Top Ten Tuesday

Belinda’s Book Nook: Top Ten Books written by African and African American Authors I Want to Read

February 3, 2015 by belinda 3 Comments

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, I chose to list ten books written by African or African American Authors.

Death of a King by Tavis Smiley – This book I actually heard about on television when someone was interviewing the author, Tavis Smiley. I like how he said that this is the first book to deal with the last year of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. The strength he had to continue when so many had turned against him. I definitely want to read this one.

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo – I heard about this author in a Wall Street Journal article about African Authors. It is about a girl’s experience moving from Zimbabwe to the US. So I quickly added it to my TBR (To Be Read) list.

Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akapan – I saw this book on Oprah and added it to my TBR. It is a collection of stories about African children from various countries and their experiences.

Mother Poems by Hope Anita Smith – I never heard about this book but I came across it on BookOutlet and the price was amazing so I ordered it. It is about a young girl who loves her mother and the pain she feels when her mother dies. Having lost my mother almost 8 years ago now, I am still working through the pain and look for comfort in this book that deals with the death of a parent.

Belle by Paula Byrne – I have mentioned this book in earlier posts and still haven’t read it. It is a story about the first mixed-race girl introduced to high society England and raised as a lady.

Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories from the Underground Railroad by Betty DeRamus – I bought this on BookOutlet too and again a book I never heard about so I like going into books without too much hype so I can gain my own opinion.

The Black Girl Next Door by Jennife Baszile – This book is memoir about coming of age as a black girl in an exclusive white suburb in “integrated,” post-Civil Rights California. This should be an interesting read.

Sugar Changed the World by Marc Aronson, Marina Tamar Budhosa – When this award-winning husband-and-wife team discovered that they each had sugar in their family history, they were inspired to trace the globe-spanning story of the sweet substance and to seek out the voices of those who led bitter sugar lives. This book just sounds fascinating to me. A must read this year.

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi – This debut novel by Helen Oyeyemi is a retelling of an old fairy tale with a twist dealing with identity in this case an African American that is passing for white. Sounds very intriguing.

Radiance of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah – This book deals with postwar life in Sierra Leone following two men who return to their town to try and rebuild but faced with many obstacles. I know very little about Sierra Leone so I look forward to learning more through this novel.

Hopefully I will get to read at least half of this list this year.

Happy Reading!

Belinda

Filed Under: Belinda's Book Nook Tagged With: african fiction, Belinda's Book Nook, top ten African and African American authors I want to read, Top Ten Tuesday

Belinda’s Book Nook: Top Ten Favorite Places to Read

January 20, 2015 by belinda 3 Comments

This week the Broke and the Bookish left this a free week to pick your own topic for Top Ten Tuesday so I chose to share my top ten places I like to read.

1. My Deck – I love our fully screened deck on our home. I use it for three seasons. The winter is too cold so we just use it to cover and store our deck furniture. But the spring and summer you will find me there morning and most afternoons in my chair with a book. I love being surrounded by my plants and all the birds that visit my feeders. It’s my piece of paradise.

2. My Reading Nook – I put this huge red cushy chair in my craftroom nestled right inside three windows so when it is sunny, the sun warms my shoulders. Just love it especially during the winter. I also love being surrounded by beautiful white snow in the windows while I read during the winter.

3. My Couch – We have an L-shape couch and I like sitting closest to the window in early afternoon when the sun comes through the window (do you see a pattern here?). I grab a blanket and prop a bunch of pillows and of course a cup of tea is close at hand.

4. Barnes & Noble Cafe – I like being surrounded by books and let’s face it, Chai tea and fresh scones, this is a no-brainer location to read. I always do a walk through the shelves after I finish reading to go hold some books and peek at what’s new and on sale.

5. My Bed – Most nights I read before I go to sleep. I love being under all my blankies and falling into a good story. I used to read in bed on the weekend mornings but now I meditate and exercise in the morning so I only read at night in bed.

6. The Beach – I love the water but let’s face it I can only stay in there so long and then I’m heading for my beach chair and umbrella so I can read. Love digging my toes in the sand while I dive into my book. And listening to the water rolling in seals the deal.

7. In My Car (at pick up) – I intentionally go early to pick up for two reasons: One I like to get a good spot. I do not like to arrive later and have to drive around and find a spot. Second because it is guaranteed time for me to squeeze in reading. So I go 40 minutes early and have some me time to read.

