Tag Archives: top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday – Things That Make Me Instantly NOT Want to Read a Book

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, this week it is Things That Make Me Instantly NOT Want to Read a Book (what are your immediate turn-offs or dealbreakers when it comes to books?). I initially struggled to think of 10, then I got into the flow of it!

Here is my list:

Sad books – I don’t want to cry over books.

Books with too many sex scenes (although I have read the 50 Shades of Grey series).

Books with plain covers – if they don’t catch my eye then I am not likely to pick them up.

Large books – if a book looks too big then I won’t bother (unless it is a popular book or is part of a series that I am already interested in reading).

Poetry books – I have tried to get into poetry, but it just isn’t for me at the moment.

Non-Fiction books – these generally don’t hold my interest at the moment.

Graphic Novels – I have never been able to follow these.

Books about general life – I like excitement and something that is different to the everyday.

My mood – this will have a big effect on whether I want to read a particular book or not.

The season – I like to seasonal read. If it is Summer then I don’t particularly want to read a Christmas book!

What would be on your list?

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“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “recommended”

Top Ten Tuesday – Things That Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book

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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, this week it is Things That Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book (these can be auto-buy authors, tropes you love, if an author you love blurbed it, settings, genres, etc.). This is a tough one as sometimes I like the look of a book without any real reason as to why! I have however managed to come up with this list:

At the top of my list would have to be the blurb. I always carefully read the blurb in case there is something in there that puts me off buying it, specifically if I think that it is going to be too sad. I do not like reading sad books.

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If the cover of a book catches my eye – bright and colourful or dark and mysterious usually – then I will pick it up and read the blurb.

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If there is a popular book on Instagram then I will investigate it further.

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If someone recommends a book then I am more likely to investigate it.

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I do have a couple of auto buy authors, but I tend to buy a book based on it’s individual merits (unless it is a series that I am currently enjoying!). A couple of my auto buy authors are Richard Osman and Dan Brown, with possibly Jo Thomas and Ali Hazelwood being added to that list.

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If I am enjoying a series of books then I would automatically buy the next one and then investigate any other books that have been written by that author.

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I tend to read seasonally so in the Summer I would prefer to read a beach or Summer holiday themed book, Christmas would have to have a Christmas theme, Winter I go for a cold theme – murder or a romance that is set in a cold place, October I tend to go for more Halloween/Fantasy inspired books and Spring is more of a free for all with nothing too extreme. I have found though that Spring type books are hard to find as they tend to leak into a Summer theme!

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Each month I set myself a new genre/theme to read, so any book that fits into that tends to get picked over others!

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If I am trying to find a book that fits in with a challenge on Instagram or on someone’s Blog then I will narrow my search down to that.

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Sometimes just a catchy title grabs my attention. This only tends to work with me if the book is a Thriller though!

What are your reasons for picking a specific book?

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “recommended”

Top Ten Tuesday -Books I Recommend to Others the Most

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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, this week I am doing the previous week’s theme Books I Recommend to Others the Most. 9 May was my birthday so I missed out on doing this post!

Here are books that I have already recommended and books that I would recommend:

Books I have recommended:

Book Review – The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune

FANTASY

Book Review – The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

COSY MYSTERY

Book Review – Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Sutanto

CONTEMPORARY HUMOUR

Inferno by Dan Brown (click for link to Goodreads)

MYSTERY/THRILLER

Library Book Review – The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

CHRISTMAS/THRILLER

Library Book Review – You Had Me At Halloumi by Ginger Jones

CHICK LIT/ROMANCE

Book Review – A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

FANTASY/ROMANCE

Books that I would recommend:

Library Book Review – Royals by Rachel Hawkins

ROMANCE

Book Review – The 13th Assassin by Frank Malley

SPY THRILLER

Book Review – The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

ROMANCE

What books do you recommend to people?

