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Showing posts with label Lauren Willig. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lauren Willig. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Top Ten Tuesday: TBR Authors I'll Get to Someday (I Hope)
5:47 PM
Note: Once again, I'm having trouble commenting on some WordPress blogs. I keep getting "nonce verification failed" messages, which has something to do with the JetPack plug-in, apparently. I've had problems with this plug-in before. If I haven't commented on your blog by the end of today, this is why.
Although I have my favorite tried-and-true authors like any other reader, I actually explore quite a few new-to-me writers every year. No matter how many of these I try, though, there are still a ton of popular authors I have just not gotten around to yet. Sure, there are some that I'm unlikely to read, no matter how many people rave about them, simply because they don't write the kinds of books I'm interested in reading. On the other hand, there are a bunch who write in the genres I love that I've been meaning to test drive; I just haven't gotten around to them yet. Today's prompt explores that very concept: Top Ten Mainstream Popular Authors That I Still Have Not Read. I'm going to focus my list today on popular authors who write in my favorite genres whose books I want to read at some point.
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Hop on over to her blog and give her some love!
Top Ten Mainstream Popular Authors That I Still Have Not Read
1. Beatriz Williams—Although I have read a couple of historical novels that Williams co-wrote with Karen White and Lauren Willig, I've never read any that she penned solo.
2. Catherine Coulter—Coulter has written regency romances, historical novels, and mystery/thriller books. It's that last genre that interests me. Her long-running FBI thriller series looks especially good.
3. Josephine Tey (1896-1952)—I always see references to Tey's classic mysteries. I need to read them already!
4. Fiona Barton—Barton's mystery/thriller novels sound like ones I would enjoy.
5. Rhys Bowen—I'm a historical mystery fan and Bowen has written a ton of them. I'm past due for checking her books out.
6. Lucinda Riley—Riley's historical fiction has been recommended to me multiple times. I'm especially interested in her Seven Sisters series.
7. Val McDermid—I really need to give this prolific Scottish mystery/thriller writer a go soon!
8. Chanel Cleeton—Cleeton's historical novels look like they're right up my reading alley.
9. Tess Gerritsen—This popular mystery/thriller writer is another one I've been meaning to read for a long time now.
10. Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine (1930-2015)—Another prolific mystery/thriller author, Rendell has been on my list of TBR authors for too long.
There you go, ten popular mainstream authors I can't believe I haven't read yet. I'll get to them one of these days, hopefully! Which have you read? Which of their books should I start with? Which authors 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.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Top Ten Tuesday: A Thanksgiving S.O.S.
1:36 PM
I love Thanksgiving, so I always make a point not to decorate for Christmas or even listen to carols until after the turkey's been eaten. While I was taking my Sunday nap the other day, however, my husband set up our Christmas tree (ostensibly to see if the new lights he bought for it looked good or if he needed to return them—uh huh). With the tree up and lit, I've had to succumb(ish) to the start of the Christmas crazy (I do love Christmas, just not too early), so I'm officially changing over to the holiday Top Ten Tuesday banner. It's festive and fun, so there you go.
Today's TTT topic—Books to Read If You Love/Loved X (X can be a genre, specific book, author, movie/TV show, etc.)—is one I've been looking forward to, even though it's had me wracking my brain for the perfect topic. The one I came up with is a little...grim, especially considering we're in the season of gratitude, merrymaking, comfort, joy, and so on. Still, it's one that always appeals to me for some strange reason. Call me morbid, but I'm going to go with Top Ten Books to Read If You Love Stories About Maritime Disasters. Honestly, I don't know why I'm so fascinated with this subject. Something about catastrophe striking in the middle of the sea and people trying to survive in such desperate circumstances just intrigues me.
Before we get to that, though, I encourage you to join the TTT party. It's a fun way to spread some love across the book blogosphere, discover new sites, and—of course—get some great reading recs. Click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the info.
Top Ten Books to Read If You Love Stories About Maritime Disasters
1. The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf—Of the many books I've read about the Titanic, this is the one that stands out most in my mind. It's a haunting novel-in-verse that's engrossing and memorable.
2. Dead Wake by Erik Larson—One of my favorite reads of 2021, this non-fiction account tells the story of the Lusitania from the perspectives of not just its passengers and crew but also from that of the operators of the U-boat which torpedoed the ocean liner.
3. Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood—I recently reviewed this middle-grade book, also a verse novel, which is about the S.S. City of Benares, a luxury ship that was torpedoed while ferrying young WWII evacuees out of London.
4. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys—I'd never heard of the M.S. Wilhelm Gustloff—a re-purposed German pleasure cruiser that was packed with civilian war refugees from East Prussia when it was attacked by a Soviet sub in 1945—until I read this gripping YA novel.
5. The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White—This dual-timeline novel features three intriguing narrators, two of whom are passengers on the Lusitania when it sinks. It's an engrossing, twisty, and absorbing read.
6. On a Cold, Dark Sea by Elizabeth Blackwell—Told from the alternating perspectives of three women who are huddled together on Lifeboat 21 watching Titanic sink, this novel is more about their lives before and after the disaster. Still, it tells an intriguing tale.
7. My Last Continent by Midge Raymond—When a marine biologist doing research in Antarctica receives a distress signal from the boat carrying the man she loves, she launches a rescue mission that will require her to risk everything in order to save him.
8. Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan—Although I didn't love this novel, I did find it interesting. It concerns Pulaski, a luxury steamship that runs into trouble when an onboard explosion interrupts its journey from South Carolina to Maryland. I'd never heard of this 1838 disaster before, so the book made for interesting reading.
9. The Midnight Watch by David Dyer—Another Titanic story, this novel focuses on the Californian, which was positioned only a few miles south of Titanic when she went down. Although crew members saw the doomed ship's distress rockets and subsequently woke their captain assuming he would order them to go to her aid, the man simply returned to bed. Could he have saved hundreds of lives if only he had acted instead of going back to sleep?
10. Endurance by Alfred Lansing—Okay, this is a cheat since I haven't actually finished Endurance. Yet. I started listening to it on audio, but soon realized it was so detail-filled that I wanted to read it instead of listening so that I wouldn't miss anything. I'm hoping to tackle it soon as I find the story of the Endurance, which became trapped in polar ice in 1915 stranding its crew in deadly circumstances, absolutely fascinating.
There you have it, ten (well, nine) books about maritime disasters that I enjoyed and highly recommend. How about you? Do you enjoy reading these kinds of books? Which would you suggest I check out next? What's on your TTT 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.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Top Ten Tuesday: 2020 Seasonal TBR List Rollovers
6:03 AM
I don't know about you, but there are a lot of books I meant to get to in 2020 but didn't. Like a lot. Some of them didn't happen because I lost interest, others got pushed aside for more pressing reads, and still others just didn't make the cut when my mood caused me to reach for one genre over another. For whatever reason, there are hundreds of titles I meant to read in 2020 and didn't. This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is just that: Top Ten Books I Meant to Read in 2020 But Didn't Get To. Since I don't want to list four hundred forgotten books, I'm going to take one of the prompt's suggestions and look back at the seasonal TBR lists I created in 2020 and see how many of those books I actually read.
First, though, I want to encourage you to participate in the TTT fun by hopping over to That Artsy Reader Girl, where you can find all the info on how to join up with this diverting weekly meme.
Top Ten Books On My 2020 Seasonal TBR Lists That I Still Need to Read
Because I did not do a Fall list, but created two lists each for Spring and Summer, I had a total of 50 books on last year's seasonal TBR lists. How many of them did I actually read? Drumroll, please ... 19! Not too shabby, really. Let's break it down by season and see which titles I still most want to read:
Spring:
TBR List, Part one—read 6/10
Books on list I still want to read most:
The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore
A Good Neighborhood by Therese Ann Fowler
TBR List, Part Two—read 3/10
Books on list I still want to read most:
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
Summer:
TBR List, Part One—read 2/10
Books on list I still want to read most:
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
The Answer Is: Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek
TBR List, Part Two—read 7/10
Books on list I want to read most:
All the Greys on Greene Street by Laura Tucker
Splinters of Scarlet by Emily Bain Murphy
Winter:
TBR List—read 1/10
Books on list I want to read most:
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert
There you go, ten books from my 2020 seasonal TBR lists that I still want to read. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which books are you rolling over from your 2020 lists? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: Curbside Checkout, Here I Come!
