I like to think I have a fair amount of self-control when it comes to the shiny and new. My head does get turned by the latest and greatest, but not that much. Although I do get hit by the FOMO bug sometimes, it's not like an epidemic with me. And yet, something keeps stealing my attention away from all the older books sitting on my bookshelves waiting patiently to be read! Today's TTT topic addresses this very subject: Top Ten Forgotten Backlist Titles (Spread love for books that people don't talk about anymore!). I could probably do a Top 500 list for this topic, but I'll try to keep it to ten backlist books by some of my favorite authors that I still need to get to. 

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

Top Ten Backlist Books By (Some of) My Favorite Authors That I Haven't Read Yet 

1. The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong (2015)—I've been on a big Armstrong bend this year, but I haven't read this thriller yet. It's about two teens who are unenthusiastically attending a weekend therapy camp when it's raided by three masked men. As their captors get more violent, Riley and Max have to figure out how to get the whole group out of a terrifying and increasingly deadly situation. 

2. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn (2006)—I adore Raybourn's Veronical Speedwell mystery series, so I'm sure I'll love her Lady Julia Gray one as well. This series opener begins with the death of Sir Edward Gray, a popular figure among London's elite. When his private inquiry agent suggests to Edward's wife, Julia, that her husband's death was murder instead of the result of a long-standing illness, she's shocked. Determined to find out the truth, she persuades the inquiry agent to help her investigate.

3. Snowbound by Blake Crouch (2010)—On a deserted highway during a violent electrical storm, a woman disappears. Falsely accused of doing his wife harm, her husband takes their daughter and runs. When an FBI agent shows up at their door, claiming to have an idea about what really happened to the missing woman, the distraught husband jumps at the chance to discover the truth and clear his name.

4. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (2008)—I've loved Hannah's recent books, but I haven't read many of her older ones. This popular novel stars Kate and Tully, two girls who are each other's opposites as well as each other's very best friend. Vowing to be close always, they're unprepared for the choices and events that tear them apart after three decades of close friendship. 

5. The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee (2016)—Lee is one of my favorite writers of YA historical fiction. Besides her newest book—Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies—this is the only one of Lee's novels I haven't read yet. It's a romance about a 16-year-old girl who's one of the last two aromateurs on the planet. She knows her destiny is to use her special gift with aromas to help others fall in love, never experiencing the sensation for herself lest she lose her abilities. Enter a handsome soccer star. Suddenly, Mim's in real danger of falling hard. What's a twitterpated aromateur to do?

6. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson (2013)—Jackson's Southern women's fiction is always top notch. I mentioned this novel in a recent TTT list. It stars Laurel Hawthorne, a woman who is awakened in the night by the ghost of her teenage neighbor. When the girl's body is found floating in her swimming pool the next day, the town assumes it was nothing more than a tragic accident. Laurel isn't so sure. Why would the girl's ghost appear to her unless the apparition was pleading for help? Laurel's determined to get to the bottom of the suspicious death. 

7. Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds (2019)—This middle grade book is a novel told in ten parts, from ten different perspectives. I'm not entirely sure what the plot is, but it's Reynolds, so it doesn't matter. I'm reading it.

8. In the Shadow of the Moon by Karen White (2000)—White's debut is a time slip novel about a woman who's transported back to Civil War Georgia, where she finds herself fighting for her life—and for her heart.

9. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan (2017)—I've read all of Ryan's novels but this one. It's about a group of English women during World War II who defy their vicar's order to shut down their church choir. Instead, they band together to sing, support each other, and face a bleak-looking future with optimism and courage.

10. O' Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor (2003)—Taylor's Maggie D'Arcy crime series is one of my favorites. This book, her debut and the first in an earlier mystery series, revolves around a college professor with an interest in cemetry art. When she encounters a strange graveyard carving that hints at an old murder, she's intrigued. Investigating in the isolated community where the statue resides, she discovers even more secrets and mysteries.

There you are, ten backlist books by some of my favorite authors that I still need to read. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which backlist books are on your list today? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

It's been a few weeks since I participated in Top Ten Tuesday. While I should have been spending those days packing up my house in preparation for our big move on July 15, I actually spent them traveling to the cool, rainy Pacific Northwest for a family wedding. Between the delicious weather and even better company, I didn't want to leave! But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Now, I'm back home and the heat is on—literally and figuratively. It's a million degrees outside AND I have tons of packing to do. First things first, though. I love TTT seasonal reading lists, so I didn't want to miss out on today's prompt. I can't wait to see what books everyone is looking forward to this summer.

