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2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


27 / 30 books. 90% done!

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


39 / 50 books. 78% done!

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona
- Arkansas (1)
- California (7)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois (2)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (2)
- Maine (4)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee
- Texas (3)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (2)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*

International:

- Australia (6)
- Austria (1)
- Canada (2)
- England (21)
- Fiji (1)
- France (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Italy (1)
- Mexico (1)
- New Zealand (1)
- Norway (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Bahamas (1)
- Vatican City (1)

My Progress:


34 / 51 states. 67% done!

2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


24 / 25 books. 96% done!

2026 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

My Progress:


29 / 50 books. 58% done!

Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


38 / 52 books. 73% done!

2026 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 52 books. 65% done!

2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


22 / 40 books. 55% done!

2026 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


24 / 51 books. 47% done!

2026 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge

2026 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


19 / 25 books. 76% done!

2026 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


44 / 52 books. 85% done!

Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge for Kids (and Adults)

My Progress:


54 / 65 books. 83% done!

2026 Countdown Reading Challenge

My Progress:


55 / 55 books. 100% done!

2026 Series Reading Challenge


23 / 36 books. 64% done!

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

My Progress:


70 / 125 books. 56% done!

2026 Southern Literary Reading Challenge

My Progress:


9 / 9 books. 100% done!

2026 Reading Challenge (by Linz the Bookworm)

My Progress:


36 / 60 books. 60% done!

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 40 books. 25% done!

European Reading Challenge 2026

My Progress:


7 / 50 books. 14% done!

2017 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge (retired challenge - doing old boards for fun)

My Progress:


67 / 125 books. 54% done!

2026 Reading Challenge Addict Reading Challenge

My Progress:


4 / 5 challenges. 80% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

My Progress:


98 / 100 names. 98% done!

The Life Skills Reading Challenge

My Progress:


76 / 80 skills. 95% done!
Showing posts with label J.K. Rowling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J.K. Rowling. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 08, 2025

Top Ten Tuesday: Not Really a Re-Reader Re-Reads


With so much tragedy in the news right now, I really look forward to things that are light and fun like Top Ten Tuesday. Before we get to that, though, I want to mention another enjoyable bookish event: Summer's One Must Read Book 2025. Hosted by the wonderful Carol at Reading Ladies Book Club, it's a yearly collab where experienced book bloggers from around the world recommend their pick for the ONE book you MUST read this summer. I love participating each year. It's always a joy to see what everyone is recommending, even though it adds more books to my already-overwhelming TBR pile mountain mountain chain. Be sure to check it out. Okay, back to TTT...today's prompt is: Top Ten Books I'd Like to Re-read (submitted by Becky @Becky's Book Blog). I'm not a huge re-reader, but I *think* I can come up with ten. We'll see.

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

Top Ten Books I'd Like to Re-read


1. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness—I recently learned that Ness is starting a spin-off series set in the world where his Chaos Walking trilogy takes place, the first installment to be released in Spring 2026. This ignited a desire in me to re-read the original books, which I adored when I read them back in 2011. I've already sped through The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer. Since the books are all so relentlessly intense, I'm taking a wee break before opening Monsters of Men, the final installment. Spoiler alert: I have loved the trilogy just as much this time around as I did the first time. The books are unique, immersive, and gripping.


2. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling—Although I was a 20-something wife and mother when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came out in 1998, I devoured this children's book, eagerly grabbing up each subsequent installment as they were published. Other than the first book, which I've re-read a couple of times, I haven't re-read the series. I need to get on that since I loved all the books.


3. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins—I've been told that I don't need to re-read this series in order to understand what's happening in Sunrise on the Reaping, but—like the Harry Potter novels—I read the HG books as they came out and haven't re-read them. Yet.


4. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens—I re-read this classic novella every December to get me in the holiday spirit. I especially enjoy listening to it on audio with the incomparable Tim Curry narrating.


5. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak—I always list this YA novel as one of my all-time favorites, but I've only read it once and that was back when it first came out. I'm definitely due for a re-read.


6. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett—Honestly, I'm not sure if I've ever read this children's classic. I've read voraciously ever since I learned how as a kindergartner, so I probably have, but I don't remember it very well. I'm hoping to get to it before the year ends.


7. A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd—A number of years ago, I read and enjoyed the first couple books in Todd's Bess Crawford series. Bess is a WW1 nurse who finds herself embroiled in intrigue and mysteries of all sorts. That's about all I remember about the series. I'd love to re-read the initial installments and then pick up where I left off. I love a good historical mystery series!


8. Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani—I was reminded the other day about this series, which I read back in the early 2000s. Other than the fact that I loved it, I don't remember much about it, hence the need for a re-reading.


9. Atomic Habits by James Clear—This is another book I re-read every year. It helps motivate me to work on the goals/resolutions I set each January. I've read other books about habits, but this one resounds most with me.


10. A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich—I feel like I read this 1928 YA classic when I was a kid, but I'm not sure. Either way, I'm planning to read it this year since I love pioneer stories and I need a book set in Nebraska for the Literary Escapes Reading Challenge.

Phew, I did it! Ten books/series I want to re-read. Have you read any of them? Are you a re-reader? What are you planning to re-read this year? 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!

Monday, August 05, 2024

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Book Series



I've been MIA with Top Ten Tuesday lately and on the blog in general. Life's been busy. I just got back from an Alaska cruise and a family reunion in the Seattle area. Stepping out of the Phoenix airport into oven-hot temps very early this morning was a rude awakening after all the lovely, cool (but not all that cold) PNW weather. I'm hot, exhausted, and still nauseous from a bumpy plane ride, BUT I'm happy to be home!

Today's TTT prompt is all about series. I love sinking into series, where I can enjoy characters, settings, and stories. I'm in the middle of so many of them that I started keeping a spreadsheet to keep them all in order. The topic is Top Ten Favorite Books From Ten Favorite Book Series. That's too big of a challenge for my tired, aging brain, so I'm just going to give you my top ten favorite series. How's that?  

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

Top Ten Favorite Book Series 

(Covers are for the first book in each series, not necessarily my favorite one.)


1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (middle-grade fantasy)


2. Armand Gamache by Louise Penny (adult murder mystery)


3. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer (YA historical fiction/action adventure)


4. Rockton/Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong (adult murder mystery)


5. Myrtle Hardcastle by Elizabeth C. Bunce (middle-grade historical fiction/mystery)


6. Tempe Brennan by Kathy Reichs (adult murder mystery)


7. Alcatraz by Gennifer Choldenko (middle-grade historical fiction)


8. Aaron Falk by Jane Harper (adult murder mystery)


9. Veronica Speedwell by Deanna Raybourn (adult historical fiction/mystery)


10. Jane/Mary books by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows (YA historical fiction/alternate history/supernatural)

There you go, ten of my favorite book series. Have you read any of them? What are your favorite series? 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 14, 2024

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Quotes From My Top Ten Favorite Novels


While I love finding beautiful, inspiring, meaningful passages while I'm reading or coming across a clever quote about books/reading, I'm rubbish at actually writing them down or remembering them. That makes today's TTT prompt—Top Ten Favorite Book Quotes—a tad difficult. Thank goodness for Google! With a little help from my favorite search engine, I'm going to highlight ten of my most-loved quotes from my ten favorite novels of all time. 

By the by, this fun weekly event is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Favorite Quotes From My Top Ten Favorite Novels


"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing."


"I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship."


"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet."


"Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs."


"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach."


"There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."


"She just smiled, said that she loved books more than anything, and started telling him excitedly what each of the ones in her lap was about. And Ove realised that he wanted to hear her talking about the things she loved for the rest of his life."


"Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."


"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library."


"Men tell stories. Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books. We did what we had to during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started our lives over."

There you are, ten of my favorite quotes from my ten favorite novels. Which are your favorites? Which quotes did you choose for your list this week? 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, May 30, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday: I'm Not Reading THAT!


