Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2021

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 Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2021. I just recently did a top 10 list of my summer TBR, which included mostly new releases, so I’ll attempt not to repeat myself!

July

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell – the 3rd Simon Snow book! (July 6)

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig (July 20 )

August

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (August 31)

September

When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire — the 15th October Daye book! (September 14)

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (September 21)

October

The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley — I will ALWAYS read a new novel by this author! (October 5)

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (October 5)

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca — the 3rd book in the series. These books are so cute! (October 19)

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest (October 26)

November

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon — It’s the new Outlander book!! After a 7 year wait! (November 23)

What are your most anticipated new releases for the 2nd half of 2021? Do we have any in common?

Please share your links!

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22Jun2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Wishes… straight from my wish list

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 Bookish Wishes — and here’s the description:

{Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl’s} birthday is today, so celebrate with me by granting the wishes of your friends! This is a popular thing to do on Twitter, but today we’re blog hopping. List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to a wishlist so that people can grant your wish. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address or include the email address associated with your ereader so people know how to get the book to you. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like. Don’t feel obligated to send anything!

Okay, so I’m NOT actually sharing links to a wishlist or at all asking anyone to grant my wishes! But still, it’s always fun (and a little crazy) to take stock of how many more books I’d like to get sooner or later… despite the huge number of unread books sitting on my shelves.

Here are my top 10 wishes:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Encyclopedia: The Ultimate Guide to the Buffyverse by Nancy Holder: This one has been on my wish list for years! I’d love to have a copy… but enough to actually spend money on it.
Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel: I’ve actually read this one already — it’s a fabulous mash-up of Frankenstein and Pride and Prejudice, and I really need a copy of my own.
Victories Great Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders: I have copies of her other books, and need this one too!
Seed to Harvest by Octavia Butler: This is an all-in-one edition of the Patternist series. I do have these books on my Kindle already, but I’d love a hard copy too.
The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker: Since I have a copy of The Golem and the Jinni, I’d like the sequel to go with it.
The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: The hardcover edition is from Subterranean Press, and their books are always so pretty (but expensive).
One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky: No particular reason — it just sounds like fun!
Jane in Love by Rachel Givney: It’s Jane Austen plus time travel! How does that not sound cool?
Network Effect by Martha Wells: I can’t believe I stalled out on the Murderbot books before getting to this one! There’s no good reason — I just haven’t gotten to it yet. I’d love to own copies of the entire series.
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley: The book sounds so good, and the cover is too pretty not to have my own copy.

What books are you wishing for the most? Please share your links!

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15Jun2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Summer 2021 TBR

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 On My Summer 2021 TBR.

This is really just scratching the surface — so many books to read! Here are 10 of my upcoming reads, all being released in June, July or August. Six out of ten are sequels or continuations of series, and four are new stand-alones. They all sound amazing!

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison (set in the world of The Goblin Emperor)
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig
While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell (the 3rd Simon Snow book)
Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev (fun series of Jane Austen retellings)
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton (sequel to Hollow Kingdom)
Sunrise By the Sea by Jenny Colgan (another book in the Little Beach Street Bakery series!)

What are you planning to read this summer? Please share your links!

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9Mar2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring Cleaning for my TBR

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 Spring Cleaning Freebie (for example, books you’re planning to get rid of for whatever reason, book’s you’d like to clean off your TBR by either reading them or deciding you’re not interested, books that feel fresh and clean to you after winter is over, etc.).

My Goodreads “want-to-read” shelf is up to 813 (!!!!) books, and I swear, I have no idea how it got so out of hand. For this week’s TTT, I’m listing 10 books from my to-read shelf that I don’t know why I added in the first place — time to say good-bye! Overall, this is a good reminder to go in and do some major pruning.

Onward we go! My top 10 are:

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed
Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler
A Stranger Came Ashore by Hollie Hunter
Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris
The Brideship Wife by Leslie Howard
Snowflake AZ by Marcus Sedgwick
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
Being Mrs Darcy by Lucy Marin
When Life Gives You Lemons by Fiona Gibson
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Since I don’t remember why I thought I’d want to read these in the first place, I think they all can go… unless someone can convince me otherwise. If you’ve read any of these books and think I should give them a try, please let me know!

What bookish spring cleaning is on your mind? Please share your link so I can check out your top 10!

2Mar2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Whose Jobs I Wish I Had

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 Characters Whose Jobs I Wish I Had.

