Top Ten Tuesday, 12 July 2022

This is my first entry for That Artsy Reader Girl aka Jana’s Top Ten Tuesday. 🙂

The topic for this week is: Book Covers that feel like Summer

I do not know how summers feel like in other parts of the world, but in India, Summers usually mean (other than sweltering heat) mangoes, jackfruits, kulfis, rose, sarsaparilla and khus sherbets, mangoes… Oh, I see I mentioned mangoes twice. King of fruits certainly deserves a mention or two, right?

I am not a beach babe and from the past four years, summers are so hot and dry, I rather stay indoors with the fan or cooler on full speed than go out and get burnt to a crisp. But yes, in a parallel universe where summers are warm colors all around (I am thinking soothing yellow and orange with a dash of pink), fresh ocean breeze (I can be 50metres from the beach and still enjoy a nice ocean breeze, right?), a glass of cold mango milkshake in one hand and a kulfi in another… ahh, bliss!!

#1: Murder in a Teacup by Vicki Delany

I am a tea drinker and biscuit dunker. What is the point of drinking tea if you cannot dunk biscuits in it? Oreos, cream crackers, bourbons, you name it, you dunk it! Just to be clear, when I say tea, I mean milky chai. I cannot even dream of dunking biscuits in a non-milky chai. Ugh!

This cover of Murder in a Teacup takes me to an imaginative world where I am spending my summer, by the beach side, at a teashop, drinking tea like royalty, dunking biscuits like there is no tomorrow, hogging on delicious scones and cakes, and sitting next to a purring cat. (Hopefully not a purring and farting cat!)

#2: Murder in the Tea Leaves by Carter Fielding

This book cover reminds me of my trip (a decade ago) to Kerala. Acres of tea gardens, fresh and clean air devoid of pollution, a slight drizzle, a cup of hot chai (no biscuits this time) and a scenery to die for. If I can, I would possibly spend my whole life in a place like this. No noise pollution, chirping birds and insects, pitter-patter raindrops… I am on an imagination overload!

#3: Ice Cream and Incidents by Agatha Frost

Ice Cream is a MUST during summers! A lot of gourmet ice cream stores have sprung up lately. They promise ice creams made of fruit purees and pure buffalo milk. I admit these flavors are quite indulging – and also give you scoops on your hips. Hips Don’t Lie! It is okay to indulge in high fat, rich and creamy ice creams because the summer heat will (hopefully, in never-land) melt away the scoops of fat accumulating on your hips. *wink wink*

My favorite flavor is chocolate – I am thinking of Mississippi Mud by Baskin Robins. Yum! Second best is plain vanilla with hot chocolate sauce on top. Slurp!

#4: Walking with Murder by Jean G. Goodhind

This book cover is one way of me spending my summer evenings. Summer evening, warm breeze, ice cream in one hand and an empty basket in another – my neighbors might call me for a quick chitchat and give me mangoes from their garden or homemade ice cream – I am the only one on a long path leading to nowhere… (oh, this contradicts with meeting my neighbors, no?)

I would love spending summer evenings in a place like this. Victorian buildings on both sides, a cobbled path, warm summer breeze and a prince charming stuck on a tree and screaming for help as I walk past him acting as if I am deaf. How romantic!

#5: One Greek Summer by Kate Frost

I have been reading a couple of romance and chick-lit books for the 20 books of Summer lately and there is one country that appears in a lot of books of this genre. Greece.

I have never been to Greece but if I will, I am going to visit Santorini. Scenic views, and probably warm sea breeze, no pesky mosquitoes and I am sitting alone sipping a glass of mocktail when there is a breeze and my hat flies away. I hear a voice behind me – a deep, baritone voice that says “Excuse me, is this your hat?” I turn around and see…
I am not a fan of cliffhangers, how about you? 😉

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#6: An English Garden Murder by Katie Gayle

I live in the Garden City of India. We have a pretty decent-sized garden at home – which has nothing to do with living in garden city.

I love the idea of an English Garden in summer. Bees buzzing, birds chirping (and dropping poo on your head), flowers everywhere… (spring and summer happen almost at the same time in this part of the world)

And there I am, sitting on my easy chair reading a murder mystery. I just happen to look up and see my neighbor dragging a rolled up carpet to his back porch. It looks like he’s struggling to drag it. Hmm, something’s burning… oops, I left the curry on the stove. Gotta go!

#7: Mango, Mambo and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes

I have been irritating everybody screaming Mango Mango for the last 6 entries so I must include a book that starts with the word Mango in its title, right?

I love mangoes. I can do a bit of Mambo – one, two, three, four, five, everybody in the car, so come on, let’s ride. Oh well, I can drive a car but I do not have a license. I can also drive people crazy but I don’t need a license for it, do I?

I love murder mysteries too. What better book to read than a murder mystery that includes mangoes and a little bit of mambo!

#8: Sunshine State by D.P. Lyle

Everything about this cover screams SUMMER!! Orange background, the word Sunshine, palm tree and OMG, is that blood? I though it’s red coconut water… Well, if I say bloody coconut water, it just means red coconut water, right?
I am not a fan of spending summers in a tropical region. I have lived in the coastal region for 2 years and gosh, it was so hot in summer that I was wiped off the floor (because I had melted) and had to be kept frozen till monsoon! Quite a chilling experience, I tell you.

#9: Murder at Sugar Rush Beach by Paula Lennon

This book is set in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The only song playing at the back of my head as I was reading this book was Kokomo by Beach Boys. Aruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take ya…

Once again, the Caribbean seem like a place to spend a quiet summer. Clear blue sea, coconut water to quench your thirst, tasty fish you want some (I have just started eating fish – not the ones that smell or have bones. I might very well stick to eating chicken.) Ooh, speaking of which, I heard they make delicious and mouth-watering chicken and rice dishes in Jamaica. Me packs vacation bag! No one can stand between me and arroz con pollo! Not even covid lockdown!

#10: Bite The Dust by Jackie Layton

And another one gone and another one gone

Another one bites the dust

Hey I’m gonna get you too

Another one bites the dust

I love colorful flipflops. This cover reminds me of the time I lost my flipflops at the beach. It was that summer; the summer when Jack went on a Euro trip alone and I had to feed his bloody dogs! I digress. Anyways, about the flipflops – I searched till sunset and walked home barefoot. My flipflops were at the doorstep waiting for me.

Well… that’s it for this week. I did pick covers that feels like summer. We could do with a bit of summer in monsoon now. It’s been dark, gloomy and raining for the past ten days. Ice creams in summer and oily pakoras in monsoon is the right way to NOT lose excess weight. Hmm!

I started the post with discussing about mangoes and ended up telling a couple of cock and bull stories. I hope you enjoyed this post. If you didn’t, read it till you do! If you are wondering “this is Rekha’s first time participating in Top Ten Tuesdays and I had fun reading the post. I wonder how good her next post would be…” Let me give you a bit of advice. It is not good to have high expectations. Especially if you live on the ground floor.

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12 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday, 12 July 2022”

  1. Great list. I agree about all the lovely fruit. I enjoy those too, and perhaps being able to sit out in the garden and read which sadly doesn’t work here much of the time with extreme temps all year round

    1. I don’t think I would like to sit in our garden to read either. Too many mosquitoes, fleas and cats 🤣🤣

    1. We have hot and dry summers so it gets really worse at times.
      You also have a garden, don’t you? I think that’s one more thing we have in common. 😁

      1. I do! This year, I’m growing tomatoes, carrots, peppers, eggplant, and a bunch of herbs. I enjoy it, but I usually go out in the mornings to tend to it before it gets too hot. lol What do you have in your garden?

      2. We have ornamental, flowering plants and fruit trees. Mangoes, coconut, breadfruit, avocado, soursop, litchi. I had 7 orchids until two months ago. Now there are 6 😊 ornamental plants have greek and latin names I cannot pronounce (those are mum’s), flowering plants we have roses, hibiscus, marigolds, begonias. Chrysanthemums and lillies.
        When it is hot, I don’t tend to the garden. Lol. Now it is monsoon season here and loads of caterpillars on the plants. 🐛🐛🐛

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