2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
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Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo
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Showing posts with label Stacey Lee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stacey Lee. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Top Ten Tuesday (on a Wednesday): Favorite Books By Favorite Authors
I'm late to the party this week. Yesterday was a DAY, and I just wasn't up to crafting a TTT list. I was up all night with an upset stomach, so I finally just got out of bed in spite of the early hour. It's quiet and peaceful in my house, so it's the perfect time to make my belated list. This week's prompt is May Flowers, a follow-up to the April Showers one from a few weeks ago. Even though we haven't had much rain at all this year in the Phoenix area, we do have flowers blooming. The lantana in our backyard has been growing like crazy. I'm not sure how long it will last considering the crazy hot temps we've had this week. Our high yesterday was 105! Anyway, as much as I like flowers, I'm going to go rogue this week. Since I will be cruising the Yucatan on May 26, I'm going to jump ahead and do the theme for that week: My Favorite Books By My Favorite Authors (submitted by Cathy @What Cathy Read Next). Sounds like fun!
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
My Favorite Books By (Ten Eleven of) My Favorite Authors
The following authors aren't my ten absolute favorites. However, they are all writers I love and read often. More importantly, I can identify the one book of theirs that I love most. I can't necessarily do that with all of my favorite authors, you know? Or am I just weird? (I might just be weird. That's okay!) Here we go in alphabetical order:
1. A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong—I yap about Armstrong a lot because I enjoy her crime fiction so much. Her urban fantasy novels don't interest me at all, and I haven't loved her horror novels either. As much as I enjoy her Rockton/Haven's Rock series, the Rip Through Time series is my favorite. The books are less graphic than the Rockton/Haven's Rock ones and funnier. All of the installments are worth reading, the but the first one is the one I like best so far.
In A Rip Through Time, a modern-day homicide detective travels to Edinburgh, Scotland, to visit her dying grandmother. While taking a mind-clearing jog, she is assaulted in the same spot where a chambermaid was attacked exactly 150 years earlier. When Detective Atkinson wakes up, she's in Victorian Scotland inhabiting the body of the maid, who works for a physician who moonlights as a coroner. As a confused Mallory tries to figure out what is happening and how to get home, she realizes that her professional skills can be of great use to her boss, who helps the police catch killers. How can she help him without revealing that she's not actually an uneducated maid? And how in the world is she going to get home?
2. Bluebird by Sharon Cameron—This YA author pens historical novels centered around World War II as well as sci-fi/fantasy books. Bluebird is the former. It's about a young German woman who travels to the U.S. after the war in order to unmask the Nazi who spearheaded a series of psychological experiments performed on concentration camp prisoners. Absorbing and memorable, Bluebird is a stunner of a novel.
3. Exiles by Jane Harper—I've enjoyed every book I've read by Harper, but those starring federal investigator Aaron Falk are my favorite. Of those, I like Exiles best. It tells a quieter, more intimate story than the other installments in the series do, but it's still a compelling mystery/thriller in its own right. The mystery revolves around a young mother who goes missing at a town festival, leaving her infant behind.
4. The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth—Another Australian author, Hepworth writes domestic fiction with lots of warmth and wit. This novel, my favorite of hers, is my book club's selection for May, so I'll be happily rereading it before next Tuesday. As is indicated by the title, the story concerns sisters, twins Fern and Rose. Fern lives a carefully structured life, sticking religiously to her routines in order to keep her fragile psyche intact. Rose is one of her few friends, someone for whom she is profoundly grateful, so when Rose learns she can't have children, Fern offers to carry a baby for her. She just needs to find a father. That search begins a journey that will profoundly affect both sisters as old secrets surface and new tensions emerge between them.
5. The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee—Lee writes YA novels, most of which are historical fiction, featuring characters of Chinese descent. This one tells the story of 17-year-old Jo Kuan, a Chinese American who works as a maid for a wealthy, powerful family in Atlanta. Secretly, she also writes an advice column, doling out wisdom for genteel Southern ladies. As Jo's writing gains in popularity, she decides to use it to protest against the injustices she sees every day in her community. She's not prepared for the backlash those articles receive or the danger it will put her in if anyone discovers her secret identity. In the meantime, she's also grappling to understand her own mysterious past.
