Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books About/Set In Places on My Bucket List & Tell Me Something Tuesday: Do you like spoilers? Do you read the last chapter first? Share your thoughts.

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're having a great week. I'm preparing for a short R&R trip with my husband later this week, so I hope to wrap up work-related things today. 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday asks us to share books about or set in places on our bucket lists. I can't say I have a real bucket list, but there are days I brain dump. All that list says is, "Travel more." I will see what I come up with for this one. 

Top Ten Books About/Set in Places on

My Potential Bucket List

1. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery is set on Prince Edward Island. My sister has been, and I would love to go.
2. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, which is set in the Australian Outback, would be an amazing place to visit. Not sure I could survive there.
3. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain is set in Paris, which I have often said I would like to visit.
4. The Auschwitz Escape by Joel C. Rosenberg is set in Germany during World War II. Germany would be a beautiful place to visit.
5. Killer Angels by Michael Shaara is about the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. Visiting Civil War battlefields is an interest of mine.
6. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder is set at the Wilder farm in Burke, NY. Though it is the closest Wilder site to where I live, I've never been there. 
7. Elizabeth I by Margaret George is set in the late 1500s in England. My husband has been to London more than once. I've never even come close to England. I wish I had traveled there when Diana, Princess of Wales, lived there.
8. 16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber because it is set in Washington state. I've only once been to the western part of  North America, and I've never seen the far west coast. 
9. Kindred Spirits by Marilyn Meredith is set in a fictional town located in the Southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. I would love to see that part of California. 
10. Next Year in Jerusalem by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein needs to go on my list, too. I've wanted to travel to the heart of the Holy Land for years. 

Thanks to Freepik for the image

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.

This week's Tell Me Something Tuesday asks if we like spoilers. I can't give you a consistent answer on that one. Many times, I will read the book all the way to the end without skipping ahead. Main reasons to skip ahead: I don't connect with the character(s), or the action is lagging.

Of the two, it's usually the first issue that makes me skip ahead. If I don't like the character(s) or I can't relate to what they're going through, why do I need to read through how they got to the end of the book? 

Of all genres, mystery is the one where I will most often seek out spoilers, because if I think I know who did it before the end of the book, then I want to find out if I am right. 

How about you? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Buzzwords & Phrases That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book & Tell Me Something Tuesday: What's your favorite color?

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. 

Here we are at the end of March. I hope it has been kind to you. 

When I looked up this week's Top Ten Tuesday prompt, I came up blank. I mean, so empty of any ideas that even tumbleweeds didn't blow through my brain. Maybe because the start of this week was such a Monday that it should go down in the history of Mondays as a day never to repeat. But today is a new day, and I refuse to carry any of Monday into it. So.... this week I will focus mostly on what makes me want to read a book, and then toss in a few things that make me want to avoid it.

Top Ten Buzzwords & Phrases That Make Me

Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book

Want to Read...

Small town romance

Second chances

Dual timeline

Family secrets or secrets buried for decades

Inspired by true events

Coming-of-age story

Library, bookstore, or bakery

Avoid

Dark fantasy 

Enemies to lovers 

Brutal exploration of 

Thanks to Freepik for the image

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.

Well, this week's Tell Me Something Tuesday will be a fun one. I have had the same favorite color since childhood. This color is easily noticed; it is the color of my favorite fruit; it is a classic holiday color; and I look smashing in it. Prince even wrote a song about a car of the same color and brand that I used to want. This girl loves RED!

Photo credit: Hobby Car Corvettes

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Book Titles with Ordinal Numbers and Tell Me Something Tuesday: If you could have any celebrity be your best friend, who would you pick?

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! In honor of our springlike temperatures, I gave the blog an update. I'm done with winter, even though snow is likely in the forecast for next week. 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is about titles with ordinal numbers. Ashamed to admit I had to look up what that meant, but math has never been my strength. Here is my list of...

Top Ten Book Titles

 with Ordinal Numbers

1. The First Fall by Erin Flanagan
2. The Third Girl by Agatha Christie
3. The First Actress by C.W. Gortner
4. The Fourth Grade Fuss by Johanna Hurwitz
5. The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall
6. The Second Chance Supper Club by Nicole Meier
7. The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck
8. The Seventh Survivor by Rachel Amphlett
9. The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner 
10. The Sixth Lamentation by William Brodrick

Thanks to Freepik for the image

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 asks an intriguing question today: "If you could have any celebrity be your best friend, who would you pick?" 

There are so many who would make wonderful choices: 

• Sandra Bullock for her honesty, 
• Kelly Clarkson because she is so sweet and kind, 
• Dolly Parton because she offers sage advice, 
• Donnie Wahlberg because he acts all tough but has a soft side. 

If I chose a celebrity I've met, I would go with Alison Arngrim. Yes, it's nasty Nellie Oleson from Little House on the Prairie. She is amazing in person; so sweet and funny and unbelievably smart. I try to connect with her at any reunion I attend, but sometimes I run out of time. Dean Butler's line is always incredibly long, and he is first on my list. She is coming to Massachusetts this year, and I won't be here. I'm so bummed. But I will keep my eye out for more appearances in my area. 

Who is a celebrity you would like as a best friend or one you have met in person? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Amateur Sleuth Occupations & Tell Me Something Tuesday: Which made-up thing do you badly wish was real?

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, y'all! So great to see you again. This week's Top Ten Tuesday is a genre freebie, so we pick a genre and come up with a topic. It's been a while since I've read a cozy mystery, despite this genre being one of my favorites. Let's take a peek at my list of...

Top Ten Amateur Sleuth Occupations

1. Real estate agent: You knew this one would make the list. Though there are more mystery series than Karen White's Tradd Street, this was the first time I had read a mystery with an amateur sleuth who sells real estate. 
2. Event planner: The main character of Avery Daniels's Resort to Murder Mysteries series is an event planner. What I love is that this creates a way to have new characters and situations all the time, even when the series is mostly set at the resort where Julieanne works. 
3. Consignment shop owner: The minute I heard about Duffy Brown's Consignment Shop Mystery series, I knew I would love it. Reagan Summerside gets a rundown Victorian and her designer clothes in a divorce, but nothing else, so she opens a consignment shop. Then her ex-husband's new girlfriend is found dead, which means Reagan is trying to keep the lights on, running a business, and solving crimes. 
4. Writer: Who would ever have thought that a middle-aged mystery writer would be able to solve crimes in her small coastal New England town? But doesn't it make sense that someone like Jessica Fletcher, who had to perform research for her novels and make up heinous ways for someone to be murdered, could know a thing or two about crime solving?
5. Clergy: In the Amish Bishop Mystery series by Vannetta Chapman, Bishop Henry Lapp not only tends to the spiritual needs of his congregation; he also uses a God-given talent to solve crimes. 
6.  Vampire: In the Accidental Vampire PI Mystery series by Avery Daniels, Misty is a secretary for a private investigator who goes on the worst date of her life and is changed into a vampire. She winds up using her new skills to follow up on a missing person's case. 
7. Urban planner: In Marty Damon's Cate MacLeod Mystery series, Cate moves back to her hometown of Calvin after losing her job as an urban planner. She works part-time at her mother's shop, but gets drawn into the investigation when a local real estate agent is murdered. 
8. Lifestyle Blogger/Influencer: You know someone had to write a mystery novel with an influencer in it. Little did we know in the early days of blogging how influential we would become. I haven't read Instagoner by Sydney Leigh, but it sounds amazing that the main character can use her skills to help solve a crime. 
9. Librarian and Ghost Tour Guide: How have I not discovered the Haunted Tour Guide Mystery series until now? The main character is a librarian by day and a ghost tour guide by night in her Kentucky hometown. Two jobs and solving crimes, too. Impressive!
10. Beekeeper: The Josiah Reynolds Mystery series by Abigail Keam, which I will never catch up on, features a middle-aged beekeeper trying to keep the lights on by selling honey at the farmer's market. 

Thanks to Freepik for the image

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.

Well, it seems we have a pickle. Last week's Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge asked me to share fictional things I wish were real, which is similar to this week's Tell Me Something Tuesday. Now, I will really need to dive deep into my brain to figure out something to talk about. Hmmm...

I will go with something silly: Inspector Gadget's hat. It has...

• Extra hands (we moms always need those),
• A propeller (who needs drones, just fly above everyone to get a good view),
• Binoculars (always handy for birdwatching or spying),
• An umbrella (never get caught without one again),
• A mallet (you can tenderize meat and have a non-lethal weapon with you at all times),
• A magnifying glass (never worry about losing your reading glasses again),
• Sub-zero refrigerant (you will never need air conditioning, even in the worst heat),
• A spring (to avoid hurting your head if you fall),
• A jackhammer (in case you feel like tearing up your driveway one day),
• Radar (be able to see in even the most challenging dust and snow storms),
• A gas mask (protection is only seconds away),
• A bouquet of flowers (because you never know when you might need to impress someone).

Hope you had a good chuckle. Enjoy your day!

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: The First Show I Remember Watching

 

The Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is hosted by Long and Short Reviews. They offer this blog hop as a weekly prompt to help you gain new friends and visitors. You don't have to participate every week, but if you decide to post and join the blog hop for a week, Long and Short Reviews asks that you share your link on their weekly post on their website (it will be the top post on the home page each Wednesday morning). The link list remains open for new links for 48 hours. Visit the other bloggers participating to see what they discuss that week. Comments are appreciated. 

