Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday

/ kellyfbarr / Leave a comment

Today’s theme as per The Broke and the Bookish is “Top Ten Books I Wish Had More/Less X in Them”. However, I couldn’t think of anything for this topic, so I looked at past Top Ten Tuesday Themes and decided to do one that I don’t think I’ve done in the past.

Therefore, my theme for today is “Top Ten Books That Made Me Cry”.

  1. Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
  2. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
  3. Unblemished by Sara Ella
  4. Love Unexpected by Jody Hedlund
  5. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
  6. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
  7. Fire and Water by Betsy Graziana Fasbinder
  8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  9. This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury
  10. The Promise by Danielle Steel

 

Top Ten Tuesday

/ kellyfbarr / 6 Comments

toptentuesday

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is a FREEBIE as determined by The Broke and Bookish.

Therefore, since I could choose WHATEVER I wanted to create a list of, AND because I am a writer, I decided to do “Top Ten Books on the Writing Craft That I Hope to Read This Year”.

  1. & 2. Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by [Cron, Lisa] & Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere) by [Cron, Lisa]

I finally ordered and just received “Wired for Story” by Lisa Cron. I have heard so many good things about this book from other writers. I can’t wait to finally dig into it! Then there’s Lisa’s newest release from 2016, “Story Genius”. I’ll be looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of this one too.

3. 

Okay, confession: I have already started reading this one. But, I’ve only completed chapter one. I ran into an issue in my WIP (work in progress) and thought this might help, and I’ve already discovered and corrected my biggest issue, after just reading one chapter, so I can’t wait to see what the rest of this book has for me!

4. Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules by [James, Steven]

This one has been recommended to me several times by other writer friends, so it still lingers on my TBR list. I did just order it and should receive it into my hot little hands by February 1st.

5. 

This one sounds like a book every writer needs. I read about it, as it came recommended by K.M. Weiland, who has great writing advice.

6. 

I don’t intend to write a screenplay, but I’ve heard this book recommended for book authors as well.

7. The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller by [Truby, John]

This, too, comes highly recommended to me by other writer friends.

8. 

My son recommended this book to me a long time ago, but also informed me that Robert McKee tends to use some profane language in it, so I have steered clear of it so far. Then a Christian writer friend recommended it to me and I asked her about the language, and she didn’t remember there being any. So, I guess I’ll take a chance. I can always do like my son said a friend of his did and cross out the inappropriate words with a black sharpie. (The only problem with that is I have to see the words to cross them out.)

9. & 10.  & Elements of Fiction Writing - Conflict and Suspense by [Bell, James Scott]

Yes, I am a James Scott Bell fan. He gives writing advice and tips using some great examples that I am familiar with. He includes some writing exercises to help you apply what he’s teaching. I have read two of his books, and like I mentioned above, I am currently reading another one of his books on writing.

What type of books did you share about on your TTT today?

Top Ten Tuesday

/ kellyfbarr / 10 Comments

toptentuesday

The week’s theme for the Top Ten Tuesday meme by The Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten Underrated/Hidden Gems That I Have Read Recently. Therefore, the following picks are books I read in 2016 that I really enjoyed but didn’t hear/read anyone else really talking about. So, if you haven’t read any of these, I suggest you may want to check them out.

A great story about the complicated relationships within families, as well as a really sweet romance between two unlikely people.

2. 

This is probably my favorite book of 2016 and I can’t believe that more of you fantasy lovers haven’t been talking this one up. If you like fantasy, you’ve got to check this book out!

3. 

This is a book about one man’s struggles with life, love and relationships. I had never heard of Charles Martin before reading this book, but I enjoyed this book enough that I will be checking out more books by Charles Martin, who has written quite a few.

4. 

If you like good YA fiction with strong female characters, you’ll enjoy Dauntless, but don’t stop with that one. Read the other two books in the serious as well: Chivalrous and Courageous.

5. 

I don’t see a lot of hype ever talked up about these formulaic romance stories, and I am not a big fan of them either. However, Kissed by a Cowboy by Debra Clopton is a great romance story with lots of good characters.

6. 

This is the first steampunk book I have ever read and I really enjoyed it, and can’t wait to read the rest of the series. Do any of the rest of you read any steampunk? I haven’t seen any on any of the blogs I’ve visited.

7. 

Not my usual genre, and I’m not a big fan of books with violence and profanity, but this book was written in such a personable way about the life of a Marine in Vietnam, that I really did enjoy it. I had difficulty putting down until I reached the end.

I know we’re supposed to do ten, but I cannot honestly think of any more books that I read in 2016 that haven’t received a lot of attention and hype.

