I'm a little late to the party, but I didn't want to miss this week's Top Ten Tuesday (especially since these posts are about the only ones I actually do anymore). First, though, I want to say thank you to everyone for all the kind wishes regarding last week's colonoscopy. The preparation really was horrid, but the procedure itself was quick and easy. I did have ten pre-cancerous polyps removed, which is apparently a large number for someone my age (49), so the GI doctor recommended genetic counseling and yearly colonoscopies (oh, joy). Even though the colonoscopy experience was unpleasant, I'm glad I went through with it, especially since I have no family history of colon issues and I might have kept putting it off if my doctor hadn't been so adamant about someone of my advancing age getting one. 

Aaaannnyyyway, today's TTT prompt is a fun one: Top Ten Animal Companions (real or imaginary) in Books. Although I do have some favorite literary animals—Ivan from The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Manchee from Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking series, Wilbur from Charlotte's Web, etc.—I'm not sure I can come up with ten. Instead, I'm going to tweak the topic a tad and feature books on my TBR list with animals on their covers. Since I don't really seek out animal-related reads, this could have been a really difficult task. Thankfully, I enjoy cozy mysteries and they almost always include animals.

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

1. Dead Tired (The Expectant Detectives #2) by Kat Ailes—After solving a murder together, Alice has grown very close to the other members of her prenatal group. Now tired new moms, she and her friends decide to participate in an eco-protest as a way to get away and finally get some sleep. When one of the protesters is found dead, Alice & Co. once again find themselves investigating a murder.

Do I get extra credit since the author's name is Kat?? 

Also, fair warning: this series is cozy in vibe, but the books are R-rated for strong language and innuendo.

2. Murder is a Piece of Cake (Baker Street Mystery #2) by Valerie Burns—Maddy is just getting the hang of running her late great aunt's popular bakery when a rival bakery opens up in her small town. The owner has a reputation for crushing anyone who tries to get in his way. When he's found dead with one of Maddy's knives in his back, she finds herself accused of murder. She didn't do it, so who did?

3. Potions Are for Pushovers (Eleanor Wilde Mystery #2) by Tamara Berry—Pretend medium Eleanor Wilde has established herself as the town witch in the small English village where she has settled. Her potions business is doing well until one of her customers dies by poison. Eleanor may be a fake, but she's not a murderer. Plenty of people hated mean old Sarah Davenport, but who loathed her enough to kill her? Eleanor vows to find out.

4. Flight Risk (The Booking Agents #2) by Cherie Priest—Psychic travel agent Leda Foley and detective Grady Merritt are brought together again when the cases they are working on intersect. Can they work together to solve a puzzling mystery or two?

My vision isn't the greatest, so I just now realized the dog on the cover is carrying an unconventional type of bone. Yikes! Pretty grim for a cozy cover. 

5. A Very Woodsy Murder (Golden Motel #1) by Ellen Byron—Soured on life in the big city, tv writer Dee Stern leaves L.A. in the dust and heads for the hills. When she comes across a dilapidated motel in the woods, she impulsively decides to revive it, with her ex-husband as her business partner. The pair soon discovers that running a motel is a lot harder than it looks—and that's before a murder occurs on their property. Anxious to prove their innocence, Dee and her ex launch their own investigation into the killing. Whodunit?

6. An Irish Bookshop Murder (Mercy McCarthy Mystery #1) by Lucy Connelly—Sisters Mercy and Lizzie McCarthy are thrilled when they inherit a bookstore in a small Irish village from their grandfather. They've barely settled in when their neighbor drops dead. With his last breath, he accuses Mercy of murder, a charge overheard by a whole crowd of people. A shocked Mercy must find the real killer in order to clear her name. 

7. Tragedy in Tahoe (Rylie Sunderland Mysteries #1) by Rachele Baker—Veternarian Rylie Sunderland needs a fresh start. She agrees to take a summer job helping out at a Lake Tahoe inn that her friend owns. Her relaxing break is shattered when a dead body is found in a secret tunnel under the inn. Accused by the local police of the murder, Rylie launches her own investigation into the crime in an effort to prove her innocence.

8. An Appetite for Murder (Key West Food Critic Mystery #1) by Lucy Burdette—Hayley Snow is thrilled when she's offered a job as a food critic for a popular magazine. When she discovers her new boss is the woman her boyfriend cheated on her with? Not so much. Things go from bad to worse when she's murdered and Hayley becomes the police's prime suspect. Refusing to take the blame for a crime she didn't commit (at least not outside of her imagination), Hayley starts hunting down the real killer.

9. A Murder Most Fowl (Food Truck Mystery #1) by Carmela Dutra (available September 9, 2025)—When their late aunt passes away, twins Beth and Seth Lloyd inherit her chicken-themed food truck. In an effort to drum up business, they enter a fierce elimination-type cooking contest. When the competition gets a little too literal, leaving a contestant dead, the twins find themselves in the police's crosshairs. In order to prove their innocence, they need to find the guilty party on the double. Who killed the contestant and why?

10. Botched Butterscotch (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery #5) by Amanda Flower—Juliet Brody and Reverend Brook are getting married and the wedding is set to be the event of the year in their small town. Bailey King is not only making the cake, but she's also a bridesmaid. As she rushes around trying to perform all her duties, a wedding guest is murdered. Apparently, the deceased had dirt about the saintly reverend's past. Did the groom kill the man before he could squeal? Bailey can't believe the kindly man of good would do something so heinous, but someone did. Who? She's determined to find out.

There you go, ten cozy mysteries I want to read that have animals on their covers. Have you read any of them? Do you like cozies? Which are your favorites? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.