top ten tuesday – Page 32 – The Bookish Libra

Tag Archive for: top ten tuesday

Top 10 Literary Characters I Would Want to Have in my Squad

January 24, 2017/31 Comments/by Suzanne

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is a FREEBIE so I decided to do a top ten list that I think about every time I come across a cool character while I’m reading: If I were to choose 10 literary characters to be my best friends, who would I choose?

What qualities do I look for in best friends anyway? I’d say these qualities are probably at the top of my list: loyalty, intelligence – can be book smart or street smart, someone who has a sense of humor and a sense of adventure, and who is passionate about causes that are important to them, and who can also be a bit on the sassy side and give me a kick in the pants if I need it. In my mind, the characters I’ve selected embody most – if not all – of those qualities and I’d be thrilled for any of them to be a member of my squad.

Ten Literary Characters I Would Want to Have in my Squad

* * * * *

1. HERMIONE GRANGER from the Harry Potter series

* * * * *

2. DELILAH BARD from the Shades of Magic series

* * * * *

3. ELIZABETH BENNETT from Pride and Prejudice

* * * * *

4. FARLEY from the Red Queen series

* * * * *

5. MINNIE JACKSON from The Help

* * * * *

6. STEPHANIE PLUM from the Stephanie Plum series

* * * * *

7. ARYA STARK from A Song of Fire and Ice series

* * * * *

8. REAGAN from Fangirl

* * * * *

9. BEATRICE from Much Ado About Nothing

* * * * *

10. JO MARCH from Little Women

* * * * *

Question: What literary characters would you want to have on your squad?

Ten Underrated Books Every Book Lover Should Read

January 17, 2017/20 Comments/by Suzanne

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten Underrated/Hidden Gem Books I’ve Read In The Past Year Or So (up to you if you want it to be those published in the past year or so or just ANY underrated book you’ve read recently).

I think nearly all of the books I read last year have ended up being extremely popular so I decided to tweak this week’s topic a bit to make it a better fit for me. I chose to spotlight books that even though they probably have a fair number of reviews on Goodreads, they still live in the shadows of their more famous counterparts. I’ve structured my list, therefore, as a kind of “If you like this book by this author, here’s another lesser known title you should take a look at because it’s just as fabulous.”

Ten Underrated Books Every Book Lover Should Read

* * * * *

1. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

(If you liked The Great Gatsby, read this.)

Everyone has heard of, and most have read Fitzgerald’s most famous work The Great Gatsby, but Tender is the Night is actually my favorite of his works. I remember not fully appreciating Gatsby the first time I read it as a sophomore in high school, but then I happened to pick up this book. I loved it so much that I ended up going back to Gatsby and giving it another go, falling in love with it the second time around.

Goodsreads Synopsis: Set on the French Riviera in the late 1920s, Tender Is the Night is the tragic romance of the young actress Rosemary Hoyt and the stylish American couple Dick and Nicole Diver. A brilliant young psychiatrist at the time of his marriage, Dick is both husband and doctor to Nicole, whose wealth goads him into a lifestyle not his own, and whose growing strength highlights Dick’s harrowing demise. A profound study of the romantic concept of character, Tender Is the Night is lyrical, expansive, and hauntingly evocative. (Read more…)

* * * * *

2. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

(If you liked Beloved, read this.)

As powerful of a read as Beloved is, it was reading this book in graduate school that took me from liking Toni Morrison’s writings to absolutely loving them.

Goodreads Synopsis: Milkman Dead was born shortly after a neighborhood eccentric hurled himself off a rooftop in a vain attempt at flight. For the rest of his life he, too, will be trying to fly. With this brilliantly imagined novel, Toni Morrison transfigures the coming-of-age story as audaciously as Saul Bellow or Gabriel García Márquez. As she follows Milkman from his rustbelt city to the place of his family’s origins, Morrison introduces an entire cast of strivers and seeresses, liars and assassins, the inhabitants of a fully realized black world. (Read more…)

* * * * *

3. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

(If you loved The Handmaid’s Tale, read this.)

This read is every bit as enthralling as its more famous counterpart, The Handmaid’s Tale.

Goodreads Synopsis: In Alias Grace, bestselling author Margaret Atwood has written her most captivating, disturbing, and ultimately satisfying work since The Handmaid’s Tale. She takes us back in time and into the life of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the nineteenth century.

Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer, Thomas Kinnear, and Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders.

Dr. Simon Jordan, an up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness, is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories? Is Grace a female fiend? A bloodthirsty femme fatale? Or is she the victim of circumstances? (Read more…)

* * * * *

4. Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

(If you loved Kindred, read this.)

