Top Ten Things to Read When You Need Something Light and Fun

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Although I rarely re-read books (too many books on my TBR list for that!), there are some books I can't help but pick up time and time again, and more often than not, they are light and fun!

1. Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson. This is the first in the Queen Betsy series of novels, and although I haven't continued reading the series yet, I've read this one at least twice. It is just hilarious - Betsy (short for Elizabeth Taylor) is a cynical, shoe-obsessed newborn vampire, and the book is mostly concerned with her coping with her vampire powers and just being annoyed by everything. I was quite honestly surprised by this book, as it managed to blend chick lit tropes with wit and an engrossing plot. A real winner! My Review | GoodReads | Amazon

2. Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell. A lot of people disliked this book because it's so different from the TV show - there is no warmth or real storylines, and the characters are mere sketches compared to Sarah Jessica Parker and the gang. But the reason why I like it so much is because it is essentially a collection of Bushnell's Sex and the City columns featuring her alter ego, Carrie Bradshaw. Essentially, it is the things Carrie types out on her computer, like pieces on Toxic Bachelors or Psycho Moms. It works whether you read it in order, as Mr. Big starts to reappear and become more fleshed out, or if you just turn to any random piece and read it as part of the collage that is the New York dating scene. GoodReads | Amazon

3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling. Book four is hands down my favorite in the Boy Wizard series, and for a number of reasons. It has such great dynamics between the characters - Harry and Ron's fight, for example, is some of the best writing Rowling has done in the series, and the burgeoning romance on all fronts is so much fun to read. Moreover, both the Triwizard Challenge and the Quidditch World Cup are such exciting and unique set pieces! It is an altogether dynamic book with one of the funniest (and most frustrating) characters in the entire series - Rita Skeeter! GoodReads | Amazon

4. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend. I must have read this book at least ten times. It is a hilarious fictional diary of a confused, klutzy and pseudo-intelectual teen boy in early '80s Britain. Not only is his worldview skewed and downright delusional, making the book side-splittingly funny, it is also set against historical events such as Lady Diana's wedding or Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's political activity, all of which are misinterpreted by Adrian. Also, his pining after his high school sweetheart Pandora is beyond sweet! Get two copies of this book - one for you, and for the teen in your family. You'll read it again and again, and laugh until your sides hurt! GoodReads | Amazon

5. I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson. I first read this book a thousand years ago, long before its popularity was somewhat revived by the somewhat unsuccessful movie starring Sarah Jessica Parker (what is it about SJP that I so adore!?). It is a year or so in a life of a working mother who juggles her children and her career, usually with a lot of panic and hysteria. It's been a while since I last picked it up, and I'm not sure how the book would hold up against the gender worldviews I've acquired since then, but I am just about certain I would enjoy it again! GoodReads | Amazon

6. Speaking With the Angel, edited by Nick Hornby. This is a real gem. Although Hornby himself is a hit-and-miss for me, the anthology of short stories he compiled for charity is a roller coaster of different voices and experiences, including those of Hornby himself, Helen Fielding and Colin Firth (yes, that Colin Firth). There wasn't a single story here I disliked, and the great thing about an anthology like this is that you can revisit your favorite stories for an instant dose of positivity and happiness! GoodReads | Amazon

7.  Muscling Through by J. L. Merrow. You guys, you have no idea how incredibly sweet and cute this romance is. As if the pairing of a Cambridge art professor and a sensitive street thug wasn't dreamy enough, Al's somewhat dimwitted point of view reveals both protectiveness and confusion when it comes to the higher-class professor. I have seen many bloggers and reviewers gush over this novella and J. L. Merrow in general, and I am so glad. This author deserves all the readers that he can get! My Review | GoodReads | Amazon

