Top Ten Tuesday: Books About New Year’s Eve

December 5, 2023 By 24 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I’ve been a reviewer for Long and Short Reviews for a long time now. One of the many interesting things I’ve noticed over the years is how rare is it for us receive requests to review books that are set on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

You’d think more authors would pick that setting given how festive it can be and how much can happen over the course of a few hours at a spirited New Year’s Eve party!

Here are ten books with that setting. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get more review requests that have this setting in 2024.

I haven’t read any of them yet, so do share your thoughts about them in the comments if you have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The Adult by Bronson Fischer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Tripping Arcadia by Kit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. A Catered New Year’s Eve by Isis Crawford

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. New Year’s Eve Murder by Leslie Meier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Dining Out with the Ice Giants by Clare O’Beara

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Happy New Year’s Eve by Allie K. Adams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Countdown to a Kiss by Colleen Gleason, Holli Bertram, Mara Jacobs, and Liz Kelly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Murder at Dublin Mensa by Clare O’Beara

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. ‘Tis the Season by Robyn Carr

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: ,

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set in Stores

November 28, 2023 By 39 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

The holiday shopping season is well underway.

As we inch closer to December, stores become busier every single day with shoppers looking for gifts, decorations, seasonal food and beverages, and other items they need to make the holidays memorable.

My thoughts are with the sales associates, clerks, receivers, delivery drivers, merchandisers, and other workers who make all of this possible.

After all, there aren’t any elves out there (so far as we know 😉 ) who are  baking bread, decorating sugar cookies, delivering trucks filled with holiday items, unpacking boxes, displaying merchandise, mopping floors, dusting shelves,  running cash registers, and training new employees among countless other tasks.

People do all of that and so much more. If you’re one of them, I’m cheering you on and hoping every customer you have is a friendly one.

In recognition of all of the hard work happening behind the scenes right now, let’s talk about books that are set in stores.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Pawsitively Poisonous (Witch of Edgehill, #1) by Melissa Erin Jackson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Paddington Bear and the Christmas Surprise by Michael Bond

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The Mist by Stephen King

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. A Scone to Die For by H.Y. Hanna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The Department Store Ghost by Bill Brown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Mallory’s Christmas Wish (The Baby-Sitters Club, #92) by Ann M. Martin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Secrets of the Shopping Mall by Richard Peck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.  Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen (A Year-Round Christmas Mystery #1) by Vicki Delany

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1o. Shaun of the Dead by Chris Ryall

 

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: ,

Top Ten Tuesday: Sweet Treats for Halloween

October 31, 2023 By 28 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Happy Halloween to everyone celebrating it! I love the assortment of sweets that are available at this time of year, so I’m going to be sharing some book covers that either feature candy on them or have references to treats in their titles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1) by Roald Dahl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Bubblegum by Sari Taurez

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Candy Cookbook: 40 Recipes for Sweet Success – to Celebrate National Candy Month by Christina Tosch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. S is for Stranger by Louise Stone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Chocolat by Joanne Harris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars by Joël Glenn Brenner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The Art Of Choosing: The Decisions We Make Everyday of our Lives, What They Say About Us and How We Can Improve Them by Sheena Lyengar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure by Samira Kawash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Candy Cookbook by Gooseberry Patch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker

 

 

 

What’s your favorite type of Halloween candy?

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: ,

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Snowy Covers

October 17, 2023 By 46 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I love waking up and seeing a fresh blanket of snow over everything during the winter. Since we’re still a month or so away from that happening, looking at books with snowy covers is the next best thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Snow  by Orhan Pamuk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Mrs. Mike (Mrs. Mike, #1) by Benedict Freedman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Winter Study (Anna Pigeon, #14) by Nevada Barr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Ice by Anna Kavan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10.Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: ,

Top Ten Tuesday: Reading Goals I Still Want to Accomplish Before the End of the Year

October 3, 2023 By 42 Comments


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!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With:

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Fall 2023 To-Read List

September 19, 2023 By 50 Comments


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.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With:

Top Ten Tuesday: Water-Themed Books and Films We’ve Reviewed

August 29, 2023 By 41 Comments


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?

