Top Ten Tuesday: Bucket Lists and Rabbit Holes

Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that asks bloggers to create Top Ten lists on a variety of bookish topics. This week’s topic is Top Ten Things Books Have Made Me Want To Do or Learn About.

I was so excited to see this topic on the Top Ten Tuesday list! I’ve never consciously considered all the topics and/or things I’ve wanted to do or learn more about as a result of my reading, but once I started, it wasn’t easy to stop! There are so many topics and activities that I’ve pursued as a result of reading that this list could’ve been much longer. And, isn’t igniting your interest in something you may not have come across another way one of the joys of reading? 

Bucket Lists, Rabbit Holes

Learn to Cook

The Making of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman…which then led to a Food Network obsession and cooking classes at the Institute of Culinary Education.

CTE in Football Players

Concussion by Jean Marie Laskas…which then led to following countless news stories on this topic.

How the Brain Processes Trauma

Never Leave Your Dead by Diane Cameron, All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

Manson Murders

The Girls by Emma Cline…which sent me Googling the Manson Murders and got me to add Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi to my TBR list.

North Korea

Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim…which got me to add Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick and the upcoming How I Became A North Korean by Krys Lee to my TBR list.

O.J. Simpson Trial

Another City, Not My Own by Dominick Dunne…which then led to the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary June 17th, 1994 and The People vs. O.J. Simpson mini-series and the addition of O.J.: Made in America documentary to my “to watch” list.  

PTSD in Returning Soldiers

Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel…which then led to Never Leave Your Dead by Diane Cameron.

Scientology

Going Clear by Lawrence Wright…which then led to Troublemaker by Leah Remini.

Learn to Surf

In Search of Captain Zero by Allan C. Weisbecker…which then led to actually learning to surf and spending a week at a surf camp!

Truman Capote

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote…which then led to Capote by Gerald Clarke and The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin.




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32 Comments

  1. I love this list, and I can think of so many dreams of “want to try/do” from my books. I really like how each of these books led you to research or another book.

    Posted 7.26.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      So now we need to see your list!

      Posted 7.26.16 Reply
      • I would be a time traveling chef who moonlights as a forensic detective and is married to a vampire for his power. 😉

        Posted 7.30.16 Reply
  2. I really need to get to that OJ documentary… it’s sitting on my DVR waiting for me whenever time allows.

    Posted 7.26.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Well I still need to get to it too! I haven’t watched it yet.

      Posted 7.26.16 Reply
  3. Sarah R wrote:

    Another City, Not My Own is fantastic! I read it right after I watched The People vs. OJ Simpson.

    I need to read In Cold Blood, especially after reading The Swans of Fifth Avenue.

    Posted 7.26.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I kind of want to re-read Another City, Not My Own now with all the the OJ stuff on TV again!

      Posted 7.26.16 Reply
  4. Catherine wrote:

    What a great list! I just finished How I Became a North Korean and it’s really good. And the OJ ESPN documentary is outstanding- and chilling. I haven’t had to look away from the TV in a long time and I did with this.

    Surfing?! You rock. That is so awesome. You truly are a water girl.

    Posted 7.26.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Yay – glad to hear North Korean is great and the OJ doc. Need to watch that STAT.

      And I guess I am a bit of a water girl 🙂

      Posted 7.26.16 Reply
  5. Lauren wrote:

    What a great topic. I can imagine how daunting it might seem at first, but then how it flows once you really start taking a look at your reading. If you are still into the CTE issue, I would recommend LEAGUE OF DENIAL by Mark Fainaru-Wada and his brother Steve Fainaru. Semi-local boys who wrote about the issue several years ago after a ton of research. There’s also a great PBS documentary about them and the book.

    Posted 7.26.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I’ve heard of League of Denial and definitely need to read it! That’s cool that the authors are local for you.

      Posted 7.26.16 Reply
  6. Amanda wrote:

    Great list! Rule Number 2 was another good one about war/PTSD

    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1915341.Rule_Number_Two?from_search=true

    Posted 7.26.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Thanks for the tip…I’ll check it out!

