Earl Grey Books

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is books I read on vacation. I actually struggled with this one more than I thought I would—it turns out I’m not much of a holiday reader, but I managed to get the ten for today so let’s go!

None Shall Sleep (None Shall Sleep #1) by Ellie Marney

I read this one in January while on a little four-day trip with my partner. I’d been holding off on reading this one until I knew I’d be staying with someone for a few days. This is about two teenagers in 1982 who are helping the FBI on the search for a serial killer. I can’t usually read things about serial killers—anything beyond Christie/Sayers is too much for me, but Ellie Marney is one of my favourite authors so I wanted to to get to this. I actually loved this and I’m so glad I picked it up when I did.

All the Feels (Spoiler Alert #2) by Olivia Dade

I picked this up while away for another weekend, this time with my best friend Angel. Since we’re both book bloggers (which is how we first met), we spent most of our time away reading and catching up on blog posts. I had a really fantastic time reading this while getting to relax for that weekend.

I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

Now we travel back into the pre-Covid days. I read this one while in Denmark at the very start of 2020 before the pandemic hit. In fact, I read most of this on a coach trip between Copenhagen and Odense (and back) to go and see Hans Christian Andersen’s hometown. This isn’t my favourite of Oseman’s work, but it was the perfect thing to keep me entertained on that trip.

Whose Body? (Lord Peter Whimsy #1) by Dorothy L. Sayers

I read this one on that same trip, but while I was in London instead. I’d purchased this one in Hatchards in Piccadilly which is a really gorgeous bookshop there. I’d never read any Sayers before but I took a gamble with this one and ended up really enjoying it.

Check, Please: Volume 1 by Ngoni Ukazu

I picked this one up on a trip to the U.S in late 2019. I honestly can’t remember if I picked this up in New York or Boston but I remember reading the whole thing on a short flight. This is an adorable graphic novel about gay hockey players and baking—it’s a joy to read.

Lot by Bryan Washington

I don’t whether this is really considered a ‘vacation’ read as I ended up reading it while stuck in Sydney airport waiting for my delayed flight. I’d flown up to Sydney for the Writer’s Festival where I got to meet Bryan Washington and then decided it would be read for the flight home, but it instead ended up being my read for the six-hour delay.

The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk

I think I’ll always remember this book as the one that made me ugly sob as I flew into New York for the first time in 2018. I just had the last 150 or so pages left to go as I got on that flight and I ended up finishing it just as we were about to land, so I was just sitting there sobbing to myself.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I picked this one up in Edinburgh in 2016 and then ended up reading it about two weeks later during a train ride from York where I’d been visiting family down to Cornwall where I was living at the time. That was about an 8 or 9 hour trip and I ended up reading this entire book. It was definitely an experience and I think it’s why I ended up enjoying this so much—I was completely immersed so when I finished it, it felt like I’d been living the story.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I read this in 2014 at home, but then ended up rereading it in 2016 while on a bus tour through Europe. I think I started reading it when in Amsterdam and finished it up by the time we reached Innsbruck. I was studying this one for an essay so it was lovely to get to take a break from this heavy topic by getting to find some time sightseeing.

Northern Light/The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) by Phillip Pullman

This one goes back to 2013 while I was in Tasmania with my parents. For the first few days I was really sick and couldn’t get out of bed, so my mum ended up reading this aloud to me. We both ended up really liking this (neither of us had read it before) and we bought the sequel later in the trip. My mum passed away the next year, so this is a really important memory for me.

And that’s it from me today. Have you read any of these? Are any on your TBR?