I've been feeling a little emotionally bruised lately because of some...things, which has led to a *bit* of indulgence in the bookish retail therapy department. Needless to say, this week's TTT prompt is going to be a cinch for me: Top Ten Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection. 

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

1. The Agatha Christie Collection by Agatha Christie—I've read a few of Christie's iconic Hercules Poirot mysteries, but I've been wanting to start at the beginning and read the rest in order. The first one, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, always seems to be checked out from my library, so I finally just bought this volume which includes that title, as well as The Murder on the Links (#2) and Poirot Investigates (#3). I'm excited to see how it all began!

2. Stranded by Nikki Shannon Smith—I've mentioned this middle grade novel before. It's about a young Black girl from New York City who loves nature to a degree that confounds everyone around her. She finds a kindred spirit in her aunt, who lives in a remote cabin in the Adirondacks. Despite all that Auntie Raven teaches Ava about wilderness survival, though, Ava's terrified when she finds herself alone in the woods. Does she have what it takes to make it ouf of the forest alive? 

3. What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan—I have been enjoying this Irish-Australian author's Cormac Reilly crime series, so I was eager to give this standalone a go. It has not been available in my local libraries or bookstores and even Amazon didn't have it until recently. Finally, I was able to get myself a copy. The story revolves around a young couple who go on a romantic vacation to a remote cabin in the woods. When only the man returns, telling a story full of holes, everyone is asking the titular question: What happened to Nina?

4. The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu—Considering what is going on right now, particularly in the U.S., I figured this was a good time to buy a copy of this book, about which I've heard great things. A warm, respectful conversation between two wise, compassionate leaders about what really matters in life sounds like just what my soul needs.

5. Not Nothing by Gayle Forman—I've never been overly interested in this author's YA novels, but I do like the sound of this one, her first middle-grade book. Alex is a lonely 12-year-old boy who commits an act that gets him sentenced to a summer performing community service at a retirement home. He is not at all enthusiastic about the prospect until he meets a 107-year-old resident named Josey. A man who has lived through it all, including the Holocaust, Josey just wants his long life to be over. When he meets Alex and begins telling the boy his story, the experience changes both of them. Can Josey's tales of courage give Alex the strength he needs to own up to the worst mistake he's ever made?

6. Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny—Changing Hands Bookstore, my local indie, offers a $10 birthday discount to its customers when we shop during our birth month. I used mine to pick up a copy of this 14th installment in the Armand Gamache crime series. It's one of my favorite series of all time, so I want to own all of them so I can re-read the books whenever I want. I haven't read Kingdom of the Blind yet, but it begins with a strange letter informing Gamache that he has been named in the will of a woman who is a complete stranger to him. He's baffled. When a dead body is found, the deceased's intentions become a little more clear—and a lot more sinister.

7. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett—Santa Claus brought me the beautiful Fingerprints edition of this children's classic. It's about a young girl who discovers a neglected garden on her uncle's estate. As she nurtures it back to life, she unearths secrets, clues, and answers to important questions about her family and herself.

8. The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton—My sister gave me a Barnes & Noble gift card for my birthday, which is a few days before Christmas. I used it to buy this dystopian/murder novel that I've been eyeing. It has a very intriguing premise: a killing fog has decimated the world's population, leaving only 125 people living on an idyllic island protected by a security system that keeps the fog away. Then, a scientist is murdered. The death triggers not just a lowering of the security system, which will disappear entirely if the killer isn't found in the next 107 hours, but also an erasure of everyone's memories of the night before. Someone on the island is a murderer, even if they don't remember that they are. Can the islanders solve the murder before it's too late?

9. Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson—I also used my gift card to buy a copy of this murder mystery by one of my favorite YA authors. It concerns Marlowe Wexler, a teenage girl who takes a summer job as a tour guide at a mansion that was built on a remote island in the 1920s and abandoned soon after. It's an easy gig, if not the most exciting job in the world. Except for the unexplained deaths that happened on the island. Those are...something. When Marlowe's employer mysteriously vanishes, Marlowe worries that the house's haunted history is making a deadly comeback...

10. The Magdalen Girls by V.S. Alexander—You know those tempting Kindle deals, where interesting-looking books can be had for just a few dollars? I fall for those way too often! Such is the case with this historical novel about three young Irish women who are sent to a Dublin convent that now serves as a Magdalen laundry for the crimes of being too pretty and too independently-minded. Despite the grimness and cruelty they experience in their new home, the young women form a fast, deep friendship. When they are finally able to escape the laundry, they'll need that bond to help them survive in the outside world, which might be more harsh than the one they've just escaped. Sounds depressing, but intriguing.

