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

1. Middle of the Night by Riley Sager—I've read all of Sager's thrillers except Final Girls and this 2024 novel is my favorite. Although it's just as atmospheric and engrossing as his others, Middle of the Night has a sweet poignancy to it that sets it apart from its predecessors. The story is about Ethan Marsh, a man who is still traumatized by the disappearance of his best friend thirty years ago while the 10-year-olds were having a sleepover in Ethan's backyard. When he returns to his childhood home, he begins to experience strange things happening in the night, things that point to Billy's vanishing. Is someone playing a cruel prank on Ethan? Has Billy, believed to have died three decades ago, coming back to haunt him? What really happened to Ethan's best friend on that fateful night? Ethan is determined to find out, once and for all.

2. Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert—I loved Moloka'i, a historical novel about the titular island's role as a leper colony. By the time this sequel came out, I had forgotten who was who in the story, so I put off reading it until I could reread Moloka'i, which I still haven't done. 

Daughter of Moloka'i tells the story of the child whom Rachel Kalama (the protagonist in Moloka'i), who was quarantined for most of her life because of leprosy, was forced to give up. Ruth is taken to an orphanage in Honolulu, from whence she is adopted by a Japanese couple. Brought up in California, Ruth is unfairly interred at Manzanar Relocation Camp during World War II. Her life is upended again when she receives a letter from Rachel, her birth mother, and learns more about her own story.

3. Lovely War by Julie Berry—It's tough to describe this uniquely-told YA novel about love and war. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, narrates the story as she tells Hephaestus and Ares about two human couples whose relationships are irrevocably changed by what they experience during World War I.

4. The Pioneers by David McCullough—I own a few of McCullough's books because I love learning about history, but I've never actually read any of them. The author is extremely knowledgeable, but his writing is a bit...dry. My husband got bored quickly with The Pioneers and ended up setting it aside. I'm afraid I might have the same problem, but I still want to give it a try. As indicated by the title, the book discusses the settling of the United States' Northwest Territory by intrepid pioneers who overcame incredible obstacles in pursuit of the American Dream.

5. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins—I don't read a lot of self-help books, but this one has gotten so much buzz that I decided to see what it's all about (although I haven't yet). Apparently, it teaches how to free yourself from the constant anxiety of trying to control other people by letting go and focusing on the only person you can change: yourself.

6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid—I've never read anything by Reid, but this novel sounds intriguing to me. It concerns a Hollywood actress who lived a long and scandalous life before becoming a recluse. When she finally decides to spill all her secrets, she shocks everyone by choosing an obscure, struggling journalist to write her biography. The chosen writer is dumbfounded by this turn of events and is even more astounded by what the Hollywood icon tells her.

7. A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White—When their parents die in a plane crash, sisters Ruthie and Julia are shocked and grief-stricken. They're even more so when they learn that their parents' will stipulates that the two be raised separately. The novel tells the stories of both women as they grow apart from each other, then come back together again.

8. The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe—This YA novel is the first in a dystopian series about a small island community whose population is depleted by a deadly virus. With the island under quarantine, the survivors fight over dwindling supplies while trying to figure out how to save themselves and those they love in the midst of the resulting violence and chaos.

9. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris—As indicated by its title, this historical novel is a fictionalized version of the story of Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who was imprisoned at Auschwitz-Birkenau during World War II. Because he could speak several languages, he was assigned to tattoo numbers on the arms of new arrivals at the concentration camp. He secretly used his privileged position to procure food to help other prisoners survive. When Lale met a young woman named Gita, he vowed to marry her after the war was over—and did.

10. The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson—I've enjoyed The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek twice now, but I've yet to read this sequel for some reason. The novel features Honey Mary Angeline Lovett, who takes on her mother's packhorse librarian route after both of her parents are imprisoned. As she brings literature and hope to the people in the hollers of Appalachia, she finds independence, freedom, and purpose for herself.

I just clicked over to Richardson's website and saw that a new novel starring Cussy Lovett is coming in April 2026. Looks like I'll be reading The Book Woman's Daughter next year, followed by The Mountains We Call Home. Woo hoo!

There you have it, ten random books I picked from my bookshelves. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which random titles did you choose from your shelves today? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Whew, January was a long year month! With all the chaos going on in the U.S. and the world, I hope you were able to relax with some good reads, some of which were bookish books. I read three in January, all of which were cozy mysteries:

She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke—This new release is supposed to be a rom-com/cozy mystery mashup. It's too much of the former (and spicy at hat) and too little of the latter. Even though the premise is fun (a bestselling mystery writer and her irritating editor must play nice long enough to solve a mystery at a destination wedding), I was disappointed in this one and found it to be only an average read for me.

