Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 classics I want to read (but haven’t gotten around to)

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these… and she always has such fun prompts, so I’m going to try to be more regular with my T5T posts!

This week’s topic is Top 5 classics I meant to read (but never got around to). I’ve got plenty! I keep a whole spreadsheet (Excel nerd alert!!) of classics I want to read… here are five that are high on my list.

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (technically, a reread — but it’s been so long since I first read this book that it feels like it would be practically new to me)
The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
Tevye the Dairyman and Motl the Cantor’s Son by Sholem Aleichem

What classics have you been meaning to read?

If you wrote a T5T post, please share your link!

2Sep2025

Top Ten Tuesday: You’re Hired! Books With Occupations in the Title

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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 With Occupations in the Title.

This is a fun one! Here are books from my recent reading years that fit the prompt:

The Lieutenant’s Nurse by Sara Ackerman (review)
The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley (review)
The Hebrew Teacher by Maya Arad (review)
The Auctioneer by Joan Samson (review)
The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill (review)
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
The Bookseller of Inverness by S. G. Maclean (review)
Disappearance of a Scribe by Dana Stabenow (review)
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (review)
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center (review)

Which books made your list this week?

If you wrote a TTT list, please share your link!

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20May2025

Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 books with ballgowns on the cover

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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 with a ballgown on the cover, with the prompt: We are hitting it old school and FANCY this week. Your top five books with ballgowns on the cover, if you please. State of the ballgown is up to you.

My first thought was that I could just go with five books from the Bridgerton series! But I’ll try to expand my reach just a bit beyond that.

Here are a few from my shelves that fit the theme:

Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman (I ended up DNFing this book, but I still like the cover!)
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4) by Julia Quinn (I couldn’t entirely omit Bridgerton books!) (review)
The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain (review)
Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (review)
Valour and Vanity (Glamourist Histories, #4) by Mary Robinette Kowal (review)

What covers did you feature this week? Do you have a favorite “ballgown” books on your shelves?

If you wrote a T5T post, please share your link!

13May2025

Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 books with stars on the cover

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a T5T post — not for any specific reason, but just because my blogging habits have been a bit scattered lately. Too many real life distractions! Anyway, this topic caught my eye and seemed like fun, so here I am.

This week’s topic is Top 5 books with a star on the cover, with the prompt: Time to find your fave books with a (or multiple) star(s) on the cover. And in the immortal words of Nicola Yoon: The Sun is Also a Star. (Just saying!).

Here are a few from my shelves that fit the theme:

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller (review)
A Brilliant Night of Ice and Stars by Rebecca Connolly (on my TBR!)
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (review)
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell (review)
The Midnight Watch by David Dyer (review)

Interesting… my five include two Titanic books!

So, those are my five top books with actual (astronomical/celestial) stars… but I’ll add two more books as a bonus, since I loved them both. These books’ covers have stars representing military service — another type of star!

Blue Stars by Emily Gray Tedrowe (review)
You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon (excellent book of linked stories; I read it before I started posting reviews)

What “star” covers did you feature this week? What other books with stars on their covers do you especially love?

If you wrote a T5T post, please share your link!

11Mar2025

Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 books with a place in the title

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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 with a place in the title, with the prompt: Any location or place in a title is fine — just share your top five with us. I did a TTT post last year with a similar theme, so I’m going to do my best not to repeat myself.

Here are a few from my shelves that fit the theme:

1: The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian: A twisty thriller about a Princess Diana impersonator who gets caught up in a shady, dangerous crime operation. (review)

2: Advika and the Hollywood Wives by Kirthana Ramisetti: I didn’t actually love (or even like) this book (the author’s previous book, Dava Shastri’s Last Day, was amazing!), but it kept my attention, and it fits the prompt! (review)

3: The Bookseller of Inverness by S. G. MacLean: A book club pick! We really enjoyed this historical novel set in 18th century Scotland. (review)

4: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid: TJR’s books are always a great read! Malibu Rising doesn’t quite rise to the level of some of her other books (Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo, my two favorites), but it’s still really entertaining and worth checking out. (review)

5: Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean: The first in a fabulous duology! I loved both books. (review)

What are your favorite books with place names in the titles?

4Mar2025

Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 books with a pronoun in the title

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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 with a pronoun in the title, with the prompt: Find all of your he, she, they, we or you books and then shout them from the rooftops!! Or just on your blog page.

Here are a few from my shelves that fit the theme:

1: She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton: Not actually on my home shelves at the moment, but I borrowed this from the library a while back, and thought it was wonderful. A terrific children’s book highlighting women who made a difference. (And don’t miss the companion back, She Persisted Around the World)

2: He, She, and It by Marge Piercy: This 1991 sci-fi book made a huge impact on me back when I read it ages ago, and it’s one I’d love to get back to and read again at some point.

3: The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien: A modern classic set during the Vietnam War. A must-read… and another one that I really should read again.

4: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dare: A more recent book — this one had a ton of buzz, and is definitely worth reading. (Here’s my review, if you want to know more.)

5: We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Koller Croft: If you’ve never read a book about disco vampires… well, have I got a book for you! Seriously, this book is awesome. (Review)

What books with pronouns in the title do you have on your shelves?

12Nov2024

Top Ten Tuesday: Destination Titles

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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)
My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan (review)
South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby (review)
The Paris Diversion by Chris Pavone (review)
The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore (review)
Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole (review)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty (review)
Denali‘s Howl by Andy Hall

What destinations made your list this week?

If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!

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9Jul2024

Top Ten Tuesday — Throwback Freebie: Book Titles That Are Complete Sentences

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. The prompt for this week’s TTT is: Throwback Freebie (Pick a TTT topic that has been previously done. Maybe you missed it, weren’t blogging then, or you’d like to update an old list you made.)

I decided to go with a topic that I last did in 2021 and really liked: Book Titles That Are Complete Sentences . My 2021 post is here; read on for a new, refreshed list. All books listed are books I’ve read since then.

I managed to find many more than I expected to! For purposes of this post, I’m sticking to ten… but I’m bookmarking this topic for myself, so I can come back to it next time I need a freebie theme.

My top ten picks for books with complete sentences as titles:

Where Have All the Boys Gone? by Jenny Colgan (review)
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (review)
The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain (review)
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (review)
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
He Gets That From Me by Jacqueline Friedland (review)
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (review)
I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider
Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan (review)
Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry (review)

What throwback freebie topic did you choose for this week’s TTT? Please share your links!

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7May2024

Top Ten Tuesday: May Flowers

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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 May Flowers — open to however we want to approach it (titles, covers, plots, characters…)

I’m going with flowers in the titles, and to challenge myself, I’m only including books I’ve actually read. I also decided to see if I could come up with 10 without repeating any flowers… although I couldn’t resist adding in all the “rose” possibilities after the fact.

Here are ten books for my May Flowers list:

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke
A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire
Peony by Pearl S. Buck (want to read)
Dash & Lily‘s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
The Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen
Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Tulip Eaters by Antoinette van Heugten
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian
White Oleander by Janet Fitch

Oh, okay, here are a bunch of rose books from my shelves!

Hmmm, I supposed I could have save all these rose books for a future freebie post! Oh well… I’m having too much fun to wait.

What books have you read with flowers in the title?

If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link!

5Dec2023

Top Ten Tuesday: Share the Light! (a December freebie)

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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!