Tag Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

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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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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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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

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

The Conductors by Nicole Glover

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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My responses to these seasonal TBR posts are generally short and sweet.

I’m a mood reader who relies heavily on my local library for new books, so it’s hard to predict exactly what I’ll be reading next week, much less several months from now.

So much depends on what genres I’m currently most interested in (other than my usual speculative fiction stories) as well as which fascinating new nonfiction books the Toronto Public Library decides to buy.

If there are book blogs about nonfiction books out there, I haven’t found them yet. Thank goodness for librarians who do so much research into this topic for the rest of us. I’ve discovered so many wonderful authors and topics thanks to their hard work.

With all of that that being said, here are some books I’ll be keeping an eye out for this winter and spring.

May they be wonderful.

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

Publication Date: January 11

Why I’m Interested: All three storylines are set in the same city but in different centuries. I’m looking forward to seeing if any of the later characters are aware of the earlier ones and what remnants of the past might still be around in their eras.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Publication Date: April 5

Why I’m Interested: Literary fiction is so rarely blended together with science fiction that I’m super curious to see how they combine here.

Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater

Publication Date: May 3

Why I’m Interested: I loved Brave. Isn’t it cool that there is a sequel coming out to it in book form?

What are you all looking forward to reading for the first half of this year? Do you know of any book blogs about nonfiction books?

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I deeply enjoyed going back through my records of 2021 to find the best books I read all year. My first six answers are of science fiction and fantasy books I reviewed for my site, so click on their titles to read my full reviews. The rest of them are library books from a variety of genres, and I’m including links to their Goodreads pages so you can read more about them, too.

I’ll also briefly gush about my reasons for loving all of these books!

1) Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

Why I Loved It: This was the perfect blend of science fiction and fantasy themes. It makes me so happy to see authors mix those genres together so effortlessly, especially when they’re about a protagonist as young and powerful as Sankofa.

2) Boo and the Boy – A Ghost Story by Wayne Barrett

Why I Loved It: Most paranormal stories will hint at this sort of ending before veering off into other directions, but Barrett was creative and brave enough to bring all of his foreshadowing to fruition!

3) The Teddy Bear’s War by Alex Cross

Why I Loved It: I had several beloved stuffed animals as a child. It warms my heart to think of a world in which they love their children as much, and maybe even more, than their children love them.

4) Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Why I Loved It: Weir excels at making hard science fiction accessible to readers who have little to no science background as well. I also love the way he pushes current scientific principals to their limits while still creating believable stories.

5) The Storm by Alex Cross

Why I Loved It: The author has a vivid imagination that makes his stories a delight to read. I first discovered his work this year, and I can’t wait to read more.

6) Safer at Home – A Ghost Story by Zoe Cannon

Why I Loved It: I’ve just barely begun dipping my toes into fiction that references Covid-19. This short story did an excellent job of capturing the fear and uncertainty we all felt during the first wave of the pandemic without incorporating the disease itself into the plot. I may never be able to read about the medical side of  pandemics again, but I did resonate with the main character’s restlessness as he was trapped in his house.

7) “A Psalm for the Wild-Built” by Becky Chambers (Goodreads)

Why I Loved It: This novella felt like a full-length novel due to the excellent character development and world building in it. The hopeful vision of the future it held brought a tear to my eye, too. My only reason for not officially reviewing it is that I don’t want to spoil any plot twists for anyone, and it’s hard to discuss the plot without doing just that because of it’s short length and how quickly exciting things begin to happen in it.

8) “You Bet Your Life: From Blood Transfusions to Mass Vaccination, the Long and Risky History of Medical Innovation” by Paul A Offit (Goodreads)

Why I Loved It: I’m fascinated by the history of medicine in general. We’ve learned so much about how the human body works, and I appreciated the author’s balanced look at how new medical innovations both positively and negatively affected the lives of the people who were first exposed to them. The epilogue is well worth checking out as well.

9) “Waves” by Ingrid Chabbert (Goodreads)

Why I Loved It: The author had a hauntingly beautiful writing style that made it effortless for me to see the world through her and her wife’s eyes for a brief moment.  I should note that this graphic novel tells the story of their journey through infertility and a late term miscarriage, so be warned if those topics are sensitive ones for you.

