Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday: Rainy Day Reads





This week’s topic is rainy day reads. What’s a rainy day read? I think it’s a book with a dark, twisty plot; or a mind-bending mystery; or a well-built world. Basically, something that would keep you entertained on a rainy day. You won’t be bored if you’re stuck inside with these books.







🌧 Rainy Day Reads 🌧







1. Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson


Young Adult Contemporary Mystery



Mary B. Addison killed a baby.

Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: A white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? She wouldn’t say.

Mary survived six years in baby jail before being dumped in a group home. The house isn’t really “home”—no place where you fear for your life can be considered a home. Home is Ted, who she meets on assignment at a nursing home.

There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary must find the voice to fight her past. And her fate lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But who really knows the real Mary?
















2. When The Sky Fell On Splendor by Emily Henry



Young Adult Science Fiction



Almost everyone in the small town of Splendor, Ohio, was affected when the local steel mill exploded. If you weren’t a casualty of the accident yourself, chances are a loved one was. That’s the case for seventeen-year-old Franny, who, five years after the explosion, still has to stand by and do nothing as her brother lies in a coma. 

In the wake of the tragedy, Franny found solace in a group of friends whose experiences mirrored her own. The group calls themselves The Ordinary, and they spend their free time investigating local ghost stories and legends, filming their exploits for their small following of YouTube fans. It’s silly, it’s fun, and it keeps them from dwelling on the sadness that surrounds them.

Until one evening, when the strange and dangerous thing they film isn’t fiction–it’s a bright light, something massive hurdling toward them from the sky. And when it crashes and the teens go to investigate . . . everything changes.
















3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle


Classic Mystery Short Stories



Since Doyle created the immortal Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson, no other mystery writer has come close to eclipsing him as the standard bearer in crime fiction. A brilliant London-based "consulting detective," Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess and renowned for his skillful use of astute observation, deductive reasoning, and inference to solve difficult cases.
















4. The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes


Young Adult Mystery



Molly Mavity is not a normal teenage girl. For one thing, she doesn’t believe that her mother killed herself three years ago. And since her father is about to be executed for his crimes, Molly is convinced that her mother will return to her soon. Finally, the hole in her heart will stop hurting.

Pepper Al-Yusef is not your average teenage boy. A Kuwaiti immigrant with serious girl problems and the most embarrassing seizure dog in existence, he has to write a series of essays over the summer . . . or fail out of school.

And Ava Dreyman—the brave and beautiful East German resistance fighter whose murder at seventeen led to the destruction of the Berlin Wall—is unlike anyone you’ve met before.

When Molly and Pepper are tasked with finding Ava’s murderer, they realize there’s more to her life—and death—than meets the eye. Someone is lying to them. And someone out there is guiding them along, desperate for answers.
















5. The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson


Middlegrade Mystery



The letter waits in a book, in a box, in an attic, in an old house in Lambert, South Carolina. It's waiting for Candice Miller. 

When Candice finds the letter, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, after all, who left Lambert in a cloud of shame. But the letter describes a young woman named Siobhan Washington. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding the letter-writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle. Grandma tried and failed. But now Candice has another chance.

So with the help of Brandon Jones, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues in the letter. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter's promise before the summer ends?
















6. Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon


Literary Mystery



There are three things you should know about Elsie. The first thing is that she’s my best friend. The second is that she always knows what to say to make me feel better. And the third thing . . . might take a bit more explaining.

Eighty-four-year-old Florence has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, she wonders if a terrible secret from her past is about to come to light. If the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly like a man who died sixty years ago?
















7. Daughter Of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor


Young Adult Fantasy



Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
















8. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab


Middlegrade Fantasy



Cassidy Blake's parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one. When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn't sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn't belong in her world. Cassidy's powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.
















9. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith


Classic Crime



In this first novel, we are introduced to suave, handsome Tom Ripley: a young striver, newly arrived in the heady world of Manhattan in the 1950s. A product of a broken home, branded a "sissy" by his dismissive Aunt Dottie, Ripley becomes enamored of the moneyed world of his new friend, Dickie Greenleaf. This fondness turns obsessive when Ripley is sent to Italy to bring back his libertine pal but grows enraged by Dickie's ambivalent feelings for Marge, a charming American dilettante.
















10. Revival by Stephen King


Horror



In a small New England town, in the early 60s, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs Jacobs; the women and girls–including Jamie’s mother and beloved sister–feel the same about Reverend Jacobs. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond, based on their fascination with simple experiments in electricity.

Then tragedy strikes the Jacobs family; the preacher curses God, mocking all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.

Jamie has demons of his own. In his mid-thirties, he is living a nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll. Addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate, he sees Jacobs again–a showman on stage, creating dazzling ‘portraits in lightning’–and their meeting has profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil’s devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings. Because for every cure there is a price.










What book would you recommend for a rainy day?









54 comments:

  1. I just had to go ahead and look for The Parker Inheritance. It must be a Texas Bluebonnet, I think, as our public library has so many copies, and most of them are checked out!

    Thank you for sharing these with us. I'd love to hear your thoughts on my list.

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    1. I hope you get a chance to read it. Pretty much every book I’m excited to read has a massive library waitlist.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  2. Great list! I keep thinking of giving City of Ghosts a try - I think the audiobook's only 5 hours long, so I'm intrigued! - and I agree that Allegedly is a really good read for a rainy day. That book's so dark!

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  3. Great list!! WHEN THE SKY FELL ON SPLENDOR is on my shelf and I can't wait to get to it.

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  4. Allegedly is an excellent choice for this week's prompt. Wow, that was quite the story.

    My TTT.

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  5. When The Sky Fell totally looks like something I'd like!!!!

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  6. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a perfect rainy day read, so atmospheric!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2019/04/16/top-ten-tuesday-207/

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    1. It is! That’s the first book that came to mind when I saw the prompt.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  7. I still need to read City of Ghosts! I loved the other Schwab books I've read, so I have very high hopes for this one!

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    1. I liked Schwab’s other books better, but City of Ghosts is fun.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  8. I think a mystery matches nicely with the dark, gloomy mood of a rain storm. I love that you went across genres and age groups for this post. I haven't read too many of those books, but I think Allegedly is pretty dark and twisty and worthy of a good storm with thunder and wind.

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    1. Thanks! I tried really hard to choose books for different ages and different levels of “spookiness” tolerance.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  9. Three Things about Elsie sounds good. It's weird how few books, even adult books, don't feature people over 50. I also want to read Jackson's latest, Monday's Missing.

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    1. I’d really like to see more old people as main characters. Old people are interesting because they’ve lived through so much.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  10. I think almost any Stephen King book would be great to read on a stormy day!

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    1. I agree! I chose this one because the ending takes place during a thunderstorm.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  11. Revival has been on my tbr list, but I have never gotten around to reading it. It would be good but I got myself into reading another 800 page history book Oh well.

    www.thepulpitandthepen.com

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    1. Haha, yeah, big books tend to derail reading plans because they take so long to get through!

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  12. I loved Daughter of Smoke & Bone!! I haven't read the last book in the series yet, but I'll be getting there soon! I always enjoy skimming through The Percy Jackson series on rainy days :)

    Elle Inked @ Keep on Reading

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    1. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series! The first book was my favorite.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  13. I like these choices; definitely feel like rainy day reads. I love Daughter of Smoke and Bone! I need to read City of Ghosts.

    Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  14. City of Ghosts is high on my TBR. I really must read more Schwab!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  15. Of course I've read Sherlock Holmes and I loved City of Ghosts (I need the second one to hurry up and come out) But Allegedly, When the Sky Fell on Splendor, Revival are all on my TBR. I decided to go with spooky/dark/scary reads for my rainy day reads. Rainy days are my favorite and so are spooky reads. So it's perfect.

