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Showing posts with label Kate Albus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kate Albus. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge
4:31 PM
Cathy over at 746 Books has been hosting her fun 20 Books of Summer event for ten years now, but I only heard about it last year. Even though it's about the chillest reading challenge ever, I didn't *quite* finish it on my first go 'round. I'll do better this year!
The challenge runs from June 1 - September 1 and the aim is simple: cross books off your TBR list. You can choose to read the full 20 books or do a 15 or 10 book version or whatever you want. You can even change your challenge list at any time. The point is to perk up your summer reading with a fun, no-pressure challenge. I'm in. How about you?
Here's my tentative list of books I want to read for the challenge. Once if officially begins, I'll update my progress on this post.
1. The Women by Kristin Hannah
2. Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon finished 07.20.24
3. Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn finished June 23, 2024
4. Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green
5. Middle of the Night by Riley Sager (available June 18, 2024) finished 07.05.24
6. Weather Girl by Rachel Solomon
8. Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan
9. The Maid by Nita Prose (re-read)
10. Nothing Else But Miracles by Kate Albus
11. A Deadly Endeavor by Jenny Adams finished 07.08.24
12. The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan finished June 6, 2024
13. Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings
14. Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell finished 06.21.24
16. The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King finished 07.04.24
17. Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed
18. The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie finished June 9, 2024
19. Sleeping Spells and Dragon Scales by Wendy S. Swore
20. The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese
I'm hoping this is a good mix of serious stuff and more lighthearted stories. We'll see. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Top Ten Tuesday: New Authors to Love
12:00 AM
I read lots of books every year written by authors I haven't read before. In fact, of the 203 books I read in 2021, 126 of them were by new-to-me writers. I've knocked out 12 novels so far this year; half of them are by authors whose books I've never explored before. I think it's safe to say I enjoy making new author discoveries. It's especially fun when they've got a nice, long backlist for me to check out! For today's list, I tried to highlight the new writers I found last year that I liked so much I read more than one of their books in 2021.
If you'd like to participate in Top Ten Tuesday (and you really should—it's the most fun weekly book event on the Internet), just hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.
Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2021
1. Kate Albus—Okay, I actually only read one book by Albus this year, but only because that's all she's published so far. A Place to Hang the Moon is such a gem that I really, really can't wait to see what this debut author does next.
2. Addison Armstrong—I'm the mother of two boys who were born at 29 weeks gestation. My experience with these tiny babies naturally drew me to Armstrong's debut, The Light of Luna Park, which tells the based-on-a-true-story of an innovative doctor in 1926 New York who saved the premature babies other physicians wouldn't by charging Coney Island visitors money to gawk at them. The admission fees paid for the infants' care, which helped many of them to grow and thrive. Armstrong's second novel, The War Librarian, sounds equally as fascinating as her first.
3. Elizabeth C. Bunce—Bunce is probably best known for her YA novels, but I found her because of her charming middle-grade mystery series. I listened to all of the books—Premeditated Myrtle, How to Get Away With Myrtle, and Cold-Blooded Myrtle—last year and loved every one of them. I am anxiously awaiting In Myrtle Peril, which comes out in October.
4. Amy Lynn Green—Green has written two historical novels for adults. I loved The Lines Between Us, a thought-provoking mystery about conscientious objectors who worked as firefighters in the U.S. during World War II.
5. Jocelyn Green—Another historical fiction author, this Green also writes books set in America's past. I enjoyed the first two novels in her Windy City saga—Veiled in Smoke and Shadows of the White City—in 2021. The third installment, Drawn by the Current, comes out in a week. I can't wait!
6. Jennifer L. Holm—I fell in love with The Lion of Mars, Holm's uplifting middle-grade novel set in space, when I read it last July. After that, I raced through her Boston Jane trilogy, which I very much enjoyed.
7. Regina Scott—I've talked a lot about Scott's American Wonders series ever since I read A Distance Too Grand back in July. I also enjoyed the second book, Nothing Short of Wondrous, and am looking forward to reading A View Most Glorious sometime soon.
8. Sarah Stewart Taylor—I discovered Taylor's Maggie D'arcy series mystery series last year. I enjoyed the first two books in the series and am looking forward to The Drowning Sea, which comes out in June. Taylor has also penned a mystery series starring an art historian who's an expert in gravestone art, which sounds excellent. Unfortunately, my local libraries don't carry the books. Boo hoo.
