Tag Archive for: top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday – Some of My Favorite Dynamic Duos in Fiction

 

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 Dynamic Duos.  I struggled a little bit with this topic, not because I can’t think of any dynamic duos to focus on, but I guess I was trying too hard to come up with some additional theme to connect them all. I finally gave up and just went with a random list of favorites and tried to add some to the mix that I’ve read recently.  I’ve got sisters, bffs, partners in crime, romantic duos, rivals – it’s really quite a hodge podge, lol.

 

Some of My Favorite Dynamic Duos in Fiction

 

 

 

 

1. Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead  – Finlay and Vero – Partners in parenting and partners in crime.

2.  It Happened One Summer – Piper and Hannah Bellinger – This sister duo is a force to be reckoned with.

3.  Six of Crows – Kaz and Inez – Partners in crime and in so much more.

4.  The Simple Wild – Calla and Jonah – You have to be a dynamic duo to live in the wilds of Alaska.

5. Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes – Jude and Lauren – BFF goals.

6. Firefly Lane – Kate and Tully – Forces of Nature and BFF goals.

7.  Stalking Jack the Ripper – Thomas Cresswell and Audrey Rose – Partners in Forensic Pathology and so much more.

8.  The Fastest Way to Fall – Wes and Britta – Partners in fitness and positivity; couple goals.

9. A Court of Mist and Fury – Feyre and Rhys – My favorite sexy, badass fantasy duo

10. When You Get the Chance – Millie and Oliver – My favorite theater-loving rivals who are so much better when they work together.

 

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Question:  Have you read any of these?

Top Ten Tuesday – Books Too Good to Review Properly (I have no words!)

 

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 Too Good to Review Properly (I have no words!).  I have so many reads that are like this.  I fall in love with them and then there’s no way possible that I can write a review that even comes closer to doing them justice so I don’t even try. Most of the ones I’m sharing today are books I didn’t even attempt a review for even though I absolutely loved them, but there are a couple that I did try to review on the blog with mixed success.  Reviews or not though, just know that these books are all gems.

Books Too Good to Review Properly (I have no words!)

 

 

 

1. THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morganstern

2.  UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR by TJ Klune

3.  BEARTOWN by Fredrik Backman

4.  THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden

5. THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah

6. THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid

7.  THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V.E. Schwab

8.  WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens

9. IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover

10. THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA by TJ Klune

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Question:  Have you read any of these?

Top Ten Tuesday – Love is in the Air (and in these book titles)

 

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 a Love Freebie, so I decided to take it literally and look for book titles on my shelves that have the word “Love” in them.  It was a little more challenging than I was expecting, so I instead ended up with a mix of books from my shelves and some upcoming releases that I want to read.

10 Books with Love in the Title

 

 

1. A BRUSH WITH LOVE by Mazey Eddings

2.  LOVE AND OTHER WORDS by Christina Lauren

3.  DONUT FALL IN LOVE by Jackie Lau

4.  THE LOVE CON by Seressia Glass

5. THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood

6. LOVE & GELATO by Jenna Evans Welch

7.  LOVE ON THE BRAIN by Ali Hazelwood

8.  HOW TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR by Sophie Sullivan

9. THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION by Elena Armas

10. WITH LOVE FROM LONDON by Sarah Jio

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Question:  Have you read any of these? Can you think of any other titles with LOVE in them?

Top Ten Tuesday – My Reading and Blogging Goals for 2022

 

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 actually supposed to be Books with Names/Character Names In the Titles, but I wasn’t really feeling that one so I decided to go rogue.  Since I’ve been a bum and haven’t yet posted my list of goals for reading and blogging, I’m going that route instead.  I think most of these are repeats of goals I had for 2021, either because I failed at them last year or because I did okay and really want to continue to work on that same goal in the coming year.

 

via GIPHY

My Reading and Blogging Goals for 2022

 

1)  My number one goal this year is a repeat goal from the past two years and that is to read more of the books I own.  I love ARCs of course, but I hate feeling like I’m neglecting books I’ve purchased.  I actually did really good with this goal last year, reading 78 of the books I had physically sitting on my shelves.  Where I didn’t do as well, however, were all of those ebooks I have sitting on my kindle so I really want to make those a focus this year.  I’m not taking part in any challenges aside from Goodreads this year but am setting a personal goal for myself of reading 70 books I already own.

 

2)  This is also a repeat goal from 2021 and 2020.  I really want to continue to only participate in blog tours where I have already requested a review book.  I did pretty well at this in 2021; I don’t think I participated in any tours where I didn’t already have a copy of the book.  Hoping to stay on track in 2022.

