Hello fellow bookworms!
It’s Tuesday and that means it is time for another Top Ten Tuesday post!
What is TTT? TTT is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Check out their blog for more info and to see upcoming themes.
This week’s theme is…
November 8: Ten Books I’ve Added To My To-Be-Read List Lately
I’ve actually been trying to avoid perusing for new books to add to the old TBR because not only have I dug myself a hole on NetGalley, but I also have 200+ books that I currently own sitting on my shelves that I have yet to read… I mean it is completely normal to have a floor to ceiling TBR bookcase right? As you can probably imagine, the whole NOT browsing for new books hasn’t been working out too well. It’s the thought that counts right? Below are some books that I’ve seen around the blogosphere that I have added to the TBR recently…
» Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, son of a giant, blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.
Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Once, when Thor’s hammer is stolen, Thor must disguise himself as a woman, difficult with his beard and huge appetite, to steal it back. More poignant is the tale in which the blood of Kvasir, the most sagacious of gods, is turned into a mead that infuses drinkers with poetry. The work culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and rebirth of a new time and people.
Through Gaiman’s deft and witty prose emerge these gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.
I have only recently discovered Neil Gaiman, so of course I’ve added all of this books to my TBR. Norse Mythology sounds absolutely amazing! Now if only February 2017 would hurry up and get here already.
» Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham
In her first work of nonfiction, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood recounts her experiences on Gilmore Girls—the first and second time—and shares stories about life, love, and working in Hollywood. This collection of essays is written in the intimate, hilarious, and down-to earth voice that made her novel, Someday Someday Maybe, a New York Times bestseller.
“This book contains some stories from my life: the awkward growing up years, the confusing dating years, the fulfilling working years, and what it was like to be asked to play one of my favorite characters again. You probably think I’m talking about my incredible achievement as Dolly in Hello, Dolly! as a Langley High School junior, a performance my dad called “you’re so much taller than the other kids.” But no! I’m talking about Lorelai Gilmore, who, back in 2008, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see again. Also included: tales of living on a houseboat, meeting guys at awards shows, and that time I was asked to be a butt model. A hint: all three made me seasick.”—Lauren Graham
If you know me at all, then you would know I am obsessed with the TV show Gilmore Girls. I would love some insight on what it was like to be apart of the show. I cannot wait for the revival in a few short weeks!!!
» Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
When Felix is deposed as artistic director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival by his devious assistant and longtime enemy, his production of The Tempest is canceled and he is heartbroken. Reduced to a life of exile in rural southern Ontario—accompanied only by his fantasy daughter, Miranda, who died twelve years ago—Felix devises a plan for retribution.
Eventually he takes a job teaching Literacy Through Theatre to the prisoners at the nearby Burgess Correctional Institution, and is making a modest success of it when an auspicious star places his enemies within his reach. With the help of their own interpretations, digital effects, and the talents of a professional actress and choreographer, the Burgess Correctional Players prepare to video their Tempest. Not surprisingly, they view Caliban as the character with whom they have the most in common. However, Felix has another twist in mind, and his enemies are about to find themselves taking part in an interactive and illusion-ridden version of The Tempest that will change their lives forever. But how will Felix deal with his invisible Miranda’s decision to take a part in the play?
This is my most recent request from Blogging for Books.
» The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master, the husband who commissioned her, dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York in 1899.
Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free – an unbreakable band of iron binds him to the physical world.
The Golem and the Jinni is their magical, unforgettable story; unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures – until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful threat will soon bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.
This one was suggested to me by Millie over @Milliebot Reads and I had never heard of it before. Immediately after she recommended this to me, I saw it on someone’s favorite books list… it seemed like fate to me.
» Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
“Are you happy with your life?” Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”
In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable–something impossible.
Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
After seeing nothing but gushing reviews for this one, I broke down and added it to the ole TBR. Even though the cover makes me nauseous just looking at it…Anyone else?
» Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
One Sunday afternoon in Southern California, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating’s christening party uninvited. Before evening falls, he has kissed Franny’s mother, Beverly—thus setting in motion the dissolution of their marriages and the joining of two families.
Spanning five decades, Commonwealth explores how this chance encounter reverberates through the lives of the four parents and six children involved. Spending summers together in Virginia, the Keating and Cousins children forge a lasting bond that is based on a shared disillusionment with their parents and the strange and genuine affection that grows up between them.
When, in her twenties, Franny begins an affair with the legendary author Leon Posen and tells him about her family, the story of her siblings is no longer hers to control. Their childhood becomes the basis for his wildly successful book, ultimately forcing them to come to terms with their losses, their guilt, and the deeply loyal connection they feel for one another.
