Top Ten Tuesday – Books on My Summer 2021 TBR
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Books on My Summer 2021 TBR. I enjoy this topic because I’m always curious to see what my fellow book bloggers are planning to read next. I am still on my quest to read more of the books I already own, so today I’m sharing 5 of the ARCs I’m planning to read this summer as well as 5 older books that are sitting on my shelf begging me to pay attention to them.
Books on My Summer 2021 TBR
1. DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jesse Q. Sutanto – “A hilariously quirky novel that is equal parts murder mystery, rom-com, and a celebration of mothers and daughters as well as a deep dive into Chinese-Indonesian culture, by debut author Jesse Q. Sutanto.
1 (accidental) murder
2 thousand wedding guests
3 (maybe) cursed generations
4 meddling Asian aunties to the rescue!”
2. ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? by Lyssa Kay Adams – The Russian finally gets his own book! This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year.
3. WHILE WE WERE DATING by Jasmine Guillory – “Two people realize that it’s no longer an act when they veer off-script in this sizzling romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory.”
4. THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah – ” From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras—the Great Depression.”
5. THE HEART PRINCIPLE by Helen Hoang – ” A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected—and the man she enlists to help her—in this heartfelt new romance by USA Today bestselling author Helen Hoang.”
6. HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD by Sarah J. Maas – “With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.”
7. RULE OF WOLVES by Leigh Bardugo – “The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times-bestselling King of Scars Duology.”
8. IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER by Tessa Bailey – “Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood “It Girl” who is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town… where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong.”
9. TO SIR, WITH LOVE by Lauren Layne – “Love Is Blind meets You’ve Got Mail in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy following two thirty-somethings who meet on a blind dating app—only to realize that their online chemistry is nothing compared to their offline rivalry.”
10. WILD AT HEART by K.A. Tucker – “From the internationally best-selling author of The Simple Wild comes the continuation of a woman’s journey to Alaska and a life she never imagined for herself.”
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Question: Have you read any of these?
Review: PACK UP THE MOON by Kristan Higgins
Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins Also by this author: Good Luck with That, Always the Last to Know
Published by BERKLEY on June 8, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction
Pages: 480
Source: Netgalley
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FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Kristan Higgins’ new novel Pack Up the Moon is a beautiful story about love, loss, and grief, and it’s about how to pick up the pieces of your life and start again when the love of your life is taken away way too soon.
The story follows Joshua and Lauren Park, a newly married couple who are just perfect for each other and madly in love. Their happy lives come crashing down around them, however, when Lauren is unexpectedly and tragically diagnosed with a terminal illness and is told she probably only has 3-5 years to live.
What I loved most about this book is how Higgins chooses to unfold the story of Joshua and Lauren. Within the first few pages of the book, Lauren dies and we are presented with Joshua, the grieving widow. It is actually after Lauren’s death that we really get to know her because Lauren has spent many of her final months living writing letters for Joshua that he is to be given in the months after her death. Her thought in doing that is that it will help him better cope with her death and start to live his life again. She also tried to process her own life ending so prematurely by writing letters to her dead father. She talks to him about her fears, about how sad she is that she’ll be leaving Joshua alone and that they never had children, etc. She also communicates her hope that she will be reunited with her father in the afterlife. Each chapter of the novel presents us with either a letter from Lauren to Joshua or one from Lauren to her dad.
I fell in love with both Lauren and Joshua as I read these letters and then read the flashbacks that accompanied so many of them. Lauren is such a beautiful soul and it’s easy to see why Joshua loved her so much and is so devastated by her loss. I loved the glimpses of their life together that the flashbacks provided, and I especially loved Lauren’s letters to Joshua, which were actually quite funny at times and gave him very explicit instructions that she fully expected him to follow, from simple things like go to the grocery store to more challenging tasks like ask a woman out on a date, and because he loved her so much, of course he followed them to the letter.
Pack Up the Moon broke my heart into a million pieces, but at the same time, it gave me hope that there is a way to move forward after tragedy. Keep your tissues handy because this is a story that will make you cry your eyes out, but it will also surprise you with some humorous moments and, most importantly, it will leave you with a full heart because there’s just so much love in the story.
About Kristan Higgins
Kristan Higgins is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of more than a dozen novels. Her books have been honored with dozens of awards and accolades, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, the New York Journal of Books and Romantic Times. She is a two-time winner of the RITA award from Romance Writers of America and a five-time nominee for the Kirkus Prize for best work of fiction. She is happily married to a heroic firefighter and the mother of two fine children.
Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Loved That Made Me Want to Read More Books Like Them
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Books I Loved that Made Me Want More Books Like Them. I don’t think my terminology is correct, but I keep wanting to call the books I’m sharing this week gateway books since the ones I chose were my introduction to certain genres I hadn’t read before.
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Books I Loved That Made Me Want to Read More Books Like Them
1. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie – A book that made me want to read more locked door mysteries.
2. A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas – A book that made me want to read more fantasies that feature Fae.
3. A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V. E. Schwab – A book that made me want to read more adult fantasy novels and also more books that feature badass female pirates.
4. THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden – A book that made me want to read more fantasy novels that are inspired by and that feature folklore from around the world. (For those unfamiliar with the series, this one is inspired by Russian folklore).
5. CINDER by Marissa Meyer – A book that made me want to read more fairytale retellings.
6. JOSH & HAZEL’S GUIDE TO NOT DATING by Christina Lauren – A book that made me want to read more rom-coms.
7. THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir – A book that made me want to read more science fiction and survival stories.
8. THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah – A book that made me want to read more WWII historical fiction.
9. BIG LITTLE LIES by Liane Moriarty – A book that made me want to read more domestic dramas.
10. SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA by Becky Albertalli – A book that made me want to read more YA contemporary books.
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