#TopTenTuesday My Most Recent 5* Reads

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post. Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists. Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.


This week’s topic is My Ten Most Recent 5* Reads and I have some brilliant books to share with you. Links from the titles will take you to my full review.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith – young Francie Nolan’s journey through the first years of a century of profound change 
Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson – another hugely impressive historical crime novel whose intricate plot with its twists and turns kept me glued to the book until the final page 
The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger by Suzanne Fortin – one of those books that offers something for just about every reader: domestic drama, such as the family tensions caused by caring responsibilities; scenes of wartime adventure and romance; and a search for a long lost love
The Consequences of Fear (Maisie Dobbs #16) by Jacqueline Winspear – set in World War 2 London, the latest outing for the intrepid and resourceful private investigator (and sometime secret agent), Maisie Dobbs
Where Stands A Wingèd Sentry by Margaret Kennedy – for anyone interested in women’s writing or the experiences of those on the ‘Home Front’ during the Second World War, a gem waiting to be discovered
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton – a hugely impressive debut set in the New York City music scene, full of inventiveness and fizzing with energy
Together by Luke Adam Hawker – a beautifully produced book of illustrations accompanied by poignant words that  would make a wonderful gift
Lost Property by Helen Paris – a novel and, in Dot Watson, a heroine you most certainly don’t want to leave behind on a train or bus
Skelton’s Guide to Suitcase Murders (Arthur Skelton #2) by David Stafford – a delightful addition to this historical crime series that combines period detail, an ingenious mystery and amiable humour
The Heretic’s Mark (The Jackdaw Mysteries #4) by S. W. Perry – another gripping, atmospheric and dramatic historical page-turner set in Elizabethan London 

#TopTenTuesday Animals From Books

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post. Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists. Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.


This week’s topic is Animals from Books and I found a veritable Noah’s Ark of books with animals in their title on my bookshelves. Links from the titles will take you to my review of the book where one exists.

The Dog Walker by Lesley Thomson
Court of Lions by Jane Johnson
The Haunting of Lamb House by Joan Aiken
Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie
Leopard In My Lap by Michaela Denis
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith
Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick
The Running Wolf by Helen Steadman