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The original prompt for this week was ‘Books I Hope Santa Brings.”

My to-read list is already so long that I decided to tweak it a little to be “Bookish Things I Hope Santa Brings.” The funny thing is, my parents never did Santa stuff when I was a kid and I don’t actually celebrate Christmas.

To be perfectly clear, I’m not at all offended by the assumption that we all eagerly await presents from Santa, but I think it would be really cool to see what other holiday-themed prompts Jana could come up with next year.

I wonder how many other Top Ten Tuesday participants celebrate winter festivals, holy days, or other events that are not at all related to Santa or Christmas? There must be at least a few of us out there!

Anyway, here is my list of bookish things that I wish Santa would bring to me.

1. Gift Cards to Local Bookstores 

When this pandemic started, I began ordering my bookish things through Amazon and big chain bookstores because everything else was either shut down entirely or hard to place an order through. 2022 should be the year I start supporting small, local businesses again.

2. Caffeine-Free Tea 

There can never be enough of it, especially when you’re reading a book about characters who are outdoors in the cold and have little access to luxuries like this.

3. Dairy-Free Chocolate 

My reasons for this answer are quite similar to my reasons for choosing my second answer. If I must read a story about characters who can’t eat sweets for any number of reasons, I’ll feel a little better if I can nibble on something sweet while I discover why their diets are restricted.

4. New Novels From My Favourite Authors

I’m especially hoping that these authors will release new books this year: Sarah Waters, Rivers Solomon, Nnedi Okorafor, Becky Chambers, Alex Cross, and Andy Weir.

What do you think the chances are that at least one of them will release something in 2022?

5. A Discovery of a Forgotten Novel from a Long-Dead Author

I won’t narrow it down to any particular author. I simply think it would be incredible for fans to learn there’s a “new” book for them to read from an author who died decades or even a few centuries ago. It would almost be like that author briefly coming back to life again.

6. To Recommend a Book That Someone Else Loves 

7. To Receive a Book Recommendation for Something I Love 

My last two answers are somewhat related to each other.

There’s nothing like the feeling of giving or receiving a book recommendation that is perfect for the person who ends up reading it! Honestly, it’s the closest thing we have to true magic in this world other than falling in love.

This happens so infrequently that I’ll have to rely on Santa to help it come true at least once next year.

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Winter is snowy and cold here in Ontario, so I generally get a great deal of reading done during it.

I mean, why not snuggle up with a great book when the snow is falling furiously and our local weather people are warning everyone about hazardous wind chills that can quickly cause frostbite or or even more serious health conditions if you spend too much time outdoors?

As I’ve said on other seasonal TBR posts before, this list is purposefully short and open-ended.

That is to say, I do want to read these books at some point, but I’ll need to wait and see when the Toronto Public Library has them in stock and how long the wait lists are.

I also like to leave plenty of space in my reading plans for books I discover at the last moment and for sudden literary cravings I have for specific authors, genres, or tropes. Yes, that means I’m a mood reader at least some of the time. So much depends on if my favourite authors have recently released new books and whether I’m happy to continue reading through a pre-determined list or feel the need to venture off into new directions again.

1. Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades

Publication Date: January 3

I Want to Read It Because: I love reading about the experiences of other immigrants. All of our stories are so unique!

2. The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

Publication Date: January 4

Want to Read It Because: I might be ready to read a dystopian novel again? This pandemic almost completely squelched my interest in dystopian, pandemic, horror, and other dark genres. It was happy endings only in my reading world for a long time there.  I’m so interested (and horrified) by the idea of a government controlling reproductive and parenting decisions that I might be able to get over that aversion for this particular tale.

3. An Abolitionist’s Handbook: 12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World by Patrisse Cullors 

Publication Date: January 25

Want to Read It Because: I’m eager for realistic advice on how to do your small part to change the world when you can only devote so much time and energy to the cause. (Whatever that cause may be). Some of the activist spaces I hang out in have sometimes struggled with the idea that not everyone has endless emotional, financial, physical, etc. resources to draw upon. I’m drawn to people and movements that take a more pragmatic approach that encourages taking care of yourself, too.

That’s the entirety of my list! I started this post back in November and have been gradually adding to it since then. Slow and steady wins the race, I think.