Conspicuous Literary Consumption

From The Broke and the Bookish:

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme 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 complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. 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 post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. 

 

If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

 

This week’s topic: 

Top Ten Books I Just HAD To Buy…But Are Still Sitting On My Bookshelf

 

In the interest of full disclosure, I did not buy all of these books. Quite a few of them were procured as gifts or giveaways from family and friends (*cough* Kelly *cough*). A couple of them were found in the pantry of my office (true story).

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: I first attempted this book way back in high school. I was probably about 15 or so. I didn’t make it very far at all. When the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation came out in 2007, I just had to have it. The hardback ran for about $35, so I did what every one does when they want something, but they don’t want to pay for it: I asked my parents to give it to me for Christmas. Which they did. And then it sat, impressively, on my book shelf for years. I’ve finally cracked it open about a week or so ago, but I’ve already forsaken it for my book club’s latest selection. I’m confident I will eventually read it. Hell, if I can make it through Atlas Shrugged, I can make it through this!
2. Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky: This book was the April 2010 selection for one of my books clubs. I checked it out from the library, but never got around to reading it. I returned it. Then I found a stack of books in my office pantry in July 2010 that were free to whomever and Suite Française was one of them. I took that as a sign that I needed to read this book and yet… Still sitting there. Unread.
3. The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee: I really wanted to read this when I was in the Junior League. But now I’m not in the Junior League and my desire to read this has considerably waned.
4. Empire Falls by Richard Russo: Russo is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. So when I read Bridge of Sighs and hated it, I figured I owed it to the man to give him another shot. Russo’s still waiting on that second chance from me.
5. The J Curve: A New Way to Understand Why Nations Rise and Fall by Ian Bremmer: Bremmer was the keynote speaker at a conference I attended in 2006. He gave a great talk and I was super excited to read his book. I started it. But never finished it. Five years later and it is still unread.
6. South of Broad by Pat Conroy: I went to school in Charleston and will read almost any novel set there. But I leant this book to my mom and she couldn’t finish it. This is a woman who devoured the Twilight series with gleeful enthusiasm. So the fact that she couldn’t finish this could either mean it’s wonderful or awful. I haven’t bothered to find out yet.
7. Rex Libris Volume One: I, Librarian by James Turner: I love comic books. I love librarians. How could I not love a graphic novel about the adventures of a librarian? I don’t know, because I haven’t bothered to read it yet.
8. The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J.R. Moehringer: Another gift from my mom. At the time she bought it, I owned a bar. I guess that’s why she thought I might like it. But it never really caught my fancy. And I no longer own a bar. So…
9. Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten: Raise IQ points by up to 30 points and turn on your child’s smart genes Points by David Perlmutter, Carol Colman: I got this as a gift from my mother, many years ago. I’ve never opened it. Never read the back. Never read a review. And my child is now 7-years old, so that ship has sailed. Lately, I’ve been thinking about re-gifting it to one of my friends with a younger child (I should probably do that sooner rather than later).
10. Mythology by Hestia Evans: One of the “Ologies” books, I wanted this book for years. In fact, it featured prominently in one of my Vox blog’s Christmas Wish Lists (circa 2007, maybe?). I recently came across this book again as I was cleaning up my blog photos I imported to Flickr after Vox went the way of the dodo. I promptly ordered it from Amazon. It arrived! I opened the box, but I have yet to open the book.

Twin Loves: Books to Film

From The Broke and the Bookish:

Kimberly’s Top Ten Book to Movie Adaptations : TOP TEN TUESDAY!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme 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 complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. 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 post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

My Top 10 Book to Movie Adaptions

I love books. And I love movies.

But the best books don’t always make the best movies. And the best movies don’t always come from a great book. I like to think the books and movies on my Top 10 list below beat the odds.

1. The Godfather and The Godfather Part II : Both of these wonderful, wonderful movies come from Mario Puzo’s novel of the same title. I liked the book, but I love the movies. And I’m probably in the minority here, but I actually read the book before seeing either film.

2. The Warriors: This is the only entry on my list where I’ve cheated a bit. I’ve not yet read Sol Yurbick’s novel, but this movie kicks major ass. I count it as one of my all-time favorites. If you have not seen it, you really need to do yourself a favor and watch it. Can you dig it?

3. Jaws: The Peter Benchley novel that started it all. The book (which I enjoyed) has several notable differences from the movie. I prefer the film version. The book’s characters are a little more human, a little more flawed. But sometimes you just want your heroes to be heroes. There doesn’t always have to be quite so many shades of gray, when a little black and white will do the trick!

4. Goldfinger: Ian Fleming novels are a fun read. This one in particular is good. It’s been a while since I read it, but I don’t remember it differing too dramatically from the film version.

5. The Hunt for Red October: This film is yet another example of how Sean Connery just makes everything better. I don’t think I’m Tom Clancy’s target audience. The book is a little heavy on the tech details for my tastes, where as the movie has Sean Connery and Sam Neill as smoking hot Russians defectors. I think the winner is clear.

6. The Golden Compass: I fell in love with the look of the film and had to read the book. I was not disappointed. Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman are luminous and beautiful on film. Dakota Blue Richards, Eva Green, and Sam Elliott are all wonderful. The Golden Compass remains my favorite of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.

7. Gone With the Wind: Clark Gable… could any other man have played Rhett Butler? I don’t think so. And for a Brit, Vivian Leigh plays one hell of a Southern Belle. Margaret Mitchell’s book comes to life in the most wonderful of ways.

8. To Kill a Mockingbird: I love Gregory Peck. I love Harper Lee’s novel. Nothing else needs to be said.

9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: I liked Stieg Larsson’s first entry in the Millennium trilogy. But I love the first film. The frozen landscape of Sweden – the isolation, the cold and the snow – become a character in the film in a way that’s nearly impossible to do on the page. I also love the way the director uses photographs tacked to the wall to help keep track of the meandering Vanger family tree.

10. Smilla’s Sense of Snow: t’s a strange film and it’s a strange book by Peter Høeg . You have to have a fair ability to suspend disbelief to enjoy it. But Julia Ormand and Gabriel Bryne’s relationship is just the type I like to see on film.

Honorable Mentions:

• The English Patient
• The Harry Potter Series
• Casino Royale
• The Count of Monte Cristo
• Silence of the Lambs
• Carrie
• The Pelican Brief
• Emma
• The Three Musketeers
• The Shining
• Christine

I could probably go on and on and on and on… so I’ll stop!