Today's TTT prompt—Top Ten Villains (favorite, best, worst, lovable, creepiest, most evil, etc.)—is a head scratcher for me. I got nothin'. Next week's—Top Ten Bookish Candles I'd Make—is beyond the limits of my creativity, so for the next two weeks, I'm going rogue. In three weeks, we'll all be talking about our Fall TBR lists, but I'm going to get started early. Over the next three weeks, I'll be yapping about the top 30 books I want to read before 2025 ends. I still need to complete 55 books to hit my Goodreads goal of 200 and, although I do have a printed-out list of 90 possibilities, I won't bore you with all that. We'll stick to the 30 I'm most likely to read spaced out over the next three weeks. You're welcome.

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

1. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn—Although I love historical fiction, I've yet to read a book by this popular author. The Alice Network is my book club's pick for this month, so I'll be starting it soon. It's a dual-timeline novel that focuses on the real-life, all-female spy ring called the Alice Network, which conducted espionage efforts against the Germans in France during World War I. 

2. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins—I've heard nothing but praise for this Hunger Games prequel that focuses on the backstory of Haymitch Abernathy and his experience as a competitor in the 50th annual games.

3. Famous Last Words by Katie Alender—I need to read two books with the same title for a reading challenge and I've already completed Famous Last Words by Gilly Macmillan. Alender's book by the same name has a completely different storyline. Alender's is a YA mystery with a supernatural twist. A teenage girl is experiencing strange, haunting visions that seem to be sending her a message about a series of murders that are currently happening in Los Angeles. In order to regain her sanity, the girl must figure out what the messages mean in order to bring a killer to justice.

4. Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards—In 1970s California, 12-year-old Clover Blue is growing up on a peaceful commune full of colorful people. He's happy there. Until his best friend urges him to start asking questions of the community's founder and the answers he's given just aren't enough. As Clover searches for answers, he makes some startling discoveries that create disturbing cracks in his sanguine existence.

5. The Five: The Untold Story of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold—For a reading challenge, I need to read a book that debunks a historical myth. Emily at ARRRGH! Schooling suggested this book, which delves into the lives of Jack the Ripper's victims, showing that they weren't just throwaway women, but complex human beings with rich lives that were extinguished far too soon. Sounds fascinating! 

6. Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce—I've been meaning to read this historical novel since it came out. I've heard great things about it and, bonus, I need a book about "creepy crawlies" for a reading challenge. Beetles fit that description for me! The novel is about a spinster schoolteacher living a bleak existence in post-World War II London. Tired of the drudgery, she impulsively decides to take off on an adventure to find a mythical beetle. When she advertises for an assistant, she's surprised by who applies. Together, the two very different women find friendship, excitement, trouble, and maybe, a great discovery. 

7. Shadows in the Mind's Eye by Janyre Tromp—When Anne's husband returns from serving in World War II, he's a changed man. Haunted by the horrors he witnessed, he's become sullen and scary. When he claims to see strange men hiding in the mountains near their home, Anne's not sure whether to believe him or not. If he's telling the truth, then who are the men? And what do they want? If her husband is having paranoid delusions, what does that mean for them and their already struggling marriage?

8. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness—I feel like I've been talking incessantly lately about Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy. It's one of my all-time favorite YA series and 've been rereading it this year in anticipation of a new spin-off trilogy that will be published starting in Spring 2026. Monsters of Men is the third book in the original series, which is about a young man and his girlfriend and their quest to save their world. 

9. Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro—I'm on a library waiting list for this novel about a woman whose perfect-looking life is slowly falling apart. Her already unraveling marriage becomes even more strained when the body of a family friend washes ashore and her husband is arrested for the murder. In spite of her own struggles, she must find out the truth about her friend's death in order to clear her husband's name.

10. Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto—I enjoyed the first book in this fun series. Even though I've heard this second installment isn't as good, I'm still excited to reconnect with Vera and her friends. This time around, Vera & Co. are searching for a missing man who no one appears to actually know. Who is Xander Lin? What happend to him? Vera is determined to find out.

What are you planning to read before the end of the year? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

It's no secret that I have a ton (literally 1000+) of unread books sitting on my bookshelves. (We're not even going to talk about the line-up on my Kindle.) The first question on everyone's lips when they enter my home is, "Have you read all these?" Sadly, that answer is a big, ole NO. In spite of my already impossible TBR "pile," my head still gets turned by the shiny and new. What's that about? Evidence: this list is Part Two of the one I started last week for this week's topic—Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2024. What can I say? When it comes to books, I'm hopeless! You can check out Part One here. Part Two has less variety, focusing mostly on contemporary mysteries/thrillers.