If you need an excuse to procrastinate the things you should be doing  want to participate in this fun meme, head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

1. The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (available November 8, 2022)—I've enjoyed Steadman's previous psychological thrillers, so I was excited to get an e-ARC of this one, her newest. It's about a British novelist who's engaged to an American businessman who's a member of one of New York City's wealthiest, most influential families. Harriet is shocked when her father-in-law hands her a tape containing his confession to a shocking crime. Is this some sort of sick initiation game? Or is Harriet marrying into a family of criminals? 

I'm a few chapters into this one and it's...interesting so far. I'm enjoying it.

2.  The Second Husband by Kate White—A copy of this psychological thriller just landed on my doorstep. It concerns a woman who is rebuilding her life after her husband was killed in a random crime on the street. Just when the widow is starting to feel safe and comfortable in her new life and relationship, the police come calling. How did her husband really die? Does the widow know more than she's saying?

3. Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen—This middle-grade novel features five children from different walks of life living in Europe while World War I rages. Their paths cross as they struggle to survive amidst the chaos of war.

4. Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander—Born on a plantation, Josephine N. Leary moves to Edenton, North Carolina, after Emancipation. While keeping a home and raising a family, she teaches herself the business skills needed to invest in real estate and build the kind of legacy that was unheard of for Black women of her time. This novel is based on the true story of Leary's remarkable life.

5. Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen—This contemporary novel, about a straight-laced Asian-American woman who gets caught up in her friend's very successful fake handbag scheme, sounds fun and entertaining.

6. The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton—This new middle grade series sounds like a more diverse, international version of Harry Potter. Hopefully, it's got its own unique spin. I'm in to find out!

7. Tiny Humans, Big Lessons: How the NICU Taught Me to Live With Energy, Intention, and Purpose by Sue Ludwig—When Lydia mentioned this book on her blog, I knew I had to read it. My two sons, who are six years apart, were both born at 29 weeks gestation. The oldest spent a month and a half in the NICU and the youngest exactly a month. Being in the NICU, experiencing the life and death struggle that goes on there every day, is truly life-changing. I'm interested to see how my experiences there compare and contrast with those of the author, who works as a neonatal therapist.

8. The Drowning Sea by Sarah Stewart Taylor—I've enjoyed the first two books in this series, which features an Irish-American detective solving crimes in both New York and the Emerald Isle. This installment finds Detective Maggie D'Arcy and her daughter in Ireland, preparing for a move to the country that will combine their household with that of Maggie's boyfriend and his son. Their bonding time is interrupted when human remains wash ashore in a small town with a mysterious history. Who is the dead man? Why was he killed? Maggie is determined to find out.

9. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean (available August 2, 2022)—What do you think of this plot summary? Interesting, right?

10. A Woman of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa—Set in 19th Century Puerto Rico, this novel centers on an enslaved woman who is sold for the purpose of breeding future slaves. As heartbreaking as the plot sounds, the summary promises a story of triumph and faith over brutality and sorrow. I'm intrigued.

There you have it, ten books I'd like to read this summer. What do you think of my list? Have you read any of these? Do any of them look interesting to you? What's on your summer TBR list? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Today's dreamy TTT topic is a fun one—Top Ten Bookish Items I'd Love to Own—but I'm still going rogue. I enjoy fun booky items as much as the next bibliophile (I have a couple bookstore t-shirts, several punny mugs, reading wall art, etc.), but with my upcoming move, I'm focusing on purging my junk, not accumulating more! So, I'm going to go with a throwback prompt that Nicole used for her list a few weeks ago: Top Ten Books I Still Need to Read By Some of My Favorite Authors. I've been ruminating on the subject ever since reading Nicole's list. 

Before we get to that, though, be sure to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl. While you're giving Jana some love, why don't you join in the TTT fun? It's a great excuse to drop in on your favorite book blogs, discover fabulous new ones, and, of course, add books to your TBR mountain chain. What's not to love?

1. Ellie Alexander (cozy mysteries)

Number of books published*: 22

Number of books I've read: 6

What I still need to read: I'm caught up with the Sloan Krause series, but I've only read the first book in the Bakeshop Mystery series. I need to read more of those, plus Left Coast Literary, the series opener in a new bookish series.

2. Elizabeth C. Bunce (children's fiction, young adult fantasy, children's historical mysteries)

Number of books published: 7 (including In Myrtle Peril, which comes out in October)

Number of books I've read: 3

What I still need to read: I adore Bunce's Myrtle Hardcastle mystery series, so I'm all caught up in that one. I'm not really interested in her StarCrossed duology, but I do want to read A Curse As Dark As Gold, her 2008 debut.