Last week's TTT was all about the things that make us want to take a second look at a book. Today's prompt explores the flip side, asking what elements cause us to shy away from certain volumes. I always try to keep my TTT lists positive, but I have to say that this list was actually much easier to make than the last one. I guess I know what I don't like more than what I do?? For whatever reason, this list came together rapidly, without me having to think much about it at all.

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out her awesome blog for great reading recommendations and all the deets on this fun meme.

Top Ten Things That Make Me Instantly NOT Want to Read a Book

1. Covers featuring scantily-clad people—This is probably my #1 turn-off when it comes to books. I don't read much romance at all and I especially don't want to read the kind that's signaled by people wearing next to nothing on their covers. Same goes with erotic poses or suggestive images of any type. I'm a big prude, so these types of books are just not my thing at all. 

2. Books described as "spicy," "sexy," etc.—I guess this is pretty much the same thing as #1. Again, not for me. If I'm going to read romance, I prefer the sweet, closed-door kind.

3. True crime—I discovered Ann Rule in high school when I attended a writing conference where she was speaking. Her true crime books engrossed and fascinated me, violent and disturbing as they often were. At some point in my young adulthood, the genre as a whole just got to be too much for me. While I can handle books about white collar or non-violent offenses, I won't read true accounts of violent/disturbing crimes. I don't need the nightmares.

4. Low-star ratings/negative reviews—Even though we all know that book reviews/ratings are highly subjective, I still pay attention to them. If a book gets consistently poor reviews/ratings, especially from reviewers I trust, I'm unlikely to waste my time on it.

5. Sports and politics—While I enjoy reading about religion, I have zero interest in the other two members of this taboo trio. Even novels with these themes are generally a turn-off for me.

6. Profanity in a book's title—I'm a person who doesn't swear. Ever. When my kids were younger, they were totally shocked when I lost my temper and used the word "hell" in a sentence that had nothing to do with the Bible. They still bring up that one time I cussed at them because it was so unusual! They were also scandalized when I checked How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James N. Frey out from the library because it had a bad word in the title. I can handle profanity inside a book (although I'd rather there wasn't any), but if it's in the title, I won't buy it or check it out. Even on my Kindle. I'd never hear the end of it from my family! LOL.

7. High fantasy and hard sci-fi—I do read the occasional fantasy (Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, for example) and sci-fi books. (In fact, I surprised myself recently by enjoying Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, although I did DNF The Martian because all the tedious detail put me to sleep.) In general, though, I shy away from these genres. They're just not what I typically enjoy reading.

8. Short stories—My favorite thing about reading is sinking myself deeply into different worlds and experiences. I love the feeling of being completely carried away by a book. Short stories don't do that for me, so I read them only very rarely.

9. Poetry—While I love verse novels, I avoid poetry. I never seem to get what poems are trying to say. They make me feel dumb, honestly!

10. A previously disliked author—Even my favorite writers sometimes pen stinkers, so I never say never, but, on the whole, I'm unlikely to want to pick up a book by an author whose writing I haven't enjoyed in the past. 

There you are, the top ten things that will make me give a book a wide berth. Are you the same way or completely opposite? What elements of a book turn you off? 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 you leave here at BBB.

Happy TTT!

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

A Top Ten Tuesday Tag


I've been participating in Top Ten Tuesday on a fairly regularly basis for the last ten years. I don't know how many prompts I've engaged since then, but it's been a lot, which makes it tough to find new ones for freebie topics like today's: Top Ten Tuesday Rewind. The idea is to go back and choose a past TTT prompt that you haven't done yet, want to revisit, etc. I scanned through the lists of old prompts and none really jumped out to me, so I'm going to do something different today instead. 

I was curious about my first ever TTT post, so I searched it out. It was on February 26, 2013, and the topic was My Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors. It's interesting to see who I loved to read back then and how my tastes have/have not changed. 

If you want to join in for TTT Rewind, click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl to get all the details. While you're at it, give our wonderful hostess, Jana, some love.

