Top Ten Tuesday is a fun bookish meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish and today bloggers were asked to compile lists of our favorite heroines from books. I decided to stick to novels for this list so I wouldn't have to get crafty and find a way to include all of the Sailor Scouts from the Sailor Moon manga by Naoko Takeuchi as there are so many and they all kick ass. Also, I decided to include some favorite movie heroines at the bottom just for fun.
There are so many reasons to read, and one of those reasons is for the sake of connecting with characters. Any person in the world can find themselves represented in some book somewhere, but we can also find who we strive to be. That's what the characters on this list mean to me.
The best heroines are strong but also acknowledge their vulnerabilities, and they come in every variety; whether it's someone like Katniss Everdeen, Linh Cinder, or Somni-451 who are revolutionaries even though they struggle with their fates; or a Bronte heroine such as Jane Eyre, Lucy Snowe, or Helen Graham, who fight for independence and happiness even though it seems that society itself would condemn them for coveting such liberation. These are women who kept going and did the right thing, whether it was for personal reasons or for the sake of doing what they believed was right for the world. They found themselves even if others wouldn't like it, and I know they've definitely helped me find myself and what I strive to be. Who knows where we'd be without having their influence in mind?
Top Ten Favorite Heroines from Books
Left to right: Hermione Granger as portrayed by Emma Watson, Jane Eyre as portrayed by Mia Wasikowska, Katniss Everdeen as portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence.
1
Hermione Granger
from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
2
Jane Eyre
from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
3
Linh Cinder
from the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer
4
Katniss Everdeen
from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
5
Scarlet Benoit
from the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer
Left to right: Vivian Gandillon as portrayed by Agnes Bruckner, Helen Graham as portrayed by Tara Fitzgerald, and Somni-451 as portrayed by Doona Bae.
6
Vivian Gandillon
from Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
7 Helen Graham from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
8
Lucy Snowe from Villette by Charlotte Bronte
9
Mary
from The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
10 Somni-451 from Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
...And My Favorite Movie Heroines
1 Selene portrayed by Kate Beckinsale from Underworld 2 Pocahontas portrayed by Irene Bedard and Judy Kuhn (singing) from Pocahontas
3 Mulan portrayed by Ming-Na Wen and Lea Salonga (singing) from Mulan
4 Elle Woods portrayed by Reese Witherspoon from Legally Blonde
5 Sarah portrayed by Robin Tunney from The Craft *
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the first installment of Laini Taylor's beloved fantasy/paranormal trilogy which follows the story of a peculiar girl named Karou. Karou is a human, and she goes to school just like any other human girl would, but her home life is unlike any other. She has been raised by monsters in a shop. Brimstone, the only father figure she's ever had, always has her running errands collecting different types of teeth from all over the world and he's never told her why.
An errand trip gone awry in which Karou must fight for her life may seem to make her circumstance even more confusing, but it will lead her to the truth she's been deprived of her whole life.
I was incredibly excited to start this book. It seemed that everywhere I turned in the wide and wonderful world of the Internet there was always someone fangirling like crazy over this trilogy, and the more I heard about it, the more amazing it seemed. People said it was dark and complicated and just downright fabulous. Apparently I'm the odd one out because to be honest, it's hard for me to pinpoint my feelings about this book. I've never read something and felt such overwhelming uncertainty until now. The only fear I had is that it could be a little overhyped, and that's not even my problem. Bear with me.
At first I was quite intrigued. The setting is unique and the characterization is impressive - that goes for both the humans and the chimera. Since Karou doesn't even know that much about her mysterious world, it leaves a lot of room for a reader to wonder, and when there are characters collecting tons of teeth... Well, you know you're in for something interesting. My first reaction to the first 150ish pages was "This book is weird." And I meant that in a positive way. I was intrigued and entertained. Plus, Taylor's writing is pretty, and it's definitely darker than quite a bit of YA fantasy/paranormal in terms of both the writing and the overall plot.
So after this initially positive reaction, what swayed my opinion toward the negative side? Akiva came along. There's nothing wrong with him as a character or anything. In fact, I like him well enough. The romantic element is done well: Laini Taylor really makes sure her readers feel ALL the feelings and she does the whole reincarnated-love thing better than what I've seen in the past. That's all fantastic and whatnot, but I keep running into the same problem: There are simply too many parallels to Sonja and Lucian's story explained first in the 2003 film Underworld and then explored in depth in the 2009 film Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. Karou and Akiva's specific forbidden love felt unoriginal and so did the past execution - especially the past execution. This aspect of the story would've made Daughter of Smoke and Bone special, but I just can't love it like everyone else, not when I can't stop thinking "this has been done before." I suppose one could argue that the general set-up 'wasn't that original anyway' if he or she wanted, and that if one of the characters in the flashback was human I might not see make the connection as clearly, but this is the first time I've come across anything this similar and the similarities still manage to unsettle me.
