Tag Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: LGBTQ+ Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Happy Pride Month, everyone! In honour of it, I’m tweaking this week’s theme so that all of the titles on it are about LGBTQ+ characters. These are all books I’ve been meaning to read but not have read yet.

If you’ve read any of them, did you like them? If you’re familiar with this subgenre, What other LGBTQ+ books did you think were great stories?

And don’t you wish we all had unlimited time to read?

Book cover for Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. Image on cover is a drawing of two young women staring ahead at the audience. One o the young women is black and the other looks Latina. They both have curly hair that has been neatly styled and have serious expressions on their faces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

 

Book cover for Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse. Image on cover shows a drawing of a dark-skinned woman’s head that is superimposed over a set of bird wings. Or maybe she’s wearing a bird wing headdress?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse

 

 

Book cover for They Both Die at the End (They Both Die at the End, #1) by Adam Silvera. Image on cover shows a drawing of two young men walking on a pier under a full moon at night. Skyscrapers loom in the distance across the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. They Both Die at the End (They Both Die at the End, #1) by Adam Silvera

 

 

Book cover for The City We Became (Great Cities, #1) by N.K. Jemisin. Image on cover shows an arched doorway underneath a bridge that is leading to a city full of skyscrapers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The City We Became (Great Cities, #1) by N.K. Jemisin

 

 

Book cover for On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Image on cover is a black and white shot of a pair of muscular arms wrapped around a man’s knees as he sits on the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Technically, I did read a little of this book, but then it was due back at the library and so I couldn’t finish it. Someday I will try again.

 

Book cover for The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1) by T.J. Klune. Image on cover is a drawing of a two-story brick house that was built on the very edge of a cliff that looks like it’s about to crumble into the ocean. There is almost no soil left underneath the house, only a sharp jut of land.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1) by T.J. Klune

 

Book cover for This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar. Image on cover shows a blue jay hanging upside down underneath a cardinal who is standing straight up and looking around with its feather tucked in neatly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar

 

Book cover for Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera. Image on cover is a drawing of a brown person who has shaved most of the hair off from the back and sides of their head. The hair on top is arranged into a bun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

 

Book cover for Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp. Image on cover is a drawing of a red mitten lying on ice. Next to the mitten is a large section of ice that has been broken through, presumably by a car or other heavy object. The ice has deep cracks in it and you can see the very dark water in the area where the ice was broken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

 

Book cover for Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. Image on cover shows photos of women of various races. All of the photos have filters on them that make them look more abstract.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

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Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Books by My Favorite Authors

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Thank you to Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext for submitting these theme! While my list of favourite books always evolves over time, these are titles that I enjoyed reading and still think about quite often. 

Since TTT bloggers don’t always all share the same taste, I’ll briefly describe why I love all of these stories as well.

Book cover for The Deep by Rivers Solomon. Image on cover is a drawing of a black mermaid with long hair is swimming in the ocean up to the surface. There are two whales swimming nearby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The Deep by Rivers Solomon

The world building in this novella was exquisite, but I can’t say much else about it without sharing spoilers. All you need to know going in is that mermaids exist in this universe and have very little in common with Ariel.

 

Book cover for The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. Image on cover shows a castle with blue turrets that was built on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

There were so many fantastic subplots included here about topics like emotional abuse, the harm of strict gender roles, learning how to stand up for yourself, living with a chronic illness, etc. that this is something I tend to reread every year or two. I’d particularly recommend to people who are like me and generally don’t read much romance because while falling in love was part of the story, it was not at all the entirety of it.

 

Book cover for The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. Image on cover shows a drawing of a large country mansion just after dusk while the shadows are closing in on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Ms. Waters made her name writing lesbian romance novels, so some fans were disappointed to see her step away from that genre when The Little Stranger came out. I thought she did an excellent job of branching out and trying something new with this mystery that may or may not include paranormal elements depending on how you interpret certain scenes.

I love it when authors take risks with their work like this.

 

Book cover for Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor. Image on cover shows the face of a young African woman who has a short Afro and is wearing hoop earrings superimposed on a drawing of a jungle that is so thickly packed with trees light can barely penetrate it. In this interpretation of the scene, the hoop earrings are now thick vines hanging from the trees!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

This novella had excellent character development and would make an amazing film. Once again, I can’t share anything else for spoiler reasons or I’d be gushing with admiration for the protagonist.

