#TopTenTuesday Favourite Books I Read In 2019

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 Favourite Books I Read In 2019. This is always the hardest topic of the year for me because I find it so difficult to pick just ten titles from all the great books I’ve read this year. I suspect I’m not alone. All the books in my list got the full five stars but there were others that did as well. For a complete list of all the books I read in 2019, along with my star ratings, click here. Links from the book titles will take you to my review.


Nemesis by Rory Clements (published by Zaffre) – the third book in the Tom Wilde historical mystery series

Eagle & Crane by Suzanne Rindell (published by Allison & Busby) – a fantastic story, beautifully told

The Phoenix of Florence by Philip Kazan (published by Allison & Busby) – a powerful and immersive historical mystery set in 16th Italy

Where the Hornbeam Grows: A Journey In Search Of A Garden by Beth Lynch (published by W & N) – an insightful and moving memoir

The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey (published by Simon & Schuster) – an intense and heart-breaking story of love and loss

Fled by Meg Keneally (published by Zaffre) – compelling and dramatic

Hudson’s Kill by Paddy Hirsch (published by Corvus) – the second book in the Justice Flanagan historical crime series

This Mortal Boy by Fiona Kidman (published by Gallic Books) – moving and thought-provoking story based on true events

The Mermaid’s Call by Katherine Stansfield (published by Allison & Busby) – the third in the Cornish Mysteries series

The Mathematical Bridge by Jim Kelly (published by Allison & Busby) – the second in the Nighthawk historical crime series set in WW2 Cambridge

I think you can probably tell from my choices that I love a good historical crime mystery and that there a couple of publishers who know exactly the kind of books I like to read!

What were your favourite books of 2019?

#TopTenTuesday Books To Place Under The Xmas Tree

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 Books I Hope to Find Under My Tree. As I have so many unread books in my TBR pile I really don’t need to add to them so instead I’m going to suggest some books you might like to place under the Christmas tree for friends and family. Links from the book titles will take you to my review.


For the crime fiction lover

Motive X by Stefan Ahnhem – dark and compelling

The Listening Walls by Margaret Millar – classic American noir

Poor Boy Road by James L. Weaver – the first in the Jake Caldwell series

For the fan of historical fiction

The Phoenix of Florence by Philip Kazan – historical mystery set in 15th century Italy

The Night Tiger by Yangtze Choo – intriguing and magical story set in 1930s colonial Malaya

Wicked By Design by Katy Moran – lively adventure set in 19th century England but not as we know it from the history books

Stealing Roses by Heather Cooper – historical romance set on the Isle of Wight

Storm of Steel by Matthew Harffy – action-packed adventure set in 7th century Anglo-Saxon Britain

For the reader of non-fiction

Where The Hornbeam Grows by Beth Lynch – a memoir about making a life, and a garden, in a new country

The Outrun by Amy Liptrot – unflinching memoir about the power of the natural world to heal

Can you think of someone who’d like to receive one of these this festive season?