Happy July, everyone! It's the middle of the month somehow and I'm just now getting around to posting this monthly update. So sorry. Between traveling for the Fourth, having oral surgery, and trying not to melt in record breaking heat, I've been a little busy, I guess. 

I managed to read two bookish books in June:

I re-read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson for book club. I loved it the first time I read it a few years ago and loved it again the second time. It was a hit with everyone in my book club, too. If you haven't read it, do. It's a lovely novel that emphasizes the power of reading, among other inmportant themes.

Although I was a rabid Little House on the Prairie fan as a kid, I didn't know much about the life of its author outside of the autobiographical elements in her books. Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser talks all about Laura Ingalls Wilder's life as a woman, a pioneer, an author, and a mother. I found it very interesting. 

July is turning out to be a good month for me and bookish books. I started the month with this one:

Translated from Spanish, I Lived On Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosín is about a young girl living in Chile during a time of political upheaval. When her parents come under suspicion from the dictatorial government, they are forced into hiding and she is sent to live with an aunt in the U.S. Throughout the ordeal, the girl finds comfort in words and books. 

I'm reading this gem right now:

When a beloved but reclusive children's author who hasn't published in years suddenly announces a by-invitation-only competition that will reward one lucky winner with an unimaginably lucrative prize, Lucy Hart is stunned to find herself one of the competitors. The 26-year-old is desperate to adopt a vulnerable young boy who's floundering in foster care, but she doesn't have the money to provide the stable home he needs. Winning the author's contest could change both of their lives forever. What will she find when she sets foot on magical, mysterious Clock Island?

I'm loving everything about The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer, from the gorgeous cover to the warm, likable characters to the intriguing plot. It's engaging and fun so far.

The audiobook I'm listening to right now also has some bookish themes:

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney is a thriller about an estranged family who gathers at their grandmother's isolated manor for her 80th birthday. Nana is a beloved children's author and illustrator who's made a tidy fortune that all of her descendants want a (large) piece of. When she dies suspiciously, each of the party attendees becomes a suspect. Who killed Nana and why? And who's next on the killer's hit list?

Happy June! How did your May go? Mine was busy and, once again, I did not read any bookish books during the month. I read a few that had books in them, but it wasn't a main theme so I'm not counting them. Just to reiterate, though, this is a laidback challenge and you choose what counts as a "bookish" book. If you think it counts for the challenge, it totally does! 

My book club chose The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson for our May read, but we didn't meet until tonight. I loved the novel when I read it back in 2020. My plan was to re-read it before book club, but I'm still only about 100 pages in. So, for May, I'll finish the re-read, then go on to its sequel, The Book Woman's Daughter. Those will happen this month for sure. 

Here are a couple other possibilities:

I'm a big Carol Goodman fan and her newest, The Bones of the Story, sounds like a compelling bookish thriller. It's a locked-room mystery about a group of people who took a creative writing class together in college 25 years ago. A terrible tragedy involving their professor marked their time together. When people start dying at a commemoration event, it becomes clear that the past is coming back to haunt the present.

Vero over at The Moon Phoenix has been raving about The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer and it does sound like a fun read. It's about a super popular children's writer who mysteriously stopped publishing years ago. Everyone is shocked when he announces not only that he has written a new book but also that he is hosting an exclusive competition in which the winner takes home the only copy of his coveted new story. The stakes are impossibly high for the four people chosen to compete. Who will emerge the victor?

What bookish books are you planning to read in June?

There are lots of things that make me want to read a particular book. Perhaps it's written by a favorite author or it utilizes a trope I enjoy or the cover just screams, "Pick me up!" What attracts another reader to a certain volume might turn me off completely. Selecting the right book is a very objective process. Today's TTT prompt—Top Ten Things That Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book—is all about those specific reasons you find certain books alluring. I created a list for this topic back in 2018 and nothing much has changed. I'm a creature of habit. Coming up with an additional ten for today's list was a bit of a struggle, but I managed it.

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Click on over and give her some love!

3. Depression/Dust Bowl—It's not a very uplifting subject, but lately I've been very intrigued by this era in American history.

