The Princess Diaries- Meg Cabot.

This is my answer to Jillian's top ten. This week, top ten YA books. I know there are supposed to be a list of ten here, but there are ten in the series, so that counts, right?

I picked up the first book in The Princess Diaries series while I was in a Korean airport. Having read all the books I packed, I was in desperate need of a new one. That book happened to be the only one in the bookstore that was pink and not in Korean gobbeldygook. I started reading it as soon as we took off, and found myself completely uninterested in everything in it. I handed it to Mum. A minute later, tears of laughter were streaming down her face. Confused, I snatched it back and had another read. Nothing. I resorted back to my Gameboy for the the rest of the flight, enviously watching my hysterical Mum.

Three years later, I pick it up unwillingly, remembering the Korean flight incident. And get no sleep for three days after. Since that day, I have been hooked on the series. It follows the diary of a young girl who finds out unexpectedly that she is a princess from her controlling grandmother. I won't say anymore, as tempted as I am, so I don't spoil it.

There are ten books in the series, and after number seven, it gets a bit erm .... inappropriate for about my age and down. (twelve, if you don't already know.)

Just be prepared, if you are my age, to not get any homework done for a week, or, if you are Mums, starving children.

Happy Friday Follow!

This friday Mrs. BG is participating in the Friday Follow hosted by Midday Escapades , One 2 Try and Hearts Make Families. Friday Follow is a great way to connect with other bloggers. It is all about sharing and having fun! I participated last week with my non-bookish blog and met so many interesting new bloggy friends. If you would like to join in the fun, link up at one of the host blogs.

If you are visiting from Friday Follow, welcome! Come back and visit anytime... we are always cozy here at Mrs. BG

Lesa's Top Ten Picks: Favorite YA Novels

Yippee! This week's Top Ten is favorite young adult novels. Finally, another Top Ten Picks topic that makes me blog wild! Sorry Jillian but the previous two weeks topics (books that make you cry buckets and worst books) just weren't my cuppa. To join in the fun, post your Top Ten Picks and head over to Jillian's Random Ramblings to link up.

Now I already have a reputation for fudging my numbers so I will go ahead and admit that I jotted down twenty seven YA novels today. Yep, twenty seven. All my picks are gush-worthy but I will do my darndest to narrow it down with minimal cheating.

So without further ado, here are a few novels that I adored at age thirteen and beyond:

1.

This was the book of my eighth grade year. I couldn't begin to count how many times my friends and I reread Little Women.

Note that I said friends... eighth grade is the year I met two wonderful friends. Now I had had best friends before but these two girls were truly kindred spirits. You see, I had never before had best friends who read books and to meet not one but two amazing girls who were also bookworms... I really can't express how amazingly wonderful that was at age thirteen.

And the day we discovered each of us loved Little Women... well, none of us could get a word in edgewise. We even acted out a scene for a Gifted and Talented project and went on to perform it in a speech and drama tournament. Too much fun!

After thirty years, I am still friends with both of those delightfully bookish girls. One of them you also know... Yes, it is DeLynne (aka Meg) my co-blogger here at Mrs. BG's Cozy Book Nook. The other, KK (aka Jo), may add her unique perspective to this blog in the future. KK is a fabulously talented tattoo artist and reiki healer who is in the midst of opening a new studio. She is definitely still a bookworm and I hope you get to meet her someday.

So you can see Little Women is very special to me and if you are wondering which March girl I played... Oh, I bet if you read my Top Ten Picks: Fictional Characters you can figure it out...

2.

Another eighth grade discovery shared with my friends. Perfect for adventurous science and magic loving girls. This book led me to explore the wonderful world of science fiction and fantasy created by such authors as Norton, Lewis, Verne , Burroughs, Tolkien and more.

3.

What can I say... I like boys and I like adventures. During my young teen years, I usually reread these every time a Tom or Huck movie played on tv... yes, Tom and Huck were cute in the movies.

4.

Anne of Green Gables already made my Top Ten Favorite Fictional Characters so no surprise that the book is one of my favorite rereads from my teen years and adult years.

5.