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

1. On the Surface by Rachel McGuire (available July 9)—Sawyer and Dani are a couple who cruise all over the world in their sailboat, documenting their adventures on their popular YouTube channel. They're having a great time living it up in the Bahamas when Dani goes missing. As the search for her is launched, dark secrets start to come to light about Sawyer. He's not as perfect as he seems; is he a murderer too?

2. The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (available July 9)—I still haven't managed to read anything by Quinn. Maybe I'll start with this one. It's about a group of women who live together in an all-female boarding house in 1950s Washington, D.C. They're drawn together by a mysterious widow who has just moved in. As they bond, they find friendship, healing, and...secrets. When a violent act tears the house apart, they will have to decide which housemates can be trusted and which can't.

3. Peking Duck and Cover by Vivien Chien (available July 23)—In this tenth installment of the Noodle Shop cozy mystery series, the shop owners in Asia Village are throwing a blowout party to celebrate Chinese New Year. The party, designed to bring in business as well as positivity and prosperity, is marred when a lion dancer is found dead. Lana Lee is, once again, looking for a killer.

4. The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (available October 10)—The plot summary for Hawkins' newest is kind of skimpy, but it revolves around a remote Scottish island that is only occasionally accessible to the mainland, a reclusive artist, and the murder of her notoriously unfaithful husband. 

5. Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger (available October 29)—This novel features three generations of women in one family. Their different lives and ambitions cause heartache, tension, and conflict between them. When the youngest realizes how little she really knows about the women who came before her, she goes on an eye-opening quest to uncover the secrets they've kept over the decades.

6. The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene (available November 5)—Twenty-four years ago, female students started going missing from a North Carolina University, including a struggling freshman. Jessica was never found. Almost three decades later, Jessica's sister is hunting for answers when bodies start turning up in a local lake. Will Jessica's fate finally be known? Who is responsible for the bodies in the lake?

7. In Want of a Suspect by Tirzah Price (available November 12)—I'm always up for a new historical mystery series and this one sounds fun. In this opener, the irrepressible Lizzie Bennett has become London's first female solicitor. With the help of the enigmatic Fitzwilliam Darcy, she investigates all manner of crimes. Hired to look into a mysterious warehouse fire, Lizzie soon finds herself trying to solve a murder when the prime suspect in the arson is killed. 

8. If You Can Hear This by Faith Gardner (available November 19)—This YA mystery/thriller seems to be getting mixed reviews, but it sounds intriguing to me. It's about a group of misfit high schoolers who come together to solve the mystery of their beloved teacher, Mrs. Moses. 

9. Trouble Island by Sharon Short (available December 3)—Trouble Island is a remote piece of land in the middle of Lake Erie, halfway between America and Canada. Its placement makes it a convenient rallying point for gangsters. In fact, it's inhabited only by two women: Rosita, a gangster's wife, and her maid, Aurelia, who is actually a gangster's wife who is in hiding after committing a murder five years ago. When Rosita is murdered shortly after the arrival of her husband and a group of his confederates on Trouble Island, Rosita finds herself hopelessly trapped in very dangerous company. An oncoming storm makes the possibility of escape impossible. What is she going to do? 

10. Pretty Dead Things by Lilian West (available December 10)—In this dual-timeline mystery, a bride-to-be is exploring her new town when she comes across an alluring estate sale. She buys a jar of pretty baubles, at the bottom of which she discovers two rings. As she tries to find the owners, she unwittingly stumbles upon an old mystery involving a missing woman and dark town secrets.

There you are, ten more up-and-coming titles I'm excited to read. Which are your most anticipated reads releasing in the second half of the year? 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 little late to the party, but I'm here. Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!

I don't know about you, but I have a bad habit of getting excited about a book, acquiring said book, and then totally forgetting the book exists in the world, let alone right there on my bookshelf or Kindle. Sound familiar at all? Today's TTT topic is all about this weird, inexplicable phenomenon: Top Ten Books I Couldn't Wait to Get My Hands On and Still Haven't Read. This is another one of those prompts that could have been a Top One Hundred list, but ain't nobody wanna read that, so I'll restrain myself and stick to the assignment. While I definitely have older examples, the volumes on my list are the first ten that caught my eye while I was perusing my bookshelves. 

