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Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday: Halloween Reading for Wimps (Me)
3:36 PM
Here in the U.S., we're gearing up for Halloween, which kicks off our much-anticipated holiday season. Personally, I'm not a fan of Fright Night. Although I'm always happy to take a fun-size Reese's Peanut Butter Cup for the team, I've never been much for dressing up or braving haunted houses or even watching scary movies. Creepy books, though? I was a big Stephen King and John Saul fan as a teen and young adult. Old age has made a big wimp out of me, so these days, my Fall/Halloween reading is more about eerie, atmospheric books. I still dig a good Gothic chiller or a shivery ghost story, but I mostly prefer realistic mystery/thrillers with tense, heart-pounding plots and close, claustrophobic settings. When I saw that today's TTT topic is a Halloween Freebie, I started thinking about my favorite authors who capture the vibes I described above. I made a list of ten, but it felt so familiar that I checked and...yep, I crafted the exact same list for a Halloween freebie back in 2021! Some things never change. I almost just copied and pasted the old list since I'm lazy and I'm always looking for readalike recs based on my favorite authors, but I did come up with something else for this year. If you have a minute, though, check out my 2021 list. If you have any ideas for creepy(ish) books/authors I might like, I'd love to hear them. For now, here's my list of mysteries, thrillers, and a few supernatural spine-tinglers on my TBR that feel perfect for Halloween reading:
(As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.)
Top Ten Halloween-ish Reads on My TBR List
1. Gothictown by Emily Carpenter (available March 5, 2025)—Carpenter is one of the authors on my 2021 list. She's written a handful of books, all of which I've enjoyed. It's been a few years since she's published one, so I was excited to see that she has a new one coming out. It's about a woman living in a cramped apartment with her husband and daughter in post-pandemic New York City. Eager to embrace life again, she jumps at the chance to accept an unbelievable opportunity—for just $100, she and her family can buy a spacious home in a quaint Georgia town that's desperately trying to boost their economy. After one quick visit, the family makes the move. It's not long, though, before they realize something isn't quite right with their new town. There's a sinister presence that lurks under all the Southern hospitality, something that has them all in its clutches and doesn't want to let go...
2. The Haunting of Moscow House by Oleysa Salnikova Gilmore—When a group of Bolsheviks take over the Golitevas' ancestral Moscow home in 1921, the family is forced to move into the mansion's cramped attic. Sisters Irina and Lili find escape in volunteering with the American Relief Administration to help ease some of their comrades' desperate needs. In the middle of it all, the house starts whispering to the young women, hinting at its traumatic past. Then, one of the officials living in their house dies, leading them to wonder what exactly caused his demise. Was it natural causes or something...otherworldly?
3. The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro—When her brother leaves her cryptic clues to a double murder, nurse Gemma Tate is roped into investigating the deaths. She's not any keener on working with police inspector Sebastian Bell than he is with her, but it will take both of them to stop a dangerous killer.
4. The Act of Disappearing by Nathan Gower—Julia White is getting nowhere with her writing career, her romantic relationship is on the rocks, and she's losing the battle against the mountain of medical bills she needs to pay somehow. When a famous photographer makes her a tantalizing proposition to research a mysterious death, she's both curious enough and broke enough not to refuse. Soon, Julia is embroiled in a shocking mystery that she's determined to solve.
5. Under the Surface by Diana Urban—A party in the Paris catacombs goes horribly awry in this YA thriller/survival story. While a group of trapped teens tries desperate to escape their underground prison, their friend aboveground races to save them. Will the kids make it out of the catacombs alive? Or will their bones join all the others lying beneath the City of Light?
6. Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce—Mina is struggling to get her foot in the door in her new career as a child psychologist. A journalist in her grief counseling group makes her an offer she can't afford to refuse. He wants her to live in the home of a 13-year-old girl who claims she's being haunted by a witch and treat her on-site. Curious and confident, Mina takes the job. It's not long before she's wrapped up in the affairs of a strange town that's obsessed with superstition and witchcraft. The more she learns, the more terrified she grows. How can she help her distressed patient to feel safe when she can't even help herself?
7. Bitter House by Kiersten Modglin—When Bridget's parents died, she was taken in by her grandmother, Vera Bitter. The cold-hearted old woman did her duty, but kicked her granddaughter to the curb as soon as she graduated from high school, and never contacted her again. Bridget is stunned, then, when Vera dies and leaves her home to Bridget. Not surprisingly, the oppressive house is filled with secrets, mysteries, and danger. As Bridget starts to unravel them, she realizes that nothing at Bitter House is as it seems...
