Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday - Books That Surprised Me In A Good Way!



Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader GirlTop Ten Tuesday was originally 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.

I've selected books by authors that either I'd never heard of before reading their book or had heard of before, but felt neutral about their book before reading it.

 Click on links below to read my review for each book.

1. I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith - Historical fiction set in Roman times. Not boring, but intriguing!
2. Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim - Historical fiction set in the US during slavery. I loved the characters and the storyline. Very well written.
3. The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers - Another historical fiction novel set during the civil war. Wonderfully written.
4. The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar - Set in India. Shows the dichotomy between the wealthy and the poor.
5. The Good Traitor by Ryan Quinn - If you love reading thriller novels, then this is the one for you!
6. The Selkie Spell by Sophie Moss - The 1st novel in a trilogy and is set in Ireland. I love this novel.
7. The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel - Great storytelling! Deep, dark family secrets/scandal.
8. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson - Set in the US. Well written. Loved the story and characters.
9. A Life In Parts by Bryan Cranston - I enjoyed watching Bryan Cranston in 'Breaking Bad', but knew nothing about his personal life. I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading his memoir. 
10. Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate) by Amy Thomas - This is another memoir.... It's about sweets and the quest for delicious pastries/desserts and much more... So, if you're a foodie and you like all things sweets related, then you'll love reading this memoir.

Which books have you read that have surprised you in a good way? 

74 comments:

  1. Those are all totally new to me ones!

    Here's my Tuesday Post

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  2. A few of these sound good! :)

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  3. I haven't heard of any of these, but this is a nice sounding list.
    https://justmeandmyblogreviews.blogspot.com/2018/03/all-event-tour-host-for-audio-blitz-of.html

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  4. I've never heard of any of these, so I guess I need to do my research ;) great post!

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  5. Oh, this is a good list! I don't think I've even heard of any of these, but that just makes me excited to look them up. The Roanoke Girls sounds like my sort of book!

    Thanks for visiting me at The Writerly Way! :)

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  7. These are all new books to me. They sound really interesting. Will be adding some of them on my TBR =)

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  8. I really want to read Roanoke Girls. I'm glad it surprised you in a good way. :) Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  9. I've heard a lot of good things about The Roanoke Girls - I may have to try it.

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  10. I felt so torn with the Roanoke Girls. I loved it and hated it at the same time! Great list. :-)

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  11. I picked up I Am Livia a few years ago and have yet to read it! I'll have to move it up my list. Great list! Thanks for visiting.

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    1. I Am Livia is a good read. I thought it would be very dry reading, but it wasn't.

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  12. I’m happy you went with surprised-you-in-a-good-way. I always like to hear about wonderful books.

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    1. I didn't want to focus my post on the books I didn't enjoy reading. Thank you for stopping by and leaving me a comment. Happy reading!!

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  13. I don't think I had heard of any of these...which is good! Love finding new books that other people have loved (especially if they were all a surprise :))

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  14. I haven't heard any of the books you've mentioned, but Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (And Dark Chocolate) By Amy Thomas seems very interesting! I should definitely look into it!

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    1. Paris and food are good together!! I hope you have the chance to read Paris My Sweet. Thank you for stopping by and leaving me a comment. Happy reading!!

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  15. I've not read any of the books on your list, but I do own The Roanoke Girls. And I've heard good things about several others. :-)

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  16. The Roanoke Girls has always been one that I've been interested in reading.

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  17. You always seem to have a nice variety of picks! The Selkie Spell sounds good tome, because Ireland, and I am Livia for the Roman setting.

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    1. Thank you for the compliment. I hope you have the chance to read both books. Thank you for stopping by and leaving me a comment. Happy reading!!

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  18. I haven’t heard of many of these! I will be adding to my TBR list! :)

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  19. I am definitely going to have to check some of these books out, especially the historical fictions.

    Have a wonderful week. - Katie

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  20. I haven’t read any of these, I’m excited to look into some of them!

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  21. Much like you who heard nothing about these titles but ended up thoroughly enjoying it, hopefully I can apply the same idea and give some a try. Roanoke Girls has a particularly interesting premise!

    Cheers,

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  22. I haven't read any of those, but I'm a fan of Amy Engel's YA duology, The Book of Ivy. The Space Between Us intrigues me because of the setting.

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  23. I really want to read The Roanoke Girls. It sounds good!

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  24. Some of those books are on my lists!

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  25. I've seen Amy Engel's book reviewed on a few blogs, and while the mystery kind of intrigues me, judging by the reviews, I feel like it'd be a little to dark for me. That said, I think she also wrote another duo or YA book that interested me. Reminds me... I should remember to look those up again. :)

    Thanks for visiting Finding Wonderland.

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  26. I really do want to read Paris, My Sweet. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed that one!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. Paris My Sweet was definitely an interesting premise for a memoir. Paris is so romantic and then paired with the food, it was a perfect match.

      Thank you for stopping by and leaving me a comment. Happy reading!!

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  27. Ooooh I definitely have the Roanoke Girls on my wishlist!! I am happy to hear you've loved it.

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  28. Almost all of these are new to be, but The Roankoke Girls is one I definitely want to read.

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  29. Thanks for the list. I haven't heard of ANY of them!

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  30. I just signed up for a book club kit of THE SPACE BETWEEN US. It sounds like it will be a good discussion book. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. Wow, how cool is that??? I hope you enjoy reading The Space Between Us.

      Thank you for stopping by and leaving me a comment. Happy reading!!

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  31. I've been scared to pickup The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel. I enjoyed her previous duology, and I couldn't wait to read her next book, but that synposis and the trigger warnings I've read....I don't know if my heart could handle that story. I'm so glad you read and enjoyed and I am looking forward to her next future release.
    Jen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog

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    1. Then I wouldn't read it.

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  32. Oh gosh. I haven't read any of these. I'll have to do some research. Thanks for sharing, and for visiting Shell's Stories!

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  34. I've not heard of any of these - but I'll be adding a few to my list, they sound very intriguing indeed :D

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  35. I haven't heard of any of these, thanks for the recommendations.

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  36. Oh I haven't heard of any of these. I will have to check them out.

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  37. I'v never read any of these books, but the Roanoke Girls sounds interesting.

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed reading The Roanoke Girls too! Thank you for stopping by and leaving me a comment. Happy reading!!

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