Down The TBR Hole #17

Down the TBR Hole is a feature created by Lost in a Story (although the blog seems to be down recently).  I've seen it on a few other blogs and thought I would try it out myself!  It seems like a really good way to cull your TBR of those books you're no longer interested in.  So, how does it work?

• Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

Here are the books I'm looking at this time:

 

Privilege by Mary Adkins

 

Privilege takes place on the campus of a Southern university and follows a couple students and a campus employee during an accusation of sexual assault.  This sounds like it's going to have some good themes - keep!

From a Distant Star by Karen McQuestion

 

A teenager's boyfriend returns from the brink of death, but could there be something more otherworldly about his recovery?  Although this has a unique angle, it sounds like it may skew a bit young for me.  Pass!

The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John

 

This book follows the lives of three women in 1950s Sydney, Australia who work in a department store.  This sounds like such a charming story - keep!

Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanna Elden

 

This story explores the lives of four teachers who work in an urban high school in Texas.  This one just isn't grabbing me - pass!

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

 

I feel like this book is constantly popping up on my radar, and it sounds adorable - a hand-lettering artist, a slow-burn romance, a New York City setting - keep!

The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr by Susan Holloway Scott

 

I love historical fiction, and this book imagines the real life of Mary Emmons, who worked for Theodosia Prevost.  Theodosia eventually marries Aaron Burr, and the story blends fact and fiction to talk about the relationship between Emmons and Burr.  Keep!

Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman

 

Ok, this book has so many elements I love - WWII setting, a bookstore, Paris, dual timeline, New York City - how can I resist?  Keep!

 

 

 

 

 

Have you read any of these?

 

Nonfiction Quick Reviews

Braver Than You Think by Maggie Downs (2020)

As her mother suffered through the last stages of Alzheimer's disease, journalist Maggie Downs decided to take a solo year-long trip around the world, the trip her mother had always wanted to take and was never able to.  Although I questioned the timing of her trip (Downs was newly married; her mother's health was seriously declining and she actually ended up passing away while Downs was in Egypt), I appreciated the intent behind it.  The book is part memoir and part travel journal, so we not only get amazing descriptions of the some of the world's most beautiful locations, we also hear Downs' memories of her mother (both happy and sad) and lessons she learns and realizations she makes on her trip.  Downs' writing is so approachable and reads more like fiction than nonfiction.  Overall, a great read!  4.5 stars

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro(2019)

 

At 54 years old, writer Dani Shapiro discovered through a fluke DNA test that her dad was not her biological father.  Inheritance follows Shapiro through her journey of discovery, questioning, and family.  Shapiro's story moves very quickly; within days of her discovery, she finds the man she believes to be her father.  In two ways, she's very lucky - that she had some clues and resources that most people wouldn't have access to and the response she got from the man and his family.  I really enjoyed Shapiro's writing; she's able to combine this narrative with memories of her parents and her deep feelings/thoughts/questions in a way that's easily followed by and relatable to the reader.  At times, it was difficult to read about Shapiro's impressions of her parents, her mother particularly (especially knowing both of her parents are deceased and can't add to the discussion or give any answers), but overall I thought this was an interesting look into how we as individuals define who we are and where we come from.  4 stars

How To Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Tudor Life by Ruth Goodman (2015)

 

In How To Be a Tudor, Ruth Goodman draws upon research and her own experiences to paint a picture for readers on what it was really like to live in 16th century England, during the Tudor era.  Chapters focus on how citizens started their day, what they ate for breakfast and when, what they wore, education, the differences between men and women's work, entertainment, and how they ended their days.  This book was so detailed and dense, it was hard to take in at times; that being said, I enjoyed the writing and thought it was entertaining.  Goodman mostly focuses on the lives of ordinary people, laborers and commoners, although she does point out differences between the classes (like what fabrics they were allowed to use or what they would most likely have eaten).  Goodman has spent time living on a recreated Tudor farm, so she actually has practical knowledge of day-to-day Tudor life.  I enjoyed reading about the skills she practiced and perfected.  3.5 stars

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Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Four Winds

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

 

The Four Winds

Kristin Hannah

Expected publication date: February 9, 2021

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras—the Great Depression.

Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance.

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation. - from Goodreads

Kristin Hannah is an author I've enjoyed for many years, and I really like the sound of this book.  The Great Depression/Dust Bowl era is not one I come across in books often, but it is so quintessentially American and I'm really looking forward to it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bloggers I'm Thankful For

 

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is a Thanksgiving/thankful freebie.  I think we can all agree that this year has been tough on everyone, and so I wanted to take this week to spread some love and give a shout-out to just a few of my favorite fellow bloggers!  I'm so grateful for the book blogging community, and the support that's shown through good times and bad is just incredible.  This list is in no particular order and although I limited it to 10, it could have easily been much, much longer!

Suzanne at The Bookish Libra

Christina at Confessions of a Book Addict

 

Sam at We Live and Breathe Books

Aj at Read All The Things!

Stephanie at Bookfever

Verushka at POP.EDIT.LIT

Lindsey at Lindsey Reads

Greg at Book Haven

Tanya at Girl Plus Books

Jordan at Forever Lost in Literature

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates!

Nonfiction November 2020: New To My TBR!

 

I can't believe we've already come to the end of Nonfiction November 2020!  This final week is hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey and is a chance to show off all the books we've added to our TBR this month.  Thank you to everyone who recommended and shared so many wonderful nonfiction titles!

