My Top Tens: Big Epic Family Sagas

Anyone love big epic family sagas like I do? It's been awhile since I've read one, but I was thinking about them last night and so I thought I'd come up with a Top Ten list of some of my favorites.

But first, maybe we should define what I'm thinking of when I say big epic family saga! Usually, it's a big fat book. It's about a family over the course of several generations (usually).... or even maybe several families that live in a common area. It spans many many years (usually). And it's a wonderful soap opera of sorts with lots of intricate relationships between characters (always!)

Ten of my favorites would include:

1. Chesapeake by James Michener
2. Sarum by Edward Rutherford
3. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
4. North and South by John Jakes
5. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
6. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
7. The Winds of War by Herman Wouk
8. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
9. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
10. Middlemarch by George Eliot

Roots by Alex Haley should be on this list, but sadly, I haven't read it.... yet. (However, I will never ever forget the experience of watching it on TV!)

Do you love Big Epic Family Sagas? Which ones would you include on this list? Did I forget some really obvious ones?

Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Book: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Genre: YA Paranormal, bordering on Horror
Rating: B+
For: RIP V
From: ARC from publisher (to be released Sept. 21)

Here's on of those books that I read without any expectations at all! I love it when that happens!

This is the story of Mackie, who is the replacement. Whom did he replace? Well, .the real Mackie of course. So who is the Mackie we come to know and love in this book? And what happened to the real Mackie? Ah, well that's why you must read the book and find out!

This book is full of lots of creepy creatures and has a wonderful spooky Halloween feel to it. Perfect for RIP V reading! There's lots of sensual description especially the sense of smell. By the way, Mackie has some issues with the sense of smell. He also has some issues with anything made of iron and steel. It's a good thing his sister was always there to protect him, and now it's is turn to protect her.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. There were some so called "edgy" moments (language, make out sessions, etc.) The story was interesting and fairly unique, the writing was engaging. Sometimes the descriptions of what Mackie was feeling got a little overmuch, but not enough to really be bothersome.

Bottom line: I liked it a lot.

For more on author Brenna Yovanoff, here's her official website.

And here's a pretty good trailer, so I'm sharing:





Other reviews:

Wordbird
...and that's the only one I could find at the moment. Let me know if you have reviewed it so I can link!

Music Stuck in My Head: Awesome Eighties!

We're having a bit of an 80s revival at our house. My daughter has lately discovered just how completely awesome the music from this era (yes, my era!) was! Now, my list of favorites is miles long, I thought I'd share a few of them here (complete with memories) so you too can join us in loving (remembering?) this fun music.

Back in the 80s music videos were just born. MTV was brand new (and decent still) with this cool music video thing going on. If a friend was lucky enough to have cable, we would often spend our evenings watching these videos. Here's one that I remember from those MTV evenings:




When I first started dating my husband (yes in high school) he gave me the 45 (raise your hand if you know what that is!) of this song. So, obviously, it reminds me of the beginning of our high school sweetheartness!




There was a dance, it was girls choice. I was junior, he was a senior. He was so cute, and I wanted so bad to ask him, but alas, I never had the guts. This song was the theme for that dance, and will forever remind me of my chickening out moment!




Nothing says 80s like a-ha... nothing:



Well, I could go on and on, but I'll stop at four. What songs do think I should have included? What songs bring back crazy memories for you (80s or not)?

BTT: Film to Paper

Booking through Thursday asks this question today:


Even though it’s usually a mistake (grin) … do movies made out of books make you want to read the original?

Yes, of course! Always! And sometimes I even do, go read the original I mean. BUT, that being said, I still think it's better to read the book first.

Speaking of which, have you read the book Flipped? This was a book I loved pre-blog and now it's being made into a movie! You've GOT to watch this trailer and tell me, does this not look like the cutest movie ever? That's because it's the cutest book, and if you haven't read it yet. Really. You've got to get to it quick! Then again, maybe you'll see the movie and then want to read the book.....

Bleak House Read Along Thoughts: Week Two

Six more chapters down! Even though at times it seems like nothing is happening, (as our host Amanda feels) I say that if you look closely, you may find that there really is stuff happening. For instance:

• A dead body is discovered! Did he kill himself on purpose or on accident? What's is story? Why was he nice to the vagrants in the street? 
• There's a marriage proposal. Yes, our Esther has caught the eye of Mr. Guppy. But alas, she does not want it...
• .... and now we have a full fledged stalker! Mr. Guppy get a life!
• Ada and Richard are in love, which is not surprising at all. It seems especially sweet and sappy. Does this mean it's too good to be true?
• We learn about a family where abuse and neglect are the norm. What's their story?