8. The Fran Lebowitz Reader by Fran Lebowitz. The collection of previously published pieces by the celebrated humorist is both outrageous and profoundly observant. A reviewer on GoodReads noted how her writing is so rhythmic, you can't help but read certain parts aloud, and I agree completely. Another calls her "a cross between Dorothy Parker, Oscar Wilde, and that friend of yours who never shuts the fuck up." Again, so true. Read this to find out why Los Angeles and its people suck, what an irresponsible author does when she misses her deadline, or why children are infinitely better conversations companions than adults (hint: they will never ask for a loan!). GoodReads | Amazon

9. Ms. Taken Identity by Dan Begley. If for no other reason, this book should be cherished for promoting the criminally overlooked dick lit (or lad lit, if you wanna be appropriate) genre. It is about a PhD candidate with serious girlfriend issues who can't sell his serious book and instead decides to come up with a female pen name and write a chick lit novel. Although he initially thinks this would be an easy feat, he realizes there's more to understanding women than watching Oxygen and Oprah, and develops a newfound respect for the genre, as well as a romantic interest way out of his league. My Review | GoodReads | Amazon

10. Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding. Obviously. I am not exactly sure whether I prefer the book or the movie when I want to get away and experience the hell of Bridget's life, but good old Bridget never fails to put a smile on my face! I also find it very motivational - as the heroine would say, "It is proved by surveys that happiness does not come from love, wealth, or power but the pursuit of attainable goals." She is the underdog in all of us, and seeing her win just makes me feel all warm inside! GoodReads | Amazon

Thanks for reading through this massive post - I hope I've given you some good ideas for your future reading! What do you like to read when you're in the mood for something light and fun?

30 Day Book Meme - Day 2

#02 A book you've read more than three times*

There's a lot of books that I've read more than once, and most of them have to do with my childhood and adolescence. I find that this is the period where most people are looking for (positive) affirmation, and will thus often re-read books that they identified with.

Thus, I have to start with Enid Blyton. Now, my mom used to have this book by Blyton when she was a child, and I believe it was then published in Serbia as a standalone - in other words, without any context of the series. But obviously, it's the Famous Five series, and I'm pretty sure it's one of the earlier ones. But since it was titled here as The Secret of Kirrin Island, and there is no such original titles in the series, I am unsure of which one it actually is. Just to spice it up, I've included the cover of the edition I read - it's so vintage and beautiful.

Also, there was Anne of Green Gables - the original novel, and I must admit I've never read the other books in the series. But I absolutely loved Anne and how smart and chatty she was. I also remember that I had a kid crush on Gilbert Blythe, and it was really good to watch the fabulous TV adaptation(s) and find out where the story went. As a companion to this book, I must also say that I was obsessed with the Road to Avonlea TV series, which is based on Anne, and expands the universe... It's beautiful.

Finally, there's Harry Potter. Obviously. I started reading HP at the age of 11, and it is without a doubt something that left its biggest impact on me. I remember being shocked by the candidness of the books (something that I feel people often overlook, particularly in light of the somewhat sugarcoated films) - the graphic violence, the negotiation of death, the characters' struggle to fit in, poverty... It is without a doubt the most important series of books that I've read in my life.

What are some of the books that you've read more than three times?

*for the complete list of questions, and the links to the answers, click here.

30 Day Book Meme - Day 1

Since I'm determined to really push my book blog and post frequently on it, but am at the same time cramming for my exams (which is good - it means I'm reading a lot, but also lacking the time to write reviews), I decided to start the 30 Day Book Meme, which I stumbled upon at Ellen's book blog here. Obviously, the meme isn't going to take over the blog completely, but it's a nice way to break up the upcoming reviews, get to know me a little bit and point to some of my earlier reviews.

I love the idea of the meme, as it seems to me more meaningful than most memes I've seen around book blogs - those were mostly temporary and would lose their validity about a day or so after you filled it out. This one, however, I decided to really invest some time in so it can still be (somewhat) truthful even if accessed in five years, or whatever. So here we go!

