Tag Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Spring 2022 TBR


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Spring is an uncertain time of year here in Ontario as I’m sure it is in many other places, too.

The wildly shifting weather usually starts in late February or early March. That is to say, one day might be relatively warm and sunny for that time of year, but the next one could coat our corner of the world in another thick layer of snow and ice.

Once the weather warms up enough in May that we probably won’t see snow again, thunderstorms are still a risk. They can be violent, heavy, and not always easy for our meteorologists to predict in advance.

That is to say, always pack an umbrella and don’t trust those bright blue skies too much at this time of the year!

How does this affect my reading habits, you might be wondering? Well, it is not a good idea to plan any outdoor activities more than a few hours in advance in the spring here. You might have a beautifully mild day that beckons everyone outside to enjoy it, or you might have a sudden storm that makes reading indoors a much safer and more appealing option.

I’m glad to have so many books to look forward to this spring. Along with seeing what the Toronto Public Library has available in their New Books section, the weather will also affect how quickly I read these books.

I’d love to hear about what spring is like in your part of the world and how it affects your reading habits when you comment!

Lakelore has already been published, so that’s why I didn’t include a publication date for it.

Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore Book cover. Image on the cover shows drawing of two teens standing in a lake with leaves on their heads.

1. Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore

Why I’m Looking Forward to It: I love stories about magical worlds in lakes or other bodies of water.
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi Book cover. Image on cover shows the title and author of the book written on a blood-covered tag that’ surrounded by green leaves.

2.The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Publication Date: Today!
Why I’m Looking Forward to It: Mr. Scalzi is on my must-read list of authors. I can’t wait to see what he does with the concept of massive endangered animals from other planets who need human assistance to thrive.
The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller Book cover. Image on cover shows a the bones of a human hand that are surrounded by flowers.

3. The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller

Publication Date: March 22
Why I’m Looking Forward to It: While I’m not 100% sure I’m ready to dive into the non-paranormal horror genre again, this sure does look like a unique and creative story.
The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander Book cover. Image on cover shows a photo of a black child staring into the camera with a neutral expression on his face.

4. The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander

Publication Date: April 5
Why I’m Looking Forward to It: This collection of essays grabbed my attention immediately. I look forward to reading it and quietly absorbing the thoughts of the people who wrote them.
City of Refugees: The Story of Three Newcomers Who Breathed Life Into a Dying American Town by Susan Hartman Book cover. image on cover is a drawing of buildings in a town.

5. City of Refugees: The Story of Three Newcomers Who Breathed Life Into a Dying American Town by Susan Hartman

Publication Date: May 10
Why I’m Looking Forward to It: The premise sounds amazing. I’ve seen how refugees enriched life for everyone in Canada and am excited to see how similar patterns have played out in the United States.
 Buried: An Alternative History of the First Millennium in Britain by Alice Roberts Book cover. Image on cover shows a photo of a real human skull.

6.  Buried: An Alternative History of the First Millennium in Britain by Alice Roberts

Publication Date: May 26
Why I’m Looking Forward to It: I think you all know how much I love reading about history, so this book was an automatic yes for me.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books With Your Favourite Theme


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Drawing of a hand holding on a piece of string that’s connected to the letter P in the word Hope. How can anyone only pick one trope or theme? I think I could write dozens of blog posts on this topic and still not run out of things to say.

Over the past two years, hopeful stories have been the ones that caught my attention most often for reasons I’m sure all of you can already guess.

Hope seemed like a good theme for a post, so here are eight hopeful books that I’d recommend from a variety of genres.

1. Becoming  by Michelle Obama

2. The Martian by Andy Weir

3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3)  by C.S. Lewis (The rest of this series is pretty hopeful, too!)

4. A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)  by Becky Chambers

5. Oh, the Places You’ll Go!  by Dr. Seuss

6. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again  by J.R.R. Tolkien

7. The Princess Bride  by William Goldman

8. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Enjoyed, but Have Never Mentioned on My Blog


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A bookcase that is slowly opening and revealing a hidden passage behind it. Let’s see how many books I can think of that fit this prompt!