 

Book cover for Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy. Image on cover is a painting of several brown women standing around and staring at each other in a room. Some of them are only wearing their underwear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy

The mystery and science fiction genres meld together in this novel about a woman who is either time travelling to save the future or who is having strong hallucinations while being treated by doctors who may be subconsciously allowing their sexist and racist beliefs to cloud their judgement.

I’ve had pretty good experiences with the medical establishment for the most part, but there have been a few times when I wondered if my symptoms weren’t being taken seriously due to my sex, disability, and/or sexual orientation. It can be hard to tell what’s actually going on in certain situations, especially given how overworked doctors and nurses often are, and I thought it was interesting that this ambiguity was explored so thoroughly in this book.

 

Book cover for A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1) by Becky Chambers. Image on cover shows a top-down drawing of a winding road through a forest. On the road you can see a robot lifting their arm up to wave at someone who is pedaling a tiny motor home down the road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1) by Becky Chambers

This is the epitome of a comfort read if you ask me. It’s such a peaceful and utopian setting.

 

Book cover for A Thousand Mornings: Poems by Mary Oliver. Image on cover is a photo of a pine forest on a very cloudy day. All of the trees are enshrouded in such a thick layer of fog that I can’t quite tell if this is actually a photo or if it’s a painting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. A Thousand Mornings: Poems by Mary Oliver

Honestly, all of Ms. Oliver’s poetry is wonderful, especially for people who struggle to understand this genre. She had such a thoughtful and accessible writing style that anyone who has ever stepped foot into nature and liked it has a good chance of relating to something she wrote.

 

Book cover for The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore. Image on cover shows a lime green film over an antique photo of 1920s-style girls posing together in their flapper dresses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore

This is a sobering story about corporate greed, the abuse of low-income workers, and how a few brave young women spoke out to improve things for future generations.

 

Book cover for The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Image on cover is a drawing of a little white girl hiding behind a white tree in a snowy forest. A red fox peeks out from behind a nearby tree as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

I adored the magical realism in this book as well as the 1920s retelling of an old Russian fairy tale. It was creative and bittersweet.

 

Book cover for Foster by Claire Keegan. Image on cover shows a blurry image of a young white girl sitting as she watches other children ride a merry-go-round.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10.Foster by Claire Keegan

This reads like a story a grandmother might tell her grandchildren about what life was like generations ago. I desperately want a sequel for it.

 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Who Share My First Name

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I struggled with the original topic for this week, “Favorite Secondary/Minor Characters,” because I’ve been reading more nonfiction lately. Therefore, I’m going rogue. 

When I was a teenager, someone called out my name at an amusement park. I turned around only to see a man talking to his young daughter. This was the only time during my childhood that I can recall someone saying Lydia and not meaning me!

Here are ten books that include characters named Lydia.

How common is it for you to find your first name used for fictional characters or in real life to draw the attention of someone who isn’t you?

 

Book cover for Love for Lydia by H.E. Bates. Image on cover is a painting of a man wearing a suit and sitting in a restaurant or bar listening to a woman sing on stage. This looks like it was painted in the 1920 due to the flapper-style dress she is wearing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Love for Lydia by H.E. Bates

 

Book cover for A Home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor. Image on cover shows a drawing of a young blonde white girl who is snuggling with her yellow dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. A Home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor

 

Book cover for How to Be a Girl in the World by Caela Carter. Image on cover is a drawing of several multi-story buildings on a street. Above them the cloudy sky takes precedence in this drawing and fills up about 80% of the available space

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. How to Be a Girl in the World by Caela Carter

 

Book cover for The Paper Museum by Kate S. Simpson. Image on cover is a drawing of a cave dug into the side of a hill. There is warm yellow light spilling out of the cave into the dusky night air and a large stone building, possibly a museum, in the distance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The Paper Museum by Kate S. Simpson

 

Book cover for Lydia, Queen of Palestine by Uri Orlev. Image on cover shows a preteen aged white girl sitting on a red throne. She’s wearing a gold crown and a comically oversized red and white robe.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Lydia, Queen of Palestine by Uri Orlev

 

