The World's Greatest Library

While Googling pictures of books and libraries for a little project of mine, I came across the world's greatest library, in my humble opinion of course.



This is The Duke Humphrey Reading Room. Although, it was better known to me as the Hogwarts Library from the Harry Potter movies! I gasped upon seeing this image pop up in my search results because I recognized it instantly. It's best known from the first of the five currently released films. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are pouring over the ancient books in search of information about Nicholas Flamel, the only known owner of the sorcerer's (or philosopher's) stone.

Hmm... I wonder if their restricted section screams as loud as it did in the movie... (clearly kidding!)

Sawyer, and Sayid, and Jack... OH MY!

LOST is probably one of my favorite television shows ever. My best friend turned me on to the show about two seasons ago, and I am hooked. Every Wednesday night I am glued to the television to see what horrible thing Ben is going to do, and how many times Sawyer (see picture to the right) will come up with witty insults to snap at other people. And like everyone else, I wait in suspense for the end of every episode to get some answers. Instead, I am left with 45 new questions, and I love every minute of it.

But since this is a blog about books, and not television, I found a little reading list that I thought was very interesting. Throughout the show, there are references to many different literary works. Most of them come through Sawyer, the bad boy who stole my heart. While I was searching for book lists online, I stumbled across a list of books that are referenced in LOST. Some I've read, and others I've added to my TBR list! I thought it would be fun for all of you to take a look at!

1. Richard Adams - Watership Down
2. Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle In Time
3. William Golding - Lord Of The Flies
4. Daniel Defoe - Robinson Crusoe
5. Stephen King - The Stand
6. Stephen King - The Langoliers
7. Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
8. Michael Crichton - Jurassic Park
9. Lewis Carroll - Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass
10. Antony Trew - Smoke Island
11. William Shakespeare - The Tempest
12. H.G. Wells - The Island Of Dr. Moreau
13. Jules Verne - The Mysterious Island
14. Joseph Conrad - Heart Of Darkness
15. J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone

So there you have it! Some of these books are tied directly into the show, and others have similar plot lines. But they all sound worth reading!

All You Need Is Love

Valentine's Day may have a reputation for being an excuse for greeting card companies to make money, but I still think it is a fun excuse to celebrate your love for someone. Whether that someone is a husband, boyfriend, best friend, or family member, it's always important to tell that someone that you love them.



So in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I decided to think back on some of my favorite couples in literature. Some of them have burning passion for each other. Others more or less have love that appears to be obsession. And others just seem to be the perfect married couple. Whatever they are, these couples bring a smile to my face and represent what love is. Who's your favorite couple?

*Romeo & Juliet
*Rhett Butler & Scarlett O'Hara
*Fitzwilliam Darcy & Elizabeth Bennet
*Jamie Fraser & Claire Beauchamp
*Captain Frederick Wentworth & Anne Elliot
*Noah Calhoun & Allie Hamilton
*The Chairman & Nitta Sayuri
*Arthur & Molly Weasley
...............and last, but certainly not least:
*Edward Cullen & Bella Swan

Happy Valentine's Day!

I Can't Live If Living Is Without You

Cheryl over at Cheryl's Book Nook (see my links section to visit her wonderful site) proposed an interesting question that I simply had to address in a post because it made me take a step back and think. Even as I have formed my answers, I still question it. Anyways, here is the question:

If your book collection were on fire and you could only save three books from burning, which three would you save and why?

Talk about a Sophie's Choice moment! How in the world do you pick? You have to assume that you will never be able to replace these books, that is the only way that it works. My choices make me feel incredibly juvenile. But if I am being perfectly honest, these are the three books right now that I would absolutely cry over losing:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - I could never part with this book. It's adventure, a little romance, and is just an emotional roller coaster. I told you that it makes me feel like I am incredibly juvenile, but I really do enjoy reading about Harry's adventures, and this book is the one that I would definitely hold on to assuming that I would never be able to replace my books if they were lost for some reason.





2. Pride & Prejudice - It's historical fiction and romance, what more could a girl ask for? I love the story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's romance, not to mention Jane Austen's writing. I've read this story quite a few times and have seen movie versions more often than I can count. I don't think that I could ever part with my copy of this book. It would be a tragedy to lose such a wonderful novel.






3. Twilight - Again, it is a juvenile choice, but this book won my heart the first time I read it. It's no wonder either, since Stephenie Meyer wrote it with influences from Austen's Pride & Prejudice. Edward Cullen is the greatest literary "heartthrob" since Fitzwilliam Darcy, in my humble opinion. Yes, I definitely would have to save this book also.








I invite all of you out there to address this question! Which three books would you save from your collection if there was no hope of ever replacing them?

Oh Ms. Rowling...

So if you've been keeping up with my "Currently Reading" little widget there, you'll see that I've finished off my reread of the Harry Potter series. I don't know if it is sad or not that I am 22, going on 23 in October, and was completely engulfed in the reread.

I was talking to my best friend last night (hi Robin!) who is also 22 and just as *appreciative* of Harry Potter as I am. She is just about to start her first reread of the last book. We simply were discussing some of the more sad parts of the story when we came to discuss certain characters who Rowling killed. (I give no spoiler warning because either you don't care about HP or you've already read it, there's no in between.) There are three moments that I identified where I actually had to stop reading. Not because my reading headache had set in. No no, I've learned how to power through those over the years. And it wasn't because I had something else that I needed to do. No, it was because my tears blurred my vision to the point where I could barely tell that I was even looking at a book.

1. Fred Weasley's Death - Now I am a redhead. For the fifth movie installment, Robin and I made shirts for the midnight premier (I know...). Mine said "I Wish I Were A Weasley." And I do... Ginny to be exact. So needless to say, Fred's death was a kick in the face.

2. Dobby's Death - The elf loved Harry so much that he died to protect him. Need I say more?

3. Harry using the Resurrection Stone - I can't take it when he speaks to the spirits of his mother, father, and godfather. He knows he's about to die and wants to know if it hurts and wants to let them know that he will be with them shortly. It's ridiculous. Stories about child wizards should not be that sad.

I know it makes me a bit of a loser, but I really can't help it. Somehow I got sucked into this crazy phenomena when I honestly put up a valiant fight to resist it for a while. (Ironically, I caved once I got to college...) The sixth movie installment is due out in November. I guess waterproof mascara will have to be added to the preparations list!

P.S. I am not posting a review for Nicholas Sparks's The Guardian. Just read it. It took me less than 24 hours. It's definitely got the Nicholas Sparks romance, but it's also got some thriller/murder stuff going on. Wonderful!