 

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With:

LASR Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: Wolf’s Keep by K.E.Turner

August 25, 2023 By 1 Comment

Thanks for joining us on our 16th anniversary scavenger hunt! There are two ways to enter to win and it’s easy to play– first read the blurb below, then answer the question on the first Rafflecopter. You might win a $100 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC (along with other prizes). Follow and visit authors’ social media pages on the second Rafflecopter and you’re entered to win another $100 Amazon/BN GC (along with other prizes)!

He’s all she loathes. She’s everything he needs. Time isn’t the only barrier she’ll cross to gain her heart’s desire.
Archaeologist Erin Richardson loves her job, but the dig in France is something else. A crumbling keep, a dungeon and the search for legendary chevalier Gaharet d’Louncrais… Her imagination is running overtime. Thank God he’s long dead and only comes to life in her dreams. Until a mysterious amulet sends her back to the tenth century. Now her fantasy has become her reality.
Gaharet d’Louncrais needs a wife. He’s powerful and handsome and women constantly vie for his attention. If they knew his secret, they’d run for their lives. Forget love. Forget finding his true mate. He’d forsake it all to save his wolf pack from extinction. But when Erin appears, with her strange clothes and her even stranger tale, she stirs his inner beast. He wants nothing more than to claim her as his own.
Erin knows a player when she sees one. Arrogant and charming, he’s everything she’s guarded her heart against. The Dark Ages are no fairy-tale, and she will need to fight to survive, but the most dangerous thing of all is the way Gaharet makes her feel.
She needs to find a way home. Gaharet needs her to stay. And now he’s found her, he plans on never letting her go.

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LASR Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: Honor (Sin City Wolf) by January Bain

August 25, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Thanks for joining us on our 16th anniversary scavenger hunt! There are two ways to enter to win and it’s easy to play– first read the blurb below, then answer the question on the first Rafflecopter. You might win a $100 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC (along with other prizes). Follow and visit authors’ social media pages on the second Rafflecopter and you’re entered to win another $100 Amazon/BN GC (along with other prizes)!

Never run from a wolf!

Isadora Champagne is a witch on a dangerous mission—to take down Lucius Luceres. That bad boy alpha billionaire doesn’t deserve to have it all his way. Thinks he can dump her baby sister and get away with it! But now that she’s met the shifter, keeping her heart safe from him is going to take more than the curse she laid on him…it just might cost her a pact with the devil himself.

Lucius of the House of Luceres is an alpha werewolf, secure in his bad-to-the-bone reputation. But when confronted by the beautiful Isadora one fateful night, even he can’t ignore the extreme attraction that instantly ignites between them. But what he hadn’t counted on was how useful her magic gifts can be to the House of Luceres when one of their own goes missing.

Will he be able to set aside the centuries of mistrust between witches and shifters and allow her special brand of courage and caring to heal even the most jaded heart?

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Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Guest Blogs Tagged With: ,

LASR Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: Murder with Strings Attached by Mark Reutlinger

August 25, 2023 By 1 Comment

Thanks for joining us on our 16th anniversary scavenger hunt! There are two ways to enter to win and it’s easy to play– first read the blurb below, then answer the question on the first Rafflecopter. You might win a $100 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC (along with other prizes). Follow and visit authors’ social media pages on the second Rafflecopter and you’re entered to win another $100 Amazon/BN GC (along with other prizes)!

Sometimes even the most carefully conceived burglary can take an unexpected turn. Florence Palmer has her eye on concert violinist Aaron Levy’s priceless violin. Unfortunately, she finds it’s already been stolen. Her surprise doubles when the virtuoso she’d planned to burgle offers to hire her to help him steal it back. But they’re not the only ones looking for the missing violin. When Flo inadvertently becomes the prime suspect in a case of murder, she and Aaron need to clear her name. Will they find the real killer and get the violin back to its rightful owner without anyone else, especially themselves, being killed? Winner of the Top Shelf Award for Fiction/Humor.

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