Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2021

June 29, 2021June 29, 2021 Ali@abookishlife23 Comments

Hello lovely people,

I haven’t done a Top Ten Tuesday post in a while but had been already planning a post on this weeks topic, my Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2021, so I actually got myself organised and converted my scrawled list of books into an actual post.

I have to confess I’ve been a little bit wary of doing another most anticipated list as it seems to be the kiss of death for the books I include. I think around half of the books on my previous list turned out to be something of a disappointment. I didn’t hate them, they just didn’t live up to expectations. Anyway, I’m giving it another go with a list of twelve books I’m fairly confident I’ll enjoy.

A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram #2) by Darynda Jones – Darynda Jones’ books are like drugs to me, they are so addictive. I didn’t love the first book in this new series as much as I hoped (I spent too much time comparing to the Charley Davidson books) but I do still have high hopes that book 2 will push the story on.
Isn’t It Bromantic? (Bromance Bookclub #4) by Lyssa Kay Adams – I am loving this series about a group of guys trying to fix their relationships by reading romance novels. Can’t wait to read the Russian’s story particularly as it sounds like a fake relationship / friends to lovers kind of a story.
The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient #3) by Helen Hoang – Another series I’ve been loving. Not sure what it says about me but I have a definite affinity to romcoms with autistic characters.

Here’s To Us (What If It’s Us #2) by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli – I will read anything Silvera or Albertalli write and I think What If It’s Us was one of my favourite books of 2018 (wow how has it been 3 years between books). I love
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz – I was pretty surprised when I heard there was a sequel but I am here for it. I very much enjoyed the first book and am keen to catch up with the characters
Aurora’s End (Aurora Cycle #3) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – I need to know how it ends. I just hope the answer is not in the title.

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer – Another author I love, I’ve read her contemporary novels and her fantasy and every single one has been wonderful. I think Kemmerer is not on my auto buy author list.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber – The author’s Caraval series had a bit of a shaky start but I feel like each book Garber writes is better than the previous so I have high hopes for Once Upon A Broken Heart. It doesn’t hurt that it’s about one of my favourite characters, Jacks, from the series.
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff – I’ve somehow ended up pre ordering two copies of this (a Waterstones one and a Goldsboro edition) so I think we can safely say I really want to read it. I do love a vampire novel and Jay Kristoff is a brilliant writer so yeah *crosses fingers*

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard – I seem to be buying into the hype on this one as I can’t really remember what it’s about, have never read anything by the author before and yet have heard so many good things about it I can’t wait to get my mitts on it.
The Dark Remains by William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin – It’s been a long time since I’ve read anything by Ian Rankin and I feel like I haven’t been reading much in the way of police procedurals so this fits the bill.
The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen – I do love the author’s writing but have to confess that cover is probably what’s drawing me to this book the most. I don’t even really care what it’s about.

So that’s twelve of the books I’m most looking forward to over the remainder of 2021. Are any of these on your most anticipated list? Is there a book that should be on this list (I’m positive I’ve missed something)? Please leave links and comments.

Happy Reading

Ax

Top 10 Tuesday: 2021 Most Anticipated Reads (Jan-Jun)

January 5, 2021January 3, 2021 Ali@abookishlife27 Comments

Hello lovely people,

I haven’t done a Top Ten Tuesday post in a while but I was already planning a post on this week’s topic, Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021, so the timing worked out perfectly.

2021 is looking like a bumper year for new books so I had some difficulty narrowing my list down to just 10 books. I’ve therefore been a bit of a cheat and included 12. These are all books currently sitting on my wish list, that I haven’t managed to get my hands on an advance copy of (as yet).

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (9 March) – The first two books in the Brown Sisters series were amongst my favourite reads of 2020 so I am really looking forward to sister no.3’s book. It sounds like an opposites attract kind of story and I am there for it. I love an uptight control freak meets flighty hot mess story.
Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne (13 April) – While The Hating Game is one of my all time favourite reads I did very much enjoy Thorne’s second book and have been anxiously awaiting a third. This promises quirky characters and lot of fun.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (11 May) – Ooh a best friends to lovers story, another of my favourite romance tropes. If it’s anything like the Beach Read we can also probably expect a little more depth and emotion than your standard romcom.

