Bloggin' 'bout Books: 06/08/21

2025 Literary Escapes Challenge

- ~~Alabama~~ (1)

- ~~Alaska~~ (2)

- ~~Arizona~~ (2)

- ~~Arkansas~~ (2)

- ~~California~~ (11)

- ~~Colorado~~ (3)

- ~~Connecticut~~ (1)

- ~~Delaware~~ (2)

- ~~Florida~~ (2)

- ~~Georgia~~ (1)

- ~~Hawaii~~ (1)

- ~~Idaho~~ (1)

- ~~Illinois~~ (1)

- ~~Indiana~~ (1)

- ~~Iowa~~ (3)

- ~~Kansas~~ (1)

- ~~Kentucky~~ (1)

- ~~Louisiana~~ (2)

- ~~Maine~~ (5)

- ~~Maryland~~ (1)

- ~~Massachusetts~~ (4)

- ~~Michigan~~ (2)

- ~~Minnesota~~ (2)

- ~~Mississippi~~ (1)

- ~~Missouri~~ (1)

- ~~Montana~~ (1)

- ~~Nebraska~~ (1)

- ~~Nevada~~ (1)

- ~~New Hampshire~~ (1)

- ~~New Jersey~~ (3)

- ~~New Mexico~~ (1)

- ~~New York~~ (9)

- ~~North Carolina~~ (4)

- ~~North Dakota~~ (1)

- ~~Ohio~~ (1)

- ~~Oklahoma~~ (2)

- ~~Oregon~~ (3)

- ~~Pennsylvania~~ (2)

- ~~Rhode Island~~ (1)

- ~~South Carolina~~ (1)

- ~~South Dakota~~ (1)

- ~~Tennessee~~ (1)

- ~~Texas~~ (2)

- ~~Utah~~ (1)

- ~~Vermont~~ (3)

- ~~Virginia~~ (2)

- ~~Washington~~ (5)

- ~~West Virginia~~ (1)

- ~~Wisconsin~~ (1)

- ~~Wyoming~~ (1)

- Washington, D.C.* (2)

International:

- Australia (5)

- Canada (3)

- England (18)

- France (3)

- Greece (2)

- Italy (1)

- Japan (1)

- Norway (1)

- Puerto Rico (1)

- Scotland (2)

- Vietnam (1)

Top Ten Tuesday: "Please, Sir, Can I Have Some More?"

11:55 AM

Today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is a little clunky, which maybe explains why it threw me at first. Here's Jana's explanation of Books I Loved That Made Me Want More Like Them: The wording is weird here, so if you have a better way to say this please let me know! What I’m thinking is… you read a book and immediately wanted more just like it, perhaps in the same genre, about the same topic or theme, by the same author, etc. For example, I once read a medical romance and then went to find more because it was so good. The same thing happened to me with pirate historical romances and romantic suspense. I've done at least one list about subjects I'm always interested in reading more about, but it's been a hot minute and I don't know if I've ever focused on specific books and authors. So, I guess I'll be playing it straight this week, no going rogue for me!

If you want to join in the TTT fun (and you do!), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

Another One More GIF from Another GIFs

Top Ten Books I Loved That Made Me Want More Like Them

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton—I read this lush family saga, my first book by Morton, back in April of 2014. The novel was so rich and absorbing that I immediately wanted to read more like it. So, I did! I read the rest of the books Morton had published at that point in rapid succession. I adored them all and still get excited when she comes out with a new one. Since that only happens every 2-3 years, I have to be very patient!

2. Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee—I'm a big Lee fan and it all started with this YA western, her debut. Not only does the book offer a unique setting (at least for a teen novel), it also features diverse characters and a well-balanced blend of action/adventure, suspense, romance, and humor. Although I have found a few more that are similar-ish (Rae Carson's Gold Seer trilogy as well as Vengeance Road and Retribution Rails by Erin Bowman, for instance), I'm still on the lookout for more fun YA westerns.

3. The Solace of Water by Elizabeth Byler Younts—Back in the day, I read a fair amount of Christian fiction featuring the Amish people. While these novels were warm and uplifting, they portrayed the Amish as pretty darn near perfect. It wasn't until I encountered this novel by Younts—who was raised in the faith until her parents left it and remains connected to her Amish family—that I felt like I was reading about real Amish people with real problems. I definitely want more of this! I've enjoyed several of Younts' other novels, but this one remains my favorite of hers.

4. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn—The first installment in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series, this one is just pure fun. It revolves around a smart, spunky Victorian amateur sleuth, her hunky sidekick, and a whole lot of hilarious misadventures. I absolutely want more engaging, entertaining series like this. A similar-ish one I enjoy is the Kat Halloway series by Jennifer Ashley.

5. Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell—If you can't tell, I'm always up for a compelling historical mystery. I especially like those that are clean and feature interesting settings, quirky characters, and intriguing plots. This Gilded Newport Mystery series fits the bill. Even though I haven't finished the whole thing yet, I want more like it. The Gilded Age is a fascinating time period. Paired with a fun mystery? Yes, please!

6. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah—I've enjoyed Hannah's last few blockbuster novels, but this one, her newest, is especially evocative. Although it's a tough read, it's so vivid and moving that it immediately made me want to read more books set during the Depression. I'd especially like another absorbing family saga. Recs, anyone?

7. A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner—An interest in learning more about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City led me to this novel, the first I ever read by Meissner. Not only did it ignite (pardon the pun—I didn't even notice it until I re-read this post) my interest in other historical tragedies, but it made me crave more dual-timeline novels. Many (all?) of Meissner's books follow this formula and, while I like some of hers better than others, I definitely recommend her if you also enjoy this type of book.

8. Still Life by Louise Penny—Lots of people love the Inspector Gamache series and it's easy to see why. The books are set in a quaint little town full of quirky people harboring intriguing secrets. Inspector Gamache is a wise old policeman who solves mysteries in a quiet, unassuming manner. Penny has a unique style that I can't quite describe. Suffice it to say, it's inspired me to Google "authors like Louise Penny" many times. Sadly, I've yet to find one that really compares.

9. Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs—This is the initial book in the Tempe Brennan mystery series, which I've talked about many times because it's a long-running one that I've enjoyed over the years. It definitely piqued my interest in forensics, mostly because Reichs (who is a forensic anthropologist herself) explains the science in a way that is understandable to the average reader without talking down to them. I also just love Tempe. I haven't encountered a lot of other mystery series featuring forensics that I love as much as I do this one.

10. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko—The first in a middle-grade series, this one is about a group of kids who live on Alcatraz in the mid-1930s. I had never given much thought to the fact that adults who worked at the prison had families who also lived on-site. This series brings that little-known fact to life through a vivid setting, interesting characters, and a series of fun adventures. I'd love more children's books that bring fascinating pieces of history to light through compelling, well-written stories.

There you are, ten books that left me wanting more, whether it was from a certain author, a particular genre, or a specific subject. Have you read any of these? Do you have any recommendations for books I should read that fit these categories? Which books did you feature this week? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

Books Read in 2025 (asterisks denote favorites)