Perhaps all the hype it got does contribute to my feelings after all. Maybe if I wasn't expecting something so complicated and new and out-of-this-world (well... it technically is out of this world, but you get the idea) I wouldn't judge it so harshly. Perhaps if I wasn't so in love with Sonja and Lucian's story I wouldn't feel so abrasive towards this book... But it is what it is: The similarities are just too much for me personally. I already have a copy of the second book, Days and Blood and Starlight (although I wish I didn't get it) and I'll have to give it a try eventually and see if I like it any better now that we know Karou's story and can move on.
I'm not feeling too positively about this trilogy so far, but maybe Taylor can change my mind with the second book.
When classical crossover singer Jackie Evancho first made her appearance on America's Got Talent back in 2010, she completely astonished everyone watching. My jaw literally dropped - how can a ten year old girl sound like that? Now, Evancho is fourteen and has released quite a few albums over the years, and her most recent, Awakening, was released last September.
Many of Evancho's fans as well as Game of Thrones fans are well-aware of her lead single "The Rains of Castamere," for it has gotten quite a bit of praise for its epic beauty. This is the masterpiece from Awakening - not only does Evancho sound fantastic hitting lower, darker notes, but one can really feel the melancholy as she chants "Castamere... Castamere..." and even some defiance as she sings "'And who are you?' the proud lord said, 'That I must bow so low?'" But the general instrumentation is quite pretty as well; it's a superb arrangement altogether that's bound to give every listener chills.
There are plenty of other superb tracks to note. "Your Love" is certainly a standout with Evancho's soaring, crystal-clear high notes. It's absolutely gorgeous altogether. I never heard the original until I came across Evancho's rendition, and I must say, I prefer Evancho's signature style to the original. The French song "Je t'aime" appears right after "Your Love" on the tracklist, and it impressed me just as much. I have no idea what she's saying, but it sounds spectacular. It's soft, haunting, and full of emotion; it's what Evancho does best nowadays. The strings are full of nostalgia for some reason that I can't quite put my finger on... It's cinematic enough to be a film score on its own, put perfect with Evancho's voice.
"Ave Maria" is also featured on the tracklist, and while she's done an "Ave Maria" or two before, this one is from Vladimir Vavilov. Out of all the Ave Marias in the world, we still don't have a studio recording of her singing Schubert's infamous version, but even if that's the one you were hoping for (as I was), have no fear: This "Ave Maria" is also very pretty.
The only issue I have with Awakening (as well as Evancho's other albums) has absolutely nothing to do with her performance, but with some of the arrangements (which, of course, I cannot really critique unless I've heard the originals). Personally, I was quite excited to hear that a cover of Within Temptation's beautiful ballad "Memories" would be featured on Awakening since Within Temptation is one of my favorite bands of all time (my favorite of all favorites, to be honest), and while Evancho sings it beautifully (as I knew she would), I'm just not wowed by the overall arrangement. It doesn't do anything Within Temptation didn't and it doesn't do anything differently aside from removing electric instruments. The same goes for her cover of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Think of Me" - but as I said, her performance is stellar. The end of this song is NOT easy to sing, and she nails it.
Evancho also covers U2's hit "With or Without You," which is one of my least favorites... For probably the millionth time, I stress that I have no problem whatsoever with Evancho's performance. In this case, I just don't understand why this particular U2 song is so special to people. I never have, and I probably never will. It all comes down to taste for this one.
Altogether, Awakening is a solid album. Evancho's voice is, as always, flawless; she sounds great on every track. My only complaint is that I wished for more unique arrangements, but there are certainly some tracks that really shine even beyond Evancho's voice. I'm satisfied with the outcome.
Top Ten Tuesday is a fun bookish meme held at The Broke and the Bookish, and this week, bloggers were asked to create a list of books we can't believe we haven't read from any genre we chose, and I chose contemporary. I love contemporary. It has a way of making me feel feelings, and in result so many of the contemporaries I read become favorites. The thing is... I don't read it a lot. I don't know why, but I just don't. I guess part of the reason is that a lot of contemporaries make me cry (and I'm not fond of crying... I will wait forever to read a book if I think it'll make me cry) and I just love genres like science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy too. I read a little bit of everything, yet somehow contemporary is what I probably read the least (well, aside from non-fiction... I don't read enough non-fiction either).
I'll warn you all ahead of time: You will probably be shocked when you read some of the titles this list. You will probably think I live under a rock, and then question how I fit my computer under the rock to type all this. You will wonder how it is possible for a lover of young adult fiction to have not read these books. Frankly, I wonder the same things...
