Although I like its lazy, daze-y vibe, summer is actually my least favorite season. I've lived in blistering hot Arizona for 25 years, but I'll always be a Pacific Northwest girl at heart. Give me cloudy skies, a brisk wind, and a fine drizzle, and I'm a happy camper. Sunscreen, sandy toes, and triple digit temperatures? Not so much! Still, when I think of summer, I do think immediately of beaches (even though my backyard swimming pool is much more my speed), which gave me a good idea for today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt: Summer Freebie. Since my favorite genre is mystery/thriller and I especially like ones with a water-y setting, I'm going to feature mysteries and thrillers on my TBR list that are set by the ocean.

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

1. Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney—It has taken FOREVER for me to climb to the top of the library's hold list for Feeney's newest, but I finally made it. Yay! The story revolves around an author who calls his wife to share some good news while she's driving home. He hears her brakes squeal, her door slam, and then...silence. When her car is later discovered on the edge of a cliff, Abby's possessions are there, but she's not. One year later, Grady has no answers about his wife's disappearance. Paralyzed with grief, he travels to a remote Scottish island to try to rebuild his life. He's stunned when he sees a woman there who looks just like his wife. Is it her? What really happened to Abby Green?

2. No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack—Set on California's Catalina Island, this is the second entry in a fun mystery series. Bestselling mystery author Eleanor Dash is attending her best friend's wedding. The joyous occasion is marred when Eleanor receives a note warning that someone is going to die at the event. Still reeling from her last amateur murder investigation, the writer reluctantly takes the case. 

3. Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles—When her mother dies, a grieving Rosie Merchant travels to the seaside hamlet of Heaven's Cove in Devon, England, to prepare her mom's cottage for rental. Liam, a handsome neighbor, volunteers to help her with the daunting task. Their developing relationship brings some needed sunshine into Rosie's life. Then, she finds a disturbing photograph in her mother's attic, a picture that speaks of the heartbreaking secret that first brought the woman to Heaven's Cove. Liam's reaction to the discovery is...odd. Does he already know the truth about her mother's past? Can she trust him or is he only helping her to protect his own interests? 

4. Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro—From the outside, Brynn's life on Martha's Vineyard looks perfect. She has a healthy new baby, a loving husband, a profitable career, and a full life in a beautiful location. Secretly, though, she's struggling with postpartum depression, the distance she feels in her marriage, and a hectic lifestyle that's pulling her apart at the seams. When a family friend is found dead and suspicion turns her husband into the police's prime suspect, Brynn fears the stress may send her over the edge. No matter how crazy her life already is, though, she won't rest until she finds her friend's killer—even if it's her own husband.

5. Clammed Up by Barbara Ross—The first installment in a cozy mystery series set in Maine, this novel features a woman who returns to her hometown in order to save her family's clambake business. When a corpse is found at her family's home, however, she must channel her inner Nancy Drew and unmask a murderer.

6. You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego—Mila del Angél is thrilled when a famous author asks her to host a retreat for writers at his home on a private island in Maine. The guest list includes someone who has deeply wronged her; this is the perfect opportunity to make them disappear forever. When a different murder takes place during the event, Mila is stunned. And that's only the beginning. A storm is blowing in, the body count is rising, and it's up to Mila to save herself and everyone left on the island from a ruthless killer. 

7. The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey—This novel is set on a remote Scottish island inhabited by more sheep than humans. It's known for an unsolved mystery in which three lighthouse keepers disappeared without a trace in 1919. When a body is found washed up on shore near the infamous lighthouse, two Glasgow detectives are sent in to investigate. It soon becomes clear that the island is hiding its fair share of secrets and the locals are none too eager to spill them to a couple of big city policemen. 

8. A Death at Seascape House by Emma Jameson—In this cozy mystery series opener, librarian Jemima Jago is offered the opportunity of a lifetime to catalog a stunning collection of shipwreck records. The only problem? It requires returning to the Cornwall island she vowed she would never step foot on again. Unable to refuse the offer, she returns home. Before long, she finds herself the prime suspect in the murder of the town busybody. Jemima knows she didn't do it. Who did? If she wants to clear her name, she'll have to find out.

9. Dreaming of Water by A.J. Banner—Astrid Johansen swore she would never return to the oceanside town in Washington State where her younger sister drowned under Astrid's care. When her aunt sends her an urgent plea to come home, Astrid can't say no. To her horror, she arrives to find that her aunt is in a coma after a possible attack. Why did the older woman call Astrid home so urgently? Was she about to reveal a long-held secret that threatened the wrong person? Astrid won't leave until she finds out.

