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 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

Netgalley Reviewathon TBR

Photo Credit: Netgalley

I've been reviewing books from Netgalley for about 2 years.  This year they are holding a reviewathon from July 22nd through August 30th to encourage reviewers to clean up their TBR and increase their reviewer stats.  The higher your feedback ratio and the  more reviews you leave, the more likely you are to be approved for future requests.  Who doesn't want to read books early and promote their favorite authors?

My feedback ratio is pretty good, it hovers between 75 and 80%, but that doesn't mean I get approved for everything I request.  I have plenty of books on my backlog that I need to clear out.  Several of these were already published when I downloaded them for review, and I kept putting them off.  I still plan on reading and reviewing them.  This reviewathon is the perfect opportunity to clean up my TBR shelf and post all of my outstanding reviews.

Check out the Netgalley IG for the weekly challenges.

Here are the books on my shelf currently in no particular order.  I plan on reading quite a few of these for current and upcoming reading challenges.  I've already started Small Spaces for The Reading Rush and hope to get to Black Dawn by the end of week 1 of the reviewathon.

1. Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
2. Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney
3. A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart
4. The Broken Destiny by Carlyle Labushagne
5. Last Night by Karen Ellis
6. Extinction of All Children by L.J. Epps
7. Journey To Territory M by L.J. Epps
8. Journey To Territory U by L.J. Epps
9. An Act of Faith by C.A. Oliver
10. The Furies by Katie Lowe
11. The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

All the lovely covers of the books I need to read

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 TBR

June is shaping up to be a month of mystery and thrillers.  I used to read a ton of them, but I got away from them for a long time and recently rediscovered my love of them.  I have a ton of ARCs I'm hoping to knock out this month.  I just went through my to be reviewed pile it keeps getting longer.  I also just picked up a ton of books at the library sale.  I need to stop buying new books, but who am I kidding that is never going to happen.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland
• My son is never going to forgive me if I don't read this book.  He just started book 5 of the 2nd Percy Jackson series.  So he's read 10 books and I haven't read the one book he asked me to read in exchange for trying this series.  
• The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe
• 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.  
• Teardrop Shot by Tijan
• 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 I'm looking forward to it.
• Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
• I've really enjoyed Sager's previous books, so when the opportunity to review this new release due out July 2nd.  I'm a fan of his thrillers and I can't wait to find out what twists and turns he has in store for us in this new book.
• Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
• I was so excited to get approved for an ARC of this.  This is already out, but I'm going to read it anyway because let's be real I want to know what happens next.  This one is pretty long so it will probably be the first book I tackle in June.
• Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger
• This one is due out July 2nd as well.  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.

Audiobooks

I have a bunch of books I hope to get to this month on audio, but I'm only going to list these 2.

• Nexus by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings
• I have the ARC of this, but I was able to get the audio from Hoopla.  I've already started it and so far so good.  It is much more focused than Zenith.
• A Map of the Dark by Karen Ellis
• I received an ARC of this one too, but I'm next up for the audio so hopefully I can knock this one out.  This is the first book in a mystery/thriller series and I've been really loving those lately.  The synopsis reads like an episode of Criminal Minds which I love.  I'm excited to get to this one.

