Category Archives: Best Of

Ghost [Book Review] #MiddleGradeMarch

March 25, 2022

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Bonus: 10+ Favorite Middle Grade Reads!

(top view) picture of a middle grade child reading on a recliner covered with a reddiish knitted afghan

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds (cover) Black text on a yellow background....a young African American boy is running off the page

Genre/Categories: Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction, Diverse Reads (African-American), Sports (Track and Field)

My Summary:

Castle Cranshaw, aka “Ghost,” loves to run. One day, he challenges an elite sprinter to a race and wins which gains the attention of a track and field coach. Believing Ghost has natural talent, coach invites him to join his track team. Although Ghost can run, he also has a lot of anger, is often in trouble at school, and has a complicated family life. Can he become part of the team or will his behavior choices hold him back?

Silver running shoes

My Thoughts:

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Best of the Best: 2015 to 2021 [Book Reviews]

January 14, 2022

Best of the Best: 2015-2021

2015-2021 Best of the Best (a young holds a huge stack of books in her arms and balances them under her chin

Image Source: Canva

Welcome to January and all the “Best Of” lists!

Inspired by Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog, I’m putting together my own “Best of the Best” list.

Each year that I’ve been blogging, I’ve put together a most memorable reads of the year list. This year I thought it would be fun to follow Davida’s lead and list my top SEVEN reads of the last SEVEN years and rank them in order. I’ve only been blogging for five years, but I started keeping records seven years ago, so I’m including all seven years. I’m also linking to my blog posts so that you can see the runners up if you’re curious.

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

2015:

The Intention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (cover) (white lettering over a goldish redish sky background) featuring a few small flying birds)

(Preblogging) The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
(reviewed the first year I started blogging)

2016:

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi cover (yellow background with red and blue and black designs)

(Preblogging) Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (not reviewed on the blog)

2017:

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (cover)

(I didn’t choose a favorite this year because I chose to use categories.) Looking back at the list now, I will have to choose Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman as my favorite of the year (not reviewed on blog).  See my complete list for the year here: 2017 Really Recommendable Reads

2018:

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza (cover)

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
See my complete list for the year here: Most Memorable Reads of 2018

2019:

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (cover)

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
See my complete list for the year here: Most Memorable Reads of 2019

2020:

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare (cover)

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
See my complete list for the year here: Most Memorable Reads of 2020

2021:

a woman dressed in a rose dress stands with her back to the camera overlooking a balcony and a gold wall

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn 
See my complete list for the year here: Most Memorable Reads of 2021

Ranked in Order:

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Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 Memorable Histfic Reads 2021 [Book Reviews] #T5T

December 28, 2021

Top 5 Memorable Historical Fiction Reads 2021

5 Memorable Histfic Reads of 2021

Background Image Source: Canva

*Titles are links to my reviews which contain Amazon affiliate links.

I’m linking up today with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads for Top 5 Tuesday. This week I’m narrowing the prompt of Top 5 Books of 2021 to Top 5 Historical Fiction Reads of 2021.

ICYMI: See all my most memorable reads of 2021 in this Top Ten Tuesday post.

Top 5 Histfic Books

1.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

a woman dressed in a rose dress stands with her back to the camera overlooking a balcony and a gold wall

Well written and researched, historically interesting, compelling characters with a side of mystery, England.

2.

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

Gold and Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi (cover) Image: white text against a dark blue background

Page turning escape, refugee, found family, Afghanistan.

3.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner (cover) Image: blue-toned picture of a woman and young girl holding hands and walking down railroad tracks with backs to camerai

Histfic (SF earthquake) with a side of mystery and page-turning suspense.

4.

Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman

Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman (cover) Image: two girls sit on a wing of a plane

Women in the war effort (WW11, Hawaii), friendship.

5.

The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck

The Invisible Woman by Erica Robuck (cover) Image: a woman stands with her back to the camera and shadows of airplanes on the ground surround her

Biographical, a brave woman in the Resistance Movement (WW11), France.

QOTD:

Have you read any of my Top 5 Histfic reads?
What is one of your Top 5 Reads of the year?
If you read histfic, what was your most memorable read in that genre?

Happy Reading Book Buddies!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

Let’s Get Social!

Thank you for visiting and reading today! I’d be honored and thrilled if you choose to enjoy and follow along (see subscribe or follow option), promote, and/or share my blog. Every share helps us grow.

Find me at:
Twitter
Instagram
Goodreads
Pinterest

***Blog posts may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I can earn a small percentage of your purchase price.

Unless explicitly stated that they are free, all books that I review have been purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

Book Cover and author photos are credited to Amazon or an author’s (or publisher’s) website.

© ReadingLadies.com

Most Memorable Reads of 2021 #TopTenTuesday

December 28, 2021

2021 Memorable Reads:
The Top Ten List and The Categories

2021 Most Memorable Reads

I’m linking up today with That Artsy Reader Girl: Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Best Books I Read in 2021

Top Ten Tuesday (winter) graphic

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

I mostly love the angst of creating top ten lists! Although it can be a daunting task, it’s my most anticipated post of the year! First, let me remind you that this list is subjective. It’s compiled of books I’ve read this year (there are always so many more great ones that I didn’t get to), and each one has made it onto this list because reading it was an enjoyable, memorable, emotional experience and gave me a “book hangover.”

I’m presenting my list this year in two formats: in top ten list form and in categories. The categories part is a bit more comprehensive because I provide some runners up and books that didn’t make it to my official top ten. Titles are links to my reviews or Amazon affiliate links. Although most titles in this post were published this year, a few were not.

Thanks for sharing great reads with me this year!

***This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Top Ten Memorable Fiction Reads of 2021

Based on the qualities of enjoyment, engagement, compelling, unputdownable, and book hangovers.

(see categories below for runners up and additional selections)

1

 The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

2

Love and Lavender by Josi S. Kilpack

3

Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman

4

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi,

5

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
(finished on 12/31/2020 so it didn’t make last year’s list)

6

The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck

7

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan

8

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

9

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

10

 Project Hail Mary (the audio version) by Andy Weir

Most Memorable Nonfiction

The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede

The Day the World Came to Town

* * * * * BONUS *****

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Book Ideas For Gift Giving #EveryoneGetsABook #BooksAsGifts

December 7, 2021

Ideas For Books as Gifts

Book Ideas for Gift Giving (Christmas coffee cup and Christmas tree and lights image)

Image Source: Canva

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links

***Most titles selected from newer releases***

When I look at my reading list, most of the books fall into stories that women might enjoy (hence, Reading Ladies); however, my reading occassionally spills over into books that both men and women might enjoy. So please understand that I lean heavily toward reads for women.

For this Book Gift post, I’ve drawn from my RECENT reads (even though they may have been published a few years ago) and from recently published books.

I’m linking up today with That Artsy Reader Girl for Top Ten Tuesday: Freebie……
(more than ten books and ten categories….oops!)

TTT That Arsy Reader Girl Christmas

For Sister, Mom, Grandma, Aunt, or BFF

Three Words For Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

The Social Graces by Renee Rosen

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst

Yours Cheerfully by A.J. Pearce

Love and Lavender by Josi S. Kilpack

For Husband, Brother, Dad, Granddad, or Uncle

Project Hail Mary (the audio version!) by Andy Weir,
performed by Ray Porter (same author as The Martain)

The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede
(published in 2011 but read this year on the 20th anniversary of 9-11)

This Tender Land by Willian Kent Kreuger

The Answer Is….: Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebik

For Middle Grade

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga (female main character & a male friend)

Ghost by Jason Reynolds (male main character but the team has girls and boys) ….this is the first book in a Track series
(published in 2016 but read this year)

Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist (male main character)

The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going (female main character & male friend)

***For ALL the Middle Grade book lists visit Afoma @ Reading Middle Grade.

For Young Adult ( 13-16)

All I Want For Christmas is the Girl Next Door by Chelsea Bobulski (male main character and female friend; contemporary teen romance)

For Mature Young Adult

The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (female main character)

Love is a Revolution by Renee Watson (female main character)

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir–the audio version! (science fiction; male main character…some language)

For Fans of Design

Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee

For Fans of Historical Fiction

(all of these are candidates for favs of the year)

Love and Lavender by Josi S. Kilpack

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan

The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton

For Fans of Science Fiction

Project Hail Mary (the audio version!) by Any Weir and performed by Ray Porter
(this will be on my favs of the year list)

For Fans of Memoir

Dolly Parton, Songeller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton

The Choice by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
(published in 2017 but read this year)

For Fans of Christian Fiction

The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady by Sharon J. Mondragon

For Fans of Complex and Ambitious Stories (by a prize winning author)

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

For Fans of Nonfiction

The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede (9-11 in Gander, Newfoundland)
(published in 2011 but read this year for the 20th anniversary of 9-11)….follow up with the musical, Come From Away (on Broadway and streaming on Apple TV +)

For Fans of Books About Books

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams (my current read)

For Fans of Quirky Reads

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley

For Fans of Complicated Family Drama

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

For Fans of Thoughtful Contemporary Fiction

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

a stack of three hardback books tied with silver and gold ribbon

More Ideas:

Books as Gifts 2020
Books as Gifts 2019

QOTD:

What books are on your gift giving list?

