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Here are ten of my favorite words. I like the way they roll off my tongue.

1. Aurora

2. Idyllic

3. Moiety

4. Scintilla

5. Coalesce

6. Jovial

7. Onomatopoeia

8. Lagoon

9. Dulcet

10.  Zephyr

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Volcanoes were my geographic term of choice for this week’s prompt.

Who else was a little scared of volcanoes when you were a child? I saw so many cartoons about characters falling into them or suddenly being surrounded by lava that I think I believed people in real life experienced the same thing more often than is generally the case, too.

If you’ve ever seen lava or a volcano in person, I’d love to hear your stories about those experiences in the comment section below.

In the meantime, here are ten fiction and non-fiction books that include the word volcano in their titles.

1. A Volcanic Affair by Xanthia Rhodes

2. In the Shadow of the Volcano by Caryn Jenner

3. On The Volcano by James Nelson

4. Volcanoes: Fire and Life by Jon Chad

5. Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount Saint Helens by Patricia Lauber

6. A Private Volcano: A modern novel of science and imagination by Lance Sieveking

7. Aerial Geology: A High-Altitude Tour of North America’s Spectacular Volcanoes, Canyons, Glaciers, Lakes, Craters, and Peaks by Mary Caperton Morton

8. Volcano Watch (Forensic Geology #3) by Toni Dwiggins

9. Ring of Fire: An Encyclopedia of the Pacific Rim’s Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Volcanoes by Bethany D. Rinard Hinga

10. The House on the Volcano by Virginia Nielsen

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I had some fantastic science teachers in elementary school, but my science teachers in later grades were unfortunately not so good at sharing their love of chemistry, biology, and other topics with their students in ways that I could relate to.

Luckily, adults have much more say in what they learn about, so I have rekindled my appreciation for science with books like these.

1. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

2. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks

3. Cosmos by Carl Sagan

4. Ask Me Why I Hurt: The Kids Nobody Wants and the Doctor Who Heals Them by Randy Christensen

5. Darwin’s Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution by Rebecca Stott

6. The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel

7. The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization by Brian M. Fagan

8. The Vaccine: Inside the Race to Conquer the COVID-19 Pandemic by Joe Miller

9. My Beloved Brontosaurus: On the Road with Old Bones, New Science, and Our Favorite Dinosaurs by Brian Switek

10. The Killers Within: The Deadly Rise Of Drug-Resistant Bacteria by Michael Shnayerson

What did you think of science classes when you were a student? Can you recommend any other nonfiction books about science?

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Since traveling isn’t possible for me at the moment (kids, pets, COVID, the usual), I’ll stick to traveling via the books I’m reading.

Places I’d like to visit that I discovered in books:

The Continent from Andrezej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series.  I’d love to meet elves, dwarves, and of course, Jaskier!

Icewind Dale, home to Drizzt Do’Urden, Bruenor Battlehammer, and more interesting characters.

Romania.  This has been featured in many books, but Mark Edwards’ Follow You Home really reawakened the urge to visit.  Just as long as nothing insane happens to me, thanks.

This is a two-fer: Charlotte, North Carolina and Montréal, Quebec, Canada. Kathy Reich’s Temperance Brennan series has really made me want to explore both cities.

The futuristic version of the US and Canada as depicted in Sean Grigsby’s Smoke Eaters.  I mean, dragons exist in that world!

Not exactly a place, but I’d love to take a trip on The Heart of Gold – the ship from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.  I want to know what it’s like to experience the improbability drive for myself.

Dublin, Ireland.  Although, in Catherine Ryan Howard’s book 56 Days, the country is in COVID lockdown, it’s still high on my list of places to visit someday.

Burning Lake, NY, a small, but exciting little town featured in the Natalie Lockhart novels by Alice Blanchard.

North Devon as it appears in Ann Cleeves’ Two Rivers series.  Although, I’m not sure I’d survive the cold!

Bellamy Bay, the bustling little coastal town in Esme Addison’s Enchanted Bay series.  A town where mermaid magic is alive and thriving?  Count me in.

What are some places you’d like to visit, either in real life or through the pages of a good book?

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I must confess that I’ve barely read anything from my last few seasonal TBR posts due to a million other things going on in my life at the moment. Here are ten books I still need to pick up. If you’ve read any of these titles, I’d love to hear your thoughts on them.

1. This Wicked Fate (This Poison Heart, #2) by Kalynn Bayron

2. TJ Powar Has Something to Prove  by Jesmeen Kaur Deo

3. Gallant by V.E. Schwab

4. A Lot Like Adios  by Alexis Daria

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5. Unearthed: A Jessica Cruz Story by Lilliam Rivera

6. If This Gets Out  by Sophie Gonzales

7. Death of a Knit Wit by Peggy Ehrart

8. Coming Clean: A true story of love, addiction and recovery  by Liz Fraser

9. Rosie the Truffle Hound by Jessie Hartland

10. History Comics: The Stonewall Riots: Making a Stand for LGBTQ Rights by Archie Bongiovanni

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I wrote this post in advance for scheduling reasons, so there may be a summer-themed title or two that squeaks through before this post goes live. With that being said, these are ten recent books we’ve reviewed that are set during the summer, have covers that remind me of this season, or are otherwise related to the theme in general.

This time of year makes me think of watching thunderstorms while I stand safely indoors near a window, spending time at the beach, eating a little more ice cream than my dentist would probably recommend, going swimming, and enjoying the beauty of nature wherever I can find it.

Isn’t summer a wonderful season?

Double Dipped by Terry Korth Fischer

Genre: Romance

Head In The Sand by Damien Boyd

Genre: Mystery

The Heat Is On: An Anthology by Jill Shalvis, Natalie Anderson

Genre: Romance, Mystery

The Marsh Bird by Anne Brooker

Genre: Mainstream Fiction

Wish List by Amanda Pampuro

Genre: Science Fiction, Horror

The Lightning Rod by Ged Gillmore

Genre: Mystery

With Love From Rose Bend by Naima Simone

Genre: Romance

Hello Puddle by Anita Sanchez

Genre: Children’s picture book

Oona by Kelly Dipucchio

Genre: Children’s picture book

Love and Lavender Ice Cream by Sara Freeze

Genre: Romance

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Here are some of the books I’m looking forward to reading this summer. If no publication date was noted, that book has already been released.

1. This Wicked Fate (This Poison Heart, #2) by Kalynn Bayron

Why I Want to Read It: I must confess that I haven’t read This Poison Heart yet, but I’m still quite curious about this series and hope the release of the sequel will encourage me to begin it.

2. TJ Powar Has Something to Prove  by Jesmeen Kaur Deo

Why I Want to Read It: I’ve never read a book about a character who struggles with feeling too hairy before.

3.The Beach Trap by Ali Brady

Why I Want to Read It: Imagine accidentally discovering your friend is actually your sibling! I’ve always dreamed of having a sister.

4. Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder by Saundra Mitchell

Why I Want to Read It: Science fiction anthologies are some of my favorite things to read.

Why I Want to Read It: The pun in it made me laugh, and summer is a great time for a cozy mystery.

6. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publication Date: July 19

Why I Want to Read It: The Island of Doctor Moreau is one of those classic novels whose premise intrigues me but whose writing style has never been something I’ve been able to get into. I hope that Ms. Moreno-Garcia’s take on the subject will be a fresh, modern one that breathes new life into it.

7. A Beginner’s Guide to Murder by Rosalind Stopps

Publication Date: July 22

Why I Want to Read It: I’d never pondered how someone learns how to murder others before. The title made me laugh but also made me think about the dark side of it. My fingers are crossed that this will be a funny read instead of a somber one.

8. Twice as Perfect  by Louisa Onomé

Publication Date: July 26

Why I Want to Read It: I’m a perfectionist, too. I liked Adanna as soon as the blurb mentioned her overpowering need to be perceived as a good kid who always does the right thing. That’s a lot of pressure for anyone to bear.

9. How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) by Cristina Fernandez

Publication Date: August 2

Why I Want to Read It: The title made me giggle.

10. Camp Scare by Delilah S Dawson

Publication Date: August 2

Why I Want to Read It: I attended camp with my parents and siblings, but I disliked bugs and humidity too much to sign up for parent-free camps when I was a kid. (I liked having the option of telling my parents that I was done with nature and then maybe going home early. Hehe). Now that I’m an adult, I do like reading about summer camps, though! This looks like a delicious fun and scary camp story for sure.

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Let’s take a look at some of the many books out there that have the word day in their titles.

1. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

2. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

3. The Summer Day is Done by Mary Jane Staples

4. Seven Days in May by Kim Izzo

5. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

6. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

7. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

8. The Days Are Just Packed (Calvin and Hobbes #8) by Bill Watterson

9. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

10. Long Day’s Journey into Night by Eugene O’Neill