Happy Tuesday everyone! Since Valentine's Day will soon be upon us, today's TTT prompt is no surprise: a love/Valentine's freebie. I'm not a romance reader and freebies always throw me for a loop, so I'm going to go with a lazy twist on the topic and talk about library LOVE. Even though I have hundreds of unread books on my shelves, you can still find me at my local library quite often. I will never not enjoy browsing their shelves to find new treasures to read at home. I'm also addicted to Libby, where I can borrow the library's audiobooks and e-books. In addition to all the goodies inside, the library closest to my home is surrounded by a nature preserve where you can stroll along the paths, watch ducks glide in the lake, and enjoy the quiet peace of being out in nature (although you're actually in the middle of a busy suburb). There's so much to LOVE about libraries generally and my local one specifically. What do you LOVE about yours? 

Like everyone else, I've been playing with Chat GPT's caricature-making feature. I thought this one, which the website titled "Relaxed Reader in the Library," was especially funny. If only my library had comfy recliners and fuzzy blankets to curl up with, I would probably never leave! Ha ha. I also love that it shows me listening to an audiobook and reading a paper book at the same time. I'm good, but I'm not that good. And what's with my crazy eyes? I guess I'm just really excited about visiting the library! If nothing else, AI is always good for a laugh...

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

1. Coach by Jason Reynolds—I thought Reynolds' excellent Track series was over seven years ago when the last book was published, but then Coach came out in 2025. Yay! Like its predecessors, it's an encouraging read full of humor and heart. Narrated by the author's best friend, singer/actor Guy Lockard, the audiobooks are especially well done. 

You can see my review of Coach here. Blogger flagged the review as containing "sensitive content." It's really just a content warning for my content warning, which is silly, but whatever.

2. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey—I've heard nothing but good things about this historical mystery. I started it yesterday and I'm already thoroughly engrossed. It's set in Yorkshire, England, in 1979 when the area was the target of a serial killer dubbed the Yorkshire Strangler. Using the real murders as a backdrop, the novel features a curious 12-year-old girl who is determined to find the identity of the killer. As she uses her keen observation skills to observe "suspicious" doings in her neighborhood, she discovers surprising truths about the people around her, including her family and herself.

3. Of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith—This is the first installment in a historical mystery series about a London barrister who becomes a reluctant amateur sleuth when he discovers the dead body of a powerful, well-known judge on his doorstep. 

4. The Chow Maniac by Vivien Chien—As you will soon see, I'm trying to make progress in series I'm in the middle of, so I grabbed this mystery, the 11th installment in a fun cozy mystery series set in a family-owned Chinese restaurant in Ohio. In this adventure, Lana Lee is called on to help P.I. Lydia Shepard solve a series of thefts and murders in the Asian community.

5. Murder in the East End by Jennifer Ashley—I enjoy the Below Stairs Mystery series, which is set in Victorian London. In this 4th installment, cook Kat Holloway, who moonlights as an amateur sleuth, can't look away when she learns that children are mysteriously disappearing from a local orphanage. Can she figure out what is going on before more kids vanish?

6. The Island by Adrian McKinty—I'm always in for a vacation-gone-horribly-wrong adventure, so I grabbed this thriller about a family who makes a rash decision while on holiday that leaves them stranded on a remote Australian island with a group of sinister hosts. Despite the promising premise, I ended up DNFing this baby because the characters are depthless caricatures, the plot gets ridiculous, and the dialogue is just laughably bad. No thanks.

7. Severe and Unusual Weather by Jessie Ann Foley—Foley's Sorry For Your Loss was one of my favorite reads of 2019. I've been meaning to read more by her and her newest, a middle-grade magical realism novel about an unlikely friendship, sounds like a good one.

8. Stabbed in the Baklava by Tina Kashian—The Kebab Kitchen mystery books make up another fun cozy series, also set in a family-owned restaurant. This time it's a Mediterranean eatery on the New Jersey shore. In this second installment, Lucy Berberian is in charge of catering a high-profile wedding that goes terribly wrong when the groom is murdered. Worse, Lucy's ex-boyfriend is accused of the crime. He may be infuriating, but she knows he's no killer. Once again, she finds herself playing Nancy Drew in order to solve a crime.