Book cover for An Accomplished Woman by Jude Morgan. Image on cover shows a small black and white photo of a nineteenth century woman who is wearing a dress and has a serious expression on her face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. An Accomplished Woman by Jude Morgan

 

Book cover for The Education of Lydia by Charles X. Wolffe. Image on cover shows a young white blonde woman with short hair who is wearing a 1960s style short blue dress and holding one arm as she turns gently away from the viewer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The Education of Lydia by Charles X. Wolffe

 

Book cover for The Testaments (The Handmaid's Tale, #2) by Margaret Atwood. Image on cover shows a young woman wearing a white bonnet and a green cloak. Her face is obscured by the bonnet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. The Testaments (The Handmaid’s Tale, #2) by Margaret Atwood

 

Book cover for Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. Image on cover shows the title and author’s name written on scraps of yellow, white, and orange paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

 

Book cover for China Trade (Lydia Chin & Bill Smith #1) by S.J. Rozan. Image on cover shows a Chinese city just after dusk with lamplights and streetlights glowing against a dark blue sky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. China Trade (Lydia Chin & Bill Smith #1) by S.J. Rozan

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Top Ten Tuesday: Foliage and Flower Crowns on Book Covers

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

May Flowers was the topic for this week, so I decided to hunt down some book covers that have people wearing crowns of foliage or flowers on them.

This is something I’ve seen occasionally in films or books, but I have never seen it done in real life by anyone I know. Perhaps it’s an older custom? Or maybe it’s something done in parts of the world I haven’t visited yet?

Have you ever worn a crowns of flowers or other foliage in your hair or seen someone else do the same thing?

Book cover for Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell. Image on cover shows a young white woman with wavy dark blond hair who has some leaves adorning her hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell

 

Book cover for All the Violet Tiaras: Queering the Greek Myths by Jean Menzies. Image on cover shows the head of a Greek statue wearing a crowns of violets on his head

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. All the Violet Tiaras: Queering the Greek Myths by Jean Menzies

 

Book cover for Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. Image on cover shows a young black kid closing his or her eyes and wearing a crowns of colourful flowers, including a daisy and a sunflower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

 

Book cover for Sisi: Empress on Her Own by Allison Pataki. Image on cover shows a young brunette white woman who is facing away from the audience. There are little white flower tucked in the French brain of her hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Sisi: Empress on Her Own by Allison Pataki

 

Book cover for The Tradition by Jericho Brown. Image on cover is a painting of a young dark-skinned black child who is wearing a white shirt and a crown of white flower in their hair as they stand in front of the ocean on a small hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. The Tradition by Jericho Brown

 

Book cover for Lady Sunshine by Amy Mason Doan. Image on cover shows a young white woman with strawberry blond hair who has a large wreath of white flowers on her head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Lady Sunshine by Amy Mason Doan

 

Book cover for The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman. Image on cover shows a young white woman with wavy red hair walking away from the viewer in a golden grassy field. She has a small wreath of flowers on her head  and is wearing a dark cloak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

 

Book cover for Lost in the Garden by Adam S. Leslie. Image on cover shows a grainy photo of a young white woman with wavy light brown hair walking away from the viewer. She has dozens of small pink and white flowers stuck in her hair haphazardly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Lost in the Garden by Adam S. Leslie

 

Book cover for Dearest (Woodcutter Sisters, #3; Books of Arilland, #4) by Alethea Konti. Image on cover shows a young brunette white woman with loosely curly hair who is wearing a blue dress and sitting on the ground while looking back at the viewer with a solemn expression on her face. She’s wearing a crown of purple and white flowers in her hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Dearest (Woodcutter Sisters, #3; Books of Arilland, #4) by Alethea Konti

 

Book cover for The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude. Image on cover shows a young white woman wearing a white floral crown and a bridal veil who is chest-deep in a body of water at night. This scene made me shudder. She looks scared!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

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Top Ten Tuesday: Authors You Wish Were Still Writing Today

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

 

Two ballpoint pens lying on an opened hardcover book that’s filled with beautiful calligraphy. Nearby is an inkwell. Here are some authors I wish would have written more. 

1) Octavia E. Butler

Her Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) series was never finished, but there is a film version of Parable of the Sower in pre-production as of now.

I would have loved to see how she wrapped up this story and what she would be writing now if she were still alive.

