Top Thirteen Books Set Outside the UK and the US

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.  I am modifying the topic of "books set outside the US" to "books set outside the UK and the US," because a lot of what I read is set in the UK.  Anyhow, I love this theme because a strong sense of place in a book is something that really appeals to me and I have always enjoyed exploring other countries, cultures, and time periods through books!  I was not able to narrow my list down to ten books, so I have twelve this week.

1.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

One of my absolute favorites!  It has some Gothic elements, along with mystery, romance, and even humor.  It is certainly a book lover's book, set in enchanting Barcelona.  

2.

The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Another Spanish author whose work I really enjoy.  His books are mysteries, cerebral and exciting.  Like The Shadow of the Wind above, this is another book perfect for those who love books.  The Ninth Gate, an excellent movie which stars Johnny Depp as a cutthroat antiquarian bookseller who must acquire a book so rare that only three copies have ever been in existence, is based on this novel.  

3.

Henrik Ibsen's plays

The Norwegian Ibsen is my favorite playwright after Shakespeare.  Some of his best plays are Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, An Enemy of the People, and A Doll's House.

4.

The Poetic Edda by Anonymous 

Not a difficult read, and fun and informative for those like me who are obsessed with Norse mythology.

5.

The Iliad by Homer

6.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Some of the stories in this brilliant collection are set in India, others in the United States with Indian-American characters.

7.

If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho (trans. by Anne Carson)

Beautiful translations of what remains of Sappho's poetry.  Called the tenth muse, she was highly praised by later Greek writers, but very few of her poems have survived intact.  Anne Carson's translations are haunting and eloquent.

8.

The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber

Parts of this memoir take place in New York and other parts in Abu-Jaber's family homeland of Jordan.  I'm not a foodie, but I enjoyed this book (which includes lots of recipes) anyway.  If you are a foodie, then you would probably really enjoy it.

9.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Set in Australia.  This is an older YA novel that I absolutely adore.

10.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

To my shame, this is the only Dumas book I have read!  I found it compulsively readable, funny, and completely deserving of its status as a classic.

11.

A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori

A gorgeously illustrated manga series set in Central Asia, written by a highly accomplished Japanese manga-ka who excels in the genre of historical manga.  Twenty-year-old Amir marries a husband eight years her junior.  Can she learn to get along with her husband and her new family, and become accustomed to their unfamiliar traditions?

12.

Candide by Voltaire

The ultimate world travel adventure story!  Candide would rank high on a list of my top ten favorite books.


Thanks for stopping by this Tuesday!  Leave a link to your top ten list in the comments, and I'll be sure to return the visit!

Ten Facts About Me

This week's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by the Broke and the Bookish) asks bloggers to list ten facts about themselves, so here are ten facts about me, my blog, and some of my eccentricities!

1. I started blogging here at A Myriad of Books when I was fifteen (that's six years ago including a long hiatus or two!)  When I reached high school, my fellow book geeks in "real life" seemed to become fewer and fewer.  (I think most of them transformed into band geeks.)  So, I started blogging so that I could share my opinions about books with other people who appreciate books.  

2. I am a first-year doctoral student in the field of women's and gender history.  Historical writing involves lots of agonizing and footnotes, but I love the historiography and research aspects of it. To me, reading through people's old diaries is extraordinarily cool.  When one writes about forgotten people in particular, it is as though one conjures them up from the dead and convince readers to pay attention to them, perhaps for the first time in centuries.  I think that is a kind of magic.   

3. I'm a very picky eater.  My absolute favorite food is peanut butter, and that is also my sister's favorite.  We have about ten jars of peanut butter in our pantry right now.

4. I loove watching "ghost hunter" television shows where paranormal investigators spend the night locked up in a spooky basement or wandering around dark rooms with flashlights, saying, "Ohmygod, did you hear that?"

I have never seen a ghost, and I don't particularly believe in ghosts.  I just like the idea of ghosts and the jump scares--especially the jump scares! My favorite show from this genre is called Paranormal Witness.  

