Some Top Ten Tuesday topics are really tough for my aging memory to handle!  Today's is one of them.  We're supposed to list the Top Ten Most Recent Books I've Read Because Someone Recommended Them.  Here's the thing—most of the books I read have been recommended to me by someone somewhere.  Can I remember those details?  No, no I cannot.  I need to be better about recording where recs come from.  After all, there's no better feeling for a book reviewer or a reader in general than knowing someone has enjoyed a book you recommended to them.  In order not to overtax my elderly brain, I'm going to tweak the topic just a little and chat about my top ten go-to places for reading suggestions.

Want to join in the TTT fun?  Of course you do!  Hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

1.  Book Blogs—No surprise here!  I read tons of book blogs and am always on the lookout for new ones to enjoy.  Book bloggers are the best with reading recs.  With all the blogs on my roll, I'm guaranteed to find a variety of recommended reads.  Hands down, this is my number one source for 

recs.

2.  BookPage—This is a great monthly magazine that my library offers for free.  It has reviews, author interviews, giveaways, and more.  If your library does not provide copies, you can have BookPage delivered to your home for $30 a year.

3.  Bookmarks Magazine—If you like a meatier book magazine, you can't go wrong with this one.  It also features reviews, author interviews, and giveaways—it just offers more of them in a glossier format.  You can buy issues (they come out every two months) at your local Barnes & Noble or subscribe for $34.95/year.

4.  Goodreads—It's no secret that I adore this most popular of bookish sites.  I love that I can keep track of what my friends are reading, see their reviews, and get recommendations straight from them.  Goodreads also has a "Recommendations" feature (under the "Browse" tab) which suggests books you might like based on your shelves.  The more you rate the books you read, the better it works.  When you review a book on Goodreads, there is now an option where you can record who recommended the book to you.  Note to self:  Use this feature!

5.  Book Riot—I don't know about you, but I'm on a lot of bookish mailing lists.  I tend to ignore most of these emails, but I look forward to the ones from Book Riot.  They're fun and informative.  My favorite are their book lists, which have titles like "5 Books Where Women Take Charge" and "Prank Your Significant Other in 7 Fun Romance Books."  Check it out for lists, reviews, book buying deals, and more.

6.  The Library—Because of dang COVID-19, I haven't done any physical browsing of the library shelves for quite some time.  Back in the olden days, however, I enjoyed roaming the aisles to find great new books.  My library always had fun seasonal/themed displays, fliers with themed book lists, recommended books on display, even a short-lived blog.  Although I still browse the library's online catalog, it's just not the same as looking in person!

7.  Bookstores—I visited my local Barnes & Noble last week, which marks the first time since COVID started that I've been inside a physical bookstore.  Whether it's a chain like B&N, a local indie, or just a small section of a larger store like Costco, I dig browsing for books.  I love checking out displays at bookstores, overhearing readers discussing their picks, and even getting recs from random shoppers (which has happened to me numerous times, both at B&N and Changing Hands).  

8.  Family and Friends—My book addiction is no secret.  Maybe it's my READ3R license plate or the book that is always in my hand or the fact that there are more tomes in my home than in a lot of bookstores ... whatever clue gives it away, my bibliophilia is widely known.  Friends and family members are always recommending books to me.

9.  Review Requests—Most book bloggers get tons of queries in their inboxes every day asking them to check out an author/publisher/publicist's latest and greatest.  Although I decline a lot more of these than I used to, this is still a big source of reading recommendations and material for me.

10.  NetGalley and Edelweiss+—Both of these sites, which offer e-ARCs to professional readers, are like literary blackholes.  I can—and often do—spend hours scouring through their many offerings.  My feedback ratio on NetGalley currently sits at a shameful 2% because the site makes me so click-happy that I request a lot more books on there than I actually get read.  Oops.

There you go, ten places I turn to when I'm looking for a new book to read.  How about you?  Who or what are your go-to sources?  Where do you go for awesome reading recs?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

In Mary Lambert's community on Martha's Vineyard, 1 in 4 residents is Deaf.  Everyone—those who can hear and those who cannot—uses the town's sign language to communicate with each other.  In 1805 Chilmark, Deafness is not odd or other.  It just is.  Eleven-year-old Mary has never felt different or lesser because of her inability to hear.  Until things start to change in her world.  

