Top Ten Tuesday - Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2020

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 about my Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2020.  Usually this is a challenging topic for me but for some reason this year there were tons of books I already knew about and am already looking forward to reading.

1.  All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White - I really enjoy all 3 authors and while their first collaboration wasn't my absolute favorite I did enjoy it and this one looks really good.

2.  The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley - Agatha Christie and Ruth Ware are mentioned in the blurb so I really think I must read this one.

3.  The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni - Who doesn't want to find out that they're actually royalty though I don't think things go too smoothly for the main character!

4.  Miss Austen by Gill Hornby - I'm really looking forward to this historical fiction that focuses on Jane's sister Cassandra as she tracks down letters written by her sister and tries to protect her sister's legacy.

5. A Murderous Relation by Deana Raybourn - I'm really looking forward to this one even though it's causing me a bit of scramble!  I've read the first book in this series and loved it so now I have to read the next few before this one comes out!

6.  The House That Vanity Built by Nancy Cole Silverman - I absolutely loved the first book in this series.  It had old Hollywood, a cranky ghost, and a really fun main character.  I absolutely cannot wait to read this one.

7.  Don't Overthink it: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life by Anne Bogel - I have yet to read any of Bogel's books but I'm going to keep adding them to my TBR.

8.  Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas - I want to read more romance in 2020 and Kleypas is an absolute favorite of mine.

9.  Microphones and Murder by Erin Huss - I love podcasts, I love missing people cases, and I love mysteries and this book has all 3!

10. The Thief Knot by Kate Milford - I really loved the first Greenglass house middle grade book and I'm looking forward to the 3rd book.

What books are you looking forward to for the first half of 2020?

Upcoming Middle Grade Reads

We are starting a new homeschool curriculum that combines history and literature and I'm so excited.  Basically you supplement the history you're learning about with historical fiction set during the time you're studying to really make it come alive.  I adore this concept and am so excited to really get started on it.  It also throws in a good number of solid books for just literature study.  My 10 year old isn't the most enthusiastic reader but I'm hoping that mixing in a lot of read alouds might catch his interest.  Here is a few books that are coming up!

The Tale of Desperaux: The Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo - I'm super excited about this one and this will be the first one we start with.  We've loved other books by DiCamillo and this just sounds great.

26 Fairmont Avenue by Tomie DePaola - I know absolutely nothing about this one so I'm looking forward to discovering it.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - I read this one a few years ago and really liked it but I think the fact that I've seen the movie limited my enjoyment just a bit.  I'm really thrilled that the Tornado will experience the book first.

Nim's Island by Wendy Orr - I have heard of this story and that about sums up all I know about it.

Tales from the Odyssey Pt 1 by Mary Pope Osborne - This is connected to the history we will be studying and I'm super excited to see what he thinks of this.

Charlotte's Web is also on the list and I'm currently leaning towards sticking it.  It's a wonderful story and very much a classic but that story is traumatizing!

Have you read any of these?  What'd you think?

This Week in Reading - January 5

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

Molded 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton - So I said I wasn't going to get any review books but I love this series and couldn't resist that cover!  (NetGalley)

Currently:

Reading:  Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie and The Country Guesthouse by Robyn Carr though I'm almost done with both.  

Listening:  Heart of Evil by Heather Graham which I'm also almost done with.

Watching:  Finishing off some Hallmark Christmas movies and just watched Noelle on Disney+ which was really cute.

Off the Blog:

So we are officially 5 days into 2020 and so far so good.  I'm doing some cleaning out and we've actually been at home for the entire time!  This is the longest we've been home since the end of October.  It's kind of nice but I have no idea how long it will last or what's coming up.  I do know that it's time to start prepping for our Disney trip next month and I'm beyond excited.  I've found some fun reservations and little events and I can't wait.  

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  My Least Favorite Reads of 2019
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - My Favorite Reads of 2019
Wednesday:  First Books of 2020
Thursday:  Books I Meant to Read in 2019 But Didn't
Friday:  Friday Fives - January Reads
Saturday:  My Favorite Audio Books of 2019

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  Upcoming Middle Grade Reads
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Most Anticipated Book Releases for the First Half of 2019
Wednesday: A Country Guesthouse - Contemporary Romance Review
Thursday: Books from the Backlog
Friday:  Friday Fives - Five Non-Bookish Favorites
Saturday: Cookbooks I Want to Try This Year

Have a great week and happy reading!

My Favorite Audio Books of 2019

I listened to 36 audio books in 2019 and here are some of my favorites!

1.  Dark Witch by Nora Roberts and Narrated by Katherine Kellgren - I read this one when it first came out and was pretty meh about it but I got it on sale at Audible and thought I'd give it another try and ended up absolutely loving it!

2.  The Widow by Fiona Barton and Narrated by Hannah Curtis, Nicholas Guy Smith, Jayne Entwistle, Steve West, and Mandy Williams - This was a topic that was almost too much for me but between how the author handled it and the fabulous narration I really enjoyed it.  And you can't go wrong with anything that Jayne Entwistle reads.

