Top 10 Tuesday: Top 10 Book Soundtracks

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's Top 10 Tuesday involves book and music. I know that other bloggers may interpret this theme differently, but I decided to approach it as follows:

My Top 10 Book Soundtracks 

1. Book: Random Passage by Bernice Morgan 
Song: England by Great Big Sea

Reason for pairing: Both the book and the song tell the tale of the early days of the Newfoundland fishery. 

2. Book: The Selection (Series) by Kiera Cass

Song: Royals by Lorde

Reason for pairing: This song goes out to all the girls who were not chosen to be The One. 

3. Book: Charlie St. Could by Ben Sherwood

Song: See You Again by Carrie Underwood 

Reason for pairing: Both the book and the song are about the loss of a loved one. 

4. Book: Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin 

Song: Stay by Sugarland 

Reason for pairing: Both the book and the song is about an affair. 

5. Book: The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom
Song: My Serenade by Django Reinhardt
Reason for pairing: Django was one of the fictional Frankie Presto's biggest influences. 

6. Book: My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
Song: You Belong to Me by Jo Stafford 

Reason for pairing: Both the book and the song mention numerous locations all around the world.

7. Book: The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland by Jim Defede

Song: No Price Tags on the Doors of Newfoundland by Roy Payne

Reason for pairing: This song was mentioned in the book to describe the famous Newfoundland hospitality.

8. Book: The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Song: A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke

Reason for pairing: This song was mentioned in the book. Both are about the civil rights movements of the 1960's. 

9. Anne of Green Gables (series) by L.M. Montgomery
Song: Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Henry Burr and the Peerless Quartet
Reason for pairing: An old classic that reminds me of Anne and Gilbert

 

10. Book: A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
Song: Only Hope by Mandy Moore

 Reason for pairing: This song was on the soundtrack of the movie adaptation.

Whew this weeks topic was harder than I thought it would be, but I made it to 10. What do you think of my list? If you participated in this weeks TTT, leave me your links in the comments. I'd love to see how other bloggers answer this weeks challenge.

Sunday Wrap-up: February 14 2016

I hope that you all had a nice Valentines Day! Unfortunately I haven't been feeling too well this past week, so I slept most of the day. I woke to a nice surprise though. A beautiful bouquet of roses and some Pot of Gold Chocolates.



We are finally getting winter weather here in Ontario. As I type this it is -22 c, but feels much colder. I guess we are overdue for it. Most people are complaining about the cold and snow, but I love it. Winter is my favourite season.

Reading Progress 

As I was stuck in bed most of the week, I made some good progress with my reading. 

Books Completed  

 

I really enjoyed Heart of the Matter. This was my first time reading a book by Emily Giffin and it certainly won't be the last.

Recent Posts 

Tuesday: Book Review: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick (Rating: 3/5) 

Thursday: Book Review: The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede (Rating: 4/5)

Upcoming Posts:

Tuesday: Top 10 Tuesday: Top 10 Book Soundtracks

Thursday: Book Review: Steak in a Drawer by Eric Conroy 

What are you currently reading? I'd love to hear from you. Leave me a message down in the comments.
Hope you all have a great week to come.

Hosted by: Book Date

Hosted by: Caffeinated Book Reviewer

 

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede

Title: The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland
Author: Jim Defede
Published: September 3, 2002
Published By: William Morrow
Format Read: Hardcover
Genre: Non-fiction
Date Read: January 7 2016
Rating: 4/5 

On September 11, 2001 the world as we knew it was forever changed in the event of the terrorist attacks on the United States. At the time of these attacks there were a large number of planes in flight heading toward different cities in the country. 38 of these planes, their crew and its passengers were diverted to the Canadian province of Newfoundland. More specifically, the town of Gander in the central area of the island. In Defede’s The Day the World Came to Town, he tells of the experiences the “plane people” had and the locals who accepted them with their warm Newfoundland hospitality. 

Image from Huffington Post shows diverted planes at Gander International Airport on 9/11

 

A Different Perspective:

Since the tragic events of that day over 14 years ago, I have heard many different accounts from survivors, witnesses and citizens but not much about those who were stranded. Defede’s book is unique in that it shines a light on situations pertaining to that day, which many people haven’t heard about.

Gander and the Plane People:

In a short time, 6,595 people were diverted to Gander a town which at the time had a population of less than 10,000. There were so many people that the surrounding communities of Appleton, Gambo, Lewisport and Norris Arm opened their doors to those who were stranded as well. 

No Price Tags

I enjoyed how Defede took time to give some background information on Newfoundland as a province and the importance of Gander International Airport in aviation. The famous Newfoundland hospitality really speaks for itself. This book describes how Newfoundlanders donated everything from towels and bedding to clothing and even the use of their own bathrooms, to make sure their unexpected visitors had everything they needed. As an old song goes: "There are No Price Tags on the Doors of Newfoundland"

For the better part of a week, nearly every man, woman and child in Gander and the surrounding smaller towns stopped what they were doing so they could help. They placed their own lives on hold for a group of strangers and asked for nothing in return.
-Jim Defede Pg. 7

Relations

This book is educational in that it shows how different people react in serious situations. Preparations needed to be made to ensure that all the diverted planes landed safely. Security and customs officials had to process thousands of people. And the townspeople had to prepare to take in these stranded passengers. This topic is important in that it shows a strong friendship between our (Canadian and American) two countries. When one country is in crisis, another stepped up to offer aid.

  If the terrorists had hoped their attacks would reveal the weaknesses in western society, the events in Gander proved its strength.
-Jim Defede Pg. 7 

Reading this book made me even more proud of my own Newfoundland heritage. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in Canadian-American relations and those who enjoy reading nonfiction.  

 

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

Title: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
Author: Phaedra Patrick
Published: January 2016
Published By: MIRA
Format Read: eBook
Genre: Contemporary
Date Read: January 25 2016
Rating: 3/5

I was sent a copy of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick from the publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

On the one year anniversary of his wife’s death, Arthur Pepper finally gathers up the courage to start sorting through her belongings. It is then that he discovers a strange charm bracelet he had never seen before. Arthur would learn that each charm represented a time in Miriam’s life from before they were married. Readers follow along as he goes on a discovery of his wife's past and in turn learns a lot about himself as well.

What I expected..

When I first saw this book offered on NetGalley, I thought that it would be a sweet story. I expected it to be a dual time period tale, switching back and forth between present day Arthur to pre-Arthur Miriam. 

What really was..

 While The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper was a sweet story, in its own way it was different than I thought. First of all this wasn’t a dual time period novel, although Arthur did remember back to the early days of his relationship and the years they spent together. However this story was more about Arthur finding himself, than it was about the woman his wife was before they married. 

About Arthur Pepper

This journey to uncover the meaning behind each of the charms awakened a sense of life inside him that he had never felt before. The situations he found himself in on these journeys were quiet comical and further added to the entertainment value. 

The Pro’s

I enjoyed how author Phaedra Patrick included a lot of wonderful imagery throughout. It really helped to set the tone for Arthur’s journey and paired well with his character traits. I also found that it was a good lesson in learning how to be mindful of the world around you. 

The Con’s

Although enjoyable, I can’t say that I got caught up in the story. In fact I struggled to finish it because of its longer than expected length.

Final Thoughts

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a whitty contemporary about a man finding himself after his wife passes away. I would recommend it to those who enjoy this genre and like tales with quirky characters.