*Top Ten Tuesday* Books on my Winter TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Joood - Hooligan of Platypire reviews bossed me into doing this, so I guess this is a thing I do now. 

This weeks theme is books on my winter TBR. Now this should be an easy list, because I already wrote one for this exact topic (kind of sort of) when I announced the 12 Books of Christmas Challenge (check out that list here). But since winter goes past Christmas, I'm going to be ambitious (which is crazy because I'm also going to be going through a trans-Atlantic move this winter), so my plans are probably going to all go up in smoke, but I'm making them anyway! Here we go!

Since my physical books are pretty much all going to be in boxes on a boat on their way across the Atlantic pretty much all winter, I'm pretending that I will be focusing on whittling down my Netgalley backlist and maybe diving into a few of my previous Kindle Scout nominations that I've never found the time to read up to now. And because I'm going to be living in a house with almost no belongings aside from my easily portable electronic devices for like three weeks, I should have loads of time to read, so this list is going to be far more ambitious than it ought to be, and include more than ten books.

Christmas at the Vicarage by Rebecca Boxall

Synopsis: It’s been fifteen years since Rosamunde last lived at the vicarage in Potter’s Cove, the pretty coastal village where she grew up, experienced her first true love—and a heartbreak that changed her life forever. But now Potter’s Cove is calling her back: it’s time to make peace with the past and go home.

Rosamunde’s return to the vicarage in the days before Christmas is a whirlwind of festive cheer and heartwarming reunions with friends, family and her loving father, the vicar. And while seeing the old place after all this time stirs painful memories of long-ago grief, it also reminds her of all the love she left behind. Fifteen years ago she vowed never to let herself be vulnerable again—but now that she’s back she’s not so sure. Is it possible that real happiness could strike more than once?

Spanning three decades of family life, Christmas at the Vicarage is a warm, feel-good tale that examines what it means to love and to lose—and to be brave enough to try again.

Bad Luck by Pseudonymous Bosch

Synopsis: The plot thickens in this New York Times-bestselling sequel to Bad Magic!


Some people have all the luck. Unfortunately, Clay isn't one of them: He's the only camper at Earth Ranch without a magical talent. As if feeling totally useless isn't enough, Clay has to figure out what to do about Brett, a castaway boy who has just washed ashore and is determined to keep his presence a secret. Even as Clay helps his new friend hide in the remote volcanic island's wilderness, another fiery mystery begins to emerge, with all signs pointing to the impossible idea that dragons once roamed the island...and may still. Can Clay and his friends turn their luck around in time to uncover Price Island's secrets--and save it from a scorching end?

Danger, adventure, mischief, mystery, old foes, new friends, and a delightfully elusive narrator make bestselling author Pseudonymous Bosch's latest novel completely irresistible.

The Heretics of De'ath by Howard of Warwick

Synopsis: England 1066: At the monastery of De'Ath's Dingle, during a completely pointless theological debate, there is a mysterious death. 

Routine business for the average investigative medieval monk.

Unfortunately this isn’t a tale of average monks. 

Anyone who would put the idiot Brother Simon in charge of a murder investigation is either one chant short of a plainsong, or is up to something. 

When Brother Hermitage, innocent in every way, including bystanding, is lined up for execution, he begins to wonder if something might be going on. Perhaps his new companion Wat, weaver of pornographic tapestry, can figure out what it is. Before it's too late. 

If you are a lover of the historical detective genre, if you have a deep respect for the worlds created, don’t read this book. It’ll only upset you.

The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa

Synopsis: A stunningly ambitious and beautiful debut novel, perfect for fans of Sarah’s Key and All the Light We Cannot See, the story of a twelve-year-old girl’s harrowing experience fleeing Nazi-occupied Germany with her family and best friend, only to discover that the overseas asylum they had been promised is an illusion.

In 1939 before everything changed, Hannah Rosenthal lived a charmed life. Her family moved in Berlin’s highest social circles, admired by friends and neighbors. Eleven-year-old Hannah was often taken by her mother for an afternoon treat at the tea room of the beautiful Adlon Hotel, both dressed in their finest clothes. She spent her afternoons at the park with her best friend Leo Martin. But, in an instant, that sunlit world vanished. Now the streets of Berlin are draped with red, white, and black flags; their fine possessions are hauled away, and they are no longer welcome in the places that once felt like home. The two friends make a pact: come what may, they promise to have a future together.

As Hannah and Leo’s families desperately begin to search for a means of escape, a glimmer of hope appears when they discover the Saint Louis, a transatlantic liner that can give Jews safe passage to Cuba. After a frantic search to obtain visas, the Rosenthals and the Martins depart from Hamburg on the luxurious passenger liner bound for Havana. Life aboard the ship is a welcome respite from the gloom of Berlin—filled with masquerade balls, dancing, and exquisite meals every night.

