This week’s theme is Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I read in 2016. I’m having trouble coming up with anything off the top of my head, but let’s see if Goodreads can help.

1. Seanan McGuire. Technically not new to me, as I’ve read one of her books written as Mira Grant. But it’s rather different stuff, so nuh. It counts.
2. Mitch Benn. I don’t know why I never tried Terra when it was first out; I don’t think I even knew much about it, but it was so much fun; I’m glad I finally did pick it up!
3. Ted Chiang. It took me ages, but I finally got round to reading Story of Your Life & Others, and I loved it.
4. Hope Mirrlees. So late to the party, I know, but I looooved Lud-in-the-Mist.
5. Pat Murphy. Again, late to the party, but The Falling Woman was really, really good.
6. Marie Rutkoski. I did not expect to love The Winner’s Kiss, but it worked well for me.
7. Gwenda Bond. I’d had some of Bond’s books on my list for ages, but it was Lois Lane: Fallout which I finally read, and definitely enjoyed.
8. Robert Jackson Bennett. City of Stairs knocked my socks off, and now I’m impatiently waiting for City of Miracles. Soon, please? Please?!
9. Sylvia Izzo Hunter. I enjoyed The Midnight Queen a lot; I must get round to reading the sequels.
10. Elizabeth Hand. Wylding Hall was a super well-crafted novel; I should check out other books by Hand.

Most of these, I’ve only read one book, so there’s plenty to discover ahead of me!

This week’s theme is a Holiday Gift Guide freebie, and honestly, I’m a little tired of wracking my brains to think of gifts. So instead, have my top ten places to read.

1. On a train. You wouldn’t think it’d be comfortable, but something about just being stuck on a train for ages means I can settle into the reading mood and carry on interrupted. Especially in the quiet coach, with my phone off, or on the Eurostar.
2. In bed. Of course. This is mostly with my ereader, because I can never quite get comfortable with a paper book in bed. Toasty warm toes!
3. With my back against the radiator. I don’t know why, but I really like having a heat source at my back while I read. If the whole room is too warm, I get sleepy. If the room is cooler but I have a radiator or a hot water bottle? Perfect.
4. With the rain lashing down outside. Doesn’t everybody love this one?
5. Draped over my chair in my wife’s flat. With a bit of wriggling, you can get into the perfect comfy position with a leg up. Or even with my feet practically in my wife’s lap. She’s resigned to it.
6. While petting a rabbit. I get a lot of quality time in with our bunny when I’m reading. She’ll come up to my knee and get her ears rubbed.
7. In a blanket fort. At my parents’ house, I have a bunk bed. So I can hang a sheet down from the side of my bed and underneath there’s a sofa. Very cosy.
8. While crocheting. Only for audiobooks, obviously!
9. In the car. Again, only for audiobooks, but a nice long drive can eat up a big chunk of story. Or a big chunk of story can eat up the journey…
10. With chocolate. The perfect companion.

Anyone else feel rebellious this week? Or have you stuck to the theme?

With Thanksgiving coming up, it’s probably not a surprise that this week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is about bookish things you’re thankful for. I’m not American, but it’s always good to reflect on things you’re thankful for.

1. My mother’s recommendations. Everything I read now, I can pretty much trace back to her recommendations when I was around nine years old. She seeded the ground for my love of science fiction and fantasy, and somewhat later, detective fiction as well.
2. School. Because it was boring enough to push me to read under the table during class, thus nourishing both my love of reading and my ability to multitask.
3. My wife. Because who else could I squee at so often, push books at so often, and feel a warm fuzzy glow at getting recommendations right for so often?
4. My sister. Well, she’d be the other one, other than my wife and to a lesser degree, Mum.
5. Dad. Because he has built me nearly endless amounts of bookshelves over the years.
6. My bookshelves. Because let’s face it, they put up with a lot.
7. My friends. Including people I know via blogging! A great source of recommendations and, I’ll admit it, gifts in the shape of books.
8. Bookmarks. Well, really, what would we do without this humble class of object?
9. Book clubs. I wouldn’t have discovered Jo Walton, for example, without book clubs…
10. Libraries. Of course.

How about you?