Top Ten Tuesday: Books For Fans of ABC's Once Upon a Time

"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly countdown meme, hosted by the Broke and the Bookish!

This week's Top Ten Tuesday subject matter got me what might be classified as "irrationally" excited, due to the inordinate amount of culture I consume outside of my regular book habit, and how excited I was to attach that singular hobby to absolutely everything else. How was I suppose to stick on one TV show, one song or band, one musical, one whatever, for a booklist? I actually ended up just brainstorming a list of potential sources of inspiration, and then baby book lists off of each of those. 

While I was conducting this time-consuming exercise - as a means of procrastinating writing an essay, due Wednesday in English, of course! - I remembered that I had missed this past week's episode of Once Upon a Time... and immediately put aside everything to watch. I swear, it took me an additional ten minutes of the episode to finally hit upon the fact that I was watching my real inspiration. 

FAIRY TALE FAN

Fantasies from worlds even more magical than the Enchanted Forest

1. Throne of Glass, S.J. Maas

OUaT has no shortage of kick ass heroines working against massively dangerous magical foes, and they would definitely find themselves in good company with YA's current fantasy assassin-in-residence Celaena. 

2. Poison, Bridget Zinn

Ditto to Kyra, a kick-butt potions master with a flair for flying darts and with a magical pig as an accomplice. Snow would LOVE her.

3. Stardust, Neil Gaiman

A far out fantasy with elements that reference fairy tale standbys with passing glances, and integrate every baddy in the book, Stardust crafts a world just as amazing as the Enchanted Forest.

4. The Princes Bride, William Goldman

Cuttingly ironic and hilariously sarcastic, the sense of humor permeating this modern classic's tale of a Farm-Boy-turned-Dread-Pirate and the Princess Bride he loves fits right in with the wise-talking residents of Storybrooke.

MAKE IT MODERN

Classic tales get a makeover for the modern world

5. Catherine and Jane, April Lindner

Updated, modern takes of the classic Bronte sister's opuses Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre (respectively), these YA novels effectively transport the drama of fiction into heady and rocker-filled modern eras. 

6. Sisters Grimm series, Michael Buckley

You're never going to believe this: a Middle Grade series about the daughters of fairy tale royalty (the Grimm Bros, in this case), living in an East Coast town, complete with magical border, populated by some of fantasy's favorites, including resident royalty, like the amoral Mayor Charming, assisted by people like a kindly granny and the Big Bad Wolf, and antagonized by a wisecracking boy who never grew up (in this case, it's Puck, from Shakespeare, not Peter Pan). Best part: it was a national bestseller before OUaT ever premiered.

7. Beastly, Towering, A Kiss in Time, by Alex Flinn

Flinn's YA works are well recognized for their transposition of classic fairy tale characters and tropes into the modern teen Universe. 

RIGHT OFF THE PAGE

Where fiction meets fantasy, as two worlds collide

8. The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde

A science fiction future-past (alternative history is just so much fun!) meets up with the page-hopping Edward Rochester and his darling Jane; meanwhile, our intrepid heroine Thursday Next battles love, mystery, and basically everything else endangering her small hometown. 

9. The Percy Jackson series, Rick Riordan

The rousing and well-reviewed Middle Grade juggernaut has spawned two movies, detailing the exploits of a boy who finds out he's descended from the Greek Gods. I'm sure Emma would find the situation a little similar... and can't you see Henry loving this series?

10. The Unwritten series, Mike Carey and Peter Gross

A dark and explicit series of graphic novels following the experiences of Tommy Taylor, a grown man who finds that the Harry Potter-likebook series his father published with him as the protagonist, may be grounded more in fact than fiction.

And, just as an extra, in honor of this current season's big baddie... 

11. Wicked, Gregory Maguire

Because everyone likes an alternative take on an old tale... and while OUaT's Wicked Witch is a Total Bitch, it's nice to reminded that we always have Elphaba to turn to when we need a bit of a different perspective.

What's in YOUR Top Ten?

The Origin Difference: What Formats Do You Favor?

Yesterday, I complained to a friend about how I hadn't gone book shopping in a couple of weeks.

Unfazed, she reminded me that I had just purchased six books on Kindle the previous day (because she's helpful like that). After several protests from me, explaining how different those two concepts are, she asked me why I found physical books so much more appealing than ebooks. Not wanting to get into yet another discussion about the relative merits of e-readers, I expostulated on the many merits of all forms of books, not just tethered to the physical and technological realms.