Told with equal measures of humor and heartbreak, Commonwealth is a meditation on inspiration, interpretation, and the ownership of stories. It is a brilliant and tender tale of the far-reaching ties of love and responsibility that bind us together.
Now that I’ve been introduced to Book Festivals, I am already planning my next one. I am hoping to attend the Southern Kentucky Book Festival in April 2017. Ann Patchett is one of the confirmed featured authors, so I am going to read as many of her books as I can.
» The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
In the latest masterpiece by Emma Donoghue, bestselling author of Room, an English nurse brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle-a girl said to have survived without food for months-soon finds herself fighting to save the child’s life.
Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O’Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale’s Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl.
Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, THE WONDER works beautifully on many levels–a tale of two strangers who transform each other’s lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.
I saw a review for this one over at @A Year of Books and it sounds fascinating… I’ve been wanting to read an Emma Donoghue book for a while now.
» 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad
Growing up in the suburban hell of Misery Saga (a.k.a. Mississauga), Lizzie has never liked the way she looks—even though her best friend Mel says she’s the pretty one. She starts dating guys online, but she’s afraid to send pictures, even when her skinny friend China does her makeup: she knows no one would want her if they could really see her. So she starts to lose. With punishing drive, she counts almonds consumed, miles logged, pounds dropped. She fights her way into coveted dresses. She grows up and gets thin, navigating double-edged validation from her mother, her friends, her husband, her reflection in the mirror. But no matter how much she loses, will she ever see herself as anything other than a fat girl?
In her brilliant, hilarious, and at times shocking debut, Mona Awad simultaneously skewers the body image-obsessed culture that tells women they have no value outside their physical appearance, and delivers a tender and moving depiction of a lovably difficult young woman whose life is hijacked by her struggle to conform. As caustically funny as it is heartbreaking, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl introduces a vital new voice in fiction.
Another one I saw on @A Year of Books. This one seems like it is going to hit close to home.
Which books have you recently added to your TBR?
Have you read any of these books?
*Feel free to link to your own TTT
“Dark Matter,” “Commonwealth” and “The Wonder” are all on my TBR list as well.
Here’s my TTT: https://thatbookladyblog.wordpress.com/2016/11/08/top-ten-tuesday-books-ive-recently-added-to-my-tbr/
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Thanks for stopping by! I’ll head over and check out your list 😊
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I hope you enjoy Golem! And Dark Matter – I was blown away by how hooked that book had me. Really makes you think
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I’m going to suggest Dark Matter to my book club and hopefully Kill two birds with one stone lol
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Dark Matter is fantastic! I don’t think I’ve read any of the others but I’ve heard Commonwealth is good
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That’s what I hear! I’m going to try and get my book club to select Dark Matter for our next book so I can kill two birds with one stone 😉
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It would be a GREAT book club pick!
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I also want to read Commonwealth *___* I hope you love Dark Matter! It’s certainly better than its cover XD
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It makes me dizzy 😵
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Wow. We really are sisters from another mister: Every single one of these books is on my TBR!! I think I’m most excited for Norse Mythology because I ❤ Gaiman. But this is an awesome list. Will you be able to read any of these soonish? Or are they just the books you are most excited for?
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We are bookish souls sisters 😆
I cannot wait for Norse Mythology!!! Neil Gaiman can do no wrong in my eyes!
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I’ve been seriously cover lusting after Norse Mythology! you already know how I feel about Uncle Gaiman, I am SO ready for a new book *Squeee* I’m really trying not to actively go scouting for new books but I fail DAILY smh…serious problem & btw you’ve jinxed me my fren’ lol. After having 0 luck with Edelweiss, I had 7 approvals in the course of 15 minutes for books I requested months ago. This + my Netgalley…I’m going into hibernation for the rest of the year LOL
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Bahahaha this is why I haven’t requested any off of Edelweiss! I have learned my lesson the hard way… fool me once shame on me lol
Omg I cannot wait for Norse Mythology! Neil can do no wrong ❤️
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Lmao! These were requests I made as far back as 4 months ago 🙈 & since I’ve only ever been approved for 1 book on that site, I completely forgot about them. Norse Mythology *😍😍😍* I think I’ll do audiobook along with the physical book for a change 😉
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Going through my spam folder I found this comment…. Ugh sorry WP thought you were spam 😦
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Cant wait for the new Neil Gaiman book or the Lauren Graham book!
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Right?! I’m probably going to wait on Lauren’s book for the audiobook… I’m really hoping she narrates it herself!