5. I worked for three years as a grocery store cashier.  

6. I am fluent in French as well as English (obviously), so bilingual.  Supposedly Charlemagne said, "Avoir une autre langue, c'est posséder une deuxième âme."  Speaking another language is like possessing a second soul.  

7. I have lived my entire life in the southern United States.  I like fried chicken and sweet tea, and I do have an inescapably strong Southern accent.  I'm terrified of the very idea of driving in the snow and I wave at strangers.  It is pretty humid here in the South right now!    

8. I recently student-taught high school English.  The texts I taught were Oedipus Rex, Julius Caesar, Night, and All Quiet on the Western Front.  I probably would have chosen different books if the choices had been up to me, but I do like All Quiet on the Western Front.    

9. Bookish fact... So far this year, I have read 147 books and 42, 992 pages.  Last year I only read 164 books and 51,123 pages.  

10. Another bookish fact...I really like Penguin classics, the ones with the black spines.  I cannot resist buying a Penguin edition, even if I have already the book.  It's a problem... it's just that they look so darn nice on my bookshelf and I love the images that Penguin chooses for their covers.        

Thanks so much for stopping by my Top Ten Tuesday.  Please leave me a link to your post when you comment and I will return each and every visit!

Top Ten Books That Have Under 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Most of the fiction I read tends to have more than 2,000 ratings on Goodreads, so this list is a pretty eclectic one.  There is a little YA, a little popular culture, a few biographies, and a couple of history books (of the interesting variety!)

1.

The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal (1,563 ratings)

A YA historical fantasy set in medieval Scandinavia (Denmark, I think?), about two young servant girls who unexpectedly become involved in a lot of royal intrigue and deadly political machinations.  I loved this book, and have never read anything quite like it before or since.  It has the feel of a twisted fairy tale, very rich in metaphor, with many shocking plot twists.  I can only compare it to Angela Carter, though that's not quite right...anyway, just read it!  

2.

The Art of Neil Gaiman by Hayley Campbell (and Neil Gaiman) (496 ratings)

If you are, like me, a fan of Gaiman and want to read the story behind every single thing he has ever written from Doctor Who episodes to a very early biography of the band Duran Duran, then you are in luck.  This book is also just right for a coffee table book!

3.

Daughter of Xanadu by Doris Jones Yang (515 ratings)

How does this book only have 515 ratings??  I read and reviewed it a few years ago, and even got to interview the amazing, adventurous author Dori Jones Yang.  It's the story of Emmajin, a talented granddaughter of Kublai Khan who longs to ride in his army as a soldier and also meets a young Marco Polo.

4.

Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion (237 ratings)

I bought this for the section on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, my all-time favorite TV series.  It also includes interviews, episode guides, and analytical essays for Firefly, Angel, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, The Avengers, etc.  The book turned out to be very useful for a class I took on Joss Whedon...I feel like I am always mentioning slightly strange-sounding classes I have taken, so one day soon I will have to post a top ten list of my most unusual university courses!

5.

The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish (585 ratings)

Margaret Cavendish wrote one of the earliest works of science-fiction in the year 1666.  I read The Blazing World for a class on British women writers and really enjoyed it.  Margaret was indefatigable in trying to get into the Royal Society (when women were strictly prohibited from joining this elite scientific boys' club) and her imagination was just striking.

6.

The Match Girl and the Heiress by Seth Koven (24 ratings)

This recent double biography is highly readable and one of my favorite reads from last year.  Koven's research and his characteristically empathetic way of writing make the stories of his two philanthropic heroines really compelling.  

7.

For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts' Advice to Women by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English (1,648 ratings)

I just finished reading this, and found it enlightening as well as fascinating and a little disturbing!  It definitely deserves more ratings.

8.

Cut These Words into My Stone: Ancient Greek Epitaphs (trans. by Michael Wolfe) (16 ratings)

I found this collection of epitaphs fascinating.  If you like Greek lyric poetry, epitaphs, or just want to read something really and truly different, then this is perfect.  It is also fairly short.

9.