As I was detailing the stolid beauty of an old secondhand hardback, or the transient love affairs of library books, it began to dawn on me how much I enjoy one type of book over another. Not just in purchase, but in reviewing, as well. Why do I have these kind of prejudices for and against stories based on not how they're told, but how they're sold? Why do I favor certain formats, in both consuming and reviewing? So, I set about making a list. Unranked, unrestrained, here's my reasoning behind my own format favor: 

SAVANNAH'S DEFINITIVE LIST OF FORMAT FAVOR

LIBRARY

Cost: Blissfully, gloriously free. Usually teen reads I don't feel seriously enough about to actually purchase, their non-impact on my bank account and marshmallow-type subject matter make for less necessity on my part to actually enjoy it, which results in either the kind of comfort and absence of pressure that makes reading the book a brain vacation, which I rate reasonably high, or, if its just not what I'm looking for, I don't feel any sort of qualms about DNFing. Therefore, grading is a little less tethered to cost, than me actually liking it. Support your local libraries! 

KINDLE

Cost: Usually less than $5 unless I'm really, really dedicated to the series, or if it's a new release. These are my popcorn reads, the babies I fly through at Superman speeds while on long car rides or waiting for class to begin. However, over time, my ebook needs have been changing: what began simply as a means of hiding the worst of my gushy YA habits, has become my crutch, in a means of easily procuring whatever reading materials I'm craving at that very second. Most of my Kindle books result in lesser rankings, due to their cheapness and the relative ease with which they are procured... which is sad, because I feel like this is how I buy about half of my current reading material. 

SOFTCOVER

Cost: Fairly average for the amount I'm willing to spend on a book, around $15, I think. They're not new releases - otherwise they'd be in hardcover - so there's less pressure to be thought highly of, but due to the fact that they're also usually something I've been looking forward to reading, due to aforementioned hardcover issues, I've built up my own expectations and fully succumbed to hype. Due to that fact, they're usually not as good as I've imagined them to be, but since I paid good money for them, and was basically predetermined to enjoy them, the scores usually even out in their favor. 

HARDCOVER

Cost: Hella expensive, usually around $20 or more. The most expensive of all my book purchases, I really try not to make this one a habit, but being that my mother feels no such qualms about discerning between various book formats, she routinely kills me by purchasing these new releases, and then handing them off to me when she's finished. With a sturdiness that lends it a certain demand to be thought highly of, hardcovers usually are enjoyed less, but rated more highly, by me, due to their sheer dominating strength and imposing nature. 

ADVANCED READING COPIES

Cost: Free as the birds in the sky, but virtually priceless to the procurer. ARCs aren't just free, they're untested, unproved, books with no past and only a glimmering future that you can help decide. Especially in the book blogger community, ARCs are a status symbol, our nerd version of street cred, and something one can never have enough of. ARCs are the best, and since there's usually not any conflicting reviews out while you're reading, you really are free to make confident claims about how you actually think the book is. Usually with a better score, because holding them makes me feel good. #notashamed. 

SECONDHAND

Cost: Usually around or under $5. Aw, my darling secondhand babies. Inexpensive, but almost like a different kind of book-buying altogether, with alternative stories pressed in between the pages of the old ones... there's nothing like finding the goldmine of handwritten notes or the pearl of another's bookmark, pressed flower, or newspaper clipping. Besides, you just can't beat that smell. Usually best loved and best looked after, secondhand books make me feel like I'm adopting, giving a book a second chance at life. Rated highly for the benefit of history. 

So, how about you? Do you favor specific formats?

Stacking the Shelves: It's Only Week Four

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly Saturday book meme from Tynga's Reviews, all about sharing the books you've added to your shelves over the course of the week.

It should come as no such surprise that I have, yet again, fallen into the gaping pit of indecisions, fear, and anxiety that comes customary to the college experience... and it's only Week Four. Due to the impending tidal wave of projects waiting to ambush me at any moment in virtually all of my classes, and time dedicated to things like my sorority, Daffodil, and the fact that my sister, The Cheerleader, is not only in the Spring of her senior year, but that I'm attempting to desperately woo her to Sigma Kappa as much as possible, I'm swamped with various projects that all demand my attention. 

Needless to say, a particular brand of retail therapy was much in order. While I would rather spend my time and money purchasing paperback, there were a couple of deals on Kindle this week that were just too good to pass up, especially due to the fact that leaving the house would entail putting on what my roommates and I have nicknamed "real-people pants," and that just doesn't sound like a good deal for me right now. 

The Spectacular Now, Tim Tharp

A novel recently adapted for the major cinema crowd with Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller at the helm, The Spectacular Now is a contemporary with a warm and comedic teen romance that carries all the weight that naive youth and its first brushes with reality entails. 