3. Amanda Flower (cozy and historical mysteries)

Number of books published: 36 (including four that come out later this year)

Number of books I've read: 7

What I still need to read: I love Flower's Amish Candy Shop Mystery series and am just about caught up in it. I read Farm to Trouble, the first in a new series, earlier this year and found it rather meh. I doubt I'll continue with that one. Since I enjoy her other Amish mysteries so much, next on my list is Flower's Amish Matchmaker Mystery series.

4. Melanie Jacobson (rom-coms for adults and teens)

Number of books published: 21+ (including several co-authored novels)

Number of books I've read: 9

What I still need to read: I'm especially excited for Jacobson's Love in New Orleans trilogy. Jacobson is a native of Baton Rouge and her love for the area really shines through in her stories set in NOLA.

5. Peter May (adult mysteries/crime fiction)

Number of books published: 28

Number of books read: 7

What I still need to read: I enjoyed May's Lewis Trilogy as well as several of his standalone novels. Next up for me is the Enzo McLeod books and then the Yan & Campbell series.

6. Susan Meissner (adult historical fiction and mysteries)

Number of books published: 25 (including three that were co-authored with Mindy Starns Clark and When We Had Wings, which comes out in October)

Number of books read: 8

What I still need to read: I've read all the books but one that Meissner has published since 2011. I need to go back and read her earlier work.

7. Jennifer Ryan (adult World War II fiction)

Number of books published: 4 (including The Wedding Dress Circle, which comes out in May)

Number of books read: 2

What I still need to read: Ryan's newest as well as her debut, The Chillbury Ladies' Choir. I have copies of both. 

8. Riley Sager (adult thrillers and horror)

Number of books published: 6 (including The House Across the Lake, which comes out in June) 

Number of books read: 4

What I still need to read: Other than Sager's upcoming thriller, the only one I haven't read is Final Girls. I've heard from a number of people that it's their least favorite book of his, so I've been hesitating on it. When I was sorting through all my books, I found a copy of Final Girls I had totally forgotten about; now, I have no excuses so I'll read it sometime soon-ish.

9. Sarah Stewart Taylor (adult mysteries/crime fiction)

Number of books published: 8 (including The Drowning Sea, which comes out in June)

Number of books read: 2

What I still need to read: I've been loving Taylor's Maggie D'Arcy series, so I'm eager to try her Sweeney St. George mysteries. Unfortunately, I've been having a hard time finding them at my library. I might have to bite the bullet and buy the whole dang series!

10. Jacqueline Woodson (children's and YA fiction, poetry, literary fiction, picture books, etc.)

Number of books published: 35+

Number of books read: 6

What I still need to read: Woodson is so prolific that it's hard to keep up with her. I need to read her newest novels first, then work my way back.

There you go, a whole bunch of books I still need to read by some of my favorite authors. Have you read any of them? Which authors' work do you need to catch up on? What bookish items are you coveting these days? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

I read lots of books every year written by authors I haven't read before. In fact, of the 203 books I read in 2021, 126 of them were by new-to-me writers. I've knocked out 12 novels so far this year; half of them are by authors whose books I've never explored before. I think it's safe to say I enjoy making new author discoveries. It's especially fun when they've got a nice, long backlist for me to check out! For today's list, I tried to highlight the new writers I found last year that I liked so much I read more than one of their books in 2021.

If you'd like to participate in Top Ten Tuesday (and you really should—it's the most fun weekly book event on the Internet), just hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

1. Kate Albus—Okay, I actually only read one book by Albus this year, but only because that's all she's published so far. A Place to Hang the Moon is such a gem that I really, really can't wait to see what this debut author does next. 

2. Addison Armstrong—I'm the mother of two boys who were born at 29 weeks gestation. My experience with these tiny babies naturally drew me to Armstrong's debut, The Light of Luna Park, which tells the based-on-a-true-story of an innovative doctor in 1926 New York who saved the premature babies other physicians wouldn't by charging Coney Island visitors money to gawk at them. The admission fees paid for the infants' care, which helped many of them to grow and thrive. Armstrong's second novel, The War Librarian, sounds equally as fascinating as her first.

3. Elizabeth C. Bunce—Bunce is probably best known for her YA novels, but I found her because of her charming middle-grade mystery series. I listened to all of the books—Premeditated Myrtle, How to Get Away With Myrtle, and Cold-Blooded Myrtle—last year and loved every one of them. I am anxiously awaiting In Myrtle Peril, which comes out in October.

