Now that spring is finally (FINALLY!) in sight, it’s appropriate that this week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is the spring TBR list. This year I’m trying not to schedule my reading too far in advance…but I’m failing a little bit with that goal. 🙂 Between library holds, new releases, and the few reading projects I’m still doing, I have a full plate this spring! Here are some of the books I’m planning to read:

1. Nick Hornby, Funny Girl — I’m a huge fan of Nick Hornby’s, so I was thrilled to see that he just came out with another book! This one is set in the television world of 1960s Britain, which sounds intriguing!

2. Rachel Hartman, Shadow Scale — I recently read and enjoyed Seraphina, so I’m definitely looking forward to getting my hands on this sequel.

3. Juliet Marillier, Dreamer’s Pool — Juliet Marillier is one of my favorite authors, and this is the first book in her Blackthorn & Grim series.

4. Anne Cleeland, Murder in Thrall — Saw this one at Barnes & Noble and then discovered that my library has it, so I figured I’d give it a shot! It appears to be a mystery set in contemporary England with a romantic element.

5. Elizabeth Wein, Black Thorn, White Raven — This one has been on my TBR list for ages, and it’s finally coming out at the end of March! Can’t wait!!!

6. Jane Austen, Mansfield Park — I’m doing a year-long read of Austen’s novels with some folks from LibraryThing, and MP is slated for March/April. It’s been years since I read the book, so I’ll be interested to see how it strikes me this time around!

7. Intisar Khanani, Thorn — This retelling of “The Goose Girl” looks very interesting. I’m a sucker for a good fairy tale!

8. P.J. Brackston, Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints — Speaking of fairy tales. 🙂 The synopsis of this reminded me of Jasper Fforde’s Nursery Crime series, and that can only be a good thing!

9. Katie Van Ark, The Boy Next Door — I received this book as a gift from my #OTSPSecretSister last month, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. But ever since “The Cutting Edge,” I’ve been a big fan of love stories featuring figure skaters!

10. Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) — I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while, but I’ve been saving it for the 24-hour read-a-thon in April. (Yeah, I’m planning my reads a month in advance, so what?) I read Tina Fey’s Bossypants during a previous read-a-thon and found that it was a refreshing break in the midst of all the fiction I was reading.

So that’s my list, although it’s certainly subject to change! What are you planning to read this spring?

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday asks us to list our all-time favorite books from the past three years. I love this topic, but I found it unexpectedly difficult to create my list. I’ve had the same list of all-time, desert-island favorite books since my teens, probably, and it’s very rare that I’ll add a new book to that pantheon. I have a theory that we all tend to latch onto books the hardest in our early teens, and those books become our all-time favorites for life. I first read Pride and Prejudice at age 12, for example, and I will always love it the most, no matter what other amazing books come into my life. So I must admit, not all of the books on this list are all-time, desert-island favorites; but they are all books I really enjoyed and will undoubtedly read again (if I haven’t already!). Here they are, in the order in which I read them:

2012

1. Maggie Stiefvater, The Scorpio Races — Absolutely my favorite book of 2012, and maybe one of my favorite books of all time! The wild, strange setting of Thisby enchanted me, and I loved the slow-burning romance between protagonists Sean and Puck. My review is here.

2. Elizabeth Wein, Code Name Verity — My other favorite book of 2012. It’s either tied with The Scorpio Races or a very, very, very close second. It’s a wonderful WWII adventure story, as well as a portrait of the close relationship between two best friends. It’s also told in a unique and interesting way that packs a huge emotional punch. My review is here.

3. Josephine Tey, Brat Farrar — Books set in English country houses are my not-so-guilty pleasure, and this novel has a wonderful setup. The protagonist is a con man pretending to be the long-lost son of the family, but he soon finds himself changing in response to their kindness. My review is here.

4. Rainbow Rowell, Attachments — This book is a delightful romantic comedy with old-fashioned flair. The love story is given a unique twist in that the hero falls in love with the heroine through reading her email conversations with her best friend, even though he’s never met her in person. My review is here.

2013

5. 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! My review is here.

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

2014

7. Chris Wooding, Retribution Falls — I was very pleasantly surprised by this sci-fi novel, which I’d picked up several years ago when Borders was going out of business. With its anti-hero airship captain and a ragtag crew of misfits, it reminded me strongly of “Firefly,” and that can only be a good thing! My review is here.

8. Connie Willis, Miracle and Other Christmas Stories — I loved this collection of Christmas-themed short stories with a speculative twist. There’s a lovely variety of genres in this book, from a screwball romantic comedy to an alien invasion tale to an apocalyptic retelling of the Epiphany story. I can definitely see myself re-reading this book every year during the holidays. My review is here.

2015

9. Genevieve Valentine, The Girls at the Kingfisher Club — This is a wonderfully unique retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale, set in New York City during the Roaring Twenties. I loved that each of the 12 sisters had her own distinct personality, and I really enjoyed the setting as well. My review is here.

10. Jandy Nelson, I’ll Give You the Sun — I honestly think this book cast a spell on me somehow. I adored the vivid writing style and loved watching the story of Noah and Jude slowly unfold. My review is here.

Since Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us, it makes sense that this week’s Top Ten Tuesday is asking about things we love (and hate) when it comes to romances in books. I’m a sucker for love stories, so I had a lot of fun coming up with my list! I’ve listed five things I really enjoy in a fictional romance, followed by five things I hate. Here they are, in no particular order…

Things I Love:

1. Marriage of convenience — For some reason I really like this trope, which generally occurs in historical fiction: hero and heroine marry for money (or some other non-romantic reason), then slowly grow to love each other. I enjoy this type of story because the obstacles are built into the plot. Both parties entered into the marriage with a common understanding of the rules (it’s about convenience, not love); but as their feelings begin to change and deepen, they’re unsure if their spouse feels the same way. So this trope is a great way to introduce conflict that doesn’t feel silly or manufactured.

2. Friends become lovers — I’ve always loved stories where a girl and guy are longtime friends, but eventually romantic tension evolves between them. I think it’s a satisfying story because we already know the protagonists get along well and have things in common, so their love is based on a solid foundation. Whenever there’s a love triangle between the heroine, her best male friend, and the hot new guy, I always root for the best friend!

3. The slow burn — There’s nothing better than watching a couple’s relationship evolve slowly, tentatively, excruciatingly towards romance! To me, the slow burn is much more realistic than a relationship where the characters fall in love, or in bed, instantaneously (see insta-love, below). It’s also a better move from a writing standpoint: building a romance slowly increases the dramatic tension and makes the resolution all the more satisfying!

4. Beta heroes — Sure, I’ll admit that there’s something appealing about strong-willed, take-charge alpha heroes who know what they want and aren’t afraid to go after it. But these heroes also tend to steamroll over anyone who disagrees with them — including the heroine! I prefer love stories where the hero listens to and respects the heroine, even when they disagree. Plus, beta heroes tend to be brainy rather than brawny, and I’m definitely of the opinion that smart = sexy!

5. Banter — My absolute favorite romances are the ones where the hero and heroine tease each other, exchanging witty banter and jokey one-liners with reckless abandon. Humor is such an important component of romance, to me; I think it’s really important that couples make each other laugh, are amused by the same things, and can deal with life’s problems with humor and positivity. In short, I’m a rom-com girl at heart, and I’m not ashamed to admit it!

Things I Hate:

6. Love triangles — Okay, I don’t hate every love triangle, but I think it’s really hard for authors to write them well. Usually it’s a situation where one person is clearly right for the protagonist, and the other person is clearly wrong — in which case the protagonist comes off as stupid for not immediately recognizing who the right person is, and the wrong person feels like a pointless distraction. And if the protagonist is trying to choose between two equally right people, then regardless of which person s/he picks, the outcome won’t be satisfying, because the odd man out will be too sympathetic.

7. Insta-love — I’ve already mentioned that I prefer slow-burning romances, and the flip side is that I hate romances where the hero and heroine fall in love too quickly. In these cases, it seems like the couple’s “love” is based almost entirely on looks and sexual chemistry, rather than on more substantial foundations like shared values or similar interests. Not to pick on Twilight, but this was my main problem with that book: Edward and Bella fell in love right away, for no discernible reason, and as a result, neither character was really developed very well. (To be fair, I didn’t read the sequels, so maybe that happens in later installments?) I never figured out why they loved each other, besides Edward being super hot and Bella having great-smelling blood.

8. Weird euphemisms — I tend to shy away from very explicit romance novels, but in my limited experience, there are some freaking weird euphemisms being used for male and female reproductive organs. And they can be extremely distracting in the midst of a love scene!

9. Big Misunderstandings — I understand that it can be hard for authors to maintain dramatic tension when they’ve created two characters who are obviously perfect for each other. Conflict has to come from somewhere, and I get that. But I hate when the only obstacle facing the characters is a silly misunderstanding that could have been avoided, if only they had actually talked to each other like human beings. If the hero and heroine are having trouble communicating, there should at least be some kind of basis for that (trauma from a past relationship, etc).

10. Sad endings — I know some people enjoy tearjerkers where the hero and heroine fall in love, and then one of them dies in a car accident or gets a terminal disease or marries somebody else. I am not one of them! I want my hero and heroine to end up together! Maybe that makes me a sap, but I don’t care: I want the happily-ever-after, dammit!

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a freebie, so I’ve decided to list ten of my favorite comfort reads. In the chilly depths of winter, there’s nothing better than curling up with a blanket and a good book, especially one that makes you smile or warms your heart. So below are ten of my favorite comfort reads (in no particular order); links are to my reviews, if applicable.

1. Winifred Watson, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
2. L.M. Montgomery, The Blue Castle
3. Eva Ibbotson, A Countess Below Stairs
4. Georgette Heyer, Cotillion
5. Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen
6. Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
7. Louisa May Alcott, Rose in Bloom
8. Rainbow Rowell, Attachments
9. Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss
10. Elizabeth Marie Pope, The Perilous Gard

I love these books because they’re romantic, they’re hopeful, and they allow love and virtue to triumph in the end. Perfect for cozying up with on a cold winter’s evening! What are some of your favorite comfort reads?

I’ve found that there’s a strange paradox about being a book lover at Christmas. I should be the easiest person in the world to shop for — when in doubt, just buy me a book! But somehow I never seem to get books for Christmas. Maybe one or two volumes will find their way under the tree, but that’s about it! I think it’s because my loved ones aren’t sure what I already have, and they’re scared to take the risk. Can’t say I blame them, frankly! So here are ten books I’d love for Santa to bring me, in no particular order:

1. Carol Berg, The Daemon Prism — This is the third book in a series whose first two installments I already own. Gotta complete the set!

2. Caryl Brahms & S.J. Simon, Don’t, Mr. Disraeli! — I loved No Bed for Bacon, a hilarious send-up of the Elizabethan era by these two authors, so I can only imagine how much fun their take on Victoriana would be!

3. Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything — I admit with shame that I don’t really know how to cook. There are a few dishes I know how to make, but honestly, it’s easier to just eat out or make something really easy, like a sandwich or pasta. I think one of my goals for 2015 will be to cook more often and try some new recipes.

4. P.G. Wodehouse, Something Fresh — I adore Wodehouse’s brand of humor and have read a lot of the Jeeves short stories, but I haven’t tried any Blandings Castle books yet.

5. Intisar Khanani, Thorn — I stumbled upon this book the other day and was immediately enchanted by the cover. Also, it’s a retelling of the Goose Girl fairy tale, and I do love me some fairy tale retellings!

6. Jill Paton Walsh, A Presumption of Death — I’ve been collecting the Lord Peter Wimsey books for several years now, and I finally have all of the original Sayers novels. Now I can start grabbing the Jill Paton Walsh books too!

7. Angela Thirkell, High Rising — I’ve decided that I really like 20th-century British female authors, and this book looks right up my alley.

8. Diana Wynne Jones, Deep Secret — I REALLY need to read some more Diana Wynne Jones!

9. Robin McKinley, Shadows — Even though this wasn’t my favorite McKinley novel, I feel a strong need to own all her books.

10. Any of the Belknap annotated editions of Jane Austen — They’re just so pretty!

What books are you hoping to receive this Christmas?

As Christmas approaches and the end of 2014 draws near, it’s time for the mother of all Top Ten Tuesdays — our ten favorite books of the entire year! Here are mine, in the order in which I read them:

1. Chris Wooding, Retribution Falls — I was very pleasantly surprised by this sci-fi novel, which I’d picked up several years ago when Borders was going out of business. With its anti-hero airship captain and a ragtag crew of misfits, it reminded me strongly of “Firefly,” and that can only be a good thing!

2. Lois Lowry, The Giver — I somehow never read this book as a child, but even as an adult I really loved it! Lowry does such an amazing job of slowly peeling back the layers of the seemingly utopian Community to reveal the darkness underneath.

3. Hannah March, The Complaint of the Dove — One of my very favorite genres is the historical mystery, and this book is set in the Georgian era (pre-Regency), which is fairly unique in fiction. I enjoyed the period details and the writing style, and I’m excited that there are several more books in the series to enjoy! (Also, Hannah March is a pen name for Jude Morgan, whose books I previously read and really liked.)

4. B.J. Novak, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories — I’m not normally a big fan of short stories, but these are SO short that they’re laser-focused on one joke or idea. They’re very funny and very dark, and I highly recommend them!

5. Morgan Matson, Since You’ve Been Gone — When I read this back in May, I thought to myself, “This is the perfect summer read!” It’s about a shy girl whose outgoing, confident best friend inspires her to come out of her shell. There’s adventure and drama and a very sweet romance, and I loved the portrayal of female friendship. If you like YA contemporary novels, this is a must-read!

6. Caryl Brahms & S.J. Simon, No Bed for Bacon — Fans of Shakespeare or the Elizabethan era simply HAVE to read this hilarious book! It’s basically a parody of everything you learned in history class about this time period…you’ll never see so many (hysterical) jokes about non-standard spelling!

7. Maria Semple, Where’d You Go, Bernadette — Usually I don’t like books about dysfunctional families, especially when they’re also bestsellers. But I’m really glad I tried this book, because I ended up devouring it! Bernadette can be an annoying character at times, but she’s self-aware enough to KNOW she’s annoying, so I was able to overlook it. Also, the satire of her privileged Seattle life is deliciously clever and biting.

8. Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Good Omens — I really seem to have a lot of comedy on my list this year! This is, dare I say, the funniest book about the Apocalypse you’ll ever read. Both of these authors are so brilliant, and I look forward to reading a lot more of them in the future!

9. Maggie Stiefvater, Blue Lily, Lily Blue — This third book in the Raven Cycle might be my favorite one yet, as Blue and the boys get closer than ever to finding Owen Glendower. The stage is sent for some huge stuff to go down in the next (and last) book…and if Blue and Gansey don’t kiss already, I will not be held responsible for my actions!

10. Graeme Simsion, The Rosie Project — Sometimes you just need a good romantic comedy to lift your spirits, and this one charmed me immediately. Narrator Don Tillman is immediately likable and funny, and I really rooted for him as he encountered a wealth of new experiences thanks to Rosie, the girl who seems totally wrong for him but may be absolutely right.

So, what were your favorite books of the year? I look forward to adding a lot more titles to my must-read list!

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is the 10 books you’re most looking forward to in 2015. Somewhat surprisingly, I have a lot of books on my TBR list that will be released in 2015, so here are ten of them (in no particular order):

1. Sarah Addison Allen, First Frost — I love SAA and am thrilled she’s coming out with another book! This one appears to be a prequel or a companion novel to Garden Spells, which I really liked.

2. Elizabeth Wein, Black Dove, White Raven — After Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire, anything Ms. Wein writes about planes, friendship, and/or World War II is automatically going on the TBR list!

3. Alan Bradley, As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust — I love the Flavia de Luce books, and the last installment was a real game-changer for the series. I’m dying to see how Flavia will react to the new circumstances in her life!

4. Maggie Stiefvater, Raven Cycle #4 — I don’t think this book actually has a release date yet, but I need it to be in 2015 because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NOW! This series has juggled so many plot lines, characters, and relationships that it will be amazing to see how everything comes together in the end.

5. Lauren Willig, The Lure of the Moonflower — I bought the first Pink Carnation book on a whim several years ago and immediately became hooked on the series, which contains so many of my favorite things (Regency England! Romance! Spies!). Now, amazingly, the twelfth and final book in the series is coming out — and it will finally tell Jane’s story!

6. Seanan McGuire, A Red-Rose Chain — The Toby Daye series is yet another one I’ve been following since book #1. The last book really seemed like a finale of sorts, tying together many threads that had been percolating since that very first book. So I’m very curious to see where McGuire takes things from here!

7. Kristan Higgins, If You Only Knew — It’s always great to get a new release from one of my favorite contemporary romance authors!

8. Katie Van Ark, The Boy Next Door — Ever since reading and enjoying A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall, I’ve been keeping an eye on Swoon Reads. Their business model, in which readers decide which manuscripts will be published, is fascinating, and I’m interested to see what they’ll come up with next! Also, this book involves figure skating, so as a diehard fan of “The Cutting Edge,” obviously I need to read it!

9. Jennifer Robson, After the War Is Over — Ironically, this book is a sequel to Somewhere in France, which I really didn’t like that much. But I mentioned at the time that I’d love to read the story of Charlotte and Edward, two secondary characters from that novel. And sure enough, this book will be about them! So I’m prepared to give the author another chance and hope for the best.

10. Connie Willis, The Very Thought of You — I’m so psyched that Connie Willis is coming out with a new book! Apparently it will be a romantic comedy involving telepathy, which obviously must be amazing!