1. Coram House by Bailey Seybolt (Jan)
2. She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke (Jan)
3. My Salty Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Jan)
4. The Echoes by Jess Montgomery (Jan)
5. The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro (Jan)
6. Barbacoa, Bomba, and Betrayal by Raquel V. Reyes (Jan)
7. Murder at Chateau sur Mer by Alyssa Maxwell (Jan)
8. Away by Megan E. Freeman (Jan)
9. Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh [audio] (Jan)
10. A Golden Grave by Erin Lindsey* (Jan)
11. All Over the Map by Lanie Jacobs (Jan)
12. Stranded by Nikki Shannon Smith (Jan)
13. Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany [audio] (Jan)
14. The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright (Jan)
15. How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn (Jan)
16. A Dream of Death by Connie Berry (Jan)
17. The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos, RN* (Jan)
18. Red River Road by Anna Downes [audio] (Jan)
19. Janitors School of Garbage by Tyler Whitesides (Feb)
20. Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce (Feb)
21. Janitors School of Garbage: Trials of the Trash by Tyler Whitesides (Feb)
22. The Brightwood Code by Monica Hesse [audio] (Feb)
23. A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry (Feb)
24. The Crash by Freida McFadden (Feb)
25. To Catch a Storm by Mindy Mejia (Feb)
26. Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen (Feb)
27. A World of Hurt by Mindy Mejia (Feb)
28. If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell (Feb)
29. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano [audio] (Feb)
30. Wool by Hugh Howey (Feb)
31. Shift by Hugh Howey (Feb)
32. Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns [audio] (Mar)
33. The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan (Mar)
34. Last Light Over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright (Mar)
35. Murder on the Page by Daryl Wood Gerber (Mar)
36. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (Mar)
37. The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden (Mar)
38. The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor [audio] (Mar)
39. You Belong Here by Megan Miranda (Mar)
40. Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell (Mar)
41. The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth* [audio] (Mar)
42. Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks With Monks and Amish Farmers helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human by Carlos Whittaker (Mar)
43. Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister (Mar)
44. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto* (Apr)
45. Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams (Apr)
46. The Wind Called My Name by Mary Louise Sanchez (Apr)
47. What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan (Apr)
48. The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth [audio] (Apr)
49. That Last Carolina Summer by Karen White (Apr)
50. A Pie to Die For by Gretchen Rue (Apr)
51. The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian (Apr)
52. The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes (Apr)
53. Cold As Hell by Kelley Armstrong* [audio] (Apr)
54. Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry (Apr)
55. The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden (Apr)
56. Petals and Poison by Jess Dylan [audio] (Apr)
57. It Happened on the Lake by Lisa Jackson (Apr)
58. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah* [re-read] (May)
59. Outside by Jennifer L. Holm (May)
60. You Are Here: Connecting Flights by various authors, edited by Ellen Oh (May)
61. The Silver Shooter by Erin Lindsey* (May)
62. The Art of Betrayal by Connie Berry* (May)
63. The Secret Room by Jane Casey* (May)
64. The Sasquatch of Hawthorne Elementary by K.B. Jackson (May)
65. The Sasquatch of Harriman Lake by K.B. Jackson (May)
66. Girl Forgotten by April Henry (May)
67. One Sharp Stitch by Allie Pleiter (May)
68. On Her Own Grounds: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Bundles (May)
69. #FollowMe for Murder by Sarah E. Burr (May)
70. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware [re-read] (May)
71. Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman (May)
72. Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack (May)
73. The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller [audio] (May)
74. The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware (May)
75. I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang (May)
76. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 1 by Beth Brower (May)
77. The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens (Jun)
78. The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan (Jun)
79. Find Her by Ginger Reno (Jun)
80. Same Page by Elly Swartz (Jun)
81. Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman (Jun)
82. A Death at Seascape House by Emma Jameson (Jun)
83. Something Wilder by Christina Lauren (Jun)
84. Hummus and Homicide by Tina Kashian (Jun)
85. The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict* (Jun)
86. The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore [audio] (Jun)
87. The Town With No Mirrors by Christina Collins (Jun)
88. Clammed Up by Barbara Ross (Jun)
89. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness* [re-read] (Jun)
90. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (Jun)
91. With a Vengeance by Riley Sager (Jun)
92. Murder Past Due by Miranda James (Jun)
93. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson (Jun)
94. This Side of Murder by Anna Lee Huber [audio] (Jun)
95. The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia (Jun)
96. Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin (Jun)
97. The Experiment by Rebecca Stead (Jun)
98. The Shadow of Memory by Connie Berry (Jun)
99. The Passengers on the Hankyu Line by Hiro Arikawa (Jun)
100. Rabbit Rabbit by Dori Hillestad Butler (Jul)
101. The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (Jul)
102. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness* [re-read] (Jul)
103. The Death of Us by Lori Rader-Day (Jul)
104. You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego (Jul)
105. Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (Jul)
106. A Berry Deadly Welcome by A.R. Winters (Jul)
107. The Beat I Drum by Dusti Bowling (Jul)
108. The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton* (Jul)
109. The Women by Kristin Hannah [audio] (Jul)
110. The Ivory City by Emily Bain Murphy (Jul)
111. A Fatal Thaw by Dana Stabenow (Jul)
112. No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack (Jul)
113. A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra (Jul)
114. Loon Cove Summer by Donna Galanti (Jul)
115. Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong* (Jul)
116. The Ripple Effect by Rebecca Caprara (Jul)
117. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Jul)
118. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt (Aug)
119. Death on Eat Street by J.J. Cook (Aug)
120. The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand* [audio] (Aug)
121. Heist Society by Ally Carter (Aug)
122. Evil Bones by Kathy Reichs* (Aug)
123. Six Weeks in Reno by Lucy H. Hedrick (Aug)
124. The Tontine Caper by Dianne K. Salerni (Aug)
125. I.R.L. by Jenny Goebel (Aug)
126. The Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris [audio] (Aug)
127. Gluten for Punishment by Nancy J. Parra (Aug)
128. Curses, Boiled Again! by Shari Randall (Aug)
129. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (Aug)
130. The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows [audio] (Aug)
131. The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez (Aug)
132. The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly (Aug)
133. Betrayal in the Badlands by Dana Mentink (Aug)
134. Canter With a Killer by Amber Camp (Aug)
135. Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar (Aug)
136. Dominoes, Danzon, and Death by Raquel V. Reyes (Aug)
137. The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths* (Aug)
138. The Haunting of Emily Grace by Elena Taylor (Aug)
139. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman [audio] (Aug)
140. Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman (Sep)
141. The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth [audio] (Sep)
142. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman* [re-read] (Sep)
143. The Librarians by Sherry Thomas (Sep)
144. Radiant by Vaund Micheaux Nelson (Sep)
145. The Break-In by Katherine Faulkner (Sep)
146. The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko [audio] (Sep)
147. The Block Party by Jamie Day [audio] (Sep)
148. Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins by Barbara Demick (Sep)
149. The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner (Sep)
150. Murder By Memory by Olivia Waite (Sep)
151. The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate [audio] (Sep)
152. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold (Sep)
153. A Time For Courage: The Suffragette Diary of Kathleen Bowen by Kathryn Lasky (Sep)
154. Famous Last Words by Katie Alender [audio] (Sep)
155. Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza (Sep)
156. Haunting and Homicide by Ava Burke (Sep)
157. West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge* (Sep)
158. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple [audio] (Sep)
159. Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt (Sep)
160. Heartwood by Amity Gaige (Sep)

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Books Read in 2025 (asterisks denote favorites)