Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Summer 2025 to-Read List


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This looks like it’s going to be a fabulous summer of reading! Here are the titles I’m most excited for and why I can’t wait to read them. If no release date is included, this means they’re already available to buy or hopefully even borrow from your local library if you have one.

I discovered two of them on other Top Ten Tuesday TBR posts earlier this year, so I will be thanking those bloggers individually later on in this post.

Isn’t it awesome when this blog hop introduces you to new books that are right up your alley?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The Immortal Choir Holds Every Voice by Margaret Killjoy

Why I Want to Read It: This is a horror series I haven’t started yet, but maybe I will feel the urge to get started now that the third instalment has come out?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by Victoria E. Schwab

Why I Want to Read It: Scary vampires are the best kind of vampires if you ask me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. These Heathens by Mia McKenzie

Why I Want to Read It: History is something I enjoy reading about through both fiction and nonfiction means.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Release Date: July 29

Why I Want to Read It: A cozy mystery? Check. A fun title? Check. A food-related plot? Check. This is exactly the kind of stuff I like to read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  The Sunflower Boys by Sam Wachman

Release Date: August 12

Why I Want to Read It: Everyone needs a good tearjerker sometimes. (Or at least I do!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

Release Date: August 19

Why I Want to Read It: T. Kingfisher is a must-read author for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand by Christopher Golden

Release Date: August 19

Why I Want to Read It: I loved The Stand and would like to revisit that universe, especially since Mr. King has fully authorized this spinoff.

 

(This cover was too large to upload, but the link below includes it)

8. The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Canaz 

Thank you to bookwormnai for this recommendation.

Release Date: August 25

Why I Want to Read It: What a scary premise it has, from the epidemic to the demonic possession.

 

(This cover has not been released yet)

 

9. Secret Lives of the Dead by Tim Lebbon 

Thank you to BooksBonesBuffy! For this recommendation. 

Release Date: August 26

Why I Want to Read It: It sounds deliciously scary.

 

(The third time was not the charm today! This cover was also too large to upload, but the link below includes it).

10.  Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Release Date: August 26

Why I Want to Read It: Ms. Kuang is also on my list of authors I immediately check out when they release something new.

Top Ten Tuesday: Animal Companions


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

My favorite sorts of stories about animal companions are the ones that focus on the relationships between humans and their dogs, cats, birds, elephants, horses, ferrets, spiders, and other animals. There’s nothing like reading about cross-species relationships and how they can thrive!

1. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

2. That Quail, Robert by Margaret A. Stanger

3. Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O’Brien

4. The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony

5. King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian by Marguerite Henry

6. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Dave Manak

7. We Wish You A Ferret Christmas by Nikki Lynn Barrett

8. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

9. My Life with Leopards by Fransje van Riel

10. The Gift From Little Raccoon: A Pandemic Tale by Carolyn Watson-Dubisch

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Feature Travel


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I generally prefer reading about travel to actually going anywhere myself. That way I can skip straight to the fun stuff and not have to stand in any long security lines or be squished by strangers on a plane on the way.

Here are ten books that feature travel.

1. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson

2. Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy by Frances Mayes

3. Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart by Tim Butcher

4. Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town by Paul Theroux

6. Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen

7. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner

8. Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure by Sarah Macdonald

9. Tracks: A Woman’s Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson

10. Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill by M.G. Edwards

How do you all feel about travelling in real life?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with the Word “Triangle” in the Title


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I thought I’d challenge myself and see how this week’s prompt would go with a word I don’t associate with books or reading at all: triangle. Surprisingly, there were quite a few titles to choose from. Here are ten of them.

