Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Hello! Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday and today we are discussing the books on our Winter TBRs which is always fun! I love to think about what books I am planning to read just as much as I love reading the books themselves! I don’t always stick to a TBR list but here are ten books I am looking forward to reading this Winter.

1. Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

Publication Date: 16th January 2020

Summary:

Grace Park and Shawn Mathews share a city – Los Angeles – but seemingly little else. Coming from different generations and very different communities, their paths wouldn’t normally cross at all. As Grace battles confusion over her elder sister’s estrangement from their Korean-immigrant parents, Shawn tries to help his cousin Ray readjust to city life after years spent in prison.

But something in their past links these two families. As the city around them threatens to erupt into violence, echoing the worst days of the early 1990s, the lives of Grace and Shawn are set to collide in ways which will change them all forever.

Why:

I’ve heard some really good things about this one and the story sounds really intriguing although the blurb doesn’t give much away as to how these characters lives will connect which just makes me even more desperate to know.

2. The Liar’s Daughter by Claire Allan

Publication Date: 23rd January 2020

Summary:

Joe McKee – pillar of the Derry community – is dead. As arrangements are made for the traditional Irish wake, friends and family are left reeling at how cancer could have taken this much-loved man so soon.

But grief is the last thing that Joe’s daughter Ciara and step-daughter Heidi feel. For they knew the real Joe – the man who was supposed to protect them and did anything but.

As the mourners gather, the police do too, with doubt being cast over whether Joe’s death was due to natural causes. Because the lies that Joe told won’t be taken to the grave after all – and the truth gives his daughters the best possible motive for killing him…

Why:

I love psychological thrillers and the cover of this one really caught my eye. It sounds pretty dark but extremely interesting and I’m very much looking forward to reading it.

3. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Publication Date: 10th March 2020

Summary:

ALL HE DID WAS FALL IN LOVE WITH ME AND THE WORLD TURNED HIM INTO A MONSTER

Vanessa Wye was fifteen-years-old when she first had sex with her English teacher.

She is now thirty-two and in the storm of allegations against powerful men in 2017, the teacher, Jacob Strane, has just been accused of sexual abuse by another former student.

Vanessa is horrified by this news, because she is quite certain that the relationship she had with Strane wasn’t abuse. It was love. She’s sure of that.

Forced to rethink her past, to revisit everything that happened, Vanessa has to redefine the great love story of her life – her great sexual awakening – as rape. Now she must deal with the possibility that she might be a victim, and just one of many.

Why:

This one has been getting so much buzz lately which immediately make me request this on Netgalley. It sounds very intense and a really fascinating slant on a really difficult topic to discusss. I hope it lives up to the praise it has received.

4. Grace Is Gone by Emily Elgar

Publication Date: 20th February 2020

Summary:

Meg and her daughter Grace are the most beloved family in Ashford, the lynchpin that holds the community together.

So when Meg is found brutally murdered and her daughter missing, the town is rocked by the crime. Not least because Grace has been sick for years – and may only have days to live.

Who would murder a mother who sacrificed everything, and take a teenager away from the medication that could save her life? Everyone is searching for an answer, but sometimes the truth can kill you . . .

Why:

Grace is Gone sounds so compelling and I cannot wait to get my hands on it! I also believe this one is based on a true story which is something that always attracts me to a book.

5. The Temple House Vanishing by Rachel Donohue

Publication Date: 20th February 2020

Summary:

Twenty-five years ago, a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl and her charismatic teacher disappeared without trace…
When Louisa arrives at Temple House, an elite catholic boarding school, she quickly finds herself drawn to sophisticated fellow pupil Victoria and their young bohemian art teacher, Mr Lavelle. The three of them form a bond that seems to offer an escape from the repressive regime of the nuns who run the cloistered school. Until Louisa and Mr Lavelle suddenly vanish.

Years later, a journalist with a childhood connection to Louisa determines to resolve the mystery. Her search for the truth will uncover a tragic, mercurial tale of suppressed desire and long-buried secrets. It will shatter lives and lay a lost soul to rest.

Why:

I love books with some sort of boarding school setting, especially if there is an element of darkness and intrigue so this book sounds right up my street. I have no idea where the story will go and I’m very much looking forward to finding out.

6. The Only Child by Mi-Ae Seo

Publication Date: 6th February 2020

Summary:

Criminal psychologist Seonkyeong has two new people in her life.

A serial killer whose gruesome murders shook the world but who has steadfastly remained silent. Until now.

A young, innocent looking stepdaughter from her husband’s previous marriage, who unexpectedly turns up at the door after the sudden death of her grandparents.

Both are unsettling.

Both are deeply troubled.

And both seem to want something from her. Can she work out just who is the victim in all of this? Before it’s too late…

Why:

The Only Child looks so creepy and sinister – both things I enjoy in the atmosphere of what I’m reading. This sounds like the perfect chilling thriller for winter.

7. The Woods by Vanessa Savage

Publication Date: 23rd January 2020

Summary:

There’s a lot from Tess’s childhood that she would rather forget. The family who moved next door and brought chaos to their quiet lives. The two local girls who were murdered, their killer never found. In fact, the only thing she can’t remember is the one thing she wishes she could.

Ten years ago, Tess’s older sister died. Ruled a tragic accident, the only witness was Tess herself, but she has never been able to remember what happened that night in the woods.

Now living in London, Tess has resolved to put the trauma behind her. But when an emergency call from her father forces her back to the family home, Tess discovers that, sometimes, the past cannot be laid to rest . . .

Why:

A troubled and unknowable past is always a good basis for a plot line and once you add in the spooky element of the woods it sounds like a really good read. The cover is also so atmospheric which I love.

8. Dominicana by Angie Cruz

Publication Date: 23rd January 2020

Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Ana Canción never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she must say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by César, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay.

As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family’s assets, leaving César to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, dance with César at the Audubon Ballroom, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.

Why:

I’ve had this one on my TBR list for ages so I really want to finally get around to reading it this winter. The story sounds gripping and the time period adds another layer of interest.

9. A Good Man by Ani Katz

Publication Date: 16th January 2020

Summary:

Thomas Martin is everything a man is supposed to be. He has a beautiful wife and a loving daughter, a good house on Long Island, a flourishing career at a prestigious Manhattan advertising firm. He’s a good son and brother, taking it upon himself to support his ailing mother and adult sisters. He knows it’s his God-given duty to shield them, his girls, from the everyday horrors of the world.

But he has failed, and unspeakable tragedy has befallen his family.

Now, Thomas struggles to come to terms with what has become of his life. If only he can tell the story as he saw it, he believes he might find out how and why things unravelled so horribly; how he failed so disastrously.

Because Thomas Martin is a good man.

Why:

This one sounds quite mysterious and I am really excited to read it. The blurb doesn’t really tell us which direction the plot will take but it does sound incredibly intriguing and quite original.

10. Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

Publication Date: 9th January 2020

Summary:

Three hours is 180 minutes or 10,800 seconds.
It is a morning’s lessons, a dress rehearsal of Macbeth, a snowy trek through the woods
It is an eternity waiting for news. Or a countdown to something terrible.
It is 180 minutes to discover who you will die for and what men will kill for.

In rural Somerset in the middle of a blizzard, the unthinkable happens: a school is under siege. From the wounded headmaster in the library, unable to help his trapped pupils and staff, to teenage Hannah in love for the first time, to the parents gathering desperate for news, to the 16 year old Syrian refugee trying to rescue his little brother, to the police psychologist who must identify the gunmen, to the students taking refuge in the school theatre, all experience the most intense hours of their lives, where evil and terror are met by courage, love and redemption.

Why:

I’ve read another novel from Rosamund Lupton years ago which I really enjoyed so I had to put her latest on my TBR list. It is about a very complicated and nuanced subject which is often difficult to get right so I’m really curious to see what it is like.

Well that’s it for today! I’m really excited to read all of these and I think 2020 is going to be a great year for books! I would love to know what you think of my choices and what books you have on your TBR so lets chat in the comments and please do leave a link to your own list!

xxx