Top Ten Picks Meme April 6, 2010: Must Reads

This is a weekly meme hosted by Jillian at Random Ramblings where she picks every week she picks a different and specific topic to list our top ten favorites.You really have to think a bit about these!

This week the list is:Top Ten Books You Have To Read At Least Once
Here are mine, not necessarily in the order listed except for #1.
 

1. The Holy Bible

It doesn't have to be the King James Version. In fact sometimes people not accustomed to reading the Bible like The Way or The Message.

2. Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Trilogy - Boxed Set of 4 Books

You really should read the Hobbit

before the LOTR trilogy!

3. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

I thought this was an excellent 

Civil War history novel. 

I loved the style that made reading history 

interesting by following the officers and participants.

 

4. The Shack by William P. Young

I don't necessary agree with all of the 
theories in this book - it is fiction. 

But it is a wonderful, imaginative presentation of God. 

If it makes you think - that's good.

 

5. Alice In Wonderland 

by Lewis Carroll

This is a classic not to miss.

6.  God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours by Regina Brett

This little book is so full of wisdom
for everyday living that 

I think everyone should read it at least once!

7.  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

If you have never read this you really should.

My DH is not a reader although I can get him to 

listen to books on Audible now and again.

This may be the only book he has read 

more than once - other than the Bible.

He listened to this again about 

a month ago and kept saying - 

"This is happening in our country today!"

 

8.  The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Like Jillian I read this book very early in life 

and still have my copy. 

(Wait till you see the picture below!)

 

9.  This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti

This book changed my view of angels and demons.

It also changed my prayer life!

10.  White Lotus by John Hershey

This is another classic worth reading. 

This might give you pause to think.

An allegorical novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and reporter. In a world in which whites have been enslaved by Orientals, a young girl named White Lotus is captured in Arizona and transported to China. After being sold into slavery, she survives a vast Chinese civil war and is emancipated upon its conclusion. Later she abandons her life as a tenant farmer and moves to the white district of a large city in the North of China in search of a better life.

Now I do not have a copy of White Lotus but I have never forgotten reading it in college after reading Hiroshima.

We have several worn out Bibles - the red one in the picture below is my husband's and is all separated from its binding. My copy of This Present Darkness is with a friend at church but I do have the sequel Piercing the Darkness. I gave my copy of The Shack to my step mother.

But to show that I mean these books are keepers here are pictures of my very worn books!  My son insisted on buying a new set of Tolkien books as he refused to read my old "moldy" books! :D

Top Ten Picks Meme: Fictional Characters

This is a new meme hosted by Jillian at Random Ramblings. The week's (Tuesday to Monday) topic is "Fictional Characters".  I had to think on this a few days. 
Here are the ones I picked - in no particular order although the first five came to mind quicker than the rest.

Several people picked characters from Harry Potter - I picked a different Wizard.
1. Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings.
(Aragorn would be a good choice too.)

2. Chloe from the TV series 24

Just look at this sulk!
She manages the computer sooo well!

3. Sookie Stackhouse from the Vampire Series
by Charlaine Harris. From the book not the TV series.


I'm waiting for the next book due out in May!

4.  Tempe Brennan
from the Bones series
by Kathy Reichs.

Again - the books not the TV series.
She is a wonderful forensic
anthropologist -and very human!

5.  Rachel Morgan from the Hollows series

by Kim Harrison

I have to check my Audible for this

book that was just released.

6.  Yelena and 7. Valek
from the Study trilogy by Maria V. Snyder.

If I forgot that series last week
then it should be added!

I LOVED all three books!

8.  Doc--Delilah Oliver Clementyne the heroine of  Girl Gone Nova
by Pauline Baird Jones
Doc's mission is to do the impossible.
Usually she succeeds!
Sara from The Key, the first book
in the series,  was close behind this choice.

 9. Hawkeye from The Last of The Mohicans

- the 1992 movie.

I like the character.
This is the only movie I liked this actor in.

I had to pin this down because I also like 

John Dunbar (Kevin Costner)
in Dances with Wolves or

The Postman (Kevin Costner)
in The Postman or

Robin Hood (Kevin Costner)
in Robin Hood or

The Mariner (Kevin Costner)
in Water World

But since I was picking the character and not the actor...

10. Lucy Eleanor Moderatz
played by Sandra Bullock in the
Movie While You Were Sleeping
I also liked her character,
Angela Bennett in The Net.
Okay - guess I like quirky characters.

Also rans:
I had these listed but then remembered Yelen and Valek so they got bumped.

11.  Quigley from the Movie

Quigley Down Under

He was a good "cowboy" hero character - 

and I like Tom Selleck! :o)

12.  Dustfinger from  Inkheart by Cornelia Funke -
Again from the book not the movie.

He is an exceedingly flawed character IMHO.

Okay - I will stop now before I think of more. :o)



OHHH - I just remembered another that must be listed:

13. Aloysius Pendergast - The FBI protagonist

from the series by 

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

This is a series that my husband will listen to.

He actually has read the latest before me.

Top Ten Picks Meme: Book Series

This is a new meme hosted by Jillian at Random Ramblings.
The first topic is "Book Series".  I thought it might be hard to pick ten until I went through my author lists! Then I realized it was hard to pick ONLY ten!

I will buy all of the books in these series either in print or audio.  Some of these are authors I automatically buy and collect ALL their books, not just the series.  A few I actually keep even though I should pass them on someday! 
Automatic buy is noted by A
Keepers are noted by K

Here are my Top Ten Picks (er...well there were 13 - I just couldn't pick any to remove) in Book Series in no particular order:

Sookie Stackhouse (vampire) series by Charlaine Harris (basis for HBO series True Blood)
Rachel Morgan/The Hallows (witch) series by Kim Harrison
Cassandra Palmer (clairvoyant) series by Karen Chance
The Bridgerton Family (Regency historicals) by Julia Quinn A; K
The Governess Bride (Victorian historicals) series by Christina Dodd A; K
Chicago Stars (Contemporary) series by Susan Elizabeth Phillips A
Temperance Brennan (forensic) series by Kathy Reichs (basis for TV series Bones) A
Slightly (Bedwyn family - Regency hisoricals) series by Mary Balogh A (Any of her other series too!)
The Cynster (Regency historicals) series by Stephanie Laurens A
The Guardian (fantasy historicals) series by Mary Jo Putney A
The Compass Club (Regency historicals) series by Jo Goodman A (I loved that series!)
Calhoun Chronicles (historicals) series by Susan Wiggs 
The Sisters of the Lone Star (western historical) series by Joan Johnston (Another great series!)

The above would be my top ten eleven thirteen but my series don't stop there.  Here are more:

Malory Family (Regency historicals) series by Johanna Lindsey A
The Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson
The Seducer series by Madeline Hunter A
FBI Thriller (FBI agents) series by Catherine Coulter A
Pendergast (FBI paranormal) series by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child This is one of the few series I can get DH to listen too.
Eve Dallas (futuristic tough NYPSD female cop) series by JD Robb Just starting this series
The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien

I do have more 'automatic buy' authors but not necessarily for series.
So - do you have a favorite series or two that I don't have?  I know I am missing some of the more current urban fantasy authors.