March TBR

There are so many good books coming out in March.  I've got a bunch of ARCs I'm working through that come out in the first week and a few that come out in April.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
• I didn't get to this one last month.  It is going to happen in March though.  I can't wait to get back to this world.  This series has really grown on me.
• Bennett Mafia by Tijan
• I was excited to find out Tijan was releasing another book and that I was able to get my hands on an early review copy.  This is a mafia, hate to love romance book from what I can tell so far.  I'm about a quarter of the way into it.  The main character is spunky.  So far it's really good.This releases March 4, 2019.
• Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
• This comes out March 5th.  This is a psychological thriller.  The main character is bipolar and begins to suspect that her neighbor may be a murderer, but she isn't sure of herself or if she is an unreliable narrator in her own life.  I've been really into thrillers lately and I'm looking forward to this one
• The Last Wingman by Daisy Prescott
• This comes out March 7th.  It sounded really good so I signed up for the PR campaign.  It is a standalone, small town romance and book 6 of the Wingmen series.  It sounds really fun and light-hearted which is exactly what I need right now
• Space by Penny Reid
• I'm so pumped for this!  This is the second in the Laws of Physics series and I loved the 1st book.  This is out already on ibooks, and will be out everywhere else on March 11th.  I'm honestly so honored to be on Penny's review team.  I truly love her work.  I've read chapters 1 and 2 and they don't dissapoint.
• Saving Megan by D.J. Palmer
• This is a family thriller.  Is it Munchausen's?  Is the daughter really sick?  Is there something wrong with the mother?  I guess we'll find out.  This comes out April 9th and I'm really excited to get to this.
• Erased, Volume 4 & 5 by Kei Sanbe
• I have had these checked out from the library and they are sitting on my dining room table.  I want to know how the story ends, but I haven't had time to sit down and concentrate on them.  I was able to renew them so hopefully once I get through the next round of ARCs.

Audiobooks

As usual who knows what I'll get to, but I've got the books listed below checked out from the library at the time of this post with the exception of Bloodwitch.  

• Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
• This series is so good.  The full cast is amazing!  I can't wait to find out how the series comes to a close. I've already started this and I'm almost done with it.
• The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemison
• I'm so happy to finally have this in my possession.  I was on the wait list forever for this one.  I can't wait to find out how this story ends.
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
• I'm using this one to fill a prompt for a book about a neuro-diverse character, it's also on the Great American Reads top 100.  I've decided to read as many of them as I can.
• Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard
• Still waiting on the library to pick this one up, but I'm hopeful that because it is so popular it will be on the March purchase list.

February TBR

I thought February was going to be an easy month, I'm ahead on my ARC reviewing, and I don't have that many books to review this month or next.  Then I wrote down all the stuff plan on reading and it is a little daunting.  I have a ton of stuff I want to read this month and I didn't even list out all the audiobooks I hope to get to.

I talk alot about the challenge prompts I'm working on and which books fit what prompt in my TBR and wrap-ups.  If you are interested in the prompts or want to participate along with me, the links to the challenges are below.  I'm working actively on the Popsugar and Read Harder challenges.

• 2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge
• Book Riot’s 2019 Read Harder Challenge

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Last Life of Prince Alastor by Alexandra Bracken
• I've been reading this for 2 weeks already but I've been very distracted.  Not the books fault, I've just been kind of in a slump.  I'm hoping to finish it this weekend before it releases. This comes out February 5th.
• The Dysasters by Kristin Cast and P.C Cast
• I was really excited to get an ARC of this.  It looks really awesome.  This comes out February 26th.  This sounds like Twister meets X-Men meets Smallville.  Sign me up.  I love all of those things.
• Erased, Volume 4 & 5 by Kei Sanbe
• I read volume 1 for the Read Harder challenge and proceeded to read volumes 2 and 3 in January.  Now that I understand how to read the manga style of the book, I'm really interested in the plot.  I have these 2 volumes and hope to binge read them once I finish Prince Alastor.  I really enjoy this series and plan to review it as a series when I'm done.
• In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
• This just came in at the library and I'm next in line on the hold list.  I'm anxious to get back to this world and see where the next door takes us.  They are so creative and usually fast paced.
• Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
• I thought the movie trailer for this looked really cool, and the movie is 99% of the time better.  I thought I'd read this before I saw the movie.  I have no idea what this is about.
• The Queen's Resistance by Rebecca Ross
• This is the sequel to The Queen's Rising.  This comes out March 5th.  This is filled with political unrest, feuding families, star crossed lovers, and long lost magic.  The main character must work with the rightful queen and her resistance (hence the title) to help restore things to the way they should be.  I really loved the first book and I'm looking forward to getting to this one.
• Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
• This comes out March 5th.  This is a psychological thriller.  The main character is bipolar and begins to suspect that her neighbor may be a murderer, but she isn't sure of herself or if she is an unreliable narrator in her own life.  I've been really into thrillers lately and I'm looking forward to this one.  