Top Ten Tuesday

/ kellyfbarr / Leave a comment

Today’s meme by The Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten 2016 Releases I Meant to Read but Didn’t Get To (But Totally Plan To).

toptentuesday

I fell in love with this cover the first time I saw it and I wanted to read the book. Then I saw it turn up on lots of TTT lists in 2016 and I learned more about it, and it is still on my TBR.

2. 

I have always been fascinated by the legend of Jack the Ripper and the fact that the case remains unsolved, so any book, fiction or not that has anything to do with Jack the Ripper is of interest to me.

3. 

Libraries and adventures in another world! Anything to do with books and libraries, count me in! The next book in this series is due out in February 2017 — I’ve got to get a hold of this book before then!

4. 

Mystery and suspense — sign me up!

5. 

An orphaned child, a circus and a pride of lions.

6. 

Another story that involved a circus. Yes, I love the circus and I love animals.

7. 

I even own this book and still haven’t gotten to it yet. As a matter of fact, I own the first and second books of this series too, and have only read the first one, so book two is also still on my TBR.

8. 

A woman trying to rise to a better career makes a bet about a client and then unexpectedly gets personally involved with him. What will happen when he finds out about the wager?

9. 

I own this one too, and the second book in the series is due out in March.

10. 

In all honesty, I was one book short, so I went looking at lists of books published in 2016 and found this book about two people who connect over their common love of the Narnia book series by C.S. Lewis, so, of course, since I am a HUGE fan of the Narnia series myself, this had to be added to the list.

Here is one nonfiction book that came out in 2016 that I just recently found out about, but really want to read:

I still really want her first book, Wired for Story, as well.

Top Ten Tuesday

/ kellyfbarr / 2 Comments

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday meme from The Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten 2017 Debuts I’m Excited For.

I don’t really follow any book lists for debuts or new releases. I simply read books I hear about from friends or through participation in the weekly meme. However, in order to participate in today’s topic, I did search 2017 debuts on Goodreads and this is the list I have come up with:

  9. The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily by Laura Creedle (no cover available yet)

What books are you excited about in 2017?

 

Top Ten Tuesday

/ kellyfbarr / 8 Comments

toptentuesday

This meme is brought to you today via The Broke and the Bookish and this week’s topic: Top Ten Best Books Of 2016 (you choose — best books overall of what you read regardless of pub date, of a particular genre, 2016 debuts, 2016 releases, etc)

I have chosen to do the Top Ten Books of 2016 That I Have Read — no particular genre and not all 2016 releases.

I loved this book and eagerly await the next book in the series, due to release in July 2017.

2. 

This is a great romance story that includes some great characters and a bit of humor.

3. 

This is an altogether sweet romance story with a wonderfully chivalrous gentleman.

4. 

Another wonderful romance story between two unlikely characters, but not a perfect romance. This one is realistic with some bumps along the way.

5. 

My first steampunk read and I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the rest of this series.

6. 

This is the first book I’ve read by Charles Martin. Mr. Martin creates rich characters and spins a wonderful story. I look forward to reading more of his works.

7. Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror (Records of the Ohanzee Book 1) by [Smith, Rachel R.]

Although I do not like the style in which this book is written — serialized, where the story line flows continuously through the books in the series, heavily connecting the books, I did enjoy the characters and the story line and do look forward to reading the rest of the series. However, if Ms. Smith continues to write in this style, I probably will not read her future works beyond this series.

8. 

A good writer never stops learning and seeking to improve their craft, and I enjoy studying books on the craft of writing by James Scott Bell.

9. & 10. , , , Love Finds a Home, Love Comes Softly Series #8, a Novel - By: Janette Oke

These are my four favorite books in the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke, but I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series.

What books are on your list of Top Ten Reads of 2016?

Top Ten Tuesday

/ kellyfbarr / 8 Comments

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday theme according to The Broke and the Bookish is the Top Ten Books I Wouldn’t Mind Santa Leaving Under my Tree. The following are my top ten, give or take 🙂 in no particular order.

  9.   &  LADY EVER AFTER: A Medieval Time Travel Romance (Beyond Time Book 2) by [Leigh, Tamara]
  10.   and every other book by Amy Harmon.

Has anyone read any of the books by Amy Harmon? I found The Law of Moses on someone’s TTT post a while ago and thought it sounded like a great book, then I saw that she had another book, The Song of David, so I looked her up  on Amazon and found a few others as well. I read all of the book descriptions and they all sound so good! I can’t wait to get my hands on at least one to see if they are as good as they sound, and if I like them, I’ll move on to the others.

I know this is more than 10, but, seriously, can any of you stick to just 10?

What books made it on your list?