Top Ten Tuesday 3/7/23: Bookish People I’d Like to Meet

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Happy Tuesday. This week’s topic is another really fun one: Bookish People I’d Like To Meet (These can be authors, book characters, book bloggers/influencers, cover designers, cover models, etc.)

I’d need to time travel for some of these but a girl can dream. Here’s my list….

1. Jane Austen
She’s one of my favorites and how interesting would it be to meet her to know what her daily life was like. I’ve watched Becoming Jane so many times.

2. Ulysses S. Grant
My favorite president and he was a reader and wrote a memoir before passing away. It’s amazing we don’t know what so many of these older historical figures sounded like since tape recorders weren’t invented during their time.

3. Stephen King
I’m a huge King fan and I tried to get tickets to one of his speaking events in Massachusetts pre-pandemic. I went onto the venue website once the purchase link went live but with the amount of people trying to buy tickets at once, the site crashed. I was willing to drive the nearly 5 hours there just to hear him speak about his latest book.

4. My fellow book bloggers
And I’ve known some of you online for several years, we’ve been chatting books and visiting each other’s blog for so long. Much of my reading selection is due to my fellow blog blogging friends.


5. J.K. Rowling
I’d love to meet her, I read the HP series 2x.

6. Kahlil Gibran
The Prophet is one of my favorite books. I think a conversation with him would be really interesting.

7. Dean Koontz
I’d like to meet Dean Koontz. He seems so nice and like he has a great sense of humor.

8. Pablo Neruda
I love his poetry. My copy of Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair is well read.

9. Vincent van Gogh
How amazing would it be to speak with Van Gogh? I have a book of his insightful thoughts and quotes.

10. Emily Brontë
Wuthering Heights is a favorite classic, I want to talk about Heathcliff with her.


That wraps up my list of bookish people I’d love to meet. Who would be on your list?

Top Ten Tuesday 2/28/23: Genre Freebie-My Favorite Thrillers

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

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Hello and Happy Tuesday. This week’s topic was too fun to miss out on: Genre Freebie (Pick a genre and build a list around it. It could be a list of favorites, a to-read list, recommendations for people interested in reading books in that genre, “if you like this, try this”, etc.)

I love a good thrilling book to get my heart racing. This genre can branch out in so many different directions, supernatural, mystery, crime and suspense, and I really love a good, gritty, psychological thriller to keep me guessing. Today Otis and I are adding to your TBR mountain, so without further ado, here’s our:
Top 10 Favorite Thrillers with a few extra books snuck in here and there.


1. The Outsider by Stephen King
Was this book phenomenal? Yes it was. And the mini-series was awesome too. I read then watched this at the height of the pandemic and it really helped get my mind off stressful things.


2. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
I’ve read all 3 books by this author, watched all 3 film adaptations of her books and I have been waiting, wishing and praying she writes another full-length novel. I wish I could read Dark Places again for the first time, that’s how amazing this book was. It’s dark, twisted, sad and an absolute thrill ride. Gillian Flynn is an easy favorite of mine in this genre.


3. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Another Gillian Flynn novel that had me captivated! I won’t include Gone Girl on this list in order to make room for other authors, but Gone Girl could easily be on this list.


4.The Taking by Dean Koontz, and so many more of his books like the Odd Thomas series and Life Expectancy, because I can always enjoy a dash of science-fiction and suspense in with my thrillers. I never get tired of telling the story about how Dean Koontz is awesome. He personally autographed and mailed me a first edition hard cover copy of The Taking after I wrote him a fan mail with a small crocheted elephant I made for him. I still remember standing in my kitchen completely stunned and silent for several minutes when I opened a package from Dean Koontz himself.




5.Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
I’ve read a few Karin Slaughter books and this is by far my favorite of hers. I was on the edge of my seat late into the night reading.


6.Later by Stephen King
Another King book for my list, this one is a coming-of-age paranormal thriller that had me hooked. I co-read this with my daughter. She’s not a King fan, but she really enjoyed this one.


7.Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
No top crime thriller book list would be complete without Lisa Jewell. This book is one of my favorites of hers.


8.Her Three Lives by Cate Holahan
This is one of 2 books I’ve read by this author, and she tends to have slow starts to her books but once they take off I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.


9.Mind Games (Kaely Quinn Profiler #1) by Nancy Mehl
The protagonist in this one is an FBI behavior analyst who is also the daughter of a notorious serial killer. This one was so good.


10.Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls by James Patterson.
I’m including these together since they kick off the Alex cross series and both were fantastic. I read book 3 in the series but didn’t enjoy it as much.


It was so hard stopping at just 10 so I’m sneaking in one more book.
11. Mind of Winter by Laura Kasischke
This one was a creepy, twisted thriller that shocked me at the end. I still remember finishing this book while sitting outside of Starbucks and not wanting to gasp too loudly since I was reading in public.


That wraps up my Top 10+ thrillers. What books would make your list? Have you read any of these?

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Disclaimer: Nothing in this post is available for download. The photos here are my own and not be to be removed from this post.

Top Ten Tuesday 2/7/23: 2023 Debut Books I’m Excited About

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

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Happy TTT. This week’s topic is 2023 Debut Books I’m Excited About so Otis and I looked around and these are the books that caught our eye.

Apologies in advance if we’re adding on to your ever growing TBR mountains.


1. She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran.
From the blurb: “Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound, while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended.” Wow!


2. Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova.
The blurb reads: “A thought-provoking meditation on grief, acceptance, and the monstrous sides of love and loyalty…” and this one sounds riveting and disturbing.


3. Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood.
“One hot summer day, stuck in traffic on her way to pick up the cake for her daughter’s sixteenth birthday party, Grace Adams snaps.
She doesn’t scream or break something or cry or curl into a ball. She simply abandons her car and walks away….”


4. The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz. I’ve seen this one around blog-land it sounds really good.


5. The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes is another book I’ve seen around blog-land that has made it onto my wish list.


6. The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden
“It’s 1852 and Margaret Lennox, a young widow, attempts to escape the shadows of her past by taking a position as governess to an only child, Louis, at an isolated country house in the west of England.” They had me at “an isolated country house in the west of England”.


7. Weyward by Emilia Hart
This really caught my attention: “As Kate struggles with the trauma of her past, she uncovers a secret about the women in her family. A secret dating back to 1619, when her ancestor Altha Weyward was put on trial for witchcraft…”


8. Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
“In this gripping debut tinged with supernatural horror, a young Cree woman’s dreams lead her on a perilous journey of self-discovery that ultimately forces her to confront the toll of a legacy of violence on her family, her community and the land they call home.” I’ve seen this one making the rounds and it sounds so good.


9. A Manual for How to Love Us by Erin Slaughter. This sounds like a great short story collection.


10. Chlorine by Jade Song. This is the first time I’m seeing a book compared to The Pisces which is one of my favorites, so I’m here for it.

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That wraps up my list this week. What upcoming debut novels made your list? Happy reading!

Top Ten Tuesday 1/17/23: Bookish Goals for 2023

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Happy Tuesday. Today’s topic is another really good one: Bookish Goals for 2023.


Otis and I have a few bookish goals for this upcoming year, here are our top ten.

1. Read 50 Books
This is easier said than done with everyday life being so busy but I’m going to aim to read every day this year, even if it’s just a few pages. I’ve been doing so since the start of the year and I know I can reach my reading goal this way.

2. Get to the library
I’d like to get to the library this year and start borrowing audio books again.

3. Organize my bookshelves
I want to organize my shelves and weed a few books out to donate. This is easier said than done because whenever I try to organize my books, I wind up talking about the books I’m organizing to my daughter or whoever is within earshot, and nothing gets accomplished.

4. Blog regularly
Every year I take blogging breaks but I still want to make sure to keep up with my book blogging on a regular basis.

5. Tackle my pending review books
I have to tackle my pending NetGalley books and other pending review books within the next 4 months. I know it’s possible.

6. Discover new authors
I’d like to branch out and read new to me authors. I tend to stick with the same favorites.

7. Go to Barnes & Noble
I’ve been meaning to go to B&N for years literally. I haven’t set foot in there since pre-pandemic. The one I like has 2 floors.

8. Read this stack of books specifically.

This is a pile of books from my TBR mountain that I want to make sure I read this year.

9. Read a selection from Reese’s Book Club.
I follow her on Instagram and she seems to pick some great reads.

10. Find more book blogs to follow.
I enjoy finding new book blogs!

That wraps up my reading goals this year, what are yours? Happy reading this week. 🙂



Disclaimer: Nothing in this post is available for download. The photos here are my own and not be to be removed from this post.

Top Ten Tuesday 1/10/2023: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2023

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Wow, I haven’t done a TTT since September 2021. I usually just check out everyone’s lists without making my own.

This week’s topic is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2023. This was hard to narrow down to just 10 books and this is also a great “reminder” post for myself for if I want to look back on what I meant to read this year.


1. The House at the End of the World by Dean Koontz (January 24, 2023) I love Dean Koontz and used to devour his books but I haven’t read him in a while and this one sounds fantastic. I pre-ordered this already.


2. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (July 20, 2023) I have to say that Lisa Jewel is an auto-buy for me.


3. No Life for a Lady by Hannah Dolby (March 2, 2023) What doesn’t sound good about an 1896 seaside setting where a woman tries to find out the truth about her mom’s disappearance a decade earlier?


4. Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson (March 7, 2023) Family drama plus the Brooklyn Heights setting caught my attention.


5. Jana Goes Wild by Fara Heron (May 2, 2023) This Tanzania setting, plus romance and a go wild to-do list sounds so fun.


6. Happy Place by Emily Henry (April 25, 2023) Note to self, I need to read both this one and Book Lovers.


7. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (January 17, 2023) This one about two siblings trying to sell their parents haunted house definitely caught my eye.


8. City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita (January 10, 2023) I keep seeing this one all over blog-land and it sounds really good.


9. Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See (June 6, 2023) Lisa See’s writing is fantastic and this one is inspired by a true story.


10. Lone Women by Victor LaValle March 21, 2023. This 1914 American West setting sounds awesome.


That wraps up my top 10 this week, what new books for 2023 made your list? Have you read any of these? Happy reading!