Category: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Reads of 2017 So Far

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week they provide a prompt and other lovers of listmaking join in with their own top ten list.  Click on the link for more info and to find out about future topics.

This weeks theme is:   Best Books You’ve Read in 2017 so Far

2017 has been a pretty good reading year so far. I’ve really enjoyed most of what I’ve read, which makes narrowing it down to ten books pretty tough. Which ones do I leave out? Anyway, here’s an attempt, complete with links to reviews (where completed).

Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling – As it’s 20 years since the first Harry Potter book was published I decided to begin a series re-read.

The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey – A prequel to The Girl with all the Gifts, this book follows a group of soldiers and scientists on their journey to find a cure in a post-apocalyptic Great Britain.

Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan and The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan – Okay, I know, I’m cheating a little adding two books in one but I just had to mention them both.
The Autumn Republic is the end of the Powder Mage trilogy and what an ending to a great series.
Sins of Empire is the beginning of another series set in the same world, and featuring some of the characters from Powder Mage.
I loved both these books.

The Trees by Ali Shaw – Imagine you woke up to find the whole world had become one giant, dangerous forest.

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt – An eerie and atmospheric novel based on the real life double murder of Andrew Borden and his wife. His daughter Lizzie stood trial for the crime but was acquitted.

The Muse by Jessie Burton – I enjoyed the way the two narratives in this tale weaved together.

North and South by John Jakes – This is the first book in a trilogy set during the American Civil War. There are some brilliant characters and I can’t wait to get back to book two.

Golden Hill by Francis Spufford – A novel set in the early days of New York where a man arrives and causes a stir. There were some great moments throughout this book.

Cell by Stephen King – Everyone ends up in a zombie-like state after a bout of rage when they’re zapped by the Pulse, sent through mobile phones. A group of survivors go on a journey through this new and dangerous world. I read this after watching the movie, and although I liked both I think the book had the better ending.

Feed by Mira Grant – I’m ending my post this week with the book I’m currently reading. Zombies, a political campaign and a group of bloggers. What’s not to love?

What are your picks for the best books you’ve read so far this year?  Have you read anything that made my list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: TBR Additions – Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Post-Apocalyptic Style

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week they provide a prompt and other lovers of listmaking join in with their own top ten list.  Click on the link for more info and to find out about future topics.

This weeks theme is:   Books From X Genre That I’ve Recently Added to my TBR List

My TBR list is massive, infinite and ever-expanding, so some of the books here may be recent re-additions to the list, or I’ve moved them to the top of the list as I really feel in the mood to read them right now. Perhaps I’m becoming a bit of a mood reader these days?
If so, then I’m in the mood for some Fantasy, Sci-Fi and a good bit of Post-Apocalyptic themed reading.

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King – I can’t believe this isn’t out until September. What a wait! I added it to my TBR list as soon as I first heard about it.

The White Road by Sarah Lotz – I read Day Four and enjoyed it, and have read some good reviews for this new book, so I’ll give it a try.

Feed by Mira Grant – I love a good zombie story, and this is one I’ve been meaning to read for a while but haven’t had chance to get around to yet.

Feedback by Mira Grant – Another book set in the same world as Feed, but from a different perspective.

Fever by Deon Meyer – The books this is supposedly similar to are The Stand and The Passage. I’ve read and enjoyed both of those, so onto the TBR list it goes.

The Prince of Glass by Karen Miller – I read The Falcon Throne a while ago and really enjoyed it. This is book 2 in the same series.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – For some reason I’m in the mood for a book or two set in space, and I picked up a copy of this one recently so hopefully it’ll be at the top of my TBR pile soon.

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence – I’ve never read anything by Mark Lawrence before, but this book sounds really good.

The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams – I’m patiently waiting for the library to get this in stock. I feel like I requested it ages ago but it hasn’t arrived yet. I do know it’s on order though, so that’s a good thing.

The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey – This one only just makes it onto my list this week as I’ve actually just started reading it. I couldn’t not mention it though because it’s set in the same world as The Girl With All The Gifts (which I loved), and so far it’s really good.

Have you read any of the books on my list this week?  If so, what did you think of them?  What have you added to your TBR recently?

Top Ten Tuesday: I Will Instantly Read That Book If…

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week they provide a prompt and other lovers of listmaking join in with their own top ten list.  Click on the link for more info and to find out about future topics.

