Today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is a fun one. Nice and easy, too! Suggested by Cathy over at What Cathy Read Next, we have: Top Ten Book Titles That Would Make Great Newspaper Headlines. Since book titles and periodical headlines have the same purpose—to grab our attention in order to sell a story—it makes sense that there would be similarities between the two. The best ones, for me, are those that use creative wordplay to convey double or deeper meanings. 

Before we get to that, though, remember to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give Jana, our TTT hostess with the mostest, some love. 

Other than the first, all of these novels are on my never-ending TBR list:

1. The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters—I just finished this YA fantasy/horror novel about a Tennessee nature preserve that has fueled one family's witchy powers for one hundred years. Now, something is disrupting the place's powerful magic, making everything go haywire. Young women are disappearing in the preserve and one teenage witch is terrified that someone she loves is to blame.

I didn't love this book, but it has a great title. Whether you take it literally or figuratively, it's a bone chiller!

2. Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong—This title would definitely signal a front-page, above-the-fold kind of story. The novel is the first in a series that's a spin-off of Armstrong's popular Rockton books. In it, Casey Butler and her husband, Eric Dalton, are starting their own secret town deep in the Yukon wilderness, where people on the run can find safety in a hidden refuge. Haven's Rock hasn't officially opened yet when two of its builders disappear into the forest and don't return. Did they fall off a cliff somewhere? Were they dragged off by wild predators? Or is something much more sinister afoot in Casey and Eric's new town?

3. Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban—I've talked about this creepy-sounding novel a few times before. Its title hints at all kinds of juicy double meanings. The story is about a group of students who embark on a semester at sea, which will take them to 11 different countries in four months. Running from heartache, Jade can't wait to sail away. But when passengers start dying, she quickly realizes that her adventurous getaway has just turned into a horrifying nightmare from which it's impossible to escape.

4. Lucy Clark Will Not Apologize by Margo Rabb—This title sounds like a newspaper headline about some juicy political scandal. It's actually a YA novel that concerns a 16-year-old girl who is sick of being bullied. When she retaliates, the fallout is much worse than she expected. As a punishment, she's sent to New York City where she's forced to serve as a full-time companion to an eccentric, paranoid old woman. Despite her oddities, Lucy's new charge has lessons to teach Lucy that will change the young woman's life.

5. Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless—Another sure-to-get-noticed title/headline, this murder mystery is the first in a series starring Special Agent Sydney Rose Parnell, a Denver railroad cop. When a young woman is viciously killed, purportedly by her scarred Iraq War veteran boyfriend, Sydney and her K-9 companion are called in to investigate. They discover a dangerous gang of rail riders with sinister intentions. Can Sydney stop them before they do more harm?

6. The Vanishing of Margaret Small by Neil Alexander—I'm always intrigued by titles/headlines about mysterious disappearances. In this novel, the titular character begins receiving checks in the mail signed only "C." Margaret believes they must be from an old friend from her childhood, who knew her when she was "vanished" to an institution for children who had trouble learning. In order to find out who is sending the checks and why, Margaret must revisit painful memories of a time she'd rather forget.

Carla over at Carla Loves to Read recommended this one. Read her review here. 

7. A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly—This title sounds like a headline straight out of Washington, D.C.! It's actually set in London during World War II. Our heroine is a worker in a munitions factory when a chance encounter with a family friend leads her to a job working as a secretary in Winston Churchill's war rooms. When one of her co-workers is murdered, she becomes an amateur sleuth, determined to find out what really happened to her friend.

8. An Impossible Impostor by Deanna Raybourn—Number seven in Raybourn's popular Veronica Speedwell historical mystery series, this installment sees Veronica and Stoker on a covert mission to discern if a back-from-the-dead amnesiac is the lost heir to a large fortune or a skillful fraud. 

9. The Kind to Kill by Tessa Wegert—In this fourth installment of Wegert's Shana Merchant series, the Thousand Islands Senior Investigator is on the case of a tourist who has gone missing during a pirate-themed festival. Trying to solve the puzzling mystery while also defending her reputation, which has taken a hit due to her blood relationship with a notorious serial killer, she has her hands full. 

10. Harboring Hope: The True Story of How Henny Sinding Helped Denmark's Jews Escape the Nazis by Susan Hood—Hopeful headlines are important, too, so I'm ending my list with this one. It's a verse novel written for middle graders that recounts the heroic efforts of 22-year-old Sinding, who smuggled hundreds Jewish families out of occupied Denmark to safety in Sweden during World War II. 

There you are, ten books on my TBR list that boast titles that could be newspaper headlines. Have you read any of them? Which titles-that-could-be-headlines did you choose 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 comments left here.

I love Thanksgiving, so I always make a point not to decorate for Christmas or even listen to carols until after the turkey's been eaten. While I was taking my Sunday nap the other day, however, my husband set up our Christmas tree (ostensibly to see if the new lights he bought for it looked good or if he needed to return them—uh huh). With the tree up and lit, I've had to succumb(ish) to the start of the Christmas crazy (I do love Christmas, just not too early), so I'm officially changing over to the holiday Top Ten Tuesday banner. It's festive and fun, so there you go.

