Top Ten Tuesday/ Upcoming TBR

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

September 20: Books On My Fall 2022 To-Read List

As I said in yesterday’s post, I have over 100 books on my TBR. Although by the time this is up, I hope I’m under that since today is September 2^nd when I’m putting this together. Following a ton of bookish content creators isn’t that helpful when you are trying not to add more books to your TBR.

Goodreads Blurb:

At thirty-nine, Nicole Mueller’s life is on the rocks. Her once brilliant law career is falling apart. She and her husband, Dan, are soon to be forced out of the apartment they love. After a warning from her firm’s senior partners, she receives an invitation from an exclusive women’s networking group, Panthera Leo. Membership is anonymous, but every member is a successful professional. It sounds like the perfect solution to help Nicole revive her career. So, despite Dan’s concerns that the group might be a cult, Nicole signs up for their retreat in Colorado.

Once there, she meets the other women who will make up her Pride. A CEO, an actress, a finance whiz, a congresswoman: Nicole can’t believe her luck. The founders of Panthera Leo are equally as impressive. They explain the group’s core philosophy: they’re a girl’s club in a boy’s club world.

Nicole is all in. And when she gets home, she soon sees dividends. Her new network quickly provides her with clients that help her relaunch her career, and a great new apartment too. The favors she has to provide in return seem benign. But then she’s called to the congresswoman’s apartment late at night where she’s pressed into helping her cover up a crime. And suddenly, Dan’s concerns that something more sinister is at play seem all too relevant. Can Nicole extricate herself from the group before it’s too late? Or will joining Panthera Leo be the biggest mistake of her life? 

Goodreads Blurb:

For Sewanee Chester, being an audiobook narrator is a long way from her old dreams, but the days of being a star on film sets are long behind her. She’s found success and satisfaction from the inside of a sound booth and it allows her to care for her beloved, ailing grandmother. When she arrives in Las Vegas last-minute for a book convention, Sewanee unexpectedly spends a whirlwind night with a charming stranger.

On her return home, Sewanee discovers one of the world’s most beloved romance novelists wanted her to perform her last book—with Brock McNight, the industry’s hottest, most secretive voice. Sewanee doesn’t buy what romance novels are selling—not after her own dreams were tragically cut short—and she stopped narrating them years ago. But her admiration of the late author, and the opportunity to get her grandmother more help, makes her decision for her.

As Sewanee begins work on the book, resurrecting her old romance pseudonym, she and Brock forge a real connection, hidden behind the comfort of anonymity. Soon, she is dreaming again, but secrets are revealed, and the realities of life come crashing down around her once more.

If she can learn to risk everything for desires she has long buried, she will discover a world of intimacy and acceptance she never believed would be hers.

Goodreads Blurb;

Can two children escape North Korea on their own?

North Korea. December, 1950.

Twelve-year-old Sora and her family live under an iron set of rules: No travel without a permit. No criticism of the government. No absences from Communist meetings. Wear red. Hang pictures of the Great Leader. Don’t trust your neighbors. Don’t speak your mind. You are being watched.

But war is coming, war between North and South Korea, between the Soviets and the Americans. War causes chaos–and war is the perfect time to escape. The plan is simple: Sora and her family will walk hundreds of miles to the South Korean city of Busan from their tiny mountain village. They just need to avoid napalm, frostbite, border guards, and enemy soldiers.

But they can’t. And when an incendiary bombing changes everything, Sora and her little brother Young will have to get to Busan on their own. Can a twelve-year-old girl and her eight-year-old brother survive three hundred miles of war zone in winter?

Goodreads Blurb:

A collection of corrupt men inside the justice system ruined his cousin Frank’s life, and now Stan Manning is going to make them pay. Instead of starting at the bottom, he enlists the help of his old friend and special ops army veteran, Moses White.

Frank Grimm left behind a notebook with a list of interesting names. At the top was Senator Royse Mickelson.

Stan assembles a small crew to build evidence against the Senator to bring him to justice, but when the senator dies in a terrible — and suspicious — car accident on the way to the police station after his public arrest, Stan must once again go into hiding.

Goodreads Blurb:

Natalia Nicolaeva is back, and badder than ever. This episode finds her studying in London, where a group of domestic extremists is terrorizing the city. Caught up in events through association, Natalia is offered a choice by the British intelligence services. She can go undercover for MI5 or face deportation to Russia, where dire consequences await. After agreeing to do her part, the question remains; can Natalia stop these mad bombers from carrying out their diabolical plans before it’s too late?

Goodreeads Blurb:

Brooke knows the rules. Everyone in the city outside the wall does. If you never cause any trouble, you never disappear.

Even after her father’s mysterious death, she’s always known she’ll do whatever it takes to live a good life and earn her place on the land one day.

But when the watchmen suddenly start following her every move, it doesn’t matter if she’s done anything wrong. Now she needs to find out why they are watching before she vanishes without a trace.

Goodreads Blurb:

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

Goodreads Blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can’t wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She’s desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mom, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends…who don’t understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan’s biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl.

Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn’t seem so stifling anymore.

But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they’re each trying to hide will find its way to the surface…whether Morgan is ready or not.

Goodreads Blurb:

All Freddy Riley wants is for Laura Dean to stop breaking up with her.

The day they got together was the best one of Freddy’s life, but nothing’s made sense since. Laura Dean is popular, funny, and SO CUTE … but she can be really thoughtless, even mean. Their on-again, off-again relationship has Freddy’s head spinning — and Freddy’s friends can’t understand why she keeps going back.

When Freddy consults the services of a local mystic, the mysterious Seek-Her, she isn’t thrilled with the advice she receives. But something’s got to give: Freddy’s heart is breaking in slow motion, and she may be about to lose her very best friend as well as her last shred of self-respect. Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnist Anna Vice, to help her through being a teenager in love.

Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell bring to life a sweet and spirited tale of young love that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need.

Goodreads Blurb:

When two young Amish men find love, will they risk losing everything?

Isaac knows his sinful desire for David is forbidden.

In the strict Amish settlement of Zebulon, Minnesota, every detail of life—down to the width of a hat brim—is dictated by God and the all-powerful rules of the community. There’s no rumspringa for exploration beyond the boundaries of their insular world. Isaac will soon have to officially join the church and take a wife, but he yearns for freedom.

He yearns for David.

When he becomes David’s carpentry apprentice, Isaac discovers he’s not alone in his longing. Passion ignites amid sweat and sawdust. Somehow, Isaac and David must reconcile their deepening love for each other with their commitment to faith, family, and community.

Now that they’ve found each other, are they willing to lose it all?

Okay, I picked the ten I’m most excited about, so wish me luck.

Alex