Top Ten Tuesday: Mum's the Word? Books I Enjoyed But Rarely Mention

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic: 
Books I Enjoyed... But Rarely Talk About

Is it just me or do you find yourself touting the same handful of books over and over? I definitely fall into that trap. So this week's TTT prompt forced me to dig a little deeper and find those books that I really enjoyed but, for whatever reason, seem to skip over and rarely mention.
  


Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. More recently, her husband made a fortune selling his tech business, and their adored son has been accepted to Princeton. Yet sometimes the middle-class small-town girl in Nina wonders if she’s strayed from the person she once was.

Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla. His road has been lonely, long, and hard, but he finally starts to relax after Lyla earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, Nashville’s most prestigious private school.

Amid so much wealth and privilege, Lyla doesn’t always fit in—and her overprotective father doesn’t help—but in most ways, she’s a typical teenage girl, happy and thriving.

Then, one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything. As the image spreads like wildfire, the Windsor community is instantly polarized, buzzing with controversy and assigning blame.

At the heart of the lies and scandal, Tom, Nina, and Lyla are forced together—all questioning their closest relationships, asking themselves who they really are, and searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning.
 

Everything Under the Sun | Jessica Redmerski
Thais Fenwick was eleven-years-old when civilization fell, devastated by a virus that killed off the majority of the world’s population. For seven years, Thais and her family lived in a community of survivors deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. But when her town is attacked by raiders, she and her blind sister are taken away to the East-Central Territory where she is destined to live the cruel and unjust kind of life her late mother warned her about.

Atticus Hunt is a troubled soldier in Lexington City who has spent the past seven years trying to conform to the vicious nature of men in a post-apocalyptic society. He knows that in order to survive, he must abandon his morals and his conscience and become like those he is surrounded by. But when he meets Thais, morals and conscience win out over conformity, and he risks his rank and his life to help her. They escape the city and set out together on a long and perilous journey to find safety in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Struggling to survive in a world without electricity, food, shelter, and clean water, Atticus and Thais shed their fear of growing too close, and they fall hopelessly in love. But can love survive in such dark times, or is it fated to die with them?
Annika Rose is an English major at the University of Illinois. Anxious in social situations where she finds most people's behavior confusing, she'd rather be surrounded by the order and discipline of books or the quiet solitude of playing chess.

Jonathan Hoffman joined the chess club and lost his first game―and his heart―to the shy and awkward, yet brilliant and beautiful Annika. He admires her ability to be true to herself, quirks and all, and accepts the challenges involved in pursuing a relationship with her. Jonathan and Annika bring out the best in each other, finding the confidence and courage within themselves to plan a future together. What follows is a tumultuous yet tender love affair that withstands everything except the unforeseen tragedy that forces them apart, shattering their connection and leaving them to navigate their lives alone.

Now, a decade later, fate reunites Annika and Jonathan in Chicago. She's living the life she wanted as a librarian. He's a Wall Street whiz, recovering from a divorce and seeking a fresh start. The attraction and strong feelings they once shared are instantly rekindled, but until they confront the fears and anxieties that drove them apart, their second chance will end before it truly begins.

How to Save a Life | Emma Scott
Josephine Clark is trapped. A harrowing past haunts her every time she looks in the mirror, and she can’t escape the violence of her everyday life. More and more, her thoughts turn to Evan Salinger, the boy she knew in high school. The boy they called a mental case. A loner. A freak. The boy who seemed to know things no one could know. For a few short weeks, Jo had found perfect solace in Evan’s company, sneaking every night to meet him at the local pool. In the cool of the water and the warmth of Evan’s arms around her, Jo had tasted something close to happiness.

Cruel circumstances tore them apart, and four years later, the sweet memory of their time together is dissolving under the punishing reality of Jo’s life now. Evan seems like a fading dream…until he reappears at the moment she needs him most. Guided by Evan’s strange intuition, they flee her small Louisiana town, on the run from the police, and Jo begins to suspect there is something more to his sudden return than he admits.

Over twelve days across America’s heartland, deep secrets come to light, buried pasts are unearthed, and the line between dreams and reality is blurred as Evan and Jo fight to hold on to their soul-deep love, and discover that there is more than one way to save a life.

I Want You Back | Lorelei James
Former NHL star Jaxson Lund has returned to the Twin Cities, but he's at loose ends, unsure if he belongs at Lund Industries, or where he stands with Lucy, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter, Mimi. Despite the signs she'd like to leave him in the penalty box, the attraction burning between them reinforces his determination to prove that he deserves a second chance...

Lucy Quade is in a good place with a steady job, a nice apartment, and a well-adjusted daughter, which is why she's hesitant when Jax insists on co-parenting. It's not that Lucy doesn't trust Jax...she's just unconvinced he can handle multiple responsibilities when he's been singularly focused on playing hockey. But when issues arise with Mimi, Lucy's shocked at how levelheaded and paternal he acts, giving her a glimpse of the Jax she used to know, the sexy, sweet man she fell for years ago.

Once Lucy lets her guard down, Jax goes all in to show her how good they are together, but will their past remain too large an obstacle to ever overcome?


Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise.

Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.

But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?

On May 15, 1975, fifteen-year-old Ginny Lemon is abducted from a convenience store in Fort Lauderdale by a member of one of the most notorious and brutal motorcycle gangs in South Florida.

From that moment on, her life is forever changed. She gets a new name, a new identity and a new life in the midst of the gang’s base on the edge of the Florida Everglades—a frightening, rough and violent world much like the swamps themselves, where everyone has an alias and loyalty is tantamount to survival.

