Top Ten Tuesday: Books By (some of) My Favorite Authors That I still Haven’t Read

September 25, 2018 by 2 Comments

Hello! It’s Tuesday and you know what time it is…Top Ten. Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl, Jana every week, they post a new topic/top ten list and invite everyone to share their own answers. I looked at this week’s challenge and thought I could easily participate since I have a rather large TBR to choose from.

5186So many years ago, I read Edwidge Danticat’s “Krik Krak” and was so moved by how at such a young age, Edwidge wrote with so much feeling and rawness that I knew I had to read more.  I ended up buying more of her books but not reading them.

31115Some of the books she has written that I still need to read are:

Breath, Eyes, Memory

The Farming of Bones

 

 

51108I read The Samurai’s Garden a couple years ago with a book club and really enjoyed the writing and the story. I quickly began snatching up used copies of Gail Tsukiyama’s other books at used book sales.  Another of her other books I would like to read is:

The Language of Threads

 

 

 

17354205

This list would not be complete without Sujata Massey. I have been with her since her first novel in 1997, “The Salaryman’s Wife (Rei Shimura #1). I loved the main character and experiencing various aspects of Japanese culture while solving a mystery. I read the entire series. Two books of hers that are not in that 40545212series that I have not read yet are:

The Sleeping Dictionary

I am also super excited about her upcoming release of another series she writes. It is called “The Satapur Moonstone (Perveen #2) and it is scheduled to be released in May 2019 and you know I already have it on pre-order!

22221136Another author that I have read a lot of books is Susanna Kearsley. I started with Mariana and never looked back.

15942636They are fantastic books. With a mix of romance and historical fiction that keeps you coming back for more. I have a few that I have not read yet:
 A Desperate Fortune

The Firebird

 

34912895Another author that I have read and enjoyed and need to catch up on is Kristin Hannah. I have only read The Nightingale but I loved it.  1472878So I picked up several of her books in my last birthday book haul and have yet to read them.

One of which is:

Firefly Lane

The Great Alone

 

25150798I read Lisa See many years ago and really enjoyed her books. I recently bought one of her books as part of my birthday haul that I have been meaning to read:

Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

 

So as you can see, I had no problem pulling some books that I want to read from my big old TBR.

Hope you have a wonderful day and find time to spend with a book!

Belinda

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Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Unique Book Titles

October 24, 2017 by 6 Comments

Hello! It’s Tuesday and you know what time it is…Top Ten. Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week, they post a new topic/top ten list and invite everyone to share their own answers. I looked at this week’s challenge and thought I could easily participate. As may or may not know, my bedroom is in the process of being renovated and so my house is in a state of pure chaos with bedroom furniture, books and so much more moved to other areas in my house. Needless to say,  I still wanted to play Top Ten so I dug around some of the displaced books and some still shelved to find 10 unique book titles. Now, I did not go online to verify but these titles are unique to me.

The Goat Woman of Largo Bay by Gillian Royes – This is the book one in a series that features a detective in Jamaica. I can’t believe that there is a book out there with this title. It was the first one that caught my eye while searching for titles. I have not read this book yet but have been collecting the book in the series to possibly binge read them.

419 by Will Ferguson – The Canadian edition has a stunning cover, mine edition not as much. It won the Giller Prize (The Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English the previous year, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries.) I was attracted to the book from this part of the summary:

419 takes readers behind the scene of the world’s most insidious internet scam. When Laura’s father gets caught up in one such swindle and pays with his life, she is forced to leave the comfort of North America to make a journey deep into the dangerous back streets and alleyways of the Lagos underworld to confront her father’s killer. What she finds there will change her life forever…

Five Miles South of Peculiar by Angela Hunt – This one sounds like a movie title and the cover is cute. It’s a book about sisters that meet for a reunion and they are forced to rethink their past beliefs. Sounds like a light, fun read.

The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell -I heard about Sarah Vowell a few years ago and started collecting her books from used bookstores.  This one sounds very interesting and I can’t wait to finally sit down and actually read it. It is her collection of personal stories that travel through the past and covers a wide range of topics. Have any of you read her books and if so, which would you recommend I start with when I begin reading her works?