9. Tessa Wegert—Death in the Family, Wegert's debut, generated a lot of buzz when it came out in 2020. It lived up to the hype for me, so I read the second book in the series as well. I'm excited for the third, Dead Wind, which comes out in April.
10. Elissa Brent Weissman—Weissman's heartfelt The Length of a String was one of my favorite books of 2021. I'm currently listening to her newest novel, The Renegade Reporters, which is a fun one.
There you go, ten new authors I found in 2021. Have you read any of them? Which writers did you discover last year? 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!
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Top Ten Tuesday: My Best Books of 2021
12:00 AM
I don't know about you, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that 2021 is almost over. It's been a good year for my family with lots of fun memories made. We're gearing up for an eventful 2022, so I'm excited to ring in the new year!
The end of the year is also a good time in book blogger land. I always enjoy reading people's wrap-up posts and best-of lists. Today's TTT prompt goes right along with that: Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2021. Of the 202 books I've read so far this year (I'll probably still get through another one or two before Saturday), I marked 33 as favorites. It was a little tough to whittle that list down to the ten best, even after I disqualified re-reads. Even then, I couldn't decide what order they should go in, so I didn't rank them.
I'd love to see your list of faves, so please join in the TTT fun. All you have to do is head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details, make your own list, then click around to other people's blogs. It's a great way to spread the love around our wonderful book blogosphere and get some great reading recommendations while you're at it!
Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2021
1. Atomic Habits by James Clear—If you're determined to make your goals into realities this year, you want to get your hands on a copy of this book. It's motivating, helpful, and very readable. I enjoyed it when I read it earlier this year. It's so inspiring that I might re-read it this week to jump-start my goal-reaching in 2022.
2. The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm—I loved this uplifting middle-grade sci-fi novel. It's a space adventure, but it's really more of a family/community drama. It just made me smile.
3. Bluebird by Sharon Cameron—I'm a big Cameron fan and this YA World War II novel is a perfect example of why I love the author so much. It's a riveting story filled with page-turning action, interesting historical details, and sympathetic characters.
4. The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner—Meissner is another hist-fic author whose books I really enjoy. This novel, set against the backdrop of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, tells the story of a mail-order bride with a secret past. It's super compelling.
5. The Answer Is... by Alex Trebek—This memoir was a delight to listen to. It's not as serious or melancholy as I thought it would be. In fact, it's funny, inspiring, and life-affirming. The chapters narrated by Trebek (most are read by Ken Jennings) are especially enjoyable.
6. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny—Like many mystery lovers, I can't get enough of Penny's popular series starring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. I read three installments this year, of which A Great Reckoning is my favorite. It has an intriguing premise, which makes for a compelling and thought-provoking novel. I loved it.
7. How to Get Away With Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce—I discovered the Myrtle Hardcastle mystery series this year and it is all kinds of charming! I've listened to all three of the books that are out and had the most fun with this, the second one. It tells an exciting story that has plenty of twists, humor, and action.
8. A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus—Another middle-grade novel, this one features three recently orphaned siblings who are sent to the English countryside while London is being bombed in World War II. As they search their new village for a family to call their own, they find refuge in the town library and its unconventional librarian. Funny, poignant, and hopeful, this is a truly lovely book!
9. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty—Not everyone loved Moriarty's newest, but I adored it. It's different from her others...in a good way.
10. The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman—I found this non-fiction book about the many people who go missing in North America's federal land every year absolutely fascinating.
There you have it, my ten favorite reads of the year. What do you think? Do we have any in common? What are the best books you read in 2021? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, November 03, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: Hist-Fic Picks for 2021
8:04 AM
Today's a doozy of a Tuesday. It's Election Day here in the U.S. and, let me tell you, tensions are running very, very high! I've never experienced a crazier, more divisive election—I can't wait for it to be over. People are panicking (Costco was completely out of toilet paper by the time I got there at 11:30 yesterday), desperately worried over what will happen if Trump loses. I'm praying that peace and level-headedness will prevail. If it doesn't, my pantry and freezer are stocked in case we need to hunker down for awhile. I admit I'm concerned about the fate of my beloved nation, especially if my chosen candidate does not triumph, but I have faith that God is the one who's truly in charge. May He bless my beloved nation today and always.
