Tag Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Enjoyed But Rarely Talk About

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Woman lying on a bed and holding a book openI don’t know about you all, but I tend to gush about the same books over and over again.  It was fun to look through the lists of books I’ve read in the past and pick out a few that I generally don’t mention.

1. Westlake Soul by Rio Yours

Why I Rarely Mention It: The subject matter is just odd enough that it doesn’t fit into most conversations or blog posts.

2. Angelica: A Novel by Arthur Phillips.

Why I Rarely Mention It: The narrator offers up two possible explanations for what’s going on in this chaotic household. One has to do with a restless ghost, and the other one involves horrific child abuse. I have friends and followers who would find the second explanation triggering, so I’m pretty shy about blogging about this book even though the paranormal aspect of it was fabulous.

3. The Harry Potter series

Why I Rarely Mention It: I used to talk about them here much more often. Then I ran out of things to say about them…for now?

4. MaddAddam by  Margaret Atwood

Why I Rarely Mention It: This was a great story, but I didn’t have a lot of coherent thoughts about it after I read it. Does this happen to anyone else?

5. Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill

Why I Rarely Mention It: The ending made me angry. Don’t get me wrong – it fit the theme of the story perfectly, and I totally understand why the author made that choice. But I so badly wanted it to end more hopefully that I have trouble writing about what actually happened.

6. The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron

Why I Rarely Mention It: The cliffhanger ending makes it hard for me to write about this one without giving away spoilers. I’m also hoping the author will eventually write a sequel. Her characters sure seem like they have a lot to say still!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Should I Buy These Books?

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Technically, this week’s prompt was “Books I Bought/Borrowed Because…”. I tweaked it to better fit my reading patterns since almost all of my reading material is borrowed from the library.

I’ll share the titles and blurbs from some books I’m thinking about buying this spring while remaining in social isolation due to the pandemic we’re all dealing with. None of these books are available at my local library, and the library frankly can’t keep up with my reading needs these days! Perhaps some of you could tell me which of these titles I should buy first?

The Snow Dragon by Abi Elphinstone book cover. Image on cover shows a girl riding on a snow dragon.

The Snow Dragon by Abi Elphinstone

Blurb:

In Griselda Bone’s gloomy orphanage, daydreaming is banned, skipping is forbidden and Christmas is well and truly cancelled. But for Phoebe and her sausage dog Herb, is it possible that, just when things seem at their bleakest, magic awaits in the swirling, snow-filled air?Wicked Nix by Lena Coakley book cover. Image on cover is of cottage in the woods. A child is sitting on a tree branch breathing in the smoke from the cottage.

 

 

 

Wicked Nix by Lena Coakley

Mischievous woodland fairy Nix is up to no good. His beloved fairy queen has gone away, leaving him with a very important job: He must protect the forest from a most dangerous enemy—humans.

When a determined invader trespasses on his territory, Nix’s skills are put to the test as he invents several wicked tricks to chase the sorry fellow away. But when his efforts don’t go quite according to plan, it becomes clear that this intruder—and this sprite—may not be at all what they seem.

The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright book cover. Image on cover is of a sheer curtain blowing in front a wooden chair in a crumbling room. The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright

Left at an orphanage as a child, Thea Reed vowed to find her mother someday. Now grown, her search takes her to Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin, in 1908. When clues lead her to a mental asylum, Thea uses her experience as a post-mortem photographer to gain access and assist groundskeeper Simeon Coyle in photographing the patients and uncovering the secrets within. However, she never expected her personal quest would reawaken the legend of Misty Wayfair, a murdered woman who allegedly haunts the area and whose appearance portends death.

A century later, Heidi Lane receives a troubling letter from her mother–who is battling dementia–compelling her to travel to Pleasant Valley for answers to her own questions of identity. When she catches sight of a ghostly woman who haunts the asylum ruins in the woods, the long-standing story of Misty Wayfair returns–and with it, Heidi’s fear for her own life.

As two women across time seek answers about their identities and heritage, can they overcome the threat of the mysterious curse that has them inextricably intertwined?

