Top Ten Tuesday - New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023

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

The following is my list of new to me authors for 2023 in no particular order of favorites:

1. Lisa Unger
2. Belinda Bauer
3. Lydia Millet
4. Cate Lawley

5. Colin Cotterill
6. Aleatha Romig

7. Simon Scarrow

8. John Fortunato

9. Ernesto Quiñonez

10. Anita Loos

Have you read any books by these authors?

2024 Buzz Editors and Authors Panel Virtual Event

 

Yes, to attending my first virtual author event of 2024 on Wednesday, January 24th from 4pm-5:30pm PST. I love attending author events, especially virtual author events as they are so convenient! I love watching these events from the comfort of my own home.

In this virtual author event, five authors and their editors took turns talking about their soon to be published novels later this year. Each author and editor spent about 15 minutes discussing the author's new book and the inspiration behind it.

All five novels sound amazing and I want to read each one of them when they're released later in the year. See the titles, authors, and release dates for each book below.

1. Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris (May 14, 2024 release date)

2. The Switch by Lily Samson (May 28, 2024 release date)

3. Honey by Isabel Banta (June 25, 2024 release date)

4. Swift River by Essie Chambers (June 4, 2024 release date)

5. Freedom Is A Feast by Alejandro Puyana (August 6, 2024 release date)

Long After We Are Gone, Swift River, and Freedom Is A Feast are the novels I want to read the most from the five listed above!

Have you attended any author events so far this year? Tell me about them below in the comment section.

Bookish Quote of the Day!!!

 

Three New to Me Little Free Libraries in Dublin, California!!

Yes, to finding three new to me Little Free Libraries on Monday, January 22nd with my husband in Dublin, California.

5851 Annandale Way, Dublin, California

We almost missed this small, but cute Little Free Library. It is in a gated community and also located on the corner of Annandale Way and Turnberry Drive, which was obscured by the bushes seen in the above photograph. 

Besides one tends to expect finding a Little Free Library located in front of a person's home. But we found this cute LFL easily and left books for other readers to find and enjoy reading.

3330 Oak Bluff Lane, Dublin, California

We loved finding this cute Little Free Library with an attached bench! This LFL box seemed smaller than other ones we've seen in person. 

I loved the special request form found inside this LFL where readers can request specific books or genres in hopes of having their requests filled by those that take/leave books. We shared books at this LFL location too.

Butterfly Knoll Park in Dublin, California

This cute park has a local artist painted Little Free Library. There are roughly ten parks in Dublin, California with a hand painted Little Free Library in it made by a local artist.

My goal is to visit all ten parks as I want to see all the talent of local artists on display. I've been to seven of the ten parks so far... Three more to visit to view all ten Little Free Libraries painted by local artists!

The above park is small and must be fairly new from the looks of it. The Little Free Library was filled with mostly children's books (if not entirely filled with children's books), which seems appropriate as it sits next to a playground.

The Dictator's Wife by Freya Berry

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Dictator's Wife by Freya Berry and narrated by Olivia Vinall earlier this month.

Listening time forThe Dictator's Wife by Freya Berry is 12 hours, 12 minutes and is really well narrated by Olivia Vinall.

Freya Berry is a new to me author. I came across her novel through Chirp's website as part of one of their limited time audiobook deals. I was intrigued by the publisher's plot summary for The Dictator's Wife, which this was the main reason I decided to give this novel a try.

The main character is Laura, who is a junior lawyer at a prestigious law firm in the UK. Everything in this novel is told through Laura's perspective, which I found unique as I would have thought that the first person point of view would have been from Marija Popa's (the dictator's wife) point of view instead. 

Laura's boss/senior lawyer lands the case of a lifetime, which is to represent Marija Popa in the trial of the century. Marija Popa is under house arrest in a (fictional) Eastern Block country and she is being accused of knowing more about her husband's suspected crimes as dictator than she claims to know. It's the job of the lawyers Marija Popa has hired to prevent her from being jailed or worse, executed by proving her innocence.