Edgar A. Poe: A Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance by Kenneth Silverman (257 ratings)

Do the last two books on this list make me look mildly morbid?  I think they might, but I do love practically everything ever written by Edgar Allan Poe.  There are many incorrect and damaging rumors and "myths" about Poe himself floating around in popular culture today, so it would seem that the directors of some recent films and TV series need to read this interesting biography!

10.

The Irish Princess by Karen Harper (815 ratings)

A few years ago, I read a ridiculous amount of historical fiction and Alison Weir books about the Tudors.  This novel, told from the perspective of "Gera," one of the Irish Fitzgerald family who suffered a lot at the hands of Henry VIII and his crew, is refreshingly different and well-written.

Wow, those were ten very different books!  Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to leave a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post when you comment.

Top Ten Favorite Heroines (and Anti-Heroines)

It's time for another Top Ten Tuesday post, and this week is a freebie!  It was difficult to pick among so many intriguing past topics, but I finally decided to list my top ten favorite literary heroines.  I have also included three anti-heroines, because these not-so-good women are simply too good to leave off the list.

1.

Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series

What a no-brainer!  Every bookish girl who reads Harry Potter wants to go to Hogwarts and be top of their class, just like Hermione.  

2.

Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

My favorite Austen book is actually Emma, but I much prefer Elizabeth to Emma Woodhouse.  She is witty, poised, strong-willed, and, yes, a bit proud and prejudiced.  

3.

Éowyn from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien

"I am no man!"  At least the very few female characters in The Lord of the Rings are pretty kick-ass.  Everyone in Rohan sort of leaves Éowyn alone in the hall of her forefathers to look after her cursed, ill uncle while Grima Wormtongue, Saruman's creepy henchman, haunts her footsteps.  After she is left behind yet again when the men of Rohan go off to fight, Éowyn breaks free of the "cage" she so fears and takes action.  She disguises herself as a male soldier and ends up defeating the Witch-King of Angmar, who can be killed by no man...  

4.

Nimona from Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona is an exuberant shapeshifter who practically forces her supervillain hero Lord Ballister Blackheart to make her his evil sidekick.  The two clash often and hilariously, as their styles of evil-doing are sometimes incompatible.  However, this graphic novel also has a darker, more serious side.  I highly recommend it; you will love getting to know Nimona, Blackheart, and the rest of the characters!  

 5.

Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Plain and quietly strong-willed, Jane grows up oppressed as an orphan in the house of her unkind aunt and then in a harsh boarding school.  Even after she becomes a governess and falls in love with her employer, Jane's happily-ever-after is still far from straightforward.  I admire Jane's resolve and independence.

6.

Alana from the Saga series by Brian K. Vaughn

I love Alana from Saga.  She is flawed and very funny at times.  She would do anything to save her little family from the assassins and corrupt intergalactic governments that are always trying to do them in.

7.

Lyra Belacqua from the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman

Though I couldn't not include her, I have already discussed my love for Lyra in another post!

8. 

Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

9.

Clare from the Claymore manga series by Norihiro Yagi

My enthusiasm for the kick-ass female heroines in this series, which I'm in the midst of binge-reading and reviewing, partially inspired me to pick heroines as my topic this week.  Clare is a half-human, half-monster slayer sworn to protect humans from flesh-eating monsters called Yoma.  She is part of a sisterhood of forty-seven such "Claymores."

10.

Marian Halcombe from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

I just recently reviewed The Woman in White, one of my favorite Victorian Gothic novels.  Marian is a brilliant and determined young woman who must protect her rather helpless half-sister from her sister's greedy husband and her husband's friend, the diabolical Count Fosco.

And...the anti-heroines!

1.

Madame Bovary from Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary 

The infamous Madame Bovary is a fascinating character, sympathetic in a sense, but also probably not someone one could consider a "heroine." 

2.

Miss Jean Brodie from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

Miss Jean Brodie, a teacher at a girls' school, gathers a small group of students around her and initiates them into the ways of, well, Jean Brodie.  She is not a woman to be summed up in a few words.  Her fascist beliefs and secret affairs draw the attention of the school administration, but her devoted group of girls would never betray her... would they?  This is a very short novel, and just excellent! 

3.