Things I'm intrigued by:

• the dead body. I found it interesting how sad I am that we didn't get to know this person better. He seemed like he would have been a fascinating character, in a Heathcliff sort of way! (Healthcliff haters... shush!) But maybe there's more to his story than meets the eye.
• the bricklayer's family. Sad goings on there. Will we see them again? Perhaps.
• and then there's Mrs. Pardiggle and her family of boys, also abused. Will we see them again?
• that last sentence of our week's assignment regarding a handsome young surgeon. Is love in the future for Esther? I bet so. And I really hope it's NOT Mr. Jarndyce, Guardian Extraordinaire!
• Did you catch the look between Our Lady Dedlock and Mr. Tulkinghorn? Did they have something to do with the dead body?

Things that bug me:

• long chapters that seem to have nothing to do with the story.
• the relationship between Esther and Ada. Weird.
• TONS of characters to keep track of. 
• bored rich old ladies. 

Yes, this book is slow going at parts. But I'm still committed and will continue to give it a chance.

Signing Up for Stuff

Here I am, signing up for stuff again. Actually, it's been awhile, so it's okay, right?


Really Old Classics Challenge: In which we read stuff from before 1600. This one tempted me last year, but this year, I have to participate because my daughter is taking a Greek and Roman Lit class at college and I want to read something with her. I'll probably read The Iliad or The Aeneid. And if that goes well, maybe I'll read something else off her list!



R.I.P V: In which we read spooky stories for the fall/Halloween season. Want the definition of spooky? Check out Carl's post with details included. Once again, this challenge is pretty much not optional! I mean, if you're a book blogger, you just do this one! But then again, why would you not want to? I'm going to read at least two books for this challenge, which puts me in Peril The Second. Also, I hope to do Peril on the Screen and watch a fun movie for this genre.

My list of potentials:
The Replacement by Brenna Yovnoff
The Mist by Stephen King
Interview with a Vampire by Ann Rice
The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

And I don't really know what else. I'm to be perusing all your lists and when I see something that sounds fabulous, I'll be adding to my own list!



Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: In which we read all day long on October 9th. I think that works for me! Does it work for you? If so, better get on over and sign up. It will be a blast. You don't want to miss it!

That's all at the moment. That's all I can really handle too, so hopefully no one will come by tempting me with more.

What will YOU be signing up for?

August Reading Recap

YES! It's September! I love that it's approaching the fall season. It's a wonderful time of year! :)

Here's what I managed to read this month. Hmmm... not such a big list. I suppose August was a little busy, yes?

 The Iron King by Julie Kagawa: Meghan finds out that the world she's been living in is not what it seems, and that she actually belongs to another world altogether.

 Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: The author writes of her experiences when she takes off for a year of travel in Italy, India and Indonesia.

 Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr: Sam struggles with her faith because of events happening around her, both in the world at large, and her own family.

 A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner: Gen's friend, Sophos, is caught up in the middle of much political plotting and maneuvering.

 Mistwood by Leah Cypess: Isabel, a shapes hifter sworn to protect the king, is finding that she is confused about where her loyalties lie.

 Children of God by Mary Doria Russell: We learn about what happened on the planet Rakhat after the first mission left.

 Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins: The rebellion against The Capitol begins with Katniss as its symbol... The Mockingjay.

The Eternal Ones by Kristen Miller: All her life Haven has had visions of another life. When she finally decides to investigate, she's not sure she likes what she learns!

My favorites of the month: Eat Pray Love, Children of God and Mockingjay.

In looking back, I pretty much accomplished my plans from last month, except for that darn TBR Challenge list! Here are my plans for this next month:

• Stay on track with the Bleak House read along.
• Finish Wheel of Time book four, The Shadow Rising. 
• Make a dent in Fall of Giants.
• Read a book or two for RIP.
• Read (or at least start) The Wizard of Earthsea for book club.
• See what's being promoted at the book fair in Oct. and read a couple of those!
• Will The Clockwork Three make it to me this month? If so, I will read it!

How did your month go? What plans do you have for next month?