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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Today,
I’m going to write book blurbs. You know those short endorsements from
celebrities or authors that publishers plaster on book covers? I’m going to
write those for the last 10 books I read. Blurbs are supposed to convince
readers to buy the book. Unfortunately, I didn’t love every book I’ve read
recently. A few of my blurbs will be anti-blurbs. They’ll be the opposite of
helpful and probably hurt book sales. So, that’s awkward. I guess my
blurbs are more honest than the ones you find on real books. Whatever. Let’s
get into it. Click the book’s title to see the full synopsis.
One-Sentence Book Reviews
Not So Pure And Simple by Lamar Giles
Young
Adult Contemporary Fiction
Tiny Synopsis: Del has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten. And now, during their junior year, she’s finally available. So when Kiera volunteers for an opportunity at their church, Del’s right behind her. Though he quickly realizes he’s inadvertently signed up for a Purity Pledge.
My
Blurb: “Hilarious, relevant, timely, a 5-star read that will make
you smile (and cringe with second-hand embarrassment).”
Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield
Adult
Historical Fiction
Tiny Synopsis: On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.
My Blurb: “An
attention-grabbing mystery with a clever writing style and too many
characters.”
Never Split The Difference:
Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
by Chris Voss & Tahl Raz
Adult
Self-Help Nonfiction
Tiny Synopsis: After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a hostage negotiator brought him face-to-face with a range of criminals, including bank robbers and terrorists. Reaching the pinnacle of his profession, he became the FBI’s lead international kidnapping negotiator. Never Split the Difference takes you inside the world of high-stakes negotiations and into Voss’s head, revealing the skills that helped him and his colleagues to succeed where it mattered most: saving lives. In this practical guide, he shares the nine effective principles—counter-intuitive tactics and strategies—you too can use to become more persuasive in both your professional and personal life.
My Blurb: “An extremely
readable introduction to negotiation that I can see myself referencing in the
future.”
Tunnel Of Bones by Victoria Schwab
Middlegrade
Paranormal Fiction
Tiny Synopsis: When Cass accidentally awakens a frighteningly strong spirit, she must rely on her still-growing skills as a ghosthunter—and turn to friends both old and new to help her unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger. And if Cass fails, the force she's unleashed could haunt the city forever.
My Blurb: “Paris,
adventure, mysteries, and monsters: I would have adored this book as a
ghost-obsessed thirteen-year-old.”
The Good
People by Hannah Kent
Adult Historical Fiction
Tiny Synopsis: Nóra Leahy has lost her daughter and her husband in the same year, and is now burdened with the care of her four-year-old grandson, Micheál. The boy cannot walk, or speak, and Nóra, mistrustful of the tongues of gossips, has kept the child hidden from those who might see in his deformity evidence of otherworldly interference.
My Blurb: “A tense and
atmospheric look at the collision between medical science, Christianity, and
ancient superstitions.”
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Young Adult Paranormal Fiction
Tiny Synopsis: When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.
My Blurb: “A fast-paced
novel that kept me laughing and helped me escape from the stress of real life.”
Sleeping
Beauties by Stephen King & Owen King
Adult Science Fiction
Tiny Synopsis: In a future so real and near it might be now, something happens when women go to sleep; they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze. If they are awakened, and the gauze wrapping their bodies is disturbed or violated, the women become feral and spectacularly violent; and while they sleep they go to another place.
My Blurb: “Long,
meandering, instantly forgettable.”
The Unwanted:
Stories Of The Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
Middlegrade Graphic Novel / Journalism Nonfiction
Tiny Synopsis: Starting in 2011, refugees flood out of war-torn Syria in Exodus-like proportions. The surprising flood of victims overwhelms neighboring countries, and chaos follows. Resentment in host nations heightens as disruption and the cost of aid grows. By 2017, many want to turn their backs on the victims. The refugees are the unwanted.
My Blurb: “A
quick-to-read introduction to the Syrian refugee crisis with helpful graphics.”
Everything Is
Teeth by Evie Wyld
Adult Graphic Novel / Memoir
Tiny Synopsis: Ever since she was a little girl, passing her summers in the brutal heat of coastal New South Wales, Evie Wyld has been captivated by sharks—by their innate ruthlessness, stealth, and immeasurable power. In this quietly penetrating narrative of personal memories, Evie Wyld lends her exceptional voice to the telling of a story all her own.
My Blurb: “A
beautifully illustrated memoir that perfectly captures the powerlessness of
being a child.”
Gerald’s Game by Stephen King
Adult Horror
Tiny Synopsis: Stephen King cranks up the suspense in a different kind of bedtime story. A game of seduction between a husband and wife goes horribly awry when the husband dies. But the nightmare has just begun.
My Blurb: “It’s very boring,
but it deserves its place on Goodreads’ ‘Most Disturbing Books Ever Written’
list.”
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?
If you like this post, check out my attempt at designing book covers. It’s . . . interesting.
I'm so curious about The Good People!
ReplyDeleteMy post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-my-ten-most-recent-reads/
The Good People of the Earth sounds interesting, as does "Once Upon a River." I told you about the other book by that title that's set in Michigan (which I do recommend). I read it because I thought that was the book we were to read in an online book group from my undergraduate university was reading... at the first posting, I was shocked and thinking where folks were getting all these ideas, then I learned there were two books by the same name!
ReplyDeleteBeing able to write a one sentence review is a true talent. I totally agree with your thoughts on Not So Pure and Simple
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking King won't be using your blurb for Sleeping Beauties any time soon. :)
ReplyDeleteI've read Tunnel of Bones and enjoyed it, I probably would have loved it even more when I was the target age for the book.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/05/04/top-ten-tuesday-314/
I have read and enjoyed Everything is Teeth and The Refugees. Thank you for your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteHa ha. I love the idea of an anti-blurb!
ReplyDeleteHappy TTT!
Your blurbs for Stephen King are hilariously harsh!
ReplyDeleteI am with you on Cemetery Boys and Unwanted. I like your one-sentence reviews; they sum up your feelings well.
ReplyDeleteLove your one sentence reviews!
ReplyDeleteSarah at smallworldreads.blogspot.com
I love your one sentence reviews! I haven't read any of these...yet!
ReplyDeleteWow Stephen King really struck out here, didn't he? 😂 I love these! Sometimes I think it is almost harder to do super short reviews- though honestly, I need to try it more, I have a feeling I could get a lot more accomplished this way!
ReplyDeleteI love blurbs and wish they'd hire some of us book bloggers to write them. I feel like we'd do a bang up job. anyway yours are great here and I like how you mixed em up- some are hilarious and others are nice and succinct but give an honest view of the story!
ReplyDeleteI love these little blurbs!! I'm celebrating all things Stephen King this month, but bummer neither of these worked for you. LOL
ReplyDeleteI need to Tunnel of Bones soon - I really liked City of Ghosts.
-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I wanted to read Once Upon a River, but I may need to reconsider.
ReplyDeleteI actually try to end all my reviews with a short VERDICT, usually one sentence as well.
I kind of love these one-line reviews. Short and sweet and to the point.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction