Carol

Winter Reading Season

December 18, 2018

top ten tuesday

I’m linking up today with That Artsy Reader Girl: Top Ten Tuesday: Winter TBR and…

A Month of Favorites TwithTand with Traveling With T (and Girlxoxo and Estella’s Revenge) for A Month Of Faves: Winter Reading.  If you’ve clicked over from Artsy Reader Girl or Traveling With T, Welcome! I hope you enjoy your visit.

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Winter TBR

snowmen

(The last five are ARCs)

leadership in turbulent times

Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It’s the selection for my IRL book club and my hubs wants to read it too.
Genre: Non Fiction, Biography, History, U.S. Presidents
***UPDATE. 4 Stars. Full Review Here

snowmen

84 Charing Cross Road

Duchess of Bloomsbury Street

84, Charing Cross Road and its sequel The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff (I’m committed to following through with 84, Charing Cross Road so I don’t embarrass myself by putting it on yet another TBR).
Genre: Non Fiction, Books About Books, Memoir
***UPDATE: Charing Cross Road: 3 Stars. Goodreads Review Here.
***UPDATE: The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. 3 Stars (not reviewed)
Bottom line: after years of anticipation, these classic reads didn’t quite measure up to my expectations. I liked them but didn’t love them.

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Front Desk

Front Desk by Kelly Yang is a Middle Grade Selection and is a diverse read. (I love great MG fiction for a nice change of pace!)
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade
***UPDATE: 3.5 Stars. GoodReads Review Here.

snowmen

Lost Man

The Lost Man by Jane Harper (author of The Dry and Force of Nature. I’m counting on this being a solid mystery read.
Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery
***UPDATE: 3 Stars. I am disappointed in this because it’s a little dark (although still very well written). See my Goodreads review here.

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The following are all ARCS (advanced readers copies) that I’ll be reading during the winter….listed in order of release date…..only one releases in winter….three release in spring and one in the summer. Reviews will be written close to publication dates. Titles are affiliate Amazon links where you can find more information.

Learning to See

Learning to See by Elise Hooper (author of The Other Alcott)
Publication Date: January 22, 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction, Biographical, Photography
***UPDATE: 4.5 Stars. Full Review Here.

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The Beautiful Strangers

The Beautiful Strangers by Camille Di Maio (author of The Way of Beauty)
Publication Date: March 5, 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction
***UPDATE: Full Review Here.

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Last Year of the War

The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner (author of As Bright as Heaven)
Publication Date: March 19, 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction
***UPDATE: 4 Stars. Full Review Here.

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Lost Roses

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly (author of Lilac Girls) …. prequel to the Lilac Girls and is the story of Caroline’s mother
Publication Date: April 9, 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction
***UPDATE: 5 Stars. Full Review Here.

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Things You Save In a Fire

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center (author of How to Walk Away)
ARC: Publication Date: August 13, 2019
Genre: Fiction, Chick Lit (we’ll see how this goes!), Romance
***UPDATE: 3 Stars. Not my usual genre but it was engaging and features some snappy writing even though it was predictable with instalove and beautiful people. Goodreads Review Here.

winter reading
That’s TEN. Of course I’ll get distracted by other reads, too!

Happy Reading Book Worms

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

Looking Ahead:

Friday, I’ll post my review of Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed. Isn’t the cover striking?! This is a Middle Grade historical fiction selection and a diverse read.

Amal Unbound

Links

Check Out My Gift Ideas For the Readers on Your Holiday Shopping List!

“Everyone Gets a Book!”

gift stack of books

In movie news….

Reese Witherspoon to produce “Where the Crawdads Sing”!

Sharing is Caring

Thank you for reading today! I’d be honored and thrilled if you choose to enjoy and follow along, promote, and/or share my blog. Every share helps us grow.

Reading Challenges: Thinking Ahead to 2019

Have you ever considered a reading challenge? Here are the reading challenges I’m considering for the 2019 reading year. The first three are wonderful challenges for any reader. The last one is geared toward reviewers who are members of NetGalley or Edelweiss.