2:40 PM
It's Tuesday again. I think. I don't know about you, but these days, my Tuesdays don't look much different from my Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays! Nothing much has changed here except I've read a few more books, cross-stitched for a few (okay, a lot more than a few) more hours, and watched more episodes of The Middle. I did have a Zoom meeting for my church "job" this morning, so that added some excitement to my day. Other than that, it's the same ole, same ole around here. I'm not complaining—we're all healthy and staying (more or less) sane at my house. An extended member of our family died last week of COVID-19 after several weeks in the hospital, so that was a sobering reminder of why we're all sheltering in place. Please keep yourself and your loved ones safe and healthy!
On a lighter note, it's time for Top Ten Tuesday. If you're not familiar with this fun meme, you really should be. Head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the info. Today's topic is Top Ten Book Titles That Would Make Great Band Names. I love music as much as the next person, but I'm just not feeling this one today. Instead, I'm going to give you a glimpse into my obsession with organizing my main Goodreads TBR list. Because I reached the limit of how many books you can have in a bookshelf (5000, if you're curious), I had to make separate lists for non-fiction and children's books. EDIT: I'm so sorry if I freaked anyone out with my unintentional lie about Goodreads bookshelf limits! What I meant to say was that if you go over 5000 on a single bookshelf, Goodreads will no longer let you put those books in want-to-read order (at least I can't figure out how). Since ordering my books is my favorite part of GR list-making, I keep my lists under 5000. Does that make more sense? So, today I'm focusing on the books on my adult fiction "bookshelf," listing the entries in want-to-read order. I'm going to briefly mention the titles I've talked about recently or repeatedly and spend more time on those I haven't highlighted yet.
Here we go with Top Ten Books on My Goodreads Adult Fiction TBR List:
1. The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman—I already talked about this book here. I've also lamented the fact that a copy of it is being held hostage at my county library, gathering dust on the "Holds" shelf. Well, good news! I just learned that the library will start curbside checkout tomorrow. I'm stoked. I've been wanting to read this book ever since I heard about it, so yay! I will liberate my on-hold book as soon as I can tomorrow morning.
2. The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda (available June 20, 2020)—I enjoy Miranda's thrillers and this one sounds as intriguing as her others. It involves a woman who achieved celebrity status as a child when she miraculously survived a near-drowning. As the 20th anniversary of the event approaches, the girl—now a woman living under a different name—starts experiencing strange symptoms that link her disturbing past to her threatened present. Can't wait!
3. All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White—I highlighted this title here.
4. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle—talked about it here
5. The Cutting Place by Jane Casey—Maeve Kerrigan is one of my favorite fictional police detectives. In Casey's newest, the 9th installment in the series, Maeve is sent to investigate the death of a young female journalist who was killed while working on a story about an elite gentleman's club. I'm in for anything Maeve!
6. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate—I've talked about this one before. I'm in the middle of the novel right now and I'm really enjoying it.
7. The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan—I'm not sure what's going on with the U.S. publication of this book. It came out in Australia in February but is not available for a reasonable price anywhere else as far as I can tell (there is a $40.87 copy listed on Amazon and a $30.36 one on BookDepository). Presumably, the hang-ups are because of COVID-19. Hopefully, The Good Turn will be more widely available soon.
This is the third installment in the DI Cormac Reilly series, which I enjoy. The story begins with the suspected kidnapping of a young girl. Short-staffed and hindered by red tape, Cormac and his partner make a horrible mistake in the case, which leaves the former suspended and the latter banished to a small town where he discovers some odd findings in a murder case that has supposedly been solved ...
8. Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen—An Atlantic City boardwalk psychic starts having strange visions that she thinks are related to two recent murders. When she launches her own investigation into the killings, she puts herself right in a killer's path ...
9. Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters by Emily Carpenter (available October 20, 2020)—I enjoy Carpenter's immersive thrillers and her newest sounds just as intriguing as her other books. This one revolves around Eve Candler, a woman who has kept her grandmother's secrets for years. No one else knows that the revered evangelist and faith healer was a complete fraud and a con artist to boot. When an even bigger secret about her grandmother surfaces, Eve risks everything to find out the truth.
10. Before Familiar Woods by Ian Pisarcik—I love the big lies in small towns trope, so naturally, I find the premise of this book appealing. It has to do with the murders of two boys and the subsequent disappearances of their fathers. It's left to one mother to figure out what is happening in her not-so-quaint little town.
