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Tuesday, January 21, 2020

A Borrow, Not Buy Top Ten Tuesday List


It's Tuesday, so that can only mean one thing: it's time for my favorite bookish meme.  Since I already did a version of this week's topic (Top Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf) not long ago, I'm going to change it up a little and talk instead about the My Top Ten Most Recent Library Acquisitions.  I've always utilized my local libraries (both city and county), but after spending a pretty penny on new books in 2019, I'm going to try to borrow more and buy less in 2020. We'll see how that goes ...

First, won't you join the TTT fun?  It's easy and enjoyable, I promise!  All you have to do is head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few quick instructions, make your own list, and then spend some happy hours surfing through the book blogosphere.  It's a great way to find reading recommendations, discover new blogs, and spread the love throughout our wonderful blogging community.

Alright, here we go with My Top Ten Most Recent Library Acquisitions:


1.  The Wake of the Lorelei Lee by L.A. Meyer (audiobook)—Ever since I found that I don't actually hate audiobooks, I've tried to have one on deck at all times.  I borrowed this one, the eighth installment in one of my favorite YA series, because of a recommendation from an anonymous blog commenter.  I always enjoy the Bloody Jack books and this one is no exception.  I'm especially taken with the narrator, the late Katherine Kellgren, who does an excellent job giving voice to the irrepressible Jacky Faber.  The books are hefty, so the audiobook is over eleven hours long.  Still, it's a fun one.


2.  A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths—I'm behind on the Ruth Galloway mystery series, but it's another one I've enjoyed immensely.  This installment, the fourth, concerns the murder of a museum curator, then the museum's owner.  Naturally, Ruth and D.I. Nelson are called in to investigate.  I can't wait to catch up with Ruth and Co.


3.  Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu—I've heard good things about this mystery series starring a feisty Singaporean widow who runs a restaurant and solves mysteries in her spare time.  The opening installment involves a murder and the disappearance of one of Aunty Lee's guests, two puzzling events that must be related.


4.  What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr—In this standalone from Barr, a woman in her 60's wakes up in the Alzheimer's unit of a nursing home.  Although she can't remember how she got there, Rose is convinced she's still in her right mind.  When another shocking event occurs, she becomes sure of it—someone is trying to eliminate her.  But why?


5.  Second Sight by Aoife Clifford—I always like a good going-home-to-confront-secrets-of-the-past type books, so this one sounds appealing.  It's about a lawyer who returns to her Australian hometown after a devastating wildfire, only to witness an old friend commit a crime that propels her on a journey to uncover the secrets others would like to remain buried forever.


6.  Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson—I enjoyed Johnson's newest MG novel, Dog Driven, so I wanted to try another one by her.  Ice Dogs is a survival story about a girl who gets lost in the Alaskan wilderness during a dogsled race.  Sounds exciting!


7.  The Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan—I've only read a couple of Colgan's novels, but I loved them both, so I want to read more from her.  The Café by the Sea is the first book in her Mure series.  It stars Flora, who returns to her hometown to lick her wounds, only to find herself caught up in the dramas of island and family life.  Fun!


8.  Gaijin: American Prisoner of War by Matt Faulkner—Graphic novels aren't really my thing, but this one jumped out at me while my 11-year-old daughter was perusing the shelves for Pokémon books.  The story centers on a half-white, half-Japanese boy who is sent to a California internment camp during World War II.  Should be a quick, interesting read.


9.  A Sky Full of Stars by Linda Williams Jackson—This is another book I noticed while browsing the children's section with my daughter.  Set in 1955, the story is about a 13-year-old girl who's frightened of growing racial tension in her Mississippi town.  Trying to decide if she should leave the state altogether or attempt to stay and push for change, she learns some valuable lessons about racism, community, and taking action.


10.  The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers—I've never read anything by Meyers, but the title of this 2013 novel caught my attention.  It's about a woman whose extramarital affair leaves her pregnant and alone.  Five years after she places the child for adoption, her lover's wife finds out what happened.  Told from the perspectives of three women caught in the drama, it's a novel about the consequences of infidelity, the journey toward forgiveness, and the power of family, even in the most unlikely of situations.

