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 Destination Titles, and the prompt is titles with name of places in them. These places can be real or fiction!
I’m going with real place names, and have found more than expected on my shelves!
Here is my selection of 10 destination titles:
Moloka’i by Alan Brennert
The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi (review)
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 Covers with [Item] on the Cover (You choose the item! It can be anything at all.)
Last time this topic came up for a TTT post, I went with books on the cover… and this time I’m doing books with bookstores on the cover. So, yeah, I’m not particularly thinking outside the box here!
Without further ado, my bookstore book covers are:
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan (review)
The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser (review)
The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan (review)
Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here.
This week’s topic is a Freebie — we choose our own topics! Since it’s election day today, and it’s hard to think about anything else, I thought I’d go with a list of books that all tie into voting, the presidency, or elections in some way.
Our War by Craig DiLouie
Election by Tom Perotta
Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut
Primary Colors by Anonymous
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72 by Hunter S. Thompson
Lately, I’ve been bouncing back and forth for my Tuesday posts, alternating between the Top Ten Tuesday and Top Five Tuesday memes, depending on their topics for the week. This week, both are Halloween themed… so I’m doing them both!!
First up… it’s Top Ten Tuesday:
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 Halloween freebie! For my Halloween post, I’m going to focus on horror novels on my to-read list (updated for 2024). I’ve done this topic a few times in the past several years, and given the state of my TBR list, it’s time to do it again.
Noted with shame: Some of these books were on my Halloween horror TBR list last year! So, you know, I’m not exactly great at following through…
Still, here are a bunch I really do want to get to… including a few upcoming 2025 new books.
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Dread Nation by Justine Ireland
The Changeling by Victor Lavalle
Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong
The Return by Rachel Harrison
Cutting Teeth by Chandler Baker
Overgrowth by Mira Grant (upcoming 2025 new release)
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (upcoming 2025 new release)
My Ex, the Antichrist by Craig DiLouie (upcoming 2025 new release)
Are any of these on your TBR too? Which ones look best to you? And if you’ve read any, let me know what you thought!
Next, let’s take a look at this week’s Top 5 Tuesday:
Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here.
This week’s topic is Top 5 books to recommend for Halloween, and the prompt is: It’s trick or treat time — are you going to tell us your best scary books or cutesy Halloween tales?
My picks are mainly ghost stories, plus a funny/clever fantasy that I reread every October!
A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny (review) — I’m reading this one again right now! Such a fun annual tradition.
What books do you recommend for Halloween? I love a good ghost story — do you have any favorites? Save
Save
Save
In case it’s not obvious, I’ll probably be spending my Halloween with my nose in a book! Wishing you all a happy Halloween, whatever you’ll be doing!Save
Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here.
This week’s topic is Top 5 orange books, and the prompt is: Earlier this year we did yellow books and red books, but it’s now time for Halloween. What are your favourite orange covered books?
What fun… and a great excuse to shuffle books on my bookshelves and check out all the covers! I ended up with more orange books than I expected to find — here are five that stand out:
There There by Tommy Orange (even the author’s name fits the theme!)
Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here.
This week’s topic is Top 5 non-human characters, and the prompt is: So many books have non-human characters — animals or supernatural creatures… maybe even a park bench. Who are your favourite non-human characters?
It’s hard to narrow these down to just five, since there are so many to choose from! Here are five I love:
Mosscap (robot) — A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers: I love everything about Mosscap (full name: Splendid Speckled Mosscap), and this book and its sequel are just so wonderful.
S.T. (crow) — Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton: A crow narrating a post-apocalyptic story with plenty of attitude. Awesome.
Viv (orc) — Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree: An orc, retired from her fighting days, who dreams about a peaceful life with good coffee.
Matthew de Clermont (vampire) — All Souls series by Deborah Harkness: There are any number of great vampires in fiction, but Matthew is so suave and smart that he consistently makes my list of favorites.
Alien (unnamed) — The Humans by Matt Haig: This non-human visitor to our world takes the form of an earthling and learns important truths about being human. Such a great book.
I feel like this list just scratches the surface — I haven’t even included my favorite dogs of fiction! Dogs, cats, horses, and more… they’ll have to wait for another list!
What (or who) are your favorite non-human characters in fiction?
It’s another fun topic for Top 5 Tuesday! This weekly meme is hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here.