My top 10 are:

Alanna (Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce): She’s a knight! How cool is that?
Alice Van Cleve (The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes): Pack horse librarian — I think it would be amazing to ride a horse through the mountains to deliver books.
April Whittier (Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade): Secret fanfic writer by night, geologist by day… it’s actually the geologist part that really appeals to me, not because that’s what I’d want to be, but because I love seeing fab women in science take center stage.
Emily Parker (Well Met by Jen DeLuca): Bookstore manager AND Ren Faire tavern wench!
Veronica Speedwell (Veronica Speedwell mysteries by Deanna Raybourn): Intrepid lepidopterist and Victorian era sleuth. A girl can dream, right?
Naomi Nagata (The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey): Because space adventuring would be awesome.
Norma Kopp (Kopp Sisters series by Amy Stewart): She trains messenger pigeons! Again, not that I specifically want to do that, but I think it’s awesome that Norma does it.
Meg Mackworth (Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn): A professional calligrapher, who actually makes money doing it. I wish I had the talent!
Claire Fraser (Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon): OK, this is a stretch, but I had to find a way to sneak Claire in. No, I wouldn’t actually want to be stuck practicing medicine in the 18th century, but I do think it’s awesome that she finds a way to introduce modern medical practices like instrument sterilization and antibiotics to the time she’s in. She even grows her own penicillin!
Mercy Thompson (Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs): I wouldn’t necessarily want to be a mechanic, but I love that Mercy is one! Again, it’s awesome to see a woman thriving in a traditionally male-dominated field. Go, Mercy!

What book characters’ jobs do you envy? Please share your link so I can check out your top 10!

23Feb2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud

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 That Made Me Laugh Out Loud.

I know I did a similar post last year for a top 5 list, but here goes again!

(Okay, that’s more than ten… I couldn’t decide which ones to leave out!)

What books make you laugh out loud? Please share your link so I can check out your top 10!

16Feb2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Happy Mardi Gras! Purple, Yellow & Green Book Covers

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 Purple, Yellow, and/or Green Book Covers, in honor of Mardi Gras.

Fun and festive! And a great excuse to visit my bookshelves to find the right colors…

What green, purple, and yellow books are on your shelves?

Please share your link so I can check out your top 10!

9Feb2021

Top Ten Tuesday: It’s all about LOVE… My ten favorite love stories from this past year of reading (new & improved for 2021)

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 Love Freebie, which means we all put our own spin on the topic of LOVE.

Just like I did for February 2020’s Love Freebie TTT, I’m going to keep it simple and highlight my ten favorite love stories that I read in the past year:

1. The Duke & I by Julia Quinn: Like just about everyone else, I have firmly jumped onto the Bridgerton bandwagon! I loved the Netflix show, and I’m finding the books pretty charming and fluffy too.

2. The Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal: This five-volume historical-fiction-with-magic series is EVERYTHING, and includes one of my very favorite fictional couples, Jane and Vincent, who embody what a truly loving partnership of equals can and should be. LOVE these books.

3. Recipe For Persuasion by Sonali Dev: A spice-infused retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, set at a cooking competition show with sweet romance and great characters. Lots of fun.

4. Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black: I seem to take every opportunity to talk about these books! This is not a romance series, but there is a great love story mixed in with all the intrigue and scheming and magical goings-on.

5. Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald: I totally fell for the love story at the heart of this timey-wimey tale. Bonus points for taking place in Grand Central Station in New York, which is just an ultra-romantic setting, in my humble opinion.

6. Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade: Sweet and sizzling romance, plus fanfic and fandoms and body positivity… great read!

7. A Stitch In Time by Kelley Armstrong: More timey-wimey goodness! A timeslip romance that’s well-done, full of mystery and passion, with an awesome setting in a haunted house on the moors.

8. Well Met and Well Played by Jen DeLuca: What could be better than romance at a Ren Faire? How about two romances at two Ren Faires? Can’t wait for book #3 to come out later this year.

9. The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan: I always love this author’s books, but this one especially appealed to me, and I loved the love story at its heart, which is both a story about a couple falling in love, but also about a woman finding love for the children she’s hired to take care of. All around sweet and lovely.

10. Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston: The Once Upon a Con series is so much fun, and the mismatched pair at the heart of this geeky love story are really sweet.

What were the best love stories you read during the past year?

If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link and let me know your topic!

And PS – Happy (early) Valentine’s Day!

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2Feb2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Kid-Lit Books Written Before I Was Born

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 Written Before I Was Born.

Oh dear. Is this topic just an under-handed way to get me to disclose how old I am???? Because I’ll tell you, relative to the majority of the book bloggers I know, sometimes I feel like I’m ANCIENT. (OK, so I’m in my 50s, which isn’t completely over the hill just yet!)

Anyhoo… I thought I’d zoom in on children’s books, written before I was born, that stand the test of time! Almost all of these are books that I read myself as a child, and then shared with my own kids too.

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (1952)
All-of-a-Kind Family by Syndey Taylor (1951)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1958)
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (1959)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (1962)
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell (1960)
Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book by Dr. Seuss (1962)
Knight’s Castle by Edward Eager (1956)

Honorable mention: I’d include these books as well, but I didn’t read them until I was an adult! Still, they definitely belong on a list of favorite children’s books — and they were certainly written before I was born:

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (1950)
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (1908)
The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (1954)

Are any of these your favorites too?

What books written before you were born do you really love?

Please share your link so I can check out your top 10!

26Jan2021

Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2020

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 New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2020.

There were so many great authors whose works I got to experience for the first time in 2020! Here are 10 favorites (although I think I could come up with a lot more!)