Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Make Me Smile

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

 

This week I’m sharing the books that make me smile–and why!

1.Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

As soon as Anne Shirley arrives at the snug white farmhouse called Green Gables, she is sure she wants to stay forever . . . but will the Cuthberts send her back to to the orphanage? Anne knows she’s not what they expected—a skinny girl with fiery red hair and a temper to match. If only she can convince them to let her stay, she’ll try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes and blurting out the first thing that comes to her mind. Anne is not like anyone else, the Cuthberts agree; she is special—a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreams of the day when she can call herself Anne of Green Gables.

 

These books have been favorites of mine since I was around 11. And, ever since then, I re-read them ever year or so. They bring back feelings of my childhood. And Anne is like an old, dear friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.The Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck

Passion. Fate. Loyalty.

Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

 

I first read the first three books in this series before they were picked up by a publishing house. The covers were different, the stories not quite as edited–I still have my old copies. 😉 But, I can’t help but love to read about Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan and their incredible adventures!

 

 

 

3.Persuasion by Jane Austen

Twenty-seven-year old Anne Elliot is Austen’s most adult heroine. Eight years before the story proper begins, she is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she precipitously breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. When later Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain, he finds Anne’s family on the brink of financial ruin and his own sister a tenant in Kellynch Hall, the Elliot estate. All the tension of the novel revolves around one question: Will Anne and Wentworth be reunited in their love?

Jane Austen once compared her writing to painting on a little bit of ivory, 2 inches square. Readers of Persuasion will discover that neither her skill for delicate, ironic observations on social custom, love, and marriage nor her ability to apply a sharp focus lens to English manners and morals has deserted her in her final finished work.

 

I know that Pride and Prejudice is Austen’s most famous work… But, Persuasion has always been my favorite of hers. The relationship between Anne and Wentworth is one for the ages. It never gets old to read of these star-crossed lovers who reunite after many years.

 

 

 

 

4.Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work “her own darling child” and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, “as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.” The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen’s radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

 

I mean, it’s Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth and Darcy are formidable opponents and some of Austen’s wittiest and greatest lines are in this one.

 

 

 

 

5.Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard.

But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall. Is Rochester hiding from Jane? Will Jane be left heartbroken and exiled once again?

 

You may be wondering why Jane Eyre would be a book that makes me smile–I mean, it’s slightly depressing…And many of the characters are absolutely horrible. But, I stand by this one. Because some books are worth the pain to get to the end…

 

 

 

 

 

6.Seduction and Snacks by Tara Sivec

Claire is a twenty-something, single mom that grudgingly helps her best friend sell sex toys while she attempts to make enough money to start her own business to give her foul-mouthed, but extremely loveable (when he’s asleep) toddler a better life.

When Carter, the one-night-stand from her past that changed her life forever, shows up in her hometown bar without any recollection of her besides her unique chocolate scent, Claire will make it a point that he remembers her this time.

With Carter’s undisguised shock at suddenly finding out he has a four-year-old son and Claire’s panic that her stretch marks and slim to none bedroom experience will send the man of her dreams heading for the hills, the pair will do whatever they can to get their happily ever after.

Warning: contains explicit sex, profanity and enough sarcasm to choke a horse.

 

This one isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s racy and a little, um, adult. But, if you ever get the craving to read a book that won’t only have you smile, but, laugh-out-loud–in public–well, then this is probably on the top of that list for me.

 

 

 

7.The Hero and the Hacktivist by Pippa Grant

For anyone who’s ever been on the receiving end of an unsolicited dick pic…

He has the muscles of Adonis, an ego bigger than the sun, and a very clear desire to get back in my pants. Which would be fantastic if he weren’t a SEAL and I wasn’t a criminal.

Although, I prefer the term avenger.

I’m a hacktivist, cleaning up the cesspool of cyberspace one scam artist and troll at a time, and I sometimes bend a few rules to get justice done.

He’s a military man with abs of glory, sworn to uphold the letter of the law no matter its shortcomings. And if he’d known who—or what—I was, I doubt he would’ve banged me at my best friend’s wedding reception.

Or come back for more.

Which is why he’s now the only thing standing between me and one very pissed off internet troll who’s figured out where I live.

