For all the 2021 releases I read last year, there are still plenty I didn't manage to fit in. This week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about the ones that got away. I've talked about many of the titles I was anticipating reading, but to avoid jawing about the same books over and over, I've chosen ten I have not mentioned here before. All of them are 2021 releases that I meant to read in 2021 and just...didn't. In some cases, my library didn't have copies and I didn't want to buy the books. In most, though, I just ran out of time or prioritized other reads instead. #Bookbloggerproblems, amirite?

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

Top Ten 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read and Didn't Get To  

1. Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge—Inspired by the story of one of America's first Black female doctors, this novel is about a young woman's struggle to find herself amidst the expectations of both society and her family. This novel, which one a bunch of awards last year, is supposed to be atmospheric, moving, and inspiring.

2. The Ice House by Monica Sherwood—With snowstorms covering lots of states in white stuff right now as well as COVID spikes sending people back into lockdown, the premise of this one might hit a little too close to home for some. I still think it sounds intriguing! A long winter freeze has left everything covered in ice that won't melt even though the calendar says it's Spring. The weather has led to dangerous accidents, people being stuck in their homes, and dwindling supplies coming in. Stress and worry are making everyone crazy. To get away from it, Louisa and Luke decide to build a snow fort in the backyard of their apartment building. They soon realize that their getaway is special and that it's maybe-magical properties just might be showing them how to make the ice go away and save their world.

3. The Third Warrior by Carol Potenza—I enjoyed Hearts of the Missing when I read it back in 2019 and have been waiting for a sequel ever since. This second installment has Fire-Sky Pueblo Police Sergeant Nicky Matthews following a spirit to the dead body of a local cowboy. Although the death looks like a tragic accident at first, the more she investigates, the more suspicious it seems. With a puzzling mystery to unravel, a snitch in her department at work, and complications in her personal life, Nicky has her hands full...

4. Six Weeks to Live by Catherine McKenzie—I've got this mystery/thriller out from the library right now, so I'm hoping I can get it read soon. It revolves around a 48-year-old woman who receives stunning news from her doctor—she has a terminal illness and has only six weeks to live. As she prepares for the inevitable, she discovers that she may have been recently poisoned. Her suspicions naturally fall on her husband, whom she's in the process of divorcing. When her daughters express their doubts about the accusations against their father, she begins to doubt herself. Is there someone else out there who wants her dead? Or is it all in her head, where the deadly tumor resides?

5. Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah—I'm always on the lookout for fun cozy mystery series and this one sounds like it might fit the bill. This first installment introduces Lindsey Bakeswell who retreats to Beacon Harbor, Michigan, after she catches her fiancé cheating on her. As she makes her dream of turning the town's lighthouse into a pastry shop, she faces opposition on several fronts. When her fiancé's new squeeze ends up dead after eating a doughnut at Lindsey's shop, Lindsey becomes the prime suspect in her murder. In order to save her store and her good name, she launches her own investigation into the crime.

6. The Renegade Reporters by Elissa Brent Weissman—Weissman's The Length of a String was one of my favorite reads of 2021. Her newest middle-grade offering is a mystery about a group of girls who learn about a media company that is gathering data on the student body at their junior high without the kids' knowledge. Why are they doing this and how can they be stopped?

7. Saving Grace by Debbie Babitt—This twisty thriller concerns a woman from Repentance, a small mountain town, who becomes the village's first female sheriff. When a man suspected of kidnapping young girls years ago returns to Repentance and more children go missing, she's tasked with solving the crime. As tensions rise, violence erupts, and the sheriff doesn't know what to do. How can she solve the case and restore peace to her little town?

8. Madam by Phoebe Wynne—Caldonbrae Hall is a castle turned elite boarding school perched high on the cliffs in Scotland. When Rose Christie is hired to teach Classics, the first new instructor at the school in more than ten years, she's daunted. Especially when she starts to quietly investigate the disappearance of her predecessor. Something sinister is going on at the school, but what?

9. All We Left Behind by Danielle R. Graham—This historical novel concerns a young Japanese couple torn apart by World War II. Will their love survive?

10. We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz—Best friends Emily and Kristen are exploring the mountains in Chile when something horrible happens. Emily returns to their hotel to find Kristen alone in a blood-spattered room. She insists that the handsome stranger she'd been flirting with assaulted her and she had to kill him in self-defense. The scene is so reminiscent of an incident that occurred on their last trip together that Emily is immediately suspicious. Why is this happening again? Is Kristen telling the truth? What really happened in that hotel room?