A Vow so Bold & Deadly by Bridget Kemmerer (26 Jan) – I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to find out how this series will end, the cliffhanger at the end of book 2 was an absolute killer. I adore Kemmerer’s writing and love the characters she creates.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas (16 Feb) – I am probably the only person in the world who only recently read the first three ACOTAR books but I’m so glad I waited so I could enjoy a good binge read. I do however still need more and am looking forward to seeing more of Nesta.
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo (30 March) – Confession time, I’m including this on the list even though I haven’t actually read the first part of this duology, King of Scars. But, it’s Bardugo, it has one of my favourite characters front and centre and means I can read the full duology in one go.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (25 May) – It’s a new Taylor Jenkins Reid book, do I need to say anything else? I don’t even care what it’s about, if she writes it I will read it.
Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez (6 April) – The Happy Ever After Playlist was another of my favourite reads last year. It made me laugh, it made me cry but most of all it made me smile. I suspect I’m going to need another book like that by April.
Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane (1 April) – I love McFarlane’s books, they always sound like regular fluffy romcoms but there’s so much more depth and emotion to them.

The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (18 Feb) – I don’t always find Chambers books to be easy to get into, I find I have to be in the right mood to read them, but I’ve loved every book she’s written so far.
Near the Bone by Christina Henry (13 April) – My list is looking awfully light on horror so a monster in the woods story from Henry should balance it out nicely. April does seem a bit of a strange time for this kind of read but what the heck.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (4 May) – I suspect this is another story I’m going to have to be in the right mood for, previous books by Weir have been a little techie for me, but he does know how to write a great story

So that’s ~~ten~~ twelve of the books I’m most looking forward to in 2021. Are any of these on your most anticipated list? Is there a book that should be on this list (I’m positive I’ve missed something)? Please leave links and comments.

Happy Reading

WWW Wednesday: 21st October 2020

October 21, 2020October 20, 2020 Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’m kind of between books yet again, as I finished one on Monday and decided to take a little break before starting my next read. I am fairly certain however that next up will be He Will be Mine by Kirsty Greenwood. This will be a pretty major diversion from my October TBR and I’m not sure could ever be described as a spooky read but I can’t resist. Greenwood is one of my favourite writers and this story about a regular everyday woman who decides a famous Hollywood actor is her soul mate and sets out to convince him of that sounds like so much fun.

Recently Finished

Two books finished this week with the first the Snow White retelling Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly. As a big fan of Donnelly’s previous book Stepsister and retellings in general I was really looking forward to this story but I’m afraid it didn’t quite work for me. It wasn’t a particularly bad read and I loved the feminist spin the author put on the original story and how she wove in a few characters from different myths. I did however find main character Sophie frustrating and a little too much. I also found my attention wandering at times, it may just have been the wrong book at the wrong time but I am a little disappointed by it.

The second book finished was not on last week’s reading next list but was on my October TBR so it’s all good. After finishing a YA fantasy I was in the mood for a more grown up ghost story/mystery and The Lost Ones by Anita Frank fit the bill perfectly. I actually received an advance copy of this about a year ago and have attempted to read it on a couple of occasions but could never really get into it. This time however I slipped into it with no problems at all and found myself completely absorbed in it from pretty much the first page. It’s a fairly slow paced read and it is on the predictable side but I absolutely loved it. It was so atmospheric full of intrigue and the writing is just wonderful.

Reading Next

Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1)

Given my wandering off track last week there’s no change to my reading next list as I’m still hoping to pick up The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E Schwab once I finish my current read. It’s one of my most anticipated reads of this year and I’m a big fan of Schwab but I have to admit I’ve been putting it off a little due to the fear it won’t live up to expectations. I’m also hoping to pick up Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco soonish so I may try to get to that one too.

My next book club book is Found by Erin Kinsley so I should probably think about trying to pick it up soon. Not gonna lie, I’m not especially excited at the prospect.

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading 🙂

WWW Wednesday: 14th October 2020

October 14, 2020October 13, 2020 Ali@abookishlife14 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’m technically between books at the moment as I just finished one and wanted a break before starting another. I’m fairly certain however that my next read will be Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly as I’ve just realised it’s publishing next week (I have seriously got to get on top of my ARCs). I absolutely loved Donnelly’s previous book Stepsister so I’ve been really looking forward to this one. Plus, it’s a retelling of the Snow White and I am a big fan of retellings. Fingers crossed it lives up to expectations.