 

3)  This is also an ongoing goal since my struggle to finish series continues.  In 2021, I had a list of 8 series I wanted to finish or get caught up in and another list of 3 series that I wanted to start.  I finished 6 of the series from the first list and started (and finished!) one from the second list. For this year, I have 3 series that I want to finish and 7 sitting on my shelf that I want to start.

Series I Want to Finish or Get Caught Up On: 

  • Lifelike by Jay Kristoff (2 books left)
  • The Aurora Cycle (2 books left)
  • Percy Jackson and the Olympians (3 books left)

Series I Want to Start:

  • The Poppy War
  • City of Brass
  • Legend
  • The Consortium Rebellion
  • The Great Library
  • The Invisible Library
  • The Bloodsworn Saga

 

4)  This is also a repeat goal from the past two years.  I really want to work more on my Bookstagram account.  I have always struggled with consistency and honestly almost deleted my account last year because I just didn’t have time for it because of some things going on in my personal life.  Things have stabilized now so I’m glad I didn’t delete it, even though I lost a couple hundred followers because I wasn’t active on there.  I’ve gotten off to a pretty good start in January and have even made a few reels. I’m really hoping I can keep it up this year.  If you’re not already following me, give me a follow at https://instagram.com/thebookishlibra

 

5)  I also want to get better when it comes to re-reading books I love.  This is also a repeat goal and one I failed at in 2021.  To keep it low pressure, I’m setting a personal goal of 1 re-read a month.  Below are the books I’m hoping to re-read.  Some are old favorites, while others are series books I need to re-read in order to facilitate goal #3 above.

  • The Night Circus
  • Aurora Rising
  • Rebecca
  • LIFEL1K3
  • The Invisible Life of Addie Larue
  • The Chronicles of Narnia (6 books) – I did manage to re-read the first book in the series in 2021.
  • Pride and Prejudice
  • The Handmaid’s Tale

 

6) I am aiming to keep my Netgalley percentage at 85% or above in 2022.  I did very well with this goal in 2021, finishing the year at 91%.  I know I can’t keep it that high, but if I could maintain 85, I’d consider that a success.

 

7)  In 2022, I want to read more Nonfiction.  Most years I only read maybe 1 or 2 nonfiction books.  As with the re-reads, this year I’m setting a personal goal of 1 nonfiction book a month. Here’s a list of some of the titles I’m hoping to read:

  • The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
  • My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • What Unites Us by Dan Rather
  • We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win WWII by Liza Mundy
  • D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win WWII by Sarah Rose
  • A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win WWII by Sonia Purnell
  • Untamed by Glennon Doyle
  • Where the Light Enters, Building a Family, Discovering Myself by Jill Biden

 

8)  In 2022, I really want to work on being better organized, particularly when it comes to blogging ahead.  I usually frantically writing posts the night before I want to post them and I would love to be able to get most, if not all, of my posts for the week done the weekend before.

 

9)  Revisit Shakespeare.  I’m counting this as separate from my re-reading goal because I’m honestly not sure if I’m going to re-read or watch, but bottom line is that my son is now in high school and he’s about to start reading Shakespeare for the first time.  Even though I read the majority of his plays in high school, college and even again in grad school, I don’t remember much about any of them and would like to re-familiarize myself with the ones I know my son will be reading (Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, and Hamlet).

 

10) Lastly, I’ve already mentioned that I’m not doing any challenges this year.  That’s not strictly true. I am doing the Goodreads Challenge and have set my goal at 150 books.  I read 210 books in 2021 and can probably replicate that this year since we have cancelled our cable TV.  I stream a few shows here and there, but for the most part, I spend almost all of my downtime reading.  But to keep it from being too stressful, although still challenging, I’m aiming for 150.

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Do you have any reading or blogging goals in mind for 2022?

Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors I Read for the First Time in 2021

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.

This week’s TTT topic is Top 10 New-to-Me Authors in 2021. I read a lot of great new authors last year, especially since I’ve continued to explore the romance genre, which is one I hadn’t explored too much prior to the pandemic.  Some of these authors have been around for quite a while so I’ll be continuing to make my way through their older books now that I’ve read and loved their newer releases.

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Top 10 New-to-Me Authors in 2021

(in no particular order)

 

1. LAUREN LAYNE

 

2. COLLEEN HOOVER

 

3. TESSA BAILEY

 

 

4. SARA DESAI

 

5. ELIZABETH ACEVEDO

 

6. TJ KLUNE

 

7. JANE HARPER

 

8. SONYA LALLI

 

9. TIFFANY JACKSON

 

10. KAREN WHITE

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Who were some authors that were new to you in 2021?  Do we share any?

