Spring TBR

March 21, 2023 Ali@abookishlife2 Comments

Spring has officially sprung so I think it’s time for a TBR. I seem to mostly do TBR posts but I promise I have actually been reading. January and February tend to be a little on the chaotic side for me work wise and this year has been worse than usual but I’ve still been trying to read where I can. Unfortunately stress does tend to lead to excessive book buying for me so while I have successfully knocked a few books off my TBR mountain they are vastly outnumbered by all the books I’ve added over the last couple of months. My TBR is a little bit out of control but hopefully if I set myself a list I’ll feel a little less overwhelmed.

Physical TBR

Sooooo…. I may have bought a few books recently. Between books subscriptions and some recent special editions that were just too pretty not to buy I am running out of shelf space. I have been reading a lot more physical books recently, I think they make up around a quarter of everything I’ve read this year, and I’ve been enjoying the break from the screen. This is probably the bit of my TBR that’s most likely to change, there are so many books to choose from, but I’m hoping to read at least some of the following.

ARCs

I’ve been terrible at posting reviews recently but I have been reading most of the ARC’s I have been lucky enough to get my hands on and my ARC TBR is not that bad. There are a few books coming out over the next few months which I have yet to read but it’s not as bad as it could be (Edit to add: I’ve just looked at my netgalley shelf and yeah it is pretty bad). These are mostly books by authors I’ve previously read and a couple of highly anticipated books (In The Lives of Puppets, The Malevolent Seven), but I have a couple of new to me authors with Olivie Blake and Lauren Asher.

Backlist / Challenge books

I have a bit of a tendency to get sucked into the hype around shiny new books and forget about those books I bought ages ago, or that I’ve always meant to read but somehow never got around to. I’m also doing a few reading challenges, some I’m doing quite well on (Popsugar), others not so much (Read Agatha Christie in 2023). I should be able to knock off a few challenge tasks with books I’m planning on reading anyway but there are a couple where I need to seek out specific books. Hopefully I can get a little bit caught up.

Most Anticipated

There are a few authors that are pretty much autobuy for me, I’ve loved just about everything they’ve written. Two of those, Mhairi McFarlane and Emily Henry, have new books coming out soon so I think I can say with some certainty I will definitely be reading those. While not quite having autobuy status yet, I really enjoyed Anna Mazzola’s previous book The Clockwork Girl so I couldn’t resist pre ordering her new book The House of Whispers which sounds like a similarly creepy historical / gothic story.

Audiobooks

Recently I’ve been steaming through the Robert Hoon thrillers by JD Kirk and absolutely loving them. The narrator, Angus King, is absolutely brilliant so if you’re not easily offended or upset by lots of swearing or violence I’d definitely recommend. Although I’d suggest that unlike me you start with the original DCI Logan series. I started the fourth Hoon book, Eastgate, a couple of days ago so it’ll be my first read, or listen I guess.

Sticking with the Scottish crime/thriller theme I’m also hoping to listen to Natural Causes by James Oswald. This will be my first time picking up any of Oswald’s books but I’ve listened to a sample so fingers crossed. As I like a bit of variety in my listens I think I’ll break up the crime spree with a little bit of fantasy and Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. There seems to be a lot of hype around this book so I’m a little nervous about whether it’ll live up to expectations.

And I think I should probably stop there. I will no doubt wander off list a bit but I think this has a nice mix of genres which will suit my mood reading tendencies and should be doable. Have you read any of these? Are there any I should prioritise or is there anything you’ve read recently that you’d recommend which isn’t on my list?

Happy reading everyone!

Spring TBR

March 1, 2022 Ali@abookishlife4 Comments

Hello lovely people,

It’s the first day of March, the sun is shining and everything is starting to seem a little bit brighter so I think it’s time for a Spring TBR post. I’ve been working a lot of hours over the last couple of months so I’ve not had a lot of time (or focus) for reading but I’ve been doing quite a lot of book buying. I’ve also picked up a few ARCs that I’m really looking forward to and have been venturing more and more onto Book-tok which has added a LOT of interesting books to my TBR mountain.

ARCs

Lets kick off with the ARCs, I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on a few of my most anticipated reads.

The Atlas Six by Olivia Blake – I’ve seen this talked about a lot on book-tok, so given I’ve been taking pretty much any recommendation I see on there I thought why not and pre ordered it. Then it appeared on Netgalley so I requested it there too and my request was granted. Anyway, there’s a competition, magic, a library, sounds fab.
Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane – McFarlane is an autobuy author for me. I absolutely adore her books, they tend to be marketed as rom-coms or chick lit but I don’t think this captures all that they are. There is so much depth and emotion and they have a tendency to deal with some difficult themes. Previous book Just Last Night had me in bits with how it dealt with grief and friendship. I was hoping this would be a little more cheerful but I’ve already heard people saying they were sobbing so I shall have tissues at the ready.
First Born by Will Dean – I really feel like I should get up to speed on Dean’s back catalogue. I’ve only read his previous standalone, Last Thing to Burn, but it was absolutely brilliant. It probably had one of the most vile and disgusting villain’s that I think I’ve ever read and it made for gripping reading. I have a feeling that First Born will be the same, it has twins, mystery, death and secrets. I am very excited.
Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough – It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Pinborough, possibly Behind Her Eyes, but I do love her writing and she knows how to write a great thriller so this should be good.

Book Subscriptions

Because I clearly don’t have enough books to read… ahem… I started a couple of monthly book subscriptions at the end of last year. One is a Bert’s books debut fiction subscription and the other is Illumicrate. I’ve had book subscriptions before and had to give them up as I was always falling behind so this year I set myself the goal of reading the month’s book within a month of actually receiving it.

The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews – I have accidentally ended up with two copies of this as I spied it in the bookstore and couldn’t resist buying it (I had a voucher), then a second copy arrived through the door as February’s Bert’s Books pick. I guess it does mean I really want to read it, I love the sound of a story that combines fantasy, gothic and historical.
A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross – This just arrived from Illumicrate today and was a bit of a surprise but I’m kind of tempted to read right away. I loved Rebecca Ross’ previous series and having read the synopsis it sounds really good. It’s the first adult fantasy from the author which I take to mean “contains spice” plus it has the enemies forced to work together thing which is one of my fave tropes.
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen – I received this in November (I think) but haven’t quite gotten around to reading as yet. I was on a Zodiac Academy / Plated Prisoner binge read so was OD-ing on fantasy. I’ve also been a little off YA fantasy but this is a retelling so I will almost definitely read it and love it.
This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi – I’m a little on the fence about reading this as it’s the first in a trilogy. It does sound good but I’ve been trying to wait till all of the books in a series (or most) are out before diving in. It’s highly likely if they’re not I’ll never finish the series.

Recent Purchases

Waterstones half price hardback sale was a bit of a killer for me. I bought more books than I should have considering the number of books I already own but have yet to read. I’ve also discovered that I am completely unable to resist a book with a sprayed or stencilled edge, something I am pretty sure the publishers have now realised. If a book has a pretty cover and a stencilled edge, I’ll buy it, probably without even checking what it’s about.

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett – Hallett’s debut book The Appeal was one of those happy discoveries for me last year. It was one I’d seen a few people rave about but only got around to picking up when it was chosen as a Bloody Scotland bookclub read. I borrowed from the library, thought I’ll read a few pages see what it’s like and of course ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. Needless to say as soon as I finished I pre ordered The Twyford Code. One of the things I loved about The Appeal was the unusual format and as far as I can tell Hallett has done something similar with this one. I do love a book with an unusual format and the reviews I’ve read so far have all been positive.
The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont – This is one I picked in large part due to the stencilled edges. I am loving mysteries and thillers at the moment so that was a big draw and I do like the idea of this book, a reimagining of what happened during those 11 days when Agatha Christie went missing.
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint – I absolutely love mythology and have heard a lot of good things about this (I’ve also heard a few not so great things but I’m opting to ignore them and judge for myself).
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune – I literally only read The House in the Cerulean Sea a couple of weeks ago but it was love at first page. There was something so warm and happy about the writing. I was feeling very stressed and a bit anxious and it was the hug in book form I really needed. From what I’ve heard Under the Whispering Door could be a little sadder and will no doubt make me cry but I don’t care.

Audiobooks

I’m managing to get out and about a bit more so I’ve been really enjoying having a book in my ear when I’m driving or out for a walk. It still seems to take me a while to get through them so I tend to be selective in my picks but there seem to be lots of really intriguing ones being published at the mo.

The Maid by Nita Prose – There’s been a LOT of buzz around this book and yep I have totally fallen for it. It has a mystery at the centre of it but also a very unique sounding main character. I’m always on the lookout for books that are a little bit different so this is just the kind of story I’m looking for. Here’s hoping it lives up to expectations.
Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes – I have to confess I’d lost some of the love for Marian Keyes’ books recently. I will always love her early books about the Walsh family but I have found her more recent novels a bit of a struggle. That was, until I listened to her last book, Grown Ups, on audio and really enjoyed it. Keyes narrates it herself and is somehow good at it, something not all authors are. Again, Rachel therefore has double appeal to me having both Keyes as narrator and featuring the Walsh family.
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley – This is actually a similar one to Marian Keyes, I read and enjoyed The Hunting Party but didn’t love it and then I listened to The Guest List on audio and it was so much better. The narration somehow brought the characters to life in a way that reading it somehow failed to do. As I had a couple of audible credits I thought The Paris Apartment would be a good shout.
The No-Show by Beth O’Leary – I listened to O’Leary’s previous book The Road Trip on audio last year and really enjoyed it so I think I’m probably also going to go for her new book in the same format.

So that’s my spring reading plans. I am also doing a team reading challenge at the moment so fully anticipate it pushing me into new and unusual directions but hopefully I’ve left myself enough space to squeeze in whatever I need to.

Have you read any of these? Should I push any to the top of my list?

Let me know below

Spring TBR

March 10, 2019 Ali@abookishlife9 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve done a TBR but as my reading has been a little all over the place lately and I’ve been buying/requesting books left right and centre I thought it might be a good idea to start it up again with a Spring one. Hopefully it’ll help me get organised, knock a few books off the ever increasing pile and meet some of my reading goals.

I’ll no doubt switch a few things around and deviate from this (I’m terrible at sticking to a reading plan) but I’m sure I’ll manage to knock a few off the pile over the next three months.

Anyway, without further ado…

Thrillers / Mysteries

I seem to be on a bit of a crime spree recently (reading wise at any rate) and I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon. There are an awful lot of books out or about to be released that I’m very excited about.

Close to the Edge (publisher) – I actually started this a couple of weeks ago but parked it pending getting my mitts on a physical copy (I was reading a pdf on my phone). So far, so good and I’m loving the focus on the London Underground.
The Au Pair (NetGalley) – This was a bit of a random NetGalley pick based on a cover but it sounds intriguing.
I Know Who You Are (NetGalley) – I loved Feeney’s previous book Sometimes I Lie so this one has been on my wishlist ever since I heard it was coming out.
The Wych Elm (NetGalley) – Tana French is an autobuy author for me as I love her character focused stories and this, while being different from the usual Dublin Murder Squad series, seems to be getting great reviews.
Wolfhunter River (NetGalley) – This is the third book in the Stillhouse Lake series and I have to admit that while I loved the previous two books I thought the last book wrapped everything up and it didn’t really need a book three. I still want to read it though.
Three Hours (NetGalley) – Another book that I’m a little wary about as it’s about a school shooting but from the reviews I’ve read it does sound like it’s treated sensitively.

Sci Fi

I always say I’m not a big fan of sci fi books but when I think of my favourite reads, a good proportion of them are in fact sci fi. Although it does work best for me when the focus is on the characters and action rather than the technology/science. Fingers crossed that’s the case with these ones.

Archenemies (NetGalley) – This has been on my TBR ever since I finished Renegades. I love Marissa Meyer and while Renegades wasn’t perfect I do love the whole superhero theme.
Armada (Library) – I’m listening to this on audio at the moment and loving it.
Skyward (NetGalley) – Confession, I’ve never read a single book by Sanderson but I spied this on NetGalley and thought why not.
Light Years (NetGalley) – Another author I’ve never read, I watched The 100 and enjoyed it but never read the books, but I do like the sound of this one. I’m a big fan of the competitive school thing and rivals learning to work together. I’m hoping for a Top Gun in space type story.

Fantasy

I swear at least half of the books on my kindle are fantasy which is not particularly great if you’ve kind of gone off it (YA fantasy in particular). I’m sure though once I pick one up it’ll be fine. I think it’s the thought of reading the usual tropes that’s putting me off and once I’m reading I’ll no doubt enjoy it. I’ve also managed to track down books which I hope will be a little bit different.

