Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday - Books on my Spring TBR list


Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

The topic for today is books on my Spring TBR list.

Assuming I finish War and Peace this month, and it's highly likely as I am beyond the point of no return (aka past the half way mark), here's what I am looking forward to reading:

The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier - the GoodReads group True Book Talk is reading this in April, and I am thrilled. I watched the movie a few years ago and loved it, and got a copy of the book and it has sat on my shelf since then. The movie is set in England, while the novel is set in France, but I think the plot is pretty much the same.

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver - I'm a Kingsolver fan and have heard good things about this novel.

Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon - another bookclub book, this time with the JASNA Denver/Boulder reading group.

Before I Grow Too Old: A walk from John O'Groats to Land's End by Pat Jilks - my daughter read this, enjoyed it, and lent it to me as she knows how much I want to do this walk and how much I love reading about walking journeys.

Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birder by Kenn Kaufman - my husband just read this, and recommended it. We are celebrating our 35th anniversary in May with a trip to a birding festival, and this will be perfect prep for the vacation. Incidentally, we had planned to go to Lake McConnaughy in Nebraska to see the sandhill crane migration, but cancelled because of the Bombogenesis storm that knocked the socks off of Colorado and is causing massive flooding the Midwest. 

Song of the Lark by Willa Cather - speaking of Nebraska and eastern Colorado, I am eager to read this classic and hope to get to it this spring.

18 comments:

  1. I'm glad you've heard good things about Unsheltered. I'm curious about that one, too.

    My Top Ten Tuesday post.

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  2. A very interesting looking bunch of books. I must delve into both Cather and Kingslover soon myself. Finishing War and Peace will be an impressive accomplishment!

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  3. My sister, also a birder, really enjoyed Kingbird Highway. It's now on my list, too. :)

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  4. Re. Romantic Outlaws...I have not read; however, I am reading A Vindication of the Lives of Woman this April, by Wollstonecraft. After that, I may possibly want to look into Romantic Outlaws.

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    1. Vindication by Mary Wollstonecraft has been on my TBR list forever. How readable are you finding it?

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  5. Very impressive list and its got me thinking for tbe Spring I should commmit to finally reading Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. I've heard about Romantic Outlaws as well and I did read a book about Mary and Percy Shelley and how free thinking they were. Got me curious about Mary Wollstonecraft as well. Congratulations on the progress you have made with War and Peace.

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    1. Rebecca is amazing. I hope you get the time to read it. It is hands down her best work. The Shelleys were an interesting couple, to say the least.

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  6. Jane,
    As a nature nut and birder, I'm wondering about the bird festival you plan to attend--is it in the West? Or the East? Best wishes for that trip! I'll be seeking out Kingbird Highway pronto.
    I'm also interested in The Scapegoat--I don't know this one of Du Maurier's.

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    1. It’s the Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival in Cortez, CO May 8-12. This will be our third time going—we went in 2016 and last year. Honestly, we weren’t going to go again this year but Noah Stryker is the guest speaker and we couldn’t miss out on meeting him! I absolutely loved his Birding Without Borders about his big year.

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    2. Oh, that sounds like a wonderful time! That's a peak migration time for us here, so I'll be out in full force.
      In late May, I'm going for a week solo to Monhegan Island, 12 miles off the coast of Maine, which is a birding mecca. Ken and I were there in mid-September and the fall migration was in full swing. It's an astoundingly beautiful island.

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  7. I loved The Scapegoat when I read it as a teenager - I wonder if I'd still love it now. I'm a Kingsolver fan too so am interested in Unsheltered. Romantic Outlaws and Before I Grow Too Old: A walk from John O'Groats to Land's End both look like books I'd like to read.

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  8. Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary!

    You always are reading such an interesting mix of books and fiction/non-fiction.

    I have Unsheltered on my list too but will probably read Prodigal Summer first since I already have a copy on my shelf.

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    1. Prodigal Summer is so good! Hope you enjoy it—one of my favorites.

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  9. Nice list! I hope you enjoy all of these.

    I know nothing about birds, but I do love the sweet quail families that roam all around my neighborhood. They always make me smile :)

    Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!

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  10. You have a good list. & congrats on making your way thru War & Peace. Your Willa Cather book reminds me I'd like to reread My Antonia this year .... as it's been a long time since I read that. Still is my favorite of hers, but I need to read more of Cather's.

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  11. What a lovely list to take you through April and beyond. I love several of those authors, but haven't read the particular books you've mentioned on this list. I'll keep an eye on your progress.

    As for my War and Peace progress, I've passed the three quarters point, and feel as if I'm on the homeward stretch. Probably several weeks before feedback of any sort still.

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  12. Unsheltered is also on my list. I've read two of her books so far and have enjoyed both immensely. Also War and Peace...it's so big. I'm a quarter through....

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  13. These all sound wonderful! I'll also admit to having The Scapegoat my shelf for much too long. I still need to watch the classic movie. The enjoyed The Song of the Lark - what a perfect book for Spring! I still need to read War and Peace myself. I'm starting a classics book club at my local library and I'm hoping to use it as an inspiration to tackle some of these larger classics that I have not gotten too!

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