What do you want to accomplish in 2021?  Do you make New Year's resolutions?  Do you keep them?  Are you a person who chooses a focus word/idea to guide your choices throughout the year?  I've always been a great goal maker, but not a very good goal achiever!  Because of my son's wedding in early January, my usual New Year's tasks were postponed, so I haven't made any resolutions yet.  It feels very liberating, let me tell you!  I may use February 1st as my January 1st or I may not make any resolutions at all.  We'll see.  I am curious what you all do and how well your methods work, though, so please share.  I need some motivation (obviously).

Today's Top Ten Tuesday is all about our hopes and goals for the new year.  Book/blog-wise, my only real aims are to read 200 books in 2021 and to complete the reading challenges I've taken on.  If I fail completely?  No biggie.  These are just-for-fun goals.  Since I'm not really sure about what else I want to accomplish this year, on the blog and off, I'm not going to do today's topic of Top Ten Goals and Hopes for 2021.  Instead, I'm going to steal a topic that Katherine over at I Wish I Lived in a Library did last week:  Top Ten Series I Want to Finish/Catch Up On By the End of the Year (check out her list here).  I love series, especially mystery ones, but I get stuck in the middle of them all the time.  2021 seems like a good time to catch up!  

Before we get to that, though, I want to encourage you to join in the TTT fun.  This is an awesome weekly meme that encourages bloggers to spread the love throughout our wonderful book blogosphere.  It's a great way to get involved in the community, find new blogs, revisit old favorites, and, of course, add more books to your TBR pile mountain mountain chain.  What's not to love?  Hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the TTT deets. 

Top Ten Mystery Series I Want to Finish/Catch Up On Before the End of the Year (in no particular order)

1.  Name:  The Noodle Shop Mystery series

Author:  Vivien Chien

Description:  Cozy culinary mysteries revolving around a Asian-American family that runs a Chinese restaurant in Cleveland

Books in series so far:  8 (two of which come out in 2021)

Books I've read:  5

Next up for me:  Killer Kung Pao 

2.  Name:  The Gilded Newport Mystery series

Author:  Alyssa Maxwell

Description:  Cozy historical mysteries starring a poor Vanderbilt relation who gets caught up in upstairs/downstairs tangles of all sorts

Books in series so far:  9 (the newest of which comes out in 2021)

Books I've read:  2

Next up for me:  Murder at Beechwood

3.  Name:  Lady Darby Mystery series

Author:  Anna Lee Huber

Description:  Set in 1830's Scotland, this mystery series features a widow whose former occupation as an anatomist's assistant makes her especially suited to help solve confounding murder mysteries.

Books in series so far:  9 (the newest of which comes out in 2021)

Books I've read:  2

Next up for me:  A Grave Matter

4.  Name:  The Bakeshop Mystery series

Author:  Ellie Alexander

Description:  Cozy culinary mystery series set in a family-owned bakeshop in Ashland, Oregon

Books in series so far:  13 (the newest of which comes out in 2021)

Books I've read:  1

Next up for me:  A Batter of Life and Death

5.  Name:  The Amish Candy Shop Mystery series

Author:  Amanda Flower

Description:  Cozy mystery series set in a family-owned candy shop in the heart of Ohio's Amish country

Books in series so far:  7 (the newest of which comes out in 2021)

Books I've read:  3

Next up for me:  Toxic Toffee

6.  Name:  The Ruth Galloway Mystery series

Author:  Elly Griffiths

Description:  An English archeologist helps solve mysteries involving bones and secrets

Books in series so far:  13 (the newest of which comes out in 2021)

Books I've read:  4

Next up for me:  A Dying Fall

7.  Name:  Below Stairs Mystery series

Author:  Jennifer Ashley

Description:  London's best cook is also a keen observer and amateur detective

Books in series so far:  5 (the newest of which comes out in 2021)

Books I've read:  3

Next up for me:  Murder in the East End

8.  Name:  Inspector Armand Gamache Mystery series

Author:  Louise Penny

Description:  Canada's best detective solves puzzling mysteries, with a special interest in those originating from the small town of Three Pines

Books in series so far:  17 (the newest of which comes out in 2021)

Books I've read:  11

Next up for me:  A Great Reckoning

9.  Name:  Shetland Mystery series

Author:  Ann Cleeves

Description:  Crime series set in the Shetland Islands

Books in series so far:  8

Books I've read:  3

Next up for me:  Blue Lightning

10.  Name:  Lucy Campion Mystery series

Author:  Susanna Calkins

Description:  A chamber maid solves mysteries in plague-ridden 17th Century England

Books in series so far:  5

Books I've read:  0

Next up for me:  A Murder at Rosamund's Gate    

There you go, ten mystery series I want to catch up on in 2021.  Are you a fellow fan of these series?  Which mystery series are your favorites?  Which series in other genres do you enjoy?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

It's only been a few weeks since Emmaline "Emma" Cross helped solve a murder at the luxurious Newport home of her well-known Vanderbilt uncle.  Now, another of her illustrious relatives is in trouble.  This time, it's 18-year-old Consuelo Vanderbilt.  Distressed at the news that she will soon be forced into an advantageous engagement to an English duke she barely knows, Consuelo begs Emma to help her escape the impending nuptials.  Emma's not sure how to help the young woman.  Before she's really had a chance to do anything, a woman is killed on the grounds of Consuelo's home and the bride-to-be has gone missing.  While the police handle the murder, Consuelo's mother pleads with Emma to find her missing daughter.  Discreetly.  The girl's dramatics cannot be allowed to spoil her upcoming marriage.

