My summer TBR list

Happy summer! Well it is summer to me since school is out. I want to share the books I plan to read on my extensive list. Perhaps you will share some of yours.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I would never have chosen this one on my own. But the AP students are reading it, so it sparked my interest.

The Tethered World by Heather L. L. FitzGerald. A new realm with trolls and dark dwarves awaits the reader.

Return to Exile by Lynne Gentry.  This is the sequel to Healer of Carthage where a 21st century doctor finds herself in a 3rd century Roman world. Will she stay or return to the future?

Loving Luther by Allison Pittman. Katharina von Bora weaves her life with Martin Luther in a way that changes the world.

Mary’s Blessing by Lena Nelson Dooley. The story of a girl who loses her mother and has to grow up quickly in the 1800s in Oregon.

The Raven Saint by M. L. Tyndall. Book III in the Charles Towne Belles Trilogy, early 1700s.

Also, I will be reading a few eBooks.  I hope you have an exciting list of books that gives you a little time to escape.

Happy Reading!

 

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My Top 13 Great American Reads

Last week I shared about The Great American Read PBS. I hope you took the time to check out the list and take the  Quiz. I’ve read 51 out of the 100 books. Some I have never heard of before and some I just have no interest in reading. It will be interesting to see as I watch the PBS series if I change my mind. The first episode is Tuesday, May 22 on PBS.

I’m sharing my top 13 (I couldn’t trim it to top 10.) I don’t know how I will pick my number 1. Let me know how your list compares to mine.

These are in alphabetical order, not in rank.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Gone with the Wind  by Margaret Mitchell

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Jane Eyre  by Charlotte Brontë

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Have you read any of these? What are your top 10 from the Great American Read list?

 

The Great American Read PBS

When I ran across the Great American Read about a month ago, I was intrigued about the 100 books that Americans chose through a national survey. I wish I had been a part of the survey to see if some of my other favorites would have made the list. But I will say that I’ve read 51 of the 100 books on the list.

What is the Great American Read? On the website it states “The Great American Read is an eight-part series that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the prism of American’s 100 best-loved novels. ” Great American Read should be an educational paradise for teachers, students, readers, and writers.  Personally, I plan on watching each episode beginning May 22 on PBS.

The 100 books are divided into groups that share common concepts. During the process, I think, the viewers can vote for their favorite best-loved book. The finale will reveal the winner, the best-loved American book.

On the website there is a quiz that lets you check off the books that you have read. Also, there is a Facebook page, Great American Read Facebook page .

Here are a few of the books that I have read that made the list: 1984 by George Orwell, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Pride and Prejudice  by Jane Austen, and Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.

You might enjoy taking the quiz, watching the series, commenting here, sharing this post, and following the Great American Read Facebook page.

Next week, I will share my top 10 and hopefully you will share yours.

Check out the list and comment here about how many you have read from the list.

Magazines–not a thing of the past

Do you subscribe to any magazines? I majored in Journalism in college, having the opportunity to study magazine format, writing style, photography, and advertising. Slowly, the internet replaced many of my magazine subscriptions, as well as, my changing tastes in adulthood.  Now, I occasionally buy one for a flight or vacation just for fun. Yet, as I look around my house, I realize I have some old friends and new favorites in my magazine basket. My mailbox still delivers interesting, dramatic stories that I catalog for future reference.

As you can see from my subscription choices, my preferred reading material centers around travel and research.  “France” and “Britain” are the two travel options. “France” allows me to dream of peaceful afternoons strolling different streets of charming old villages tucked away in the hills and valleys. I am using the issues as I plan my 22- day trip in July. “Britain” will always come in handy for this is a country I will always return to with my husband. Ever since I lived in England for two years, I’ve had a realistic, yet fairy tale-like, image of knights and princesses, castles and manor houses.  In both magazines, the history articles keep me coming back to the issues.

Also, I have my research magazines. Now, these make me smile and rub my hands together in anticipation. For my American Revolution novels, I read and cherish “American Spirit,” a Daughters of the American Revolution publication, and “Trend and Tradition, ” the magazine of Colonial Williamsburg.  I would love to run across some family history or a tidbit worthy of my novels or an interesting historical character.

 

 

When I joined the Preservation Society of Charleston, a subscription to “Preservation Progress” was attached. I love seeing the work being done to preserve history through the saving of houses and property.  For my Revolutionary Faith series, Charleston is the setting.  My last subscription is to “National Geographic History.” This broadens my horizon to the world where history in general fascinates me with the intriguing facts and vibrant pictures.

What magazines hold your interest still? Or do you rely on the internet or other sources?