February TBR

I had a very successful reading month in January.  I have a fairly ambitious TBR for February.  I have a bunch of ARCs for February and March that I hope to get through.  

I also hope to participate in Tome Topple this month, which runs from 2/7-2/20.  If you don't know what Tome Topple is, that is a reading challenge hosted by Thoughts on Tomes, where you read books over 500 pages.  I tend to listen to really long books these days, but the two books  I hope to get through are Priory of the Orange Tree and Black Leopard, Red Wolf

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

Most of these are ARCs

• An Act of Faith by C.A. Oliver
• I started reading this at the end of December.  I'm about 10% of the way in and it is really hard to follow.  It has a Lord of the Rings feel, but nothing has happened.  There are only 7 chapters I think and so far all they've done is face a hurricane and sail around the sea.  There is a made up Elven language so that's cool, but I'm bored so far.  I'm not a fan of really long chapters where nothing happens.  Hopefully it picks up or I'll be DNFing this in February.
• The Borgia Confessions by Alyssa Palombo
• This comes out on February 11th.  I've already started this but it is a very long historical fiction.  From what I can tell and the brief research I've done, it is fairly accurate regarding the Borgia family and the historic events that actually took place.  If you are interested in Vatican history and politics, give this one a look when it comes out later this month.  I'm also using this for the Read Harder prompt for a historical fiction not set in WWII.
• Ten Days Gone by Beverly Long
• This is a mystery that features two female police detectives.  I don't want to get too far into the plot because I don't want to spoil things.  This comes out February 18th.
• Unforgiven by Jay Crownover
• This is a romantic suspense due out February 25th.  I don't think I've read anything by Jay Crownover before, though she's been recommended several times.  Since this is a bit of a mystery, I don't know much about the plot so I don't spoil anything going into it.  This comes out February 25th.
• Havenfall by Sara Holland
• This is Sara Holland's latest fantasy offering.  I enjoyed her previous books, and this is supposed to have magic an an in that connects ancient magical worlds.  It appears that something bad happens and the main character has to figure out what's going on and save the world.  This comes out March 3rd.
• Wicked as You Wish by Rin Chupeco
• If you follow me on social media at all you've seen me tweeting and posting some of the marketing materials for this book.  It comes out March 3rd, and is Chupeco's latest YA Fantasy.  It appears to have a Filipina character, making it #ownvoices, who has no use for magic despite her magical heritage.
• Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
• This is one of my picks for Tome Topple.  I purchased this when it was on sale a while ago and the kindle version comes in at 848 pages.  This also for a Popsugar prompt for a book published in the month of my birthday.  This was published in February of 2019, and my birthday is during Tome Topple, so it kind of works out perfect.

Audiobooks

• Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
• As I mentioned above I'm hoping to listen to list for Tome Topple.  Goodreads has this coming in at 640 pages, and I was planning on picking this up for the Popsugar prompt for a book that won and award in 2019.  This was named best book by several outlets last year, and I'm always looking for a good fantasy.  
• The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
• My sci-fi book club picked this for our February read.  I don't know much about it other than it is supposed to be heavy on the science and there are aliens.  It also won the Hugo award and those are usually pretty good.
• The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nichole Davis
• This is a debut YA Fantasy that is also supposed to have some historical and western elements.  The blurb says its Westworld meets The Handmaid's Tale, that's all I need to know.  
• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
• I keep hearing about this, and received an ARC after publication.  I'm hoping it lives up to the hype.  It sounds like a harder hitting contemporary that covers some very real social issues.
• The Rust Maidens by Gwendolyn Kiste
• I don't remember where I heard about this, but it sounds amazing.  I picked this up for a horror book published by an indie press for the Read Harder challenge.  The girls of Cleveland are changing into what looks like rusted metal.  It sounds terrifying and I can't wait!
• The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle
• Popsugar has a prompt this year to read a book you know nothing about.  This was a tough one, since I wasn't sure what that was.  I feel like I vaguely know a little bit about everything, but investing and the stock market is something I really am not educated on.  My son is participating in a stock market club at school, so I thought this made sense to look into.  It isn't terribly long either, so hopefully I learn something.

 

January Wrap-up

First wrap up of 2020.  I read and listened to a ton of books in January!  Hopefully I can keep up the momentum for the rest of the year.

I completed a bunch of prompts for the 2020 Popsugar and Book Riot Read Harder  challenges this month.  If you are interested in what I'm reading or what I read for the past challenges, my google docs are below.

• Popsugar Reading Challenge Spreadsheet
• Book Riot Read Harder Spreadsheet

In addition to the books below, I also read all 95 episodes of the webcomic, Lore Olympus on Webtoon.  The creator is Rachel Smythe and it's awesome.  If you are a Greek mythology lover, you need to check it out.  It is a retelling of the story of Persephone and Hades, and I love the direction she is taking with it.  Fair warning, it deals with alot of topics that might be triggering to some.  She usually puts a warning at the beginning of episodes that specifically deal with triggering topics.  New episodes come out on Sundays and I'm so glad I finally jumped in.  I love her art style and can't wait to see where the story is headed.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

I can't believe I got through so many books this month.  

• Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
• This is a slow paced sci-fi kind about an older woman who just wants to be left alone.  The company who colonized the planet she has lived on for 40 years decides that they are going to move the colony somewhere more prosperous.  Ofelia, decides she's staying put, and live out the rest of her days the way she wants.  The story plays out much like the movie Castaway with Ofelia as the sole inhabitant of the planet, until she is visited by the indigenous inhabitants of the planet.  An odd relationship builds between Ofelia and the strange beings known as The People that develops into so much more.  This isn't heavy on the science or technology, and the pace doesn't pick up until after The People show up.  
• Ashlords by Scott Reintgen
• Review
• I have an ARC of this and it comes out on the 21st.  I'm a huge fan of Reintgen's work and this is his latest young adult offering.  It is supposed to have some magical battle horses and was compared to Scorpio Races which I loved.  
• Don't Read the Comments by Eric Smith
• Review
• I received an ARC of this a while ago, but I was holding this for January to count it toward the Popsugar reading prompt for a book involving social media.  This is supposed to be about two gamers who have to deal with the hassle of virtual trolls.  Look for more closer to the release date on the 28th.
• A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
• This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and I loved it!  It is one of the more unique retellings I've read where it has a kind of groundhog's day aspect to it, and the fairy tale bleeds over into the real world.  I really enjoyed how Rhen, the prince, interacted with Harper the girl he is trying to woo.  I also loved Grey, Rhen's commander and trusted companion.  
• Fix the World (Skyward #3) by Joe Henderson
• This is the final installment in a sci-fi graphic novel series.  In this bindup, the main character is trying to turn gravity back on, fight giant bugs, and maybe find love.  I love the art in this and the series is pretty good.
• Fun Home: A Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
• This is a memoir in comic form.  It is Bechdel's life story, but it center's around her relationship with her father and his death.  It is a difficult read as it is kind of sad.  The art is great, and her emotion really shows through on the page.
• Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting it Done by Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser
• I adored this!  It tells the story of two young girls and their story as they learned to code.  Their coding project from summer camp turned into a viral game.  I love how they tackled a taboo subject and really grew as people.  I entered the technology field over 20 years ago and while not much has changed, but it is nice to know that girls are getting more support and being encouraged to enter technology.
• Frenemies by Emma Hart
• Review
• This is a funny second chance romance that features a single dad and the ridiculous grandma I've ever read.  You should read it just to experience Grandma Jen.  
• Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills
• Review
• I pretty much couldn't put this book down.  This is an enemies to lovers romance that deals with some heavy subject matter.  The book opens with the main character Ava dealing with the aftermath of being sexually assaulted.  She returns to the private school she attends as a scholarship student in an attempt to overcome the assault, but on her first day back she gets a love letter in her locker.  Football player and king of the school, Knox ends up befriending Ava, though they start out as enemies.  They are both broken but they end up finding solace in each other.  Madden-Mills does a wonderful job with the touchy subjects of mental health and sexual assault.  

Audiobooks

I feel really accomplished that I got through so many audiobooks in January, especially since some of them were fairly long.   Most of these were for reading prompts, but quite a few of them were already on my TBR.  That is the beauty of these reading challenges.  I don't feel a ton of pressure to read books I don't want to read.  

• The Cursed Sea by Lauren Destefano
• I was disappointed in this sequel.  I really loved the first book.  This really just followed Wil as she runs around trying to stop a bunch of things from happening.
• Dry by  Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
• I read this for a prompt about a natural disaster after seeing this recommended a everywhere.  I really enjoyed this.  It was pretty disturbing because it is a realistic thing that could actually happen.  It follows a group of kids after a major drought has hit and water is basically 
• Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
• I picked this up for the Read Harder challenge for a retelling by an author of color.  This was also the book of the month at my library for January.  It ranges from diverse, violent, and strange.  Machado's writing is beautiful, but I just didn't really enjoy this collection of stories. The retelling is the first offering called The Husband Stitch and is a version of The Girl with the Green Ribbon.  This by far was the one I liked the most.
• The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
• I listened to this to fulfil the prompt for the Popsugar challenge for a book about a woman in STEM.  This book while fiction, is inspired by the the actual accounts of Mitza Maric, Einstein's first wife.  I'm not sure how accurate the history is, as this has inspired me to read up on Mitza and things don't add up.  This book made me mad, I couldn't stand the way she was treated, and while that was "the way things were" it still was awful.  I do wish this had focused more on the physics and less on the romance and relationship aspect of her life.  
• Akata Witch and Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor
• This is a great middle grade/YA fantasy series.  It is set in Nigeria and utilizes African mythology and culture as the basis for the fantastical elements in the story.  This follows Sunny, born in the US to Nigerian parents.  Her family moves back to Nigeria when she is 12, but because she is an albino she is taunted by almost everyone around her for being a witch.  Unbeknownst to Sunny, there is a world of magic and paranormal all around her that she uncovers when she has a vision.  Fortunately she is surrounded by great friends and teachers who help her hone her powers and learn about the secret magical world around her.
• 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
• This is a weird compilation of stories of various genres.  As with most short story compilations I really liked some of them and I really didn't like others.  If you are looking for a good mix of horror, paranormal, and fantasy stories give this a try.  Some of them are really good, some are super weird, and I think everyone will find something appealing.
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
• This is a WWII story told from the perspective of 2 sisters.  Despite being a good story, I felt it was far too long.  The author spends a great deal of time setting things up.  The story takes place in France, the older sister ends up with a Nazi soldier boarding in her home while the other more outspoken sister ends up becoming part of the rebellion.  Each of the sisters ends up helping the rebellion in their own way, but they both have to do what they need to in order to survive.  
• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
• I can't believe I never read this in school.  I listened to the audiobook for the Popsugar prompt for a bildungsroman, or a coming of age story.
• River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
• Hippo farming, who knew?  Did you know that this was a real concept?  I surely didn't.  This story while fiction is based on an actual concept that never came to fruition in the early 1900's in the US during a meat shortage.  This has a western feel and a very diverse cast of characters.  I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
• Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
• Technically I finished this in February, but I listened to most of it in January.  This is the sequel to Children of Blood and Bone.  It is an epic YA Fantasy, that discusses so much more.  There is magic, politics, mythology and betrayal.  The plot of this one kind of meanders around and doesn't really move forward.  I really liked the first book other than the ridiculous romance between Zelie and Inan, but this one just falls short.  It doesn't expand the magic and mythology.  The plot is basically Zelie being angry and making rash, emotional decisions and being mad at Amari the whole book.  Their friendship is being torn apart because Amari wants to try to find a peaceful solution and Zelie wants only vengeance, and both of them making decisions that don't make any sense.  This is just an emotional mess of a story.

January TBR

I haven't posted a TBR since October.  I haven't really posted much in the last month to be honest.   I've read a ton, but I kind of took a break from my scheduled posts and reviewing.  I got a little overwhelmed with all of the releases and reviews I had to write in the fall so I kind of just didn't post if I didn't have an obligation to post. 

I'm starting of 2020 with plans to continue the 2020 Popsugar and Read Harder  Read Harder challenges.  I completed both last year and this year's lists are really going to push me to read new things.  I really like Popsugar because I can use most things I wanted to read anyway, and Book Riot really lives up to the name to make me read harder.  It has a lot of diversity prompts this year that make you stretch your boundaries as a reader.  I'm looking forward to it!

If you are interested in what I'm reading or what I read for the past challenges, my google docs are below.

• Popsugar Reading Challenge Spreadsheet
• Book Riot Read Harder Spreadsheet

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

These are the books I have already started or plan to read and review by the end of January.  I expect I'll read more than 4 books this month, but I don't want to over plan this year.

• Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
• I just started this for a sci-fi book club I recently joined with some people I work with.  It is set far in the future on another planet.  I haven't gotten very far into the book so not much has happened, but I like it so far.
• An Act of Faith by C.A. Oliver
• I've had the ARC of this for a while now.  This is apparently the first of 12 books in a fantasy series.  In reading the author's notes, it is based on a group of friends and their love of video games and lore and myths.  It gives me Lord of the Rings vibes.
• Ashlords by Scott Reintgen
• I have an ARC of this and it comes out on the 21st.  I'm a huge fan of Reintgen's work and this is his latest young adult offering.  It is supposed to have some magical battle horses and was compared to Scorpio Races which I loved.  
• Don't Read the Comments by Eric Smith
• I received an ARC of this a while ago, but I was holding this for January to count it toward the Popsugar reading prompt for a book involving social media.  This is supposed to be about two gamers who have to deal with the hassle of virtual trolls.  Look for more closer to the release date on the 28th.

Audiobooks

I'm only going to list the audiobooks I have checked out at the moment.  I have several on hold at the moment and a ton on Hoopla that are always options.

• The Cursed Sea by Lauren Destefano
• I started this a few days ago and I'm about halfway done as of the writing of this post.  I really enjoyed the first book.  It has been quite a while since I read the first book, so I've forgotten most of the story, but this follow's Wil, a girl who can crystalize anything or anyone she touches as she tries to save her kingdom.  There is quite a bit of political intrigue but it still isn't clear as to why the kingdoms are at war.
• Dry by  Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
• I keep seeing this book recommended for various reasons, but it showed up on Read Harder's recommendations for a book about a natural disaster.  I don't really know much about this book other than people say it is a good read.
• Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
• I picked this up for the Read Harder challenge for a retelling by an author of color.  This is also the featured audiobook of the month at my library and the author will be coming to lecture at one of the local branches later this month.  I've heard mixed reviews about this book, so we'll give it a try.

October Wrap Up

This month was pretty ambitious.  I went into October expecting to get a bit behind.  I knew if I could get through the Smartypants books I might be OK.  I got through 19 books this month, which is pretty impressive.  I got through the 6 Smartypants books that came out in October, and I've got all the November ones on deck.  

I participated in Spook-a-thon, which was really fun to read some things that have been on my TBR for a while.  And finally, I knocked off a few prompts for my two reading challenges this month.  I've got 2 prompts left for Read Harder (I'm about halfway done with one of those already), and I've got 6 left for Popsugar.  With the help of audiobooks I think I'll make it.  I had to do some shuffling, but fortunately I've read a ton of books so far this year and some of the books I've read fit nicely in to the prompts.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
• Review
• This was published October 1st.  This follows Cilka, one of the main character's from The Tattooist of Auschwitz, during her time in Vorkuta a Russian prison camp.  We learn of the horrors she suffered both at the hands of the Russians and the Germans from the time she was until her eventual release.  This is the story of a strong, compassionate woman who lived through some pretty horrific things.  She did what she needed to survive.  This is a work of fiction, but it is based on true events, real people, interviews, and accounts from various sources about Cilka and her time in Siberia.  Much like Tattooist, I liked it but it was missing something.
•  The Furies by Katie Lowe 
• Review
• This one came out October 8th and is a YA Thriller.  The cover and synopsis made me think of the movie The Craft.  While it has a dark tone and deals with 4 girls at a private school dabbling in the occult, it is not The Craft.  I unfortunately didn't really like this book.  The thriller element was OK, but the fantasy/magic element was lacking in my opinion.  I also didn't care for the writing style which seems to be a new type of prose on the market.  It is just not my style.  It also seemed to glorify the use of drugs and alcohol which I don't support.  This just seemed to use abusive and toxic situations more for their shock value instead of using what was a really good idea to tell a really good story.  
• Verity by Colleen Hoover
• This has been on my TBR since it came out earlier this year.  Spookathon was the perfect time to read this dark thriller.  This book is really messed up.  It is really creepy for a domestic thriller because you aren't really sure what is actually happening.  I found parts of it fairly predictable while other parts were very creative.  If you like domestic thrillers, I recommend it.
• Spell on Wheels by Kate Leth, Megan Levens, Marissa Louise, Jen Bartel, and Nate Piekos
• This was a really fun graphic novel. I hope there are more coming.  It follows three friends who happen to be witches.  When their apartment is robbed they head out on a road trip of paranormal proportions to get their stuff back.  Hijinx ensues.  I really liked it.
• Shadows by Kristen Proby
• Review
• This released on October 29th and is part of  a new trilogy set in New Orleans.  This follows three sisters who are all witches with different abilities.  This one focuses on the eldest sister who sees the dead as shadows.  When the shadows begin following her and haunting her dreams, she knows that she has to help somehow.  She teams up with a handsome FBI agent who happened to be on one of her ghost tours of the city and helps her discover that she's is the ultimate target of a serial killer.  This is a fairly dark paranormal romance with a pretty creepy thriller element.  I'm looking forward to the next installment.  
• Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
• I don't normally pick up children's books for the challenge.  This was recommended by Book Riot for this prompts so I grabbed it from the library, and I'm so glad I did.  It is a beautifully illustrated book about a Mexican immigrant who discovers the library and the wonders of books with her child despite the language barrier.  It isn't very long but it is gorgeous.  This fulfilled the prompt for a children’s or middle grade book (not YA) that has won a diversity award since 2009.
• Kiss Me Again by Emma Hart
• Review
• This was my least favorite of the 3 books in the series.  It was still funny, but Ava starts out so over the top aggressively miserable and combative against Ethan it took away from the humor.  She eventually chills out a bit and the story proceeds with an epic prank battle between Ethan and Ava until they realize their feelings for each other.

Smartypants Romance  Releases

I'm not going to summarize these as I've written full reviews on each of them.  I'm also going to write a dedicated summary post for the 2019 releases.