9. The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper—I've read a couple of books by this Australian author and enjoyed them, so I grabbed her 2020 novel on audio when I saw that it was available on Libby. The story revolves around a young orphan who is taking in by a brother and sister intent on nurturing her impressive match skills. As the child ages, she realizes there's more to her guardians than meets the eye. When one of her guardians has a strange reaction upon seeing a certain painting in a gallery, her charge vows to find out just what her hosts are hiding.

So, since I started writing this post this morning, I have been listening to The Girl in the Painting. The narrator does a nice job, except that she takes a big breath after every paragraph, it seems. Now that I've noticed it, I can't unnotice it, and it's driving me crazy. So, I'm going to return the audiobook and pick up a paper copy of the novel because I'm enjoying the story so far.

10. Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton—My focus really should be on finishing series I've already started instead of beginning new ones, but...This is the first book in a crime series by an author whose books I've enjoyed in the past. It's about an English detective out on medical leave who is drawn into investigating the disappearance of a man who vanished at a local music festival. With tensions between the town's permanent residents and its weekender population reaching a boiling point, she fears the conflict may have gotten deadly.

There you have it, the last(ish) ten books I checked out of the library. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What topic did you choose for today's freebie prompt? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

It's been a couple weeks since I did a Top Ten Tuesday. Since these are about the only posts I've been making this year, it's really good to be back! Today's topic—Top Ten Favorite Audiobook Narrators—is one that won't appeal to everyone. I, myself, wouldn't have had much to say about it just a few years ago. Now, though, I've gotten into the habit of having an audiobook going always so that I can listen while I drive and do housework. Not only does it make tedious chores more entertaining, but it multiplies the amount of time I get to spend reading. A win-win for sure.

As always, TTT is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Click on over to her blog to read all about this fun weekly event. 

Kellgren books I've enjoyed: The Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer

2. Jim Dale—Everybody loves this versatile narrator who's so entertaining with his immense skill at creating unique voices. Listening to him read the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is an absolute delight.

Dale books I've enjoyed: The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

3. Guy Lockard—Jason Reynolds is one of my favorite middle grade authors. Lockard is a long-time friend of the author and comes from the same inner-city background as Reynolds. His voice rings with authenticity when he narrates his buddy's work. Plus, he does some super fun voices (Coach Brody from the Track series is my favorite).

Lockard books I've enjoyed: Track series by Jason Reynolds 

4. Julia Whelan—I've listened to several books read by Whelan, whose smooth voice makes characters seem so alive that you almost forget they're not real.

Whelan books I've enjoyed: Book Lovers by Emily Henry, The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation by Rosemary Sullivan

5. Karissa Vacker—Some of the first books I listened to on audio were read by Vacker. She does an excellent job.

Vacker books I've enjoyed: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling, Momentuous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

6. Bethan Rose Young—Young brings Myrtle Hardcastle, one of my favorite MG sleuths, to life so well. I love listening to the series on audio.

Young books I've enjoyed: Myrtle Hardcastle series by Elizabeth C. Bunce

7. Sophie Roberts—Roberts has another voice that's so smooth it melts into the background and lets the story she's narrating really come alive.

Robert books I've enjoyed: The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan

8. Celebrities reading their own books—I'm not much into celebs, so I don't read many of these, but I've enjoyed the few that I've listened to.

Celebrity-read books I've enjoyed: The Answer Is... by Alex Trebek (co-narrated with Ken Jennings), Surrender by Bono (The husband and I are in the middle of this one right now. It's 20 hours long!)

9. Saskia Maarleveld—I've listened to one book read by Maarlevald and she narrates several more that I'd like to read. 

Maarleveld books I've enjoyed: The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong

Leigh books I've enjoyed: The Renegade Reporters by Elissa Brent Weissman

I'm still a bit of a newbie to the world of audiobooks. Which narrators should I be searching out? Who 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. I also reply to comments here, so check back.