Audiobooks

I have about 10 audiobooks on hold but I have the first two listed checked out already.  After that it is all up in the air on what comes in when.  I also recommend a bunch of new releases for purchase and I never know if and when those will show up.

• Firestarter by Stephen King
• This fulfills my read a book with the same title prompt.  I already started this and I'm well over halfway done with it.  I am really enjoying it.  I hope to finish it this weekend.
• Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
• This is another challenge book, Read a book by and author whose first and last name start with the same letter.    I enjoy Clare's books.  This one is fairly long, and will likely take me 2 full weeks to complete.  This is the conclusion of The Dark Artifices series I believe don't quote me on that. 
• Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard
• This comes out February 12th, and I've already read an early excerpt of this and I like what I've read so far. I can't wait to get the full copy, it picks up where book 3 left off and all of our favorite characters are present and on their own journeys.  I've listened to the entire series on audio so I'm going to continue on that way.  The narration is excellent and I'm excited to see where the various storylines go.  I hope to get this right away in February, but you never know with library holds.

Top 5 Wednesday: Top of Your TBR

January 23rd: Top of Your TBR


This is a tough one because there are so many books I want to read! I've mentioned some in the books I didn't get to last year and my most anticipated books already. I'm going to list books I haven't mentioned already to keep things fresh because I plan on reading those.

I'm always looking for recommendations. What's on the top of your TBR?

• The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemison
• 
• I've been listening to this series on audio and it is fantastic.  I forgot how much I like adult epic fantasy.  This series deserves all the hype it gets and every award it has won.  I love the characters and the premise of the story.  I can't wait to find out how it ends.  Will mother and daughter resolver their differences? Will the moon return?...I have so many questions!
• Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
• 
• This is another series that I listened to over the last year or so.  It is full of political intrigue, some mythology, and great characters.  This is the 6th and I believe final book in the series.  This series surprised me as it isn't something I normally go for, but as it progressed it is full of surprises.  I'm excited to find out how it all plays out.  
• Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
• 
• This is supposed to be another adult fantasy but set in a convent.  Assassin Nuns...sign me up.  I enjoyed The Grave Mercy series by Robin Lefevers, but this is adult versus YA, so I'm looking forward to it.  It has gotten really good reviews from some of my favorite reviewers and I can't wait.  I'm loving adult fantasy right now.
• Beard Necessities by Penny Reid
• 
• Contemporary romance really isn't my thing, but I make an exception if Penny writes it.  She's one of my favorite authors, I highly recommend her!  I love The Winston Brothers series and I've been waiting patiently like many of the other fans for Billy and Claire's book for what seems like forever.  This isn't due out until October.  I know it is going to be heartbreaking, but so worth it.
• The King by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• 
• Jen is another of my favorite authors, and this is a companion novella to the Wicked Trilogy.  It is due out in July.  We were left hanging in the last novella, and I'm dying to know what happens in this fae, paranormal romance.  

January TBR

January starts another year which means new reading challenge prompts and new reading goals.  I have a couple of ARCs to read and review in January and February.  I'm participating in the Popsugar Reading Challenge again, and I think I'm going to try out the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.  Some of the prompts overlap so it shouldn't be too hard.  Bookish also has a 2019 reading challenge that looks pretty interesting if you are looking to expand your reading horizons.

• 2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge
• Bookish’s 2019 Reading Challenge: 52 Ways to #KillYourTBR
Book Riot’s 2019 Read Harder Challenge

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• White Stag by Kara Barberi
• This is the first book in a new YA Fantasy series.  This has some Norse mythology and deals with goblins.  I love a good mythology centered fantasy and goblins isn't something you see very often.  I started this in December.  I really like it.  So far it is brutal, violent, and well written.
• Freefall by Jessica Barry
• This is a mystery/thriller out on January 8th.  There's a plane crash, and a mother/daughter that are separated and determined to find one another.
• Firestarter by Tara Sim
• This is is a January release and the 3rd book in the Timekeeper series.  I've really enjoyed the series and I'm looking forward to finding out how our Clock Spirit and Clock Mechanic fair in this installment.  This comes out on January 15th.
• Moonlight Scandals by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• I love this series about three intimidating brothers and their super creepy house in New Orleans.  You aren't sure if it is haunted or not but weird stuff happens there all the time.  This book follows Devlin the eldest brother and a sexy ghost hunter names Rosie.  This is a romance so I'm sure it will be steamy and awesome like the other 2 books.  I'm really happy I got an ARC.  This comes out on January 29th.
• The Last Life of Prince Alastor by Alexandra Bracken
• I really loved the first book in the Prosper Redding series.  It is a fun middle grade book about a vengeful spirit that has taken up residence in the body of a young boy.  His family is cursed and he's the lucky one that has to pay for past crimes.  To save his sister, Prosper has to make another deal and hope that betrayal isn't in his future.  This comes out in early February.

Audiobooks

I'm not sure what I'm going to listen to this month.  I have a bunch of stuff on hold.  I have a couple of audiobooks on my phone that I can listen to and a ton of stuff on Hoopla that I want to get to.  We'll see where the month takes me.

Top 5 Wednesday: Books I Didn't Get to in 2018

This week's topic:

Books You Didn't Get to in 2018

Discuss the books you didn't quite get around to this year but are at the top of your list for 2019! 

If you celebrated Christmas yesterday, I hope you had a good one!  Did you get any books or bookish goodies?  I got 2 new bookshelves.  I'm very thankful for them, as my lone shelf was overflowing.  Other than that we had a nice family day, I can't really ask for much more than that.

With the year coming to an end this week's topic is kind of perfect.  I spent most of the month wrapping up the remaining reading prompts I had for the Popsugar Reading Challenge.  I have about 20 pages left in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child which I plan to finish as soon as I get this post up, then I'm done with the 2018 list.  I really love working on the challenge because it gets me to read things I normally wouldn't and I still get to read a majority of books I wanted to read anyway.  I have a huge list of books I meant to get to this year, narrowing it down to 5 was really tough.  These are all books I bought in the last year but never read for one reason or another.  I've realized that I tend to put off reading books I own because I prioritize the books I get from the library and the ARCs I receive first.

• The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
• 
• I bought this after Christmas last year when it was on sale in the kindle store.  Kate Quinn has been known to join us in our Popsugar Challenge facebook group from time to time for Q&A sessions.  This spans WWI and WWII and involves female spies.  For a lover of wartime historical fiction it sounds like something I would really enjoy.
• Radium Girls by Kate Moore
• 
• This has gotten so many good reviews.  I'm not a big nonfiction reader, but this really intrigues me.  I bought it on sale as well.  I've read several amazing non-fiction books over the last 2 years and I bought this hoping to read another.  This is one I need to make a priority.  It tells the story of the women who worked with radium, which was a wonderful substance at the time, but they didn't know that it was poisoning them.  
• Attitude by Jay Wright
• 
• Both of my boys play basketball and we are a huge NCAA basketball family.  Go Cuse!  It is pretty much the only thing on TV on our house from October until the championship game in late March/early April.  I really respect Jay Wright as a coach and I look forward to seeing his team play every year.  I bought this for my sons to read, but no reason I can't read it too. I had it slated as a book challenge prompt for a book involving a sport this year but as time was running out, I read a much shorter book and I really regret my choice.  I didn't really enjoy it, other than the fact that I finished it in a day.  Good news is I own this and I can read it in 2019 when I have more time to devote to it.
• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
• 
• This is another one I bought on sale and never picked up again.  I really enjoy this type of historical fiction.  This has come highly recommended by many fans of the genre.  It is high on my list of things to get to in 2019.
• Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
• 
• I love mythology of any type.  I find it fascinating.  I bought a hardback of this at a book sale a while back and never picked it up again.  I heard the audio is great and might get to it that way.  I know Hoopla has it.  My husband and I watch Vikings and I really love the mythology that they weave into the show and hope to learn more about it.  I actually find the behind the scenes history episodes more interesting than the show itself.