Modern Mrs Darcy 2019 Reading Challenge (very broad, doable categories that might provide some stretch in your reading life)

Goodreads Reading Challenge (determine how many books you’d like to read and track them through the Goodreads app)….the 2019 challenge will be available at the first of the year. Are we friends on Goodreads?

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge (especially great for bloggers and reviewers who want monthly link up opportunities)

NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge (link up opportunities for members of NetGalley and Edelweiss)

 Let’s Discuss

Please share what’s at the top of your winter TBR in comments!

Are you finding time to read in December?!

It’s time to start thinking about your best read of the year!

***Blogs posts may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I can earn a small percentage of your purchase price.

Unless explicitly stated that they are free, all books that I review have been purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

Book Cover and author photo are credited to Amazon or an author’s (or publisher’s) website.

53 comments

  6. I’m done teaching for the year starting Thursday night, so I’m definitely getting some more December reading in! Thanks for highlighting Front Desk, it sounds perfect for my 9yo.

    Reply

    • I hope this isn’t a duplicate reply….my first one disappeared 😩 …….
      Please come back and tell me how your daughter liked it! I’m always curious to hear from the target audience ❤️📚 Thanks for commenting and happy December reading!

      Reply

  7. Thank you for alerting me to new books to put on hold (Susan Meissner’s new one and Martha Hall Kelly’s new one) as well as to a sequel to 84, Charing Cross Road which I LOVED and just put on hold at my library. My December reading has been going really well thus far! The best book I’ve read thus far this month is The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. Such a good powerful read.

    Reply

    • Thanks for the rec for The Great Believers….I’ll look that up 👍 Thanks for commenting and I’m wishing you continued happy December reading!

      Reply

  8. I hope you enjoy 84 Charing Cross Road as much as I did! It remains a favorite years and years later. 🙂

    Reply

    • I’m almost sure I’ll be reviewing it on the blog because her last 2 were solid 4 stars ….but if not on the blog, definitely goodreads! I was denied an ARC so now I need to buy it or wait for my library hold😩 Thanks for commenting!

      Reply

      • Good luck! I’ve been on eternal library hold for The Hate You Give. Thankfully, my sister called me yesterday and said she has it and will give it to me when she’s done! I love the hold system at the library, but when it’s a long wait it can make me want to cry.

      • I’m happy to hear you’ll soon be reading THUG! I hope you enjoy it.
        If my FOMO gets out of hand sometimes I’ll break down and buy the book….but then my library hold becomes available immediately 😩 #bookprobs

  12. Thanks Carol!! Got some of these down on my library search list (although I’ll have to wait for a few). This week I’m reading The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield– I’ve heard her speak on youtube– fascinating life. And then my friend Jenni does thee 1 night book clubs. She hands out a book to about 20 ladies and then we all show up at her house for dinner to talk it through. She’s done it 12 times now and each time she picks different people from church who would enjoy the book’s topic. For January supper, I’m reading Just Open the Door by Jen Schmidt, on Christian hospitality. I was in on her first one– Jen Hatmaker’s For the Love, and it was a great evening with mostly younger women, some of whom I’d never met– taking it all through. Anyway, those 2 are first on my list for January. Happy Reading Friend! xo

    Reply

    • This sounds like fun reading! And interesting to form a book club for one night and one book! Great way for women in a large church to get acquainted with others! Does this person buy all the books herself or is she working from a budget for this?

      I remember the first book I read on hospitality was Open Heart Open Home by Karen Maines……it was really popular! Did you ever read it?

      I think January is a great month for reading! Wishing you happy Reading with minimal interruptions! Thanks for commenting!

      Reply

      • Hi Carol– Yes and yes! She does have the budge from Women’s ministries to supply people with the books. I think it’s worthwhile to get women talking and to form some new relationships. And– have read Open Heart, have a copy on my shelf still. So practical and oriented toward really caring for people. You’re reminding me to look it over again. thanks! xo

      • I think literature is a wonderful idea for connecting people!

        I have one concept imprinted in my heart from Open Heart and that is that your Home is a place where people are welcomed to freely and safely tell their stories.

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