Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books With Nationalities In The Title

September 1, 2026 By Long and Short Reviews 26 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Thank you to Cathy @WhatCathyReadNext for submitting this theme! Here is my list.

1. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

2. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

3. The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley

4. The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende

5. Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

6. The Spanish Bride by Georgette Heyer

7. Yeats Is Dead!: A Mystery by 15 Irish Writers by Joseph O’Connor

8. The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo

9. sterix and the Normans (Asterix, #9) by René Goscinny

10. Jorli, The Story of a Swiss Boy by Johanna Spyri

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Cozy Mystery Series I Want to Read

August 18, 2026 By Long and Short Reviews 52 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

All of these cozy mystery series sound excellent to me. If you’ve read any of them to the end of the final book, which one would you recommend starting first?

1. Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple, #1) by Agatha Christie

2. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, #1) by Alexander McCall Smith

3. Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1) by Charlaine Harris

4. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (Vera Wong, #1) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

5. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, #1) by Alan Bradley

6. Fatal Fixer-Upper (A Do-It-Yourself Mystery, #1) by Jennie Bentley

7. Knit One, Kill Two (A Knitting Mystery, #1) by Maggie Sefton

8. The Chocolate Cat Caper (A Chocoholic Mystery, #1) by JoAnna Carl

9. A Peach of a Murder (Fresh-Baked Mystery #1) by Livia J. Washburn

10. Metro Girl (Alex Barnaby, #1) by Janet Evanovich

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Cozy Mystery, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Frozen Desserts on Book Covers

August 4, 2026 By Long and Short Reviews 36 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

For this week’s cover freebie, I will be continuing the summer theme and sharing ten book covers that include a frozen dessert on them somewhere. Even though I couldn’t find something in every category, my search included but is not limited to ice cream, gelato, sherbet, sorbet, snow cones, popsicles, frozen yogurt, mochi, Italian ice, fudge bars, ice cream sandwiches, Semifreddo, and so much more.

It especially makes me happy to see more frozen desserts being sold that are free of common allergens as that was much less common when I was a kid. Everyone deserves a sweet treat on a hot day!

1. The Milkshake Detectives by Heather Butler

2. Banana Split (A Culinary Mystery, #7) by Josi S. Kilpack

3. Big Gay Ice Cream: Saucy Stories & Frozen Treats: Going All the Way with Ice Cream: A Cookbook by Bryan Petroff

4. Cherry by Lindsey Rosin

5. Eating Things On Sticks by Anne Fine

6. Islanders by Cathy Thomas

7. The Complete First Summer: Books #1-4 by Melissa J. Morgan

8. All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown

9. Love & Gelato (Love & Gelato, #1) by Jenna Evans Welch

10. Sundae My Prince Will Come (Wish, #6) by Suzanne Nelson

What is your favourite frozen dessert when the temperature rises?

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Blog Hop, Food, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Titles That Include the Word “Beach”

July 7, 2026 By Long and Short Reviews 37 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

There’s nothing like going to the beach on a warm, sunny day! Here are ten books that remind me of those peaceful hours.

1. Beach Read by Emily Henry

2. On the Beach by Nevil Shute

3. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

4. The Beach House by Virginia Coffman

5. Life and Music of Amy Beach the First Woman Composer of America by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach

6. Muscle Beach by Ira Wallach

7. Beaches II: I’ll Be There by Iris Rainer Dart

8. The Beachcombers by Helen Crosswell

9. A Cat on a Beach Blanket (Alice Nestleton Mystery, Book 14) by Lydia Adams-on

10. The Book of the Chesil Beach by John P. Kemp

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Beach Reads, Blog Hop, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026

June 30, 2026 By Long and Short Reviews 46 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Autumn seems so far away at the moment! As last week was all about summer reads, let’s see which books are coming out from September to November that I might be interested in.

1. Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang

Release Date: September 8

Why I Want to Read It: I haven’t seen many recent books written for adults that discuss the grief of losing a grandparent, so this piqued my interest.

