Today's TTT prompt is: Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR List. Seasonal TBR lists are my favorite. I always get excited when I spy these prompts coming up! It's fun for me to not just plan out what I want to read in the upcoming season but also to see what everyone else has in their queues. Since I just posted about the books I'm planning to read for the 20 Books of Summer Challenge, though, I feel like I've already covered this topic. Luckily, I've got more than enough titles to fit next week's prompt—Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2024—so I'm going to skip ahead a bit and make this Part One of Two for that topic. Confused yet? Ha ha.

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

2. When the World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward (available July 19)—It's 1917 and the world is engulfed in war. Wanting to do her part, Nora Crowell of Halifax, Nova Scotia, enlists in the Canadian Army Nursing Corp. Newly widowed, Charlotte Campbell is living with her soldier husband's dismissive relatives, finding joy and solace only in her baby daughter. As the war rages on, the two women's lives collide in a surprising way, bringing both heartache and hope to both.

3. Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran (available July 30)—With World War II still very much fresh on everyone's minds, Oscar Hammerstein is asked to help produce a musical based on the life of Maria von Trapp, an Austrian nun who becomes a governess and then the wife of her wealthy employer. When Austria is overtaken by Nazis, the von Trapp family risked their lives to flee the country. The story has dramatic potential, even if Rogers and Hammerstein will have to romanticize Maria's tale a bit. When the real Maria reads the script, she's furious. Determined to set the record straight, she tells her true story to Hammerstein's secretary since the man Himself is not available. 

4. Return to Wyldcliffe Heights by Carol Goodman (available July 30)—Agnes Corey, a junior editor at an indie publishing company, gets the enviable assignment to transcribe the sequel to a blockbuster novel that was published thirty years ago. After that phenom, the author was blinded and scarred in a mysterious fire, then became a recluse, hiding away in her estate, which was once a psychiatric hospital. The more time Agnes spends there with the enigmatic author, the more intrigued she becomes with the story she's transcribing, which seems to be more than just fiction... 

5. My Salty Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows (available August 20)—I adore the Jane/Mary books with their playful alternate history/fantasy plots, upbeat narration, and colorful characters. They're never dull! The newest installment combines The Little Mermaid fairy tale with the life of real-life lady pirate Mary Read. Our Mary is a mermaid who's rescued by the crew of a pirate ship captained by Blackbeard himself. When he dies, she sees her opportunity to became the Pirate Queen. Anyone who tries to stand in her way or tell her a girl can't be a pirate can just walk the plank already. Nothing and no one will stop Mary from getting what she wants.

6. Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (available September 10)—On an ordinary day aboard an ordinary plane flight, a group of passengers is given an extraordinary gift—they learn how and when they are going to die. Although it seems like a silly party trick, people soon begin perishing exactly as "The Death Lady" said they would. How will this knowledge change how the remaining passengers live their lives? What will they do with this illuminating information?  What would you do knowing the same?

7. A Split Second by Janae Marks (available October 1)—In this middle-grade mystery, Elise goes to sleep on her birthday and, somehow, wakes up six months later. Although no one else seems to notice anything is awry, everything has changed. Her friends aren't talking to her, she's somehow been signed up for photography club, and her former BFF is acting all chummy again. Elise has no idea what is going on. How can she fix things for her future self? Can she ever go back to the way things were?

Marks is also a contributor to a middle-grade short story anthology called Black Girl Power which comes out on November 12. I'm in for that one as well, especially since I'm the adoptive mother of a mixed-race daughter who very much embraces her Black girl power! 

8. The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (available October 8)—It's 1940 and two puzzle-loving siblings are hard at work trying to solve the mysteries surrounding them. While Jakob Novis joins other codebreakers at Bletchley Park who are trying to crack the Nazis' Enigma cipher, his younger sister, Lizzie, is determines to figure out the truth behind their mother's disappearance. The more the siblings study both, the more they begin to think the two might be linked somehow. With time running out, they need to solve both puzzles, and fast.

9. Misery Hates Company by Elizabeth Hobbs (available November 5)—Marigold Manners is a strong, independent woman, even if she no longer has a penny to her name. With her parents dead and her academic ambitions dashed, she has little choice but to answer a summons from a mysterious relative. Arriving at a crumbling pile full of reclusive relations, she determines to modernize their lives. Marigold's efforts end in murder, mayhem, and a police investigation with her at its center. It's up to the accused to find out what really happened before she winds up behind bars.

10. Heist Royale by Kayvion Lewis (available November 12)—I thoroughly enjoyed Thieves' Gambit, the first book in Lewis' new series about a teen from Barbados who comes from a notorious family of thieves. Although she would like to get out of the game and attend college like a normal person, Ross finds herself embroiled in the biggest gamble of her life. With her family's future hanging in the balance, she must rely on the one person she knows she can't trust to help her save them—no matter the cost.

