I love to see these lists on other blogs and have wanted to jump in for a while.  Today is the day!  The Broke and the Bookish host this weekly meme so hop over and see what other bloggers are talking about today.

I was inspired when I saw Wendy’s list (Musings of a Bookish Kitty) so decided to do a small tweak on hers.  My love of reading started with romances, but through some exceptional fantasy/sci-fi classics I have come to appreciate the genre.  And in recent years magical realism has been creeping into my reading too.

Top Ten Classics with an Otherworldly Twist. 

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.  I remember loving this one as a kid and need a re-read before the movie comes out later this year.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis. Another one I loved as a kid.  I admit I never made it through the whole series, but I’d like to try with Gage.

Watership Down by Richard Adams.  This story completely from the perspective of rabbits is a gem that shouldn’t be missed.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Another one I can’t wait to share with Gage someday soon.  Complex and exciting.

The Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Loved it when I read it in college and loved the movie just as much.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.  Such a comic treat the first time you read it.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.  Surprisingly gripping for such a slim novel.

Beloved by Toni Morrison.  This story covers the aftermath of the Civil War.  The fact that there’s a ghost only adds to its mystique.

The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende.  My first foray into magical realism.

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.  Sexy and magical.  Plus, there’s chocolate!

Have I missed one of your favorites?  Let me know 🙂

The Buried Book. Finished 7-26-17, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2016

When Althea Leary abandons her nine-year-old son, Jasper, he’s left on his uncle’s farm with nothing but a change of clothes and a Bible.

It’s 1952, and Jasper isn’t allowed to ask questions or make a fuss. He’s lucky to even have a home and must keep his mouth shut and his ears open to stay in his uncle’s good graces. No one knows where his mother went or whether she’s coming back. Desperate to see her again, he must take matters into his own hands. From the farm, he embarks on a treacherous search that will take him to the squalid hideaways of Detroit and back again, through tawdry taverns, peep shows, and gambling houses.

As he’s drawn deeper into an adult world of corruption, scandal, and murder, Jasper uncovers the shocking past still chasing his mother—and now it’s chasing him too.  from Goodreads

Unabridged audio read by Luke Daniels. 12 hours 1 minute.

Poor Jasper has been abandoned by both his alcoholic mom and dazed father and he’s left at the doorstep of his uncle out in the country. Life on the farm with his aunt, uncle and cousin is hard, but full of support.  Jasper has a good life but cannot let go of the memory of his mother. He tries to find her, but falls into one dangerous predicament after another.  Jasper is a tough kid and a smart 9 year old.

I liked the slow moving story set in 1950’s Michigan.  It has a real sense of place and the mystery of Jasper’s mother moved the story along until the shocking, but appropriate end.  I liked this second book by local Cleveland author, D.M. Pulley.

Marrying Winterborne. Finished 7-17-17, 4.25/5, historical romance, pub. 2016

The Ravenels #2  (1-Cold-Hearted Rake)

Savage ambition has brought common-born Rhys Winterborne vast wealth and success. In business and beyond, Rhys gets exactly what he wants. And from the moment he meets the shy, aristocratic Lady Helen Ravenel, he is determined to possess her. If he must take her virtue to ensure she marries him, so much the better…

Helen has had little contact with the glittering, cynical world of London society. Yet Rhys’s determined seduction awakens an intense mutual passion. Helen’s gentle upbringing belies a stubborn conviction that only she can tame her unruly husband. As Rhys’s enemies conspire against them, Helen must trust him with her darkest secret. The risks are unthinkable… the reward, a lifetime of incomparable bliss. And it all begins with…    from Goodreads

We met the Ravenel sisters and Rhys in the first book of the series so the pairing was no surprise, but the thing that kept them apart, briefly, was a good twist. Rarely do you find such a distasteful character in a romance novel.  This second book introduces some new characters, but for the most part really fleshes out the ones we already know.  I would have liked to see a bit more of Devon and Kathleen from the first book, but there was so much going on that it’s easy to forgive.  Strong, independent female characters leave no shortage of future match ups for the series.

I liked this one more than the first and am looking forward to the third book.  I don’t want to rush too much since I know the next one won’t be out until next year.