Top Ten Tuesday: Books I (Would) Read in 1 Sitting

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.

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Good morning everyone! It’s been hectic in my house still with the arrival of my new dog, but everyone’s doing well so far and most things have remained intact this last week. Thankfully today’s TTT is something easy to think about and always a pleasure to advertise some of my favourite books.

Do you typically read a certain genre in one sitting? Or the only criteria is that you’re really enjoying it? I’m such a mood reader that it’s all over the place for me, and not always predictable, but I find that these 10 books captured my heart along the way.

Let’s begin!

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1. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (genre: science fiction)

• This book is so long (probably the longest I’ve read in my life), but the characters just come to life, especially after the first 200 pages that I couldn’t help but race to the end to see what happens to everyone I care about.

2. The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell (genre: historical fantasy)

• Magic, time travel, mystery and more! It was such a good combination of subterfuge and falling for the person you shouldn’t care for, and plenty of intrigue set in 1920s Manhattan that made it such a unique experience to keep reading.

3. The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (genre: historical fantasy)

• A darker fantasy for sure, but filled with stories about a kickass woman who fought demons disguised as men better than any man could, plus a HUGE side of romance I could cheer for was a recipe that wouldn’t let me go.

4. Love, Life and the List by Kasie West (genre: contemporary)

• One of my favourite contemporaries with a trope I love and find super rare (best friends to lovers), this was the perfect amount of romantic tension and self-discovery that led me reading at all sorts of odd hours I should really not have been in order to see their story through. And it did NOT disappoint!

5. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (genre: historical mystery)

• I love a good mystery, but one that is set in historical London featuring one of the most notorious serial killers just had my attention from page one. Fast-paced and filled with twists I did not foresee, this heroine I loved kept me entertained as the mystery came to its conclusive end.

6. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (genre: historical fantasy)

• While any Shadowhunter book could have fit into this spot to be honest, I have a soft spot for the first historical prequel series although I absolutely hate love triangles. I still have such fond memories of actually reading this in one go because I loved the setting and the characters of the triangle so much (even through my intense dislike for the unnecessary love triangle itself).

7. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (genre: fantasy)

• Unique and darkly enriched with an entertaining magical world within Yale’s campus, the strategic unfolding of the main story arc and central mystery kept me flipping faster and faster so I could understand what happened to our protagonist and how they were going to fix whatever magical killer had been unleashed among them.

8. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (genre: mystery)

• I did, in fact, pull an all-nighter to finish reading this one because the mystery was great and I honestly could not predict who the killer was for the longest time. I loved the protagonist and her quest to clear someone’s name, at the expense of her own safety, and my heart was pounding with hers the whole way through!

9. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (genre: contemporary)

• Featuring a couple I fell in love with from the start, I longed to see how they would/could make a relationship work between them amidst all the obstacles that seemed to be in their way. It’s a simple concept but executed in the best possible way that still leaves a good feeling in me after all this time.

10. If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (genre: contemporary)

• A recent read for me (review coming soon!), I loved the concept of a mean girl trying to become better without changing herself into someone she’s genuinely not, and falling for the guy that doesn’t fit anywhere in her plans – especially when he thinks of her as his enemy!

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And that’s a wrap! Are you all over the place with genre? Do you typically read shorter books in one sitting? Or does none of this matter as long as you fell in love with the story?