Top Ten Tuesday: 2016’s Best

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about one of my favorite things to talk about, new books that I have absolutely loved! Today my list is full of books that have released this year, specifically the ones that I have read and are my favorites! So I’ve tried to make this list completely accurate as my top ten, but since it is so completely difficult to pick favorites, there were quite a few that didn’t make it on the list but were probably just as much my favorites as the ones that did make it. However, I can promise that every book I’ve listed is on my all-time favorites list as well, so you can be assured that I really do love them!

Must-Have January Releases

Happy almost-January! Here is my list of the books that release in the coming month that I am most excited for!

Top Ten Tuesday: Christmas Wish List

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the books I would love to find underneath my tree, and I’ve made mine specifically about books I’ve just added to my list in the last year or so. If I could, I would own a whole library full of books, so it’s fairly difficult for me to narrow down a list like this, so that’s why I tried to slim down my options. However, these are ten books that I really, really want, and some of them I had even planned on ordering earlier in the year but I just didn’t get to. So, here’s my Christmas list 😉.

My Bookshelf: A Beauty So Rare + A Linkup

Pink is not what Eleanor Braddock ordered, but maybe it would soften the tempered steel of a woman who came through a war—and still had one to fight.

Eleanor Braddock—plain, practical, no stunning Southern beauty—knows she will never marry. But with a dying soldier’s last whisper, she believes her life can still have meaning and determines to find his widow. Impoverished and struggling to care for her ailing father, Eleanor arrives at Belmont Mansion, home of her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America—and possibly the most demanding, as well. Adelicia insists on finding her niece a husband, but a simple act of kindness leads Eleanor down a far different path—building a home for destitute widows and fatherless children from the Civil War. While Eleanor knows her own heart, she also knows her aunt will never approve of this endeavor.

Archduke Marcus Gottfried has come to Nashville from Austria in search of a life he determines, instead of one determined for him. Hiding his royal heritage, Marcus longs to combine his passion for nature with his expertise in architecture, but his plans to incorporate natural beauty into the design of the widows’ and children’s home run contrary to Eleanor’s wishes. As work on the home draws them closer together, Marcus and Eleanor find common ground—and a love neither of them expects.

But Marcus is not the man Adelicia has chosen for Eleanor, and even if he were, someone who knows his secrets is about to reveal them all.

A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander

Claire Laurent’s greatest aspiration is to paint something that will bring her acclaim. Yet her father insists she work as a copyist. A forger. When she’s forced to flee her home, her path collides with attorney Sutton Monroe, who shows her kindness by not turning her in to authorities. But when he later refuses to come to her aid, Claire fears she’s sorely misjudged him. Finding herself among the elite of Nashville society, Claire believes her dream of creating a lasting impression in the world of art is within reach—but only if her past remains hidden.

The Federal Army destroyed Sutton’s home, confiscated his land, and threatens to destroy his family’s honor. His determination to reclaim what belongs to him reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined—as well as the woman he loves.

Top Ten Tuesday: Early 2017 Releases

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the books I’m most looking forward to releasing in the first six months of the New Year! I have so many books I can’t wait to read, so this was a really easy post for me to write! Well, except for the part when I had to slim down my list so that it was actually only ten. But that’s a good problem to have, in my opinion. So, here’s some of the top books I can’t wait to read next year!

My Bookshelf: Finding Margo + A Linkup

Off the charts and on the run.

International pop star Margo Harman could use a night off. A grueling tour and overbearing entourage have sent her over the edge. It’s time for this diva to disappear. And who would think to look for the superstar in a small Dutch town in Ohio?

Sheriff’s deputy Brock Moore is undercover as well. He knows Margo isn’t who she appears to be, but her uncanny resemblance to a local Amish woman is raising all sorts of questions…the kind that make her a target for a killer.

Both are determined to find answers, but their mutual attraction stands in the way of either of them doing it alone.

Is finding Margo the solution to Brock’s problems or just the beginning…?

