#TopTenTuesday Ten Signs You’re A Book Lover

Top Ten Tuesday new

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 Ten Signs You’re A Book Lover.


  1. You never go anywhere without a book or access to one via an ereader or mobile device
  2. You love the smell of new books…and old ones, come to that
  3. You never get tired of looking at other people’s #shelfie pictures on Instagram
  4. Your Twitter feed is dominated by bookish news
  5. When visiting someone’s home, the first thing you do is look at what’s on their bookshelves (or even – horror – if they’ve got any)
  6. You simply can’t comprehend people who say they never read books
  7. You love to see what books other people are reading when travelling by bus or train, or in a coffee shop (not that many of us can do this at the moment!)
  8. You find yourself welcoming the cancellation of social engagements or bad weather as an excuse to pick up a book
  9. Your Goodreads To-Read shelf numbers in the hundreds, even thousands
  10. You experience a rush of excitement when you learn of a forthcoming book by a favourite author

Recognise any of these behaviours in yourself?

#TopTenTuesday Books To Read In Troubled Times

Top Ten Tuesday new

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 a freebie on the theme of Book Genres. Although not exactly a genre, my list is made up of books I’ve read that all have – in some way – a positive message, whether that be the kindness of others or the possibility of second chances. I think we need all the uplifting messages we can get at the moment. Links from the titles will take you to my review.


The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker by Jenni Keer – Meet Lucy, aged 25, and Brenda, aged 79. Neighbours, and unlikely friends.

The Olive Garden Choir by Leah Fleming – In this bittersweet tale of love and loss, people quite literally find their voices – showing that life can begin again when you let go of the past

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Armin – A recipe for happiness: four women, one medieval Italian castle, plenty of wisteria, and solitude as needed.

Birdie & Jude by Phyllis H. Moore – A serendipitous meeting on a beach in Galveston before a hurricane forces two strangers to take shelter with each other.

The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle – Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter

The House That Alice Built by Chris Penhall – Perhaps the most important part of the lesson for Alice is that you don’t always need a house to be at home

The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman – “Love outlasts even death. It’s present in every moment, even those filled with darkness; it’s never exhausted, it never gives up or wavers. It’s the one force of the universe that will never be captured by an equation or […] science.”

El Hacho by Luis Carrascoa poignant and compelling story of struggle and hope.

The Secrets of Primrose Square by Claudia Carroll – a story of finding a way through grief, the importance of a sense of community [and] having the courage to make a new start.

The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway by Rhys Thomas – The two most important things in life are to be brave and to be good.

What books have brought you joy or comfort recently?