I’m pretty sure he’ll get me out of this alive—and quite satisfied, thank you very much—but I’m also pretty sure this mission will end with me in handcuffs.

And not the good kind of handcuffs.

 

Okay, so I know that, due to appearances this looks like a fluffy novel full of nothing but sex–but, I promise that’s not the case. The more adult elements present themselves with sexual content, yes… But, more than that it’s the humor that’s slightly coarse. Again, if you are looking for a book that you can’t help but laugh hysterically at–this one… Or, really anything by Pippa Grant. Unless, of course, you don’t find books like this hysterical… 😉

 

 

 

 

8.The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

An unforgettable story of courage and romance. Will Valancy Stirling ever escape her strict family and find true love?

Valancy Stirling is 29, unmarried, and has never been in love. Living with her overbearing mother and meddlesome aunt, she finds her only consolation in the “forbidden” books of John Foster and her daydreams of the Blue Castle–a place where all her dreams come true and she can be who she truly wants to be. After getting shocking news from the doctor, she rebels against her family and discovers a surprising new world, full of love and adventures far beyond her most secret dreams.

 

Distinct from Montgomery’s more young adult works, The Blue Castle is definitely more for adults. And the humor–given that it was published in the 1920’s–is witty and pushes the envelope. Valancy Stirling is one of my favorite Montgomery heroines.

 

 

 

9.Summer at the Highland Coral Beach by Kiley Dunbar

Escape to the Highland Coral Beach – where broken hearts can be healed

Beatrice Halliday needs a break from life. Booking a trip to the Highlands on a whim, Beatrice hopes learning Gaelic in a beautiful Scottish village might help her heal her grief after losing her baby, her husband and her much loved job in a space of months.

But Port Willow Bay isn’t exactly as the website promised. Instead of learning a new language, she’s booked in to learn the ancient skill of willow weaving, her hotel room is Princess and the Pea themed (with a stack of mattresses for her bed!) and worse still, her tutor is Atholl Fergusson, grumpy landlord of the hotel where Beatrice is staying – and she’s the only one doing the course.

But as Beatrice finds herself falling in love with Port Willow Bay and its people, and as she discovers the kind heart beneath Atholl’s stony exterior, can she really leave?

Escape to the beautiful Scottish Highlands with this utterly romantic, feelgood book; one visit to Port Willow Bay and you’ll want to come back!

Fans of Sarah Morgan, Carole Matthews and Holly Martin will be captivated.

 

I have been slowly but surely reading more and more of these chick-lit romances–and I’ll admit they’re hit-or-miss for me. But, this one was definitely worth every minute! Kiley Dunbar writes her characters as if they’re real and relatable.

 

 

 

 

 

10.Cake by J. Bengtsson

Jake McKallister might have been a rock star, but he was no ordinary one. Surviving an unspeakable crime as a young teen had shaped him into a guarded workaholic, and he now lived his life trying to forget. If it hadn’t been for music and the redemption he found through it, he might not have survived. Career success came easily for him. Personal connections did not.

When outspoken, vivacious college student Casey Caldwell was paired with the famously reserved rockstar for a friend’s wedding, she was prepared for the worst. What could they possibly have in common? She was a bubbly talker; he was a reclusive loner. His life was filled with music; she couldn’t carry a tune. She’d enjoyed a happy childhood; his was a well-publicized nightmare.

Yet despite their obvious differences, Jake and Casey found each other, and her light balanced out his darkness. Would their love be strong enough to survive the weight of his tragic past?

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a full-length standalone romance. Cake is a love story at heart but does deal with a sensitive topic and may not be for all.
Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of eighteen.

 

So, I’ll admit, the fact that I first listened to this book on audio contributes to my obscene love for it. The narrators were brilliant. But, the story definitely deals with some difficult subjects–so, if you’re sensitive, you may want to rethink it. But, the love story between troubled rockstar Jake McKallister and “regular girl” Casey Caldwell is just… well, nothing short of fabulous. If you’ve ever wondered how you’d handle meeting someone famous–well, let Casey and Jake’s meet-cute be a lesson for you.

 

 

 

Drop a link with your TTT post or tell me what books make you smile!

 

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