Top Five Wednesday: Books to Be Read Before the Year Ends

It's almost laughable to try to come up with only five books I want to read before the end of the year - I have more than that sitting in a pile next to me as I type, after all. That being said, there are a handful of books that I'm determined to move off my TBR sooner rather than later, primarily because they are (or will soon be) sitting on my actual book shelf.



This is one that's taunting me from my shelves as we speak (and has been for a couple of months now). Hannah is the queen of British suspense and this book sounds like a doozy. A mother finds that her daughter has written a disturbing story for a school assignment that tells of murders in their home. Once she starts poking around she discovers that her daughter's best school friend seems to be unknown by all of her teachers. Then the anonymous phone calls start. This sounds so deliciously creepy!





This is another book sitting on my shelf...waiting to be read. The story revolves around the two survivors of a private plane crash - a young boy who is heir to an extensive family fortune and a down on his luck painter. Moving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers, certain coincidences begin to appear that point to the crash not being an accident. I love a good mystery and this sounds like it will be exactly that. Plus...look at this gorgeous cover!




I know - another Sophie Hannah book - but it's also a Hercule Poirot mystery and there's no way I'm not reading this the minute I hold this book in my hot little hands. A wealthy woman hosts a party with the sole intention of letting everyone in attendance know she is cutting off her heirs and instead giving all of her money to an invalid who is expected to die within the month. When a murder is commited, Poirot finds that the victim chosen makes no sense at all. This sounds like vintage Poirot - a "locked room," a house full of suspects, and what will no doubt be a twisty plot that I'll devour, looking for clues, hoping to solve the mystery before the world's best detective.



This book is a chunker at 740+ pages so fitting this one in might require some dedication and a few quiet nights on the deck before the weather turns. A plague that causes spontaneous human combustion is sweeping the land and only an enigmatic man known as The Fireman can stop it. Normally this kind of "post-apocalyptic" sci-fi/fantasy tale isn't something I'm chomping at the bit to get to but I read the first chapter standing in Target and was tempted to go grab some Starbucks, sit down right there on the floor, and keep reading. I'm hoping this will be a nice meaty book I can savor a few chapters at a time through the fall.



My final choice shouldn't come as a surprise. I'm in love with Flavia de Luce and her clever mysteries. In this new installment, Flavia is returning home for Christmas and, upon finding her father ill, decides to make a visit to the village. There she finds a door ajar, a body hanging upside down from the rafters, and a cat who seems undisturbed by the whole scene. Flavia - of course - investigates. The fact that Flavia is a child and a science-obsessed genius makes this whole series both intellectually satisfying and a whole lot of fun. I'm counting down the days for this one.


What books are you determined to finish before the year ends? Tell us below!

*The Top Five Wednesday book tag was created by Lainey from GingerReadsLainey on YouTube and is now managed by Sam from ThoughtsOnTomes, also on YouTube. You can find the topics in their Goodreads group, Top 5 Wednesdays, here.*