6. The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner—I've read almost all of Meissner's books and this one, about the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, is the one that has lingered most in my mind. It stars Sophie Walen, an Irish woman who is so desperate to escape poverty in her homeland that she travels across the sea to become the mail-order bride of an American man she's never met before. She's confused by her silent stranger of a husband, although she quickly becomes enamored of his young, mute daughter. Although she doesn't know it yet, Sophie's life is about to be rocked to its core, not just by a deadly earthquake that will literally shake up her world but also by the unknown woman who will appear at her door, revealing shocking secrets that will change the course of both of their lives.
7. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton—Morton's rich family sagas always sweep me away. Although I haven't loved her more recent books nearly as much as I do her older ones, I still consider her one of my favorite authors. Published in 2012, The Secret Keeper is about a woman who secretly witnesses a disturbing crime when she is 16 years old, an event that puts into question everything she knows about her mother. Fifty years later, Laurel is back home to celebrate her mom's 90th birthday. Realizing that time is running out to discover the truth about her mother, she determines to uncover all of the woman's many secrets.
8. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny—Although I've only read 13 of the 20 books in the Armand Gamache series (the 21st comes out in October), it's one of my very favorite crime series. How the Light Gets In, #9, is set at Christmastime. Our hero, Inspector Armand Gamache, is at a low point in both his professional and personal life. When a friend in Three Pines invites him to come back to the quaint village to investigate a disappearance, he leaps at the chance to return to the place that always feels like home. Turns out, the missing woman is a celebrity who was once famous all over the world. What has happened to her? Because I hate to see my beloved Gamache suffer, How the Light Gets In was a bit of a painful read for me, but it's also a tender and heartening one.
9. The Spies of Shilling Lane by Jennifer Ryan—Ryan's latest two novels (one of which comes out next month) are set in the 1950s, but the rest of her books are all set during World War II. The Spies of Shilling Lane is my favorite of hers because although it has its poignant moments, it's mostly a fun, lively, madcap adventure. It stars the indomitable Mrs. Braithwaite, a hilarious queen bee who's knocked off her throne by her scandalous divorce. Indignant, she hies off to London to lick her wounds with her daughter, Betty, who has been in the city helping with war work. When Betty's timid landlord informs her mother that Betty is missing, Mrs. Braithwaite strong arms the reluctant landord into helping her locate her daughter. Turns out, her child has a much more complicated complicated life than Mrs. Braithwaite ever could have imagined, a life that will put all of them in grave danger.
10. Middle of the Night by Riley Sager—Final Girls is the only one of Sager's novels that I haven't read. I've enjoyed all of them, some more than others naturally, but Middle of the Night is my favorite. It's different from his other books, more gentle and moving. Never fear, though, it's just as riveting as his other thrillers. The story revolves around Ethan Marsh, a man who returns to the picture-perfect neighborhood he lived in as a child. It was there that, many years ago, his 10-year-old best friend disappeared during an overnight campout in Ethan's backyard. Already suffering from insomnia and disturbing nightmares, Ethan is plagued by strange things happening in the middle of the night. Signs of his missing friend keep appearing. Is someone playing a terrible joke on Ethan? Or has his long missing pal returned? What really happened the night of the campout? Ethan is determined to find out.
11. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James—I love St. James' eerie thrillers. This one is set in a rundown motel in a dying town where strange things are known to happen. Viv Delaney reluctantly takes a job at the dumpy place with the goal of saving enough money to escape to New York City. It doesn't take long for her to realize that something is very wrong at her place of employment. There's a reason for the bad juju that emanates from the Sun Down Motel and she's going to uncover all its many secrets.
There you go, eleven of my favorite books by eleven of my favorite authors. Have you read any of them? Which are your favorite books by your favorite authors? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Thursday, May 07, 2026
Evocative and Engrossing, Heiress of Nowhere Another Winner From Stacey Lee
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Eighteen years ago, a green canoe washed ashore on Orcas Island. Its only occupant was an infant. Dakon Sanders, the wealthy and eccentric shipbuilder who owns the island, took in the baby and named her Lucy. She earned her keep by working as the bachelor's housemaid. When her skill with paints became apparent, he made her his research assistant, tasking her with creating the illustrations for a book he's writing about island wildlife. As much as Lucy loves Orcas Island, especially the creatures after which it's named, she longs to leave it, to finally see what lies beyond its shores. Although it's rare in 1918 for women to go to college, she's already secretly been accepted to the University of Washington. Now all she has to do is summon the courage to inform her austere guardian that she is leaving.
