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Showing posts with label Dan Brown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dan Brown. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 02, 2026
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Six(ish) Books I Read On My Vacation
Happy Tuesday, everyone! I'm back from my cruise through the Yucatan. My husband and I had fun exploring new places, soaking in beautiful scenery, and learning about the history of the region we visited. We balanced out our excursions with a lot of relaxation time. Although the weather was mostly very hot and very humid, I did make good use of my balcony. It was lovely to read outside, especially after the sun went down and I could enjoy the warm breezes ruffling my hair while I Kindled my way through several books.
Before I left on my trip, I posted this list of the Top Ten Books I Might Read On My Upcoming Vacation. I was only gone for nine days, some of which would be taken up by excursions, so I knew I wouldn't read all ten of them. Spoiler alert: I was right. Still, I thought it might be fun to look at what I did read and what I thought of what I read. So, I'm going to ignore this week's TTT prompt—Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read Yet—and do Top As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Six(ish) Books I Read On My Vacation
These are the ten books I put on my potential reads list. I highlighted the ones I read (titles link to my Goodreads review):
1. Last One Out by Jane Harper - I ended up finishing this mystery/thriller the night before I left, so I'm not counting it as one of my six vacation reads. As much as I usually love Harper's work, Last One Out turned out to be a bit of a slog for me. It's just...slow. I liked it overall, but I came close to DNFing it several times because I got bored with it. Disappointing.
2. The Midnight Carousel by Fiza Saeed McLynn
3. My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney - This needs to be my next read since it's already two weeks overdue at my library and I can't renew it because someone else is waiting for it. Oops!
4. A Map to Murder by Michelle Chouinard - This third installment in the A Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco series was one of my at-sea day reads. It's another fun murder mystery in an always-entertaining series. I enjoyed it.
5. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
6. The Memory of Borrowed Books by Meg Anderson
7. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
8. The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane
9. Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn - If you like interesting narrative non-fiction, you should definitely pick up this book. It tells the fascinating story of how the author discovered that her grandparents were Nazi spies in Hawaii.
10. The Season of Sinking by Daphne Woolsoncroft
In addition to the two highlighted titles, I also read:
1. Missing Molly by Natalie Barelli - This was my first read of the vacay. It's got a unique premise: a woman who does the books at a small-town newspaper learns her company will be starting a true crime podcast, the first season of which will highlight a notorious unsolved case involving a murdered family and a missing pre-teen. Unbeknownst to her colleagues, the bookkeeper is the missing child. With the murderer still out there, it's imperative that no one discovers her real identity, not even her husband. Can she sabotage the podcast enough to protect herself, even if it means losing her job, her friends, and everything else she's worked so hard to gain? Or will all that be lost anyway when her true identity is exposed?
Despite this unique and promising premise, Missing Molly was only an okay read for me. The plot is far-fetched, the characters are pretty blah, and the prose is rather humdrum. It kept me turning pages, though.
2. How to Kill a Crime Writer by Sarah Lotz (available July 20, 2026) - Although this murder mystery is largely about a woman grieving the sudden death of her mother, with whom she had a complicated relationship, it's actually a pretty upbeat, hopeful story. It's also funny, quirky, and satisfying. I really enjoyed it.
3. What We Did to Survive by Megan Lally - On the last day of my cruise, as we were gliding away from Mexico and back to Florida, I decided it would be fun to read a YA survival story about a group of teens who go sailing on a stormy day in Puerto Vallarta and end up in a fight for their lives. This novel tells a pretty generic story with a cast of heavily stereotyped characters, but it kept me turning pages.
4. Devils at the Door by Tessa Wegert - I read this murder mystery, the fifth book in the Shana Merchant series, during a very long wait at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. Although it gets into some weird subject matter, the novel is engrossing and compelling, just like all the other installments in the series.
5. The Chow Maniac by Vivien Chien - This is the "ish" part of six(ish) since I haven't actually finished this cozy mystery yet. I read half of it on the plane ride from Raleigh, North Carolina, back to Phoenix. It's the 11th book in the Noodle Shop mystery series. It's about a secret society of Chinese Americans in Cleveland, the members of which are suddenly perishing in ways that seem suspicious. A man who fears he is next hires P.I. Lydia Shepard to investigate, and she enlists the help of Lana Lee, restaurant manager and amateur sleuth.
There you go, the six(ish) books I read on my vacation. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What do you like to read while on holiday? 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!
