tbr

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: January-March 2020 Review Copies On My Shelves

- Meg

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine (though it seems as though it’s been a while since she updated that particular blog, so if you know of the current host, if there is one, please let me know) that highlights upcoming releases that we’re impatiently waiting for. This week I’m featuring January-March 2020 review copies that I have either in physical form or digital form that I can’t wait to dive into! And now that it’s the middle of December, I need to get started on some of those January ones! The release dates are listed but are always subject to change.

  • A Beginning at the End – Mike Chen :: The tagline for this is “How Do You Start Over After the End of the World?” and I’m all for something that supposedly calls back to Station Eleven with post-apocalyptic pandemics and how society picks up the pieces and returns to normalcy after a catastrophe. Releases January 14, 2020
  • Followers – Megan Angelo :: A book about social media and what happens when good intentions go horribly wrong?? YES. Releases January 14, 2020.
  • A Queen in Hiding – Sarah Kozloff :: This is the start of a four-book fantasy series and we don’t have to wait long for the sequels! Each of the sequels will be released in subsequent months (January, February, March, and April), so I’m excited for that first off because I always hate the wait for a series I really like. This is a coming of age story with a twist, and so far the early reviews have been looking great! Releases January 21, 2020.
  • Show Them a Good Time – Nicole Flattery :: A collection of stories by a debut writer that I heard some good buzz about on Twitter, and when I saw it was available for download on Netgalley, I snapped it up! Releases January 28, 2020.
  • Things in Jars – Jess Kidd :: Victorian London, female sleuths, anatomists, fairy tales? Give me all of those things, please. Releases February 4, 2020.
  • Daughter from the Dark – Marina & Sergey Dyachenko :: I downloaded Vita Nostra last month as a Kindle deal because I keep seeing it in various places, so when I saw this on the ARC shelf at work, I grabbed it because this is also a stand-alone and seems really interesting. It’s about music and companionship with a magical twist. Releases February 11, 2020.
  • Foul is Fair – Hannah Capin :: This is described as a Macbeth retelling with hints of Kill Bill and Heathers and all of those things are right up my alley?? This came in my inbox as a one-day download from Netgalley, and I’m so excited to see what this will bring. Releases February 18, 2020.
  • The Hidden Girl and Other Stories – Ken Liu :: Anything Ken Liu writes is a gift, and this latest collection is sure to be another favorite of mine. Releases Feburary 25, 2020.
  • The Girl in White Gloves – Kerri Maher :: This is historical fiction about Grace Kelly and her life behind the scenes, and I love Hollywood stories. The cover for this is also GORGEOUS. Releases February 25, 2020.
  • Beheld – TaraShea Nesbit :: This is about the first murder in Plymouth, Massachusetts not long after the Mayflower landed in the 1600s. Some of the reviews and buzz I’ve seen have said it evokes that period very well. I love a good historical mystery, and I don’t think I’ve seen many set in this era.

Are any of these on your to-read list? What one would you read first?

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books On My TBR That I’m Avoiding Reading and Why

- Meg 2 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly discussion hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl (and formerly hosted by The Broke and the Bookish), and this week’s topic is “Books On My TBR That I’m Avoiding Reading and Why.” I feel like I have so many books on my TBR, physical and digital, that I’m avoiding reading for a myriad of reasons. I’ve picked out ten books from my physical TBR shelves, and they’re below!

