I've been MIA for a few weeks and I've missed participating in my favorite meme! I'm a little bit late to the party, but, hey, better late than never, right? This week's prompt is: Top Ten Books Guaranteed to End Your Reading Slump. I've read voraciously since I was a kindergartner without ever experiencing a slump, so this topic isn't really relevant to me. Last week's was a Genre Freebie; I'm going to go that route this week instead. Freebies can be tough sometimes, but I decided to highlight a genre I love—historical mysteries—and chat about some of my favorite mystery series set in the past. This list should give you a good idea of the kind of historical mysteries I love. If you've got any suggestions for similar reads, please hit me with your best recs!

Edited to add: I didn't realize until I'd practically finished writing this post that I'd basically already written the same one two years ago. It did seem a *wee* bit familiar. Ha ha. At least I'm consistent?

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

1. A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong—While on a visit to Edinburgh, a modern-day homicide detective is flung back in time to 1869, where she wakes up in the body of an uneducated chambermaid. As she tries to figure out what happened to her and how to get home, she subtley tries to help her boss—an undertaker who moonlights as a medical examiner—solve murders while keeping her real identity hidden. 

Setting: Victorian Scotland, mostly Edinburgh

Books in series so far: 4

Books I've read: 4

Series opener: A Rip Through Time

2. Myrtle Hardcastle by Elizabeth C. Bunce—With the aid of her governess, a 12-year-old uses her keen observation skills to solve murders and other mysteries in her small English town. 

Setting: Victorian England, 1890s

Books in series so far: 5 

Books I've read: 5

Series opener: Premeditated Myrtle

3. Gilded Newport Mysteries by Alyssa Maxwell—Emma Cross is the poor relative of a Vanderbilt, which gives the 21-year-old gossip columnist access to both Newport's well-heeled and its downtrodden. Trying to prove herself as a serious journalist, she uses her unique social position to investigate crimes among both the upper and lower classes.

Setting: Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., 1890s

Books in series so far: 13

Books I've read: 5

Series opener: Murder at the Breakers

4. Veronica Speedwell by Deanna Raybourn—Veronica, a plucky, independent lepidopterist, is pursuing a scientific inquiry when someone has the audacity to try to abduct her. An enigmatic German baron comes to her rescue and puts her under the protection of a gruff and mysterious gentleman. A natural historian, Stoker becomes her partner in cataloging the baron's massive collection of artifacts. The duo soon become known for their skill in sleuthing.

Setting: Victorian England, 1880s

Books in series so far: 10

Books I've read: 6

Series opener: A Curious Beginning

5. Below Stairs Mysteries by Jennifer Ashley—One of the most sought after cooks in London, Kat Holloway accepts a position at the luxurious Mayfair home of a respected, but eccentric family. Odd things are always happening in and around the household, causing Kat to become not just a chef but also an amateur sleuth.

Setting: Victorian London, England

Books in series so far: 8

Books I've read: 3

Series opener: Death Below Stairs

6. Rose Gallagher by Erin Lindsey—Raised in New York City's gritty Five Points neighborhood, Rose Gallagher is content to spend her days in a fine Fifth Avenue brownstone, even if she's just scrubbing its floors and polishing its mirrors. When her kindly employer goes missing, however, she launches her own investigation into his disappearance. As she sticks her nose in where it definitely doesn't belong, she discovers that her workplace and, indeed, the larger world is inhabited by people Gifted with supernatural powers. Her newfound knowledge earns her an elevated place in the household as an assistant to her employer as he and his colleagues sort mysteries, both earthly and otherworldly.

Setting: Gilded Age America, primarily New York City, New York

Books in series so far: 4 (the newest comes out in December)

Books  I've read: 3

Series opener: Death on Millionaires' Row

7. Enola Holmes by Nancy Springer —Just as smart and observant as her older brother, Sherlock, Enola can't stand to miss out on all the fun of solving mysteries so she, too, uses her particular skills to detect and deduce her way to success.

Setting: Victorian England

Books in series so far: 9

Books I've read: 1

8. Kinship by Jess Montgomery—After her husband is killed in the line of duty, Lily Ross takes his place as sheriff of Kinship, Ohio. The widow has her work cut out for her fighting not just sexism, but also the corruption, greed, and crime that define life in the hardscrabble world of 20th Century Appalachia. 

