In keeping with my post last week called How Do You Read a Series?, in which I bemoaned the fact that I am terrible about finishing series, I decided to tweak the topic of this week's Top Ten Tuesday (or Theursday) post. Instead of talking about ten series I've been meaning to start, I'm posting about ten series that I've read the first book in, but somehow haven't made it to the second book yet. I have an equally long list of series where I've read the first two or three, but not any farther. And an even longer list of series that I want to start, but I feel like I should tie up some of these loose ends first. I may have a problem. . .​

No, that's not a typo in my title. Yes, I made up a word. Thuersday is a combination of Tuesday and Thursday. You see, I'm only posting twice a week now, which means that a Top Ten Tuesday post actually on Tuesday isn't really feasible. But on Thursday? Perfect. And this week's topic was just too fun to pass up.

So here's my list of ten awesome books with under 2,000 ratings on Goodreads (just a couple of days late). They are ranked from most reviews to least.

It takes a lot for me to rate a book five stars, so I don't have very many of those recently. Here are some of the books I've read this year and enjoyed immensely (even if they didn't quite get a five star rating).

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander (You may see a theme with these first three. The Chronicles of Prydain is one of my favorite series from when I was a kid. I decided to reread them this year, and I am loving them just as much now as I did when I was eleven.)
When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park (My review of this is going up on Thursday, but you can already tell that I liked it because it's on this list!)
The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert (This series with Beatrix Potter as the main character and talking animals is simply delightful.)

Cress by Marissa Meyer (If you haven't already discovered how amazing this series is for yourself, you should. Soon.)
The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein (An island where the things you read about come to life? Sign me up!)
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall (These characters are so much fun.)
So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson (Books about books are always amazing, aren't they?)
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Breathtaking writing. Simply spectacular.)​

This week's topic is "Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough/In A While." I feel like I tend to talk about my favorite books over and over, so this is a chance to explore my bookshelves and see what gets neglected. These are books I love but read before I starting blogging, so they haven't gotten any love on Smiling Shelves yet:​

Among Schoolchildren by Tracy Kidder (This is nonfiction, following one teacher's experience in an inner-city school. I discovered it at a book fair when I was in fifth grade, and I think I can honestly say it was one of the things that was instrumental in inspiring me to become a teacher.)
The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart (A true story of finding your niche in Paris by discovering the local piano store. As a pianist and European traveller, this book hit all my sweet spots.)
Sandition by Jane Austen & Another Lady (Sanditon was an unfinished manuscript that Jane Austen left behind when she died. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who have completed it, but the version I love best is by "Another Lady." She truly lives up to Austen's wit and characters.)
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (While the idea of being a vet kind of grosses me out, Herriot's naive charm and pure British atmosphere is what sells this book. If you want to live in the Yorkshire countryside of 50+ years ago, then you only have to read this series.)
​The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski (I know Marie Rutkoski is quite well-known for her YA series The Winner's Trilogy, but she also wrote a children's series that is fun and awesome and much less well-known.)

The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence that Points Toward God by Lee Strobel (Apologetics is one of my passions, and Strobel's books provide expert testimony as to why God makes more sense!)
The Once and Future King by T.H. White (The story of King Arthur. One of my all-time favorite books. If you haven't read it, you should! Soon!)
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone (Telling about the life of Michelangelo, this book is historical fiction at its finest.)
Christy by Catherine Marshall (Can you imagine going to teach in the rural areas of the Smoky Mountains one hundred years ago at the age of nineteen? I couldn't, which is probably why this book is so fascinating to me.)
Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages by Ammon Shea (I have a strange obsession with the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the perfect book to feed that obsession.)

Back at the beginning of the month, I shared my list of books I'm hoping to read in March. I'm doing surprisingly well so far. I have 5 of the 8 read, and I've started on the sixth. I don't want to repeat that list in this post, so this is a list of books I'm hoping to get to read sometime in the next couple of months.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (Our next book club book)
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion (And I thought I'd read the sequel, as long as I was at it.)
When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park (The April book for the Reading Together Book Club)
Winter by Marissa Meyer (I can't wait to finish this amazing series!)
On the Banks of Plum Creek ​by Laura Ingalls Wilder (The April book for the Little House Read-along)

Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart (I'm in the mood for some nonfiction, and I've been eyeing this one on my shelf for awhile.)
Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan (I'm trying to read the books I buy this year.)
Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein (He has become one of my auto-buy authors. I'm excited to read his newest book!)

I read a wide variety of genres, which I definitely enjoy doing. But sometimes that means I end up reading a lot of books with swearing or not-so-great actions or topics. That's when I escape to a genre that I know will be safe, and will uplift and refresh me for awhile - Christian fiction. The books on this list are ones that I've read and enjoyed and certainly recommend.

Glamorous Illusions by Lisa Tawn Bergren (The first book in a trilogy that follows a poor girl that suddenly discovers she's an heiress as she goes on the Grand Tour of Europe.)
A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman (A beautiful love story full of faith and twists and turns.)
Chateau of Echoes by Siri Mitchell (A castle in France and a grouchy American writer turn out to be the perfect recipe.)
Song of Redemption by Lynn Austin (Biblical fiction about King Hezekiah. This is actually the second book in a five-book series, but it was my favorite because of the faith Hezekiah showed.)

House of Living Stones by Katie Schuermann (This book was pitch-perfect as far as life in a church in a small Midwestern town is concerned.)
​A Skeleton in God's Closet by Paul Maier (A Christian thriller - what would happen if an archaeologist uncovered the bones of Jesus?)
​Pretense by Lori Wick (I have read this book at least ten times since I discovered it in high school. At least. Probably more.)
Words Spoken True by Ann Gabhart (I have always loved stories of journalists, and this book set in 1855 Louisville is no exception.)

This week's topic is to list books that we enjoyed, even though we wouldn't normally have read them. Last week, I wrote my BBAW Day Three post about a similar topic - books I wouldn't have read if it weren't for fellow book bloggers. So part of this list may sound a little familiar if you saw that post. But there are other books on this list not mentioned before. I don't often read outside my comfort zone (as it turns out), but these are a few I've enjoyed.

​- I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (I picked this up because of Nonfiction November. What a powerful read, and what an amazing person she is.)
- The Martian by Andy Weir (It sounded intriguing, but I probably never would have actually read it if not for all the gushing reviews out there.)
- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (Mysteries are typically not my genre, but everyone seems to love Flavia. Now I know why!)
- The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (If this weren't by J.K. Rowling, I never would have read it. But I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would.)
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (I tend to avoid WW2 books, but this one was beautiful.)

- The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (Hmm, another mystery makes this list. I keep saying that mysteries are not my genre, and then I'm surprised when I enjoy them so much. Maybe I just need to embrace the whole mystery thing.)
- The Turquoise Ledge by Leslie Marmon Silko (I almost put this one down after the first 20 pages, but I persevered and was glad I did.)
- Emma: A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith (I'm a Jane Austen purist and usually avoid all spin-offs and retellings. But I wanted to give this one a try. It was a decent attempt, which from me is high praise!)
- Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong (I picked this one up solely because the author's last name started with X and I needed it for a reading challenge. It was an absolutely fascinating look at China, and I just may end up reading more of his books.)
- The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (This was the Newbery Award winner for 2015. Not my typical book though - a verse novel about basketball? But this book was amazingly good.)

The theme for this week is anything Valentine's Day related. So I decided to make an acrostic of books and authors I love!

My TBR list is large. I've tried to be more purposeful recently about the books I put on it - not just anything that looks interesting, but ones I know I will read sometime. Now if only I could get a hold of copies of all of these (and have a lot more free time), it would be a lot easier to read them all!

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch (I saw this one in a bookstore over the weekend, and I couldn't resist adding it to my TBR list - although I surprisingly resisted the equally large temptation to actually buy a copy.)
City Atlas by Martin Haake (I saw this one on Reading with Jade. I love maps and I love travelling, so this was a must for my TBR list!)
Meet Me in Atlantis by Mark Adams (I saw this one at Barnes & Noble. I loved Adams' Turn Right at Machu Picchu, so I automatically had to add this one to my list.)
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (This series just seems to keep popping up everywhere and it always catches my eye, so I decided to finally give it a try. I'm hold number 15 out of 16 at the library, through, so this one may take awhile.)
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy (Lois at You, Me, and a Cup of Tea is always raving about this one. Looks like it'll be right up my alley.)

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble by Zac Bissonnette (I first saw this book on Sophisticated Dorkiness. I was momentarily obsessed with Beanie Babies in middle school, and I love that there's a book about that phenomenon!)
​The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell (This just looked like a fun book.)
​The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell (I discovered this book from Emily at Books, the Universe, and Everything. Who doesn't want to read a book about penguins?)
Mail Obsession: A Journey Round Britain by Postcode by Mark Mason (Mason's Walk the Lines was one of my top books of 2015. I can't wait to read this one!)
Buenos Aires: The Biography of a City by James Gardner (Travel narratives is one of my favorite genres. Jessica at Quirky Bookworm rated this one highly, and since I know very little about Buenos Aires, I thought reading would be a good way to find out!)