My 10 Favorite Books, Movies, and Shows
This month's 10 on the 10th is all about our favorite books, movies, podcasts and shows and I just can not wait to read about what everyone else shares. I don't know about you but I am always looking for a great new book, movie and TV show to watch!
Books: Since I have so many favorite books and I've shared my favorite books many times before I'm going to focus on my 10 favorite books that I've read so far this year.
1. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult-- This compelling story is told from multiple viewpoints- when a gunman bursts into an abortion clinic and opens fire the lives of those inside will ever be the same again.
2. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn-- When a new York socialite goes looking for her missing cousin after WWII she teams up with an unlikely accomplice; an old WWI spy. The story of Eve Gardiner and what it was like to be a woman spy during the war is compelling and there were so many times when I just could not put the book down.
3. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover-- I read this book in under 24 hours; as a homeschooling mom I really wasn't sure I wanted to read a book that doesn't exactly paint homeschooling in the best light but it was amazing. Much of the focus is on the author's life and her family and I just could not believe all that she overcame to get herself a PhD from Cambridge!
4. We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh-- When Letty's parents return to Mexico, this single mother is left struggling to raise her children and get them out of their neighborhood to give them a better life.
5. The Huntress by Kate Quinn-- Told in multiple voices, I really enjoyed this story about Nina who trains to become a female night bomber in her home country of the Soviet Union to destroy the Germans after the Nazi's attack. Ian is a Nazi hunter and can not rest until he catches the one who has always eluded him known only as the Huntress. Their stories weave together in pretty unpredictable ways.
6. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens-- I honestly wasn't so sure I loved this story as I was reading it but it is one of those stories that sticks with you long after you've finished. Kya is known to the locals as "Marsh Girl." Left mostly to raise and educate herself Kya has led a life like no other but when a local man turns up dead many suspect Kya has something to do with it.
7. Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand-- To me summer is just not complete without reading a few Elin Hilderbrand books and I just loved her latest novel. Set in the Summer of '69, Elin wove in so many historical events to this wonderful story about a family summering on Nantucket. Of their 4 children one is taking a summer job on Martha's Vineyard, one is off at war in Vietnam, one is married to a man working on the Apollo space launch and hugely pregnant, and one is struggling to come of age.
8. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff-- In case you can't tell by now I am a sucker for World War II books and this one did not disappoint! Centered around a ring of female secret agents working in occupied Europe during the war as couriers and radio operators-- all of whom never return and their fates are a mystery. When Grace stumbles upon a suitcase with a stack of photos in it she can't let the mystery go and works hard to uncover the story of these women and their lives.
9. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren-- This book is a definite "chick lit" pick but I found parts of it so funny I actually laughed out loud. Based on a pretty unlikely premise that the maid of honor and the best man are the only two people not to get food poisoning at the wedding they are encouraged to take the bride and groom's honeymoon for them; the only catch? They can't stand each other.
10. Under Currents by Nora Roberts-- I broke my own rule and brought this library book on vacation with us (I once left a library book in our room after checking out and almost didn't notice). I started reading it the day before leaving and just could not put it down. It was a very intense book about a boy and his sister who are physically and emotionally abused by both their parents before a tragic accident one night brings all the years of abuse to life for everyone in the town. Years later, as adults, their past comes back to haunt them just as they feel they are finally moving on.
Movies: While I often write about movies I've only talked about family movies or movies that are great for teaching. I'm not sure I can narrow down all the movies I've ever seen into just 10 but I'm going to try!
1. RV-- This movie always make me laugh.
2. Failure to Launch-- A cute romcom that always makes me smile.
3. 21 Jump Street-- When these two cops go undercover at a local high school things start to go awry pretty fast.
4. Notting Hill-- A very sweet love story.
5. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days-- Another super cute romcom; can you tell I have a favorite genre?
