Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is Top Ten Romances in Books.  It can include the most romantic couples, or your favorite romance novels.  I'm going to stick with my favorite romance novels.  I have so many that I love, it was hard to narrow it down to just ten.  But here they are, my Top Ten Romances! 

10.  Lady Whilton's Wedding by Barbara Metzger

9.  Match Me if You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips 

8.  Ransom by Julie Garwood

7.  Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

6.  He Loves Lucy by Susan Donovan

5.  Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

4.  Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

3.  The Bride by Julie Garwood

2.  Persuasion by Jane Austen

1.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen  

What are your favorite romance novels? Or your favorite romantic couple?

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish. The topic this week is your Top Ten Bookish Memories, i.e. meeting an author, waiting in line to purchase a new release, or a memory of reading your favorite book. 


I haven't had the pleasure of meeting an author, but I had plenty of good memories of reading great books.  

Not many people know this, especially in the blog world, between the ages of 8 and 16, I lived with my family in Portugal (my parents are from there), although I knew the language, I always felt awkward with the others kids, I was teased because of my accent, my name, etc..., I didn't make friends very easily, my refuge was reading.  I read just about anything I could get my hands on: Enid Blyton's Famous Five, Secret Seven and Mallory Towers series; Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series; Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  I made friends with those characters very easily.  There were many times that my grandmother had to force me out of the house on beautiful summer days. Wherever I went, a book came along with me.  I loved reading on the beach (still do), salt air, the waves crashing in the background, and having a Perna de Pau (my favorite Ola ice cream).

Reading in the closet with a flashlight.  I did that so I wouldn't be interrupted by my younger sister.  It worked like a charm, until she figured it out.

Reading on the couch on a rainy day with a fire in the fireplace, the radio on low and having tea and discovering new worlds or visiting old friends.

When I read The Diary of Anne Frank for the first time.  It was the first book that brought me to tears.  Just thinking about it now, it's making me tear up.  While reading it I felt that Anne was truly a wonderful person and she always thought the best of people, she had hope in a very trying time.

This is a funny memory:  I was reading To Kill a Mockingbird while walking home from school.  Not a safe thing to do, I know.  While I walking and reading I bumped into a light post and said "excuse me sir", and kept on walking, oblivious that my mother was behind me the whole time. I am still teased about this.

I remember the first time I read a Jane Austen novel, it was Sense and Sensibility.  It was one of those moments where I had the "where have you been all my life" feeling.  I then read every single book written by the author, my favorites are Pride & Prejudice and Persuasion. 

Another favorite memory was reading my first romance novel. I was in University at the time, it was during exam time, I was stressed, and needed a break, walked into a Coles at Rideau Centre in Ottawa and asked the sales person for a good read that would not make me think too much, and it had to be funny.  She suggested Julie Garwood's The Bride.  Needless to say I fell hook, line and sinker for historical romances.

But my favorite was the first time I read a book to my newborn daughter.  You would think reading a book to an infant would be easy enough, but I was bawling by the end of it.  The first book I read to Sophie (who's 12 now) was Robert Munsch's Love You Forever.  It was also the first book I read to my son Kyle (10), and I had the same reaction.

What about you?  What are your favorite bookish memories?

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's Top Ten consists of the settings you'd like to read or you'd like to see more in books.

I'm a huge historical fiction fan, I love reading books set in the Regency, Victorian and Edwardian times, but I also like to expand it a little more, my only complaint is that majority of books are in England, North America, France, etc... You get the point.  Here are my Top Ten historical settings that I would love to see more in books:

1.  American gold rush - it can be either western or even Alaska gold rush, not picky in that area.

2. Westerns - I can't remember the last time I read a western, I loved reading romances set in the west. Rugged gunslingers, cowboys, rangers... 

3.  South America - The countries in south America are full of turbulent political history, and there's a certain exotic feeling to that region.

