Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Places I Find New Books to Read

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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.

The Top Ten places I find new books:

  • I browse the shelves at Barnes and Noble.
  • I read my emails of new releases from Amazon.
  • I write down recommendations from my book club friends.
  • I write down recommendations after watching booktuber’s videos.
  • I read lists based on genre on Goodreads.
  • I watch a show on TV called Well Read and write down their recommendations.
  • I watch Super Soul Sunday and write down lists of books written by the weekly guests.
  • I find great recommendations from other Book bloggers.
  • I find great books from publishers when I review books for them.
  • I find great books when I visit several used bookstores and thrift shops.

Happy Reading my friends!

Belinda

Top Ten 2015 releases that I meant to get to

toptentuesday1

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 is a list of the top 10 2015 releases I meant to get to but didn’t:

In order to respond to this request, I have to divide my responses into three categories (Books I own, E-books I own, Books I haven’t bought yet).

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So for the books I own in physical form that I didn’t get to are:

1. Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

3. At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen

4. Named of the Dragon by Susanna Kearsley

Books I own on my Kindle:

5. Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

6. Serpentine by Cindy Pon

7. India Gray by Sujata Massey

8. Silver Like Dust: One’s Family’s Story of America’s Japanese Internment by Kimi Cunningham Grant

9. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Books that I haven’t bought yet:

10. Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein

My hope is to get to many if not all of these books this year. Are there any books you didn’t get to last year?

Belinda

Belinda’s Book Nook: Top Ten Favorite Heroines from Books/TV/Movies

toptentuesday1Top 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.

Books

heriones1At first I wasn’t going to participate because I hadn’t really thought about heroine’s and it seemed a bit daunting. Then I went to GoodReads and looked through some of the books I’ve read, and picked some. I am not listing them in any particular order here.

Dana (from Kindred by Octavia Butler) – I read this book many years ago and can’t recall all of the details but I do remember thinking how strong this character had to be to be thrown back into slavery time from our present day. I can’t even imagine what I would do. But I felt that Ms. Butler made her a strong character throughout the book.

Claire Randall (from Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon) – This series has even been made into a great TV series and I like the actress in the series as well. I remember how absorbed I was with this book. Surprisingly I never went on to the others in this series but just might one day.  But again another heroine that time travels and remains strong in face of many adversities.

Rei Shimura (from Zen Attitude (Rei Shimura mysteries by Sujata Massey) – Anyone who reads this blog, knows the special place in my heart for Rei. I have had an interest in Japan since childhood and this series delivers. Rei never waivers and faces on some pretty tough adversaries in each mystery while I get a healthy dose of Japanese culture.  I love the way Rei takes charge of her life and doesn’t cower from it.

heriones2Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat,Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert) – I know there are some out there that hate on this book. But I’m not one of them. I truly enjoyed this book and loved watching her life journey unfold on the pages. I even enjoyed the movie. Don’t hate.

Julia Beckett (Mariana by Susanna Kearsley) – I pretty much  enjoy all of Susanna Kearsley’s female characters are in her books. This was the first one I read and loved it. I liked how Julia didn’t shy away from the “impossible” in this book. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it but I really enjoyed this book and it’s heroine.

heriones3Nitta Sayuri  (Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden) – I read this a really long time ago with a book club. I remember we made sushi and then discussed the book at one of my girlfriend’s house.  This girl had a tough life with little choices and she kept pushing along.  The movie adaptation was stunning.  I watch it every time it comes on cable.

Nell Sweeney (Still Life with Murder by P.B. Ryan) – I stumbled across this book as a free read on my Nook a few years ago. I took a chance and fell absorbed in the story and couldn’t get enough. I read all the books in the series and was so sad to see them come to an end. Talk about book hangover.  Nell figured how to take her life from poverty to a better life.  I loved the stories because they were based locally so I could enjoy them even more.

Television/Movies

heriones4Olivia Pope (Scandal the TV Series by Shonda Rhimes) – Well where to begin. I first started watching this show as my guilty pleasure at lunch time. Her naughty relationship with the character that is the president on the show aside, I like to see a strong black women on a television show.  I think Shonda Rhimes strikes a nice balance with Olivia’s strength and her take charge attitude with her softer more vulnerable side. I typically DVR the show because if I watch it at showtime, I get all pumped up speculating the next week’s show and take forever to go to sleep. Of screen, Kerry Washington is a force. She is not just a pretty face and her dedication to humanitarian issues are on point.