8. Our Guest Room – On some weekend mornings, I will sneak into our guest room and lay on the bed and read my book. It receives amazing sunlight and it gets really warm and toasty.

9. In Airplanes – This is the way I pass time on a flight and sometimes even get a little nap out of it. I also like to peek and see what other’s are reading. I can’t imagine a flight without a book.

10. The Inn at Jackson (annual girls weekend getaway) – Each year, I go away for 4 days with my girlfriends’ to a lovely inn in Jackson, New Hampshire. I have reserved the same room for a few years now and I just love it. It’s got a great fireplace near the foot of the bed. So I jump out of the bed quickly turn on the timer and sink back in bed for an amazing read.

Well that’s my Top Ten for today. Hope you all find time to snuggle up with a good book!

Belinda

Filed Under: Belinda's Book Nook Tagged With: Top Ten Tuesday

Belinda’s Book Nook: Top Ten Tuesday – 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn’t Get To

January 13, 2015 by belinda 8 Comments

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.

Now when I saw the topic for this week’s Top Ten, I sadly realized not only could I pick 10 books but that I probably own and haven’t read them. And yes, after compiling this list, I found that it was true. So here are 10 books that I presently own in physical or ebook format that came out in 2014 and I didn’t get around to reading and if you want a description, click on the cover or the title and it will take you to GoodReads with all the information:

1. A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett

2. Belle: The Slave Daughter and the Lord Chief Justice by Paula Byrne

3. Til’ the Well Runs Dry by Lauren Francis-Sharma

4. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

5. Boy Snow Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

6. The Glass Sentence (The Mapmaker’s Trilogy #1) by S.E. Grove

7. The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest that will Bring Purpose to your Life by Chris guillebeau

8. The Promise of a Pencil by Adam Braun

9. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

10. Radiance of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah

Well there’s my list. Are there any books you wanted read that came out in 2014 and never got to them?

Happy reading my friends!

Belinda

Filed Under: Belinda's Book Nook Tagged With: Belinda's Book Nook, Top Ten Tuesday

Belinda’s Book Nook: Top Ten Anticipated Debut Novels of 2015

January 6, 2015 by belinda 2 Comments

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. So here is my first go at it.

So many books are coming out but I thought I would share a small list of what I am looking forward to this year:

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1. Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Publication date: January 27, 2015

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

My Thoughts

I can’t wait! I loved the first three books and this one will hold me until the final book comes out in November 2015. I already pre-ordered it so I should receive it right around that date but I might hold off and read it later in the year since such a long wait for the final book.

2. Tether (second book in the Many Worlds Trilogy) by Anna Jarzab

Publication date: Spring 2015

Tether, the sequel to Tandem, continues the captivating tale of rebellion and romance that spans parallel worlds.

My Thoughts

I just stumbled across the first book in Overdrive. I listened to the audiobook. and really enjoyed the concept.

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3. At the Waters Edge by Sara Gruen

Publication date: March 31, 2015

In her stunning new novel, Gruen returns to the kind of storytelling she excelled at in Water for Elephants: a historical timeframe in an unusual setting with a moving love story. Think Scottish Downton Abbey.

My Thoughts

What’s not to like. Historical fiction, love and a touch of Downton Abbey, I’m in!!

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4. A Desperate Fortune by Suzanna Kearsley

Publication date: April 7 2015

For nearly 300 years, the mysterious journal of Jacobite exile Mary Dundas has lain unread — its secrets safe from prying eyes. Now, amateur codebreaker Sara Thomas has been hired by a once-famous historian to crack the journal’s cipher. But when she arrives in Paris, Sara finds herself besieged by complications from all sides: the journal’s reclusive owner, her charming Parisian neighbor, and Mary, whose journal doesn’t hold the secrets Sara expects.

My Thoughts

Oh man, I can’t say enough about Susanna Kearsley. I really enjoy her books. So I am game when a new one comes out.

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5. Orhan’s Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian

Publication date: April 7, 2015

In her extraordinary debut, Aline Ohanesian has created two remarkable characters—a young man ignorant of his family’s and his country’s past, and an old woman haunted by the toll the past has taken on her life.

When Orhan’s brilliant and eccentric grandfather Kemal—a man who built a dynasty out of making kilim rugs—is found dead, submerged in a vat of dye, Orhan inherits the decades-old business. But Kemal’s will raises more questions than it answers. He has left the family estate to a stranger thousands of miles away, an aging woman in an Armenian retirement home in Los Angeles. Her existence and secrecy about her past only deepen the mystery of why Orhan’s grandfather willed his home in Turkey to an unknown woman rather than to his own son or grandson.

Left with only Kemal’s ancient sketchbook and intent on righting this injustice, Orhan boards a plane to Los Angeles. There he will not only unearth the story that eighty-seven-year-old Seda so closely guards but discover that Seda’s past now threatens to unravel his future. Her story, if told, has the power to undo the legacy upon which his family has been built.

My Thoughts

The story sounds interesting. I look forward to adding this one to my 7 Continent’s Challenge.

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6. Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein

Publication Date: 31 March 2015

A new historical thriller masterpiece from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Elizabeth Wein.

Emilia and Teo’s lives changed in a fiery, terrifying instant when a bird strike brought down the plane their stunt pilot mothers were flying. Teo’s mother died immediately, but Em’s survived, determined to raise Teo according to his late mother’s wishes-in a place where he won’t be discriminated against because of the color of his skin. But in 1930s America, a white woman raising a black adoptive son alongside a white daughter is too often seen as a threat.

My Thoughts

I own Code Name Verity and have not read it yet but I love historical fictions and that one received so much praise. So I will add this to another from her that I will read.

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7. The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell

Publication Date: 5 May 2015

And these are they. My final moments. They say a warrior must always be mindful of death, but I never imagined that it would find me like this…

Japanese teenager, Sora, is diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Lonely and isolated, Sora turns to the ancient wisdom of the samurai for guidance and comfort. But he also finds hope in the present; through the internet he finds friends that see him, not just his illness. This is a story of friendship and acceptance, and testing strength in an uncertain future.

My Thoughts

This sounds like a moving story that will open my eyes even more to ALS. I am very happy that this is a young adult book because it’s important for us all to learn more about this disease.

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8. Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham (picked by Mandy C.)

Publication Date: 19 May 2015

A voice-driven mystery perfect for fans of Veronica Mars.

Meet Scarlett, a smart, sarcastic, kick-butt, Muslim American heroine, ready to take on crime in her hometown of Las Almas. When a new case finds the private eye caught up in a centuries-old battle of evil genies and ancient curses, Scarlett discovers that her own family secrets may have more to do with the situation than she thinks — and that cracking the case could lead to solving her father’s murder.

Jennifer Latham delivers a compelling story and a character to remember in this one-of-a-kind debut novel.

My Thoughts

A young adult featuring a minority, well that’s just very rare. So I will definitely support diversity in all genres. I like the idea of a mystery and I did enjoy Veronica Mars back in the day.

9. Winter by Marissa Meyer

Publication date: November 24, 2015

This book will feature Cinder and Snow White and will take place on the moon.

My Thoughts

No cover yet. A long wait for the final book in this series. I hate the long wait but will read Fairest later in the year to stretch it out. Ok, so I might actually read it when I get it later this month but you can’t blame a girl from trying to have a little patience.

10. Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by John Robert Lewis , Michael D’Orso

Publication date: February 10, 2015 (This is a re-issue in paperback. It was originally published in 1998)

An eloquent, epic firsthand account of the civil rights movement by a man who lived it-an American hero whose courage, vision, and dedication helped change history. The son of an Alabama sharecropper, and now a sixth-term United States Congressman, John Lewis has led an extraordinary life, one that found him at the epicenter of the civil rights movement in the late ’50s and ’60s. As Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Lewis was present at all the major battlefields of the movement. Arrested more than forty times and severely beaten on several occasions, he was one of the youngest yet most courageous leaders.

My Thoughts

More non-fiction for me. I want to mix it up this year and read more non-fiction and this is one man I know little about but is so important.

Well I hope you enjoyed my list. Are there any good books you know that are coming out in 2015? Please share. I’m always looking for another book to add to my list of reads.

Happy Reading!

Belinda

Filed Under: Belinda's Book Nook Tagged With: anticipated novels of 2015, Top Ten Tuesday

Belinda’s Book Nook: Top Ten Books written by African and African American Authors I Want to Read

Belinda

Belinda’s Book Nook: Top Ten Favorite Places to Read

Belinda

Belinda’s Book Nook: Top Ten Tuesday – 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn’t Get To

Belinda