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Ooh I might do that too, would be awesome to have her narrate it herself, hopefully it’s available in the UK or I’ll have to log into the US amazon and pay extra postage 😦
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Loved The Golem and the Jinni! Commonwealth is amazing, too.
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I’d never heard of The Golem and the Jinni but everyone has only positive things to say about it!
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I’ve also added the Gaiman and I already have a copy of the Golem and the Jinni which I’ve been wanting to read for ages.
Hope you get to pick all these up soon.
Lynn 😀
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Me too 😬
You should really pick up Golem and the Jinni and love it, then you can pester me until I pick it up 😂
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I also just added Norse Mythology to my TBR and featured it on my list hehe 😀 Cant wait for that one http://www.curious-daisy.com/top-ten-tuesday/9-books-ive-recently-added-to-my-tbr/
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I bet it made a few people’s lists today 😉 thanks for stopping by! I’ll head over and check out your list 😊
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I have 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl on my TBR as well but I keep forgetting to pick it up! The reviews I’ve seen haven’t been good, but the topic is so interesting to me I know I have to read it. Hope it lives up to our expectations.
Here’s my TTT. 😊
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I think it is one of those books that many women (and men too) should read. With the impossible standards we have today, body image is something that so many of us struggle with. I cannot wait to read it. I may try the audiobook if it is out…
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“Impossible standards” sounds about right, haha. I’ll have to see where I can get a copy… it’s been on my TBR ever since I read Dumpling/Future Perfect, which dealt with similar things, but I forgot about it until now. 😂
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I saw Hagseed on Blogging For Books yesterday! Glad you jumped at the opportunity and requested it. Last night, I also saw Nicola Yoon’s The Sun Is Also A Star on there, but now it’s gone. I guess they had limited copies.
Anyway, these are great additions! I recognize all of them except Lauren Graham’s book.
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Oh man! The Sun is Also a Star was on BfB?!? Dang! I’m sure it went super quick!
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Nice list! 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl is on my TBR as well. I’ve seen a couple of reviews for it and I’m curious to read it.
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Me too! Body image has always been a struggle for me, so I’m hoping this will be a inspiring read 😊
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I am not sure that I would describe it as “inspiring” but it is a great examination of body image through the eyes of a woman who has struggled.
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I guess inspiring was not the right word… enlightening? Relatable?
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lol- just did not want to steer you wrong!! Lots of great Giller Prize coverage online if you are looking for any more info on these great books!! 🙂
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Great to see some CanLit on your blog!! I might suggested Do Not Say We Have Nothing also. have not read it yet but it was the winner of last night’s Giller Prize!!!
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Well seeing as I got 2 of these books from you, may as well add one more 😉
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Oh my gosh!!! Totally just added Lauren Graham’s book to my TBR. I had heard about it but not added it yet! SO excited! Also, can I just geek out about the Gilmore Girls revival for a minute?! Can’t wait 🙂
My TTT: https://greenishbookshelf.com/2016/11/08/top-10-tuesday-recent-tbrs/
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Geeking out about GG is always welcome on my blog ❤️
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Norse Mythology and Commonwealth are on my TBR as well.
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I definitely want to read Lauren Graham’s autobiography too.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2016/11/08/top-ten-tuesday-82/
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I can’t wait! Thanks for stoping by, I’ll head over an check out your TTT!
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No problem!
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Awe Lauren Graham has a book out!? I must read it, she is too adorable. Now I want to curl up and watch Gilmore Girls all day!
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I’ve been re-watching the series in preparation for the revival! I’m not a big TV watcher, but that is the only show I can binge watch 😅
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I love it!! I saw this coffee mug the other day that I need. It says “Lorelai Gilmore is my spirit animal” love it lol.
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Omg, I am so out of all atmospheres! The only book I know from your list is The Wonder by Emma Donoghue! #shameonme I’ll take a look into Neil Gaiman’s too, as I’m dying to start reading his books and always fail to begin then… (ps: sorry for the commenting spam, Amanda! I’m finally puting my blog reading up to date =D)
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I think you would like Neil Gaiman! Especially Stardust, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book! Stardust is more of an adult fairytale. The Graveyard Book and Coraline are more middle grade creepy and eerie. I loved them! Very short and quick reads!
Haha I appreciate you taking the time to read my posts! I understand the struggle!
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I have seen the movie for Stardust and already loved it ❤ I'm sure the book will be even better! I need to stop making excuses and just grab myself a copy of one of those titles! Hahaha! And you're welcome, Amanda! Always ❤
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