My Top Reads of 2023

 

I know the New Year is four days away but I have football to watch so I thought I'd get this done early. Plus, I have some kiddos in town so, I'm going to post my top reads of 2023 today.

Two books and authors that are missing from my cloud graphic are......

Pepper Basham and Julie Lessman. It was a complete accident. 

While I didn't read nearly as many books as I hoped to read in 2023, there are so many more I could add to this list. Look for my honorable mentions on Saturday or Sunday.

I always love seeing everyone's top reads for the year. Leave me your link so I can add to my ever growing TBR.

Top Ten Tuesday - Giving Thanks For Books

 

Happy Tuesday and Thanksgiving Week! Today's Top Ten Tuesday, sponsored by That Artsy Reader Girl, is Reasons I'm Thankful for Books. This should be an interesting list. 

1. Books are friends that don't talk back.

2. Books give me a place to go when I have to stay home.

3. They're beautiful to look at and make my home feel cozy and warm.

4. Books have opened the door to amazing friendships with other readers and authors.

5. Books provide amazing book boyfriends to swoon over.

I found some cute graphics about being thankful for books on BookBub.

This is true!

Can you think of a book you've read that you're not a part of? I can't. 

I can't even believe how many lives I've already lived.  I've been reading since I was three. I don't do math. I leave that to my daughter and husband.

Books may be made of paper, ink, and words but they have so much more within their covers.

Our world doesn't know or understand quiet anymore; books are perfect companions for being quiet.

Name the last book that swallowed you up, heart and soul. For me, The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt. Before that it was A Dare and a Prayer by Julie Lessman

Do you have a book genre or author you go to when you need a little book therapy? For me, rom-coms are my go-to.

Maybe not, but I sure have found loyal friends within the book community.

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you and your families and friends have a wonderful Thanksgiving on Thursday. 

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt Reviewed

 

 

About the book:

Title: The Warsaw Sisters

Author: Amanda Barratt

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Pages: 369

Publisher: Revell

On a golden August morning in 1939, sisters Antonina and Helena Dąbrowska send their father off to defend Poland against the looming threat of German invasion. The next day, the first bombs fall on Warsaw, decimating their beloved city and shattering the world of their youth.

When Antonina's beloved Marek is forced behind ghetto walls along with the rest of Warsaw's Jewish population, Antonina turns her worry into action and becomes a key figure in a daring network of women risking their lives to shelter Jewish children. Helena finds herself drawn into the ranks of Poland's secret army, joining the fight to free her homeland from occupation. But the secrets both are forced to keep threaten to tear the sisters apart--and the cost of resistance proves greater than either ever imagined.

Shining a light on the oft-forgotten history of Poland during WWII and inspired by true stories of ordinary individuals who fought to preserve freedom and humanity in the darkest of times, The Warsaw Sisters is a richly rendered portrait of courage, sacrifice, and the resilience of our deepest ties.

Goodreads || Amazon || Baker Book House

My Thoughts:

"Grief was a blade, slicing deep, cutting your heart to shreds. With time, the blade grew dull, your heart numb. But you still bled."

With her signature style, Amanda Barratt takes a historical story and puts flesh on it, binding it together with two sisters who have one another. I was pulled into the story immediately and felt the relationship between Antonina and Helena through the pages.

This is a must-read story! It vividly shows the horror of occupied Poland during WWII. Revealing the courage and determination of two sisters who refuse to be controlled by anyone but God.

Amanda Barratt's attention to detail and research is evident on each page. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy via the publisher. I was not required to write a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I also purchased a copy.

About Amanda Barratt

ECPA best-selling author Amanda Barratt fell in love with writing in grade school when she wrote her first story—a spinoff of Jane Eyre. Now, Amanda writes romantic, historical fiction, penning stories of beauty and brokenness set against the backdrop of bygone eras not so very different from our own. Her novel My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love released from Kregel Publications in June 2019.
She’s also the author of My Heart Belongs in Niagara Falls, New York: Adele’s Journey, as well as seven novellas with Barbour Publishing. Two of her novellas have been finalists in the FHL Reader’s Choice Awards.
Amanda lives in the woods of Michigan with her fabulous family, where she can be found reading way too many books, plotting her next novel, and jotting down imaginary travel itineraries for her dream vacation to Europe.

Website || Facebook || Twitter 

Early November Releases I'm Excited About

 

Hi! Boy, it's been a while since I wrote a blog post. October was not the best month for me. I had two trips to the hospital via ambulance. One on October 6th and the second on October 16th; both for convulsive seizures that were status epileptics, which means I didn't return to baseline or normal. I'm finally feeling better, which is a huge answer to prayer, and I'm feeling able to get back to blogging. So, without further adieu here are the November releases that I'm excited about.

  

I realize there are only four books, but with my brain going off kilter last month I'm behind in street team reading, for two of these books I'm on the author's street team. I'm hoping my reading will begin to pick up and I'll actually get some reading done.

What books are you looking forward to releasing this month? Let me know in the comments.

  

Top Ten Tuesday . . . If You Like This . . . Try This

 

Hi! Welcome to the last Top Ten Tuesday of February. I've always wanted to do a book blog post about "If you liked this book, then try this." I hope you like this and find a new book or two to read.

If you liked ⇩                                    Try this ⇩

If you liked ⇩                                  Try this ⇩

                                    

If you liked ⇩                                    Try this ⇩

                    

If you liked ⇩                                  Try this ⇩                                                     

                                       

If you liked this ⇩                             Try this ⇩

                                                       

                              

 If you liked this ⇩                            Try this ⇩

                                 

                                   

 

                                                      

                                    

If you liked this ⇩                          Try this ⇩

                                

If you liked this ⇩                             Try this ⇩

                                  

If you liked this ⇩                                Try this ⇩                                                       

                                          

If you liked this ⇩                                Try this ⇩

                                             

I really hope you enjoyed this post. It was a lot of fun trying to find books that would match for lack of a better word. Have a great day!