2. Queenie Is Working on It: A Novel by Candice Carty-Williams

Release Date: September 8

Why I Want to Read It: I like to read the books that tv series are based on before I watch the small screen version.

3. Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel

Release Date: September 15

Why I Want to Read It: Ms. Mandel has been on my must-read list of authors since she released Station Eleven. May this book be just as good as that one!

4. Mazywood by Tananarive Due

Release Date: September 22

Why I Want to Read It: Ms. Due is another author on my must-read list. Even if she published her grocery shopping list, I would probably still want to read it. Ha!

5. Fangs With Benefits by Kath Richard

Release Date: September 24

Why I Want to Read It: Honestly, the pun-filled title grabbed my attention.

(This book cover was too large to load. Click below on the title to see it).

6. Baldur’s Gate 3 by T. Kingfisher

Release Date: September 29

Why I Want to Read It: As promised last week, Ms. Kingfisher is once again making an appearance on today’s Top Ten Tuesday list.

7. A Married Little Christmas by Abby Jimenez

Release Date: October 20

Why I Want to Read It: I know some Top Ten Tuesday bloggers and some reviewers for Long and Short Reviews love Christmas. This looks like a festive read, so I’m hoping it will interest at least a few of you. I’m sure curious about it.

8. Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun

Release Date: October 27

Why I Want to Read It: This sounds like something conjured up in a fever dream, and I mean that in the best possible way. I love books that play around with logic just enough to feel dreamlike.

Version 1.0.0

9. Almost Animal: A Memoir of Motherhood, Wildness, and the American West by Amy Irvine

Release Date:November 10

Why I Want to Read It: Postpartum depression isn’t something I know much about, but I’m hoping this memoir will help to educate me about it.

10. Tiger’s Mouth: A Novel (Thousand Voices) by Lucy Tan

Release Date: November 17

Why I Want to Read It: Frenemies is the slang term that came to mind as I read this blurb. Here’s hoping the characters are able to sort out their differences.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Summer 2026 To-Read List

June 23, 2026 By Long and Short Reviews 44 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

There are so many amazing reads being published this summer! Here are ten of them that I’m looking forward to. The first five have already been released this month.

1. The Double Dutch Fuss: A Memoir by Phill Branch

Why I Want to Read It: This spring I read a celebrity memoir, so now I’m more than ready to go back to reading about the lives of average people.

2. Pool House by Mary H.K. Choi

Why I Want to Read It: Mother-daughter relationships are incredibly interesting to explore in fiction.

3. Cleanup on Aisle Five: Essential Work, Poverty Wages, and the View from Behind the Supermarket Register

by Ann Larson

Why I Want to Read It: As someone who has worked multiple service industry jobs, I think social class and and the service industry should be discussed more often. There’s a lot that can be and in my opinion should be done to improve the lives of people who work these essential but low-wage positions.

4. Nymph by Sofia Montrone

Why I Want to Read It: A bittersweet summer romance novel sounds great right about now.

5. Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi

Why I Want to Read It: Several of the titles on this list cover serious subject matter, so I’d like to balance that out with something romantic and lighthearted.

6. Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay

Release Date: June 30

Why I Want to Read It: The Philip K. Dick reference made this a must-read for me.

7. Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle

Release Date: July 7

Why I Want to Read It: Sometimes Mr. Tingle’s work is too scary for me, but I always give his new books a shot.

8. Immortal Game by Allison Saft

Release Date: August 6

Why I Want to Read It: The plot includes chess, romance, and a storyline that sounds like it’s a retelling of a Greek legend. I am curious to see how all of these topics combine together.

9. Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher

Release Date: August 25

Why I Want to Read It: I’m once again in awe at how quickly Ms. Kingfisher churns out new books. She’s someone I will be mentioning again next week.

10. Dèy by Edwidge Danticat

Release Date: August 25

Why I Want to Read It: This seems like such a thoughtful way to finish out the summer.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Handwriting on the Cover

June 9, 2026 By Long and Short Reviews 33 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Don’t you love seeing fonts that look like handwriting? I think they’re so beautiful.

Years ago I knew someone who had studied calligraphy and could make their handwriting look very different from one word to the next depending on how flowery, messily, tidly, or rigidly they wanted to draw their lines. They were in my thoughts as I selected a variety of styles for today’s post.

Answer #10 particularly reminded me of the amazing things he could do with a calligraphy pen.

1. The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements

2. Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski

3. Call the Midwife (The Midwife Trilogy, #1) by Jennifer Worth

4. It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis

5. O Beautiful by Jung Yun

6. The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron

7. All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

8. Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

9. I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala by Rigoberta Menchú

10. I Wish You All the Best (I Wish You All the Best, #1) by Mason Deaver

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: First Books in a Series by My Favorite Author

May 26, 2026 By Lasreviews 47 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I have a lot of favorite authors, and narrowing down my favorite books for each might be a bit of a trial, so I thought I’d make it a little easier on myself. Since I tend to gravitate to series, I wanted to highlight the first book in my favorite series by my favorite authors.

Michael Connelly – The Black Echo. Bosch Universe. I had a friend rec this series to me years ago and I cannot thank her enough.

Michael Connelly (again) – The Lincoln Lawyer. This is also part of the Bosch Universe, but focuses on Harry’s half-brother, Mickey Haller. I often get a lot of guff for this, but I prefer Mickey to Harry (or Renee Ballard).

Tess Gerritsen – The Surgeon. Rizzoli & Isles. This series is one of the few I got into in reverse. I started watching the series with Angie Harmon and discovered that it had been based on a series of novels. In between seasons, I began binge reading the books. While the show and the series are very different, they are both fantastic.

Kathy Reichs – Deja Dead. Temperance Brennan. Tempe is an interesting character who often does dumb things (she’s forever getting conked on the head), but her relationship with Andrew Ryan is the best.

Dana Stabenow – A Cold Day for Murder. Kate Shugak. Set in Alaska, starring a Native woman, this series is fascinating in all the details you get about native life in Alaska, as well as all the history of the state and the people. Even though I’m angry with the author for something she did about halfway through the series, this is still one of the best out there.

Travis Baldree – Legends and Lattes. Legends and Lattes. I’m pretty sure I discovered this book through TTT and instantly fell in love. Cozy fantasy is something I never knew I needed.

Vivien Chien – Death by Dumpling. Noodle Shop Mysteries. Cozy mysteries are one of my top favorite genres and I read a ton of them. These are some of the best.

Jenn McKinlay – Books Can Be Deceiving. Library Lover’s Mysteries. I love books set in a library and these are particularly fun since the town’s residents are all a little kooky.

Dakota Cassidy – The Accidental Werewolf. Accidentally Paranormal. There is so much I love about this series – the crazy way the characters become paranormal creatures, the humor, Nina. The author is also a pretty great woman, too.

John Scalzi – Constituent Service. Here, I am going to break with my theme since I couldn’t think of a tenth series I read faithfully (it’ll come to me after I post this, I’m sure). However, I do adore John Scalzi – he makes me laugh, he makes me think, and – in When the Moon Hits Your Eye – he even made me cry. While I haven’t read anything of his yet that I haven’t enjoyed, I think his novella, Constituent Service, is one of the best (and most bizarre).

Have you read any of these authors? What did you think?

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: Book Series, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Secondary Characters

May 19, 2026 By Long and Short Reviews 40 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

All of these secondary characters were great!

1. Rue from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

She was the person who inspired the main characters to start the rebellion, after all!

2. Samwise from Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

He was such a supportive friend, to say the least.

3. Matthew Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

None of the Anne books would have been possible if he hadn’t stood up for Anne and asked his sister to keep her after the orphanage mistakenly sent them a girl instead of the boy they requested.

4. Tonkee from The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

There were so many layers to her personality.

5, 6, and 7. Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

Everyone needs some guidance when visiting strange new lands!

8. Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

He had such a fantastic sense of humor.

9. Podrick Payne from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

He had a wonderful character arc. I also like the fact that he was timid and shy when the audience first met him. There aren’t enough characters written like that for my tastes these days.