I'm not sure how, but we have managed to reach the middle of 2025. The year has whizzed by in some ways; in other ways, it feels like its been going on for forever. The Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag is a fun way to mark the occasion. Created by Ely @Earl Grey Books and Chami, it offers a chance to look at what we've accomplished in our reading in the first six months of the year. It is a tag, but I wasn't tagged by anyone and I'm not going to tag anyone. If you want to do it, consider yourself tagged! (I used the same version of the tag that Leslie @Books Are the New Black did. I've seen slight variations in the questions on other blogs.)

Every year, I try to read more than I did the year before. To this end, I set my Goodreads goal at 215 for 2025. I'm almost halfway there:

I've taken on a bunch of reading challenges this year. Some of them are short term, some of them last all year, and others are open-ended ones. I'm over 50% done with the majority of them. You can see where I'm at by checking out the left sidebar of my blog or by clicking the "Reading Challenges" tab at the top of my homepage.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Evil Bones by Kathy Reichs (available November 18, 2025)

It Happened on the Lake by Lisa Jackson—This book is way too long, too melodramatic, too predictable, too far-fetched, too everything. I read all 592 pages, but man, it was a slog!

Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry—I love a good cozy mystery and Tamara Berry is one of my favorite cozy authors. This book has a fun premise, too. All of these things should have equaled a real hit for me, but this one was a pretty meh read for me. The main characters were annoying and the plot dragged. I wanted to love the book, but I just...didn't.

A Dream of Death by Connie Berry—I read this book, the first installment in Berry's Kate Hamilton mystery series, in January and really enjoyed it. I've since read the next three books and will likely finished the next two—a holiday novella and a full-length book—by the end of the year. It's a light, clean, entertaining mystery series that has provided some great comfort reading.

I've discovered lots of great new characters this year, but I'm really not the "book boyfriend" type.

Vera Wong is the character who came immediately to mind for this question. She makes me laugh! Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto is the first book in the series. I still need to read the second.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness—I loved this book when I first read it back in 2011, but it had been so long that I had forgotten that my favorite character dies. It's such a pitiful scene, too, that it ripped my heart out all over again. 

I'm a little late to the party, but I didn't want to miss this week's Top Ten Tuesday (especially since these posts are about the only ones I actually do anymore). First, though, I want to say thank you to everyone for all the kind wishes regarding last week's colonoscopy. The preparation really was horrid, but the procedure itself was quick and easy. I did have ten pre-cancerous polyps removed, which is apparently a large number for someone my age (49), so the GI doctor recommended genetic counseling and yearly colonoscopies (oh, joy). Even though the colonoscopy experience was unpleasant, I'm glad I went through with it, especially since I have no family history of colon issues and I might have kept putting it off if my doctor hadn't been so adamant about someone of my advancing age getting one. 

Aaaannnyyyway, today's TTT prompt is a fun one: Top Ten Animal Companions (real or imaginary) in Books. Although I do have some favorite literary animals—Ivan from The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Manchee from Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking series, Wilbur from Charlotte's Web, etc.—I'm not sure I can come up with ten. Instead, I'm going to tweak the topic a tad and feature books on my TBR list with animals on their covers. Since I don't really seek out animal-related reads, this could have been a really difficult task. Thankfully, I enjoy cozy mysteries and they almost always include animals.

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

1. Dead Tired (The Expectant Detectives #2) by Kat Ailes—After solving a murder together, Alice has grown very close to the other members of her prenatal group. Now tired new moms, she and her friends decide to participate in an eco-protest as a way to get away and finally get some sleep. When one of the protesters is found dead, Alice & Co. once again find themselves investigating a murder.

Do I get extra credit since the author's name is Kat?? 

Also, fair warning: this series is cozy in vibe, but the books are R-rated for strong language and innuendo.

2. Murder is a Piece of Cake (Baker Street Mystery #2) by Valerie Burns—Maddy is just getting the hang of running her late great aunt's popular bakery when a rival bakery opens up in her small town. The owner has a reputation for crushing anyone who tries to get in his way. When he's found dead with one of Maddy's knives in his back, she finds herself accused of murder. She didn't do it, so who did?

3. Potions Are for Pushovers (Eleanor Wilde Mystery #2) by Tamara Berry—Pretend medium Eleanor Wilde has established herself as the town witch in the small English village where she has settled. Her potions business is doing well until one of her customers dies by poison. Eleanor may be a fake, but she's not a murderer. Plenty of people hated mean old Sarah Davenport, but who loathed her enough to kill her? Eleanor vows to find out.

4. Flight Risk (The Booking Agents #2) by Cherie Priest—Psychic travel agent Leda Foley and detective Grady Merritt are brought together again when the cases they are working on intersect. Can they work together to solve a puzzling mystery or two?

