It’s been a while, so I thought I’d dive back into Top Ten Tuesday just in time for summer! This week’s topic is books that will be in your beach bag this summer — or books that should be in everyone else’s! I’ve decided to list five of each, so here goes…

5 Books in My Beach Bag:

1. Here’s Looking at You by Mhairi McFarlane — A contemporary chick lit novel about a woman who unexpectedly runs into the high school crush who used to tease her. Mostly I like the adorable cover, but I’m also interested to see how (and if) a satisfying romance can grow out of these circumstances!

2. That Summer by Lauren Willig — I love Willig’s books, and this one is about the Pre-Raphaelites! If you like historical fiction with a hint of mystery and romance, you should definitely check out her work.

3. Love Irresistibly by Julie James — Another author I love! But it’s been a while since I picked up one of her books; in fact, this isn’t even her most recent title! (That would be It Happened One Wedding, which also might sneak its way into my beach bag.) Next time I’m looking for a contemporary romance fix, I need to pick this one up!

4. Being Sloan Jacobs by Lauren Morrill — I enjoyed Morrill’s first book, Meant to Be, so I went ahead and got this one as well. The plot sounds like fun! Sloane Emily Jacobs is a figure skater, and Sloane Devon Jacobs plays hockey. When the two of them meet and discover that they have (almost) the same name, they switch lives for the summer! I expect hijinks will ensue.

5. A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn — I’ve been meaning to read this one since last summer! It’s set in the 1920s or ’30s, and most of it takes place in British colonial Africa. I liked the Julia Grey books (although I only read the first three), so I have high hopes for this one!

5 Recommended Beach Reads:

1. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson — I just read this recently, and you guys, it’s so adorable! Emily’s perfect summer seems to be ruined when her best friend, Sloane (a popular fictional name, apparently!), vanishes without saying goodbye. But Sloane does leave Emily a list of tasks designed to get her out of her comfort zone. As Emily tries to complete the list, she makes new friends, finds romance, and discovers her own identity. A perfect summer read!

2. Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols — I love all of Echols’ YA romantic dramas, but I think this one is the most summery. It’s about Leah, a girl who’s grown up poor and tough, whose dream is to fly airplanes. There’s a swoonworthy romance and some fascinating stuff about flying (ever since reading Code Name Verity I’ve been really into books about female pilots!), and it takes place in a South Carolina beach town. (My mini-review here.)

3. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen — Another great read that’s extremely appropriate for the summer, since it deals with a lake resort that might only have one summer left before it needs to close. (My review here.)

4. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen — More YA contemporary romance! This one is also set in a beach town, and I really liked the focus on female friendships rather than just the love story. (My review here.)

5. A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie — Personally, I love taking mysteries on vacation, and you can’t do better than Agatha Christie! This one, as you might suspect, involves murder on a Caribbean island. Luckily Miss Marple is on hand to solve the mystery!

When I was in elementary school, I honestly thought that I hated to read. I have no idea why I believed this; probably it had something to do with the utterly boring “see Spot run” stuff we were forced to read in school when we were first learning. But eventually I discovered the magic of reading, and I’ve certainly never turned back! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is those “gateway” books and authors that introduced us to a new genre or to the love of reading in general. Here are ten of mine, in no particular order:

1. The Hardy Boys mysteries by Franklin W. Dixon — These are some of the first books I remember reading and loving; I’d check out at least two or three every time I went to the library. Yet for some reason I never really got into Nancy Drew…

2. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman — I think I had to read this one year in school, and I think it’s responsible for my ongoing interest in the Middle Ages. It gives a lot of great details about what life was like during that time from a young girl’s perspective.

3. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh — This is the book that introduced me to the idea of keeping a journal. And for a brief period in my childhood, my best friend and I totally used to “spy” on the neighbors!

4. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley — This wasn’t my first encounter with Robin McKinley, but as far as I can remember, it was the book that introduced me to the fantasy genre as something more than kiddie fairy tales. It also made me realize that I needed to read all of McKinley’s other books IMMEDIATELY.

5. Pierced by a Sword by Bud MacFarlane, Jr. — Looking back on it, this book isn’t terribly well-written, but it’s one of the few books I can genuinely say changed my life. It presented my religion (Catholicism) in a way that made sense to me, and I’ve become much more serious about my faith because of it. Obviously not a book for everyone, but it definitely resonated with me!

6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen — This was the book that really catapulted me from the youth section of the library to the adult section. (Seriously — I went directly from the Sweet Valley Twins to Jane Austen!) Not only did I discover my new favorite book of all time, but I quickly fell in love with the classics of English literature, which have given me countless hours of enjoyment ever since.

