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Books Memes

In Praise of the Plot Twist

It’s time for Top 10 Tuesday again! This week we are looking at books that caught us by surprise – for better or for worse – and I’m sticking to the “plot twist”. Here are 10 books that went to a totally unexpected place for me.

Plot Twist!

1 | Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

All that obsession with the first Mrs. Maxim de Winter was bound to end some time.

2 | The Queen of Attolia/ The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

A thief ends up marrying the lady who cut off his hand.

3 | One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus

A brainiac, an athlete, a princess, a criminal and a “basket case” walk into detention.

4 | Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

No, Jane – Rochester is not the hero you thought him to be…

5 | Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

There are worlds within worlds, and nothing is as simple as it seems.

6 | Game of Thrones/ A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin

Anyone remember the infamous Red Wedding scene (from the show)? Phew!

7 | The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Epic and sensational – not a Biblical premise anyone could’ve guessed.

8 | In the Woods by Tana French

The reveal of the culprit was slow and right at the end – made me rant full time.

9 | The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo

Not the whodunnit, but the how-dunnit was the real plot twist here.

10 | We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

Heart-wrenching tale full of strange experiments and the repercussions.

So, what’s your list looking like? Any jaw-dropping plot twists, unexpected endings, other things that caught you by surprise?

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Best of List Books Memes

Bookish Wishes: Careful What You Wish For!

For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, we are looking at bookish wishes. I am taking it rather literally, about bad bargains, perilous wishes and the hazards of ambition. Here’s a quick list:

1 | Shakespeare’s Macbeth – Prophecies, anyone?

2 | Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine – This heroine has been given the gift of obedience!

3 | Half Magic by Edward Eager – Only half of what these kids wish for comes true

4 | Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit – These kids’ wishes will expire promptly at sunset.

5 | Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll – Tall or short, please can she make up her mind?

6 | The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde – He wished all of his aging on a portrait.

7 | Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba – Writing down criminals’ names in a magical death book is not so heroic.

8 | The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien – You get a ring of invisibility but just makes Sauron see you more clearly.

9 | Faust by Goethe – This guy though success on earth is worth selling his soul away.

10 | The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill by Rowenna Miller – Experimenting with fairy contracts? Oops!

What do you think? Do you have any books to add to this dangerous booklist on worst bookish wishes ever?

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Best of List Memes

Eye of Newt: Fictional Food for Thought

A very intriguing prompt for this week’s Wyrd & Wonder: Eye of Newt! Magical ingredients, spell components or fantasy cooking… or any story tropes or character ingredients that make the perfect brew for the reader in us. This got me thinking of some of the interesting fictional cuisine items that I have come across in fantasy books!

Butterbeer | Harry Potter series

Lembas Bread | The Lord of the Rings

Wonka Chocolate Bars | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Queen of Hearts’ Tarts | Alice in Wonderland

Goblin Fruit | The Goblin Market

Death of Marat | Sunshine

Nobby’s Mum’s Distressed Pudding | Discworld series

Pop Biscuits | The Folk of the Faraway Tree

Groosling Soup | The Hunger Games

Just… some Honey | Winnie-the-Pooh

Any of these be your “eye of newt”? Did you recall any of these dishes? Did you ever try to give them some mundane world recipes? Did this post bring on some hunger pangs? Spill the beans! 😉

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Best of List Memes

Predicted by the Stars (or what have you)

Wyrd & Wonder has super interesting prompt(s) on the art of reading past, present and future by magical means. So, let me pick your brain on how to make some predictions. I could come up with 7 ways, none too dire, I hope!

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Best of List Memes Music & Poetry

Magic Mayhem Music

(Credits: Portal by Tithi Luadthong)

The wonderful Wyrd & Wonder reading/ blogging marathon is being hosted by Annemieke (A Dance With Books), Ariane (The Book Nook), Jorie (Jorie Loves A Story), Lisa (Dear Geek Place) and Imyril (There’s Always Room For One More).

This Sunday, the prompt is our favorite songs that we associate with the Magical. Some great food for thought – and obviously my chance to conjure up some music for magic and mayhem.

Scenario 1: You are a dark witch, brewing something strong

Yaima – Magician
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Best of List Books Memes Starred Recommendations

Wyrd & Wonder: Favorite Magical Systems

The wonderful Wyrd & Wonder has started off again, hosted by Annemieke (A Dance With Books), Ariane (The Book Nook), Jorie (Jorie Loves A Story), Lisa (Dear Geek Place) and Imyril (There’s Always Room For One More). Thanks so much to them for all the effort that goes into this!

(Credits: Portal by Tithi Luadthong)

This Sunday, the prompt is top 5 magical systems (or spells) that we have come across in books. Obviously, world-building plays a huge role, but my picks are based on certain really striking book scenes.

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Best of List Books Memes Starred Recommendations

The Woods Are Lovely, Dark & Deep #Wyrd&Wonder 2022

All of May 2022, the fantastic #Wyrd and Wonder 2022 meme is in play. Pick your very cool prompt, pick your matching SFF books. It’s all up to you whether you want to do the weekly posts, the book bingo, the readalong, or make a book tag of it all.

Wyrd and Wonder 2022
IMAGE CREDITS: tree wolf image by chic2view on 123RF.com

This year, the theme is all things forest and woodlands — and here’s a list of some of those forest setting books that I’ve found memorable. Here’s to Mother Nature, who is fascinating both on and outside of page!

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Books Memes Recommendations

Who am I?? Top 10 Books on the Amnesia Trope

It’s time for Top Ten Tuesday meme hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. This week, we are looking at books on our favorite trope, and the first one I could think of was: amnesia. Somehow, I find the loss of memory to be very closely linked to the loss of identity, and reclaiming both seems like a major victory.

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Best of List Books Memes Starred Recommendations

Favorite Book Settings

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every Tuesday, you pick ten books on that week’s topic. This week, we are looking at favorite book settings.

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Books Memes

Second Place & Six Family Sagas

It’s time for #6degrees. Start with the monthly read, add six books, and see where you end up. The 6 Degrees of Separation Meme is hosted every month at Books are my Favorite and Best. The book for September 2021 is Second Place by Rachel Cusk.

Book Blurb: A woman invites a famous artist to use her guesthouse in the remote coastal landscape where she lives with her family. Powerfully drawn to his paintings, she believes his vision might penetrate the mystery at the center of her life. But as a long, dry summer sets in, his provocative presence itself becomes an enigma―and disrupts the calm of her secluded household.

I haven’t read Second Place, but the blurb reminded me heavily of family sagas triggered off by critical events in the life of an ancestor. So, here are 6 books all tied-up in family legacy.