Day 1 - The Best Book You Read Last Year

The year of 2011 was pretty eclectic, reading-wise. I've read some modern classics, been introduced to Chicano lit (reviews to come!) and read a LOT of GLBT fiction and non-fiction, but all in all, the book that I feel I've thought about the most was the one that I've reviewed already - Gregory Maguire's Wicked. It is a novel that I had wanted to read for a long time, but also one that can easily be described as a chore, since it is long and unfocused and often requires some previous Wizard of Oz knowledge to fully appreciate it.

So not to write a review again, let me just say it was a fabulous read. The sort-of-prequel to The Wizard of Oz, Wicked is a book you invest a lot into - your time, patience, emotions - and it is rewarding in the sense that you walk away with a sense of thinking you know what it did to you. It is heavy with symbols, metaphors and such, making it far from transparent (in fact, it can sometimes get pretty confusing, as well as a little too abstract). On the one hand, this can make for a frustrating reading experience. On the other, it's one of those things where I will randomly be reminded of Wicked and its ideas when I least expect to be - and it will often be things I hadn't exactly thought of while reading the book.

For me, that sort of literary impact is more than impressive. It ensures that the memory of the novel will stay with me, and that Maguire has managed to tune some of my brain cells to dance to his tune.

30 Day Book Meme:

#01 The best book you read last year

#02 A book that you've read more than 3 times

#03 Your favorite series

#04 Favorite book of your favorite series

#05 A book that makes you happy

#06 A book that makes you sad

#07 Most underrated book

#08 Most overrated book

#09 A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving

#10 Favorite classic book

#11 A book you hated

#12 A book you used to love but don't anymore

#13 Your favorite writer

#14 Favorite book of your favorite writer

#15 Favorite male character

#16 Favorite female character

#17 Favorite quote from your favorite book

#18 A book that disappointed you

#19 Favorite book turned into a movie

#20 Favorite romance book

#21 Favorite book from your childhood

#22 Favorite book you own

#23 A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven't

#24 A book that you wish more people would've read

#25 A character who you can relate to the most

#26 A book that changed your opinion about something

#27 The most surprising plot twist or ending

#28 Favorite title

#29 A book everyone hated but you liked

#30 Your favorite book of all time.

Meme Time!

1. What author do you own the most books by? Well, it is easy to say J.K. Rowling, since I own all seven Harry Potter books, plus Quidditch Through the Ages. However, I think I own even more Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus, Love's Labour's Lost, As You Like It, King Henry VI, King Henry VIII, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like it, The Merchant of Venice...

2. What book do you own the most copies of? Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, all in different editions. One is a hardcover Serbian translation, published in 1986. The second one is a Penguin Classics edition, and finally, the third one is a part of The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, part of the Oxford Paperbacks series. The funny thing is, all three books were given to me by the same person!

3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions? No, I think it's quite normal.

4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with? Wow, I never thought of characters that way. However, Dorian Grey would certainly be one of them, as well as Will from Cunningham's Flesh & Blood. Finally, I adore Mrs. Dalloway!

5. What book have you read the most times in your life? Probably a Harry Potter book.

6. Favorite book as a ten year old? That's easy! Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

7. What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year? Probably Alec Thrace and the Lost Medallion.

8. What is the best book you’ve read in the past year? I adored Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal!

9. If you could force everyone you know to read one book, what would it be? To Kill a Mockingbird. But they can't have Atticus. He's mine.

10. What book would you most like to see made into a movie? Michael Cunningham's Flesh and Blood. I am also excited to see the newest Dorian Grey movie!

11. What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read? This is a very difficult question. Canterbury Tales comes to mind, though I may be wrong. Also, The Mysteries of Udolpho, not difficult due to style, but due to slowness!

12. What is your favorite book? This is an impossible question to answer. I will simply skip it.

13. What is your favorite play? Probably Shakespeare's Macbeth, or A Midsummer Night's Dream. I am looking forward to reading Equus.

