Category: Top Ten Tuesday

January 9: Ten Books We Meant To Read In 2017 But Didn’t Get To (and totallyyyy plan to get to in 2018!!)

This is going to be short and sweet. I only have one.

I swear … I WILL read this. Someday.

I’m just so intimidated by it.

Ugh.

Well it has been years since I participated in a Top Ten Tuesday! (And it’s soon moving over to a new host…) Anyway…. this week’s topic appealed to me, so I figured it would be a great time to jump right in.

January 2: Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2017

Okay, so looking back at my 2017 books read …. I read 24 new-to-me authors in 2017. Of these 24 authors, only 7 really make my “top ten” list. So in alphabetical order, along with the books I read, here’s my list:

• M.J. Arlidge ….  Eeny Meeny and Pop Goes the Weasel
• Julie Hyzy …  State of the Onion
• Victoria Laurie … Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye and Better Read than Dead
• Gilly Macmillan … The Perfect Girl
• Susan Elia MacNeal …  Mr. Churchill’s Secretary
• Leslie Meier … Mistletoe Murder
• Michael Palmer … Oath of Office

The topic this week is …Top Authors I’ve Only Read One Book From But NEED to Read More

I have a tendency to read the first book in a series and then never moving on. So I have a lot of authors I’ve only read one book from that I would love to read more from! In no particular order:

1. Chris Pavone … I read The Accident earlier this year and LOVED it! I also snatched up his debut, The Expats on my Nook when it was on sale for like $1.99 a few months back, but have yet to read it….
2. Lee Child … I read Killing Floor  a few months ago and enjoyed it. But I have yet to continue on with the series … for no good reason at all … other than time 😉
3. Marcia Clark … I read The Competition on a whim just last month and really, really enjoyed it. I also have her first book on my physical TBR shelf and I *NEED* to get to it soon!
4. Chevy Stevens … I read Still Missing back in 2011 and really enjoyed it, but haven’t read anything else by Ms. Stevens … and I have another book of hers on my shelf (actually it’s an ARC that I was sent and never got to … oops)
5. Karin Slaughter … I read Blindsighted last year and enjoyed it, but once again I have that terrible habit of starting with the first book in a series and then never going any further.
6. Ted Bell … I read Hawke last year and well, I’m sure you can fill in the blanks (just follow the pattern that seems to be appearing rather obvious.)
7. Scott Turow … It actually took me a couple of times to get into Presumed Innocent, but once I finally persevered past that 50 page mark I loved it! And have yet to read anything else by Mr Turow…
8. James Rollins … I read Sandstorm while I was pregnant with Garrett and enjoyed it. But somewhere along the line I have managed to collect a few more of Rollins’ books on my shelves, but they continue to sit unread.
9. Adam Mitzner … I scored an ARC of A Case of Redemption last year and enjoyed it a lot. Enough to make me go out and purchase Mr. Mitzner’s first book, which I never read. *Sigh*
10. Kate White … I read Eyes on You in conjunction with a book tour and enjoyed it. I have had The Sixes on my shelf forever … I keep saying “one day”.

Wow … I have a really bad habit of reading an author one time with every intention of continuing on with the series or backlist just to proceed to fail, miserably.

Too many books … not enough time.

Well it’s only been forever since I last did a Top Ten Tuesday post! Thought I’d jump back in this week 🙂

The topic this week is … Ten Authors I Own The Most Books From

Okay, so I have this little problem with book series. I am obsessed. And nine times out of ten I will collect all the books in the series before I even know if I will enjoy the series. What can I say … I am probably a book hoarder as my husband likes to tell me 🙂

Here’s my list:

1. John Sandford … I have 18 of his books. Eighteen. I am intending on reading all of his Lucas Davenport books. And I have nearly all of them.
2. Tom Clancy … 14 of his books. I collected a lot of his books in the hopes that my husband would read them. He has yet to read them and I can’t seem to part with them. I keep hoping I will turn my husband into a reader…
3. Michael Connelly … clocking in at 11 books. I am reading through his Harry Bosch series and have most of those books.
4. Clive Cussler … I have 9 Cussler books. I enjoy his books, especially his Dirk Pitt series … I just don’t read them often enough.
5. Steve Martini … I have 8 of his books from the series that I can’t even tell you who the main character is. Pitiful, right? Obviously I had intended on reading this series, but if I can’t even remember what the character’s name is …
6. Perri O’Shaughnessy … 7 of her books. I have only read the first one in this series and while I did enjoy it, I obviously didn’t enjoy it enough to get right on that second book.
7. Vince Flynn … 6 books. I really enjoyed the first few Mitch Rapp books, but then somewhere along the line I got sidetracked and haven’t read any more of Flynn’s books.
8. Ted Bell … 6 books. I read the first book in the Alexander Hawke series, and while I enjoyed it, I have yet to read on in this series … despite me having almost all the books.
9. Brad Thor … 5 books. I have gone back and forth with the Scot Harvath series for ages. I read the first 3 books and enjoyed them. But somewhere along the line in the 3rd book I lost interest and have really considered not continuing with this series.
10. Stuart Woods … 5 books. I recently discovered Stone Barrington and have accumulated books 3-7 in this series.

So there is my list. You can tell I’m a serious series reader. And I have a bad habit of reading the first couple of books, accumulating the next gazillion in the series, and then not going anywhere else with it. Oh well.

This meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week’s question asks:

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2013

So in looking over my list of books I’ve read in 2013, I was amazed at the number of new-to-me authors I had! 34 of my 50 books read (so far) were by new-to-me authors, so this list was not the easiest to put together. But these are definitely the ones that stuck out the most.

In alphabetical order:

1.  What an awesome read this was! It will definitely make my Top 10 list for this year too!
2.  I don’t know why I’ve never read anything by Ms. Burke before, but this one was really good!! Definitely recommend this one!
3.  E-books are not my favorite in general, but this book was so awesome I could barely tell that I had an e-copy of it. Definitely a great read!
4.  What an amazing protagonist! I’m definitely looking forward to reading Mr. Lewis’ future works!
5.  What a creepy book. Apparently this author has written a lot of other books under a different name, but I really liked this book. Recommended!
6.  Everyone should read this book. Everyone. That’s all I have to say about it.
7.  What a crazy thrill ride of a book! How on earth have I never read a book my Jennifer McMahon before? Well I’m for sure not missing out anymore, I already have an e-copy of her next book due out in January!! Woo!
8.  Oh my goodness. This book was so much fun to read! I’m a big fan of legal thrillers and this one fit the bill perfectly.
9.  What a crazy psychological thriller. Definitely a great and exciting read. It wasn’t perfect, but it sure had my attention from the first page.
10.  I remember getting a little more than irritated at the protagonist in this book, but I still highly enjoyed reading it. It was definitely an interesting storyline and a great read. Definitely a highly recommended book in my opinion.

This week’s question asks:

Top ten bookish people you want to meet. 

I don’t know if I will be able to get to 10 with this question, but I have a good blend of bloggers and authors. In no particular order:

1. Trish at Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity – because she seems to be such a cool person and her daughter is gorgeous! Plus she has the greatest post ideas, ever! I only wish I could come up with half the cool ideas she does.  I love how she has been able to combine cooking, reading, vacationing, family and whatever else kind of post she can come up with and make it work 100%. If you don’t “know” Trish you are sooooo missing out!
2. Samantha at Booked on a Feeling – because she’s awesome. She’s been a follower/commenter of mine since I can remember and she has always had great things to say. Oh and we like pretty much the same type of books 🙂
3. Jackie over at House Wife Blues and Chihuahua Stories – Jackie stumbled across my blog a year or two ago and I have enjoyed getting to know her. She’s had a rough couple of years in her personal life and I respect her for everything she has been through. She’s just a very nice person and while we don’t read the same type of books, I think it would be a lot of fun to sit down over coffee in a bookstore and chat with her.
4. Wendy of  Caribousmom – I first “met” Wendy in a Yahoo reading group that we both belong to. I soon found out that she has a beyond awesome blog. And in my opinion, she is one of the biggest names out there in the book blogosphere. Yet she’s so down to earth and nice. I have found a lot of awesome books through her blog and if you don’t know her blog, definitely check it out.
5. Mary Higgins Clark – I want to know how this woman does it time and time again. Her books are amazing. I would love to be able to pick her brain a little bit. She seems to timeless. Her books are awesome!
6. Stephen King – I will admit I haven’t been such a big fan of his recent stuff. But his older books, oh my goodness. Creepy doesn’t even catch it! This guy must have the most messed up dreams on the planet and I would love to be able to chat with him.
7. Brad Meltzer – I will admit, I actually haven’t read many of his books. However, I follow him on Twitter and am a huge fan of his show Decoded (Please, History Channel – I would love a 3rd season!). But seriously, this guy seems to be one of the funniest guys out there. He’s got one of those perfectly sarcastic senses of humor and I would love to meet and talk with him
8. James Patterson – I have so many questions for this guy. Number one being – why do you feel the need to put so many frickin’ books out in a year? Don’t get me wrong, I like his books, but seriously … I would think his prolificness would put pressure on other authors to produce like he does – and lets all be honest here, I bet he only writes one book a year himself, I’m a firm believer that his co-authors do all the work on the other books.

Well that’s all I’ve got. I had fun this week and am already looking forward to next week’s topic 🙂

Happy reading!

Wow, I haven’t participated in this in almost a year. But today’s topic really spoke to me and I knew I had to put something together for today.

I’ve been blogging since January 1, 2008. My categories show that I have posted 322 book reviews. I did come up with 10 books for today, quite easily actually. The first book listed is my absolute favorite book ever, the rest of the books on this list will be alphabetical.

Top Ten Favorite Books You’ve Read During The Lifespan Of Your Blog

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett – Without a doubt, the BEST book I’ve ever read. Period.
2. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
3. The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
4. The BoneMan’s Daughters by Ted Dekker
5. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
6. The Confession by John Grisham
7. 31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan
8. The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard
9. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
10. Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow

There you have it. There’s my list of the best of the best books I’ve read since I began blogging in 2008. Have you read any of these? Would they make YOUR top 10 list?

Top Ten Books I Read Because Of Another Blogger (In honor of BBAW!)

Okay, so I went back through my review index here on the blog to make my picks for this week’s topic. I only have 6 on my list … I would have had more, but there were quite a few books I had read based on blogger recommendations that I just didn’t like. I omitted those. And I must admit that for most of these books I simply cannot remember what blogger helped me make my decision. So, here’s my list:

In alphabetical order:

1. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher …. I had seen this one here and there around the book blog world, not sure whose review eventually made me want to read this book, but I am so glad that I did. I absolutely devoured this book. I would highly recommend this book.
2. BoneMan’s Daughter by Ted Dekker …. I read this one back in 2009 on the recommendation of another blogger and thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking back at my review, I had an issue with the ending, but it’s been so long ago that I don’t remember what that issue was (I really should keep better notes on paper for times like this!).
3. The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinsky …. I also read this one in 2009, and while I don’t remember a whole lot of it, I remember the bare bones of what it was about. I also remember enjoying it. And now I’m sitting here wondering to myself why I haven’t read anything else by Barbara Delinsky since then…
4. 31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan …. I don’t normally read a lot of historical fiction. But every time I do I thoroughly enjoy it. This one made my Top Ten list last year. I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it based on the recommendation of Wendy at Caribousmom.
5. The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard …. I have no idea who made me get my hands on this book, and although I read it a few years ago and obviously most of my recollection of this book is a little limited, I will say that I still remember really liking this book.
6. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens …. Wow. I am 100% certain that this book is going to make my Top Ten books for 2011. I loved it. I have seen it all over the book blog-o-sphere, but it was Samantha at Booked on a Feeling whose review finally made me pick this one up.

Top Ten Tuesday Freebie – So this week the topic is totally up to us. Soooo, I’m choosing to do a top ten list of my favorite book series! Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I am series obsessed! So here’s my top ten seven favorites and some honorable mentions:

1. Alex Cross. I am a James Patterson junkie. I know a lot of people shun his work. And I have a little bit of a problem with all the books he puts out that he “co-authors” … and I’m not stupid, I know he’s not the one writing the co-authored books. However, the Alex Cross books, which are just about the only books he puts out that only has his name on them, are by far the best books he writes and my absolute favorite series. I am caught up with this series until the latest comes out in a few months, and I’m already looking forward to that one! Even if you detest James Patterson, I still highly recommend you give this series a try!
2. Taylor Jackson. This series is written by J.T. Ellison, and I absolutely love it! Taylor is a homicide detective (actually, she might be a lieutenant) in Nashville, TN (which is about two hours away from me). Ms. Ellison writes the most twisted and wonderful books. I love them. And what’s sad is that she’s still relatively unknown. Even though her seventh book in this series is getting ready to come out in a couple of months, there are a lot of people who have never heard of J.T. Ellison! I think that’s a tragedy – people are missing out on some great reading! Definitely give this series a chance 🙂
3. Jane Rizzoli & Maura Isles. And I’m talking about the book series here, not the TV series on TNT – although the TV series is really good too! As a general rule, I am not a huge fan of medical-ish books, but for whatever reason, I really enjoy this series. I think it’s because it’s more detective work than medical work. The books are quite a bit different from the TV series, but they are both equally enjoyable and I would definitely recommend this series!
4. The Camel Club. David Baldacci has created a wonderful series here. To be perfectly honest, the only Baldacci books I have ever read are the Camel Club books. But I just love Oliver Stone’s character and all the trouble he and his friends manage to find themselves in. If you want a great thrilling, conspiracy-filled ride of a series, give these books a shot!
5. Maggie O’Dell by Alex Kava. Maggie O’Dell is a profiler for the FBI and these books revolve around the cases that she works. I will admit that the last two in the series have not been as good as the earlier ones, but I still enjoy this series. I would definitely recommend them.
6. Alex Delaware. Although I haven’t read very many of these Jonathan Kellerman books yet, I have enjoyed the ones that I have read. I like Alex’s character. I really need to get back to reading this series because I am way far behind!
7. Harper Connelly. This Charlaine Harris series is completed. Harper is a young woman who was struck by lightning as a teenager and ever since that event she has been able to hear dead people. She uses that new ability to find dead people. She travels the country with her step-brother as part of her job to find people. I found it to be a very interesting series. It was only four books and as I said, Ms. Harris considers Harper’s story complete, but I would definitely recommend this series.

Honorable Mentions: These are series that I haven’t read very far into and don’t have a great grasp on them, but that I have enjoyed the limited amount that I have read and look forward to continuing in the future:

• Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels by J.A. Konrath – I have read the first book, Whiskey Sour, recently and loved it! I’m definitely looking forward to continuing on with this series – it was definitely a very funny read!
• Cotton Malone by Steve Berry – I have read the first two in this series and have the next three waiting on my shelves. This is definitely a series I am hoping continues to be just as enjoyable as the first two books proved to be.
• SIGMA Force by James Rollins – I have only read the first book, Sandstorm, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely look forward to reading more in this series!

So there’s my list.

Top Ten Trends You’d Like To See More of/Less of (can do a combo of both or one or the other)

Only came up with seven this week, but here’s what I’ve got:

MORE:

• Shorter Book Series. I am a sucker for book series. Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that much. However, I’m really tired of series last 20+ books. Honestly, 5-7 books is a perfect length for a series. When you start getting into the longer series it makes me feel as if the author is simply looking for another payday. Having 5-7 books allows the reader to become involved with the characters, yet there is an ending in sight. There needs to be a better balance when it comes to a series.
• Cheaper E-Books. I received a Nook Color shortly after they were released last year. But I still can’t bring myself to pay over $7 for an e-book. If I’m going to invest that much money on a book I want to be able to have it in my hands! I want a physical copy. I don’t understand the entire publishing industry and the costs truly involved in publishing. But give me a break. You can’t tell me it’s that much to produce e-books. And trust me, I would think you would sell a lot more e-books at under $5 than you would at $11.99.
• Book STORES. It breaks my heart to hear about book stores closing. I was heartbroken when my local Waldenbooks went out of our mall two years ago. It wasn’t very big, but I enjoyed browsing. That only leaves me with a Books-a-Million (not my favorite store) locally. Seeing all the Borders stores closing kills me. I think it’s a tragedy. I understand that e-books are taking over, but I still enjoy physical books and book stores. It bothers me to know that in just a few short years physical books will probably be a thing of the past.
• Acceptance of personal tastes. I’m of the “to each his own” school of thought when it comes to what you read. I am a mystery/thriller/spy book lover. I read some romantic suspense. Some cozies. But I’m tired of people assuming that because I am a woman I read romance novels. And then when I explain that I really prefer murder in my books, I get the strangest looks like I’m from outer space. All because I am female and I like the so-called “sick-sh*t” type books. I don’t make fun of you for reading what you like. Don’t knock what I read.

LESS:

• Paranormal. Sure, I’m guilty of reading a little bit of paranormal books. But it’s not my favorite. If I have to see one more brand spanking new series involving vampires, werewolves, witches, blah blah blah, I think I will puke. Seriously. Hasn’t this trend run its course yet? Now, like I said, I have dipped my toes into the paranormal book world a little bit, but it’s definitely an entire genre that I wouldn’t care if it left and never came back.
• Stupid Women Characters. I like strong, independent women characters. I don’t want to read about women who only care about finding the perfect man or not having enough time to shop for the perfect pair of shoes. Women characters need to be believable and true to life for me to enjoy them. You know the single mother who has to work two jobs just to make ends meet for her three children? I prefer that character over the trophy wife whose only care in the world is what time to meet her friends for lunch at the country club.
• Unbelievable YA characters. I remember high school, vividly. I’m not that far removed from it (though farther than I like to admit!). I remember it was tough. I don’t read a lot of YA fiction, but sometimes I just shake my head at some of the characters and their personalities in the YA genre. They just aren’t believable. I was a normal girl in school. I wasn’t popular but I wasn’t un-popular. I wasn’t a cheerleader, I was on the golf team one year. I wasn’t a straight-A student, but I made good grades. I dated before meeting my future husband, but I wasn’t a slut. Where are the books about those people?