7. Murder in Retrospect by Agatha Christie (a.k.a. Five Little Pigs) — My first Agatha Christie, which then sparked an enormous reading binge in my early teens as I plowed through ALL of her mysteries. Though I’d read and loved mystery stories before, Christie became (and still is) the gold standard for clever, well-written whodunits.

8. Shards of Honor and Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold — I honestly think these were the first science fiction books I ever read (aside from required school reading like 1984). Spaceships, aliens, light sabers…they just didn’t seem very interesting to me. But these books from the Vorkosigan series showed me that sci-fi can be just as moving and character-driven and emotionally resonant as any other genre.

9. Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James — This is the book that convinced me that not all romance novels are terrible. I used to wander through the romance section of a a bookstores with my friends and giggle at the melodramatic cover blurbs and embarrassing cover art. (And I have to say, that’s still fun to do sometimes!) But this novel is not only sexy; it’s also funny and clever and a lot of fun! So while I’m still not quite a romance novel lover, I’m much more open to reading and enjoying some authors in this genre.

10. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson — This novel introduced me to a whole new literary world that I never knew existed: female British writers of the 20th century. It’s a weirdly specific niche, but I have found so many LOVELY books fitting that description. Sometimes you just want a sweet, wholesome comfort read that evokes a simpler time, and books like Miss Pettigrew absolutely fit the bill.

Top Ten Tuesday poses another interesting question this week: What’s your bookish bucket list? Do you want to read a certain book, or a certain number of books? Meet specific authors? Find the optimally comfortable position for reading in bed? (Actually, I’d quite like to achieve that last one!) Here, in no particular order, are ten book-related things I’d like to accomplish in my life:

1. Go on a tour of Jane Austen’s England. I want to visit Chawton House, Bath, Steventon…all the places Austen lived and worked and wrote about! And no, it’s not just because Mr. Darcy is totally dreamy (although, to be fair, he IS).

2. Read every book I own. This is a big one…right now, I’d say I’ve read maybe two-thirds of my books. Which still means I have a few hundred just sitting there on my shelves, unread. Good thing I’m starting relatively young!

3. Join (or start!) a real-life book club. Much as I love reviewing and talking about books online, I’d love to be able to discuss literature with people face to face. Plus, I feel like it would be a great way to make like-minded friends!

4. Write a novel. This has been a goal of mine forever, and I’ve tried many times to participate in NaNoWriMo, but I’ve never gotten past week one. Maybe WriMo isn’t the right approach for me, but someday I hope to find a method that works.

5. Explore a career in publishing. I’d love to somehow get paid to read all the time!

6. Read War and Peace. It’s a daunting task, but I really want to do this someday.

7. Visit the Strand in New York City. It’s a famous used bookstore that claims to have 18 miles of bookshelves…which is definitely something that I need to see for myself!

8. Find a great used bookstore in my area. I’ve been to a few that are fine, but I crave MORE (see #7)!

9. Have a library in my house. Granted, I don’t actually have a house yet…but when I do, there will be a library, dammit!

10. Read the complete works of Shakespeare. I’ve read lots of his plays, but there are still several I haven’t gotten to — and I’ve probably only ever read the sonnets that were assigned in school.

Wow, I haven’t done a single Top Ten Tuesday so far this year! It’s definitely time to get back in the game, and this week’s topic is the perfect opportunity: List 10 books that are on your spring TBR list. I’ve got a huge list of books on deck for this spring already, but here are 10 of them, in no particular order…

1. Bee Ridgway, The River of No Return — I’ve been interested in this book, which seems to involve a Regency romance and time travel, for quite a while. The paperback is coming out next week, so it seems like the perfect time to finally read it!

2. Kristan Higgins, Waiting on You — I’ve already pre-ordered this one from Amazon. Can’t wait to read the next book in the Blue Heron series!

3. Polly Shulman, The Grimm Legacy — This has been on my shelves for a while, and assuming that Carl will be hosting his Once Upon a Time challenge again this year, this book will fit right in!

4. Anne Sexton, Transformations — Another good choice for the Once Upon a Time challenge…plus, April is National Poetry Month!

5. B.J. Novak, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories — I’ve been meaning to read this since it came out, and I really don’t want it to languish on my shelf forever!

6. Timeri N. Murari, The Taliban Cricket Club — I have this one on deck for May. I’ve been interested in it for quite a while, and spring seems like a good time to branch out and read books set in other countries and cultures.

7. M.M. Kaye, Death in the Andamans — I’ll definitely be craving some classic mystery action this spring! This is the last “Death in…” book, and I’ve been saving it for the right time. The time is nigh!

8. Elizabeth Wein, Rose Under Fire — Another book I’ve been saving, since I loved Code Name Verity SO MUCH!

9. Sharon Kay Penman, The Sunne in Splendour — Nothing says springtime like the War of the Roses, amirite?

10. Ismail Kadare, Broken April — This one is a no-brainer for April. 🙂 I’ve already ordered a copy from Book Depository, because apparently my library doesn’t stock a huge number of Albanian authors (shocking, right?).