10. The Resort by Sarah Ochs—Years ago, Cass escaped to Koh Sang Resort, a world-famous party place on a remote island in Thailand. Now, she's a dive instructor on the island, which is populated by The Permanents, a group of carefree expats who live in the now, having left their pasts in the past. When a dive student is found dead, their idyllic island life is shaken. And not for the first time. Someone on the island is a killer, and it's up to Cass to find out who.

There you go, ten seaside mystery/thriller novels I'm eager to read. Have you read any of them? Do you have any favorites that would fit this list's theme? I'd love any recs! Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. 

Happy TTT! 

It's hard to believe it's June already. Where did May go? It zipped right on by me! I did manage to read five bookish books during May, though. Here they are:

Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman (available August 19, 2025)—This middle-grade novel is set in the Oklahoma Panhandle in 1935. In the midst of interminable dust storms, failing crops, neighbors leaving en masse for California, and dust sickness felling friends and family, the Stantons are desperately trying to hold onto their farm. Joanna and Howe, 12-year-old twins, are trying to keep their parents' dream alive, but with their father off looking for work in the West, one disaster after another strikes, leaving only worry in its wake. What will happen to the Stantons if the dust doesn't stop blowing?

Howe would rather read and write poetry than farm any day. He's too afraid to tell his hardworking father that he wants to be a writer when he grows up, so he reads Emily Dickinson in secret and pens poems that he hides in the hayloft. When Joanna discovers his notebook of poems, he's forced to confess his secret to his sister. 

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware—I read this thriller when it first came out way back in 2016. Ware is publishing a sequel (The Woman in Suite 11, available July 8, 2025), so I decided to reread this one. It's about Lo Blacklock, a journalist who is invited on the exclusive maiden voyage of a small, luxury cruise ship. One night, she hears a scream coming from next door followed by what sounds like a body hitting the water. When she raises the alarm, she's told no one is staying in the cabin next to hers—in spite of the fact that Lo met the room's occupant the previous day. Although she had been drinking too much and taking anti-depressants, Lo knows what she saw. She's not going crazy. Is she?

Lo is a journalist who writes for a living. She also loves to read. One of her favorites is Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, which plays an important role in the story. (I also read The Woman in Suite 11, but books are barely mentioned, so I'm not counting it as a bookish book.)

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack—This murder mystery involves a group of mystery writers who are brought together for a promotional book tour in Italy. Connor Smith—a major drama king—insists that someone has been trying to kill him. He enlists the help of Eleanor Dash, his archenemy, who becomes convinced that Connor is actually telling the truth. As the tour participants are plagued by odd, unlucky "accidents," Eleanor realizes that Connor's not the only one in a killer's crosshairs. Someone is trying to eliminate her as well, but who? And why?

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lyon: Vol. 1 by Beth Brower—As indicated by its title, this short historical novel is told through the journal entries of the titular character. Without a farthing to her name, Emma is forced to live under the critical eye of her miserly cousin in the home that is her inheritance and his residence. While she makes desperate attempts to access her allowance, with which she would like to accumulate a nice library of her beloved books, she makes observations about the quirky people around her. 

Emma is a very bookish character. She is constantly woe-is-me-ing over her empty bookshelves. She also refers non-stop to literary works.

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens—I'm actually not sure whether to include this novel or not because, despite its title, it's really not about books at all. Reading is barely referenced in the story. The heroine does work in a library (although she has no library degree), but she's also a Bosnian refugee and that's what the book is really about. The Quiet Librarian is a gripping read; it's just not very bookish.

I'm not sure what I'm going to read in June exactly, although I did finish a bookish book yesterday, which I'll talk about in next month's post. Here are a few I'm considering:

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack—This is the second book in the fun murder mystery series starring Eleanor Dash that I mentioned above. Eleanor is a bestselling mystery writer who is attending the wedding of her best friend on Catalina Island. When Eleanor receives a note warning that someone is going to die at the event, she braces herself for another impending murder investigation.

Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay—The first in a cozy mystery series, this book stars Lindsey, the director of a public library. When an editor comes to town, Lindsey's best friend, Beth, sees it as an opportunity to sell her children's book. Beth's boyfriend, a famous author, blocks her attempts. When he is found murdered, Beth becomes the prime suspect. It's up to Lindsey to clear her best friend of any wrongdoing. 

Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman (available August 25, 2025)—This murder mystery doesn't come out for a couple months, but I have an eARC. The story sounds like lots of fun! It stars a book conservator and the ghost of a woman claiming to be Agatha Christie who team up to catch a killer.