TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books for armchair travelers

Books for Armchair Travelers

 (Submitted by Laurie C @ Bay State Reader’s Advisory)

Most books, if they do their job well, transport us to a different place and time. I feel like I have been all over the world, and yet, I have not left the comfort of my own home. There are too many stories to remember. Nonetheless, here are ten random books I have read and shared a journey with a character or two.

1. Around the World in 80 Days - Verne

    A race against the clock to make it around the world in eighty days, using different modes of travel, set in the late 1800s. Traverse three continents, two oceans, and experience numerous adventures with several fascinating characters. Also enjoy a few good laughs.

2. Over the Edge of the World - Bergreen

    The shocking story of Magellan and his crew as they circumnavigate the globe in the 1500s. Absolutely exhausting what men put themselves through for cloves. Yeah, cloves. 

3. A Room with a View - Forster

    Mostly pleasant coming of age story set in romantic Florence, Italy. 

4. Travels with Charley - Steinbeck

    Something I've always wanted to do, but not with my dog. Hop in alongside Steinbeck as he drives his way through America, encounters characters, experiences history, and draws opinions and conclusions about his country. My favorite part was his five minutes spent in Yosemite. 

5. The Road - McCarthy

    On a more depressing note, McCarthy wrote a dark story about a father and son trying to survive, on foot, and walking towards the Gulf Coast after an catostrophic disaster in America. Nothing looks the same, and McCarthy does such a good job that is impossible to remember having clear visuals of the environment. 

6. Gulliver's Travels - Swift

    This satire follows a surgeon on four different voyages to fictional lands, people, and the troubles he confronts. Swift wrote this to mock the British government and society of his time. 

7. The Oregon Trail - Parkman

    This was an interesting and very well written true account of the experiences and realities of those who took the Oregon Trail west. 

8. The Journey of Lewis and Clark

    One of my favorite expeditions of the west. Both Meriwether Lewis and William Clark kept journals with detailed descriptions and illustrations of wildlife and native people, while they explored the terrain of the Louisiana Purchase and searched for a waterway to the Pacific Ocean. 

9. These is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881 - 1901 - Turner

    An historical fiction of one woman's life on the frontier of Arizona. 

10. The Sun Also Rises - Hemingway

    Travel through Spain with disillusioned ex-patriots following WWI. Some people find this fictional story annoying, but I found Hemingway's writing effective. 

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This week's TTT theme reminds me of reading Moby Dick and experiencing a dangerous whaling expedition with a  crossed sea captain and a well-grounded introspective narrator, traversing the seas in search of revenge.

But it also reminds me of Emily Dickinson's poem:

There is no Frigate like a Book

To take us Lands away

Nor any Coursers like a Page

Of prancing Poetry –

This Traverse may the poorest take

Without oppress of Toll –

How frugal is the Chariot

That bears the Human Soul –

        ~Emily Dickinson

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Love/Valentine's Freebie

Ten Books My Valentine Could Gift Me on Valentine's Day

There are numerous books on my Amazon wishlist, and on special occasions my husband has chosen some as gifts. For example, for Christmas, he picked out four books. However, the list keeps growing. So here are ten books from my wishlist that I am wishing for...

1. That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis One of Lewis' books I have yet to read.

2. Wonderland Avenue by Danny Sugerman I read this in the 90s. I had checked it out of the library and kept it for ten years and finally returned it when I grew a conscience. I need to get a copy of this. It is about the author and his time with Jim Morrison and the Doors, and it was wild. 

3. Alone by Richard Evelyn Byrd This is a story about the author and his time alone at the South Pole, in the 1930s. It is a difficult book to find.

4. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah Someone recommended this book, and I was compelled to put it on my wishlist. 

5. A Namesake for Nathan by F. N. Monjo Another difficult book to find, but it's out there. I read this to my kids and then I gave it away, regretfully. It is an historical fiction about Nathan Hale. 

6.  I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Trevino Not difficult to find, but another historical fiction that I gave away. It is the story about the Spanish artist Diego Velazquez, told through the experience of his assistant Juan. Very well written. 

