I just got back from a fabulous 2-week vacation to the U.K. in which everything went pretty much as smoothly as it could. Even the few things that didn't go quite as planned turned into happy accidents and funny memories. This hasn't been the case with every holiday I've gone on, naturally. I've been on trips marred by nasty weather, illness, car trouble, family drama, forgotten medication, kids having meltdowns, and one memorable (but very minor, thank goodness) trip to a Canadian emergency room. Although I pray for uneventful vacations in real life, I want the opposite in my fiction. Bring on all the holiday murder and mayhem! I mean, c'mon, who wants to read about a smooth-as-silk holiday? Not I! Today's TTT prompt is actually Top Ten Characters I'd Like to Go On Vacation With, but I'm going to put my own spin on it and list some vacation thrillers on my TBR list. I actually did this same topic back in 2020 with ten different books, so take a look at that if you're into this genre as well.

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Pop on over there and give her some love, won't you?

1. The River Wild by Denis O'Neill—I loved the film version of this survival story starring Kevin Bacon and Meryl Streep, but I've never read the book. The story is about a couple whose marriage struggles lead them to go on a white water rafting trip with their young son, hoping they can heal what's broken with some concentrated bonding time. When they rescue two stranded rafters, they unknowingly pick up a pair of criminals on the run. The family's peaceful outing soon turns into a desperate run against two armed killers and a powerful river, both of which seem to be conspiring to kill them.

2. One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware (available May 21, 2024)—In spite of relationship issues with her wannabe actor boyfriend, Lyla auditions with him for a new reality show that pits couples against each other for a large cash prize. Along with their fellow competitors, Lyla and Nico are left on the shores of a beautiful, exotic, and very remote island. After the game's first challenge leaves the contestants boiling with anger, a violent storm sweeps in, cutting the players off from all communication with the outside world. With no way to call for help and supplies running low, the couples must band together to survive. Or not.

3. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam—I'm probably the last person on earth to read this buzzy thriller. It's about a family from New York City who rent a luxurious Long Island home for a much-needed rest from their busy lives. Everything is going swimmingly until a knock on the door in the middle of the night changes everything. An older couple has arrived, claiming to be the owners of the home. They bring terrible news—a mysterious power outage has shut down the city, causing widespread chaos and panic. Something about the situation doesn't seem right to the vacationers, but with phone and Internet service down, there's no way for them to know what's really happening. Can they trust these newcomers? Or is something way more sinister than a power outage going on?

4. Never Coming Home by Kate Williams—In this YA thriller, ten of the world's most famous teen influencers are invited to Unknown Island. This paradise of the privileged has just opened and the whole world is talking about its beauty, luxury, and exclusivity. When the "First Ten" receive their coveted invites, they think they're being rewarded because of their massive followings. Wrong. They're being trapped because of the secrets each one of them is hiding. Someone wants those bombshells released. Someone wants to punish their keepers. Someone doesn't want the powerful influencers to leave the island. Ever. 

5. The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis—Twenty years ago, four teenagers embarked on a study abroad adventure in Provence, France, and became the best of friends. The girls spent their weekends visiting elegant Séraphine Demargelasse, one of the students' grandmother, at her fancy chateau. Two decades later, Séraphine invites them back. None of the women understand the sudden invitation, but each has their own secret reason for accepting. When their host is found murdered after a night of celebration, those secrets begin to emerge as everyone scrambles to figure out what is happening and why. 

6. Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok—When the titular character disappears while on vacation in the Netherlands, the Lee family is devastated and confused. What happened to their smart, successful oldest daughter? Amy, the youngest of the Lee siblings, has always been shy and easily intimidated. She idolizes her sister, her polar opposite. Determined to find answers for her distraught parents, Amy calls on every ounce of courage she possesses and embarks on a journey to figure out what happened to Sylvie. Along the way, she'll expose shocking secrets and discover deep truths about her sister, their parents, and herself. 

7. The Last Guest House by Caroline Mitchell (available April 16, 2024—today!)—In need of some R&R after working a taxing case, Detective Constable Nicola McKenna agrees to go on a relaxing vacation to Scotland's remote Isle of Skye. When they discover that their hotel has been overbooked, they scramble to find alternate accommodations. The Loch House has some odd rules, which Nicola finds more than a little unsettling. An incoming snow storm unnerves her even more and shows her just how very wrong things are at the sketchy guest house...

