Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books That Conjure Up Happy Memories

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Books That Conjure Up Happy Memories.  

1.  The Four Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright - This was one of my absolute favorite books as a kid and I have read this book countless times.  

2.  Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - I vividly remember the first time I read this book and then immediately needed to have the whole series which I then read in a week.

3.  The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keen - I spent so many happy hours reading Nancy Drew books and this was one of my favorites.  I still love the stories and anything Nancy Drew adjacent.

4.  Christina's Ghost by Betty Ren Wright - I loved these ghostly spooky middle grade books and spent countless hours curled up reading them.

5.  The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde - This book reminds me of my grandmother.  It was one of her favorites.

6.  The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber - I love Webber's brand of magical realism and I remember staying up late into the night reading this one.

7.  Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie - This was the first Christie I really fell in love with and it is still a favorite.

8.  The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White - This was one of the favorite books that Will and I read together.  

9.  The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - I love her stories and am looking forward to reading her latest one.

10. Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas - This book reminded me of just how much I enjoy historical romances and it's one I'm excited to reread.

What books conjure up happy memories for you?

The Haunted Librarian - Paranormal Cozy Fiction Review

Goodreads: The Haunted Librarian by Auralee Wallace

Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)
Source: Publisher

Description: It’s a dark and stormy night…and Amelia Bates is caught in the rain. Life hasn’t always been kind to her, and being a ghostseer certainly doesn’t make things any easier.

Glowing warmly through the autumnal downpour is her safest the library. Amelia, the newly hired librarian, has always relished the comfort of curling up with a novel, vastly preferring it to the company of humans (alive or ghostly).

But Amelia is shocked to discover the building is full of more than quiet stories and warm cups of tea. There are curious, talkative patrons, a shy, bespectacled head librarian who makes her heart skip a beat, and three quirky spirits causing paranormal havoc that endangers the future of the library.

To help the ghosts and save the building, Amelia will have to gather all her bravery and wits, because learning to trust others might just be the first step to a happily ever after she only thought was possible in books.

Genre: Fiction - Paranormal Cozy 

Why I Picked This Book: I've enjoyed other books from this author that also had a witchy element - though they were more cozy mysteries than this one.

My Impression: I love the premise of this.  I'm a big fan of sentient buildings and what could be better than a sentient library WITH ghosts?  The night librarian is also an interesting dynamic as it allows for more interaction between the ghosts and the library itself without the pesky patrons getting in the way.  Simon and Rosalinda (both living library employees) are interesting characters and the ghosts are interesting and a bit different from the usual ghosts. 

What took this book down a few notches was the slow start and Amelia herself.  Both of these I can blame on it being the first book in a series.  There's a lot of setup as Amelia gets through the job interview (such as it is) and figures out the library and what's going on.  As well, the reader has to get to know Amelia which takes a bit as she has a lot of backstory and baggage a lot of which center around her ability to see ghosts.  It didn't help that I didn't really like Amelia.  She's walking second hand embarrassment for much of the book.  If she's holding a drink she's going to spill it on herself or someone else.  If there is something to fall down she will do so spectacularly.  It's a bit much.  With quirky characters it sometimes does take a bit for things to settle down a bit and that is definitely the case here.  I hope if this is the beginning of the series that Amelia isn't quite as quirky in the next book.

I love the premise and enjoy the author's writing style.  There's a bit of everything in this book - mystery, romance, character growth, and of course ghosts.  Overall, despite a rough start, I enjoyed this story and would like to revisit this world.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would.  While this was a bit rough especially at the beginning I did enjoy it and I've enjoyed other books by this author.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you're looking for a witchy ghostly cozy read I think this would be a good choice.  As well I really enjoyed her mystery series.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

This Month in Reading - September 2026

Monthly Reading Total: 15

Type:

Print - 6

Ebook - 5 

Audio - 4

Genre:

Mystery - 8 

Fiction - 2

Nonfiction - 1

Romance - 4 

Favorite Books of the Month:

Audio:  First Time Caller by B.K. Borison - I wasn't really expecting to like this one but I ended up really enjoying it!

Other Type: The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle - I enjoyed this mystery but I'm really hoping this is the start to a series.  I really enjoyed the world created in this book.

Rereads:  Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts, Key of Light by Nora Roberts and Endless Night by Agatha Christie

Monthly Armchair Reading: 

Domestic Travel:  I visited Pennsylvania and Colorado for the first time this year and revisited Massachusetts, Oregon, Maryland, North Carolina, California, and New York

International Travel: England (3 times), Canada, and early 1900s India

How was your reading in September?  Where did your reading take you?

Friday Fives - October TBR

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. Since this is the first Friday in October, I'm planning my Octobmer TBR.  Here are 5 books I plan on reading in October.

1.  The Key to a Killer by Olivia Blacke - I have really enjoyed this series featuring a young woman and her ghostly roommate.  I'm curious to see what happens next.

2.  A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander - I just finished the most recent book in this series so I'm looking forward to going back and reading more from the beginning of the series.

3.  The Gabriel Hounds by Mary Stewart - This is the next on my Classics list and I do enjoy Stewart's ability to create an eerie scene.  

