#TopTenTuesday Books From The Top Shelf

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 The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf. We’re invited to close our eyes and touch/grab/point to 10 random titles and tell everyone what they are, and what we thought if we’ve read them. 

Since randomly grabbing books from my packed shelves could result in the literary equivalent of an avalanche or a headline such as ‘Woman crushed by unread books’,  I’ve picked ten titles from the top shelf of one of my more organised bookcases. (Apologies to anyone who was expecting the sort of titles that used to appear on a newsagent’s top shelf.) And, yes, I am an alphabetical order kind of girl…

Titles in bold are the ones I’ve read (and liked enough to keep) and the link will take you to my review.  The others… well, they’re still patiently waiting.

TTT Top Shelf

The Haunting of Lamb House by Joan Aiken
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
According to Queenie by Beryl Bainbridge
The Improbable Adventures of Miss Emily Soldene by Helen Batten
A Three Dog Problem by S. J. Bennett
Jericho by Dirk Bogarde
The Romantic by William Boyd
The Assassin of Verona by Benet Brandreth
Two Women in Rome by Elizabeth Buchan
The Secrets of Primrose Square by Claudia Carroll

What books did you randomly grab – or, like me – not so randomly grab?


My Five Favourite April 2023 Reads

I read eight books in April, a bit less than usual for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on.  Below are my five favourite books. Links from each title will take you to my review (if I’ve written one yet) or to the book description on Goodreads. You can find a list of all the books I’ve read so far in 2023 here.  If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

My thanks to Corvus, Headline and Head of Zeus for providing me with digital review copies via NetGalley.

The Sinner’s Mark by S. W. Perry (Corvus) – The sixth book in the author’s historical crime series set in late Elizabethan London serves up another intriguing and suspenseful mystery for husband and wife team, Nicholas and Bianca Shelby.

The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry (riverrun) – Shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2023, a beautifully written, moving and intimate exploration of the marriage of Thomas and Emma Hardy.

Rivers of Treason by K. J. Maitland (Headline) – An absorbing, intricate historical thriller, the third in the series set in England during the reign of James I and featuring reluctant spy, Daniel Pursglove.

The Monk by Tim Sullivan (Head of Zeus) – A skilfully crafted, ingenious and compelling crime novel with a really engaging protagonist.

No Place to Hide by JS Monroe (Head of Zeus) – An intense, thought-provoking thriller that provides an unsettling insight into the surveillance technology that has become part of our everyday lives.

What were your favourite books last month? Have you read any of my picks?

My Five Favourite Reads (4)