Top Ten Tuesday/ Bookish Settings

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by thatartsyreadergirl with a new topic every week.

October 12: Favourite Book Settings

Okay, this week, I’m picking books that have a peaceful setting, in my opinion. Maybe because of the scenery, plot or a character’s wisdom. I don’t know about you, but calm scenes give my mind a rest.

The way the Grand Canyon was described was to die for.

Goodreads Blurb:

Some boundaries should never be blurred.
Professional photographer, Shayne Granger, is overcome with shock and grief when her girlfriend of two years ends their relationship without warning. Not only does the break-up devastate her personal life, but her professional life is also left in tatters.

Amber Knight has worked at In Focus Photography as an assistant for the last six months. The moment she entered the studio, she was immediately attracted to both the job and her boss. However, it has become a daily battle to hide her disappointment at the lack of recognition for who she really is—a first-rate photographer, and more importantly an attractive, intelligent, and available woman.

Forced to work closely together to save In Focus, Shayne finally sees Amber in a different light. Sparks fly. But with the return of Shayne’s controlling and manipulative ex, is there any hope of a future between these two women, or will their chance at happiness be destroyed for good?

The creek where Kate Elkins lived sounded so peaceful, but I think it’s the cover that gave me that impression.

Goodreads Blurb:

Successful but suffocated by the demands of her corporate career, Shaw Daily walks out on it all. She returns to her grandparents’ rural property in Cooper’s Creek, North Carolina, with a plan to hide out and reboot her life to be simple and stress free. But escapism eludes her when her attentions are captured by small town beauty Kate Elkins.
Kate has spent almost her entire life in Cooper’s Creek. For Kate, the bonds of small-town life are a source of strength and comfort. When her aging mother weakens, Kate takes a leave from teaching to care for her. Romance is the last thing on her mind when she bumps into her unrequited teen crush Shaw Dailey just back from California. Long-buried feelings resurface for Kate, but all Shaw sees is a beautiful woman saddled with the responsibilities she is finally free from.

I don’t think it’s easy on anyone knowing that you are dying, but the way Zach Sobiech lived it is inspiring.

Goodreads Blurb:

Laura Sobiech tells the amazing story of how God used her son’s battle with cancer to touch the lives of millions.

“Okay, Lord, you can have him. But if he must die, I want it to be for something big. I want someone’s life to be changed forever.”

This is what Laura Sobiech prayed when she found out her seventeen-year-old son had only one year to live. With this desperate prayer, she released her son to God’s will.

At that point, Zach Sobiech was just another teenager battling cancer. When his mother told him to think about writing good-bye letters to family and friends, he decided instead to write songs. One of them, “Clouds,” captured hearts and changed not one life but millions, making him an international sensation.

But Zach’s story is not just about music. It’s a testament to what can happen when you live as if each day might be your last. It’s a story about the human spirit. It’s about how God used a dying boy from a small town in Minnesota to touch the hearts of millions—including top executives in the music industry, major music artists, news anchors, talk show hosts, actors, priests and pastors, and school children across the globe.

Zach once said, “I want to be known as the kid who went down fighting, and didn’t really lose.” Fly a Little Higher is about how God used Zach to do something big.

Goodreads Blurb:

After Alejandro Alvarez’s best friend dies of kidney disease while in high school, Alejandro vows to change his life. Determined to help others suffering from his friend’s illness, he rejects joining his father’s pediatrics practice and instead trains as a nephrologist and a transplant surgeon. Fourteen years later, devotion to his career has rewarded him with a reputation as an excellent surgeon, but success has left him alone, with no family that he can call his own.

Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse Tammy Johansen is on duty when an infant must undergo a life-saving transplant. Working closely with famed surgeon Dr. Alejandro Alvarez, she sees the sensitive, lonely man beneath his professional exterior and wonders can such a man be interested in someone like her?

As they battle to save the tiny patient, Alejandro struggles with the emptiness within himself until the lovely and compassionate nurse at his side catches his attention. In that moment, one look at Tammy forever changes his life.

