Blog Tour: Devon Ashley Top Ten

I have here Devon Ashley's Top Ten Favourite Male & Female Fictional Characters. A lot of these make sense to me, and the ones that don't, are characters I haven't read about yet. Devon Ashley is giving me more reason to get reading!

Top Ten Ladies

10. Pamela – Dearly, Departed – kick-@ss heroine in a petticoat. Pamela turned out to be a way more interesting character than the main characters. 

9. Lena Holoway – Delirium series – sweet and innocent and trying not to fall in love.

8. Darla – Ashfall – the girl you’d want by your side in a post-cataclysmic world.

7. Zoey Redbird – House of Night series – sassy lil’ thing…love her.

6. Sophie Mercer – Hex Hall series – love this girl.

5. Jenna Baker – Falling In Between - of course I have to love my character enough to add her, but I think she’s pretty freakin’ awesome even without my vote.

4. Abby Sorrensten – The Immortal Archives – sarcastic and smart and sacrifices herself to save her loved ones.

3. Hermione Granger – Harry Potter series - super smart and wicked-quick with a wand…I sure wouldn’t tick her off.

2. Katniss Everdeen –Hunger Games trilogy – is there anything this girl can’t do in a survival situation?

1.  Elizabeth Bennet – Pride and Prejudice – my all time favorite book and character.

Top Ten 'Gentlemen'

10. Alex Sheathes – Delirium series – swoon…

9.  Archer Cross - Hex Hall series – love the chemistry between him and Sophie.

8. Carlisle Cullen – Twilight Saga – am I the only one that prefers the man over the boys?

7.  Ben Conway – Silver Moon trilogy. Sigh…I got to read Black Moon early so now I’m really swooning for this guy.

6. Harry Potter – Harry Potter series – do I really need to explain why I like him?

5. Robert/Chance – Falling In Between – Nope…just like any other mother, I refuse to admit if I love one more than the other!

4.  Ash – The Iron Fey series – um…yum. That’s all I’m gonna say. Yum.

3. Peeta Mellark – Hunger Games trilogy – super sweet and constantly trying to win Kat’s love.

2. Fitzwilliam Darcy – Pride and Prejudice – there were times I truly wanted to smack him, but mostly, I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and never let go.

1. Patch Cipriano – Hush, Hush series. The bad boy we all want.

Top Ten Character To Dress Up As

I have a costume party coming up, the theme is Superhero's and Villains. I was trying to work out what to wear  and decided I'm not going as a 'Super' hero but as a Book hero. So here are a few of my favourite ideas for costumes:

1. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter by J.K Rowling) was always a costume option for me. Growing up I had the long, frizzy golden brown hair of Emma Watson and was often the nerd with her hand up in class.
Check out the-leaky-cauldron.org for a DIY Hermione costume.

2. Alice (Alice In Wonderland by C.S Lewis) is another favourite. I have a beautiful black and white pinafore dress that puddles around me like Alice's does in the Disney movie.
Alice-in-wonderland.net for Alice costume ideas.

3. Little Red Riding Hood is another classic that can look suave, sexy or smart. A cute little dress, a red hood and a basket is almost all you need.
The halloweenmart blog has LRRH ideas.

4. Sherlock Holmes (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle) isn't too difficult either. Throw on a trench coat, grab a bubble pipe (ala Bart Simpson) and throw on a matching cap.
Howtomakestuff.com has a few suggestions on how to throw things together.

5. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) is my curent choice. I bought a Mockingjay pin and I'll throw on black skinny jeans, with a black singlet and a leather jacket. I'll buy a children's bow & arrow set, and some fake leather material. I'll use the leather to sew brown boot covers, and wrap it around a cardboard packing cylinder for a quiver.

I'm only doing my top 5 cause I'm super lazy :)

Top Ten Tuesday (2)

Top Ten Authors I Wish Would Write Another Book
1. Stephen Chbosky who wrote Perks of Being a Wallflower, gave me one of the most profound reading experiences of my entire life. I wish I could re-read it without knowing how it ended. It's the only book he's ever written and I can't wait to see the film adaptation. I don't have high hopes for it, but a girl can hope.

2. Elizabeth Haydon, author of the Rhapsody series, and The Lost Journals of Pen Polypheme, is one of my favourite fantasy authors. Her last book was published in 2008, and despite rumours of a book release in the (american) spring, I'm not getting my hopes up.

3. J.K Rowling who we all know as the author of one of the most beloved children authors. I don't necessarily want more Harry Potter, but I'd love to explore further into the mythology behind the series. I'm looking forward to the release of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on Pottermore.com and the Harry Potter Encyclopedia.

4. M.J Putney's young adult series, starting with Dark Mirror, has enthralled me completely, and I'm desperately looking forward to the final instalment of the trilogy, due out in July. I'm hoping she'll keep working on her young adult series.

5. Juliet Marillier needs to publish more Sevenwaters books. She has a new young adult series Shadowfell due out in September. (Christmas gift!). Her Sevenwaters series is one of the best series I have ever read.

6. Suzanne Collins gave us the Hunger Games, and though she has written another series, I would love to see how she continued in that realm, or if she could go in a new direction with her work.

7. George Norman Lippert has written a few novels of his own, but even better, he continued the Harry Potter world! Rowling even praised his work, but he has paused his HP work to explore his own. I want more Harry Potter!

8. China Mieville should be writing an official sequel to Un Lun Dun. I believe the City and the City and maybe one of the others are within the same world. But I miss the characters.