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

1. Homecoming by Kate Morton—This is the first book that came to mind for this topic. I adore Morton and get excited every time she publishes. Extra so this go around because I didn't love her last novel. (There's a first time for everything, I guess.) Homecoming has gotten great reviews. I just need to read it already. The story is about a journalist living in England who returns to her native Australia to care for her elderly grandmother. While poking about in the older woman's attic, she discovers intriguing clues that propel her to investigate a 60-year-old unsolved murder that, shockingly, seems to have ties to her family.

2. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann—Like all buzzy books, this one had a long waitlist at my library, so I bought myself a copy...which has been gathering dust on my bookshelf ever since! It's the nonfiction account of a British ship that wrecked in 1742. Two groups of survivors arrived home at different times and in separate cobbled-together vessels. With wildly different stories about what happened to them, the question became: What really happened aboard the Wager?

3. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng—I'm always up for a unique dystopian novel and this one caught my attention as soon as I heard about it. I even bought a copy to enjoy at my leisure, although I planned to get to it sooner rather than later. Hasn't happened yet. It's about a young Asian American boy living in a tumultuous new world that is trying to regroup following years of economic chaos and angry violence. The government says that anything "unpatriotic" (including the poems his mother wrote before she abandoned him) should be eradicated. When he gets a mysterious letter with only a drawing on it, it sends him on a daring journey to find the mother he hasn't seen in three years.

4. Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese—This historical novel tells the reimagined story of the woman who inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's most famous character, Hester Prynne. I really should pick it up one of these days!

5. Fly Away by Kristin Hannah—After loving Hannah's most recent novels, I wanted to read some of her backlist ones. I purchased this one only to later realize it was the second book in a duology. Oops! Once I read Firefly Lane, I'll get to this sequel, which continues the story of the great friendship between Tully Hart and Kate Ryan.

6. How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis—While my housekeeping skills can always use refining, I hear this slim self-help book really isn't about cleaning at all. Lots of my busy mom friends have recommended this to me as a guide that helped them feel better about all they're doing and get rid of the shame and guilt they feel over not being able to accomplish as much as they want to in their long, crazy days filled with constant cleaning, cooking, childcare, etc.

7. The Silo trilogy by Hugh Howey—Dystopian novels have always been my jam. I loved Wool when I read it, so much so that I bought a boxed set of the three-volume series. Have I read Shift or Dust? No, no I have not. The story is about apocalypse survivors who have been living through the fallout underground. Tired of the confinement, some of them want to bust out and take their chances on the outside. They get their wish, for good or ill...

8. Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert—Moloka'i is an impactful historical novel that I still think about even though it's been years since I read it. Since I liked it so much, I purchased the sequel. I feel like I need to re-read the first book to remember who's who and what's what before I move on with the story, but I've yet to actually do it because as much as I may have enjoyed a book, I'm not much for re-reading.

9. What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon—Of the three books I've read by Harmon, I adored two of them (Where the Lost Wander and A Girl Called Samson). This time-slip novel is one of her most well-loved. It's about a woman grieving the death of her beloved grandfather, who always regaled her with stories of his childhood in Ireland. Sucked back to that time period, she finds herself the unwitting guardian of a young boy. Even if she could return to her time, could she bear to leave the child she is coming to love as her own?

10. The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn—I feel like the last hist-fic lover on the planet that hasn't read anything by Quinn. This is the book of hers I most want to read. Based on a true story, it's about a bookish student who is forced to take up a gun and defend her native Ukraine from Hitler's oncoming invasion. She soon becomes a proficient killer, a national hero, and a friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. Then an old enemy comes calling...

There you go, ten books I was really excited to read and still haven't gotten to. What's on your shelf of shame? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.

It's been a hot minute since I posted on my blog, even for my favorite weekly meme. February turned into a busy month and some things had to fall by the wayside (although I did manage to post my first review of the year last week). Besides regular life busy-ness, we did a fun family road trip to Las Vegas and California. We surprised our two youngest kids (the only ones living at home these days) with tickets to see U2 in Vegas. After two days there, they flew home (poor suckers had to work and go to school) and my husband and I continued on to California for a few days. I barely cracked open the book I took with me, but that's okay. It was a wonderful vacay. Highlights included:

We actually did do some bookish things, come to think of it. On our way to Santa Barbara, we stopped in Solvang, a charming Danish-style tourist town. There's a bookshop there that houses a small, but informative Hans Christian Andersen museum. They also have a cute Little Mermaid statue in the center of town in homage to the beloved author. In Santa Barbara, we stayed with my husband's cousin and his family. They have five very energetic kids, who love to listen to books read aloud. It was sweet to have them draped all over us while we read them stories. I won't post the pictures to protect the children's privacy, but it was super cute.