Top 5 Wednesday: Most Anticipated 2019 Releases

This week's topic:

Most Anticipated 2019 Releases 

Pretty self-explanatory. 

There are a bunch of good books coming out this year.  I've got my eye on a couple of series that have new books coming out this year.  These are just a few I'm really looking forward to in 2019.  What are you anticipated releases for the new year?

• The Dragon Republic by RF Kuang
• I loved the Poppy War and can't wait to see what happens next.  This was a brutal, epic fantasy and I really loved it.  The sequel has big shoes to fill, but I expect it will.
• This is expected to come out in May.
• 
• Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard
• I really love the Witchlands series.  I'm looking forward to getting to know Aeduan more, and follow Safi and Iseult on their adventures.
• This is expected out in February.   I highly recommend the audiobooks if you are an audio person.
• 
• Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Jen is one of my favorite authors, and her Dark Elements series is possibly my favorite of her YA series.  This is a spin off to the original series and will focus on Zayne, one of the main characters from the original series.  
• This is expected out in June.
• 
• Shadowglass by Rin Chupeco
• This is a great fantasy series.  I'm really looking forward to finding out how Tea manages to use her powers as a Bone Witch to get revenge on those who have wronged her.
• This is expected out in March.
• 
• Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
• This is the sequel to Furyborn.  This is such an interesting series.  The first book left us with just enough information to be satisfied, but wanting more.  I'm looking forward to learning more about Rielle, Corien, Simon, and Eliana and how this story ends.
• This is expected out in May.
• 

December TBR

Most of these are for my reading challenge prompts, so I'll be reading those by the end of the year.  Most of these were on my TBR for November and I just didn't get to them.  I also have a couple of ARCs for books that come out in January, but I'm not sure if I'll get to them in December.  Most of these are fairly long, so we'll see how it goes.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Vicious by Victoria Schwab
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by by John Tiffany (Adaptation), Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling 
• I'm reading this for a challenge for a book turned into a screenplay or play.  Perfect fit I think.
• White Stag by Kara Barberi
• This is the first book in a new YA Fantasy series.  This is supposed to be brutal, and have monsters.  Sounds like a fun read.
• Firestarter by Tara Sim
• This is is a January release and the 3rd book in the Timekeeper series.  I've really enjoyed the series and I'm looking forward to finding out how our Clock Spirit and Clock Mechanic fair in this installment.
• Freefall by Jessica Barry
• This is a mystery/thriller out in January.  There's a plane crash, and a mother/daughter that are separated and determined to find one another.

Audiobooks

• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison
• Everyone keeps talking about this series.  So I thought I'd give it a try.  It sounds like something I'd like.  I've already started this and while it started out slowly I'm really enjoying it.
• The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
• This is a challenge prompt book for a book involving a bookstore or a library.  It involves both.  I've started this one as well and its cute, though the main character is infuriating at times because she so ridiculously afraid of everything.
• A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
• This is a repeat from last month.  I own it so I'll get to it when there is a break in my library holds.
• Don't Put Me in Coach by Mark Titus
• This is a challenge book to for a book involving a sport.  I listened to the intro, and I can tell that this is going to be a difficult listen for me because the writer is a self titled clown.  He doesn't take anything seriously, so we'll see how it goes.  I want to give it a chance.

November TBR

I have a couple of ARCs in progress that I need to finish up and review, but for the most part I'm free to read whatever I want for the rest of the year.  I'm hoping to finish up the remaining books on my reading challenge list.  I only have 10 books left, that's not too bad with 2 months left in the year. 