A few weeks ago, Cindy over at Cindy's Book Corner tagged me for The Bookworm Tag. It looked like a fun one and I've been meaning to post my answers ever since. Since there are ten questions, it's perfect for a TTT "list." I'm not sure where the tag orginated, but Cindy was tagged by Sarita at More to Discover. I'm not going to tag anyone. If you want to join in, though, please consider yourself tagged! Leave me a link to your post so I can see your answers.



The (very simple) Rules:

  • Answer the Questions
  • Make up New Ones
  • Tag People
Cindy was asked 10 questions by Sarita, then she made up 10 different questions for the people she tagged to answer. Here are my answers to Cindy's queries:

1. How many books do you have on your physical shelves (best guesstimate)? This answer would have been a lot more embarrassing at this time last year. Before we moved houses, I would guess I owned somewhere around 10,000 physical books. For real! I was living in a 5,000 square foot home and I had lots of room for bookshelves and book piles. In July, we downsized, cutting our square footage in half, which meant donating a large chunk of my book collection. Now, 8 months after moving, I'd say I own about 1500 physical books. Still a ridiculous amount, but so much better than 10,000! It's not hoarding if it's books, right? At least they all fit neatly onto my shelves. For now, anyway...

2. What is your favorite book about books? Great question! I love bookish books (hence, my hosting the Bookish Books Reading Challenge). I would probably have to say The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak for this one, but lately I've also been really loving the By the Book cozy mystery series by Tamara Berry.

3. What is your favorite format to read in (paperback, hardback, e-book, etc.)? I used to be strictly a "real" books reader (preferably hard covers), but when NetGalley became a thing, I bought a Kindle and surprised myself by not hating it. These days, I still prefer paper books. About 40% of my reading, though, is comprised of e-books.

4. What is your favorite genre to read? BBB regulars will not be at all surprised by my answer to this question! Mystery/thriller is my hands-down favorite genre to read, closely followed by historical fiction. I also love compelling adventure/survival stories, interesting memoirs/biographies, riveting narrative non-fiction, and absorbing family sagas.

5. How do you find new-to-you authors? Back in the day, I mainly discovered new authors by browsing through the stacks at the library. These days, I mostly find them through reading book blogs and bookish magazines as well as word-of-mouth from friends and family members. 

6. What is a series (or book) you would/have reread over and over again? I'm not much of a re-reader. Reading a book I've already read feels like a waste of time to me when there are so many shiny new ones out there to explore! That being said, besides my scriptures, there are two books I re-read often: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (my favorite novel of all time) and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (to get me in the holiday spirit every December). There are a few others that I re-read occasionally because I love them so much: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

7. Do you have a book (or author) you are constantly recommending people to read? If so, what is it?  I belong to a conservative family and religious community, so I have to be cautious in what I recommend! Kate Morton is probably the author I recommend most. Her books are clean—without any explicit violence, sex, or language—compelling, and generally appealing. For mystery fans who don't mind a little language, I always go with Louise Penny. Her Armand Gamache series is one of my all-time favorites.

8. What is a genre you would never read? The only genre I can unequivocably say I would never read is erotica. It's just not my thing at all. Other genres I avoid or at least rarely read would be: poetry, high fantasy, anything political, sci-fi, and urban fantasy.

9. Do you prefer long books or short books? I actually prefer medium books, in about the 200-300 page range. I've never been a big fan of short stories or novellas and these days, I find myself kind of avoiding anything over 500 pages as well. I've become a middle-of-the-road reader, apparently!

10. Who inspired your love of reading? My parents. Both of them love to read, so our home was always filled with books. My mom always read us kids bedtime stories, took us to the library, and encouraged us to fill our leisure time with reading. 

How would you answer these same questions?

For anyone who would like to answer them, here are the ten questions I came up with:

1. Where is your favorite place to read? Or, where do you read most often?
2. Who are your top 3 favorite authors? I know it's like choosing favorite children, but try...
3. What is your biggest reading pet peeve?
4. What is something you do in your reading life that might make other readers gasp (writing in books, bending pages to mark your place, reading a book's ending first, etc.)?
5. Have you always been a reader? If not, when did you discover your love of books?
6. What book would you recommend to a reader to convince them to try out your favorite genre?
7. Do you prefer to read new books or used? Why?
8. How do you organize your bookshelves? 
9. In your opinion, what's the best part about being a book blogger/book nerd?
10. Are you part of a book club? Which book that you've read together has sparked the best discussion?

