Tag Archives: Top Ten Tuesday

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There’s something about the cozy mystery genre that screams autumn to me.

No, every cozy mystery isn’t set at this time of the year, but I recently learned that a surprising number of them are.

There are also a lot of cozy mysteries that include the colour orange in their titles or somewhere in their covers.

This isn’t a genre I read regularly, so I’d be curious to hear if those of you who do have a lot of experience with it have noticed the same patterns.

1. Hallowe’en Party (Hercule Poirot, #39) by Agatha Christie

2. The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer (Paws and Claws Mystery, #2) by Krista Davis

3. Death By Pumpkin Spice (Bookstore Cafe Mystery, #3)  by Alex Erickson

4. Shelved Under Murder (Blue Ridge Library Mysteries, #2)  by Victoria Gilbert

5. Turkey Day Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #7) by Leslie Meier

6. The Stitching Hour (Embroidery Mystery, #9) by Amanda Lee

7. Mulberry Mischief (A Berry Basket Mystery #4) by Sharon Farrow

8. Knit of the Living Dead (A Knit & Nibble Mystery #6) by Peggy Ehrhart

9. Candy Corn Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #22) by Leslie Meier

10. Wicked Witch Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #16) by Leslie Meier

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Okay, so technically this week’s prompt was “favourite book quotes.” I tweaked it a little to become humorous book quotes because the world needs more laughter at the moment in my opinion.

1. “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt

2. “Reality continues to ruin my life.”
― Bill Watterson, The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

3. “Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying ‘End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH’, the paint wouldn’t even have time to dry.”
― Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

4. “Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

5. “If you ever find yourself in the wrong story, leave.”
― Mo Willems, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs

6. “You deal with mythological stuff for a few years, you learn that paradises are usually places where you get killed.”
― Rick Riordan, The Battle of the Labyrinth

7. “Are you always a smartass?’

Nope. Sometimes I’m asleep.”
― Jim Butcher, Blood Rites

8.“If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.”
― George Bernard Shaw, Immaturity

9.“We’ll never survive!”
“Nonsense. You’re only saying that because no one ever has.”
― William Goldman, The Princess Bride

10. “No sight so sad as that of a naughty child,” he began, “especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?”

“They go to hell,” was my ready and orthodox answer.

“And what is hell? Can you tell me that?”

“A pit full of fire.”

“And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?”

“No, sir.”

“What must you do to avoid it?”

I deliberated a moment: my answer, when it did come was objectionable: “I must keep in good health and not die.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

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It was difficult to narrow this list down to only ten books. There are so many great stories coming out this autumn that I ultimately decided to give this a Young Adult spin.

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1.The Forest of Ghosts and Bones by Lisa Lueddecke

Publication Date: October 1

Why I Want to Read It: The idea of acid rain freaked me out a little when I was a kid. While I’m not sure if the rain in this world is quite like that, I’m curious to find out.

2.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam 

Publication Date: October 6

Why I Want to Read It: Unexpected blackouts are scary but also fascinating.

3. We Hear Voices by Evie Green

Publication Date: 

Why I Want to Read It: It’s normal for a child to have an imaginary friend, but generally they aren’t as violent as this one. I have no idea where this blurb is going with this idea and hope it’s a creative one.

4. Sugar in Milk by Thrity Umrigar,

Publication Date: October 6

Why I Want to Read It: I haven’t read many picture books about immigration before. It will be cool to see how its written.

5. A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

Publication Date: October 6

Why I Want to Read It: I’ve often wondered what it would be like to work in, or better yet own, a bakery.

6. The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

Publication Date: October 13

Why I Want to Read It: The protagonist’s love of fairy tales grabbed my attention immediately, and I only wanted to read it more after the blurb mentioned him having a secret.

7. My Heart Underwater  by Laurel Flores Fantauzzo  

Publication Date: October 20

Why I Want to Read It: This book covers so many topics I find interesting, from coming out to immigrating. I think it will be a great read.

8. Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett

Publication Date: November 17

Why I Want to Read It:

9. Patience & Esther: An Edwardian Romance  by SW Searle

Publication Date: November 17

Why I Want to Read It: I rarely read romances, but this one looks good. It’s always interesting to see examples of how LGBT+ people lived in the past.

10. This Is Not a Ghost Story by Andrea Portes

Publication Date: November 17

Why I Want to Read It: There’s something about late autumn to late winter that makes me even more apt to read ghost stories than usual.

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I don’t know about all of you, but I’m sure in the mood for lighthearted and dare I say slightly silly conversations at the moment.

For example, did you know there are dozens of books out there that feature rubber duckies on their covers?

I have no idea how or why this ever became a trend, but it does make me smile.

Have you read any of these books? Do you have a rubber duckie sitting on the edge of your bathtub at this exact moment?

1. Is That a Fact?: Frauds, Quacks, and the Real Science of Everyday Life by Joe Schwarcz

2. Plus 2, Minus 2 by Ann H. Matzke

3. Moby-Duck: the true story of 28,800 bath toys lost at sea and of the beachcombers, oceanographers, environmentalists, and fools, including the author, who went in search of them by Donovan Hohn

4. Stiltskin by Andrew Buckley

5.Regarding Ducks and Universes by Neve Maslakovic

6. Rules by Cynthia Lord

7. My Miserable, Lonely, Lesbian Pregnancy by Andrea Askowitz

8. Neurotica by Eliza Gordon

9.De mooiste dagen zijn het ergst by Anke Scheeren

10. Alternadad by Neal Pollack

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I was the sort of kid who ignored age recommendations and read everything that grabbed my interest, so this week’s prompt was a little tricky for me. In the end, I decided to narrow this down to young adult books published in the last decade or so that I would have loved as a kid.

