Top Ten Tuesday #7

 

Top Ten Bookish People You Want To Meet (Authors, Bloggers, etc.)

Let’s say I’d host a dinner party and got to invite 10 so called bookish people. Here's what I'd do: host a dinner party for these ten writers and since I had such a hard time choosing them, I’d throw a banquet after the mentioned dinner in honor of this fabulous community of writers, bloggers and book lovers in general. I’d gladly invite guests of honor and every fellow blogger who’s interested in addition to these ten authors from different eras. Want to know which ten authors I’d be delighted to have dinner with? Check out their names as well as the guests of honor below. As for the bloggers, I’d let in anyone who’d be interested to join us and have a great time.

Doesn't this seem like a magical place for our
dinner? If Hogwarts is not available, this
would be the perfect place! Beautiful and intimate.

1. Agatha Christie to solve the mystery of 'how to stop internet piracy'
2. Oscar Wilde to make us think about different shades human nature
3. Jennifer L. Armentrout to make us swoon over hot aliens and teach us how to write heart-stopping cliffhangers
4. Wendy Higgins to tell us about temptation and how to avoid it
5. Colleen Hoover to teach us how to make the best out of the worst
6. Cassandra Clare to tell us how TMI movie is going and when are Godfrey and Zegers finally going to meet in person and *ahem* perhaps give as a few hints on The Dark Artifices series..?
7. J. K. Rowling to share information on what Harry, Ron and Hermione are doing at the moment (because we’re all dying to know) and tell us if Draco has gone off the dark path (I sure hope he has). Oh, maybe she could talk with whoever's leading the Hogwarts these days and we could throw this get-together there! That, in fact, is a fabulous idea!
8. Harper Lee to make a speech about the moral aspects of the society and the difference between the right and wrong
9. Richelle Mead to take Dimitri, Adrian, Christian or Eddie as her date *swoons* and give us an insight to The Indigo Spell and what’s to come
10. Jamie McGuire to share a snippet of Walking Disaster and give us a few tips on how to leave one’s past behind and make a better person out of oneself

Honorable mentions:  Julie Kagawa, Tammara Webber, Abbi Glines, Elizabeth Reyes, Becca Fitzpatrick, Tina Reber, Veronica Roth, J. D. Salinger, Jane Austen, Maggie Stiefvater, S. C. Stephens, Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, Nyrae Dawn, Tarryn Fisher, Gwen Hayes.

Care to join us? If so and you could bring a date, who would you pick (in addition to the previously mentioned fabulous authors)?

P.S. Leave a link to your TTT and I'll stop by and check out your list of bookish people you're dying to meet :)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Tuesday #6

 

Top Ten Books That Make You Think (About The World, People, Life, etc.)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This is my favorite book of all time. Absolute favorite! Number one. Best. If I were to pick one book to save from apocalypse, this would most definitely be it. Ugh. I just LOVE this book so butterflying much! If you haven’t read it, I command  advise you to pick this up immediately. It’s one of those books that stays with you forever and never leaves your heart or mind completely. It’s breathtaking how well Lee has described human nature and how gorgeous meanings can be found behind these complicated thoughts. I just love, love, love this book. ♥

The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher 

This book definitely got me thinking about the choices we make or don’t (want to) make and consequences thereafter. It’s all about choices in this novel and I literally thought about it afterwards for at least two days and couldn’t get my thoughts out of this tornado that was going on in my head.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 

Yes, it’s a children’s book, but it’s full of philosophical and suprisingly simple, but extremely important thoughts on life and people. I love it! It’s a very short book and there are beautiful illustrations beside these smart ideas and thoughts. What an absolute joy to read!

Arc de Triomphe by Erich Maria Remarque 

I feel like as opposed to previous eras where one could  easily become sufficient in a chosen vocation, nowadays you’re nothing without a paper, stating you’ve finished Uni and gotten not only BA (more known as unfinished Uni degree) but MA as well, in your hand. In this book the male protagonist doesn’t own a passport so even though he is the best surgeon and saves lives on a daily basis, he cannot contribute to the society in the light of day since he is an immigrant. He is nothing without a piece of paper and I feel like our society is drifting towards that direction, too. No paper proving to have a degree from Uni (usually) equals no future.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I absolutely adore this book and it’s one of my favorite of all time. Have read it like at least 5 times and every time I do, I find something new to think about. Pride is one of people’s worst enemies, I know it’s mine. I don’t like to ask for help or feel like I’m failing. Who does? I don’t think there are that many people who do. Moreover, prejudice is a nasty beast, too, if you ask me. Judging a book by its cover or by other people’s opinions is quite ofthen the case in life.

Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover 

Man, how I love this book! Contemporary YA fiction is exciting and easy to follow, but a lot of the times it falls short on a deepful meaning behind the words. PoR has a very special place in my heart. I’m so unbelievably stubborn and it's easy to relate to Lake since she is stubborn, too. She puts Will through tests and the poor guy is doing his best to keep up with everything and prove to her that she is THE one for him and vice versa. When the final 1/3 of the book started, I was taken aback by a huge shock and Oh. My. Freaking. God. It was intense and got me thinking about life in general for days after I finished reading it.

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult 

I am not actually a fan of this book in general, there were just too many things that bothered me, but it got me thinking about family problems and how we don’t take time to listen to each other, are so hung up on work, school and solving big problems that we don’t take notice of the small ones right in front of us that are in desperate need of our attention. In addition, the ending was a huge shock and I just wanted to stab this book in the heart with my tears.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 

I always think of this book when someone talks about time travel. What if it really is possible? What if by choosing to do one thing you could change many lives? What if that changes the balance of the whole world? It’s crazy to think about and this book leaves you breathless with the writing style, plotline, ideas and everything else possible.