I know I’ve already mentioned many of the books I enjoyed reading on my site at some point, so it took me a little while to search for all of these titles in my archives to make sure I hadn’t mentioned them before.

Enjoy isn’t exactly the right word for some of these answers because of the serious topics they cover, but they were still excellent books that I’m glad I discovered.

Keep reading to discover my hodgepodge of answers!

They cover so many different genres and topics.

 

 

 

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens book cover. Image on cover is an oil painting of a young 19th century man wearing a cap and looking serious.

1. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Why I Enjoyed It: The author had a thought-provoking message about what we should expect out of life and how we should respond if our wishes don’t come true or aren’t fulfilled in the ways we thought they would be. I didn’t understand his point so well when I first read this tale, but it makes a great deal more sense to me now.

 

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Book cover. Image on cover is an oil painting of a woman holding an infant and looking seriously off into the distance.

2. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Why I Enjoyed It: This story was assigned to my English class many years ago in a time in my life when I was experiencing a lot of bullying.  I found an odd sense of comfort in reading about adults behaving just as poorly a few centuries ago. Some people need to put others down in order to feel better about themselves. That sort of behaviour says a lot about the perpetrator’s character, and not in a complimentary way.

 

The World According to Garp by John Irving Book cover. Image on cover shows a drawing of a brown and white bullfrog.

3. The World According to Garp by John Irving

Why I Enjoyed It: Most of the characters were rather selfish and unkind, but they were often witty and creative as well. While I wouldn’t want them to be a permanent part of my life by any means, I would be amused by listening to their stories over dinner for an evening. It takes a lot of talent to create deeply unlikeable characters that still draw a reader into their lives, flaws and all.

 

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison book cover. There is no image on the cover, just a pretty, blue background.

4. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Why I Enjoyed It: Ms. Morrison has a poetic writing style that’s always wonderful to read.

 

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn book cover. There is no image on the cover other than a few decorative swoops of the pen next to the letter A in the title.

5. A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Why I Enjoyed It: It told the stories of so many different groups of people who were rarely if ever mentioned in the history classes taught when I was in elementary, middle, and high school.

 

The Ugly Little Boy by Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg book cover. Image on cover shows a drawing of man standing next to a gigantic golden pillar of some sort.

6. The Ugly Little Boy by Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg

Why I Enjoyed It: Anyone who has followed this blog for a while might remember how much I enjoy stories about Neanderthals. This was a good one.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander book cover. Image on cover shows the hands of a black man who is gripping rails in a prison cell. His face is not visible.

7. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

Why I Enjoyed It: Okay, so enjoy is definitely not the right term for this book. Let’s say that I was educated by it instead. Reading it was the first time I’d been exposed to the idea that the prison industry could be compared to the Jim Crow era.

 

Ash by Malinda Lo Book cover. Image on cover shows an Asian girl wearing a flouncy white dress as she curls up in a ball.

8. Ash by Malinda Lo

Why I Enjoyed It: It was the first Cinderella retelling I read, and I thought it was well done.

 

Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies, #1) by Isaac Marion Book cover. Image on cover shows a zombie giving a bouquet of yellow flowers to a living teen girl.

9. Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies, #1) by Isaac Marion

Why I Enjoyed It: I used to enjoy zombie fiction and was flabbergasted at the thought of anyone turning those creatures into a love interest. This took a very interesting take on the subject for sure!

 

The World According to Mr. Rogers: Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers book cover. Image on cover shows a minimalistic drawing of Mr. Roger’s famous sweater.

10. The World According to Mr. Rogers: Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers

Why I Enjoyed It: Mr. Rogers was a wonderful human being who made the world a better place. He was so full of wisdom, love, and grace!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Dynamic Duos

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Two identical windows in the side of a building. Each window is comprised of eight small panes. The bottom left pane of glass on the right window is opened. All others are closed. This week’s prompt made me pause and think for a little while. My first reaction to it was that I don’t read many books with dynamic duos, but I think that impression wasn’t entirely correct now that I’ve had a chance to ponder it further and dig deeply into my bookish past.

