Top Ten Tuesday - The Ones With Summer Vibes

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

On occasion I'll be joining in the Top Ten Tuesday posts hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday Topic is: Books or Covers that feel like summer. In an attempt to not make this take longer than it should, I thought I would just pick the most recent ten mentions on my blog that had a summery vibe. I soon realized two things. First, I don't do a lot of beach reads; and second, my reads tend to have dark covers. I don't know what that says about me as a person. Anyway, it got me started, so here are some books that I associate with summery thoughts.

Beaches by Iris Rainer Dart - I mean, obviously. This was the first title that came to mind and this was the cover on the paperback I owned when I read it decades ago. Decades! 

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares - This is another book that came to mind immediately, even though I haven't read it. A summer themed story, and I think this cover looks rather summery as well.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - This was the first of my recent reads that caught my eye. This cover makes me think of summer mostly because I associate these colors with the beach.

A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn - I have the paperback, which has a slightly different, but equally summery cover. It also has summer in the title, and is a really good book.

Waiting for Summer's Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer - It seems a long time ago that I read this, but I remember it. It's a prairie summer cover, and I chose this one from among a whole lot that I've read with a similar image on the cover because it Summer is the lead character's name and is in the title.

A Pretty Deceit by Anna Lee Huber - This cover is a picture of English summer, at least how I'd picture it in the 1920s when the story takes place.

Season Of My Enemy by Naomi Musch - I couldn't scroll past this cover without including it. I think it's a cute depiction of a hot summer day on the farm, and that's exactly the setting too.

Ever Faithful by Karen Barnett - Similar idea, because the story takes place during the summer at Yellowstone National Park, and the cover says 'vintage summer vacation' to me.

Keturah (The Sugar Baron's Daughters) by Lisa T. Bergren - One of the closest to a beach cover I noticed in my archives, although I'm sure there are more.

Shadow among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens - Another very British and summery image, and it's a historical setting like a majority of my reads.

This article will be linked at Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Top Ten Tuesday - The One With My Attention-Getters

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

On occasion I'll be joining in the Top Ten Tuesday posts hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday Topic is: Things That Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book. I'm not sure I can come up with ten, but I have a couple in mind immediately, so let's see how far it takes me! I have some favorite authors and series, and a few other things that get my attention every time.

1. Anything by Anna Lee Huber - I just automatically buy every book she writes, and usually pre-order them because they are just so good! I'm especially invested in the Lady Darby series. 

A favorite ALH cover

2. Anything by Deanna Raybourn - Same idea, although it's not an auto-purchase, but if her name is on the cover, I pretty much know I'm going to love it. (I'm actually behind right now in reading series by both authors - it's what happens when I keep getting sidetracked by the books I need to review.)

Currently on my TBR pile

3. Anything by Connilyn Cossette - Here's another author that has never disappointed me, and if I'm not fortunate enough to get on a review team for her books, I go ahead and buy them.

Her debut novel that hooked me

4. Next in the series: A Door To The Past - There are several series that I really enjoy and can't help myself wanting to get my hands on each new addition that comes out. A Door to the Past is one of those series. It's a multi-author series of dual timeline stories based on American historical sites. 

My favorite in the series

5. Any historical novel about a Bible character or theme - I'm fascinated by the different takes on what a character like Bathsheba or Samson or Deborah was really like. As long as the novel is well-researched and doesn't try to change what the Bible records, I'll probably be interested.

6. A favorite formula - a female sleuth set in a historical period pre-1900. Notice that the first two favorite authors I listed are known for their lady detectives in a Victorian England setting. If there's a bit of romance included, even better. There are a lot of authors writing this type of story, so I obviously can't read all of them, but I want to!

7. Set in a place I'm familiar with - I often find myself gravitating towards a book as soon as I see that it's set in one of the places I've lived or have visited and remember well. Set in Canada will definitely grab my attention.

Set in Yellowstone

8. It helps me out with a reading challenge - Yeah, sometimes I'll take a chance on a book because I need one set in a certain country, or with a certain feature in the title or on the cover.

9. I keep seeing it mentioned or reviewed by book bloggers I trust - Perfect example is my recent read of Remarkably Bright Creatures. I kept seeing it on blogs, it sounded unusual, it had a great cover, and it would fit a couple categories of a reading challenge. It is a wonderful book!

10. Seasonal themes - Especially Christmas. Come December I'm a sucker for the holiday themed stories from favorite authors or in favorite settings. In March, I usually read something set in Ireland. Valentine's Day themes and covers catch my eye in February. You get the idea.

What kinds of books are guaranteed to get your attention? Leave a comment and let me know!

This article will be linked at Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl .

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Top Ten Tuesday - The One With Obstacles (and the Book Blogger Hop)

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

On occasion I'll be joining in the Top Ten Tuesday posts hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and today is one of those days. The occasions on which I have time and remember to join in are far fewer than I'd expected!