This weeks theme is:   Top Ten Things That Will Instantly Make Me Want To Read A Book

  • A Post-Apocalyptic scenario – I do love a good ‘end of the world as we know it’ type story, so much so that I devoted a whole Top Ten Tuesday post to the subject.
  • A brilliant villain – Heroes are good, but where would they be without a great villain or adversary to play off?
  • Or an even more fascinating anti-hero – I love characters who fall into this category. They’re not totally bad, but sometimes their actions make them impossible to call the hero of the tale.
  • Unique magic and epic world-building – I love the escapism of a great Fantasy tale, so the more magic and the more detailed the world the book is set in the happier I am.
  • Zombies – If you’re going for ‘end of the world’ then why not add in a few zombies to make things interesting?
  • Page count of over 500 pages – I don’t actually do this deliberately and set out to read massive books, but for some reason everything that catches my eye is always so long. I set myself a lower Goodreads target this year because even though I say I’ll try to go for shorter books it never happens.
  • Certain authors – Everyone has a certain few authors they’ll always read, right?
  • A striking cover backed up by an intriguing summary – I know, I know – you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. In general I don’t, well, not the cover alone, but several times recently I’ve been caught by a striking cover. Give me a great summary to go along with it and I’ll probably pick up the book.
  • A slow burn romance as part of a greater plot – I like tension between characters. I’m not a big romance fan in general but if there’s a slow burn to the point where you’re really willing the characters to get together then I’m in.
  • That totally random thing that just grabs my imagination and insists that I read that book – Occasionally I wont even know exactly why I feel inspired to pick up a particular book, and those are often the most enjoyable reads of all.

So, do you have any recommendations for me after reading my list?
What sort of things will guarantee that you will pick up a book?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books for Reading the Day Away

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week they provide a prompt and other lovers of listmaking join in with their own top ten list.  Click on the link for more info and to find out about future topics.

This weeks theme is:   Read In One Sitting Theme.

How I love the idea of reading an entire book in one sitting.
It’s never going to happen when I keep choosing all these 5/600+ page reads but I can’t seem to resist really long books.
For that reason, this week I’m going for books that may make you read the whole day away.  (You still won’t have reached the end of the book by the end of the day, but you might have managed a good chunk of the story).

A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin – First in the Song of Ice and Fire series. It may be several hundred pages long but I soon became engrossed in the goings on in Westeros.

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling – I guess the first two or three books may be read-in-one-sitting length.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – First in the series of time travel stories featuring Claire, who finds herself going back 200 years in the Scottish Highlands where she becomes involved with a certain red-haired Scotsman. It took me a while to get into this actually, but once it hooked me that was it, and I’ll definitely be reading the rest of the series.

The Muse by Jessie Burton – A recent read featuring two narratives, both of which were really engaging. History, art, a good mystery at the central of the tale, The Muse kept me reading for a good stretch of each day.

The Girl With All The Gifts by M R Carey – This one usually finds it’s way onto many of my Top Ten Tuesday posts.

IT by Stephen King – I can’t recall how many days I spent totally absorbed in the world King created in this book, but some of it was so vivid I can still remember it clearly years after I first read it.

The Trees by Ali Shaw – I couldn’t put down this post-apocalyptic read where the world becomes overrun by a mass of trees in an instant. The journey of a group of survivors is really good.

Christmas Under the Stars by Karen Swan – This one was a change from my usual reading choices and I really enjoyed the story of two people who meet under some pretty unique circumstances (I won’t say more and give it away). Although Christmas is in the title the majority of the story isn’t particularly Christmas-themed, so it’s one to pick up any time of year.

Any of the Jeeves books by P. G. Wodehouse – One of the few entries on my list that you actually may just about finish in one sitting, and have a good laugh during your reading as well.

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry – This has such a lot to offer; great story, descriptive writing and strong characters. I really enjoyed reading The Essex Serpent and lost many a day lost to its pages.

Have you read any of the books in my list this week, and can you recommend me any one-sitting reads?  As always, talk to me in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: My Spring TBR List 2017

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week they provide a prompt and other lovers of listmaking join in with their own top ten list.  Click on the link for more info and to find out about future topics.

This weeks theme is:   Top Ten Books on my Spring TBR

The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher – I can’t believe this one is still making my TBR-type posts because I’ve had it on my pile for the longest time. I’m in the mood for some Fantasy so I think this will have to be one of my first Spring reads.

The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams – As I mentioned before I’m in the mood for a good Fantasy novel and this one caught my eye a little while ago, so definitely adding it to my TBR.

Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan – This story is about characters trying to survive in space with only 90 minutes of air remaining.

The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan – This is the final book in the Powder Mage trilogy and I can’t wait to find out how it all ends. I’ve waited months for the library to get this one, so I was really pleased when I received the email saying it had arrived. Now to find out the fate of my favourite characters.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman – I recently finished Norse Mythology and decided I wanted to read more Gaiman so  I’ll probably check this out over the coming months. I bet I’ll end up watching the new series of American Gods too.

The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill – The Bailey’s Prize longlist was released recently and I noticed this book had made the list. I’ve seen the book compared to The Night Circus but I’m never sure whether that’s a good thing because I loved that book so much that it always leaves me with high expectations.

Hidden Killers by Lynda La Plante – I don’t really read much crime, but I am enjoying Tennison, or Prime Suspect 1973 as it’s known now there’s a tv series (which I haven’t started watching yet), so I’ll give the next book a try too.