Before Lucy has a chance to confront him, she discovers Dakon Sanders' detached head on the beach. The superstitious islanders see the brutal killing as a warning sign from mythical sea wolves. Lucy knows her guardian's murderer is very real. When Dakon's will is read, and she is named the new owner of his sprawling estate, she fears she's next on the killer's hit list. Can she figure out who beheaded her enigmatic guardian and why? And will those answers lead to the ones she's been pondering her whole strange life: who is Lucy Nowhere? Where does she truly belong? She must find out, before it's too late.
A new Stacey Lee novel is always cause for celebration in my book. I especially love that her newest historical YA offering, Heiress of Nowhere, is set in my native Washington State. Lee perfectly captures the moody, broody Pacific Northwest (PNW, as the cool kids call it) atmosphere, which provides an appropriately portentious backdrop for a tale that is full of mystery, intrigue, and suspense. Magical realism doesn't always work for me, but Lucy's "sea-wolf sense" actually feels possible in the world Lee has created. This dash of the supernatural works well in combination with the evocative setting, the locals' superstitions, and the whole Gothic vibe of the novel. All of these elements enhance the book's plot, which is complex and compelling, with enough twists to keep the reader glued to their seat. In fact, I whipped through Heiress of Nowhere in one day because I couldn't put it down. The fact that the killer's identity (mostly) surprised me was an added bonus.
Lucy is a sympathetic heroine, but hardly a pitiable one. She's smart, capable, loyal, compassionate, and brave. It's easy to root for her to find the answers she so desperately wants. There are two young men in the story who are vying for her attention. I find love triangles annoying anyway, but this one is especially disappointing because, in my opinion, Lucy chooses the wrong guy. Other than that, I found Heiress of Nowhere to be a satisfying, enjoyable read, another excellent example of why I love Stacey Lee's work so much.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, and scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Top Ten Tuesday: My Spring To-Read List
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Note: I make a point of commenting on every legitimate TTT post that is linked up on the main page. If you don't see a comment from me on your post by tomorrow, it's because I keep getting this error message:
Not Acceptable!
An appropriate representation of the requested resource could not be found on this server. This error was generated by Mod_Security.
I have no idea what it means, and it seems to only be on WordPress blogs so far. At any rate, I just want to make sure no one thinks I'm ignoring them!
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I don't know what the weather's doing in your neck of the woods, but here in my corner of the desert, we've skipped winter and spring altogether and headed right into summer! In the Phoenix area, we've already had record-breaking heat this year, including a week's worth of triple-digit temperature days. Ugh! I am not ready for this. All I can say is, thank goodness for air conditioning and swimming pools. They're lifesavers for those of us who live in the scorching-hot desert. Regardless of what crazy Arizona is doing, in the Top Ten Tuesday world, we're celebrating the season with an appropriate prompt: Top Ten Books On My Spring 2026 To-Read List. I love making these seasonal TBR lists because it's always fun to think about what I might read even if I never actually do it. Of course, I also enjoy perusing your lists to get a peek at what titles are on your reading agenda.
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Books On My Spring 2026 To-Read List
1. First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston—I'm in the middle of this psychological thriller at the moment. It's about a thief who is hired by a mysterious company to do undercover work instead of going to jail. Her current assignment is to steal the secrets of a handsome financial planner. She's succeeding in her mission to woo her mark (maybe a little too well) when the job takes a dangerous turn that makes her question everything, including how far her boss will go to shut her down if she fails to do what is asked of her. It's a gripping read so far.
2. A Victim at Valentine's by Ellie Alexander—This cozy is the fifth installment in Alexander's Secret Bookcase Mystery series. I've enjoyed listening to all of these light, entertaining mysteries on audio while I drive, cross-stitch (I'm determined to finish my TWO-year-old granddaughter's birth sampler this month!), and do housework.
In this mystery, our heroine discovers a dead body in the Agatha Christie-themed bookshop where she works. While she helps a local detective, her mentor, investigate the crime, she continues to look into the mystery of an old friend's murder.
3. Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn—After reading Carol's rave review of this book over at Reading Ladies Book Club, I requested it from my library and have been on the waitlist ever since. It's been a couple of months, but I was finally able to pick it up today. Yay! The story is about the author's discovery of an astounding secret her father had been keeping from her. Unbeknownst to him at the time, his family was forced out of Berlin after angering Joseph Goebbels and sent to Hawaii to spy for the Nazis. It was only later that Kuehn's father found out how successful the family was in their shameful mission. According to Carol and others who have read Family of Spies, this is a riveting piece of narrative non-fiction that shines new light on the fateful events of December 7, 1941.
4. This Weekend Doesn't End Well for Anyone by Catherine Mack (available April 28, 2026)—I've really enjoyed this sassy cozy series about a bestselling mystery author who keeps bumbling into real-life mysteries that need solving. In this third installment, Eleanor Dash is on vacation once again. This time, she's looking forward to a relaxing stay at an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas. She barely has a chance to breathe in a gulp of the tropical air before she finds a dead body. Surrounded by a familiar group of suspects, she throws herself into solving yet another murder.
5. The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane by Erin Stewart—This middle-grade novel is about a girl who has the dubious "gift" of extra empathy, which makes her feel other people's emotions in a way that is stifling and scary. When Lucy's parents suggest she spend the summer visiting her grandfather at his remote cabin on Prince Edward Island, she jumps at the chance to get away. Behind the lens of her beloved camera, Lucy is starting to get to know the people in her new summer home. When she discovers her late grandmother's abandoned darkroom and starts developing her own photographs there, she finds that some kind of magic is helping her see everything about her photo's subjects. How is this possible? She determines to find out.
6. Missing in Flight by Audrey J. Cole—Have you ever taken a long flight by yourself with your baby? If he was sleeping soundly and you really had to use the lavatory, would you leave him in the seat with only a stranger to watch over him? This is Makayla Rossi's dilemma. She rushes to the bathroom, is gone only a few minutes, and returns to find her baby gone. A search of the plane reveals him to be nowhere. Mikayla is frantic, but the other passengers are growing concerned: none of them saw her with a baby. With everyone questioning her mental state, the terrified mother doesn't know what to do. She did bring a baby on board, didn't she? She isn't crazy. Is she?
7. The Murder at World's End by Ross Montgomery—I've been on the library's waiting list for this locked-room mystery for almost two months, and I'm still pretty far down the list. Still, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to read it soon. Ish.
It's 1910 and the Viscount of Tithe Hall is certain that the passing of Halley's Comet will bring the apocalypse in its wake. In an effort to keep himself safe, he completely seals up his home on a remote tidal island. Ironically, he is dead by morning, felled by his own ancestral bow. Who killed the paranoid viscount? His new under-butler and an elderly matriarch team up to find out.
8. What I Mean When I Say I'm Autistic by Annie Kotowicz—My book club will be reading this non-fiction title, which is described as an "intimate and insightful mix of memoir and manifesto," in April, which is Autism Awareness Month. I'd never heard of the author, but apparently, she writes a blog called Neurobeautiful. Her book is for autistics and non-autistics alike to better understand autism and those who have it. It sounds interesting.
9. Heiress of Nowhere by Stacey Lee—I'm a big Lee fan, so I always get excited when she publishes a new book. Her latest is a YA historical mystery set against a moody, broody Pacific Northwest backdrop. The story revolves around 18-year-old Lucy Nowhere, who has spent her life working on the sprawling estate that belongs to the eccentric man who rescued her when she washed up on the shore of his island when she was a baby. Longing for a life in the outside world, she's just about to leave for college when she discovers that her guardian has been murdered. The locals insist he was killed by mythical sea wolves, but Lucy knows there's no such thing. A human murdered him and if Lucy doesn't figure out who did it and soon, she may be the next victim.
10. The Midnight Carousel by Fiza Saeed McLynn—When Maisie Marlowe comes to America in 1920, she's looking for a new start. Her discovery of an enchanting antique carousel inspires her to create a magical amusement park to enchant the citizens of her new home. Soon, the news of carousel riders mysteriously vanishing in Chicago reaches Laurent Bisset, a detective in Paris, who knows that the same thing happened a decade ago in his city. Determined to solve the mystery of the strange carousel, Bisset travels to the U.S. to figure out what is going on. He and Maisie both have pieces to the puzzle—what will they discover when they put them together?