2. Jean M. Auel

The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth’s Children, #1) series was technically wrapped up in 2011, and I’ve grumbled here before about how many conflicts sputtered out and moments of foreshadowing were never addressed in the final instalment. I wish she’d write one more book to properly explain all of the things that were ignored.

 

3. Rachel Vincent

I loved her Stray (Shifters, #1) series that began in 2007. It had a satisfactory ending, but she hasn’t written much since then and I couldn’t get into the few books she did release.

 

4. Sarah Waters 

Nothing new from her has been published since 2015. It’s been far too long.

 

5. Me

A combination of writer’s block, my own health issues, loved ones with health issues, and other stuff going on in my life has seriously slowed down the amount of fiction I write..

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Top Ten Tuesday: Things That Keep Me From Reading

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Thank you to Cristyn @ Draconic Breath for coming up with this topic in 2024. You gave me the inspiration I needed to write this week’s freebie post!

A pair of black-rimmed glasses lying on an opened book. 1. Migraines

There are at least a few other TTT bloggers who already know what this illness is like. For everyone else, Reading is difficult when I’m in the migraine cycle due to symptoms like brain fog, nausea, and pain. Staring at a screen can also trigger migraines or make them worse, so I do try to limit screen time on those days.

2. Doomscrolling 

It’s so tempting but such a time waster as well!

3. Repetitive Storylines

I love speculative fiction, but I also find myself growing bored with some of the common plot lines in this genre because of how often they seem to be repeated. This is one of the reasons why you’ll find other genres mentioned in my Top Ten Tuesday posts. Switching things up keeps me interested in reading.

4. Medical Appointments

There have been a lot of them in my household this past year or so, and they can certainly cut into the time one has for more pleasurable things like reading.

5. Nice Weather 

I know I’ve mentioned this a few times before on my blog, but when Ontario has nice weather, often in the spring and autumn, I feel compelled to go outside and enjoy it instead of read. There will be plenty of other days in the year when it’s too hot, cold, icy, stormy, or humid to enjoy a walk in the park or a visit to the beach.

6. Overwhelming Choices

There are so many amazing books out there that I don’t always know which one to read next! This is not a problem I ever had growing up as ebooks didn’t exist back then and my parents weren’t always able to take us to the library. I feel fortunate to have it now even if decision fatigue does sometimes make it hard to decide what to read next.

7. Social Media in General  

I have been trying to be more mindful of my use of it in 2026, but it can be quite easy to spend an hour watching short videos or reading stranger’s comments online instead of picking up one of the books I’ve been meaning to read.

8. Writing

Striking a balance between writing and reading isn’t always easy.

9. Meeting Other Goals

Whether it’s related to work, exercise, or spending time with other people, I do have limits on how much energy I have for reading!

10. Chores 

The dishes won’t wash themselves, after all.

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Top Ten Tuesday: April Showers

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Here are ten books with rainy titles.

Book cover for The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Image on cover shows the side profile of the head and snout of a yellow Labrador retriever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

 

Book cover for Rain Is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith. Image on cover shows a young native woman taking a photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Rain Is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith

 

Book cover for Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Prasadam-Halls. Image on cover is a cute drawling of a young girl sitting next to a red fox in the forest while they both look up at a rainbow that is beaming down at them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Prasadam-Halls

 

Book cover for Madras on Rainy Days by Samina Ali. Image on cover shows a blue butterfly and a yellow butterfly flying past falling autumn leaves outdoors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Madras on Rainy Days by Samina Ali

 

Book cover for Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years With a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway. Image on cover shows Monique smiling. She’s wearing a blue dress that reveals her shoulders and a colourful head wrap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years With a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway

 

Book cover for Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression by Brooke Shields. Image on cover shows Brooke Shields face from the side. She’s looking down with a solemn expression on her face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression by Brooke Shields

 

 

Book cover for Raining Sardines by Enrique Flores-Galbis. Image on cover shows an alligator or crocodile lying motionless in a body of water beside some tall green grass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Raining Sardines by Enrique Flores-Galbis

 

Book cover for The Thing That Walked In the Rain by Otis Adelbert Kline. Image on cover shows a dark and gloomy scene where it is raining heavily and there isn’t enough light to see much else other than the vague outline of a building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. The Thing That Walked In the Rain by Otis Adelbert Kline

