Monday, August 28, 2017

Tuesday Favorites: Best Blogging Time & Ten Hidden Gem Books On My Goodreads List

Each week Maureen from Maureen's Books asks participants to share a favorite on the weekly designated topic.

This week's topic is my favorite time to blog.

My favorite time to blog is more for the sake of convenience than anything else: Friday mornings during the school year (which started yesterday). After my husband leaves for work and my daughter heads off to school, I can sit at my computer and blog the day away if I want.  At least until pick-up time. Although, there are quite a number of other things that make even that impossible. Otherwise, I blog when I can. Finding time to blog Monday through Thursday is difficult because of my work schedule and the weekends are devoted to my family.


Do you have a favorite time you like to blog?

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at Broke and Bookish.

This week's  Top Ten Tuesday is Ten Hidden Gem Books On My Goodreads List. Each of the books on this list earned a 4.5 or the coveted 5 star rating from me, but have been rated less than 2,150 times on the site. It seems a shame to me that more people are not reading these books!


1. Sweeping up Glass by Carolyn Wall ~ "Sweeping Up Glass is a love story, a mystery, and historical novel that touches on social issues that still reverberate today." [Excerpt from my review]



2. Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show by Frank Delaney ~ "... is a story full of intrigue, drama, comedy and family loyalty and strength. It is also rich in history with a dash of Irish lore. I laughed. I cried. I held my breath in anticipation of and fear." [Excerpt from my my review]



3. The Story of  Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam ~ "The Story of a Brief Marriage is a reminder of how fragile we all are, and yet how resilient we can be. It is also the story of how war can rip us bear and leave us raw. We keep going, surviving in the worst of circumstances because we have to."  [Excerpt from my my review]



4. Tales from a Child of the Enemy by Ursula Duba ~ "Although simple in its presentation, Ms. Duba’s book is thought provoking and conscience raising. This is a book I think would serve a good purpose as required reading in school. It not only reminds us of the horror of the Holocaust, how a civilized society can become barbaric, but also, that the Germans are struggling to overcome their dark history as well."  [Excerpt from my my review]



5. Behind Closed Doors by Elizabeth Haynes ~ "While the intensity in this novel was high, I admit there were moments I had to set it down for awhile, the darkness of it was too heavy, the reality of it too frightening. It's books like these that scare me more than any horror novel ever could because of how true to life it is. Elizabeth Haynes has officially become one of my all time favorite crime fiction writers. I hope you will give her books a try." [Excerpt from my my review]




6. June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore ~ "June has a bit of everything from a family saga, to romance to mystery and dual narratives, taking readers from the present back to 1955. There is drama and heartache. Hope and family. I was entranced as I read. I didn't want the story to end. And yet, what a great ending it was. I honestly didn't expect to be as taken with June as I was. I thoroughly enjoyed it." [Excerpt from my my review]




7. As Always, Jack by Emma Sweeney ~ "This book is a love story, one that deeply touched my heart. John Sweeney, aka Jack, was a gifted and humorous writer. His letters carried me back to 1946, made me feel the growing love he felt for Beebe, his future wife, and reminded me of my own love story."  [Excerpt from my my review]



8. The Hummingbird by Stephen P. Kiernan ~ "Healing and forgiveness are at the center of this novel as it deals with the difficult topics of war and dying. Stephan P. Kiernan expertly takes three seemingly different stories, one from the past and two from the present, and weaves them together." [Excerpt from my my review]



9. The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss ~ "The novel is packed with eccentric characters, including ghost hunters, a taxidermist, a detective with a chip on her shoulder (thank goodness her partner has some sense!), a cat who sees ghosts, and a sexy neighbor. I thought the pacing was perfect, Maddie's skepticism realistic, and the story-telling superb." [Excerpt from my my review]



10. The Night Parade by Kathryn Tanquary ~ "The mythical beings and spirits are part of what make this novel such a great book, in my mind. I do not know much about Japanese mythology, but this book made me curious enough to do some research. I quite enjoyed getting a glimpse into this part of Japanese culture, finding it both fascinating and humbling." [Excerpt from my my review]



Have you read any of these books? Are there any books out there you think are not getting enough attention? Please share!


© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

48 comments:

  1. Great list! It's always interesting to dig through Goodreads, see what books you enjoy and compare the number of ratings/popularity of a book. I did it some time ago, maybe earlier this year, and found it quite illuminating.

    My TTT

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  2. I tend to blog in the evenings but on weekends I sneak some time in on Saturday mornings, and Sundays I'm on a lot thanks to the Sunday Post.

    The Night Parade looks interesting, Japanese mythology huh? I think that would be fun to read.

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    1. Greg - I sometimes sneak in some time on Saturday mornings too.

      I really liked The Night Parade. I find mythology so fascinating.

