Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Summer Quotes

July 11, 2023 By 52 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Long and Short Reviews has a small team of people who take turns writing Top Ten Tuesday posts. I feel excited every time Freebie posts pop up and try to request them as often as I can.

This week I’m going to use the freebie post to share ten bookish summer quotes.

 

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
― Henry James

 

“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne’s House of Dreams

 

“The library in summer is the most wonderful thing because there you get books on any subject and read them each for only as long as they hold your interest, abandoning any that don’t, halfway or a quarter of the way through if you like, and store up all that knowledge in the happy corners of your mind for your own self and not to show off how much you know or spit it back at your teacher on a test paper.”
― Polly Horvath, My One Hundred Adventures

 

“I have only to break into the tightness of a strawberry, and I see summer – its dust and lowering skies.”
― Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye

 

“It was summer and moonlight and we had lemonade to drink, and we held the cold glasses in our hands, and Dad read the stereo-newspapers inserted into the special hat you put on your head and which turned the microscopic page in front of the magnifying lens if you blinked three times in succession.”
― Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man

 

“The sound of crickets, the feel of warm dried grass on the soles of his feet and the scent of baked earth pleased him. The big thick glass was icy in his hands. When he set it down, the tinkle of the ice cubes sounded personal.”
― Ian McEwan, Lessons

 

“There are not enough jam jars to can this
summer sky at night. I want to spread those
little meteors on a hunk of still-warm bread this
winter. Any trace left on the knife will make a kitchen sink like that evening air

the cool night before
star showers: so sticky so warm so full of light”
― Aimee Nezhukumatathil

 

“The thing about a deep summer’s evening is that it is filled with an array of sounds that never intrude on the silence because they were created to accentuate it, not fill it.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

 

Meeting someone on a summer’s evening is like giving a dead flame new life.”
― Caleb Azumah Nelson, Open Water

 

“And I spent a wonderful summer, below the trees in the Godavari, writing my poetry.”
― Avijeet Das, Why the Silhouette?

 

What are your favorite bookish summer quotes?

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Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2023

June 27, 2023 By 56 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

All of my summer picks were included in last week’s Top Ten Tuesday posts, so this week I’m going to focus on books that are coming out in the autumn.

There is going to be more horror than usual on this list because I enjoy being scared and because Halloween is a time of year when publishers like to release their scariest novels.

I did choose titles from other genres as well, though. Jumping around from one genre to the next is something I quite like doing.

Yes, I once again added a bonus book to my list. Sometimes 10 answers just quite isn’t enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

Release Date: September 12

Why I’m Interested: It sounds deliciously scary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Meadows by Stephanie Oakes

Release Date: September 12

Why I’m Interested: Books that claim to be like The Handmaid’s Tale intrigue me. That’s a big role to fill, but I do silently cheer on every book that attempts to do it. Hopefully, this one will add an excellent sapphic twist to those themes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

Release Date: September 19

Why I’m Interested: It looks adorable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr

Release Date: September 19

Why I’m Interested: I know someone who has studied the problem of sexual abuse in religious communities for many years. My fingers are crossed that this will be a good representation of that issue and, more importantly, a well-written story in general.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. All You Have to Do Is Call by Kerri Maher

Release Date: September 19

Why I’m Interested: This wasn’t a part of history that was ever covered in the history classes I took. I know almost nothing about it and am looking forward to changing that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig

Release Date: September 26

Why I’m Interested: Mr. Wendig’s books scare me so much I’ve never been able to finish one of them. Maybe this one will be different? I love his writing style…I’m just a little too scared of the spooky things he comes up with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Family Meal by Bryan Washington

Release Date: October 10

Why I’m Interested: There aren’t a lot of books out there that talk about the difficulties of ending a friendship. It sounds like this one might leave space for a reconciliation which is yet another reason to read it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. The Hive and the Honey by Paul Yoon

Release Date: October 10

Why I’m Interested: I need more short story collections in my life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

Release Date: October 17

Why I’m Interested: I like books about curses and how curses might be broken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Why I’m Interested: A gothic fairy tale sounds like the perfect way to celebrate Halloween. I’m getting strong whiffs of horror from it, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. Love in a Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello

Release Date: November 10

Why I’m Interested: I’m fascinated by how much some folks love Christmas. It’s a holiday that stirs up mixed emotions for me, but I do enjoy reading about characters who have much simpler reactions to that time of year.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Summer 2023 to-Read List

June 20, 2023 By 52 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Happy summer to everyone in the Northern Hemisphere!