  • Witchmark, by C.L. Polk — I really don’t know why I keep putting this off. It’s magical Edwardian England with queer characters, and it’s everything I’m interested in! I think the reason I keep putting it off is the small bookstagram hype that surrounded its original release, and I’m afraid it won’t live up to it. HOWEVER, this is published by tordotcom, and I have never been disappointed with the works they publish.
  • Vengeful, by V.E. Schwab — I’ve put this one off because Vicious is one of my favorite books, it has SO MUCH hype, and I’m terrible at finishing series.
  • The Silent Companions, by Laura Purcell — This is another one that had some bookstagram hype around its initial release. I don’t know why I’ve been putting it off other than that. It looks like everything I’d enjoy (weird ghosty gothic historical fiction), and it’s on the shorter side…
  • The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings, by Edgar Allan Poe — I am kind of ashamed to put this on here because I’ve featured it for two years in a row now during the spooky months on my Instagram, and I still haven’t read it. Not even the introduction. Why? Because I’m weird. I don’t know. It’s poetry and short stories, many of which I haven’t read before, and I need to get on it.
  • The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe, by D.G. Compton — I’m really terrible about reading any of my NYRB Classics even though I keep buying them. This one caught my eye because it was shelved in the science fiction/fantasy section of my old store, and these rarely get shelved in the genre sections. It also has an introduction by Jeff VanderMeer, who is a favorite of mine.
  • Something Strange and Deadly, by Susan Dennard — I love Susan Dennard’s Truthwitch (but another series I started and haven’t finished even though I’ve bought them on release day ever since), but I’m terrible at starting series, even if they’re set close to where I used to live, are historical YA fiction (which seems more rare these days). Working in a bookstore exposed me to a lot of things I might not have noticed otherwise, and I’m glad I noticed this trilogy. Now to read it.
  • Into the Drowning Deep, by Mira Grant — I’m terrified of the depths of the sea, but I love mermaids. I don’t live near big bodies of water right now and I’m not going near big bodies of water any time soon, so I should be safe to read this now, right?
  • Hild, by Nicola Griffith — I started this ages ago and for some reason set it aside. I don’t remember why, because I loved the first fifty or so pages I got through. I also have a terrible habit of picking up books, reading them for a bit, and then forgetting where I leave them or getting distracted by something else. I’ve heard so many good things about this, and now that I feel a little more knowledgeable about English history, I want to tackle this again.
  • Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn — This one falls under the “I bought it because of the general hype and bookstagram hype and now I’m afraid it won’t live up to the weird expectations I now have about its grandeur” umbrella.
  • Deathless, by Catherynne M. Valente — I’ve heard so many people say so many good things about this, and it’s lauded across the board, and I’m worried it’s not going to live up to the hype for me.

Overall, I know there’s a theme here: I get excited and interested in stuff I see on Instagram, go out and buy it, and then hoard it away until I’m forced to reconcile with TBRs, moving, and posts like these. I’m putting these in my book cart so they’re present and in my face, and maybe I’ll get to them by the end of the year… Let’s recap on December 31, shall we?

What’s on your TBR that you’re avoiding reading? Which of these have you read? Which would you recommend over the others?

BOOK TAG: The TBR Book Tag

- Meg

I found this TBR book tag on Rae’s blog, Thrifty Bibliophile, and decided to do it! I’m partially a mood reader who likes the structure of a TBR when I can’t think of anything else to read. It’s a little reminder that I set parameters for myself and I actually do have something new to read!

HOW DO YOU KEEP TRACK OF YOUR TBR LIST?

I keep a stack near my bed of immediate reads like ARCS, review copies, and maybe a small paper list for a monthly TBR, but otherwise I use Goodreads!

If you aren’t following me on Goodreads yet, let’s be friends!

 

IS YOUR TBR MOSTLY PRINT OR E-BOOK?

Ha, it’s mostly print, but I have been taking advantage of too many e-book sales.

 

HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHICH BOOK FROM YOUR TBR TO READ NEXT?

I’m a little bit of a mood reader and a little bit of a planner. If I have reviews due soon, I’ll likely pick up the ARC/review copy so I can cross that off my list. A lot of the times I’ll just pick up a book I’ve just got or I’ve been meaning to read and go from there.