Recently Finished

Two books finished this week, with the first The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton. This was one of my most anticipated reads this year and for the most part it did not disappoint. It’s not as complex as Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (no notebook was required) but it’s still a very twisty tale that really keeps you guessing.

If I had one criticism it’s that I wish it had leaned a little harder into the horror aspects of the story. There are some creepy moments in the story but I feel like Turton could have gone a little further. It is a great read with intriguing characters and a stunning ending but not quite the 5 star read I was hoping for.

The second book finished was The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry. I received an advance copy of this a month or so ago via NetGalley but it was only available to read on the app which is not great so I decided to wait until I could buy a copy.

I’m a big fan of Henry’s writing and I think this ranks as one of my favourites. I more or less read the whole thing in one sitting, I just could not put it down. It’s an 80s set monster in the woods story that’s more gore fest than spooky tale. It’s maybe a little on the tropey side but it was a lot of fun to read.

Reading Next

If I manage to finish Poisoned I think I’ll probably switch back to my October TBR and The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E Schwab. It’s currently sitting on the arm of my sofa calling my name so I don’t think I’ll be able to resist for long. I’m also hoping to pick up Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco soonish so I may try to get to that one too. I also have my RL book club on Friday so there’s a possibility they’ll come up with a book I want to read. I think my days in book club are numbered as out of the 10 books so far I’ve only liked 1 (although to be fair I didn’t read 4 of them).

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading 🙂

WWW Wednesday: 7th October 2020

October 7, 2020October 6, 2020 Ali@abookishlife10 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

At long last I’m finally reading one of my most anticipated books of the year, The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton. I started it on Saturday and despite some cat drama over the last couple of days am more than halfway through and absolutely loving it.

On audio, I’m listening to Jeaniene Frost’s Twice Tempted. This is actually a re- listen and I probably should have picked up one of the audio’s that’s been lurking unlistened to on my phone but I was in a paranormal romance kind of a mood and I just love these books.

Recently Finished

Only one book finished in the last week but it was a good one. Jane Harper is one of my favourite authors and is one of the few on my autobuy list and her latest book The Survivors did not disappoint. There’s something incredibly engaging about her writing and her descriptions of both place and characters are so vivid they draw you into the story.

I absolutely loved the Tasmanian setting (another part of Australia I’ve learned more about) and the story kept me guessing. Overall a great read and one I’d recommend.

Reading Next

I posted an October TBR last week so I’m going to stick with it and pick up either The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E Schwab on The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry. I’m a big fan of both authors so deciding which one of these to read first is going to be tough.

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading 🙂

TTT: Top Ten Books That Should be Adapted

August 19, 2020 Ali@abookishlife5 Comments

Hello lovely people,

I know I’m a little late with this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post but I wasn’t actually planning on participating and then changed my mind when I saw the topic was Top Ten Books That Should Be Adapted into a Netflix Show/Movie. So here I am on a Wednesday scrabbling around to create a post, you can probable expect my WWW Wednesday post next Monday 😉

I’ve been on many a Netflix binge recently and there are loads of books I think would adapt really well for the small screen. As it is small screen I haven’t included any of the big sci fi or fantasy series I’d love to see adapted but think need the big screen or a big budget for special effects to do them justice.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman – I think this was originally intended as a TV show and with it’s unique and often quirky characters who all have their own stories I would definitely watch it if it was. I’d also really love to see the ice hockey games and the setting on screen.
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing – I could see this story about a couple who spice up their marriage with a bit of murder as a series. There’s a little bit of a Dexter feel to it but much darker and twistier. It was a binge read for me so would no doubt be a binge watch.
Palm Beach Finland by Antti Tuomainen – There was a lot about this book that really reminded me of Fargo. It has the same dark humour and eccentric characters that would be really entertaining. I guess this would be best as a film but you could probably build it into a series.