 

Top Ten Tuesday – 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

 

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 Most Recent Additions to 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To. I’m forever behind on new releases I want to read so I could probably easily do a list three times this long, but I restrained myself and picked ten I truly wished I could have squeezed in last year.

2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

 

 

1. THE GUNCLE by Steven Rowley

2.  HERE’S TO US by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

3.  YOU’LL BE THE DEATH OF ME by Karen McManus

4.  EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE by Jay Kristoff

5. SURVIVE THE NIGHT by Riley Sager

6. FLOAT PLAN by Trish Doller

7.  SIX CRIMSON CRANES by Elizabeth Lim

8.  IN THE WILD LIGHT by Jeff Zentner

9. THE SECRET BRIDESMAID by Katy Birchall

10. THE LADIES OF THE SECRET CIRCUS by Constance Sayers

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Question:  Have you read any of these?

Top Ten Tuesday – Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection

 

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 Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection.  I’m playing a little fast and loose with the “book collection” aspect of the topic because I’m including actual physical and ebooks I got for Christmas as well as my most recent e-arc approvals.

Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection

 

1. THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED by Rebecca Yarros

2.  THE SUMMER PLACE by Jennifer Weiner

3.  BY ANY OTHER NAME by Lauren Kate

4.  THE EMMA PROJECT by Sonali Dev

5. THE GUNCLE by Steven Rowley

6. THE MAGNOLIA PALACE by Fiona Davis

7.  THE NEAR WITCH by V.E. Schwab

8.  Ramón and Julieta by Alana Albertson

9. SISTERS OF THE VAST BLACK by Lina Rather

10. THE PAID BRIDESMAID by Sariah Wilson

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Question:  What are the most recent additions to your book collection?  

Top Ten Tuesday – My 10 Most Anticipated Reads for the First Half of 2022

 

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 Most Anticipated Releases of the First Half of 2022.  This is an especially easy topic this time because several of my favorite authors have new books coming out in the next six months. I have ARCs for several of these and have pre-ordered the rest because I’m so excited to read them.

My Most Anticipated Releases of the First Half of 2022

  

 

1. GALLANT by V.E. Schwab – “Everything casts a shadow. Even the world we live in. And as with every shadow, there is a place where it must touch. A seam, where the shadow meets its source. #1 New York Times–bestselling author Victoria Schwab weaves a dark and original tale about the place where the world meets its shadow, and the young woman beckoned by both sides. The Secret Garden meets Crimson Peak in this stand-alone novel perfect for readers of Holly Black and Neil Gaiman.”

2.  BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry – “Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.  Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away…But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor…If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.”

3.  MR. WRONG NUMBER by Lynn Painter – “Things get textual when a steamy message from a random wrong number turns into a thrilling anonymous relationship in this hilarious rom-com by Lynn Painter.”

4.  HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER by Tessa Bailey – “In the follow-up to It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey delivers another deliciously fun rom-com about a former player who accidentally falls for his best friend while trying to help her land a different man…”

5. BOOK OF NIGHT by Holly Black – “#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black makes her stunning adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of shadowy thieves and secret societies in the vein of Ninth House and The Night Circus.”

6. ADULT ASSEMBLY REQUIRED by Abbi Waxman – “A young woman arrives in Los Angeles determined to start over, and discovers she doesn’t need to leave everything behind after all, from Abbi Waxman, USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.”

7.  ONE NIGHT ON THE ISLAND by Josie Silver – “Spending her thirtieth birthday alone is the last thing that dating columnist Cleo wanted, but she is going on a self-coupling quasi-sabbatical–at the insistence of her boss–in the name of re-energizing herself and adding a new perspective to her column. The remote Irish island she’s booked is a far cry from London, but at least it’s a chance to hunker down in a luxury cabin and indulge in some quiet, solitary self-care while she figures out her next steps in her love life and her career.  Mac is also looking forward to some time to himself. With his life in Boston deteriorating in ways he can’t bring himself to acknowledge, his soul searching has brought him to the same Irish island in search of his roots and some clarity. Unfortunately, a mix-up with the bookings means both solitude seekers have reserved the same one-bedroom hideaway on exactly the same dates. Instantly at odds with each other, Cleo and Mac don’t know how they’re going to manage until the next weekly ferry arrives. But as the days go by, they no longer seem to mind each other’s company quite as much as they thought they would…Written with Josie Silver’s signature warmth, charm and insights into the human heart, One Night on the Island explores the meaning of home, the joys of escape and how the things we think we want are never the things we really need..”

