Category: Top X List Page 1 of 2

“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” Alan Bennett

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I love people who read. I think it screams humility. When someone reads, they are essentially admitting they want more, that the world is not enough for them. They want more knowledge, more experience. Whatever this life is, they want more of it. – Nicholas Browne

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The person who doesn’t read lives only one life. The reader lives 5,000. Reading is immortality backwards. – Umberto Eco

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I do not read for I have renounced life, I read because one life is just not enough for me. – Abbas Al-Akkad

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Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live. — Gustave Flaubert

(I don’t remember where I got this image)

“Books are delightful society. If you go into a room and find it full of books—even without taking them from the shelves they seem to speak to you, to bid you welcome” The Right Hon. William E. Gladstone Prime Minister. UK, 1809-1898

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At one magical instant in your early childhood, the page of a book—that string of confused, alien ciphers—shivered into meaning. Words spoke to you, gave up their secrets; at that moment, whole universes opened. You became, irrevocably, a reader.” ― Alberto Manguel

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When I think of all the books still left for me to read, I am certain of further happiness.  Jules Renard

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Reading books is the most glorious pastime that humankind has yet devised.  Wislawa Szymorska

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“I cannot remember a time when I was not in love with them–with the books themselves, cover and binding and the paper they were printed on, with their smell and their weight and with their possession in my arms, captured and carried off to myself.” ― Eudora Welty

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Books are everywhere; and always the same sense of adventure fills us. Second-hand books are wild books, homeless books; they have come together in vast flocks of variegated feather, and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack. Besides, in this random miscellaneous company we may rub against some complete stranger who will, with luck, turn into the best friend we have in the world.― Virginia Woolf

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Bearded by Jeremy Billups

I’ve talked about Bearded several times over the years, and I’ve commissioned a few images from Billups, too. So forgive me if this is too familiar.

This is the story of a little girl traveling the world with her bearded bear, having all sorts of adventures and meeting a bunch of different animals who happen to have beards. The art is simple and arresting. As a bonus, the endorsements on the back cover are a lot of fun. Great art, cute story, fun rhymes–everything you want in a picture book. Even better–animals with beards are the best animals that aren’t dogs. This is a charming little book that’s sure to please.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book, click here.

Conjured Defense by J.C. Jackson

There are seven books in this series, and I had a hard time picking just one. But I think I have to go with this one by a nose. Everything gelled a little better in this one, the magic and the technology combined in just the right way to show just how far this world can take that combination, and the fight scenes were top-notch. Basically, the series follows an arcane researcher and her paladin partner as they look into crimes on behalf of a magical equivalent of the FBI in a world where Middle Earth went through the Industrial and Digital Revolutions. Action, magic, magical creatures, gun fights, and more. It’s so fun.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book, click here.

Aether Powered by James T. Lambert

This is not the best novel that Lambert has given us, but there’s something about the charm of it that endears it more to me than the others. A 21st Century college student coming into possession of Steampunk tech and letting loose with it is pure fun. Throw in an oddball bunch of wanna-be pirates, and you’ve got something to remember.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book, click here.

Harvested by Troy Lambert

A solid P.I. story involving a dog-napping ring? You know that’s going to get my attention. Troy Lambert has the chops, too and you see that on every page. Great characters–both primary and supporting. The PI’s backstory is sets up a wonderful arc that I’m sure will pay-off well. A good, twisty start to a series.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book, click here.

This is goes back to 1996, far before I started doing this sort of thing. It’s a fantastic mix of academic satire, environmental fiction, and just general postmodern shenanigans. It’s funny, it’s strange, it’s touching, and more.

However Long the Day by Justin Reed

A The Prince and the Pauper-esque story set in New York in 1918, that’s so much more. You’ve got a nice little touch of crime thriller, a cute romance, some decent social commentary. But most importantly, it’s just a well-written and engaging read. While trying to think of what to put here to beef up this paragraph, I’ve really just convinced myself that I need to re-read it soon.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book, click here.

It bothers me greatly that I haven’t written a post about this book. It’s a stand-alone fantasy that just made me happy. The characters are wonderful. The story has just the right number of twists and the pacing is spot-on. I love Regnier’s take on werewolves, which is not to downplay his giants or the dragon. And the companion that our titular bard brings along for the adventure is a great twist.

Cover of Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo by Amy Maren Rice

This MG novel–definitely written for a young male audience (but not solely), features a silly kind of magic creature that activate their powers through flatulence (see what I meant about young males?). But there’s more than that, it’s a sweet family adventure, that’ll leave you demanding another book (we’re waiting, Amy). I can–and have–recommended this to readers young and old.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book, click here.

Big Trouble in Little Italy by Nicole Sharp

This is a book I will not recommend to the young (and I don’t think Sharp would mind that). This is a silly rom-com/mafia novel. It kicks off when she has to track down the “joke marriage” that came from a college weekend in Vegas, so she can get married. He reveals that he’s with the FBI and her fiancé is very involved with the mafia. Hilarity (frequently) and tension ensues. It’s fun, it’s foxy, it’s totally not my thing, but I had a blast with it.

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book, click here.

The Wizard’s Heir by Devri Walls

This is Walls’ only non-YA book, and I really wish that wasn’t the case (not a complaint about her YA). This is a solid stand-alone fantasy that turned me into a fan. It’s been nine years since I read this, so my recollection on the details is pretty shot. I do remember being very engaged and entertained. There’s excitement, a dash of romance, some magic and a few good fight scenes–pretty much what you want from a fantasy

In case you’re curious about what I said about the book, click here.