What I Carry by Jennifer Longo

What I Carry by Jennifer Longo book cover. Image on cover is of stylized drawings of plants in blue, green, purple, and yellow hues.Growing up in foster care, Muir has lived in many houses. And if she’s learned one thing, it is to Pack. Light. Carry only what fits in a suitcase.

Toothbrush? Yes. Socks? Yes. Emotional attachment to friends? foster families? a boyfriend? Nope! There’s no room for any additional baggage.

Muir has just one year left before she ages out of the system. One year before she’s free. One year to avoid anything–or anyone–that could get in her way.

Then she meets Francine. And Kira. And Sean.

And everything changes.

Hyperlink from Hell: A Couch Potato’s Guide to the Afterlife by Lindy Moone

Hyperlink from Hell: A Couch Potato's Guide to the Afterlife by Lindy Moone book cover. Image on cover is of bats flying around a belfry.

Murder haunts The Haven, celebrity James Canning’s home since he lost touch with Reality TV. What’s his “shrink” to do? Assign writing therapy, of course. But when the good doc reads Canning’s memoir, Hyperlink from Hell, he checks into his own padded suite and Canning disappears. To save the doc from madness, The Haven’s new director must analyze the hell out of Hyperlink from Hell. Is Canning’s tale of kidnapping, murder, time travel and wardrobe malfunction fact or fiction, deceit or delusion? Can she solve the murders, save her boss and find Canning? Or will she need a padded suite of her own?

“Hyperlink from Hell: A Couch Potato’s Guide to the Afterlife” isn’t just the latest of the funny vampire books. It’s the great American mystery… in hyperdrive.

Defying Doomsday by Tsana Dolchva

Defying Doomsday by Tsana Dolchva book cover. Image on cover is of a woman with a robotic leg walking towards strangers on a cracked, barren landscape. Teens form an all-girl band in the face of an impending comet.

A woman faces giant spiders to collect silk and protect her family.

New friends take their radio show on the road in search of plague survivors.

A man seeks love in a fading world.

How would you survive the apocalypse?

Defying Doomsday is an anthology of apocalypse fiction featuring disabled and chronically ill protagonists, proving it’s not always the “fittest” who survive – it’s the most tenacious, stubborn, enduring and innovative characters who have the best chance of adapting when everything is lost.

In stories of fear, hope and survival, this anthology gives new perspectives on the end of the world, from authors Corinne Duyvis, Janet Edwards, Seanan McGuire, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Stephanie Gunn, Elinor Caiman Sands, Rivqa Rafael, Bogi Takács, John Chu, Maree Kimberley, Octavia Cade, Lauren E Mitchell, Thoraiya Dyer, Samantha Rich, and K Evangelista.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Signs You’re a Book Lover

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

1. If you visit a new city, you immediately look for the nearest bookstore or library.

2. If you’ve ever taken a cruise, packing enough reading material is more important than remembering that extra outfit or having room for a souvenir.

3.You quote your favourite books without necessarily mentioning where those quotes came from.

4.You get excited when you meet someone who enjoys the same genre(s) you do.

5. If you’ve ever been hospitalized, you ask for new reading material when loved ones ask you what they can do to make your stay more comfortable.

photo of woman lying down on a stone wall while holding the pages of a book open.

6. You give baby-friendly board books as presents to families with new babies.

7. You’ve dreamt about your favourite characters or worlds.

8.Your local librarian recognizes you when they see you somewhere other than the library.

9. If you use online dating sites, your love of books is mentioned somewhere in your profile and you screen new potential partners at least in part based by whether or not they’re a reader.

10. Your pets get to have a story time, too.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Short Ghost Stories Everyone Should Read

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Sheets in a tree that were arranged to look like a ghost floating up in the branches.These freebie posts are so much fun!

Today I’m going to be sharing ten short ghost stories from around the world that everyone should read. Click on their titles to read them for free.

1. Hover” by Samantha Mabry 

Sometimes ghosts are more annoying than they are frightening.

2. Ngozi Ugegbe Nwa” by Dare Segun Falowo 

This is the perfect thing to read for anyone who likes antiquing or a good bargain.

