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Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring Forward and Read!


I'm a little late to the TTT party today, but never fear—I have a good, bookish reason for my tardiness. I mentioned that I'm going to be downsizing from my 5,000-square foot home into one that is half the size in the next few months (after our renters move out and we do some remodeling). Since I will no longer have the room to store all my many, many books, I need to get rid of about 75% of my collection. I was planning to organize a book sale with the proceeds going to charity since the majority of the volumes I need to unload are ones I got for free from authors and publishers. Then, I received an email announcing that a local high school would be holding a book sale this week to benefit their English Department. Huzzah! I contacted the ladies in charge, who generously came to my house and hauled away this mountain of books for their sale:



Although this represents only about 1/3 of the books I need to unload, it feels good to send even this many on their way to new homes. They will definitely get more love out in the world than they will gathering dust in my guest room closet. Bonus: guests can now open the closet door without risking death by book avalanche! Win-win.

Now that that's out of the way we can get down to business. The TTT topic du jour is: Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR List. I love these seasonal TBR lists because it's always fun to see what everyone is looking forward to reading and to get ideas of what I might want to check out. Since I'm a mood reader, I never really stick to these, but I still enjoy thinking about what I might read. I'm also going to *try* to feature books I haven't talked about yet. We'll see how that goes...

As always, be sure to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give our hostess, Jana, some love. While you're there, why don't you join in the fun? TTT really is a good ole time.

Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR List
- in no particular order -


1. Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation by Maud Newton (available March 29, 2022)—You all know by now that I'm a genealogy buff who lives for combing through census records, DNA matches, and old newspapers in search of forgotten family stories. It shouldn't surprise you, then, that I love books like this one, which is about the author's search for the truth behind her ancestors' colorful, controversial lives. Sounds like a great read!


2. Séances are for Suckers by Tamara Berry—Speaking of dead people...I'm all in for this cozy mystery series featuring a woman who pretends to hunt ghosts in order to pay the bills. I enjoyed Buried in a Good Book (available May 24, 2022), Berry's newest, so much that I want to read more from her. 


3. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan—As I was clearing off my bookshelves for the upcoming sale, I found my copy of this National Book Award winner that I've been meaning to read for years. Ever since I read The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, I've been eager to read more about the Dust Bowl and the brave souls who lived through it. This promises to be a fascinating read.


4. Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Chang Compestine (available November 8, 2022)—This MG novel doesn't come out until Fall, but I'm hoping to get an early copy from NetGalley. Written by a woman who grew up in Wuhan, the story is about a 13-year-old girl whose life changes when COVID breaks out in her hometown. 


5. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune—How have I not read this book yet? I've had a copy ever since it came out. I think it's about time I actually read it!


6. Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal—Covered in birthmarks, young Nell is sold to the circus where she becomes a headlining act. As she deals with the narcissistic circus owner, falls in love with his kind brother, and learns to stand on her own two feet, she transforms from a shy, unloved child into a woman who knows her own worth and power.


7. A Lullaby For Witches by Hester Fox—I enjoy Fox's spooky books and this one, her newest, sounds like a compelling read. It's about a woman who starts working at the old Harlowe House and becomes obsessed with knowing more about the "witch" who once lived there.


8. Research Like a Pro With DNA by Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer—Diana and Nicole have been friends and mentors as I continue my journey down the road to becoming an accredited genealogist (COVID has turned it into a much longer process than expected). I'm eager to dip into their newest book since I have lots to learn about DNA and how to use it effectively in my family history research.


9. The Secret, Book, & Scone Society by Ellery Adams—I'm listening to this book, the first installment in a well-loved cozy mystery series set in a town full of healing magic. It's entertaining.


10. The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes—Remember last TTT when I talked about one of my favorite tropes, the surprise inheritance? This one fits that bill. It concerns a woman who learns that she has inherited her father's chocolate estate in Ecuador. Through a series of unfortunate events, she is forced to don men's clothing and impersonate her dead husband while trying to solve a mystery, get to the bottom of family secrets, and navigate a new romance. 

