. Seeing as I'm currently incapacitated right now due to some burn wounds I recently sustained, I thought this would be a fun activity to keep me occupied for a couple of minutes. 

Anyway, here's my list, in no particular order. I don't have all of the books I'm going to read planned out, so obviously these are the ones I know I'm pretty certain about reading and that I am intensely excited about. 

Enjoy!:

1) Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I saw the movie adaptation of this book a little over a year ago, I believe, and I loved it. I'm a pretty big fan of Greek mythology and any storyline that incorporates that into it is definitely something I want to check out. 

2) A Modern Look at Monsters by Daniel Cohen

Sounds creepy to some, I'm sure, but this book caught my eye at the library and I'm super excited to read it. I like finding out the origins of things and this book will likely prove a good arsenal for creating fictional dangers as an author.

3) American Nerd: The Story of My People by Benjamin Nugent

This is another book I just happened to stumble upon the other day at the library. Being a self-proclaimed nerd, this book immediately appealed to me. Besides the title and cover both put a huge smile on my face. I'm sure the interior will do the same.

4) Those Amazing Ringlings and Their Circus by Gene Plowden

After reading in Vintage Tattooing about how the origins of tattooing in America are closely tied with circus folk, my curiosity was piqued. I wanted to learn more about how circuses used to work in the early nineteenth century and such, so I picked up this book. I can't wait to see what it has in store. 

5) Paper Towns by John Green

To be fair, I've already read this. If you've read blog for a while you'll already know that this happens to be one of my all-time favorite books. Still, it merits rereading and this is the summer to do it.

6) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I adored this book. Like Paper Towns, I've already read it and it is also one of my all-time favorites. That is enough reason to reread it in itself, but the movie adaptation is also coming out later this year, thus it is near imperative. 

7) Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Like Percy Jackson, this is the beginning of a series, but one I've been dying to read for a while now. It looks wonderful and highly original and it's about time I went about reading it.

8, 9, & 10) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

I know, I'm a terrible nerd. . . but I've seen all the movies more times than I can count. That doesn't really help, but I'm going to amend that. I've had this trilogy on my to-read list for a long while now and I'm going to finally buckle down and do so.

What are your top ten or even top five books to read this summer? Are you planning on reading any of the same ones I am? Or have you already read some of them and want to give your input? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you!

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

"Never laugh at live dragons, Bilbo you fool."

If you pay even the slightest attention to the media, you very likely are aware that the movie adaptation of The Hobbit will be in theaters this December. Because of that, I decided it was about time I stuck my nose into a J.R.R. Tolkien book and, let me tell you, I'm quite happy I did.

Going into this, I had rather expected Mr. Tolkien's writing to be a bit, well, stuffy. This was generally because I had heard that his writing was hard to get into and was all too descriptive to follow well. Perhaps they were speaking of a different book, because this certainly was not the case when it came to The Hobbit.

An adventure tale for the ages, this book was incredibly well-written and I was invested in the story from the outset. Being a big fan of C.S. Lewis, a personal friend of Tolkien, I was still surprised to see the similarities in their narratives. They have a similar writing style that really draws you in -- as if you're sitting by the fire listening to that wise old uncle of yours tell you a grand adventure you only dare to believe because he is the one telling you of it.

The Hobbit is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a comfortable little hobbit with more adventure in his blood than most other hobbits. Even still, it takes a good deal of convincing and coercion before Mr. Baggins finds himself on a quest for treasure, the "burglar" in a company of thirteen dwarves. He was specially chosen for the mission by Gandalf the Grey. At first, neither he nor his companions can understand why Gandalf thought he was worth bringing along, but there is more to Bilbo than meets the eye and, soon enough, he may become their only hope of accomplishing their task at all.

Overall, The Hobbit was a fantastic book. I enjoyed every moment of the journey, both "there and back again" and it has made me even more excited for the movie's release. I would definitely suggest this lovely story to anyone who enjoys Tolkien's other works or enjoys any books with a bit of magic threaded through the pages.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait.