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2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

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My Progress:


9 / 30 books. 30% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska
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- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
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- Florida
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- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
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- Washington, D.C.*

International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (5)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
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My Progress:


12 / 51 states. 24% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

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10 / 50 words. 20% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


15 / 50 books. 30% done!

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32 / 50 books. 64% done!

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27 / 52 books. 52% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

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21 / 40 books. 53% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


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5 / 25 books. 20% done!

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17 / 26.2 miles. 65% done!

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15 / 100 books. 15% done!

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34 / 104 books. 33% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

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31 / 52 books. 60% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

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32 / 165 books. 19% done!
Tuesday, December 10, 2019

TTT: I've Been So Good This Year, Santa Came Early!

Believe it or not, Christmas is only two weeks away.  Yikes!  Are you ready?  I'm not even ready for tomorrow, so ... yeah.  I have, however, bought myself a number of gifts already.  Nothing for anyone else yet, but I can say with a surety that Santa is taking good care of me this year!  Since a lot of my purchases were books and this week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday is a holiday freebie, I'll show off the goods below.  Then, I better get going on Christmas shopping for the fam ... 

If you've never played along with TTT before, you really should.  It's a fun weekly event that helps book bloggers spread the love across our fabulous online community.  I love dropping in on favorite blogs, discovering new ones, and, of course, adding great-sounding reading recommendations to my TBR list pile mountain mountain chain.  It's a good time, I promise!  All you have to do is click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few instructions, create your own list, and start hopping around the Web.  Easy peasy.

Here we go with the Top Ten Books Santa Already Put Under My Tree (metaphorically speaking—they're actually on my festive red book cart):

*I should mention that I brought this haul home from my favorite local indie, Changing Hands Bookstore.  One of my favorite things about the place is that they offer their customers a yearly birthday discount.  They also let you trade in your old books in exchange for a generous store credit.  Since I have a December birthday, I made a trip to Changing Hands the other day.  I traded in some books and used both store credit and my birthday discount to get a whole stack of goodies.  If you live near me or are just visiting the Phoenix area, you should definitely visit one of their two locations.  I prefer the Tempe store (it's funky, fun, and has a lovely staff), but the Phoenix one is a treat as well.*


1.  The Line Between by Tosca Lee—In this post-apocalyptic novel, an eradicated disease reemerges from the melting permafrost in Alaska, causing its victims to go insane.  An escapee from a doomsday cult finds herself trying to navigate her way in a strange, new world while also learning the disturbing truth about the emergent virus.  Post-apocalypse + cults?  Count me in.

2.  The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell—I haven't read anything by this author, but this historical novel, about a woman who defies convention to stand up for the rights of miners in turn-of-the-century Michigan, sounds intriguing.

3.  The Life and Death Parade by Eliza Wass—I realized after buying this book that it has pretty ho-hum ratings on book sites.  Oh well.  It sounds interesting.  The novel concerns a boy who visited a psychic who told him he had no future.  Now, he's dead.  His girlfriend vows to find out what really happened to him.

4.  My Bookstore by Ronald Rice—This gem was in the clearance section for super cheap, so I snatched it up.  It's a collection of essays by authors like John Grisham, Fannie Flagg, Ann Patchett, Carrie Ryan, etc. talking about their favorite bookstores.  Sounds fun!

5.  A Noël Killing by M.L. Longworth—After talking about holiday books I wanted to read in last week's TTT, I was immediately drawn to a display table full of just that.  I bought several titles I mentioned in that post, plus this one.  It's actually the 8th book in a mystery series set in France.  Maybe I'll be able to read the first seven before next Christmas.

6.  Before and After by Lisa Wingate—If you've read Before We Were Yours, Wingate's based-on-a-true novel about the horrifying Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, you might be interested in this one.  It's a collection of real-life experiences from people who lived at the orphanage.  Sounds fascinating.

7.  The Black Hour by Lori Rader-Day—I've enjoyed several novels by Rader-Day.  This one, about a college professor who's disabled after being shot by a student trying to come to grips with what happened to her and the graduate student who's obsessed with the event, sounds compelling.

8.  The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny—I'm a rabid Penny fan, but I'm purposely reading her Armand Gamache series slowly so I can savor it.  This is the 11th installment and I'm sure I'll love it just as much as I have all the others.

I picked up these two at Deseret Book a few weeks ago:

9.  This Road We Traveled by Jane Kirkpatrick—I enjoy pioneer novels and this one, about a woman's journey across the Oregon Trail, sounds like a good one.

10.  Wildly Optimistic by Al Fox Carraway—Carraway, a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who calls herself "The Tattooed Mormon" is a popular speaker, writer, and online personality.  Her books are fun and inspiring.  I'm excited for this one, her newest. 

There you have it, ten books "Santa" already delivered.  Have you read any of them?  What did you think?  Have you been so good this year that Santa's already gifted you some fun books?  What intriguing titles are you hoping to find under the Christmas tree this year?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

28 comments:

  1. I'm actually trying not to buy anymore paper books but if I could go to Phoenix and visit the Changing Hands Bookstore, I would go in a heartbeat and buy a lot of books.