8. The Search Party by Hannah Richell—Max and Annie Kingsley have left their stressful life in London behind to run a glamping site. To ensure everything goes well for its grand opening, they decide to give their new venture a test run. They invite a group of family friends to join them for a fun, relaxing weekend. It doesn't take long for things to go sideways. With tension already on the rise, a sudden storm crashes in and one of the group disappears. As they try to find their missing member, secrets will come to light, families will be pitted against each other, and friendships will crumble. Will any of them ever recover from their dream weekend turned hellish nightmare?

9. Descent by Tim Johnston—The Courtlands are hanging out in the Rocky Mountains enjoying one last family vacation before their 18-year-old daughter, Caitlin, heads off to college. When she and her brother go for a run one morning and only Sean comes back, the family is thrown into a wild panic. What happened to Caitlin? Have they lost her forever? 

10. The River At Night by Erica Ferencik—If there's one thing everyone can agree on it's that Winifred Allen needs a vacation. Even still, she's a tad reluctant to join her best friends on a rafting and hiking adventure in the Maine wilderness. Her misgivings come to fruition when a freak accident turns their harmless excursion into a desperate struggle for survival against nature, each other, and the most dangerous type of wildlife: other humans.

There you go, ten novels about vacations going terribly wrong that I want to read. Have you read any of these? What did you think? Are there any other books you've loved about holidays gone awry? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Today's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl) prompt is a freebie, something I both love and loathe. I'm still tired from my 2-week vacay and my creative juices are just not flowing right now! However, this morning I started listening to a new audiobook, in which a teenager moves to Italy for the summer following her mother's death in order to live with her father, a man she's never met. When she arrives at his home, she's horrified to discover that he lives next to a cemetery, of which he is the caretaker. Unlike the main character in this book, I adore cemeteries. Not only do I find them endlessly fascinating, but they don't scare me in the least; in fact, they fill me with a sense of peace and calm. This got me thinking about other books I've read and those I would like to read that feature graveyards in one way or another. It's probably a topic better suited for Halloween time than Easter, but oh well. I'm going with it:

1. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch—This is my current listen. As I said above, it's about a teen girl who goes to Italy to fulfill her mother's dying wish that she get to know her father. The situation is all kinds of awkward, and all Lina wants to do is hightail it back to Seattle. Everything changes when she's given a journal her mother kept while living in Italy; reading it leads Lina to hidden wonders and a well-kept secret that changes everything she knows about her mother and herself.

2. The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez—After watching a friend and fellow novelist drive herself mad trying to finish a book, Alma Cruz vows not to let her own unfinished manuscripts chase her down the same path. When she inherits a piece of land in her native Dominican Republic, she turns it into a cemetery for her untold stories, burying incomplete drafts and abandoned revisions. Despite her determination to let them die, the tales take on lives of their own, the characters insisting on telling their own stories, refusing to be forgotten...

3. Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper—In this YA historical novel, a young woman in Victorian England who has just given birth to an illegitimate child who is born dead travels to a posh cemetery to bury her infant in the coffin of a wealthy woman. It's the only gift she can give her poor baby. In the graveyard, she meets two people who will impact her impoverished life greatly as she ekes out her meager existence. Sounds bleak, but interesting. 

4. 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die by Loren Rhoads—This travel guide, complete with stunning photography, showcases interesting cemeteries around the world that draw hordes of visitors eager to enjoy their beautiful scenery, hear about their unique histories, and visit their famous residents.

5. Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest—Leda is a Seattle travel agent and a sometimes psychic. When she reroutes a police detective from a doomed flight, the detective realizes her special gift could make her very useful to the police. Leda agrees to help him solve a cold case while at the same time investigating one of her own: her fiancé's murder.

6. Cemetery Road by Greg Iles—When Marshall McEwan returns to his small Mississippi hometown to care for his dying father, he realizes just how rundown Bienville has become. Its only hope for revitalization is an expensive new Chinese paper mill. When two murders happen in town, threatening the town's future even more, Marshall—an experienced journalist—decides to investigate. Will the secrets he uncovers be the nail in the coffin of the dying town? 

