Rachel Kovaciny's Blog, page 82

Top Ten Tuesday: I've Changed My Mind

This week's TTT topic from That Artsy Reader Girl is "Top Ten Books You've Lost Interest In."  Drawing on my Goodreads TBR list, the books I've put on a similar list on my local library's website, and my TBR list here on my blog, here are ten books that I once thought I might want to read, but have decided I'm not really interested in after all.  They are getting removed from my TBR lists today!

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain.  Although I love film noir and Raymond...

Another LOTR Read-Along: The Voice of Saruman (TTT 3, 10)

And after the happy little interlude in the previous chapter, we get heavy and serious here. And suspenseful. I mean, for a minute there, I started to think Saruman had totally gotten Theoden under his spell. And I've read this how many times? Seen the movie how many times? But I still got all worried.


Saruman reminds me so, so much of Adolf Hitler. The power of his voice, anyway. Hitler was said to have a kind of mesmerizing thing going on when he made speeches. And the guy convinced a nation...

Another LOTR Read-Along: Flotsam and Jetsam (TTT 3, 9)

Ahh, a happy interlude. I really like this chapter, with the remnants of the Fellowship eating and smoking and exchanging stories and information. That bit where Pippin produces a spare pipe and Gimli calls him a "most noble hobbit" always makes me grin. Same goes for when Pippin tells what Gandalf's reappearance was like -- that time, he got called a "tom-fool of a Took" instead, but it still makes me grin.

And aren't the Huorns nifty? Especially how they can "wrap themselves in shadow" (p. 5...

Winners of the International Book-Giving Day Giveaway

Happy Valentine's Day!  And Happy International Book-Giving Day too :-)  The giveaway widget has spoken, and here are the six lucky winners:

F. Scott Fitzgerald On Writing -- Maddie W.
Gift from the Sea -- Kathryn M.
Aspects of the Novel -- Rachel A.
Mugging the Muse -- Ekaterina Y.
Flashes of Splashes -- Nassim M.
The Trials of Sherlock Holmes -- Eva S.

Congratulations, all of you!  I will be emailing you this morning to ask for your mailing info so I ca...

Top Ten Tuesday: Classic Romances

This week's TTT topic from That Artsy Reader Girl is a "romantic freebie," so I'm doing my list of Top Ten Favorite Romantic Pairings from Classic Literature.  Naturally, I could have filled this whole thing with romances from Jane Austen's novels alone, but I made myself only include three of hers so as to make my list a bit broader.  Titles are linked to my reviews if I've reviewed that particular title.  Also, there might be some SPOILERS lurking here, so um... proceed with...

Another LOTR Read-Along: The Road to Isengard (TTT 3, 8)

This is one of those in-between chapters where I don't have a lot to say. Legolas and Gimli's reunion is quite funny, and I love their plan to show each other Fangorn and the Helm's Deep caverns when the war is over. And the reunion of Merry and Pippin with their would-be rescuers is always amusing.


Theoden says of the Ents that "the songs have come down among us out of strange places, and walk visible under the Sun" (p. 537). This seems to be a theme with the Rohirrim, that characters in son...

"Rapunzel's Guide to All Things Brave, Creative, and Fun" by Suzanne Francis, Illustrated by Enric Prat

This is an adorable, entertaining, and informative little book.  I picked it up on a whim at the bookstore, and when I was only halfway through it, I decided I liked it so much, I gave a copy to the young daughters of one of my friends because I knew they would find it fun too.

The whole book is narrated by Rapunzel, as if she's chattily telling you how to do things she enjoys.  Art, writing, games, outdoor activities, even Self Defense with a Frying Pan are all covered here.  M...

Another LOTR Read-Along: Helm's Deep (TTT 3, 7)

Another favorite chapter! It's funny -- I get kind of tired of the Helm's Deep section in the movies, but in the book? It's stellar! The movie goes on and on and on, but in the book it's only like fifteen pages and so brilliant.

If you ever want to write a suspenseful action scene where the tension and excitement spiral tighter and tighter, and you're looking for an example of a scene that does exactly that, read this chapter. By the end of it, I'm in goosebumps. I'm in goosebumps just typing...

International Book-Giving Day Giveaway

Yup!  I'm giving away six books in honor of International Book-Giving Day, which is February 14.  So from now through February 13, you can enter to win one of these books, using the widget below.  I'll pick six winners on February 14 and give away these six books!

+ F. Scott Fitzgerald On Writing edited by Larry W. Phillips.  A collection of things Fitzgerald wrote in letters, articles, and his books that involve the writing process.  I reviewed it here.

+ Gift fro...

Top Ten Tuesday: It's Been a Long, Long Time

This week's TTT topic, as set forth by That Artsy Reader Girl, is: Top Ten Books That Have Been on my To-Read List the Longest.

I got a little spiral-bound book about the time I graduated from college that I used to keep track of all the books I wanted to read.  Before that, I'd had my list on scraps of paper and in my head, but that was the first time I jotted them down in one spot.  That book looked just like this one:
(Thank you, Pinterest)
I still have that book, being a good littl...