Tag Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

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Many of the books I read in 2022 were written by authors I hadn’t tried before. Here are ten of them.

Just like last year, I’ll also be including what books I read from them and whether I want to read more from them in the future.

1. Author: Marlene Campbell

What I Read from Them: Vintage Christmas: Holiday Stories from Rural PEI

Would I Read More from Them? Maybe. I liked some parts of this collection but found other sections a bit too repetitive. Then again, I am not a particularly sentimental person, so other readers might have a completely difference experience with it.

2. Author: Sonia Hartl

What I Read from Them: The Lost Girls

Would I Read More from Them? Yes. I loved the author’s tongue-in-cheek approach to the pitfalls of romances between vampires and teenage girls.

3. Author: Kate Nunn

What I Read from Them: The Only Child

Would I Read More from Them? No, and it pains me to say that. I loved the premise of this book but found the character and plot development thin and predictable.

4. Author: Riley Black

What I Read from Them: “The Last Days of the Dinosaurs: An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World”

Would I Read More from Them? Yes. Not only was Ms. Black an excellent writer, she knew exactly how to translate often complex scientific information into something the average person can easily understand. That’s difficult to do but so meaningful when it does occur.

5. Author: Yah Yah Scholfield

What I Read from Them: “On Sundays She Picked Flowers”

Would I Read More from Them? Assuming her next work isn’t quite so violent, absolutely. I enjoyed her poetic writing style but can’t handle reading many of the types of scary stuff I loved before this pandemic began.

6. Author: Nice Leng’ete

What I Read from Them: “The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree”

Would I Read More from Them? Yes. She’s lived an interesting and useful life so far. I’m curious to see what she does with her talents next as she continues fighting to end female circumcision in Kenya.

7. Author: Julia Scheeres

What I Read from Them: “Listen, World!: How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America’s Most-Read Woman”

Would I Read More from Them? Probably not. This was a neat peek at a portion of history I wasn’t aware of, but the writing style wasn’t my cup of tea.

8. Author: Carl Matlock, MD

What I Read from Them: “The Annals of a Country Doctor”

Would I Read More from Them? Yes. He was a great storyteller.

9. Author: Daphne du Maurier

What I Read from Them: “Rebecca”

Would I Read More from Them? Maybe. I understood why this novel is a classic and did enjoy the storyline itself, but I was exasperated with all of the characters for reasons ranging from how passive aggressive they were to how little regard they had for basic interpersonal boundaries to how much they relied on what other people thought of them when making every single decision in life. Let met take a break from Ms. Du Maurier before seeing if this is a pattern in her work or if her next book will be filled with characters I’d actually want to hang out with in real life. Ha!

10. Author: by Deesha Philyaw

What I Read from Them: “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies”

Would I Read More from Them? Yes. I connected beautifully with her characters and would love to see what she writes next. She was delightful.

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I like to set (mostly) realistic goals at the beginning of each year. Let’s see how many of these I complete before 2024 sneaks up on us.

1. Read more classic novels this winter. It’s something I do every winter to expand my vocabulary and explore stories that generations of people have loved.

2. Submit a Top Ten Tuesday theme to Jana that she ends up using. (I am 99% joking here, but I mentioned this in a previous goals post a few years ago and would be thrilled if she picked one of my suggestions someday).

3. Enjoy lots of ghost stories. Those of you who have read this blog for a while will know how much I like them in general, but they’re even more amusing on cold, dark winter nights.

4. Attend more library and other bookish events either virtually or in person. They’re such a great place to learn about our world and meet other friendly book lovers.

5. Read more nonfiction. I love learning about everything from science to history at my own pace and without any pesky tests or grades to worry about.

6. Patronize independent bookstores. This pandemic radically altered my habits, and it’s been years since I shopped for something other than food, medicine, or to replace something like shoes or a shower curtain that have worn out.

7. Eat more food featured in books. For example, last year I finally tried Turkish delight for the first time after spending many years wondering what on earth Edmund was talking about in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. What other literary or bookish foods or beverages should I enjoy next?

8. Try poetry again. I loved it when I was a teenager but have struggled to get back in that genre since becoming an adult.

9. Buy bookish socks. Do I need more socks? Well, technically no, but surely there is something to be said for adding just one more pair of socks to the rotation if they make a clever reference to something literary, right?

10. Convince the entertainment industry to make excellent film or television adaptations of all of our favourite books. Hehe!

  
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Just like I say every time seasonal TBR posts come up, I won’t be able to come up with a full ten answers or predict everything I’ll read over the next few months. I admire those of who you are that methodical, but that’s not quite how my reading habits work.

With that being said, these books will hopefully be included along with the usual mood reads and whatever intriguing stories I happen to stumble across at my local library this winter and spring.

Old Babes in the Woods: Stories by Margaret Atwood

Release Date: March 7

Why I Want to Read It: I’ve loved most of Atwood’s stories and give everything she publishes a shot.

Piñata by Leopoldo Gout

Release Date: March 14

Why I Want to Read It: I am not very familiar with indigenous Mexican lore and am looking forward to learning more about it here.

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

Release Date: March 28

Why I Want to Read It: I’m a new fan of Kingfisher’s work and want to try everything she’s written so far!

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I thought this topic would be an easy one, but it turned out to be a little tricky! I found many wonderful books last year, but my list of all-time favourites continues to shift over time.

Feel free to read my full reviews if you wish, but I also condensed my favorite thing about each book into one sentence each in this post (mostly). That, too, was much harder than it seemed at first.

Dead Voices by Katherine Arden (My Review)

What I Loved About It: The spooky setting was fabulous.

My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood (My Review)

What I Loved About It: The main character was delightfully hard to figure out. Was she a good guy or a bad guy? How about her mother? I’m still not entirely sure!

Voices in the Wind by Joshua Scribner (My Review)

What I Loved About It: Tornadoes frighten me, but this tale made me see them in an entirely new light.

The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood (My Review)

What I Loved About It: The main character was blissfully unaware of his deepest character flaws, and that made his adventure much more dangerous than it should have been.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (My Review)

What I Loved About It: The peacefulness and low stakes of the main character’s mission made this a comfort read for me.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (My Review)

What I Loved About It: I loved catching up with the characters I met in A Psalm for the Wild-Built again.

Samantha, 25, on October 31 by Adam Bertocci (My Review)

What I Loved About It: The protagonist had a crappy retail job and yearned for more which made her feel much more real to me than someone who has it all figured out in life.

Vespasian Moon’s Fabulous Autumn Carnival by Berthold Gambrel (My Review)

What I Loved About It: At least half of the characters felt untrustworthy at any given moment, but all of them seemed like super interesting folks to hang out with.

The Story of Sigurd the Dragonslayer by Liam G Martin (My Review)

What I Loved About It: It’s always cool to reimagine origin stories for famous characters.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (My Review)

What I Loved About It: Wholesome horror is hard to find, but this book flirted with that idea in some delightful ways.

May 2023 be a fantastic reading year for all of us.

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Not my dog or my spouse…but look at that adorable little expression on the pup’s face!

If you’re a new reader of this blog, let me explain something quickly before diving into my list.

Over the past few years, I’ve made a serious effort to put indie and small press authors at the top of my priority list for reviewing. I love well-known authors, too, but they have so many more opportunities to be introduced to new readers than someone who self publishes their work or who has secured a book deal with a tiny publishing company.

I believe in supporting other writers and giving them some free exposure on my friendly little corner of the Internet when I can.

So don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of any of these folks.

Honestly, I’ll be shocked if you do know about them, but please tell me what you think of their work if that’s the case. I haven’t read these titles and therefore can’t endorse them…yet?

All I know is that I was intrigued enough by them to download them when they were free. If you follow me on Mastodon, you’ll see a list of free books every Thursday and occasional retweets of other free books on other days.

When the Last Story Gets Told by C.S. Anderson

Why I’m Intrigued: I love campfire stories, and this sounds like it could be a good one.

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Last year I spun this topic to include all sorts of bookish things I’d like for the winter.. This year I’m going to attempt to answer the question directly, albeit with a little bit of a speculative fiction twist in some answers. Santa doesn’t visit my house, but maybe a fairy godmother or an attentive publishing company will pay attention?

1. New Books From Authors Who Didn’t Publish Anything New in 2022

I was thrilled to read a new Becky Chambers book in 2022. Now it’s time for Sarah Waters, Rivers Solomon, Nnedi Okorafor, Alex Cross, and Andy Weir to do the same thing in 2023.

2. A Magical Book That Recovers Lost Memories

3. A Magical Book That Dampens Difficult Memories

Wouldn’t it be nice to have more say in what we do and don’t remember?

4. A Book About the Psychology of Pain and Chronic Illness

I was originally going to request that it be nonfiction, but a fictional story might work, too.

In early 2022, I was officially diagnosed with migraines. While trying a few different treatments for it I’ve become quite interested in the coping mechanisms people create to deal with pain and chronic illness. For example, I try to find the humorous side of my diagnosis when possible and feel odd going into too much detail about how it affects me with most people. (My current treatment regiment does reduce symptoms if I follow the protocol,  but it can’t completely eliminate everything).

5.  Well-Written Sequels to All of the Books that Make Readers Yearn to Know What Happened Next 

Not everything needs a sequel, of course, but if they do, I’d want to see copies of those books magically arrive at the homes of everyone who can’t wait to keep reading.

6. Books That Make Me Laugh

There’s no such thing as too many humorous books if you ask me.

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This stock photo is making me giggle, so I must share it with you all. I don’t want to make assumptions about the climates you all live in, but nobody in Ontario walks around outside in the dead of winter without being bundled up warmly unless you want to risk developing frostbite or hypothermia. It can happen quickly, too, if the windchill and temperatures are both very low and you’re not dressed properly for the weather.