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth – I’ve only read one book by this author so I’m looking forward to giving this one a try.

Carnivalesque by Neil Jordan – The cover caught my eye in the first place, I loved the contrast of the colours. Then I read what the story was about, carnivals and a boy caught behind a magic mirror, and I had to pick this one up.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters – I read this one a few years ago but for some reason it’s back in my mind and I’d like a re-read. Not sure whether I’ll get round to doing that because I already have such a massive TBR pile, but this book makes the list because the intent to read it is there 😀

Have you read any of the books that made my list?  If so, what did you think?
What are you hoping to read over the next few months?

Top Ten Tuesday – Ten of the Longest Books I’ve ever read

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week they provide a prompt and other lovers of listmaking join in with their own top ten list.  Click on the link for more info and to find out about future topics.

This weeks theme is:   Freebie, so I’m choosing ten of the longest books I’ve ever read

 I always feel drawn to really long books. I can’t seem to resist them, even though I keep thinking I should go for something shorter sometimes too. So, I thought it would be fun to have a look back and see just how long some of my longest reads have been. This list is the result:

IT by Stephen King – Wow, this one clocks in at a massive 1396 pages. I read this on my e-reader, so am actually surprised by this total because there’s no way the story felt that long, and it’s one I would definitely read again. I love the story of the group of children who end up fighting a monster that can take on the form of whatever you fear most. That they end up doing battle with it again years later as adults adds another layer to the story.

The Stand by Stephen King – 1320 of post-apocalypse in which the world is wiped out by the Captain Trips virus and the survivors find themselves drawn to two distant figures, Mother Abagail and the sinister Randall Flagg.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett – A historical novel of 1088 pages which revolves around the construction of a cathedral. The story follows several characters involved in the project and their adventures.

The Dark Tower by Stephen King – Stephen King does write a lot of long books, doesn’t he? This one comes in at 1072 pages. I love the whole Dark Tower series.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell – 1037 pages of the tale of Scarlett O’Hara.  It’s a long time since I read this one.

A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin – The second book in the Song of Ice and Fire series is 913 pages of great fantasy reading.

The Passage by Justin Cronin – 897 pages. I really need to read the rest of this series as I’m really into post-apocalyptic type stories at the moment.

The Fireman by Joe Hill – The world ends in fire in this 768 page tale. People affected by Dragonscale have a tendency to literally go up in flames, but there are those who may be able to survive, and even control the fire.

The Falcon Throne by Karen Miller – The first book of the Tarnished Crown series comes in at 729 pages with some great characters and situations. The next book in this series is due out later this year.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – Last on my list, the first time travel romance/adventure featuring Claire and Jamie Fraser is 627 pages long. I wonder how long the rest are, because I have them all on my tbr and want to read at least some of them during this year.

Do you enjoy long reads, and have you read any of the books that made my list?
Or are shorter reads more you?
I think I should try a few more shorter reads this year, maybe…

Top Ten Tuesday – Recent TBR List Additions

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week they provide a prompt and other lovers of listmaking join in with their own top ten list.  Click on the link for more info and to find out about future topics.

This weeks theme is:   Books I’ve Added to my TBR List Lately

 The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking – This is a lovely, eye-catching little book which looks like it might be interesting, especially at this time of year.

Golden Hill by Francis Spufford – This historical fiction came with the most enthusiastic recommendation from a bookseller that I’ve ever had. She literally couldn’t say enough about the story, the characters, the writing. It left me with high expectations, so let’s see whether the book lives up to them…

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon – I’m finally back into Outlander again and am reading the first book at the moment. I’m really enjoying it, despite having had a reading break, so I’m definitely going to carry on with the next one. I’ve already seen the tv series, so have an idea what the story will be about, but I love reading the books too.

Feedback by Mira Grant – I saw this one in the library and picked it up on impulse (because I cannot resist brand new library books). I haven’t actually read Feed yet (!!) so I’m not sure whether I’ll get around to reading this, or whether I’ll start at the very beginning. Either way, Mira Grant definitely makes my list this week.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead – The underground railroad in this story is an actual real railway system, and Cora and Caesar use it to escape from slavery on a plantation.

The Trees by Ail Shaw – The first thing that caught my eye was the striking cover. The story features a world that becomes engulfed by a forest overnight. Sounds like it might be good.

Christmas Under the Stars by Karen Swan – I usually like to check out the latest from Karen Swan at this time of year.

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery – I don’t know why but I’ve never read any of these stories and I think they’ll be a nice change from my usual reading.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber – I know this on isn’t out until early next year, but what I’ve seen around online about the story sounds fascinating. Magic, mystery and adventure? Count me in!

I can’t wait to get started reading some of these books.  Have you read any of the books on my list?  What have you added to your TBR lately?