Top Ten Tuesdays: The Last Ten Books I Read

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a Halloween Freebie.  It’s been a while since I put a TTT list together.  Since it was a freebie I decided to list the last ten books I’ve read.

  • Honeysuckle Season by Mary Ellen TaylorI loved this book!  (It’s currently free on Kindle Unlimited or only $4.99 for the ebook.)  I am using this novel for the next Cook the Books selection for our upcoming rounds.  The next four books are up at CTB.
  • A Murmur of Bees by Sofia SegoviaMurmur of Bees reminds me of something by Isabel Allende and not just because it is a translated work. There’s a magical and mystical quality running through the book. It took my a while to get into the rhythm of the narrator’s voice (and the structure of the novel), but once I did, I loved it.
  • The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen

This was the first book I read by Bowen.  Set during the waning days of WWI in England, the story follow Emily, a daughter of wealth and privilege whose mother would like to see her rise higher with a good marriage. Emily is trying to find her purpose in life and on her 21st birthday she volunteers for the Women’s Land Army.  Oh, and along the way she falls in love with an injured Aussie pilot.  The Victory Garden made me want to read another Bowen book.

  • The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen

I appreciated Bowen’s style and the sweeping narrative. Parts were a bit predictable but how can one resist a novel set in the Tuscan countryside with villians, mysteries, and hot Italian men?

  • The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

This book reminds me a great deal of Ahab’s Wife, perhaps because of the time setting and the breadth and girth of the book. It also features a very strong heroine.

  • Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Woods

Wood does a great job of painting each of Hemingway’s wives in a sympathetic but realistic light. I’ve always thought Hadley was a bit of a mouse, my favorite wife was Gellhorn, and Mary was just an afterthought in my mind.  I know this is a work of fiction, but I have a new appreciation for Mary. The final days of Hemingway’s life plus the aftermath gave me new insight through Wood’s words.

  • Chocolat by Joanne Harris

It is a rare occasion when I find a film more likable than the book. This is one of those occasions.  I blame this on Johnny Depp.  🙂  I liked the format of the book, alternating points-of-view between Vianne and the priest. I sometimes thought the whole mystical and evil Black Man symbolism was a bit of a reach. (I liked the hint of magical realism in the film more.  I guess it was less sinister.) If you liked the film version, you can see chocolate inspired feast here.

  • Let the Willows Weep by Sherry ParnellLet the Willows Weep

Although Let the Willows Weep is set in the pre-Civil Rights era South, as I read it I was struck that it could be set during anytime. Obviously, we have seen that discrimination still abounds whether it is based on race, creed or social class.  You can read my full review here.

  • A Borrowed Life by Kerry Ann King

You can read a full review plus a recipe for a BPT Sandwich here.

  • Murder in the Piazza by Jen Collins Moore

This one was not my favorite.  You can read my review (along with a great soup recipe) here.

 

It’s been a while since I participated in TTT.  Next week is focused on non-bookish hobbies, i.e. getting to know each other.

 

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