Please let me know if you found something useful on this list for gift giving!

Happy Reading Book Buddies!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

Let’s Get Social!

Thank you for visiting and reading today! I’d be honored and thrilled if you choose to enjoy and follow along (see subscribe or follow option), promote, and/or share my blog. Every share helps us grow.

Find me at:
Twitter
Instagram
Goodreads
Pinterest

***Blog posts may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I can earn a small percentage of your purchase price.

Unless explicitly stated that they are free, all books that I review have been purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

Book Cover and author photos are credited to Amazon or an author’s (or publisher’s) website.

© http://www.ReadingLadies.com

Ten Books That Live Up To Their Hype #toptentuesday

September 28, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books That Live Up To Their Hype

10 Books That Live Up to Their Hype (white text on blue background over a background pictures of pink balloons against a blue sky)

Background Image Source: Canva

top ten tuesday

I’m linking up today with That Artsy Reader Girl: Top Ten Tuesday: Freebie!

Hype. Does it affect your reading?

My name is Carol, and I suffer from FOMO!

As a consequence, I often read books that are highly hyped. Sometimes this works out OK and other times….well….it leads to disappointment. I wrote this post about Buzz, Hype, and High Expectations here.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is a freebie so I thought I’d revisit a topic I missed: Books That Live Up To Their Hype. All the books on this list I read because of the HYPE. They all lived up to their hype in my opinion. There are so many books I’ve read because of hype that I had to create a runners up list after I reached ten. So this post contains twenty recommendations! (and I could keep going!)

*Titles are Amazon affiliate links.

Ten Books That Live Up To Their Hype

(in no particular order)

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Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 Stand Alone Books of Summer 2021 [Book Reviews]

September 21, 2021

Top 5 Stand-Alone Books of Summer 2021

Top 5 Stand Alone Reads of Summer 2021 (white text on a salmon color background on top of a field of wild flowers)

Background Image Source: Canva

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

I’m linking up today with Meeghan at Meeghan Reads for Top 5 Tuesday. This week I’m narrowing the prompt of Top 5 Stand-Alone Books to Top 5 Stand-Alone Books of Summer 2021.

Top 5 Books Read in June, July, and August

1.

Three Words For Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb (cover) Image: two young women holding promotional materials and wearing hats stand next to a railing on an ocean liner

Best Historical Fiction; Three Words For Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

2.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (cover) Image: an astronaut floats in space tethered to a gold and black object

Best Science Fiction/Audio Book: Project Hail Mary (AUDIO) by Andy Weir

3.

The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (cover) Image: the profiles of two native american young People (man and woman) in cultural dress

Best Diverse Read: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (YA/NA)

4.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (cover) Image:

Best Literary Fiction: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

5.

the Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan (cover) Image: a young woman dressed in a red blouse and a white apron holds a recipe book close to her chest

Best Women’s Fiction/Histfic: The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

QOTD:

Have you read any of my Top 5 of Summer?
What is one of your Top 5 Reads of Summer?

Happy Reading Book Buddies!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

Let’s Get Social!

Thank you for visiting and reading today! I’d be honored and thrilled if you choose to enjoy and follow along (see subscribe or follow option), promote, and/or share my blog. Every share helps us grow.

Find me at:
Twitter
Instagram
Goodreads
Pinterest

***Blogs posts may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I can earn a small percentage of your purchase price.

Unless explicitly stated that they are free, all books that I review have been purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

Book Cover and author photos are credited to Amazon or an author’s (or publisher’s) website.

© ReadingLadies.com

10 Books I Wish I Could Read Again For the First Time #TopTenTuesday #LetsDiscuss2021

August 24, 2021

Do you love making lists?

