#TopTenTuesday Animal Life #TuesdayBookBlog

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 Top Ten Tuesday topic is Animal Companions. I’ve picked ten books I’ve read that involve relationships between animals and humans in some shape or other. Links from the title will take you to my review.

  1. My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende – on the battlefields of the Chilean Civil War, Emilia is “adopted” by a dog named Covadonga who becomes her loyal companion
  2. Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov – Viktor, an aspiring Ukranian writer, adopts a pet penguin whom he names Misha
  3. Tiny Pieces of Enid by Tim Ewins – Enid is encouraged in her efforts by an imaginary macaw
  4. The Birdcage by Eve Chase – Bertha the parrot’s often ill-timed mimicry of snippets of overheard conversations reveal secrets
  5. Lean on Me by Serge Joncour – a flock of crows that have invaded their shared apartment block bring farmer-turned-debt collector Ludovic and fashion designer Aurore together
  6. The Swallowed Man by Edward Carey – Geppetto endures enforced companionship given he’s trapped inside the stomach of a giant sea beast
  7. The Writer’s Cats by Muriel Barbery, illustrated by by Maria Guitart – the writer’s four cats pass judgment on her latest output, including farting noisily at offending lines
  8. A Three Dog Problem by S. J. Bennett – the late Queen Elizabeth investigates a mystery accompanied as ever by her corgis
  9. Saving Missy by Beth Morrey – a chance encounter in the local park sees Bob the dog come into Missy’s previously lonely life
  10. The Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson – in Tudor England, Joan Vaux feels an affinity with the ravens that inhabit the Tower of London and, as the legend goes, protect the kingdom

My Week in Books – 25th May 2025

Monday – I published my review of Days of Light by Megan Hunter.

Tuesday – This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic was Books That Feature Travel.

Wednesday – As always WWW Wednesday is a weekly opportunity to share what I’ve just read, what I’m currently reading and what I plan to read next… and to take a peek at what others are reading. 

It’s been a quiet week on the blog but a busy one at home…


Absolutely nothing!

I’ve just started The Mare by Angharad Hampshire, I’m listening to The Book of Days by Francesca Kay (both on the shortlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction) and I’m reading A Beautiful Way to Die by Eleni Kyriacou from my NetGalley shelf.


  • Book Review: Traitor’s Legacy by S.J. Parris
  • Book Review: The Night Swimmer by Simon J. Houlton
  • Book Review: Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon