Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Back in January, I shared my ten bookish goals for this year.

It’s one of my favorite topics in the Top Ten Tuesday calendar year, so I try to request it every year if the other members of the Long and Short Reviews blogging team are okay with that.

I will repost those goals in this post and group them by Accomplished, In the Works, and Not Yet Started.

Accomplished 

• Reread old favorites this winter
• Discover some great new anthologies
• Listen to more audiobooks
• Visit the physical branch of my local library again

I have excelled at all of these this year! It felt so good to visit my local library again. There were some new staff members there that I look forward to getting to know, and I even saw a couple of other patrons who I recognized from previous library events.

In the Works

• Encourage more people to sign up to become reviewers for Long and Short Reviews
• Whittle down my TBR list
• Find some literary or bookish games
• Try some non-gory horror again

These are all works in progress. I’ve spent some time on them but would like to do a lot more if I can.

If you’d like to become a reviewer for Long and Short Reviews, all of the information about how to join can be found in the link above. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

If you have suggestions for the other three in the category, I’d love to hear them!

Not Yet Started

• Play fewer games on my cellphone
• Read a romance novel

I have so not been in the mood for romance so far this year. With all of the smoky days from forest fires we’ve had so far, cell phone games have kept me busy and calm. I’m hoping for a clear, cool, relatively dry autumn that will allow me to put down my electronics and enjoy nature more before winter arrives. Fingers crossed that will happen!

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Here are ten of the books I’m looking forward to checking out this autumn. The first two have already been released, but I’ll share release dates for the ones that aren’t out yet.

1. Holly by Stephen King

Why I’m Interested: I try to give everything Mr. King writes a shot.

2. Rez Ball by Byron Graves

Why I’m Interested: I recently reviewed Big Crow for Long and Short Reviews and am curious to make comparisons between that true-life account of a Native American teen who played basketball and this fictional take on a different Native American teen basketball player.

3. Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang

Release Date: September 26

Why I’m Interested: With all of the difficult some farmers have been having this year with growing crops, a fictional account of a world too hot to rely on agriculture is intriguing.

4. The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar

Release Date: September 26

Why I’m Interested: While there’s a lot of joy to be found in moving to another country, being an immigrant can also bring all sorts of complications to one’s life. I’m curious to see what this author has to say on the subject.

5. Out There Screaming by Jordan Peele

Release Date: October 3

Why I’m Interested: His films are fun to watch, so here’s hoping a book from him will also be amusing.

6. When Ghosts Call Us Home by Katya de Becerra

Release Date: October 3

Why I’m Interested: Honestly, the cover is what first pulled me in this direction. Isn’t it amazing? Paranormal horror is something I enjoy, too.

7. The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok

Release Date: October 10

Why I’m Interested: Now that it’s much less common for people who aren’t from China to adopt children from China, I’m curious to see how this topic will be treated in fiction.

8. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

Release Date: October 24

Why I’m Interested: Is it weird to read an autobiography of someone you weren’t a fan of? Now I wonder what might have been going on behind the scenes in her life to make her behave the way she did. Maybe this will help to explain it.

9. Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldreee

Release Date: November 7

Why I’m Interested: Maybe this will finally convince me to read Legends & Lattes? It’s been on my TBR for ages.

10. Same Bed, Different Dreams by Ed Park

Release Date: November 7

Why I’m Interested: Alternate histories can be such great stories. I hope this is as good as it sounds.

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

One of the coolest things about being part of a group of reviewers working together is the wide range of genres and perspectives we cover here.

I rarely read romance, for example, but I stay up-to-date on some of the newest titles out there thanks to my fellow reviewers who spend some to all of their reading time in that genre. Likewise, those of us who love horror give everyone else a chance to know what’s going on with the scary side of modern fiction as well.

Here are some of the books and films we’ve discussed over the past few months that have water references in their titles. If you pay close attention, you might notice a tiny bit of overlap between this list and last week’s list.

The genres they cover range from mystery to picture books to science fiction, so there’s a little something here for just about everyone. I think it’s cool to look for the similarities not only between books but between book reviewers as well!

Just like last week, I wrote this post in advance for scheduling purposes. It’s once again possible there might be another water-themed review or two on our front page by the time this is published.

1. On Duck Pond by Jane Yolen

Genre: Children’s

2. Saltwater Sorrows by Rhonda Parrish 

Genre: Science Fiction

3. Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby

Genre: Mystery

4. Fuddles and Puddles by Frans Vischer

Genre: Children’s

5. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Genre: Mainstream Fiction

6. Dragon Springs & Other Things by Raven Oak 

Genre: Science Fiction

7. Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perri

Genre: Romance

8. Deep Tide by Laura Griffin

Genre: Mystery

9. Movie Review: Adam & the Water

Genre: Science Fiction

10. Salt Water by Eugenia Triantafyllou

Genre: Science Fiction

What books with watery themes or titles have you read lately?