8. The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood—As a female solicitor in Victorian England, it's nearly impossible for Vaughan Springthorpe to be taken seriously. So, when she's hired sight unseen by a mysterious employer who offers her a suspiciously large amount of money to ready his Yorkshire estate for sale, she can't afford to say no. Not only does Vaughan find the village surrounding the estate strange, but odd things begin happening to her inside of the building. Is the old abbey haunted? Or is Vaughan going mad? What secrets does the crumbling pile keep?
9. The House by the Cemetery by Lisa Childs—As the daughter of the town undertaker, River Gold was constantly teased about being a ghoul. The town gossip hinted that she wasn't even a true Gold. When she fled at 17, River had no intention of ever returning to her insular hometown. Then, her father dies, her mother is accused of his murder, and she is unwittingly trapped once again in a hostile place overrun with secrets and lies. Can River clear her mother's name? Figure out who really killed her father? Find her way out again?
10. The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase—Twenty years ago, a recently widowed mother of two walked out the door of her home, blew a kiss to her children, and vanished without a trace. Two decades later, the home's new owner starts digging out the basement. What will they find and what will it tell them about what really happened to Dee Delancey all those years ago?
There you go, ten mystery/thriller novels that wimpy me wants to read sometime soon. Have you read any of them? What will you be reading during spooky season? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also reply to comments left here.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday: How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Two Decades of Book Blogging
7:50 AM
Ever since I learned to read when I was five, I've been obsessed with books. Reading has always been my main and favorite hobby. My reading habits have definitely changed over time, though, especially since I started book blogging back in 2006. All these years later, they look different still. Today's TTT topic is all about our evolution as readers: Top Ten Ways My Reading Has Changed Over Time. I'm going to focus specifically on how mine have changed since I started Bloggin' 'bout Books 18 years ago. (Look at that, BBB is legally an adult! Don't worry—the content here will always remain family friendly.)
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Ways My Reading Habits Have Changed Over (Almost) 20 Years of Book Blogging
1. Choosy Suzy—When I was a baby book blogger, I was so thrilled to be getting books from publishers that I accepted every title I was offered, regardless of whether or not it was something I actually wanted to read. I ended up with stacks of volumes I wasn't really interested in but which I felt obligated to finish and review. Not an ideal situation. While I still accept more books to review than I can realistically handle, I'm much choosier about which ones I'll take.
Fun fact: I hate being called Suzy. After about kindergarten, my maternal grandmother was the only one who could get away with it!
2. DNF or Die—Not finishing a book, especially one I had been gifted for review, used to make me feel horribly guilty. I'd force myself to complete them, no matter what. Not anymore. If I'm not liking a book for any reason, I DNF that baby. Life's too short—and my TBR list is too long—to waste time on books I'm not enjoying.
3. My Blog, My Way—Because I wanted to keep all the newest and shiniest books coming to my mailbox, I used to accept too many of them for review, participate in multiple blog tours through a bunch of different companies, and maintain a rigorous calendar of scheduled reviews. That stressed me out as well as sucking all the enjoyment out of my reading and reviewing. I finally said enough and stopped doing any kind of scheduled reviewing. These days, I tell publishers, authors, and publicists that I'll read the books they send me only if and when I can. This way, I can do what I do without feeling anxious, guilty, or pressured.
4. Reviews? What Reviews?—The stress I describe above also came from my own unrealistic expectations for myself. I had vowed to write a thoughtful review of every book I read, whether it was a review book, a library pick, or a title plucked from my own shelf. Since I've always read way faster than I review, I was perpetually behind on the latter. Finally, I realized I was stressing myself out for no reason. Giving myself permission to review a book only if/when I wanted to has helped me breathe a lot easier. Not gonna lie, though—having no review schedule at all has made me lazy. I'm pretty sure I can count the reviews I've done this year on the blog on one hand. Yikes! I need to up my game so I have fresh content to share with you all on the regular. I'm never going to be one of those book influencers who posts three times a day and that's okay, but I do want to publish more reviews than I have been.