    Ash @ JennRenee Read

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    1. Spooky books and rainy days go perfectly together. I’m also excited for the second City of Ghosts book. That series has such a fun premise.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  16. These are great recommendations! I feel like City of Ghosts would be a perfect rainy day read, I have to add it to my TBR :)

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  17. When the Sky Fell on Splendor and The Arsonist are both on my TBR! I'm excited to see they're on this list in particular!

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  18. Hi Aj! I still haven't read Revival and I think Daughter of Smoke and Bones is definitely one of my favourite. Did you watch the premiere episode of Season 8 of #GoT? Wasn't it good? I loved it and I don't really have any expectations other than Jon Snow winning the war against the Army of the Dead. I want all those Mother (F*#@!'s to burn!

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    1. Yes! I did watch the first episode of GoT. I loved all of the reunions. Now I’m ready for the characters to kick some zombie butt.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  19. The only one of these I've read is Daughter of Smoke and Bone! I need to re-read it and finish the series. Some of the others are on my TBR, but I haven't had a chance to read them yet. :)

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

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    1. Daughter of Smoke & Bone is my favorite in the series. I was a little disappointed in the second 2 books.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  20. Those all sound gripping and atmospheric... and several of them sound a bit too dark for me, especially on a rainy day! But I like the sound of the MG mystery, and a few of the others might work for me as well.

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    1. Yeah, my favorite books tend to be dark, but I tried to pick a few that are spooky in a fun way.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  21. Ohhhh Daughter of Smoke and Bone! Such a wonderful read and the series gets better with each installment! I still need to read A Night of Cake and Puppets as well. I've been really curious about The Arsonist since seeing the cover, I loved her debut The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly and it's been on my Goodreads list since before it was published. I'll have to add it to my wishlist to make sure I remember to grab a copy. Such a wonderful list, a little something for everyone!

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    1. Thanks! I didn’t like The Arsonist as much as Minnow Bly, but I still enjoyed it a lot.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  22. City of Ghosts is a perfect read for rainy days. I'm so excited about the sequel. When The Sky Fell on Splendor was one of my most anticipated books of 2019. Sadly, I haven't bought a copy yet, but fingers crossed that I'll get it soon. :)

    Happy readings! ;)
    Tânia @MyLovelySecret

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    1. When you read it, I hope you like it! I’m excited for the City of Ghosts sequel, too.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  23. I haven't read any of these yet, but I did get Allegedly and Daughter of Smoke and Bone when they were on sale, so I'll have to read them one of these days. Oh, and VE Schwab. Still have to read some of her books (I think I say that every week though).

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    1. I have a ton of books I’ve been saying for years that I’m going to read. It hasn’t happened yet!

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  24. Nice list! I still need to read Mr. Ripley. Schwab and me are not going very well with each other, unfortunately.

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    1. Sorry you’re not enjoying the Schwab books. Some of them are very tropey.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  25. I've seen City of Ghosts a couple of times this week. I really need to get to that one. Great list!

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  26. Allegedly totally hooked me from the premise! GAHHHH I can't even imagine what she experienced to not say anything the first time. ;) Great picks agree with Daughter of Smoke and Bone too.

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    1. Allegedly messes with your mind. The characters in that book are so screwed up.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  27. I don't actually choose books dependent on the weather so I'm always just reading the book I was working on or picking up the next one I wanted to read!

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    1. I don’t choose books based on the weather either. Whatever book I’m reading becomes a rainy day read.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  28. I love the idea of tucking in with a collection of Sherlock Holmes mysteries on a rainy day.

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  29. I like what you deem to be a rainy day read. I just like a book I can easily get lost in but you've certainly picked some books I could get lost in, like Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

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  30. I'm off again, on again about reading the Smoke and Bone books. Maybe someday. 👍✨

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    1. I just read your reviews. I think I'll pass. Ha ha. 😏

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  31. Oh Sherlock Holmes! That is a good one! I especially think The Hound of the Baskervilles would work great.

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  32. Three Things About Elsie caught my eye as a story I might like. Actually it was the cover caught my eye. Any book with a closeup of Battenburg cake has got to be good!

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