Selfies are not my favorite (I always look like an idiot), but this one isn't terrible if you ignore my crazy eyes. I was really tired...

We actually left RootsTech early so my husband could attend a one-day conference at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The hubs and I met at the Y when we were freshmen, so it's a nostalgic place for us. While he conferenced, I visited one of my favorite venues in Provo:

Pioneer Book is a great little used bookstore. Every year, it hosts a fun reading challenge. You read one book for each of 40 prompts, 8 of which need to be purchased from Pioneer Book. When you finish, you get a $50 gift certificate to be used in the store. Since my husband and/or I generally visit Provo several times a year, I always take on the challenge (although I've yet to actually ever finish it). I'm off to an excellent start this time around and I'm hoping to complete all the prompts by July when I'll be back in town for the 4th. 

This might sound like a long-winded travel report (which it kind of is), but it's actually an introduction to my TTT list for this week. The actual topic is Top Ten Bookish People I'd Like to Meet (authors, illustrators, fictional characters, etc.). I'm not much for fangirling, so I decided to spin the topic so I can talk about some of the titles I picked up at Pioneer Book last week instead. 

If you want to participate in TTT (and you totally do), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the deets.

Top Ten Books I Need to Read for the Pioneer Book Reading Challenge 

2. Daughters of War by Dinah Jefferies*—At 544 pages, this is the epic tale of three French women and their travails during World War II. It's the first volume in an ongoing series.

Prompt: Wildcard Upstairs (500+ pages)

3. The Wedding Gift by Marlen Suyapa Bodden*—Set in 1852 Alabama, this hist-fic title is about a Southern belle who receives a valuable wedding gift: a slave, who also happens to be her half-sister. Both women are more than they appear to be, which will make their new life together surprising, tumultous, and transformative.

Prompt: New Arrivals Display Upstairs

4. Lord of the Flies by William Golding—Despite having a degree in English, I'm not big on classics. Thus, I've never actually read this book. I was going to go easy on myself for this prompt and just re-read To Kill a Mockingbird (my favorite novel ever), but I decided to challenge myself a little. The book's short, at least, and I'll be able to finally cross it off my "Books I Should Have Read Already" list. I'm definitely going to look for the pictured edition, too. Stephen King is sure to have some interesting insights into what this book is all about!

Prompt: Time Magazine 100 Best Novels List

5. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China* by Jung Chang—It's no secret that I love family history. Family sagas are my favorite, fictional or otherwise. This book is the latter. It's Chang's exploration of three generations of her family living in 20th Century China. 

Prompt: Wildcard Downstairs (500+ Pages)

6. Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez—I haven't loved any of the books I've read by this Argentine-American author, but this YA novel is supposed to be her best. It's about an Argentine teenager who is living a double life. At home, she is meek and mild, always careful not to ignite her father's hot temper. On the soccer field, however, she's an unstoppable force. The problem? Her parents—who would be horrified at the idea of their daughter playing fútbol—don't know about her athletic skill. In order to go any further with the sport, she needs their support. Is playing soccer really worth angering her family?

Prompt: Employee Pick Shelf

7. The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict*—This novel has been on my TBR list ever since it came out. It concerns Mitza Maric, a talented German physicist whose brilliance was outshone by that of her famous husband, Albert Einstein. Is there room for two geniuses in one marriage? 

Prompt: Best Seller Fiction Display

8. Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life by Amber Scorah*—As a lifelong member of a religion that many see as extreme and even cultish, I know to take religious memoirs/tell-alls with a very large grain of salt. Still, I find them utterly fascinating. Scorah is a third-generation Jehovah's Witness who experienced a life-altering faith crisis while serving as a clandestine missionary for the faith in China. Being away from home and in a foreign country opened her eyes and widened her worldview, leading her to apostasize from her religion and start life anew.

Prompt: New Arrivals Display Downstairs

9. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles—I've heard nothing but good things about this historical novel. The titular gentleman is Count Alexander Rostov who is sentenced by a Russian tribunal to house arrest at an elegant hotel across the street from the Kremlin. As his physical world shrinks, Rostov's emotional life grows, changing him in surprising ways. 

Prompt: Kirkus Prize Winner/Nominee

10. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill—I love me a spine-tingling Gothic ghost story, so I'm all in for this one. It's about a man who travels to the English moors in order to settle the affairs of the recently departed Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. He finds much more than he bargains for, including spooky sounds, a haunted rocking chair, and, of course, the dreaded Woman in Black.

Prompt: Popular book Published in 1983

Have you read any of these? What did you think? Who are the bookish people you'd like to meet? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.