Books on my Kobo Shortlist

I will freely admit it: I love my Kobo.  I wasn't sure about the whole ereader-thing.  But now I'm completely hooked.  My Kobo comes with me everywhere I go.  I love the fact that I have an almost limitless collection of books in my purse with me.  Never again will I have to flip through last year's Readers Digest magazines while I'm waiting in an office.

Below is the list of books on my Kobo Shortlist.  Its a list of books I plan to read sometime in the near future:

1. "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
This is the first book in the Chronicles of Prydain series.  It's a series I read as a kid and really enjoyed.  Probably the most famous book in the series is "The Black Cauldron", which Disney made into an animated movie in 1985 (which is strange, since it's the second book in the series).  The series is about a boy named Taran and follows him from his boyhood as a pig keeper through to becoming a warrior as an adult.  The books are based on Welsh mythology and were winners of a Newbery Medal and Newbery Honour.

2. "Land of Painted Caves" by Jean M. Auel
I really enjoyed "Clan of the Cave Bear" when I first read it.  And the second book, "Valley of the Horses" was also okay.  But the series really started to go downhill after that.  "Land of Painted Caves" is the sixth and final book in the series.  I don't know if/when I'll actually read it; but it's on my list just as a reminder that I eventually want to finish the damn series.

3. "Sisterhood Everlasting" by Ann Brashares
This is a sequel to the "Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants" series.

4. "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett
I'm sort of embarrassed to admit this, but I've never read this book.  I've always meant to, but just haven't gotten around to it.

5. "The Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connolly
It was made into a movie, so it's probably not a bad book (nice logic, huh?).

6. "The Burning Land" by Bernard Cornwell
This is book 5 in the Saxon series.  The series tells the tale of Uthred, and English boy raised by Vikings.  It is set during the reign of Alfred in 9th century England.  I'm looking forward to reading this book soon; the 6th book in the series is scheduled for release in October, 2011.

7. "Helen of Troy" by Margaret George
I am currently reading another book by Margaret George: "The Autobiography of Henry VIII with notes by his fool Will Somers".  Her books are massive.  But if you enjoy in-depth historical fiction, she's pretty good.  Not as trashy as Philippa Gregory, but still very approachable.

8. "Earthly Joys" by Philippa Gregory
This is one of the few Philippa Gregory books that isn't directly about a king or queen of England.  This is the first of two novels about a gardening family during the English Civil War.

9. "The Quiet Gentleman" by Georgette Heyer
I have only recently discovered Georgette Heyer; my friend posted this on her blog, leading me to a whole new world of Jane Austen-esque books.  I've only read one book by Miss Heyer so far: "Bath Tangle".  And I really enjoyed it.  It's not "Pride and Prejudice", but if you're someone who finds Jane Austen a little daunting, it is an easier read (I don't mean easier in a negative way; you won't have to look up every second word to figure out what the story is about).

10. "Red Seas Under Red Skies" by Scott Lynch
This is the second book in the "Gentlemen Bastards" series.  I LOVED the first book, "The Lies of Locke Lamora".  The only reason I haven't read this follow-up novel is because I'm worried that Scott Lynch is becoming a new George RR Martin (and not in a good way).  The release date for Mr. Lynch's third book, "The Republic of Thieves", has been continually pushed back.  Currently it is slated for a November 2011 release (although, on Amazon.ca it still says that the book is coming in November 2009).

Now I'm getting bored with writing about the books.  So here's a list of the final 5 books on my shortlist:

11. "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

12. "Drood" by Dan Simmons

13. "Children of Henry VIII" by Alison Weir

14. "Eleanor of Aquitaine" by Alison Weir

15. "The Princes in the Tower" by Alison Weir

I would love suggestions on more/different books to add to my shortlist.  If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments section below.


(I know I promised to post something fun or random on each blog entry.  The only fun thing I can think of this morning is the fact that The Gap Canada is having a 40% off sale for Labour Day Weekend; sorry, I know that's lame)