On the last day of 2013, it seems only appropriate that we look back on our year and take stock of what we’ve read. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic facilitates said stock-taking by asking about the 10 best books we read in 2013. I have to say, I didn’t read anything this year that absolutely blew me away or that I would add to my list of all-time desert-island favorite books. But here are my 10 favorite books of the year, which I couldn’t possibly rank in order, so I’ve just listed them in the order in which I read them:

1. Anna Gavalda, Hunting and Gathering — I’m a sucker for a good love story, and this one is charming and somewhat philosophical and Parisian!

2. Jonathan Eig, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig — I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, and I don’t really care much about sports, but I really loved this fantastic biography of one of baseball’s greatest legends.

3. Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park — What more can I say about this book? It’s teen romance the way teen romance SHOULD be done.

4. Robin LaFevers, Grave Mercy — Medieval Brittany! Forbidden love! Political intrigue! Killer nuns! This book pushes so many of my happy buttons, it’s ridiculous.

5. Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo — I’ll admit, it was tough going at times. But this classic tale of revenge is so suspenseful and well-plotted that I don’t begrudge a minute of reading the complete and unabridged edition.

6. Ben Macintyre, Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory — I can’t quite believe it, but TWO nonfiction books made it onto my top 10 list this year! This is one of the most readable, entertaining books about WW2 espionage that I can imagine.

7. Maggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves — While not destined to become one of my all-time favorite books like The Scorpio Races, this book is further evidence of why Stiefvater is awesome and should keep writing dark, tortuous romantic fantasy forever.

8. Mary Doria Russell, Doc — This book is not only a great Western (and I don’t really care about Westerns) but a great work of historical fiction. I felt transported to Dodge City in the late 19th century, and it was one heck of an interesting ride!

9. Cheryl Mahoney, The Wanderers — I know, I keep talking about this book, and Cheryl is probably afraid I’m a crazy stalker person by now. But honestly, I just really liked this book, which reminds me of the excellent fantasy novels I read as a teenager that introduced me to the genre.

10. Kate Ross, Whom the Gods Love — Honestly, why aren’t ALL novels about Regency dandies who also solve murder mysteries? I mean, seriously.

It’s probably a little late to be bothering Santa, but this week’s Top Ten Tuesday is about the 10 books you’d like to see under the tree on Christmas morning (or otherwise receive for the winter holiday of your choice). So here are 10 books on my Christmas list, in no particular order:

1. Angela Thirkell, High Rising (Virago Modern Classics edition) — Over the past few years, I’ve become enamored with a certain genre of literature…I guess you’d call it women’s fiction from the first half of the 20th century? The types of books that Persephone, Bloomsbury, and Virago are publishing, in other words. I’ve heard good things about Thirkell, so I’m itching to try her Barsetshire books!

2. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (Pulp! The Classics edition) — I already have 3 different copies of P&P, but I’m sorry, I need this:

3. Julianna Deering, Rules of Murder — The rules of murder are a real thing! When the Detection Club was formed in 1930 (members included Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Anthony Berkeley, and many others), one of the members set forth 10 “rules” of how detective novels should be written. Deering’s novel, I am led to believe, breaks them all.

4. Ismail Kadare, Broken April — I’ve been making an effort lately to be more global in my reading, instead of just devouring novels set in England and the U.S. Something or other led me to this article, which led me to Broken April. I’ve never read anything set in Albania before, and I’m very curious!

5. Lorna Goodison, By Love Possessed: Stories — Another “global” book, this time set in Jamaica. I’m sure the stories will be interesting, but honestly, I’m most drawn to the gorgeous cover:

6. Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park — I’m trying really hard to wait for the paperback edition of this. But if someone ELSE were to buy the hardcover for me, I wouldn’t turn it down… 🙂

7. Rachel Bach, Fortune’s Pawn — Space opera and romance by the author of the Eli Monpress series? I want to go to there! Sadly, my library doesn’t have any copies, so it looks like I’ll just “have” to obtain my own.

8. Joyce Dennys, Henrietta’s War: News from the Home Front 1939-1942 — See #1 above. Woman writer + WWII = my kind of book!

9. Maurice Dekobra, The Madonna of the Sleeping Cars — Apparently this is a classic mystery novel referenced by many contemporary mystery/thriller writers. For example, Alan Furst’s train passengers are frequently seen reading it. What makes it so seminal? I want to find out!

10. D.E. Stevenson, The Two Mrs. Abbotts — If Santa can get to every house in the world on Christmas Eve, surely he can bring me a book 2 weeks before its official release date!