Happy hump day! Hope your week is going well. Today, we are talking about television. Today's Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge asks us to share the first show we remember watching. Keeping in mind that I am a Gen Xer, we only had a handful of channels back then: ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and Channel 38 out of Boston. 

My earliest recollection is watching Sesame Street on PBS. Long before Elmo was even imagined, Grover, Bert, Ernie, Big Bird (my favorite), Kermit, Oscar the Grouch, Count von Count, Gordon, Susan, Bob, Luis, and Mr. Hooper lived on Sesame Street, helping me learn how to read, spell, and count. I still sing some of the songs from the show, and used to sing them to my children. Here are a few of my favorites:

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026 & Tell Me Something Tuesday: What's a Food You're Obsessed With?

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! Another morning of meetings for me. Doesn't that sound like fun? At least I'm not bored. 

Today, we are sharing our most anticipated books releasing in the first half of 2026. Let's see what we can find.

Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing

 in the First Half of 2026

No One Would Do What the Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah

Write Way to Die by Nikki Haverstock

Hattie Mae Begins Again by Sharon G. Flake

If You Were Here by Abigail Johnson

How Simi Got her Groom Back by Sonali Dev

99 Ways to Die and How to Avoid Them by Ashley Alker, M. D.

You with the Sad Eyes: A Memoir by Christina Applegate

Everyone in This Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson

A Lady's Handbook to Gadgets and Guile by Angela Bell

Love on the Shelf by Sheila Roberts

Thanks to Freepik for the image

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 asking us to share a food we are obsessed with. Hmmm... have you met me? I love to eat. I have the largest appetite in the house. While I love pizza, ice cream, and chocolate chip cookies, I guess the one food I am obsessed with is pasta. 

When I was pregnant with my son many, many moons ago, I ate pasta several times a week. Pasta is a staple in our house, with me making one pasta dish weekly. I might supplement that with leftover pasta for lunch. One day, I want to make my own pasta. 

That's it for me today. I look forward to visiting your blogs. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2025 & Tell Me Something Tuesday: What are Your Blogging/Reading Goals for the New Year?

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 first Top Ten Tuesday of 2026! Today, we are sharing the best books we read last year. 

Can I tell you a little secret? I was shocked to learn I had met my Goodreads goal in 2025 because it didn't seem possible. Well, looks like the Kindle Unlimited account I share with my daughter is responsible for me reading 60+ books in 2025. I really only read 41 of them. Needless to say, I am going to need to keep track of her reading now, too. 

Out of the books I did read, here (in no particular order) are the...

Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2025

1. Jesus Listens by Sarah Young (devotional)
2. 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History by Charles Bracelen Flood (Civil War history)
3. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (professional development)
4. Down to the Bone by Caitlin Rother (true crime)
5. The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall by Jamie Jo Wright (Gothic fiction)
6. Captain LOL and Rubber Chicken: Har Har by Craig Yoe (middle grade fiction)
7. The Man Next Door by Sheila Roberts (women's fiction)
8. Ms. Pennypickle's Puzzle Quest by Chris Grabstein (middle grade fiction)
9. Never Let a Unicorn Meet a Reindeer! by Diane Alber (picture book)
10. While We Were Young by K. L. Walther (coming of age teen/YA)

Thanks to Freepik for the image

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.

Today's Tell Me Something Tuesday is asking us to share our blogging/reading goals for 2026. I don't have all of these finalized yet, though that is highly unusual for me. I took a step back over the holidays to refresh and restore my body and soul. Getting back to work this week, I feel like I can nail down all my goals. 

The one goal I am sure of is this: read more books from my TBR pile than I add new books to my list. How can I accomplish this:

1. Don't request to review as many virtual book tour titles. Ones that I know I will request: Sheila Roberts and Jamie Jo Wright. Sheila tours new books every year, and I don't plan to miss them. Jamie Jo has two coming out in 2026. 
2. Only use my Audible credits for new books, and only after I listen to the six new ones I have already ordered since my subscription renewed.
3. Pre-order only the books by authors I know, and make a concerted effort not to buy more books until read at least five from my TBR pile. 

Not sure I can stick to this goal, but I plan to do my best. My TBR pile is at 320, and my free Kindle books list is at 723, many of which I haven't read. I am overdue to spend time with these books. 

Looking forward to checking in with you this afternoon. I have meetings this morning. Thanks for reading!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf & Tell Me Something Tuesday: What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2025?

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. 

Here we are at the last Top Ten Tuesday of 2025. Hope you've enjoyed following along with my posts this year. We are discussing the most recent additions to our bookshelves this week, so these titles will likely seem familiar. 

