Tag: books

#TopTenTuesday Book Series I Recommend The Most

whatcathyreadnext12 Comments

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 Books I Recommend to Others the Most. I’ve focused on book series, specifically historical crime/mystery series.

  1. The John Shakespeare series by Rory Clements set in Elizabethan times, including Holy Spy
  2. The Tom Wilde series by Rory Clements set in the 1940s, the latest being The English Führer
  3. The Jackdaw Mysteries series by S. W. Perry, the latest being The Sinner’s Mark 
  4. The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear set in the 1930s and 1940s, the latest being A Sunlit Weapon 
  5. The Giordano Bruno series by S. J. Parris set in the 16th century, the latest being Alchemy (to be published in July 2023)
  6. The Bradecote and Catchpoll series by Sarah Hawkswood set in 12th century England, the latest being A Taste for Killing
  7. The Nighthawk series by Jim Kelly set in 1940s Cambridge, including The Mathematical Bridge
  8. The Raven, Fisher and Simpson series by Ambrose Parry set in 19th century Edinburgh, the latest being Voices of the Dead (to be published in June 2023)
  9. The Rachel Savernake series by Martin Edwards set in 1930s London, the latest being Sepulchre Street (published this week)
  10. The Matthew Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom set in 16th century England, including Tombland 

What books or book series do you regularly recommend to others?

20 Books Of Summer 2023 Reading Challenge #20booksofsummer23

whatcathyreadnext14 Comments

20-books-of-summerI cannot believe it’s already time for this annual challenge run by my namesake Cathy at 746 Books.  This year it takes place between Thursday 1st June and Friday 1st September 2023.  I’ve participated for the past few years but only managed to complete it once, in 2021.

As (the other) Cathy explains, the rules are simple.  Take the Books of Summer image, pick your own 10, 15 or 20 books you’d like to read and add your link to Cathy’s master post so she knows you’re taking part.

The rules are accommodating as well.  Want to swap a book? Go for it.  Fancy changing your list half way through? No problem.  Deciding to drop your goal from 20 to 15? She’s fine with that too.

I’m aiming for the full 20 once again and, as last year, I’m targeting the paperback books that have been in my TBR pile the longest according to Goodreads. Most are books I bought myself; a few (whisper) are review copies. All have been there an embarrassingly long time. Why just paperbacks? Well, because they’re double-stacked at the moment and it looks untidy on my bookshelf! If I enjoy them and think I might want to read them again, they’ll go back on the bookshelf.  If not, they’ll go on the pile for the charity bookshop. I’ve also included a couple of unread hardback books from prior years’ challenges.

You can find my list below.  Links from the titles will take you to the book description on Goodreads. I’ll update them with links to my reviews when – note, not if – I’ve read them.

  1. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (waiting since October 2017)
  2. Treason by James Jackson (waiting since November 2017)
  3. Transcription by Kate Atkinson (waiting since January 2018)
  4. The Draughtsman by Robert Lautner (waiting since March 2018)
  5. The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle by Kirsty Wark (waiting since March 2018)
  6. The Painter of Souls by Philip Kazan (waiting since April 2018)
  7. Appetite by Philip Kazan (waiting since April 2018)
  8. Anna of Kleve by Alison Weir (waiting since June 2018)
  9. Wrecker by Noel O’Reilly (waiting since August 2018)
  10. China Blue by Madalyn Morgan (waiting since October 2018)
  11. Chasing Ghosts by Madalyn Morgan (waiting since October 2018)
  12. Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce (waiting since March 2019)
  13. Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts (waiting since March 2019)
  14. In Two Minds by Alis Hawkins (waiting since March 2019)
  15. The Cross and the Curse by Matthew Harffy (waiting since May 2019)
  16. Invitation to a Bonfire by Adrienne Celt (waiting since August 2019)
  17. A Stranger in my Grave by Margaret Millar (waiting since September 2019)
  18. The Night Raids by Jim Kelly (waiting since January 2020)
  19. The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant by Kayte Nunn (waiting since February 2020)
  20. To Calais, In Ordinary Time by James Meek (waiting since February 2020)

Wish me luck! If you’re taking part too, enjoy your summer of reading.