5. Me + Goodreads = BFFs—I'm a lover of lists, spreadsheets, habit trackers, and other organizational tools. Not surprisingly, then, I'm a tad obsessed with Goodreads. In recent years, I've been using it nearly every day to record my reading, add titles to various TBR lists, interact with book buddies, etc. When I finish a book, and while its content is fresh in my mind, I always rate it on Goodreads and write a quick initial review. This helps me record my first thoughts, which I can refer back to if/when I write a lengthier review later here on BBB. If you want to see reviews of everything I read, follow me on Goodreads. I'm much more active there than here these days.
By the way, yes, I have tried StoryGraph. There are elements of that site that appeal to me, but I just haven't found it to be as user friendly or as useful as Goodreads. While I'm not 100% satisfied with GR either (What do they have against half stars?), I mostly love it. It keeps me organized and on track.
6. Give It a Listen—It's only been in the past few years that I've really gotten into audiobooks. I'm not sure what my hang up was before because listening to books has been a game changer for me. I listen while I drive, do housework, and exercise. Audiobooks make these tedious tasks less unpleasant while helping me up my reading game. Nowadays, I have both an audiobook and a "real" one going at all times.
7. Paper People—I love "real" books with their irresistible combination of paper and ink. I'll never not revel in the feel of one in my hands and their tantalizing smell in my nostrils. Although I once swore I would never give in to the digital reading craze, I've since been converted. I still read mostly print books, but I also can't live without my Kindle Fire. I'd estimate about 60% of my reading is print books, 30% is e-books, and 10% is audiobooks.
8. Fictional Vs. Factual—Fiction books have always been and will always be my favorite, but I've discovered that non-fiction isn't so bad after all! In fact, I quite enjoy narrative non-fiction, biographies, memoirs, pop psychology, historical accounts, and more.
9. Noteworthy Reviews—Unless it was for a school assignment, I never took notes on what I read before I started book blogging. I didn't even do it as a beginning blogger. These days, though, I have to take copious notes while I read—even on short middle-grade novels—because my aging memory just can't keep up. Unless it's a reread that I'm not planning to review on Goodreads or BBB, I take notes. I do it the old-fashioned way, too, with a paper notebook and a pen. When it comes to longer quotes, though, I have taken the advice of another book blogger (wish I could remember which one) who takes a picture of them with her phone instead of writing them all down by hand. Brilliant!
10. Changing It Up—Because I wanted to stay relevant as a book blogger, I used to be all about the shiny, new releases. I still get excited about those, but these days, I pretty much read whatever strikes my fancy, whether it's the latest and greatest thriller, an old favorite, a childhood classic I missed out on, a family saga from the 80s, or a random grab from the library.
There you go, ten ways in which my reading habits have evolved over the course of my 18 years as a book blogger. How have yours changed over time? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also reply to comments left here, although I'm a couple weeks behind at the moment.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday: School Daze, Reading Haze
7:08 AM
I almost skipped participating in TTT today because I didn't think I'd be able to come up with much for today's prompt: Top Ten Books I Was Assigned to Read in School. I'm sure I was required to read plenty, but I just can't remember specifics, especially before college. At Brigham Young University, I studied English, and those years are a little bit clearer. Still, it was a bit of a struggle to come up with ten.
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Books I Was Assigned to Read in School (and how I felt/feel about them)
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee—TKAM is my favorite novel of all time. I believe I first encountered it in college. I've read it many times since and I love it more each time I read it. It's a classic that's timeless, approachable, and always inspiring.
2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis—I'm thinking this children's classic was probably something one of my elementary school teachers read aloud to us rather than assigned us to read ourselves. I remember being enraptured by the story. Some of the magical images it conjured in my young head still linger there quite vividly.
3. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather—All I remember about this book is that I was bored to tears by it when I was assigned to read it in high school.
4. Watership Down by Richard Adams—I vaguely recall being assigned to read this in one of my college lit classes. Although I know I enjoyed it, I have no recollection of what it's about except that it involves rabbits...
5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck—This is another one of those books that put vivid images into my head. I believe I first read it in high school.
6. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald—I disliked this classic when I first read it in high school (possibly college) and I despised it even more when I reread it a few years ago with my son, who was studying it in a high school English course. He was likewise flummoxed by it and kept asking, "What is this book even about?" Seriously!
7. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson—This hilarious holiday book wasn't assigned reading, but I remember so well the day my stern, never-cracked-a-smile 3rd grade teacher was reading it aloud to our class and started laughing so hard that she had to hand the book off to a student to read for her. We were all so terrified of her that it was absolutely shocking to watch her lose control like that!
8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger—I was assigned to read this book in college and absolutely hated it.
9. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle—This is another children's classic that was either assigned reading or a teacher read aloud from elementary school. Again, the vivid images it conjured up in my mind back then are still there. I've reread the novel a few times in the ensuing years and, while it's not a big favorite of mine, it's always a nostalgic read.
10. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury—I believe I read this novel in high school. Other than the book burnings, I don't remember much about the story except that I liked it.
There you go, ten books that I read or that a teacher read aloud to me in school. Have you read any of them? What did you think when you first encountered them? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also reply to comments left here, although I am a week or so behind at the moment.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, October 08, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday: The One Where I (Bookishly) Brag and Confess
2:51 PM
It's Tuesday and you know what that means...it's time for my favorite weekly book blogging event! Today's TTT prompt is: Top Ten Bookish Brags or Confessions (What are you proud of or not so proud of in your bookish life?). This topic was suggested by the incomparable Lydia Schoch, who deserves a shout-out for being so awesome at leaving thoughtful comments on everyone's TTT posts each week. Bragging is something I try not to do and I can't think of any big confessions, so this topic is a bit tough for me. How about I do half and half and see what I come up with?
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Bookish Brags and Confessions
Brags
1. I'm lucky to be at a point in my life where I have a very flexible schedule that allows me to read pretty much whenever I want and for as long as I want. Yes, I have a house to clean (which is where audiobooks come in handy), a family to take care of, a church "calling," several volunteer positions, a couple other hobbies, and more, but I also have a lot of free time. If I want to read all day, I can! (And often do.)
2. I have a lovely home library. Is it the Beauty and the Beast library of my fondest dreams, with books to the ceiling and rolling ladders to help me reach them? Not exactly. But, the long wall in my living room is lined with stuffed bookshelves that extend far above my head (I'm short, but still...). Pretty much the first thing people say when they come into my house for the first time is, "Whoa! That's a lot of books." I'm a proud book nerd and I love my cozy home library. It makes me happy.
3. Speed reading is not a skill I've ever learned, but I do read faster than the average person. That helps with #4:
4. I consistently read over 200 books a year. Like I said, I've got a lot of free time in my schedule; I don't watch tv; I listen to audiobooks whenever I'm driving, cleaning, or exercising; I don't have a lot of other hobbies; and I read quickly.
5. I've been blogging here at BBB continuously for 18 years without ever taking a scheduled break from it. Some years I've put in a lot more effort than others, sure, but I've been hanging out here for almost two decades. I'm still having fun with it, so I'll keep trucking along. Thanks for all your support over the years!
Confessions
1. Like many (most?) of you, my TBR "pile" is thousands of titles long. I'll never read all the books I want to, even in several lifetimes (not that that's ever stopped me from trying)!
2. Even though I've become much more selective about the books I accept from publishers, authors, and publicists, I still get many more than I can ever possibly read/review. And yet, I can't stop myself from greedily perusing publishers' catalogs on NetGalley and Edelweiss, saying yes to email queries offering me the latest and greatest new releases, and loading up at bookstore sales. When it comes to books, I'm just a girl who can't say no. No one else can relate, right?
3. Despite my college degree in English, I'm not big on the classics. There are tons that I have never read, a bunch I have DNF'd because they were boring me to tears, and several I suffered through but didn't enjoy. These days, I don't even pretend to prefer more highbrow choices; I just read what I feel like reading!
4. I've never experienced a reading slump. Ever since I learned to read at 5 years old, I've done so voraciously. When other bloggers talk about their months-long slumps, I just can't relate at all. Some months of reading are better than others in terms of how much I enjoyed what I read, but I've never gone more than a day or two without reading at least a couple pages in a book.
5. I rarely buy used books. Is this weird? I love a good book bargain, but I prefer to purchase volumes that haven't been read by anyone else. I adore brand new books with their crisp, unblemished pages and delicious inky smell. Even though they cost so much more than used books, it's worth it to me to buy new. Since I'm not made of money (more's the pity), I am (paradoxically, perhaps) also a huge library user. I just have to grit my teeth and ignore the evidence of other readers who have gone before me—you know, the food stains, stray hairs, folded-down corners (*shudders*), torn pages, etc. Library book sales always tempt me, but I never end up buying from them because I just...can't. It's weird, I know.
There you go, five bookish brags and five confessions. Do you relate to any of them? What are your bookish brags/confessions? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this blog post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also respond to comments left here (although I'm still a tad behind from last week).
Happy TTT!
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