Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

There are many bookish worlds out there that are quite entertaining to read about but wouldn’t actually be very nice places to live in for all sorts of different reasons. Since I love post-apocalyptic fiction and other dark genres so much, I could have made this list twice as long if I weren’t restricted to only picking ten examples.

1.  England from P.D. James’ The Children of Men. 

While a world without children would be a terrible place to live in general, what made this futuristic version of England truly horrifying was how hopeless it had become. Suicide had become so commonplace and accepted that painless ways of doing it were routinely advertised on television in the film version of this tale. I found that quite disturbing.

2. Panem from Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.

As if the widespread malnutrition and violence in many of the districts wasn’t dangerous enough, there was also the risk of being sent to your almost-certain death in The Hunger Games every year for the teenage members of this society. There’s no way I’d ever want to live in any of these districts, especially the poorest ones.

3. The entire planet of Earth from Douglas Adam’s The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. 

Earth is generally a pretty nice place to live in our universe, but in this book it’s demolished to make room for a galactic freeway very early on in the plot. I was pretty surprised by that twist, and I was only more surprised by what happened afterwards.

4. Winterfell from George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. 

Based on what I’ve read about this series, people regularly died violently in this kingdom. I’m not at all good at sword fighting, so I think my chances of being one of the folks who didn’t survive would be even higher than normal for this world.

5. Oceania from George Orwell’s 1984.

As if living in a brutal and totalitarian society wouldn’t be frightening enough, the dark ending of this book would make me even more scared to go anywhere near Oceania. Let’s just say that their government was so powerful that there was nothing it couldn’t accomplish.

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6. America from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

While it’s never a good idea to live in a country that oppresses human rights, the fact that this futuristic version of the United States banned reading books made me hate it even more than I would have otherwise. I can’t imagine going an entire lifetime without being allowed to read stories.

7. China (and then the entire world!) from Max Brooks’ World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War.

Granted, zombie apocalypses are never great places to live in general, but what makes this book even more disturbing than the typical example of this genre was how long it took China and the rest of the world to even admit that there was a problem in the first place.

If they’d fought back and freely shared everything they knew about how this infection spread as soon as the dead began to rise, the outbreak probably could have been contained fairly easily.

8. The Greater German Reich from Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle.

In this alternate history novel, The Nazis won World War II and took possession of a massive portion of the United States. Needless to say, life under their regime wasn’t a happy experience for anyone. The Nazis continued to murder people who were Jewish, disabled, part of the LGBT community, and anyone else they decided wasn’t worth keeping alive.

9. Post-apocalyptic Chicago from Veronica Roth’s Divergent. 

Everyone in this world was divided into one of the five different factions of their society depending on that person’s personality and interests.

To be honest with you, none of the factions sounded like good places to live. Some members of their society were deprived of the opportunity to make the simplest choices for themselves like what to wear. Others risked violent deaths ever day for no reason at all. I wouldn’t have wanted to choose any of the five options available to the characters.

10. The army base from M.R. Carey’s The Girl with All the Gifts. 

As much as I love the idea of a child character who is far more special and dangerous than she first appears to be, the world she lived in was incredibly chaotic. There is no way I would have ever been safe there because there were no safe places left anywhere at all.

What bookish worlds would you never want to live in?

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

It’s Top Ten Tuesday time again!  This week’s topic is character names.  What makes a name appealing?  The way it sounds?  Its meaning?  The image/feeling it conjures when you hear it?  For me it is a combination of these factors.  I’m partial to names that sound old and strong.  I tried to find book covers that featured the character, but this didn’t work out for everyone on my list.

Arwen-The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien-Such a beautiful name!  I couldn’t find a book cover with Arwen, but this cover is lovely.

Aragorn-The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien-A very strong name.

Thorin Oakenshield-The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien-Another powerful name.  Again, I couldn’t find a book cover with Thorin on it, but I like this design.

Smaug-The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien-What a great name for a dragon!

Damon Salvatore-The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith-I love this name!  However, I must confess I’ve only watched the show and never read the books, which is rare for me.  Usually it is the other way around.

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Eric Northman-The Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris-Eric has always been one of my favorite names.

Sydney Sage-The Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead-I like how this rolls off the tongue.

Adrian Ivashkov-The Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead-I really like how this name sounds.

Mercedes (Mercy) Thompson-Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs-I’m not sure how I feel about the name Mercedes, but Mercy is an awesome way to shorten it.

Do you like any of the names on my list?  What makes a name appealing to you?

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week’s topic made me smile. Normally, I will happy reread books that I love over and over again until I can quote passages from memory from them in ordinary conversations for the sheer fun of it.

There are exceptions to this rule, though. As you’re about to see, many of them have gone on my do-not-reread list for the exact same reason. I might not mind certain things the first time I read something, but they can deter me from rereading that particular tale.

1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.

It took me ages to figure out whether I should list this trilogy as individual books or as a group. Since they all told different parts of the same epic adventure and their plots were very tightly woven together, I decided to include all three of them as the first item on this week’s list.

While I loved seeing what happened to Frodo and his companions while they were trying to bring The One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it and save the world, the pacing of this series was so slow and the books themselves were so long that I don’t see myself ever reading them again.

2. Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins.

I loved the fact that the author stayed true to the violent, unjust, and unpredictable world she created earlier in this series even though it meant shattering the audience’s expectations of what would happen next. There were certain deaths and other events in Mockingjay that honestly made me sob. I’m glad I know how it ended, but I never want to relive those scenes again.

3. Anne’s House of Dreams (Anne of Green Gables #5) by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

I was an adult before I realized that Anne Shirley’s adventures didn’t end after Anne of the Island, so I was excited to see what this character’s life was like after she finally married her childhood sweetheart. Without giving away spoilers, something tragic happened early on in their marriage that makes me never want to revisit this portion of Anne’s life again. It was simply too sad.

4. Beloved by Toni Morrison.

As a huge fan of Ms. Morrison’s work in general, it’s hard to admit that I don’t want to reread something she wrote. The descriptions of how slavery traumatized this entire family for multiple generations were so graphic, though, that I can’t handle seeing them suffer that much again.

5. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. 
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The pacing of Great Expectations was so slow that I don’t want to revisit it even though I loved Pip as a character.

6. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

I knew quite a bit about the Great Depression when I first picked this book up, but there’s a huge difference between memorizing dry facts and seeing a three-dimensional family struggle to survive when the dust bowl hit their farm and they lost everything. The character development was amazing. It was emotionally difficult to see the Joads face malnutrition, discrimination, and severe poverty after I’d grown to truly love them. I can’t bear to see them go through all of that pain again.

7. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein.

As intrigued as I was by the storyline in general, it took a long time to figure out what Martian society was like. I’d rather not revisit the slow process of figuring out why Valentine’s worldview was so different from humans who had been raised by other humans.

8. The Martian by Andy Weir.

I loved seeing Mark, the main character of this book, solve all kinds of impossible problems on Mars after a terrible accident there made his fellow astronauts believe he was dead and accidentally leave him behind when they returned to Earth. He could have died many times over before they even realized he was still alive, and that made this a thrilling read. With that being said, I worried about Mark’s health and safety so much the first time I read about his adventures that I don’t really want to repeat that experience.

9. My Ántonia by Willa Cather.

I adored the descriptions of what life was like for brand new immigrants in Nebraska in the late nineteenth century. Surviving their first winter on the prairie was a difficult task for even the most fortunate and well-prepared families. The threat of starvation or freezing to death was always present. That made it impossible for me to stop reading even once they’d slightly improved their diets and the insulation in their homes. I had to know what happened to the characters, but once I did I lost the urge to return to their darkest and most uncertain days.

10. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King.

Like many of the other books on this list, this one was too intense for me to reread it. I was so frightened for Trisha once she became lost in the woods, especially once she realized that there was something awful wandering around out there. Knowing her fate was a relief. With that being said, I don’t ever want to go through that emotional rollercoaster again.

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

It’s Tuesday again!  This week is all about surprises.  For my list, I’ve included books, in no particular order, that surprised me in a variety of ways.  Some of the books listed I expected to like, but didn’t enjoy as much as I thought I would, and some I didn’t think I would like but ended up loving.  I’ve also included a few books that had a surprisingly powerful impact on me, or an unexpected ending.

