Happy Tuesday! It's actually still Monday, but I'm writing this post early since tomorrow, I get to TRAVEL down to the hospital for a colonoscopy. This is my first time getting one and the prep is already killing me. I've been on a liquid diet all day, so I'm starving and I've got a headache. I take my first dose of the prep drink in an hour. The next one will be at 3 a.m. since my procedure is at 9 tomorrow morning. Fun stuff. Since things are only going to get more unpleasant from here, I figured I should get my TTT post squared away now. Today's topic is a nice, easy one: Top Ten Books That Feature Travel. My head's feeling foggy, so I'm going to keep my list simple and go with books on my TBR list that feature a mode of transportation (even though I posted a similar list less than a year ago).

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

1. On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Bundles—I'm reading this biography right now and it's super interesting. Born to formerly enslaved parents, Madam C.J. Walker survived a hardscrabble upbringing to become a wealthy, well-known businesswoman who used her money and influence to help the poor and champion civil rights for Black people. 

2. The Women by Kristin Hannah—As much as I love Hannah, I've been hesitating a tad on this novel. My uncle was killed in action in Vietnam, so the war is an especially sensitive topic for me. I'll read The Women at some point because I'm curious about the roles women played in the war and I do enjoy Hannah's books.

3. With a Vengeance by Riley Sager (available June 10, 2025)—A new Sager thriller is always cause for celebration. I'm already on a waiting list at the library for this novel that sounds like a mash-up of And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. Yes, please!

4. The Woman With No Name by Audrey Blake—It's 1942 and Yvonne Rudellat is in desperate need of a new life focus. She gets it when she's offered the chance to become Britain's first female sabotage agent. No one expects much of her, but she's determined to do everything she can to take down the Nazi's evil regime.

5. What Happened Then by Erin Soderberg Downing (available September 2, 2025)—This middle-grade novel is about a pair of cousins who travel to a mysterious island where family secrets are hiding around every corner, just waiting to be dug into...

6. Last Stop Union Station by Sarah James (available July 15, 2025)—Jacqueline Love's Hollywood career is drying up fast. The only gig she can manage to land is aboard the Hollywood Victory Caravan, a train full of celebrities that is criss-crossing the U.S. to raise money for World War II efforts. When a passenger dies aboard the locomotive in a suspicious manner, Jacqueline's convinced it's murder. Stuck at Union Station in Chicago, she convinces a female police officer to help her investigate. It quickly becomes apparent that the women are in way, way over their heads.

7. Katherine, the Wright Sister by Tracey Enerson Wood—You've heard of Orville and Wilbur Wright, but did you know they had a sister who was invaluable in helping them achieve their many victories? This novel tells the story of one of the most overlooked women in history.

8. Blueberry Blunder by Amanda Flower—I love Flower's Amish Candy Shop cozy mystery series. It's set in Amish country, so most (all?) of the covers feature at least one buggy. In this installment—the 8th in the series—Bailey is in the middle of building a candy factory when a surly contractor with plentiful enemies is murdered. Whodunit?

9. The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenandore—In this historical novel, a disgraced female doctor is desperate to make ends meet so that her disabled son can get the care he needs. With little choice, she joins a traveling medical show headlined by a charismatic con man. She's poised to sneak away from the whole thing when an incoming storm stops her. The hurricane is predicted to be devastating. People will get hurt and she's a doctor. Can she trust herself to treat people again? Or is she too damaged to be any good to anyone?

There you go, ten books on my TBR list that feature modes of transportation. Have you read any of them? What are your favorite books that feature transportation or travel? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

P.S. I'm in the middle of drinking my first dose of the colonoscopy prep liquid and...wow, it's foul! What have I gotten myself into here? Blech.

Happy Tuesday! I don't remember submitting today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt, but apparently I did. I'm turning 50 this year and my memory is...not great. Anyway, the topic du jour is: Top Ten Ways in Which My Blogging/Review Style Has Changed Over the Years. One of my favorite things about blog hopping is seeing how other bloggers do their thing. It's always interesting to compare/contrast others' approaches with my own, so I'm excited to read everyone's lists today. 