The Queen’s Resistance (NetGalley) – Whoop!!! Finally got my hands on a copy of this, the sequel to Queen’s Rising. Queen’s Rising got a bit of a bad rep but I enjoyed it. It was a little different from the usual YA fare
Lady Smoke (NetGalley) -Another sequel, this time to Ash Princess a book I had a few qualms about. I’m hoping the change of scene from the palace and the prospect of a rebellion will make for a better read.
Stepsister (NetGalley) – A feminist reimagining of Cinderella… count me in.
Nocturna (NetGalley) – As an own voices book set in a Latinx inspired world this sounds like it could be something pretty special.
Empress of All Seasons (NetGalley) – This does sound a little like the usual YA fantasy type read but it is at least a standalone and I’m doing it as a group read so fingers crossed it surprises me.

Literary/Historical Fiction

I don’t tend to read a lot of literary or historical fiction as it’s a bit too real/serious and I’m usually looking for a bit of escapism/fun but I’m hoping to pick up the following:

Daisy Jones and the Six (NetGalley) – I’ve been waiting for the right mood to hit me to pick this one up. It’s not my usual kinda read but I loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo so am sure this will be equally fantastic.
The Dead Fathers Club (NetGalley) – Matt Haig’s books can be a little depressing (I mean look at the title) so I’ve been putting this off until I’m in the right frame of mind. His writing is always great (albeit emotional) though so I have no doubts this will be good.
How to be Famous – I didn’t realise this was a sequel to How to Build A Girl until recently (I know it’s on the bloomin cover) but now that I have I really want to read it. I loved that book and I can’t wait to find out what’s next for the characters.

Translated Fiction

One of my bookish resolutions this year was to read more translated fiction and books set, or by authors outwith the UK/US. So far I’m averaging about one a month so I’m hoping to keep that up with the following.

The Mine (Library) – I recently read Palm Beach Finland, the authors most recent book, and really liked the author’s writing style. I get the impression this is a little more serious but I’ve read the first few pages and again there’s something instantly likeable about the writing.
Elefant (NetGalley) – I spied this on NetGalley last year and it just sounded like a quirky and weird story – basically the type of book I love. Not sure why I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet but hopefully I’ll do it soon.
Die, My Love (Bought) – I’ve got tickets to see the author when she visits the UK soon (another spur of the moment decision) so I’m thinking I should probably read her book 🙂 I think this’ll be my first by a South American author and it sounds like a very interesting and unique story.

Romance

I love a good romance read and have a bit of a tendency to pick up whatever looks good on Kindle unlimited or on Overdrive but while I’ll no doubt still do that I did recently buy a few romance reads I’m really excited about.

Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating (Bought) – Everyone keeps raving about this book and the price finally dropped on Amazon (with 300+ unread books it’s hard to justify buying an expensive book) so it’s sitting waiting for me on my kindle.
99 Percent Mine (Bought) – I have been desperate for Sally Thorne’s new book but I’ve seen quite a lot of not so great reviews for it that have kind of put me off. I’m therefore waiting for a bit of the hype (and my expectations) to die down.
Make Me Bad (Bought) – I always enjoy an RS Grey book so needless to say as soon as this one came out I snapped it up. No doubt it’ll be yet another read in one sitting book 🙂
Letters to the Lost (Bought) – I only recently realised the author of A Curse So Dark and Lonely also wrote this story. It was one that I had previously been very tempted to read so that sealed the deal for me.

Most Anticipated

These are the books I don’t own (yet) but I plan on buying the second they’re released.

Holy Sister – Everyone seems to have received ARCs of this but me 😦 and the wait is driving me crazy. I need to know how it all ends.
Finale – Another final book in the series I need to read to find out how it ends. I adored Legendary so I’m really hoping this is more of the same.
Sherwood – A standalone (or at least I hope it is) this time. I loved Spooner’s take on Beauty and the Beast, Hunted so very excited to see what she’ll do with Robin Hood.

So that’s my reading plan for the next three months. Hopefully I’ll manage to stick somewhat close to it and not get tempted by any new books on Amazon or NetGalley (ha who am I kidding).

Have you read any of these? Are there any others I should make room for on my list? Any you’re particularly excited about? Also do you have any other recommendations for translated fiction? Most of my reads have been very Nordic so I’d like to venture further around the world.

Happy reading ❤

Spring TBR

March 25, 2018 Ali@abookishlife9 Comments

It’s not feeling particularly spring like here at the moment, we’re still getting snow, but the clocks went forward last night so I thought it was about time I posted my Spring TBR.

Despite my bookish resolution at the start of the year to not request more ARCs than I read and review each month I have to admit I have given in to temptation (I blame NetGalley and the publishers and not my lack of shelf control). There are therefore quite a few ARCs on this list, but I’m also determined to finish off a couple of series I’ve started and maybe read a few of those books I’ve bought because I’ve been tempted by a pretty cover. Anyway, without further ado…

Thrillers (ARCs)

Liz Nugent’s Lying in Wait was one of my favorite books of 2016 and had one of the most deliciously horrid characters I’ve ever come across so I can’t wait to see what she does next. She is famous for her opening lines so I have to admit I’ve had a sneaky peek and it’s brilliant. I’m expecting more morally repugnant characters, doing horrible things to each other
Belinda Baur is another author whose books I’ve really enjoyed. I’m expecting a fast paced page turner of a read in Snap.
Coincidentally it turns out Snap is endorsed by Sarah Pinborough the author of the wonderfully unexpected Behind Her Eyes and the third book on my list Cross Her Heart. I have my suspicions that this will be another twisty tale, I can’t wait.

Fantasy (ARCs)

LEGENDARY!!!!! I can’t believe I managed to get an ARC of this. I really, really enjoyed Caraval and I’ve heard that sequel Legendary is even better. It’s not out for a couple of months but I keep staring at it on my kindle and will no doubt be starting it very soon.
Ash Princess doesn’t necessarily sound the most original of stories (heroine trying to reclaim a throne stolen by an evil tyrant) but I don’t care. I love these types of stories and I’m not even put off by rumours of a love triangle
I have actually started The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton but have to admit I’m struggling. It’s a little on the slow side with a lot of different povs and characters but I’m going to persevere and hope it clicks for me.

Contemporary (ARCs)

After a slightly shaky start I’m already around a quarter of the way through The Exact Opposite of Okay and feelings are mixed. I’m loving the main characters voice and attitude but not sure how I feel about some of her actions.
My request for Dear Martin was only approved in the last few days but I am so excited about this one. There does seem to be a lot of buzz around it so fingers crossed it lives up to the hype.
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is possibly my favorite ever Christmas read and Cohn and Levithan make such a great writing partnership that I couldn’t resist their latest offering, Sam and Ilsa’s Last Hurrah.

Series Reads

Another of my bookish resolutions was to finish off a few of those series I’v kind of stopped midway through but also to knock a few books off my TBR.

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton is the third and final book in the Rebel of the Sands trilogy and it is absolutely ridiculous that I have not read it yet particularly as I’ve owned it since it was released. I suspect I just don’t want it to be over (and I’m scared she’ll kill off my fave character)
So I’m very late to the party as far as the Shatter Me series goes, I only read Shatter Me a couple of weeks ago, but I think this is a series I could very easily binge on. As soon as I’ve made some progress on my NetGalley shelf I think this will be next.
With the release of Obsidio I think it’s time I finally picked up Illuminae. I bought physical copies of this and Gemina ages ago but have never gotten around to reading. I am however beginning to fear I’ll stumble across spoilers so yep I think the time has come to finally read it.

Other

These are pretty much just random books I’ve picked up in bookshops over the last few months.

I have to admit it was the cover that first drew me to The Wicked Cometh, I have the hardback and it is soooo pretty (I’ll need to post some pics on my bookstagram as this doesn’t do it justice), but it does sound like a very intriguing and dark story.
Spare and Found Parts was a fairly similar story. I spied it in the bookstore and was tempted by the shiny, pretty thing that it is. I didn’t buy it immediately but after seeing some great reviews was back like a shot. It is apparently a modern Frankenstein type story, I am so excited.
It was the hype around the film that drew me to Call Me By Your Name. I haven’t seen it yet, I want to read the book first, but it just looks so good. I currently have a hold on the audio for this.

So that’s my reading plan for the next two or three months. It’s looking a little light on the romance front so no doubt I’ll add a few of them in and I will be trying to squeeze in a few more from my monster TBR pile but this should certainly keep my busy.

Have you read any of these? Are there any others I should make room for on my list? Any you’re particularly excited about?