It's been a few weeks since I participated in Top Ten Tuesday. While I should have been spending those days packing up my house in preparation for our big move on July 15, I actually spent them traveling to the cool, rainy Pacific Northwest for a family wedding. Between the delicious weather and even better company, I didn't want to leave! But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Now, I'm back home and the heat is on—literally and figuratively. It's a million degrees outside AND I have tons of packing to do. First things first, though. I love TTT seasonal reading lists, so I didn't want to miss out on today's prompt. I can't wait to see what books everyone is looking forward to this summer.

If you need an excuse to procrastinate the things you should be doing  want to participate in this fun meme, head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

1. The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (available November 8, 2022)—I've enjoyed Steadman's previous psychological thrillers, so I was excited to get an e-ARC of this one, her newest. It's about a British novelist who's engaged to an American businessman who's a member of one of New York City's wealthiest, most influential families. Harriet is shocked when her father-in-law hands her a tape containing his confession to a shocking crime. Is this some sort of sick initiation game? Or is Harriet marrying into a family of criminals? 

I'm a few chapters into this one and it's...interesting so far. I'm enjoying it.

2.  The Second Husband by Kate White—A copy of this psychological thriller just landed on my doorstep. It concerns a woman who is rebuilding her life after her husband was killed in a random crime on the street. Just when the widow is starting to feel safe and comfortable in her new life and relationship, the police come calling. How did her husband really die? Does the widow know more than she's saying?

3. Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen—This middle-grade novel features five children from different walks of life living in Europe while World War I rages. Their paths cross as they struggle to survive amidst the chaos of war.

4. Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander—Born on a plantation, Josephine N. Leary moves to Edenton, North Carolina, after Emancipation. While keeping a home and raising a family, she teaches herself the business skills needed to invest in real estate and build the kind of legacy that was unheard of for Black women of her time. This novel is based on the true story of Leary's remarkable life.

5. Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen—This contemporary novel, about a straight-laced Asian-American woman who gets caught up in her friend's very successful fake handbag scheme, sounds fun and entertaining.

6. The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton—This new middle grade series sounds like a more diverse, international version of Harry Potter. Hopefully, it's got its own unique spin. I'm in to find out!

7. Tiny Humans, Big Lessons: How the NICU Taught Me to Live With Energy, Intention, and Purpose by Sue Ludwig—When Lydia mentioned this book on her blog, I knew I had to read it. My two sons, who are six years apart, were both born at 29 weeks gestation. The oldest spent a month and a half in the NICU and the youngest exactly a month. Being in the NICU, experiencing the life and death struggle that goes on there every day, is truly life-changing. I'm interested to see how my experiences there compare and contrast with those of the author, who works as a neonatal therapist.

8. The Drowning Sea by Sarah Stewart Taylor—I've enjoyed the first two books in this series, which features an Irish-American detective solving crimes in both New York and the Emerald Isle. This installment finds Detective Maggie D'Arcy and her daughter in Ireland, preparing for a move to the country that will combine their household with that of Maggie's boyfriend and his son. Their bonding time is interrupted when human remains wash ashore in a small town with a mysterious history. Who is the dead man? Why was he killed? Maggie is determined to find out.

9. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean (available August 2, 2022)—What do you think of this plot summary? Interesting, right?

10. A Woman of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa—Set in 19th Century Puerto Rico, this novel centers on an enslaved woman who is sold for the purpose of breeding future slaves. As heartbreaking as the plot sounds, the summary promises a story of triumph and faith over brutality and sorrow. I'm intrigued.

There you have it, ten books I'd like to read this summer. What do you think of my list? Have you read any of these? Do any of them look interesting to you? What's on your summer TBR list? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

I'm a day late with my favorite weekly meme, but that's because I forgot yesterday was Tuesday.  This Christmas-on-a-Monday thing has been throwing me off for weeks! I honestly didn't realize yesterday was Tuesday until about 5:15 p.m. when my phone reminded me of my daughter's gymnastics class, which takes place every week on—you guessed it—Tuesday.  I'm back on track now, but I didn't want to miss Top Ten Tuesday altogether, so I'm doing it anyway, even if it is a Wednesday.  It is Wednesday, right??

In case you don't know, Top Ten Tuesday is brought to us by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.  After January 16, the meme will be coming at us from That Artsy Reader Girl instead.  In the meantime, you can participate by clicking over to The Broke and the Bookish, reading a few TTT rules, making your own list, and hopping around to other blogs to check out theirs.  It's a great way to find new blogs, new books, and new friends.

Predictably, this week's prompt is:  Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2018.  Here we go:

1.  The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson—Available January 2.  Jamie from The Perpetual Page Turner just published a fabulous list of 2018 adult fiction titles she's looking forward to reading.  This dystopian novel was among them and I agree, it sounds compelling.  Billed as The Hunger Games meets Station Eleven, it's sure to be a book I'll love.

2.  The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton—Available (in the U.S.) October 18.  I enjoy Sharon Bolton's crime novels, so I'm excited for her newest.  It's about a woman whose career is made when she apprehends a coffin-maker accused of burying people alive.  After the man's death, much to her horror, events of the past start repeating themselves.  Did she convict the wrong killer?

3.  The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton—Available February 20.  I've been looking forward to this one ever since I first heard about it.  It takes place in an alternate (futuristic?) New Orleans where everyone is born grey and needs the help of a Belle to be made beautiful.  Camellia wants to be the queen's favorite Belle, but fulfilling her dream will not come without a price ...

4.  Heart Spring Mountain by Robin MacArthur—Available January 8.  This novel concerns a woman whose estranged mother goes missing after a tropical storm wreaks havoc in Vermont.  It's about her search for her mother and is supposed to be an atmospheric story about coming home.  I'm in!

5.  The Job of the Wasp by Colin Winnette—Available January 9.  I love me a good Gothic ghost story, so this one sounds right up my alley.  It's about a child who arrives at an isolated school for orphaned boys only to find that there's something very strange about his new home ...  

6.  The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn—Available January 2.  This Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who thinks she's witnessed a murder sounds very intriguing.

7.  Force of Nature by Jane Harper—Available February 6.  I enjoyed reading The Dry, an Australian murder mystery, earlier this year.  This is the next book in the series, which I'm definitely looking forward to reading.

8.  Dread Nation by Justina Ireland—Available April 3.  I'm not huge into zombie novels, but I don't mind them if they're done well.  This one, about a zombie invasion that derails the Civil War and changes American history forever, sounds interesting.

9.  The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu—Available February 13.  This novel revolves around a group of women who come together again years after suffering through a traumatic event while at summer camp together.  Sounds good!

10.  Grist Mill Road by Christopher J. Yates—Available January 9.  Similarly, this novel is about three people whose lives are forever changed by a violent BB attack during childhood who come together as adults because the past, of course, can never stay in the past. 

So, what do you think?  Do we have any books in common this week?  What are you looking forward to reading in 2018?  I'd truly like to know.  If you leave a comment on this post, I'll gladly return the favor.

Happy TTT!