Happy October! I'm not sure how exactly it got to be October already, but oookkkayyy. Fall is my favorite season, even if we don't get a traditional one here in the Phoenix area. It's still over 100 degrees outside. Maybe if I crank up the air conditioning, cuddle up with a fuzzy blanket, and read some good Gothic novels I'll be able to convince myself it's REAL Fall. Wish me luck.

How did you do with reading bookish books in September? I ended up reading eight, way more than I thought I would, mostly because I didn't realize a lot of them had bookish elements in them. What a happy surprise! Since there are so many of them, I'll skip the book jacket photos and the plot summaries and just link the titles to my Goodreads review. Why yes, yes, I am feeling a little lazy this evening. 

Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzler (editor) - 3 1/2 stars

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton - 3 1/2 stars

An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder - 5 stars

Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green - 4 stars

Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman - 4 stars

Murder at the Library by Ellen Jacobson - 3 stars

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose - 4 stars

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter - 4 stars

This month, I'm mostly going to be working on making progress on my reading challenges and reading books for the Cybils Awards. I don't know how many bookish books I'll actually get to, but here are a couple I have my eye on:

Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop by Emmeline Duncan—This cozy mystery sounds like lots of fun. It's set in a Halloween-themed town in Oregon and stars Bailey Briggs, who manages the local bookstore. Just as the festive Halloween season is kicking off, someone is murdered. The police have damning evidence that points to Bailey as the killer. She'll have to play amateur sleuth in order to clear her name.

Murder on the Page by Daryl Wood Gerber (available October 22, 2024)—Another cozy, this one centers around Allie Catt, a caterer and personal chef who creates feasts inspired by literature. When a woman is murdered at one of her parties, Allie turns to her favorite fictional detectives to guide her own amateur investigation into the crime. 

Even though I despise cutesy character names, I still think this one sounds entertaining.  

It's been a few weeks since I participated in Top Ten Tuesday. While I should have been spending those days packing up my house in preparation for our big move on July 15, I actually spent them traveling to the cool, rainy Pacific Northwest for a family wedding. Between the delicious weather and even better company, I didn't want to leave! But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Now, I'm back home and the heat is on—literally and figuratively. It's a million degrees outside AND I have tons of packing to do. First things first, though. I love TTT seasonal reading lists, so I didn't want to miss out on today's prompt. I can't wait to see what books everyone is looking forward to this summer.

If you need an excuse to procrastinate the things you should be doing  want to participate in this fun meme, head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

1. The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (available November 8, 2022)—I've enjoyed Steadman's previous psychological thrillers, so I was excited to get an e-ARC of this one, her newest. It's about a British novelist who's engaged to an American businessman who's a member of one of New York City's wealthiest, most influential families. Harriet is shocked when her father-in-law hands her a tape containing his confession to a shocking crime. Is this some sort of sick initiation game? Or is Harriet marrying into a family of criminals? 

I'm a few chapters into this one and it's...interesting so far. I'm enjoying it.

2.  The Second Husband by Kate White—A copy of this psychological thriller just landed on my doorstep. It concerns a woman who is rebuilding her life after her husband was killed in a random crime on the street. Just when the widow is starting to feel safe and comfortable in her new life and relationship, the police come calling. How did her husband really die? Does the widow know more than she's saying?

3. Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen—This middle-grade novel features five children from different walks of life living in Europe while World War I rages. Their paths cross as they struggle to survive amidst the chaos of war.

4. Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander—Born on a plantation, Josephine N. Leary moves to Edenton, North Carolina, after Emancipation. While keeping a home and raising a family, she teaches herself the business skills needed to invest in real estate and build the kind of legacy that was unheard of for Black women of her time. This novel is based on the true story of Leary's remarkable life.

5. Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen—This contemporary novel, about a straight-laced Asian-American woman who gets caught up in her friend's very successful fake handbag scheme, sounds fun and entertaining.

6. The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton—This new middle grade series sounds like a more diverse, international version of Harry Potter. Hopefully, it's got its own unique spin. I'm in to find out!

7. Tiny Humans, Big Lessons: How the NICU Taught Me to Live With Energy, Intention, and Purpose by Sue Ludwig—When Lydia mentioned this book on her blog, I knew I had to read it. My two sons, who are six years apart, were both born at 29 weeks gestation. The oldest spent a month and a half in the NICU and the youngest exactly a month. Being in the NICU, experiencing the life and death struggle that goes on there every day, is truly life-changing. I'm interested to see how my experiences there compare and contrast with those of the author, who works as a neonatal therapist.

8. The Drowning Sea by Sarah Stewart Taylor—I've enjoyed the first two books in this series, which features an Irish-American detective solving crimes in both New York and the Emerald Isle. This installment finds Detective Maggie D'Arcy and her daughter in Ireland, preparing for a move to the country that will combine their household with that of Maggie's boyfriend and his son. Their bonding time is interrupted when human remains wash ashore in a small town with a mysterious history. Who is the dead man? Why was he killed? Maggie is determined to find out.

9. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean (available August 2, 2022)—What do you think of this plot summary? Interesting, right?

10. A Woman of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa—Set in 19th Century Puerto Rico, this novel centers on an enslaved woman who is sold for the purpose of breeding future slaves. As heartbreaking as the plot sounds, the summary promises a story of triumph and faith over brutality and sorrow. I'm intrigued.

There you have it, ten books I'd like to read this summer. What do you think of my list? Have you read any of these? Do any of them look interesting to you? What's on your summer TBR list? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Have you ever gotten so caught up in a book that you end up racing through it in one sitting, hardly daring to breathe, let alone get up and go to the bathroom?  What kinds of reads are most likely to have that effect on you?  I've zipped through plenty of books in one go, even taking my book with me to the bathroom, the kitchen table (I always read when I eat alone anyway), and to a college football game that I'm told was pretty exciting.  Usually, the books I literally can't put down are in the mystery/thriller genre.  Not always, as you'll see from the list below, but most of the time.  The way they're written—usually with short chapters, lots of action, snappy dialogue, and cliffhangers all over the dang place—makes them ideal for whipping through in one sitting.  Today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is all about these kinds of reads.  I looked through my recent reading notes to find the last ten books that I sped through in one go (more or less).  Since I love me a good page-turner, I'm excited to see everyone's answers.

If you want to jump on the TTT train (and you do!), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

Top Ten Most Recent Books I Read in One Sitting   

1.  The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm—Middle-grade books are easy to read in one sitting since they're generally short and written with kid-sized attention spans in mind.  This one, the first I had read by Holm, charmed me with its warmth and feel-good story.  I loved it so much that I proceeded to zoom through three more of the author's books.  I'm currently listening to another of hers.

2.  The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson—I'm a big fan of Jackson's warm-hearted Southern family dramas/sagas.  I somehow missed reading this one, which came out in 2016.  It tells a compelling story about a woman seeking answers about her estranged mother—and the surprise she left behind when she died. 

3.  The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton—Although this mystery/thriller—about a mother and daughter traveling through the Alaskan wilderness in search of their missing husband and father—is a pretty tense read, I'm not sure I would have buzzed through it in one sitting if it weren't for the fact that I needed something to entertain me while my daughter got her hair done.  Getting a silk press, then having your very thick, curly hair straightened is not a quick process.  Needless to say, I got a lot of reading done during that appointment!

4.  The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman—I've read all of Steadman's thrillers, so I knew this one—her newest—would have me flying through the pages.  It did.  The story is about a British actress who comes to Hollywood during the chaotic pilot season.  She meets an enigmatic American actress, who later disappears.  At least it seems like she did.  Did she really vanish?  Or is the Brit going crazy?

5.  The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian—This debut Southern mystery kept me totally riveted.  It's about an impoverished, abused young woman whose life changes irrevocably when her father is killed in a very unexpected way.  Suddenly, she finds herself in an unlikely partnership with a stranger, who has her own stake in covering up the man's death.

6.  The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny—The Inspector Gamache books are more about the characters than the mysteries at their centers, so I don't generally buzz through them in one sitting.  However, since I took this one on a trip with me, I spent a lot of time with it in airports and on airplanes.  It's another compelling installment in a series that I love.

7.  Shiver by Allie Reynolds—Despite the fact that this thriller is filled with unlikable characters, it's still a gripping read that had me burning through the pages with bated breath.  It's a locked-room mystery set in an isolated ski lodge with a storm bearing down on a group of acquaintances who are already feeling uneasy in each other's presence.

8.  Atomic Habits by James Clear—I don't read a lot of self-help books, but I found this one so engaging and inspiring that I read it in a matter of hours.  It gives some excellent advice on how to break damaging habits and create healthy new ones.

9.  The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher—This one has such a crazy, can't-look-away premise that I just...didn't.  I don't want to say too much about the story because the less you know going into it, the better, I think.

10.  We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin—Gritty and atmospheric, this thriller was so absorbing that I read it pretty much in one go.  It's about a haunted detective who's desperate to solve two different, but seemingly connected, cases in her small Texas town.

There you have it, ten books that I read in one sitting.  Have you read any of these?  What did you think?  Which books kept you glued to your seat?  Which are your go-to authors for riveting, one-sitting reads?  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! 

Sometimes I have real trouble coming up with books to fit the Top Ten Tuesday topic du jour.  Then, a freebie comes along and I blank on that too! Yikes.  Since I don't want to tax my summer brain too much, I'm going to highlight more upcoming releases I'm eager to read.  I did a two-part TTT list on this topic back in March (here's Part One, here's Part Two) that focused on up-and-comers for the first part of the year.  Today's list will feature releases for the second half, although most of these titles come out this summer.    

If you want to join in the TTT fun, click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

(in order of release date)

1.  The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman (coming June 8, 2021)—I enjoyed Steadman's two previous thrillers, so I'm excited for her newest effort.  It concerns Mia Eliot, a British actress who comes to Hollywood for pilot season, hoping to land a lucrative, career-making job.  When a fellow actress, whom Mia met only briefly, disappears, Mia is questioned as the last person to see her.  Then, the missing woman reappears, but Mia's almost positive the two women are not the same.  Sounds intriguing!

