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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!

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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.

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I love a good relationship in a novel, especially in a series.  It’s often what draws me back to an unfinished series.  They don’t have to be romantic relationships, either.  Sometimes, the best bonds are between friends.

1. Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller (Harry Bosch/The Lincoln Lawyer) by Michael Connelly.

Harry and Mickey are half-brothers who only found each other later in life.  The thing that I love about their relationship is that Harry is an LAPD detective and Mickey is a defense lawyer, aka mortal enemies.  However, they learn to appreciate each other and form a strong, brotherly bond, often full of sharp barbs and fun banter.

2. Geralt of Rivia and Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove, aka Jaskier the Bard (The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski).

Their relationship is often a rough one, but even when they want to throw each other into the dragon’s den, they’re still there for each other.  I could include Yennefer of Vengerberg in this as well because she has a similar relationship with Jaskier.

3. Sam and Amelia Rockwell (Rockwell Return Files by Jason Anspach).

From the very beginning, they have a great relationship.  She adores him, but keeps him in his place.  He loves her, and dotes on her, while respecting her.  This is huge considering the series is set in the 1950’s.

4. Sloan McPherson and Scott Hughes (Underwater Investigation Unit by Andrew Mayne).

Sloan has a tendency to be a bit reckless and impulsive.  Scott, on the other hand, is former military and a dad, bringing a sense of balance to their partnership.  However, Scott can be a bit crazy, too, when the circumstances warrant it.  Which is probably why he and Sloan work so well together.

5. Tempe Brennan and Andrew Ryan (Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs).

Tempe spends half the year working in Montreal for the police department identifying remains found.  This often leads to her working with her on and off again boyfriend, Detective Andrew Ryan.  Even when they’re not in a relationship, they work well together and always look after each other.  Plus, Ryan tends to be a smart aleck which I love.

6. Lindsay Boxer and Rich Conklin (Women’s Murder Club by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro).

I could go on for pages about Lindsay’s relationship with Claire, Yuki, and Cindy.  But I think her partnership and friendship with longtime partner Rich goes unnoticed.  They are great together, often coming close to anticipating the other’s ideas and needs.  And, in the end, each would give everything for the other.

7. Crowley & Aziraphale (Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman)

These two are something else.  Anytime an angel and a demon make friends, I’m all in.  An unlikely friendship turns to partners in crime of sorts and all sorts of chaos follows in their wake.

8. Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams).

What more can you want out of a friend – who is also an alien, by the way – than to have them guide you through the universe, steal a spaceship, and take you to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe?  I mean, count me in.  Just keep the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blasters to yourself.  I have to work in the morning.

9. Stephanie Plum and Lula (Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich).

Even after twenty-nine books, I’m still here for all the chaos that follows Steph and Lula.  Pass the TastyKakes and let the girls run wild because it’s sure to be an adventure.

10. Mickey Haller and his entire crew (The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly).

Mickey is a great character and is honestly my favorite in the Bosch Universe.  He gets along with pretty much everyone.  An excellent example of this is him hiring his second ex-wife, Lorna, to be his office manager and her new boyfriend/husband as his investigator.  He and Cisco sometimes bump heads, but they always get to the bottom of the case.

What are some of your favorite relationships?

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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?