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Tuesday, May 07, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday: A Garden of "Flowery" TBR Books
1:00 AM
I spent the weekend before last visiting family in the Columbia River Gorge, where rain showers and cool breezes reminded me of what Spring is supposed to be like. Guess what greeted me when I came home to the Arizona desert? Bright sunshine and blazing heat. The temperatures have been a little milder this week, but even still, our pool has been a popular place for family and friends lately! *Sigh* While Spring in Arizona is nothing like the Pacific Northwest's version, it does bring the promised blossoms to add much-needed color to our parched, dry landscape. I know very little about flowers, but I am grateful for the cheery pops of pretty they bring.
Today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is appropriate for the season here in the U.S.: May Flowers. It's a choose-your-own adventure topic to celebrate Spring. I'm going to stay pretty basic and highlight ten books on my TBR list that have a type of flower in the title. I think I'll even be able to make it without repeating any of them. We'll see. I also just realized that they're all historical fiction. Does that genre lend itself more readily to flower-y titles? Interesting...
As always, this fun weekly meme is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Click on over to her blog to join in the party!
Top Ten Books On My TBR List With Flower Titles
1. The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple by Joanna Davidson Politano—Private investigator Peter Driscoll has been hired to locate a priceless, legendary sapphire which is allegedly in the possession of silent film star Lily Temple. In an effort to get close to her, Peter enlists Lily's help with a case. As the two grow closer, their partnership becomes increasingly dangerous, not just for their physical well-beings but also for the state of their hearts.
2. White Rose by Kip Wilson—This historical YA novel revolves around Sophie Scholl, a real German woman who created a resistance group while she was in college called The White Rose to fight against the Nazis in non-violent ways. When their clandestine activities are discovered, Sophie and her fellow collaborators find themselves at the mercy of the very group they're trying to destroy.
3. Under the Tulip Tree by Michelle Shocklee—At 16, Lorena Leland dreams of achieving fame and fortune by becoming a writer. The crash of the stock market in 1929 dashes her hopes as well as those of Americans all over the country, causing widespread unemployment, poverty, and depression. Desperate to help her family financially, Lorena takes a job interviewing the formerly enslaved for the Federal Writers' Project. As she grows close to one of her subjects, her eyes are opened and her heart expanded in ways she never could have predicted.
4. The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman—Sage Winters has been grieving the death of her twin sister for six years. When her resentful stepfather reveals the truth—Rosemary, who was always a little different, didn't die but was actually committed to the Willowbrook State School (a real institution that was eventually closed down because of the horrendous abuses that were committed there), from which she has just disappeared. Furious and determined to find out what happened to her sister, Sage gets herself committed to the school in order to find answers.
5. The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis—This dual-timeline novel centers around the Frick mansion, a real Gilded Age home in New York City that was turned into an art museum in the 1930s. In 1919, a down-on-her-luck artists' model is thrilled to land a position as the secretary for Helen Frick, the daughter of Henry Clay Frick, a wealthy robber baron. The longer Lillian is in the family's employ, the more she learns about them and their secrets, putting her very life at risk. Fifty years later, an English model arrives at the Frick mansion, now an impressive art museum. When she stumbles upon a series of messages hidden within the museum, she is led on a hunt for not just a concealed treasure, but also possibly the solution to a decades-old murder.
6. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly—Three women are at the heart of this World War II novel. Caroline Ferriday is a New York socialite who works at the French consulate. Kasia Kuzmerick is a Polish teen whose position as a courier for the resistance puts her in danger every day. Herta Oberheuser is a doctor who takes a job with the German government in order to escape her desolate life, only to find herself trapped in a position she's not sure she wants to be in. The three women's lives intersect when Kasia is sent to a concentration camp.
Incidentally, this is the first book in a trilogy, all of which have flower titles.
7. The Wings of Poppy Pendleton by Melanie Dobson—On a night of celebration in her family's Thousand Islands castle, 4-year-old Poppy goes peacefully to bed. In the morning, she is nowhere to be found while her father's dead body lies in the smoking room. Eighty-five years later, Chloe Ridell lives on the island, where she is working to preserve the environment and breathe fresh life into her family's candy shop. When a young Pendleton relative shows up on her doorstep, Chloe is thrust into a search for answers about what happened to young Poppy so long ago.