Top Ten Tuesday is always a fun distraction and today it's especially needed! The topic du jour—My Top Ten Non-Bookish Hobbies—is one I did back in January of 2018 and then again in April of this year. I don't have enough hobbies to revisit the subject, so I'm going to do something else with my list today.
If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know I enjoy a good historical novel. I'm especially fascinated with fiction set during World War II, but there are so many more eras out there to explore. I definitely need to branch out. Currently, I'm reading Brother's Keeper by Julie Lee, a middle-grade novel about the Korean War that's based on the author's mother's harrowing escape from North Korea during that conflict. It's a gripping book set in a time and place I know little about. An eye-opening read, it's reminding me not only how important historical fiction is but also how much I love it. So, I decided to take a gander at up-and-coming hist fic titles. Some great-looking historical novels are coming in 2021. I tried to focus on books I haven't highlighted before and those not set during World War II. Here's what I came up with, in no particular order ...
Top Ten Historical Novels Publishing in 2021:
1. Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee (coming May 4)—Titanic books always interest me, so I'm all in for this novel by Lee, who's one of my favorite writers of YA historical fiction. The story revolves around a British-Chinese teen who smuggles herself on Titanic. Her plan is to find her missing brother, then convince the higher-ups at the Ringling Brothers Circus to take them both on as trapeze artists. Of course, nothing goes quite as planned. Sounds good, yes?
2. The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper (coming March 9)—I discovered this Australian author earlier this year and have been anxious to read more by her ever since. Starting in 1906, her newest concerns a young orphan who is taken in by philanthropist siblings. When her female guardian reacts strangely to a gallery exhibit, the girl realizes how little she really knows about the woman. She sets out to discover the enigmatic woman's back story.
3. After Alice Fell by Kim Taylor Blakemore (coming March 1)—In 1865, New Hampshire, a woman is summoned to collect her sister's body from the mental asylum where she has just died from a four-story fall off the institution's roof. The asylum directors claim their patient committed suicide, but her sister suspects something far more sinister: murder.
4. The Moonlight School by Suzanne Woods Fisher (coming February 2)—When Lucy Wilson comes to rural Kentucky in 1911 to work for the education superintendent, she is shocked to discover that most adults in the area's hill country cannot read or write. She vows to change that. Inspired by true events, this one sounds excellent.
5. In Times of Rain and War by Camron Wright (coming April 6)—Okay, so I couldn't resist including one World War II novel. I've enjoyed other books by Wright, so I'm excited about this novel, which is about a soldier who discovers a young German Jewish woman hiding in plain sight in England. A connection grows between them, but can they trust each other with their dark, dangerous secrets?
6. A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (coming February 2)—Alright, two World War II novels! This middle-grade offering stars three orphaned siblings who are desperate to stay together, despite the fact that suitable guardians are in short supply and none are looking for more mouths to feed. They're evacuated to the country, where they finally find hope in a kind village librarian. Can she keep them safe when the Nazis are already suspicious of her allegiances?
7. The Fabergé Secret by Charles Belfoure (coming January 5)—Set in Russia, 1906, this novel concerns the persecution of Jews and the couple who determines to do something about it, despite the risks.
8. Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh (coming May 4)—I can't find a lot of information about this middle-grade novel, but I know it's set during the Korean War. The cover is very similar to Brother's Keeper, so I'm guessing it tells a parallel story. Before picking up Brother's Keeper, I'd never read a book about the Korean experience during the war—I definitely want to learn more.
9. Mazie by Melanie Crowder (coming February 23)—This YA novel set during the 1950s is about a Nebraska teen who's unexpectedly given the opportunity to pursue her dream of performing on Broadway. Intimidated by the noisy city and the frustration of actually making it in the Big Apple, she has to decide whether to persist with her dream or leave it all behind and return to the life she left behind.
10. Tidewater Bride by Laura Frantz (coming January 5)—Unlike most residents of Virginia colony, Selah Hopewell has no interest in marriage. It's ironic, then, that she's put in charge of a group of tobacco brides who are being shipped in to marry Virginia's many tobacco barons. The last thing Selah is expecting is her own romance ...
There you have it, ten soon-to-be-released historical novels that I'm looking forward to. Do you enjoy hist fic? Which up-and-comers are you excited about? Who's your favorite writer of historical fiction? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
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