A truly fascinating read. Can’t believe it has less than 10,000 reviews on Goodreads…

Goodreads Synopsis: Doro is an entity who changes bodies like clothes, killing his hosts by reflex or design. He fears no one until he meets Anyanwu. Anyanwu is a shapeshifter who can absorb bullets and heal with a kiss and savage anyone who threatens her. She fears no one until she meets Doro. Together they weave a pattern of destiny (from Africa to the New World) unimaginable to mortals. (Read more…)

* * * * *

5. The Invisible Circus by Jennifer Egan

(If you liked A Visit from the Goon Squad, read this.)

I actually enjoyed Egan’s debut novel much more than I liked the more famous A Visit from the Goon Squad.

Goodreads Synopsis: In Jennifer Egan’s highly acclaimed first novel, set in 1978, the political drama and familial tensions of the 1960s form a backdrop for the world of Phoebe O’Connor, age eighteen. Phoebe is obsessed with the memory and death of her sister Faith, a beautiful idealistic hippie who died in Italy in 1970. In order to find out the truth about Faith’s life and death, Phoebe retraces her steps from San Francisco across Europe, a quest which yields both complex and disturbing revelations about family, love, and Faith’s lost generation. This spellbinding novel introduced Egan’s remarkable ability to tie suspense with deeply insightful characters and the nuances of emotion. (Read more…)

* * * * *

6. Arcadia by Lauren Groff

(If you liked Fates and Furies, read this.)

I couldn’t put Fates and Furies down, and my reading experience was exactly the same with her earlier work, Arcadia. Just beautiful writing.

Goodreads Synopsis: In the fields and forests of western New York State in the late 1960s, several dozen idealists set out to live off the land, founding what becomes a famous commune centered on the grounds of a decaying mansion called Arcadia House. Arcadia follows this lyrical, rollicking, tragic, and exquisite utopian dream from its hopeful start through its heyday and after. The story is told from the point of view of Bit, a fascinating character and the first child born in Arcadia. (Read more…)

* * * * *

7. Lisey’s Story by Stephen King

(If you like The Shining or honestly any of his dozens of bestsellers, read this.)

I’m not big into Stephen King, mainly because I’m a chicken and don’t enjoy reading horror stories. This book is pretty fascinating though — a love story Stephen King-style.

Goodreads Synopsis: Lisey Debusher Landon lost her husband, Scott, two years ago, after a twenty-five-year marriage of the most profound and sometimes frightening intimacy. Scott was an award-winning, bestselling novelist and a very complicated man. Early in their relationship, before they married, Lisey had to learn from him about books and blood and bools. Later, she understood that there was a place Scott went- a place that both terrified and healed him, that could eat him alive or give him the ideas he needed in order to live. Now it’s Lisey’s turn to go to Boo’ya Moon. What begins as a widow’s effort to sort through the papers of her celebrated husband becomes a nearly fatal journey into the darkness he inhabited. Perhaps King’s most personal and powerful novel, Lisey’s Story is about the wellsprings of creativity, the temptations of madness, and the secret language of love. (Read more…)

* * * * *

8. The Inheritors by William Golding

(If you liked Lord of the Flies, read this.)

If not for graduate school, I probably never would have read this book, but OMG, what a shocking and unexpected ride it is.

Goodsreads Synopsis: When the spring came the people – what was left of them – moved back by the old paths from the sea. But this year strange things were happening, terrifying things that had never happened before. Inexplicable sounds and smells; new, unimaginable creatures half glimpsed through the leaves. What the people didn’t, and perhaps never would, know, was that the day of their people was already over.

From the author of Lord of the Flies, The Inheritors is a startling recreation of the lost world of the Neanderthals, and a frightening vision of the beginning of a new age. (Read more…)

* * * * *

9. Home Front by Kristin Hannah

(If you loved The Nightingale, read this.)

I devoured The Nightingale in about a day and now I’m finding that all of Kristin Hannah’s books are equally compelling. Go try any of them – well, all of them really!

Goodreads Synopsis: Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life–children, careers, bills, chores–even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a soldier she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own–for everything that matters to his family.

At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, Home Front is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and ultimately, hope. (Read more…)

* * * * *

10. Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou

(If you loved I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, read this.)

I think everyone should read everything Maya Angelou has ever written. She just had a way with words that I don’t think anyone else comes close to.

Goodreads Synopsis: The story of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary life has been chronicled in her multiple bestselling autobiographies. But now, at last, the legendary author shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother.

For the first time, Angelou reveals the triumphs and struggles of being the daughter of Vivian Baxter, an indomitable spirit whose petite size belied her larger-than-life presence—a presence absent during much of Angelou’s early life. When her marriage began to crumble, Vivian famously sent three-year-old Maya and her older brother away from their California home to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. The subsequent feelings of abandonment stayed with Angelou for years, but their reunion, a decade later, began a story that has never before been told. In Mom & Me & Mom, Angelou dramatizes her years reconciling with the mother she preferred to simply call “Lady,” revealing the profound moments that shifted the balance of love and respect between them.

Delving into one of her life’s most rich, rewarding, and fraught relationships, Mom & Me & Mom explores the healing and love that evolved between the two women over the course of their lives, the love that fostered Maya Angelou’s rise from immeasurable depths to reach impossible heights. (Read more…)

* * * * *

Question: What do you consider to be some of the most underrated books out there? Have you read any of these?

Top Ten 2016 Releases I Totally Meant to Read But Didn’t

January 10, 2017/30 Comments/by Suzanne

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten 2016 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn’t Get To (But TOTALLY plan to). I’m almost embarrassed to say how easy it was for me to pull together this list. The list of 2016 books I meant to read far exceeds the number of 2016 releases I actually read. I also own all of these as e-books so I think It’s all good though because as an added motivation to get these titles read this year, I’ve signed up for NovelKnight’s Beat the Backlist reading challenge and most of these titles are on my reading list. Wish me luck!

Top Ten 2016 Releases I Totally Meant to Read But Didn’t Get To

(But Still Totally Plan to!)

* * * * *

1. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

(Read the Goodreads synopsis..)

* * * * *

2. And I Darken by Kiersten White

(Read the Goodreads Synopsis…)

* * * * *

3. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

(Read the Goodreads synopsis…)

* * * * *

4. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

(Read the Goodreads synopsis…)

* * * * *

5. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

(Read the Goodreads synopsis…)

* * * * *

6. The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel

(Read the Goodreads synopsis…)

* * * * *

7. When We Collided by Emery Lord

(Read the Goodreads synopsis…)

* * * * *

8. Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley

(Read the Goodreads synopsis…)

* * * * *

9. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

(Read the Goodreads synopsis…)

* * * * *

10. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

(Read the Goodreads synopsis…)

* * * * *

Question: What 2016 releases did you fully intend to read last year but never quite made it happen?

Top Ten Tuesday: My Top 10 Reads of 2016

December 27, 2016/26 Comments/by Suzanne

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Best Books Of 2016 (you choose — best books overall of what you read regardless of pub date, of a particular genre, 2016 debuts, 2016 releases, etc).

I had a great year reading-wise in 2016 and found it very hard to choose just ten favorites. Most of these are 2016 releases, but I did sneak one 2015 and one 2017 release onto the list just because I loved them so much. These are basically the 10 reads that moved me the most in 2016. Some made me laugh, while others made me cry. The common denominator between them all – they were all so beautifully written. Here’s hoping that 2017 is an equally great year for reading!

My Top 10 Reads of 2016

* * * * *

1. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Read My Review…

* * * * *

2. Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

Read My Review…

* * * * *

3. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Read My Review…

* * * * *

4. Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

Read My Review…

* * * * *

5. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Read My Review…

* * * * *

6. The Girls by Emma Cline

Read My Review…

* * * * *

7. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Read My Review…

* * * * *

8. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Read My Review…

* * * * *

9. The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown

Read My Review…

* * * * *

10. The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

Read My Review…

* * * * *

Question: What were your favorite reads of 2016? Did any of these titles make your list?

Top 10 Books I’d Love Santa to Leave Under My Tree

December 20, 2016/20 Comments/by Suzanne

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten Books I Wouldn’t Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree (or non-book bookworm items). Yay for an easy topic this week! The hardest part for me was only picking 10 books since I currently have so many on my To-Be-Read list that I haven’t purchased yet. Are any of these titles on your Christmas wishlist?

Top Ten Books I’d Love Santa to Leave Under My Tree

* * * * *

1. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

* * * * *

2. Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham

* * * * *

3. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

* * * * *

4. The Mothers by Brit Bennett

* * * * *

5. The Blazing Star by Imani Josey

* * * * *

6. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

* * * * *

7. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

* * * * *

8. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

* * * * *

9. Uprooted by Naomi Novik

* * * * *

10. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

* * * * *

Question: What books are you hoping Santa brings you this year?

Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward to Reading in Early 2017

December 13, 2016/17 Comments/by Suzanne

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward To For The First Half Of 2017. For me, this list includes not only 10 upcoming 2017 releases, but also a couple of books where I’m playing catch up on series in anticipation of their latest installments coming out this year. I’m sure this list will grow, but as of right now, these are my most anticipated reads for 2017.

Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward To Reading in Early 2017

* * * * *

1. Gilded Cage by Vic James

(expected publication: February 14, 2017)

Goodreads Synopsis: Not all are free. Not all are equal. Not all will be saved.

Our world belongs to the Equals — aristocrats with magical gifts — and all commoners must serve them for ten years. But behind the gates of England’s grandest estate lies a power that could break the world.

A girl thirsts for love and knowledge.

Abi is a servant to England’s most powerful family, but her spirit is free. So when she falls for one of the noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible choice. Uncovering the family’s secrets might win her liberty, but will her heart pay the price?

A boy dreams of revolution.

Abi’s brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost him everything. Now Luke has discovered there may be a power even greater than magic: revolution.

And an aristocrat will remake the world with his dark gifts.

He is a shadow in the glittering world of the Equals, with mysterious powers no one else understands. But will he liberate—or destroy? (Read more…)

* * * * *

2. The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord

(expected publication: May 16, 2017)

Goodreads Synopsis: Lucy Hansson was ready for a perfect summer with her boyfriend, working at her childhood Bible camp on the lake. But when her mom’s cancer reappears, Lucy falters—in faith, in love, and in her ability to cope. When her boyfriend “pauses” their relationship and her summer job switches to a different camp—one for troubled kids—Lucy isn’t sure how much more she can handle. Attempting to accept a new normal, Lucy slowly regains footing among her vibrant, diverse coworkers, Sundays with her mom, and a crush on a fellow counselor. But when long-hidden family secrets emerge, can Lucy set aside her problems and discover what grace really means? (Read more…)

* * * * *

3. A Gathering of Shadows & A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

(expected publication of 3rd book: February 21, 2017)

One of my primary goals for early 2017 is to get caught up on this series before the third book comes out in February.

Goodreads Synopsis: The battle between four magical Londons comes to a head in this stunning finale to the New York Times bestselling Shades of Magic trilogy by rising star V. E. Schwab

London’s fall and kingdoms rise while darkness sweeps the Maresh Empire—and the fraught balance of magic blossoms into dangerous territory while heroes and foes struggle alike. The direct sequel to A Gathering of Shadows, and the final book in the Shades of Magic epic fantasy series, A Conjuring of Light sees Schwab reach a thrilling culmination concerning the fate of beloved protagonists—and old enemies. (Read more…)

* * * * *

4. Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaram

(expected publication: January 10, 2017)

Goodreads Synopsis: Solimar Castro Valdez is eighteen and dazed with optimism when she embarks on a perilous journey across the US/Mexican border. Weeks later she arrives on her cousin’s doorstep in Berkeley, CA, dazed by first love found then lost, and pregnant. This was not the plan. But amid the uncertainty of new motherhood and her American identity, Soli learns that when you have just one precious possession, you guard it with your life. For Soli, motherhood becomes her dwelling and the boy at her breast her hearth.

Kavya Reddy has always followed her heart, much to her parents’ chagrin. A mostly contented chef at a UC Berkeley sorority house, the unexpected desire to have a child descends like a cyclone in Kavya’s mid-thirties. When she can’t get pregnant, this desire will test her marriage, it will test her sanity, and it will set Kavya and her husband, Rishi, on a collision course with Soli, when she is detained and her infant son comes under Kavya’s care. As Kavya learns to be a mother–the singing, story-telling, inventor-of-the-universe kind of mother she fantasized about being–she builds her love on a fault line, her heart wrapped around someone else’s child.

Lucky Boy is an emotional journey that will leave you certain of the redemptive beauty of this world. There are no bad guys in this story, no obvious hero. From rural Oaxaca to Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto to the dreamscapes of Silicon valley, author Shanthi Sekaran has taken real life and applied it to fiction; the results are moving and revelatory. (Read more…)

* * * * *

5. A Court of Mist and Fury & A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

(expected publication of 3rd book: May 2, 2017)

Goodreads Synopsis: Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all. (Read more…)

* * * * *

6. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

(expected publication: February 28, 2017)

Goodsreads Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl’s struggle for justice. Movie rights have been sold to Fox, with Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games) to star. (Read more…)

* * * * *

7. Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia

(expected publication: January 3, 2017)

Goodreads Synopsis: Full of twists and turns, Everything You Want Me to Be reconstructs a year in the life of a dangerously mesmerizing young woman, during which a small town’s darkest secrets come to the forefront…and she inches closer and closer to her death.

High school senior Hattie Hoffman has spent her whole life playing many parts: the good student, the good daughter, the good citizen. When she’s found brutally stabbed to death on the opening night of her high school play, the tragedy rips through the fabric of her small town community. Local sheriff Del Goodman, a family friend of the Hoffmans, vows to find her killer, but trying to solve her murder yields more questions than answers. It seems that Hattie’s acting talents ran far beyond the stage. Told from three points of view—Del, Hattie, and the new English teacher whose marriage is crumbling—Everything You Want Me to Be weaves the story of Hattie’s last school year and the events that drew her ever closer to her death.

Evocative and razor-sharp, Everything You Want Me to Be challenges you to test the lines between innocence and culpability, identity and deception. Does love lead to self-discovery—or destruction? (Read more…)

* * * * *

8. The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson

(expected publication: January 10, 2017)

I recently received an e-ARC from Netgalley and this one also piqued my interest because of the praise from Anthony Doerr.