There you go, ten books I recently grabbed off the library shelves.  Have you read any of them?  What have you checked out lately from the library or acquired from a bookstore?  I'd love to know.  Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

42 comments:

  1. Ice Dogs is a great read. I think you'll like it. (and now I need to read Dog Driven!)

    My latest library checkouts (on top of 5 I've been hanging onto since December):

    1. A Sparkle of Silver - Liz Johnson
    2. The Swiss Affair - Emylia Hall
    3. People Like Us - Dana Mele (audiobook)
    4. Runaway Max - Brenna Yovanoff (audiobook)
    5. 100 Best Books for Children - Anita Silvey
    6. Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books, 1976-1985 - ed. Lee Kingman
    7. I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights & Dilemmas of the Reading Life - Anne Bogel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoyed DOG DRIVEN, so I'm sure I'll like ICE DOGS as well. MG adventure/survival stories are always fun!

      Oooh, nice checkouts! I've read I'D RATHER BE READING, but I haven't heard of the others. I hope they're all excellent reads.

      Thanks for coming by!

      Delete
    2. I just tried to comment on your blog and I kept getting errors. Hopefully, it posted. If not, I'm so sorry!

      Delete
    3. It did! Anonymous comments tend to get marked as spam by LJ for some reason (I suspect it's when they include URLs, but it might just be all of them), but I just had to unscreen yours so it's publicly visible now. If you got an error message while trying to use a different ID, then...I dunno, LJ is just dumb sometimes, I guess. Not dumb enough to convince me to start a proper book blog on Wordpress/Blogger, apparently, but close.

      Delete
  2. The Comfort of Lies sounds good! I hope you love it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think so, too. The premise is interesting to me, especially since I'm an adoptive mother.

      Thanks for stopping by, Deanna!

      Delete
  3. I hope you enjoy Ice Dogs! And let me know what you think of What Rose Forgot. That one's on my TBR list. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will! It has an intriguing premise - I hope the story lives up to it :)

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

      Delete
  4. Sounds like some great books! I love browsing my library shelves, but lately I haven't had time to spare wandering and I've only gone in to look for specific items.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I request a lot of books from my library so I can just run in and grab them. Sometimes I take the time to browse, but not as often as I used to.

      Thanks for stopping by, Nicole!

      Delete
  5. Let's see - I've read all the Ruth Galloway books, so, yes, I've read that one. I love that series. I own What Rose Forgot, but haven't read it yet. Quite different for Nevada Barr. And I remember reading about Second Sight, but never picked it up. That sounds very good. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's such a fun series, isn't it? It's been awhile since I read the last book, so hopefully I remember what's going on.

      I'm excited for both WHAT ROSE FORGOT and SECOND SIGHT. I started the latter this morning and I'm enjoying it. It reminds me of Jane Harper's books.

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

      Delete
  6. Great library haul! Aunty Lee’s Delights looks fascinating! I’m not a big thriller person, but this book looks like the perfect mix of mystery and contemporary to keep me fascinated- and I haven’t read very many books starring Singaporean women! Thanks for the fun post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think I've ever read a book set in Singapore, let alone written by a Singaporean. I'm excited to see what it's all about.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  7. The Cafe by the Sea was on of my absolute favorites! I think you'll love it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, good! I can't wait to read it.

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

      Delete
  8. Great haul. As a part time librarian I thank you for supporting our libraries.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love libraries! I usually go to the county library even though my city library is closer. The county branch is big and bright and is backed by a man-made lake, so it's fun to watch the birds and ducks through the window. Libraries are the best - lucky you that you get to work in one!