Chasing Nikki by Lacey Weatherford 

It’s such a great contemporary YA book and in addition to falling in love with the characters, after reading the book you feel like you’ve been to a class of life. Definitely got me thinking about our existence, love, life etc.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 

It’s a great example of how the society is obsessed with reality TV, looks, wealth, fame etc. We are so hung up on material values that quite often we don’t even realize what actual wealth is: loving someone, being loved, home, support, kindness, selflessness, bravery. I love the hidden meanings behind the words and different scenes. I think one can define this piece of work as a satire of the modern society. In addition to a gripping story with kick-ass characters it gives you a lot to think about.

What did you think? Did any of these books made it to your top ten list? Would you add any books to mine? What would they be? Leave me a comment and a link to your TTT and I'll stop by and check out yours :)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish 

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten All Time Favorite Characters

It was such a difficult choice, I had to leave out Isabelle Lightwood, Clary Fray, Magnus Bane, Will Herondale, Jace Lightwood, Draco Malfoy, Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen, Effie Trinket, Adrian Ivashkov, Christian Ozera, Hermione Granger et cetera – some of my favorite characters. What did I do? I just wrote down all of their names and picked 10 names randomly. I thought about telling you why I love them, but if you’ve read the books they’re in, you already know the answer to this question, so.. I’ll just post some of my favorite quotes by them and hope that if you haven’t read the books they’re in, you’ll pick them up in a heartbeat. Feel free to answer the questions at the end of the post and to sound off in the comments :) xx

Ronald Weasley – Harry Potter

1. "Viktor? Hasn't he asked you to call him Vicky yet?"
2. "Accio Brain!"
3. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."
4. “Don't talk to me."
   "Why not?"
   "Because I want to fix that in my memory for ever. Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret...”

Cinna – The Hunger Games

1. “Remember, girl on fire,” he says, “I'm still betting on you.”

Atticus Finch – To Kill a Mokingbird

1. "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
2. "There's a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep 'em all away from you. That's never possible."
3. "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. "

Simon Lewis – The Mortal Instruments

1. “Jesus!” Luke exclaimed.
   ”Actually, it's just me, said Simon. "lthough I've been told the resemblance is startling.”
2. “That's why when major badasses greet each other in movies, they don't say anything, they just nod. The nod means, 'I' am a badass, and I recognize that you, too, are a badass,' but they don't say anything because they're Wolverine and Magneto and it would mess up their vibe to explain.”
3. “No. That's Clary; shes's my best friend Simon pocketed his phone. “And she has a boyfriend. Like, really, really, really has a boyfriend. The nuclear bomb of boyfriends. Trust me on this one.”
4. “Look on the bright side,” said Simon, “If they need a human sacrifice, you can always offer me. I'm not sure the rest of you qualify anyway.”

Travis Maddox – Beautiful Disaster

1. “I know we're fucked up, alright? I'm impulsive, and hot tempered, and you get under my skin like no one else. You act like you hate me one minute, and then need me the next. I never get anything right, and I don't deserve you...but I fucking love you, Abby. I love you more than I loved anyone or anything ever. When you're around, I don't need booze, or money, or the fighting, or the one-night stands...”
2. He shifted to look straight into my eyes. "I should say no to prove a point," he said, his eyebrows pulling together. "But I would hate myself later if I said no and you never asked me again.”
3. “WELL I BELONG TO YOU!” The veins in his neck bulged as he shouted, and I met his glare, refusing to even flinch. He looked at my lips, panting. “I belong to you,” he whispered, his anger melting as he realized how close we were.

Rose Hathaway – Vampire Academy

1. “What the hell?” I asked. “Is this daring escape being sponsored by Honda?”
2. “Checkmate, bitch.”
3. “A gun. I had been brought down by a gun. It was practically comical. Cheaters, I thought.”
4. “You said you were a victim. That's why...that's why ultimately, you and I aren't matched for each other. In spite of everything that's happened, I've never though of myself that way. Being a victim means you're powerless. That you won't take action. Always...always I've done something to fight for myself...for others. No matter what.”

Will Cooper – Slammed, Point of Retreat

1. “If I were a carpenter, I would build you a window to my soul. But I would leave that window shut and locked, so that every time you tried to look through it all you would see is your own reflection. You would see that my soul is a reflection of you.”
2. “Get out, Get out, get out, get out!" I do what any sane male would do in this situation; I run down the hall and lock myself in her bedroom.”
3. “I realize I've never been so sure about the rest of my life than I am in thise moment. This girl is the rest of my life.”

Daemon Black – Lux

1. “I've always found that the most beautiful people, truly beautiful inside and out, are the ones who are quietly unaware of their effect." His eyes searched mine intently, and for a moment we stood there toe to toe. "The ones who throw their beauty around, waste what they have? Their beauty is only passing. It's just a shell hiding nothing but shadows and emptiness.”
2. “Remind me," he paused, drawing in a stuttered gasp, "to never piss you off again. Christ, are you secretly a ninja?”
3. “You look like you got more of a bath than the car. I never thought washing a car would be so hard, but after watching you for the last fifteen minutes, I’m convinced it should be an Olympic sport.”
4. Daemon arched a brow. “Are you feeling me up, Kat? I'm liking where this is heading.”

Professor Severus Snape – Harry Potter

1. “Ah yes, Harry Potter. Our new - celebrity.”
2. “Obviously fame isn't everything. Is it, Mr. Potter? ”
3. “Turn to page 394.”

Haymitch Abernathy – The Hunger Games

1. “Here's some advice. Stay alive.”
2. “I ate your lunch.”
3. “Not like this. He wanted it to be real.”
4. “It's okay. It'll be okay, sweetheart”

What did you think? Are some of these 10 characters in your top ten too? Why do you like them? What topic did you choose for this week’s TTT?