Here are some of my favourite duos in fiction.

1. Sam and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

2. Travis and Old Yeller in Old Yeller by Fred Gipson

3. George and Lennie in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

4.   Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn in  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

There weren’t many of them, and oddly enough they were all about white men (or hobbits). I’ll be eagerly reading all of your answers to diversify my list as I hadn’t realized I had this blind spot!

Honestly, I think being able to pick each other’s minds like that and expand all of our horizons is one of the best parts of Top Ten Tuesday.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books Too Good to Review Properly

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

 

A dog wearing glasses and looking happy while lying on a white bed next to an opened book.

This isn’t my dog, but don’t they look happy?

My comments on certain blogs do not seem to be going through for reasons I haven’t been able to ascertain. If you don’t see reciprocal comments on your site, that is why. I am doing my best each week to say hello to everyone! 

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, it’s rare for me to love a book so much that I can’t review it properly.

I’ve been reviewing books for so many years now that I can write my way out of nearly any dilemma, from figuring out diplomatic ways to word constructive criticisms to gushing about a story for paragraphs on end without giving away any important plot twists.

There are a myriad of ways to discuss most books with kindness and without spoilers.

With that being said, there has been one recent exception to this rule.

It’s a novella I’ve wholeheartedly recommended to everyone I know who has ever so much as glanced in the direction of speculative fiction.

The storytelling was so tightly woven that I didn’t even mind the fact that it seems to be the beginning of a serial.

Normally, I strictly avoid tales that drop off at exciting moments and make you wait for the next instalment to see what happens next.

This one figured out how to pack so much world building and character development into the first instalment that I don’t mind waiting for the sequel, especially since it has had such a hopeful vision of what humanity’s future might look like.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built” by Becky Chambers couldn’t have been better.

“A Psalm for the Wild-Built” by Becky Chambers Book cover. Image on cover shows a robot and some machines in a drawing of a winding road.

I adored the protagonist, a non-binary tea monk who was so restless and dissatisfied with their life they decided to leave the safe zone where humans had lived for generations to see what they might find in the wild forests that covered all of the places humanity had abandoned.

The world they lived in was such a safe, harmonious place. There was no more war or environmental destruction. Everyone lived simply and no one went without what they needed to survive.

I spent the entire novella wondering what the main character would find on their journey. I yearned for it to be something wonderful that they could bring back to show everyone.

There are so many other things I wish I could say about this novella, but I really do have to be careful about giving away thrilling plot twists to anyone who hasn’t read it yet.

Maybe someday soon I’ll figure out a way to discuss this short work in greater detail and properly review it before the sequel comes out this summer!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Helpful Nonfiction Books About Relationships

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

 

Rose petals being shot through the air in the shape of a few different hearts. This is happening in a desert area. Happy early Valentine’s Day to everyone to celebrates it!

I do not celebrate Valentine’s Day, but I do have a short list of helpful nonfiction books about creating better relationships, whether they’re with friends, romantic partners, family members, or other people you know.

Yes, some of the information in some of them is specifically written for certain types of relationships like a romance or dealing with a pushy mother-in-law, but the principles in them can be applied to many other situations as well.

Some of these books were written for specific groups like Christians or people who are polyamorous. I encourage you to check them all out even if those specific labels don’t apply to you. Just like with the different types of relationships, there are far more similarities between these groups than you might originally think. We’re all human, after all!

I mean, every relationship should include things like clear communication, setting boundaries, compromising, kindly handling conflict, and giving/receiving emotional support no matter who you are, how you identify, or whether the person you’d like to get along with better is your spouse, best friend, mother-in-law, or coworker.

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman book cover. Image on cover shows a couple embracing on a beach as the sun sets behind them.

1. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman

What I Like About It: Not everyone values the same methods of showing affection. I think there’s something to be said for figuring out what makes people feel appreciated and doing those things as much as you can.

