Memes · Wrap-ups

#Top10of2018 Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2019

Top 10 of 2018

Today marks the final day for KimberlyFaye Reads Top 10 of 2018, event. Our last topic is.. 

Books I’m Looking Forward to In 2018

  1. Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy
  2. The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
  3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
  4. The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom
  5. Birds of a Feather (Maisie Dobbs, #2) by Jacqueline Winspear
  6. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pan Jenoff
  7. Lies by T.M. Logan
  8. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
  9. The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson

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Memes · Recommendations · Wrap-ups

#Top10of2018 The Best of the Best

Top 10 of 2018

Today on Top 10 of 2018, hosted by KimberlyFaye Reads, we are talking about our top 10 favourite books of the year.. 

The Lightkeeper’s Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol

Save the Date by Morgan Matson

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury

Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy

Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs, #1) by Jacqueline Winspear

An Amish Kitchen by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston & Kelly Long

The Meeting Place (Song of Acadia, #1) by Janette Oke

Rumors (Luxe, #2) by Anna Godbersen

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

Memes · Wrap-ups

#Top10of2018 OTP

Top 10 of 2018
Hosted by: KimberlyFaye Reads

Today for #top10of2018, we are talking about our favourite couples from the books we’ve read this year. 

OTP 

  1. Simon and Blue (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli)
  2. Hannah and Stephen (An Amish Kitchen by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kelly Long)
  3. Molly and Ryan (The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury)
  4. Charlie and Donna (The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury)
  5. Mattie and Sol (A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher)

Memes · Wrap-ups

#Top10of2018 Captivating Characters

Top 10 of 2018
Hosted by: KimberlyFaye Reads 


Today is day 3 of #top10of2018 and our topic is…

Captivating Characters

  1. Danny Riehl (A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher)
    A curious young boy with a heart of gold. He was one of my favourite characters of 2018.
  2. Elizabeth (The Lightkeeper’s Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol)
    An intelligent woman, devoted to her sister and willing to give a troubled teenage girl a chance.
  3. Charlie Barton (The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury)
    A hardworking man who dreamed of proving himself to his father. He created a bookshop that became a haven for many.
  4. Donna Barton (The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury)
    A devoted wife who stood by her husbands side during many struggles and persevered from devastation.
  5. Ryan Kelly (The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury)
    An out of work musician who steps up to help an old friend in need.
  6. Andreas (Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy)
    A Grecian taverna owner who opens his heart to a group of strangers during a time of tragedy in his small village.
  7. Timmy (The Shoe Box: A Christmas Story by Francine Rivers)
    A foster child who touches the hearts of many at Christmastime with the contents of his mysterious shoe box.
  8. Mercy Marwood (A Christmas Cracker by Trisha Ashley)
    An elderly woman with the spark of a child, who opens her home and cracker making factory to those in need. Including giving a second chance to former cons.
  9. Ellen DeGeneres (Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres)
    Not a character, but author and narrator for her own book. This woman never fails to bring a smile to my face.
  10. Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs by Jaqueline Winspear)
    A highly intelligent and brave woman, making a career for herself as an investigator in post WWI Britain.
Memes · Wrap-ups

#Top10of2018 Books I Wish I’d Made the Time to Read in 2018

Top 10 of 2018

Today is the first day of #Top10of2018 hosted by KimberlyFaye Reads and our topic is: 

Books I Wish I’d Made the Time to Read in 2018

  • Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5) by JK Rowling
  • To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
  • Lights Out Liverpool by Maureen Lee
  • Come from Away by Genevieve Graham
  • The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton
  • An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
  • The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
  • Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
  • The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom 

Book Reviews · Recommendations

The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury

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The Bridge 
By: Karen Kingsbury

Published: October, 2012
Published by: Howard Books
Format Read: Hardcover
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Christian Fiction, Inspirational Fiction

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis


Number one New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury delivers an instant classic with this heartwarming Christmas story about a hundred-year flood, lost love, and the beauty of enduring friendships. Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but she left her heart back in Tennessee with a man she walked away from five years ago. They had a rare sort of love she hasn’t found since.

Ryan Kelly lives in Nashville after a broken engagement and several years on the road touring with a country music duo. He can still hear Molly’s voice encouraging him to follow his dreams; Molly, whose memory stays with him. At least he can visit The Bridge—the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin—and remember the hours he and Molly once spent there.