As the passengers gain renewed hope for a bright future ahead, love between Hannah and Leo blossoms. But soon reports from the outside world began to filter in, and dark news overshadows the celebratory atmosphere on the ship; the governments of Cuba, the United States, and Canada are denying the passengers of the St. Louis admittance to their countries, forcing them to return to Europe as it descends into the Second World War. The ship that had seemed their salvation seems likely to become their death sentence.

After four days anchored at bay, only a handful of passengers are allowed to disembark onto Cuban soil, and Hannah and Leo must face the grim reality that they could be torn apart. Their future is unknown, and their only choice will have an impact in generations to come.

Decades later in New York City on her eleventh birthday, Anna Rosen receives a mysterious envelope from Hannah, a great-aunt she has never met but who raised her deceased father. In an attempt to piece together her father’s mysterious past, Anna and her mother travel to Havana to meet Hannah, who is turning eighty-seven years old. Hannah reveals old family ties, recounts her journey aboard the Saint Louis and, for the first time, reveals what happened to her father and Leo. Bringing together the pain of the past with the mysteries of the present, Hannah gives young Anna a sense of their shared histories, forever intertwining their lives, honoring those they loved and cruelly lost.

The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds by Selina Siak Chin Yoke

Synopsis: Facing challenges in an increasingly colonial world, Chye Hoon, a rebellious young girl, must learn to embrace her mixed Malayan-Chinese identity as a Nyonya—and her destiny as a cook, rather than following her first dream of attending school like her brother.

Amidst the smells of chillies and garlic frying, Chye Hoon begins to appreciate the richness of her traditions, eventually marrying Wong Peng Choon, a Chinese man. Together, they have ten children. At last, she can pass on the stories she has heard—magical tales of men from the sea—and her warrior’s courage, along with her wonderful kueh (cakes).

But the cultural shift towards the West has begun. Chye Hoon finds herself afraid of losing the heritage she so prizes as her children move more and more into the modernising Western world.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

Synopsis: The incredible true story of the women who fought America's Undark danger.

The Curies' newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the otherwise dark years of the First World War. 

Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these "shining girls" are the luckiest alive - until they begin to fall mysteriously ill. 

But the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women's cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America's early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers' rights that will echo for centuries to come. 

Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the "wonder" substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives...

A Thousand Rooms by Helen Jones

Synopsis: You don't wake up expecting to die... 

Katie is thirty-two, single, and used to work in advertising. She's also dead. A lost soul hitching rides with the dying, trying to find her way to... wherever she's supposed to be. 

And whoever she's supposed to be with. 

Heaven, it seems, has a thousand rooms. What will it take to find hers?

Lost World by T.L. Zalecki

Synopsis: In 2098 human survival depends on genetic research to develop aquatic capabilities. It has never been more dangerous for the elusive sirens to be discovered. Until now they've remained eclipsed from human eyes, inhabiting a secret island. But when their youth rebel, the sirens decide to test the waters of open society by striking a deal with megacorp DiviniGen Inc. And they risk everything to do it. Will the risk be worth it or will the sirens be forced to face the darkness of eternal isolation?

A Festival of Murder by Tricia Hendricks

Synopsis: What's worse than being abducted by aliens? Not much! But being accused of murder around Christmas time is a close second…

Nicholas Trilby moved to the Colorado Rockies in search of much needed peace and quiet. Unfortunately for him, solitude made him easy pickings for a passing UFO. Now safely returned to Earth, he's a reluctant celebrity in a quirky little tourist town that insists on naming him the Guest of Honor at its annual Alien Fest.

When a hostile reporter from The Roswell Explorer is discovered dead in the nearby lake, Nicholas knows he's in trouble once again. This time it's not little green men he needs to watch out for, but a motivated detective. With the help of his odd, alien-loving neighbors, Nicholas is in a race against time to clear his name. But what if Nicholas himself is the killer--and he simply forgot?




Die by Night by Kaitlynn Aisling

Synopsis: Werewolves are real and they dwell in Scotland; vampires are also real and they are everywhere, and Natalie has. no. idea. Natalie is having the worst day. She lost a promotion to the CEO's son's bit of fluff, then she finds that same bit of fluff in her boyfriend's bed. She realizes two things: she's unhappy and she hates accounting. Her dad is ill, she has the headache from Hell, and all she wants is a stiff drink. That decision is going to lead to much worse. 

At the bar, Gavin meets Natalie. She's been drinking her troubles away for hours and jumps on the chance to have one reckless night with a stranger, then slips away in the morning. Three months later, she realizes she's pregnant. What she doesn't realize is that she is the salvation for an entire species battling extinction.

So apparently I lied, my list is exactly ten books long, and yet there is still a very solid chance that I won't end up reading a single one of these books this winter, because I get easily distracted by other shiny books. But for the time being, this is my plan. 

So what books are on your winter TBR? - Katie 

*If you're stopping by from the linkup, please be sure to leave a link to your post so I can stop by and see what you'll be reading.*

Have you joined the 12 Books of Christmas Challenge yet? Find out more details and sign up here!