There you have it, ten books I'm hoping to get to this Spring. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What's on your TBR list this season? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

40 comments:

  1. Well, that was serendipitous, wasn't it? I'm so glad you were able to help out the school. :D

    You have a great list. Some of them are on my non-spring TBR. Hopefully, I'll get to them someday. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it was! I was starting to really stress about organizing my own book sale, so this was a godsend for me.

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

      Delete
  2. Wow! That's a lot of books. I wish my local high school would do a sale. I don't have as many as you, but I have hundreds of books from all the conventions we used to attend. Hate to throw them away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never heard of any of the schools around here doing a used book sale. It's a great idea. I hope this one is so successful that it becomes a tradition. That could be very helpful for me when I need to trim my collection!

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

      Delete
  3. Yay for donating books! I'm jealous of the amount of books you have to give away. I donated just about all my print books last time I moved and rely on my kindle mostly. That being said, I can't resist the used bookstore! I think that's great that you are learning about being a genealogist. I would also probably enjoy Ancestor Trouble, The Worst Hard Time and maybe the cozy too, because it's not the same tired trope. Enjoy your reading!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm continually donating my books to the library, but that's 1-5 at a time. I don't think they would have been able to handle a 1000+ book donation! LOL.

      I've been big into genealogy for about a decade now. I love helping other people research their family history, so I figured why not get certified and make it official?

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

      Delete
  4. Oh wow, that is amazing that you were able to help the school and get rid of some of your books!! I am sure they really appreciated it!!! I read one book last year about the dust bowl (it was a very heavy book) but I enjoyed what I learned about the dust bowl, I had never heard of it before. I think The Secret, Book, & Scone Society sounds good as well :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely a heavy/depressing subject, but I also find it totally fascinating. I'm amazed anyone survived what those people did. Their stories just astound me.

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

      Delete
  5. Cerulean Sea has been on my list. When my hold was finally available, I was already listening to two other books! I put my name on the list again. And Worst Hard a time is a great idea. I can’t stop thinking about The Four Winds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bought CERULEAN SEA when it first came out and everyone was raving about it since I figured the library lines would be endless. I still haven't read it. Go figure.

      THE FOUR WINDS has really stuck with me, even though I read it months before it even came out. It's that kind of book. Very resonant.

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

      Delete
  6. What a nice thing for you do! I hope that book sale makes a lot of money.

    And I’ve heard excellent things about The Spanish Daughter.

    My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-on-my-spring-2022-tbr/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope so, too! I was told that teachers get to shop for free for books to add to their classroom libraries and that students get a discount on their purchases. I love that.

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

      Delete
  7. Looks like you have some nice books to look forward to, I've seen the TJ Klune book on many lists. And some others sound pretty interesting, as well.

    Good for you that you found such a good place to take on at least a large part of your books, good luck with the rest. It's so hard.

    Thanks for visiting my green TTT this week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most of the books I donated were review books that I've accumulated over the years from authors and publishers and never read. There were a box or two of ones I had purchased and read, but didn't feel the need to keep. I haven't even started to go through the books I've purposely kept. Letting go of some of them might be painful!

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

      Delete
    2. I can imagine. I went through that before our move. Not easy.

      Delete
  8. I bet those ladies that picked up your books were delighted! Nice to share with them and I know it's hard to get rid of books, but...sometimes a good thing. I haven't read any of the books you shared here, but maybe in time. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They were extremely grateful for my donation, but honestly, they did me more of a favor than I did them. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with all those books. They made it easy to donate a large amount, which made ME very grateful!

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

      Delete
  9. You just made those high school book sale ladies REALLY happy! That's a ton of books!
    I've only read #5 on your list. I loved it. I hope you do, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They told me I singlehandedly doubled their inventory! Ha ha. I hope the books sell well and they make lots of money for the English Department. I also hope their book sale becomes a yearly (or more often) tradition. That would be awesome for them and for me!

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

      Delete
  10. Wow! I'm in awe of your mountain of boxes. I'm glad you found a worthy cause for them.