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I Might Read On My Upcoming Vacation
Today's TTT prompt—Top Ten Favorite Secondary and Minor Characters—is a great one, but I've done it recently-ish (actually, it was FIVE years ago!) and I don't know that I really have anyone to add to that list. Since I'm heading out on Saturday for my week-long cruise around the Yucatan, I'm going to use that as my inspo for today's list. While I doubt I'll be able to read ten books on my vacation, I will have two long flights (Phoenix to Fort Lauderdale and back), plus six days on the ship (with a balcony!) to enjoy some reading. I've been thinking about which titles on my Kindle and on my physical bookshelves might make for enjoyable vacation reading. (I don't know about you, but I always travel with my e-reader and at least one paper book, just in case.) I'll list some possibilities below and you can help me decide which ones to pack.
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Books I Might Read On Vacation
1. Last One Out by Jane Harper—After a month on the library's waiting list, I've finally got my hands on this newest novel from one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors. Set in Carralon Ridge, a rural Australian village that is dying a slow, painful death, the story revolves around a grieving mother whose son vanished from Carralon Ridge five years ago. When Ro returns to the town on the anniversary of his disappearance, she begins to suspect that there is a lot more to his disappearance than she ever suspected.
2. The Midnight Carousel by Fiza Saeed McLynn—This historical fantasy revolves around a mysterious carousel that is linked to a number of missing persons on two different continents.
3. My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney—Feeney's newest has a unique premise. After moving into Spyglass, an old home with a charming aesthetic, artist Eden Fox goes out for a run. When she returns, she is shocked when her key doesn't open the front door, another woman—one who looks oddly like Eden—answers her knock, and Eden's husband claims not to know Eden. Something very strange is going on, but what? What will Eden have to do to get her life back?
4. A Map to Murder by Michelle Chouinard (available September 22, 2026)—The third installment in a fun murder mystery series starring a true crime tour guide in San Francisco, this outing has Capri Sanzio investigating a cold case involving a woman who went missing during the Summer of Love.
5. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown—I'm re-reading the Robert Langdon series in anticipation of enjoying the latest installment, The Secret of Secrets. In The Da Vinci Code, Robert is called to the Louvre, where its aged curator has been murdered. A cipher left beside his corpse leads to a trail of clues hidden in Da Vinci's works that Robert must follow in order to find a killer.
6. The Memory of Borrowed Books by Meg Anderson (available October 6, 2026)—I always love a bookish read and this one sounds intriguing. It stars a librarian who works at a centuries-old library that is about to be shut down. Desperate to save the beloved institution, she discovers a magical door that leads to a room full of books only she can see, volumes that contain memories of all those who have visited the library over the years. Somewhere in the collection lies the key to saving the library, if only she can find it in time...
7. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen—I've been meaning to start this highly-recommended series for years. I have this first installment out from the library right now, and I need to read it before it comes due. The book introduces Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, aka "Georgie." A penniless cousin of England's King George V, she's trying to navigate life as an ordinary citizen. She's managing...sort of...when she's asked to become a spy for the queen. When she then finds a dead body in her bathtub, things start to get very interesting indeed.
8. The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane—This is the first installment in a new cozy mystery series starring Maggie and Ryan, both of whom work in an English fish and chip shop. When a dead body is found in the village's harbor, Ryan is identified as the last person with whom the victim interacted. Soon he's the prime suspect in the murder. Not believing he could have done it, Maggie determines to find the real killer and clear her co-worker's name.
9. Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn—Another book I've been meaning to read, this non-fiction title tells the story of the author's grandparents. Sent to Hawaii by Nazi leader Joseph Goebbels, they set up a secret spy network in order to pass war-changing secrets to the Japanese. Shocked and fascinated by her family's unknown history, Kuehn grapples with the enormity of what she has discovered.
10. The Season of Sinking by Daphne Woolsoncroft (available July 7, 2026)—It might be a little disconcerting to read a book with this title while cruising, but the story sounds promising, if a bit generic. When her mother dies suddenly, Imogen Bly returns to her quaint hometown to help her twin sister clean out their mom's house. Almost immediately, strange things begin to happen, reminding Imogen of the unease she's always felt in Lake Blair. Suspecting there is more to her mother's death than meets the eye, she begins to look at everyone with suspicion, even the man she once loved.
There you go, ten books I might read while on vacation. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What books are you planning to take on your next trip? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025
Besides the seasonal Top Ten Tuesday prompts, my favorite ones are those that focus on new releases. Even though I have THOUSANDS of older titles on my TBR lists, my head is always turned by these bright, shiny up-and-comers. I love knowing what titles are forthcoming so I can get excited about reading them! So, yay for today's TTT topic: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025.
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025
Thanks to ARCs, I've already read a few of the July-December titles I was looking forward to most, including:
The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware (available July 8)
That Last Carolina Summer by Karen White (available July 22)
Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell (available July 29)
You Belong Here by Megan Miranda (available July 29)
Last Light Over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright (available August 1)
Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman (available August 19)
Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen (available September 23)
Outside by Jennifer L. Holm (available October 7)
The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan (available November 18)
(The title hyperlinks will take you to my review of the book on Goodreads.)
