Tag Archives: favorite reads

Top Ten Tuesday: Living up to the hype… or not.

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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books I Read/Avoided Because of the Hype (and did you make the right choice?).

The hype machine can be crazy at times, and my first instinct is usually to avoid books where it’s in overdrive. You know the ones — the books that everyone seems to be gushing about at all possible times. And yet, sometimes those books end up being just what I need, despite my initial hesitation.

My list is focused on hyped books that I’ve read… some with good results, and some definitely the opposite.

These ultra-hyped books did not work for me:

  • Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros: I disliked so much about this book.
  • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: I know people loved this book, but it never clicked for me. In general, I don’t do well with books about people performing magic in this way. What are the rules? What are the limits? I didn’t buy into it at all.
  • It End with Us by Colleen Hoover: Hiding the fact that this book is about an abusive relationship is just one of its many faults.
  • Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: Promoting this book as laugh-out-loud funny and then starting it off with a rape scene is not okay.
  • The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: I liked the sound of the setup, but too many coincidences sank this story for me.

Not to fear! Some much-hyped books really deserve all the buzz and more! Among my favorites:

  • Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto: This book is so silly and over the top, but really hits the spot when you need something ridiculous to escape into.
  • Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: Tears! Tears everywhere! And I couldn’t put it down.
  • The Martian by Andy Weir: I feel like a lot of books have tried to mimic the vibe of The Martian in the years since it was published, but the hype about this book was so well deserved.
  • Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree: Loved everything about this cozy fantasy.
  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid: I couldn’t decide which of these two books to include on this week’s list… so added them both! I feel like these two books pushed TJR into a whole new level of hype… and amazing writing.
  • Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: When the buzz was building for this book, I scoffed. How could I possibly enjoy a book about gaming? Fortunately, the hype for this one was spot on, and I’m so glad I read it. One of the best books of 2022.

Yes, that’s more than ten books in all. I just couldn’t narrow down the second part of my list!

Which hyped books worked for you? Which didn’t?

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books With One-Word Titles

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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books With One-Word Titles — a topic I’ve done multiple times over the years (see here, here, and here). So, the challenge for me today is finding ten MORE books with one-word titles without repeating myself!

Here’s what I’ve come up with — all books that I’ve read within the last year or so:

  1. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
  2. Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
  3. Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
  4. Reputation by Lex Croucher
  5. Waypoints by Sam Heughan
  6. Wolfsong by TJ Klune
  7. Scorpica by G. R. Macallister
  8. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
  9. Passing by Nella Larsen
  10. Anatomy by Dana Schwartz

What books made your list this week?

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Top Ten Tuesday: My daughter’s top 10 books from the past 12 months

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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week is a Freebie week, so we all come up with our own topics. I was drawing a complete blank, so I decided to enlist my daughter once again! Not only is she an amazing human being — she’s also an amazing reader, so seeing her top 10 lists is always a treat.

She originally sent me a list of 20, but put in a valiant effort and narrowed it down to 10. Here are the books she’s loved recently:

  1. Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk
  2. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
  3. The Deep by Rivers Solomon
  4. Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
  5. Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola
  6. Love Radio by Eboney LaDelle
  7. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
  8. The Street by Ann Petry
  9. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
  10. Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan

Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think? (I’ve read 3 out of 10, have one all queued up to read this summer, and have my eye on at least two more of these!)

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My Favorite Books of 2022

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Well, friends, here we are at the end of December, and that means it’s time for everyone, everywhere to share their “Best Of” lists for 2022!

I loved so many of the books I read this past year, but some really and truly stood out. Some are 2022 new releases, some are books from earlier years that just came my way in 2022, and some are books that I’ve had on my shelves but only now got around to reading.

Here is a totally subjective list of the books I loved best. (For purposes of this post, I’m excluding rereads, even though there were a few of these that were 5-star reads)

First, I’ll highlight my top 5: The five books that were special reading experiences in a variety of ways — books that introduced me to new worlds or experiences, were beautifully written, and/or delivered an emotional punch that has stayed with me ever since.