8.  SOMETHING WILDER by Christina Lauren – “From the authors of the “heartfelt and funny” (Publishers Weekly) sensation The Unhoneymooners, this page-turning adventure full of second chances, complicated relationships, and the breathtaking beauty of the American Southwest will take fans on one wild ride.”

9. THE MAGNOLIA PALACE by Fiona Davis – “Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue, returns with a tantalizing novel about the secrets, betrayal, and murder within one of New York City’s most impressive Gilded Age mansions.”

10. THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET by Diane Chamberlain – “From bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes an irresistible new novel that perfectly interweaves history, mystery, and social justice. When Kayla Carter’s husband dies in an accident while building their dream house, she knows she has to stay strong for their four-year-old daughter. But the trophy home in Shadow Ridge Estates, a new development in sleepy Round Hill, North Carolina, will always hold tragic memories. But when she is confronted by an odd, older woman telling her not to move in, she almost agrees. It’s clear this woman has some kind of connection to the area…and a connection to Kayla herself. Kayla’s elderly new neighbor, Ellie Hockley, is more welcoming, but it’s clear she, too, has secrets that stretch back almost fifty years. Is Ellie on a quest to right the wrongs of the past? And does the house at the end of the street hold the key? Told in dual time periods, The Last House on the Street is a novel of shocking prejudice and violence, forbidden love, the search for justice, and the tangled vines of two families.”

 

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Question:  Are you planning to read any of these?

Top Ten Tuesday – Best Books I Read in 2021

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 Best Books I Read in 2021.  I had such a good reading year that I’m finding it impossible to narrow down to just ten favorite reads.  Instead of making those impossible cuts to get down to just ten books, I’m going to go ahead and share all of my favorites from the different genres I read.  My groupings aren’t very precise though since several of these could fit into multiple categories.  The bulk of my favorites are also romances since I read more of those than I did anything else in 2021.

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My Favorite Reads from 2021

(In no particular order)

 

ROMANCE

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood

PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry

THE SOULMATE EQUATION by Christina Lauren

ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN by Talia Hibbert

VERY SINCERELY YOURS by Kerry Winfrey

ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? by Lyssa Kay Adams

ONE LAST STOP by Casey McQuiston

 

WOMEN’S FICTION

ALWAYS, IN DECEMBER by Emily Stone

UNDER THE SOUTHERN SKY by Kristy Woodson Harvey

 

YOUNG ADULT

BETTER THAN THE MOVIES by Lynn Painter

 

FANTASY

UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR by TJ Klune

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V.E. Schwab

THE BOOK OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman

A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES by Sarah J. Maas

 

SCIENCE FICTION

PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir

 

HISTORICAL FICTION

THE ROSE CODE by Kate Quinn

THE FOREST OF THE VANISHING STARS by Kristin Harmel

 

MYSTERY/THRILLER

RAZORBLADE TEARS by S.A. Cosby

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Hope to Find Under My Tree on Christmas Morning

 

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 Hope to Find Under My Tree on Christmas Morning.  This is an easy topic just because I always keep my Amazon Book Wishlist updated since books are pretty much always my preferred gift to receive.  Below are a few random ones from my wishlist.  I’ve got a few preorders from favorite authors like V.C. Schwab, Emily Henry, and Kate Quinn, a few books I’ve been hearing good things about and really want to read, and then one (Under the Whispering Door) that I read as an ARC but loved it so much that I want a physical copy for my collection.

Honestly though, I probably won’t get any of these for Christmas. It will most likely be me using gift cards to purchase a few of them after Christmas, lol.

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10 Books I Hope to Find Under My Tree on Christmas Morning

 

       

          

 

1. UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR by T.J. Klune

2. GALLANT by V.E. Schwab (Preorder)

3. BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry (Preorder)

4. LOVE ON LEXINGTON AVENUE by Lauren Layne

5. ONCE UPON A WARDROBE by Patti Callahan

6. THE DIAMOND EYE by Kate Quinn (Preorder)

7. BOOK OF NIGHT by Holly Black (Preorder)

8. THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED by Rebecca Yarros

9. THE LADIES OF THE SECRET CIRCUS by Constance Sayers

10. IF THE SHOE FITS by Julie Murphy

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Are you hoping to get any books as gifts this holiday season?