Of course I can read them as an adult, too, but I think they would have been even more meaningful to me if I were still a kid or teenager. Some of my answers have to do with the desire to read about characters like me in some way, and I’ve noted which ones fit into this category. Everything else simply seemed like it was a great story!

It will be interesting to see how all of you interpreted this prompt!

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

2. Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

3. Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

4. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

I have a food allergy, too, and would have loved to read about a protagonist who understood what it was like to have to watch what she ate so carefully. That can be a lonely experience when you’re a teenager and everyone else can eat whatever they wish (or so it seems at that age).

5. Timekeeper by Tara Sim

I would have loved this paranormal LGBTQ+ tale. It was rare for me to find books about non-heterosexual characters back in the day. Once again, representation matters!

6. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

7. Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmad

8. Want by Cindy Pon

9. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

10. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

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I’ve written several posts about books that make me hungry, so I narrowed down this week’s topic to make it more of a challenge. Here are ten literary cookbooks that make me hungry.

1. An Unexpected Cookbook: The Unofficial Book of Hobbit Cookery by Chris-Rachael Oseland

2. Drink Me: Curious Cocktails from Wonderland by Nick Perry

3. Unofficial Recipes of the Hunger Games: 187 Recipes Inspired by the Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Rockridge Press

4. The American Girls Cookbook: A Peek at Dining in the Past with Meals You Can Cook Today by American Girl

5. Eat This Poem: A Literary Feast of Recipes Inspired by Poetry by Nicole Gulotta

6. Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food: Recipes, Remedies & Simple Pleasures by Frederick Douglass Opie

7. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Cook Book by Monica Bayley

8. Fairy Tale Desserts: A Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters by Jane Yolen

9. Avonlea Cookbook by Kevin Sullivan

10. Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer: A Golden Treasury of Classic Treats by Jane Brocket

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This post contains mild spoilers for a few books that were published years ago.

I’ve also decided that being deceased is no reason for an author not to answer a friendly question or two, but that is the extent of my necromancy abilities.

Author: Jean M. Auel

My Questions: What happened to Ayla’s first son after she was permanently separated from him in the Clan of the Cave Bear series? Will you ever write a sequel about his life?

Author: Steven King

My Questions: What percentage of your family mealtimes are taken up by you asking your loved ones how they’d respond to increasingly bizarre scenarios you’re dreaming up for future novels? Does Mrs. King enjoy these conversations? Do you ever censor yourself around any grandchildren you might have now?

Author: Octavia E. Butler

My Questions: How was the Parable series supposed to end? Did you ever consider hiring a ghostwriter to finish it?

Author: Angie Thomas

My Question: Can I be one of your beta readers if I promise not to breathe a word about it to anyone?

Author: Kevin Kwan

My Questions: Should I read Crazy Rich Asians before or after watching the film? What are your thoughts on the film version of your story in general?

Author: Malala Yousafzai

My Questions: Will you be writing more books for adult readers in the near future? What are your longterm plans for your life?

Author: Sarah Waters

My Question: What is your research process like? There are so many years between your books that I can only imagine how much time you spend researching every detail of the eras you write about!

Author: Paul Stamets

My Question: How many new readers did you gain after Mycelium Running was used for a Star Trek: Discovery plot?

Author: Neil Gaiman

My Questions: How would you describe your friendship with Tori Amos? Do you two let each other know in advance when you write about your friendship, or is it a pleasant surprise?

Author: Langston Hughes

My Question:  Would you write a poem about 2020 for us?

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This is one of those topics I could write dozens of blog posts about and still come up with more answers to it. I only write reviews of a portion of the books I read.

Due to this, I decided to share the reasons why I don’t write reviews of certain books I loved.

1. The series had an unexpected ending

Example: Jean M. Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear series

I loved the first few books in this prehistoric world. The last few instalments didn’t tie things up the ways I thought they would based on the early foreshadowing.

While I understood some of the changes the author made, I don’t think I’m the right person to review this series because of how different my interpretation of those early scenes was from the author’s interpretation of them.

2. It’s a classic novel

Example: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein 

Frankenstein is one of my all-time favourite classics! If we ever get another Frankenstein film, I will be shouting that news from the rooftops and blogging a (hopefully glowing) review of it.

With that being said, this story is 202 years old. Most people who want to read it have already read it, so I’d rather save space for newer books that aren’t so well known.

3. Mainstream audiences have embraced it 

Example: Andy Weir’s The Martian 

Now don’t get me wrong! I love it when people who don’t normally read science fiction discover something in this genre that appeals to them. It has made me extraordinarily happy to see this interest of mine become much more mainstream since I was a kid, and I welcome every new fan.

But I also feel compelled to focus on lesser-known science fiction stories, especially when they’re indie and/or written by writers from underrepresented groups.

4. I don’t know what to say about it 

Example: Emily Tesh’s Silver in the Wood 

This doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes I have trouble specifying why I love a book so much.  It could be that it reminds me of very specific childhood memories or that it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Those reactions are a great deal of fun, but I need to have a firm list of reasons for enjoying a story before I decide to write a full review of it. I always want to be the sort of reviewer whose readers receive plenty of concrete examples of why I liked it so much so they can decide for themselves if it’s the right read for them.

Reviewing is serious business in my opinion!