Speaking of artists, I have been craving excellent art since we moved away from California to Florida. Central Florida does not specialize in good art. Everything is modern, and I loathe modern/contemporary art because it is ugly and pointless. I miss going to the Getty and the Huntington to see the Masters. So lately I have been looking to own collections of my favorite artists that I may pursue their works whenever I need good art. 

7. Bruegel The Complete Paintings by Jurgen Muller 

8. Vermeer The Complete Works by Karl Schultz

Sidenote: My family and I got to see this painting, Girl with a Pearl Earring, at a museum in San Francisco. It was on loan. Much smaller than I had expected, with onlookers huddled about it, discussing it like a life or death decision.

Obviously, not the actual painting.
I wish we were able to get this close.

9. Van Gogh The Complete Paintings by Ingo F. Walther 

        OR Vincent Van Gogh His Arts and Words by S. J. Seferi

10. Monet The Triumph of Impressionism by Daniel Wildenstein

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Read in 2025

 

Top Ten Books I Read in 2025

These were some of the best reads of 2025, in no order. In fact, I had to do eleven because I could not eliminate any of these. I rated them four and five stars on GoodReads. It does not mean I agreed with them all of the time, but rather that I felt engaged and learned something new or enjoyed the story experience. 

    

1. The Aeneid by Virgil (translated by Christopher Pearse Cranch) : Enjoyed the writing/translation style and much of the story; however, the war scenes were at times laborious. I skimmed through a bit.

2. The Essential Writings by Josephus : According to Josephus, the Jewish people were so divided and weakened by civil strife that the Romans did not have to exert themselves to take Jerusalem. In fact, the Temple was already in ruins at the hands of the Jewish sects, that it was not even salvageable. The Roman general Titus gave orders to burn it down. I believe Josephus suggested that the Romans would have preserved it, if they thought there was anything to save.  Fascinating stuff!

3. My Dear Hemlock by Tilly Dillehay : This is a woman's take on C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters. Very engaging, especially if you read it with her Discussion Guide.

4. Our Town by Thorton Wilder : A very American-themed play set in the early 20th century showcasing our common human experience. Bring tissues. After reading the play, I was lucky enough to see a local theater perform it. 

        

5. My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir : If you love nature and stories set in nature, you'll truly appreciate John Muir's journaling of his time in the Sierra's. He knew every tree, flower, shrub, and bird ever created. It was also adventurous.

6. The Pioneers by David McCullough : An intriguing insight told through personal accounts about the first New Englanders who risked their lives and comfort to explore and settle the new and wild Northwest Territory (Ohio Valley).  

7. Gilgamesh the Hero by Geraldine McCaughrean : While this is a version for children (junior high and older), it does not dilute or leave out the agreeable characteristics of this ancient tale about love and friendship, and life and death. 

8. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair : This story reminds me of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath in some ways because it was a preachy novel. It was a train wreck so well written, I couldn't put it down, the same way people slow down to stare at the car wreck on the side of the road. I disagreed with this story, but I don't mind reading penetrating stories that cause me to reel with disbelief. 

 
9. John Adams by David McCullough : Again, McCullough is a master of vivid story telling about history and people, particularly through the use of letters and other correspondence, news articles, and journals. He helps the reader understand his human subject(s), flawed and broken, at times, but capable of triumph and goodness. Kind of like all of us.

10. Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris : Another successful author with a pleasant writing style about a fascinating American, Theodore Roosevelt. Talk about privilege! This is the second book in a trilogy, and  I believe it covers his entire two-terms as president. Exceptional!

Bonus: The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Clark : I had to include this. It's a western, but more than that. It's shocking! This story will make you take a good long look at yourself -- on the inside. Where God looks. If you don't have a conscience, this book won't bother you. But for the rest of us...prepare to shudder. 