Top Ten Most Recent 

Additions to My Bookshelf

Next is Now by Leigh Brown

The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

The Inn at Holiday Bay: Christmas in the Country by Kathi Daley

Away in a Manger by Rhys Bowen

Operation Mistletoe by Elizabeth Maddrey

Christmas at Whispering Creek by Barbara M. Britton

Christmas Cold Case by Sarah Hamaker

Christmas on Reindeer Road by Debbie Mason

The Secrets of Palmerston House by Phillipa Nefri Clark

Chapters and Second Chances by Evelyn Grace Berry

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.

I didn't read as many books as planned. However, I still managed to make my Goodreads challenge goal because I had adjusted it earlier in the year. Here were a few of my favorites:

1. Jesus Listens by Sarah Young
2. 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History by Charles Bracelen Flood 
3. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
4. Down to the Bone by Caitlin Rother
5. The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall by Jamie Jo Wright

What are some of your favorite books from 2025? 

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: My Earliest Memory

 

The Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is hosted by Long and Short Reviews. They offer this blog hop as a weekly prompt to help you gain new friends and visitors. You don't have to participate every week, but if you decide to post and join the blog hop for a week, Long and Short Reviews asks that you share your link on their weekly post on their website (it will be the top post on the home page each Wednesday morning). The link list remains open for new links for 48 hours. Visit the other bloggers participating to see what they discuss that week. Comments are appreciated.  

Welcome back to Wednesday. It is a cold and white one here. It should, however, get above freezing. 

Today, we are sharing our earliest memories. This one is really hard because my memories tend to merge together, and I don't always have the right timeline for them. I guess I would have to say my earliest memory is of being rocked by my mother in the living room of our apartment on East Main Street, where we lived until I was 12. 

The rocking chair, which now sits in one of my sisters' houses, was situated in the living room across from the television. My father's recliner was to the right of it, with a built-in bookcase behind him. After dinner, my mother would change out of her regular clothes, put on her nightgown and robe, and sit in her rocking chair reading or watching TV. Eventually, I would creep in and snuggle into her lap until it was time to go to bed. My parents weren't the most affectionate people, but I remember feeling loved and safe as we rocked in that chair together. 

What is your earliest memory or some memory of your childhood you look back on fondly? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Cozy/Atmospheric Reads & Tell Me Something Tuesday: What's Something You Rebelled Against as a Kid?

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! So thrilled to see you back here again. I appreciate your loyal readership. Today's topic for Top Ten Tuesday is cozy/atmospheric reads. In honor of my love of cozy mysteries and Halloween, I give you my...

Top Ten Favorite Cozy Mysteries

The Josiah Reynolds Mystery series by Abigail Keam captured my attention with its unique covers.

The Plain Jane Mystery series by Traci Tyne Hilton is so much fun. The protagonist is a twenty-year-old woman running a cleaning business and taking classes at Bible school. 

The Consignment Shop Mystery series by Duffy Brown is one of my all-time favorites. I love historical homes. 

Though I first learned of Jessica Fletcher from the hit Murder, She Wrote show, when they novelized this series, I knew I would eventually read some of them. Don't you wish you lived in a place like Cabot Cove? Minus all the murders, of course. 

The Amish Bishop Mysteries series is one that I wish Vannetta Chapman would have taken beyond three books. The protangonist had such a unique crime solving ability. 

Avery Daniels' Resort to Murder Mystery series has been a favorite of mine since I read the first book. 

The Bouncing Grandma Mysteries series is one I quickly fell in love with. I wish there were more than two books. A. K. Arenz has penned other books, but not another one in this series.

The Logan & Cafferty Mystery series by Jean Henry Mead, like the Bouncing Grandma series, features older protagonists. This is something that I enjoy. 

The Lighthouse Library Mystery series blends three of my favorite things: a lighthouse, a library, and the Outer Banks. I love visiting the bookstore in downtown Manteo to see what new books Eva Gates has written. 

One of my writing group colleagues, Marty Damon, has written the Cate MacLeod Mystery series. I had the chance to see some of these books in draft form, but forgot how amazing they were until I read them. 

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 leave your comments in the weekly post if you are participating. Check it out if you would like to join.

This week's topic might prove to share some interesting tidbits about our fellow bloggers. Unfortunately, you won't find that here. I did not rebel. I was too scared. Now, that could be the result of the fire and brimstone delivered to we Gen Xers in paraochial school daily or because I had an unpredictable father and a mentally ill mother, but to this day, I feel like if I don't behave myself, God will find a way to make an example of me. I can't even lie without becoming physcially ill. Just another quirk of little ole me. 

Looking forward to dropping in at your blogs to see what you came up with today.