4. Amy Lynn Green—Green has written two historical novels for adults. I loved The Lines Between Us, a thought-provoking mystery about conscientious objectors who worked as firefighters in the U.S. during World War II.

5. Jocelyn Green—Another historical fiction author, this Green also writes books set in America's past. I enjoyed the first two novels in her Windy City saga—Veiled in Smoke and Shadows of the White City—in 2021. The third installment, Drawn by the Current, comes out in a week. I can't wait!

6. Jennifer L. Holm—I fell in love with The Lion of Mars, Holm's uplifting middle-grade novel set in space, when I read it last July. After that, I raced through her Boston Jane trilogy, which I very much enjoyed. 

7. Regina Scott—I've talked a lot about Scott's American Wonders series ever since I read A Distance Too Grand back in July. I also enjoyed the second book, Nothing Short of Wondrous, and am looking forward to reading A View Most Glorious sometime soon. 

8. Sarah Stewart Taylor—I discovered Taylor's Maggie D'arcy series mystery series last year. I enjoyed the first two books in the series and am looking forward to The Drowning Sea, which comes out in June. Taylor has also penned a mystery series starring an art historian who's an expert in gravestone art, which sounds excellent. Unfortunately, my local libraries don't carry the books. Boo hoo.

9. Tessa Wegert—Death in the Family, Wegert's debut, generated a lot of buzz when it came out in 2020. It lived up to the hype for me, so I read the second book in the series as well. I'm excited for the third, Dead Wind, which comes out in April. 

10. Elissa Brent Weissman—Weissman's heartfelt The Length of a String was one of my favorite books of 2021. I'm currently listening to her newest novel, The Renegade Reporters, which is a fun one.

There you go, ten new authors I found in 2021. Have you read any of them? Which writers did you discover last year? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. 

As much as I love talking about books, I often blank when someone in my real life asks for reading recommendations. I usually just refer them to my blog, which is much better organized and oodles more reliable than my aging brain! I'm having the same reaction to today's TTT prompt—Top Ten Books I Would Hand to Someone Who Claims to Not Like Reading. Nothing's coming readily to mind, so I'm going to go rogue once again. 

Since 99.9% of my reading attention will be focused on Cybils Awards nominees until the end of the year, I've been thinking ahead to which books I want to enjoy next year. While updating the spreadsheet I keep of book series I'm reading, my mind turned to which series I want to start in 2022. It goes without saying that I really should not be beginning any new ones when I'm already in the middle of so many, but I've never been much for limiting myself when it comes to books...hence, the following list.

Want to join in the TTT fun? Of course you do! Head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the info.

1. Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas—This popular series stars Charlotte, an inquisitive Victorian woman, who solves crimes under the assumed name of Sherlock Holmes.

2. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson—I've actually read the first book in this YA mystery series, but it's been so long that I can't remember who's who or what's what. I'm planning to re-read the series opener, then move on from there.

3. Donut Shop Mystery series by Jessica Beck—Cozy mysteries can be super fun, especially when they star my favorite pastry! This series features a coffee/donut shop owner turned amateur sleuth.

4. Cuba Saga by Chanel Cleeton—This dual-timeline novel features a woman who travels to Havana, her grandmother's birthplace, to spread the dead woman's ashes. As she learns more about her grandmother's past, she learns more about herself and her own history.

5. Gilded Age Mystery series by Rosemary Simpson—It's 1888 when this series opens and a New York City society woman is faced with finding the truth behind her fiancé's suspicious death during a treacherous snowstorm.  

6. Highland Bookshop Mystery series by Molly MacRae—Another cozy series, this one revolves around four joint owners of a bookshop in the Scottish Highlands who play detective in their spare time.

7. Loyal League by Alyssa Cole—This historical series set during the American Civil War sounds intriguing.

8. Sweeney St. George series by Sarah Stewart Taylor—I'm enjoying Taylor's Maggy D'Arcy mysteries, so I'm interested in this series about a Boston art historian who investigates curious deaths.

9. Connie Childs series by Sarah Ward—This police procedural series set in England looks promising.

10. Charlotte Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro—Another Sherlock Holmes-inspired series, this one features two modern-day descendants of Holmes and Watson who solve mysteries at their boarding school in Connecticut. 

There you have it, ten series I'm hoping to start in 2022. Have you read any of them? What series are you reading? Which are your favorite? Do you have any series recs for me in the cozy mystery, historical mystery, crime (not too graphic/gory), family saga, or history genres? I'd love to hear them. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.