I actually broke the book-buying ban I started in January in California as well (although I didn't even realize it until hours later). My great-great grandfather was an early settler of San Bernardino. I bought this postcard history of the city at their Historical and Railroad Museum:

My husband says that purchasing it doesn't really count against my ban because (1) It was more of a donation to the museum than a book purchase, (2) The book is for research purposes, not entertainment value, and (3) He's the one who handed over the cash, so technically, he bought it, not me! LOL. 

At any rate, we had a great time on our trip. Between that and being busy with other things, I just haven't had a lot of hours to devote to my blog. I do appreciate those of you who dropped in to check on me during my absence. It's nice to be missed.

After that TL;DR intro, let's (finally) dive into TTT (hosted by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl). This week's prompt is: Top Ten Book Covers Featuring Things Found in Nature. I'm always up for a nice, easy topic, although I did change it up just a wee bit. While scrolling through my TBR list on Goodreads, I was surprised to see how many of the book titles on there feature animal names, specifically birds and insects. It was a cinch to find ten for this nature-y prompt.

- in no particular order - 

1. Peking Duck and Cover by Vivien Chien—This is the tenth installment in one of my favorite cozy mystery series. As Chinese New Year approaches, Lana Lee and her fellow business owners at Cleveland's Asia Village are getting ready for a big holiday celebration to bring in customers and good luck for all. The festivities take a dark turn when a lion dancer is murdered. Lana once again calls on her inner Nancy Drew to solve a crime.

2. Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce—Set in 1950, this historical novel features a spinster schoolteacher who decides to shuck off the gloominess of post-World War II London and set out on a grand expedition. Determined to fulfill her childhood dream of finding the mythical Golden Beetle of New Caledonia, she and an unlikely companion discover the freedom and joy of travel, friendship, and adventure.

3. The Call of the Wrens by Jenni L. Walsh—With timelines in both World War I and II, this historical novel pays tribute to the brave British women who served as motorcycle dispatch riders on the Western Front during both conflicts. Our fictional heroines learn about courage, sacrifice, love, and resilience through their life-changing war experiences. 

4. He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox—Beekeeper Beckett Walsh loves working with her father in their family's apiary. When he dies unexpectedly, naming a woman Beckett doesn't know as a new part owner in the business, she's shocked and angry. Callie Peterson is just as flummoxed, but she needs the money selling the apiary could bring in. As the two women clash over the odd situation they suddenly find themselves in, they will untangle a knot of family secrets that will change everything for both of them.

5. The Night Raven by Sarah Painter—Urban fantasy really isn't my thing, but the Crow Investigations series sounds promising, so I'm going to give it a whirl. In this first installment, private investigator Lydia Crow is called in to head up an investigation into her cousin's disappearance. The incident is causing tension between four magical families who have been abiding by a tentative truce for almost 100 years. Can Lydia find her cousin before all hell breaks loose?

6. The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang—This historical novel features two women—a soprano in need of a career boost and a Chinatown seamstress who's desperate to flee an arranged marriage—whose lives intersect when they are brought together by a railroad baron who owns a valuable collection of Chinese antiques. The great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 rocks all of their worlds, leaving an intriguing mystery behind for the women to solve.

7. A Hundred Crickets Singing by Cathy Gohlke—The title of this book is enough to give me nightmares (I hate crickets!), but the story sounds like one I'd like. It's a dual-timeline novel that features two women living in the same home 83 years apart. When a vicious storm rips through her Appalachian estate, revealing a hidden room and an old trunk, Celia Percy opens a Pandora's box of secrets and lies that stretch back to the Civil War and the people—both free and enslaved—who lived at the home at that time. 