Goodreads Blurb:

When chief romantic Rose Delaney scores her dream job at London’s quirkiest new attraction, The Museum of Broken Hearts, she thinks she’s got it made. Sure, it’s a little depressing dealing with relics of failed relationships each day, but Rose is determined not to let it break her ‘love conquers all’ spirit. After discovering the museum’s handsome curator is nursing a broken heart of his own, Rose steps in to fix it.

Can Rose bring about a happy ending before it’s too late, or are some relationships beyond saving?

Goodreads Blurb:

Penguin the Magpie is a global social media sensation. People the world over have fallen in love with the stunning and deeply personal images of this rescued bird and her human family. But there is far more to Penguin’s story than meets the eye. It begins with a shocking accident, in which Cameron’s wife, Sam, suffers a near fatal fall that leaves her paralysed and deeply depressed.

Into their lives comes Penguin, an injured magpie chick abandoned after she fell from her nest. Penguin’s rescue and the incredible joy and strength she gives Sam and all those who helped her survive demonstrates that, however bleak things seem, compassion, friendship and support can come from unexpected quarters, ensuring there are always better days ahead. This plucky little magpie reminds us all that, no matter how lost, fragile or damaged we feel, accepting the love of others and loving them in return will help to make us whole.

Goodreads Blurb:

When South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a herd of ‘rogue’ elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in South Africa, his commonsense told him to refuse. But he was the herd’s last chance of survival – notorious escape artists, they would all be killed if Lawrence wouldn’t take them. He agreed, but before arrangements for the move could be completed the animals broke out again and the matriarch and her baby were shot. The remaining elephants were traumatised, dangerous, and very angry. As soon as they arrived at Thula Thula they started planning their escape…As Lawrence battled to create a bond with the elephants and save them from execution, he came to realise that they had a lot to teach him about life, loyalty and freedom. Set against the background of life on the reserve, with unforgettable characters and exotic wildlife, this is a delightful book that will appeal to animal lovers everywhere.

Goodreads Blurb:

At the age of eight years old, I lost two things: my parents and something that most people take for granted. It was at that moment I began to experience the world differently from everyone else. I accepted my fate, living my life to the fullest and the best way I know how. Giving up on love was something I had to do because men couldn’t cope with my condition. Then I met him and he changed everything for me. A smart, sexy, and shattered man who hid in the shadows of his own tragedy. A man who kept the better part of himself concealed away from the world. I wanted to show him that life was more than how he saw it. My name is Aubrey Callahan and I am blind.

The moment I laid eyes on her, I wanted her. She was beautiful, uncomplicated, and one night was all I needed. People referred to me as “The Iceman” because I was controlling, ruthless, and didn’t give a damn about people’s feelings. I was a user and the only person I protected was myself. Then something happened after a single night with her. The feelings and nightmares that I buried years ago began to resurface. Even though I was a billionaire who could have anything in the world, I couldn’t stop the demons that lived inside me. Aubrey couldn’t see me for who I really was and she deserved better than me. My name is Ethan Klein and I am a destroyed man.

Goodreads Blurb:

There is no one way to be non-binary, and that’s truthfully one of the best things about it. It’s an identity that is yours to shape.

Combining light-hearted anecdotes with their own hard-won wisdom, Jamie Windust explores everything from fashion, dating, relationships and family, through to mental health, work and future key debates. From trying on clothes in secret to iconic looks, first dates to polyamorous liaisons, passports to pronouns, Jamie shows you how to navigate the world and your evolving identity in every type of situation.

Frank, funny, and brilliantly feisty, this must-read book is a call to arms for non-binary self-acceptance, self-appreciation and self-celebration.

Goodreads Blurb:

Twelve-year-old Sunny St. James navigates heart surgery, reconnections with a lost mother, first kisses, and emerging feelings for another girl.

When Sunny St. James receives a new heart, she decides to set off on a “New Life Plan”: 1) do awesome amazing things she could never do before; 2) find a new best friend; and 3) kiss a boy for the first time.

Her “New Life Plan” seems to be racing forward, but when she meets her new best friend Quinn, Sunny questions whether she really wants to kiss a boy at all. When the reemergence of her mother, Sunny begins a journey to becoming the new Sunny St. James. 

In a way or another, each of these novels created the emotion I needed in that moment of my life.

Alex