Top Ten Tuesday: My Summer TBR

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 The 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 Books to Read By the Pool/At the Beach (This can also serve as your Summer TBR).  As my time spent lazing by a pool or on the beach was back in February in Barbados and unlikely to be won’t be repeated again this year, my list is my Summer TBR, to be read in a location of your choosing.

Click on the title to read my review of the book description on Goodreads.


The Year of the Snake by M. J. Trow and Maryanne Coleman – If the gorgeous cover doesn’t grab you, how about its description as a ‘racy historical whodunnit’ set in ancient Rome?

The Hidden Bones by Nicola Ford – Archaeological discoveries combined with a murder mystery and an interesting female protagonist gets my vote.

Call of the Curlew by Elizabeth Brooks – an orphan, a mysterious house at the edge of a vast marsh and set in 1939, this ticks all the boxes for me.

The Emperor of Shoes by Spencer Wise – Set in China, this promises ‘a transfixing story’ about an expatriate in southern China and his relationship with a seamstress intent on inspiring political change.

Betty Church and the Suffolk Vampire by M. R. C. Kasasian – the first in a new series of historical mysteries by the author of the wonderful Gower Street Detective series.

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas – Time travel and a mysterious death, out in August this sounds enticing.

The Devil’s Half Mile by Paddy Hirsch – sometimes you only need to read the first line of a book description to know they’ve got you hooked: ‘Golden Hill and The Alienist meet Gangs of New York in this sweeping historical crime drama set in 18th century New York’.

Hold by Michael Donkor – I’ll confess it was the cover that drew my eye to this one but the description, ‘an intimate, moving, powerful coming-of-age novel’ set in Ghana and London, sounds pretty good too.

The Story Keeper by Anna Mazzola – Described as ‘a sizzling, period novel of folk tales, disappearances and injustice set on the island of Skye’, this looks brilliant.  I love the inclusion of ‘sizzling’ in the description – what could be more summery than a sizzle?

A Long Island Story by Rick Gekoski – Set in 1953, it’s described as ‘portrait of a marriage in crisis, of a unique and fascinating period in US history and of a seemingly perfect family fighting their demons behind closed doors’.


I don’t know about you, but having read this list I’m now really excited myself to start on these books.  And if I get through them all, there’s the added bonus that I’ll be much more up-to-date with my NetGalley ARCs and blog tours!

 

 

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Awaken The Travel Bug In Me

 

Top Ten Tuesday newTop 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 The 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 Books That Awaken The Travel Bug In Me.  There are certainly books set in places that I’d love to visit, either for the first time or again.   Click on the title to read my review of the book description on Goodreads.


WaltScott_Sugar MoneySugar Money by Jane Harris (Martinique and Grenada) – In what will become a bit of a theme of this post, I’ve visited both these islands but only as ports of call on a Caribbean cruise.  I particularly loved St George’s, the capital of Grenada, with its colourful market full of the smell of spices.

TTT_Wide Sargasso SeaWide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (Dominica) –Jean Rhys was born on the Caribbean island of Dominica and the second part of her most well-known book is set there.  I’ve visited Dominica a few times, although only as the port of call on a cruise, but seen enough of the island to fall in love with its amazing rainforest scenery.

CaribbeeCaribbee by Thomas Hoover (Barbados) – I love Barbados and have been lucky enough to holiday there quite a few times.  It’s also the place where I got married so has a special place in my heart.

Dr NoDr. No by Ian Fleming (Jamaica) – I’d love to go back to Jamaica (another cruise ship call) and where I’d really like to visit is Kingston…but at the time the book is set.  Actually, no, I want to be there at the time the film starring Sean Connery is set, in that bar where he meets Quarrel or on that beach where he encounters Ursula Andress (or ‘Ursula Undress’ as my husband always refers to her as she emerges from the sea).

Murder on the Orient ExpressMurder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (Istanbul and all points beyond) -Obviously I don’t want to get involved in a murder but, oh, for the glamour of travelling on the Orient Express at the time the book is set.

Venetian BloodVenetian Blood: Murder in a Sensuous City by Christine Evelyn Volker (Venice) – I’ve visited Venice a couple of times and love the atmosphere of this amazing place, conjured up brilliantly in this book.  I’ll pass on the murderer stalking the streets, alleyways and canals.

That Summer in PugliaThat Summer in Puglia by Valeria Vescina (Italy) – I’ll confess I had no idea where Puglia was before reading this book but the descriptions of the landscape and Italian food in it are so luscious it made me want to pack my bag immediately.

EcstasyEcstasy by Mary Sharratt (Vienna) – I spent a lovely couple of days in Vienna a few years back and it’s a city I’d love to revisit.  It’s full of culture – art galleries, theatres, wonderful buildings and green spaces – all of which are evocatively described in this book, even if it is set at the turn of the 20th century.

John MacnabJohn MacNab by John Buchan (Scotland) – Now it wouldn’t be a What Cathy Read Next top ten list without a John Buchan book, would it?  This book is set on a Highland estate but where I’d really love to visit is Buchan’s own Border Country and The John Buchan Story Museum in Peebles.

TTT_RebeccaRebecca by Daphne du Maurier (Cornwall) – If you’ve never visited Cornwall then Daphne du Maurier’s books will definitely make you want to add it to your itinerary.  The scenery around Fowey, Menabilly (where she lived for a time and which was the model for Manderley) and the Helford River is delightfully atmospheric.