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Syd (On Seeking) Savvy --

On books, theatre, life and Paris Texas. Also, a Blogger for Lone Star Book Blog Tours, and Book Review Columnist for Paris Life *List of Most Popular Posts Follows Each Blog

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December 06, 2017

THE SECRET ROOM (Amber-Autumn Series, #4) by JOHN ALEXANDER REVIEW Lone Star Book Blog Tour

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TOP TEN TEXAS BOOKISH DESTINATIONS

Currently Reading

Sydney's bookshelf: currently-reading

Wickwythe Hall

by Judithe Little

tagged: currently-reading

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World

by William H. McRaven

tagged: currently-reading

Varina

by Charles Frazier

tagged: currently-reading

Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living

Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living

by Manjula Martin

tagged: currently-reading

God Save Texas: A Journey Into the Soul of the Lone Star State

God Save Texas: A Journey Into the Soul of the Lone Star State

by Lawrence Wright

tagged: currently-reading

Everyday Bible Promises for Women

by Anonymous

tagged: currently-reading

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Sydney Young

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Reading Challenges!

2018 Reading Challenge

Sydney has read 27 books toward her goal of 100 books.

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27 of 100 (27%)

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2019 Favorites!

Sydney's bookshelf: 2019-favorites

Shakespeare: The Biography

by Peter Ackroyd

tagged: writing, reference, plays, paris-life-column, on-my-bookshelf-queue...

Becoming

by Michelle Obama

Listened slowly. Highly recommend. I’d forgotten so many things that happened over the years. So personal and honest. I want to give a copy to every person who has ever felt or been at risk of being invisible. Amazingly honest come of ...

tagged: 2019-favorites, inspirational, my-audio-queue, non-fiction, and women

The Far Field

by Madhuri Vijay

This book surprised me. A greiving young woman goes on a journey--that didn't surprise me, in itself. That seems just like the kind of thing more women should do, like I did when trying to find myself in my 20s and had to do that in a fo...

tagged: 2019-favorites, book-of-the-month-club, historical, and literary-fi...

A Woman Is No Man

by Etaf Rum

Heartbreaking, honest, and hopeful. I'm so glad I read this. Three generations of Palesteomen in America. Has anything changed? Where does change come from?

tagged: 2019-favorites, american-fiction, book-of-the-month-club, book-club...

Live Wire

by Pamela Fagan Hutchins

There is something about Maggie that struck a chord with me (and not just because she's an ex-singing star). She's old enough that she knows exactly who she is and what she wants--even if she can still really misread the signs. She's had...

tagged: 2019-favorites, beachreads, american-fiction, fitness, in-my-kindle...

Daisy Jones & The Six

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Loved it. Lots to say. Hear the podcast (as a guest on The Bigger Show, 5 min in., found on Podbean App), or in Paris Life magazine in April. But yes the hype has it right.

tagged: 2019-favorites, american-fiction, artist, beachreads, book-of-the-m...

The Ragged Edge of Night

by Olivia Hawker

What a wonderful book. World War II. Germany. Defrocked Friar who just wants to save children and others from the regime. A humble man, a brave man. How does he find the strength to choose between his convictions and the safety of his lo...

tagged: war, ww-ii, smart-romance, my-audio-queue, in-my-kindle, historical...

The Wild Girl

by Kate Forsyth

Far more than just fairy tales, this book is powerful for its portrayal of a girl with no power of her own. I’d really like to hear the author give a talk on this and how she did her research. The dark original fairy tales are interwoven...

tagged: historical, 2019-favorites, and smart-romance

What the Wind Knows

by Amy Harmon

tagged: 2019-favorites, time-travel, war, smart-romance, mystery-suspense, ...

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A Note on Ratings

You will notice that I have a number of high ratings for my 20-- Favorites list. I do really enjoy books. I also believe we are all a little stingy with our ratings. It is very hard to write a good book! So if a book is well written, resonates with me, and has a satisfying ending (not meaning happy but right), then I rate the book a 5 star rating. If I loved the book, but it was missing one of these, then I rate it a 4. Enjoyed the book but found some real literary flaws, a 3, OR just found the book ok, even if well written, also a 3. In other words, if I only come across one 5 star a year, heavens I'll just have to find another hobby. Take care with your ratings, and, PLEASE, go ahead and give a 5 if it meets all your standards. It's ok to love that book, even if it is not the very very very best book ever! Then again, if you have a negative reaction to it, share your opinion, you are entitled. And that's all I have to say about that.

Notable Local Authors

Sydney's notable-local-authors book montage

Sydney's favorite books »

Books on the Nightstand

Menjembatani Literasi: Strategi Penerbit Indonesia di Panggung Internasional - Industri penerbitan Indonesia tidak lagi sekadar menjadi penonton di pasar global. Selama satu dekade terakhir, buku-buku karya penulis lokal mulai mengh...
6 months ago
Burnable BooksBurnable Books

How to bring the past to life in relevant and inspiring ways - Some of the things we go through in life have a way of either teaching us a lesson or just humble us to look at life from a different perspective. This is ...
8 years ago
Hall Ways

Hope Verdad Presents Short Stories About Love ~ Book Review - *HOPE VERDAD PRESENTS* *SHORT STORIES ABOUT LOVE* *By Francesca Flood* *Short Stories / Inspirational /* *Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hope Verdad LLC* *Publication...
4 weeks ago
Mary Clark, Traveler

Tea in a Moroccan Berber Tent - Mary Clark, Tina Smith, Betty Swasko, and Mary Grace West with two Berber children inside tent Being asked to tea in Northern Africa and the Middle East ...
6 years ago
Reading the Past

A preview of fall 2026 in historical fiction - Fall is the big season in book publishing, and when it comes to historical fiction, readers have much to look forward to. This is the latest of my regular ...
1 week ago
TEXAS BOOK LOVER

The Last Post - This is my last post to the blog. I began writing about books here in 2010, and it's been a good ride. I want to thank all of you who shared these books ...
4 years ago
The Barbee Housewife

Spring Cobb Salad #BrunchWeek - *This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BrunchWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the #Brunchweek reci...
8 years ago