You stage a fake relationship and end up falling in love.
You’ve found multiple dead bodies in your small town.
Your pet shows an affinity for solving crimes.
Your town has an abnormal amount of really attractive people.
You find out that you have magical powers.
You eat cupcakes all day and never exercise, yet never gain an ounce.
You end up in multiple love triangles
You inherit a mansion from a relative you never knew existed
You have no training, but find clues trained detectives overlook
Top Five Wednesday is a Goodreads group where people respond to different bookish prompts each week. This week’s prompt: surprising reads
2. Red White & Royal Blue
America’s first son falls in love with a British Prince. This premise sounded like a fluff read to me. But, I was pleasantly surprised by how the romance and characters developed.
3. The Midnight Library
This is a fantasy novel, but I was surprised by its relevance. Anyone who has ever wondered about the road not taken will appreciate this book, and let go of regret.
4. Under the Whispering Door
I knew from the description that I was going to like this book, but I was surprised by just how much I liked it. This book has such an important message about life, and style manages to make you laugh out loud.
5. Educated
This story would be surprising even if it was fiction.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is “Book Merchandise I’d Love to Own”. I had fun looking for ideas. Rather than just pick ten products, I chose ten categories of items I like and found some examples with a book theme.
Examples:
2. Book Journals
Examples:
3. Fun socks
4. e-reader covers
5. Scented Candles
6. Tea
7. Earrings
8. Christmas Ornaments
9. Mugs
10. Board Games
Welcome to Top 5 Wednesday! Hosted by Goodreads T5W group this week it is swoon worthy books.
#SixforSunday is a meme hosted by A Little But A Lot . The April prompts are not posted yet. Since I didn’t join in until March, I decided to go back to a February prompt: Favorite picture books. It’s was very difficult for me to narrow it down to six books. It constantly amazes me how picture book authors and illustrators can squeeze so much meaning and beauty into a limited amount of words and pictures. These books all have a strong theme with a unique perspective.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy
My Thoughts:
This is the third book I’ve read by Bardugo. Her world building is so thorough that it can take a few chapters to understand. Once you understand the world, the books are amazing. Since Alina didn’t initially know about her powers, the reader is learning about the Grisha world along with her. There are so many twists and ambiguous characters and situations, that I couldn’t stop reading. I am especially fascinated by the Darkling and can’t wait to see how the character develops throughout the series.
You Might like this book if books….
on the edge of YA and adult
with complex, original, magical worlds
where characters discover hidden powers
Here are more of my favorite reads of 2022: Favorite Reads of 2022
Spring is in the air, and it’s time to look at the new books coming out in April. These are the books that have caught my eye. What new releases are excited about?
Release Date: April 5
Karter is a venture capitalist and Dreamy’s goal is to win the lottery. Looks like a fun opposites-attract contemporary romance.
Release Date: April 5
In the 1880’s Daiyu is kidnapped from China and smuggled to America. She spends the years that follow continually reinventing herself.
Release Date: April 5
Hotel Magnifique appears in a different location every morning. Despite its whimsical presence, there are dark secrets hidden within. Jani is determined to unravel the mystery. This sounds similar to The Night Circus.
Release Date: April 5
This is book 17 in the Sebastian St. Cyr series. I am only a few books into the series, but it is one my favorite historical mysteries series. If you haven’t read any of the books, I would recommend starting at the beginning, What Angels Fear. While the mysteries can stand alone, there’s a lot of family history and character development that evolves throughout the series.
Release Date: April 19
Amish fiction is a great option when looking for a clean romance., and I can never resist a book featuring bookstores or libraries.
Release Date: April 19
I always enjoy books set during WWII. They have such a strong message of survival. This story is based on a real department store during WWII.
Release Date: April 19
It’s a good month for historical mysteries. The Lady Darby series is another of my favorites. Again, I would recommend starting with book 1, The Anatomist’s Wife.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is “21st century books destined to be classics”.
When selecting books for this list, I asked myself several questions. What characteristics do classics share? (Universal themes, engaging writing, intriguing characters) What books would people still enjoy reading 100 years from now? If I were teaching a class on 21st century books, what would I assign?
I’m listing The Lightning Thief because it’s book one, but the entire Percy Jackson series is destined to be a classic. Children’s adventure stories never go out of style.
There are so many historical fiction novels about WWII, but this is so beautifully written it is destined to stand the test of time.
While the Percy Jackson books are fun look at Greek Mythology aimed at middle grader readers, Circe is a darker, adult view. I can see this being read in college English classes to look at how our views of mythology have evolved.
Half of a Yellow Sun is set in Africa in the 1960’s as colonialism is coming to an end and Nigeria is being established as an independent republic. Prior to the 21st century, African history was virtually ignored in literature. This book is a perfect example of a modern classic.
This novel stayed with me long after I finished reading. It’s modern but has the feel of classic Hitchcock tale.
This is both one of the funniest and one of saddest books I’ve ever read. Already made into a movie, it’s destined to be a classic.
Even though it’s set in the 1970’s and 80’s, the Alaskan setting gives the feel of the classic pioneer spirit ingrained in American lore, with contemporary issues dealt with head-on.
Coming of Age stories make for great classics. This is a mysterious, thought-provoking book, no matter your religious beliefs.
I think that when scholars look back at hallmarks of 21st century writing, one of the dominant themes will be books about strong women told in dual timelines. This one is set on the island of Jeju in Korea and tells the story of female divers.
Like most classics, the movie didn’t do this book justice. It was twist after twist after twist, that kept the reader guessing the entire time.
Top Five Wednesday is a Goodreads group where people respond to different bookish prompts each week. This week’s prompt: first in series. There are so many series I love, it was hard to decide. I tried to vary genre and avoided obvious picks like Harry Potter and Hunger Games.
This is my favorite historical romance series. I like everyone of the heroes and heroines and while the way the couples get together may not be conventional. They do treat each other with respect and make an effort to make their relationships work instead of wasting a lot of time on misunderstandings that fill so many historical romances.
Yelena is saved from execution with an offer to become the court food taster. Under the watchful eye of the chief of security, it’s her job to test all food being served to the Commander and detect any poisons. I love this series. It’s full of action and there are so many fascinating characters.
Graced with the skill of killing, Katsa is the king’s assassin. The books in this series are connected, but can be read on their own as well.
This series definitely wins the prize for best opening line. The Lady Julia Grey series has it all: History, mystery, romance, humor and a character with psychic abilities. Did I mention Nicholas Brisbane? One of the greatest leading men ever!
The Stephanie Plum series might be the funniest series ever written. It has one of the craziest casts of characters ever created and a love triangle where you like all three characters.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly prompt hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl . This week’s promt is books with adjectives in the title.
What are your favorite books with adjectives in the title?
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