Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here.
Note: I’m a day late, but it’s the thought that counts! And my thought it that it’s perfectly okay to do Top 5 Tuesday on a Wednesday!
Last week’s topic was was Top 5 old authors of 2024 (which I interpreted as “old-to-me”), so it makes sense that this week’s topic would be Top 5 new authors of 2024! Meeghan’s prompt is: Tell us all about your favourite new authors. Either debut authors from 2024, or new-to-you this year..
To follow up from last week’s post, I’m going with new-to-me authors — authors whose books I tried for the first time in 2024… and loved!
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 old authors of 2024, and the prompt is: This was a newbie wrap up topic last year, but you guys loved it!! Tell us about your fave authors you read books from this year who you’ve previously read books by.
Fun idea! Sorry to the authors I’m calling “old”!! You know what I mean… Here are five not-new-to-me authors whose books I read this year:
1: Abby Jimenez
Read in 2024:
The Friend Zone
The Happy Ever After Playlist
Life’s Too Short
Previously read:
Part of Your World
Yours Truly
Just for the Summer
2: Suzanne Allain
Read in 2024:
The Ladies Rewrite the Rules
Miss Lattimore’s Letter
The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right
Previously read:
Mr. Malcolm’s List
3: Rachel Harrison
Read in 2024:
The Veil
So Thirsty
The Return
Previously read:
Cackle
Such Sharp Teeth
Black Sheep
4: Kelly Armstrong
Read in 2024:
Finding Mr. Write
I’ll Be Waiting
Disturbing the Dead
Schemes & Scandals
Previously read:
A Stitch in Time series (four books plus novellas)
A Rip Through Time series (books 1 and 2)
5: Lev AC Rosen
Read in 2024:
Rough Pages
Camp
Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)
Previously read:
Lavender House series (books 1 and 2)
Depth
All Men of Genius
Emmett
I could go on — looking at my 2024 reading list, I see so many authors who’ve been on my reading lists in previous years! But I’ll stop at five. These are all authors I can count on for great reading!
Lately, I’ve been bouncing back and forth for my Tuesday posts, switching between the Top Ten Tuesday and Top Five Tuesday memes, depending on their topics for the week. This week, I’m doing them both!!
First up… 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 freebie… and since I like the Top 5 Tuesday topic this week, I’ll use it for both memes.
And speaking of 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 covers of 2024, and the prompt is: What are some of your favourite covers that you have seen this year? Maybe these were reprints, redesigns or alternate covers that came out this year, or maybe they are brand new books!! Whatever they are, tell us all the pretties you have been coveting.
For my list of favorite covers, I’m looking at books I’ve read in 2024 — not necessarily books published in 2024. (My list, my rules!)
Here’s a selection of covers I loved this past year:
Weyward by Emilia Hart
The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman
Schemes & Scandals by Kelley Armstrong
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
Until Next Summer by Ali Brady
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes
Camp by L. C. Rosen
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
What do you think of my cover choices? Do any particularly catch your eye? What were your favorite book covers this past year?
Also,I’d love to know what freebie topics other people came up with!
If you posted a list for TTT or T5T, please share your link!
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
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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?
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?
It’s been a while since I’ve done a Top 5 Tuesday post — but this week’s topic is too good to pass up! It’s always fun to see what topics the meme’s host comes up with, and I really should make the effort to participate more often. This weekly meme is hosted by Meeghan Reads — check out the next batch of upcoming topics here.
This week’s topic is Top 5 books with found family — which just happens to be a storytelling trope that I love. Found family, to me, is unrelated people coming together and forming a bond that creates a new, meaningful family connection — oftentimes, more supportive and reliable than whatever biological/legal family they came from. Found family stories can be found in many different genres — some of my favorites occur in fantasy, but there are plenty more to choose from.
As always, it’s hard to stick to only five, but I’ve done my best to focus on true favorites:
My favorite found families:
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss: The daughters of famous and infamous (fictional) scientists come together and form a sisterhood of their own. (review)
The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen: The 2nd book in an excellent detective series, this is my only non-fantasy pick on this week’s list. Set in 1950s San Francisco, a gay detective forced off the police force after being violently outed finds a new family within the LGBTQ+ community… and solves crimes too! (review)
Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire: The children who find their way to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children have journeyed to strange new lands through magical portals, then found themselves without a place to belong back in the real world. But together, they create a new, supportive family, and find a true home. There are 9 books available so far; #10 will be released in January. (See my review of #9, here)
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: There are no words for the loveliness of this story of outcast children and the adults who protect them and give them a family for the first time in their lives. (review)
October Daye series by Seanan McGuire: Oops, that’s two out of five by Seanan McGuire! But this series is just a marvelous example of people choosing one another and making an explicit decision to become a family. The found family aspect grows as the series progresses — there are 18 books so far, and more to come! (Here’s my review of the book shown above.)
Bookshelf Fantasies 