This week's Top Ten Tuesday Topic is: Things Getting In the Way of Reading. In other words, what's taking up your time right now - other than reading? Seems to me that there are probably things getting in the way of my attempts at writing blog posts too. Probably some of the same things! At any rate, in no particular order, here are the things that tend to chip away at my reading time.

Sleep - Although it's just as likely that I'll get caught up in a book and keep reading 'one more chapter' when I should be sleeping, very often I just can't stay awake or I decide to take a nap rather than read for a bit.

Games - I have a couple of puzzle games I like to play on my phone or Kindle, and sometimes I just want to conquer the game rather than pick up a book.

Internet - Pretty much everything I do on the computer will take longer than I expect or intend and there goes a reading opportunity.

Podcasts - I have several podcasts I like to listen to, and I don't like pausing in the middle. So I'll decide to finish the podcast and before I know it, no time left to read.

Housework - In a way this goes with the podcasts, because I can listen to podcasts while I do a lot of household tasks, but I obviously can't do that while holding a book. (Yes, I could listen to audio books, couldn't I? I've never really gotten into audio books, sadly.)

Homework - Either grading papers for the students I tutor or working on my own homework for a course I'm working on.

Darkness - Sometimes I'd like to read, but it's late and my husband is sleeping so I really need to turn out the light. If I don't have something on my Kindle that I feel like reading at the moment, then I don't read.

Trouble Concentrating - If there are things going on around me, I can have trouble focusing on my book.

Not Prepared - I hate when I get stuck just waiting somewhere but I didn't bring a book to work on. Or I don't have my reading glasses with me. Or I brought my Kindle but the battery is dead.

Not In the Mood - This is so weird, but yeah, there are times when I just don't have anything handy that I feel like reading in that moment.

This article will be linked at Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl .

And I skipped my Friday Fun post so here is the weekly bookish question in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

This Week's Question: Do you have a "trademark" that everyone would know it's you whether you said your name or blog name?

My Answer: I'm not sure that I do, except that I've tried to keep each of my blogs "branded" with a coffee theme. When I leave comments on book blogs, I often end my comment with "Happy Reading!" but I've noticed a lot of others do the same. So I guess my coffee cup button or avatar might be the closest thing to a "trademark" that I have.

Book Blogger Hop

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Top Ten Tuesday - The One With Animals

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

On occasion I'll be joining in the Top Ten Tuesday posts hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and although it's quite late on a Tuesday, I am participating this week!

This week's Top Ten Tuesday Topic is: Titles with Animals or Book Covers with Animals. I don't read a lot of stories about animals or featuring animals, so I thought it might be interesting to browse through what I've reviewed on my blog that featured animals in the title or on the cover. After scrolling for a bit, I realized that my animal-centric reading is really rare! I'll start with a couple of favorites, add some children's books that I've loved, and then include some honorable mentions and "to-read" titles. Here we go:

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa  - A stray cat becomes the perfect pet and traveling companion for Satoru, and proves to be one of his most loyal friends. One of my favorite books! (Read my full review HERE)

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron - I read this ages ago, but I remember it being so sweet. An abandoned kitten finds a home in a small library, and becomes its mascot and a beloved celebrity.

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry - As a young girl, I adored horse stories and read all of Marguerite Henry's books. Misty is the best known and the representative of the series. 

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is another childhood favorite.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White - Another children's classic that I loved.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - A classic that features the hound on the cover and the title, and of course the hound is at the center of the first Sherlock Holmes mystery.

Detective Trigger and the Ruby Collar by M.A. Owens is a clever and entertaining private eye story featuring a hardboiled chihuahua detective and a powerful cat crime boss. I reviewed it a few years ago and enjoyed it. If I remember correctly this is geared for middle grade readers. (Read my full review HERE.)

Off The Chain by Janice Thompson - I reviewed this one more recently, and it was fun too. Not quite my style, but it was cute and I recommend this and the rest of the series if you like a clean cozy mystery with a touch of romance. And featuring dogs, of course! (Read my full review HERE)

Undertones by L.S. Popovich - I reviewed this one quite awhile back and it's got a much darker wit. It features a whole cast of anthropomorphic animals in a humorous mystery. Dane is a jazz-playing anteater just trying to find out what happened to his polar bear girlfriend while kicking an ant addiction. (Read my full review HERE.)

   

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - And this one is on my to-read list! I've got a hold on it at the library, but so do a whole lot of other people, so I'm just waiting my turn, and hoping it's as good as the buzz!

This article will be linked at Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl .

And since I skipped Friday Fun last week, here is the weekly bookish question in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

This Week's Question: Do you spend your lunchtime reading?

My Answer: Absolutely! Most weekdays, anyway. In fact, I usually have a couple of books that I keep in the dining room for breakfast or lunchtime reading.

Book Blogger Hop

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.