10 Books I'd Like To Read Again For the First Time (Image: white text over a background of stacked hardback books)

Image Source: Canva

Top Ten Tuesday:
10 Books I Wish I Could Read Again For the First Time

top ten tuesday

I’m linking up today with That Artsy Reader Girl for Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Wish I Could Read Again For the First Time and the 2021 Discussion Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight.

2021 discussion challenge graphic (a blue bird and red fox and wall clock and stack of books graphic)

This is a difficult topic for me because I believe that first reads are best! I’m a “one and done” reader and I’m not a rereader (well…rarely a rereader). However, there are a few books I’d like to read again for the first time (if I had a time machine) simply to recapture the “book hangover,” the pleasure, or the memorable reading experience.

I’d love to hear from YOU!

If you had a time machine, what is the number one book you’d like to read again for the first time? Do we share any titles?

giphy

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

(in no particular order)

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (cover) Image: an astronaut floats in space tethered to a gold and black object

Project Hail Mary by Any Weir (on audio!)

If you’ve experienced Project Hail Mary you know! If you’ve read the print version, you might want to consider a reread via the audio format! Even though there’s a lot of science and math that I was tempted to skim, I was pleasantly surprised by the alien and the powerful friendship theme in this sci-fi page-turner. Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza (cover)

A Place For Us by Farheen Fatima Mirza

I will never forget the emotional reading experience that this story provided. I loved the way this book ended with a passage from the father’s point of view! (One of my favorite endings ever.) I wasn’t expecting to hear from the father after a story focused on the women of the family, and it was a poignant and heartfelt reflection that had me in tears (IYKYK). I would adore the chance to read this favorite story (a lifetime favorite) again for the first time. (I wish the author had written a sequel!)

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (cover)

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Yes, I adore quirky characters striving to live their best lives…..but this is not what this story is about, and the twist at the

Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge (cover)

Castle of Water by Duane Hucklebridge

This is a well-written, fun, escapist read so I might want to read this page-turner again for the first time. Castaway meets Survivors.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society y Mary Ann Shaffer (cover) Image: black text on a postcard....a woman dressed in a red coat stands at a railing overlooking the ocean

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Guernsey is a delightful and charming read and one of the few books that I’ve actually reread. It checks all my boxes for a feel-good story. I enjoyed it the second time. However, I know I enjoyed my first read best and I’d rather have read it again for the first time than for a reread. (Not reviewed because I read it before I started blogging.) The film adaptation is excellent (and I’ve watched that twice, too!).

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12 Favorite Books: Happy #NationalBookLoversDay

August 9, 2021

National book Lovers Day: 12 Favorite Books (Image: blue text box and white text over a bunch of bright pink balloons)

Background Image Source: Canva

How are you celebrating National Book Lovers Day?

Are you grateful for books?

I think every day is Book Lover’s Day for me!

What would we do without our beloved books and reading?

I REALLY Loved These Twelve Books!

(which just scratch the surface of my lifetime favorites list!)

Happy National Book Lovers Day!

National Book Lover's Day, August 9 (image: a blue coffee mug sits on the spines of a line of books

What are you reading today?

I Love Reading

For National Book Lover’s Day I’m sharing twelve books I REALLY love, books that I could always reread, and books that are on my lifetime favorite’s list, and books that have received 5 star ratings. (in no special order):

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

I love epistolary format and slow burn romance and quaint small villages by the sea.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society y Mary Ann Shaffer (cover) Image: black text on a postcard....a woman dressed in a red coat stands at a railing overlooking the ocean

Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

I love stories with themes of faith and friendship.

Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall (cover) Image: white text over an orange leafless tree with sprawling branches set against a bright blue background

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

I love well-written histfic with memorable characters inspired by real life heroes.

a woman dressed in a rose dress stands with her back to the camera overlooking a balcony and a gold wall

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

I love a multi-generational family story…and the father/son part at the end is heartbreaking and poignant and memorable.

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza (cover)

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

I love a well-told, page-turning histfic about real life events.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (cover)

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

I love gently told histfic stories and books about books and slow burn romance.

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (cover) Image: a young woman stands near shelf lined books next to a window holding an open book

The Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

I love this beautifully told WW1 story of friendship and slow burn romance.

last christmas in paris

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

I love books that live in my memory years later….I also loved the unique narrator in this WW11 histfic.

eThe Book Thief by Markus Zusak (coer) Image: a sepia tone picture of a hand pushing over a line of dominoes

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

I love beautiful endings and this story with themes of music, faith, and family has a memorable and beautiful ending.

