My Top 10 TBR Books for Spring

It's Tuesday!  This means it's time for the Top Ten Tuesday Linkup with The Broke and the Bookish!  This week's top ten list is the top ten books on my spring TBR.

This year I've been reading more review books than anything else which is leaving my TBR shelf neglected, still growing and overflowing to the point of breaking.  I've been doing the Take Control of Your TBR Challenge this month hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewerand have made a little progress with the books I pulled for that.  For this week's top 10 list I pulled 10 more books off the shelf.  These are the ones I really wanted to read but for some reason just let sit on the shelf or is the next one in a series I've got some backup going on in.

So here's my current list!

From bottom to top:

At Home by Bill Bryson - When this book came out I really wanted to read it.  Like to the point I went out and bought it new in HARDCOVER (granted it was with a gift card but still).  That was almost 4 years ago and it has been sitting untouched on my shelf ever since.

The 8:55 to Baghdad by Andrew Eames - This is one of my nonfiction books about Agatha Christie and her work.  I may put this to the end of the stack to line it up as closely with reading Murder on the Orient Express as possible.

Necessary as Blood by Deborah Crombie - Crombie is one of my favorite and most reliable mystery authors.  I've loved all her books (well except for one) but for some reason completely forgot about her a few years ago.  I now have this book from 5 years ago and the next 2 on my Kindle.

Almost Home by Mariah Stewart - Number 3 in the Chesapeake Diaries series.  I've read #1, pulled #2 for the TBR challenge.  I've read 7 for review and just got 8.  I also own 4, 5 and 6.  Obviously this is a series I need to read as it keeps growing and I keep acquiring them.

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean - read the first one, have the 2nd on Kindle and have been ignoring this one despite owning it for months.  I figure spring seems like the time to tackle the neglected romance novels I have sitting around.

The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn - Julia Quinn is a longtime and reliable favorite.  I've heard good things about this series and I'm very intrigued by the main characters after meeting them in the last book.

Always on My Mind by Jill Shalvis - I've been looking forward to this one since I saw the words pastry chef in the description as that is a weakness of mine.  However, I ended up skipping it to read the next one for review fully intending to go straight back to this one.  It's been months.

Dead Bolt by Juliet Blackwell - read the first one years ago and really enjoyed it.  I now have #2 through 4 sitting on my shelf so I figured I should get started on the series.

Home for the Homicide by Jennie Bentley - I love this series and really wanted to read this as soon as I got it but for some reason didn't.  It's been sitting there waiting for months.

The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor - A classic mystery series that somehow I never read.  This is the first one and if I like it there are tons more to read!

And now for a look at the books I pulled for the TBR Challenge!

I've actually made pretty good progress - I'm just under halfway done just a little over halfway through the month. I've started the Mariah Stewart and will hopefully finish the rest of these by the end of the month!

The Death of a Policeman - Review

Death of a Policeman: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery by M.C. Beaton

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  When DCI Blair sends a spy to see if he can shut down Sergeant Hamish Macbeth's station things go horribly wrong.  For starters everyone in Lochdubh spots Cyril Sessions for exactly what he is and refuse to give him the information he and Blair want.  Things get worse when Sessions is found dead from a shotgun blast to the chest.  Things begin to lead away from Macbeth when a strange phone number is found in one of the last places Sessions was and the new Scottish police forces finds themselves embroiled in a very sinister mystery where it becomes hard to tell who the enemy really is.

Genre: Mystery

My Impression:  While I have read several of Beaton's Agatha Raisin books this is my first Macbeth.  There is a lot of back story for this character.  There are 2 past fiances and an ex kind of stalker as well as a rocky history with DCI Blair and who knows what else.  While I was able to still read and enjoy this book I think I would've enjoyed it more if I had started earlier in the series. That being said the mystery was very interesting and not to coincidence based which is one of my pet peeves.  Each link in the story is added due to something uncovered either in an interview or other form of investigation.  The story did meander a bit and the end seemed unnecessary to the core story though it was pretty funny in a very dark kind of way.  There are some very serious subjects presented but they are handled with a very light hand and would be fine for mystery readers who tend to stick to cozies.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes, I think any cozy mystery reader would enjoy it.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes though I would recommend starting with an earlier book.

Showcase Sunday

Linking up this Sunday with Vicky from Biscuits, Books and Tea to show what books I got this week!

This week I tried to take a break for requesting books.  And I did for the most part.  Then a bunch of books I had requested ages ago got approved so what I thought would be a quiet week got a little busier!

No physical copies of books but I did get a much of e-ARCs from Netgalley!

Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins - I've never read this author but I've read a lot of good things about her.

Never Entice an Earl by Lily Dalton - completely new to me author but the summary sounds intriguing.

Biting Through the Skin by Nina Mukerjee Furstenau - also a new to me author but it's a food memoir so I'm helpless to resist.

Dog Gone, Back Soon by Nick Trout - a funny sounding book about a somewhat reluctant veterinarian.

The Cursed by Heather Graham - a haunted house in Key West. How can I not request that?  I've seen Heather Graham's books around forever but have never picked one up until now.

Empire Girls by Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan - two girls left on their own to solve a family mystery and reclaim what's theirs in 1920s New York.

The Beekeeper's Ball by Susan Wiggs - I read a few of her historicals years and years ago and liked them okay but then I picked up one her new contemporaries last year before going to the beach and LOVED it.  This one involves a chef and a former journalist.  Really looking forward to reading this one!

Growing Up Duggar - Review

Growing Up Duggar: It's All About Relationships by Jana, Jill, Jessa and Jinger Duggar

Rating: 2 Stars

Description:  Ranging from 24 to 20 the 4 oldest Duggar girls of the TLC show 20 and Counting share their feelings about life and their beliefs.

Genre: Self-Help

My Impression:  When the Tornado was a baby we spent a lot of time being awake at 5am and the Duggar's kept me company.  While our religious beliefs don't line up I was impressed by their ability to run such a large family efficiently and the discipline it took to stay out of debt and make so much yourself.  I was interested in a more in depth look at how the family worked from the perspectives of the now adult children.  That wasn't what I got which is completely my fault for not reading the summary close enough!  This is a book for girls from I'd say around ages 8 to 14 who are trying to navigate through that difficult time in life and figure out how their religious beliefs can relate to what they see around them. I think it would be wonderful for that - especially for girls growing up in a religious homeschool environment.  The writing style is a bit clunky and it's obvious these girls aren't professional writers but the fact that they're trying to genuinely connect with girls does come through.  So while I'm clearly not the target market in age and religious beliefs I think it would be a beneficial to those that it is actually designed to help.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: No

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Only if you're looking for a book for your Christian homeschool group to read.

This Week in Reading

I managed to get all the books I was reading last Friday finished by this Friday!  

What I Read:

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski (Review)

I really enjoyed this one.  I thought the characters felt like actual teenagers.  There was some angst and some out of proportion reactions but that's kind of what it's like to be 15 even if you don't have the ability to read minds.  I liked that both the good and bad were shown.  Emma borrowed the book and got through it in about a day and enjoyed it as well.  I may do a give away in the next couple of weeks for this one so keep a look out if you're interested.

Murder at Hazelmoor by Agatha Christie

This is one of her stand alone books from the 1930s and one of the first that is published under 2 titles causing confusion for anyone trying to read all of Agatha's books.  This is a really fun one where we're starting to see more of the traditional Agatha format.  There's less espionage adventure and more carefully plotted locked room style murder.  Review will be up when I read the other 3 books.

Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn McKinlay 

This was a cute mystery if you like cozies and cupcakes which I do.  The characters have some childish behavior that gets a little annoying.  So far I think her library series is way better.  The review should be up sometime in the next couple of weeks.  This was the 2nd in the Cupcake series.

Death of a Policeman by M.C. Beaton

I'm not sure how I feel about this series.  It feels like a cozy.  Cutesy writing, small town setting and then goes and deals with things like drug and human trafficking, corrupt police and suicide.  But then handles those lightly.  It's an interesting series but I think I may like her Agatha Raisin books a little better.  Review will be up Monday.

What I'm Reading:

The Trouble with Honor by Julia London

Have you ever started a book that had a lot of promise and you were really enjoying it and then halfway through you were so annoyed that you just wanted to put it down?  That's how I am with this book.  This series has a lot of promise but unless Honor gets her act together I'm going to spend the rest of this book being very annoyed.

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie

This is a really good one and one of my favorites.  It's been nice to read a little of it when Honor from the above book is driving me crazy.

Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler

This is another book I started because I had to get away from Honor for a little bit.  I have mixed feelings about Chelsea Handler - sometimes I think she's really funny other times she just seems a little too over the top with the self involved high maintenance stuff.  So far this book has not helped make up my mind whether I like her or not.

Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly

I haven't so much started this as moved it off of the shelf onto the top of my nightstand.  Sheila Connolly is one of my favorite mystery authors so I have high hopes.  This also goes towards the TBR challenge, Cozy challenge and Ireland challenge so it's a multi-purpose book.

What's I've Been Distracted By:

Actually not too much though I've been going to bed earlier which has been significantly impacting my reading.  I'm doing the TBR readathon this weekend so hopefully I can get some more read!  Sleep is optional right?

Ides of March Read-a-thon

So I'm participating in the Take Control of Your TBR Challenge hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer but am not necessarily making as much progress as I'd like so I thought I'd try the read-a-thon.  I figure I can take some inspiration from the host and ramp up the caffeine intake and see what I can get read.

Here's what I'd like to read/finish:

1.  Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn McKinlay pub 2010
2. The Trouble with Honor by Julia Lond pub Feb 2014
3. Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly pub 2013

There's about 200 others I'd like to read but baby steps!

The Outcast Dead - Review

The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  Forensic archaelogist, Ruth Galloway, finds herself submerged in a Victorian mystery when the remains of a murderess known as Mother Hook are discovered.  Much to her dislike she now finds herself on a popular crime show involving the case.  At the same time DCI Harry Nelson finds himself dealing what he believes is a simple but tragic case of a mother killing her own children.  However, when someone who calls himself the Childminder takes credit and another child is killed things begin to take on a more sinister look.

Genre: Mystery

My Impression: I love archaeological mysteries and this one didn't disappoint.  I thought Galloway was tough but still likable and Nelson was sympathetic.  The top of the mystery was horrible but it was handled well without too much extra angst.  The historical element was great.  The main thing that kept this from being a 4 star book for me was Griffiths' use of present tense.  Instead of saying "Ruth walked to her car" it would be "Ruth walks to her car".  It made the pacing feel very rushed and took me awhile to get used to.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes!  Now that I've gotten used to the tense she uses I've added all her previous books to my TBR

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes!  If you like Deborah Crombie I think you'd like this one.