So what 2015 books are you most excited about? Are any of these on your list?

With Halloween coming up in just a few days, it’s the perfect time for a list of books and movies to get you in the (spooky, possibly evil) spirit! To be honest, I’m a big chicken when it comes to horror, so my list isn’t actually that scary…I tend more toward the creepy/gothic/atmospheric at this time of year. So here’s a list of some books (and movies!) that seem Halloween-ish to me:

1. Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale — If you want gorgeous prose and a deliciously creepy atmosphere, look no further! I read this book several years ago and totally fell in love.

2. Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere — Neil Gaiman makes my skin crawl, which sounds like an insult but definitely is NOT! I’m slowly making my way through his oeuvre, but Neverwhere is still my favorite.

3. Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” — A classic story of madness and murder. I also (still, genuinely) get creeped out by “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Cask of Amontillado.”

4. Robin McKinley, Sunshine — A vampire book for people who don’t like vampire books (a.k.a., me!).

5. Maggie Stiefvater, The Scorpio Races — This one is actually very seasonally appropriate, because the races themselves occur on November 1 every year. Also, there are horses that eat people. But also romance and beautiful language and a setting so real I could practically taste the salty winds of Thisby.

6. Daphne Du Maurier, Rebecca — I am a little bit in awe of this book. The most vivid character is a dead woman, and while she’s not a literal ghost, she figuratively haunts the creepy mansion of Manderley, as well as the book’s narrator (who, by comparison, doesn’t even get a name!).

7. Roald Dahl, The Witches — Truth time: I haven’t actually read this book since I was a kid. BECAUSE IT FREAKED ME OUT SO MUCH.

8. “Laura,” starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews — This movie is a wonderful example of film noir, complete with a murder, a femme fatale, and a pretty great twist halfway through! Also, Vincent Price is in it (and playing totally against type)!

9. “Notorious,” starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman — No, it’s not the movie about the rapper. This is a classic Hitchcock film about fighting the Nazis, and it is creepy as hell. The last scene always gives me chills!

10. “The Corpse Bride,” starring (the voices of) Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter — OK, not even I am scared by this movie. 🙂 But it’s a fun romp through Tim Burton’s weird (and frankly disturbing) imagination, and there’s some singing, and there ARE ghosts in it, so it totally counts!

Wow, it’s been forever since I did a Top Ten Tuesday! I always love doing the TBR lists — it’s so much fun to see what everyone is excited about reading right now! My fall TBR list is a mix of upcoming releases, gothic/spooky autumnal reads, and books I’m just plain excited about:

1. Kristan Higgins, In Your Dreams — Higgins is basically an autobuy author for me at this point. I love her witty contemporary romances, which all seem to include lovingly dysfunctional families. This one also contains a fake relationship that becomes real, which is a romance trope I tend to enjoy, so I’ve got high hopes!

2. Roberto Ampuero, The Neruda Case — I’ve had this book on my TBR list for a while, and a challenge I’m doing on LibraryThing encouraged me to check it out now. It looks like a fun book — a mystery set in the ’70s that takes its detective around the world — so I’m eager to see how it turns out.

3. Diane Setterfield, Bellman & Black — I LOVED The Thirteenth Tale when I read it years ago, so I’m thrilled that Setterfield has written another book! Autumn seems like the perfect time for (what looks like) a ghost story.

4. Maggie Stiefvater, Blue Lily, Lily Blue — Can’t wait to read this next installment of the Raven Cycle!

5. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens — This book has been on my shelf for years, and I’ve always been sure I would like it, so I’m really not sure why it’s taken me so long to read it!

6. Ethel Lina White, The Lady Vanishes — I recently watched (and enjoyed) the Hitchcock film, but I had no idea it was a book first! I’ve heard it’s quite different from the movie, so I’m interested to compare and contrast.

7. Charles Finch, The Laws of Murder — This next installment of the Charles Lenox series is coming out in November, and I can’t wait! I love this series about a Victorian gentleman-detective, especially for all the wonderful secondary characters!

8. Gail Carriger, Waistcoats & Weaponry — Another November release that I’m eagerly anticipating! I really enjoy Carriger’s particular brand of silliness, and her Finishing School series is great fun.

9. Graeme Simsion, The Rosie Project — This one’s been on my TBR list since it came out, and I recently bought my own copy, so there’s really no excuse now!

10. Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth — Okay, don’t hate me, but I have never read this book. I know, what were my parents thinking? But I’ll get to it this fall, I promise!