I've been so busy trying to catch up on reviews of books I read LAST year plus keeping up with those I'm scheduled to review THIS year that I haven't done Top Ten Tuesday in awhile.  I miss it!  This week's topic looks fun and easy, so I'm joining in.  You should, too.  All you have to do is click on over to The Broke and the Bookish, follow the directions, and you're in.  Easy cheesy.

Without further ado, here are the Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR List (ten I'm really looking forward to reading, anyway):


1.  Silence by Deborah Lytton—I'm hoping to get to this one really, really soon as I was supposed to have reviewed it a few days back.  It's about a girl with a golden voice whose greatest dream is to sing on Broadway.  Then, a tragic accident renders her deaf.  Sounds compelling, no?


2.  Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng—After a long wait, I've finally got this family drama/murder mystery out from the library.  I'm excited to see if it lives up to all the hype.


3.  Kiss Kill Vanish by Jessica Martinez—I'm intrigued by this YA novel about a girl trying to shed her old identity in a new country, only to have someone from her past show up to complicate things.


4.  Descent by Tim Johnston—I'm on the waiting list at the library for this one, which looks fantastic.  It's about a family vacationing in the Rocky Mountains when one of their children goes missing.


5.  The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty—I loved Big Little Lies and I've heard that Moriarty's other books are even better.  Can't wait to read this one.


6.  On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee—This dystopian sounds different, therefore I must check it out!


7.  The Hollow Ground by Natalie S. Harnett—I'm actually in the middle of this family drama/murder mystery set in Pennsylvania's coal mining country.  It's about a girl who finds a body in an abandoned monkey hole, a find that uncovers family secrets long buried.  So far, it's excellent.


8.  Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen—I've only read a couple of Dessen's books.  This one looks like a bit of a departure for her, so I'm interested to see what it's all about.


9.  Dead Wake by Erik Larson—I don't read a lot of non-fiction (a problem I need to remedy), but this book about the Lusitania sounds fascinating.


10.  Chestnut Street by Maeve Binchy—Several of my favorite authors, including Binchy, have died in the last few years, which makes me super sad.  I love Binchy's novels about everyday families in Ireland.  At the time of her death, she was working on a collection of stories about people living on an ordinary Dublin street.  Although I'm not big on short stories, I'll read anything by Binchy.

So, there you have it.  Kind of an eclectic list, but all ten are books I'm excited about.  Hopefully, I'll get to them this Spring.  How about you?  What's on your list?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  And, as always, happy reading :)

It's Tuesday, which means it's time for more bookish list-compiling.  Love it!  Before we get to this week's topic, though, let me give a shout out to our lovely hosts over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Be sure to click on over there to get all the details about this fun meme.  If you haven't joined up, do it now!  It's a good ole time, I promise.

So, today's topic is: Top Ten Books Dealing With Tough Subjects.  "Tough" is defined as issue-y type things (suicide, grief, abuse, etc.).  Since conflict is an essential ingredient in every story, most books deal with "tough" things.  These ten, though, are the ones that popped into my mind when I read the prompt: 




1.  The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams—If you've ever been asked how many wives your dad has (and if you're Mormon, you probably have), you know what an uncomfortable subject polygamy can be!  Still, it's a fascinating topic.  In this novel, Williams explores it in a forthright, but sensitive way.  The Chosen One is such a haunting tale that I still get the shivers just from glimpsing its cover!  



2.  The Fault In Our Stars by John Green—What can I say about this one?  It's about kids with cancer.  It's sad, yes, but also irreverent, funny and touching.