 

Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud book cover. Image on cover shows a red pencil drawing a line on a plain white sheet of paper.

2. Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud

What I Like About It: Setting boundaries can be tricky for me sometimes, but it’s important for every type of relationship. This book is filled with examples of how to figure out what you can offer someone and how to say no to the rest. It was also cool to see what specific phrases they recommended for people who have trouble saying no.

 

The Polyamory Breakup Book: Causes, Prevention, and Survival by Kathy Labriola, Dossie Easton book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of a gold leaf on a blue plant.

3. The Polyamory Breakup Book: Causes, Prevention, and Survival by Kathy Labriola, Dossie Easton

What I Like About It: I believe that we should all be methodical about who we invite into our inner circles and move slowly when dating, making new friends, or even deciding where we’d like to work (if possible).  This book goes beyond picking out red flags for more obvious things like abuse and encourages the audience to figure out exactly what we want out of all of our relationships and who we are (and aren’t) compatible with.

You can prevent a lot of heartache if you move slowly in the beginning of any sort of relationship and pay close attention to how you are (or aren’t) matching up with your potential romantic parter or friend.

I also loved what it had to say about gracefully ending relationships that aren’t working for whatever reason. There’s no need to demonize anyone if you find that you’re not actually compatible with them. Some relationships simply weren’t meant to last, and that’s okay.

 

Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love by Amir Levine book cover. Image on cover shows two magnets being drawn to each other.

4. Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love by Amir Levine

What I Like About It: While attachment styles can be changed with time and hard work, they are part of figuring out compatibility for many different types of relationships and learning how to communicate better.

For example, I tend to have a bit of an anxious attachment style, so I know that people with avoidant attachment styles are not a good fit for me at all. (Although I do wish them the best!)

 

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman book cover. There is no image on this cover. It’s just blue and red background.

 

5. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman

What I Like About It: Emotional intelligence matters in every sort of relationship we have as human beings. There are ways to approach difficult subjects that can make it much easier to discuss and hopefully resolve. A harsh phrasing of the same sentiment might lead to nothing but an argument that goes nowhere.

Which books would all of you add to this list?

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Character Names In the Titles

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

A cup of hot cocoa sitting on an opened book that has little plastic golden stars on it. The book is lying on a window ledge nestled next to a cozy, white blanket. There is snow and ice on the outside of the window. There are so many books out there whose titles include character names that I’m going to be narrowing this week’s topic down a little.

This is a list of books with character names in their titles, and I’ve read and would recommend all of them.

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

3. I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai

4. Heidi by Johanna Spyri

5. Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery

6. Bridget Jones’s Diary (Bridget Jones, #1) by Helen Fielding

7. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

8. Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh, #1) by A.A. Milne

9. Still Alice by Lisa Genova

10. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Before I wrote this post, I hadn’t realized that so many of the books featuring character names that I’ve read were written 100+ years ago. I hope that some of you will have good suggestions of contemporary works that fit this criteria.

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Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2021

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Strawberries, coffee, cookies, and an art book on a white sheet. Sometimes it feels like the January Top Ten Tuesday topics are so closely connected to each other that I need to be careful about repeating myself when responding to them.

For that reason, I’ll keep this week’s list short and sweet. Here are five books I read last year from authors who are new to me.

 

Author: Betty MacDonald

What I Read from Them: The Plague and I

Would I Read More from Them? Yes! I never would have guessed that a memoir about living in a tuberculosis hospital in the 1930s would be so funny or relatable nearly a century later. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for anything else she might have written.

 

Author: Annalee Newitz

What I Read from Them: Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age

WouldI Read More from Them? Yes! This author had a conversational writing style that made learning about history amusing and educational.

 

Author: Kathy Iandoli

What I Read from Them: Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah

Would I Read More from Them? No. I found the author’s writing style to be choppy, and she only skimmed the surface on some pretty important questions about Aaliyah’s life. I know that it was probably quite difficult to dig up new information about this singer given how private her family is, but I wasn’t impressed with this biography.

