Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023.
I always love this TTT topic — it’s fun to look back and appreciate how many new authors I’ve tried, especially when there are more of their books for me still to read!
I actually “met” more than 10 new-to-me authors in 2023, and it’s hard for me to narrow down the list… but here are ten whose books I really enjoyed.
1) Author: Trish Doller. Books read:
2) Author: Elissa Sussman. Books read:
3) Author: Victor LaValle. Book read:
4) Author: Elizabeth Acevedo. Books read:
5) Author: Travis Baldree. Books read:
6) Author: Heather Fawcett. Books read:
7) Author: Annabel Monaghan. Books read:
8) Author: Paul Tremblay. Book read:
9) Author: Colleen Oakley. Book read:
10) Author: Sara Goodman Confino. Book read:
Have you read other books by these authors? Do you have any recommendations?
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books I Meant to Read in 2023 but Didn’t Get To.
At the end of each year, I share a list of all my book purchases that I didn’t actually read (All the Books I Meant to Read), and I don’t really want to repeat myself, so…
I thought I’d focus on the books I listed on my 2023 quarterly TBR posts… but realized that I mainly read them all! So, I’m digging back a little further, and just listing 10 books from the past couple of years that I’ve been meaning to read… and haven’t yet.
My top 10 are:
Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Saga, volume 11 by Brian K. Vaughn
Infinity Gate by M. R. Carey
The Thorns Remain by JJA Harwod
Pat of Silver Bush by L. M. Montgomery
A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice by Rebecca Connolly
Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco
Gilded by Marissa Meyer
Have you read any of these? Which should I make a top priority?
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Bookish Goals for 2024.
OK, I’m more or less repeating what I’ve written in past years. I’m not a big fan of resolutions, so let’s consider this instead that I’m setting some basic intentions. Whether or not I’ll stick to these as the year progresses remains to be seen… and I’m fine with that.
These are a few general concepts I hope to apply to my reading this year:
Read whatever I feel like. I say this every year… and every year it’s worth repeating! Other than book group reading commitments, I’m always happiest when I read without a plan. It’s a wonderful feeling!
Keep ARCS manageable. I have a lot of ARCs on my plate for books releasing in the first half of the year, but many of these are books I’d want to read no matter what. I intend to slow down my requests from this point forward — so I can get back to the point above!
Spend some time reading (or sampling) at least a few of the books/series I highlighted in my series-to-read post for this year.
Make a dent in my classic reading plans. I’ve been participating in the Classics Club spins for the past couple of years, which I love — but I have a big list of classics yet to read, and I’d like to carve out some time for at least one or two outside of the “spin cycle”.
Decide what to do with the books I’ve pulled from my shelves but haven’t yet removed from my house. I keep fantasizing about installing a Little Free Library, but I’m not sure that where I live is really conducive to having one of those. So, I need to start doing some sorting – some nicer books to try to sell, some to trade it an a used bookstore, and some to go to my library’s donation center.
Do a big audiobook reread: I’ve been planning to do audio rereads of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and also want to do the same with the Green Creek series. Both will take a lot of time, and are probably multi-year projects. I want to at least get started in 2024.
Mostly, for 2024 and always, this pretty much sums up my attitude:
What are your bookish goals for 2024? Whatever they may be… wishing you lots of bookish delights!
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2024.
There are so many to choose from — but since I already featured a bunch in my winter TBR post, I’ll focus on a different set of books this week.
Here are (just some of) the books I can’t wait to read in 2024!
Listed in order of release date:
The Women by Kristin Hannah (2/6/2024)
To Woo & To Wed by Martha Waters (2/6/2024)
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden (2/14/2024)
The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black (3/5/2024)
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle (3/5/2024)
Studies at the School by the Sea by Jenny Colgan (3/26/2024)
The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian (3/26/2024)
The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto (3/26/2024)
The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald (4/16/2024)
Funny Story by Emily Henry (4/23/2024)
What upcoming new releases are you most excited for? If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Favorite Books of 2023.
There were so many great ones! It’s hard to narrow my list down to just ten…
Consider this just a sampling of the great books I read in 2023!
1.. Wolfsong by TJ Klune: But really, the entire Green Creek series is my top reading experience of the year. I loved all four books, but Wolfsong holds an especially strong place in my heart. After all, it’s all candy canes and pinecones and epic and awesome. (review)
… plus…
2. Hello Stranger by Katherine Center: The main character’s situation is like nothing I’ve ever read before. This book is fascinating and entertaining and lovely. (review)
3. Hard to pick just one T. Kingfisher book! I read three by this author in 2023, and these two are especially wonderful: (reviews here and here)
4. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree: The hype is real! This book has gotten so much buzz, and it’s all deserved. The cozy fantasy I never knew I needed. (review)
5. Whalefall by Daniel Kraus: This wins the prize for the weirdest thing I read all year… and yet, I still can’t get it out of my mind! (review)
6. A duo from a favorite series: Sleep No More (review) and The Innocent Sleep (review), books 17 and 18 in the excellent October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, were released one month apart in the fall, telling the same story from two different characters’ perspectives. Simply awesome.
7. Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer: Every once in a while, a Georgette Heyer novel is just right for the moment, and I absolutely loved reading Sprig Muslin this year. (review)
8. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto: This book made me laugh and kept me guessing. Just pure fun. (review)
9. The Celebrants by Steven Rowley: I loved this story of friendship across the years — beautiful and emotional and truly resonant. (review)
10. The Gunnie Rose series by Charlaine Harris: I hadn’t thought this would interest me, but after reading the first book (An Easy Death) early in the year with my book group, I couldn’t stop until I’d read all five (and I’m hoping for more!).
The rest of the best:
Who am I kidding? I can’t name just 10!! Here are other books from my 2023 reading adventures that I loved too much not to mention:
What were you favorite books of 2023? If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf .
I don’t buy physical books nearly as much any more, but I can never seem to resist adding books to my Kindle library when I spot a good price drop.
Here are the 10 ebooks that I’ve added most recently:
Emmett by L. C. Rosen
Violeta by Isabel Allende
Little, Big by John Crowley
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest
Island of the Lost by Joan Druett
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews
The Apology by Jimin Han
The Bookseller of Inverness by S. G. Maclean
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
What books have you added to your shelves most recently? If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is about our bookish wishes.
My holidays are already over — and while my family was very good to me, many of my bookish wishes came true because I treated myself to great sale prices! Still, I do have remaining books I’d love copies of at some point.
Here are 10 books (not including books not yet released) that I’ve recently added to my wishlist:
The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger
Get Lucky by Katherine Center
The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers
Spells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch
The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner
The Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong
The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune
Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee
What books are you wishing for? If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is about our winter reading plans.
As always, there are endless options! Since next week’s topic is about new releases in 2024, this week, I’ll focus on already released books that I’m determined to read during the next few months.
My top 10 books on my winter TBR:
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
The Vintage Village Bake Off by Judy Leigh
Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
The Guncle by Stephen Rowley
Death of an Eye by Dana Stabenow
One Girl in All the World by Kendare Blake
The Thorns Remain by J. J. A. Harwood
Emmett by L. C. Rosen
Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal
What books will be keeping you warm this winter? Share your links, and I’ll come check out your top 10!
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is a freebie — which means we all choose our own topics.
Hanukkah starts in just two days (this Thursday night), and since Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights, my TTT post will be all about candles, lights, and flames!
Here are 10 books whose titles fit my topic — all are books that I’ve either read or plan to read!
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoka
The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
The Light Fantastic (Discworld, #2) by Terry Pratchett
Light Years From Home by Mike Chen
Midnight Blue-Light Special (Incryptids, #2) by Seanan McGuire
Light a Single Candle by Beverly Butler
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
What was your TTT topic this week? If you wrote a post, please share your link!
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Reasons Why I’m Thankful for Books. What a great topic!
Here are 10 of my reasons why I’m thankful for books:
Escape: I love immersing myself in the world of a book and shutting out reality while I’m reading.
Learning: Although I’m almost exclusively a fiction reader, I still find myself learning so much from what I read — from medical conditions to world history to cultures that are different than my own, there’s so much to explore and experience.
Connection: When I meet someone new and learn they’re a reader too, suddenly, there are endless topics to discuss and bond over.
Comfort: When days are stressful or my brain feels overloaded, it’s lovely to be able to curl up with a well-loved book and feel calm and cozy again.
Boredom busters: I can never be bored if I have a book with me (and I always have a book with me). Waiting rooms? Long lines? Holding for customer service? That’s okay — I have something to read.
Book buddies: I love my inner circle of book buddies, those real-life people who love books as much as I do — we swap, share thoughts, make recommendations, and have book-related experiences that our non-bookish friends just don’t get.
Nostalgia: Certain books take me back to places and people from my earlier years, so reading them again is not only a wonderful reading experience in and of itself, but also brings memories of family and experiences that are tied to those books.
Imaginary journeys: I love it when the world of a book is so immersive that it just sweeps me away.
Words, words, words: Beautiful writing, intricate wordplay, unusual vocabulary… these are a few of my favorite things.
The glamour of it all! Oh, I’m kidding, but I do love just looking at my bookshelves and enjoying how pretty they all are.
Bookshelf Fantasies 