Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 10 is just a suggestion to aim for if you can hit it. You can do a list of 3 or 5 or 20, whatever you decide. And you can put a spin on the topic if you need to. Each week there is a new list to create. This week's topic is:
Favorite Books of 2020
If you like reading books set in Latin American (Cuba) with an incredible true-to-life protagonist, I strongly recommend this gem of a book. A 19 year-old soldier who defects Fidel's communist regime using his intelligence, quick-thinking, and courage.
So far I have read all five books in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series and this one is my favorite. An excellent mystery with a great twist in 1930s Chicago.
Roommates who share a flat but have never met? This was so cleverly done with the main characters Tiffy and Leon writing notes to each other. It borders on the lost art of letter writing that is both old-fashioned and romantic. A fun British rom-com.
A classic coming-of-age tale that I would recommend all to read. Susan Crandall is a master storyteller with characters that jump off the page and into your heart. Told from the POV of whip-smart 9-year-old Starla Claudelle, we quickly get absorbed into the world of 1963 Mississippi in the era of the civil rights movement.
If you love stories about strong women who have fought to make a difference in people's lives, if you like stories about the value of libraries and books, if you love American historical fiction with plenty of drama, then you will enjoy The Giver of Stars.
The Gentleman Spy is the second book in the Serendipity & Secrets series and once again, I found myself loving this engaging historical fiction novel that captivated me from beginning to end.
This is very much the coming-of-age story of a woman who comes to realize that the color of her skin is not what defines her. She is a character I admired so much and that I will never forget! There were scenes in this book that brought me to tears.
Sometimes you come across a book that is different from anything you've read. It defies the usual conventional plots, is thought-provoking and genre-bending, all while appealing to the bibliophile in you. That's what The Midnight Library was for me.
What I'm loving about Beth O'Leary's writing is that she tackles serious topics, in this case grief, anger, mother-daughter relationships, friendship and love of neighbor, all while telling a good story, mixing in some good romance, and making us crack up with laughter.
Kate Morton is a master storyteller. Well-written with vivid characters and a secret that pulls the reader through the whole story, The Secret Keeper is one of those books to be savored as it comes to its stunning conclusion.
A Time for Mercy is thrilling, emotional, suspenseful, dramatic and set in the 90s without all the technology we take for granted today. So refreshing. It is also thought-provoking, and has us pondering on what true mercy really is all about.