This week’s topic is Top 5 award-winning books, and the prompt is: You can pick a specific award or just any book you’ve read that’s ever won an award. What are your faves?
I love following genre-specific awards, and the Hugo picks are always exciting. Here are my top 5 Hugo award winners from recent years:
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher — Best Novella, 2023
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers — Best Novella, 2022
Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire — Best Series, 2022 (first book: Every Heart a Doorway)
The Expanse by James S. A. Corey — Best Series, 2020 (first book: Leviathan Wakes)
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal — Best Novel, 2019
Of course, there are plenty more Hugo winners and nominees that I’ve loved… not to mention all the ones I still want to read!
Click here to see the complete Hugo history. So many books for my TBR!
What book awards do you follow? Do you have any favorite award-winners to recommend?
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 Read/Avoided Because of the Hype (and did you make the right choice?).
The hype machine can be crazy at times, and my first instinct is usually to avoid books where it’s in overdrive. You know the ones — the books that everyone seems to be gushing about at all possible times. And yet, sometimes those books end up being just what I need, despite my initial hesitation.
My list is focused on hyped books that I’ve read… some with good results, and some definitely the opposite.
These ultra-hyped books did not work for me:
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros: I disliked so much about this book.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: I know people loved this book, but it never clicked for me. In general, I don’t do well with books about people performing magic in this way. What are the rules? What are the limits? I didn’t buy into it at all.
It End with Us by Colleen Hoover: Hiding the fact that this book is about an abusive relationship is just one of its many faults.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: Promoting this book as laugh-out-loud funny and then starting it off with a rape scene is not okay.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: I liked the sound of the setup, but too many coincidences sank this story for me.
Not to fear! Some much-hyped books really deserve all the buzz and more! Among my favorites:
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto: This book is so silly and over the top, but really hits the spot when you need something ridiculous to escape into.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: Tears! Tears everywhere! And I couldn’t put it down.
The Martian by Andy Weir: I feel like a lot of books have tried to mimic the vibe of The Martian in the years since it was published, but the hype about this book was so well deserved.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree: Loved everything about this cozy fantasy.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid: I couldn’t decide which of these two books to include on this week’s list… so added them both! I feel like these two books pushed TJR into a whole new level of hype… and amazing writing.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: When the buzz was building for this book, I scoffed. How could I possibly enjoy a book about gaming? Fortunately, the hype for this one was spot on, and I’m so glad I read it. One of the best books of 2022.
Yes, that’s more than ten books in all. I just couldn’t narrow down the second part of my list!
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 on My Fall 2024 to-Read List.
Is it fall already? Where did the summer go? I did pretty well with my summer 2024 TBR list, with just one book still to read, and I’m including it in my fall reading plans. Other than that, my list this week includes an upcoming new release, books from my shelves, and one old favorite that’s become an annual reading tradition.
In the interest of not repeating myself, I’m not including any of the books already featured in my list of anticipated new releases for the 2nd half of 2024… but yes, I still intend to read all of those too!
My top 10 for fall are:
Extinction by Douglas Preston: I haven’t read this type of science thriller in a while, and I think I’m up for it.
A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny: My annual October reading tradition. Always a blast!
D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins: I needed an LGBTQ+ romance for a reading challenge, and this one came highly recommended.
On Her Own by Lihi Lapid: A recent new release that sounded promising based on the reviews I’ve seen.
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston: My summer holdover — which I’ve been looking forward to, but just haven’t gotten around to reading yet.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley: I love the sound of this book!
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: I think I have a reading block when it comes to this book… but I’m determined to finally get through it!
The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right by Suzanne Alain: The only upcoming new release on this list. This author’s books are always such fun!
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi: I feel like I’m the last person left who hasn’t read this book, and it’s about time to fix that.
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer: I love this author’s newest novel, The Lost Story, so I’m eager to read this one too.
What books are you most excited to read this fall? Do we have any in common?
It’s another fun topic for Top 5 Tuesday! This weekly meme is hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here.
This week’s topic is Top 5 anticipated 5 star reads, and the prompt is: What books on your TBR do you think might make your top 5 books of the year, or will get that coveted five-star rating?
I have high hopes for so many of my upcoming reads! Sticking to books to read (or being released) in 2024, my top five are:
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke
I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong
What are your 5-star predictions for the rest of 2024?
Bookshelf Fantasies 