Tag Archives: book titles

Spell the Month in Books: October

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Spell the Month in Books is a monthly meme hosted by Jana at Reviews from the Stacks. To participate, find a book title that starts with each letter in the month’s name, make a list, share your link, and that’s it! You can share anytime by the end of the month. Some months have additional themes, but feel free to participate however you’d like!

This month’s theme is Trick or Treat: books that you feel strongly about, whether positively or negatively.

Last month was my first time trying this meme, and I thought it was so much fun that I’m back for more. I’m even trying the theme this time! Here are my OCTOBER books:

O:

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Trick or Treat? Treat! I loved Outlander immediately, and have read it (and the entire series) many times so far… and probably will again!

C:

Carrie by Stephen King
Trick or Treat? Trick… but in an awesomely horrific way. I think I was way too young when I first encountered Carrie. (Middle school girls dealing with first periods probably should NOT read this book… much safer to read from the comfort of adulthood!) Later, coming back to Carrie, I was better able to appreciate Stephen King’s talents without it feeling quite so visceral.

T:

The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
Trick or Treat? Trick… I didn’t hate this book (I gave it a 3-star review), but the workplace romance aspect creates so many problematic situations that I just couldn’t enjoy it as a whole, despite the parts that I actually liked.

O:

One Salt Sea (October Daye, #5) by Seanan McGuire
Trick or Treat? Treat! I love the October Daye series to pieces, and this book, relatively early in the overall series, moves the story in new directions in a really spectacular way.

B:

Battle of the Bookstops by Poppy Alexander
Trick or Treat? Trick… with a little hint of treats mixed in. What’s not to love about a book about battling bookstores? This should have been cute, but just did not deliver. I like some elements, but overall, this was a letdown (See more, here)

E:

Emma by Jane Austen
Trick or Treat? Treat! I’ve loved Emma from the start, and the audiobook version I’ve listened to (narrated by the amazing Juliet Stevenson) makes me laugh every time.

R:

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Trick or Treat? Treat! Ish… I enjoyed all of the Bridgerton books, but they do require a certain willingness to look past cringey sex scenes and a few over-the-top descriptions. Still, these books are generally loads of fun and go down like candy.

Happy October to all! If you spelled the month in books, please leave me a link to your post — I’d love to see it!

Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 classics I’m not interested in reading

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

The theme for September is classics, and the this week’s topic is Top 5 classics I’m not interested in reading. I struggled at first — I have plenty of classics that I do want to read, but I’ve never really thought about identifying books NOT to read!

After some thought, plus random scrolling through my reading history and a bunch of Goodreads lists, I came up with the following five classics that I just can’t see myself ever picking up:

  1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: Never gonna happen! And I actually read Anna Karenina (many years ago), so it’s not like I refuse this author absolutely. I just can’t see myself feeling motivated enough to try this one.
  2. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner: On the other hand, I can safely say that I will never read a Faulkner novel, after a truly dismal experience with one of his books way back in my college days.
  3. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: Honestly, it’s mainly the length of this book that’s so off-putting for me! Someone from my book group keeps suggesting this book as a group read… and if that actually happens, I may give in. But on my own? Nope.
  4. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf: Another author I just don’t get along with. I’ve tried!
  5. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: No interest whatsoever!

What classics are on your “never gonna read” list? And are there any of mine that you think I should reconsider?

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

Spell the Month in Books: September

Posted in Fun and Whimsy by

Spell the Month in Books is a monthly meme hosted by Jana at Reviews from the Stacks. To participate, find a book title that starts with each letter in the month’s name, make a list, share your link, and that’s it! You can share anytime by the end of the month. Some months have additional themes, but feel free to participate however you’d like!

I see that the September theme is Something to Savor, which might include longer books, books that have been on your TBR a long time, some that have food on the cover or in the title, or simply a few favorites.

Since this is my first time participating, I’m going to keep it simple and just focus on the titles without applying a theme. Here are my SEPTEMBER books:

S:

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire

E:

Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery

P:

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

T:

Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan

E:

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

M:

Miss Kopp Investigates by Amy Stewart

B:

Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs

E:

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

R:

Reticence by Gail Carriger

Happy September to all! If you spelled the month in books, please leave me a link to your post — I’d love to see it!

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

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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.

  1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  2. 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)
  3. The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier
  4. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
  5. 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!

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

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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:

  1. The Lieutenant’s Nurse by Sara Ackerman (review)
  2. The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley (review)
  3. The Hebrew Teacher by Maya Arad (review)
  4. The Auctioneer by Joan Samson (review)
  5. The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill (review)
  6. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
  7. The Bookseller of Inverness by S. G. Maclean (review)
  8. Disappearance of a Scribe by Dana Stabenow (review)
  9. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (review)
  10. 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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Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 books with ballgowns on the cover

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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:

  1. Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman (I ended up DNFing this book, but I still like the cover!)
  2. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4) by Julia Quinn (I couldn’t entirely omit Bridgerton books!) (review)
  3. The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain (review)
  4. Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (review)
  5. 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!

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

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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:

  1. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller (review)
  2. A Brilliant Night of Ice and Stars by Rebecca Connolly (on my TBR!)
  3. Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (review)
  4. Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell (review)
  5. 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!

  1. Blue Stars by Emily Gray Tedrowe (review)
  2. 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!

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

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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?

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

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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?

Top Ten Tuesday: Destination Titles

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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:

  1. Moloka’i by Alan Brennert
  2. The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi (review)
  3. My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan (review)
  4. South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby (review)
  5. The Paris Diversion by Chris Pavone (review)
  6. The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore (review)
  7. Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole (review)
  8. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
  9. The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty (review)
  10. 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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