This week’s Top 10 Tuesday challenge is to list books DNFed (did not finish). I very rarely do not finish a book — it goes against my DNA. 😉 However, I do on occasion not finish series. Why? Not for lack of want to. The following series that I have not finished — yet — are great. I just need to carve out some time to read the remaining books. If you are still stuck at home, you may want to consider these. But don’t be like me. Finish every single page!
So many books, so little time . . . . That should have been my motto in 2017. Like a child who fills her plate with more than she can eat, I filled my bookshelves with more books than I could read. Am I complaining? Not really. I am a cock-eyed optimist when it comes to books — I am sure that I will one day get all the books stacked around my home read. But for now I give you the Top 10 Books I Didn’t Read in 2017. This is a list of my reading regrets. And I intend to get them read soon. Which one should I start with first?
The folks at The Broke And The Bookish want to know what book series bloggers want to start. Well, before I can start a new series, I need to complete some first. Oh, who am I kidding? Having uncompleted series won’t keep me from starting new ones, but they will weigh heavily on my mind. LOL! To find out what book series other bloggers long to begin, click HERE.
Because I have many books on my shelves that regularly whisper (or shout) Read Me!, I thought I would share those series I began in earnest, but have been a slacker in completing. I share these partly to find out from you which one I should be reading and partly to shame myself into reading those long neglected books. So here they are.
Top Book Series I Need to Finish
The Darkwater Saga by Patrick Carr
Drew Farthering Mystery series by Juliana Deering
The Martyr’s Song series by Ted Dekker
Sophie Trace Trilogy by Kathy Herman
Secrets of The Shetlands series by Michael Phillips
My TBR pile has reached staggering heights since I started blogging. Is it possible to have too many books? I think the problem is really not enough time to read — stuff like laundry and work just keeps getting in the way! In an effort to read what is on my shelves in 2017, I am practicing saying no to shiny new books. We’ll see how long that lasts. 😉 In the meantime, here is a list of the books that were released in 2016 that I failed to read, but really, really plan to. Can we put a freeze on 2017 releases until I get caught up?
2016 was a whirlwind of activity for my family. Several weddings, a couple of bucket list trips, and relocations led to a very busy year. Amid it all I did manage to read some great books — some new releases and some new to me. So, I am supposed to narrow my list to just 10. Hmm . . . can’t do it. 😉 So I have come up with two lists — Contemporary Fiction and Historical Fiction. No matter your preference of genre, there is something for you on these lists. To see what other bloggers consider their best of the best, please visit The Broke And The Bookish.
There were two books that I gave Very Highly Recommended ratings to in 2016. Both were from author Mike Nappa. These are great books I would recommend to everyone!
Fourteen miles east of Peachtree, Alabama, a secret is hidden. That secret’s name is Annabel Lee Truckson, and even she doesn’t know why her mysterious uncle has stowed her deep underground in a military-style bunker. He’s left her with a few German words, a barely-controlled guard dog, and a single command: “Don’t open that door for anybody, you got it? Not even me.”
Above ground, a former Army sniper called The Mute and an enigmatic “Dr. Smith” know about the girl. As the race begins to find her, the tension builds. Who wants to set her free? Why does the other want to keep her captive forever? Who will reach her first?
Private investigators Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill need to piece together the clues and stay alive long enough to retrieve the girl–before it’s too late.
As part of his regular street performance, a deception specialist who goes by the name The Raven picks his audience’s pockets while they watch. It’s harmless fun — until he decides to keep the spare wallet a city councilman doesn’t seem to miss, hoping for a few extra bucks. When he finds not money but compromising photos of the councilman and his “personal assistants”, The Raven hatches a plan to blackmail the man. However, he quickly finds himself in over his head with the Ukrainian Mafia and mired in a life-threatening plot code-named, “Nevermore”.
Private investigators Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill must scramble to sort out the clues — and their complicated feelings for each other — to rescue The Raven and save hundreds of lives from a wildcard bent on revenge.
Thanks so much to the folks at The Broke And The Bookish who week after week host the fun and fabulous Top 10 Tuesday. This week’s challenge is to list the Top 10 Things Books Have Made Me Want To Do. To find out what other bloggers have learned or are inspired to do, click HERE.
Well above all else, books make me want to travel. Now as my husband will attest, I am not much of a traveler. But the following books have really sparked my interest. Whether it is to real life places or places I can only dream about, here is my list.
