It's been a bit since I did a Top Ten Tuesday, so I thought I'd chime in on this week's topic—although I'm going to add a little spin to it.  Before we get to that, though, I know you're going to want to join in the fun of my favorite weekly meme.  Here's how: (1) Go to That Artsy Reader Girl, (2) Read through a few instructions, (3) Make your own TTT list, (4) Click around the book blogosphere to read other people's lists, find new blogs, and fill your TBR mountain chain with reading recommendations.  It's fun, I promise!

This week's prompt is: Top Ten Cozy, Wintry Reads.  As much as I enjoy these types of books, especially now that there's FINALLY a nip in the air here in Arizona, I'm going to talk about the ten volumes I want to finish before the year's out.  I've fallen waaayyyy short of my goal to read 200 books in 2018, but I'd at least like to read 155, which mean I've got a baker's dozen left to go.  So, here are the Top Ten Thirteen Books I'm Hoping to Read Before the End of the Year:


1.  The Invited by Jennifer McMahon (available April 30, 2019)—Although it's more Halloween than Christmas, I'm in the middle of this shivery ghost story right now.  I've enjoyed other creepy reads by McMahon, and this one is no exception.  'Course, I can't read it too close to bedtime ...


2.  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens—I love this holiday classic and re-read it every Christmas.


3.  The Pint of No Return by Ellie Alexander—I enjoyed the first book in this cozy mystery series about a brewmistress in Leavenworth, Washington, where more than just beer is on tap.  I don't know the first thing about beer, but this is a fun series set in a town I hope to visit this month.


4.  Mortal Fall by Christine Carbo—For a few years now, I've been keeping track of the places—both within the U.S. and without—where the books I read are set.  It's been fun to do that as part of the Literary Escapes Challenge this year.  I still need to read a book set in Montana, so I decided on this one.  It's the second book in Carbo's mystery series starring a Special Agent for the Department of the Interior who works in Glacier National Park.


5.  This Fallen Prey by Kelley Armstrong—I've really enjoyed Armstrong's gritty Rockton series so far.  This is the third installment.


6.  The Shadow of Death by Jane Willan—Kay, my go-to blogger for everything mystery/thriller, recommended this cozy about a nun who's convinced that a sexton's death (by Heavenly Gouda, no less) is murder.  She's determined to find the killer.  It's the first in a series that sounds utterly delightful.


7.  The Long Way Home by Louise Penny—I love the Armand Gamache series and am reading it
slowly so I can savor it.  This is the tenth installment.


8.  The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo—This Legend of Sleepy Hollow tale is one I had planned to read at Halloween time.  That didn't happen, so we'll see if it happens before New Year.


9.  The Ocean Liner by Marius Gabriel—This historical novel about two Jewish cousins sailing to America on the S.S. Manhattan to escape WWII in their home country sounds excellent.


10.  Trouble the Water by Jacqueline Friedland—Another historical, this one is about a young British woman who's sent to America to live with a wealthy widower in order to ease her family's financial burden.  Although she initially finds her benefactor disagreeable, she sound discovers that he hides some tantalizing secrets.  Sounds good!


11.  The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King—Because I'm super old, I grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.  Even as a kid, I found it trippy-weird.  However, after watching the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? recently, I was really struck by the faith, sincerity, and devotion of Fred Rogers.  I definitely want to read more about him.


12.  The Library Book by Susan Orlean—I've seen nothing but glowing reviews for this book about a devastating library fire in California.  The author uses the event to talk about the history and continuing importance of libraries in our communities.  I'm in!


13.  The Book of Mormon—In his address at an October women's conference, Russell M. Nelson—prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—issued a challenge to the women of the Church to read The Book of Mormon by the end of the year.  I was in the middle of reading the New Testament for my nightly scripture study at the time, but I switched over and am now in the middle of Alma.  Happily, the New Testament is the subject of study for all members of the Church all over the globe in 2019.  I can't wait!

There you have it, thirteen books I'd really like to read in what's left of 2018.  Have you read any of them?  What did you think?  What wintry, cozy books are you planning to enjoy this season?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor.

Happy TTT!

Ever since their junkie mom took off, 19-year-old Sadie Hunter has looked after her 13-year-old sister, Mattie.  Their existence is a tough one, but with the help of May Beth Foster, their landlord and pseudo grandmother, the girls manage to get along okay.  Until Mattie is discovered dead from a blunt force trauma wound to the head.  Overcome with grief and anger, Sadie's fury builds to a raging inferno as the police fail to solve her sister's murder.  Armed with only a switchblade and a few meager clues, Sadie finally sneaks off, determined to find Mattie's killer on her own—and make him pay.

When 68-year-old May Beth discovers that Sadie is missing, she grows frantic.  Her heart can't take the thought of another missing girl, especially one under her care.  Desperate, she begs radio personality Wes McCrae for help.  Sensing a juicy story, Wes creates a podcast to tell Sadie's story and to enlist his listeners in the search for the missing young woman.  The more deeply involved he becomes, the more he worries for obsessive, reckless Sadie.

In the meantime, Sadie's courting trouble by asking jeopardous questions of dangerous people.  Can Wes and Mary Beth stop her perilous quest before it's too late?  Or will Sadie's obsession with revenge lead to her own violent end?

For a YA novel, Sadie by Courtney Summers is decidedly dark, disturbing, and depressing.  It tells a gritty, unsettling story that I certainly would not want my teens reading.  That being said, it's a compelling book that tackles hefty issues (poverty, drug abuse, child abandonment, etc.) through the eyes of some very interesting characters.  Summers writes well, there's no doubt about that, but I had a hard time really enjoying Sadie.  It's a little too raw for my tastes and the ending, while satisfying on some levels, bugged on others.  Overall, then, I didn't love this one or even like it all that much.  I know I'm in the minority here because the novel is definitely affecting, it just wasn't my favorite.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  You?)

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