Goodreads Synopsis: A captivating debut novel for readers of Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You and Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep, The Most Dangerous Place on Earth unleashes an unforgettable cast of characters into a realm known for its cruelty and peril: the American high school.

In an idyllic community of wealthy California families, new teacher Molly Nicoll becomes intrigued by the hidden lives of her privileged students. Unknown to Molly, a middle school tragedy in which they were all complicit continues to reverberate for her kids: Nick, the brilliant scam artist; Emma, the gifted dancer and party girl; Dave, the B student who strives to meet his parents expectations; Calista, the hippie outcast who hides her intelligence for reasons of her own. Theirs is a world in which every action may become public postable, shareable, indelible. With the rare talent that transforms teenage dramas into compelling and urgent fiction, Lindsey Lee Johnson makes vivid a modern adolescence lived in the gleam of the virtual, but rich with the sorrow, passion, and beauty of life in any time, and at any age. (Read more…)

* * * * *

9. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

(expected publication: January 17, 2017)

Goodreads Synopsis: Fans of Star Wars and Divergent will revel in internationally bestselling author Veronica Roth’s stunning new science-fiction fantasy series.

On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not—their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world?

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power—something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.

Akos is from the peace-loving nation of Thuvhe, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive—no matter what the cost. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive—or to destroy one another. (Read more…)

* * * * *

10. The Girl Before by J. P. Delaney

Goodreads Synopsis: In the tradition of The Girl on the Train, The Silent Wife, and Gone Girl comes an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one woman’s seemingly good fortune, and another woman’s mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception.

Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.

The request seems odd, even intrusive—and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating.

Emma
Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant—and it does.

Jane
After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space—and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror, as the girl before. (Read more…)

* * * * *

Question: What books are you most looking forward to reading in 2017? Playing catch up on any series like I am?

Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Authors New to Me in 2016

December 6, 2016/18 Comments/by Suzanne

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read For The First Time In 2016. This is a fun topic for me because one of my goals with starting my blog this year was to branch out and read a lot of new authors this year. These ten authors were some that I found to be the most entertaining, but this list is just the tip of the iceberg for me. I also read so many phenomenal debut authors as well, but I’ll share those in another post sometime.

Ten Authors I Read for the First Time in 2016

1. Emma Donoghue

25989448

the-wonder

I had never read Emma Donoghue prior to 2016, but I enjoyed her writing so much that I not only read both Room (Click to read my Review) and The Wonder (Click to read my Review), but I also just recently purchased a copy of Frog Music.

* * * * *

2. V. E. Schwab

I don’t know how V.E. Schwab was not on my radar prior to 2016, but thanks to winning a copy of A Darker Shade of Magic (Read my review here), I’m now a huge fan of hers. I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in this series because I just adored Lila and Kell, and then I also have This Savage Song on my TBR for 2017.

* * * * *

3. Colm Tóibín

Colm Tóibín is another author who I read for the first time this year. I read his novel Brooklyn and just thought it was such a lovely coming of age story. I don’t have a proper review for the book up on my blog because I actually read it before I started blogging, but you can read the Goodreads synopsis here.

* * * * *

4. John Connolly

Another new author to me in 2016 was John Connolly. I read one of his Charlie Parker novels, A Time of Torment, and reviewed it for my blog (Read the review here) . I enjoyed reading it enough that I’ve since added The Book Of Lost Things to my TBR for 2017.

* * * * *

5. Colson Whitehead

I’m actually reading Colson Whitehead for the first time right now. I had purchased a few of his earlier works at a book fair this summer, but decided to dive into his latest work instead since it has become such a big hit. It’s a great read so far. Read the Goodreads Synopsis.

* * * * *

6. Sarah J. Maas

I’m probably the last person on the planet to get around to reading Sarah J. Maas, but I finally bit the bullet and dove into the ACOTAR series. LOVED it! You can read my review for that here. I enjoyed this book so much that I’ve gotten the second book in the series and plan to read that as soon as possible. A couple of the Throne of Glass books are also in my TBR so 2017 promises to be the Year of Maas for me.

* * * * *

7. Curtis Sittenfeld

I’m a huge Jane Austen fan, so what drew me to Curtis Sittenfeld for the first time was her novel Eligible, which is a modern retelling of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This was such an entertaining read for me (My Review) that I’ve since gone out and purchased Sisterland and really look forward to reading it soon.

* * * * *

8. Rainbow Rowell

I had my first experience with Rainbow Rowell this year as well, and boy was it amazing?! I read Eleanor and Park prior to starting my blog and fell in love with that book, but by far, one of my favorite reads of 2016 has to be Fangirl. As you’ll see from my review, I just loved everything about it. I have Landline in my TBR pile now so there’s definitely more Rowell in my future.

