Top Ten Tuesday: The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.    

Welcome back to Tuesday! I hope you're having a fabulous week. I spent yesterday editing and proofreading, then dabbling in real estate. Today, it is back to real estate full time. 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is so much fun. I used a list randomizer to create a list of the 296 books in my 2023 TBR Pile spreadsheet. These are the first ten in the list in order. 

This is a Christmas devotional. I like its smaller size, so that I can tuck it into a bag and read it when I have a few quiet moments. Because it has such a beautiful cover, I often bring it downstairs during the holidays and display it.

This is Melissa Gilbert's second memoir. In it, Gilbert shares how she and her husband bought a rustic house in the Catskills and how that experience changed her life. I've started reading this book, but haven't gotten too far simply because I have to keep breaking away to read review books. Hopefully, I will read it this summer.

In the early days of returning to the fulltime workforce, I held onto the silly notion that I would read at the same level as I did before. So, I subscribed to Harlequin home shipments. It didn't take me long to realize that even though I love cowboy romances, they aren't the first genre I will choose with my limited reading time. I would still like to read this one.

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic happened in 2012. As a result, numerous novels using this historic event in some way entered the market. This historical novel had a dual-time plot. Right now, it is sitting in my closet in a box, but I really want to read it because the plot sounds fascinating. 

I think this contemporary romance is also part of a series that I received via mail order. Even now when I read the synopsis, it draws me in. This one makes me think of Hallmark movies.

This young adult historical mystery features a young Emily Dickinson taking a turn at playing sleuth. I've always been a fan of MacColl's books, but I don't read as many as I should.  

I won this murder mystery years ago, along with a bunch of others. Most of them I have never read, which makes me feel like a total jerk, but they are still on my list of books to read. 

I find it interesting that the random list generator chose two books from the same author. These two are from the year I was on Vannetta Chapman's launch team; an experience that made me realize I won't be a good launch team candidate until I am retired. :) Chapman is such a prolific writer that I could never keep up. After the year was over, I didn't even try. 

Deep Shadows is a Christian dystopian novel, the first in The Remnant series. 

Sarah's Orphans is an Amish romance. It is the third book in her Plain and Simple Miracles series. I read the first two books and thoroughly enjoyed them. 

No matter how hard I try, I can't place how I came to own this book. My best guess is I found it on sale at Walmart. This Christian living title has been in print since 1983. 

Have you read any of these books? If you did, what were your thoughts? 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Apr 17

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.   

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.      

Χριστός ἀνέστη - Christ is Risen, my fellow Orthodox Easter friends. I hope you had a wonderful holiday. 

When we lost my father-in-law three years ago on Easter Monday, I didn't really think about how glorious it was to be welcomed home during the holiest week of the year. Now, having lost my mother-in-law during the same season, that thought is more front and center. 

Though we didn't celebrate with family this weekend (one daughter was working and the other is back at college, plus the nephew had double header baseball games), I spent Saturday and Sunday poring over family photos to prepare for my in-laws' celebration of life we will hold on May 13, which would have been their 67th wedding anniversary. On Sunday, our son took us out to dinner at a local Italian restaurant that we had never tried, which was outstanding. We will definitely be back. 

I had a rare weekend off. Though I answered texts, I didn't really work much. It will be a busy four days before Paul and I head to North Carolina to see the Lil' Princess' dance show at UNCW. Then we will return the first weekend in May to pack her up and bring her home for the summer. I am so excited to have her back!

Because I didn't work, I managed to get a good amount of reading done. I am totally engrossed in The Vanishing at Castle Moreau. The author easily moves this dual-time period tale of two women who find themselves surrounded by the darkness at Castle Moreau. I am sure I'll be giving it a 5-star review on April 24. 

I didn't read from this book during the week, as I've been spending more time in prayer. 

I posted a review of this personal growth book last week. You can read that here.

This has been a captivating read as well.

There is an e-book giveaway that runs through April 27th for a copy of An Accomplished Woman by Suzan Lauder. Please leave a comment here for your chance to enter and win. 

These two are next for May 1 and May 29 tours. 