There you go, twenty great bookish questions to ponder! I'd love it if you answered one or two or twenty of them in the comments. If you decide to do this tag, please let me know so I can see your answers. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.

Happy TTT!

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: I'm My Own Santa Claus!


Christmas is on Sunday? What?? It still feels surreal, just like every year. I'm feeling much more prepared today than I was last Tuesday, so I'm hoping I'll be able to enjoy a nice, calm, peaceful weekend holiday celebration with family and friends. I wish the same for you and yours!

I mentioned last week that my reading goal for 2022 is 200 books. How am I doing? Not TOO badly. I'm at 188 read and I should finish both my paper read and my audiobook today. That gives me ten days to read ten more books. Can I do it? Like Bob the Builder says, "YES, I can!" Well, we'll see about that, Bob, but like the Little Red Engine chants, "I THINK I can." 

Anyway, it's Tuesday and that means it's time for TTT. Today's topic is, naturally, Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes (Link up those wishlists and grant some wishes for the holidays!). I'm going to ignore the second part since I can't imagine asking you all to buy me books and just do the first one. Now, I don't know about you, but I always get what I want from Santa because, you know, I am him. Plus, my birthday is a few days before Christmas, so I just load myself up with whatever I want to get for myself. It always works out super well for me. Ha ha. 

If you want to share your bookish holiday wishes, join in the TTT fun. All the details are at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Bookish Gifts Santa Is Going to Bring Me (if he gets "his" act together, of course)


1. A Little Free Library—I've been wanting one of these babies for forever and since we just moved into a neighborhood with a much lax-er HOA than our last one, I bought myself one for my birthday. Squee! We haven't put it together yet (and by "we" I mean my husband because I have no DIY skills whatsoever), but it's the one in the picture above.

Beautiful, isn't it? I can't wait to get it up and running. Anyone else have one? Do you have any tips for me on how to be a good LFL librarian?

2. Children's Books—I have plenty of adult books to stock my library, but I don't have a lot of kids' books. For my birthday on Thursday, I'm going to hit up my favorite indie bookstore, Changing Hands, and use my birthday discount to get some good ones. It's a new and used bookstore, so the stock is always changing. We'll see what I can find. Which titles would you buy?


3. My Favorite Mug—My husband bought me this mug, which I love, a number of years ago at Changing Hands. I don't drink coffee or tea (Mormon, natch), but I do down a lot of cocoa during the (too few) cold months here. My old mug has an annoying chip in it, so I'm going to grab myself a new one while I'm in the store.


4. Changing Hands T-shirt—Speaking of my favorite indie, my two Changing Hands t-shirts are bleach-stained and full of holes, respectively. I might pick up a new one on Thursday.


5. Read in Peace Cross-Stitch Pattern—This is more Halloween than Christmas, but I love this fun little pattern from LolaCrowCrossStitch. Plus, considering how slow I am to actually finish my cross-stitch projects, I need to start now in order to finish by October!

As for actual books, these five are definite possibilities:


6. Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese—I've been on the library waiting list for this buzzy hist-fic novel for forever. I might just go ahead and buy it.


7. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean—This very unique-sounding novel has been all over the book blogosphere. It's one of the titles I'm planning to read for my Bookish Books Reading Challenge.


8. Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash by Tammy Pasterick—I'm intrigued by this family drama set in 1910 Pennsylvania. 


9. Atomic Habits by James Clear—I love this motivating book, which I already own, but I'm thinking about buying it on audio so I can listen to it whenever I need a little goal-getting inspo. 


10. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling—When these books originally came out, I bought every one in hardcover. In the years since, they've been read to death by me and my daughter. The first volume has also gone missing (except for the dust jacket, weirdly). I've been wanting to buy a shiny new set, probably in (super expensive) hardcover, but I do like the paperback set above.