* * * * *

9. Pierce Brown

2016 was my first exposure to Pierce Brown as well. I finally read the first book in the Red Rising series and thought it was amazing. (Read my review here). I recently snagged the second book in the series for a great price at a local book fair, so I’m looking forward to continuing the series soon.

* * * * *

10. Haruki Murakami

I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle prior to starting my blog, so I don’t have a proper review up for it. Murakami was a challenging read for me, and at times, I didn’t particularly care for the writing but at other times, I very much enjoyed it. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle wasn’t really for me, but I still purchased a copy of IQ84 because I’d like to continue to explore this author’s whimsical writing style.

* * * * *

Question: Were any of these authors new for you in 2016? If not, who did you read for the first time this year?

Top Ten Gifts Guaranteed to Please the Book Lover in Your Life

November 29, 2016/29 Comments/by Suzanne

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Holiday Gift Guide freebie (ten books to buy the YA lover in your life, 10 books to buy for your dad, etc.)

Since I’ve been busy with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, shopping and gift ideas are really on my mind right now so this week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is very timely. I couldn’t decide on a list of books to suggest so instead I decided to go with bookish-themed gift ideas for all book lovers. (And just a little hint for you shoppers out there – Society6.com and etsy.com are gold mines for book-themed gifts, so even if you don’t like my suggested gift items, be sure to check them out!)

* * * * *

Top Ten Gifts Guaranteed to Please the Book Lover in Your Life

1. Bookmarks!

Bookmarks are a guaranteed popular gift item for book lovers. Not only do we use them in the books we’re reading, but many of us also collect them, especially if they’re unique. Below are a couple that I saw online and really liked. I’m especially fond of that Queen of Hearts one. So cool!

Click to Buy. Sold by LuckyBookmark on etsy.com

Click to Buy. Sold by LuckyBookmark on etsy.com

Click to Buy. Sold by IngrainedInc at etsy.com

Click to Buy. Sold by IngrainedInc at etsy.com

* * * * *

2. Bookish Themed Mugs!

It’s almost a sure fire bet that the book lover in your life is also a lover of warm beverages – be it coffee, tea, cocoa, whatever, especially if it’s in a cute bookish-themed mug. Here are a couple of cool ones I found on Society6 and Etsy.

Click to Buy. Sold by Risa Rodil at Society6.com

Click to Buy. Sold by Risa Rodil at Society6.com

Click to Buy. Sold by LennyMud on etsy.com

Click to Buy. Sold by LennyMud on etsy.com

* * * * *

3. Cute Tote Bags for Hauling Around Our Books!

Most of us take books with us everywhere we go, so a cute tote bag is always appreciated. This is just one of several that I saw and wouldn’t mind having.

Click to Buy. Sold by sevenonesixdesigns on etsy.com

Click to Buy. Sold by sevenonesixdesigns on etsy.com

* * * * *

4. Bookish T-Shirts!

Yes to all the ways we can pledge our loves for books and reading, especially if they come in the form of stylish tees. With just a quick glance around etsy, society6, and several other shops, I saw at least a dozen book-themed shirts that I would totally wear. This one was probably my favorite though.

Click to Buy. Sold by ChrisetteDesigns on etsy.com

Click to Buy. Sold by ChrisetteDesigns on etsy.com

* * * * *

5. Bookish Jewelry!

There are endless options out there when it comes to jewelry for booklovers. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, even keychains. Below are a couple of my favorites.

Click to Buy. Sold by TheMonkeyCharmer on etsy.com.

Click to Buy. Sold by TheMonkeyCharmer on etsy.com.

Click to Buy. Sold by ArtfulSunshine on etsy.com.

Click to Buy. Sold by ArtfulSunshine on etsy.com.

* * * * *

6. Pretty Books!

If money is no object in your gift buying, books with beautifully designed covers are sure to please. Check out this gorgeous Jane Austen Boxed Set.

Click to Buy. Sold by Barnes & Noble.

Click to Buy. Sold by Barnes & Noble.

* * * * *

7. Bookish Candles!

Wonderful smelling candles inspired by our favorite books and characters? Yes, please! This one is inspired by Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses, and I liked it because it’s purple (my favorite color), but there are many other varieties out there.

Click to Buy. Sold by BookandNook on etsy.com.

Click to Buy. Sold by BookandNook on etsy.com.

* * * * *

8. Bookish Pillows!

We bookworms love to curl up with a good book and read for hours, so anything that furthers our comfort so that we can read longer is always a winner. You can find pilows and even blankets that are book-themed. I loved the simplicity of this one.

Click to Buy. Sold by MudpiesandDaisies on etsy.com

Click to Buy. Sold by MudpiesandDaisies on etsy.com

* * * * *

9. Bookish Themed Covers for our Gadgets!

Yes, we bookworms love our books but we love our technology too, especially when we can put our own bookish spin on it. For example, check out this absolutely gorgeous smartphone case designed and sold by Evie Seo at Society6.com.