The Six by Luca Veste – This book about a group of friends who accidentally kill someone then cover it up had a very I Know What You Did Last Summer feel to it so would work as either a movie or a series I think. Lots of 90s music in the soundtrack, a lot of twists and turns and a few scares to keep us all hooked
The Secret of Cold Hill by Peter James – I do love a creepy horror film and with the Haunting of Hill House doing so well as a show I think this modern take on the classic haunted house story would be great. It has all of the classic haunted house tropes, strange noises, faces at windows but mixes in some modern tech to keep it current.
The Charley Davidson Series by Darynda Jones – A PI who sees dead people, yep I guess this has been done before but I just love the combination of mystery, witty one liners and romance. They would really need to get the casting of a certain character spot on though.

Big Sexy Love by Kirsty Greenwood – I know I try to sneak this into pretty much every TTT post but I genuinely think this would be wonderful as a movie. It’s billed as a romance but it’s more about friendship and the journey the main character goes on as she travels around New York trying to deliver a letter on behalf of her dying best friend. There are a lot of laughs, a few tears and yes some romance.
Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin – I can visualize this as a Cruel Intentions / Revenge / Heathers kind of a show as rich girl Elle and her three best friends try to get revenge the group of prep boys who assaulted her. It’s over the top, dark and so dramatic. I’m pretty sure I’d be hooked.
Sweetpea by CJ Skuse – OK yes I already have a Dexter type book on the list but this series about your average every day office worker who happens to kill people in her spare time is on the lighter side (well kind of) and I think would be so funny as a show.

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn – No Netflix listing would be complete without a good Christmas movie and I think Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares would make a fantastic Christmas movie. I’m actually surprised it isn’t already a film (unless it is and I haven’t spotted it). It’s just such a feel good story and there are a lot of funny scenes that I think would translate really well to screen.

So that’s the ten books I’d really like to see Netflix adapt, there’s probably a whole lot more I’ve missed. Would you watch any of these or do you have a better idea for a book that could be adapted? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Reading

WWW Wednesday: 22 July 2020

July 22, 2020July 21, 2020 Ali@abookishlife18 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’ve decided to put Every Sky a Grave on hold for the moment as I’m just not in the right mood for it and it was getting to the stage where I was avoiding all reading. I will go back to it but for now I’m going to read what I want in hopes of regaining my reading mojo. At the moment, what I want is Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent. I love Liz Nugent’s book, they’re always so dark and twisty. I’m only a couple of chapters in but so far so good.

I had to return the audio of Red Rising to the library before I managed to finish it but I’m not too fussed as I have a few other audio’s lined up. I also managed to get a copy of The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky by Mackenzi Lee from the library so am currently listening to it. It’s only around 2 hours long so I’ve made very good progress with it already.

Recently Finished

It’s been a pretty good reading week for me as I finished three books and loved every single one of them. I also managed to read a sci fi and a YA fantasy (well kind of), two genres I haven’t really picked up in months (I don’t count Illuminae files as listened to it on audio so felt more like watching a movie than reading a book).

Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters, #2) All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) Fable (Fable, #1)

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert – As soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis I had a good feeling about this story and I was so right. Danika Brown is absolutely fabulous as a character, romantic interest Zafar Ansari is the sweetest guy ever and who doesn’t love a fake dating story. There are a few more serious moments but this was just such a fun read and there was so much heat in that romance I’m surprised my e-reader didn’t go up in flames.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells – Everyone has been raving about the murderbot diaries and now that I’ve read the first novella in the series I know what all the fuss was about. I mean, it’s too bloomin short and I want more but what there was I loved. I probably related a bit too much to murderbot who tries to avoid those pesky humans and has a general couldn’t care less attitude to anything other than entertainment shows but I did love how it/they (?) developed over the course of the story. I loved the writing and the story and yep I can’t wait to read the next adventure.
Fable by Adrienne Young – I actually kind of regret reading this now. Not because it was bad but because it was really good and it’s the first in a series so now I have a bit of a wait for book two. Yes, it’s predictable and has a lot of the usual tropes but the writing was wonderful, there’s plenty of pirate style action and adventure, a smidge of romance and likeable characters.

Reading Next

I made the mistake of placing quite a few holds on library books and needless to say they all came in at the same time (why does this always happen). Anyways, given I now have around 16 days to read around 10 books *eek* I figure they are moving to the top of my reading list. First up I think will probably be The Shelf by Holly Acton or Watch Him Die by Craig Robertson, although I’ve just realised that’s book 8 in a series so maybe not. I also have a new book club book The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce that I should probably make a start on.

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading 🙂

WWW Wednesday: 15th July 2020

July 15, 2020 Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I have to admit to making very little progress with Every Sky a Grave since last week but I am determined I’m going to read it. I am finding sci fi and fantasy really difficult to read at the moment. I’m drawn more to “real” than speculative fiction and have been looking for character driven stories so I’ve been struggling to get started. I do think though once I do get past my initial reluctance I’ll be fine.

On audio I’m still listening to Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I have been a little lazy over the last week, not much walking, so I’ve only listened to a couple of hours but I’m enjoying revisiting it in a different format.

Recently Finished

Due to some book avoidance and lots of netflix binge watches over the last week I’ve only managed to finish one book this week, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. I’d been seeing quite a bit of buzz around it so despite it not being especially excited by the blurb I thought I’d give it a go. I ended up really enjoying it and more or less read the whole thing over the weekend. I loved how character driven it was and in particular how female character driven. I wouldn’t say I especially liked any of the characters but there were elements to many of them I found very relateable. I also liked how it covered issues of racism and class and presented it from different perspectives. A very engaging read.

Reading Next

I have no idea what I’m going to read next, I’m doing that thing where I pick up a book read a few pages then put it down and pick up something else. I did start Idle Hands by Cassondra Windwalker this morning so I may continue with that or I may pick up the second book in the Jay Qasim series Homegrown Hero. Or I may just watch Frozen 2 a few more times and not read anything 😀

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading 🙂

WWW Wednesday: 8th July 2020

July 8, 2020 Ali@abookishlife15 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’ve been struggling to read anything sci fi or fantasy lately but when a publisher sent me a widget for Every Sky a Grave by Jay Posey I figured this may be the book to get me back into the genre. I started reading it on Monday and haven’t made much progress, but I’m still hoping that once I sit down and focus it’ll hook me. I do love the idea of words having a power and the start was pretty action packed.

On audio I’ve been listening to Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I keep meaning to get back into this series, I’ve read the original trilogy but no further, so thought it might be fun to do the audio to remind myself of everything that happened before starting Iron Gold.

Recently Finished

It’s been a few months since I last did a WWW Wednesday post but don’t worry I won’t list all of the books I’ve read in that time here (although I may do a post with my faves some point soon). These are the books I’ve read over the last week and a bit (I haven’t been tracking my reading and time is weird right now).

There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job East of Hounslow (Jay Qasim #1)

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files, #3) Love the One You Hate

There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura – This was a book I picked based purely on the cover, there’s just something very relateable about it 😀 It’s also been a while since I’ve read any Japanese fiction and I’ve kind of missed it. If you do enjoy Japanese fiction this is a really enjoyable read. It’s quite quirky and different and while lacking a little in terms of emotion is very engaging.
East of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman – The company I work for have relaunched the book club so this was last week’s read. I’m not generally a reader of spy thrillers and struggled to get started on this but once I got into it I found myself flying through it and the ending in particular was edge of the seat stuff. I’ve been tempted to keep going with this series
Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff – I finished the Illuminae Files!!! I am both very happy and completely devastated. It’s an absolutely brilliant trilogy and works so well on audio despite the weird format of the book.
Love the One You Hate by R.S. Grey – I like Grey’s writing and this was another enjoyable read from her. There’s nothing especially stand out or memorable but there’s a real summer feel to it which makes it the perfect bit of escapism.

Reading Next

I posted a Summer TBR a couple of weeks ago so I’m going to try and knock a couple more books off that, maybe Take a Hint, Dani Brown or One to Watch (I’m in a contemporary romance kind of mood). I may however wander off a little with YA fantasy Fable.

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading 🙂

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR

June 19, 2020 Ali@abookishlife11 Comments

Okay yes, I know it’s not Tuesday so I am super late with this but between a not so well cat and a busy time at work I’m considering it a win I’ve posted it at all. Things have definitely been slipping blog wise over the last few months. Anyway, for those who don’t know, Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme that was started by The Broke and Bookish and moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists (something I share) and each week participants come up with a list of ten(ish) things based on a theme.

The theme for this weeks Top Ten Tuesday is books on my Summer TBR so as I’ve been planning on doing a Summer TBR post for a while I thought this would be a good step back into blogging. It’s pretty safe to say my reading has been a little all over the place for the last few months. Focus on anything for any length of time has been nigh on impossible. Sci fi and fantasy books have been particularly hard so my reading list has been around 90% rom coms, 8% crime/thriller and 2% other. It seems doubtful that’s going to change any time soon so my TBR is a little heavier on these genres but I’ve snuck a few fantasy and sci fi that I was really looking forward to (pre covid). As always the links take you to the Goodreads page.

Owned Physical

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins – Curiosity got the better of me with this Hunger Games prequel. It’ll either be awful or brilliant but I do feel like I need to read it and find out. Plus I love a villain origin story.
Burn by Patrick Ness – A Patrick Ness book with dragons, this has been on my most anticipated list since I first heard about it. I’ve just been putting it off because of the whole lack of focus when reading thing.
The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware – I read my very first book by Ruth Ware, The Turn of the Key, a month or so ago and loved it so I feel I really should read more.

Audio

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff – I’m most of the way through this one already so it’s a bit of a cheat but would be good to have one book on the list that I’ll definitely be finishing 🙂 Well… that’s if I do finish it. I don’t want it to be over.
Britt Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman – I love Backman’s writing and have been wanting to read this for a while so when it popped up on a 2 for 1 deal on audible I couldn’t resist.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo – This was another book that was 2 for 1 on audible. I do have a physical copy too but have never gotten around to it. Am hoping I find the audio a little easier to get into.

Library

The Cat and The City by Nick Bradley – I’m not sure if Japanese cat fiction is a real genre but if not it totally should be. This is a series of short stories set in Tokyo that are connected by a cat. I’ve already read the first story and loved the writing and the magical realism elements so can’t wait to read the rest.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix – Not gonna lie I’m not entirely sure what this is about as the title was the main draw.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo – Despite some reservations around whether I could actually read a book in verse form I ended up loving The Poet X so I’m going to give this one a try. Not sure how I’ll get on with two pov’s but fingers crossed it lives up to expectations.

Owned Ebooks

Very Nearly Normal by Hannah Sunderland – I read the first couple of chapters of this on ReadersFirst a few months ago and knew instantly it was a book I was going to want to read. There is just something about a socially awkward, overly hostile and grumpy protagonist that appeals to me.
Love the One You Hate by R.S. Grey – I generally love this authors books and I love the hate to love trope so this one is a no brainer. Plus romcom for the win.
Little Siberia by Antti Tuomainen – Palm Beach Finland was one of my fave books last year so I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. I’m hoping for quirky characters and some dark comedy.

ARCs

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert – I’ve pretty much been requesting and reading every romcom I can get my mitts on from Netgalley at the moment and this sounds like such a cute and fun story. Also good to have a bit more diversity in my reading.
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London – I’m kind of missing my reality TV (it’s a guilty pleasure) so am hoping this will fill the Love Island shaped hole in my life. Also love that the main character is plus sized, yay for body positivity.
Again, Again by E. Lockhart – I’ve spied a few not so great reviews for this which are making me question whether I should be including on my TBR but I loved the other books I’ve read from this author so I shall give it a shot. It sounds quite unusual.

Coming Soon

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – I really love Haig’s writing no matter the genre so as soon as I heard about this I had it pre ordered. It will, like a lot of Haig’s books, no doubt make me cry but that’s why I love them.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Morena-Garcia – I hadn’t heard of this till someone on Twitter suggested it as a good choice for a slightly different book club read but having investigated it sounds right up my street.
Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston – I was a little grumpy about the first book in the Once Upon a Con series (it was too similar to one of my all time fave reads) but book 2 totally made up for any niggles so I have high hopes for book 3 particularly with the Beauty and the Beast theme.

So that’s my TBR for the summer months. Hopefully I’ll manage to find my focus and read most of them. Are any of these on your TBR or are there any books you think I’m missing?

Feel free to leave comments below and links to your top tens or Summer TBRs.

Happy Reading ❤