Hill, dale, mountain, valley, ocean, swamp, gorge, narrow...there are hundreds of words to describe the geographical wonders of our world. Not surprisingly, many of them show up in the titles of books. Using this list as my guide, it didn't take me long to gather a bunch of them for today's TTT prompt: Top Ten Books With Geographical Terms in the Title (suggested by Lisa at Hopewell's Public Library of Life). I tweaked it just a tad by focusing on books on my TBR list. 

If you want to join in the TTT fun (and you do!), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

1. These Silent Woods by Kami Cunningham Grant—It just so happens that my current read fits this week's topic. I'm enjoying this quietly compelling novel about a man and his 8-year-old daughter whose peaceful life in an isolated cabin is threatened by a string of events that could expose a dangerous secret from the past and destroy their idyllic existence forever. 

2. The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart—In the middle of the Depression, a desperate widow disguises herself as a man in order to get a job at a turpentine camp in Georgia. Despite the grimness of her situation, she begins to envision a new life for herself, if only she can come to terms with the sins of her past.

3. The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey—Thrillers about small towns with big secrets always appeal to me. This one concerns a Minnesota town where teenage girls are disappearing. Heather and Brenda are keeping a secret about something disturbing they saw one night. Are the incidents connected? Too scared to go to the authorities, Heather decides to investigate on her own...

4. Smile Beach Murder by Alicia Bessette—The first installment in a cozy mystery series, this one stars Callie, a woman who returns to her hometown in the Outer Banks after being laid off from her job as a reporter. Still haunted by the death of her mother, who fell from the top of the local lighthouse, Callie is shocked when another woman dies in the same manner. She doesn't believe either woman committed suicide, as the rumors suggest, so what did happen? Callie is determined to find out.

5. The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding by Lydia Kang—It's 1942 and the Fielding siblings are doing what they can for the war effort on the home front. When they discover a mysterious stranger hiding under their back stairs, they're drawn into her web, but who is she? And what does she want from them? Can they trust the enigmatic stranger or should they turn her in to the authorities?

6. On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family by Lisa See—In this non-fiction book, See tells her family's story, starting with the emigration of her great-great grandfather from China to California.

7. Loch Down Abbey by Beth Cowan-Erskine—I've mentioned this dark comedy/murder mystery set in Scotland before. It sounds clever and funny.

8. The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman—Based on a true story, this historical novel is about Sage Winters, a girl who discovers her dead sister is actually alive. Sage knew her sister was different than other people, but does she really deserve to be institutionalized at the Willowbrook State School? Sage vows to find out the truth about her sister and the infamous school for herself, no matter what it takes.

9. The Marsh House by Zoë Somerville—This dual-timeline novel tells the story of two women in different eras and the mysterious, secret-filled house that ties them together.

10. Race to the Bottom of the Sea by Lindsay Eager—This rollicking middle-grade adventure tells the tale of Fidelia Quail, an 11-year-old who's wracked by guilt after her parents are killed in an accident involving a submarine Fidelia invented. When she's kidnapped by a treasure-obssessed pirate, she must use her vast knowledge of the sea to help him find what he seeks in order to avoid walking the plank. The discovery that her pirate captor is more than he seems throws her for a loop and plunges her head-first into a puzzling mystery.

There you are, ten books with geographical terms in the titles that I want to read. Have you read any of these? What did you think? Which titles and terms are on your list today? 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!      

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

The last place 12-year-old Carol wants to spend her summer vacation is on an isolated sheep ranch in the New Mexico desert.  While her friends are lounging by the pool, she'll be sweating to death as she helps care for an elderly stranger with dementia.  Yes, Serge is her grandfather, but it's not like she's ever met him before.  Unfortunately, there's nothing she can do to change her pathetic situation—her stressed-out parents need Carol's help to clean up and sell the ranch so they can move Grandpa Serge into a care home.  

Carol doesn't take most of what Serge says seriously.  His mind is going, right?  So, why does it sting so much when he admonishes her not to spit on her Mexican heritage?  And why do his crazy stories about a healing tree and magic bees strike such a chord with her?  Grandpa Serge has no idea what he's talking about.  Or does he?  

As Carol learns to appreciate the things that matter most, she'll come to some surprising conclusions about herself, her family, and a desolate ranch that's filled with more possibility than she ever could have imagined. 

Hour of the Bees, a debut novel by Lindsay Eager, tells a compelling coming-of-age story about roots, relationships, and redemption.  Its blend of magical realism and plain ole realism makes it unique.  Carol's voice seems authentically twelve, in all of its whiny/whimsical glory.  The tale does get preachy and overly sentimental, especially toward the end.  It also has a very far-fetched finale that kind of soured the story for me.  Overall, though, Hour of the Bees makes for an enjoyable read with some important messages.  Be warned, though:  the heavy subject matter might be a tad much for more sensitive middle grade readers.

(Readalikes: Reminded me of The Time of the Butterflies by Kimberley Griffiths Little)

Grade: 

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for scary scenes/scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Hour of the Bees from the generous folks at Candlewick Press.  Thank you!