There you are, ten books and bookish items "Santa" will likely bring me for Christmas and my birthday. What bookish treats are you hoping to find under your tree this year? 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, August 23, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: Serial Starts and Ends


So, here's the thing about book series: I love them. Really love them. In fact, I'm reading so many of them at the moment that I had to make a spreadsheet to keep track of them all. Here's the other thing: I tend to languish in the middle of multiple series without ever actually completing any of them. That's why TTT prompts like the one we have today—Top Ten Completed Series I Wish Had More Books—are kind of tough for me. I managed to come up with ten for my list, but the majority of them, no surprise, are middle grade and YA series that consist of only a few installments. It's a lot easier to finish a MG trilogy, for me at least, than it is to complete an adult series with 20+ books in it!

Do you want to chat about your favorite series with a bunch of other passionate book lovers? Of course you do! You can get in on the TTT fun by clicking over to That Artsy Reader Girl, then making your own list. It's a good ole time, I promise.

Top Ten Completed Series That I Wish Had More Books 

(covers are for the first book in each series)

1. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling—I'm betting this series is the first one that came to a lot of people's minds for this topic. I adore the world of Harry Potter and would love to sink back into it via more novels, be they prequels, a spin-off series, whatever...just not screenplays!

2. The Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson—Up until yesterday, I thought this YA series featuring a teenaged true crime aficionado who uses her unique skills to solve cold cases, was complete at four books. Then, I noticed a new installment being promoted on NetGalley. Yay! I love this series, so I'm thrilled it's going to continue on. Even though it doesn't really fit this prompt, I'm keeping it on the list because I'm so happy it's not over.

3. The London Shades series by Maureen Johnson—Speaking of Johnson, I'm still irritated that she hasn't finished this YA series about a young woman who gained "the sight" when she almost choked to death in her school cafeteria and subsequently became part of a London "ghost squad" that investigates supernatural crimes. There were supposed to be four books in the series, but The Shadow Cabinet (#3) came out in 2015 and there's been no action since. All I can say is, this series better not be finished! I'm holding out hope that Johnson will pen that fourth book, even though I can barely remember who's who and what's what in the series. I'll happily re-read them all if Johnson can just do me a solid and bring the series to a satisfying close.

4. The Al Capone series by Gennifer Choldenko—This MG series is set in the 1930s and features a boy who lives on Alcatraz Island, where his father works as a security guard. I loved all four of the books in the series and would gladly read more adventures starring the lovable Moose Flanagan.

5. The Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer—I'm not sure how many installments were planned for this YA series about an orphaned girl who goes from living rough on the streets of London to becoming the most notorious pirate on the high seas, but her adventures ended with the death of her creator in 2014. The series is all kinds of entertaining. I'm sad that Jacky Faber's tale had to end and that Meyer will never write another book.

6. The Good Girl's Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson—Although I didn't like the direction this story took in the last book, I still very much enjoyed the trilogy as a whole. I would read more books about Pip, especially if they were in the upbeat style of the first two installments. 

7. The Gold Seer Trilogy by Rae Carson—I adored this YA historical/supernatural series about a young woman with the ability to sense the presence of gold. Her adventures kept me totally enthralled. I would love to read more of them.


8. The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness—It's been a long time since I read this YA trilogy (well, three full books and three novellas) of dystopian thrillers, so I honestly can't even remember what the books are about. I only know that I loved the trilogy when I read it and would gladly reengage with its characters and their world.

9. The Lewis Trilogy by Peter May—This adult mystery series set in the Outer Hebrides features Fin Macleod, one of my favorite May characters. More books featuring him would make me very, very happy.

10. The Big Stone Gap series by Adriana Trigiani—I loved all four of the books in this series and would gladly read more featuring the same setting and characters. The novels are full of warmth and charm. I'm definitely going to need to re-read them at some point.

There you go, ten series I wish would be extended. Have you read any of them? Which series do you wish had more books in them? 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!

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2026 Goodreads Reading Challenge

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2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction

2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction

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2020 - Middle Grade Fiction