Bloggin' 'bout Books: 08/13/13

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama

- Alaska

- Arizona

- Arkansas

- California

- Colorado

- Connecticut

- Delaware

- Florida

- Georgia

- Hawaii

- Idaho

- ~~Illinois~~ (1)

- Indiana

- Iowa

- Kansas

- Kentucky

- Louisiana

- Maine

- Maryland

- Massachusetts

- Michigan

- Minnesota

- Mississippi

- Missouri

- Montana

- Nebraska

- Nevada

- New Hampshire

- New Jersey

- New Mexico

- ~~New York~~ (1)

- North Carolina

- North Dakota

- Ohio

- Oklahoma

- Oregon

- Pennsylvania

- ~~Rhode Island~~ (1)

- South Carolina

- South Dakota

- Tennessee

- Texas

- Utah

- Vermont

- Virginia

- Washington

- West Virginia

- Wisconsin

- Wyoming

- Washington, D.C.*

International:

- England (1)

TTT: 'Cause There's Just Somethin' About the South, Y'all

5:58 AM

It's been awhile since I participated in Top Ten Tuesday, my hands-down favorite weekly bookish meme, and I've missed it. Terribly. Interacting with this huge, online reading community is the best part about book blogging for me. I love creating TTT lists, reading other people's lists, finding awesome new blogs to read, and just having a good ole time. So, here I am. If you haven't joined the party, do. It's a whole lotta fun, I promise!

The lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish choose a new list-y topic every week. This week's is: Top Ten Favorite Books With X Setting (i.e., futuristic world, school setting, during World War II, set in California, etc.). I really had to wrack my brain for this one. I was trying to think of something really unique so I could talk about books I hadn't highlighted before, but, in the end, I came up with this not-so-original-but-still-fun list ...

Top Ten Favorite Books Set in the American South

1. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell—This one's pretty much a no-brainer. I loved the book the first time I read it, but it enchanted me even more after I'd visited Atlanta. Touring the Margaret Mitchell House museum was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett—I know this one's gotten some flack for various reasons, but I really enjoyed it, both in book and movie form.

3. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts—Another story (this one's about a pregnant teenager in Oklahoma, who's trying to rebuild her life after being abandoned by her boyfriend) that charmed me as a book and as a movie.

4. Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler—As heartbreaking as this story about a young white girl in 1940s Kentucky who falls in love with a black man is, it really spoke to me. A word of advice: keep the Kleenex handy.

5. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee—Another no-brainer. It's a classic for a reason, y'all.

6. The Temperance Brennan novels by Kathy Reichs—I talk quite a bit about this series, which features a forensic anthropologist who solves murders both in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Toronto, Canada.

7. Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little—Kimberley (she's my IRL friend, so I can use her first name—we're friendly like that) has written several interconnecting, middle grade novels that take place "deep in the heart" of the Lousiana bayou. I'm not sure which book is my favorite, but I love both Circle of Secrets and The Healing Spell.

8. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys—Another atmospheric novel set in New Orleans. This one's teeming with colorful characters, vivid scenery and mystery. It's a rich, absorbing read that kept me riveted from its first word to its last.