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter (cover)

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

I love a mashup of genres and this story has a bit of everything I love: histfic (1906 San Francisco Earthquake), suspense/mystery, found family, women helping women, and a slow burn romance.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner (cover) Image: blue-toned picture of a woman and young girl holding hands and walking down railroad tracks with backs to camerai

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

I love this histfic story based on real life sisters with themes of friendship, women’s rights, and abolition of slavery.

The Intention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (cover) (white lettering over a goldish redish sky background) featuring a few small flying birds)

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré

I love this inspirational story promoting equal educational rights for girls around the world.

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare (cover)

Happy Reading Everyone!

QOTD:
How many of these titles have you read?
Do we share any favorites?
Are any of these titles on your favorites list?

I’m leaving you with a few of my favorite bookish images!

\image of a girl reading with one hand while pulling a wagon piled high with books

giphy

I’m always prepared with book recs! LOL

a young woman sitting on the kitchen floor leaning against a cabinet reading a book (I was going to lean the house, but then I realised...this book isn't going to read itself)

a drawing a young woman reading while sitting on a stack of books among many stacks of books (when I've had enough of reality, I just open a book)

 

Books I’d Love With Me While Stranded On a Deserted Island #TopTenTuesday

July 27, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’d Love With Me While Stranded On a Deserted Island

Books I'd Want With Me While Stranded On a Deserted Island (Top Ten Tuesday) Image: purple text over a mountainous deserted island

Image Source: Canva

top ten tuesday

Today, I’m linking up a recent Reading Ladies blog post with That Artsy Reader Girl for Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’d Like With Me While On a Deserted Island.

So…..you’ll be treated to a list of TWENTY great reads instead of ten (or think of it as two lists of ten!).

(the following post was originally published on Reading Ladies on July 9, 2021 and includes Amazon affiliate links)

One Great Summer Read (20 Bloggers Offer ) imOne Best Rec) Image: tight focus of a woman sitting beside water reading

Image Source: Canva

Are you pondering what book to choose for your vacation or staycation?

Are you in limbo trying to decide what ONE great book to read this summer?

Do you ever wish someone would just TELL you what book to read?

Are you looking for a list of trusted book review bloggers?

Do you spend more time thinking about which book to pack for your vacation than packing the clothes? (oh…just me?)

If you only have time to read ONE more book before summer’s end, what would you choose?

beach reads cartoon

This is the time of year when readers in my hemisphere are looking for “Beach Reads.” (If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, happy “winter reading!”) The term “Beach Read” is puzzling to me because I think any book you read at the beach or the pool is a beach or pool read (similar to a body at the beach is a beach body!). Furthermore, “beach read” means different things to different readers: some want easy reading/light/fluffy, some want escapist, some want romcom, some want thrillers/suspense/mystery, while others are looking for heavier or longer reads that they might have more time for in the summer. During the summer, I look for the same types of reads I look for all year long: something substantial, engaging, memorable, unputdownable, and thought-provoking. What is your ideal beach or pool read?

20 Reviewers Recommend:

Some things bring joy to a blogger’s heart and this collaborative post is definitely at the top of the list!

As Gina describes our project: “A worldwide summer reading multi-blogger extravaganza!”

I am thrilled to publish this post today! I asked TWENTY (including yours truly) experienced reviewers from a variety of geographical locations what they would recommend as their ONE “Not-to-be-Missed” Summer 2021 Reading Recommendation.

Today, I’m exceptionally excited to introduce you to a few of my blogging friends who chose ONE recommendation for YOU (listed in alphabetical order by blogger’s first name). I want you to notice that these bloggers are an international group! One of the greatest joys of blogging is making book friends around the world and country (better than pen pals!). Please take a look at their recommendations, check out their blogs, and give them a follow!

I think you’ll enjoy the following TWENTY “recent releases” recommendations that include some diversity and represent a mix of genres that will appeal to a variety of tastes (from self-help to romance to literary fiction to engaging women’s fiction to family drama to southern fiction to historical romance to uplit to domestic thriller to intergenerational friendship to science fiction to contemporary mystery to page-turning histfic to mysterious retelling to crime thriller to kindred spirits).

We hope at least one matches YOUR reading taste!

i love books

***Titles are Amazon affiliate links and full review links have been included.

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