When Mary's older brother dies in a tragic accident, Mary's grief is compounded by her guilt.  She knows in her broken heart that she caused his death.  Then, a scientist from Connecticut shows up in Chilmark eager to study its unique "affliction."  Although other Deaf residents are willing to be studied, Mary has no desire to become anyone's "live specimen."  When she becomes one by force, she will learn a hard lesson about how Deaf people are treated outside of Chilmark.  Can she escape back to her beloved island?  Or is Mary doomed to endure a life of servitude, humiliation, and abuse, all because she was born without being able to hear? 

Show Me a Sign, a middle-grade novel by Deaf librarian Ann Clare LeZotte, is both fascinating and eye-opening.  It's set in a real community, where during the 19th Century Deaf and hearing people intermingled every day, using their own brand of sign language to communicate.  Mary's story starts off slowly but the action soon picks up, making for an exciting and compelling tale.  Not only does the book explore what it means to be Deaf, especially in a time and place where the condition wasn't understood, but it also teaches some important lessons about ableism, racism (LeZotte draws a not-so subtle parallel between the mistreatment of the Wampanoag people and that of the Deaf), empathy, and standing up for one's self.  I don't know how appealing this one will be to young readers, but I found it engaging, illuminating, and thought-provoking.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of El Deafo by Cece Bell and Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly)

Five hundred years ago, the Great Waves destroyed the known world, burying its gleaming cities under fathoms of water.  The rusty ruins beckon to 17-year-old orphan Tempest "Tempe" Alerin, who scavenges them every day hoping to find treasures to sell.  She's been scrimping and saving her Notes ever since her older sister, Elysea, drowned two years ago.  When she finally has enough currency, she can exchange it for a wondrous gift—scientists will bring her dead sibling back to life for 24 hours.  That's all Tempe needs.  Five years ago, Elysea caused the death of their parents.  Tempe will do anything do find out why.

Reviving the dead is a carefully-controlled process, one that goes awry right from the start.  First, Elysea claims she had nothing to do with their parents' deaths.  Then, she asserts that they may still be alive.  In addition, Elysea doesn't want to spend her 24 hours of life sitting around in a boring research facility.  When the sisters find a way to escape their confines, 19-year-old Lor Ritter—the son of the scientist who invented the revival process—is charged with bringing them back.  Or else.  What ensues is a desperate race against time with Tempe and Elysea hunting for answers, with Lor in hot pursuit.  The closer the sisters get to uncovering the secrets of their watery home, the more dangerous their quest gets.  Can they find the answers they seek?  Or will both of them die trying?  

Watery dystopian worlds always fascinate me, so the setting of The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte definitely got my attention.  While not everything about the world made sense, it still created an intriguing backdrop for this exciting, action-packed ecological thriller.  I liked the characters at the story's center.  It was easy to empathize with them and root for their success.  As far as plot goes, I saw the Big Reveal coming, but there were other twists that caught me by surprise.  The ending was disappointing, which made the novel feel less than satisfying.  Overall, then, I didn't love The Vanishing Deep.  It did keep me turning pages, though, and I liked it for the most part.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

Will Slater and Julie Keegan are both gorgeous, ambitious, and powerful.  Their wedding, even though it's taking place at a remote island off the Irish coast with only a very select group of guests, will be the event of the season.  As the couple's nearest and dearest gather, however, tension continues to mount between the happy couple, the island's only residents, and the wedding guests.  When it reaches a fever pitch, one person is left dead.  Who hated the victim enough to kill them?  And why?  Stuck in an isolated place with no way to communicate with the outside world, those on the island must figure out which one of them is a murderer—before the killer strikes again.

With its And Then There Were None-ish premise, it's no wonder that The Guest List by Lucy Foley is being compared to Agatha Christie's classic.  The similarities, however, stop at the book's setup.  While Foley's version features a creepy, atmospheric setting, which creates a deliciously suspenseful backdrop, the story itself moves so slowly that the novel never reaches an "unputdownable" stage.  There were a few surprises in the plot but not enough to make the story feel clever or original.  In addition, the characters are almost wholly unlikable—most are immature, entitled snobs who have done terrible things to each other, which made it difficult for me to care what happened to them.  Not surprisingly, then, The Guest List made for a dark, depressing, and not super satisfying read.  I'd heard such good things about this book that I thought I would love it.  Unfortunately, I just ... didn't.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of One By One by Ruth Ware)