4.  South Pacific 

5. Japan - I'm fascinated with Japanese culture

6. China - Great Wall of China, need I say more?...imagine the possibilities!

7.  Scandinavia - I want me some Vikings!

8.  Russia - Russia, is a country rich in history, I don't understand why there isn't more

9.  Canada - I would love to see more, please.

10.  Portugal - Another country that is rich in history and at one point in time it ruled oceans (and the world). ;)

If you have suggestions on books with these setting let me know, I'm always looking for more to read.  Thanks! 

To join in the fun, visit here.  

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's Top Ten consists of Top Ten Favorite Reads of 2012.  Hmmm, it's going to be hard for me...So far I've read about 54 books, it may be tough...Let's what I've considered my favorite read so far this year.

Top Ten Favorite Read of 2012:

10.  Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I loved the way how this book brought back all those teenage emotions, the confusion and the need to fit in and finally realizing what really is important.  I haven't read anything else by the author but I will definitely will be on the lookout.

9.  It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake - Debut author, I'm a huge fan of cosy mysteries so I had to add one to the list.  And this one is it.

8.  The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll - The first book of Susan Carroll's popular series.  I was hooked right from the beginning.

7.  Helen of Troy by Margaret George - Historical fiction at its best! Need I say more?

6.  The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig - I've been meaning to read this series for a very long time and I finally did, still not caught up but working on it.  I fell in love with series right at the beginning.

5.  The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny - This series only gets better, even with the "little twist" the author threw in this book.

4.  The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister - Four words: Food For Your Soul. 

3.  A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny - Although I enjoyed The Beautiful Mystery, I liked this one more.  After Bury Your Dead I didn't know where the author would go with the series, it was a very powerful book and A Trick of the Light picked up right after and it felt seamless.

2.  Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer - I fell in love with Oskar, what an incredible little boy.

1.  Dancing on Broken Glass by Ka Hancock -  This book was a very emotional read for me. I spent most of the time with a tissue wiping tears.  Beautifully written and poignant story.

What about you?  What are your favorite reads of the year?  To join in the fun, visit here.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists! Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

This is my first time participating in this meme.  So here it goes...This week's topic is Top Ten New To Me Authors I Read In 2012:

1.  Ka Hancock - I read her debut book, Dancing on Broken Glass, and was amazed by it.  The book was very well written,  I couldn't put it down.  I cannot wait for her next book.

2.  Erica Baurmeister - I cannot express how much I enjoyed The School of Essential Ingredients!  It was amazing!

3.  Sarah Jio - This is an author that I've been meaning to read for a while, but never got around to.  I'm glad that I read The Violets of March was beautifully written with wonderful and colorful characters.

4.  Susan Carroll - Another author that has been on my to read list for a very long time.  I read The Dark Queen recently, and now I'm hooked.  Love the author style of writing and her characters was very interesting and some are very mysterious.  Yep, I'm hooked.

5.  Juliet Blackwell - I came upon this author and her the first book of the series by browsing the mystery shelves at my local library. Secondhand Spirits was a great book and I fell in love with Oscar the main character's pot bellied pig.

6.  Heather Blake - Read her first book, It Takes a Witch, back in March and really enjoyed it.  Great first book for a paranormal cosy mystery.

7.  Meg Donahue - How to Eat a Cupcake was a great book. Loved the characters, and their determination to make it, both on the business front but also on recovering their friendship.

8.  Stephanie Perkins - Earlier in the year I read Anna and the French Kiss.  I enjoyed the story  and it brought back memories of my teenage years, both good and bad.

9.  Stephanie Sloan - I discover another historical romance series that I need to follow.  I'm not up to date yet, but I will definitely be picking up more of the author's books.  The Devil in Disguise was a great little story. 

10.  Jane Myers Perrine - The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek was suggested to me by a friend.  Although I enjoyed the small town feel of the book, I found that it reminded me a lot of Jan Karon's Mitford series, and it felt short in comparison.