3. Who Will Clean Our Spirits When We’re Gone?” by Tlotlo Tsamaase 

I was picturing spirits taking bubble baths when I read this title. Spoiler alert: that’s not exactly what the narrator had in mind.

4. Live Through This” by Nadia Bulkin

This was one of the most creative approaches to helping a spirit find peace in the afterlife that I’ve ever read about.

5. Joss Papers for Porcelain Ghosts” by Eliza Chan 

Are hauntings less scary if you know the person who is now a ghost?

6. “Therein Lies a Soul” by Osahon Ize-Iyamu 

Sometimes spirits become celebrities. This shows how a spirit might react to such an odd response from the living.

7. The Muse of Palm House” by Tobi Ogundiran 

Would you fall in love in with a ghost? I should warn my readers that this is rooted firmly in the horror genre, not in the romance one.

8. Emergent” by Rob Costello 

A haunting from the perspective of a dead person who acknowledges they’re dead but absolutely refuses to be referred to as a ghost.

9. The House Wins in the End” by L. Chan 

Imagine the typical plot from a haunted house story:

  • A new family moves into an old, abandoned home
  • Someone notices the first paranormal act
  • More paranormal acts follow
  • The family attempts to help the spirit(s) find peace
  • If it works, they stay at the home. If it doesn’t, they generally either die at the hands of the ghosts or move away.

This is about what happens to a haunted house after that basic plot has already played out.

10. The Stories We Tell About Ghosts” by A.C. Wise 

Two words: ghost hunters.

 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Spring 2020 TBR

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Some weeks I come up with fewer than ten answers to the prompt. This week I had eleven!

Memory Craft: Improve your memory using the most powerful methods from around the world by Lynne Kelly book cover. Image on cover is of a round ball that looks vaguely brain-shaped.

1. Memory Craft: Improve your memory using the most powerful methods from around the world by Lynne Kelly

Will this book be helpful? I don’t know, but I’m curious to see what it recommends!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid book cover. Image on cover is of a gorgeous woman wearing a shimmery, green evening gown.

2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I decided to read this because so many of my fellow Top Ten Tuesday bloggers enjoyed it. You’ve all convinced me to give it a try.

Life Changing Helen Pilcher book cover. Image on cover is of a series of 10 moths arranged from a black, small one one to a large, cream one.

3. Life Changing: How Humans are Altering Life on Earth by Helen Pilcher

If you ever meet me in real life and want me to blab without stopping, bring up human evolution, ecology, zoology, or climate change. I would happily discuss any of those topics with anyone for ages!

Outsmart Your Anxious Brain: Ten Simple Ways to Beat the Worry Trick by David A. Carbonell book cover. Image on cover is of a thought bubble filled with anxious scribbles.

4. Outsmart Your Anxious Brain: Ten Simple Ways to Beat the Worry Trick by David A. Carbonell

My anxiety is mild most of the time, but I’m always on the lookout for new coping techniques for it.

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc book cover. Image on cover is of a house surrounded by green leaves. There is also a crutch, ear, and a few disembodied fingers on the cover.

5. Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc

I was the sort of kid who adored the original, sometimes gruesome versions of fairy tales. Some of those stories were incredibly politically incorrect at times, so I’m very interested in revisiting them from a social justice angle.

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle book cover. Image on cover is of a man wearing a top hat and black cloak walking down a dark alley.

6. The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

The Ballad of Black Tom is a retelling of H. P. Lovecraft’s story “The Horror at Red Hook.” I can’t wait to see what it’s like.

Greenwood by Michael Christie book cover. Image on cover is of a beautiful pine forest.

7. Greenwood by Michael Christie

Since this is a Canadian novel, I don’t expect most Top Ten Tuesday participants to already be aware of it. I’m excited about it because it tells stories set in the same setting in four different eras: 1934, 1974, 2008, and 2034. I love it when authors do this. It makes the universes they create feel so expansive.

The Season: A Social History of the Debutante by Kristen Richardson book cover. Image on cover is of a pair of white, formal, silk women's gloves.

