Top Ten Tuesday: Spring TBR Books

Top Ten by The Broke and the Bookish

Top 10 Spring TBR Books:

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It’s officially Spring, though Spain has not gotten the memo, since it’s FREEZING outside!  Oh well, that’s just better weather to curl up with a book, and perfect timing because today’s Top Ten is all about the books on my to-be-read list for this Spring!  Enjoy!  :)

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Soldier Dogs by Maria Goodavage - I will start with this one since it was featured in my Link of the Day today.  I’m very excited to read this book.  Soldiers willingly put themselves in danger when they go to war.  Human soldiers know what they are getting themselves into, while dog soldiers do not.  So it is so nice that their story, which they are unable to tell for themselves, is being told.

Tell Me Where It Hurts by Nick Trout - My first dream profession was to be a veterinarian.  Now, it is to be a wildlife journalist, and while I will be helping animals by telling their stories, I won’t be helping them like vets do.  I am still very interested in the lives of veterinarians and all they go through, so I am extremely ready to read this book from the acclaimed vet and author, Dr. Nick Trout.

The Great Animal Orchestra by Bernie Krause - I have just finished When Elephants Weep (review coming soon), and one of the topics covered was about animals enjoying their own noises – birds enjoying their songs, elephants their trumpets, lions their roars, etc. – and I was truly intrigued by the idea.  Needless to say I was extremely intrigued by this book of how important each animal’s sound is vital to their existence.

Wildlife Heroes by Julie Scardina - This book was also featured in another of my Links of the Day, and I instantly added it to my TBR list.  I admire people like Jane Goodall, Louis Leaky, and Dian Fossey, and hope to some day do my own part to help animals, so I’m very interested in learning about other people who help out the animal kingdom!

Not So Funny When It Happened by Tim Cahill - After reading No Touch Monkey, I just needed more travel misadventure.  So when I found out about this book, I just had to add it to my TBR list!

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin - I wanted to read this book since I first heard about it when I was in high school.  I think I’ll finally get to it this Spring and am excited to start it!

Farm Sanctuary by Gene Baur - When I was 16 I became a vegetarian.  That lasted for 3 years until I craved meat too much (sad, I know) and quit, going back to being a carnivore.  Lately, I have been going through some inner-changes, and have decided to become a vegetarian again, and this time stick with it for the long run.  This book looks crucial to my success at being a lifelong vegetarian, and is definitely going to be read very soon.

Rickie and Henri by Jane Goodall - Written by my hero, Jane Goodall, this is a story about the love and friendship between a dog and a rescued chimp.  It look like such a heartwarming story, and I would love to read it this Spring!

Love, Life, and Elephants by Daphne Sheldrick - I first heard about Daphne Sheldrick’s orphan elephant sanctuary in an issue of National Geographic.  I became so obsessed with following her site and newsletters of how the orphaned elephants were doing, that my dad and step-mom gifted me with becoming a foster parent to two of the elephants at Daphne’s sanctuary.  So I am extremely excited to read her book, and learn more about the amazing work she has done to save and help some of the most beautiful and interesting creatures in the world.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - OK, OK, I’ll add a fiction novel to my list!  I’ve actually been wanting to read The Night Circus since it came out, and after continuing to read great reviews on it, I thought I would buckle down and read it this Spring.

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I know there are TONS of animal books on my list, and only one fiction.  But animals are my passion, and non-fiction is my reading preference, so hopefully, even if you are more of a fiction reader, you still enjoy my list!

Hope all of you have a Happy Tuesday!

What are your Top 10 TBR books for Spring?

Booking Through Thursday: Characters vs. Plots

Booking Through Thursday by Booking Through Thursday

Q:

What’s more important to you? Real, three-dimensional, fleshed-out fascinating characters? Or an amazing, page-turning plot?

(Yes, I know, they are both important. But if you had to pick one as being more important than the other?)

A:

This is a hard question.

Both are extremely important for a well-written and enjoyable book, however if I had to choose just one, I would rather have an amazing page-turning plot.

For me, even with the best, three-dimensional, realistic characters, by the end of the story I start getting sick of them.  I don’t care how planned out, how constructed and believable they are, sometimes I will stop reading a book because I want to reach my hands inside the book’s pages and strangle the neck of the character for whatever reason.

With a page-turning plot, that never happens.  I don’t think I have ever complained about a good plot, a good climax; though I have complained about a good character and their idiotic actions.  A plot is what makes us keep reading, keep coming back for more, and without that, there would be no book.

So hands down, an amazing plot is more important than a fascinating character.

Happy Birthday Mr. Twain

Born in 1835, in Florida, Missouri, Samuel Clemens, widely known by his pen name, Mark Twain, is still one of the most adored and popular writers of all time.

Personally, I loved Mark Twain growing up, and while I haven’t read his books in a while, his stories are still some of my favorites.

So, let’s pay some homage to Mr. Mark Twain on what would have been his 176th birthday.

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Some of His Most Known Works:

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

 

The Prince and the Pauper

Life on the Mississippi

The Innocents Abroad

Twain’s work is impossible to keep track of because of the different kinds of writings he did – novels, travelogues, journalism articles, speeches…etc – and because of the different pen names that he wrote under.  As early as 1995, researchers were still discovering some of his work.