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  9. I am reading through all of these Top Ten Tuesday lists and I don't seem to know any of the books! How is that possible?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right? I feel like I keep on top of what's coming out, but I'm never actually completely up-to-date. Gah! So many books, so little time to keep track of them all :)

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

      Delete
  10. I've read the Ruth Galloway, that's one of my favourite series. I haven't read that exact Jenny Colgan, I've read Little Beach Street Bakery which I thought was charming and enjoyable. Library-wise at the moment I have a book about Queen Mary, one about Samula Pepys, a Louise Penny, a Ruth Rendall, a Phil Rickman and a book on travel in Iceland.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really enjoy the Ruth Galloway series, even though I'm reading it really slowly. And Jenny Colgan is a new favorite, so I'm still exploring her backlist. Her books are just fun - they make me smile.

      Sounds like you have a nice mix of titles out from the library right now. Enjoy!

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

      Delete
  11. Nice list! Ruth Galloway, and Barr, 2 series I want to finally try!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Ruth Galloway series is great. I've only read the first of Barr's Anna Pigeon books. It was good, but not so good that I was really, really anxious to read the next one. I'll continue with the series eventually, probably, but I'm not chomping at the bit.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  12. Great list. I am always interested in reading stories on the Japanese internment during World War II so Gaijin: American Prisoner of War sound very interesting. I'm also a huge library user, especially for books like that. I'm interested in reading them but not necessarily in owning them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me, too! It's such a sad, but fascinating piece of history.

      Thanks for coming by, Cheri!

      Delete
  13. I love the library! I borrow ebooks and audiobooks all the time. The Nevada Barr book looks really good. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Libraries are the best, aren't they? I've always borrowed print books, but I'm just now getting into borrowing audiobooks. I get e-books from the library from time to time, but not as much as print.

      Thanks for coming by, Carole!

      Delete
  14. I had tried a Colgan audiobook, and DNFed it. Though, it might have been more my mood than the book. Her new book coming out sounds fantastic. (I love that you did library finds)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Really? I've only read a couple of hers and I loved them both, but I'm sure some of them are better than others.

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

      Delete
  15. So many of these call to me Susan. I am going to check out some of the MG books she have here. Nevada Barr's book sounds really good. Off to see what my library has.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love a good MG book! I feel like they don't get as much attention as YA and adult, but there are so many great books written for middle schoolers these days.

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

      Delete
  16. The Wake of the Lorelei Lee looks fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Bloody Jack series is awesome! It stars a teenage girl, but it's got lots of action, adventure, derring-do, and a little romance. It's super, super fun. I'm just sad that the author died so there will be no more books from him. L.A. Meyer was an excellent writer.

      Thanks for coming by, Greg!

      Delete
  17. I enjoyed the Jenny Colgan but I especially loved the follow up book in that series.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, good! More to look forward to :) I love finding new authors who have a nice backlist for me to explore.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  18. I haven't heard of any of these but they look great! Hope you enjoy them.

    Ash @ JennReneeRead

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I hope I do, too. I'm still listening to THE WAKE OF THE LORELEI LEE, which is a fun listen and I'm reading SECOND SIGHT, which is intriguing so far. Reminds me of Jane Harper's books and I really like Harper :)

      Thanks for coming by, Ash!

      Delete
  19. Very smart way to go. I try to borrow as many of the "hot" books as I can so that I don't blow the annual book budget before Spring arrives. I figure I can always buy a personal copy of the book after reading it if I want to add it to my permanent home library. Doing it this way has saved me from quite a few mistaken purchases over the years...gotta love libraries.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very sensible. Both my county and city libraries are great because they let you reserve a book when it's still on order and then the line actually moves along pretty fast. I never have to wait too, too long, even for the hot books. If I get tired of waiting, though, that's when I start having problems with the book budget :) Ha ha. A lot of my buying mistakes do end up being donated to the library, so at least there's that!

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

      Delete
  20. I have access to three great libraries all within 15 minutes of my house. I'm so lucky. I love your list and definitely need to look for Ice Dogs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice! Lucky for sure. The closest branch of my city library is only a few miles from me, but I like the big, bright county library better so I drive the 15-20 minutes to use it most often. The city library is my back-up if I can't find what I'm looking for at the county branch.

      ICE DOGS looks good, doesn't it? I need to read it before it comes due.

      Thanks for coming by, Barb!

      Delete

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