• Code of Conduct by April White
• Review
• Weight Expectations M.E. Carter 
• Review
• Sticking to the Script by Stella Weaver 
• Review
• Happy Trail by Daisy Prescott 
• Review
• Love in Due Time L.B. Dunbar 
• Review
• Stud Muffin Jiffy Kate
• Review

Audiobooks

• Song of Susannah and The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
• I'm continuing my audio reread of the Dark Tower series.  This series is weird but I love it!  The Wind Through the Keyhole was a new read for me and it was an interesting story within a story.  While it didn't directly tie to Roland and the gang's journey, it is still a valuable and entertaining read.  I have the final book to go in my reread and I plan to get to it before the end of the year.
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
• This is not what I expected.  I kind of expected it to be about January going through the doors, but it is not that kind of adventure.  This was actually kind of disappointing for me.  It is a story within a story about portals and lost love, but lacked the action and adventure I wanted.
• The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Steadman
• This is so sad.  Tom is an honorable man who has to do things by the letter of the law.  He loves his wife, so when a boat washes up on the island where Tom is the lighthouse keeper he is persuaded to not report it right away.  See his wife has just suffered a stillbirth and there is a baby in the boat.  The baby's father has died.  Tom and Isabella raise the child as their own but the guilt of not reporting the incident eats at him.  When he crosses paths with his daughter's biological mother, he has to confess his sin even if it will tear his family apart.  This is a story of love, loss, guilt, and heartache.  It is very somber, but worth the read.
• The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Manhke
• This is an audiobook I got for free on Volumes, which is Penguin Random House Audio’s app. They periodically do free audiobooks. This is a compilation of stories either from a podcast or inspired by the Lore podcast and TV series. I'm not big on short stories or podcasts, so this is a perfect fit. I also love learning about the history of spooky stuff. It also has a red cover.  This was fantastic and I loved learning all of the creepy facts behind some of the monsters we see in pop culture, movies, and the history of haunted places.
• There Will Come A Darkness by Katy Rose Pool
• This book has alot going on in it.  It is a very slow paced fantasy.  It follows five different perspectives, which is not my favorite.  I think because it follows so many characters none of them really felt well developed.  The plotline is interesting as is the magic system, but I had a hard time keeping up with what was going on with all the switching back and forth between characters.  I feel this would have been more enjoyable for me had it only followed 2 characters and the plot would have felt more developed and connected.
• A Hero Born by Jin Yong
• Review
• This book was published in 1957, but was just released in the US in September.  This is a Chinese fantasy, historical fiction set in the time of Genghis Khan.  I received a print ARC of this but it is a slower paced fantasy, so I opted to listed to the audiobook so I could get my review out sooner rather than later.  The audio is excellent!  This follows the son of a revered patriot as he learns Kung Fu at the hands of 7 masters.  It is a really interesting story, but you may get lost in all of the names and martial arts references.  I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to the remaining books.
• Rebel by Marie Lu
• I read the original trilogy quite a while ago.  I'm not quite sure how I feel about authors revisiting series that are complete.  This would have been fine had it just been about Eden, but it really felt like it was Lu's attempt to give readers the June and Day happy ending that they didn't get at the end of Legend.  Overall the book was OK, but not amazing.
• Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
• I picked this up for the Read Harder challenge for a historical romance by an author of color.  I'm not a big traditional romance reader, so this category was a struggle for me.  The book I initially picked out was a bit over the top and too swoony for me.  This was a perfect fit.  This follows Hester, a freed slave woman who works on the underground railroad.  When she nurses fellow conductor, Galen back to health, a romance ensues.  I really enjoyed the historical aspect of this, and their romance was excellent.  The steamy intimate scenes felt a bit disjointed from Hester's pious nature and the prudish nature of the times.  They were well done.   This was one of Book Riot's suggestions for the prompt and I'm glad I went with it.  The audio narration is excellent and I highly recommend it.  
• Drive by Daniel H. Pink
• I picked this up for a prompt to read a business book on the read harder challenge.  I really enjoyed it.  Alot of the concepts make alot of sense and the author gives alot of concrete and real world examples.  I think every executive and manager at every company should read this, even if they don't implement any of these concepts.  I can also see some of these concepts working with parenting, especially with goal setting and incentives.  It was really interesting.

September Wrap Up

I had a pretty ambitious TBR for the month, and I did pretty well.  I didn't get to everything on my list, but some of those were ARCs for October, so we can let those slide.  I also read ahead for my October TBR because I was afraid I wasn't going to finish some of the longer books.   Overall I think I had a great reading month.  I read some really great stuff this month.  October is shaping up to be about the same, way too many books to read (as if that is a problem) and not enough time to read them (an actual problem). 

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup
• Review
• This came out September 3rd.  This is a Scandinavian thriller about a man who leaves little chestnut dolls at the scene of his very violent crime scenes.  It is good but in my opinion far too long and has way too much going on.  I often lost interest in what was happening because there were too many different things happening to too many characters and it took too long to resolve everything.  I find this is my typical reaction to Nordic Noir.  I like them but they are too slow.  I do better with the audiobook version.  I do think this will make an excellent movie.
• Beard with Me by Penny Reid
• Review
• This is one of  my most anticipated books of the year, this and the next one Beard Necessities.  This came out September 16th and was heartbreaking.  This is book 5.5 of the Winston Brothers series and it tells Billy and Claire aka Scarlet's story when they were teenagers.  The next book tells their story when they are adults and I can't wait.  Beard with Me is tragic and reveals so many things from the series that I've been wanting answers to.  If you haven't read the series, they are some of my favorites and this couple has been waiting for their book for a very long time!
• The Grace Year by Kim Liggett 
• Review
• This came out September 17th.  This is a YA dystopian set in a very misogynistic society.  When girls turn 16, their Grace Year, they are banished to survive that year on their own to rid themselves of their magic and sin.  Women are treated as property and if they fall out of line they are punished.  Their grace year is the only time they are allowed to act freely because they are consumed by magic, or are they?  I really liked this.  It was fast paced and had some really disturbing parallels to real life.
• War of Hearts by S. Young
• Review
• I'm so glad that Samantha has returned to her paranormal romance roots.  I loved this.  I has the qualities of her romance books that I love as well as the paranormal fantasy elements that made me first love her books when I found them years ago.  This is an awesome merging of all of the things I love about her writing.  This is a standalone novel due out October 1st, but I hope there are more books coming.  It follows Thea a paranormal of unknown origin and Conall a Scottish Werewolf.  Conall has a unique tracking gift and he is essentially hired to track Thea down by her adoptive father.  All is not what it seems and Thea and Conall find themselves on the run from several different factions that either want Thea dead or want to use her for her power.  It's a romance too, so I don't have to tell you the rest.  
• Saving Fable by Scott Reintgen 
• Review
• This came out September 17th.  This is a new middle grade fantasy series by Reintgen.  I loved his sci-fi trilogy Nyxia and this is so much fun.  This follows a fairy tale character who is waiting for her story.  It was amazing and I loved it!
• Kiss Me Tonight by Emma Hart
• Review
• This is a hilarious romcom.  It begins with a naughty text sent to the wrong number.  Reagan is outspoken already, and decides to engage the texter to tell him he's got the wrong number and witty banter ensues.  They end up having friendly text conversations when tragedy strikes and Reagan's apartment burns down.  She's rescued by a fireman, who comes to check on her in the hospital.  Her hero is none other than her text friend Noah, who happens to be the man of her fantasies.  He's hot, tattooed, and he has a ridiculous chihuahua.  Coincidence?  I think not.  This is a quick and funny read.  I read it in a couple of hours.  I really love this series and can't wait for the next book due out in October.  This was published on September 24th.
• Baking Me Crazy by Karla Sorensen
• Review
• This is a friends to lovers romantic comedy.  It is really adorable and not full of angst.  It follows Joss, a girl in a wheelchair which is something we don't often see in romance. Her best friend Levi is in love with her, but they met shortly after a wicked virus left her paralyzed from the knee down.  She wasn't ready for his affection, but she needed a friend.  She and Levi begin navigating what it means if their relationship changes to something more.  I really enjoyed being back in Green Valley and the Donner Bakery.  This comes out October 8th.
• The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Review
• This picks up where The Darkest Star left off.  Evie is trying to come to grips with her identity and how Luc fits into her life.  Strange things happen pitting humans against Luxen putting our cast in a precarious situation.   As usual there is more to the story than meets the eye and Luc and Evie are at the center of it.  I really enjoyed this sequel and I'm really liking this spinoff series.  This also comes out October 8th.

Audiobooks

I didn't get to everything on my September TBR for audio, but most of these are longer books so I'm not upset about my progress.  I also finished up a few reading challenge prompts, so we are making steady progress on that front.

• The Library Book by Susan Orlean
• This really wasn't what I was expecting.  It was very well written, and well narrated by the author herself.  I was expecting more of a true crime novel about the fire at the library.  I was disappointed because I didn't not get what I was expecting not because of anything else.  This is more of a love letter to the LA Central library and the library system, with information about the fire thrown in here and there.  The timeline jumps around alot and there is a ton of valuable history in this book, it just doesn't solely focus on the fire or the investigation.  It is a very interesting book for sure.
• The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
• I read this for the popsugar reading challenge to read a book with sugar in the title.  This was short and cute.  It wasn't my favorite.  It has some elements that I don't love.  The main character has little self-esteem and she is treated very poorly by her mother and the rest of the town. She is naive and sheltered and rarely leaves the house other than to take her ailing mother to the ladies of privilege social gatherings.  I did like the interaction with Chloe and Josey.  Them meeting and becoming friends were my favorite scenes.
• The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
• Review
• I really enjoyed this.  It is actually the first book in The Physick series.  I read the 2nd book back in July and really enjoyed it.  This sets up some of the back story but they are both standalones.  I really enjoy anything involving the Salem Witch trials and this delivers.  It is a nice blend of historical fiction, magical realism, a little fantasy, and has a nice romance.  
• The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
• This was amazing.  I've had this on my TBR forever.  I highly recommend the audiobook.  I really enjoyed getting to know Eve and Charlie.  Both of their stories and how they intersect is a compelling tale.  Eve is a spy during WWI sent to France to bring back information to the Alice Network, a group of female spies placed strategically throughout France to gather information on the Germans.  Charlie is an American, headed to Europe to take care of her little problem, aka an unwanted pregnancy.  She decides to take a detour from her very proper, French mother to look for her long lost French cousin Rose who disappeared during WWII.  Charlie was given Eve's name as someone who might be able to help her find Rose.  The tale is one of heartbreak, revenge, loss, and trauma.  I really loved this!
• Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab
• This sequel follows our Cassidy, daughter of ghost hunters except she can actually see and talk to the dead.  This installment takes place in France as her parents shoot footage for their TV show about the haunted history of Paris.  Cassidy attracts the company of a long dead French poltergeist and she has to figure out how to get him to pass on before he really hurts someone.  Accompanied by her BFF ghost Jacob and fellow ghost whisper Lara, Cassidy must dodge her parents and save the city from mischief and mayhem.  This is a great read for fall.  It is a little creepy, not too scary, and perfect for young readers who want to dabble in horror.
• Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King
• I started a reread of this series via audio a while ago, but I took a break after Wizard and Glass because I was going to read The Wind Through the Keyhole.  Well that paperback has been collecting dust on my shelf for a while now and I've decided to pick back up on my reread.  This follows our favorite ka-tet on yet another weird adventure as they try to get closer to the dark tower.  It also made me realize that I'm a terrible Stephen King fan because I've never read Salem's Lot.  I have had a copy for approximately 1000000 years, no seriously I've probably had my copy for close to 25 years and I hope to get to it before the end of this one.

September TBR

While I read a ton of stuff in August, I didn't read everything on my TBR so alot of these are repeats.  

I have a ton of ARCs to catch up on for September and October so that's what most of this list is going to be.  Some of these are pretty large books so we'll see if I can get through all of them on time.  I think this is a pretty ambitious TBR for the month and some prioritizing will have to happen.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup
• This comes out September 3rd.  It is a pretty large book and I haven't made a ton of progress.  Its good so far.  It is a Scandanavian thriller about a man who leaves little chestnut dolls at the scene of his crimes.  
• Beard with Me by Penny Reid
• This is one of  my most anticipated books of the year, this and the next one Beard Necessities.  This comes out September 16th and I can't wait to read it.  This is book 5.5 of the Winston Brothers series and it tells Claire aka Scarlet's story.  The next book Billy's story and I can't wait.  If you haven't read the series, they are some of my favorites and this couple has been waiting for their book for a very long time!
• The Grace Year by Kim Liggett 
• This is due out September 17th.  This is labeled as YA, dystopian, and sci-fi.  When girls turn 16, their Grace Year, they are banished to survive that year on their own.  Apparently they have some magical power for that year and the results can be horrifying.  It has gotten high praise and I'm looking forward to it.
• Saving Fable by Scott Reintgen 
•  This is due out September 17th.  This is a new middle grade fantasy series by Reintgen.  I loved his sci-fi trilogy Nyxia and this looks really fun.  This follows a fairy tale character who wants to become a hero and her journey to achieve hero status in the land of Fable.  
• A Hero Born by Jin Yong
• This book was published in 1957, but it is being being translated and published in the US on September 17 for the first time.  This is a Chinese fantasy, historical fiction novel about Genghis Khan.  It sounds really awesome.
• Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris 
• This due out October 3rd and is the follow up to The Tattooist of Auschwitz.  I recently finished that and I'm looking forward to reading Cilka's story as she was a major part of that story.
• The Furies by Katie Lowe due 
• This one comes out October 3rd and is a YA Thriller.  The cover reminds me of the movie The Craft.  The synopsis kind of gives me those vibes too.  I loved that movie, and this sounds really interesting, it promises occult, mentions witch trials, and has a dark tone.  Looks like a perfect read for fall.
• War of Hearts by S. Young
• I'm so excited for this one.  Samantha Young hasn't put out a Paranormal Fantasy in quite a while.  She's mainly stuck to contemporary romance for the last several years.  This is a standalone werewolf novel due out October 1st.  I'll probably read this before some of the other stuff on this list.
• The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• This is another of my most anticipated reads of the year.  I've had the arc forever but I kept pushing it off until closer to the release date.  Well October 8th is quickly approaching so it's time to read Luc and Evie's sequel.  I really love this spin-off to the Luxen series and I pretty much will read anything Jen writes.