 

Book cover for Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Rain Forest by Mark J. Plotkin. Image on cover shows a white man wearing an all white outfit crouching next to a South American Native person who is talking to him about, presumably, medicinal plants in the rainforest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Rain Forest by Mark J. Plotkin

 

Book cover for Zonia's Rain Forest by Juana Martinez-Neal. Image on cover shows a drawing of an adorable South American preschooler who has long, straight black hair and is looking at a blue butterfly with curiosity in her eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Zonia’s Rain Forest by Juana Martinez-Neal

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Top Ten Tuesday: Book Titles That Describe Me

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Thank you to Susan @ blogginboutbooks.com for submitting this week’s theme! Let’s see how many titles I can find that help to describe myself. You might enjoy my sense of humour with some of these picks, too.

Book cover for The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Image on cover is lime green except for the upper right corner which shows a small black and white photo of someone wearing dress pants and dress shoes who is standing by the wall. You can only see their legs and shoes in this image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I’m a quiet and unassuming person who likes to observe what’s going on before jumping into the fray.

 

Book cover for A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar. Image on cover is a still from the film showing the protagonist’s wife cupping his chin with her hand and looking at him with love in her eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

I’d like to think I have a beautiful mind.

 

Book cover from Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson. Image on cover shows a painting of a woman who has dreadlocks and a snake curled around her breasts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

I eat a pretty healthy diet and was one of those kids who happily had fruit or a salad as an after school snack. Even to this day, I’d rather have a piece of fruit than a bowl of chips most days!

 

Book cover for Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin. Image on cover shows someone slumped over sitting as they hold a wooden cross in one hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

My family was low income for most of my childhood. On nice weekends my parents would take us out into nature for long walks and picnics because it fit our budget. I loved visiting the mountains most of all, and still adore nature to this day.

 

Book cover for Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart. Image on cover shows a cat confidently walking into what appears to be a wormhole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart

Unfortunately, as I’ve said here before, I’m terribly allergic to cats and so can never pet them.

 

We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen book cover. Image on covers shows dozens of little yellow, red, orange, and pink dots spilling out over a white surface.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

Being technically true is the best kind of true. 😉

 

Book cover for The Past is a Foreign Country by David Lowenthal. Image on cover shows a painting of a woman in a white dress petting the snout of a white horse in front of some stone buildings that have tall columns on them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The Past is a Foreign Country by David Lowenthal

Here’s another somewhat tongue-in-cheek answer from me. Although, as someone who immigrated from the U.S. to Canada as a young adult, my past literally is a foreign country now.

 

Book cover for More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera. Image on cover shows a black line swooping up against a yellow background and ending in a puddle of blackness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Nobody’s life is perfect, of course, but mine has been more happy than not. I try to focus on the positive and what I do have instead of what I wish I could have.

 

Book cover for Fairy Tales Written By Rabbits by Mary A. Parker. Image on cover shows two frightened rabbits huddling together as the shadows of a unicorn and a snake loom above them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Fairy Tales Written By Rabbits by Mary A. Parker

As a child, I read every single fairy tale I could find. As an adult, I love rabbits and read as many books about them as possible whether fiction or nonfiction.

 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set In Places on My Bucket List

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
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Thank you to Rachel @ Sunny Side for submitting this week’s theme!

I only have one setting to talk about this week: Prince Edward Island. It’s somewhere I’ve wanted to visit since I first read the Anne of Green Gables books as a child. You can probably already guess what the first book on this list will be!

Someday I will visit that island, but in the meantime there are so many books set there that I sort of feel like I already know it.

Book cover for Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery. Image on cover shows a simple coloured pencil drawing of Anne sitting down outdoors near an opened wooden door. She’s wearing a plain blue dress and grey sweater and looking down at her lap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery

 

Book cover for The Troop by Nick Cutter. image on cover shows the silhouette of someone standing on top of a hill against a reddish-orange sky, probably just after dusk or just before dawn given how heavy the shadows are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Troop by Nick Cutter

 

Book cover for Tango: The Tale of an Island Dog by Eileen Beha. Image on cover shows a photo of shaggy little dog peeking out at the viewer. Behind the dog one can see wooden crab traps stacked up on the pier and, behind the peer, the calm ocean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Tango: The Tale of an Island Dog by Eileen Beha