8. Peony in Love by Lisa See—I can't find much in the way of a plot summary for this novel, but apparently, it's a ghost story set in 17th Century China.
9. The Lavender Garden by Lucinda Riley—As the last person in her family line, Emilie inherits a magnificent chateau and vineyard in the south of France. Along with the property comes a tower of debt and a mountain of secrets. Desperate to know what became of Constance Carruthers, a British woman who worked as an undercover agent in Paris during World War II, Emilie starts digging for answers in her new home.
10. the next book in the Myrtle Hardcastle mystery series by Elizabeth C. Bunce—I have to cheat a little in order to get ten different flowers on my list, so just go along with me here...Each of the installments in this entertaining middle-grade historical mystery series has a title that includes a play on the name Myrtle: Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity; Cold-Blooded Myrtle; In Myrtle Peril; etc. I'm not sure when the next one comes out, but I know it will have a "Myrtle" title when it does.
There you are, ten books on my TBR list with the names of flowers in their titles. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Can you think of any others I need to read? What spin did you take for your list today? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
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I've not read any of these but The Lilac Girls has been on my radar for quite a while. I can relate to the heat... here in north Florida it's apparently decided it's done with spring and we're jumping ahead to summer.
ReplyDeleteOur temps have actually been a little cooler this week, but it's still over 80. Ugh. I'm not ready!
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Tanya!
I hope you love all of these books!
ReplyDeleteMy relatives who live in Arizona have been sharing such pretty photos of flowering cacti this spring. But it’s getting warm there now from what I’ve heard.
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday.
Lydia
Spring does bring beautiful cactus blooms! We've been in the high 80s this week and it's supposed to hit 100 next week. Ugh. Too soon.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lydia!
Under the Tulip Tree looks super interesting.
ReplyDeleteHere is our Top Ten Tuesday.
Astilbe
I think so too. For some weird reason, I like books set during the Great Depression, even though they're, well, depressing!
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Astilbe!
Such beautiful covers. I love them all.
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
I agree. I find them all appealing for different reasons.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, R's Rue!
The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple sounds so good, love old Hollywood
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I hope the book is as good as it sounds!
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Vero!
I like that you went with flower titles. I should have tried that, but I guess it was less time consuming to find book covers with flowers. Plus I always love featuring pretty covers, too. ;)
ReplyDeleteI figured everyone would be doing covers, so I wanted to be a *little* bit unique! It wasn't easy finding flower titles, especially using ten different flowers, but I managed (with only a teensy cheating). LOL
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Rissi!
Nice list of books! I chose ten books I've read with a flower name in the title for this weeks TTT post.
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike! It would have been tough, I think, to find ten flowery titles that I've already read. Doing books I wanted to read gave me more options :)
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Captivated Reader!
I really like Lisa See's writing so I am adding Peony in Love to my TBR. I am very impressed that you not only found books with flowers on the cover but also with flower names in the title. Impressive!
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed most of the books I've read by See. I need to catch up on her backlist.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Anne!
I love that you were able to find ten books without repeating flowers. And it is interesting that they're all historical fiction. I think four books on my TTT list this week were historical fiction, too. :D
ReplyDeleteFlower covers/titles seem to be common in hist fic. Not sure why!
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lark!
I have a couple of these on my TBR. I hope you enjoy reading all of these when you get the chance.
ReplyDeletePam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/may-flowers-book-covers-with-flowers/
I hope so too. They all sound good, so hopefully they work well for me.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Pam!
I'm impressed that you didn't repeat any! I had to repeat "rose" a couple of times on my list. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHere's my TTT this week.
It wasn't easy! Roses were definitely the most common flower I found in titles.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Nicole!
I refer to the Lilac Girls series as the flower series! ~Carol @ ReadingLadies
ReplyDeleteI didn't even realize it was a series! Good to know. I'm always up for reading a good hist fic series.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Carol!
You ended up with such great books! I'm adding these to the tbr and I see a historical fiction binge some time in my near future! 😅
ReplyDeleteYay! I love historical fiction. I'm especially enjoying historical mysteries at the moment.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Haze!
I really enjoyed The Lilac Girls! I need to read the rest of the trilogy, just haven't gotten around to it yet.