Emma, who dreams of being an investigative reporter, can't resist the chance to put her detective skills to work once again.  She wants to know who strangled the mysterious psychic, but she's more concerned about her young cousin.  Did Consuelo flounce off somewhere to pout?  Or has someone taken her against her will?  Emma vows to find her.  If she happens to bring a murderer to justice along the way, all the better.  With the help of a dashing journalist, she will get to the bottom of Consuelo's disappearance—even if it means putting herself in harm's way.  Which it will ...

I enjoyed Murder at the Breakers, the first installment in Alyssa Maxwell's Gilded Newport Mystery series, so I was excited to pick up the next book, Murder at Marble House.  Like its predecessor, the novel features a vivid historical setting, likable characters, and a plot that kept me guessing.  As a poor relation of a wealthy family, Emma straddles the line between upstairs and downstairs, which gives the stories an added layer of tension and intrigue.  With her bravery, loyalty, and compassion, she is an appealing heroine who handles her station with humor and aplomb.  All these elements work together beautifully to create engaging tales that make for a fun, entertaining series that's just all kinds of enjoyable.  I'm looking forward to reading the next book and the next and the next ...

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other historical mysteries like the Tess Holloway series by Jennifer Ashley, the Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber, and the Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn)

     

One of the things I love about libraries is that they're full of possibility.  There are literally millions of stories sitting on the shelves, just waiting to be told.  You might walk in having a vague idea of what you want to read, but you could walk out with something totally different.  The best part is you don't have to limit yourself to only one or two stories—you can experience them all!

Imagine a library with that kind of power, except every book on its shelves stars one person:  you.  Each represents a life you are living in a parallel universe, one in which you made different choices than those you picked in your root life.  You can hop in and out of these volumes to find the story that suits you best.  With endless possibilities, which life would you choose?

This is the premise behind The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.  The story revolves around Nora Seed, a 35-year-old who has just lost her long-time dead-end job as well as her beloved cat.  After realizing that these are her only real connections in a world where she's always felt superfluous, she decides to take her own life.  Instead of ending up in heaven or hell, however, she finds herself in an in-between place called The Midnight Library.  Here, she has the ability to try on her different lives to find one that feels more comfortable, more satisfying than her root life.  As Nora tries these variations on for size—experiencing versions that are glamorous, successful, adventurous, terrifying, humdrum, disappointing, surprising, etc.—she begins to wonder if any life is really worth living.  When her strange library starts to crumble, she must decide whether to live or die.  

With that kind of premise, how could I not be drawn into The Midnight Library?  It's a fascinating seed from which to grow a compelling story.  The novel definitely tells an interesting tale, one which is both entertaining and thought-provoking.  It explores some intriguing concepts:  potential and perspective, regrets and resolutions, choice and possibility.  Still, I didn't end up absolutely loving The Midnight Library, but I did like it.  It's a unique, life-affirming read that kept me turning pages.

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

When Sir John Franklin and his crew of explorers disappear after an 1845 trip to the Arctic, everyone is eager to learn of the company's fate.  After several parties fail to find her missing husband, Lady Jane Franklin decides to take the matter into her own hands.  She pays for an all-female crew to make a secret trek into the wilderness.  If they succeed in finding Franklin, the team of women will become famous the world over.  Should they fail?  No one will ever know.  Or will they?

I love survival stories set in remote, dangerous places.  Mix in a murder mystery and you've got my attention, one hundred percent.  As soon as I read the synopsis for The Arctic Fury, the newest historical novel by Greer Macallister, then, I knew I had to read it.  A girl-power survival novel set in the Arctic?  Yes, please!  I was all-in for what I hoped would be an absorbing, immersive read.  Did The Arctic Fury meet my (admittedly high) expectations?  Yes and no.  The premise is definitely unique and interesting (the all-female expedition is entirely fictional, but what if it weren't?).  As far as plot goes, there's enough tension, suspense, and mystery to keep the tale moving at a satisfactory clip.  The tale definitely never got boring for me.  I had a hard time with the characters, though.  The cast is large and even though each of the women in the expedition narrates at least one chapter of the book, I still didn't feel like I really knew any of them.  Thus, it was difficult to care too much when characters died—none of them felt real enough to make me mournful.  Since I'm not sure exactly what purpose all the book's courtroom scenes served, I would have preferred that the whole novel—or at least a good 80% of it—took place in the Arctic.  That way, the story would have been more atmospheric, intense, and compelling.  Plus, it would have given Macallister more time to really develop all the female explorers, create a bond between them that the reader could feel, and offer more excitement and thrills to the plot.  I also would have liked to see the women have a more proactive role in their own rescue. 

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The Terror by Dan Simmons)

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Arctic Fury from the generous folks at Sourcebooks via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!