Next!
31. For Whom the Bell Tolls -Hemingway If you must read a Hemingway, go with this one. I actually enjoyed it. 32. Life's That Way - Jim Beaver I am a huge Supernatural fan so this was the main reason I wanted to read Jim Beaver's memoir. Turns out, it's a beautiful read anyway. 33. The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery I picked this up random at a book sale. It sounded like something I heard of before, but couldn't remember. 34. Appointment in Samarra - John O'Hara Again, I read this because of Supernatural. And again, turns out it's a great read. 35. The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft You can't pick just one favorite from this guy. 36. The Hangman's Daughter series - Oliver Potzsch Another random pick up at a book sale that become an obsession. I don't normally like mysteries, but this one was different. I immediately read all the next in the series. 37. The Story About Ping - Marjorie Flack One of my all time favorite children's books that I will still read today. I even got one of those giant book version and my original that is old, faded, and torn. 38. The Monster at the End of This Book- Jon Stone Another childhood favorite that still stand strong today. It's clever and cute. 39. A Dictionary of Angels - Gustav Davidson A great compilation of celestial beings. Great for writers that enjoy a bit of supernatural in their stories. Chock full of interesting information and little known celestial beings. 40. Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan I love mythology, so this was an awesome series for me. His best still. Missed the last few? Favorite books 1-10 Favorite Books 11-20 Favorite Books 21-30 Time for books 21-30 on my list of the 100 favorite books…or 100 favorite books that I remembered at the time I made the list. Here we go!
21) Death With Interruptions - Jose Saramago This was my first Saramago book, having heard of him but never read his work before. I loved it and have since read more. 22) I Never Promised You a Rose Garden - Joanne Greenberg I picked this book as a reading assignment in High School. I got nowhere reading it and failed the required quiz. Years later, I picked it up again and actually finished it. And loved it. 23) The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran This is one of the classic masterpieces that I think everyone has read at least once. I've read it three times, I think? 24) Mister God, This is Anna - Fynn Let's start by saying I am not a religious person. Very much an atheist, but I respect the lessons religion can teach us about being better people. This book is one of those things that does just that. Don't toss it aside just because it has the word "God" in it. 25) The Devil's Dictionary - Ambrose Bierce The best dictionary out there with tons of wit and satire. 26) Atonement -Ian McEwan My first McEwan book and the only one I've kept on my shelf. It spellbound me, but then that spell faded away when I read anything else by him. 27) City Infernal - Edward Lee My favorite grotesque depiction of Hell. This is good gory horror for when I want to read a blood bath. 28) Wish You Well - David Baldacci My grandmother recommended this book to me so I read it for her. Surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did. No other Baldacci book since has affected me as much as this one. 29) Kiss My Tiara - Susan Jane Gilman I don't remember how I came to know about this book. I just remember wanting it and having my college bookstore order it for me. It's a good laugh with some good thoughts on womanhood. 30) The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams Of course this is on the list. Duh. Want the rest of the list you missed? Favorite Books 1-10 Favorite Books 11-20 Time for the next ten books in my list of 100 favorite books. As before, these are in no particular order. They are just books I love.
11. Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel Garcia Marquez Marquez is an author I love because his writing is so beautiful. It doesn’t matter what the story is about half the time because I just like to read his words. 12. This is Gonna Hurt - Nikki Sixx Music gods always interest me. Nikki Sixx's book is more than just a memoir, but a book of photography and deep thoughts. 13. The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle This is one of my favorite movies so, of course, I had to read the book. Love it just as much as the movie. 14. The Philosopher's Alice - Peter Laughlan Heath I stumbled onto this book at a random book sale. I love Alice but this version gives it a whole new meaning. 15. First They Killed My Father - Loung Ung I don't read much non-fiction unless I know it is written more like a story than a text book. This book does that and does it very well. 16. My grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry - Fredrik Backman An unexpected hit for me. I wasn't sure what to expect from this story but it turned out awesome. I love a hint of supernatural in stories. It also made me want to cry. 17. The Complete Ring Trilogy - Koji Suzuki Forget the movies, folks. Read the books. These books make the story so much darker, deeper, and weirder. You will not expect the story to go where it does. That's the best thing about it. 18. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern As mentioned, I love supernatural and fantasy mixed in with real life. This book is weird, haunting, beautiful, and just awesome. My kind of weirdness. 19. The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein I've read other books from a dog's POV (Timbuktu, for example), but I think this one is my favorite. 20. Love Story - Erich Segal Classic. Love means never having to say you're sorry. Did you miss the first 10? Here they are: Favorite Books 1-10
I decided it was time for another giveaway. This time a giveaway for my own book! You could win one of three SIGNED copies of Ilmarinen just for completing a few random tasks. Don't worry, none of these tasks ask you to provide personal information (email, etc) that I can use to spam you. Have fun and good luck!