November Numbers & December Goals + A Linkup

How is it already December? I know, I know, I say that every single month, but I really feel like this whole semester has just flown by at warp speed. However, I don’t exactly think that is a bad thing, because I’m super excited to finally be on winter break, after this week is over that is. As has been the case the last couple of years, November has been a really unproductive month for me as far as blogging is concerned, so I’m excited to hopefully finally have some time to devote to blogging! Anyway, here’s what I’ve been up to this last month!

6 Books Read

Honestly, I am pretty disappointed by this, but I am not surprised. I only read six books last month, and I was hoping to read at least one more this month, but since I had finals to prepare for and a youth retreat to chaperone, I had a feeling that wouldn’t happen. So while I wish I had read more books, I’m not super surprised or disappointed that I didn’t. Besides, the books I did read—The Lady and the Lionheart, Trust My Heart, Always Watching, The Silent Songbird, Finding Margo, and A Lasting Impression—were all really enjoyable novels (and can you see how behind I am on posting my reviews? 😭).

6 Books Purchased

Now this I am super happy about! I only thought I would end up purchasing two books this month, so that was my goal, but then Cyber Monday happened, and I ended up getting four more! I’m super pumped about that, as the six extra books will help me to get closer to owning all of the books in a couple of series that I love, so I’d say I had a pretty successful month in this regard. Anyway, I bought two new books that I read—The Silent Songbird and Finding Margo—and I also found four slightly used novels (and only spent $10, for all of them combined 😂) that I really wanted to get. So, not only did I add those two new books to my shelf, I also added The Fiddler, A Reluctant Courtship, A Necessary Deception, and The Dandelion Field, which means now I finally own all the books in those three series!

0 Workouts Completed

Well, are you really surprised? My goal was only to complete 4 lousy workouts, and yet somehow I managed to keep from doing a single one. However, this doesn’t surprise me either, as working out isn’t exactly my favorite thing.

16 Blog Posts Published

Unfortunately, this didn’t meet my goal either, but at least it was still a decent number, and not only eight or ten as I’ve previously fallen down to at this time of year. I still managed to get a decent number of posts out there, and since I enjoyed writing them, I’m pretty happy about that. I just hope this month will be better since I will be on break by Friday.

Now on to my goals for this month!

Read 7 Books

Hopefully I will get the chance to read much, much more than this since I will be on break, but I’m going to aim low so that I will be more likely to actually reach this goal!! Besides, I’m always excited when I’m able to read more than I thought I would be able to, so I’m hopeful that by having a more manageable goal, I’ll be more likely to enjoy the number I’ve read at the end of the month.

Purchase 2 Books

Again, this is a low number, but since I’m not going to count any books that I get for Christmas, but rather only ones that I purchase, I think that it’s probably smart to keep this number small. I know of two books that are coming out that I really want to get, and I’ll be happy with just those two. Besides, most of my extra spending money—that I don’t responsibly save—will be going towards Christmas presents rather than things for myself. So, I think this is actually a pretty decent goal.

Publish 18 Blog Posts

This just seems to be my go-to number every month, so I figured why not aim for this many again, and see if I could actually post all of the posts I’m planning on posting. Every once and a while there is just a book I don’t end up wanting to read, or a Top Ten Tuesday theme I don’t really relate to, and I end up skipping one of my planned posts from my calendar. However, I think 18 is a really decent number to go with, so I’m hopeful it will work out this month.

Workout 1 Time a Week

I know that this still isn’t very much of a goal, but considering how terrible of a job I did last month when it came to working out, this is actually probably shooting pretty high. However, since I don’t have school after this week, I’m hoping that maybe I will actually be able to meet this goal for once. We’ll see!

Well, that’s what I’ve been up to this past month and my goals for the days to come!

Now on to the linkup!

FEATURES

First, I'm featuring Michele from Living Our Days and her fabulous review of a book about parenting.

Second, I'm featuring Rachel from Garay Treasures and her post about what makes her happy.

RULES

 -Link back to Spreading His Grace, Bows and Clothes, or both

-Subscribe to both blogs and follow each of us on at least one social media

Mackenzie: Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Sarah: Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin'

-This linkup has no theme so we encourage you to link any of your recent posts. Also note that we have the right to delete your link if it isn't appropriate. However, we are super excited to read about your passions and are so glad that you've decided to join us!

An InLinkz Link-up

To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.