Bookfever

Naty's Bookshelf

Happiest When Reading

booksaremyfavouriteandbest

Based on a True Story

What's Nonfiction?

Read All The Things!

What's Nonfiction? and JulzReads

Confessions of a Book Addict

Excerpt: Bet The Farm by Staci Hart

Staci Hart has a brand new rom-com standalone coming January 23rd! Bet the Farm is a heartfelt, flirty story of opposites attract and today I'm very excited to feature a little teaser! 

Amazon | AppleBooks | Kobo | B&N | Goodreads

“You said you’d stay out of my way.”

He took a step closer. “And I have. But I said no goats.”

“What’s your problem with them?”

“You gonna clip their hooves? How about mend all the fences when they bust out, because they’re a pack of brainless Houdinis. How about deworming? And you’ve gotta breed. You ever smelled a goat buck? Tell me, smartass—have you ever seen goats mate?”

I shook my head.

“Let’s just say there’s a reason the devil has goat horns, and you’re gonna have a front row seat to the horror shop. If you knew anything about anything, you’d never have started all this.”

Another step, his arms folding across his expansive chest, which was covered. And thank God. I couldn’t think when he was shirtless.

Part of me thought he knew it too.

“Lemme tell you something, Olivia. It’s gonna be me who deals with the fucking goats, not you. And I told you no.”

“Fine. I hereby take all responsibility for the goats. All hoof clipping, fence mending, and deworming will be done by me.”

He stared me down for a second, and whatever he was thinking tugged at one corner of his lips for that whisper of a smile. He stuck his hand out for a shake.

I took it, aware of every nerve touching his skin. The rough of his calluses. The warmth in his palms. The odd sensation of my hand being almost completely enveloped by his.

I squeezed and pumped our hands once.

“Just promise me one thing,” he said, still holding my hand.

“What?”

“Let me know when you’re clipping their hooves so I can make popcorn.”

Olivia Brent has one summer to save the dairy farm she just inherited.

But there’s one problem, and it’s not her lactose intolerance.

Jake Milovic.

The brooding farmhand has inherited exactly fifty percent of Brent Farm, and he’s so convinced the city girl can’t work the land, he bets she can’t save it in a summer. 

Determined to prove him wrong, Olivia accepts what might be the dumbest wager of her life.

His strategy to win seems simple: follow her around, shirtlessly distracting her between bouts of relentless taunting. And it’s effective—if his dark eyes and rare smiles aren’t enough to sidetrack her, the sweaty, rolling topography of the manbeast’s body would do the trick.

What they don’t know: they’ll have to weather more than each other. 

Mysterious circumstances throw the farm into disarray, and with the dairy farm in danger, Olivia and Jake have to work together. But when they do, there’s more to fear than either of them imagined.

Because now their hearts are on the line, and the farm won’t be the only casualty if they fail.

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. When she's not writing, she's reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

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Blog Tour + Review: The Patriots

Thank you to Trish Collins at TLC Book Tours for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour for The Patriots by Winston Groom!  I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Patriots: Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the Making of America

Winston Groom

Published September 8, 2020

When the Revolutionary War ended in victory, there remained the stupendous problem of how to establish a workable democratic government in the vast, newly independent country. Three key founding fathers played significant roles: John Adams, the brilliant, dour, thin-skinned New Englander; Thomas Jefferson, the aristocratic Southern renaissance man; and Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the Caribbean island of Nevis. In this complex and riveting narrative, best-selling author Winston Groom tells the story of these men--all of whom served in George Washington's first cabinet--as the patriots fundamentally responsible for the ideas that shaped the foundation of the United States. Their lives and policies could not have been more different; their relationships with each other were complex, and often rife with animosity. And yet these three men led the charge--two of them creating and signing the Declaration of Independence, and the third establishing a national treasury and the earliest delineation of a Republican party. The time in which they lived was fraught with danger; the smell of liberty was in the air, though their excitement was strained by vast antagonisms that recall the intense political polarization of today. But through it all, they managed to shoulder the heavy mantle of creating the United States of America, putting aside their differences to make a great country, once and always. Drawing on extensive correspondence, epic tales of war, and rich histories of their day-to-day interactions, best-selling author Winston Groom shares the remarkable story of the beginnings of our great nation. - from Goodreads

In The Patriots, Winston Groom explores the lives of three of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams, and how they worked together despite their differences to create a new nation.  I'm a history buff, so I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about the origin of the United States, through the focus of three remarkable men.

What I didn't love about this book:

• The format.  Particularly at the beginning of the book, each chapter focuses on one man for a period of time.  The next chapter then basically resets and spotlights another man in the same time period.  Although each chapter features slightly different information, it often felt repetitive.  I also had to keep reminding myself where we were in the narrative.  I would have preferred more integration of the three men's lives, or at least a more chronological format.
• The information is a bit dry at times, although the writing is very approachable and readable.  So much has been written about these men and the beginnings of the United States, so it's hard to impart anything truly "new."

What I enjoyed about this book:

• The inclusion of information about the men's personal lives.  Hamilton, Jefferson, and Adams were so important politically and professionally, so it was nice to read about things that humanized them more - their wives, children, and homes. 
• The book gives a well-rounded picture of the three men.  It doesn't ignore some of the "unsavory" (by standards of today and the past) aspects of their lives.
• The book does a good job giving a comprehensive overview of the struggles these men, and others, faced in trying to establish a new nation.  They didn't always agree on things and in fact had some strong divides on certain topics.
  

4 stars

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble