Top 10 Tuesday – September 24th, 2019

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish, and it is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten books on your Fall 2019 TBR. Right now, I’m on a mission to finally read a bunch of books that have been on my TBR for way too long. These are all books/series that I always hear fantastic things about and most of these have huge fanbases that I’m hoping to join! I’m incredibly excited to pick these up and I can’t wait to see what everyone has been raving about! Of course, I will most likely be continuing on with the series listed here during the fall and winter months as well.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Alice by Christina Henry

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

What books you are planning to read over the next few months? What are you most looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!

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Top 10 Tuesday – September 18th, 2018

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish, and it is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten books on your Fall 2018 to-read list. It’s been quite a while since I last did a Top 10 Tuesday post! And though I feel like I’ve been making a lot of reading lists for myself lately, I really want to create this as a true goal for myself to work on during Autumn. I’ve had more difficulty than usual sticking to my TBRs in recent months, so I am extra determined to succeed with this one! I’ve started back at school for the first time in a few years, so I’m still in the process of adjusting, and my reading and blogging is a bit slow for the time being. But I am hoping to increase both gradually, and this Autumn TBR will hopefully help this along!

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Libby Day was just seven years old when her older brother massacred her family while she hid in a cupboard. Her evidence helped put him away. Ever since then she has been drifting, surviving for over 20 years on the proceeds of the ‘Libby Day fund’. But now the money is running out and Libby is desperate. When she is offered $500 to do a guest appearance, she feels she has to accept. But this is no ordinary gathering. The Kill Club is a group of true-crime obsessives who share information on notorious murders, and they think her brother Ben is innocent. 

Ben was a social misfit, ground down by the small-town farming community in which he lived. But he did have a girlfriend – a brooding heavy metal fan called Diondra. Through her, Ben became involved with drugs and the dark arts. When the town suddenly turned against him, his thoughts turned black. But was he capable of murder? Libby must delve into her family’s past to uncover the truth – no matter how painful…

The Second Life of Ava Rivers by Faith Gardener

Ava’s disappearance was the crack in the Rivers family glacier. I wish I could explain to you how we were before, but I can’t, because the before is so filmy and shadowed with the after. 

The after is all Vera remembers. When her twin sister, Ava, disappeared one Halloween night, her childhood became a blur of theories, tips, and leads, but never any answers. The case made headlines, shocked Vera’s Northern California community, and turned her family into tragic celebrities.

Now, at eighteen, Vera is counting down the days until she starts her new life at college in Portland, Oregon, far away from the dark cloud she and family have lived under for twelve years. But all that changes when a girl shows up at the local hospital.

Her name is Ava Rivers and she wants to go home. 

Ava’s return begins to mend the fractures in the Rivers family. Vera and Ava’s estranged older brother returns. Vera reconnects with Max, the sweet, artistic boy from her childhood. Their parents smile again. But the questions remain: Where was Ava all these years? And who is she now?

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn’t sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn’t belong in her world. Cassidy’s powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

Seafire by Natalie C. Parker

After her family is killed by corrupt warlord Aric Athair and his bloodthirsty army of Bullets, Caledonia Styx is left to chart her own course on the dangerous and deadly seas. She captains her ship, the Mors Navis, with a crew of girls and women just like her, whose lives have been turned upside down by Aric and his men. The crew has one misson: stay alive, and take down Aric’s armed and armored fleet.

But when Caledonia’s best friend and second-in-command just barely survives an attack thanks to help from a Bullet looking to defect, Caledonia finds herself questioning whether or not to let him join their crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric Athair once and for all…or will he threaten everything the women of the Mors Navis have worked for?

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

When August learns that his best friend, Jack, shows signs of degenerative hallucinatory disorder, he is determined to help Jack cope. Jack’s vivid and long-term visions take the form of an elaborate fantasy world layered over our own—a world ruled by the Wicker King. As Jack leads them on a quest to fulfill a dark prophecy in this alternate world, even August begins to question what is real or not.  

August and Jack struggle to keep afloat as they teeter between fantasy and their own emotions. In the end, each must choose his own truth.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

**** CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST NOVEL, CINDER ****

Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison—even though she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive if she does—in this second installment from Marissa Meyer.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother, or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana.

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

**** CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST NOVEL, Illuminae ****

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed. 

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

Sadie by Courtney Summers

A missing girl on a journey of revenge and a Serial-like podcast following the clues she’s left behind.

Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.

The Jubilee Problem by Anna Elliott and Charles Veley

Queen Victoria needs help, and only Sherlock Holmes can save her.

The year is 1897. Sherlock Holmes and his lovely young American daughter Lucy James must defeat a well-orchestrated conspiracy to destroy Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration. To fulfill their mission, they must solve the murder of a priest, unravel a dark conspiracy, and destroy a treasonous syndicate. If they fail, the Queen and thousands of innocent people will die, and the British Empire will fall into chaos.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color of sea foam but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea.

The unicorn discovers that she is the last unicorn in the world, and sets off to find the others. She meets Schmendrick the Magician–whose magic seldom works, and never as he intended–when he rescues her from Mommy Fortuna’s Midnight Carnival, where only some of the mythical beasts displayed are illusions. They are joined by Molly Grue, who believes in legends despite her experiences with a Robin Hood wannabe and his unmerry men. Ahead wait King Haggard and his Red Bull, who banished unicorns from the land.

What books are you guys planning to read this Fall? Let me know in the comments!

October 2015 TBR

Yet another month has flown by!

Between the cooling weather, beautiful changing leaves, warm sweaters and boots, and pumpkins galore, October is my favorite month of the entire year. It is also the perfect time to curl up with a good (preferably dark or spooky) book. Fall always makes me feel particularly inspired to both read and work on my own writing; I get some of my best work done in these cooler months.

Since I am very much a mood reader, I find that I can never follow an exact reading list for a long period of time. For me, a TBR ends up being more of a guideline than something set in stone; a record of titles to help me prioritize my insanely massive collection of unread books.

I am still planning on finishing up a few that I did not get to last month, so I definitely will not be able to get to everything on this list. But these are the books that I am currently most eager to get to and/or really feeling in the mood to read, and I’m hoping to get to quite a few of them.

On a brief side note, I did not feel like I had enough to say in a wrap up this past month, so I plan on doing a dual one at the end of October!

1. The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster

This is the book that I am currently reading, so it will be my first read of the month. I was sent this book for review, and so far I’ve really been enjoying it. I plan on finishing it up in the next couple of days, and there will be a review going up on here very soon after!

2. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

This is a high priority read on my TBR for the month. I picked this book up and started it right when it was first released back in May. However, I ended up getting sidetracked with other books that I had either already started or was particularly excited to get to, so I ended up putting it aside for a while. Before that, I was really enjoying the story, so I would very much like to finish it up sometime this month.

3. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I find that, during the fall and winter, I tend to be particularly in the mood to read a good fantasy novel, as well as some lengthier books. This definitely falls into both of those categories. I have completely fallen in love with the television show over the past few months, and that has made me very motivated to read the actual novels themselves. So, between that and the weather, I am finally read to brave these 800+ pages! Or at least get started on them…

4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

The Throne of Glass series is a series that I absolutely need to get started on! I’ve had this book for about a year now and I still have yet to get going on it. As I said, I’m definitely in the mood to read some fantasy right now, and this seems like it will be exactly what I am looking for. I have heard some mixed reviews about this first book, but overall positive thoughts about the series (so far) as a whole, so I am really hoping that I will enjoy these novels.

5. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved a good retelling. The Wrath and the Dawn sounds as if it will be exactly that. I must admit I was a bit on the fence about it at first because, though retellings are wonderful, there have been a lot releasing lately and I’m finding that some of them are become too repetitive or generic. This one, however, I keep seeing and hearing almost solely positive reviews about, so I’m actually really looking forward to it, and I believe it will have that dark tone that I’m in the mood for this month.

6. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Vicious has been a high priority book for me ever since I first discovered it earlier this year, and it was at the top of my Fall TBR list. Nevertheless, somehow, I still have not yet gotten around to it. I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book and Victoria Schwab’s work in general, and I am absolutely determined to read this novel by the end of the month!

7. The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero

This is a book that I have not heard much of anything about. I found it at the bookstore a few months back and the cover caught my eye instantly; it has a creepy, gothic type art style, which I love. As soon as I read the description, I thought it sounded like the kind of story I would enjoy, so I grabbed a copy, but I’ve been putting it off to use as an October/Halloween read. I’m definitely looking forward to finally getting to this novel and seeing what it’s all about.

8. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This is another book that I purchased a copy of a long time ago and have been saving to use as an October/Halloween read. I am a massive fan of Neil Gaiman; he is one of my all-time favorite authors and a huge inspiration to me in my own writing. This is one of the few novels by him that I have not read yet, and I am very eager to get into it. I know that I will love it and it will fit the season perfectly!

My Most Anticipated Releases of October:

1. Binge by Tyler Oakely

2. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

3. Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken

4. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

5. The Amazing Book is Not on Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester

What’s on your TBR for October, and what are you most looking forward to reading this month? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

Top 10 Tuesday – September 22nd, 2015

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s topic is the top ten books on your fall TBR. This was a difficult list to make because my TBR is so massive. It was hard to choose which ones I want to read first since I am so eager to read them all. And I think I have also managed to come to the conclusion that I have a bit of a book-buying problem…but you can never have too many books! Right?

Anyway, though it was tough to choose just ten, here is a list of the books on my TBR that I am most excited to get to this season.

1. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Frankly, I can’t believe that I haven’t read this novel yet. Or a Victoria Schwab novel in general, for that matter. I have been hearing so many wonderful things about her books, and I am interested to see what I think of them. Also, a comic-book style novel about super powered archenemies? Why has it taken me so long to get around to this?

2. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

If you couldn’t already tell from my recent posts, I have recently become a massive Gillian Flynn fan. I read Gone Girl earlier this year and I plan on starting Dark Places this month. So of course, this is also on the top of my TBR, and I would really like to get to it before the end of the year. Even though I run the risk of going into Gillian Flynn book withdrawal!

3. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I’ve recently been making my way through the television series and I am completely hooked! This is a book series that I have been meaning to start for a while, and since I am enjoying the show, I’m even more eager to jump into the novels. I have a good feeling that I am going to love these stories.

4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

This is yet another book that I have had on my list for a long time and I can’t believe I haven’t gotten to it yet. I have only ever heard extremely positive things about this novel, and it sounds like the perfect story for a nerd like me! This is definitely a high priority read on my TBR.

5. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I have wanted to start the Throne of Glass series for a long time now, so I am determined to begin it this fall. This sounds like an incredible fantasy series and I think these stories will be right up my alley. I’d like to get caught up on it as soon as possible!

6. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

I’ve been really enjoying reading retellings lately, and this is one that I am looking forward to. It is based off of One Thousand and One Nights, which is story that I am not too familiar with, and the premise sounds so intriguing. This is another high priority read for me.

7. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Flowers for Algernon was typically an option on the list of books we chose from for summer reading in school, and I always meant to get to it. But for some reason, I never chose it and I finished school without having read it; on top of that, my dad has been highly recommending this to me for a while now. I recently picked up a copy and I would like to get to it in the next few months.

8. Cress by Marissa Meyer

I began this series earlier this year and I am hoping to finish Cress up soon so I can read Winter when it is released. So of course this is on my TBR! I am absolutely loving this series, and I can’t wait to see where it goes and how it wraps up.

9. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I’ve been working my way through the Sherlock Holmes novels, but so far I’ve only read two of the short story collections. I would like to give one of the standalone novels a try, and I figured I might as well start at the beginning. I’m excited to see how I like this and how the full novels compare to the short stories.

10. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

This is a book that I took a bit of a risk on and purchased recently. I’ve read one of Maggie Stiefvater’s novels before and I was not a fan of it. However, I did like her writing style and I have been hearing a lot of great things about this series. This does sound like I story that I might end up really enjoying so I figured I would give it a try.

Let me know in the comments what books are at the top of your fall TBR!

-Ariana