It's August already. Huh. How did that happen? July was a busy month for me and my family, but I still managed to read two bookish books:

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney centers around an eccentric old woman who is also a well-known author of children's books. She invites all the members of her dysfunctional family to her private island to celebrate her 80th birthday. Tension is already high, even before the birthday girl is found dead in her kitchen. Her death is just the beginning of a violent, deadly game reminiscent of And Then There Were None. Who is killing off the Darkers? And why?

This thriller is exactly what it says it is—dark—and yet, I found it irresistibly compelling and clever. I listened to the book on audio and the narrator, Stephanie Racine, gives a pitch-perfect performance that matched the story to a T. 

I also enjoyed The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer. This gentle novel is also about a famous author who lives on his own private island. In this case, he's a recluse who hasn't penned a new book in years. When Jack Masterson announces he's finally written another novel and he's offering it as a prize to the winner of an exclusive competition he's hosting, everyone is shocked. The hand-picked contestants have to solve puzzles in a race against time—and each other—to earn the life-changing prize. 

Unlike Daisy Darker, this book is uplifting, optimistic, and magical. I really liked it. 

As for bookish books to read in August, I'm hopefully going to pick up some of the ones I've mentioned already in these monthly posts. I'm not going to add anymore to the list at this point. However, I did just learn some exciting news. Jennifer Ryan—one of my favorite authors of World War II fiction—has a novel coming out in 2024 titled The Underground Library. It's about three very different women who come together to save the library that means everything to them amidst the chaos of war. I can't wait!

What bookish books did you read in July? Which are you planning to pick up in August?

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.

Even though I try to keep my Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl) posts positive, I'm going to start this one by complaining about the heat because, WOW! Here in the Phoenix area, we're heading into the twelfth day in a row of temperatures above 115 degrees. Yes, really. It's awful. The air conditioning in my house is having trouble keeping up and the water in my backyard swimming pool is as warm as a bath. Ugh. With all the extreme heat warnings being sounded, it's clearly safest for me to stay home ( with a/c blasting and ceiling fans whirling) and read. Fine by me! I hope your local weather is less extreme than mine and that you're staying safe and cool this summer.

Like I mentioned, I'm going to give today's TTT prompt a wide berth since it feels too negative to me. (It even comes with a warning not to book bash!) The official topic is: Top Ten Most Recent Books I Did Not Finish (Feel free to tell us why if you want, but if you do, please be nice to the authors and don't tag them when you mention your post on social media!) Not every book is going to work for every reader, obviously, and that's okay. When I DNF one, it's usually because it has one or more of the following issues: a boring plot, characters I don't care about, clunky writing, or content that is too graphic/crude for me. 

In searching for an alternate list topic today, I decided to go with one I've seen lots of other book bloggers doing in recent weeks: The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag. I'm not sure with whom this meme originated (Anyone know?), but it's a fun way to look back at what you've read so far this year and what you still hope to accomplish before the year ends. 

Out of the 103 books I've read this year, here are...

1. The Best Book You've Read So Far in 2023:

I'd say it's a toss-up between these two. 

2. The Best Sequel of 2023 So Far?

I've binged a bunch of Kelley Armstrong's books this year (six and counting), but The Poisoner's Ring is the one that stands out in this category. Armstrong's Rip Through Time series is just incredibly fun so far.

3. The New Release You Haven't Read Yet But Want To:

4. The Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of 2023:

I'm reading this one right now and really enjoying it. It comes out on November 7.

5. Biggest Disappointment?

I usually really enjoy Megan Miranda's thrillers, but this one was a slog and peopled with characters I didn't care about to boot.

6. Biggest Surprise?

I don't read a lot of contemporary general fiction, but someone suggested this one for book club. I thought it might be a little silly, but it was actually quite charming. Also, funny, uplifting, and insightful. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

7. Favorite New Author (Debut or New to You):

I really enjoyed Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney, so I'll definitely be checking out her other books.

8. Newest Fictional Crush?

Book boyfriends are not my thing, but my favorite fictional couple these days is Detective Casey Duncan and her common law husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton. They're the stars of the Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong. I started the books a few years ago, but I finished the series this year so I'm counting it here.

9. Newest Favorite Character(s):

Enola Holmes, Sherlock's crime-solving younger sister, is pretty delightful!

10. Book That Made You Cry?

What Stands in a Storm by Kim Cross is about a series of vicious tornadoes that wreaked havoc on Alabama and Mississippi in 2011. While the book describes a lot of horrifying situations, it also focuses on how people came together in the aftermath to help one another search for missing loved ones, mourn the dead, clean up devastated communities, and heal from trauma the storms wrought. Those stories definitely had me choking up.

That's it for my mid-year reading assessment. How would you answer these questions? 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!