2025 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2025 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
Booklist Queen's 2025 Reading Challenge
2025 52 Club Reading Challenge
2025 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge
2025 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge
2025 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge
2025 Mount TBR Reading Challenge
2025 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge
2025 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge
The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge
The Life Skills Reading Challenge
Tuesday, April 04, 2023
Top Ten Tuesday: Indie/Self-Published Books I Want to Read
How do you feel about self-published books? What about those that come through smaller, independent presses? That's what today's TTT prompt is all about: Top Ten Indie/Self-Published Books. I'll be honest, I'm not hot on the self-pubbed. I've read so many stinkers in the past that, nowadays, I avoid them, except when they come from an author I already know and love (Here's looking at you, Melanie Jacobson!). I'm fine with indie books, although I still don't seem to read many of them. All of this means that today's topic is a toughie for me. And yet, I'm pressing on, not going rogue this time. Impressed? You should be! I managed to find ten indie and self-published books that are now on my TBR list (if they weren't already).
As always, TTT is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Click on over to her blog for all the details.
Top Ten Indie/Self-Published Books I Want to Read
- in no particular order -
1. Here For It by Melanie Jacobson (Four Petal Press)—Jacobson published a bunch of books with Covenant Communications before turning to self-/indie publishing. There are many of her fun, flirty novels I still haven't gotten to, but I enjoyed So Not My Thing—the first installment in the Love in New Orleans trilogy—and I want to finish the series.
This second book stars Anneke, a supermodel who's in NOLA to help her BFF open his new jazz club. When she realizes that her online crush owns a record shop in town, she can't help but be intrigued. Jonah feels the same, although Anneke's not at all the kind of woman the music store owner has in mind for himself. So, why can't he stop thinking about her?
I always look forward to Jacobson's books because they're humorous, sassy, lighthearted, closed-door romances that are fun and entertaining.
2. Maybe I Will by Melanie Jacobson (Four Petal Press)—This third installment in the Love in New Orleans trilogy is an enemies-to-lovers romance between a feared food critic and a chef who's trying to make a name for himself. Chloe Morel and Dylan Jones have hated each other for years. When they suddenly become neighbors, the heat between them intensifies, but not in the way they expect. What will happen when their professional goals come between their growing attraction to each other?
Known as "America's Independent Publisher," Kensington has published a number of books that appeal to me, including:
3. The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abé (Kensington)—Everyone knows I'm a bit of a Titanic junkie, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I want to read this one. The romance between 17-year-old Madeleine Talmage Force and wealthy businessman John Jacob Astor, a man almost three times her age, creates a huge scandal. Their honeymoon to Egypt provides a respite from the relentless attention of the press and other tongue-waggers, but their return trip on the Titanic proves to be anything but peaceful. In the aftermath of the tragedy, what will become of the young widow?
4. Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge (Kensington)—This is the first book in a historical mystery series starring Julia Child's (fictional) BFF, Tabitha Knight. Also an American, Tabitha has fallen head over heels for the City of Lights. Her enchanted French experience turns sour, however, when a dead body is found in Julia's cellar. The murder weapon? A knife from Julia's kitchen. As the police begin their inquiries, Tabitha launches her own investigation. Who killed the dead woman and why? She aims to find out.
5. The Runaway by Lisa Childs (Kensington)—Once an insane asylum, Halcyon Hall is now an exclusive spa for the wealthy. Located on a secluded estate on an island off the coast of Maine, it's not an easy place to gain access to, which is a problem for Rosemary Tulle. Her younger sister's frantic phone call from Halcyon Hall, begging Rosemary to come get her, has left Rosemary worried and afraid. She grows even more desperate—and suspicious—when the spa's staff insist Genevieve ran away. Rosemary refuses to believe that. She will find her sister, no matter what it takes.
6. The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew (Kensington)—It's 1954 and 13-year-old Jubie Watts is on a road trip with her family and their Black maid, Mary Luther. As the group travels from their home in North Carolina to their destination in Florida, Jubie notices the racial tension that increases the deeper the longer they're on the road. When the unthinkable happens, Jubie will be left to reconcile with hard truths about the South, her parents—and herself.
7. Red Flags by Lisa Black (Kensington)—This series opener stars Dr. Ellie Carr, a crime scene analyst working in Washington, D.C. When she's assigned to a missing baby case, Ellie is stunned to discover the child's mother is her cousin. What happened to the baby? Ellie must find out.
8. Owl in the Oak Tree by Penny Walker Veraar (GG Publishing)—After her husband's death from cancer, Reagan Ramsey is doing everything she can to hold it together, especially for her special needs daughter. When a drive-by shooting happens right before Reagan's eyes, she becomes an unwitting witness to a shocking crime. As much as she wants the perpetrator brought to justice, she is terrifed of risking her family's safety. What will she do? How will her decision impact her already grief-stricken life?
9. Silver River Shadow by Jane Thomas (Books and Bicycles Press)—The plot summary of this middle-grade novel is unique and I don't want to screw it up by writing it in my own words, so here's the publisher's version:
In 1946, Barney and Marion Lamm climbed into their two-seater plane and flew deep into the heart of the Canadian wilderness. Then one day the wonderful life they created was ripped apart.
Over seventy years later, their great-granddaughter Lizzie follows in their footsteps. Nobody ever tells Lizzie anything. Her mother's dead and her father's hiding in his work. Determined to know her family history, the truths she uncovers are laced with dangerous secrets.
Based on a true story and a real, raw quest for truth, Silver River Shadow shines a light on a country's darkest secrets and unveils the mercury tragedy that still affects the Ojibway community in Canada's northwestern Ontario today. With gorgeous illustrations, this beautifully written book is perfect for 8+ fans of Katherine Rundell, Tom Palmer and Onjali Rauf.
Over seventy years later, their great-granddaughter Lizzie follows in their footsteps. Nobody ever tells Lizzie anything. Her mother's dead and her father's hiding in his work. Determined to know her family history, the truths she uncovers are laced with dangerous secrets.
Based on a true story and a real, raw quest for truth, Silver River Shadow shines a light on a country's darkest secrets and unveils the mercury tragedy that still affects the Ojibway community in Canada's northwestern Ontario today. With gorgeous illustrations, this beautifully written book is perfect for 8+ fans of Katherine Rundell, Tom Palmer and Onjali Rauf.
There you go, ten indie/self-published novels I want to read. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which indie/self-published books have you enjoyed in the past? Which would you recommend to me based on the titles I've listed above? 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!
Saturday, April 01, 2023
The Bookish Books Reading Challenge: April Book Ideas and Link Up for Reviews
Although I had every intention of reading more than one bookish book in March, it just did not happen. I very much enjoyed the one I did get to, though:
Murder Off the Books is the third installment in Tamara Berry's By the Book cozy mystery series. I'm loving the series because it's just so much fun. Easy, entertaining reads are exactly what I need sometimes.
April is already shaping up to be a good month for bookish books because I'm already reading these two:
Smile Beach Murder is the first installment in Alicia Bessette's cozy mystery series set in North Carolina's Outer Banks area. It stars Callie Padget, a city reporter who's just been laid off. With nowhere else to go, she returns to her hometown temporarily to regroup. Soon after she gets hired at a local bookstore, she runs into an old friend, who soon ends up dead. The police think she jumped from the lighthouse because she wanted to kill herself; Callie refuses to believe it. Someone killed Eva Meeks, just like someone killed Callie's mother—in the exact same place—26 years ago. It's up to Callie to figure out what really happened to the dead women.
Emily Henry's name is all over the book blogosphere. Everyone seems to adore her books, so I knew I had to give them a go. I was excited when I saw that Book Lovers was available on audio from my library. I'm only a few chapters in, but so far it's super fun. I've already laughed out loud several times, which bodes very well.
I just found out about this book, which is a potential bookish read for April:
Dear Reader: The Comfor and Joy of Books is a memoir of the reading life of Cathy Rentzenbrink, a bookseller who became a professional writer.
I might also get a jump on this one since it's my book club's May pick:
Everyone's probably already read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, so I won't give you a plot summary. I adore this book, but it's been a minute since I read it so I'm going to re-read it so it's fresh in my mind for book club and so I can finally pick up the sequel:
As the title indicates, The Book Woman's Daughter is the story of the daughter of the beloved Troublesome Creek book woman. When Honey Lovett's parents are imprisoned, she has to fight to keep her own freedom. She starts running her mother's packhorse library route, delivering books to eager patrons in the remote hollers of Appalachia. Just as it did for her mother, the job changes Honey's life forever.
We'll see how many of these I actually get read, but this is a good tentative plan for April. We'll see how it goes. How about you? What bookish books did you read in March? Which are you planning on for April?
For those of you who are participating in the Bookish Books Reading Challenge, here's the Mr. Linky to use for linking up March reviews. If you've not yet signed up for the challenge, what are you waiting for? Join us in this low-key challenge that celebrates a genre we all love: books about books. It will be fun, I promise!
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Top Ten Tuesday: If I Like These Ten Books and Authors, What/Who Else Would I Enjoy?
If you want to join in the TTT fun (and you definitely do), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.
Okay, so here's the idea. I'm going to list ten of my favorite authors who are currently writing books and what I like about their work. Then, I would LOVE it if you would recommend similar books/authors that you think I might enjoy. I'm open to new genres (except for erotica and anything too graphic), but my go-tos are definitely mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction, historical mysteries, general/women's fiction, and family sagas. I tend to shy away from anything too literary or strange or fantasy-y. Non-fiction recs would be awesome as well. Make sense? Alright, put your thinking caps on and give me some great new books/authors to try!
If I Like These Ten Books and Authors, What/Who Else Would I Enjoy?
- in no particular order; images are of my favorite book by the author or the first book in my favorite series by them -
1. Kathy Reichs
- Writes: mysteries/thrillers/crime with a focus on forensic science (Reichs is a forensic anthropologist.)
- What I like about her books: strong female lead; likable, complex characters; forensics explained in a way that is approachable, but not condescendingly simple; upbeat vibe, edge-of-your-seat plotting, and humor throughout
2. Kate Morton
- Writes: historical fiction, family sagas, family secrets novels, dual-timeline
- What I like about her books: atmospheric settings, complex family dynamics, compelling plots, clean content, Gothic vibes
- Writes: mysteries/thrillers/crime for adults and YA; also writes urban fantasy and supernatural novels, but I haven't read any of those (not my genre)
- What I like about her books: strong female leads, humor, exciting plots, complex characters and relationship dynamics, understated romance as subplots
4. Ruta Sepetys
- Writes: YA historical fiction
- What I like about her books: unique settings, vivid historical detail, sympathetic characters, engaging prose
5. Louise Penny
- Writes: mysteries/thrillers/crime with a bit of a literary bent
- What I lilke about her books: rich, detailed settings; complex, sympathetic characters; lead character with wisdom and morals; interesting mysteries; easy to sink into
- Writes: YA contemporary fiction and YA mysteries/thrillers
- What I like about her books: warm vibe; page-turners; likable characters; twisty mysteries
7. Stacey Lee
- Writes: MG and YA contemporary and (mostly) historical fiction with a focus on the Chinese-American experience
- What I like about her books: rich, historical settings/details; unique take on known historical events; compelling plots; clean content; engaging
8. Riley Sager
- Writes: thrillers, psychological thrillers, mysteries, spooky books
- What I like about his books: creepy without being terrifying; intriguing premises; addicting stories; plots that pull me in and keep me reading fast and furious
- Writes: historical fiction
- What I like about her books: upbeat in spite of heavy subject matter; likable, sympathetic characters; strong female characters; vivid historical settings/details; engaging reads; clean content
10. Susan Meissner
- Writes: historical fiction, dual-timeline
- What I like about her books: dual-timelines, engaging plots, likable characters, vivid historical settings/details, complex relationships, family secrets, clean content
There you go, ten of my favorite authors who are still writing books. Have you read any of them? What readalikes can you think of for me? What did you do for 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. I also reply to your comments here (although I've been a *little* slow at it lately).
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
A Top Ten Tuesday Tag
I've been participating in Top Ten Tuesday on a fairly regularly basis for the last ten years. I don't know how many prompts I've engaged since then, but it's been a lot, which makes it tough to find new ones for freebie topics like today's: Top Ten Tuesday Rewind. The idea is to go back and choose a past TTT prompt that you haven't done yet, want to revisit, etc. I scanned through the lists of old prompts and none really jumped out to me, so I'm going to do something different today instead.
I was curious about my first ever TTT post, so I searched it out. It was on February 26, 2013, and the topic was My Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors. It's interesting to see who I loved to read back then and how my tastes have/have not changed.
If you want to join in for TTT Rewind, click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl to get all the details. While you're at it, give our wonderful hostess, Jana, some love.