Yes, her outfit is scholarly and all of that, but it’s also totally impractical for this season. It’s funny to me to compare the aesthetic that some photographers use to capture their idealized versions of winter versus the reality of actually living in a cold climate …and there are much chillier places to spend the winter than Toronto!

Anyway, I have once again returned to my regular habit of not having many books to share for my seasonal to-read lists. It was quite unusual for me to have nine of them last autumn.

Winter is a time when I often read or reread classic novels. Last winter I reread Jane Eyre and the Chronicles of Narnia, so the likelihood of me rereading other classics this winter is high. As far as contemporary books that are set to be published over the next few months go, here is a short list of what’s caught my eye so far.

How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Publication Date: January 17

Why I Want to Read It: I’ve read many books about haunted houses, but very few about the trials of attempting to sell one. What a fun spin on the topic.

After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz

Publication Date: January 24

Why I Want to Read It: I enjoy stories about women breaking through societal expectations of them to forge their own paths in life.

This Is Not My Home by Vivienne Chang

Publication Date: January 24

Why I Want to Read It: My first reason for wanting to read it is that picture books are a nice refresher after reading a long, serious adult novel. My second reading for wanting to read it is because my family moved multiple times when I was a kid and I remember how hard it can be to say goodbye to old friends and adjust to a new life somewhere far away.

Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen

Release Date: January 31

Why I Want to Read It: It’s not every day you hear of a vampire novel about a middle-aged person living in the Covid era who is trying to hold on to some semblance of their pre-vampire life. It’s such a unique twist to the genre that I will be quite curious to see how it all pans out.

How many of you also reread old favourites in the winter? And what is winter like where you live?

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All credit for this idea goes to Line at First Line Readers. I adored her take on it last summer and decided to do my own for today’s freebie post.

Sometimes my interpretation of what a book title means isn’t exactly how the author interpreted it. Here are some book titles, what I think they should be about, and what they’re actually about.

If any of you also decide to borrow this theme for a future freebie post, I’ll add a link to your post here if you let me know about it.

1. Animal Farm by George Orwell

What It Should Be About: A cozy children’s picture book about a farm for abandoned pets and livestock.

What It’s Actually About: A satirical fable about corruption, greed, and Stalinist Russia.

2. There Is No Darkness by Joe Haldeman

What It Should Be About: The 80+ days of uninterrupted daylight in Alaska (or other northern places) during the summer and how people enjoy (or don’t enjoy) them.

What It’s Actually About: A military science fiction novel about a poor kid who joins the military to explore other planets and earn some much-needed cash.

3. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

What It Should Be About: A mermaid who grew up believing humans were a myth only to suddenly discover a few in a shipwreck after a massive storm. Maybe the cerulean sea could be a mermaid term for the Pacific Ocean, and the people they rescued were oceanographers?

What It’s Actually About: A group home for dangerous magical children and the man who was hired to determine whether they’d bring about the end of days for humanity.

4. Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

What It Should Be About: The first group of people to tame wolves and how they slowly changed an apex predator into man’s best friend over many generations of selective breeding.

What It’s Actually About: A beautiful friendship that began soon after one of the main characters lost her uncle and plunged into terrible grief.

5. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

What It Should Be About: After cheating a witch out of her rightfully-earned wages, Jacob de Zoet is cursed to live a thousand years. He finds the inability to die a blessing a first, but soon changes his tune when he realizes just how long a thousand years actually is and how unforgiving witches are when you cross them.

What It’s Actually About: A clerk who moves to Japan for five years in order to earn the money he needs to marry his sweetheart. While working there, however, he falls in love with the daughter of a powerful magistrate and must decide who to give his heart to.

6. The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare

What It Should Be About: A mischevious pet shrew who is intelligent enough to learn tricks but refuses to cooperate even with copious amounts of treats.

What It’s Actually About: Two young men who meet two sisters. The older sister must be married off before the younger one can be, and one of the young men decides to marry her against her will in order to gain access to her large dowry.

7. To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2) by Connie Willis

What It Should Be About: A romance novel about a couple who meet at a speed dating event. One of them has a dog who appears once in an early scene and then never mentioned again. (The dog is not harmed, just conveniently missing from all other scenes).

What It’s Actually About: A time travel romance set in the 1800s. The main character doesn’t know as much about that era as they think they do, and hijinks commence.

8. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy

What It Should Be About: Someone who has the uncanny knack of always picking overripe, sour, never ripened, mouldy, or otherwise inedible produce at the grocery store. They soon meet an opinionated chef who can always pick out perfect produce but often buys expired box and canned goods because they don’t check for expiration dates. Neither of them trusts the other one’s opinions or can admit when they’re wrong, yet they decide to date anyways.

What It’s Actually About: A young American woman who moves to Paris in the late 1950s and has all sorts of romantic and comedic adventures.