David Bowie inspired me to create my own list of my 100 favorite books. This is impossible, really, so instead I just threw together 100 books that I loved and could remember. I know I am missing a lot of great books here. Unlike Bowie, I have decided to release my list 10 at a time and give my readers a deeper look at why I love these books.
Here are the first 10 books in my list of favorite books of all time. (They are not in order of least to favorite) 1) The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho The Alchemist is easily a favorite because it tells a simple fable with a big impact. I love any story that makes me think and helps me change my outlook on life. 2) To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee This is probably the only book I was forced to read in school that I actually enjoyed. Probably the only one I actually read all the way through, too. My grandma and I love the movie and I have shared the book with her (and the new one) so I like having that memory with her. 3) Frankenstein - Mary Shelley I did not have to read Frankenstein in school. I chose to read it and I am glad I did. Just like with the Alchemist, this book made me think and helped me be a better person. 4) Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden This was probably the first book I read with an "exotic" location and theme. I became hooked and have read many similar since, but I will keep the original on my favorites list. 5) The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini First things first: I'm a small town white girl so I can't say that everything written in this book is a real look at Afghanistan. Instead, I will say that treating it as purely a fiction story, it gave me lots of feels and that's good enough for me. 6) Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer I love true stories written in a way that I think they are fiction. I get bored otherwise. Into the Wild is told very well. I feel for the guy, but at the same time I wanna punch him for (spoiler alert) getting himself killed for being stupid. 7) The Princess Bride - William Goldman First off, The Princess Bride is one of my all-time favorite movies. I can quote it by heart. Of course, loving the movie, I had to read the book. Luckily, the book is just as good. 8) Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE book. It's just not at the top of the list cause I'm lazy and just listing things. I am an atheist through and through and I love this book. No matter your religious beliefs or lack of religious beliefs this book will make you laugh, cry, and contemplate humanity. Read it. Now. 9) A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore Yes, Christopher Moore is my favorite author and I love all his books, but I only put two on this list of favorites. Lamb is my favorite and Dirty Job is my second favorite. I even have a quote from this book tattooed permanently on my shoulder. It reads, "There's mercy in a sharp blade." 10) Kushiel's Legacy Series - Jacqueline Carey This is a naughty fantasy series that just blew me away. These books helped me design my own world. She took Europe and made it something new. I did something similar with Ilmarinen. This is my Tina Belcher Mommy Mummy pumpkin stencil that I threw together for ThinkGeek's contest. I'm not good at these things, but felt like trying.
It's designed not to be cut out completely from the pumpkin. It's the kind where you shave off the skin to get the thin meat inside and no further. Check out the press release for Ilmarinen!
Author Marilla Mulwane loves a good fantasy story filled with beautiful creatures and unique worlds, but she's never happy with the characters. "There is always a hero and a villain in fantasy stories," the author says. "There is always good and evil. The good is always good and the evil is always evil. I wanted to create characters who have legitimate reasons for their goals, and whether that makes them good or evil is incredibly difficult to figure out." Read more at Broadway World... Reviewed by Janelle Fila for Readers' Favorite
Ilmarinen by Marilla Mulwane is a young adult fantasy about Altana Burrows, a special girl who is more than just smart and talented. She has a secret that no one else understands, a secret called Ilmarinen. Altana has a role to play in an old prophecy. The people of Ilmarinen want to help her in her quest, so Altana quickly assembles a team to accompany her on her dangerous and adventurous journey. The characters in this story are vivid and imaginative: a gorgeous woman who is captivating in her red dress, a small girl with an enormous ax, a talking horse, and a young hunter with a secret that threatens them all. Can Altana fulfill the prophecy with the help of her rag tag team of friends? How will they survive? And more importantly, just how do the people of Ilmarinen expect them to kill a god? Readers will love the characters in this story, especially the dialogue and quick witted banter that takes place between Altana, Bisha, Neri, and Garrick. Readers will love Altana, and her strong female lead, and the interesting and entertaining sidekicks. The story even has a cute little cat girl to give it some much needed humor and take away from the constant seriousness and dire situation within the book. Although this story is spread over a long time period, it doesn't feel that way to the reader. The reader is constantly engaged and invested in what the characters say and do, which is a very good skill in the writing. |
About Me
Writer Marilla Mulwane will post on this blog random, useless, sometimes funny, things about nothing important at all until she's popular enough to write about writing without sounding stupid. Archives
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