If I Stay, Gayle Forman 

Yet another teen-romance-with-heft with ties to the silver screen - the movie adaptation is set to premiere August 22nd, starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Jamie Blackley - this book follows a young girl's decisions, fluttering between life and death, basically posing the question in the title of the novel itself. (Recommended by one of my best dude friends, so I feel like that bears witness.) 

Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta

Damn, I'm killing it on the teen dramas today, and I'm only just now starting to recognize it. I'm not even going to bother glossing over the plot, because not only is it emotionally complex and unable to be summarized in just a sentence, but its popularity as a novel ensures that others would be much better at explaining it than I. 

So, there's my haul. What're you stacking your shelves with this week?

College Fashion Post Link Up: Weetzie Bat

When attempting to find a source of inspiration for my most recent blog post, I experienced a bit of a conundrum in terms of what book about which I would write... mainly because I felt completely unmotivated to read anything new. I was tired of tackling YA, which, though most popular with the College Fashion readers, was a little redundant with its themes and characterizations. I wanted something out of the box, that would also ideally not take me so long to read, and maybe would introduce some of my more seasoned readers to something they hadn't read before (because I'm a humanitarian like that).

Flipping through my Pinterest boards - as I am wont to do not only when seeking inspiration, but basically at every other point in the day, as well, because let's face it, social media is my life - I stumbled across an old editorial from 2010, from LA screen-print-clothing-company-turned-hipsterwear-juggernaut Wildfox Clothing, who had taken inspiration from '90s fictional fashion maven Weetzie Bat, from Francesca Lia Block's book series of the same name. And there it was: inspiration stared me straight in the face, with its platinum blonde bangs and pink tutu skirt. Weetzie Bat became my muse, and I am so, so happy with how this post turned out.

It's not one of my most popular... maybe even one of my least, comments-wise. Primarily due to subject matter, it seems: I must confess, Weetzie is a little more of Rookie Mag's bag than College Fashion, but I also think that's one of the reasons why I like the post so much. In the end, Weetzie's offbeat styling and  verve for everything she encounters was just what I needed to break through this reading slump, so even if this post wasn't one of the most loved, at least I'm not burnt out on love triangles and a sixth grade reading level anymore.

So, check out my College Fashion article detailing Weetzie's history and style right now! And just in case you needed any further prompting, here's a quick preview of my favorite look of the article, based off of the many characters with whom Weetzie finds herself sharing a house:

Check out the rest of the Weetzie looks and the article here! 

Waiting on Wednesday: Bittersweet

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that gives bloggers the opportunity to highlight upcoming releases about which they are extremely excited. 

This week, I'm looking forward to summer, which makes beach reads a reasonably welcome topic at this time. Featuring family and brutality in a summer paradise, Bittersweet, by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore seems like it will serve up plenty of heat for those smokin' summer evenings, making its day May 13th. 

Mabel Dagmar is shocked as her gorgeous, Old Money roommate Genevra Winslow, affectionately nicknamed Ev, not only chooses  to befriend her, just a scholarship student at their prestigious East Coast university, but invites her to spend the summer at her family's Vermont century-old estate. There, the Winslow clan has been retreating for over a hundred years, and soon enough, Mabel feels like she's one of the family, too. Sinking into the languid summer's heavy rotation of sun, sparklers, cocktails and comfort, she finally feels like everything she's ever wanted - money, friendship, a boyfriend - is within her grasp... but it soon comes to light that her new position as one of the family makes for a great position for viewing some of the family's more dangerous secrets. 

When the Winslow's power comes from a more shocking source than she could ever have imagine and elicits striking violence into the core of the comfort she had so recently attained, Mabel must choose to hide the secrets she's uncovered, or revert to the powerless positions she held before. In defining for herself the lines running between good and evil, she finds that the two aren't so mutually exclusive, but she can't have both. 

Why am I excited? 

An idyllic waterside retreat plagued by corrupt people with too much money on their hands and shady dealings in their past? Man, is this going to make for a helluva summer read. And man, does it sound like an episode of Revenge (which is right up there by Scandal on the list of kick ass TV shows of which I have never been able to partake in, but seriously feel like I would enjoy immensely). I can't wait to get my hands on this novel! 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Characters Who've Shaped My Life

"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly countdown meme, hosted by the Broke and the Bookish! 

Diving a little into the deep end of the swimming pool this morning, for a post partially inspired by a revelation made by one of my English department compatriots, who suddenly discovered  that his sense of moral compass was determined more by Chris McCandless in Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild than it was by his religious upbringing. Seriously, that happened in class yesterday afternoon.