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  3. I tend to blog in the mornings and when I have blog tours, in the evenings. The books look interesting too!

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    1. Alexandra - If I am able to get online in the evenings, it's not for long unfortunately. When I do, it's usually to link to memes or polish off a post and make sure it's still scheduled to post that night or the next day.

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  4. I loved Behind Closed Doors. Elizabeth Haynes is a great writer!

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  5. That's a good question -- I blog in the evenings during the week and during the weekend at any time really. It's all over the place pretty much.

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    1. Verushka - Sometimes you just have to get it in when you can, I've found.

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  6. I'm really curious about June (which is good because I own a copy), The Night Parade and Paranormal Museum. Great list.

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    1. Barb - I hope you do enjoy all three when you get to them. I had such fun reading them. :-)

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  7. I love blogging in the mornings. But since I work different shifts I end up blogging just when I'm able to. And that changes every week.
    I must admit I haven't read any of these books. But they sound good.
    Thanks for joining my favorite! ;)

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    1. Maureen - I can see that you would have to be flexible with your blog time considering your fluctuating work schedule. Thanks for hosting! :-)

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  8. Totally adding The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum to my TBR! Love the title and the cover... and it's perfect for the upcoming season!

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    1. Katie - I hope you do get a chance to read The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum to your TBR. It's such a fun book. :-)

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  9. These covers look so good! I'll have to look them up on GR. Thanks for the recs!! (P.S. love your blog theme!)

    My TTT:Hidden Gems in YA

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    1. Jessica - Thank you! I hope you find some good ones to try!

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  10. I love the covers for The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum and The Night Parade. Adding both to my TBR! Thanks for the recs! :)
    My TTT this week.

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    1. Louise - Those are two of my favorite covers also. :-) I hope you enjoy the books if you read them!

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  11. I try to do most of my blogging on Sundays. I try to get all of the posts ready for the week but will usually leave the actual text of my reviews until later. It makes the week go much smoother to do it ahead a bit. I liked June and The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum when I read them.

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    1. Carole - I sometimes manage to get some blogging in on Sundays, depending on what my family is up to.

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  12. I am so fascinated by Japanese culture, will add "The Night Parade" to my TBR.

    Carmen / Carmen`s Reading Corner

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  13. I haven't heard of most of these, so I'm glad you brought them to my attention! I'm going to add a number of them to my own towering GR TBR list :)

    Happy TTT!

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  14. I really like to start blogging in the morning so I can blog the day away too. I don't have a hubby and kids, but it is quiter when everyone is away at work. :)

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    1. Sarah - I definitely get more done if I start early. :-)

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  15. The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum looks good-anything with a cat works for me :)

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  16. Love your list. Several books on it are on my want-to-read list. :)

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  17. I need to get a set time to blog. I'm always trying to cram time in everywhere and it never quite works. I love The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum! I have Night Parade high up on my TBR too but the others are new to me (except June). This is a dangerous topic for the TBR! I want to read all of them!

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    1. Katherine - Yes, it is very dangerous to our wish lists and TBRs. So fun though. :-) It can be hard fitting in blogging. I used to be able to do more during the downtime at work, but that isn't possible anymore. So, it's more of a juggle now.

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  18. My favourite time to blog is definitely when my girls are in school. :)

    Thanks for sharing the list, Wendy. Will check them out.

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  19. Several more things to add to my TBR list!

    Morning is mine as well. I don't like mornings much, but it's easier to set the time aside to do it.

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    1. Shannon - These lists are dangerous to our wish lists!

      I consider myself a reluctant morning person. I used to be more of a night person, but years of having to be and into work early has had its effect on me.

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  20. I've not heard of any of these, but I'm intrigued by several. Here is our TTT

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    1. Poinsettia - I hope you will give the ones a try that caught your fancy! They are all good.

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  21. I'm not a big morning person. My daughter's back in school now too, but that doesn't really affect my schedule much.
    I'll have to look at The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, it sounds like one I'd enjoy.

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    1. Carol - I consider myself a reluctant morning person. I've had to become one since I start work at 6:30 in the mornings, which means early nights for me.

      I hope you do give The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum a try! It's a lot of fun.

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  22. Great list!!

    And I try to blog whenever I get a chance, but mostly at night. I work from home during the day and I'm home with the kiddos.

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    1. Chrissy - Thank you! I used to be more of a night blogger, but with my current work schedule and the evenings being family time, I had to find other alternatives. We do what we can when we can, don't we?

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  23. I've had my eyes on The Night Parade - great list!

    Lauren @ Always Me

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    1. Lauren - The Night Parade is such a good read. I hope you get a chance to read it.

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  24. I've only ever heard of one of these - they definitely are hidden gems! I'll have to check them out!

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