9. Jane Austen died before she could produce another masterpiece. I know a lot of people find ehr work too dull or floral for their tastes, but I believe she has written at least two of the greatest love stories I've ever read. Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion are my utter favourites.


10. Isobelle Carmody has left me waiting for her since I was 15. Her Obernewtyn series is finally coming to a close, but I want the Legendsong finale to come out!

Top Ten: I'm Excited To Read in 2012

This is the Top Ten Tuesday meme created by the wonderful peeps at The Broke and the Bookish.

As always I'm starting the year super excited about new releases and other books I plan on reading this year. I'm going to cheat a little and do a top twelve so I can do one for each genre I've scheduled for the year.

1. January: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi / A Million Suns by Beth Revis
2. February: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks / The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
3. March: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver / Fever by Lauren DeStefano
4. April: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong / Social Suicide by Gemma Halliday
5. May: The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien / Starcrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce
6. June: Catch 22 by Joseph Heller / The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
7. July: Graceling by Kristen Cashore / The Princess Bride by William Goldman
8. August: The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson / Pure by Juliana Bagott
9. September: Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker / A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
10. October: Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin / Marley and Me by John Grogan
11. November: Enchanted by Alethea Kontis / Everneath by Brodi Ashton
12. December: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak / Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett

(Belated) Top Ten Tuesday: Books I wish I could reread for the first time

A fun new segment started by the book groupies over at The Broke and the Bookless who will post a new Top 10 list each week. 

I was considering this just the other day. I finished Anna and the French Kiss and couldn't remember the last time I'd enjoyed a book so much. So when I saw this meme I couldn't help but take it on board. So here are my ten from #10 down to my very favourite.
#10 Anne of Green Gables by L.M MontgomeryAnne has been one of my favourite characters since I was a little girl. Her spunk, curiosity and thrist for knowledge made her an inspiration to me in my childhood. I still get a wonderful feeling of cosiness when I reread but I wish I could remember how I felt the first time Anne smashes her slate over Gilbert's head.
#9 Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenI first read Pride and Prejudice when I was about fifteen. I was starting my first literature class and wanted to prepare myself; I spent the summer reading all the Austen and Bronte novels I could get my hands on. Pride and Prejudice is definitely my favourite romance (though Persuasion and Wuthering Heights are better stories - shh don't tell Darcy). I know the story backwards, forwards and twisted in on itself. I remember reading it cover to cover on the plane home from Queensland and wish I could remember what I thought.
#8 The Eyre Affair by Jasper FfordeI read this book...two years ago? It was a set text for a fantasy narrative class and I did a ten minute presentation discussing how Fforde uses intertexuality and explaining how it reflected Jane Eyre. I was excited, passionate and astounded by how much I'd enjoyed the book. Unfortunately no one else has read it, or Jane Eyre and my excitement fell on mostly deaf ears.
#7 Ice Station by Matthew ReillyI've been reading Reilly since I started highschool, and now, nine years later, I still get excited enough by a new release to reread all his other books. Ice Station was my first Reilly adventure and will probably always be my favourite for that reason. His latest book, another Scarecrow adventure, came out in Australian book stores today. I look forward to reading Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves so recapture that first read feeling.
#6 The Sword of Shannara by Terry BrooksMy Mum introduced me to the Shannara series about ten years ago and I've read it religiously since. At the time there were eight books in the series, today there are 22 as well as a short story and graphic novel. I've seen the publication of thirteen of those books, and enjoyed most of them as much as the first time I picked up the Sword of Shannara. I'll always associate that book with Avril Lavigne's Sk8r Boi which I was obsessed with at the time.
#5 Obernewtyn by Isobelle CarmodyI learn something new every time I reread Carmody's post-apocalyptic series, but there's I still lose something in knowing how it will all turn out (up to a point) and that almost makes it feel premeditated - or predictable - and Carmody's stories are too well written for that! 
#4 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyGee whiz, there is something so special about this book! I read it for the first time at the start of the year and it still rocks my world. I'm hoping the movie will do the same thing - the cast looks impressive.
#3 Daughter of the Forest by Juliet MarillierMarillier is my favourite author and Daughter of the Forest is probably my favourite of all her books. It takes the story of the six swans and turns it into an epic tale. Her other fairytale rewrites, Heart's Blood and Wildwood Dancing are amazing as well.
#2 The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsThere is no need to explain the overwhelming level of awesome in this trilogy. While the first book is undoubtedly the best and strongest, the trilogy as a whole shook me. It instilled in me a love of dystopian literature and a desire to write my own (don't hold your breath). I view the forthcoming movie with a wary eye.
#1 Harry Potter by J.K RowlingThese books were my childhood. When people tell me they haven't read the books (or at least watched the movies) I feel like I've walked into a wall. My boyfriend thinks he outgrew them around Order of the Phoenix (as if it's possible to outgrow Harry Potter) but he still enjoys the movies (or else he'd be very single) and his Mum is reading the books. She remembers giving up part way through Goblet of Fire but this time around she can barely put the book(s) down. I love her excitement (and being the only HP authority she knows) and find myself envying it a little.I went to the shops at 7am on a Saturday morning for the release of Deathly Hallows and finished it before Mum got home from work that afternoon. Sometimes I wish I'd savoured the experience more.
I encourage everyone to try and pick up the books on my list. They are some of the most amazing books you will ever read. 
Until next week!