November 2019 Book Haul

With NaNo going on all month (post on that to come soon), I really didn't expect to be adding many books to my shelves this last month. November was already crazy, seeing as I had a newborn on my hands in addition to a one-and-a-half year old. Add in a busy week of being with family for Thanksgiving and an emergency appendix surgery for my hubby... yeah, November was nuts. Looking back now, I'm surprised I had any time to go shopping at all.

However, I will say that book mail is DA. BEST. Sometimes, you don't need time to go shopping. You just need to check the mailbox. *grins*

So, here's November's book haul.

Sorry for the dark coloring; I don't feel like editing the pic.

The Rope Trick // Lloyd Alexander - After reading the Prydain Chronicles and the Westmark Trilogy, you can bet I'll pick up any Lloyd Alexander book I can.

Writing Magic // Gail Carson Levine - Who knew that the woman who introduced the world to fairytale retellings also wrote nonfiction? I'm pretty excited about this one.

By the Shores of Silver Lake (Little House, #5) // Laura Ingalls Wilder - The ONE Little House book I didn't have yet. SCORE.

Florence Young: Mission Accomplished (Christian Heroes: Then and Now, #23) // Janet and Geoff Young - I remember reading a lot of missionary stories growing up, and these are the types of stories I want to be able to share with my kiddos.

The Princess // Lori Wick - A friend of mine a long time ago told me this was her favorite book, and I completely forgot about it until I came across this copy in a thrift store. I'm not familiar with the author, but it's definitely a score at a thrift store price.

A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith // Lori Smith - The title of this one jumped out to me. I've never read anything like this before, and it's Austen, so I'm pretty excited about it.

The Book Thief // Markus Zusak - I don't normally go for the books that have all the hype, but I've wanted to read this one for a while. And it was $1. It was a no-brainer.

Captive Treasure // Milly Howard - A book from my childhood. I grew up with a lot of books from BJU Press, and I loved them all. This one always reminds me of Lois Lenski's Indian Captive, as both books basically have the same plot.

Silas Marner // George Eliot - Classic in a gorgeous hardback. I'm always up for that.

Sew, It's a Quest // Do You Take This Quest? // My Kingdom for a Quest // Honor: A Quest In // Hair We Go Again // Kendra E. Ardnek - BOOK MAIL. MADE MY DAY. I just realized recently that I've only read the first two books in this series. *le gasp* Now, I can fix that! Super exciting.

The Dragon's Flower // Wyn Estelle Owens - Also BOOK MAIL. I'd completely forgotten I'd won this giveaway until this showed up in my mailbox. A Rapunzel tale worth the read. Review here on KiriBeth.

~*~

And that's it, folks! What books did you add to your shelves in November? Any favorites in the ones I hauled above? Let me know in the comments!

God bless!

My Top 10 Fantasy Books

BIG NEWS! I will be participating in Jack Lewis Baillot's cover reveal for A Test of Loyalty tomorrow, so be sure to mark your calendars for the occasion! 

Well, in honor of the excitement, Jack has asked us to post about our favorite fantasy book. Because I like reading so much, I don't have just one. Just as you'd expect. So, to keep this short, I've decided to compile a list of my top ten favorite fantasy books. And by "fantasy" I mean a made-up land in which there exists a conglomeration of interesting characters. I have to be specific about books otherwise, I'd never get just 10 books onto this list. Also, if you ask me in a week or two, this list will probably change. Probably... no, most likely. And I'm *cough* adapting the list to fit mostly series. What? Don't judge me. I'm sure plenty of you would do the same.

Ready?

10. Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain. 

Very epic tales. There are five books in all, but I think the last one, The High King, is my favorite. Lloyd Alexander is considered a genius in the fantasy field, and I find his books quite enjoyable. His Westmark trilogy is also very fun (with the exception of a few unprintable words).

9. Wayne Thomas Batson's The Door Within trilogy

Truth be told, my favorite books from Wayne Thomas Batson are his Pirate Adventures, and I highly recommend them. However, The Door Within trilogy is also very good. I love the allegory Mr. Batson weaves into the story.

8. Jeri Massi's Bracken Trilogy 

Yet another trilogy: The Bridge, Crown and Jewel, and Two Collars. I can't really say how long these have been some of my favorite books. I must have read The Bridge fifteen times since I was nine. 

7. Andrew Peterson's Wingfeather Saga

Who's familiar with these books? I simply can't wait for the fourth book, The Warden and the Wolf King. Seriously, this guy has a way with words. "Adventure. Peril. Lost Jewels. And the Fearsome Toothy Cows of Skree." *grins*

6. Jack Lewis Baillot's Loyalty Trilogy

Well, well, well... how in the world did *this* trilogy get onto my list? Hmm... *winks* The more I read of Jack's work, the more I love it. Yes, I'm super excited to be able to show you the cover for the second book tomorrow, and you really need to read these. NOW.

5. Rick Barry's Kiriath's Quest

Hey look! I'm capable of having a favorite fantasy book that isn't a series! Too bad, though, because I'd love to see where Rick Barry would take Kiriath after the finish of this novel. You could say that I'm a little biased toward this book because Kiriath and I almost share the same name. Well, the first four letters are the same. But if you want an epic quest chock full of friendship and adventure (and no magic) then this is the book for you.

4. Chuck Black's Knights of Arrethtrae

Technically, this should include the prequel/sequel/whatever series The Kingdom Series. Short, but powerful, you can't help but love all twelve books. Personally, Sir Dalton and Lady Carliss are my favorite of the twelve, but they're all really good.

3. Donita K. Paul's DragonKeeper Chronicles

My sisters and I found this series in a Christian book catalog, and as we were just getting into fantasy stories, we thought we'd give this a go. The result? We LOVED it! Dragons, quests, humor... what's not to like?

2. C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia

What fantasy list could be complete without the awesome tales from C.S. Lewis? I absobloominglutley love this series in every way. I have great chunks of passages memorized, even though technically I've only read through the series twice. Yeah, twice. I know; it's kinda embarrassing. But I've listened to the audio drama by Focus on the Family's Radio Theatre a dozen gazillion times. And seen the movies. And... yada, yada, yada. Narnia fan all the way.

1. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

And what comes in at Numero Uno? Tolkien's epic world of elves, hobbits, dragons, kings, and dwarves. And with The Lord of the Rings comes The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, for no trek through Middle-Earth would be complete without visiting those tales. I'm not an expert on all things Tolkien, but I do consider myself an avid fan nonetheless. 

Be sure to drop by tomorrow to see the cover reveal!

God bless!