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Top Ten Tuesday : Books Assigned to Read in School

HURRICANE MILTON UPDATE

As I write this post, I am in hurricane Milton recovery mode. Apparently, that was the worst storm/hurricane to come through this area (Sarasota/Tampa) in as many as 100 years. And only two years ago, we experienced hurricane Ian, which, to my family, was powerful enough for our first hurricane in Florida. 

Like Ian, Milton hit between 9PM Wednesday and left kicking and screaming by 3AM Thursday. Gusts were probably between 90-100 mph at one point. In one word, it was: ROUGH. 

Now that we are in the post-storm period, it's been a little painful. It is best for me to describe it this way: we have no power, no hot water, no A/C, and crappy internet connection. We have a generator roaring all day, though it is off between 9 PM - 5 AM. It powers the fridge and freezer, runs water, and charges phones, a few lights, and a couple of ceiling fans. Gratefully, we have propane for the grill. 

Until yesterday, gasoline was hard to find. My son was able to fill up at midnight on Saturday, after waiting two hours, and my husband filled up our gas cans for the generator at 5 am on Sunday morning. 

It's a little boring, especially for my elderly father, who cannot watch his internet TV or listen to his internet radio. We are expecting the power to come on any day now, but for sure by Thursday, three days from now. 

We have much to be grateful, and we are. Though it rained fifteen hours straight, we did not flood anymore than a typical Florida downpour. Before the hurricane arrived, we started to leak from the hallway ceiling. I panicked, but my husband put a bucket under the leak for the night. (It's already been fixed by the roofer, by the way.) 

By 5 AM, the morning after the storm, my husband and I took flashlights to survey the damage. The worst were the giant tree limbs that broke off and crashed onto our entrance gate, damaging it. Before the sun was up, my husband had it in pieces using his chainsaw. Another gate was slightly damaged from being blown open. The chicken fence and netting was down. But chickens were safe and sound, though terrified. And finally, my garden was demolished. 

Some homes and neighborhoods are flooded, and almost everyone who has a tree in his yard has a fallen tree that just barely missed his home. Amazingly, trees fell away from homes, in between homes, or aside the home. Many trees fell into power lines, and we saw a tree that had fallen onto a passing vehicle two days after the storm. 

You should see the work that these linemen and arborists are doing. They come from all over the U.S. and Canada, and they are restoring power like lightning. They are cutting up those fallen trees and removing them just as quickly. My community is almost back to normal. 

Just in time for another storm? I pray not!!!

UPDATE (as of 8 AM PST): Power was restored in the middle of the night. YAY!

NOW, onto today's Top Ten Tuesday:

Books I was required to read in school (as I remember). Interestingly, I remember more from elementary school, which was a Catholic private institution, in Brooklyn, where we studied classical education.  

Junior high and high school I remember almost nothing, and I am tempted to say, I was not required to read anything in high school, except what I chose to read for a biography. So sad. Both schools were public schools in California. 

Finally, for college, I know I read more, but these are the ones that stand out most. (I was supposed to read The House of Seven Gables, too, but I just used the Cliff Notes for my report. So that does not count.)

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - this was my favorite in 3rd grade.

Old Man and the Sea - I loved going through the analysis in 4th grade.

The Scarlet Letter - I cannot believe I read this one in 5th grade!

The Pearl - this one left an impression on me. I may have read it in 4th or 5th grade.

Of Mice and Men - I am shocked that we read this one in school because it contains curse words and blasphemy! I may have read this in 6th grade. 

JUNIOR HIGH:

Where the Red Fern Grows - I remember the teacher was crying while she read this to us in class. I liked this one enough that I read ahead to finish it before everyone else. 

HIGH SCHOOL:

The Diary of Anne Frank - read this in 9th grade, and it is still a favorite to read. 

COLLEGE:

Kaffir Boy - read this book for English, and it shocked me. It is about apartheid, which I knew nothing about.

The Fountainhead - read this for architecture, and it was my first intro to Ayn Rand. I immediately related to her ideals. 

Walden - Also for architecture. I wanted to live like Thoreau for awhile, but today, roughing it like this, nah. I'm over it. 