Hedda Gabler from Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler

I love Hedda Gabler!  It is probably my favorite Ibsen play, which is high praise.  The title character is the daughter of a decorated general, a woman with a flair for the dramatic and a great violence in her soul.  She has boundless energy and longs to do something important, something exciting.  Bored with her husband, her in-laws, and her life as a housewife, Hedda settles for playing with the love lives and careers of her friends.  If you enjoyed Ibsen's A Doll's House, then definitely read Hedda Gabler.  Hedda is a different kind of dissatisfied housewife than Nora, but, wow, is she a memorable character!

I hope you enjoyed this list and picked up a few new reading recommendations!  Thanks for stopping by and leave me a link when you comment so that I can check out your top ten list as well!

Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Reading

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's theme is quite open-ended, asking bloggers to post the top ten reasons why we love absolutely any subject, hobby, book series, or etc.  I have decided to do perhaps the most obvious thing for a book blog and blog about why I have been an avid--not to say obsessive, though one might say that!--reader since childhood.  Here are the top ten reasons why I love reading, accompanied by quotes about being bookish by bookish people:

1.

"Libraries are fascinating places: sometimes you feel you are under the canopy of a railway station, and when you read books about exotic places there's a feeling of traveling to distant lands."  --Umberto Eco, The Prague Cemetery

I love books that describe scenery and faraway countries so vividly that I can visualize them and begin to scheme about visiting the settings of my favorite books.  Of course, with fantasy and science fiction we can also visit places far more exotic than one can reach via a railway station or a plane.

2.

"A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us." --Franz Kafka

3.

"Learning of all enterprises is alone immortal and divine." --Plutarch

No one can take your education away from you, and books are the best teachers in that we get to interpret them for ourselves.

4.

"O blessed Letters, that combine in one

All ages past, and make one live with all;

By you we doe conferre with who are gone,

And the dead-living unto councell call:

By you th' unborne shall have communion

Of what we feele, and what doth us befall." --Samuel Daniel

Pictured above is the grave of John Keats, one of my favorite English poets who died when very young.  Although I did get to see the Keats House while in Rome last summer, I sadly did not get to visit his grave.  The vibrant red flowers speak to what Samuel Daniel was talking about in his Renaissance-era poem: reading is an act of communion with people we have never met and, often, with the dead.  We feel as if we know our favorite authors and cherish them and their words.  Writers and readers alike are in a sense able to overcome the barriers of time and even death.

5.

"I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else." --Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

When one's day-to-day surroundings are oppressive (or perhaps simply mundane), books can provide us with a happy second home or a bit of escapism. 

6.

"A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." --George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Reading keeps you sharp!

7.

"Books continue each other, in spite of our habit of judging them separately." -- Virginia Woolf

When one reads and likes one book, that can open up hundreds of other avenues, like newly-discovered aisles in the library.  We might decide we absolutely have to read everything else by a certain author, discover a new genre, or want to read a book that an author or character references to better understand what they are talking about.  All writers are obviously strongly influenced by earlier writers, and it helps to understand where their ideas, style, and inspirations originated.

8.

"We live for books.  A sweet mission in this world dominated by disorder and decadence." --Umberto Eco (again!), The Name of the Rose

Apparently, this is a photograph of Umberto Eco's personal library.  As a graduate student in the humanities, I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to call reading and writing my vocation, like the monks in The Name of the Rose. 

9.

"Books are not about passing time.  They're about other lives.  Other worlds.  Far from wanting time to pass, one just wishes one had more of it.  If one wanted to pass time, one could go to New Zealand." --Alan Bennett, The Uncommon Reader 

I have not read The Uncommon Reader yet, but saw this great quote on Goodreads.  No reader ever has enough time to read all the books in their tbr pile, because it only ever grows taller! 

10.

"If you have enough book space, I don't want to talk to you." --Sir Terry Pratchett

I love the aesthetic side of reading as well, and don't know what I would do without my overflowing bookshelves and my beautiful Penguin Classic editions!

All of these quotes are from my commonplace book, to which I'm always adding new quotes about the joys of bookishness, among other things.  Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post, and would love to know why you love reading!  Leave the link to your top ten list when you comment and I will be sure to return the visit!