Signs of the Zodiac Series by Vicki Pettersson-I really enjoy books that fall into the paranormal category, but this series left me with surprisingly conflicted emotions.  I think the premise of the series is unique, and the take on good and evil is complex.  However, I had a love/hate relationship with the main character, and I had issues with how some traumatic situations were handled.  Complicated feelings aside, I still feel the series was worth reading.

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead-I really expected to like this series.  I enjoy books about vampires, and friend recommended it to me.  However, I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would.  I was intrigued by the world Ms. Mead created, but Rose isn’t my favorite character, and I was never a fan of her romance with Dmitri.  I’m glad I read the series, but it will never be a favorite.  I enjoyed the spin off series, Bloodlines, much more.

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins-I’m not a fan of dystopian, and I was very hesitant to read this series, especially because there was a lot of hype surrounding it.  A very good friend convinced me to read it, and I’m glad they did.  I loved it.  Once I started reading the series, I couldn’t put it down!

Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England by Judith Flanders-I enjoy history, but I’ve never read much non-fiction.  I decided to read this after a friend recommended it to me.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  It isn’t a book I raced through, but I enjoyed picking it up and reading a chapter or two at a time.  I enjoyed it so much I’ve read a couple of similar books since and have several more in my tbr.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice-I know I’ve included this book in several of my lists, but it is belongs on this one too.  When I first experienced this book, I’d never read any books with vampires.  However, I was pulled into this tale and have enjoyed vampire novels ever since.

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Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling-This is another series I put off reading for a very long time.  I tend to drag my feet when it comes to reading books with a lot of hype surrounding them, and I don’t like feeling pressured into reading a book.  I’m glad I read it because the entire series is wonderful.

The Lady or the Tiger by Frank R. Stockton-I will always remember the way I felt when I first read this story.  I was so surprised and intrigued by how Mr. Stockton left the ending!

The Crucible by Arthur Miller-I read this years ago in school and have read it a couple times since then, but I’ll always remember being surprised by how strong my reaction to the story was.  Such a powerful story!

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner-It has been a very long time since I read this story, but it is certainly memorable.  It is such a tragic and creepy tale, and of course the ending is quite shocking.

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson-Another short story with a surprising ending!

What do you think?  Were any of these books/series surprising to you?  Did you enjoy them?

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Happy Tuesday!  This week is all about books I can’t believe I read.  For my list, I decided to pick books that are a departure from what I normally read, or that I read at a strange time in my life.

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King-I don’t typically read horror, so I’d never read any of Stephen King’s books.  However, my husband is a big fan and was determined to find a Stephen King book I would read.  While it will never be a favorite, I have to admit I did enjoy it at the time.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom-I had to read this for a class in college.  I thought it was okay but not something I would consider reading on my own.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens-I really love classics, so it wouldn’t be strange for me to pick something like this up today.  However, I read this book when I was a freshman in high school on my own for fun.  Most of my friends considered it strange reading material.  It has been years since I picked it up, so I’m not as clear on details as I’d like to be.  However, I did enjoy it immensely, and I’d like to revisit it.

Seinlanguage by Jerry Seinfeld-I enjoyed Seinfeld if I happened to catch it on tv, but it was never a favorite show.  I have no idea why I picked up this book.  I guess I was just looking for something fun to pass the time with?

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection by Bill Watterson-I’d never read a collection of comic strips, and decided to pick this one up.  I loved it!

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Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice-I’ve read many vampire books, but when I first picked this up years ago, I’d never read anything remotely paranormal so it was quite a strange pick for me at the time.   I loved it and have been completely hooked on vampires ever since.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte-Again, I love classics, so this normally wouldn’t be a strange book for me.  However, I read this right after having my first child.  I was frazzled, new mom but I came across a copy of this in my local bookstore and decided to read it.  I loved it, but I can’t believe I picked it up at such a crazy time in my life.

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin-This is not a title I ever expected to see on my bookshelf, but I have two kids who thoroughly enjoy this story and the sequel, Dragons Love Tacos 2.  I highly recommend both.

I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll-Again, not something I ever pictured myself reading, but I can thank my kids for all the fun children’s books I get to read with them.  The sequel is great too.

Animal Farm by George Orwell-I read this in junior high.  I found it very thought provoking and definitely worth reading, but not something I would have read on my own.

Have you read any of these?  If so, what did you think?  What books would be on your list?