 

A BOOK THAT HAS BEEN ON YOUR TBR THE LONGEST:

According to Goodreads, it’s Peter York’s The Blue Riband: The Piccadilly Line, which is part of a series of Penguin books celebrating the London Underground. I never got around to buying them while I was over there, and I’ve not thought about them since. Hmm. Maybe this means I need to do another clean up of my Goodreads shelves…

 

A BOOK THAT YOU RECENTLY ADDED TO YOUR TBR LIST:

I added a lot to my Goodreads want to read shelf on Saturday, but Tochi Onyebuchi’s War Girls is one that I can’t wait to read!

 

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR STRICTLY BECAUSE OF ITS BEAUTIFUL COVER:

I saw Colette the film and I don’t know if I’ll ever really get around to reading this, but I love the cover.

 

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR THAT YOU NEVER PLAN ON ACTUALLY READING:

Every Single Second, by Tricia Springstubb. So I’m deleting it right now.

 

AN UNPUBLISHED BOOK ON YOUR TBR THAT YOU’RE EXCITED FOR:

TAMSYN MUIR’S GIDEON THE NINTH!!!!!

 

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR THAT BASICALLY EVERYONE HAS READ BUT YOU:

V.E. Schwab’s Vengeful…

 

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR EVERYONE RECOMMENDS YOU:

Probably Jasper Fforde’s stuff. I read The Eyre Affair many years ago, but never got around to reading anything else of his.

 

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR YOU’RE VERY EXCITED TO READ:

Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree.

THE NUMBER OF BOOKS ON YOUR GOODREADS TBR SHELF:

846. I did a cleanout last summer and obviously added more. I might go back and do some rearranging this summer and continue to do it every year!

 

I TAG…

Whoever wants to do this tag!

FIRST CHAPTER, FIRST PARAGRAPH: The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss

- Meg 1 Comment

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday is hosted by Bibliophile By the Sea! I’m working on bringing back some old features I used to like posting while working on some new ones, and posting a first chapter, first paragraph sort of deal was always fun for me. I never really stuck to new or old books, but today, as I’m going through more of my bookshelves, I chose The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. I’ve had this on my shelves for far too long, and when I opened up the first page, I was really struck by the lyricism of Krauss’ opening chapter. I know this book has been on many favorites lists and it was a bestseller for a while, and I think it’s high time I read this.

When they write my obituary. Tomorrow. Or the next day. It will say, LEO GURSKY IS SURVIVED BY AN APARTMENT FULL OF SHIT. I’m surprised I haven’t been buried alive. The place isn’t big. I have to struggle to keep a path clear between bed and toilet, toilet and kitchen table, kitchen table and front door. If I want to get from the toilet to the front door, impossible, I have to go by way of the kitchen table. I like to imagine the bed as home plate, the toilet as first, the kitchen table as second, and the front door as third: should the doorbell ring while I am lying in bed, I have to round the toilet and the kitchen table in order to arrive at the door. If it happens to be Bruno, I let him in without a word and then jog back to bed, the roar of the invisible crowd ringing in my ears.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

#RockMyTBR Challenge 2016

- Meg

Sarah’s #RockMyTBR is a challenge focused on reading all of those books that have been sitting on our shelves for ages! I want to read at least 40 books on my shelves, mostly ones I haven’t read, but a few I have. I want to focus on curating my collection to books I really, absolutely, and totally adore. It’s part of my personal challenge to have less stuff and do more with what I have.

My personal particulars about this challenge is that none of these books can coincide with the other challenges in which I’m participating. They can, however, be books I’ve read before, but I want to keep rereads for this particular challenge to a minimum.

Here’s a partial list of what I plan to read:

  • Harold and Maude, Carol Higgins
  • Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel (read it ages ago, want to revisit before reading the second)
  • Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel
  • The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
  • The Blue Flower, Penelope Fitzgerald (personally recommended to me by Julian Barnes)
  • Stoner, John Williams
  • The Pursuit of Love, Nancy Mitford
  • From Russia With Love, Ian Fleming
  • The Red Tent, Anita Diamant

THE OFFICIAL LIST

  1. The Crimson Petal and the White – Michel Faber
  2. The Bad Beginning – Lemony Snicket