There you go, ten upcoming releases I can't wait to read. Which new titles are you eagerly anticipating? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Although we are having a little streak of days in the 90s, it's only going to last until Thursday, when we'll be back over 100 degrees again. This is par for the course in the Arizona desert, unfortunately. True Fall weather (at least our version of it) won't start arriving for a couple months still. I desperately miss real Autumn weather and dream of the days when I experienced it this way:

Even if it's not Fall yet on the outside where I live, it's Fall in my heart, so it seems appropriate that today's prompt is Top Ten Books On My Fall 2022 TBR List. These seasonal lists are my favorite! I can't wait to see what everyone's planning to read during this cozy time of year.

If you want to join in the fun (and you definitely do!), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

- in no particular order - 

1. The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty—I've read most of Moriarty's novels, but this one slipped through the cracks somehow. I'm currently enjoying it on audio. The story is about a woman who very unexpectedly inherits the house of someone she barely knows. Along with the property comes an unconventional family full of untold secrets.

2. Come Down Somewhere by Jennifer L. Wright—The other day, I was working on improving my NetGalley downloaded-to-reviewed ratio (I went from 2% to 4%—woohoo!) when I came across Wright's first book, If It Rains. Remembering how much I enjoyed her debut, I went looking for more from her. Turns out, her sophomore effort came out a couple weeks ago. 

The novel concerns 16-year-old Olive, whose family's New Mexico ranch is seized by the government in 1945 in order to make way for a hush-hush new Army post. Already angry at being uprooted, Olive's even more disconcerted when she hears rumors about what's really happening on her family's land. Seven years after a devastating explosion rocks the whole area, Olive returns to the ranch determined to figure out what really happened there. Sounds intriguing!

3. The House on the Lake by Holly Hill Mangin—It wouldn't be spooky season without a shivery read or two. This one is about two women who arrive at a mysterious lake house with no memory of getting there. The house is full of chilling surprises. What will the women find? Will they ever be able to leave?

4. The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox (available April 4, 2023)—Fox's newest doesn't come out until Spring, but I've got an e-ARC thanks to Edelweiss. The story stars a young woman who's shocked when she learns that not only is she part of an ancient English bloodline, but she's also the new owner of a sprawling Yorkshire manor. Although rumors of ghosts, curses, and sinister doings swirl around Blackwood Abbey, it has one major draw: an exquisite library. How could any book lover possibly resist? As strange things start happening, Blackwood's new owner is determined to get to the bottom of its many secrets. 

5. The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green (available November 15, 2022)—Returning to World War II, Green's newest concerns an unlikely librarian tasked with keeping her small-town Maine library open despite wartime struggles. The book club she forms as a last-ditch effort brings together a group of very different women who find support, belonging, and commonality as they bond through books.

6. Exiles by Jane Harper (available January 31, 2023)—I love Harper's novels, especially those in the Aaron Falk series, so I'm excited for her newest. I've got an e-ARC of this one, which has the federal investigator traveling to Southern Australia for a baby christening. Naturally, he gets embroiled in the case of Kim Gillespie, a young mother who tucked her slumbering newborn into her stroller then vanished without a trace during a town festival one year ago. What would make a loving parent abandon her baby? Did Kim go willingly or was she taken? Where is she now? 

7. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm—This middle-grade read is an older book and one of the few of Holm's standalone novels I haven't yet read. It's about a young girl who moves with her mother to Key West, Florida. Jobs are scarce in 1935 and her mom needs this one, even if the wealthy lady for whom she's working hates kids. Florida is a big adjustment for young Turtle, but it might be just what she needs to finally come out of her shell.

8. The Dark by Sharon Bolton—It's been eight years since Bolton published an installment of her Lacey Flint mystery series, so I'm super stoked about this one. In it, Lacey is investigating a disturbing new terrorist threat from an extremist group that hates women—killing their babies. Can Lacey stop them before another infant dies?

9. The Bequest by Joanna Margaret (available October 18, 2022)—Isabel Henley moves from the U.S. to Scotland in the wake of a devastating love affair. Immediately, one after another, things in her new life start to go awry. When Isabel receives a coded message from an old friend who's been abducted, she finds herself in a desperate race to finish the research her kidnapped pal started. If she can't do it, both women will be killed by the dangerous captors.

10. The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf—This thriller looks like a perfect Fall read! Wylie Lark, a true crime writer, has retreated to an isolated farmhouse to pound out her new book. Once the site of a grisly murder, it's an atmospheric place to write; an oncoming snowstorm just makes it more so. When Wylie discovers a child stranded in the blizzard, she realizes she's not as alone as she thinks she is. Someone is out there, dying to come in...