6. Hope Floats-- Always makes me cry and I love so many of the songs in the soundtrack too.
7. The Hangover-- another movie that makes me laugh each and every time I watch.
8. Sweet Home Alabama-- I just love this story about finding one's true love at a young age
9. The Whole Nine Yards-- What would you do if a mob hitman moved in next door?
10. 50 First Dates- Dating can be problematic with short term memory loss.
I honestly could go on and on-- Blended, Just Go With It, Grown Ups, The Proposal, The Wedding Singer, My Best Friend's Wedding, Steel Magnolias...
Shows: We don't have cable anymore and I have been having a great time finding new favorite shows to watch on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Most of my favorites are old shows that have long since ended but I love that I can watch them in their entirety!
1. Brothers and Sisters
2. Downton Abby
3. Grace and Frankie
4. A Million Little Things
5. This is Us
6. Parenthood
7. Life in Pieces
8. Friends
9. Gilmore Girls
10. The Big Bang Theory
Linking Up With:
Books: Since I have so many favorite books and I've shared my favorite books many times before I'm going to focus on my 10 favorite books that I've read so far this year.
1. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult-- This compelling story is told from multiple viewpoints- when a gunman bursts into an abortion clinic and opens fire the lives of those inside will ever be the same again.
2. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn-- When a new York socialite goes looking for her missing cousin after WWII she teams up with an unlikely accomplice; an old WWI spy. The story of Eve Gardiner and what it was like to be a woman spy during the war is compelling and there were so many times when I just could not put the book down.
3. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover-- I read this book in under 24 hours; as a homeschooling mom I really wasn't sure I wanted to read a book that doesn't exactly paint homeschooling in the best light but it was amazing. Much of the focus is on the author's life and her family and I just could not believe all that she overcame to get herself a PhD from Cambridge!
4. We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh-- When Letty's parents return to Mexico, this single mother is left struggling to raise her children and get them out of their neighborhood to give them a better life.
5. The Huntress by Kate Quinn-- Told in multiple voices, I really enjoyed this story about Nina who trains to become a female night bomber in her home country of the Soviet Union to destroy the Germans after the Nazi's attack. Ian is a Nazi hunter and can not rest until he catches the one who has always eluded him known only as the Huntress. Their stories weave together in pretty unpredictable ways.
6. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens-- I honestly wasn't so sure I loved this story as I was reading it but it is one of those stories that sticks with you long after you've finished. Kya is known to the locals as "Marsh Girl." Left mostly to raise and educate herself Kya has led a life like no other but when a local man turns up dead many suspect Kya has something to do with it.
7. Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand-- To me summer is just not complete without reading a few Elin Hilderbrand books and I just loved her latest novel. Set in the Summer of '69, Elin wove in so many historical events to this wonderful story about a family summering on Nantucket. Of their 4 children one is taking a summer job on Martha's Vineyard, one is off at war in Vietnam, one is married to a man working on the Apollo space launch and hugely pregnant, and one is struggling to come of age.
8. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff-- In case you can't tell by now I am a sucker for World War II books and this one did not disappoint! Centered around a ring of female secret agents working in occupied Europe during the war as couriers and radio operators-- all of whom never return and their fates are a mystery. When Grace stumbles upon a suitcase with a stack of photos in it she can't let the mystery go and works hard to uncover the story of these women and their lives.
9. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren-- This book is a definite "chick lit" pick but I found parts of it so funny I actually laughed out loud. Based on a pretty unlikely premise that the maid of honor and the best man are the only two people not to get food poisoning at the wedding they are encouraged to take the bride and groom's honeymoon for them; the only catch? They can't stand each other.
10. Under Currents by Nora Roberts-- I broke my own rule and brought this library book on vacation with us (I once left a library book in our room after checking out and almost didn't notice). I started reading it the day before leaving and just could not put it down. It was a very intense book about a boy and his sister who are physically and emotionally abused by both their parents before a tragic accident one night brings all the years of abuse to life for everyone in the town. Years later, as adults, their past comes back to haunt them just as they feel they are finally moving on.