1. The Men with the Pink Triangle: The True Life-and-Death Story of Homosexuals in the Nazi Death Camps
by Heinz Heger, David Fernbach

2. It’s Not Always Depression: Working the Change Triangle to Listen to the Body, Discover Core Emotions, and Connect to Your Authentic Self by Hilary Jacobs Hendel

3. Be a Triangle: How I Went from Being Lost to Getting My Life into Shape by Lilly Singh

4. The Greedy Triangle (Brainy Day Books) by Marilyn Burns, Syd Hoff, Gordon Silveria

5. Deadly Triangle: The Famous Architect, His Wife, Their Chauffeur, and Murder Most Foul by Susan Goldenberg

6. The Truth About Triangles by Michael Leali

7. Triangle (Star Trek: The Next Generation: Imzadi #2) by Peter David

8. The Girl in the Triangle by Joyana Peters

9. The Triangle: A Year on the Ground with New York’s Bloods and Crips by Kevin Deutsch

10. The Triangle Fire by Leon Stein, William Greider

Wasn’t this a nice assortment of genres and themes? What books have you read with the word triangle in their titles?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Spring 2025 to-Read List


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Here are ten books I’m looking forward to checking out this spring. Some of these titles have already been released, and I’m including the publication dates for the rest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.Woodworking  by Emily St. James 

Why I Want to Read It: Being closeted in a rural area is difficult, and I like reading stories about characters who figure out how to make it work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

Why I Want to Read It: Faeries are always interesting to read about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One by Kristen Arnett

Why I Want to Read It: It’s been a while since I read anything that had clowns in it. How fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. rekt by Alex Gonzalez

Publication Date: March 25

Why I Want to Read It: Some parts of the Internet can be dangerous, especially for people who are already struggling. I’m rooting for the protagonist already.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E.M. Anderson

Publication Date: March 25

Why I Want to Read It: I need more cozy fantasy in my life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Publication Date: April 1

Why I Want to Read It: Ms. Jimenez has been on my TBR list for so long that now I have multiple books from her I want to read. One of these days I will finally read her work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.  Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin

Publication Date: April 22

Why I Want to Read It: This sounds deliciously scary.

 

(This cover was too large to upload, but the link below will show it).

8. The Names by Florence Knapp

Publication Date: May 6

Why I Want to Read It: I love books that give a character some sort of dilemma in an early scene and then split off into different timelines to show how each decision would affect their lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Old School Indian  by Aaron John Curtis

Publication Date: May 6

Why I Want to Read It: Characters who spend their last few weeks looking back at their lives can have such profound things to say about what’s really important.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang

Publication Date: May 13

Why I Want to Read It: I’ve sometimes wondered how the world would be different if everyone was capable of feeling deep empathy for others. Would it change the harmful decisions people can make?

 

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Things Characters Have Said


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week let’s take a look at some things characters have said about happiness. Our world needs more happiness in it!

1. “There’s nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons.”
Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

 

2. “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
J.R.R. Tolkien

 

3. “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy.”
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

 

4. “It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”
Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

 

5. “I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve.”
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

 

6. “And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon.”
Edward Lear, The Owl and the Pussycat

 

7. “I know that’s what people say– you’ll get over it. I’d say it, too. But I know it’s not true. Oh, youll be happy again, never fear. But you won’t forget. Every time you fall in love it will be because something in the man reminds you of him.”
Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

 

8. “Laughter is poison to fear.”
George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

 

9. We should always make time for the things we like. If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy.”
T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea

 

10. “The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.”
Carlos Castaneda

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set in Another Time


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week I am talking about books set in the past. Specifically, these are pieces of historical fiction I’d like to read someday!

1. World Without End (Kingsbridge, #2) by Ken Follett

2. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

4. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

5. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

6. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

7. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

8. The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander

9. Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian

10. Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

If you like historical fiction, what are some of your favorite stories in that genre?

Top Ten Tuesday: 2024 Releases I Was Excited to Read but Still Haven’t Gotten To


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Making TBR lists is so much easier than reading the books on them!

It’s sort of like having a meal that consists of all of your favorite foods.

The temptation to put more food on your plate than can easily fit into your stomach is strong.

Luckily, books don’t spoil if you put off reading them until your literary appetite returns.

Here are some of the 2024 releases I previously blogged about for Long and Short Reviews, have not read yet, but do hope to read eventually.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Eruption by Michael Crichton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  Januaries by Olivie Blake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. You Like It Darker by Stephen King

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Somewhere Beyond the Sea (The House in the Cerulean Sea, #2)  by T.J. Klune

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

 

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2025


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I enjoy the challenge of doing this annual post so soon after the winter TBR post. It encourages me to keep looking for books and try not to repeat any of them.