Emerson - Another book for architecture. I remember liking Emerson's work very much, but I have to revisit it because I do not remember any of it. 

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - I had to read this for philosophy, but today I remember nothing from it. 

Top Ten Tuesday : Books on My Fall 2024 To-Read List

I am resigned to adhere to and complete my unread books. Therefore, this is the most boring list of projected books I have for fall. I can't even list ten because I cannot add more books to my list since I am reading less than ever, and I am behind seven books from my goal of fifty for the year. Realistically, the best I can do is to finish a few of these before the end of fall. LOL.

1. Hardy : The Woodlanders - going to try one more time. If Hardy doesn't re-captivate me with this one, then I know it wasn't to be.

2. Dana: Two Years Before the Mast - an unread. A true story about going to sea.

3. Morris : The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - continue reading. Gratefully loving this tome; and when I am done, I have a second one by Morris to begin. 

4. Hughes : Unmet Expectations - continue reading for book club. We have about six more chapters.

5. McGee : Thru the Bible - continue reading. Will always be reading this, forever and ever. 

6. McCullough : 1776 - picking up where I left off. I should be ok to finish this one now. 

7. Oursler / Armstrong : The Greatest Faith Ever Known - an unread. Really interested to read this story version of the New Testament. 

Top Ten Tuesday : Books That Provide a Much-Needed Escape - LATE EDITION!

If I could choose books to read RIGHT NOW as a way to escape -- a much-needed escape -- these are the books I would read, with a brief simplification of why. Of course, The Little House Books are a staple, so no explanation there. 

1. The Little House Books : you know

2. Don Quixote : hysterical, carefree, and fanciful

3. The Pilgrim's Progress : a beautiful reminder of the Christian walk

4. The Wind in the Willows : delightful, cheerful, and at times, reckless 

5. The Great Gatsby : wild, complex, and a car wreck...like you cannot turn your eyes away.

6. Letters of a Woman Homesteader : valiant, fearless, and audacious (I live through this woman.) 

7. Walden : America's first tiny house experiment (I want to live in a tiny house.)

8. Far From the Madding Crowd : love, revenge, and boy gets girl (A Hardy story with a happy ending. Strange, but happy.)

9. The Handmaid's Tale : an entertainingly far stretch of the imagination (Entertainingly dystopian.)

10. Persuasion : a pleasant, charming, mature love story (The best love letter.)

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books Involving Food

This TTT topic is about books involving food (but not cookbooks). Have you ever read a book that inspired you to try a recipe? Here are some books I've read that involved food, even some that inspired me to put on an apron. 

1. Melville : Moby Dick : clam chowder

I had to make clam chowder after reading the chapter "Chowder" in Moby Dick. Yummy!

2. Stowe : Uncle Tom's Cabin : pound cake

I wish I had taken a picture of this delicious pound cake I made for our book club discussion of Uncle Tom's Cabin. It is a shame I did not save the recipe either. In chapter four, Aunt Chloe made a little pound cake for Tom one evening. So it seemed like the right thing to do, too. 

3. Ingalls Wilder : Little House on the Prairie : 

heart-shaped cakes

These were my favorites. Ma made little heart-shaped cakes to put into the girls' stockings at Christmas.  I made these for our Little House Christmas Party.

4. Ingalls Wilder : The Long Winter : pumpkin pie

Actually, Ma made a green pumpkin pie for Pa because they had to salvage the pumpkins before the winter, and Ma was always creative and resourceful. And of course, Pa loved it. We used the recipe from the Little House Cookbook and made our own pumpkin pie. 

5. Ingalls Wilder : Farmer Boy : taffy

Speaking of the WILDer family, Almanzo and his siblings were left home alone for a week while their parents went out of town. The kids ate all the sugar, but not before making taffy. Then Almanzo gave some to his pig, which was hysterical. Therefore, my kids and I arduously made taffy using The Little House Cookbook recipe. 