Laura is asked to be part of the legal team that defends Marija Popa. She leaps at the offer as it's the career opportunity of a lifetime for a young lawyer such as herself.

Additionally, Laura and her parents defected from the country Marija Popa's husband ruled when Laura was a young child. Laura's parents did everything they could to do to forget their past and disassociate themselves from their roots (ie refusing to speak their native language, not living among other immigrants from their own country, etc.)... Interestingly, enough as Laura grew older, she felt that her mother didn't truly love her. Before they moved to England, Laura's mother was a sweet, kind, loving mother to Laura. But after their move to England, Laura's mother wouldn't touch Laura or show her any sort of affection. Laura's mother would never explain the reason why she changed. Nor would Laura's father give an explanation either. So, Laura thought by returning to the land her parents fled might help her understand (or figure out) her parents behavior change in addition to working on the trial.

There's a lot that goes on The Dictator's Wife. At times, I felt like their were two storylines going on in this novel. We must figure out whether Marija Popa is innocent or not. Marija Popa is larger than life itself. She's beautiful and charismatic... Marija was well liked during her husband's rule by not only the people of her country, but also by the leaders of other countries and their spouses. Even celebrities loved Marija Popa. But who is the real Marija Popa? We eventually learn whether she's good or evil. Laura also finds her answers regarding her parents behavior and their association with Marija Popa herself. 

Although, I found the narration by Olivia Vinall for The Dictator's Wife to be excellent and the storyline itself to be intriguing, I was a tad disappointed overall with this novel. I had expected more from this novel in all honesty. The Dictator's Wife is a good read, don't get me wrong, but it just fell flat in some areas and some of the character interactions were not fully explained or resolved satisfactorily.

The following is the plot summary for The Dictator's Wife by Freya Berry I discovered on Amazon's website:

ONE WOMAN KNOWS THE TRUTH.
CAN YOU TRUST HER TO TELL IT?

Laura flies to her parents' homeland for the defence case of her life. Facing trial is Marija Popa, 'the Black Widow'; a constant at her husband's side until the day his people rose up and executed him. Beautiful and beguiling, Marija insists she knew nothing of her husband's dark affairs.

For Laura, the case has a personal meaning. Her mother has never spoken of the horrors she witnessed under the old regime, and remains a shadow of the woman she used to be. As Laura prepares for the trial, she realizes that to find the truth, she must enter the web of the dictator's wife. But what secrets lie within?

I am giving The Dictator's Wife by Freya Berry a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Meant to Read in 2023 but Didn’t Get To

 

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

Below are ten books I meant to read in 2023.

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
2. Fire Cider!: 101 Zesty Recipes for Health-Boosting Remedies Made with Apple Cider Vinegar by Rosemary Gladstar
3. Poirot & Me by Davis Suchet
4. Chasing the Sun: How the Science of Sunlight Shapes Our Bodies and Minds by Linda Geddes
5. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
6. Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland
7. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
8. The Immoralists by Chloe Benjamin
9. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
10. Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals by Temple Grandin

Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think of the book(s) you read?

Chasing the Sun: How the Science of Sunlight Shapes Our Bodies and Minds by Linda Geddes

 

It seems like the older I grow, the more I enjoy reading or listening to nonfiction books. Earlier this month, I finished listening to the unabridged audio version of Chasing the Sun: How the Science of Sunlight Shapes Our Bodies and Minds by Linda Geddes and narrated by the author. 

Listening for Chasing the Sun: How the Science of Sunlight Shapes Our Bodies and Minds by Linda Geddes is 6 hours, 12 minutes. Additionally, this book is well narrated by the author.

Linda Geddes is a British based journalist and has written about science (medicine and cell biology) and technology. She spent 9 years working at New Scientist magazine in various positions including news editor and reporter. Ms. Geddes still works as a consultant for New Scientist as well. In essence, Linda Geddes is well suited to writing Chasing the Sun: How the Science of Sunlight Shapes Our Bodies and Minds and it shows.

I really enjoyed listening to Chasing the Sun: How the Science of Sunlight Shapes Our Bodies and Minds very much. There is a lot of information packed into this work of nonfiction. There was quite a bit of information I already knew about the health benefits of the sun and how it shapes our minds and bodies... But there was still a lot of amazing things to learn about how sunlight effects our overall health and sleep cycles that I enjoyed learning. I particularly found the section on how to avoid/reduce jet lag fascinating for those that travel for leisure or for business reasons on a regular basis. 

There's so much more to enjoy about Chasing the Sun: How the Science of Sunlight Shapes Our Bodies and Minds by Linda Geddes than I've covered in my review. I recommend this book highly for those wanting to learn more about the topic.

Below is the publisher's summary for Chasing the Sun: How the Science of Sunlight Shapes Our Bodies and Minds by Linda Geddes found on Chirp's website:

Our biology is set up to work in partnership with the sun. Little wonder then that humans have long worshipped and revered our nearest star: life itself arose on earth because its relationship with the sun was a special one, and that relationship still affects us well into the era of electric lighting, indoor workdays, and vitamin D supplements. What are we losing when we sever this ancient biological tie to the sun by spending more and more time inside during the day and surrounded by screens at night? Informed by cutting-edge scientific research and sparkling with memorable characters—from the modern druids who worship at Stonehenge each solstice to the Amish farmers who may have the right idea about healthy sleep patterns—Linda Geddes’s Chasing the Sun analyzes all aspects of our relationship to the sun. The fascinating stories, innovative science, and unique perspectives in this book make it clear that the ancients were right to put the sun at the center of our world and that it is crucial that we remember this bond as we shape our lives today.

I am giving Chasing the Sun: How the Science of Sunlight Shapes Our Bodies and Minds by Linda Geddes a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!!

 

Happy National Thesaurus Day!!

 

Top Ten Tuesday - Bookish Goals for 2024

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top 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 only have three major reading goals this year as follows:

1. Read 52 books.

2. Read the books I have on hand in any format I desire (physical book, ebook, or audiobook). 

3. Go through my book stash and pass along books I no longer read or keep to Little Free Libraries, friends, etc.

Bookish Quote of the Day!!!

 

Bookish Quote of the Day!!!

 

Happy National Science Fiction Day!!

 

Do you have a favorite science fiction novel?

Top Ten Tuesday - Favorite Books and Least Favorite Books of 2023

 

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

The following are my favorite reads for 2023 in no particular order:

1. Vaccinated: From Cowpox to Mrna, the Remarkable Story of Vaccines by Paul A. Offit
2. Zapped: From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light by Bob Berman

3. Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas

4. Crap Taxidermy by Kat Su

5. The History of the Bible: Explore 2,000 Years of Biblical Interpretation and Cultural Impact by David Zachariah Flanagin

6. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

7. City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

9. Quintessentially: The One by Aleatha Romig

10. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill

The following are my least favorite reads for 2023 in no particular order:

1. The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin
2. The Rowan by Anne McCaffrey
3. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
4. Rose Gold by Walter Mosley
5. Funny Bunnies by Ann Omasta
6. Cari Mora by Thomas Harris
7. Star Spangled Scandal: Sex, Murder, and the Trial that Changed America by Chris DeRose
8. Moon Marked Trilogy by Aimee Easterling
9. In Amundsen's Tent by John Martin Leahy
10. The Walled Garden by Robin Farrar Maass

Have you read any of the books I've listed in my post? What did you think of the ones you did read?

Happy New Year!! What's Your 1st Read of the New Year?

 

Happy New Year to all!! I hope you have a happy, healthy, and successful 2024!

What's your 1st read in 2024? I've started reading Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland. So far, I'm enjoying this young adult novel, which was published in 2016. 

I've heard this novel has been turned into a Prime Video (or series?), which I may checkout after reading the book.