8. Olive Bright, Pigeoneer by Stephanie Graves—This series debut introduces 22-year-old Olive Bright, who raises pigeons in a quiet English village. World War II is raging and she's desperate to do her bit to help. When a covert intelligence operation comes calling, asking for her pigeons, Olive gets her wish. As she does her secret work, a woman in her town is murdered near Olive's pigeon loft. Does the killing have something to do with Olive's clandestine job? Is she in danger? Olive must find the answers before she becomes the next victim.

9. Dragonfly by Leila Meacham—World War II novels are hard for me to resist. Obviously. In this one, a group of very different Americans are brought together to form an elite spy ring. Secret identities intact, they are dropped into Nazi-occupied Paris, where they are not to be in contact with one another. When one of them ends up in front of a firing squad, the others are left to question what is real and what is simply another subterfuge.

10. Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon—Emerson, Massachusetts, is a wealthy suburb full of influential families. When a teenage girl dies after a night of partying with three other local kids, a police investigation is launched. The authorities pry into their families' lives, revealing secrets, suspicions, and, finally, the shocking truth. 

Have you read any of these? What did you think? What are your favorite books that fit this theme? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is a freebie. My mind is blanking on anything fresh and creative, so I'm going to continue with the author theme from last week. If you missed my post on my Top Ten 2022 New-to-Me Author Discoveries, you can find it here. Today, I'm going to dish about some authors I want to try out for the first time this year. In order to keep the list to just ten, I opted to leave out debut authors and focus on those who've already published at least 2-3 books.

Before we get to that, though, be sure to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give Jana, our lovely host, some love. While you're there, read up on TTT and join in the fun. You won't regret it!

Where I plan to start: Mare's War, a road trip and dual-timeline novel about two kids who learn just how fascinating their eccentric grandma really is, sounds fabulous. I love stories about family history, unsung heroes, and generations learning about each other. 

3. Kimberly Duffy—Several of Duffy's historical fiction titles have caught my eye. They all have gorgeous covers and plot summaries that sound right up my alley. 

Where I plan to start: Duffy's newest, The Weight of Air, is about two female circus performers whose lives intersect in New York in the early 1900s. It sounds excellent.

4. Susan Furlong—Furlong writes cozy mysteries as well as crime fiction and psychological thrillers.

Where I plan to start: What They Don't Know, Furlong's newest, sounds like the perfect way to start. It's about a mother who's frustrated with her son, who has run off to live a party-filled life away from home. When he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a young woman, she sets out on a desperate quest to find her son, bring him home, and prove his innocence.

5. Kimberly Willis Holt—Holt writes contemporary and historical fiction for young readers. She won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 1999.

Where I plan to start: Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel is a middle-grade novel about a young girl who goes to live with her estranged grandfather at his dilapidated motel after her parents are killed. As she befriends the place's colorful residents, she finds healing and connection. 

6. Lydia Kang—Kang is a doctor who writes science and historical fiction as well as non-fiction with an emphasis on medicine, forensics, chemistry, etc.  

Where I plan to start: Kang has written two non-fiction books with Nate Pederson. Both sound interesting, but I think I'm going to start with Patient Zero: A Curious History of the World's Worst Diseases.

7. Caroline Lea—A poet and novelist, Lea writes historical fiction set around the world.

Where I plan to start: The Glass Woman, Lea's 2019 debut, is "a gothic thriller set during the Icelandic witch trials." Say no more. I'm in.

8. Kate Quinn—Quinn probably needs no introduction. Her recent war novels have gotten tons of buzz over the last few years, but she actually has a fairly long backlist of historical fiction.

Where I plan to start: Set in 1937 Ukraine, The Diamond Eye is about a studious young mother who becomes a deadly sniper in order to fight the Nazis invading her country. Based on a real person, the story sounds fascinating.

9. Nikola Scott—Although Scott had a career as a crime fiction editor, she writes historical fiction about families and their secrets. 

Where I plan to start: Scott's 2017 debut novel, My Mother's Shadow, is about Addie, a woman whose mind is blown when a woman shows up claiming to be her sister. Addie thought she knew everything about her mother's life, but clearly, her mother was keeping secrets. 

10. Art Spiegelman—Spiegelman is an American cartoonist, comic advocate, and Pultizer Prize winner. He's best known for his Maus books, a graphic novel series about his parents' experience as prisoners in Auschwitz. 

Where I plan to start: I'm not sure there's anywhere else to begin but with Maus, the first installment in Spiegelman's well-known series. 

There you have it, ten authors I want to read this year. Have you read any of them? What do you think? Which authors are you planning to try in 2023? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.