 

Author: Katherine Arden

What I Read from Them: Small Spaces

Would I Read More from Them? I already have! I’ll be reviewing Small Spaces and it’s sequels on this site in the near future, so stay tuned.

 

Author: Sandy Skotnicki

What I Read from Them: Beyond Soap: The Real Truth about What You Are Doing to Your Skin and How to Fix It for a Beautiful, Healthy Glow

Would I Read More from Them? Maybe. There was a lot of excellent information about skin care in this book, but I found the writing to be a bit repetitive at times. So I’d pick up more books from this author, but I might skim through them or only read the sections that are most applicable to my skin in particular.

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Top Ten Tuesday: 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

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A cup of coffee, a dried rose, and an opened book lying on a light purple blanket. Today I’ll be grabbing some books I mentioned in various seasonal TBR topics from previous Top Ten Tuesday posts.

While I did read quite a few of the books I mentioned in those posts, I certainly did not read all of them!

Here are some of the books I’ve yet to read (or finish reading) and my reasons for not reading or finishing them yet.

Maybe this winter will be a good opportunity to dive into their stories?

 

The Salt in Our Blood  by Ava Morgyn book cover. Image on cover shows young girl holding a lantern against a stylized night sky that includes swirls of red, orange, purple, and blue.

The Salt in Our Blood  by Ava Morgyn

Why I Didn’t Read It: I didn’t have time.

 

The Conductors by Nicole Glover book cover. Image on cover shows young woman holding a lantern. There is an illustrated celestial map superimposed on the trees behind her.

The Conductors by Nicole Glover

Why I Didn’t Read It: I didn’t have time.

 

Sisters of the Neversea  by Cynthia Leitich Smith book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of three children wearing pajamas and flying in the air above their homes.

Sisters of the Neversea  by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Why I Didn’t Read It: I didn’t have time.

 

Far Out- Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy  by Paula Guran book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of a magical woman in a blue dress who looks like she's doing a spell. There are twinkling lights around her.

Far Out: Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy  by Paula Guran

Why I Didn’t Read It: I’m still on the library waitlist for it.

 

The Lost Girls  by Sonia Hartl book cover. Image on cover shows vampire with blood coming out of the corner of her mouth .

The Lost Girls  by Sonia Hartl

 

Why I Didn’t Read It: I’m not sure if I’m still interested in it.

 

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor book cover. Image on cover shows african woman holding her head up high.

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor

 

Why I Didn’t Read It: I actually did read the first chapter! The plot was so slow that I didn’t get around to finishing it before it was due back at the library. Maybe I’l try again this winter?

 

 

Within These Wicked Walls  by Lauren Blackwood book cover. Imageon cover shows a woman's face superimposed over an imposing mansion

Within These Wicked Walls  by Lauren Blackwood

Why I Didn’t Read It: I’m still on a very long library waitlist for it.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection

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An ereader, a cup of coffee, a pair of black glasses, and a watch sitting on a wooden table. I’m narrowing this week’s topic down to free ebooks that I’ve downloaded from Indie authors. I believe in supporting other authors, especially if they haven’t already established a large audience!

If you’re interested in learning about new free science fiction, fantasy, horror, paranormal, and other speculative fiction books, most of which are written by Indie authors, go follow me on Twitter. I share some of these books every Thursday, and everything in today’s post came from one of those past threads.

I have not read most of these books yet, so I won’t officially recommend them. This is simply a list of tales I thought sounded interesting.

The Baby on the Back Porch by Lucia N. Davis

Is There Anyone Here With Us by Mace Styx

The Ghosts of Holleford Lake by Nicholas R. Adams

Five Fantastic Short Stories by Patrick Canning

Terror at Deventhier Bay by Eloise Molano

 

Oli the Old Owl by Lee Keene review coming in 2022

Escape from the Haunted Planet by Dubya-Ay P the Third

Dare vs. The Doll by Si Clarke

Dead Souls: A Supernatural Short Story Collection by Andrew S. French

The Visitor by Mark Lawrence

 

Have any of you read these books? How often do you read Indie stories and Indie authors in general?

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