Here are ten I haven't read yet, in order of publication:
1. The View From Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani (available July 8)—It's been a hot minute since I've read anything by Trigiani, but I've enjoyed many of her books in the past. This one centers around a woman whose heart has been broken by her recent divorce. When another tragedy hits, she retreats to her ancestral home in Italy, where she uncovers secrets about her family's past. As she learns more about her kin, she also learns more about herself and her place in the world, all of which might be exactly what she needs to heal and begin her life anew.
2. Everyone Is Lying to You by Jo Piazza (available July 15)—Although they were best friends in college, Bex and Lizzie haven't seen each other in years. Bex disappeared after graduation, eventually transforming herself into a trad wife who shows off her perfect family life to her millions of Instagram followers. When Bex reaches out, offering a struggling Lizzie an opportunity to share some of the limelight, Lizzie can't refuse. When Bex disappears again and her husband is found dead at their ranch, Lizzie is left with a million questions. Who is Bex now? What has she done to get where she is? Did she kill her husband or is she the one who's become a victim? It's up to Lizzie to find out.
3. D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. by Abby White (available August 5)—This YA novel stars the titular character, a teenage girl who is prepping for her bat mitzvah while also trying to figure out what really happened to her cousin. Everyone says Rachel took her own life; D.J. is convinced she was murdered.
4. The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols (available August 19)—Mrs. B is the landlady of a series of bungalows near the beach in Santa Barbara, California. She's careful about renters, letting only to people she cares about. As a result, she's surrounded by an eclectic group of lovable misfits. When an ex-con who maybe has the potential to be violent moves in and a dead body is soon found in the neighborhood, the police naturally suspect the former prisoner. Mrs. B is so sure he's not a murderer that she confesses to the crime herself. Her arrest prompts her tenants to form an investigation club to find the real killer and free their beloved landlady.
5. The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso (available August 26)—The time space is a library of books filled with the memories of the dead, one that can be accessed only by special timepieces that were passed down from father-to-son, although they're now mostly possessed by the government. Lisavet Levy is an 11-year-old girl who was hidden in the time space in 1938 by her watchmaker father, who never returned. When she discovers that government agents are destroying books in the time space, she sets out to save them.
The premise of this one sounds complicated (I'm not sure if I've described it correctly), but intriguing. I'm in!
6. The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown (available September 9)—I'm probably going to have to reread the first five books in the Robert Langdon series before I move on to this sixth installment, but that's okay. In this newest book, the symbology professor is in Prague attending a lecture given by his new girlfriend, Katherine Solomon. She is about to publish an explosive new book that could shatter long-held beliefs about human consciousness. When a murder occurs and Katherine vanishes along with her manuscript, Langdon finds himself on a desperate, dangerous search for answers and for his missing girlfriend.
7. The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (available September 16)—Since I'm not totally sure I understand what this one is about, here's the official plot summary:
After a very different outcome to WWII than the one history recorded, 1979 England is a country ruled by a government whose aims have sinister underpinnings and alliances. In the Hampshire countryside, 13-year-old triplets Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents at the Captain Scott Home for Boys, where every day they must take medicine to protect themselves from a mysterious illness to which many of their friends have succumbed. The lucky ones who recover are allowed to move to Margate, a seaside resort of mythical proportions.
In nearby Exeter, 13-year-old Nancy lives a secluded life with her parents, who dote on her but never let her leave the house. As the triplets’ lives begin to intersect with Nancy’s, bringing to light a horrifying truth about their origins and their likely fate, the children must unite to escape – and survive.
In nearby Exeter, 13-year-old Nancy lives a secluded life with her parents, who dote on her but never let her leave the house. As the triplets’ lives begin to intersect with Nancy’s, bringing to light a horrifying truth about their origins and their likely fate, the children must unite to escape – and survive.
I'm still a bit confused, but I'm also intrigued!
8. You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder by Maureen Johnson (available September 16)—This short YA novel is supposed to be an "interactive" murder mystery, although I'm not quite sure on the details. At any rate, it's about a group of people, each of whom is hiding a guilty secret, who are invited by an anonymous source to a posh house party. When one of them is killed, seemingly without anyone seeing a thing, Scotland Yard is completely flummoxed. Needing a fresh pair of eyes, they call in, well, you, to solve the murder.
Sounds fun!
9. The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia (available September 16)—I reread the first book in Mejia's Iowa Mysteries series earlier this year, then read the second installment right after. Since I enjoyed both so much, I was thrilled to discover that a third one is coming out soon. Fortunately, I was able to secure an e-ARC, so I'm already a few chapters into this engrossing mystery.