Click to Buy. Sold by Evie Seo at Society6.com

Click to Buy. Sold by Evie Seo at Society6.com

* * * * *

10. Gift Cards to Bookstores!

A gift card to a bookstore is guess what? A reason for a book lover to visit the bookstore! Not that we need another reason, but hell, we’ll take it! Amazon is great since you can get more bang for your buck there when it comes to books, but a lot of us love to support our Indie Bookstores too so keep those in mind as well.

Click to see Amazon Gift Card Options.

Click to see Amazon Gift Card Options.

* * * * *

Question: Do any of my gift ideas for book lovers appeal to you? What would you add to my list? I know my list is filled with items that women would probably enjoy more than men, so do you have any more “manly” suggestions?

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Movies guaranteed to distract me from books

November 15, 2016/24 Comments/by Suzanne

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Movie Freebie — top ten all time favorite movies, top ten foreign films, top ten rom-coms, top ten 90’s movies, top ten action flicks, top ten tear-jerkers, top ten movies your favorite actor/actress is in, top ten movies with PoC leads, etc.)

* * * * *

I decided to go with what basically amounts to my all time favorite movies. I adore the movies on this list so much that no matter what I’m in the middle of, including my beloved reading, I will immediately stop whatever I’m doing to watch them if someone else in my house is watching them. As you’ll notice, my favorites are heavy on classics by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. I think Spielberg and Lucas are two of the most brilliant filmmakers of all time, and their movies really shaped my childhood and young adult years.

The Star Wars films, the original trilogy, are probably my all time favorite movies. I hardcore shipped Han and Leia for years, loved the Han/Chewy bromance, and really wanted my very own R2-D2 droid. That said, just like my tastes in reading, my tastes in films are also very eclectic. I love comedies, dramas, musicals, fantasies, animated films, sports films, and even some science fiction. You’ll also notice that no horror films appear on my list. I’m a big chicken and truly hate to be scared, haha. 🙂

So, anywho, here’s this week’s Top Ten Tuesday!

Ten Movies Guaranteed to Distract Me from Books

1. Star Wars – The Original Trilogy

* * * * *

2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

* * * * *

3. The Princess Bride

* * * * *

4. Dead Poet’s Society

* * * * *

5. Remember the Titans

* * * * *

6. Grease

* * * * *

7. Raiders of the Lost Ark

* * * * *

8. The Breakfast Club

* * * * *

9. Pitch Perfect

* * * * *

10. Beauty and the Beast

* * * * *

Question: Are any of these favorites of yours?

Ten Books I’ve Added to my To-Be-Read List Lately

November 8, 2016/16 Comments/by Suzanne

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten Books I’ve Added to my To-Be-Read List Lately. This was a pretty easy topic for me since I’m quite literally adding new books to my TBR list pretty much every day. The ten I have selected made it on to my TBR for a variety of reasons – some are based on blogger reviews I’ve read, others because I’ve received ARCs to review, and still others for random reasons like maybe a gorgeous cover caught my eye.

Ten Books I’ve Added to my To-Be-Read List Lately

1. Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill

This one made it onto my list because I’ve read several great reviews from bloggers who have read ARCs. It sounds amazing!

Goodreads Synopsis: Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, the legendary bounty hunter for the King of Malam—that is, until her father is murdered. Now outcast and alone and having no rights to her father’s land or inheritance, she seeks refuge where she feels most safe: the Ever Woods. When Britta is caught poaching by the royal guard, instead of facing the noose she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for her father’s killer.

However, it’s not so simple.

The alleged killer is none other than Cohen McKay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force. (Read more…)

* * * * *

2. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

This one made it on to my list as part of my birthday haul (which I, note to self, really need to hurry up and do a post on since my birthday was last month). I saw this on sale and gifted it to myself, mainly because I LOVE the cover.

Goodreads Synopsis: I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado – taking you with it – you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I’ve read the books. I’ve seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can’t be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There’s still a yellow brick road – but even that’s crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy.

They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm – and I’m the other girl from Kansas.

I’ve been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I’ve been trained to fight.

And I have a mission. (Read more…)

* * * * *

3. Timekeeper by Tara Sim

Another addition to the list based on some great blogger reviews.

Goodreads Synopsis: Two o’clock was missing.

In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely.

It’s a truth that seventeen-year-old clock mechanic Danny Hart knows all too well; his father has been trapped in a Stopped town east of London for three years. Though Danny is a prodigy who can repair not only clockwork, but the very fabric of time, his fixation with staging a rescue is quickly becoming a concern to his superiors.