6. Ingalls Wilder: On the Banks of Plum Creek : 

vanity cakes

Ma made vanity cakes for Laura and Mary and their friends from school. Ma said they were called vanity cakes because they were puffed up and hollow inside, just like a vain person. My kids and I made these, too, and sprinkled them with powdered sugar. 

7. Barrows/Schaffer: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

If I remember correctly, this book-club/potluck met in secret during WWII. They had to hide the roasted pig, too. They made potato peel pie, a wartime inspiration, obviously. I felt like some of the descriptions were not very appetizing; however, when food is scarce, you are grateful for anything. That was why it was a feast. 

8. Dickens: A Christmas Carol

The foods served at Christmas brought out some of the joys of the season, even for the Cratchits, who lived in poverty. Stuffed goose, potatoes and gravy, fruit, soup, and even fish. And don't forget that huge turkey that Scrooge sent over to the Cratchit's on Christmas Day!

How in the Dickins can I lose weight?

9. Hemingway: A Moveable Feast

This is NOT a book about food. But it definitely could be. 

10. Alcott: Little Women

Of all the books that mention food, I think Little Women is the closest to a whole foods diet. Fruits, veggies, meats, and fish. Nothing fancy, but everything that is good for you. 

Top Ten Tuesday : Books on My Summer 2024 To Read List

1. One Bad Apple by Rachel Kovaciny

Looking forward to reading the third book from Kovaciny's Once Upon a Western series. This one promises to be a refreshing tale about good vs. evil.

2. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

This book was on my Wishlist at Amazon, and my husband chose it for Mother's Day. It is actually part of a three book series, of which all are tomes. This Roosevelt is my favorite U.S. President because his life was so intriguing and adventurous. I cannot wait to dig in.

3. Seventeen Seventy-Six by David McCullough

A most breathtaking time for America, not without sacrifice or courage. I have three books by McCullough, and I need to get cracking (on these spines)!

4. The Little House Books, Vol. Two by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Here I am just continuing my life through Wilder's Little House books -- but with  Caroline Fraser's edition in two books, as opposed to the children's versions with illustrations -- though I do miss those. I hope to finish volume two by the end of summer. 

5. / 6. Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal or

Anthem by Ayn Rand

I doubt I will read both of these, but one never knows. It will be a miracle if I read one of them or even ten books through the summer. You would think anyone could do that, but...life. I would like to read both of these, as I've had them for too long. Obviously, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal is non-fiction, but Anthem is one of Rand's short novels. 

7. Middlemarch by George Eliot

This one continues to show up on my lists, and last December I polled people about what I should read next of several unreads I own. Middlemarch was a close second to Les Mis. I was not crazy about Les Mis, but I have a feeling I will prefer Middlemarch. Hopefully this will at least be started this summer.

8. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy

The Woodlanders will be one of those books I rectify. I bailed in the middle, but I do want to finish it. Maybe it was the wrong time to read it.

9. Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart

I am really excited to reread this. This is an amazing true story of a courageous woman. She could be a female Theodore Roosevelt, I suppose, minus the assassination attempt and serving as president of a nation.

10. I am already reading several other books that will carry over through summer, such as Through the Bible by J. Vernon McGee and Unmet Expectations by Lisa Hughes. And I plan to begin the next poet on TWEM list: Langston Hughes.

Like I said, I hope to begin some of these on my list. I envision staying up until late, reading past Midnight, like I did as a teen; but who am I kidding? I cannot keep my eyes open beyond 10pm, and then all of my reading goals are for nought. BUT, I will try my best. That's all I can do. 

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Top Ten Tuesday : Books I Had VERY Strong Emotions About

When I consider what it means to have VERY strong emotions about a book, I immediately think about books in which I was deeply engaged while reading and continuously connected to long after I had finished reading them. A book provokes strong emotions when I am directed into an argument with the author over an idea or topic, or the author provides so much significant substance for me to praise her, as I will discuss in a moment. There are many of these kinds of books in my history, but since I have to choose ten, I did my best to zero in on the most engaging books I have ever read.