There you go, the top ten books on my adult fiction Goodreads TBR shelf. Have you read any of them? What are the most tantalizing titles on your TBR list? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll return the favor on yours.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
TTT: Spring Has Sprung on Mt. TBR, Part Two
1:00 AM
I don't know about your Spring, but mine isn't going quite the way I thought it would! I had no idea my kids' Spring Break would be extended by a month or that I would be standing in line at the grocery store this morning with half the city just to buy laundry detergent or that all my local libraries would be closed for the duration. Wow, what a time we're living in! Despite the fact that I'm a Type 1 diabetic, I'm really not all that worried about the coronavirus—I have a year's supply of food in my house (my church's leadership has been preaching emergency preparedness for decades), plenty of toilet paper (I'm a Costco regular), a cabinet full of Bath & Body Works hand soap (I can't resist a sale), a couple month's worth of insulin (T1D strong!), and a *few* books on my shelves to keep me entertained. I'll be fine. I'm a bit of a hermit anyway, so I got this. I hope you are healthy and calm amid all this chaos. If you need a distraction from reality, there's nothing like a book to take you away from it all!
If you're not familiar with Top Ten Tuesday, you really should be. It's my favorite weekly bookish meme. Playing along is super easy and it's a great way to get acquainted in our fabulous book blogging community. All you have to do is head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few quick instructions, create your own list, then spend some happy hours checking out everyone else's posts. It's a good time, I promise.
Today's topic is Top Ten Books on My Spring 2020 TBR. You may recall that I got a jump on this topic last week, listing ten of the books I want to read this Spring. I even read three of them last week. Go, me! Today, I'm giving you the second half of the list, in no particular order.
Spring Has Sprung On Mt. TBR, Part Two:
1. Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman—This is a bit of a cheat since I actually just finished this book. It may seem weird to read a dystopian novel while we're sorta living in one, but I enjoyed this novel about a drought in California reaching epically awful proportions. The story is fast-paced, engrossing, and thought-provoking. It's an interesting time to be asking yourself the kinds of questions that come up in this book: How will I act/react when faced with a devastating crisis? Am I in it for myself or do I care more about helping others? How far would I go to protect my family? How prepared am I for a natural disaster/pandemic/local or global crisis?
2. The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray—I was supposed to read this novel last week for a blog tour, but I'm a *little* behind. The story concerns a family whose matriarch and patriarch are arrested, plunging them from a respected couple into a reviled one. As the rest of the family grapples with the shocking development, they have to ask themselves what really happened. Is the revered couple guilty or innocent?
3. The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison—I'm not sure why dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels are so appealing to me right now, but this one sounds super intriguing. It's about a midwife who has to find her place in a world that has changed irrevocably as the result of a pandemic that has decimated the world's population. Maybe a little too real?
4. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn—On a lighter note, this warm-hearted romance featuring a calligrapher with an uncanny ability to read signs others can't see sounds like fun.
5. All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White—I enjoyed The Glass Ocean, which was penned by this trio, so I'm excited to check out their newest joint venture. This triple-timeline historical looks intriguing.
6. The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey—A YA romance set in a bookstore? Yes, please!
7. When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman—I couldn't find a detailed plot summary for this book, but it gets good reviews and I've heard high praise, so I'm going to check it out.
8. Big in Japan: Accidental Sumo by Jennifer Griffith—I was looking for a book set in Japan to read for the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, and this contemporary YA sounds fun. It's about an overweight teenager who finds the kind of fame and popularity overseas that he's never had in Texas. Naturally, all the attention is not all it's cracked up to be ...
9. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (available April 7, 2020)—I'm really not into bloodsuckers, but when a novel is described as "Steel Magnolias meets Dracula," I don't know how anyone can resist! Looks like a super fun read.
10. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate (available April 7, 2020)—I enjoyed Wingate's Before We Were Yours, so I'm excited to read another novel by her. Her newest concerns a trio of young women who journey across a tumultuous country in 1875 and the modern-day teacher who discovers their unforgettable story. I'm in, for sure!
There you go, ten books I'd like to read this Spring. What are you reading? Have you read any of my picks? What did you think? I'd truly love to know. Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.
Happy TTT!
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