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Everless by Sara Holland
• This is the sequel to Evermore.  This series centers around a world where time is currency and time lives in your blood.  I really enjoyed the first book and I'm looking forward to finding out where the story goes.  This comes out in December but I'm trying to stay on top of my ARCs.
• Vicious by Victoria Schwab
• This book will fulfill my anti-hero prompt.  I've heard great things about this book, and the sequel just came out.  I recently picked this up on Kindle for 99 cents, so I'm excited to finally have time to read this.  I hear it is about mutants or monsters and two completing frenemies, maybe?  I like Scwab's writing and I'm looking forward to reading this.
• Cranberry Bluff by Deborah Garner
• I've had this on my Kindle for a while and I forget what it is about.  I think it is a contemporary.  I do remember it was free and came recommended.  It fits the prompt for a fruit or vegetable in the title so I'm going to give it a chance.  
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• I've wanted to read this forever.  I've heard nothing but good things about her books and this duology.  I was holding out for the audio, but my library doesn't have it on Overdrive or Hoopla.  This will fulfill my challenge for an animal in the title.

Audiobooks

As usual I've got 7 books on hold at the library, and several more on my wishlist.  I do have 2 checked out currently that I'll definitely get to in November.  

• Must of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
• I've been anxiously awaiting this since reading Strange the Dreamer earlier this year and I can't wait to find out what happens next.
• A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
• I'm really enjoying this series.  This is the 4th book in the series.  It is full of political intrigue, deceit, humor, and war.  I'm interested to see where things go from where they left off in the 3rd book.
• A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
• I won this in a giveaway via Libro.fm, a new audiobook vendor site I recently found.  I'm really excited to get to this.  I love Mafi's writing style and I'm excited to read something a little different from her.

October TBR

Happy October!  Where did the rest of the year go?   It is hard to believe it is October already!  I love fall so I'm happy October is here, though I'm in disbelief that another year is coming to an end.

A new month means some updates to the blog.  I discovered a couple of new widgets on Goodreads and I like them better than what I had going on before.

I didn't get to a couple of these books in September and they are out in October.  I really fell behind with my reading the last few weeks.  I read a couple of longer books which didn't help, and I was really in a slump for most of September.  Everything I'm committed to read comes out at the beginning of October and it is all stuff I really want to read so that should help get me out of my slump.  Most of the books on my TBR are mystery, thriller, or have a paranormal element which is perfect for October.  I love Halloween and I'm excited to get to these.

• Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
• This is one of the mysteries on my October list.  It comes out on the 2nd.  The description reminds me of the RL Stine books I read in elementary school where there was a monster and the teens have to solve the mystery Scooby Doo style.  I'm really for that right now.  I need something light and not too complex but gripping at the same time.
• The Case of the Hidden Daemon by Lucy Banks
• I really loved the previous books in this series and I'm anxious to find out what happens in the next installment.  The group of ghost-hunters is pretty histerical and I really enjoy Banks' writing style and humor.  This comes out October 23rd.
• The Spellbook of Katrina VanTassel by Alyssa Palombo
• This is perfect to get into the Halloween spirit.  This is a retelling of Sleepy Hollow.  I used to love the Headless Horseman cartoon when I was a kid because it was scary and I really enjoyed the TV show for a while.  I'm looking forward to getting to this.  I comes out October 2nd, and early reviews have been nothing but glowing.  
• Fight or Flight by Samantha Young
• This is the newest offering from Samantha Young.  It comes out on October 9th, and I'm excited to get to it.  I need a good contemporary in my life right now.
• The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
• One of the reading challenge prompts is to read a book about or set on Halloween.  This has been recommended several times.  I've got it on hold in e-book format and audio so we'll see which one comes up first.  It is pretty short so I'm excited to get to it.

Audio

As usual I've got a bunch of audiobook holds setup at the library.  I want to knock off a couple of challenge prompts for the Popsugar reading challenge and I've found audio has been the best way to get those knocked off my list.  These ones I should definitely get to this month.  I'm also listening to one with my son, but we only listen to that on Wednesday on our way to and from basketball practice.  Penguin Random House does free audio books periodically and I also have a copy of Frankenstien, also perfect for October and it has been on my TBR forever.  We'll see if I get to that.