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”, “recommended”, “easy read”, “library”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “cosy books”, “romance”, “reading slump”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”, “book recommendations”, “mystery”, “thriller”, “fantasy”

Top Ten Tuesday -The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf

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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, this week it is The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf (close your eyes and touch/grab/point to 10 random titles and tell us what they are! And tell us what you thought if you’ve read them!). I have books all over the place so I will be travelling round the house for this one!

Books In The Lounge:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (click for link to Goodreads)

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (click for my review)

Books In The Bedroom:

Staycation by Cressida McLaughlin (click for link to Goodreads)

Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer (click for link to Goodreads)

Books In The Spare Room:

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (click for my review)

The City of Tears by Kate Mosse (click for my review)

Books In The Upstairs Landing:

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (click for my review)

Lucifer’s Game by Cristina Loggia (click for my review)

Books Going Up The Stairs:

Promise Me by Jill Mansell (click for my review)

Bridget Jones Diary and Other Writing by Helen Fielding (click for my review)

What books are on your shelves?

Top Ten Tuesday – Books on My Spring 2023 To-Read List

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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, this week I have decided to do a previous TTT. I don’t listen to Audio books and to be honest I still wouldn’t be able to muster the attention span even if a celebrity read them. This week I have therefore decided to show case my Spring TBR plans!

Books That Will Definitely Be Read:

Sylvia by Maithreyi Karnoor (click for link to Goodreads)

Blog Tour for this book is on 12 May

The Medici Murders by David Hewson (click for link to Goodreads)

Blog Tour for this book is on 17 May

Summer Wedding by Sarah Morgan (click for link to Goodreads)

Netgalley review due on 25 May

Books I Would Like To Read, But Probably Won’t Have Time To:

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (click for link to Goodreads)

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano (click for link to Goodreads)

The World According To Kaleb by Kaleb Cooper (click for link to Goodreads)

Vera Wong’s Unsolicitre Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto (click for link to Goodreads)

Majesty by Katharine McGee (click for link to Goodreads)

Dating Dr Dil by Nisha Sharma (click for link to Goodreads)

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (click for link to Goodreads)

What books are on your Spring TBR?

Top Ten Tuesday -Non-book Freebie – Holiday Destinations

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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, this week it is Non-book Freebie (choose your own topic that’s not related to books! This could be hobbies, TV shows/movies, bands/singers, food items/recipes, top ten things about you, your top ten favorite things, places you’ve visited, favorite fashion designers, etc. Take this time to let your readers get to know you a little!).

I have decided to do a list of holiday trips that I have been on. Not in any particular order as I have been to some great places (plus these are the only photos that I could get hold of fairly easily!)

Iceland

Venice

Florence

Paris

Kefalonia

Southern France

Dublin (specifically The National Library, not that we were able to go in)

Wales

Isle of Man (technically this is The Calf Of Man taken from The Isle of Man)

Bath

Have you been to any of these places?

Top Ten Tuesday – Titles with Animals In Them and/or Covers with Animals On Them

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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, this week it is Titles with Animals In Them and/or Covers with Animals On Them (submitted by Rachel @ Sunny Side). I have had to go back to 2021 as it seems that I don’t read that many books with animals on the cover!

Blog Tour Book Review – R&R Book Tours – Last Blue Christmas by Rose Prendeville

Mystery/Christmas Romance

Easter Reading – Free on Amazon Kindle – Book Review – The Clutch of Eggs by Debbie Young

Short Story

Random Things Blog Tour – Book Review – The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen

Mystery/Crime/Thriller

Book Review – A Binturong In My Bed by Chris Lois

Children

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Vlad and the Roman Triumph by Kate and Sam Cunningham

Children

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Fish Swimming In Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda

Psychological Thriller – Translated Fiction

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Daisy and the Dazzling Dachshunds by Janey Clarke

Cosy Mystery

Random Things Tours – Book Review – The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen

Crime/Thriller

Library Book Review – A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton

Christmas/Romance

Book Review -The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

Mystery

What books are on your list?