ReplyDeleteTHE LILAC GIRLS has been on my TBR list for forever. I think I even have a copy of it somewhere around here...I just need to actually read it. Ha ha. I hope we both enjoy it when we get to it.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Bree!
Great choices this week! I'm SO curious about The Wings of Poppy Pendleton. Adding it to my TBR pile.
ReplyDeleteRight? It sounds really compelling. It's been on my TBR list since another blogger mentioned it. One of these days, I'll get around to actually reading it!
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Christopher!
Lovely covers! The only book I've read was The Lilac Girls which was a hard going holocaust story.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I enjoy World War II fiction, but the books are definitely not easy to read. I have to space them out because they make for such heavy reading.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, NickiMags!
Those Myrtle books look so cute!! Great list!
ReplyDeleteThey're really fun! I've listened to all of the books on audio because I love the narrator who does them. She really brings Myrtle to life. Very entertaining.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Erin!
This is such a fun interpretation of the theme. And you found some good titles!
ReplyDeleteThis prompt turned out to be harder than I thought it would be, but I managed...barely! LOL
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Tammy!
Ah, you did well! I want to read the Lisa See book one of these days.
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed most of the books I've read by See. I need to read more of hers, too.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Deb!
Nice selection of titles! White Rose—I read a different version way back when. Not a happy topic for a YA novel.
ReplyDeleteYeah, World War II novels are heavy. I enjoy them, but I can only read so many of them in a year and I have to sandwich them between lighter books.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Cathy!
Nice list, Susan. I have read 4 of these, Myrtle, Magnolia Palace, Lilac Girls and Willowbrook. They were all good.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it! I love the Myrtle series and am always excited when a new book comes out. I've heard good things about all the others. I just need to read them already!
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Carla!
The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple sounds really intriguing!
ReplyDeleteI think so too. I'm excited to read it...one of these days! LOL
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Louise!
Not sure I could live in the desert, but ask me again in the winter. LOL! I am impressed with how many different flowers you found on your shelf. I don't think I could have found ten books for your prompt.
ReplyDeleteI've lived here in Arizona for 24 years and I'm still a Pacific Northwest girl at heart. I hate the heat and the dry, dusty climate here, BUT the winters are lovely and, as much as I love snow, I'm glad I don't have to drive in it or shovel it or try to stay warm in it...
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Sam!
What a lovely collection. I hope these end up being great reads for you.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too. Fingers crossed!
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Alicia!
I enjoyed The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple, it was very interesting. The story telling was great.
ReplyDeleteOh, good! That makes me even more excited to read it.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Cindy!
Great selections!
ReplyDeleteI hope they're all as good as they look/sound!
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lisa!
Great list! I love the cover of The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple
ReplyDeleteSame! It's very evocative.
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Alycia!
It is so funny to me that you would love some rain, and slightly colder weather, were I would love to have some sun and warmth. Here in the Netherlands it has been rainy for so long, we only had a couple of sunny days in between the rain. Love the cute middle grade, it looks like something I would read.
ReplyDeleteHa ha. Right? We always want what we don't have :) We have SO MUCH sunshine here. I'll bottle some up and send it to you!
DeleteThe Myrtle series is super fun. I especially enjoy listening to the books on audio.
Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Irene!
Some great covers there.
ReplyDeleteI read Thanks for visiting Peony in Love, what a great story. Amd so much to learn about Chinese culture.
Thanks for visiting my post.
I'm glad you enjoyed PEONY IN LOVE. That makes me want to read it even more :)
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Marianne!
Sorry, somehow my message was garbled. I first wrote Thanks for visiting ... and then somehow wanted to continue with I read ...
DeleteI hope you will enjoy the book.
Magnolia flowers are so beautiful and I recently learned they are edible so I am curious about The Magnolia Palace!
ReplyDeleteReally? Interesting. They are very pretty. I wonder how they taste??
DeleteThanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Veros!
Flowers in the titles is perfect! I've read and enjoyed Lilac Girls and Premeditated Myrtle. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI love the variety of flowers you managed to find! I ran out of time for this one but even as I was drafting it, I was pretty much stuck on rose/lily/daisy. (on a related note: the cover of that Fiona Davis book is gorgeous. all her books sound so good and right up my alley, must make time one of these days)
ReplyDelete