Movies: While I often write about movies I've only talked about family movies or movies that are great for teaching. I'm not sure I can narrow down all the movies I've ever seen into just 10 but I'm going to try!
1. RV-- This movie always make me laugh.
2. Failure to Launch-- A cute romcom that always makes me smile.
3. 21 Jump Street-- When these two cops go undercover at a local high school things start to go awry pretty fast.
4. Notting Hill-- A very sweet love story.
5. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days-- Another super cute romcom; can you tell I have a favorite genre?
6. Hope Floats-- Always makes me cry and I love so many of the songs in the soundtrack too.
7. The Hangover-- another movie that makes me laugh each and every time I watch.
8. Sweet Home Alabama-- I just love this story about finding one's true love at a young age
9. The Whole Nine Yards-- What would you do if a mob hitman moved in next door?
10. 50 First Dates- Dating can be problematic with short term memory loss.
I honestly could go on and on-- Blended, Just Go With It, Grown Ups, The Proposal, The Wedding Singer, My Best Friend's Wedding, Steel Magnolias...
Shows: We don't have cable anymore and I have been having a great time finding new favorite shows to watch on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Most of my favorites are old shows that have long since ended but I love that I can watch them in their entirety!
1. Brothers and Sisters
2. Downton Abby
3. Grace and Frankie
4. A Million Little Things
5. This is Us
6. Parenthood
7. Life in Pieces
8. Friends
9. Gilmore Girls
10. The Big Bang Theory
What are some of your favorites?
Linking Up With:
I can't even imagine coming up with these top 10 lists! Thanks for making the effort and sharing yours!
ReplyDeleteIt was so hard! I just kept thinking there is not way I can choose 10... in any category! Plus my favorites vary greatly by mood too.
DeleteI love your book list and I have been wanting to read Where the Crawdads Sing for a while!
ReplyDeleteI'm still not sure it lived up to the hype I found all around the blogosphere but I did enjoy it and like I said it's a story I read that really stood out from the others.
DeleteI have a lot of the books you read on my list. I read another by Pam Jenoff that I liked a lot so I'm going to look into the one you listed here! These movies include a lot of feel good, rewatching types! I loved the show 21 Jump Street but never watched the movie. And we have lots of our favorite shows in common!
ReplyDeleteOh you have to watch the 21 Jump Street movies (there are two of them!); they are so funny and make a few references to the show. A couple of the characters from the show even make a cameo appearance!
DeleteWell, we have quite a bit in common! I'm right on track with most of those shows and moves for sure! The books all sound so good! I keep hearing about Where The Crawdads Sing, I actually appreciated hearing your thoughts about it being good, but maybe not stellar. There are quite a few books there too!
ReplyDeleteI will definitely check out the ones I haven't watched/read yet!
I'm so glad you found some "new" ideas.
DeleteWe seem to have very similar tastes. I have to save this for all the book ideas. I need to check out the Kate Quinn book, loved the Alice Network! I think I'll pin this post for later reference.
ReplyDeletebosbodaciousblog.blogspot.ca
I definitely liked the Alice Network better than the Huntress but you could certainly tell they were by the same author.
DeleteOh, you mentioned some of my all time favorite shows. Parenthood! And you shared some books I have had my eye on. Pinning your suggestions!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the pin!
DeleteWhat great lists! I've read and love several of your book picks, especially Where the Crawdads Sing. I'm adding some to my TBR list. And the movie list -- oh my gosh, I had forgotten about how good some of those movies were. They will be great to re-see!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked it!
DeleteThank you for sharing at #ThursdayFavoriteThings. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteI love all the rom-coms on your movie list, that's a favorite genre of mine as well! I love This Is Us, A Million Little Things, Friends, Gilmore Girls, and Big Bang- so sad that two of those are no longer on! I ahven't read any of those novels, but The Unhoneymooners and Educated are on my TBR :)
ReplyDeleteI actually just bought my sister Educated for her birthday and told her she HAD to read it; it's that good!
Delete