4. Appalachia—I've never been to this area of the U.S., but I'm still fascinated by the region with its hills, hollers, and unique way of life.

5. Catchy Titles—If a book's title makes me smile, laugh, or wonder, I'll probably pick it up. I find cozy mystery titles involving cheese especially hilarious.

6. Moody, Broody Covers—Give me all the windswept old houses, angry seas, desolate landscapes, and stormy skies. Atmospheric covers always appeal to me. 

7. Based on a True Story Historical Fiction—I'm a big hist-fic fan, especially when a novel tells an obscure/untold tale that is based on real life.

8. Knives Out-ish—Ever since this popular movie came out, I've seen a bunch of mystery novels comparing themselves to Knives Out. Although none of the ones I've read so far have really charmed me as much as the film, I still rush to read them. 

9. One Thing Wrong Cover—Books about communities that seem placid and upstanding on the outside by harbor deep, dark secrets always appeal to me. I love covers that illustrate this subtly, with just one little thing out of place to show that not everything is what it seems.

10. Books—This one will shock exactly no one. If a cover features a stack of books, a bookstore or library, and/or a bookish title, I'm in.

There you go, ten more things that draw me to certain books. What subjects/tropes/cover images, etc. never fail to hook your interest as a reader? 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 left here.

Happy May Day! I don't know how April went for you, but for me it was a busy month and it rushed by in a bit of a blur. My third child graduates from high school in a few weeks, which will make May busy as well. Also hot. We haven't hit 100 degrees yet, thank goodness; we've come close, though. Ugh. It's already way too warm to read by the pool. Ours doesn't have much shade so I'll be enjoying my books inside my air conditioned house, under a whirling fan, until further notice (probably around December). 

I did manage to read one bookish book in April. Book Lovers by Emily Henry has been getting all kinds of buzz ever since it came out. Contemporary romance really isn't my genre, but I wanted to see what all the hype was about. Book Lovers is a fun, enemies-to-lovers story with lots of playful banter, humorous scenes, and an entertaining plot (although it did seem overly long at times). I listened to the book on audio, with Julia Whelan narrating. She did a great job bringing the characters to life. Overall, it was an enjoyable listen. I just wish it would have been more of a closed-door, PG-13 kind of romance. 

I've yet to read the majority of the books I've listed in these monthly posts as potential reads for The Bookish Books Reading Challenge. Still, here are a few that have caught my eye recently that I could, potentially, get to this month. We'll see how it goes.

I mentioned these two in my recent book haul posts:

Shaun Bythell is the owner of the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland and his books are supposed to be insightful and hilarious. I can't wait to dig in.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson is my book club's pick for May. I've already read it, but it's been a few years, so I'm going to re-read it and then move on to The Book Woman's Daughter. I've heard the sequel is just as good as the first book, which is always reassuring.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can score an e-ARC of Last Word to the Wise by Ann Claire. It's the second installment in a fun cozy mystery series set in a mystery-themed bookstore that is accessible only by (or, at least, most conveniently by) gondola. I enjoyed the first book in the series and am excited to see what happens in the second. Hopefully, the Edelweiss gods will grant my pending request...

I felt a little bad about going on my last book shopping spree at a chain store instead of my local indie, so I decided to even out the score. Plus, it's Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 29th. Not that I ever need an excuse to visit a bookstore...Changing Hands really is a fabulous place to buy books. The Tempe location has a fun, quirky vibe. It's packed with new and used tomes as well as bookish extras and specialty items like fancy soaps, kitchen accessories, notebooks/journals, jewelry, etc. Other perks include a trade desk, where you can trade in books you no longer need for store credit. They also have a frequent buyer program that gives you one stamp for every $10 you spend; when you reach 10 stamps, you get a $10 off credit. During your birthday month, you also get $10 off your purchases. All of these things make it an enjoyable place to spend my book money! It's actually a good thing that's it a 20-minute drive away. If it were closer, I'd definitely be there more often.

Today, I traded in a stack of books and earned about $56 in credit. I also had a full punch card, which gave me $10. Five of the eight books in the stack above are new and three are hardcovers, so the actual retail price of all eight (at least at Changing Hands) was $133.10. I paid $76.60 (including tax). Not too shabby. My husband actually spent more and he only bought three used books and one (very expensive) chocolate candy bar. Both of our purchases earned me more stamps, so now I have another full card to use next time I'm in the store. Yay!