1. Atwood: The Handmaid's Tale

What gives me strong emotions about The Handmaid's Tale are the strong emotions that the story provokes in other readers. They get uptight and believe that we're right around the corner from Gilead. And all for fear that men are going to force us into childbearing because we can't have legal abortions. Meanwhile, there is very little outrage over men commandeering women's sports, magazines, dressing rooms, and beauty contests. Also, Atwood wrote this story partially because of the history of how Muslims treat women, and a lot of these crazy women are now supporting Palestine, home to the Muslim religion that promotes inequality and mistreatment of women. Go figure. 

2. Austen: Persuasion

This isn't a love story of passion and bliss. It is mature love at its best. 

And that love letter.

3. Hardy: Jude the Obscure or Tess of the D'Urbervilles 

Almost anything by Hardy makes me emotional. He creates the absolute worst circumstance on earth and places a poor, helpless character smack in the middle of it. Only to utterly crash at the end. 

It's all hopelessness.

4. Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter

Overall, The Scarlet Letter is an excellent piece of literature. But come on, Hawthorne! I think his great-great grandfather was a Puritan who judged the people of Salem during the witch trials, and it perturbed Hawthorne to have that kind of stain on his history. That's just my opinion. But in truth, Hawthorne harbored personal enmity against the Puritans. Their morality and strict obedience to God's law bothered him, and in The Scarlet Letter, he made them out to be hypocrites. All of them!  

5. Angelou: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

This memoir made me angry simply because of the racism and prejudices Angelo endured. But her grace shines through, as she rose above the injustice.

6. Nafisi: Reading Lolita in Tehran

Nafisi's excellent memoir about what it was like to survive the Iranian Revolution, which was not really a revolution, but and step backwards for everyone, especially women. And they are still stuck there today. 

7. Douglass: all three of his biographies

Anything I have read by Frederick Douglass pleases me. I suppose My Bondage and My Freedom is my favorite because he wrote more extensively about what it was like to be a slave while a young child. For example, the thing that broke my heart the most was when he described being cold as worse than being hungry. And yet, he went on to be an historical giant. To me, he is one of America's greatest statesmen. 

8. Wiesel: Night

This short biography or memoir was so well written and shocking that I read it the first time in one sitting. Young people should be exposed to this story so they can see how human beings treated other humans because of the hatred for Jews. History is always repeating itself. There is such ignorance in the world. 

9. Wells: Crusade for Justice

This exceptional woman, mother, and journalist kept a personal diary of her career exposing the crimes of lynching of black men in the south, to the deaf ears of the authorities. Once she herself was thrown off of a train, literally. She went on to marry and have five children, which did not stop her campaigning for justice and truth, to which she said not enough people cared enough to stand up for. I believe it wasn't until after her death that her daughter had her diaries published as her autobiography. Not enough people know about Ida B. Wells.

10. Popov: Tortured for His Faith

Absolutely shocking story of a Christian pastor who would not compromise his faith for the Russian Communists who controlled Bulgaria after WWII. He spent the next thirteen years in prison, tortured and starved, unable to see his wife and children. God kept him alive. When he was released, he founded an underground church. And later he was reunited with his wife, and then continued their work of bringing the gospel to the world. 

P.S. Miller: The Crucible

I had fun reading The Crucible. Like The Scarlet Letter, it is a great piece of literature. And also like The Scarlet Letter, this play takes place in the time of the Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials. But Miller wrote this because he was being pointed out as a Communist sympathizer along with many other artists. The simple fact was that there were a lot of Commie sympathizers in America, and they didn't like that they were found out. Miller wrote this play as if to cover himself and others by calling the whole thing a "witch hunt." The rooting out may have become more extensive than necessary, but it didn't take away from the fact that Miller and many artists like him had tinkered with the political ideology of Communism. And if you don't think that's a big deal, then you have no understanding of how devastating Communism has become to our Constitution, the only thing defending Americans and standing between our liberties and a rogue regime of wicked men and women.