Constantine & Aibileen (The Help by Kathryn Stockett) – I enjoyed the book and the movie was great. I loved these two characters and the way they handled such a difficult situation. These two actresses really brought the characters to life and made you feel and think more even after the credits rolled.

Who are your favorite heroines?

Belinda

Belinda’s Book Nook: Book Giveaway and My Top Ten Book Related Problems I Have

toptentuesday1Top 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.

At the bottom of this list I have included information about my first book giveaway.

The Top Ten Book Related Problems I Have:

  1. Buckling Bookshelves – Too many books, no place to put them. I even set up a space in my craft room to put books and now they are outgrowing that shelf. Can I get a collective sigh? hmmm…
  2. Book piles – All around my house I have little piles of books. I start reading some or pull a few I plan to read and then they end up left at that spot in a pile.
  3. Reading all that I have purchased/Too Many book hauls – Growing up, I used the library most of the time and as I began making my own money, I started buying more than one book at a time. It’s not like the books are going to sell out but let’s face it, a box delivered to my doorstep full of books is the happiest time ever for me.  But I read entirely too slow for my book buying habits.
  4. GoodReads TBR overload – I love GoodReads and always tell people about it. It’s a great idea – a place to share your love of books with others, join online bookclubs, find great reads by reading the reviews, and the best part, a place to keep track of what I have read and what I would like to read. Well I didn’t have a system when I started using Goodreads so I would put all books I was interested in on my TBR and the list grew. I now have learned that you really need to filter yourself and don’t let impulse push you to add books that you most likely won’t read. So now I have started to rethink and am slowly going through the list to remove books I really won’t read. This will take away some of the guilt from my TBR. –
  5. Stingy with sharing – I hate to admit it but I am one of those people who doesn’t like to lend out books. I like to think I am nice and that I like sharing. But I fear that my book won’t come back to me in the condition they are lent out or that I will have to manage the return of my book.  So I rarely lend out my books.
  6. Nightstand tower – I can’t help it but I always have a “tower” of books on my nightstand.  Sometimes, ridiculously high and close to toppling over. Many I “intend” on reading and only a few that I actually might be reading.  In contrast to my neat husband that has only one book at a time on his nightstand, I am a mess. It’s something about having my books close to me, that is a comfort before I go to bed. I know that doesn’t make sense. Don’t judge.
  7. Cover Love – I am so guilty of falling in love with a cover and buying it based more on it’s beauty than it’s content. What? I know, what am I thinking? But let’s face it, the covers of books help sell them. They catch your eye and then you read the back. I also have started collecting Susanna Kearsley books because not only the covers are amazing, but the spines match and are so lovely. I can imagine them all on my shelf one day.
  8. Hard to say goodbye – Purging old books by donating them is difficult for me even after I have read the book and know I will not be reading it again.
  9. Goodwill Binging – I love going to used bookstores and finding new and old books at great prices. The problem is it is a total binge. I buy way too many.  I justify the low prices into reason to buy many.
  10. Guilty reading – Sometimes there are books that “everyone” says you absolutely have to read. Somehow I convince myself they are right and sometimes I even go as far as buying the book only to find I never read them or I do and don’t care for them at all. The beauty of reading is the variety and I am also feeling more and more comfortable with my choices. I enjoy pleasure reads that I don’t learn anything, I just go for the ride. I also enjoy books that I learn while I go for the ride, particularly historical fictions and non-fictions. But I don’t and won’t just read one genre of books. I want the variety and know I don’t have to answer to anyone.

That’s my list. What’s your book related problems?

Book Give away!!!

fairest-3I also wanted to share with you an opportunity to win a book on my first book giveaway.

I pre-ordered the latest book from Marissa Meyer, called “Fairest” which is a more in-depth look at Queen Levana from the Lunar Chronicles.  I have an extra copy to give away to a lucky winner. I have to limit this to the US only since mailing elsewhere will be a bit too much.

fairest2So if you would like a chance to win, leave a comment below and let me know who your two favorite characters is in The Lunar Chronicles (Cinder, Scarlet, or Cress)? I will put all the entries in a bowl and let my son pick a random name out. On Tuesday, February 24th  I will announce a winner and then we can exchange mailing info so I can mail you this beautiful book.

Happy Reading!

Belinda

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