Today's TTT topic is a nostalgic, walk-down-memory-lane type deal, but my memory is just not up to the task! If yours is good enough, then you might enjoy listing the Top Ten Books I Read On Vacation (bonus points if you can tell us where you were). Me? I'm going to twist the topic around a bit. I toyed with some vacation-y spins and finally decided to steal an idea from Wendy over at The Bashful Bookworm. A couple weeks ago, she made a TTT list of book covers with vehicles on them. I thought that was a fun topic and since vehicles mean travel, it works well for today. 

Before we get to my list, though, be sure to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give Jana, our hostess with the mostest, some love!

1. New From Here by Kelly Yang—It's hard to see, but the cover of my current read features an airplane flying through the title. The book is about a Chinese-American family living in Hong Kong who decides to flee to their summer home in California to escape the coronavirus. It's told from the point of view of 10-year-old Knox, whose struggles with ADHD are exacerbated by missing his father (who stayed behind to work), going to a new school, sharing a bedroom with his annoying older brother, and dealing with prejudice against Asian people (who are being blamed for bringing the virus to the U.S.). I'm only a few chapters in, but this middle grade novel is already proving to be a powerful, impacting read. 

2. All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes (available December 13, 2022)—I love this gorgeous cover with its Venetian gondola! The story is about a baby who's discovered floating in a basket along the canals of Venice. Taken in by a guild of artisans, he's raised as their own, although he still wonders about his mysterious origins. One hundred years later, a translator comes to the city to procure a rare book. Within its pages, he'll discover an intriguing story about a floating infant...

3. Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare—Lena Aldridge lives a gritty, unfulfilling life as a lounge singer in London, where she must hide her mixed-race heritage and pass as white. When she's offered the opportunity to sing on Broadway, she eagerly boards the RMS Queen Mary, excited to begin a new life in America. Her hopes sink when she finds herself embroiled in a murder onboard that puts all her dreams—not to mention her life—at risk.

4. Olive Bright, Pigeoneer by Stephanie Graves—This World War II mystery sounds interesting. The titular character is the owner of a flock of racing pigeons which she hopes will be requested by the National Pigeon Service to help with the war effort. A duo do come calling, but they're intelligence officers asking Olive to aid in a covert operation against the Germans. Soon after they arrive, a local woman is found murdered outside Olive's pigeon loft. Just what has Olive gotten herself into?

5. The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris—Similar to the above, this WWII novel features an illusionist's assistant who specializes in creating spectacular escapes to thrill audiences. When British military intelligence asks her to use her expertise to help them win the war, she's eager to help. It soon becomes clear, however, that her mission is much more dangerous than she ever imagined it could be.

6. Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen (available March 17, 2023)—I enjoy Nielsen's historical fiction for middle graders as well as books about the Titanic, so I'm very excited for this one. It's about a young stowaway with big plans for her new life in America who gets caught up in an intriguing mystery and a desperate struggle for survival.

7. Simmer Down by Sarah Smith—This rom-com featuring dueling food trucks on a Maui beach sounds fun. I was an exchange student in the Philippines during high school, so I can't wait for all the Filipino food talk. Yum!

8. Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower—I love this charming cozy mystery series. This installment, book seven, has Bailey King providing sweets for a big Thanksgiving event in town. When a man dies from an allergic reaction after eating her desserts, she's shocked. Once again, she finds herself investigating a puzzling murder.

9. The Call of the Wrens by Jenni L. Walsh—Speaking of carrier pigeons, this novel revolves around a woman who joins the Women's Royal Naval Service (aka, the "wrens") and becomes a motorcycle dispatch rider tasked with delivering the birds to the front during World War I. Two decades later, she's called back into service at the beginning of another world war.

10. Better Off Read by Nora Page—Desperate to save her town's storm-damaged library, Cleo Watkins hits the road in her bookmobile to drum up support in her small Georgia town. When a potential benefactor ends up dead and her best friend stands accused of his murder, Cleo must play Nancy Drew to figure out whodunit. 

