Top 10 Tuesday: Newest Books on my TBR

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme, that was created by The Broke and the Bookish .

Lately I have been adding more books to my "Books I Want to Read" board on Pinterest instead of adding them to my Goodreads TBR shelf. The reason for this is because I have an idea that I would like to use my Goodreads TBR shelf more specifically for books I have already in line to read and leave my Pinterest board as a catch all for the rest. Does anyone else do this or something similar? Would love to hear your thoughts on how other readers organize their shelves.

Anyway on to the latest books I've added to my "Books I want to Read" board:

1. Minding the Manor: The Memoir of a 1930's English Maid by Mollie Moran

   
   
   

2. The White Lie by Andrea Gillies

   
   
   
   
      
   
   
   
   
    

3. Land Girls by Angela Huth 

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

4. Cavendon Hall: A Novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford

   
   
   
   

5. The Doris Day Vintage Film Club by Fiona Harper

   
   
   

6. The Waiting (Lancaster County Secrets #2) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

   
   
   
   
   
   

7. The Search (Lancaster County Secrets #3) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

   
   
    
   
   

    8. The Little Flower Shop by the Sea by Ali McNamara

   
   
   
   
   

   9. The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance by Kirsty Greenwood

   
   
   
   
   

   10. The Loop by Edmund Burry

   
   
   
   
   
   What do you think of my list? Have you read any of these? Leave me a message in the comments. Also if you participated in this weeks Top 10 Tuesday don't forget to include your link so I can check it out.
   
   
   PS: Is anyone else having trouble with formatting on Blogger tonight or is it just me? This post took me forever to complete!
   

Finding Me by Kathryn Cushman

Image from Goodreads

Title: Finding Me
Author: Kathryn Cushman
To Be Published: April 2015
Published By: Bethany House Publishers
Format Read: ARC, Ebook, Kobo
Genre: Contemporary, Christian Fiction
Read: March 27 2015
Rating: 3.5/5

I was sent an ARC of Finding Me by Kathryn Cushman, by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

After the tragic death of her father and step-mother, Kelli is left with the task of sorting through their family home and preparing it for sale. All her life she was led to believe that her mother and two siblings died in a fire when she was a baby. However while cleaning out her father’s safe she learns the shocking truth that he had been lying to her all along. In fact her family were alive and had been living in Tennessee all along. Her real name wasn’t even Kelli and his wasn’t Don. Finding Me follows the young woman on a journey which leads Kelli to her place of birth in search of answers as to why her father made the terrible decisions he did. 

The mystery of why a man would fake not only his own death but that of his infant daughter as well, drew me in instantly. I couldn’t wait to see how the story unfolded, as there were many different avenues the author could have taken the story. Although this book is full of tragedy and heartache, it is considered Christian fiction so it isn’t overly heavy and it certainly isn’t vulgar or violent. While it is true that I do enjoy edgier stories from time to time, reading this was refreshing and those characteristics would have taken away from the true meaning the author was trying to convey. This was about a young woman trying to find herself at a time in her life when her world was turned upside down. I found the characters to be interesting, especially Kenmore an old friend of Kelli’s father. The pace of the writing made for a quick read. 

My one pet peeve regarding Finding Me was in the formatting. However this is due in part it being an ARC version. Hopefully there will be more of a definition between the narration and journal entries in the finished book. 

Without giving too much away, a romance develops between two of the characters, which I found to be unnecessary to the story. Perhaps I feel this way because it was introduced so late in the book. There were times throughout the story that I went almost too smoothly, which felt unrealistic, but I tried to ignore those instances because I enjoyed the story too much to let myself nitpick. 

In closing I really did enjoy reading Finding Me and I would consider reading more from this author in the future. I would recommend it to those who enjoy contemporary Christian fiction. Although it is an adult book, its content would be suitable for young adult readers to enjoy as well.

Books in the Movies: The Longest Ride

Last year sometime I learned that one of my favourite Nicholas Sparks books was being turned into a movie! I have yet to be let down by any of the previous book to movie versions by this author so naturally I have been eagerly awaiting its release. 

 

Here is a recap about the book, taken from my review that I posted a while back:

Image from Goodreads

Nicholas Sparks book The Longest Ride combines two different love stories into one.

The first follows an old man named Ira, who is trapped in his car following an accident that took him down over an embankment during a snow storm. During this time he reminisces about his life, dreaming he is speaking with his deceased wife Ruth. Readers are taken back to their teenage years when the couple met before WWII, up until after her death in the early 2000's.

The second story takes place in modern day and follows a college student named Sophia, who meets and falls in love with a bull rider by the name of Luke. Coming out of retirement after a very serious accident in the ring, Luke is competing once again in a race to save his family's ranch from foreclosure.

Check out my full review here.  

I got even more excited when I learned that actor Jack Huston was going to be in the movie as a young Ira. I have been a fan of his since I first saw him as wounded war veteran Richard Harrow on Boardwalk Empire. 

Image from www.Nerdest.com

Unlike on the show, we get to see his full face in this movie. 

Also staring in The Longest Ride are: Britt Robertson, Scott Eastwood, Alan Alda and Oona Chaplin.

It will be coming to a theater near you on April 10 2015!

Now I just have to find someone to go with me, ha.

Top 10 Tuesday: Books from my childhood I would like to reread

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme, hosted by The Broke and theBookish.

The topic for this weeks 10 Ten Tuesday is books from my childhood that I would like to reread.

Here is my list in no particular order:

1. The Witch at Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

This is a book from my childhood that I still pick up and read every so many years. I’m looking forward to revisiting Kit Tyler’s story about life in a Puritan Connecticut Colony. 

2. Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman

Something from Nothing isn’t a novel but a story book that I read over and over again as a child. It is an old Jewish story about a boy, his grandfather and a blanket, with beautiful illustrations from Phoebe Gilman. 

3. The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder 

I know for sure that I read Little House in the Big Woods (and reread just last year) and Little House on the Prairie, but I can’t remember for sure if I completed the series. Either way I would like to read and re-read them all again. 

4. Booky: A Trilogy

One of my all- time favourite books about a young girl growing up during the Great Depression in Toronto.  Over the years my original copy got lost, so I was really excited when I found it in a library book sale a while back. 

5. The Guests of War Trilogy by Kit Pearson

Another one of my favourite set in Toronto. However this one takes place during WWII. I also re-read this book every couple of years. 

6. The Anne of Green Gables Series by LM Montgomery

I am only missing 2 books from this collection: Book #7 Rainbow Valley and #9 The Road to Yesterday. 

7. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch  

Again another storybook, not novel but my list wouldn’t be complete without it. Love you Forever is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. I can’t wait to be able to read it to my children someday. 

8. Heidi by Johanna Spyri

A wonderful classic. 

9. The Princess Diaries Series by Meg Cabot

This is a YA series but one that I would say really kick started my love for reading. I own the whole series with the exception of the newest book that has yet to be released. Whenever a new book would come out I’d re-read the entire series all over again. 

10. The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop

I can’t say I remember too much about this book, but I do remember one of my teachers reading it to the class and finding it exciting. 

Did you participate in this weeks Top 10 Tuesday? If so leave me a comment with your link, I'd love to check it out.