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jamie Jo Wright - Apr 24 (review)
• The Shade Under the Mango Tree by Evy Journey - Apr 27
• The Not So True Adventures of Brandon, Josh and Adam by Barry M. Fellinger - May 1 (review at TC&TBC)
• Crossing A Fine Line by W. L. Brooks - May 9
• The Giving Back Tree by Tarky Lee - May 29 (review at TC&TBC)

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

No new books this week, but I added this one to my Goodreads Want to Read List recently.

A riveting story of World War II and the courage of one young woman as she is drafted into Churchill’s overseas spy network, aiding the French Resistance behind enemy lines and working to liberate Nazi-occupied Paris… 

 London, 1941: In a cramped bunker in Winston Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms, underneath Westminster’s Treasury building, civilian women huddle at desks, typing up confidential documents and reports. Since her parents were killed in a bombing raid, Rose Teasdale has spent more hours than usual in Room 60, working double shifts, growing accustomed to the burnt scent of the Prime Minister’s cigars permeating the stale air. Winning the war is the only thing that matters, and she will gladly do her part. And when Rose’s fluency in French comes to the attention of Churchill himself, it brings a rare yet dangerous opportunity. 

Rose is recruited for the Special Operations Executive, a secret British organization that conducts espionage in Nazi-occupied Europe. After weeks of grueling training, Rose parachutes into France with a new codename: Dragonfly. Posing as a cosmetics saleswoman in Paris, she ferries messages to and from the Resistance, knowing that the slightest misstep means capture or death.

Soon Rose is assigned to a new mission with Lazare Aron, a French Resistance fighter who has watched his beloved Paris become a shell of itself, with desolate streets and buildings draped in Swastikas. Since his parents were sent to a German work camp, Lazare has dedicated himself to the cause with the same fervor as Rose. Yet Rose’s very loyalty brings risks as she undertakes a high-stakes prison raid, and discovers how much she may have to sacrifice to justify Churchill’s faith in her . . . 

That's it for me this week. I will be out and about this morning, but will check in later in the afternoon. Hope you have a great week!

First Chapter Review: Murder in Devil's Cove by Melissa Bourbon

 

I won a copy of this Outer Banks murder mystery from a Goodreads giveaway.

BLURB: After twenty years, Pippin Lane Hawthorne and her twin brother, Grey, return to their birth place—the Outer Banks island of Devil’s Cove. But what was supposed to be a chance at a new life turns sinister when their father’s old fishing boat reveals a dark secret.

Now Pippin must embrace her fate as a bibliomancer and learn how to ‘read’ the books she’s always shied away from. Only then will she be able to discover the truth about what really happened to her parents and continue their efforts to break the curse that has haunted the Lane family for two thousand years.

COVER:  What an awesome cover! It speaks to the genre, plot, and setting. I like the font color for the title and author name. 

FIRST CHAPTER: Twins Pippin and Grey return to their family's Outer Banks home after two decades away. Hesitant at first, Grey agrees with his sister that they can restore their childhood home. 

KEEP READING: Let me just say: if I didn't have review book commitments, I would stop everything I am reading to continue with this book. The author knows her setting and easily blends it into the storyline as the reader dives into a riveting prologue followed by a fabulous opening chapter. It is in that prologue readers learn of the Lane curse and get insight into Pippin and Grey's mother. The first chapter opens twenty years later, with Pippin and Grey back at their childhood home. The author brings forth all the emotions a return to your childhood home would conjure up. This looks like it will be an amazing story.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B088J48JY8
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lake House Press (September 22, 2020)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 22, 2020
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 2378 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 316 pages

This First Chapter Review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Mar 6

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.   

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.     

Happy first Monday of March, everyone! It roared in as a lion for us, giving us more of the white stuff. Thankfully, this week will be drier. 

I am thrilled to have the Lil' Princess home on spring break. It makes such a difference in  my mood when both girls are home. 

In my reading world, I finished this one yesterday. Look for my review today. 

In the mornings, I am now reading from this John Maxwell book.

I also pick up these from time to time.

I did something I never do--I returned a book to Audible. Napoleon Hill remains an admired and respected leader, and his Laws of Success preceded his famous Think and Grow Rich book. However, some of the wording in defining The Laws of Success doesn't hold up well to modern audiences. I simply couldn't go further, because I found it distracting. 