There you have it, ten books on my Fall 2022 TBR list. What do you think? Have you read any of them? What are you planning to read this Fall? 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! 

I don't know about you, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that 2021 is almost over. It's been a good year for my family with lots of fun memories made. We're gearing up for an eventful 2022, so I'm excited to ring in the new year! 

The end of the year is also a good time in book blogger land. I always enjoy reading people's wrap-up posts and best-of lists. Today's TTT prompt goes right along with that: Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2021. Of the 202 books I've read so far this year (I'll probably still get through another one or two before Saturday), I marked 33 as favorites. It was a little tough to whittle that list down to the ten best, even after I disqualified re-reads. Even then, I couldn't decide what order they should go in, so I didn't rank them. 

I'd love to see your list of faves, so please join in the TTT fun. All you have to do is head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details, make your own list, then click around to other people's blogs. It's a great way to spread the love around our wonderful book blogosphere and get some great reading recommendations while you're at it!

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear—If you're determined to make your goals into realities this year, you want to get your hands on a copy of this book. It's motivating, helpful, and very readable. I enjoyed it when I read it earlier this year. It's so inspiring that I might re-read it this week to jump-start my goal-reaching in 2022.

2. The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm—I loved this uplifting middle-grade sci-fi novel. It's a space adventure, but it's really more of a family/community drama. It just made me smile.

3. Bluebird by Sharon Cameron—I'm a big Cameron fan and this YA World War II novel is a perfect example of why I love the author so much. It's a riveting story filled with page-turning action, interesting historical details, and sympathetic characters. 

4. The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner—Meissner is another hist-fic author whose books I really enjoy. This novel, set against the backdrop of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, tells the story of a mail-order bride with a secret past. It's super compelling.

5. The Answer Is... by Alex Trebek—This memoir was a delight to listen to. It's not as serious or melancholy as I thought it would be. In fact, it's funny, inspiring, and life-affirming. The chapters narrated by Trebek (most are read by Ken Jennings) are especially enjoyable. 

6. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny—Like many mystery lovers, I can't get enough of Penny's popular series starring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. I read three installments this year, of which A Great Reckoning is my favorite. It has an intriguing premise, which makes for a compelling and thought-provoking novel. I loved it.

7. How to Get Away With Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce—I discovered the Myrtle Hardcastle mystery series this year and it is all kinds of charming! I've listened to all three of the books that are out and had the most fun with this, the second one. It tells an exciting story that has plenty of twists, humor, and action. 

8. A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus—Another middle-grade novel, this one features three recently orphaned siblings who are sent to the English countryside while London is being bombed in World War II. As they search their new village for a family to call their own, they find refuge in the town library and its unconventional librarian. Funny, poignant, and hopeful, this is a truly lovely book!

9. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty—Not everyone loved Moriarty's newest, but I adored it. It's different from her others...in a good way. 

10. The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman—I found this non-fiction book about the many people who go missing in North America's federal land every year absolutely fascinating. 

There you have it, my ten favorite reads of the year. What do you think? Do we have any in common? What are the best books you read in 2021? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.

As the long-time owners of a prestigious tennis school, Joy and Stan Delaney have coached a number of champions. Their own four children are, however, not among them. While Amy, Brooke, Troy, and Logan all became competent players, none of them quite had what it took to go all the way with the sport. Disappointing, yes, but the Delaney kids have found other ways to be successful adults. And now, with the closing of Delaneys Tennis Academy, 69-year-old Joy and 70-year-old Stan are looking forward to retirement and, most importantly, grandchildren. If the dynamic duo is having a little trouble transitioning from managing a thriving tennis school full of energetic young athletes to finding purpose at home in an empty, ignored nest their busy chicks rarely visit, well, that's understandable. 

When their mother goes missing one day out of the blue, Amy, Brooke, Troy, and Logan are shocked. It's not like dependable Joy to flit off without telling anyone where she's going. Sure, she sent them all a garbled, mystifying text, but now she's not answering her phone. Then there's Stan, who's acting cagey, saying he's too busy to be disturbed. Where could Joy possibly be? And why is her husband behaving so oddly? Could he have...done something? Or does Joy's strange disappearance have to do with Savannah Pagonis, the evasive young stranger who's been staying with Joy and Stan despite their children's protestations?

Knowing the police will automatically suspect their father if they file a missing persons report, Amy, Brooke, Troy, and Logan try to figure things out themselves. Combing over their shared family history provides clues as well as enlightening—and disturbing—insights into dynamics that may well have led to an unthinkable crime...

Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty's 2014 bestseller, introduced lots of delighted readers (including me) to this talented Australian writer. I proceeded to read—and love—all of her previous novels. Her next two, though? Meh. Since Moriarty has been so off her game, I was hesitant to pick up her newest, Apples Never Fall. When I was offered an ARC, though, I couldn't resist. I mean, c'mon, it's Liane Moriarty! And guess what? I shouldn't have been worried because the author hit it out of the ballpark (er, tennis court?) with this one. Yes, Apples Never Fall is different from her other books, but it's got that old Moriarty spark that I have been sorely missing. Her trademark wit and sharp insight infuse this family drama, coating it with warmth, humor, and poignancy. The characters are complex and flawed, which makes them all the more likable (even when they're not). Plot-wise, the story has plenty of twists to keep things interesting. I was feeling very smug toward the end, thinking I had everything figured out and, boy, was I wrong! I'm so glad I was because the book's finale delighted me to no end. I know Apples Never Fall has gotten mixed reviews from Moriarty noobs and dedicated fans alike, but for me, it's a hit. In fact, besides Big Little Lies, it might be my favorite Moriarty novel of them all. I adored it.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other books by Liane Moriarty)

To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Apples Never Fall from the generous folks at Henry Holt in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I'm not much for book boyfriends—I've been married to my real-life sweetheart for 24 years as of yesterday and that's better than any fictional romance!—so I was going to skip this week's Top Ten Tuesday.  Then I realized that as tomorrow is September 1, we're official 2/3 of the way through 2021.  With only four months left in the year, I started thinking about what I've read so far and what I still want to get to before 2022.  Of the 135 books I've read, only a handful have been really stand-out reads.  So, I decided to share with you the ten (well, eleven) best novels I've read so far.  Since I'm not feeling very inspired by next week's topic either, I'll post my ten non-fiction picks then.  

Before we get to that, be sure to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give Jana, our lovely TTT hostess, some love!

- not including re-reads and in no particular order - 

1.  The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian—This historical novel set in 1920s Mississippi features two young women living hardscrabble lives who must team up to cover up the unintentional murder that brings them together.  Absorbing and atmospheric, this is a beautifully-written debut.

2.  The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny—No surprise here.  I adore the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series and this installment, the 11th, is particularly intriguing.

3.  Bluebird by Sharon Cameron (available October 5, 2021)—I've enjoyed all of Cameron's books, but this YA World War II novel is my favorite.  It has everything I love in a good hist-fic read: an atmospheric setting, a compelling plot, lovable characters, and excellent writing.

4.  Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (available September 14, 2021)—I was thrilled to get a paper ARC of this up-and-comer from an author whose books I've enjoyed.  Not gonna lie, her last few have not been up to snuff.  This one, though?  It's a gem.  A family saga + a mystery + a funny, upbeat plot.  What's not to love?  

5.  The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs—Another no-brainer.  The long-running Tempe Brennan series is one of my favorites.  This installment, the 20th, has our intrepid heroine digging into the mystery of a storage container with two corpses stuffed inside that washes up during a South Carolina storm at the same time a horrifying flesh-eating bacteria is rearing its ugly head around the U.S..  It's another riveting page-turner from Reichs.

6.  If It Rains by Jennifer L. Wright—I just finished this debut, which tells a rich, powerful story about the Dust Bowl.  It's technically a Christian novel, but the religious elements are well-woven into the tale and never get preachy or cheesy, at least in my opinion.  It's moving, hopeful (in the end, at least), and faith-promoting.

7.  The Length of a String by Elissa Brent Weissman—This middle-grade novel was one of my first reads of the year.  I loved the story about an adopted, mixed-race girl who has to learn to come to terms with her different ethnicities, cultures, and families.  

8.  Dark August by Katie Tallo—Also read early in the year, this gritty mystery/thriller set in a mysterious ghost town, kept me turning pages late into the night.  I just saw that a sequel is being released in 2022.  Can't wait!

9.  The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner—This historical, about an Irish immigrant who travels to San Francisco to become the wife of a man she's never met and finds herself in the middle of the famous 1906 earthquake, is another atmospheric, absorbing read.  I've enjoyed lots of Meissner's books, but this one is my favorite (I think).

10.  The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm—I tend to read mostly darker, more serious fiction, so it's always nice when I come across a book that's just a fun, feel-good read.  That's exactly what this middle-grade gem is! 

11.  A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott—This historical is also on the lighter side.  It deals with a female photographer who is determined to take her dead father's place on an 1871 expedition to the Grand Canyon.  Along with proving herself as a photographer, she also has to survive the treacherous trip and guard her heart against an old flame.  Also a Christian novel, this one is clean, uplifting, and compelling.  It's a fun start to a series I'm very much enjoying.  Thanks to Lark for the recommendation!

There you go, eleven of the best novels I've read this year.  Have you read any of them?  What did you think?  What are the best books you've come across in 2021?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.