And at the center of it all is the gang’s leader, Grizz: massive, ruggedly handsome, terrifying and somehow, when it comes to Ginny, tender. She becomes his obsession and the one true love of his life.

So begins a tale of emotional obsession and manipulation, of a young woman ripped from everything she knows and forced to lean on the one person who provides attention, affection and care: her captor. Precocious and intelligent, but still very much a teenager, Ginny struggles to adapt to her existence, initially fighting and then coming to terms with her captivity.

Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.

Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage.

But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again.


After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen-year-old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.

While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.

An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.

Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.

Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania: population two thousand outside of tourist season.

And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed attempt at a relationship, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.

Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works.

For a time.

But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. What begins as an immediate friendship quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something that Catherine is afraid to trust.

Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?


Have you read any of these books?


40 comments

  1. OMG! I just downloaded I Want You Back this morning! How did I know? Actually, I saw the sequel on EW for download, and was curious about the series. Sounds like it was a good one for me.

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    1. No way! What timing! :) I hope you'll love it. I picked I Want You Back up on a whim and it was one of those that was even more than I expected. I definitely want to read more from Lorelei James.

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  2. Emily Giffin is one of my absolute favorite authors - she never disappoints!

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    1. I can't wait to read more from her! This one was such a powerful story.

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  3. I love Emily Griffin, in fact I have read most of these authors. Great choices!

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    1. I really loved that one and I'm excited to read more from Giffin.

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  4. Mrs. Everything does sound good!

    My TTT.

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  5. Great list! I haven't heard of a few of these, so I'll have to check them out.

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  6. I always struggle to find recommendations. They usually end up being whatever latest books I enjoyed. We just read too many to remember!

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  7. I loved a book called HOW TO SAVE A LIFE by Sara Zarr. I haven't read your book by the same title, but it did remind me of the book I loved. I should have used it in my list today. Oops!

    Happy TTT!

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    1. Interesting that there's more than one book by that title! :)

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  8. Nine Minutes! YES!I would have put that one my list if I didn't talk about it so much. I'm always telling everyone to read it!

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    1. Nine Minutes was so much more emotional than I expected, Deanna! I really need to read the follow-on books.

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  9. I haven't read any of these books, but so many are on my TBR, especially Queen of Bright and Shiny Things, Mrs. Everything, and All We Ever Wanted!

    claire @ clairefy

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    1. Mrs. Everything was so, so good. One of my top reads last year. I hope you'll enjoy it if/when you get to it, Claire!

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  10. I love the cover for Everything Under the Sun! I think I even had it on my TBR for awhile. Maybe I'll have to give it a shot!

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    1. Everything Under the Sun was a rare 5-star read for me. A big, chunky dystopian with plenty of time spent of the relationship. Loved it. :)

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  11. I'm definitely guilty of talking about the same books over and over again. This week's topic was nice since it forced me to look beyond my go-to list of books to talk about. The Girl He Used to Know made my list this week too.

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    1. You know how with some books as time goes by you realize they weren't quite as good as you thought at the time? The Girl He Used to Know is the opposite of that for me. :)

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  12. I definitely feel like I often keep talking about the same books over and over. :)

    the Girl He Used To Know sounds really fun.

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    1. The Girl He Used to Know was a good one. It spanned several years and I'm always a fan of that.

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  13. I know OF most of these, but I have not read any of them. I'm loving this topic - fun to see older titles, or underrated books.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I love seeing backlist - or underrated - books gets some well-deserved attention.

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  14. No you are not alone Tanya!!! And I so loved Nine Minutes!

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    1. I really need to continue on with that series, Sophie!

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  15. I’ve read just two of these books, Trust and Queen of Bright and Shiny Things and I only really remember one of them. Trust was a holiday read for me a while ago and I remember really enjoying it... and then never spoke about it either. Isn’t it weird how that happens.

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    1. Something about Trust just clicked for me and really checked all my boxes. I loved Edie and John.

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  16. I've only read the 2nd and 3rd one, several of the others are on my TBR, though!

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    1. I'm dying for the follow-up to Everything Under the Sun, but I know that Jessica Redmerski has been going through a hard time lately. Not sure when it will be ready.

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  17. I've not read any of these, but you have reminded me that I have been NEEDING to read Everything Under the Sun since the last time you featured it on a list and I went and immediately purchased it 😂 Though Idk if now is ummm the best time? Or maybe IT IS. The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things sounds cute too, and I have enjoyed other books by the author!

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    1. LOL Hard to call... it's either the perfect time to read it, or should be avoided at all cost. :)

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  18. I loved I Want You Back! I read and enjoyed Until it Fades, too. I'd like to read Everything Under the Sun sometime. Sounds really good!

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    1. I Want You Back was so much more than I was expecting. I really want to read more from Lorelei James!

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  19. I have only read one of the books from your list but I really loved The Girl He Used to Know. I hope to read some of the other books you listed.

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    1. I truly loved The Girl He Used to Know. It was also a reminder of why I love Tracey's books so much!

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  20. I'm guilty of talking about the same books/authors too but abandoned the internet this week so didn't write a post digging out the hidden gems.

    I haven't read a single one of these... I love the sounds of Everything Under The Sun but I'm not sure I'd like to read it right now what with a virus taking out the majority of the worlds population being a major plot point, lol.
    How To Save A Life sounds wonderful. I need to add that one to the watch list.

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    1. Everything Under the Sun was phenomenal. One of my super-rare 5 star reads. But yeah... now's probably not the best time for a dystopian world story. If I remember right things actually went back after a sickness/virus wiped out a huge chunk of the population. So yeah.

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