It's Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Today's Top Ten :

What are the top ten books you read before you became a blogger?

Oral History by: Lee Smith

This is the ultimate southern novel. I couldn't put it down, and everyone I've recommended it to says the same. Smith combines all of what makes Appalachia beautiful- part family saga, part supernatural- my all-time favorite book. Spanning over 100 years, it tells the story of how one Appalachian family's home place became haunted...

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

What can I say? This book is a classic. I think it would be hard to find anyone who hasn't read it. A must read for any woman. 

Their Eyes Were Watching God by: Zora Neale Hurston

From the first time I read Zora Neale Hurston, I fell in love with her writing. This is a beautiful story which was made into an awesome movie starring Halle Berry. If you haven't read this one, you need to find yourself some Zora.

Fair and Tender Ladies by: Lee Smith

Ivy Rowe captures the reader's heart from the beginning. Set in Appalachia, Ivy's story is told through letters she writes, which capture her life as young girl, wife, mother and grandmother. 

The Beulah Land Series by Lonnie Coleman

I was pretty young when I got hooked on this series. Set on a deep south plantation, these novels follow one family through several generations.

Jubilee  by: Margaret Walker

This is the true story of Vyry, the child of a white plantation owner and his black mistress. Written by her great-great granddaughter, this is a haunting novel is one you won't ever forget.

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by: Fannie Flagg

No one writes a southern novel like Fannie Flagg. Daisy Fay Harper is the sassy heroine of this novel set on the Gulf Coast in the early 1950's.

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

This is the first book I read by Sarah Addison Allen. I've since read them all. Josey Cirrini hides sweets in her closet....along with romance novels. Imagine her surprise when she also finds a local waitress Della Lee Baker hiding there. Allen always adds a hint of the supernatural to her stories....just like real life in the south. If you've never read Sarah Addison Allen, this is a great place to start.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by: Sarah Addison Allen

Emily Benedict comes to Mullaby , North Carolina hoping to find out more about her mysterious mother and the childhood she never discussed. When Emily moves into her mother's childhood home with her grandfather (a real-life giant) she discovers a home where wallpaper changes to suit your moods, where more mysteries about than she bargained for...

How High the Moon by: Sandra Kring

OK- I love everything by Sandra Kring. (Who doesn't?) This story, set in 1955 & told through the eyes of Sandra "Teaspoon" Marlene, a ten-year-old girl being raised by Teddy- the man her mother left her with she ran off to California. If you haven't read Sandra Kring yet, it's time to start.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Bookish Moments

This is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish each Tuesday.  Each week bloggers share a list of books based on the prompt given.

Today's Topic:

Top Ten Best Bookish Moments

1. My dad reading to me-

As far back as I can remember, my dad read to me every night.  I thought it was because he loved me soooo much! (Later mom told me it was to keep me out of her hair while she cooked dinner.) Nevertheless, it gave me a love for books that has lasted. For that I am thankful.

2. I received On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder for Christmas in third grade. (Or was it second?)

I fell in love with the Little House books. It was the first book I read over and over (and over) again...

3. I checked out Witch of the Cumberlands by Mary Jo Stephens from the library when I was in 6th grade.

I fell in love with southern fiction (especially Appalachian fiction) on that day. I was hooked!

4. Summer Reading Club

Each year I signed up for Summer Reading Club at the Chattooga County Library. I always went for top prize! My neighbor, Carol, often out-read me.  But that was cool- I had someone to discuss books with. It was from Carol that I first learned about The Boxcar Children (see below).

5. Pretending to be the Boxcar Children

My neighbor, Carol, her brothers, and I would pretend to be the Boxcar Children. We had just the right number (two girls, two boys) to be Jessie, Violet, Henry and Benny. 

6. The Chattooga County Library

Each week while my mom went grocery shopping she would drop me off at the Chattooga County Library.  I'd load up on books for the week.  My favorite librarian was Mrs. Floyd.  Her husband ran the dime store. Those were the days....

7. My high school librarian, Mrs. Rich

Ok, she was my dad's high school English teacher and I don't think they were exactly in each other's fan club...but she loved me and I loved her.  She knew I loved to read and I'd hang around that library all the time.  (Needless to say, in Library Science, I made an A. :)

8. Reading to my students

I was barely 20 years old when I graduated Shorter University (then Shorter College) and started teaching first grade. For 17 years I taught elementary students, and I read to them every single day. Many of my students had no books in their homes and had never had anyone read to them. Some had illiterate parents and had no idea what a book even was until they started school. Our class was full of books. We talked about books, we did art projects with books...I hope my babies remember those days.  I hope they grew up to love books as much as I did. 

9. Becoming an elementary school Media Specialist/ Librarian

Some people get ticky over that title. Not me. But I call my self a librarian.  This is heaven. Everyday I am surrounded by books! I get to read to kids. I teach them to do research and find information. I teach them to use the library and locate books they will love. My primary goal- help every child find a book he/she will love. It's like matchmaking- there is a book for everyone. I can't stand to hear someone say "I hate reading." Someone failed that child. Someone failed.

My philosophy-

Teaching a child to read is not enough-,

Teach a child to LOVE to read, and you have created a lifetime learner

. Their education will never end.

Their possibilities will be boundless.

10. Starting my writing and starting my blog

Some of the most hurtful words I have ever heard- "You know you will never write a book." It cut me to the core.  I love to write. I wrote my first "book" in seventh grade. I began my blogs and I have begun writing in earnest and submitting manuscripts.  Will I be successful? Who knows? It depends on how you define success.  Writing makes me happy. I love it. This blog gives me yet another way to celebrate good books in my life. My other (often neglected) blog Life on Devils Hollow is another way to keep up my writing practice and celebrate all that is good in my life. I call that success....