There you go, ten titles on my Spring TBR list. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What's 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.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, January 09, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday: Shiny New Releases I Can't Wait to Read
Even though I've already got enough books on my shelves, Kindle, and TBR lists to last me several lifetimes, I just can't seem to stop myself from salivating over all the shiny up-and-comers 2024 has to offer. I look forward to today's TTT topic—Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2024—and its counterpart for the second half of the year, all year long. If I were smart, I would skip these topics altogether and save myself from getting excited about a bunch of new books when I already have SOOOO many "old" ones to tackle. But alas, I'm a glutton for punishment. Bring on the new releases!
Before we get to that, though, be sure to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give our hostess, Jana, some love. While you're there, link up your list of anticipated new releases so you can get in on the TTT fun. It's a good time, I promise.
Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2024
To no one's surprise, my list is a mix of mysteries/thrillers and historical fiction, but I did throw in a non-fiction book and a MG fantasy just to keep you guessing :) Here's my list, in order of publication date:
1. Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh (available TODAY)—Violet Jessop is famous for surviving not just the sinking of the Titanic and the Britannic, but also a collision at sea while working on the Olympic. This historical novel tells Violet's story as well as that of a fictional orphan turned secret agent in France during World War II. When the lives of the two women intersect, they form a connection that will change them both forever.
2. The Foxhole Victory Tour by Amy Lynn Green (available January 23)—Green's newest centers around two women from different walks of life who join a motley collection of performers on a USO musical tour performing for American troops stationed in North Africa during World War II. The group is already having difficulty finding unity when the tour manager announces he will recommend just one of them for a lucrative job in Hollywood. As they move closer to the front lines, it's not just their jobs and their friendships that are in jeopardy, but also their very lives.
3. End of Story by A.J. Finn (available February 20)—I've been waiting for a new book from Finn to come out ever since I read—and loved—his debut, The Woman in the Window. His sophomore novel concerns a reclusive mystery writer who invites his longtime pen pal, Nicky Hunter, to come to his mansion in order to write his life story. Nicky's soon embroiled in the novelist's own mystery, the disappearance of his first wife and their son, twenty years earlier. Did the author get away with the perfect crime? When a corpse turns up at the mansion, it soon becomes apparent that the writer's past has come calling.
4. The Hunter by Tana French (available March 5)—I always look forward to a new mystery/thriller from this Irish author. This is the second installment in her Cal Hooper series, which features a retired American cop who is now living in a rural Irish village. When the estranged father of a local teen returns to the village unexpectedly, with an English millionaire in tow no less, Cal's suspicions are immediately raised. He feels protective of the kid and will do whatever he can to keep him safe. Just what will that entail in this sketchy situation?
5. The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels by Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans (available March 12)—Did you know that the dead bodies of up to 150,000 Americans go unclaimed every year? What happens to them when there are no friends or family members to make sure they're properly taken care of? In this work of narrative nonfiction, two sociologists tackle that very intriguing question, uncovering a hidden world of abandoned dead people and the strangers who work to ensure that their remains are treated with honor and care.
6. The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan (available March 12)—I've already mentioned this historical novel because (1) Ryan is one of my favorite hist fic authors and (2) I love a bookish book. As is clear from its title, the story concerns three women from different backgrounds who come together to save the London library that has become their refuge during World War II.
7. Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda (available April 9)—Hazel Sharp is the daughter of Mirror Lake's longtime detective. When he dies, leaving Hazel his home, she reluctantly returns to her hometown. A drought is drying up the lake, uncovering dark secrets from the town's past, including clues to the truth behind the disappearance of Hazel's mother.
8. The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon (available April 9)—When infamous outlaw Butch Cassidy decides to shun his life of crime, he discovers that's a lot easier said than done. Especially when he meets singer Jane Touissant, who asks him to protect her while she goes on a singing tour across America. Butch fears his reputation will put the songbird and her young son at risk and he's not wrong...
9. Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee (available April 23)—Lee is one of my favorite YA writers, so I always get excited when she publishes a new book. This one revolves around Lulu Wong, a starlet of the silver screen and the darling of the Chinatown community where she grew up. When three sisters, childhood friends of Lulu, discover her dead body, they vow to find her killer, knowing the local police won't lift a finger to help a Chinese woman, famous or not. With the fate of Chinatown hanging in the balance, it's up to the Chow sisters to solve the case and save their beloved home.
10. The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon (available May 7)—Without her grandpa around to liven things up, 11-year-old Dally is left to stew in her grief and boredom. When she intercepts a sealed envelope that her grandpa intended to give her, she discovers a map that leads to an incredible library full of books that act as portals to all kinds of different adventures. As she delves into this fantastical world, she is faced with a host of questions and mysteries about her family, its history, and about her own identity.
There you go, ten new releases I'm looking forward to reading. Do any of these appeal to you as well? Which 2024 books are you most excited about? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also reply to comments left here.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, August 01, 2023
Top Ten Tuesday: Backlist Books By (Some of) My Favorite Authors That I Haven't Read Yet
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.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Top Ten Tuesday: If I Like These Ten Books and Authors, What/Who Else Would I Enjoy?
If you want to join in the TTT fun (and you definitely do), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.
Okay, so here's the idea. I'm going to list ten of my favorite authors who are currently writing books and what I like about their work. Then, I would LOVE it if you would recommend similar books/authors that you think I might enjoy. I'm open to new genres (except for erotica and anything too graphic), but my go-tos are definitely mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction, historical mysteries, general/women's fiction, and family sagas. I tend to shy away from anything too literary or strange or fantasy-y. Non-fiction recs would be awesome as well. Make sense? Alright, put your thinking caps on and give me some great new books/authors to try!
If I Like These Ten Books and Authors, What/Who Else Would I Enjoy?
- in no particular order; images are of my favorite book by the author or the first book in my favorite series by them -
1. Kathy Reichs
- Writes: mysteries/thrillers/crime with a focus on forensic science (Reichs is a forensic anthropologist.)
- What I like about her books: strong female lead; likable, complex characters; forensics explained in a way that is approachable, but not condescendingly simple; upbeat vibe, edge-of-your-seat plotting, and humor throughout
2. Kate Morton
- Writes: historical fiction, family sagas, family secrets novels, dual-timeline
- What I like about her books: atmospheric settings, complex family dynamics, compelling plots, clean content, Gothic vibes
- Writes: mysteries/thrillers/crime for adults and YA; also writes urban fantasy and supernatural novels, but I haven't read any of those (not my genre)
- What I like about her books: strong female leads, humor, exciting plots, complex characters and relationship dynamics, understated romance as subplots
4. Ruta Sepetys
- Writes: YA historical fiction
- What I like about her books: unique settings, vivid historical detail, sympathetic characters, engaging prose
5. Louise Penny
- Writes: mysteries/thrillers/crime with a bit of a literary bent
- What I lilke about her books: rich, detailed settings; complex, sympathetic characters; lead character with wisdom and morals; interesting mysteries; easy to sink into
- Writes: YA contemporary fiction and YA mysteries/thrillers
- What I like about her books: warm vibe; page-turners; likable characters; twisty mysteries
7. Stacey Lee
- Writes: MG and YA contemporary and (mostly) historical fiction with a focus on the Chinese-American experience
- What I like about her books: rich, historical settings/details; unique take on known historical events; compelling plots; clean content; engaging
8. Riley Sager
- Writes: thrillers, psychological thrillers, mysteries, spooky books
- What I like about his books: creepy without being terrifying; intriguing premises; addicting stories; plots that pull me in and keep me reading fast and furious
- Writes: historical fiction
- What I like about her books: upbeat in spite of heavy subject matter; likable, sympathetic characters; strong female characters; vivid historical settings/details; engaging reads; clean content
10. Susan Meissner
- Writes: historical fiction, dual-timeline
- What I like about her books: dual-timelines, engaging plots, likable characters, vivid historical settings/details, complex relationships, family secrets, clean content
There you go, ten of my favorite authors who are still writing books. Have you read any of them? What readalikes can you think of for me? What did you do for 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. I also reply to your comments here (although I've been a *little* slow at it lately).
Happy TTT!
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