Top Ten Contemporary Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read
1
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
2
Looking for Alaska by John Green
3
A Note of Madness by Tabitha Suzuma
4
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
5
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
6 & 7
Eleanor and Park & Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
8
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
9
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
10
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
As always, feel free to let me know what you think of my list (in all of its ridiculousness) and leave me a link to your Top Ten Tuesday... perhaps there are others who apparently live under a reading rock as I do? Probably not, but we shall see. Have a great Tuesday!
*You may want to considering skipping this review unless you've read Cinder and Scarlet. I don't reveal anything vital or consciously spoil the specific events, but even revealing a synopsis of a third book in a series may give more information than one desires depending on the person. You've been warned.
This third novel in Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series retells Rapunzel in the most action-packed way possible. Cress is all alone in a satellite hovering in space. She's a mastermind when it comes to hacking, and unfortunately, she's forced to do as the sinister Queen Levana commands. But she doesn't always follow the rules. She's secretly been working to help Cinder and her friends, and now that they know she exists and that she's on their side, they're her only hope for escape.
Things don't always go as planned. In fact, things can seem to go completely wrong. And since the Queen of Luna, Levana, is also about to become Empress and gain control of Earth, there isn't much time to spare. Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress have to worry about the survival and well-being of themselves and their friends, and all the while, they have to prevent Levana from taking the Earthly crown.
Action, cuteness, romance, amazing characters, warm-hearted moments, scary moments, miserable moments... Cress has it all. It should have come with a warning label saying YOU WILL READ AND READ UNTIL YOUR EYES HURT BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN. That's how good it is.
Where should I start? Well first of all, Rapunzel is in a satellite... That is one of the most genial things I've ever heard. Marissa Meyer really knows how to retell. I love how the hair-cutting is completely different symbolically in Cress than in the original story, and really Cress' character in general is just fantastic. She's still a bit of a damsel, but she's smart; the girl can hack into anything and everything. Furthermore she's just so childlike since she hasn't had much experience in the real world and her imagination is constantly running wild. I think she and Thorne are perfect matches. There's still plenty of room to grow when it comes to their relationship, and that's one of the many things I'm looking forward to when Winter comes in November.
Of course, Meyer didn't abandon all the other characters we've come to love from previous books. Cinder was already a strong heroine in the very first book, but now she's stronger than ever as she learns to wield her gift. She's so honest too. Strong as she is, she's still afraid, and rightfully so. As far as Scarlet and Wolf... I can't say anything about them without spoiling anything, but holy crap, I don't know if it's possible for these two to go through any more. I expect progress with this situation in Winter. Substantial progress. Like, majorly substantial.
And oh goodness, Dr. Erland... again, I won't spoil anything, but I will say this: There are quite a few revelations in this installment. The only downfall (if you can even call it a downfall) of Cinder and Scarlet was that they were predictable. But they're retellings - of course there will be a level of predictability because we all know the stories they were based on. Cress loses this. It's less predictable and more surprising, and it's also way more chaotic. There's so much happening all at once - that's what makes it impossible to stop reading. And it's just so good.
Obviously, I love this series so, so much. I have absolutely no complaints. I don't know for sure if Cress or Scarlet is my favorite; they're both so great! It's been a long time since I've actually been on time with a series aside from the House of Night books and I actually have to wait for the sequel - this is going to be agony. In the meantime, if you haven't given these science fiction masterpieces a try yet, you need to. Right now.
I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday today, a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. Every week we get a topic for our lists, but once in a while we get a freebie to pick whatever topic we want. I decided to backtrack to a topic I missed a while ago that I thought would be fun and fitting for me as a music lover:
Top Ten Twelve Books I'd Give a Theme Song To
1
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath | "Asleep" by The Smiths
"Asleep" is widely known as the essential theme song to Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I do not disagree with this; "Asleep" is perfect for that book in every way. But I also think it's perfect for The Bell Jar. This song has an incredibly sad tone to it in my opinion, which matches the protagonists ongoing battle with depression, and I always believed that this song is about suicide, and the protagonist is always trying to kill herself in The Bell Jar. It's a beautifully written book and "Asleep" is a beautifully written song.
2
The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan | “Powerless” by Linkin Park
Linkin Park's "Powerless" may be recognizable to book lovers as it was used in the trailer for the film adaptation of Seth Graham-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I posted the promo video that Linkin Park did for the movie, and if I'm not mistaken, it doesn't include the entire song but I wanted to post something official. I always associated this song with Carrie Ryan's Forest of Hands and Teeth follow-up The Dead-Tossed Waves because I think it really matches the conclusion. It matches a post-apocalyptic world and a love story, and The Dead-Tossed Waves appeals to both.
3
The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan | “Edge of the World” by Within Temptation
Much like its predecessor The Dead-Tossed Waves, The Dark and Hollow Places appeals to both the post-apocalyptic world and a love story, except this one's a bit darker. Within Temptation's bone-chilling power ballad "Edge of the World" always struck me as a perfect theme song for this book and all the travelling. The first half is soft, distraught, but then the second half ricochets into something huge and powerful, thus reflecting all of the book's intensity.
4
Across the Universe by Beth Revis | “Rise with Me” by In This Moment
Everything about "Rise with Me" screams something along the lines of "the beginning of an epic science fiction adventure" with its electronic and dark instrumentation and Maria Brink's distant, echoey vocals. It definitely captures the feel of being stuck on a spaceship, and that's exactly what Beth Revis' Across the Universe is about. It's the tension before shit hits the fan and everything's about to explode. It's Elder's curiosity.
5
Night by Elie Wiesel | “Willow” by Emilie Autumn (the instrumental from Laced/Unlaced)
*Keep in mind that I only really associate the first half of "Willow" with Night... the second half is just too happy-sounding*
Both times I've read the Holocaust autobiography Night, I've wanted to hear Beethoven in my head when Juliek is dying. Not only because the piece was probably beautiful, but because it's so utterly important that a Jewish person was playing Beethoven even though they weren't allowed - it's like sticking up one's middle finger right at the Nazis. But every time I read it, I hear the first half of "Willow" repeating and repeating because it's so sad and there's something about the way that scene is written hat feels more emotional. It's always been a perfect fit in my opinion.
6
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell | “Introspect” by Epica
"Introspect" is the orchestral introduction to Epica's celebratory tenth anniversary show, Retrospect. I was watching this concert DVD right as I started reading David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, and the first time I heard "Introspect," I thought it was so fitting. It captures the urgency of each storyline, for Cloud Atlas is about a series of lives intertwined throughout history due to reincarnation. It's hard to describe it... "Introspect" simply feels like Cloud Atlas.
7
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork | “Tomorrow” by Daughter
Marcelo in the Real World had a perfect combination of emotions, and so does Daughter's "Tomorrow." It's a fantastic match on a musical level, if I may say so. The wonderful indie vibe of Daughter's music is great for this book in general, but I really think this is THE track for the novel. It has the summertime feel, and it seems to echo some of Marcelo's anxiety throughout with the lyrics "So don't bring tomorrow, for I already know I'll lose you."
8
The Host by Stephenie Meyer | “Towards the End” by Within Temptation
"Towards the End," which happens to be one of my favorite songs EVER MADE, matches The Host on more of a musical level than a lyrical level, for when I hear these lyrics, I think of war, but I suppose one could put enough spin on it to match The Host in a couple ways. The very beginning of the song is full of lightness with its pretty harp line, which always makes me think of Wanderer's first experiences on Earth (and even her experiences on other planets), but after about a minute of the song passes, the feel completely changes. It's dark. It's large-scale - this is when Wanderer ends up in the caves and faces new challenges.
9
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer | “Blindness” by Metric
Coincidentally, I started listening to Metric's music when Twilight began to really skyrocket to popularity. But apparently Stephenie Meyer was also appreciating their music because "Blindness" is in fact featured on her Short Second Life of Bree Tanner playlist on her website. She really hit the nail on the head, because this song really is perfect. Both the music and the lyrics describe a somewhat bleak accept of fate: "What it is and where it stops, nobody knows / You gave me a life I never chose."
10
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green | “We’re On Our Way” by Radical Face
I discovered Radical Face's wonderful music when I heard "We're on Our Way" in the trailer for The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and within the next month or so, I picked up The Fault in Our Stars. This song was in my head for nearly the entire time I read it. It's lighthearted and serious all at once, and if that doesn't describe the laugh-cry-laugh-cry effect of John Green's masterpiece, I don't know what does. I almost fell off my chair when they used this song in The Fault in Our Stars' movie trailer.
11
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte | “Severus and Stone” by Radical Face
This song does not fit Wuthering Heights on a lyrical level. "Severus and Stone" is a sad song about the death of a twin brother, while Wuthering Heights doesn't deal with this specific theme (albeit that book does have a hefty dose of death though). But when I hear this song, I think of the moors. I think of Heathcliff's misery, I think of how his son would suffer, and I think of Hareton. And at the end, all I see is Lockwood looking out (I won't spoil what he's looking at) thinking (in modern terms) "Well that was a mess."
12
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher | “The Little Things Give You Away” by Linkin Park
Once again, not the best of examples on a lyrical basis. "The Little Things Give You Away" is about natural disaster, but Thirteen Reasons Why deals with suicide. Like I've mentioned about every song, it just feels like Thirteen Reasons Why. Because whether there's a natural disaster or a suicide, people are bound to suffer.
So, what do you think of my choices? Do you agree/disagree with any of them? Let me know what some of your bookish theme songs would be and feel free to link my your Top Ten Tuesday freebie for the week. It'll be fun to look at various different lists this week! Have a fabulous day!