    Your list of books sound goods but I don't think they are my cup of tea but I hope you'll enjoy them.

    Have a lovely day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a great indie bookstore. I'm sure you'd be able to find all kinds of goodies to take home with you :)

      Thanks for coming by!

      Delete
  2. These sound like some really interesting reads. I hope you love them!

    My TTT:
    https://thewordyhabitat.wordpress.com/2019/12/10/top-10-romance-reads-of-2019/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I hope I do, too.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  3. I hope you adore every single one of these books!

    My TTT.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I hope I do, too. It's such a disappointment when you buy a book that looks promising and then ... isn't.

      Thanks for stopping by, Lydia!

      Delete
  4. Nice haul, and good luck on the rest of the holiday stuff. Why can't other people be as easy to shop for as ourselves?? ;)

    "My Bookshop" looks incredible - I've actually always wanted a book just like this; I didn't know it existed! This Road We Traveled looks really great too. I don't think I've ever actually read an Oregon Trail story centered on an adult before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right? Bookish people like us are so easy and fun to buy for! Figuring out what other people might want just hurts my head.

      I'm not sure I've read any Oregon Trail novels either. I read a non-fiction one a couple years ago about a guy recreating the journey, but that's it. I'm excited for this one. Should be a great read.

      Thanks for coming by!

      Delete
  5. Nice haul with a lot of variety. The only one I've read of those is the Louise Penny book. I really like that series a lot and always look forward to the new one. I usually get the hardcover version, but on Black Friday Amazon had her latest Gamache novel on sale as a $3.99 e-book and I couldn't resist that deal. The irony is that I will probably end up buying a hardback copy off the remainders table sometime in late 2020 or early 2021 and pay more for that then for the e-book. Her books are printed in such huge quantities that they almost always show up later as bargain books at B&N.

    Congrats on supporting an indie bookstore. That's the way to go if at all possible. This sounds like a good one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been buying the Penny paperbacks from Changing Hands. I don't have a complete set yet. One of these days! I'd love to have it in hardcover, so I'll have to keep my eye out for bargains.

      I love Changing Hands. It's a great indie where I enjoy shopping. Unfortunately, it's about a 40-mile round trip, so I only get there a few times a year. I have to confess that most of the time, I buy books at Amazon (I know! For shame!) ...

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Sam!

      Delete
  6. Yay for Santa coming early! You've got some great books to look forward to reading.

    My TTT.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm excited about these. I don't know when I'll get around to actually reading them, but it will be a good time when I do!

      Thanks for coming by!

      Delete
  7. Awesome book haul. It's always nice when Christmas comes a little early. ;D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's easy to make Christmas come early when I'm Santa ;)

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lark!

      Delete
  8. TWO WEEKS?! *devolves into minor panic* I mean, I guess I knew it was that close, but not really. I'm so not ready.

    You must've been really good this year, because that's one impressive haul. ;) I already know that I'll be getting a bunch of books for Christmas, which my husband calls "boring" and I call "best Christmas ever." Have a good holiday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL. Right? I haven't gotten Christmas cards printed, bought any presents, shopped for Christmas dinner/baking, etc. etc. Agh! Every year I tell myself I'm going to be more organized for the holidays and every year I'm ... not :(

      Ha ha. Sometimes significant others just don't get it, do they?

      Thanks for coming by, Sammie!

      Delete
  9. Merry Christmas to you Susan. I have a few of these on my TBR and you have reminded me of them. My Bookstore sounds really good. I will have to check this one out. Great post Susan, and I am now adding more to my Mount TBR.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To you, too, Carla! It's been fun getting to know you through your blog this year. I'm looking forward to even more of that in 2020.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting!

      Delete
  10. We just read Before We Were Yours for my church book club. I didn't know there was a follow up! I'll have to look for it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't know about it either! I just happened to be scanning the "W" shelf and saw it. It sounds super sad, but also fascinating.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  11. No, not ready for Christmas yet but getting there.

    I too am reading the Gamache books slowly, I hate the thought of finishing them all and having to sit and wait for the next book to come out. My Bookstore sounds like it would be worth investigating.

    Merry Christmas, Susan!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Slowly but surely, right? This is my favorite time of the year and I know I'm making it more stressful than it has to be. I need to take the time to enjoy instead of feeling so rushed!

      I love the Gamache series and I don't want it to end. Ever.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Cath!

      Delete
  12. I am not familiar with any of these, but how wonderful that you were able to find so many titles and with a discount and trade in, what a great bargain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I still ended up spending way too much money, but the trade-in credit and discount definitely helped.

      Thanks, as always, for stopping by and commenting, Sam!

      Delete
  13. Yay for new books! I hope you like all of them. I was so good, Santa is sending me a The Kingdom of Back ARC! It hasn't arrived yet, but the publisher will be sending it to my parent's house!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oooh, you must have been really good this year! I hope you love it :)

      Thanks for coming by!

      Delete
  14. I love that you buy yourself books for Christmas! Louise Penny is one that I'd like to read more of.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL. I've taken good care of myself this year :)

      Thanks, as always for stopping by and commenting, Helen!

      Delete

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