    House in the Cerulean Sea is fun. I hope you enjoy all of these when you get to them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The ironic thing is that I STILL have enough books I need to unload that I could hold my own book sale. I'm looking for a local charitable organization that will take all of them. If I can't find that, I'll gradually parcel them out between all the local public libraries, Deseret Industries, etc.

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

      Delete
  11. Every time I see The Secret Book and Scone Society I want to read it, but haven't gotten a chance yet. I hope your move goes well and you enjoy all these books on your list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's enjoyable so far. A little saucier than I usually expect from a cozy, but still PG-13 so far. I'm liking it as an audiobook to entertain me while I clean.

      Thanks for popping in, Danielle!

      Delete
  12. That is a TON of books for donation! And this is quite an interesting list. I've been hearing about Ancestor Trouble a lot. I'll be interested in your review. Keep on readin' and bloggin'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right? My 17yo son, who has helped carry many boxes from one room to another and then out to the library ladies' cars, kept saying, "Can't we just light these all on fire? That would be a lot more fun!" Blasphemy!

      Thanks for stopping by, Mary!

      Delete
  13. Great list. I'm really intrigued by A Lullaby for Witches.

    Here is my #TTT post: https://herseriallife.com/top-10-books-spring-2022-tbr/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've read a couple of Fox's books and enjoyed them, so I'm pretty confident I'll like this new one. It sounds compelling, doesn't it?

      Thanks for popping in, Rae!

      Delete
  14. That’s a lot of books to offload! Nice that the school is going to benefit. Hope you get through your TBR. I’d like to read The House in the Cerulean Sea at some point.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. It makes me feel less guilty about all the books I've accepted for review over the years and have never gotten around to reading. I'm hoping they find great new homes and that the school and its teachers will benefit from the proceeds.

      Thanks for stopping by, William!

      Delete
  15. Happy TTT on Wednesday! Love the selection of books here and the inclusion of nonfiction, too. It's so interesting to see middle grade (historicals, now?) written about the pandemic, and I hope you enjoy this one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right? We're living through history and now it's being immortalized in books. What an interesting experience!

      Thanks for coming by, Pippin!

      Delete
  16. Wow, that's some mountain of books you donated! Great job! The Worst Hard Time looks fascinating -- I also have been interested in learning more about the era since reading The Four Winds. I really loved The House in the Cerulean Sea -- hope you do too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THE FOUR WINDS really brings the era to life, doesn't it? It's haunting that way. I think THE WORST HARD TIME will really add to our knowledge as well. I hope we both learn a lot from it. As for CERULEAN SEA...everyone loves it, so I assume I will as well. Looking forward to it!

      Thanks for popping in, Lisa!

      Delete
  17. Wow!! That's so awesome to donate all those books for such a great cause! Good for you!! I love donating books or putting them in the little libraries around town. I do hope you enjoy House in the Cerulean Sea! I loved that one and it was just such a warm and cozy book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same! I mostly donate my books to the public libraries in my area, but there is a LFL around the corner that I like to visit as well. You reminded me that I haven't been there in a bit. I have some ARCs to drop off!

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

      Delete
  18. That's a lot of books to donate! I'm sure it will help the high school's English department a lot.

    Séances are for Suckers and The Secret, Book, & Scone Society look like a lot of fun! I'll have to check them out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My husband visited the book sale while it was going on yesterday and he said it was hopping! I'm so glad. I hope they make a bunch of money for their department.

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

      Delete
  19. Best of luck on your move! I've moved many, many times in my life so I've never been able to collect many physical books. I'm so glad you were able to donate them to the High School.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The last time we moved was 13 years ago, so we've definitely accumulated A LOT of stuff. My books are a big part of it, but we also have TONS of Legos, board games, movies, clothes, etc. Sorting through it all is turning into QUITE the project! LOL.

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

      Delete
  20. Morning Sun in Wuhan sounds really timely and interesting. I hope it's good. And that's so great that you got rid of a bunch of books AND you helped the local high school.

    ReplyDelete

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