Regardless of your church affiliation - or lack thereof - I know there's a book there on your bedside table of years past, with someone inside who spoke to you, and changed the way you viewed the world. Be they the best friends you'd do anything to emulate, or the fearsome foes you'd face down whenever the time called for it, there are voices hidden within the bindings of some of your favorite reads, that you've listened to, maybe even since you were a kid, whose philosophies of life were adopted as your own. Here are mine!

1. Hermione Granger, from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series

Being smart isn't just cool... its amazing. You can work wonders, if you read for fun.  

2. Elizabeth Bennett, from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Being sassy works just as well, as long as you learn from your mistakes. 

3. Emma Woodhouse, from Jane Austen's Emma

Being driven and compassionate is also important. 

4.Tom Sawyer, from Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Adventure never killed anyone. (I mean, it almost did, but it didn't. And that's what's important.)

5. Beka, Alianne, and Keladry, from various series within Tamora Pierce's Tortall universe

Girls can seriously kick ass. Seriously. Also, fantasy is super cool. 

6. Milo, from Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth

Remember that thing Tom said about adventure? Never be bored, or boring, either. 

7. Gemma Doyle, from Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty

You have an unlimited, unlocked potential. You just need to take the chance for yourself. 

8. Paul (aka Muad'Dib), from Frank Herbert's Dune

One person can lead a revolution. (And knowing how to fight is really important in space.) 

9. Mary, from  Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden

You can be the one to make things magic. And spend some time outside every once in a while, it's good for you. 

10. Annie Dillard, in her biography An American Childhood

The most amazing thing you can always learn to be, is yourself, and the most important stories you can ever tell, are your own. 

What are your Top Ten?

I'm an English Major: Rewards for Being a Couch Potato

A brief anecdote about my recent experiences in the English major, here at UW. 

In my two short years I've been a part of the UW college campus, the only good things I've heard about being an English major... have been spoken by fellow English department members. 

At the risk of sounding cynical, I'm going to go out on a limb and say one of the concentrations specific to our scholarly focus - beyond even Literature and Creative Writing - is learning how to defend it in conversation. It's kind of an ego-killer when you hear about how all the other scholastic options are better than yours at your own school... and especially when even the Communications department thinks they can get in on the fun.

Recently, I suffered a bit of a Crisis of Future, after the publication of The Daily's annual "Career Guide" alongside its usual daily campus newspaper, where I found not even a single mention of a Humanities major, regardless of English itself making that list. What had so far been an ordinary morning suddenly spiraled into chaos, as the various factions of my brain desperately fought to regain domination over the near-crippling doubt set in place by the idea that maybe my English major was a waste of time. (This is kind of a routine thing with me, a kid who was raised on the "doctor, lawyer, accountant" mantra.)

Thankfully for me, an extended weekend at home was on the agenda. After two days vegging out on the sofa and catching up with my television, especially an exceptional psychologically-healing DVR-enabled eight-hour marathon of the current season of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I realized that checking back in with my schoolwork was probably necessary.

That's how, at 1am on Friday, I made the discovery that I had a two-paged, single-spaced essay reflection on comparison of two recent reads we'd covered in class, due at 8am on Friday. 

Stream-of-consciousness has always been my preferred essay-writing method, so in the ensuing hour, I knocked out both pages, and turned in the assignment without even glancing over my work, all by 2am. I was lucky enough to have my sister, The Cheerleader, sitting next to me, the following day when I received my results, plus grading commentary: "Beautifully written and great analyzing. I will be using this as an example in class." I  basically got a high five for being a couch potato, instead of the slap on the wrist that was going to help me stop procrastinating. (I am often rewarded for my study habits in this manner... hello, last Quarter's 4.0 in INFO.)

After reading the response aloud, my sister laughed, and vocalized a very pertinent question that changed the way I had been looking at my scholastic pursuits, "How much would it suck if you were anything but an English major?" It all clicked for me.

I am an English major, because I'm great at it. 

Seriously.

I have a firm handle on my talents, I work well under pressure, and routinely produce quality material, even if it may have stemmed from deadline duress. Sure, it may make it easier to get a job in the future with engineering or medical degrees, but if you do a terrible job, if you're not good at the things you do - or just as bad, if you don't like what you do - then how will that work out? I know how to work, and I enjoy doing it, and I do it well. At the risk of sounding like someone's "Words to Live By" Pinterest board, I have faith in my abilities and my future... even if those at The Daily might not. Writing wrocks.

end scene.