2.  Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos (coming June 29, 2021)—deVos is another author whose books I enjoy and the plot summary of her newest just makes me laugh.  It's a body-positive YA novel about a group of teens who are forced under mysterious circumstances to attend a weight-loss camp in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Nothing about the situation makes sense, especially not the other campers who seem...not quite alive.  As the teens try to uncover the camp's secrets, they find themselves in a surprising and desperate fight against rabid zombies. 

 

3.  A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe (coming July 20, 2021)—It's 1954 and Katharina Edgeworth is a wealthy, bored New York City housewife.  When she's recruited by the FBI to be an informant with the job of infiltrating the private world of a man from her past who has become a Soviet spy, it presents a tantalizing chance for Katharina to break free from her gilded cage and do something both exciting and important.

4.  Three Words for Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb (coming July 27, 2021)—Two estranged sisters set out on a trip across Europe to fulfill their grandmother's dying wish of delivering goodbye letters to people she once knew.  The duo must deal with their own strained relationship, confront family secrets, and travel in a time and place that feels increasingly dangerous.

5.  The Light of Luna Park by Addison Armstrong (coming August 10, 2021)—This historical novel revolves around a nurse who helps treat premature infants in 1937.  When she hears about Martin Couney's exhibit of the tiny babies at Coney Island, it changes her perspective, putting her in conflict with the doctors for whom she works.  As the mother of two babies born at 29 weeks gestation, I'm definitely interested in reading this dual-timeline novel, which sounds super interesting. 

6.  The Family Plot by Megan Collins (coming August 17, 2021)—Dahlia Lighthouse was raised on an isolated island under the strict guard of her true crime-obsessed parents.  Still haunted by the disappearance of her twin brother ten years ago, Dahlia returns to her childhood home where a gruesome discovery has been made: her brother's body has been buried in her father's plot.  How did his body end up there?  What really happened to Dahlia's brother?  Was he murdered by a serial killer or someone a lot closer to home?

7.  A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins (coming August 31, 2021)—When a man is found dead on a houseboat, three women who were close to him are investigated for murder.  There's not much of a plot summary for this one, but I like Hawkins so I'm in.

8.  Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (coming September 14, 2021)—Not gonna lie, I haven't been impressed with Moriarty's last couple novels.  I'm hoping her newest is as compelling as the older titles that I have loved by her.  Her latest is another family drama about a complicated family with some very intriguing secrets.

9.  Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan (coming October 19, 2021)—This historical novel is about a young woman who is grief-stricken over the impending death of her beloved younger brother.  George, who is captivated by a newly-published book called The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is desperate to know from whence Narnia came.  Despite her timidity about approaching C.S. Lewis, George's sister does it anyway.  The answer to George's question will change her life, even if it won't save her brother's. 

10.  The Pilot's Daughter by Meredith Jaeger (coming November 2, 2021)—Inspired by a real murder, this one revolves around a would-be reporter who is desperate to find her father, a pilot who goes missing during the waning days of World War II.  When she discovers love letters from a woman who is not her mother among her father's things, she's shocked—and even more desperate to find out where he is.  Can she figure out what happened to the father she loves, but apparently doesn't really know?   

There you go, ten upcoming releases I'm excited to read.  Do any catch your eye as well?  What new releases are you looking forward to bingeing on during the rest of 2021?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

After living together for four years, Erin Locke and Mark Roberts are finally tying the knot.  They're both excited about their upcoming nuptials, but when Mark loses his lucrative banking job and money worries start to creep in, tension seeps in to their comfortable relationship.  Their planned honeymoon in Bora Bora (trimmed down from three weeks to two) seems like just the thing to restore their balance, bring them closer together, and maybe even jump start the family they've always wanted to have.  The R&R seems to be working until the pair finds something shocking in the ocean during a scuba diving excursion.  Should they tell the authorities what they've discovered?  Or keep mum?

Choosing the second option propels the newlyweds on a terrifying, unalterable course that will keep them looking over their shoulders, jumping at every sound, and seeing malevolence in every stranger's glance.  Who can they trust in this deadly game of cat and mouse?  And where will it end?  How far will the couple go to give themselves the life they've always wanted?

Something in the Water, a debut novel by British actress Catherine Steadman (best known for playing Mabel Lane Fox on Downton Abbey), is a tense, taut thriller that kept me mesmerized from Page One.  With an intriguing premise, complex characters, and non-stop suspense, it's the kind of book that you just can't stop reading.  I saw where the story was going from early on, so I wasn't surprised by the ending.  Disappointed, yes, because I had hoped for a dénouement with a little more complexity and freshness.  Overall, though, I enjoyed this engrossing, fast-and-furious read.  I'm very interested to see what this skilled new author does next.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of books by Ruth Ware)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, blood/gore, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Something in the Water from Barnes & Noble with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.