My vision isn't the greatest, so I just now realized the dog on the cover is carrying an unconventional type of bone. Yikes! Pretty grim for a cozy cover. 

5. A Very Woodsy Murder (Golden Motel #1) by Ellen Byron—Soured on life in the big city, tv writer Dee Stern leaves L.A. in the dust and heads for the hills. When she comes across a dilapidated motel in the woods, she impulsively decides to revive it, with her ex-husband as her business partner. The pair soon discovers that running a motel is a lot harder than it looks—and that's before a murder occurs on their property. Anxious to prove their innocence, Dee and her ex launch their own investigation into the killing. Whodunit?

6. An Irish Bookshop Murder (Mercy McCarthy Mystery #1) by Lucy Connelly—Sisters Mercy and Lizzie McCarthy are thrilled when they inherit a bookstore in a small Irish village from their grandfather. They've barely settled in when their neighbor drops dead. With his last breath, he accuses Mercy of murder, a charge overheard by a whole crowd of people. A shocked Mercy must find the real killer in order to clear her name. 

7. Tragedy in Tahoe (Rylie Sunderland Mysteries #1) by Rachele Baker—Veternarian Rylie Sunderland needs a fresh start. She agrees to take a summer job helping out at a Lake Tahoe inn that her friend owns. Her relaxing break is shattered when a dead body is found in a secret tunnel under the inn. Accused by the local police of the murder, Rylie launches her own investigation into the crime in an effort to prove her innocence.

8. An Appetite for Murder (Key West Food Critic Mystery #1) by Lucy Burdette—Hayley Snow is thrilled when she's offered a job as a food critic for a popular magazine. When she discovers her new boss is the woman her boyfriend cheated on her with? Not so much. Things go from bad to worse when she's murdered and Hayley becomes the police's prime suspect. Refusing to take the blame for a crime she didn't commit (at least not outside of her imagination), Hayley starts hunting down the real killer.

9. A Murder Most Fowl (Food Truck Mystery #1) by Carmela Dutra (available September 9, 2025)—When their late aunt passes away, twins Beth and Seth Lloyd inherit her chicken-themed food truck. In an effort to drum up business, they enter a fierce elimination-type cooking contest. When the competition gets a little too literal, leaving a contestant dead, the twins find themselves in the police's crosshairs. In order to prove their innocence, they need to find the guilty party on the double. Who killed the contestant and why?

10. Botched Butterscotch (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery #5) by Amanda Flower—Juliet Brody and Reverend Brook are getting married and the wedding is set to be the event of the year in their small town. Bailey King is not only making the cake, but she's also a bridesmaid. As she rushes around trying to perform all her duties, a wedding guest is murdered. Apparently, the deceased had dirt about the saintly reverend's past. Did the groom kill the man before he could squeal? Bailey can't believe the kindly man of good would do something so heinous, but someone did. Who? She's determined to find out.

There you go, ten cozy mysteries I want to read that have animals on their covers. Have you read any of them? Do you like cozies? Which are your favorites? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

There are lots of things that make me want to read a particular book. Perhaps it's written by a favorite author or it utilizes a trope I enjoy or the cover just screams, "Pick me up!" What attracts another reader to a certain volume might turn me off completely. Selecting the right book is a very objective process. Today's TTT prompt—Top Ten Things That Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book—is all about those specific reasons you find certain books alluring. I created a list for this topic back in 2018 and nothing much has changed. I'm a creature of habit. Coming up with an additional ten for today's list was a bit of a struggle, but I managed it.

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

3. Depression/Dust Bowl—It's not a very uplifting subject, but lately I've been very intrigued by this era in American history.

4. Appalachia—I've never been to this area of the U.S., but I'm still fascinated by the region with its hills, hollers, and unique way of life.

5. Catchy Titles—If a book's title makes me smile, laugh, or wonder, I'll probably pick it up. I find cozy mystery titles involving cheese especially hilarious.

6. Moody, Broody Covers—Give me all the windswept old houses, angry seas, desolate landscapes, and stormy skies. Atmospheric covers always appeal to me. 

7. Based on a True Story Historical Fiction—I'm a big hist-fic fan, especially when a novel tells an obscure/untold tale that is based on real life.

8. Knives Out-ish—Ever since this popular movie came out, I've seen a bunch of mystery novels comparing themselves to Knives Out. Although none of the ones I've read so far have really charmed me as much as the film, I still rush to read them. 

9. One Thing Wrong Cover—Books about communities that seem placid and upstanding on the outside by harbor deep, dark secrets always appeal to me. I love covers that illustrate this subtly, with just one little thing out of place to show that not everything is what it seems.

10. Books—This one will shock exactly no one. If a cover features a stack of books, a bookstore or library, and/or a bookish title, I'm in.

There you go, ten more things that draw me to certain books. What subjects/tropes/cover images, etc. never fail to hook your interest as a reader? 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.