In lieu of adding a stock photo to this post, I’ll let the book covers speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao 

Release Date: January 14

Why I’m Interested: Magical realism and cozy mysteries are two genres I’d like to read more of this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Three Wild Dogs by Markus Zusak

Release Date: January 25

Why I’m Interested: I love stories about rescue dogs finding good homes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry

Release Date: January 28

Why I’m Interested: This is a slice of history I knew nothing about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.Under the Same Stars  by Libba Bray

Release Date: February 4

Why I’m Interested: Multiple-timeline stories are so interesting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

Release Date: March 4

Why I’m Interested: March seems like a great month to read a novella about the dangers and joys of interacting with the Fae. This is a time of year where the weather swings rapidly where I live. It can be mildly warm and sunny in the morning only for a snowstorm or ice storm to hit in the afternoon, for example. Likewise, faeries can be just as unpredictable!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Malinalli by Veronica Chap

Release Date: April 11

Why I’m Interested: This is not a legend I was already aware of, so I’ll have to read it before checking out the retelling. I enjoy comparing originals to retelling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.  The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

 Release Date: April 29

Why I’m Interested: One of my favorite newer urban legends is the one about staircases in the woods and the terrible things that will happen to you if you find one and climb it. Wendig is also one of those authors I try to read but then get too scared and DNF his work. Maybe this time I can actually make it to the end?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis

Release Date: May 6

Why I’m Interested: It’s refreshing to read books about people finding healing at the end of their lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian

Release Date: May 29

Why I’m Interested: I only know a little about this topic and would like to learn more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner

Release Date: June 24

Why I’m Interested: Once again, I don’t know if this will be too scary for me, but I’d like to give it a try.

 

Winter Blogfest: Diane Billas

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a free e-copy of my book Superficial, open internationally. 

A New Tradition by Diane Billas

When I envision the holidays, you know what I see, me sitting curled up on the couch by the Christmas tree with a steaming mug of hot chocolate with a good holiday book. In reality that barely happens because of the craziness of the season, but one can always dream!

Another vision I get when I think about the holidays is the Christmas my family had last year. Most years my husband and Itravel to both families for Christmas, and let me tell you, they are not close to each other. We’d spend two plus hours in the car on Christmas day and arrive tired/stressed for Christmas dinner.

But last year was different. It was our first Christmas with our son, and we decided to stay home. We could see our extended families at some point, but we wanted Christmas to be time together with our new little family and it was glorious. We wore our Christmas pjs, helped our little one open his gifts, drank boozy hot chocolate while watching The Muppet Christmas Carol, and it was even warm enough to go to the playground. It was simple, but I absolutely loved it.

And you know what, we are hoping to do the same thing again this year. It’s going to be our new Christmas tradition to stay home and visit family before or after the craziness of the holidays, so we can just enjoy our time with them, and ourselves. I am also determined to sit by our Christmas tree and read a fun holiday book.

 

Embark on a thrilling adventure with Lea and Jake as they navigate the unexpected twists and turns at the biggest superhero fan convention of the year. When Lea finds herself trapped in an elevator during the event with superstar Jake, also known as The Amazing Boy, they realize something sinister is afoot. With everyone at the convention frozen, including Lea’s friends, Lea and Jake must team up to unravel the mystery behind the villainous acts plaguing Philadelphia. As they race against time, Lea grapples with whom to trust, while Jake uncovers startling truths about his own identity. A pulse-pounding journey filled with friendship, betrayal, and the ultimate quest for justice, will Lea and Jake save the day, or will supervillains prevail? Dive into this gripping tale that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

 

Diane Billas is an award-winning author of the YA sapphic contemporary romance novel DOES LOVE ALWAYS WIN?, featured in Parents Magazine, and the YA superhero novel SUPERFICIAL, both with Creative James Media. Her sapphic short story, THE PROM DO-OVER will be featured in the PROM PERFECT anthology, out Spring 2025 with Wild Ink Publishing.

Diane Billas lives in Philadelphia with her husband and son. When she’s not writing she can be found reading multiple books at once, performing the French horn and piano, or dreaming of the next country she’s going to visit

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Buy the book at Books2Read.