Audiobooks

I'm focusing my audiobook attention on my reading challenge prompts.  If I get through these I have quite a few more on my wishlist to get through.  

• The Library Book by Susan Orlean
• Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
• Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
• The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
• The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
• The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

August Wrap up

I had a lot going on in August as far as reading.  I got about halfway through the month and felt really slumpy, but I had so many books to get through by the first week of September that I knew I had to push through.  I think the slump was partly due to the fact that I started out with a couple of books that I just didn't like.  They weren't terrible but they weren't things that really gripped me and I was just reading them for challenge prompts.  I also think I took on way too much by doing NEWTs and the Netgalley reviewathon.  While they were all books I wanted to read or intended to read anyway, it was just too much pressure.  I realized about halfway through the month, I had books to review in early September and need to switch gears.  I got a little overwhelmed and it is no one's fault but my own.  In the end I got everything read and reviewed, and the stuff on my TBR I didn't get to will get read in September.  No big deal.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
• This was just OK for me, I feel it was definitely geared more towards the 9-12 boy demographic.  It has thievery, magic, action, and fart jokes.  I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times, the characters are quite hilarious.  I think my younger self would have really enjoyed this series.  This has been on my TBR for a while, but I won't be continuing on.  I was also using this as my book that was being turned into a movie in 2019, but I read that the  movie is being pushed to 2020 so this just counts for NEWTs.
• The Hanged Man and the Fortune Teller by Lucy Banks
• Review
• This is a paranormal historical fiction.  I really enjoy Bank's writing style.  This wasn't as humorous as her previous books, it was actually kind of sad and somber.  The historical fiction and time jumps were an interesting way to tell the story.  
• Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
• Review
• This started out a bit slowly for me, but it picks up at about 40%.  It follows Lou, a thief and witch in hiding.  Witches are persecuted by the church and due to a case of very bad luck she finds herself  married to one of the church's most pious warriors.  As Lou and Reid figure out their very unconventional relationship, she finds herself actually coming to like her husband despite the fact that he'll burn her at the stake if he finds out her true identity.  I really enjoyed this one, but it ends with a cliffhanger.
• Extinction of All Children by L.J. Epps
• Review
• This is a dystopian story set in the year 2098.  It follows main character Emma who is the last child to turn 18, as she was also the last child allowed to be born in the impoverished Territory L.  This has Hunger Games vibes, but Emma is no Katniss Everdeen.  This is an OK start to the series, but it lacks character development and is fairly tropey and predictable.  I will continue on with the series, but I have other books that will likely take priority.
• The Whisper Man by Alex North
• Review
• This is one of my favorite thrillers of the year.  It follows a father and son as they are recovering from the loss of their wife/mother.  As they try to find a fresh start, a copycat murderer begins to plague the town they live in and the son appears to be his next target.  This was creepy without being too gory and I really enjoyed the twists and turns.  
• Crew Princess by Tijan
• Review
• This is the 2nd book in the Crew series, but it still follows Bren and her friends who are a gang that isn't a gang.  Their world is filled with violence and loyalty unlike anything else you've ever experienced.  They are pitted against two other crews as graduation approaches.  Not only does Bren have to face her future and deal with the emotions that brings but she also has to try not to break the rules of her probation and end up in jail.
• Kiss Me Not by Emma Hart
• Review
• This is a romantic comedy and it is hilarious.  It follows the local librarian and kissing booth champion as she deals with her crush and nemesis as her competition.  As you can imagine being forced to listen to him kiss other women gets on her nerves and forces her to face her feeling for him
• Star Mage Vol 2 by J.C De La Torre and Facundo Percio
• I read the first volume of this for the OWLs a few months back, this is volumes 1-6 so I picked up with volume 2 to fill a NEWTs prompt.  The art is really great, but the plot is kind of silly.  It isn't overly violent or gory and the dialogue is a bit juvenile but I think it is geared more toward the younger crowd.   This isn't bad, I do feel like my boys would really enjoy it.

Audiobooks

I got through quite a few audiobooks I've been meaning to get to this month.  Most of these were pretty good and almost all of them filled in some sort of challenge prompt.  I got through 10 audiobooks this month and I think that is a great success.

• Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
• This is the follow up to Vicious and follows Eli and Victor as well as some new characters with extraordinary abilities.  Each of the characters plays a very specific role, and none of them are good.  This is a great anti-hero story as none of the characters are particularly likeable, and they are all bad guys.  I really enjoy Schwab's writing and her ability to craft a story.  
• My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
• Review
• This book was crazy.  It follows a seemingly normal couple with murderous tendencies.  As they carry out their psycho fantasy, they create a ruse to cover up their naughty deeds.  I wanted to love this, but I found this predictable and not very suspenseful.  While entertaining, I found most of their crazy behavior unrealisting and this just wasn't as gripping as I wanted it to be.
• The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
• I bought the ebook of this a while back when it was on sale around the holidays.  The ebook has pictures of the girls and some of the other key players in the story.  I really enjoyed the audiobook though as nonfiction can sometimes take me a long time to get through.  I so glad I finally got to this.  The story of the girls is a powerful one, it is devastating to hear how they were treated by the greedy executives.
• Bladerunner/Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
• This was really weird.  That is pretty much all I have to say.  I was able to use this for a popsugar reading prompt and it has been on my TBR for a long time.  It is one of those books that makes you think way to hard.  This just isn't my preferred style of book.  I can see why people like it, it is just not for me.
• Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo
• I won a copy of this audiobook ages ago from the publisher and have been meaning to get to it.  It is about a ragtag group of strangers who come together as a rebel Robin Hood like faction to save the education system of Nigeria.  It is really well written and narrated.  If you like realistic fiction I recommend it.
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
• I've been looking forward to this book for some time.  It however is not the best WWII historical fiction book I've ever read.  It is reads as though it were a movie and lacks the depth I expect from my books.  It isn't bad by any means it just felt like it was a bit fantastical given the serious nature of the subject matter.  
• Midnight Secrets by Rita Stradling
• The author was giving away audible credits for this so I grabbed one.  Who doesn't want a free audiobook!   This was a quick YA paranormal romance.  It has an unusual take on the vampire mythology as our main character is a vampire, but other than drinking blood she doesn't really adhere to any of the other vampire myths we are used to.  Parts of this are problematic, but overall I enjoyed it.
• The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
• I picked this up when Penguin Random House had this free for their Volumes Book Club.  I'd heard good things and again who can pass up a free audiobook.  I really liked this until about halfway through.  The self-depreciation, self-doubt, and second guessing of the relationship from both characters who are successful, confident professionals got old and very repetitive.  This was a really cute story, but Alexa was this awesome badass character who got really annoying with her self confidence problems.  
• The Lost Man by Jane Harper
• I read this for the Read Harder challenge to read something about journalism or by a journalist.  Jane Harper was a journalist for many years in the UK before she became an author.  I had no idea what this book was about before I started it, but I was really pulled into the Australian outback and its harsh conditions in this family drama/psychological thriller.  This is very well written and I enjoyed it.
• His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
• I actually just finished this today, but I listed to most of it in August so we are counting it.  This started out slow, but I'm glad I stuck it out.  This is awesome.  It is a bit historical fiction, a bit alternate history, and a bit fantasy.  The friendship between the main character Will Laurence and his dragon Temeraire is precious and I love them.  If you like dragons I highly recommend this.  Simon Vance narrates this and does an amazing job.  I can't stop listening and now want to binge the entire series.  This fill the prompt for Read Harder for an alternate history this is a reimagining of the Napoleonic War between France and England with dragons.

August TBR

So I pretty much failed to read anything on my July TBR, so most of these are repeats.  I actually doubt I'll get to any of these this month as well because I'm participating in the Netgalley Reviewathon to clear out my review shelf and I'm participating in the NEWTs readathon.

My focus is the NEWTs readathon and to clean up my Edelweiss and Netgalley shelves.  I also have some ARCs I'm expecting in August that aren't on this list so I think I have my work cut out for me.  I'm not going to give descriptions of these like I normally do because there are so many this month.  Look for my wrap up to see what I thought and what they were about.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

NEWTs TBR

• Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
• The Hanged Man and the Fortune Teller by Lucy Banks
• Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
• Verity by Colleen Hoover
• Star Mage Vol 2 by J.C De La Torre and Facundo Percio
• The Furies by Katie Low

Netgalley Reviewathon TBR

• A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart
• The Broken Destiny by Carlyle Labushagne
• Last Night by Karen Ellis
• Extinction of All Children by L.J. Epps
• Journey To Territory M by L.J. Epps
• Journey To Territory U by L.J. Epps
• An Act of Faith by C.A. Oliver
• The Grace Year by Kim Liggett 

Audiobooks

As is typical I have a laundry list of audiobooks on hold at the library.  I also have a growing collection of books that I've gotten for free from various sources.  Here is what I know I can get to this month from Hoopla and my collection.  Most of these are for challenge prompts, so I'll list those if they apply.  Hopefully I can get through all of these in a month, if not they will roll over to August.

NEWTs TBR

• Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

Books I've already got checked out

• My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
• Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart
• The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

Books I hope to read in general if I have time

• The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
• Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo
• Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
• Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

July 2019 TBR

Well it is finally summer, but you couldn't prove that by me.  It has been unseasonably cold and rainy here in Pennsylvania.  Hopefully July will shape up to be warmer than June.  As for books, I only have 1 ARC that I didn't get to for July so I'm hoping to get caught up on my reading challenge prompts and maybe get caught up on some other books I've been meaning to read and review.  We will see how that goes.  I'm hoping I didn't set myself up for failure by picking such a large TBR, but I'm determined knock these ones out and hopefully a few more.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger
• This one is due out July 2nd.  This is another thriller/mystery.  This one follows a father/daughter FBI team but things get interesting when the father becomes a suspect in a murder.  That's not a spoiler it's in the description of the book.  I'm looking forward to this one too.
• Burying the Honeysuckle Girls by Emily Carpenter
• A friend recommended this and I saw it used at the library for $1 so I grabbed it.  This is another dark family mystery and I've been reading a lot of those lately so I'm looking forward to this one.  This covers the popsugar reading prompt for a book with a plant in the title or on the cover as it has both.
• Verity by Colleen Hoover
• I've heard great things about this book.  I'm excited to get to it.  I've been on a huge thriller kick lately and that's pretty much all I know about this book.  That's all I'm going in with so I don't spoil anything.  This covers the reading prompt for the read harder challenge for a self-published book.
• The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
• No explanation needed here, we all know the story of Alice and her adventure in Wonderland after falling down the rabbit hole.  This will fulfil the popsugar prompt for a book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom as "Mad as a hatter" and "Down the rabbit hole" are both inspired by this book.  I believe I purchased the UK edition and it contains both stories and some really lovely pencil type illustrations.  I've been reading a ton of retellings over the last few years, but I also really enjoy reading the original tales.
• Dragonsworn by Sherrilyn Kenyon
• This is the 26th book in a long running series I've been reading for well over 10 years.  I've been putting this one off for a long time because the last book was so disappointing.  I bought it hoping that this one will get things back on track and I really want to read the next book.  Having read and excerpt of book 27 I am hopeful that things are back to normal.  This will also fulfil the popsugar challenge prompt for a book with and extinct or an imaginary creature as this is a shifter series with characters that can turn into dragons and side characters that turn into other animals.

Audiobooks

As is typical I have a laundry list of audiobooks on hold at the library.  I also have a growing collection of books that I've gotten for free from various sources.  Here is what I know I can get to this month from Hoopla and my collection.  Most of these are for challenge prompts, so I'll list those if they apply.  Hopefully I can get through all of these in a month, if not they will roll over to August.