For thirty years, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, providing the people of middle Tennessee with coffee, conversation, and shelves of good books—even through dismal book sales and the rise of digital books. Then in May, the hundred-year flood swept through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store.

Now the bank is pulling the lease on The Bridge. Despondent and without answers, Charlie considers the unthinkable. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly, everything changes. In the face of desperate brokenness and lost opportunities, could the miracle of a second chance actually unfold?

The Bridge is a love story set against the struggle of the American bookstore, a love story you will never forget.

Goodreads

My Thoughts

Karen Kingsbury’s The Bridge told a story that was as beautiful as its cover. 

Two long lost college friends are reunited when their favourite bookshop is in jeopardy of being shut down. Set during the holiday season, it tells a story of life long dreams, true love and friendship. 

I loved learning about Charlie and Donna’s life together and how they built up the store that meant so much to so many. Oh how I would love to have a special place like that. I couldn’t put down this book with its story that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. 

I would highly recommend Karen Kingsbury’s The Bridge, to those who enjoy inspirational fiction. I look forward to rereading it again. 

Book Reviews · Recommendations

Her Royal Spyness (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #1) by Rhys Bowen

Her Royal Spyness
(Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #1)
By: Rhys Bowen

Published: July, 2007
Published by: Berkley Publishing Group
Format Read: eBook, Library Book, Libby App
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Rating: 3.5/5
♥♥♥.5 

Synopsis

Georgie, aka Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, cousin of King George V of England, is penniless and trying to survive on her own as an ordinary person in London in 1932.

So far she has managed to light a fire and boil an egg… She’s gate-crashed a wedding… She’s making money by secretly cleaning houses… And she’s been asked to spy for Her Majesty the Queen.

Everything seems to be going swimmingly until she finds a body in her bathtub… and someone is definitely trying to kill her.

My Thoughts

Her Royal Spyness is book one in Rhys Bowen’s mystery series, that follows Georgiana the fictional great granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Set in the midst of the Great Depression, it tells of how the most elite of British aristocracy saw their fortunes dwindle with the crash of the stock market. The golden age is over and many including Georgiana and her family are forced to fend for themselves in ways they never had to before.

This was also a period of great change in values and moral decorum. It was becoming more common for young unmarried women to be unchaperoned. Our main character takes advantage of this newfound freedom and moves to London, where mystery ensues.

Her Royal Spyness was a quick and entertaining read, with a humorous tone. I enjoyed the time period and the inclusion of the royal family. However the mystery was quite predictable. Still, I look forward to reading the second book in the series.
Challenges · Personal Post

Back to the Challenges in 2019

Last year, for the first time since I started book blogging I took a break from participating in blog hosted challenges. The only one I did participated in was the Goodreads Reading Challenge. Looking back I am happy with my reading progress from 2018 and the selection of books I read, however I miss the structure that different challenges bring. So for 2019, I am going to jump back on the bandwagon and create some challenges for myself. 

Here are the challenges I will be participating in this year:

The TBR Jar Challenge 

In an attempt to read the piles of books I own on my physical shelf, I have decided to try out the TBR jar method. I have put all the names of the books on my shelf into a jar and I will select one that I must read each month. If the selected book turns out to be a sequel of another book I have yet to read, I will have to read the previous book first. My ultimate goal is to read one book from my physical shelf per month. Which will add up to 12 for the year. Naturally I will get to this goal faster if I am required to read more than one book off it in any given month. 

Any additional physical books that I add to my collection I will put on my shelf backwards (providing that there is room), unless they are 2019 releases, in which case they will qualify for my next challenge. 

The New Release Challenge

I would really like to keep up with the newer books being released this year. So to do so I have decided to do the New Release Challenge. 

Like the previous challenge, I hope to read at least one book per month that is released in 2019. These books may be in the form of ARCS, Library books or any physical books I may buy. 

2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge

Like every year, I will be participating in the Goodreads Reading Challenge once again. I have decided to keep with my same goal for 2018 and attempt to read 40 books this year. 

Will you be participating in any challenges this year? Have you set a goal for a certain number of books you’d like to read? Leave me a message in the comments. 
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