7. The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox—Like #1, this YA novel features a young woman whose father works as a caretaker for a cemetery. When a series of grave robberies hits Boston, she uses her special gift—her ability to communicate with the dead—to take on a gang known as the "Resurrection Men." Her involvement will either save the city's cemeteries or land her in one of them. Permanently.

8. Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America's Cemeteries by Greg Melville—This non-fiction title examines the history of how Americans memorialize our dead and what it has meant in terms of history, politics, the environment, and more. Sounds fascinating!

9. The Grave Tender by Eliza Maxwell—Widowed and pregnant, Hadley Dixon returns to the east Texas town where she grew up. Members of her family are still whispered about there and those who remain refuse to talk about the disturbing rumors that float about. Hadley only wants a safe place for her children to grow up. If she starts digging into the past, what might she unleash on herself, her family, and her hometown?

10. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen—Paranormal romance really isn't my thing, but this one sounds cute. Hart works as a marshal, keeping the magical land in which he lives under control. His job is not a popular one and he's got the crippling loneliness to show for it. Mercy is doing everything she can to keep her family's undertaking business afloat, including dealing with jerks like Hart. When the two enemies begin exchanging letters, pouring out their hearts to one another without knowing the other's identity, they get to know each other in ways they never could have before. What will happen when the new friends discover they are actually bitter enemies?

There you go, my somewhat macabre list. Do you love cemeteries like I do or do you avoid them like the plague? Are books set in or around graveyards as appealing to you as they are to me? Have you read any of the ones on my list? What did you think? What did you do for your freebie today? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. Please note that I am a week behind on commenting, but I will catch up!

Happy Tuesday! I just got back from a two-week family history research trip to the U.K. and today's TTT topic—April Showers (however you chose to interpret it)—goes perfectly with this promised recap of my vacation. Although the U.K. was damp and cold, we actually got pretty lucky with the weather, which stayed mostly dry. There was only one day that poured almost without ceasing and even that one gave us a bright, beautiful double rainbow (before it started raining again). Despite the cold, rain, mud, and even a surprise snow flurry in Wales, we had a fantastic trip. Jet lag is still kicking my trash as is the immersion back into reality, but I'm really glad we went. It truly was a spectacular experience.

The first time my husband and I visited the U.K. was in 2021. We took our two youngest kids with us that time. This go around, they were a little miffed about not being invited. When I explained that this trip would mostly include visits to churches, cemeteries, and museums, my 19-year-old son said, "Oh. Never mind, then." Ha ha. I wasn't lying either. Here's some numbers to prove it:

Miles traveled by airplane (from Phoenix, Arizona; to London, England; to Edinburgh, Scotland; and back again): about 5000

Miles traveled by car: 1616 (We rented a Tesla, so at least we didn't have to pay for expensive petrol!)

Miles traveled by ferry (from Heysham, England, to the Isle of Man, then from the Isle of Man to Liverpool): about 150

Miles traveled on foot: 78.73 (My FitBit wasn't sure what in the world was going on!)

Countries visited: Scotland, Wales, and England

Old churches visited: about 20 (probably more)

Cemeteries visited: about 22 (probably more)

Museums/Archives visited: 5 (We had to cross a picket line of protesting workers [very polite English ones] to enter the Museum of Liverpool, but our personal tour of the very well laid out museum was worth it. Also, I love that so many of the U.K.'s museums are free to visit! That's not at all true in the U.S.)

Castles visited: 7
Old friends visited: 2

New friends made: dozens (Other than a crochety cashier in a corner store in Liverpool, everyone we met was super nice and helpful.) 

Car accidents: 1 (Thank goodness there was only one and it was just a fender bender. We were hit by a cheery English woman on an impossibly narrow road in England's Lake District. The scenery there is unbelievable and so are the roads. They're terrifying.)

Highlights (although, really, everything we did was a highlight): 

You're already bored, I'm sure, so here's my actual TTT list:

March has already been a busy month for me and it's barely even started. Whew! I'm heading to the U.K. on Sunday for a two-week sightseeing/family history trip (mostly the latter), so this is the only TTT you'll see here this month, sadly. I'll get back into it in April, I promise. In the meantime, I'll leave you with my Spring TBR list (next week's topic) since I'm not feeling this week's prompt, which is: Top Ten Books I'm Worried I Might Not Love As Much the Second Time Around. 