• Shadowglass by Rin Chupeco
• I'm reading this now and I don't think I'll finish it before the end of June.  It is the conclusion of The Bone Witch trilogy and while I'm still not clear on Tea's motivations just yet, things are slowly being unraveled.
• Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
• This series has been recommended so many times by fans of other authors I love.  It also frequently pops up as a recommendation on my library's overdrive site based on my reading habits.  I'm finally getting around to it as it is going to fill the popsugar prompt for a book with a title that contains "salty", "sweet", "bitter", or "spicy".  
• The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
• I've been loving this series. I love the mythology, the characters, and the writing style.  I'm really looking forward to the conclusion of this series.  
• The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
• This will cover the popsugar challenge to read a book featuring a wedding.  This is not normally a book I would pick, but I've heard good things from the contemporary reviewers I follow.  It was free on Volumes in June, so it was a perfect fit.
• Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo
• This has been on my TBR before but I'm making a commitment to get to this one this month.  This will fulfil the popsugar prompt for book written by a author from Asia, Africa, or South America.
• Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
• I have a hardback copy of this but I've heard that the author's narration of this is excellent.  I have this penciled in for the read harder prompt for a book of mythology or folklore.
• Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
• I bought the paperback of this a while back because I have a pretty decent Crichton collection.  I went through a phase where I read as many of his books as I could get my hands on.  It helped that my dad had a small collection of his books at home for me to to start with.  I don't know much about this one other than it deals with pirates in Jamaica in the 1600s.  I'm going to use this for the popsugar prompt for a book published posthumously.

June 2019 Wrap Up

I got through a ton of books this month.  Since so many of these were ARCs, I got a bit bogged down toward the end of the month and got a bit behind.  Fortunately I was able to get audiobooks for some of these and was able to get caught up on some of them.  A few of these were challenge prompt books.  I'm feeling behind on my challenges, but it is only the end of June and I've gotten through 87  books so far.  That isn't too bad.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland
• I finally met my end of the bargain I made with my son.  While I won't be continuing on with the series, I now understand why my son loves this.  If you have a young reader who loves fantasy, I highly suggest this one.  It is 100% tailored for young readers who love dragons.  There are also some really good lessons.
• The Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y. Yang
• I picked this up through Tor's free ebook of the month.  I picked this for one of my reading challenge prompts for a novel by a trans or nonbinary author.  It also features LGBTQIA+ characters.  This is a really interesting fantasy featuring imaginative creatures, elemental magic, and political struggles between the two ruling bodies.  I'm glad I discovered this series, I'm looking forward to continuing on with the remaining books.  I really like the writing style and the characters.
• Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
• Review
• I've really enjoyed Sager's previous books, so when the opportunity to review this new release due out July 2nd.  This is the lightest of his 3 books so far.  Still good, the ending was good, but it wasn't as suspenseful and twisty.  If you like lighter thrillers check this one out.  This is a book that I see being turned into a movie soon!
• The Sorcery Trial by J.A. Armitage and Claire Luana
• Review
• This was a really fun book.  It comes out July 1st.  It is a mashup of The Hunger Games and The Amazing Race, if they had magic and fae.  It is fast paced and I really enjoyed the characters.  I've looking forward to the rest of the series.
• Teardrop Shot by Tijan
• Review
• This is out June 24th and is a sports romance featuring basketball.  If you don't know much of my time is spent on the sidelines of a basketball court.  This is a new adult romance from Tijan and it was so fun.  This was funny, heartbreaking, and just overall a great story.  One of my new favorite Tijan books!  I couldn't put it down.
• The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe
• Review
• This comes out June 25th.  This is a paranormal historical fiction from what I can tell.  The synopsis reminds me a bit of The Discovery of Witches and it has some ties to the Salem Witch trials which I find fascinating.  I'm looking forward to reading about this magical family.  

Audiobooks

I was able to get through quite a few audiobooks this month despite a few of them being very long and heavy.  

• Nexus by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings
• Review
• This was OK.  The narration wasn't the best on Zenith or Nexus, they were a bit monotone and it bugs me when there are multiple narrators and they don't all pronounce character and place names the same or even try to mimic the same accents for the characters they are all portraying.  This blended YA, Sci-Fi and Fantasy, some of it worked and some of it didn't.  Well atleast for me..  It was entertaining, but I wish I had read the print version of it versus listening to it.
• A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
• This is for a reading challenge prompt for a book that takes place in a single day.  That was all I knew about it when I started it.  This deals with the heavy topics of gun violence and abortion, which is fitting given recent current events.  I'm not sure I would have picked it up had I known what it was about because I tend to shy away from realistic fiction.  This was pretty heavy, and at times uncomfortable.  It was so well written, and makes so many good points.  I won't say I enjoyed it because I don't think it was an entertaining book nor do I think it was meant to be, but I think it made a really important statement about such a very important issue.  Definitely a good conversation starter.
• Binti, Home, and The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor
• This series has been on my TBR forever, it is a sci-fi set in the future and parts of it are set in space.  inti is a mathematical prodigy, but when she leaves her humble tribe to attend the prestigious university to study, her space transport is attacked by alien lifeforms called the Meduse.  As the sole survivor Binti uses her gift as a harmonizer to befriend the Meduse and broker a treaty with them so they stop the destruction.  She continues to hone her mathematical craft and her skills as a peacemaker.  This is filled with creativity and a strong female lead who is brilliant in math and science.  I really enjoyed this whole series.  
• Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
• Review
• I was so excited to get approved for an ARC of this.  This is a fairly large book and because it was already published when I was approved for the ARC I opted for the audio book.  The audio is very long but it is narrated by a wonderful narrator and she did an amazing job with this book.  I still have alot of open questions and felt the book could have been shorter.
• A Map of the Dark by Karen Ellis
• Review
• I received an ARC of this one too, but since this was published in 2018 I opted for the audio on this one too.  This feels like an episode of Criminal Minds, which I enjoy.  It follows an FBI agent and a local police officer as they try to locate a missing girl.  I won't say more but its good.
• Shadowglass by Rin Chupeco
• I started this in June, but I don't think I'm going to finish it.  So far it is pretty good.  I'm excited to see how this plays out.  So far Tea is on a rampage destroying things and no one is sure why.  Like the previous books it alternates between Tea telling her story about what happened in the past and the Bard telling the story in the present as Tea has emerged from exile and exacts her vengeance.