I don't like my Top Ten Tuesday posts to be negative (or environmentally irresponsible), so I'm going to have to twist this week's topic of Books I'd Gladly Throw in the Ocean into something more friendly.  How about Books I'd Gladly Read By the Ocean?  In truth, I'll read anything by the sea, even if it's not really a "beach read," but for today's list I'm going to stick with some of the lighter reads on my TBR, the kind that would be perfect to enjoy while sitting on the sand listening to the waves crash nearby.  Because of my pale skin, I can't lounge on the beach without a sunshade and copious amounts of sunblock, but it would be worth it to relax with these reads by the shore.       

If you want to join in the TTT fun, click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

Top Ten Books I'd Gladly Read By the Ocean 

1.  Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien—Fun, frothy mysteries are perfect for seaside reading.  This is the seventh and newest installment in one of my favorite cozy series.  In this one, Lana Lee—who manages her family's Chinese restaurant but can barely boil water—enrolls in culinary school on the sly.  When the teacher ends up dead one day, Lana finds herself investigating yet another homicide. 

2.  You Have a Match by Emma Lord—I'm always up for a DNA discovery story and this YA one sounds like fun.  It's about two long-lost sisters who come together at summer camp to figure out why they never knew about each other.  Sounds like a 21st Century The Parent Trap.  Yes, please!

3.  Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee (available May 4, 2021)—I've talked about this YA historical before, but that's because it's the 2021 release that I've been most anticipating.  The story concerns Valora and Jamie Luck, a pair of estranged British-Chinese twins who are trained acrobats.  Valora sneaks aboard Titanic with plans to first reunite with her brother, then convince an American circus owner to hire them.  Of course, her plans are about to go horribly awry...

4.  Hems & Homicide by Elizabeth Penney—I just heard about this cozy series set in an apron shop in a quaint seaside town.  This first installment has Iris Buckley moving to Maine to help her grandmother run the store.  When she finds a skeleton in the shop's basement, an amateur murder investigation begins.

5.  Simmer Down by Sarah Smith—Rom-coms always make for good beach reads.  This one, which revolves around two food truck chefs competing for a coveted parking spot at a Maui beach, sounds super cute. 

6.  A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott—Lark over at Lark Writes...About Books and Life raves about the American Wonders historical series.  The first installment is set at the Grand Canyon (practically in my backyard) and concerns a woman who is determined to do the surveying job her deceased father was hired to complete for the Army.  She's stunned to discover that the project leader is the man she once refused to marry.  Sparks fly as the project is threatened and the pair must rely on each other in order to survive an expedition that grows more dangerous by the minute.

7.  The Other Emily by Dean Koontz—Koontz's newest is a little darker than my other picks today, but it sounds too intriguing to pass up.  It's about David Thorne, a man who is grief-stricken over the disappearance—and presumed murder—of the woman he loves.  When he meets the alluring Maddison Sutton, he can't help but be drawn in by her flirty attentiveness.  Most surprising is how similar she seems to David's vanished love.  Is Maddison really Emily?  Or is she a convincing dead ringer playing a cruel and sinister game?

8.  Murder's No Votive Confidence by Christin Brecher—Another cozy series opener, this one stars the owner of a Nantucket candle shop who comes under fire when the centerpiece she created for a wedding is used as a murder weapon. 

9.  A Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin—Every summer, Perry Soto looks forward to escaping sweltering New York City to relax at her godmother's seaside cottage.  Ama plans to gift the house to one of her three goddaughters, but all of them—Perry included—have secrets that could keep them from the inheritance they all want.  

10.  Bluebird by Sharon Cameron (available October 5, 2021)—I'm a big Cameron fan, so I'm looking forward to this historical YA novel about Eva, a young woman who flees Berlin with a horrifying secret, one so potentially explosive that both the Americans and the Soviets will kill to get it.  While those governments are searching for Eva, she's on the hunt for an escaped Nazi with whom she has a score to settle.  

There you go, ten novels I'd be happy to enjoy while relaxing on the shore.  Have you read any of them?  What books would you tote to the beach?  Which do you want to throw in the ocean?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.  

Happy TTT!