Rainbow Stevie over at The Idealistic Daydream is one of my favorite book bloggers. Her posts are always fun, as are her thoughtful comments here on BBB. Not surprisingly, her prompt idea—Top Ten Books With a Unit of Time in the Title (seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, eternity, etc.)—which was chosen for today's TTT, is one that sounded enjoyable to complete, although it ended up being a little tougher than I thought it would be. I used Goodreads to find units-of-time books that are on my TBR pile mountain mountain chain. I've included a few of them on lists before, but most of these should be new mentions.

If this topic sounds like a fun one to you, hop on the TTT party train. It's a good time, I promise! Just click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

- in no particular order - 

1. The Deadly Hours by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, and Christine Trent—This appropriately-titled novel, which consists of four linked stories, follows the path of a gold watch that is both priceless and cursed as it makes its way from owner to owner wreaking havoc along the way.

2. Ten Years in the Tub: A Decade Soaking in Great Books by Nick Hornby—What could be better than a book about books by an acclaimed, well-loved author?

3. The Disaster Days by Rebecca Behrens—Hannah Steele is babysitting her neighbor's kids when a violent earthquake rocks the tiny island they live on. With the bridge connecting the island to the mainland blocked, help is not on the way. A terrified Hannah is now in charge of keeping two little kids safe in a chaotic situation—without electricity, a cell phone connection, or her inhaler. What is she going to do?

4. 15 Minutes of Flame by Christin Brecher—This is the third book in a cozy mystery series starring a Nantucket candlemaker. I haven't read the first one yet, but hopefully it will be enaging enough that I want to read the next installments.

5. These Days by Lucy Caldwell—Set in 1941 Ireland, this novel focuses on the relationship between two sisters as they fight to survive the Belfast Blitz. 

6. When Time Stopped by Ariana Neumann—Also set in 1941, this Holocaust memoir is about a daughter's search for answers in her family's experience in Nazi Berlin and Prague. This one is a little bit of a cheat since it has "time" in the title instead of a unit of time, but oh well...the book sounds fascinating.

7. The Second Mother by Jenny Milchman—Needing a new start in a place where no one knows her secrets, Julie Weathers accepts a position as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse on a remote island in Maine. It's not long before Julie realizes she's made a grave mistake...

8. Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards—I found a copy of this time-slip novel while packing up my bookshelves. It's about a high schooler who falls asleep in study hall and wakes up six months later, with her whole world changed. What in the world happened while she was sleeping?

9. Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: An Introvert's Year of Living Dangerously by Jessica Pan—This book sounds entertaining and oh-so-relatable.

10. The Gilded Hour by Sara Donati—Another book I rediscovered while cleaning off my bookshelves, this historical is about two female cousins who spend their days helping New York City's most desperate people during its glitziest era.

There you go, ten books I want to read that have units of time in their titles. What do you think? Have you read any of these? Which books did you choose to highlight? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will happily return the favor on your blog.

I don't like my Top Ten Tuesday posts to be negative (or environmentally irresponsible), so I'm going to have to twist this week's topic of Books I'd Gladly Throw in the Ocean into something more friendly.  How about Books I'd Gladly Read By the Ocean?  In truth, I'll read anything by the sea, even if it's not really a "beach read," but for today's list I'm going to stick with some of the lighter reads on my TBR, the kind that would be perfect to enjoy while sitting on the sand listening to the waves crash nearby.  Because of my pale skin, I can't lounge on the beach without a sunshade and copious amounts of sunblock, but it would be worth it to relax with these reads by the shore.       

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

Top Ten Books I'd Gladly Read By the Ocean 

1.  Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien—Fun, frothy mysteries are perfect for seaside reading.  This is the seventh and newest installment in one of my favorite cozy series.  In this one, Lana Lee—who manages her family's Chinese restaurant but can barely boil water—enrolls in culinary school on the sly.  When the teacher ends up dead one day, Lana finds herself investigating yet another homicide. 

2.  You Have a Match by Emma Lord—I'm always up for a DNA discovery story and this YA one sounds like fun.  It's about two long-lost sisters who come together at summer camp to figure out why they never knew about each other.  Sounds like a 21st Century The Parent Trap.  Yes, please!

3.  Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee (available May 4, 2021)—I've talked about this YA historical before, but that's because it's the 2021 release that I've been most anticipating.  The story concerns Valora and Jamie Luck, a pair of estranged British-Chinese twins who are trained acrobats.  Valora sneaks aboard Titanic with plans to first reunite with her brother, then convince an American circus owner to hire them.  Of course, her plans are about to go horribly awry...

4.  Hems & Homicide by Elizabeth Penney—I just heard about this cozy series set in an apron shop in a quaint seaside town.  This first installment has Iris Buckley moving to Maine to help her grandmother run the store.  When she finds a skeleton in the shop's basement, an amateur murder investigation begins.

5.  Simmer Down by Sarah Smith—Rom-coms always make for good beach reads.  This one, which revolves around two food truck chefs competing for a coveted parking spot at a Maui beach, sounds super cute. 

6.  A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott—Lark over at Lark Writes...About Books and Life raves about the American Wonders historical series.  The first installment is set at the Grand Canyon (practically in my backyard) and concerns a woman who is determined to do the surveying job her deceased father was hired to complete for the Army.  She's stunned to discover that the project leader is the man she once refused to marry.  Sparks fly as the project is threatened and the pair must rely on each other in order to survive an expedition that grows more dangerous by the minute.

7.  The Other Emily by Dean Koontz—Koontz's newest is a little darker than my other picks today, but it sounds too intriguing to pass up.  It's about David Thorne, a man who is grief-stricken over the disappearance—and presumed murder—of the woman he loves.  When he meets the alluring Maddison Sutton, he can't help but be drawn in by her flirty attentiveness.  Most surprising is how similar she seems to David's vanished love.  Is Maddison really Emily?  Or is she a convincing dead ringer playing a cruel and sinister game?

8.  Murder's No Votive Confidence by Christin Brecher—Another cozy series opener, this one stars the owner of a Nantucket candle shop who comes under fire when the centerpiece she created for a wedding is used as a murder weapon. 

9.  A Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin—Every summer, Perry Soto looks forward to escaping sweltering New York City to relax at her godmother's seaside cottage.  Ama plans to gift the house to one of her three goddaughters, but all of them—Perry included—have secrets that could keep them from the inheritance they all want.  

10.  Bluebird by Sharon Cameron (available October 5, 2021)—I'm a big Cameron fan, so I'm looking forward to this historical YA novel about Eva, a young woman who flees Berlin with a horrifying secret, one so potentially explosive that both the Americans and the Soviets will kill to get it.  While those governments are searching for Eva, she's on the hunt for an escaped Nazi with whom she has a score to settle.  

There you go, ten novels I'd be happy to enjoy while relaxing on the shore.  Have you read any of them?  What books would you tote to the beach?  Which do you want to throw in the ocean?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.  

Happy TTT!