A few weeks ago, Cindy over at Cindy's Book Corner tagged me for The Bookworm Tag. It looked like a fun one and I've been meaning to post my answers ever since. Since there are ten questions, it's perfect for a TTT "list." I'm not sure where the tag orginated, but Cindy was tagged by Sarita at More to Discover. I'm not going to tag anyone. If you want to join in, though, please consider yourself tagged! Leave me a link to your post so I can see your answers.
- Answer the Questions
- Make up New Ones
- Tag People
Cindy was asked 10 questions by Sarita, then she made up 10 different questions for the people she tagged to answer. Here are my answers to Cindy's queries:
1. How many books do you have on your physical shelves (best guesstimate)? This answer would have been a lot more embarrassing at this time last year. Before we moved houses, I would guess I owned somewhere around 10,000 physical books. For real! I was living in a 5,000 square foot home and I had lots of room for bookshelves and book piles. In July, we downsized, cutting our square footage in half, which meant donating a large chunk of my book collection. Now, 8 months after moving, I'd say I own about 1500 physical books. Still a ridiculous amount, but so much better than 10,000! It's not hoarding if it's books, right? At least they all fit neatly onto my shelves. For now, anyway...
2. What is your favorite book about books? Great question! I love bookish books (hence, my hosting the Bookish Books Reading Challenge). I would probably have to say The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak for this one, but lately I've also been really loving the By the Book cozy mystery series by Tamara Berry.
3. What is your favorite format to read in (paperback, hardback, e-book, etc.)? I used to be strictly a "real" books reader (preferably hard covers), but when NetGalley became a thing, I bought a Kindle and surprised myself by not hating it. These days, I still prefer paper books. About 40% of my reading, though, is comprised of e-books.
4. What is your favorite genre to read? BBB regulars will not be at all surprised by my answer to this question! Mystery/thriller is my hands-down favorite genre to read, closely followed by historical fiction. I also love compelling adventure/survival stories, interesting memoirs/biographies, riveting narrative non-fiction, and absorbing family sagas.
5. How do you find new-to-you authors? Back in the day, I mainly discovered new authors by browsing through the stacks at the library. These days, I mostly find them through reading book blogs and bookish magazines as well as word-of-mouth from friends and family members.
6. What is a series (or book) you would/have reread over and over again? I'm not much of a re-reader. Reading a book I've already read feels like a waste of time to me when there are so many shiny new ones out there to explore! That being said, besides my scriptures, there are two books I re-read often: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (my favorite novel of all time) and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (to get me in the holiday spirit every December). There are a few others that I re-read occasionally because I love them so much: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
7. Do you have a book (or author) you are constantly recommending people to read? If so, what is it? I belong to a conservative family and religious community, so I have to be cautious in what I recommend! Kate Morton is probably the author I recommend most. Her books are clean—without any explicit violence, sex, or language—compelling, and generally appealing. For mystery fans who don't mind a little language, I always go with Louise Penny. Her Armand Gamache series is one of my all-time favorites.
8. What is a genre you would never read? The only genre I can unequivocably say I would never read is erotica. It's just not my thing at all. Other genres I avoid or at least rarely read would be: poetry, high fantasy, anything political, sci-fi, and urban fantasy.
9. Do you prefer long books or short books? I actually prefer medium books, in about the 200-300 page range. I've never been a big fan of short stories or novellas and these days, I find myself kind of avoiding anything over 500 pages as well. I've become a middle-of-the-road reader, apparently!
10. Who inspired your love of reading? My parents. Both of them love to read, so our home was always filled with books. My mom always read us kids bedtime stories, took us to the library, and encouraged us to fill our leisure time with reading.
How would you answer these same questions?
For anyone who would like to answer them, here are the ten questions I came up with:
1. Where is your favorite place to read? Or, where do you read most often?
2. Who are your top 3 favorite authors? I know it's like choosing favorite children, but try...
3. What is your biggest reading pet peeve?
4. What is something you do in your reading life that might make other readers gasp (writing in books, bending pages to mark your place, reading a book's ending first, etc.)?
5. Have you always been a reader? If not, when did you discover your love of books?
6. What book would you recommend to a reader to convince them to try out your favorite genre?
7. Do you prefer to read new books or used? Why?
8. How do you organize your bookshelves?
9. In your opinion, what's the best part about being a book blogger/book nerd?
10. Are you part of a book club? Which book that you've read together has sparked the best discussion?
There you go, twenty great bookish questions to ponder! I'd love it if you answered one or two or twenty of them in the comments. If you decide to do this tag, please let me know so I can see your answers. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.
Happy TTT!
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