Old friends Max Summelin (a longtime police officer) and Jonah Kendrick (a tortured psychic) have formed a private detective agency that is doing well, but not well enough to turn away business. So, when a scruffy young man drops $20,000 in cash on their desk, begging the duo to do anything necessary to find his missing girlfriend, they can't really refuse, no matter how sketchy the whole thing seems. Turns out, the young man doesn't even know his girlfriend's real name. Max and Jonah have their work cut out for them. Who is the young woman, really? Did she run away when her boyfriend started asking too many questions or did someone else cause her disappearance?
10. 6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk (available September 23)— This murder mystery gets a low overall rating on Goodreads, but I don't care, I'm going to read it anyway! I love a locked room mystery and trains make such compelling settings for them. In this one, a writer is using the six-hour train ride from Toronto to Montreal to get some much-needed work done on her book. All of her plans go awry when her fellow passenger suddenly dies. Soon, the peaceful journey becomes a desperate race for survival against a vicious killer.
There you are, ten upcoming titles that I'm excited to read. How about you? Which ones are you looking forward to? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved Back in the Day
Once again, it's time for Top Ten Tuesday, a bookish, list-y meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. And, wow, is this week's topic a stumper: Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was a Blogger. It's a toughie, right? Especially for those of us who have been blogging for a while (BBB was born in August of 2006). I mean, one of the chief reasons I started this blog was so I could remember all the great books I've read because, without it, my old, feeble mind just comes up blank! Well, okay, I managed to think of ten, but I'm telling you, it was not easy, not easy at all ...
1. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer—Yeah, yeah, yeah. When Twilight first came out, I belonged to a book club with a woman who was related to Meyer somehow (cousin?). She recommended the novel to us, saying if we all read it, she was pretty sure she could get Meyer to come chat with our book club. But, when she described the novel as a "teenage vampire romance," we all turned up our noses. And, it must be said (though it pains me to do so), that by the time she convinced us all to read Twilight, Meyer was much too busy to come to our little book club. True story.
I remember being embarrassed to read Twilight in public. Back then (it came out in 2005), adults didn't read teen books unless it was to screen them for their kids (which was totally what I was doing—uh huh). And yet, it kept me totally entranced. It still shames me to admit it, but I loved Twilight.
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling—The name J.K. Rowling doesn't appear on my blog until 2007, when I reviewed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, but I had been reading her ever since the first Harry book came out in the U.S. in 1998. I remember devouring the series while sitting in the bedroom of my toddler (who's now 14). He played happily while I read, oftentimes falling asleep before I realized the room had gone suspiciously quiet. H.P. grabbed me from the get-go, keeping me totally riveted with the story, the characters, the setting, everything. It will always be one of my favorite children's series!
3. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell—I'd seen the movie version of GWTW several times, but I didn't read the book until after I traveled to Atlanta in 2000. The setting definitely came alive more because I'd visited the setting and the story, of course, kept me totally engrossed.
4. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman—I'm not sure why this one sticks out in my mind, except that I remember it being a fun, charming novel that was different than other books I was reading at the time.
5. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon—I read this fat tome on someone's recommendation and, in no time at all, found myself totally immersed in the story. It swept me away from the stresses of my every day life, which at the time included bottles, diapers, housework, and all the other chores that come along with stay-at-home motherhood. I don't know why I didn't continue with the series, but it's one I would like to finish. Someday. You know when I have a million free hours to wade through those very, very large books!
6. Emma by Jane Austen—After Gwyneth Paltrow brought Emma Woodhouse to such charming life on the big screen in 1996, I knew I had to read this book. Needless to say, it met my (very) high expectations.
7. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty—I've never been a huge fan of Westerns, but this classic really captured my imagination. It's an entertaining read that I should probably re-read soon.
8. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown—Like millions of other fans, I found this one edge-of-your-seat compelling. Is the writing absolutely brilliant? No, but it's still an exciting and very readable thriller.
9. A Time to Kill by John Grisham—I loved the movie version of this novel and not just because it's the only Matthew McConaughey film in which the actor does more than just look pretty. Nope, it was the storyline that sucked me in. I'm not a huge Grisham fan, but I did really enjoy this book. I've been meaning to re-read it for years, but a library copy's still sitting on my desk waiting for my attention. Soon, I promise!
10. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold—As disturbing as this novel is, I also found it totally mesmerizing. It's unique, compelling and memorable.
A stunning realization: So, as I was typing up this post, I had an epiphany—all the books I listed, except one (Outlander), have been made into movies/t.v. series. Does this make them stick out more in my mind? Or, is it just because I selected a crop of very excellent books? Hm ...
Now that I've searched my tired mind for titles I loved before becoming a book blogger (way back in 2006—yikes!), I'd really like to know which books you adored back in the day. Do we have any favorites in common?
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