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

I've been talking about books here at BBB since 2006, almost TWENTY years ago. Crazy! Although I live in the same house that I did back then (after living elsewhere for fourteen years), a lot has changed in almost two decades. When I started my blog, I was a 30-year-old stay-at-home mom looking for a creative outlet. I had three small children, little free time, and a lot of stress. Nineteen years later, I have four children (we adopted our youngest in 2008), a daughter-in-law, a grandbaby, abundant time to myself, and a life that is generally smooth and peaceful.  

As my life circumstances have changed over the years, so has my reading and blogging. Here's how:

1. Read, Review, Repeat—Back in the day, I reviewed every book I read on my blog. It didn't matter whether it came from a publisher, the library, or my own shelves, I took the time to write a detailed, thoughtful review. Since I read a whole lot faster than I review, this quickly became a huge source of stress and pressure for me. Eventually, I realized that I was creating my own issue by demanding too much of myself. It was only a handful of years ago that I finally gave myself permission to review only what I wanted to review and to do it on my own timeline. So liberating! Since then, the number of reviews posted on my blog has massively dwindled, but I'm a much happier blogger.

2. Goodreads for the Win—It took me some time to get into this iconic book site, but now I'm totally addicted! I keep multiple TBR lists there, follow friends, participate in the yearly Goodreads challenge, and more. I'm on the site almost every day. If you don't follow me there yet, you definitely should.

Even though I don't review everything I read on my blog, I do review everything I read on Goodreads. As soon as I can after I finish a book, I record my initial thoughts on GR simply because I like having a record of what I've read and what I thought about it. If I end up writing a more in-depth review on my blog, I can refer to my GR review and those fresher thoughts. Even though my GR reviews are generally rougher than my blog reviews, I still post them on NetGalley and Edelweiss when they're referring to ARCs.

3. Faster, more efficient reading—As I mentioned, I had three little kids when I started this blog. I had to sneak in my reading and blogging during naptime and in the early morning before they woke up. I'm not sure how many books I read in a year back then (probably not many), but now I usually get about 200. Since I don't have small children, I don't have a job, I don't watch tv, and I don't have many other hobbies, I have all the time in the world to read. When I'm driving (frequently), doing housework (ALL the dang time), or exercising (not enough of the time), I listen to audiobooks to pass the time and up my book count.

4. More succinct reviews—In the early days of BBB, my aunt told me she didn't like my reviews because I gave too much of the book's plot away. Fair point. My writing has always been wordy and that probably won't ever change, but I do think I've gotten better at penning reviews that are more succinct and spoiler-free. Writing quick reviews on Goodreads has definitely helped me with this.

5. Picky, picky, picky!—When I first started my blog, I was so excited that publicists were offering me free reads that I eagerly accepted every book that was offered to me. It didn't take long for me to feel totally overwhelmed and pressured to read them all, even if they were not at all my cup of tea. I have become much more selective over time. These days, I probably accept less than half of the books I'm offered. 

6. More balance, less snark—As a baby blogger, I earned a fierce reputation as the Simon Cowell of the book blogging world. If I didn't like a book, I did not hold back! I was riding pretty high on my own wit when I received several hate emails from angry authors and lost a writer friend whose book I didn't love. After some humbling, I started to tone things down. I still believe in writing honest reviews, but I've tried to take a kinder, more balanced, less snarky approach.

7. Bye, bye book tours!—Once upon a time, I was super into participating in blog tours. Back then, it was sometimes the only way to get early copies of hot titles. Greedy little me signed up for so many of them that I had at least one tour stop every week and usually more. Keeping up a hectic schedule like that sucked the fun out of book reviewing, leaving me feeling panicked, stressed, and guilty when I couldn't keep up. Some time ago, I decided to give up blog tours completely. What a relief! Now and then, I'll agree to a tour stop, but they are very, very few and very, very far between. 