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson – I read this book in 2015 when it was first released and really enjoyed it. You can click to see my review. I recently purchased book 2 to read it and I believe book 3 is either already out or out soon. So I have some catching up to do.

Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-Wiwa – I picked up this book at my local Savers for 50 cents. The cover caught my attention but the story sounds interesting. It is a non-fiction, autobiography of the author and the evolution of her relationship with her birthplace, Nigeria. I know very little about Nigeria and thought this would be a great entryway. I have an around the world challenge for myself and this one definitely fits the criterion.

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley – The cover of this book caught my eye the year it came out and I snatched it up. It’s absolutely stunning. The story was so unique to me and I finally picked up book two. I think I need to start a list of series I have started and haven’t completed.

The Laughing Monsters by Denis Johnson – I remember picking this book up at Savers because of the unique title. I never read this author before and the description sounds like a spy, thriller set in Sierra Leone.

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon – I pretty much think I am the last to read this series. The covers are fantastic, I always hear positive feedback so now I just need to sit and read. I bought two of the books from book outlet way too long ago and yet I haven’t cracked one open. Sad, right? One day I will get to them. For those who aren’t familiar with this book, it is book 2 in The Bone Season Series. I won’t describe it because I never like to read the description if I haven’t read the preceding book.

NW by Zadie Smith – Come on, this title has to be unique. It pulls you in because it has no meaning when you first see the book on the shelf. I believe it stands for northwest London which is where the story takes place. I want to read Zadie but I am nervous about where to start because so many people like her writing and I hope I do too.

Ok here is my list. Have you read any of them? I can’t wait to see what titles you all list.

Happy reading!

Belinda

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Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books With Fall/Autumn Covers/Themes

October 10, 2017 by 13 Comments

I love everything about fall..the crisp morning air, the smell of fireplaces burning, the beauty of the foliage colors but one of my favorite things I love about fall is curling up in a soft blanket with my tea and a book.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week, they post a new topic/top ten list and invite everyone to share their own answers. This week focus on fall covers. So this top ten sounded like it was meant for me. I walked around my bookshelves and picked out old and newer books that either the cover made me get the Autumn feels or the story had scenes set in the fall.

The following are the ten books I selected:

Of the above books, I have read only one of them but let me tell you why I think they fit lovely into this category.

Let’s start with Susanna Kearsley’s The Rose Garden. I have been a fan of this author since I read, Marianna. The story sucked me in and I was sold. Then I went on to read Winter Sea and Shadowy Horses. Although I haven’t read this book yet, I feel the colors in the cover and roses make me think of fall. I also think the way that Ms. Kearsley blends history, time-travel and usually a touch of romance just oozes the autumn feels for me.

Maisie Dobbs book 1 has been on my TBR for years. I am not ashamed in saying that although I probably should be but at the recommendation of a book club member, I began the hunt for her books. I have never bought a new edition of any of her books and find it so much fun looking for them at used bookstores. This edition has the most amazing covers. This is a detective story set during WWI with a female (Maisie) sleuth. Need I say more. I mean fall is an amazing time for mysteries so I just know that this is a good choice for this category.

On that note, Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)  is another detective mystery with Detective Cormoran Strike. This is a first in a series. There are three books out and Rowling is working on the 4th now. So I can put on my thinking hat and solve a case while the beautiful leaves gently fall outside.

I picked The Folded Earth simply because of the beautiful fall colored cover.  However, it is a book by an author (Anuradha Roy) that I have been so eager to read. It is a tale of a woman making a new life in the foothills of the Himalaya. What better time for “armchair travel” via books than in the fall and winter months.

Rainy Day Sisters by Kate Hewitt was an ARC I read for a publisher in 2015 and I adored this book. It was a sweet women’s fiction with a little romance. It was first in a three book series. I didn’t know the other two books came out already until now so I will have to pick them up to see what happened to the characters. It’s a fast read and one of those starting over books that I think are perfect for the fall or even the new year.

On the second group photographed above I have 5 more books with yup only 1 that I read. Are we seeing a pattern here? Never mind that let’s move on.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi  – This cover is what made me think autumn. I think it is safe to say that I can now read this book. When it was first published it had so much buzz, I couldn’t even crack open the book. I just don’t like to be influenced by other’s reviews so I wanted distance to form my own opinion.