There you are, ten 2021 releases that I meant to read last year and didn't get to. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which of 2021's releases do you still need to read? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

When I first saw today's TTT topic—Top Ten Book Titles That Are Complete Sentences—I almost skipped it.  It seemed tough and, frankly, a little boring.  Then, I started noticing how popular this titling trend actually is.  Turns out, this subject is way more interesting than I thought at first glance.  Using my Goodreads lists, it was a cinch to come up with ten books on my TBR list with titles that are a full sentence.  

If you want to perk up your Tuesday a bit, why don't you join in the TTT fun?  All you have to do is click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl to get started.

1.  She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge—I have this mystery/thriller out from the library right now.  A group of teenagers is on a camping trip when one of their members disappears.  When a body is found ten years later, the campers reluctantly reunite to confront each other and find out what really happened on the fateful trip.

2.  Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland—This historical novel is about the daily dramas of a family living in tight quarters in New Jersey.  When a young woman escaped from Nazi Germany comes to stay in their cramped apartment, even more drama ensues. 

3.  You Belong Here Now by Dianna Rostad—In Depression-era America, orphans from crowded cities are being shipped westward to be adopted by farm families who want children and/or need free labor.  Charles, who's tired of being showcased like livestock, decides enough is enough and jumps the orphan train along with two of his friends.  They happen upon a farm owned by a taciturn woman that just might be the home they've all been longing for.

4.  We Are Not Free by Traci Chee—Another historical, this YA offering is about 14 Japanese-American teenagers who are imprisoned in an internment camp during World War II.

5.  In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead—Like #1, this thriller features a group of friends whose lives are changed irrevocably when a member of their group is killed.  Ten years later, they're reunited.  Someone is determined to flush out the killer, to make sure no one gets away with murder.

6.  Lucy Clark Will Not Apologize by Margo Rabb—I heard about this YA contemporary over on Sam's blog, We Live and Breathe Books.  It features the titular teen, who is kicked out of her boarding school after taking action against the kids who have been bullying her.  As punishment, she's sent to New York City to be the full-time companion of an eccentric old woman.  When the lady insists someone is trying to murder her, Lucy finds herself tasked with solving a puzzling mystery.

7.  You Can't Catch Me by Catherine McKenzie—A psychological thriller about cults and catching an identity thief?  Yes, please!  

8.  Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri—This middle-grade book recounts what happened to the author when he was transplanted from Iran to rural Oklahoma as a young boy.

9.  Meet the Sky by McCall Hoyle—I came across this YA novel last week while looking for books for my survival story-themed TTT list.  It's about two frenemies caught in a hurricane on North Carolina's Outer Banks.  As they fight for survival, both of them learn important lessons about life and each other.

10.  I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider—Savage, but true!  This volume is full of comics about reading, writing, and the bookworm life we all know and love.  Sounds like tons of fun.

There you have it, ten books on my TBR list that have whole-sentence titles.  Have you read any of them?  Which other books that fit this topic do you recommend?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

For the MacAllister kids, summers always revolved around Camp Macaw, the business their parents have run for years.  Now that the elder MacAllisters have died, their children—now adults—are reuniting for the reading of their father's will and to figure out what to do with the prime property on which Camp Macaw sits.  With varying feelings about the camp, their parents, and each other, the five MacAllister siblings have different ideas about what to do with the land.  Prepared for some heavy debating, the kids are nevertheless shocked by the caveat their father gives in his will.  Before any of them can do anything with Camp Macaw they have to work together to solve a mystery.  

Twenty years ago, the bludgeoned body of 17-year-old Amanda Holmes was found in a rowboat at Camp Macaw.  The crime has never been solved.  Until it is, none of the MacAllisters can collect their inheritances.  

As the MacAllisters dig into their collective past, they will unearth long-kept secrets that will either bring them together or tear them apart forever.

I love a good secrets-from-the-past-haunting-the-present story, so the plot summary of I'll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie instantly caught my attention.  Unfortunately, the novel's execution doesn't quite live up to the promise of its tantalizing premise.  The mystery is compelling enough, but the characters are almost wholly unlikable and the plot is predictable enough that I guessed the culprit almost from the beginning.  Plus, the story is seriously depressing.  Overall, then, I didn't end up loving this one.  It ended up being just okay for me.

(Readalikes:  A hundred titles should be coming to mind, but I'm drawing a blank.  Help?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, depictions of illegal drug use, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of I'll Never Tell from the generous folks at Lake Union Publishing via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, disturbing subject matter, and references to underage drinking and illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find