Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Spring 2024 TBR

March 19, 2024 By Long and Short Reviews 52 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I hope all of these books will be great reads!

1. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Release Date: April 2

Why I’m Interested: I have not seen many books talk about Reddit. This could be really good.

2. The Titanic Survivors’ Book Club by Timothy Schaffert

Release Date: April 2

Why I’m Interested: The Titanic was such an interesting and tragic chapter of history. I’ve often wondered how the survivors coped with their memories from that time.

3. The Black Girl Survives in This One by Desiree S. Evans (Editor)

Release Date: April 2

Why I’m Interested: The title. Isn’t it fabulous and refreshing?

4.Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings

Release Date: April 16

Why I’m Interested: Spring is a great time to read romance novels.

5. Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina

Release Date: April 16

Why I’m Interested: The horror and mystery genres work well together, and this sounds like it could be quite the adventure.

6.Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

Release Date: April 30

Why I’m Interested: I like watching old home videos of myself and my loved ones. The thought of discovering an old while watching something like this is a cool twist on the mystery genre!

7. Lavash at First Sight by Taleen Voskuni

Release Date: May 7

Why I’m Interested: Highly competitive people intrigue me because I’m a laid-back and cooperative person would rather see everyone win. This could be another cute romance for the spring.

(The file for this cover was too large to upload for this book, but the link below will show it.)

8. Snowblooded by Emma Sterner-Radley

Release Date: May 9

Why I’m Interested: Some stories excel when they mix a lot of different genres and ideas together. I hope this is one of them as the assassin’s guild alone sounds like it would have plenty of plot twists to keep the characters busy.

9. My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen

Release Date: May 14

Why I’m Interested: While I am far too easily spooked to ever attend a seance, reading about what could happen at one is my idea of a good time.

10. You Like It Darker by Stephen King

Release Date: May 21

Why I’m Interested: I try to check out everything Stephen King writes. Getting scared is fun!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: TBR Lists, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Weird or Funny Things I’ve Googled Thanks to a Book

March 5, 2024 By Long and Short Reviews 27 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Since I recommended this topic to Jana, I thought I should be the one to write Long and Short Reviews’s response to it as well.

Here are ten funny or interesting things I’ve googled thanks to a book. Horror and mysteries are among the genres I read which is why some of these queries are about death and corpses.

1. How long does it take bones to decompose in a grave? Can you still tell something was once a grave if there are no bones left in it?

2. What do zombies think about when they’re not chasing people?

3. Why is the Chosen One so often a teenager instead of someone older and more experienced?

4. How did people figure out which mushrooms were safe to eat when a lot of wild mushrooms will kill you?

5. Why do so many romance novelists dislike big cities?

6. Why doesn’t character X have common sense?

(No, I didn’t actually expect an answer for this one. I was simply annoyed by a character who kept making terrible decisions for no reason).

7. How long can you live on a spaceship before getting radiation poisoning?

8. Why do so many aliens want to destroy humanity?

9. Books written from a cow’s perspective.

(Because I’d never heard of such a thing and wondered if it existed).

10. Can you write a book without any tropes at all?

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Covers/Titles with Things Found in Nature

February 27, 2024 By Lasreviews 46 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This is a very loose take on today’s theme. But I had a blast searching my previously read books for titles that included something at least closely related to nature.

1. Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh. Nature is also a strong theme in this novella. I highly recommend it.

2. Dead in the Water by Dana Stabenow. This is the third in her Kate Shugak series, set in Alaska. These books show the harshness of the area while also showcasing how beautiful it can be, too.

3. Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins. From Amazon, “In this “twisty, propulsive thriller” from Megan Collins, two sisters-in-law are at painful odds when the man who connects them—the brother of one, the husband of the other—is accused of a brutal crime.”

4. The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson. This is set in Iceland and, much like the Kate Shugak series, showcases how brutal the cold and ice can be.

5. Sea Castle by Andrew Mayne. Nature comes into play a lot in this series. Set in Florida, it’s focused on an Underwater Investigation Unit that goes into lakes, rivers, and the ocean looking for clues to solve crimes. This is one of my favorite series.

6. Desert Star by Michael Connelly. From Amazon, “LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch team up to hunt the brutal killer who is Bosch’s “white whale”—a man responsible for the murder of an entire family.”

7. The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes. From Amazon, “Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her friend’s sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed…”

8. The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves. Set in North Devon, England, the weather often plays a role in this series. However, this most recent installment in the Two Rivers series, the storm is a character in itself.

9. The Capybaras by Alfredo Solderguit. This is an adorable children’s picture book with lovely illustrations and silly critters.

10. Out of the Storm by B. J. Daniels. From the blurb, ” It’s been twenty years since Daniel went missing in a refinery explosion and was finally declared dead, but Kate never gave up hope, convinced he was somewhere out there, suffering from amnesia.”

What natural finds did you uncover this week? I did notice that so many book titles contain elements of nature, but not all are driven by that natural force either. Looking back at my list, the ones where nature – be it a storm, an animal, or an element – plays a large role were the more interesting stories.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Blog Hop, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Quotes About Love

February 13, 2024 By Long and Short Reviews 54 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

For today’s Love Freebie theme, I’ve decided to share ten bookish quotes about love.

Some of them are about romantic love, but others are about the many other types of love that exist: platonic, familial, universal, practical, and more.

I believe this holiday can be used to celebrate all of them if you wish.

1. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

2. “Love is like the wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it.”
― Nicholas Sparks, A Walk to Remember

3. “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

4. “Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

5. “Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven

6. “Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.”
― Maya Angelou

7. “How do you spell ‘love’?” – Piglet
“You don’t spell it…you feel it.” – Pooh”
― A.A. Milne

8. “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
― Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband

9. “Romance is the glamour which turns the dust of everyday life into a golden haze. ”
― Elinor Glyn

10. “There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”
― Vincent Van Gogh

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Thank you for visiting our post today.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Holiday, Quotes, Top Ten Tuesday, Valentine Day Quotes, Valentine's Day

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Quick Reads/Books to Read When Time is Short

February 6, 2024 By Lasreviews 57 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

As much as I love to sit down with a chonker and really immerse myself in a book, there isn’t always the time for that. Not to mention the fact that I don’t always have the attention span for it either. So, when I’m low on time or mental focus, I grab a short book to indulge my reading need.

Manga is a favorite of mine when I need a quick read. I can usually get through one in an hour or so. Some of my favorites lately:

Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo

Heartstopper by Alice Osman

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku by Fujita.

Yes, I’ll admit it, I tend to go for the goofy manga.

There are a ton of great novellas out there as well.

Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series, that starts with Every Heart a Doorway, is a great series with fast, engaging stories.

The first four installments of Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries, starting with All Systems Red, are short, fast reads as well. This is a series I need to catch up on soon as I love it.

Another source of quick reads are cozy mysteries. While they’re usually a full length novel, they tend to go faster for me since the plot is light and fun. Some of my favorite cozy series:

Witchless in Seattle, which starts with Witch Slapped, is a fun paranormal cozy series by Dakota Cassidy.

Caroline Fardig’s Java Jive series is also a fun, quick read, set in a coffee shop in Nashville, TN. The series starts with Death Before Decaf.

Mindy Quigley has an intense, but engaging series called Deep Dish Mysteries, set in a gourmet pizzeria in Geneva Bay, WI. The first is Six Feet Deep Dish and is a great start to an excellent series. My only complaint is I wind up craving pizza while reading these!

And to round it out, a couple of books I recently devoured in a short time.

Out of the Fog by Clarissa Ross is an engaging gothic romance with a bit of suspense thrown in. It was published in 1970 and the writing is to the point, making the pages fly by.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. This comes in at just under 300 pages or about seven hours in audio. However, I will say that I was so taken in by this mystery – and Richard Armitage’s narration of the audiobook – that I found myself unable to stop listening.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read in 2023 but Didn’t Get To

January 23, 2024 By Long and Short Reviews 65 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

There are a lot of them this week!

The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim

Organizing for the Rest of Us by Dana K. White

Holly by Stephen King

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldreee

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

If you’ve read any of these books, would you recommend them?

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: TBR Lists, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2024

January 16, 2024 By Long and Short Reviews 63 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I’m going to be repeating a few of my goals from last year and then adding in some new ones.

1. Whittle down my TBR list. Sometimes I swear they grow by themselves overnight!

2. Visit nearby physical branches of my local library more often. I’ve read that being a librarian can be a stressful job at times, so I’d like to give them some friendly in-person experiences if I can. Also, not every book is available in digital form, so borrowing some of those paper books would help with my TBR list for sure.

3. Play more literary or bookish games on my phone.

4. Read short stories regularly. I need a break from the long (but good) novels I read last autumn and at the beginning of this winter.

5. Read more cozy mysteries. I tend go in spurts with this genre, and it’s been a while since I last visited it.

6. Take reading breaks. I am not always good at this, but it’s refreshing to step away for a little while and do something else. Maybe the spring will be a good time to do it if there aren’t too many forest fires and the weather is decent then?

7. Take a break from the fantasy genre. I’m a longtime fan of it, but I think I need to read other genres for a while. I’m finding it too repetitive, but I think it’s because I’m so well-versed in what typically happens in this genre.