This week the folks at The Broke And The Bookish are focusing on Books Set Outside The United States. To find out all the great books bloggers are recommending, click HERE.
I’m not much of a traveler, but I have loved the places I visited in books! Because there are so many great books set outside of the US, I have included many more than 10, 25 in fact. Divided by geographic location, my list includes books set within the last 100 years so that you can easily see where you are visiting! Have fun exploring the world!
Thanks to the folks at The Broke And The Bookishwho weekly host Top 10 Tuesday. This week we are finding out which books are winners in 2016. To see what other bloggers consider the best of the best, click HERE.
Ten, really? Only ten best books of 2016? This has been a banner year for good books. I’m not sure if I am being more selective or if we are in the golden age of Christian Fiction, but I have read so many wonderful books this year. While these books are from varying genres — history, romance, mystery, literary and women’s fiction, they share a common characteristic — great writing! So here are 13, a Baker’s Dozen, of novels I have savored.
The death of the clan patriarch has thrown the tiny Shetland Islands community of Whale’s Reef into turmoil.
Everyone assumed MacGregor Tulloch’s heir to be his grand-nephew David, a local favorite, but when it is discovered that MacGregor left no will, David’s grasping cousin Hardy submits his own claim to the inheritance, an estate that controls most of the island’s land. And while Hardy doesn’t enjoy much popular support, he has the backing of a shadowy group of North Sea oil investors. The courts have frozen the estate’s assets while the competing claims are investigated, leaving many of the residents in financial limbo. The future of the island—and its traditional way of life—hangs in the balance.
Loni Ford is enjoying her rising career in a large investment firm in Washington, DC. Yet in spite of her outward success, she is privately plagued by questions of identity. Orphaned as a young child, she was raised by her paternal grandparents, and while she loves them dearly, she feels completely detached from her roots. That is until a mysterious letter arrives from a Scottish solicitor. . . .
Past and present collide in master storyteller Phillips’s dramatic new saga of loss and discovery, of grasping and grace, and of the dreams of men and women everywhere.
Michael Phillips is a bestselling author with more than 70 of his own titles. In addition, he has served as editor/redactor of nearly 30 more books. He is known as the man responsible for the reawakened interest in George MacDonald of the last 30 years. In addition to the MacDonald titles adapted/edited for today’s reader, his publishing efforts in bringing back full-length quality facsimile editions also spawned renewed interest in MacDonald’s original work. Michael and his wife, Judy, spend time each year in Scotland but make their home near Sacramento, California.
I was really excited when I was offered the chance to review The Inheritanceby Michael Phillips. This novel looked exactly like books that I enjoy most — multi-generational, interesting setting, complex characterization and written by an author known for literary excellence. Then . . . I started hearing a buzz of negative reviews. Note to self: don’t read reviews! Just kidding! However, I did face the reading of this book with trepidation. But from the first page I was captivated. Phillips’ prose is lyrical, his characters are compelling, the setting is magnificent. I loved The Inheritance!
Whales Reef is a remote island in the already remote Shetland Islands. Fierce winds and waves create a daunting landscape for the hardy people that cling to tradition, both Celtic and Norse. Survival is always tenuous, but with the death of the laird, the future for the citizens of Whales Reef and the Tulloch Clan is in doubt. With greedy North Sea oilmen, feuding cousins and an unknown American claimant to the inheritance, uncertainty abounds and a rich heritage may come to an end.
The Inheritance has a complex structure — multiple settings, multiple time periods and multiple characters’ perspectives. And while a little daunting to a reader expecting to breeze through the novel, it provided this reader a rich reading experience. Phillips is a master at conveying the people and place of The Shetlands. I could almost feel the mist on my face and the smell of the sea in the air. His writing is a bit dense, but I found myself lost in David’s rambles across the island of Whales Reef. And while it took some time to get used to the patois of the native speech, I got the hang of it and enjoyed the local flavor. Characterization is strong. I loved David’s strong sense of duty to his people and his home. Loni struggles with identity and a yearning for a family. The villains of the novel were easy to dislike, but also are well-drawn. Dependence on a sovereign God is an underlying theme.
The Inheritance is just the first book in a planned series. A lot is accomplished in the story, but there is so much more to come. I eagerly await revisiting Whales Reef.
(Thanks to Bethany House and LitFuse for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
The Inheritance Giveaway
Enter to win a copy of The Inheritance—five winners will be chosen! Click HERE to enter to win. The winners will be announced May 12 on the Litfuse blog!
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