Books I'd Slay a Lion to Get Early - Top Ten Tuesday - May 1, 2018

While last week's list was a bit difficult, this week's list became in danger of snowballing very quickly!

"Coming Soon" lists are very dangerous for me and my TBR shelves.
I don't have enough TBR shelves for lists like today!
And that list will grow enormously once I start reading everyone else's lists.

In order to narrow my list down to 10, I tried to leave off any titles that I didn't feel I was desperate for...I'm not slaying any lions for any book...or anything for that matter...but that's another blog post.

Without further adieu...

Ten Books I Wouldn't Slay a Lion to Get Early, but I would be freakishly happy over: 

1.  Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

Bridge of Clay is a totally different story than The Book Thief...but I would probably read anything Zusak wrote.  I won't even see the movie because I don't want The Book Thief ruined in my head.  Yep, I'm one of those readers.

2.  Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan

I didn't even know Becoming Mrs. Lewis existed until I started scanning Goodreads upcoming lists!
I love C.S. Lewis.  Period.
His wife's story is one that I'm not familiar with at all.
Can't wait!

3.  The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo

I'm not a huge fan of classic retellings...unless I'm actually familiar with the classic...and my head is in just the right frame of mind.
The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel is a retelling of sorts of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.  This time, however, Ichobod's love interest gets a chance to talk.
American Lit and history, particularly women's places within those times, are sooooo interesting to me.  Some people don't like historical fiction, but women's stories weren't told then...records are nowhere near as in depth for women as they were for men.  For some stories, historical fiction is all we have.
I love it...especially if it's done well.
And spooky just adds to the equation.

4.  Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Kingsolver got my attention with Animal Vegetable Miracle and then kept me interested with Flight of the Butterflies.
As I turn 50 this year, it feels as if Kingsolver decided to write a novel just for me in Unsheltered.  I'm actually putting this one on my auto-ship from Amazon so I'll have it on my doorstep the day it publishes in October.

5.  The Library Book by Susan Orlean

I have Susan Orlean's Rin Tin Tin because of my love for all things German Shepherds.  I haven't read it yet, but I did try to listen to it on audio.  Orlean's writing is not audioish to me...there's so much to take in, and every word is important.  Rin Tin Tin survived the great moving book purge of this year because I couldn't let her words go.  I wanted to save them for a time when I could slow down and savor them.
With The Library Book, she's writing about the great fire of the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986.
I'm expecting words that need to be savored about words...
I'm all in.  

6.  The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

If you made me choose a favorite classic, it would be Frankenstein.
Now, I didn't read Frankenstein until adulthood...I actually was assigned to teach it so of course, I had to learn it right along with my students.
I don't know if that made all the difference to me or not, but I loved it...and saw immediately that it was so much more than a "monster" story.
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is the Frankenstein story told from the point of view of Elizabeth, Victor Frankenstein's adopted sister.
Did you know that the 200th anniversary of Frankenstein is on the horizon??
I can't wait to see the anniversary editions that are sure to be published!

7.  On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior 

I started following Karen Swallow Prior on Instagram and Twitter after some soul searching.
Politics aside, I've had to re-think some beliefs after watching so-called "evangelicals" try to speak for all Christians in ways that I have never in my life purported to believe.
I've finally found some intelligent, theological, educated, outspoken, caring women to follow and guide me in my own faith walk in ways that DO indeed align with the actual walk of Jesus Christ.
I'm excited to read On Reading Well as I continue on my soul enriching journey towards the teachings of Christ and not the pseudo teachings of those who claim to be in the know to the detriment of those they choose to "other."
So much for putting politics aside right?

8.  Becoming by Michelle Obama

Politics aside (again), how can any woman dismiss the story of any of our first ladies.
How?
They are history.  Finally, we've reached a time where their voices can be heard.  We owe it to our gender, to our daughters, to women everywhere to start filling in the gaps.
I'm auto-shipping Becoming.

9.  Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum novels aren't literary fiction by any stretch of the imagination, but one thing I can always count on this series for is at least a few laugh out louds.
I'll probably either check Look Alive Twenty-Five out from the library or download it on my Kindle...but I shall have it.


10.  Probable Claws by Rita Mae Brown

Another fun series to enjoy some downtime with is the Rita Mae Brown Sneaky Pie series, and this installment hits shelves at the end of May...just in time for vacation!

I'm off to grab as many titles as I can from the other lists!!!!
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