The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack – I read her debut novel (The Memory Painter) last year and loved it so much, that I emailed her to tell her as soon as I finished the book. She even emailed me back and I got the fangirl giggles. This book’s cover made me think of fall but the story of an antique appraiser who deciphers a text that she believes was written in Cleopatra’s time and how it plunges her into a dangerous mystery. Well if that isn’t one for a cup of tea and blanket I don’t know what is and I can’t wait to find out. I really appreciated the amount of research that Womack embarked on to create her first book and I expect nothing less for this one.

When Autumn Leaves by Amy S. Foster – Well if the color of the cover and the word Autumn in the title isn’t enough then a story of magic and witchcraft should seal the deal. I have not read this but don’t you think October would be a fantastic time to crack this one open?

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George – A book about bookstores and books seems perfect for the fall and I think this one should fit the category. I have not read it but I know it has received mixed reviews. However, I must decide for myself so I will let you know when I finally give it a go.

Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan – I read this book in 2015 and it is the third book in a trilogy. The first book is entitled, Unspoken and it is a lovely story of a girl with an imaginary friend she talks to in her head and one day, she discovers that this boy is real. It is really a fun fantasy story and the trilogy would make for a wonderful fall read.

Well there you have it, ten books I think would be wonderful choices for enjoying during the fall. Let me know if you have read any of these books.

Happy reading!

Belinda

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Reads of 2016

February 28, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Hello, my bookworm friends! I have been meaning to write this post since the beginning of January. So there is no time like the present right? I had an amazing reading year last year, I read far and wide for myself and had so much fun doing it.

So I thought I would share 10 of my favorite reading experiences from 2016:

— The Memory Painter by Gwendolyn Womack – I first heard about this book on the Book Riot channel. Something about the description caught my attention and I am so glad it did. This debut novel kept me captivated from the first to the last page.

— Life from Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Forgiveness by Sasha Martin – This was a review book. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading her story as she cooked her way “around the globe”.

— Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington – I remember seeing Ms. Huffington talk with Oprah on one of her shows and found her quite inspiring. This book was such a fantastic read that motivated me to take better care of myself. I think I used up an entire post-it flags in this book highlighting key points.

— Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel – It had been so long since I read any science fiction and this one came across my radar and reminded me why I love that genre. Such a unique story that kept me so captivated. The second book was released recently and I intend on reading it. I also believe a movie is slated to be made from this book.

— Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson – Oh this is my book. I first saw Mr. Stevenson speaking with Oprah on an episode of her Super Soul Sunday and just knew I had to read his book.  I found the audiobook on my Overdrive app and downloaded it once it became available. Oh my, what an eye-opener this book was and I still can’t stop thinking about it. I feel this book is so important that I am going to buy the book to have as a reference.

— The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead – This book had a bunch of hype prior to its release because Oprah endorsed it and put it on her reading list. I was resistant because you know me, I don’t like all the hype. I caved and bought the book. However, I ended up reading it and then switching to the audiobook because one of my favorite voice talents narrated it.

— Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears by Pem Chodron – I own a few of Ms. Chodron’s books but this one was new to me. I checked it out on Overdrive and found it to be very helpful and refer to some quotes from it quite often.

— The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race Edited by Jesmyn Ward – Wowser!! A friend of mine recommended this book and I was blown away by it. It’s a fabulous and relevant book about race that I think everyone should read. I read it on Overdrive and will be ordering it in book form so I can refer to it often. It’s really an important book.

— Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue – An immigrant story that is quite relevant in this current state of affairs. It was a new release and I dived right in. If you get a chance to listen to the audiobook, take it. The voice talent rocks.

— Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly – I’m pretty sure most people have heard of the movie based on the book. I included this book because it is a vital part of history that was only recently uncovered. Filled with a lot of facts it can read slowly at times but worth the journey.

Well that’s some of the great reads of last year. I have already read some pretty amazing books this year. So I will definitely have to do a wrap up at the end of this year too.

Happy reading!

Belinda

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