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My Personal Favorite Mark Twain Quotes:

“A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.“

“Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.“

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.“

“Do something every day that you don’t want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.“

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.“

“Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.“

“Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place.“

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.“

The list could really go on and on.

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In 1909, Twain was quoted saying:

“I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: ‘Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.’”

And he got his wish.  In 1910, on April 21, one day after Halley’s Comet’s ‘closest approach to Earth’, Twain died of a heart attack at the age of 74

So, let’s honor this amazing man and writer with a little Happy Birthday:

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Mark Twain,

Happy Birthday to you.

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*Note: Check out the links above for more info and to see my sources.  The picture was taken from Wikipedia.*

Quote of the Day: G.K. Chesterton

 

“A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.” ~ G.K. Chesterton.

Daily Question

Q:

How many novels have you read cover to cover?

A:

I honestly can not give you a definite number.  I read all the time, and while many of them aren’t novels (I’m more into non-fiction, memoirs and biographies), I have read quite a few novels in my day.

But, you deserve an answer, so I will give you a rough estimate.

I have probably read hundreds of books as I’ve been reading since I was a child, reading being very important to me my whole life.  However, as for novels, I have probably read maybe a hundred and some.  I’m sorry, I just don’t keep track of how many books I read/have read.

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How many novels have you read?  Do you keep track of what you read?

*Don’t forget to leave a link of your own answers to the daily question in the comments section below!*

NaNo Prep: Favorite Writing Drinks & Snacks

Like I said in an my “Inspiring Author Quotes” post, I will be posting writing related posts to get us all in the mood and inspired for NaNo!

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We writers can be very difficult people.  A lot of times we can only write in certain places at certain times with a certain “atmosphere”, and any other condition is out of the question.  We have our little “habits” that make us write better – or at least make us think we write better – and while these small tendencies may seem weird to others, for us, the writers, they are perfectly normal, and quite frankly, must be done.  

So it’s no surprise that each writer has their favorite drinks and snacks they like to consume while writing, and that even the greats, such as Frank Kafka and Joyce Maynard, had theirs.

As NaNo is only 1 day, 4 hours and 5 minutes away, it’s only appropriate that we talk about what we will be consuming – if anything –  while writing.  However, first, here is a little list of some of the favorite snacks and drinks of some of the greatest writers.

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Marcel Proust – He drank espresso like it was going out of style!

Joyce Maynard –  She enjoyed eating lime popsicles while she read over what she just wrote.

Walt Whitman – Walt would start off the day with a nice breakfast of oysters and meat.  Gross, I know.

Truman Capote - His schedule went something like this:  11am = coffee time;  12pm = mint tea;  2pm = nothing like a little sherry;  4pm = let’s end with a martini!

Emily Dickinson – She snacked on her own home-made baked bread!

F. Scott Fitzgerald – His writing snacks of choice consisted of canned meat – eaten straight from the can – and apples.

Check out the full list here.

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While the snacks consumed by these greats sound yummy – I especially liked Walt Whitman’s! – I myself prefer others.

Here are my favorite snacks and drinks to consume while writing:

Tea – Whether it’s iced or hot, I love tea.  I can’t drink coffee because I get massive migraines so tea is my drink of choice, whether I’m writing or not, and green tea is my favorite!

Chocolate – I mean come on!  What’s better than snacking on some dark chocolate?!

What are your favorite snacks and drinks to consume while writing?

Please leave a comment, in the comment section below, telling us all what your food and drink of choice is, and what your diet will consist of throughout NaNo!

Today in History: October 27th

October 27

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~ Births:

- 1967: Simone Moro -

Born in Bergamo, Italy, Simone Moro is a mountaineer, having climbed several 8000m peaks without the use of supplementary oxygen.

Simone Moro has succeeded in reaching the summit of: Mt. Everest, Mt. Vinson and Cho Oyo in 2002; Broad Peak, Elbrus and Kilimanjaro in 2003; and in 2006, Moro descended from the top of Everest in 4 hours.

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~ Deaths:

- 1977: James M. Cain - 

Born in Maryland, James Cain was a journalist and author, and seen as one of the creators of roman noir.

Cain spent the last year of World War I in France, writing for an Army magazine, and when he returned to the United States, he continued writing as a journalist.  His first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, was published in 1934.  He also wrote other well-known stories such as: Mildred Pierce, Double Indemnity, and Serenade, along with many others.  Several of his novels have inspired successful movies.

James Cain worked all the way up to his death, in 1977, at the age of 85.

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~ Events:

- 1954: Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the US Air Force -

Born in Washington D.C., Benjamin Davis, Jr. became the first African-American to become a general in the US Air Force, following in his father, Benjamin O Davis, Sr.’s footsteps whom was the first African American general in the US Army.

Unfortunately, at age 89, Benjamin Davis Jr. died on July 4th, 2002.  He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery and Bill Clinton said: ”General Davis is here today as living proof that a person can overcome adversity and discrimination, achieve great things, turn skeptics into believers; and through example and perseverance, one person can bring truly extraordinary change”.

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~ Holidays:

- Navy Day -

Celebrated by several countries, Navy Day is a day to observe and recognize a countries navy.

During this day, the public can visit military ships and see air displays.  The United States made their Navy Day on October 27 because it’s the birthday of “navy-obsessed” President, Theodore Roosevelt.

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*Note: The pictures were taken from Google Images.  Click on the links to find out more info and to see my sources.*