      Posted 7.26.16 Reply
  7. Gabby wrote:

    We watched the OJ miniseries and are watching the 30 for 30 right now! Soooo good, and that trial was just on the cusp of becoming really culturally aware for my husband and I so it’s fascinating to go back and look at something that was a hazy part of our childhoods. I’ve got the Dunn book on my TBR shelf, and Toobin’s Run Of His Life. All Is Not Forgotten sounds fascinating and right up my alley so I added that one to my TBR too!

    Posted 7.26.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      It’s so weird looking back on the OJ trial…I remember being in high school and our school rolling TVs into all the classrooms to watch the verdict live. Looking back on that, it sort of astounds me that schools would stop classes to show the verdict of a celebrity criminal trial! Although it seemed totally normal at the time…

      Posted 7.26.16 Reply
  8. I hadn’t made the connection between the learning list & a bucket list until I saw your post. Of course! What adds to the list of things we want to read and do and learn about more than reading?

    I’m fascinated by Truman Capote and have Swans on my TBR list.

    Posted 7.26.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Yep – I agree! And Swans is amazing and so fun!

      Posted 7.26.16 Reply
  9. Stephanie wrote:

    Great post! I love these kinds of rabbit trails.

    Posted 7.26.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Thank you 🙂

      Posted 7.26.16 Reply
  10. Daphne wrote:

    The Girls by Emma Cline is definitely on my to-be-read list. I enjoyed this list, thank you!

    Posted 7.27.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      It’s a great one! Different than I expected.

      Posted 7.28.16 Reply
  11. Fantastic list. I read Helter Skelter and have explore more about them and cult mentality.

    Posted 7.27.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      My mom said it was fantastic – but the 600 pages are kind of scary and it’s not available on audio! I really have no idea why I’m kind of fascinated with true crime.

      Posted 7.28.16 Reply
  12. North Korea and Iran are two of my reading rabbit holes. They’re just such different, complicated places, that I love to get inside of more. I read two of the books on your North Korea list and want to look for the third!

    Posted 7.27.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Oooh – Iran is a good one! I haven’t read much about it at all. I love the “black box-ness” of North Korea…it’s such a mystery what goes on over there…although more and more is coming out.

      Posted 7.28.16 Reply
  13. Lndsay wrote:

    In regards to soldiers, you might enjoy “Fives and Twenty-Fives” by Michael Pitre — it was one of the best novels I read last year!

    My husband loves to surf (I’m not a big water fan — I’d rather wade in up to my knees and then sit on the beach and watch him) so I’ll have to look up the surfing book you mentioned and see if it’s up his alley!

    I’m fascinated by North Korea and the very different way of life there; I’ve got a couple books set there on my to-read list, but I’ve yet to get to them. I think “The Orphan Master’s Son” will be first up.

    Posted 7.27.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I had Fives and Twenty-Fives on my TBR when it came out and I just didn’t get to it. Maybe I’ll have to revisit it!

      And has your husband read Barbarian Days? It’s a surfing memoir that got some buzz last year…a part of me wants to read it.

      And I wasn’t a fan of Orphan Master’s Son, but I know a lot of people loved it.

      Posted 7.28.16 Reply
  14. Tara wrote:

    This is such a great list, Sarah! Oh, and don’t get me started on trauma; I find it endlessly fascinating. I need to look for Never Leave Your Dead!

    Posted 7.28.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Please, please give Never Leave Your Dead a try. It’s such a crazy story and there are some unorthodox ideas in there about trauma…interesting to consider.

      Posted 7.29.16 Reply
  15. Naomi wrote:

    Another good idea for TTT! I definitely read a lot of books that lead me to others on the same (or similar) topic. Books that result in me actually going out and doing something is not as common. I find the farming memoirs inspiring for working on our own garden, or getting more out of the Farmers’ Markets. It’s very cool that reading a book resulted in you learning how to surf!

    Posted 7.28.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Oh yum! Can I come eat at your house?! I feel like homegrown and farmer’s market food tastes totally different (and obviously better) than grocery store stuff.

      Posted 7.29.16 Reply
      • Naomi wrote:

        It really does! 🙂

        Posted 7.29.16 Reply

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