3.  Dead Wake by Erik Larson and Narrated by Scott Brick - I was iffy on this one because nonfiction books that aren't memoirs don't seem to meld with audio but this was fascinating and amazing.

4.  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time by Frank Cotrell Boyce and Narrated by David Tennant - I will listen to anything David Tennant reads and his complete and total obvious joy with this story makes a fun middle grade adventure absolutely amazing.

5.  Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan and Narrated by Michelle Ford - Jenny Colgan's books just beg to be listened to and this was absolutely delightful.  I listened to this one while we were painting an entire house as quickly as possible and it made me really enjoy a normally tedious chore.

6.  What We Find by Robyn Carr and Narrated by Therese Plummer - I think I would have enjoyed this just as much if I had read it but I like the narrator and it was fun to listen to.

7.  Watching You by Lisa Jewell and Narrated by Gabrielle Glaister - I love Jewell's books in audio form and this one was no exception.  This was one of those finding extra projects to do so I had more time to listen.

8.  Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty and Narrated by Caroline Lee - This book got some seriously mixed reviews and after listening I can understand why but I loved the narrator and got thoroughly caught up in this one.  I really enjoyed the book and the audio version.

9.  I See You by Clare Mackintosh and Narrated by Rachel Atkins - This reminded me a bit of Lisa Jewell's books in the best way.  The atmosphere was suffocatingly ominous and I really had no idea how it was going to turn out.

10. Rainy Day Sisters by Kate Hewitt and Narrated by Rosalyn Landor - Landor is one of my favorite narrators and this one had a bit of a Jenny Colgan feel which made it a treat  I'm really looking forward to reading more by this author.

What were some of your favorite audios you listened to in 2019?

Friday Five - January Reads

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  Michelle over at Because Reading is Better Than Real Life   used to do a Five on Fridays that I always enjoyed and I've seen a few other variations on the theme.  As well I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd give start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. This is the first Saturday of January so I'm looking at my top 5 January reads.

1. Careless Whiskers by Miranda James - I have this one coming up on my review schedule and I love this series so win-win.

2.  The Summoning by Heather Graham - I pre-ordered this one and then never read it.  Now is the time.

3. Hearse and Gardens by Kathleen Bridge - This has been on my TBR for awhile and it looks like a fun read.

4.  The Day of the Storm by Rosamunde Pilcher - I've been wanting to do some rereads and this was one I remember I enjoying.

5.  A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn - I have the most recent book in this series on my review schedule so I've got to catch up!

What are you hoping to read in January?

Books I Meant to Read in 2019 But Didn't

So many books come out each year and I want to read them all!  Here are a few I meant to read in 2019 but didn't quite get to them.

1.  Death Brings a Shadow by Rosemary Simpson - I loved the previous book in this series and am so looking forward to read this one though I didn't get to it quite as soon as it came out like I expected.

2.  Memories and Murder by Lynn Cahoon - I was so excited to see this full length novel in one of my favorite cozy mysteries but somehow didn't read it right when it came out.

3.  Project Duchess by Sabrina Jeffries - I love Sabrina Jeffries and I loved the premise of this one but it never quite made it to the top of my list.

4.  The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan - I fully intended to read this mystery and I love the premise but it just didn't happen.

5.  The Spies of Shilling Lane by Jennifer Ryan - I adored an earlier book by this author and was so excited to get this one but of course I haven't read it.

6.  The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis - My romance reading really took a hit in 2019 and this was one of the books that fell through the cracks.

7.  The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths - I love Elly Griffiths and I really like that this one is a stand alone.  Plus, the premise is seriously creepy sounding!

8.  Sisters of Summer's End by Lori Foster - I read the first book in this series right when it came out and enjoyed it but somehow never got to this one.

9.  The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman - I have this on Audible and love the premise and really meant to read it.

10. The Summoning by Heather Graham - I pre-ordered this one and was so excited but did I read it?  Nope.  This is the month though!  I can feel it!

What did you mean to read in 2019?

First Books of 2020

Early in my blogging days I discovered First Book hosted by Sheila over at Book Journey and it quickly became one of my favorite traditions.  This year I didn't quite get my act together in time to take a picture and send it over to Sheila.  In fact I just officially decided on what book I wanted to read yesterday afternoon.  My reading goals for 2020 are very vague - vaguer then they've ever been - with a low reading goal and the main goal just to enjoy my reading.  So with that in mind here are my first books for 2020!

First Book:

Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie - I've been neglecting Agatha Christie the last couple of years and I've missed her!

First eBook:

The Country Guesthouse by Robyn Carr - I've really enjoyed this series so I was excited to get a copy of this for review. 

First Audio Book:

Heart of Evil by Heather Graham - I love the Krewe series and this one takes place in Louisiana where I've been spending a lot of time.  I also absolutely love romantic suspense on audio so this seems like the perfect first audio.

Word of the Year: Focus

What are your first reads for 2020?