I discovered the Xanth Series at age seventeen and I still keep up with it... there are over thirty books in the series now! Xanth is a magical land of parodies and puns that always makes me happy. Xanth's geography resembles Florida and is inhabited by centaurs, dragons, harpies, nymphs, fauns, goblins, rocs, muses, maenads, ogres, curse fiends, demons, zombies and so forth and so on. Humans (unintentional immigrants from our world- Mundania) also call Xanth home. The magic rubs off on humans and their descendents are born with magic talents.

Xanth tickles me. Babies are delivered by storks and the Adult Conspiracy protects underage characters from all 'interesting' information that might cause them harm. I love that foul language is bleeped by the Adult Conspiracy but wilts vegetation. Xanth is so funny, zany, charming and delightful... I hope I never outgrow it.

Favorite young adult novels I discovered after age thirty:

6.

I love the Harry Potter Series. This is the series that reawakened my love of young adult fiction and I will be forever grateful. From my late teens, I reread my beloved children's and ya books many times but didn't read any new ones. I don't even know why except that I was busy reading regency and historical romances and adult sci/fi fantasy and thrillers. Never again will I turn my back on young adult fiction.

7.

Exciting and scary adventures take place on secret nature preserves containing all manner of faerie creatures.

8.

I read this a few years ago and it still pops into my mind at times. The moon is knocked closer to the earth and devastation follows. Civilization crumbles. Frightening book and the fact that the story is told in diary form makes it very powerful. After living through ice storms with no water, heat, toilets, cooking, I can say that the survival angle in this book is spot on.

9.

A very unique interdimensional series-- the Architect of the universe has been missing since the beginning of time and Arthur, a human boy, is the rightful heir of the Architect's Will. The Trustees of the House are not pleased.

10.

I really love a good dystopian novel and this is my favorite one for now. (but I like the Uglies series too)

To cheat or not cheat... that is the question...

11.

This creepy and exciting adventure takes place beneath London. I have a thing for underground novels too... I love Gaiman's Neverwhere and Suzanne Collins' Gregor the Overlander Series.

I really enjoyed creating this Top Ten Picks and didn't cheat too much. It was tough because I really wanted to include so many more like Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy. And currently I'm reading Gone by Michael Grant and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan... I can tell both of these series will be favorites.

Oh, I truly love young adult fiction. Thanks, Jillian, for such a fun Top Ten Picks topic.

The Promise of Rain

It is Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand, lest we forget, and I read the perfect book. If you don't know what Anzac Day is, you could have a look on my blog.

My lovely Aunty Pat sent me this book from Perth, and I coincidentally started to read it yesterday without realizing the appropriateness. After returning from the march today I finished it with many tears. Donna Milner is a wonderful Canadian writer, who has published After River, which Aunty Pat reckons is great and is now on my TBR list.

The Promise of Rain a book about family, love, war and secrets. The story concerns a family whose father returns from Hong Kong after WW2 weak in body and damaged in mind. Despite the dark subject matter, the book was engaging and touching, with a glimmer of hope at the end. That didn't stop me from crying through the last third, though.

I found interesting parallels with the book, my recent readings and life in general. The main speaker at today's Anzac service spoke of the soldiers lost to war, but reminded us that often veterans and their families are forgotten. Life after war is not easy, and that is one of the themes of the book.

Family is another of the book's central ideas, and in particular, the love of a family for their brother who has Down's Syndrome. Not long ago I posted a link to Pioneer Woman's blog, who has a much cherished brother with an intellectual disability. I've also been spending time at my school with high school boys buddied to intellectually disabled adults. It has been a wonderful experience.

Books like this are special: they resonate in my everyday life and make a connection with my current mood and musings. I recommend you read it soon, or at the very least, next time your country honours its soldiers.

Let's Do The Hop!

Yippee! Mrs. BG is joining the Book Blogger Hop again. This is a great bloggy meet and greet event hosted by Jennifer at Crazy For Books. Please hop over to Book Blogger Hop headquarters to join in the fun. But hop quickly--- Mr. Linky fills up fast. (as I found out last week)

If you are visiting from the hop, Welcome!

So exciting to find new blogs to read! Can't wait to start hopping!