Hello and the warmest of welcomes to damppebbles. It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post. I’ve decided to occasionally (that’s the keyword here, occasionally!) take part in That Artsy Reader Girl’s Top Ten Tuesday meme. The meme was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish but has lived with Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl since January 2018. It was created to encompass a love of books, of lists and to bring readers together. If you would also like to take part then you’re very welcome: the more, the merrier. Just make sure you link back to Jana’s post every week. If you don’t have a blog then no problem, just add your list to the comments below.

It’s week six of a meme I was going to take part in ‘only occasionally’! I think it’s going very well so far and completely to plan!

This week’s topic is: April Showers — with the instruction to pick a title that fits with the direction you choose to go in (i.e. books with rain on the cover/in the title, that have rainstorms in the story, or that have anything to do with rain). I rather like the title Jana has given this one so I’m going to run with it but I’m going to feature books that have something – literally anything! – to do with rain. A heads up before I start this list, I can’t think of a single book that will fit this category. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I need all of the help I can get 🫠

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1. The Wiregrass by Adrian Hyland
This is the second book in the Jesse Redpath series (I’ve loved both!). It starts with a storm and with Jesse pulling stranded locals from the tops of their vehicles as the rain tries to wash them away. A body is discovered shortly after Jesse’s heroics, which is quickly written off as a fatality due to the storm. But is that really the case?

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2. Oracle by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
I’m sneaking this one in. It’s not so much about rain but there is a heck of a lot of water. The characters end up visiting a decommissioned oil rig off the coast of the Netherlands in the North Sea (where I’m fairly sure it DOES rain, or maybe that’s sea spray as it is blowing a gale!). It’s very much a creepy, supernatural water based thriller so although it doesn’t officially fit, I am going to shoe-horn it in! I’m fairly sure it must rain at some point….

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3. What We Did in the Storm by Tina Baker
This is the book I should have immediately thought of for this topic! I’m kicking myself as it is the most perfect fit for April Showers (although calling the weather they experience in this book ‘showers’ in underplaying it a little!). An excellent book by one of my favourite authors.

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4. Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith
Another ocean-based book that probably doesn’t quite fit in with the theme. This was my book of the month for February. It’s set on a cruise ship where a privileged group of spoilt teens start to vanish one by one. Only Liv notices that something very strange is going on on the Eos. She tries to share her fears but no one believes a word she says!

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5. The Island by Catherine Cooper
Looks so perfect from the cover, doesn’t it? But the small Maldivian island this book is set on experiences the worst storm it’s ever seen. That’s when things REALLY start to go wrong for the small group of guests attending the soft launch of a new, highly exclusive hotel. If you’re a fan of the destination thriller then make sure you give this one a read.

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6. Original Sins by Erin Young
This is the second book in the Riley Fisher series and it’s excellent. The weather in Des Moines is against our intrepid newly appointed FBI Agent but by hook or by crook, she’ll work out who is behind the vicious attacks against local women. This is one of those books where the tumultuous weather (it definitely rains!) really adds to the atmosphere. Well worth picking up!

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7. The Last Dance by Mark Billingham
This is an excellent police procedural. It’s also based in Blackpool and having been there, I can confirm it does indeed rain in Blackpool. I expect it rains at some point in the book. Yes, I am now clutching at straws! Very good book though.

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8. Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate
Gosh, I loved this book. Probably one of my favourites of the year so far. Phoebe Dean and her brother, Grant, are coming home from a party. The weather is atrocious, visibility is abysmal and Grant crashes the car. Phoebe could have been saved had her brother called for help sooner. But he didn’t. An absolutely incredible book.

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9. The Birthday Girl by Sarah Ward
That is definitely rain on the cover! I found one 🥳 This is the first book in the Mallory Dawson series and it’s superb. I love Sarah Ward’s writing but her two Mallory Dawson novels really use their atmospheric Welsh surroundings and the often inclement weather to full effect. Apologies to all Welsh people and those from Blackpool for suggesting all it does is rain there 🙈

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10. Fear the Silence by Robert Bryndza
This is the first standalone thriller from a favourite author. The torrential weather plays a pivotal role in this book. Maggie’s husband tragically committed suicide whilst she was on duty in the Emergency Department. She packs up and heads to their holiday home in Croatia for a break. There she finds a note from her husband which leads her to question exactly what he was involved in. And more importantly, did he really end his own life or did someone else do it for him?

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Wow, that wasn’t easy! Reading crime fiction and the odd horror novel does tend to fit quite well with this topic but could I actually bring any rainy novels to mind? Could I heck! One or two maybe. I’m kicking myself over What We Did in the Storm. It’s the most perfect book for this theme but it took me a while to get there 😂 Far too long, truth be told.

Have you read any of these books? Are you taking part in Top Ten Tuesday this week? Are there any books on my list which have taken your fancy? Do you, like me, enjoy darker books where the weather adds to the overall atmosphere and foreboding of the story? Let me know in the comments.

So there we have it! If you fancy joining in next week then head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl’s blog to find out what the next topic is!