8.The Season: A Social History of the Debutante by Kristen Richardson

I was the sort of girl and am the sort of woman who dislikes dresses, high heels, and wearing makeup because of how physically uncomfortable they all are to wear for me. High heels are painful, lace is unbearably itchy, and I’ve had many allergic reactions to makeup.

I totally respect the fact that folks from many different genders enjoy this stuff today, but the thought of anyone donning all of those things at once and on purpose both horrifies and fascinates me. It’s going to be interesting to see how it was handled across various eras and cultures in the past.

History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times by Mary Frances Berry book cover. Image on cover is of a red-washed photo of the White House.

9. History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times by Mary Frances Berry

I don’t usually make references to politics on this blog, but I’m a U.S. citizen who is deeply concerned about what’s going on in my birth country. My reasons for being interested in this book are pretty self explanatory, I think.

The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom book cover. Image on cover is of a collage of family photos from an African-American family.

10. The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom

I love memoirs, old houses, and thinking about the people who lived in old houses decades ago.

This autobiography truly has it all.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal book cover. Image on cover is of two women wearing headscarves holding up their arms to wave at each other.

11. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Isn’t this a fabulous title? I know very little about Indian culture or the Sikh religion in general and am looking forward to changing that.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Authors Who Have a Fun Social Media Presence

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Cellphone with three pieces of paper lying above it. One has a heart, one has a human emoji, and one has a conversation bubble in it. My first impression of this week’s prompt was that it would be an easy one. It turned out to be trickier than I assumed. In my experience, some people misinterpret social media as a place to sell books or draw traffic to one’s latest blog post.

While I love seeing what authors have recently created, having a fun social media account requires effort, creativity, and, most importantly, regularly engaging with your followers. All of the authors I’m about to share do just that. I’d recommend checking out their creative, thought-provoking status updates regardless of what your personal feelings are about poetry, horror, science fiction, or any of the other genres they represent.

This post is divided into two sections: Twitter and Instagram.

Twitter

N.K. Jemisin

As N.K.’s pinned tweet says:

Please be advised that I only talk here about writing-related topics, which means just politics, media, science, food, charity, cartoons, volcanoes, gardening, space, cats, health care, cats, fanfic, Afrofuturist music, human nature, video gam

And, honestly, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Her Twitter feed is filled with interesting stuff from a wide range of topics.

Chuck Wendig

Chuck is one of the funniest people I follow on Twitter. His timeline is filled with the sorts of random thoughts that most people don’t speak aloud.

Nnedi Okorafor

Nnedi’s cat is adorable, and her tweets about the Coronavirus are on point.

Stephen King

Stephen is like that cool uncle everyone hopes will show up at the next family reunion. You never quite know what he’s going to say, but you know it will always be worth listening to.

Instagram

Rupi Kaur 

Rupi’s poetry melds perfectly with the Instagram aesthetic.

Danez Smith

Danez’s feed is such an eclectic mixture of poetry, writing, selfies, and random pictures from his life.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Single-Word Titles

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Woman Reading a BookI kept things simple for this week’s prompt. Most of these books are ones I haven’t read yet, but all of them grabbed my attention with their short, snappy titles. It’s harder than you think to come up with a single word that will do that!

1. Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

2. Amigo by Byrd Baylor

3. Equipoise (Ennek #3) by Kim Fielding

4. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

5. Beloved by Toni Morrison

 

6. Fury by Salman Rushdie

7.Paprika by Yasutaka Tsutsui

8. Confessions by Kanae Minato

9. Solo by Kwame Alexander

10. Me by Elton John

 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I’d Follow on Social Media

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Arrangement of seven hexagons. The one in the midle contains a gear graphic. The rest contain graphics for Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, Youtube, and Linkedin. I’m going to perform a magic trick today and give Internet access and knowledge of how to use it to the characters on this list who didn’t actually live in times and places where social media, much less the Internet itself, existed.

1. Shori from Ocatvia E. Butler’s Fledgling

Why: Imagine all of the stories that a vampire who is commonly mistaken for a child could tell about her life as she met people from every walk of life on Facebook.