Today's TTT topic—Books to Read If You Love/Loved X (X can be a genre, specific book, author, movie/TV show, etc.)—is one I've been looking forward to, even though it's had me wracking my brain for the perfect topic. The one I came up with is a little...grim, especially considering we're in the season of gratitude, merrymaking, comfort, joy, and so on. Still, it's one that always appeals to me for some strange reason. Call me morbid, but I'm going to go with Top Ten Books to Read If You Love Stories About Maritime Disasters. Honestly, I don't know why I'm so fascinated with this subject. Something about catastrophe striking in the middle of the sea and people trying to survive in such desperate circumstances just intrigues me.

I've read a lot of books about World War II—a lot—and I don't remember ever hearing of the S.S. City of Benares before picking up Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood. This middle-grade verse novel tells the true story of 13-year-old Ken Sparks, who gained a coveted spot on the ocean liner, which was taking young war evacuees away from the bombing in London and delivering them to safe homes in Canada. At first, he and the other kids are having the time of their lives feasting on lobster and caviar, playing with piles of new toys, and exploring their posh floating digs. Just as they've been declared safe from the possibility of being torpedoed by the Germans, however, the City of Benares sustains a direct hit. Soon, Ken finds himself floating in the middle of the North Atlantic on a small lifeboat with 6 other boys, 5 British sailors, 32 Lascars (Asian sailors), 1 businessman, 1 priest, 1 female escort, and few supplies. As the days pass with no sign of rescue, things become increasingly desperate on Lifeboat 12. Who will live and who will die in the desperate fight for survival that ensues?

Ken's story is tense and gripping, interspersed with passages that illustrate the utter boredom of sitting in a boat waiting for rescue day after day after day. The verse format gives the tale an appealing you-are-there immediacy that makes it even more impactful. Lifeboat 12's passengers are sympathetic folks, people for whom you can't help but root. For those of us whose favorite part of a historical novel is the author's notes at the end, Lifeboat 12 has a wealth of backmatter that includes photos, an interview with Ken Sparks, and a factual recounting of the real-life event. All of these elements combine to create an exciting, compelling story that is perfect for reluctant readers as well as anyone who enjoys a gripping survival tale, especially those based on a true story.

(Readalikes: Reminds me of the Titanic series by Gordon Korman, the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis, and books by Alan Gratz) 

I love a beautiful nature scene, even if I'm more of an indoorsy person than an outdoorsy one.  Book covers often feature lovely landscapes, showcasing sparkling seas, vibrant flowers, lush forests, and so on, but I still couldn't come up with enough to make a decent list for today's TTT prompt, Top Ten Books With Nature on the Cover.  Even though I'm pretty wimpy, especially when it comes to nature-y things like hiking and camping, I do love me a tense, gripping survival story.  (Hu)man vs. nature tales, especially true ones, always captivate and inspire me.  So, for today's list I'm going to feature Top Ten (Hu)man vs. Nature Survival Books.  I'm going to start with five favorites (in no particular order), then five I am looking forward to reading.

If you want to join in the Top Ten Tuesday fun (and you do!), just hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

Top Ten (Hu)man vs. Nature Survival Books 

1.  Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer—This popular account chronicles the author's climbing of Mt. Everest in 1996 during a terrible storm that led to the deaths of five climbers.  He uses his own harrowing experience as a framework to discuss the history of mountain climbing, famous climbers, what it takes to scale Everest, survival techniques, and so on.  It's an epic, unparalleled book that is can't-look-away compelling.

2.  My Last Continent by Midge Raymond—In this slow burn of a novel, a marine biologist is in Antarctica studying penguins.  Her boyfriend, whom she only sees on these annual expeditions, has not arrived as expected.  When she learns he is on a nearby ship that is sending out a frantic distress signal, she panics.  How can she save the man she loves in such a harsh, unforgiving landscape?

3.  The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf—I've read tons of books about the Titanic tragedy, but this one is the most unique and memorable.  Told in verse, the novel is lyrical and haunting.

4.  I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall—This YA novel concerns a teenage girl who's living with her estranged survivalist father in Canada after her mother's death.  When he's shot by intruders, she runs into the wilderness, where she's forced to both hide and survive.

5.  The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling—Another novel in verse, this middle-grade offering revolves around a grieving father and daughter who go for a rock climbing adventure in the Arizona desert.  Things go awry, the two get separated, and a young girl is left alone to save both herself and her dad.  It's a riveting, fast-paced read.

6.  To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey—This historical novel stars Colonel Allan Forrester, who's charged with leading an expedition into the uncharted wilderness of Alaska Territory in the winter of 1885.  He keeps a journal of his adventure that he hopes will reach his pregnant wife in the likely event that he does not return.  

7.  A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor—Also a YA novel, this one is about a trio of troubled teenagers who get stuck on a deserted island.  It's been on my radar for awhile, I just haven't gotten around to reading it.  Yet.

8.  Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood—Based on a true, Titanic-like event, this middle-grade novel tells the story of the doomed SS City of Benares, a ship full of children being evacuated from England to Canada during World War II.

9.  Avalanche by Melinda Braun—This YA offering features two sets of teenagers.  One group is trapped in a remote cabin during a snowstorm.  The other is their only hope of rescue.

10.  Instructions for the End of the World by Jamie Kain—Yet another teen book, this one is about Nicole, a girl whose prepper father moves his family to a remote area in the Sierra Foothills.  When living like a pioneer becomes too much for Nicole's mother, she leaves, prompting Nicole's father to chase after her.  When neither one returns, Nicole is left to figure out how she and her younger sister will survive in the wilderness.

There you go, ten books about surviving in the wild in the wake of disaster.  Have you read any of these?  Which books in the genre would you recommend?  Which nature covers did you choose 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.

Happy TTT!