Here's what I got:

Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell—I've never heard of Bythell, but apparently, he's the owner of the second largest secondhand bookstore in Scotland. He's written several books about his experiences as a bookseller and they're supposed to be hilarious. I believe this one is his first book, which was published in 2017.

The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine by Janice P. Nimura—This non-fiction book has been on my TBR list since it came out a few years ago. It's about Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell, two American women who received M.D.s in the 1800s. Elizabeth was the first ever to do so. Sounds fascinating!

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson—I'm not even a little bit alone in my love for The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. This is the sequel, which stars the daughter of the titular book woman.

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom—Grissom was kind enough to send me a review copy of her new novel, Crow Mary, and I can't wait to read it. In the meantime, I want to re-read The Kitchen House, which I loved, and then read its sequel, Glory Over Everything. The Kitchen House is about a young white girl who is orphaned while sailing from Ireland to America. She becomes an indentured servant at a Southern plantation, where she becomes part of the servants' family, despite their differing skin colors. When she upsets the order of things, however, life as she knows it changes forever.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen—This memoir was on clearance and I've been wanting to read it, so I grabbed it. It's the story of Rhoda's journey back home to the insular Mennonite family and culture she left behind. The book's supposed to be both hilarious and touching. I'm in!

Lone Women by Victor LaVelle—I probably don't need to tell you what this one's about since it's been getting all kinds of buzz in the book blogosphere. It sounds unique and compelling. The novel concerns a Black woman who leaves California to homestead in Montana in 1915. Not only does she have to eke out a life on the brutal prairie, but she also has a dark secret. One that makes the people around her disappear. How will she fare in her attempt at a new life?

The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris—When my husband saw this book, he added it to my to-buy stack, saying, "This sounds like your kind of book!" Ha ha. He knows me so well.

Ashton Hall by Lauren Belfer—Ashton Hall is my favorite kind of novel, one in which a modern-day woman enters a mysterious old house and becomes obsessed with unearthing all its secrets. I'm always up for this kind of story.

What do you think of my haul? Have you read any of these? Which should I read first? 

Although I had every intention of reading more than one bookish book in March, it just did not happen. I very much enjoyed the one I did get to, though:

Murder Off the Books is the third installment in Tamara Berry's By the Book cozy mystery series. I'm loving the series because it's just so much fun. Easy, entertaining reads are exactly what I need sometimes.

April is already shaping up to be a good month for bookish books because I'm already reading these two:

Smile Beach Murder is the first installment in Alicia Bessette's cozy mystery series set in North Carolina's Outer Banks area. It stars Callie Padget, a city reporter who's just been laid off. With nowhere else to go, she returns to her hometown temporarily to regroup. Soon after she gets hired at a local bookstore, she runs into an old friend, who soon ends up dead. The police think she jumped from the lighthouse because she wanted to kill herself; Callie refuses to believe it. Someone killed Eva Meeks, just like someone killed Callie's mother—in the exact same place—26 years ago. It's up to Callie to figure out what really happened to the dead women. 

Emily Henry's name is all over the book blogosphere. Everyone seems to adore her books, so I knew I had to give them a go. I was excited when I saw that Book Lovers was available on audio from my library. I'm only a few chapters in, but so far it's super fun. I've already laughed out loud several times, which bodes very well.

I just found out about this book, which is a potential bookish read for April:

Dear Reader: The Comfor and Joy of Books is a memoir of the reading life of Cathy Rentzenbrink, a bookseller who became a professional writer. 

I might also get a jump on this one since it's my book club's May pick:

Everyone's probably already read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, so I won't give you a plot summary. I adore this book, but it's been a minute since I read it so I'm going to re-read it so it's fresh in my mind for book club and so I can finally pick up the sequel:

As the title indicates, The Book Woman's Daughter is the story of the daughter of the beloved Troublesome Creek book woman. When Honey Lovett's parents are imprisoned, she has to fight to keep her own freedom. She starts running her mother's packhorse library route, delivering books to eager patrons in the remote hollers of Appalachia. Just as it did for her mother, the job changes Honey's life forever.

We'll see how many of these I actually get read, but this is a good tentative plan for April. We'll see how it goes. How about you? What bookish books did you read in March? Which are you planning on for April?

For those of you who are participating in the Bookish Books Reading Challenge, here's the Mr. Linky to use for linking up March reviews. If you've not yet signed up for the challenge, what are you waiting for? Join us in this low-key challenge that celebrates a genre we all love: books about books. It will be fun, I promise!