2. Damon Salvatore from L.J. Smith’s Vampire Diaries series

Why: His witty personality would be the perfect fit for social media, especially somewhere like Instagram or Twitter.

3. Francie Nolan from Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Why: Her life was filled with difficult twists and turns that were poetically described. I’d want her to share every detail she was comfortable sharing (and accept donations so she could flee to a better life). There is a lot of compassion online for people who are going through financial trouble and who have troubled family relationships. She could find a real sense of community on a place like Twitter or Instagram.

4. Pecola Breedlove From Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye 

Why: She was by far the most interesting character in this book. Since it wasn’t written from her perspective, getting her to share small moments of her life on Snapchat would be a nice way to get to know her better. I’m sure she’d be filled with things to say about her childhood.

5. Elsa from Frozen (and Frozen 2, although I haven’t seen it yet)

Why: She’d be great at condensing her thoughts into bite-sized tweets on Twitter. I think that medium would suit her well, too, because of how easily it combines words and pictures together.

6. Hermione Granger 

Why: Her LinkedIn profile would be legendary. She’d have so many accomplishments to share.

7. Santa Claus

Why: If he were on every social media platform, social media would be a much friendlier place in general.

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Top Ten Tuesday: The Last Ten Books That Gave Me a Book Hangover

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Person reading a book.I’d never heard of a book hangover until Jana mentioned them in this week’s prompt.

Most of the strong attachments I formed to books happened when I was a child or teenager. It was fairly rare for them between that point in time and my current age until pretty recently for reasons I haven’t figured out yet.

So this list is a short one, but a few years ago it wouldn’t have existed at all. The links in this post will go to my reviews of these books.

1) The Deep by Rivers Solomon

The imagery in this book was so strong that reading it made me feel as if a movie were playing out in my mind. I sure hope this gets made into a film or TV show someday. We’re overdue for an aquatic show, especially one that tackles as many important themes as this one does.

2) Patient Zero by Terry Tyler

There’s something about reading about pandemics that comforts me every flu season. I still need to read the rest of this series, but, wow, was this a good introduction to this universe! Jumping around among so many different characters really drew me into this world.

3) The Testaments by Margaret Atwood 

I’ve been a huge fan of The Handmaid’s Tale for many years now. It was immensely satisfying to finally get a sequel to it. I can’t wait to see how the updates on so many characters from the first book are integrated into the TV show based on this series, too.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Romantic Quotes

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This week’s prompt is a love freebie, so I decided to share some romantic quotes for it since this isn’t actually a holiday I observe.

How many of the other Top Ten Tuesday participants live in countries where candy conversation hearts are sold at this time of the year?  I enjoy them, but I haven’t seen them around much the last couple of years. Here’s hoping that changes soon.

If you celebrate Valentine’s Day and have a different favourite candy from it, I’d like to know about that, too!

1. “The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays

A pink plate covered in candy conversation hearts. The six hearts we can read say "soul mate," love bug," "sweet talk," "say yes," "love," and "xoxo."2. “And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

3. “Come sleep with me: We won’t make Love, Love will make us.”
Julio Cortázar

4. “It’s bullshit to think of friendship and romance as being different. They’re not. They’re just variations of the same love. Variations of the same desire to be close.”
Rachel Cohn, Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List

5. “your hand
touching mine.
this is how
galaxies
collide.”
Sanober Khan

6. “Love is too precious to be ashamed of.”
Laurell K. Hamilton, A Stroke of Midnight

7. “Before I fell
in love with words,
with setting skies
and singing birds—
it was you I fell
in love with first.”
Lang Leav, Love & Misadventure

a hot chocolate topped with whipped cream sitting in a pink, polka dotted mug. There are two heart-shaped cookies sitting on a doily next to the mug. 8. “Love, like everything else in life, should be a discovery, an adventure, and like most adventures, you don’t know you’re having one until you’re right in the middle of it.”
E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly,

9. “It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love.”
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

10. “Giving generously in romantic relationships, and in all other bonds, means recognizing when the other person needs our attention. Attention is an important resource.”
Bell Hooks, All About Love: New Visions

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