Setting: Ohio, U.S.A., 1920s

Books in series so far: 4

Books I've read: 4

Series opener: The Widows

9. Amelia Peabody by Elizabeth Peters—A wealthy English spinster, our archaeologist heroine loves spending her time in Egypt, where wonders and mysteries always abound.

Setting: Egypt, 1880s-1920s

Books in series: 20

Books I've read: 2 

Series opener: Crocodile on the Sandbank

10. The Agency by Y.S. Lee—In this YA series, 17-year-old Mary Quinn is rescued from the gallows by a woman posing as a prison guard. Really, the imposter represents a secret school that trains female private investigators. As an "agent," Mary goes undercover to investigate nefarious activity and help solve crimes.

Setting: Victorian London, England

Books in series: 4

Books I've read: 3

Series opener: A Spy in the House

Wow, I somehow didn't realize that my favorite historical mystery series were so similar in setting and time period. I need to branch out a little bit! If you're familiar with these series, you can see that I like my historical mysteries peppered with strong heroines, humor, and clever writing. Which others would you recommend? Which historical mysteries/series are your favorite? I would truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Even though I try to keep my Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl) posts positive, I'm going to start this one by complaining about the heat because, WOW! Here in the Phoenix area, we're heading into the twelfth day in a row of temperatures above 115 degrees. Yes, really. It's awful. The air conditioning in my house is having trouble keeping up and the water in my backyard swimming pool is as warm as a bath. Ugh. With all the extreme heat warnings being sounded, it's clearly safest for me to stay home ( with a/c blasting and ceiling fans whirling) and read. Fine by me! I hope your local weather is less extreme than mine and that you're staying safe and cool this summer.

Like I mentioned, I'm going to give today's TTT prompt a wide berth since it feels too negative to me. (It even comes with a warning not to book bash!) The official topic is: Top Ten Most Recent Books I Did Not Finish (Feel free to tell us why if you want, but if you do, please be nice to the authors and don't tag them when you mention your post on social media!) Not every book is going to work for every reader, obviously, and that's okay. When I DNF one, it's usually because it has one or more of the following issues: a boring plot, characters I don't care about, clunky writing, or content that is too graphic/crude for me. 

In searching for an alternate list topic today, I decided to go with one I've seen lots of other book bloggers doing in recent weeks: The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag. I'm not sure with whom this meme originated (Anyone know?), but it's a fun way to look back at what you've read so far this year and what you still hope to accomplish before the year ends. 

Out of the 103 books I've read this year, here are...

1. The Best Book You've Read So Far in 2023:

I'd say it's a toss-up between these two. 

2. The Best Sequel of 2023 So Far?

I've binged a bunch of Kelley Armstrong's books this year (six and counting), but The Poisoner's Ring is the one that stands out in this category. Armstrong's Rip Through Time series is just incredibly fun so far.

3. The New Release You Haven't Read Yet But Want To:

4. The Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of 2023:

I'm reading this one right now and really enjoying it. It comes out on November 7.

5. Biggest Disappointment?

I usually really enjoy Megan Miranda's thrillers, but this one was a slog and peopled with characters I didn't care about to boot.

6. Biggest Surprise?

I don't read a lot of contemporary general fiction, but someone suggested this one for book club. I thought it might be a little silly, but it was actually quite charming. Also, funny, uplifting, and insightful. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

7. Favorite New Author (Debut or New to You):

I really enjoyed Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney, so I'll definitely be checking out her other books.

8. Newest Fictional Crush?

Book boyfriends are not my thing, but my favorite fictional couple these days is Detective Casey Duncan and her common law husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton. They're the stars of the Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong. I started the books a few years ago, but I finished the series this year so I'm counting it here.

9. Newest Favorite Character(s):

Enola Holmes, Sherlock's crime-solving younger sister, is pretty delightful!

10. Book That Made You Cry?

What Stands in a Storm by Kim Cross is about a series of vicious tornadoes that wreaked havoc on Alabama and Mississippi in 2011. While the book describes a lot of horrifying situations, it also focuses on how people came together in the aftermath to help one another search for missing loved ones, mourn the dead, clean up devastated communities, and heal from trauma the storms wrought. Those stories definitely had me choking up.

That's it for my mid-year reading assessment. How would you answer these questions? 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!