Top Ten Tuesday – Favourite Heroines Or Heros

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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, this week it is Favourite Heroines Or Heros. This one was a tough one for me, so I just chose 10 characters that I enjoyed reading about:

Joyce from The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (click for link to my review)

Henri Koskinen from The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen (click for link to my review)

Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (click for link to Goodreads)

Jane from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (click for link to Goodreads)

Zara from Finding Mr Perfectly Fine by Tasneem Abdur-Rashid (click for link to my review)

Finlay Donovan from Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (click for link to my review)

Meddy Chan from Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Sutanto (click for link to my review)

Audrey from The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan (click for link to my review)

Nanee from The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton (click for link to my review)

Becca from Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson (click for link to my review)

What characters are on your list?

Top Ten Tuesday – Valentine’s Day Freebie

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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, this week it is a Valentine’s Day Freebie. For this I will post up the last 10 Romance novels that I enjoyed (not including Christmas ones, so this list just became harder!). I never used to read Romance, but have found a new appreciation for them since reading The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (click for my review).

Book Review – Royal Valentine by Jenn McKinlay

Random Things Tours – Book Review – It Only Takes A Minute by Sasha Lane

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Someone To Kiss by Jamie Anderson

Library Book Review – The Little Paris Patisserie by Julie Caplin

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Last Time We Met by Emily Houghton

Library Book Review – Paris For One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes

Blog Tour – Book Review – Finding Mr Perfectly Fine by Tasneem Abdur-Rashid

Library Book Review – You Had Me At Halloumi by Ginger Jones

Book Review – Distant Stars by Kassandra Garrison

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic by Lauren Ho

What books are on your list?

Top Ten Tuesday – New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2022

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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, this week it is New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2022. This should be fairly easy for me as I take part in a lot of Blog Tours – all of which are new to me authors plus Instagram makes me try lots of new books. My only problem will be cutting it down to 10!

Ali Hazelwood – Book Review – The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

I have got Love on the Brain to read and also have my eye on her other novellas!

Laura Purcell – Book Review – The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

I really enjoyed this book and at some point want to read some of her other books.

J Taylor – Random Things Blog Tour – Book Review – A Moment on the Lips by J Taylor and Book Review – A Moment On The Lips At Christmas by J Taylor

I loved the first book and jumped at the chance to read the christmas one!

Julie Caplin – Book Review – The Little Cafe in Copenhagen by Julie Caplin and Book Review – The Little Paris Patisserie by Julie Caplin

I heard about this author from Secret Library Book Blog. I was so pleased that there was a whole series that I could make my way through. I asked for the latest one for Christmas and I am looking forward to making a start on it.

Tessa Bailey – Book Review – It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey and Random Things Blog Tour – Book Review – Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

I saw It Happened One Summer on Instagram and then jumped at the chance to be on the Blog Tour for the second book.

Elena Armas – Book Review – The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

This was a popular one on Instagram. There are other books by this author that I would like to try at some point.

Antti Tuomainen – Random Things Blog Tour – Book Review – The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen and Random Things Tours – Book Review – The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen

I randomly saw The Rabbit Factor as a Blog Tour potential and was pleased to be accepted onto it. I then saw that the second book was also available as a Blog Tour and jumped at the chance.

Elle Cosimano – Book Review – Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

I enjoyed this one and got the second one for Christmas.

Jo Thomas – Random Things Tours – Book Review – Retreat to the Spanish Sun by Jo Thomas and Random Things Tours – Book Review – Keeping A Christmas Promise by Jo Thomas

I have read a couple of her books on Tours and would quite happily read her others.

Karen Rose – Random Things Tours – Book Review – Quarter To Midnight by Karen Rose

I enjoyed being on the Blog Tour for this one and would quite happily read the others in the series.

What authors are on your list?