Tag Archives: top five tuesday

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

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

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!

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

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

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 5 Tuesday: Top 5 books with ballgowns on the cover

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

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

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

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

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

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

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

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 5 Tuesday: Top 5 books I want to buy in 2025

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

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 I want to buy in 2025, with the prompt: Is there a book coming out in 2025 that you absolutely want to buy? Even if you don’t want to read it straight away. Maybe it’s a special edition version. Or maybe a fancy cover! Tell us all about it!!

Easy-peasy! The hardest part of this week’s topic is sticking to just five! I’ve been much better about being selective when it comes to buying physical books, but there are always some — whether by a favorite author or an especially beautiful edition — that I just can’t resist.

My five must-buys for 2025 are:

1: The Sirens by Emilia Hart: I have a hardcover edition of this author’s previous novel, Weyward, and it’s so pretty! The cover for The Sirens looks just as gorgeous. (March)

2: When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi: This author’s books are auto-buys for me, and I love having the hardcovers! I’ve yet to be able to attend one of his book tour events, but I keep hoping it’ll work out eventually, because I’d love to get a signed edition. If not, though, I’ll be buying the book anyway! (March)

3: The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley: I love Susanna Kearsley’s books, and I always want to read her new releases… but once I saw the deluxe paperback edition, I knew I needed a physical copy rather than just the e-book. (March)

4: Death at a Highland Wedding (A Rip Through Time, #4) by Kelley Armstrong: This is such a terrific series, and since I already own hardcovers of the previous books, this one will be a must for me as well. (May)

5: The Wicked King by Holly Black: I already own hardcover editions of the Folk of the Air trilogy, and then bought the special black velvet edition of the first book, The Cruel Prince, when it was released in 2023. This year, the 2nd book will get a matching edition, and I have to have it! (October)

What books do you plan to buy in 2025?

Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 books I want to reread in 2025

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

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 I want to reread in 2025, with the prompt: Are you planning to reread some favourites in 2025? Maybe that classic you read back in school. Or maybe there’s a new book coming out in a series, and you want to remind yourself what happened in the last book. Whatever it is, let’s share all of our reread plans!!

I have at least two rereads that I’m firmly committed to, and while there are a bunch that are maybes for me, I’ll share a few that seem most likely.

My five are:

1: Dracula by Bram Stoker: This is my most recent Classics Club spin book, and I’m committed to reading it by April. I originally read this book back in my school days, but that was eons ago!

2: The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien: My book group will be reading this book in April, prior to launching into a lengthy group read of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’m excited to read The Hobbit again! I’ve read it several times, most recently with one of my kids, and I’m looking forward to experiencing it all over again.

3: Wolfsong by TJ Klune: It’s no secret that I adored the Green Creek series when I read it recently, and I’ve been wanting to do an audiobook reread. I’m not sure that I’ll get through the whole series right away, but I’d like to at least listen to the first book.

4 & 5: Two October Daye books: Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire: Books 17 and 18 in this phenomenal series — telling the same story from two different perspectives — were released one month apart in 2023. Now, finally, the next book is on the way! Book #19, Silver and Lead, will be released in September 2025. It’s been my habit to reread the previous books before each new release in the series, and especially with two years in between installments, I think it will be absolutely essential this time around!

Read in 2024:

Do you plan to reread any books in 2025?

Top 5 Tuesday (on a Wednesday!): Top 5 “new” authors of 2024

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

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!

My five are:

1: Carley Fortune

Read in 2024:

2: Ali Brady

Read in 2024:

3: Meg Shaffer

Read in 2024:

4: Emilia Hart

Read in 2024:

5: Julie Leong

Read in 2024:

There are even more new-to-me authors whose books I enjoyed in 2024… but I’ll stop at five!

Which new or new-to-you authors did you enjoy in 2024?

Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 “old” authors of 2024

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

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!

Which “old” authors did you enjoy in 2024?