8. Schedule free me—As a matter of fact, I have stopped doing any kind of scheduled posting. I participate in TTT most weeks, but that's about it. For years, I've been telling authors and publicists that I review only on my own schedule. If I get to their book, I get to it; if I don't, I don't. Judging by the amount of books still coming to my doorstep, most people don't mind my lackadaisical attitude. 

On the other hand, having no schedule means I rarely post these days. I don't want my blog to be completely forgotten, so I may have to be a little more disciplined on this one. We'll see.

9. Challenge Me—I've always loved reading challenges. Back in the day, there were tons of them going on in the book blogosphere and lots of them were competitive, offering generous prizes of books, gift cards, and so on. I took them seriously, participating in a bunch every year. Although I still join more of them than I should, I only do them for fun these days. I also host a couple of my own, which I enjoy.

10. Old favorites, been and gone—In almost twenty years of book blogging, I've fallen in love with so many wonderful blogs and bloggers. It's sad when they disappear from the book blogosphere. Over the years, some of those bloggers have died while others have just moved on to other pursuits. Although so many of them have gone away, luckily, there have been many more that have taken their place over the years. I'm so glad that the book blogging world is still going strong. 

One thing that hasn't changed since 2006 is that I still love reading and promoting books. Being a part of the book blogosphere for all these years has been such a joy. Thank you for hanging out here with me and for all of your thoughtful comments, delightful book recommendations, wonderful support, and more. You make me feel included and seen, something that can be tough for bookish introverts to find. Even though I'm a senior citizen in the book blogging world, I'm not ready to let it go. That might not ever change! 

How long have you been blogging? What changes have you noticed in your reading, reviewing, and blogging habits over the years? 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 try to respond to comments left here.

It's been a hot minute since I've participated in Top Ten Tuesday. After neglecting my favorite weekly blogging event for too long, I'm back for today's fun prompt: Top Ten Authors Who Live in My State or Country. Although I was born and raised in the lush, rainy Pacific Northwest, I have lived in hot, dry Arizona since 2000. The Grand Canyon State has produced some legendary authors like Zane Grey, Erma Bombeck, Edward Abbey, Barbara Park, and more. Today, I'm going to focus on ten Arizona authors who are still living and producing books, whether I've read anything from them or not. 

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

1. Nicole Adair—Nicole's family lived near me for many years in Mesa and attended the same church congregation, so I know them fairly well. I know Nicole herself only slightly, but I'm excited that she's having success with her YA novels. I haven't read any of them yet. Soon, I hope!

2. Dusti Bowling—Bowling is my favorite Arizona author, hands down. She lives in Gilbert and writes wonderful middle-grade novels set in our state. She's best known for Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, but she's penned a number of others as well. I've read most of her books and have her latest, The Beat I Drum out from the library right now.

3. Diana Gabaldon—This hugely popular author of the Outlander series is one of Arizona's most famous writers. She was born in Williams and has lived in Scottsdale for years. I read and enjoyed Outlander awhile ago, but I have never picked up any of her others. Oops. 

4. J.A. Jance—Jance, who grew up in Bisbee and now lives part-time in Tucson, has been publishing mystery novels since the 1980s. Although she has written dozens of books, I've never read any of them. She's on my list of authors to try.

5. Barbara Kingsolver—Kingsolver, who writes in a variety of genres, lives in southern Arizona part-time. I haven't read any of her books. Yet.

6. Isabella Maldonado—A few years ago while my husband and I were at our bank dealing with some issues, a teller and I started talking about our shared love of reading. She mentioned that a relative of hers, a retired police captain, had moved to Phoenix and started writing crime novels. At the time, I hadn't heard of Maldonado, but I see her name frequently these days. I haven't read anything by her yet, but I will!