There you go, ten of my newest book acquisitions. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which volumes have you acquired lately? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. 

Enough of the mushy stuff, let's get on with things...I love prompts like this week's: Top Ten Books On My Winter 2024-2025 TBR List. It's always fun to contemplate what I might want to read next and, of course, to see all of the titles hanging out on your lists this season. Since I still have a handful of book award nominees I need to read before the year ends, I won't have time to dive into anything else until January so this is really a Winter 2025 TBR List. 

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Many thanks to our hostess with the mostest for organizing TTT every week

1. The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos, RN—My book club picked this non-fiction title for our January selection. It's supposed to be a moving read about lessons Vlahos has learned from her dying patients.

2. The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore—I'm listening to The Lonely Hearts Book Club right now and enjoying it so I'm eager to read more by this author. I hadn't realized that Lucy Gilmore is a pen name for one of my favorite cozy mystery writers, Tamara Berry. Her books are so fun! 

This one concerns a librarian who's struggling to keep her head above water as she cares for her three younger siblings while working and trying to find herself. When she discovers a rare book in a thrift shop, she's thrilled with the valuable find. When her curmudgeonly neighbor insists on buying it, she's confused by his determination. Inside the book, she discovers notes in the margins that were written by two young lovers. Why is her neighbor so interested in the romantic scribbles? Could there be more to the grumpy old man than she ever imagined?

3. Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney—This YA mystery stars 14-year-old Ava Bonney. Our heroine has a macabre curiosity about how animals decompose. In the dead of night, she routinely collects roadkill specimens to study and analyze. On one of her midnight forays, she makes a shocking discovery: the murdered corpse of one of her classmates. When another girl is killed, Ava can't help but get involved. She's determined to find the killer, even if it means she might become the next victim. 

4. Stranded by Nikki Shannon Smith—I always enjoy a gripping survival story. This middle grade novel is about an 11-year-old city girl who's accidentally left behind in her aunt's remote mountain cabin. When a fierce storm roars in, causing major damage to the cabin, its terrified inhabitant must flee for her life. Can a city slicker survive in the dangerous outdoors with only minimal survival skills to guide her?

5. Drop Dead Sisters by Amelia Diane Coombs—The first installment in a new cozy mystery series, this one features a trio of estranged sisters who reunite for a family camping trip. As they are renewing their relationships, they discover a dead body. While no one knows exactly what happened, it's clear the Finche family needs to do some damage control before they're accused of a heinous crime. After all, none of them are guilty. Right?

6. Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio—Even though this middle grade verse novel seems more suited to summer reading, I'd like to get to it sooner rather than later. It's about a girl who moves from her native Philippines to join her mother in San Francisco. In the U.S., everything is new to her—including her mother, whom she doesn't really know. When she joins her school's cooking and gardening club, Isabel hopes it will help her finally fit in and find belonging in her new home.

7. The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li (available May 6, 2025)—This gothic family thriller doesn't come out for awhile yet, but I've got an e-ARC that I can't wait to read. The story revolves around Vivian Yin, a Chinese actress who was a Hollywood hit before living out the rest of her life as a recluse. Now that she has died, her daughters expect to inherit Vivan's grand estate. To their surprise, another family—long estranged from Vivian—is also in the running to inherit the home. Both clans move into the estate, vying for ultimate ownership, while Vivian's daughters try to figure out the many secrets of their mother's past.

8. Murder in the Ranks by Kristi Jones—After her German husband deserts her, taking their daughter with him, Dottie Lincoln finds refuge in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. It's 1943 and the women are bonding while serving together in North Africa. When one of them is murdered, throwing Dottie's decisions as squad leader into question, it's up to Dottie to find a killer in the ranks.  

9. Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray (available February 4, 2025)—Legend has it that if you leave a letter in the Bridegroom's Oak, the love of your life will write you back. In 1940s Germany, a teenage girl is using the tree for a greater purpose than romance. Four decades later, another young woman uses it to break free of society's constraints and work toward bringing down the Berlin Wall. Amidst the COVID pandemic in New York City, another girl receives a package from her grandmother that leads her and her best friend to an unsolved case of two teenagers who went missing under the Bridegroom's Oak almost 100 years ago. 

10. Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson—As an adoptive mom, I never tire of reading about adoption. This novel is about a 30-something high school teacher whose life looks pretty darn perfect from the outside. No matter what else is going on in her life, she can't stop thinking about the daughter she bore when she was 16 and subsequently placed for adoption. This year, as her baby turns 18, she may finally get the chance to meet the child she has been missing for so long.

There you go, ten books I'm hoping to read this winter. Have you read any of them? What titles are you excited to read in the next few months? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.