  • Fairy Tale by Stephen King: Masterful storytelling (and a very good dog) made this a delightful read.
  • True Biz by Sara Novic: This book introduced me to a world I knew little about — informative, but also just a really great story.
  • Leviathan Falls by James S. A. Corey: What can I say about a series finale that absolutely pays off with a satisfying conclusion? It brought me to tears, astonished me, and yet ended in a way that truly fit the characters and overall themes. What a series!
  • Lute by Jennifer Thorne: Haunting and beautifully written.
  • Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: I never would have expected to enjoy (much less love) a novel about video game designers. Absolutely one of the best new releases of 2022.

But these are by no means the only great books I read this past year! According to Goodreads, I gave 5-star ratings to 45 books in 2022. Here’s the rest of my favorites — not all 45 by any means, but the books I consider the best of the best:

Beyond these, there were a whole bunch of other books that I really loved too, so all in all, I’d say this was a great year for reading!

What were your favorite books of 2022? Do we have any in common?

Wishing all of us a happy and healthy 2023, filled with amazing books!

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I Read In 2021

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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Best Books I Read In 2021.

According to Goodreads, I have over 40 books that I rated 5 stars in 2021! I guess it truly was an excellent year for reading. Excluding all the re-reads in the mix, that still leaves me with way more than 10 — and since this is a situation where my list, my rules apply, I’m going to go with 20 of my favorite reads (and even that hurts my heart, having to leave out so many others!).

In no particular order, my top TWENTY books of 2021:

  1. The Fall of Koli by M. R. Carey: A fabulous wrap-up to a compelling trilogy. (review)
  2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: Everyone raved about this book, and with good reason! (review)
  3. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah: This book about the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression was a tough read, but so moving and powerful. (review)
  4. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger: Simply a beautifully written historical novel — and yet another reason to be thankful for my book group’s terrific reading choices.
  5. That Summer by Jennifer Weiner: Totally engrossing contemporary fiction. (review)
  6. Flash Fire by TJ Klune: Book #2 in the author’s Extraordinaries YA series moved me to tears and to hysterical bursts of laughter. I love these books. (review)
  7. The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette: I feel like this was an under-the-radar book for 2021, but I thoroughly enjoyed this strange apocalyptic sci-fi tale. (review)
  8. The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline: Another powerful historical novel, with a focus on transportation of British prisoners to Australia. (review)
  9. Emily of New Moon trilogy by L. M. Montgomery: These books are beautiful and optimistic and just all around wonderful. (review)
  10. Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean: This YA novel, kind of like The Princess Diaries but set in Japan, is sweet and funny and just so good. (review)
  11. The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: This author writes in so many genres, and while I’ve enjoyed quite a few of her books, I think this one is my favorite. (review)
  12. The Sweetest Remedy by Jane Igharo: Sensitive and sweet contemporary romance about family and heritage and connecting the past with the present. (review)
  13. Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon: Another great YA read! (review)
  14. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey: Ooh, this sci-fi thriller really got to me! (review)
  15. Dava Shastri’s Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti: I’m actually at about 90% as of when I’m writing this post, but I’m loving this book enough to include it on my “best of” list!
  16. Horseman by Christina Henry: Terrific, spooky retelling of the Headless Horseman legend. (review)
  17. So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow: As the subtitle says, this is a “remix” of Little Women, and it’s wonderful. (review)
  18. Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill: The aftermath of a robot uprising, starring an animatronic tiger nannybot. What more do you really need to know? (review)
  19. A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny: This is going to be my new annual Halloween tradition. (review)
  20. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict: Fascinating historical fiction about a real event in the life of Agatha Christie. (review)

I could go on… but this gives you a sense of what books I loved best in 2021.

What were your favorite books of 2021? Do we have any in common?

Share your link, and I’ll come check out your top 10!

Top Ten Tuesday: My daughter’s favorite reads from the past 12 months

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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week is a Freebie week, so we all come up with our own topics. Since my wonderful, amazing, book-loving daughter is home this week, I thought I’d make her the star, and have her pick her top 10 reads from the past year.

Here are the books she’s loved recently:

(She couldn’t quite narrow it down to 10, so here are the 11 top books!)

  1. Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg
  2. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
  3. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
  4. Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz
  5. Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
  6. Umami by Laia Jufresa
  7. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
  8. The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air trilogy) by Holly Black
  9. Good Talk by Mira Jacobs
  10. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  11. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think? (I’ve read 5 of her 11, and clearly need to read at least a few of the others!)

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