And so they assign him to Enfield, a town where the tower seems to be forever plagued with problems. Danny’s new apprentice both annoys and intrigues him, and though the boy is eager to work, he maintains a secretive distance. Danny soon discovers why: he is the tower’s clock spirit, a mythical being that oversees Enfield’s time. Though the boys are drawn together by their loneliness, Danny knows falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden, and means risking everything he’s fought to achieve.

But when a series of bombings at nearby towers threaten to Stop more cities, Danny must race to prevent Enfield from becoming the next target or he’ll not only lose his father, but the boy he loves, forever. (Read more…)

* * * * *

4. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

A friend from college was telling me about this book and it just sounded so good that I had to add it to my list.

Goodreads Synopsis: High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a world that is a strange reflection of his own — populated by heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.

Taking readers on a vivid journey through the loss of innocence into adulthood and beyond, New York Times bestselling author John Connolly tells a dark and compelling tale that reminds us of the enduring power of stories in our lives. (Read more…)

* * * * *

5. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The beautiful cover is what caught my eye on this book, but I have been meaning to read more of Adichie’s books anyway because Americanah was so good. I also added We Should All Be Feminists and Purple Hibiscus.

Goodreads Synopsis: With effortless grace, celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illuminates a seminal moment in modern African history: Biafra’s impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1960s. We experience this tumultuous decade alongside five unforgettable characters: Ugwu, a thirteen-year-old houseboy who works for Odenigbo, a university professor full of revolutionary zeal; Olanna, the professor’s beautiful young mistress who has abandoned her life in Lagos for a dusty town and her lover’s charm; and Richard, a shy young Englishman infatuated with Olanna’s willful twin sister Kainene. Half of a Yellow Sun is a tremendously evocative novel of the promise, hope, and disappointment of the Biafran war. (Read more…)

* * * * *

6. The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker

Don’t laugh but I added this one to my list after my last Gilmore Girls rewatch. 🙂

Goodsreads Synopsis: This sublime collection ranges over the verse, stories, essays, and journalism of one of the twentieth century’s most quotable authors. (Read more…)

* * * * *

7. Iceling by Sasha Stephenson

This book is on my list because I recently received an e-ARC from the First to Read program.

Goodreads Synopsis: Lorna’s adopted sister, Callie, is part of a mysterious group of non-lingual teens, Icelings, born on a remote Arctic island, who may not be entirely human. Now Callie wants to go home.

Seventeen-year-old Lorna loves her adoptive sister, Callie. But Callie can’t say “I love you” back. In fact, Callie can’t say anything at all.

Because Callie is an Iceling—one of hundreds of teens who were discovered sixteen years ago on a remote Arctic island, all of them lacking the ability to speak or understand any known human language.

Mysterious and panicked events lead to the two sisters embarking on a journey to the north, and now Lorna starts to see that there’s a lot more to Callie’s origin story than she’d been led to believe. Little does she know what’s in store, and that she’s about to uncover the terrifying secret about who—and what—Callie really is. (Read more…)

* * * * *

8. The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson

I recently received an e-ARC from Netgalley and this one also piqued my interest because of the praise from Anthony Doerr.

Goodreads Synopsis: A captivating debut novel for readers of Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You and Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep, The Most Dangerous Place on Earth unleashes an unforgettable cast of characters into a realm known for its cruelty and peril: the American high school.

In an idyllic community of wealthy California families, new teacher Molly Nicoll becomes intrigued by the hidden lives of her privileged students. Unknown to Molly, a middle school tragedy in which they were all complicit continues to reverberate for her kids: Nick, the brilliant scam artist; Emma, the gifted dancer and party girl; Dave, the B student who strives to meet his parents expectations; Calista, the hippie outcast who hides her intelligence for reasons of her own. Theirs is a world in which every action may become public postable, shareable, indelible. With the rare talent that transforms teenage dramas into compelling and urgent fiction, Lindsey Lee Johnson makes vivid a modern adolescence lived in the gleam of the virtual, but rich with the sorrow, passion, and beauty of life in any time, and at any age. (Read more…)

* * * * *

9. A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline

I loved Orphan Train so when I saw Baker Kline had a new book coming out, it had to go on the list.

Goodreads Synopsis: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train, a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting Christina’s World.

“Later he told me that he’d been afraid to show me the painting. He thought I wouldn’t like the way he portrayed me: dragging myself across the field, fingers clutching dirt, my legs twisted behind. The arid moonscape of wheatgrass and timothy. That dilapidated house in the distance, looming up like a secret that won’t stay hidden.”

To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the twentieth century.

As she did in her beloved smash bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America’s history. Bringing into focus the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, she vividly imagines the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists.

Told in evocative and lucid prose, A Piece of the World is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy. (Read more…)

* * * * *

10. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

That creepy cover is what got this book onto my list.

Goodreads Synopsis: The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth. (Read more…)

* * * * *

Question: Have you read any of these titles? What have you added to your TBR lately?