This fun, weekly blog event is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Be sure to click on over to her blog and give it some love.

1. Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong (available May 7, 2024)—I'm a huge fan of Armstrong's Rockton/Haven's Rock series, but her A Rip in Time books are actually my favorites. This one is the third installment in the series, which features a modern-day homicide detective who gets thrust back in time to Victorian Scotland, where she helps solve crimes while trying to figure out how to return to her own time. In this book, Mallory and her undertaker landlord investigate a murder that occurs during a mummy unwrapping.

Since this series is set in Edinburgh, the city I will be flying in and out of, it will be the perfect read for my airplane ride. Maybe I'll save it for the trip home, after I do a ghost tour in the city!

2. Where There's Smoke by E.B. Vickers—This YA novel concerns Calli, an 18-year-old girl who has graduated from high school and lost her father, all in the last week and a half. Grieving the only parent she had left, she finds purpose in helping a young girl who shows up at her house bruised, beaten, and scared out of her mind. When the police come knocking, asking about a missing child from a neighboring town, Calli finds herself caught up in a quest for truth and justice that will expose shocking secrets about her small community and people she's known all her life who she maybe doesn't really know at all.

3. The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin—When an enslaved girl stumbles upon a secret society of spies run by a free Black woman, she finds purpose in helping to undermine the Confederacy. At the same time, she is on a journey to reunite with her beloved mother, an enslaved woman from whom she has been tragically separated.

4. The Hunter by Tana French—I'm a big Tana French fan and I'm always excited when a new book from her is announced. This is the second book in her Cal Hooper series. In this installment, Cal is immediately put on alert when the absent father of a teenager he's been mentoring shows up in town with suspicious motives. How far will Cal go to protect the people he cares about?

5. What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan—McTiernan is another of my favorite crime writers. Her newest is a standalone mystery featuring a young couple—Simon and Nina—who go on a Vermont vacation together, from which only Nina returns. Desperate to find out what happened to their daughter, Nina's family plies the police for answers, while Simon's wealthy family rushes in to protect him from suspicion. What happened to Nina? Is Simon to blame? Finding the truth might just tear them all apart.

 

6. Swimming in a Sea of Stars by Julie Wright—In this YA novel, a teen girl is attending school for the first time since she tried to kill herself. Everyone thinks they know what happened. They don't. As she floats through the halls, keeping her secrets to herself, she encounters several other students who are hiding their own doubts and insecurities. As painful as it might be, sharing their truths might be the first step to all of them finding the courage and understanding they all need to move forward.

7. A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen—The first installment in a new historical mystery series, this one introduces Miss Tiffany Woodall, a spinster who's pretending to be her dead half-brother in order to find the diamond pin that could save her from financial ruin. Things get complicated when a body is found, among other puzzling mysteries. It's up to Tiffany to figure out what in the world is going on in hers.

8. In the Lonely Hours by Shannon Morgan (available July 23, 2024)—This gothic mystery doesn't come out until the summer, but I have an e-ARC I can't wait to read. Also set in Scotland, it's about a woman who is shocked to discover she's inherited an old castle from a relative she's never heard of. When she and her teen daughter move in, they're quite unsettled to find out that it's full of ghosts and mysteries aplenty. As they dig into the edifice's dark past, they unwittingly put themselves in danger, especially as trapped as they are on a remote island...

9. Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson—I enjoyed Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, so I'm excited to read this sequel. Our intrepid author of how-to guides for mystery novelists has been invited to a writing conference via a train packed with other authors. When one of them is murdered, it's up to him to find out whodunit.

10. The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie (available April 2, 2024)—This middle-grade puzzler sounds like tons of fun. It's about three kids who are determined to find a treasure that is rumored to be hidden inside an old, abandoned funhouse. As they solve riddles and other clues, they start to feel as if they're in the ultimate escape room, one that has been set up just for them. It's impossible, isn't it? What exactly is going on and how are they going to win this game that is getting gradually more unnerving?

There you go, ten books I hope to read this summer. Have you read any of them? What did you think? How about you? What's on your Spring TBR list? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.