Here are ten books I’m looking forward to reading this summer.

Once the weather grows hot and muggy, I hope to spend a lot of my free time reading. If it’s too humid and warm outside to take a simple walk, why not go places in your imagination instead? I think that’s a wonderful way to pass the time until evening comes and it might cool down enough to be more active outdoors.

About half of these titles have already been released. I included publication dates for the ones that are coming but that aren’t quite available yet in stores or your local library.

Yes, there are 11 books on this list instead of 10. I couldn’t bear to trim any of them out, so this will help to make up for the weeks when it’s a struggle to come up with enough answers.


All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

Why I’m Interested: Small town politics can be incredibly complex, especially for residents who aren’t Caucasian or otherwise stand out from the crowd. I look forward to seeing how those issues are addressed in this murder mystery.

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

Why I’m Interested: It’s based on the true story of a fifteenth-century female physician in China. How cool is that?

You Were Always Mine by Christina Pride and Jo Piazza
Why I’m Interested: I hope this doesn’t sound strange, but I’ve actually had a conversation with a relative about what we’d do if we found an abandoned baby in a public place. It was an interesting thought experiment as far as who should be called and how society should respond to such things, so I hope it will be a good premise for a book as well.

The Only One Left  by Riley Sager

Why I’m Interested: Many people in nursing homes are kind, gentle souls…but some of them can have much darker pasts. I’m intrigued by how healthcare professionals deal with people who are frail now but who once did unspeakable things. It must be difficult sometimes.

Old Enough by Haley Jakobson

Why I’m Interested: I’m drawn to books about people healing from trauma and creating wonderful lives for themselves.

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Release Date: July 18

Why I’m Interested: Ms. Moreno-Garcia is a great storyteller, and I’m always eager to see what she comes up with next.

Robots Through the Ages edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

Release Date: July 25
Why I’m Interested: Robots are awesome.

Family Lore by Elizabeth AcevedoRelease Date: August 1
Why I’m Interested: It’s been a while since I read any magical realism. Summer seems like a good time to dive back into it, maybe because it was the end of summer the first time I tried this genre?

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Release Date: August 1

Why I’m Interested: Occasionally, I broaden my horizons and read literary fiction. This looks like it could be a good reason to step outside of my usual mystery, young adult, and science fiction/fantasy habits.

Forged by Blood Ehigbor Okosun
Release Date: August 8

Why I’m Interested: Mythology is so much fun to read.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Things That Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book

May 23, 2023 By 43 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

All of these things are green lights for me when deciding whether to try a book. The more of them that pop up, the better the chances are of me loving that story!

1. Moderately descriptive writing.

I want to be able to clearly imagine what the characters and settings look like, but I don’t want read Tolkien-like works that describe everything in minute detail over many pages. Yes, some stories need to have long, flowery descriptions in them, but they are generally not my cup of tea.

2. Complex characters

They do not need to be people I’d ever want to spend time with, in real life, but they should have plenty of interesting and surprising layers to their personalities that are slowly peeled back as the storyline progresses.

Character development is one of those things that can pull book down to a low rating or catapult it to a five-star read depending on how well it’s done!

3. Diversity

Diverse reads are automatically pushed to the top of my TBR.

 

4. Little to no romance

Kudos to all of the romance readers out there! While I do sometimes enjoy books that have a dash of romance sometimes, I prefer characters who pursue other goals in life most of the time.

 

5. Lots of platonic relationships

This is something I’d be thrilled to see a lot more of in stories in general. Show me the relationships between relatives, coworkers, friends, enemies, acquaintances, neighbors, and more. I love seeing how character relate to each other in these moments. The more complicated things are between everyone, the better.

I also find it much more interesting to read romances that develop from longterm friendships because that’s how I ended up falling in love with my spouse.

