Top Ten Books if You Like...

Recently I've discovered book blogs.  I can't even handle it.  I don't know why I didn't look into this earlier.

These ladies are far wittier, cooler, and better-read than I am, and seem to have an intense and rapid rate of book reading and ability to produce engaging content.

Here's hoping I can keep up.

So, lovely people who are reading my blog today: Top Ten Tuesday, linked with The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's topic is top ten books if you like X movie/tv show/any other form of entertainment.  Mostly what I realized in this exercise is that a lot of what I watch is either crime/mystery or already based on a book.  For your sake, I tried to branch out, but I could only come up with 8 decent ones.  Forgive me.

Get psyched.

1. Miss Marple: Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. Oh, I know Agatha Christie wrote her own books, which are different from Dorothy Sayers', but if ever there were two female mystery-solvers that climb to the top of my list, it's Miss Marple and Harriet Vane.  Gaudy Night is a special favorite, and if you're looking for a slow burn with smart characters and beautiful writing that'll keep you hanging till the end, read it.  Read them all!

2. Brave: Sammy Keyes Series by Wendelin Van Draanen.  Some of my absolute favorites when I was 11-13.  A girl who, like me, got into stuff she shouldn't have because of nosiness/curiosity? Done and done.  Sammy is gutsy, plucky, self-reliant, and real.  Love 'em.  Read them even if you're older than 12.

3. Bletchley Circle: Charlotte Grey by Sebastian Faulks.  In my opinion, Bletchley Circle is superior to Charlotte Gray, but if you're looking for a gloomy WWII story about a woman-turned-spy who has her wits about her, Charlotte Gray is a go-to.

4. Ain't Them Bodies Saints: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.  Two stories about the frontier (ok, basically the Midwest, bear with me) and flawed people who make difficult choices for love.  Both, by the way, could be described as terrifically artful, should you be in the mood for adverb overload.

5. Miss Congeniality: Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich.  Goofy, lovable protagonists that trip over themselves and have a blast? Yes, please! I loved this series for a long time - I even played hooky from school once and went with my mom to a book signing (dork, yes, but still memorable, and Ms. Evanovich was very nice).  Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter from New Jersey, and Janet Evanovich brings in a fantastic cast of characters to solve murders, chase after criminals, and bring in bond-skippers.

6. Steel Magnolias: The Supremes at Earl's All You Can Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore.  Not sure if I was up to snuff with this pairing, but - group of friends that know each other inside and out, stick together and sass each other, each sort of in the South, semi-maudlin - that's what I was going with.  I enjoyed them both immensely.  Read my review here.

7. Downton Abbey: The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally.  A tale about two sisters from Australia who sign up to be nurses during WWI, and the many awesome and awful things they see along the way.  It's a long one (around 500 pages) but worth it.  Hopefully I'll have a review coming soon.

8. Blue is the Warmest Color: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.  Obsessive love? Check.  Passion that seems to come out of the woods, take over your life and change you? Double check.

This was so fun! Go check out the others at The Broke and the Bookish.  Can you think of any? What are some of your favorites?