Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books with Nationalities in the Titles and Tell Me Something Tuesday: Which books are you looking forward to reading this Fall?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Welcome to Tuesday and the first day of September. I am ready for fall, y'all! My mantle has been cleaned off and is just waiting for me to have time to decorate it. My fall decorations can't quite rival my Christmas decorations, but they are trying. 

No real news from the doctor, so more bloodwork tomorrow. How fun. 

Let's talk books. Such a neat topic this week. I will do my best with it. 

Top Ten Books with Nationalities

 in the Titles

French Letters: Virginia's War: Tierra Texas 1944 by Jack Woodville London

(Makes this list because I despised every character)

French Illusions by Linda Lovic-Skow

(Loved working as an editor on this project)

Loss of Innocence: A Novel of the French Revolution by Anne Newton Walther

(One of the first books I reviewed)

American Prophet by Jeff Fulmer

(I enjoy politics)

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

(An online quiz said I wrote like him. LOL!)

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

(One of the books I still desperately want to read)

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

(The title alone makes me want to read it)

Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

(Might be the most used cookbook in my house)

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

(This one sounds adorable)

Under a Greek Sky by Francesca Catlow

(If I didn't have a Greek book on the list, the family might disown me)

Tell Me Something Tuesday (TMST) is hosted by Jen Twimom at That's What I'm Talking About. TMST is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Participation is optional, and you can leave your comments in the weekly post when you participate. Check it out if you're interested in joining.

Tell Me Something Tuesday's first prompt of the "ber" months asks us to share which books we are looking forward to reading this fall. Honestly, with my schedule lately, any book will do. I've been sneaking in moments here and there, but certainly not enough. Though it might seem like I am rushing the holiday season, here is what I want to read.

A Christmas Carol Devotional by Rachel Dodge

The Christmas Yes List by Melissa Ferguson

A Castle Christmas by Jimmy Bennett

Belle's Christmas Carol by Michelle Griep

Looking forward to reading your lists today!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Aug 31

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and are about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. 

Welcome to the last Monday and the last day of August. How quickly that happened. Hope you had a nice week. I worked and worked and then worked some more. No day off for me, but I'm looking forward to a day or two off this coming weekend. I did, however, get to spend some time in the kitchen.

Cookies!

Green beans and potatoes like my MIL 

used to make

Chicken cacciatore, which my MIL

 enjoyed cooking

Today is filled with medical appointments and work appointments. Would appreciate your prayers, as I have a suspicion based on recent bloodwork that I won't like what the doctor has to say. Hopefully, I am wrong. 

In my blogging and reading world, I still need to write my review of The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller. Amazing book! 

I didn't read The Eyes of River last week. 

Almost done with Staged by Caitlin Rother. 

Loving Massawa by Pam Webber. 

I still need to write a review of Food is Medicine by Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DRPH.

I am reading:

• A Christmas Carol Devotional: 25 Advent Reflections from Charles Dickens's Beloved Classic by Rachel Dodge
• The Christmas Yes List by Melissa Ferguson
• Beginner's Guide to Using an AI Assistant by Hank Quense

Upcoming Events

• Evan's Stormy Voyage by Karen Charles - Sep 24 (Review at TC&TBC)
• She Forgot She Was Free by Giselle Mascarenhas - Oct 14 (Review)

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

I am still pretending I have self-control by not ordering or buying anything new. Of course, I haven't done much other than work, so that has helped. 

Christmas Year Round

Journey through Christmases Past explores what might be the last analog Christmas in 1994. I will let you decide if that's true. You can read my post here. 

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

New feature alert! What Do You Think? will be reaching out to readers to ask their opinions on things. It might be very quiet, but we will see how it goes. Talking about author newsletters this week. Check it out here.

Laura's Little Houses

Nothing new this week, but ideas are always brewing. Season 2 of the new Little House on the Prairie is in production. I always have a hard time investing in a Netflix series because they cancel them so easily. I hope this series gets a longer run. 

That's it from me. I look forward to visiting you later today. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Bookish Places I’ve Visited

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Happy Tuesday! Hope you are having a great week so far. I am on the road early today, taking photos of a new listing. Not to be confused with the new listing that is launching tomorrow. Real estate is a crazy, crazy world. Sometimes you are slammed, and sometimes you are begging for the phone to ring. 

Let's talk books. Today's Top Ten Tuesday is about bookish places I've visited. I'm not much of a traveler, so this list might be shorter than usual. 

