Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  For more information, or to join the fun yourself, check out their blog!

Top Ten Five Most Anticipated Releases for the Rest of 2015

1. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee.  Really, who isn't anticipating this one?

2. Storm by Amanda Sun.  I have yet to read Rain, but I loved Ink and am ready to binge-read the rest of the trilogy!

3. No Such Person by Caroline B. Cooney.  A new thriller by Caroline B. Cooney?  Yes, please!  How much fun will it be to recommend this author to teens at work, knowing how much I loved her Face on the Milk Carton series when I was a teen myself?

4. Another Day by David Levithan.  I was so intrigued by Every Day, and I recommend it all the time; definitely intrigued to see the story continue!

5. The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.  A political intrigue book from the author of The Naturals!  The Naturals was like Criminal Minds for teen readers; I think this one will be like House of Cards for teen readers!  And this adult reader!  Yay!

I could only come up with five off the top of my head this week.  I went camping this past weekend and my body and brain are tired.

What about you?  What books are you looking forward to this summer and fall?  Leave your link in a comment and I'll definitely visit!

Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon | Book Review

This is going to be a very short review because the book only gets 1 of 5 stars from me, and I really hate writing non-positive reviews.

Also, I want to be clear:  I did not care for this book.  That's not a personal attack on the author.

I read somewhere, can't remember where, a comparison of this book to The Fault in Our Stars.  I read The Fault in Our Stars.  I really fell hard for Hazel Grace and  Augustus and Isaac.  I laughed out loud at Augustus' witty repartee and nearly cried when a character passed away.  That connection simply didn't happen in Somebody Up There Hates You.  The main character just isn't likable, and I think he's supposed to be.  He's definitely pitiable.  But definitely not likable.  And other characters are outright caricatures, or just totally 1D.  (Flatter even than 2D!)  

The entire book takes place in a hospital hospice wing, and the main character is a teenage boy with terminal cancer.  I couldn't quite discern a plot, other than just following the day to day action in this kid's life?  

I really do hate to say this, but not only was this book not for me, but I can't imagine who it could be for.  

*I received an ARC of Somebody Up There Hates You in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Stacking the Shelves

Today I'm over at Tynga's Reviews, stacking the shelves!  Click on the picture above to see what books I've brought home recently, and to join in the fun!

The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens | Audiobook Review

Today I'm over at Tynga's Reviews, talking about how much I'm enjoying this series!

*I checked out my copy of The Fire Chronicle from my local library.

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller | Book Review

(Sheep!)

OHMYGOODNESS!  This is definitely one of those go-tell-all-the-peoples-to-read-it-NOW books!  (Told the hubby he needs to read it before I'd even finished it.  I read the last sentence and immediately texted my sister-in-law to tell her she should read it.  I plan to email my mom to recommend this for her church book club.)

This is a very, very short book that packs a very big punch.  Keller goes through Psalm 23 line by line, imparting insights from his time spent as a shepherd.  We all know Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

The message of A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 is overwhelmingly one of reassurance and comfort.  The way that the author connects actual shepherding to the ways in which God loves us and takes care of us is so sweet as to nearly bring me to tears of joy.  

Personally, I also loved reading about the actual action of shepherding.  I'm enraptured with the idea of shepherding, and I ask the hubby to get me sheep every couple of weeks.  (So far, it's been a big, resounding "NO."  But I'm eternally optimistic.)   This book actually led me to recall two readalikes:  Scouting the Divine by Margaret Feinberg and Adventures in Yarn Farming by Barbara Parry.  Scouting the Divine connects actual modern-day winemaking, beekeeping, and shepherding to passages in the Bible and Adventures in Yarn Farming is a good overview of modern shepherding (with lots of fantastic pictures).  I gave both of those books 5 of 5 stars too, and highly recommend all three.

*Random note:  I could not find any connection between W. Phillip Keller and the famous Pastor Timothy Keller.  Both are excellent Christian nonfiction writers, but I don't think they share any blood.

*I own my copy of A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.  Sadly, my library doesn't own a copy.  But this book was so good I would've bought my own copy even if the library had it.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  For more information, or to join the fun yourself, check out their blog!

Top Ten Books I'd Love to See as Movies/TV Shows

This is probably not nearly a complete list.  But it's pretty good.  :)  Oh, and listed in no particular order.  I want all of these dreams to come true!

1. The Sweetheart by Angelina Mirabella.  A female pro wrestler in the 1950s?  Yes, please!  (TV show; I think Mad Men proved that the 1950s have a lot of appeal!)

2. The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett.  A mystery involving history, rare books/documents, and a book lover?  Yes, please!  (Movie)

3. Dreamfire by Kit Alloway.  A family who travels in the Dreamworld and saves people from their nightmares.  (Movie or TV show)

4. The Maker Movement Manifesto by Mark Hatch.  This one's nonfiction, and mostly focuses on a single makerspace in CA, and highlights different awesome innovations coming out of makerspaces.  (TV show.  Specifically, a reality TV show.  Maybe the crew visits a different makerspace each episode?)

5. Heirs of Watson Island series by Martina Boone.  I might be biased on this one, as it's set on a seaside plantation in the South, and I love plantations of the South.  But what a great setting!  (Movie or TV show; just make sure you get the accents right!)

6. The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey.  I will never pass up an opportunity to include Edward Abbey on a TTT list!  I love that guy's writing.  (Movie)

7. The Martian by Andy Weir.  To be honest, I'm not positive this would work, as it's mostly just a single guy alone with his thoughts on Mars.  But the book was genius and I loved it and I literally laughed out loud.  (Movie)

8. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina.  I just loved this book!  I totally connected with the main character, and that's saying something, seeing as I'm a white adult and she's a Latina teen.  I also feel like this book sparks some good and necessary debate/conversation among teens.  (Movie)

9. The Velva Jean books by Jennifer Niven.  No adequate books for how much I love these books.  (TV show; a movie isn't long enough.)

10. The Zhivago Affair by Peter Finn.  Non fiction about the hoopla surrounding the original publication of Doctor Zhivago.  There's intrigue, Russian politics, the FBI, and a Worlds Fair.  (Movie)

What about you?  What books do you want to see on the big or small screen?

America's Library: The Story of the Library of Congress, 1800-2000 by James Conaway | Book Review

(The copy I read actually had a different cover, but I like this one better.  Thanks, Goodreads!)

The hubby and I went on vacay at the beginning of May to Washington, D.C.  While there, we visited the Library of Congress (obvs) and I saw this book in their gift shop.  I know the sales in there support the Library, but I still balked at the $40-something price tag and instead requested it from my library.  How meta is that?  Reading a book about a library from my library!  :)

This nonfiction history of the Library of Congress is highly readable.  It's rather slender, as far as adult nonfiction usually goes, and not dry at all.  The book is broken up into chapters spanning 50 years each, and talks about the creation of the Library, the succession of Librarians of Congress, and the different iterations and innovations of the Library over the years.

I've visited the Library of Congress three times and work in a public library myself, so I thought I knew quite a bit.  I was so wrong!  But that's ok; it means that I learned a lot in reading this book.  I found myself nearly continually reading little segments out loud to the hubby, I found it all so interesting.  

The information is broken up with lots and lots of pictures, all in color (except, of course, the really old pictures where color wasn't available).  They are scattered all through the text, not lumped in the middle of the book, and all have clear captions describing the content.

My only regret?  Not reading this before visiting the Library of Congress last month!  It only reinvigorated my curiosity about the place, and now I'm already itching to return!

*I checked out my copy of America's Library from my local library.