4.  The Guest List by Lucy Foley - I've enjoyed other books by Foley before and this one sounds creepy and claustrophobic.  

5.  After Midnight: Thirteen Tales for the Dark Hours by Daphne du Maurier - I've read another short story collection by du Maurier and really enjoyed it so I'm really looking forward to this one.  This author is the queen of unsettling and eerie stories.

What are you hoping to read in October?

Books from the Backlog - Blue Moon

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  Blue Moon by Wendy Corsi Staub

Blurb:  Hair neatly braided, hands serenely clasped, eyes closed, the young woman appeared to be sound asleep. But the peaceful tableau was a madman’s handiwork. Beneath the covers, her white nightgown was spattered with blood. At daybreak, a horrified family would discover her corpse tucked into their guest room. The cunning killer would strike again . . . and again . . . before vanishing into the mists of time.
A century ago, the Sleeping Beauty Murders terrified picturesque Mundy’s Landing. The victims, like the killer, were never identified. Now, on the hundredth anniversary, the Historical Society’s annual “Mundypalooza” offers a hefty reward for solving the notorious case.

Annabelle Bingham, living in one of the three Murder Houses, can’t escape the feeling that her family is being watched—and not just by news crews and amateur sleuths. She’s right. Having unearthed the startling truth behind the horrific crimes, a copycat killer is about to reenact them—beneath the mansard roof of Annabelle’s dream home . . .

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  I read the first book in this trilogy last year and enjoyed it.  It has a continuing mystery and I'd really like to find the solution!

The Vanished Sister - Historical Mystery Review

Goodreads: The Vanished Sister (The Lady Sherlock Series #9) by Sherry Thomas

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source: Publisher

Description: It’s been three years since Charlotte Holmes struck a decisive blow against Moriarty's operations in Britain, three years of relative calm and benign developments. In a buoyant mood, everyone gathers at Lord Ingram's seaside cottage in North Devon for what promises to be a perfect summer holiday. Until Mrs. Watson receives an invitation from Mrs. Carstairs, her long-estranged sister, to attend a house party nearby.

Mrs. Carstairs has married spectacularly well. She is the mistress of a great manor, a doyen of all domestic arts, and still an unforgettable beauty. Now she clamors for a reconciliation with her sister. Mrs. Watson does not trust Mrs. Carstairs's motives. Yet she cannot help but feel tremors of the old admiration for this once-beloved sister.

Then Mrs. Carstairs disappears without a trace. The next day a woman is discovered floating on the waves, her build and coloring matching those of Mrs. Carstairs. But her husband insists that the corpse fished out of the Bristol Channel cannot be his wife. So where is the real Mrs. Carstairs? Would she have purposely dragged Mrs. Watson into a murder investigation? Or was it Sherlock Holmes's involvement that she needed from the very beginning?

Genre: Mystery - Historical

Why I Picked This Book: I've enjoyed other books in this series and this one sounded really fun.

My Impression: I really like this series.  The Lady Holmes concept with Charlotte occasionally having to dress up as the errant Holmes' brother is an entertaining one.  I like how the characters have developed and am glad to see more Livia and Penelope.  I really loved that this one focused on Mrs. Watson's past - and we got to meet her sister.  The flashbacks into Mrs. Watson's early life added a nice dash of character development.

I also really liked the mystery and was really not sure where that was going to go.  I enjoy Charlotte's investigative style and love how she and the others work together.  I also really enjoyed that this one focuses more on Mrs. Carstairs and the related mysteries and less on the Moriarty plots.  While I have read almost all of the series there is frequently some time in between books and it can be hard to remember all the characters involved in that.

This was a really enjoyable mystery with a clever detective and a great cast of supporting characters.  It has inspired me to go back and do a reread to refresh my memory on everything that's happened over the series.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  I'm looking forward to more of this series and rereading the earlier books.

Would I Recommend this Book? I would definitely recommend this series but I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series.  

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Top Ten Tuesday - Books on My TBR I'd Like to Read This Fall

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is a Fall Freebie. I went through my TBR list and pulled 10 books I'd like to read in fall.  I went for a mix of creepy and cozy.

1.  The Bewitching by Silvia Morena-Garcia - This sounds witchy and creepy and really good.

2.  The Guest List by Lucy Foley - This may be a later fall read as it sounds like the setting is frigid but it sounds creepy and claustrophic.

3.  Book Witch by Meg Shaffer - This looks like a lot of fun and a cozy bookish read with a witchy element.

4.  The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfeld - I've had this on my TBR for ages and it looks like a great fall read.

5. The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh - I really want to read this one.  I've loved one book by this author and was very meh on another so I need a tie breaker

6.  A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James - This author never lets me down with providing a creepy eerie story and I'm looking forward to reading them.

7.  The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale by C.M. Wagonner - I don't know anything about this one but the cover looks fun and the title caught my attention.

8.  Home Before Dark by Riley Sager - I want a good mix of creepy reads this fall and this looks like a good one!  I've had good luck with this author in the past.  

9.  A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin - I love this author and I've seen good reviews for this one.

10. The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury - While here school starts in August when it's usually 100 degrees outside when I think of fall school comes to my mind.  This looks like a good academic mystery.

What books would you like to read this fall?