1. The Wicked Press, South Windsor, CT. Coffee, tea, and books all in one fun store. This place is owned by a local home inspector's wife. I went for the grand opening. It was amazing. She had started as an online and pop-up bookstore before opening her brick-and-mortar. 
2. Downtown Books, Manteo, NC. Our annual visit to the Outer Banks would never be complete without a couple of visits to Downtown Books in Manteo, pronounced by the locals as "man-ee-ow." Never understood why the "t" is silent. It has changed owners several times through the years. Back in 2011, Hurricane Irene destroyed its inventory, but it still stands strong. It features books by well-known authors, many local authors, cards, and other neat bookish gifts. 
3. The New York Public Library, New York, NY. We made time to visit this beautiful library in the city. Online photos don't do the architecture justice. It is stunning in person. It's also has an impressive collection of historical items. 
4. Boston Public Library, Boston, MA. Proving Massachusetts is a state of firsts, Boston Public Library was the first free municipal library in the United States. It also lays claim to some other firsts on their About page. The McKim Building, designated a National Historical Landmark in 1986, is “the first outstanding example of Renaissance Beaux-Arts Classicism in America.”
5. Johnson's Bookstore, Springfield, MA. If you loved the smell of old books and old buildings, then a trip to Johnson's Bookstore was just what you wanted. Housed in the Charles Hall Building on Main Street, visiting Johnson's was an adventure because it had new and used books, gifts, toys, and greeting cards. The selection seemed endless. As a kid, I used to take a bus to get there with my uncle. It closed in 1997, but the memories live on. 
6. Newstand, Springfield and West Springfield, MA. Originally a print and magazine seller, this company's black and white logo had a font that looked like newspaper print. I remember my husband stopping into the Springfield one every morning to buy the daily newspaper on his way to college and then work. It's probably where he grabbed his Hockey Digest, too. The West Springfield location closed decades ago, and the location of the Springfield one is called Acres Newstand, which is more of a convenience store that sells smoke and cigar products.
7. Books to Be Red, Ocracoke Island, NC. This is another bookstore on the Outer Banks that we visit occasionally. It is located an hour and half drive and a 40-minute ferry ride away from where we stay, so we don't get there every year. Ocracoke is not exactly Mackinac Island, because you can drive your car there, but when traversing the center where many of the shops and restaurants are, you usually park your car and walk, bike, or ride in a golf cart. It's a fun place to browse for books, handcrafted items, and other nice gifts. 
8. Travelers Restaurant, now Blondie's Travelers Diner, Union, CT. When we visited with my in-laws, this place was called Travelers Restaurant. Every meal comes with a book. Their sign literally reads, "Food and Books." This is Blondie's Diner's third location. While we haven't been there since it changed hands, if you blend two of my favorite things, I am happy. 

So not quite ten, but still more than I thought when I started. 

Tell Me Something Tuesday (TMST) is hosted by Jen Twimom at That's What I'm Talking About. TMST is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Participation is optional, and you can leave your comments in the weekly post when you participate. Check it out if you're interested in joining.

Tell Me Something Tuesday is on hiatus until September. Check back for more prompts then.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Aug 24

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and are about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. 

Welcome back! Hope you had a great week. We are creeping closer to the end of August, and I am ready! Not that I have time for it, but I really want to decorate for fall. I actually listened to Christmas music last week. I bought some new flour to try out different recipes, and this weekend, I made a bunch of chicken broth and banana bread. 

Shifting to reading...

Hope to write my review of The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller this week. 

I didn't read The Eyes of River last week. 

Dived into Staged by Caitlin Rother. 

Loving Massawa by Pam Webber. 

I need to write a review of Food is Medicine by Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DRPH.

Also need to read:

• A Christmas Carol Devotional: 25 Advent Reflections from Charles Dickens's Beloved Classic by Rachel Dodge
• The Christmas Yes List by Melissa Ferguson
• Beginner's Guide to Using an AI Assistant by Hank Quense

I have 45 days on this devotional. 

I only have 14 days left on this one. Yikes!

Upcoming Events

• Evan's Stormy Voyage by Karen Charles - Sep 24 (Review at TC&TBC)
• She Forgot She Was Free by Giselle Mascarenhas - Oct 14 (Review)

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

Nothing new this week. I am pretending to behave. 

Christmas Year Round

Journey through Christmases Past explores Christmas 1954. You can read that here.

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

Nothing new, but I will post something soon. 

Laura's Little Houses

Sharing my thoughts on the Netflix adaptation of Little House on the Prairie today at Laura's Little Houses. Check that out here. 

Photos for a new listing, therapy, and a final walk-through today. I will check in as I can.