Top Ten Tuesday – 2020 New-to-me authors (Jan 26, 2021)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a different topic is posted inviting the participants to come up with a list of ten things to do with the topic.

This week’s topic is ‘New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2020.’ Even though 2020 wasn’t a great reading year for me, there were a few books by people I’d never read anything by before. I usually enjoy trying different authors/writers and almost half the books I read last year fell into this category. These are the ten in print form that I own that I enjoyed the most. There were others that I borrowed from the library or read in ebook form. I’ll probably go on to look for more by some of these and already have read another Matt Haig book, with another on my TBR. Although I realise that Alex Trebek was not an author as such, his book was one of my favourites of the year and I couldn’t really leave him out of this list.

Ellie seems to approve, but is not sure why these are on top of her castle!

1. We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson. I had heard so much about this one and it didn’t disappoint.
2. The Way of Tea and Justice – Becca Stevens. This one was both informative and inspirational.
3. Torn – Justin Lee. A very helpful look at the dialogue between gays and Christians, from the perspective of a high-profile gay Christian.
4. The Humans – Matt Haig. I’m not sure why I waited so long to read anything by Haig. This was a great read, both funny and sad, and everything in between.
5. The Answer Is… – Alex Trebek. This was one of my favourites of 2020. Trebek was a very inspirational person and it’s sad that he is no longer with us.
6. The Fire Never Goes Out – Noelle Stevenson. An enjoyable memoir in picture form.
7. The Gown – Jennifer Robson. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The style and structure made it a fairly engaging read.
8. Five Little Indians – Michelle Good. This is a very powerful novel – sad at times, but also had moments of triumph.
9. Imagine Wanting Only This – Kristen Radtke. This was another memoir in pictures. It was fairly enjoyable, but left me wanting a bit more.
10. A Stranger’s Tale – Natasa Xerri and Adam Oehlers. I got in on the crowdfunding of this debut book by someone from Australia that I follow on Instagram. As part of this I received an autographed first edition. It is a beautifully illustrated folklore tale that is worth checking out.

Although I’m hoping that 2021 will be a better reading year for me, I’m always on the lookout for books by people I haven’t read before. As always, I’m open to suggestions.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books That Got Away (January 19, 2021)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a different topic is posted inviting the participants to come up with a list of ten things to do with the topic.

This week’s topic is ‘Books I Meant to Read In 2020 but Didn’t Get To.’ These are all books that were on various 2020 TBR lists, but somehow got away from me and haven’t been read yet. I’d like to think that I’d be able to get them read this year, but who knows!

1. If I Had Lunch with C.S. Lewis – Alister McGrath
2. This is How it Always Is – Laurel Frankel
3. David and Goliath – Malcolm Gladwell
4. Inspired – Rachel Held Evans
5. The Opposite of Loneliness – Marina Keegan
6. The Toynbee Convector – Ray Bradbury
7. Daddy Lenin – Guy Vanderhaeghe
8. In the First Circle – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
9. The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man – Jonas Jonasson
10. How the Bible Actually Works – Peter Enns

Some of these I’ve had for a long time, others for not too long, but they were all bought with good intention. The one that always seems overwhelming is the Solzhenitsyn one. I’ve started it on at least two occasions, but it’s one I definitely want to read at some point. Maybe 2021 will be its year.

2020 was not a great reading year for me, but 2021 is off to a good start so far. I’m hoping this will continue and that I may actually get some of my unread books read, especially those I’ve had on my TBR lists.

If you have read any of these, which would you recommend I try first? I’m always open to reading suggestions.