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman - Mar 13
• The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jamie Jo Wright - Apr 24 (review)

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

This book, which I will be reviewing in April, arrived earlier than expected.

In 1865, orphaned Daisy Francois takes a position as housemaid at a midwestern Wisconsin castle and finds that the reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress inside hides more than the harrowing tales in her novels. With women disappearing from the area and a legend that seems to parallel these eerie circumstances, Daisy is thrust into a web that may threaten to steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of American aristocratic family the Tremblays to help his matriarchal grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman's stashes of collectibles, a century-old mystery of disappearance, insanity, and the dust of the old castle's curse threatens to rise again, and this time, leave no one alive to tell its sordid tale.

Fan-favorite Jaime Jo Wright draws readers into a seamlessly woven dual-time tale of suspense, mystery, romance, and redemption.

That's it from me this week. Hope you are enjoying and sharing some great books.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Feb 13

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.   

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.     

Welcome to Monday! I hope you had a lovely week. Mine was good. Hectic, but good. Though the real estate market is shifting, we are still seeing price gains here and multiple offers due to low inventory. The dip in interest rates has helped with that. 

On Saturday, I went to a local production of Clue. This fabulous local theater used the game of Clue to create a fun and engaging whodunit. If you want to read more about Exit 7 Players, you can find them here. I also finished formatting and editing the first book in a planned series for one of my author friends. 

In my reading world, things are chugging along. After finishing 365 Thank Yous, I grabbed this book on Audible and have made it half way through. 

I finished Family Gatherings at Promise Lodge on Saturday night. Look for my review on February 20 during Hubbard's virtual book tour. 

These two are next. 

I definitely want to do more reviewing and blogging at my children's book blog. 

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• The Menagerie by Julie Willmore - Feb 15
• Family Gatherings at Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard - Feb 20 (review)
• Interview with Thomas White, Author of The Siren's Scream - Feb 22
• Kiss My Boots by Jennifer Learmont - Feb 23
• The Code by Sean Keefer - Mar 6 (review)
• Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman - Mar 13

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I grabbed this book on Audible as I continue my professional development for 2023. I am enjoying it so far, but somehow the narrator is stating chapters that are three or more chapters behind what it shows me on the screen. The book only has 14 chapters and an epilogue, but according to Audible I am on Chapter 15 with an hour left. :) Sounds like the narrator is right and the text is wrong. 

Drawing on Zen philosophy and his expertise in the martial art of aikido, bestselling author George Leonard shows how the process of mastery can help us attain a higher level of excellence and a deeper sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in our daily lives.

Whether you're seeking to improve your career or your intimate relationships, increase self-esteem or create harmony within yourself, this inspiring prescriptive guide will help you master anything you choose and achieve success in all areas of your life. In Mastery, you'll discover:

• The 5 Essential Keys to Mastery
• Tools for Mastery
• How to Master Your Athletic Potential 
• The 3 Personality Types That Are Obstacles to Mastery
• How to Avoid Pitfalls Along the Path
• and more...

I still have this month's Audible credit to use, but I haven't decided what I want to listen to next. 

That is it for me today. If you have any recommendations for personal development books or children's books, I am open to hearing them. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Jan 30

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.   

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.     

Welcome to the end of January. I hope your year started off well. It has been a great year so far. I'm learning new things, focusing on professional development, and eager to see what 2023 brings. We already know we will be facing changes, but change can be a good thing... even if it doesn't seem so at the time.

Thanks to Audible, I finished listening to this book and started my latest download. You can read my review of Creating Magic here.

I am nine chapters into this one.

Last week, I reviewed this thriller. You can read my review here!

I also posted a First Chapter Review of the coming of age novel, Alchemy, by Mike Wood on Friday. You can check the review out here.

I have started Charlotte Hubbard's new book and these other two are next. 

Upcoming virtual book tours:

• Dead Heat to Destiny by J. B. Rivard - Feb 7
• Family Gatherings at Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard - Feb 20
• Kiss My Boots by Jennifer Learmont - Feb 23
• The Code by Sean Keefer - Mar 6
• Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman - Mar 13

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Most of that mountain of books I ordered with a gift card from Barnes & Noble arrived on Saturday. Which ones of these have you read? 

Now, I just need to fit some of these into my reading schedule. Which do you think I should start with first?