8. Visit indie bookstores. I miss them so much.

9. Find cool people on Bookstagram who talk about science fiction, ghost stories, psychological horror, or other similar things.

10. Run away and go live in the woods. Or at least that’s what I’ve been threatening to do in order to have more quiet reading time. 😀 Fellow introverts, how do you carve out time to read?

Suggestions for how to accomplish any or all of these goals are quite welcomed!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Goals, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2024

January 9, 2024 By Long and Short Reviews 68 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I do not have any witty commentary for you all today. I’m simply feeling grateful for how many different options we all have when deciding what to read next.

Here are ten books I’m looking forward to checking out over the next several months.

1. Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké–Íyímídé

Why I’m Interested: I like romances that include a lot of other plot lines, too. This one sounds like it has plenty going on with the story!

2. In Utero by Chris Gooch

Release Date: January 23

Why I’m Interested: One word – aliens.

3. The Unquiet Bones by Loreth Anne White

Release Date: March 5

Why I’m Interested: There’s something to be said for digging up bones buried in the wrong place and hopefully solving the mystery of how that person died.

4. Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa

Release Date: April 9

Why I’m Interested: High school romances can be so much fun to read about.

5.Pretty Furious by E.K. Johnston

Release Date: April 16

Why I’m Interested: Do I advocate seeking revenge in real life? Of course not! Reading about fictional characters getting revenge sounds awesome, though.

6. Supplication by Nour Abi-Nakhou

Release Date: May 7

Why I’m Interested: This sounds really scary, and maybe too scary for me to actually read. If I do find my courage, it will be interesting to see how the main character escapes from the house where she is trapped.

7. The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields

Release Date: May 14

Why I’m Interested: The fairytale aesthetic. Imagine being cursed to never fall in love again! I mean, I know some people never fall in love even once in their lives and are perfectly happy that way, but it’s quite a different thought for those of us who have had that experience.

8. The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

Release Date: May 21

Why I’m Interested: The attention-grabbing title. A society without murder sounds appealing, but I’ll bet the catch to living there is going to be a big one.

9.Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

Release Date: May 21

Why I’m Interested: This could be a nice refresher after some of the horror and other darker works on this list.

10.Becoming Who We Are: Real Stories About Growing Up Trans by Sammy Lisel

Release Date: May 28

Why I’m Interested: It sounds interesting.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: TBR Lists, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Winter 2023-2024 To-Read List

December 12, 2023 By Long and Short Reviews 63 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Here are ten books coming out this winter that I’m curious about. The first two have already been released, and I’ve included publication dates for the rest.

1. Yours for the Taking by Gabrielle Korn

Why I’m Interested: It’s cool to see what science fiction authors predict life could be like a few decades from now.

2. Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes

Why I’m Interested: The story sounds incredibly scary.

3. Fallen Thorns by Harvey Oliver Baxter

Publication Date: January 1

Why I’m Interested: Honestly, the amazing cover won me over before I even read the blurb. Doesn’t it look nice annd eerie?

4. Somewhere in the Deep by Tanvi Berwah

Publication Date: January 9

Why I’m Interested: It’s been far too long since I’ve read a good monster book. Now is a good time to change that.

5. The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan

Publication Date: January 9

Why I’m Interested: Winter is a great time to read ghost stories in my opinion, and this one looks like it could be excellent.

6. Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

Publication Date: January 18

Why I’m Interested: Many of the books on this list are horror or dark speculative fiction. A light fantasy might help even things out!

7. Your Utopia: Stories by Bora Chung

Publication Date: February 13

Why I’m Interested: Much like I just said for #6, I’m balancing out scary stories with more hopeful ones this winter.

8. Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa

Publication Date: February 20

Why I’m Interested: The tropical island setting will be a nice contrast to how chilly it is where I live at this time of year. I’m also interested in the gothic horror themes of this one.

9. Ours by Phillip B. Williams

Publication Date: February 20

Why I’m Interested: The surrealism in this one sounds very interesting, especially given the 1830s through 1870s setting.

10. Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana

Publication Date: February 27

Why I’m Interested: I, too, know what it’s like to suffer from writer’s block after a traumatic event. My hope is that this will end on a high note with the main character recovering what she has lost.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: TBR Lists, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books About New Year’s Eve

December 5, 2023 By Long and Short Reviews 38 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I’ve been a reviewer for Long and Short Reviews for a long time now. One of the many interesting things I’ve noticed over the years is how rare is it for us receive requests to review books that are set on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

You’d think more authors would pick that setting given how festive it can be and how much can happen over the course of a few hours at a spirited New Year’s Eve party!

Here are ten books with that setting. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get more review requests that have this setting in 2024.

I haven’t read any of them yet, so do share your thoughts about them in the comments if you have.