 

Book cover for This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune. Image on cover shows a drawing of two people dancing on red rocks near the ocean at sunset or sunrise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

’4. This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune

 

Book cover for Acadian Legends, Folktale and Songs from Prince Edward Island by George Arsenault. Image on cover shows a painting of several small cottages huddled near the shore. In front of the houses there is a line of fish drying and, in front of them, several boats tied to shore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Acadian Legends, Folktale and Songs from Prince Edward Island by George Arsenault

 

Book cover for Favourite Recipes of Old Prince Edward Island by Julie Watson. Image on cover shows a table ladened with delicious food like bread, roasted potatoes, and a creamy soup in a white bowl. They are all sitting on a white tablecloth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Favourite Recipes of Old Prince Edward Island by Julie Watson

 

Book cover for Mi'kmaq Campfire Stories of Prince Edward Island by Julie Pellissier-Lush. Image on cover shows three indigenous people dancing outdoors underneath a partly cloudy sky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Mi’kmaq Campfire Stories of Prince Edward Island by Julie Pellissier-Lush 

 

Book cover for Mermaids of Prince Edward Island by Allison Wolvers. Image on cover is a drawing of a redheaded mermaid who is siting with her green tail behind her as she gazes off to the right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Mermaids of Prince Edward Island by Allison Wolvers

 

Book cover for Mirrors on which dust has fallen by Jeff Bursey. Image on cover appears to be drawn through the perspective of an old mirror that has been scratched up and is covered in a layer of dust. Everything is hazy and some sections are harder to see due to the scratches. The sene shows light falling through a window into an otherwise empty room. We only see this one corner of the room, however.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Mirrors on which dust has fallen by Jeff Bursey

 

Book cover for Black Islanders: Prince Edward Island's Historical Black Community by Jim Hornby. Image on cover shows a black and white drawing of a shirtless black man who has a moustache and is holding his arms up in a boxing formation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Black Islanders: Prince Edward Island’s Historical Black Community by Jim Hornby

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Top Ten Tuesday: Buzzwords or Phrases That Make Me Want to Read a Book

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

1. Prehistoric, Neanderthal, Hunter-Gatherer, and/or Anatomically-Modern Human

I’m always interested in books set at this point in the past.

2. Magical Realism

There’s nothing like a story that is 99% realistic but has a slightly magical twist to it.

Grey stones in a stone garden. The stone closest to the viewer has the word “hope etched onto it. The stone right behind it has the world “charity” etched onto it. 3. HEA (happily ever after)

It’s not that common in the scary stuff I sometimes read, so I have to branch out to other genres to see characters who ride off into the sunset peacefully.

4. Friends to Lovers 

This is how my spouse and I ended up together. When I do dip into more romantic reads on occasion, starting off with a strong friendship between the characters is definitely the first thing I’m looking for.

5. Twist Ending

If the right amount of foreshadowing is included ahead of time, I love it when there’s a twist ending that catches me off-guard but, in retrospect, makes perfect sense. It’s quite difficult to accomplish, so I never fault authors who can’t quite strike the balance between hinting at what’s to come and still keeping their audience guessing. It’s simply a fun bonus when it does occur.

6. Solarpunk, Hopepunk, and/or Utopian Themes

Show me visions of the future that are remarkably better than the world we currently live in!

7. Animal Companions 

Assuming the pets don’t die or get seriously injured in the story, I love reading about characters who have close relationships with their furry (or scaly, aquatic, or what have you) friends.

8. Urban settings 

I love living in an urban setting as well as reading all sorts of stories with this sort of setting.

9. Medical triumphs 

That is to say, there’s nothing like reading a book about a condition or illness that we now either prevent with better nutrition, clean water, vaccines, municipal sanitation, etc. or have such effective treatments for that the average person may not realize how dangerous or painful it was for previous generations. It’s exhilarating to read about all of the progress we’ve made.

10. Mutual Aid

That is, stories about people working together to solve seemingly insurmountable problems. It’s easy for this topic to come across as an cheesy after school special, but when care is taken in fleshing out the characters and exploring the conflict(s) they face in depth, the hopefully happy ending that eventually comes can be immensely satisfying.

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