Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
The Top Ten Tuesday for today is all about transportation! Prompt: Planes, Trains & Automobiles/Books Featuring Travel (books whose plots involve travel or feature modes of transportation on the cover/title) (submitted by Cathy @ What Cathy Read Next)
Well, it is summer. I live in the Great Lakes State (Michigan). And I love the setting of a houseboat! There is just something that feels so nostalgic/retro and wholesome about a houseboat, and I love the idea of just floating on the water, living there, waking up to sunrises and going to bed with sunsets out over the water. It just sounds so peaceful! All this paired with the fact that I am currently reading a book set on a houseboat, inspired this list of books with houseboat/canal boat settings!
I have only read two of these (well one and a half) but I am intrigued by them all! So I guess this list is my top ten list of boat books that I want to read!
I have never read Katie Fforde but I know a lot of people have. I might have to start with these two, The Rose Revived and Life Skills.
I love the vintage covers on both of these middle grade books, especially the Houseboat Mystery. (which is the one that I have read lol) Houseboat Girl looks really cute too! I am very into older middle grade books, and I will have to pick this one up!
I had not heard of either of these but look how adorable they both look!! And look, Katie Fforde endorsed the Cosy Canal Boat Dream. I might have found a new theme for myself here.
The Houseboat by the Quay sounds like a great summery read! It is part of a whole series and the entire series looks adorable, honestly.
The Tail of Emily Windsnap is not the original book I picked for this spot (that was A Kiss, A Dare, and a Boat Called Promise) but I decided this one just sounded more fun, despite not having a boat on the cover. The main character has lived on a houseboat her entire twelve years of life, and it has mermaids in it. So cute!
Primer and Punishment is the book that inspired this list. I am currently reading it and it is so fun. I want to live on a houseboat, even for a week! And the cat is named Sawdust, I love it!!!
The Narrowboat Summer has been on my list forever and ever. I just love that cover and the idea of a summer spent on a narrowboat.
And that is my summery homage to living on the water!
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 
These all look so fun! I love a good setting; usually anything by the sea works, on a boat or cruise ship, or even at a resort works for me!
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Those are all great settings, I agree!!
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Oh, fun topic. I’d love to live on a houseboat when the weather is warm. It must be so cozy.
Thanks for stopping by earlier.
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I totally agree!!
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I love the idea of writing about houseboats, it does sound very peaceful. I haven’t read any of these but I love Lois Lenski.
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I think you win for most interesting focus!!
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Cool! I got really into narrowboats on British canals, following YouTube channels, during the pandemic. I had no idea that there were this many books that could have added to the experience.
Here’s a very different sort of book featuring a houseboat: Your Head is a Houseboat: A Chaotic Guide to Mental Clarity #BookReview – Joy’s Book Blog (joyweesemoll.com)
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I’m going to have to look those YouTubes up. And that book as well!!
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I used to watch videos of people who lived on houseboats. They were usually in the Pacific Northwest. I would have never thought there were that many books set on houseboats! But, yeah, I’d love to vacation on one!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
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It seems like a very PNW thing to do for some reason! Lol. I was shocked as well that I found this many. Lol. A vacation on one would be so cool. And you know I have looked around to see if I could find any. Lol.
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This is a great theme! Years ago, there was a show – I think it was called Fairly Legal – where one of the main characters lived on a boat. Always looked like fun to me.
Here is our <a href=”https://www.longandshortreviews.com/miscellaneous-musings/top-ten-tuesday-boat-books/“>Top Ten Tuesday.</a> Thank you!
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Oh wow I never heard of that show! I will have to see if i can find it!
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It was a lot of fun, in the way that so many of USA’s shows were at the time. I hope you can find it and enjoy it.
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These all look like the covers were designed by the same person — a really happy style!
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Aren’t they so cheery?
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OMG I love it so much that you went with houseboats! I love the idea of houseboats but I’ve never lived anywhere where they made sense. Maybe one day!
Haze
https://thebookhaze.com/
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They are so cool! There is a little houseboat/tiny water house community in our town, about 10 or so on the water. I have always wanted to live in one!
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what a FUN take on today’s topic!! Thanks for stopping by Reading Is My SuperPower 🙂
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Thank you!!