 

6. Short stories or novellas

While I do enjoy longer works as well, my sweet spot is something that can be read in an afternoon.

 

7. Historical accuracy

Whether it’s historical fiction, a biography, or a nonfiction work about the past, I want it to be as historically accurate as possible.

 

8. Puns

The cozy mystery genre excels at coming up with all sorts of puns for their titles. I wish this trend would spread to other genres more often. I love it.

 

9. Scientific accuracy

Hard science fiction is difficult to write but so much fun to read. I love stopping a chapter or two into these sorts of books to research anything from cordyceps to what astronauts are actually trained to do to see where the line truly is between fiction and fact.

Sometimes there is a lot of fiction added when you’re talking about a TV show like The Last of Us, but it still taught me all sorts of interesting things about how some species of cordyceps infect certain species of ants. In other cases, stories like Andy Weir’s The Martian are surprisingly accurate in the majority of their scenes!

 

10.Playful use of tropes.

It’s always cool to see authors acknowledge the tropes in their genres and then play around with them in unusual ways or even gently poke fun of them.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Things Getting in the Way of Reading

May 16, 2023 By 40 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Here are ten things that are currently getting in the way of me reading more.

1. The Outdoors

This is the time of year when I want to spend as many hours out in the nice weather as possible.

 

2. A Reading Slump

Spring is a common time of year for me to have a reading slump. I generally feel more interested in books again once the weather heats up and it’s less fun to be outdoors all day.

 

3. Seasonal Allergies

4. Trouble Sleeping

 

My seasonal allergies are in full swing, and that can mean some sniffly nights if the pollen counts are really high or if I accidentally forget to take my medication for it.

 

5. A Little Bored with Many New Releases

This is something I’m saying with all of the kindness in the world and with the knowledge that it is a me problem just as much – and maybe even more – than it is a publishing or author problem. You see, I’ve been reading speculative fiction for so many years that it’s pretty hard to surprise me these days. Maybe taking a break from this genre will help me be more excited about it in the future?

 

6. Documentaries

Lately, I’ve been much more interested in nonfiction than I have been in fiction. There are so many amazing documentaries out there!

 

7. Mental Health

I’ve been struggling with some anxiety and sadness this year. When I do want to read, I’m more interested in cheerful stories than I ever was before.

 

8. Films and TV Shows

There are so many interesting things out there to watch.

 

9. My Own Writing

On a more positive note, I’ve been trying to spend more time writing my own stories. Sometimes it can be hard to find a balance there, but I have high hopes.

 

10. Long Walks

One of the things that helps lift my mood is taking a long walk. The neighborhood I live in has a lot of advantages, but it can be a little rough around the edges. Since I am a woman, I don’t feel comfortable listening to audiobooks while I walk in that area. I’d rather know exactly what’s going on around me at all times even though it’s pretty safe here most of the time.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Audiobook Narrators

April 25, 2023 By 34 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week’s topic is about audiobook narrators.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve really started to love audiobooks.  And with that comes a certain predisposition to narrators.  For me, the narrator has to have a clear, concise voice and enough animation to make the story interesting.  For me, it doesn’t mean they have to have voices for every character.  However, they do need to engage your ear and draw you in.   Here are some of my favorite narrators as well as a few I’d love to see tackle audiobooks in the future.  Oh, and beware – there will be a bit of a theme here.

Dick Hill.  I first encountered him when listening to the Harry Bosch novels by Michael Connelly.  Since he narrates the earlier books in the series, he is, for me, the ‘voice’ of Bosch.

Len Cariou.  My only experience with him as well is through Harry Bosch.  He’s the narrator of the mid-series novels, the ones I’m currently working my way through.

Titus Welliver.  Now, I’m jumping the gun here a bit because I haven’t actually gotten to the books that he narrates yet.  However, since he’s played Harry Bosch in seven seasons of Bosch, plus Bosch Legacy, I think he’s going to do a knockout job of it.

Lorelei King.  She narrates the later Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich.  The woman has such a way with the voices for the characters that whatever voice I’d had in my head before has been replaced by her.  And there’s something about listening to a ridiculous book that makes it ten times funnier in my opinion.

Stephen Fry.  He narrated my favorite book ever – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – and it caused me to fall in love all over again.  There’s something amazing and wonderful about having such a posh, cultured voice narrating the bizarreness that is Douglas Adams.  11/10 would recommend.

Marin Ireland.  I discovered her quite by accident.  Someone had recommended I read a book called Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson.  I could only get it in audio from the library so I figured why not.  Another ridiculous, but heartwarming book, with a deadpan narrator that doesn’t quite fit the craziness of the plot.  But it works.  It works so darn well.  One of my favorite audiobooks ever.

Neil Gaiman.  He’s narrated several of his own novels, which is a lot of fun.  He has a pleasant voice that really draws you into the story.

Some people I think would do a great job narrating:

Cary Elwes.  I say this because I got the audio version of his memoir, As You Wish and he does a fabulous job.  Plus, he just has an amazing voice overall.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.  Okay, confession time: I’m obsessed.  I love him as an actor and he’s handsome to boot.  But even better is his accent, which I find to be swoon-worthy.  Since he is now playing the role of Mickey Haller – I think he’d be the perfect person to narrate The Lincoln Lawyer novels that are a part of Michael Connelly’s Bosch Universe.

Lastly, one of my favorite Peloton instructors has a book coming out later this year.  And the audiobook just won’t quite be right if Cody Rigsby himself doesn’t narrate it.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Shows I Enjoy

April 18, 2023 By 38 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I love this idea for a prompt! Here are ten recent (or recent-ish) shows that I’ve enjoyed. I usually only watch two or three of them each week, so sometimes it takes me a few years or even longer to start watching what many other folks finished ages ago.

 

1. The Last of Us

Genre: Horror, Science Fiction

 

2. Station Eleven

Genre: Science Fiction

 

3. That 90s Show

Genre: Comedy

 

4. Three Pines

Genre: Mystery

 

5. Schmigadoon

Genre: Musical, Comedy, Romance

 

6. Star Trek: Lower Decks

Genre: Science Fiction, Comedy

 

7. Penguin Town

Genre: Documentary

 

8. Fantastic Fungi

Genre: Documentary

 

9. The Man in the High Castle

Genre: Drama, Science Fiction (Alternate History)

 

10. Superstore

Genre: Comedy

 

As you can see, I like to jump around between genres. Have you seen any of these shows?

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Top Ten Tuesday: Titles with Birds In Them

April 11, 2023 By 62 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Birds are such beautiful creatures that I thought I’d focus on them for this week’s prompt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Death of a Songbird by Christine Goff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. That Quail, Robert by Margaret A. Stanger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The Osbick Bird by Edward Gorey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays by Candace Savage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Crow Country by Kate Constable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The Snow Owl by Jon Hartling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Owls’ Watch by George Brandon Saul

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. The Trumpet of the Swan by Fred Marcellino

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. A Guide to the Birds of East Africa (Mr Malik #1) by Nicholas Drayson

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Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Websites I Love That Aren’t About Books

March 21, 2023 By 42 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Ten Websites I Love That Aren’t About Books was the Top Ten Tuesday prompt for May 10, 2016, and I’ve decided to use it for today’s Rewind Freebie post.

I highly recommend all of these sites, and I will briefly explain why after each link below. Be prepared for a wide variety of topics as I like to dabble in a little of everything online. I also did my best to include plenty of sites that aren’t so well known to most people.

1. Black Outdoors 

This blog talks about the intersection between the author’s love of the outdoors and her identity as a black woman. She talks about all sorts of stuff: racism, going on winter bird counts (and dressing warmly for them!), how everyone can make the outdoors more inclusive, her favorite ferries, hiking, and more.

 

2. Nutrition Action: Center for Science in the Public Interest 

It can be difficult to find unbiased and evidence-based advice on food and health. This site shares the latest research on nutrition, dietary supplements, exercise, and more. They do not accept ads or sponsorships and vet everything carefully from what I’ve observed. (Of course, do talk to your family doctor if you have specific questions! But I have found this to be a good starting point if I have a question about certain type of food or workout).

 

3. Dr. Grumpy in the House

Dr. Grumpy shares all sorts of funny stories about his work here, from odd things patients have said to notes from medical charts that amused him.

 

4. The Chrysanthemum Connection 

 

It hasn’t been updated in several years, but the archives of this blog are filled with excellent advice on how to write fair, detailed, and helpful book reviews.

5. Budget Bytes 

With soaring food prices, I’ve relied on this blog more than ever for inexpensive and healthy recipe ideas. I also enjoy how much effort the author puts into sharing recipes that can be modified for all sorts of health issues from food allergies to diabetes and more.

 

6. LongReads 

Many of the links I’m sharing today contain posts or articles that can be read in a few minutes, but this is a great example of website to visit if you prefer to dive deeply into a subject. LongReads accepts essays on a wide variety of subjects.  I’ve read about everything from history to art to food to sports on there and learned so many things that you just can’t get by reading a short blog post or watching a one-minute video on the topic.

7.

8. Incidental Comics 

These are heartwarming and sometimes funny comic strips about life as a writer. Many of the points the author makes can also apply to other creative folks, too.

 

9. Zooborns 

 

This is an entire website dedicated to updating readers on baby animals that have recently been born at zoos. They include everything from rhinos to monkeys to frogs, so the chances of your favorite animal being featured there is pretty high!

 

10. A Hundred Years Ago 

Originally, this blog was created into order to share diary entries written by the blog owner’s grandmother a hundred years ago. It was a fascinating peek at life in the 1910s, and I recommend checking out the archives if you love history. More recent posts have shared recipes, ads, letters, and other memorabilia from the 1910s and 1920s that provide a wonderful snapshot of what life was like back then for ordinary people.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Spring 2023 To-Read List

March 14, 2023 By 53 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Here are ten books I’m looking forward to reading this spring. Many of them are Young Adult titles because, at least in my experience, that genre seems to announce their new titles faster than other genres do. I wonder why that is? If you have an answer, I’d like to hear about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

Release Date: Today

Why I’m Interested: Most of my knowledge about the Vietnam War comes from reading about the experiences of American soldiers. It’s time to expand my knowledge and see how characters who live in Việt Nam would describe those years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The London Séance Society  by Sarah Penner

Release Date: March 21

Why I’m Interested: Séances spook me out too much to do them in real life, but I like reading about them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fake by Zoe Whittall

Release Date: March 21

Why I’m Interested: I think it’s important for everyone to be aware of common scams and how to avoid them. The fact that this is written as fiction might make it more appealing to some readers, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chlorine by Jade Song

Release Date: March 28

Why I’m Interested: It looks deliciously scary!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ander & Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa

Release Date: April 4

Why I’m Interested: Spring is the time of year when I’m most likely to read romance novels, and this sounds like a good one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

House of Cotton  by Monica Brashears

Release Date: April 4

Why I’m Interested: I have a soft spot for vulnerable people. My fingers are crossed that this protagonist realizes the man who offered to hire her was a shady guy and gets away from him before it’s too late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

Release Date: April 13

Why I’m Interested: If you’ve read some of my previous seasonal TBR posts, you might have guessed this is Astilbe writing this post. It’s wonderful to see how many stories are coming out about ancient mythology, and I like to take note of as many of them as I can. I don’t actually know much about the original myth of Atalanta, but now I’m curious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come  by Jen St. Jude

Release Date: May 9

Why I’m Interested: This covers a few different topics I like to read about: mental health, coming out, and the end of the world. I don’t think I’ve ever seen all three of them included in the same plot before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nigeria Jones  by Ibi Zoboi

Release Date: May 9

Why I’m Interested: I like coming of age stories, especially when characters discover things about the world their parents never told them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

Release Date: May 2

Why I’m Interested: Operation Pied Piper is one of those pieces of World War II history that I wish would be discussed more often. When English children were temporarily evacuated to the countryside (as well as Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States) to keep them safe, we obviously didn’t know as much about  attachment and child development as we do today. It’s so interesting to read about how they reacted to being separated from their loved ones for time periods that could be up to a couple of years and how those experiences were sometimes carried with them for the rest of their lives. I hope this book is a good representation of the many nuances to this project. Fingers crossed!

 

 

 

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