14. Poem? I am partial to Adam Zagayewski.

15. Essay? I have no idea.

16. Who is the most overrated writer alive today? I really have no idea.

17. What is your desert island book? Probably something with practical tips, and then some Cunningham for enjoyment.

18. And . . . what are you reading right now? I'm finnishing a light, fluffy YA read The Coffeehouse Angel, which I will review tomorrow. After that, I'm reading some Victorian and Modernist literature for school - Lord Jim, Vanity Fair, Wurthering Heights, The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man,...

Meme: Me and My Reading Habits

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?

Whereas tea and coffee are my beverages of choice when it comes to reading, I also like to snack from time to time. Fruit is the best solution, because it never leaves you too thirsty, meaning you don't need to take a break in your reading so you could go get a glass of water.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

I would never do it. However, I have been in situations where I had a library book with notes in it, and I felt as if I was having a conversation with whoever it was that had read the book before me. Sometimes I felt he or she had great insight, and sometimes I just hated them. :)

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?

Bookmarks all the way! Dog-ears are okay I guess, if you really can't find anything to put in the book, but I find it too much fun to collect bookmarks! I always buy a bookmark as a souvenir wherever I go!

Laying the book flat open?

Sure, I've done it.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

Fiction, but I also love memoirs of certain interesting people.

Hard copy or audiobooks?

Hard copy. I cannot stand audiobooks.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?

Sure I'm able to put the book down, but I hate doing it in the middle of a chapter!

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?

Not really. It would just damage my reading experience. Chances are, it's not too important, and even if it is, you can usually figure it out from context.

What are you currently reading?

Two books. Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, and The Diary by Eileen Goudge.

What is the last book you bought?

Probably The Fire by Katherine Neville.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?

I usually have to read more books at the time, since I have required reading for university, but I also read books for pleasure.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?

Not really. I am just happy whenever I find the time!

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

I prefer books that have literary merit. Usually, series books don't, since they are too concerned with plot, cliff-hangers, etc. That said, I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and there are certain other series books I just adore.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?

Yes. Michael Cunningham is my all-time favorite author, hands down.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)

I don't. I love my books to be a hot mess!

How Many Have You Read?

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here. How does your reading habits stack up?

I saw this on A BookLovers Diary's site:


Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES. Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read. Tag other book nerds. Tag me as well so I can see your responses!



1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen ()

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (X)

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (X)

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (X)

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee ()

6 The Bible ()

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte ()

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell (X)

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (X)

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (X)

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott (X)

12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy ()

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller ()

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare ()

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier()

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (X)

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk ()

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (X)

19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger ()

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot ()

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell ()

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald ()

23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens ()

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy ()

25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams ()

26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh ()

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky ()

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck ()

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (X)

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame ()

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy ()

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (X)

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis ()

34 Emma-Jane Austen ()

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen ()

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (X)

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hossein ()

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres ()

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden ()

40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne (X)

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell (X)

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (X)

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ()

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving ()

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins ()

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (X)

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy ()

48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood ()

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding ()

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan ()

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel ()

52 Dune - Frank Herbert ()

53 Cold Comfort Farm ()

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen ()

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth ()

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon ()

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens ()

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley ()

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon ()

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ()

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (X)

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov ()

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt ()

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold ()

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas ()

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac ()

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy ()

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding (X)

69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie ()

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville ()

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (X)

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker (X)

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett ()

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson ()

75 Ulysses - James Joyce ()

76 The Inferno – Dante ()

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome ()

78 Germinal - Emile Zola ()

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray ()

80 Possession - AS Byatt ()

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens ()

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell ()

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker ()

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro ()

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert ()

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry ()

87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White ()

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom (X)

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ()

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton ()

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad ()

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (X)

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks ()

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams ()

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole ()

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute ()

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas ()

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare (X)

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl ()

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo ()

Well I've read 24! How many have you read?

*Thanks to Natalie for tagging me! Since I don't have any close blog friends, I will simply tag the ones I like to read:

Ladybug

Jenn-ay

The Eclectic Reader