Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Wishes Summer 2024

Posted on by The Book Lover's Sanctuary

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Previous Top Ten Tuesday Topics

Looking back on the last year – and as a teacher I am counting it from September – it has been a nightmare! Genuinely. New schools, hospitalisations, a cancer scare, our landlord choosing to evict us, the search for a new home, mortgage and legal issues, my father’s sudden health deterioration, death and funeral, chaos at work…

The idea of sending this year on its way with a very bookish summer, in a new house that I have finally been able to own rather than rent – with all the security that that will bring – would be delightful, however. And this week’s theme is a celebration of all things bookish and the chance to grant each other a little gift, or at least revel in our wishes for the Summer.

My List is here: Amazon Wish List Bookish Wishes 2024

On that list you might find a couple of Italian authors, pursuing my intention of reading a book in Italian this year

Ilaria Tuti’s Teresa Bataglia series

I have begun this series already with Fiori sopra l’inferno and… it is a slow and challenging read in a foreign language!

I have, however, enjoyed the irascible quality of Bataglia and the fact that she is an older detective, struggling with her own ailments… and somewhat irascible and cantankerous.

A decades-old murder investigation has landed on Superintendent Teresa Battaglia’s desk. DNA analysis has revealed that a painting from the final days of World War II contains matter from a human heart. Teresa is able to trace the evidence to Val Resia, one of Italy’s most isolated, untouched regions.

When Teresa’s investigation hits too close to the truth, a fresh human heart is hung at the valley’s entrance, a warning not to cross its threshold. As she hunts a ruthless killer, Teresa must face down her own rapidly deteriorating physical and cognitive abilities, as well as someone she hoped never to see again—a man who has just become her supervisor.

Donato Carisi’s Mila Vasquez series

I have forgotten where I picked up the name of Carrisi, but this series seems to have very good reviews on Amazon

Six severed arms are discovered buried in a forest clearing. They are arranged in a mysterious circle, and appear to belong to missing girls between the ages of eight and thirteen. But the rest of the bodies are nowhere to be found.

Criminologist Goran Gavila is given the case. A dishevelled, instinctively rebellious man, he is forced to work with young female police officer Mila Vasquez. Lithe, boyish, answering to no one, Mila has a reputation as a specialist in missing children. She also has a tragic history of her own that has left her damaged, unable to feel or to relate to others.

Theirs is a fiery but strangely affecting working relationship – and as they uncover more secrets about the dark secrets in the forest, their lives are increasingly in each other’s hands…

John Gwynne’s Bloodsworn Series

Norse inspired high fantasy… this has been popping up on my social media feeds and received much praise!

A century has passed since the gods fought and drove themselves to extinction. Now only their bones remain, promising great power to those brave enough to seek them out.

As whispers of war echo across the land of Vigrið, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame, and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.

All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods.

Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde Series

After God-inspired and Ragnarok levels of risk, after serial killers and violence, there seems a real charm in this series and very cute covers!

Emily Wilde is good at many things: she is the foremost expert on the study of faeries; she is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encylopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby

But as Emily gets closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones – the most elusive of all faeries – she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all – her own heart.

Naoise Dolan’s The Happy Couple

I loved Dolan’s Exciting Times and her sense of voice, and a wedding setting sounds a delightful opportunity to explore her characters, their relationships and motivations…

THE BRIDE AND GROOM
Celine and Luke are meant to get married and live happily ever after. But Celine’s more interested in playing the piano, and Luke’s a serial cheater.

THE BRIDESMAID
Phoebe, Celine’s sister, is meant to finish college and get a real job. Instead she pulls pints, lives with six flatmates, and has no long-term aspirations beyond smoking her millionth cigarette.

THE BEST MAN
Archie, Luke’s best friend and ex-boyfriend, is meant to move up the corporate ladder and on from Luke. Yet he stands where he is, admiring the view.

THE GUEST
Vivian, Luke’s other best friend and other ex, was meant to put up with Luke’s bullshit when they dated. But she didn’t. And now she is contented, methodically observing her friends like ants.

As the wedding approaches and these five lives intersect, each character will find themselves looking for a path to their happily ever after – but does it lie at the end of an aisle?

There are other books on the list – some more fantasy, some poetry… and there always seems to be a Brandon Sanderson on these sorts of lists!

I do look forward to reading your lists, and no doubt adding many of your books onto my own list as I do so!

Have a great TTT, a great Tuesday and a great week!

Upcoming Themes

June 18: Books on My Summer 2024 To-Read List
June 25: Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2024
July 2: Books with My Favorite Colour on the Cover
July 9: Throwback Freebie (Pick a TTT topic that has been previously done. Maybe you missed it, weren’t blogging then, or you’d like to update an old list you made. All previous topics are listed below.)
July 16: Ten Things I Loved About [Insert Book Title Here] (Pick any book and tell us ten things you loved about it!) (submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext)
July 23: Debut Novels I Enjoyed (A debut novel is an author’s first published book. You could also choose to share genre or age group debuts if you’d prefer, such as an adult fiction author’s first YA book or a mystery writer’s first romance.) (submitted by Angela @ Reading Frenzy)
July 30: Books I Wish Had More/Less [Insert Your Concept Here] In Them (for example: more/less romance, more/less world building, less info dumping, more/fewer pages, more character development, fewer characters, fewer descriptions, more suspense, etc.)

Published by The Book Lover's Sanctuary

#bookblogger, teacher, father | he / him |

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