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Living on a houseboat would be interesting
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It really would be!
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Who knew there were so many books about houseboats. Not me. Thanks for sharing.
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I was pretty surprised too!
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Ohhh, new need unlocked, I didn’t know there were so many books in boathouses, now I want to read them all
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Lol!! That is just how I feel too!
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Ok, houseboats are a setting I definitely need!
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Right? I totally agree!
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I love that cover for Primer and Punishment. Hope you have a wonderful week.
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Thank you! Primer and Punishment is so cute!
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These all look so charming! I have to admit, I get seasick very easily so boats aren’t always the easiest for me, but there is something so romantic about them!
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I have to admit I am a bit of anomaly for my state – I am not a fan of going out on the water. Lol. However, if I wasn’t far from shore I would be fine.
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My husband and I had a few pontoon boats over the years we were married. We loved them so much that we were looking for a houseboat so we could live on it all year round. The only problem was that my 3 kids didn’t want to leave their school and friends, so we didn’t buy the one we had planned to buy. We just continued going out in our pontoon.
I still LOVE being on the water. The only bad part was being caught in a storm. The worst one was when the wind blew us all over the lake and ended up pushing us to the bank under some trees while thunder and lightening shot all around us. We didn’t take any sweaters etc. because there was no rain forecasted but everyone was freezing. I hated that my kids were so cold and I didn’t have anything to warm them up so from then on I kept stuff on the boat full time in case it ever happened again. I sure miss those days.
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Forgot to say I plan on reading a book or more from this list.
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I am almost finished with Primer and Punishment – it is super cute. I would really like to read the Lois Lenski or the Katie Fforde books next I think. Maybe I will get the Rose Revived book for winter!
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Wow! That would be scary!! And I would be the same way – afterwards the boat would have been stuffed lol. That is so fun though, that you had so many great days spent on the boat together.
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Boat settings are fun. Great list!
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Thanks Cindy!
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Ooooh, what a fun list! I would never have guessed so many books featured houseboats, but I’m now quite intrigued 🙂
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I was pretty surprised when I made this list that I found so many!
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Who knew there were so many books set on houseboats? My family had lots of fun on Lake Powell when we had a time share houseboat there. We made great memories on the water 🙂
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
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A timeshare on a houseboat sounds amazing!! I love how unique it is!!!
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I’ve always secretly wanted to live on a houseboat. Robert Pirsig’s second book, Lila, (after Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) takes places on a boat.
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I know right!! It would be so fun. And that is cool! I didn’t even know he had a second book. Lol.
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What a fun twist on this week’s topic! I love the idea of a houseboat as well, although living on an island as hurricane season approaches makes me wonder what happens if you live on a houseboat and there’s a storm or a hurricane. I’ll definitely be checking out some of these!
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Wouldn’t it be so fun! Although yeah, not as fun during a storm or for sure a hurricane. I think if there were a hurricane I would leave the boat. But then what happens if your house is destroyed? I guess I will have to have my houseboat in one of the Great Lakes!
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Yeah, I guess houseboat life sounds more fun when you live on a lake instead of on the coast.
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A factor I had not considered but it makes perfect sense!
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Haha I guess it comes to mind because I live on an island on the East Coast and we get a lot of nor’easters and hurricanes.
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You really do have a houseboat obsession. lol!
All these covers are so cute. I didn’t read all the descriptions but I have a feeling I would like a couple of these too.
I had no idea how to do this particular list but you pulled it off well and now I have to get my list out to add some of these to it for future reads.
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I do! But not modern houseboats, that just look like boats. Those aren’t as cool. They have to be like the one Sophia Loren and Cary Grant were on.
I really am curious about some of them! For instance, the Lois Lenski and the Katie Fforde. They really piqued my interest.
And thank you Lisa!
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I love this topic! I have a couple of books on my TBR that involve characters that live on houseboats and I’m excited about them. I love the concept but feel like I’d probably not be a fan if I actually lived on one. The only one I’ve read is the Diane Kelly so I’m adding the rest to my TBR.
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Thank you!! I love the idea of a houseboat too! I think I could for sure vacation on one. And maybe live on one of the Amsterdam houseboats. Those would be really cool. That Diane Kelly was so fun! I need to find the first one and start that series for real!
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