7. Lisa McMann—McMann, who lives in Tempe, writes sci fi/fantasy books for middle-grade and teen readers. I've read and enjoyed her YA books. My kids liked her Unwanted series.

8. Stephenie Meyer—It's been a few years since Meyer published anything so I don't know if she's technically still writing or not, but I couldn't exclude her from this list since she's one of Arizona's most famous living authors. The creator of the Twilight saga, she lives in Cave Creek. Fun fact: New Moon is one of the first books I reviewed on this blog. I loved Twilight when I read it, but the series got hokey for me so I never finished it. I did enjoy The Host.

9. T.J. Newman—A former flight attendant, Newman lives in Phoenix and writes thrillers set on airplanes. I haven't read any of them yet, but I plan to at some point.

10. Jewell Parker Rhodes—Dr. Rhodes is the Virginia D. Piper Endowed Chair at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe. She's also the Founding Director of the Virginia D. Piper Center for Creative Writing and a bestselling author of historical fiction for both kids and adults. I've read and enjoyed several of her children's books.

Well, I clearly haven't done very well at reading local authors! I definitely need to do better. How about you? Have you read any of these Arizona authors? 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.

I just realized it's been a whole month since I published a post here at BBB. Such a slacker! I've been reading (that never stops), but I haven't been reviewing books except on Goodreads. (Are you following me there? You should be.) I've even been skipping out on my favorite meme, Top Ten Tuesday. Yikes! Hopefully, I can get back into the swing of things soon.

At any rate, how are you doing with the Bookish Books Reading Challenge? (I would know if I had been visiting your review posts, which I haven't been doing either.) I'm doing fairly well with it, actually. So far this year, I've read ten bookish books. That's not so bad, right? 

In April, I read and enjoyed both of these: 

The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes—This new historical novel is all about the power of stories to uplift and inspire. It features two women who brave all the challenges of the Montana wilderness to bring books to people in isolated mining camps. A third comes to Big Sky country in order to help with a Works Progress Administration (WPA) program aimed at employing jobless writers and editors to write travel guides for the American states. In doing so, she uncovers a mystery involving the two boxcar librarians.

The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian—The second installment in a cozy mystery series starring an out-of-work magician who reluctantly returns home to work for her family's unique construction business, The Raven Thief is a murder mystery centered around an Edgar Allen Poe-themed party that goes horribly awry.

I'm not sure what I'm going to be reading in May since I really don't plan out my reading, but these two look good:

Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman (available July 15, 2025)—Goodman's one of my go-to mystery/thriller authors, so I'm excited for her newest. Hopefully, I can get an e-ARC sometime soon. The story is about a group of authors who were invited to an exclusive writing retreat on a Greek Island fifteen years ago. Something sinister happened then. Now, that same group of writers is being invited back for a cutthroat writing competition that, once again, turns bloody. Whodunit?

Just Another Dead Author by Katarina Bivald (available August 12, 2025)—This mystery has a very similar plot to the above book. It's about Berit Gardner, a mystery author who travels to the French countryside to attend a writer's conference. When the keynote speaker, a despised literary critic, dies suddenly after delivering his lecture, it throws the gathering into chaos. While the police launch an investigation, Berit decides to do her own digging. Plenty of people wanted revenge on the harsh critic, but who actually did the deed?

The Lady and Her Quill by Ruth A. Casie—I'm not much of a romance reader, but this one sounds fun. It's about two rival authors who design a competition to see who is the better writer. Both of them are to craft a story based on a newspaper headline about a stolen treasure. As they delve into the task, the contest gets more dangerous than they could ever have imagined. When Lady Alicia Hartley is captured by the thieves, it's up to her rival to rescue her. Can he save the woman he loves to hate? What if her adventure gives her the better story? Can he win at both writing and love?

If you are participating in the 2025 Bookish Books Reading Challenge, please use the widget below to link-up your May reviews. If you're not signed up for the challenge yet, what are you waiting for? Click here to join the party.