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• I've already got this checked out.  I'm going to read and listen to this one.  My son just read it, and he loved it.  Although he said there is alot of swearing.  To be fair he's 10.  His friend lent him a copy so in an effort to get through it a little more quickly I'm going to use the book and audio to get it back to the owner.  I've been wanting to read this for quite a while and it covers a book challenge prompt.
• The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
• I've already got this checked out and it's next up after Ready Player One.  I'm really enjoying this series, and I'm excited to see what happens to Gen as he embarks on his next adventure.
• Warcross by Marie Lu
• This should fulful my cyberpunk reading challenge prompt.  I've enjoyed Marie Lu's other works, and I'm looking forward to this one as well.  This will be a departure from what I normally read, but I like her writing style so I have high hopes.
• The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
• This has gotten a ton of hype and lots of great reviews.  The other bloggers/vloggers I trust have loved it so I figured why not.  I need a good fantasy in my life.  It sounds amazing and I'm looking forward to it.

September TBR

Well the kids are back in school, and fall activities have started back up with a vengeance.  That means everyday after work I have to be somewhere and there is little time for reading after feeding the hungry hoard.  Thank goodness for audiobooks.  Between commuting and the chaos of life I would never get to read, so I listen.  Now if only I had time to post all of the reviews I meant to write.  I'm still feeling like I'm in a bit of a reading slump, I've got a ton of books I want to read but I can't stay focused.  I read for 5 minutes then I go do something else.  I'm still reading everyday so I'll break out of it eventually.  It isn't the book either they are all good so far, I think I'm getting run down by life and I took on too many ARCs in August.  Here's to September being a little better.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
• This is out already and I'm way overdue with my review.  I'm hoping to finish this over the holiday weekend and get my review up.  So far its action packed and picks up with Sal still wanting to exact revenge on those who wronged her and her country in the past.  
• Rule by Ellen Goodlett
• This comes out on September 11th.  This is supposed to be a Three Dark Crowns meets Pretty Little Liars.  Now I know nothing about PLL but I liked Three Dark Crowns so I thought I'd give it a go.  
• Lies by TM Logan
• I already started this and its a perfect family thriller.  I haven't gotten very far but its good.  This comes out on September 11th.
• The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
• I've had this for a while now and its about time to get to it.  This comes out on September 18th.  I believe it is out in other countries though and I've seen good reviews.  It promises a murder mystery and a kind of weird groundhog day plot line.  Sounds really interesting.
• Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
• This comes out in October, and is another YA thriller/horror novel.  The plot reminded me of my beloved R.L. Stine books that I adored in elementary school.  I couldn't get enough of them.  This sounds perfect for fall.  
• Broken Things  by Lauren Oliver
• I've read a bunch of Lauren Oliver's other books and I really like her thriller/mysteries.  I'm really looking forward to getting to this especially as we get into the fall.  This come out in October as well.

Audiobooks

I've got a ton of stuff on hold at the library so I'm not even going to mention them.  I never know what's going to happen audio-wise and most of them are repeat mentions from the past.  I do have 2 currently checked out so I will mention those.  Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake comes out on the 4th, and I'm looking forward to continuing The Three Dark Crowns Series on audio.

• Strange Weather by Joe Hill
• I haven't read anything by Joe Hill.  I love Stephen King so I'm anxious to see how his son's books compare.  I'm reading this for a challenge prompt as a book I saw a stranger reading.  There is always a gentleman sitting outside of my office building reading every morning before I got into work and he was reading this one day.  I just started it and it's interesting so far.
• Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
• I'm loving The Diviners series.  I love the historical aspect of the series and the paranormal happenings.  I really love the characters and the audio books are so gripping.  I already have this checked out and as soon as I finish Strange Weather I'm starting this.

August TBR

I'm starting to get caught up on my ARC list, unfortunately several of them are releasing on the same day.  I was doing really well until June hit then I got a bit slumpy and behind schedule.  All of my TBR is ARCs because I committed to having reviews posted by release day.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Point by John Dixon
• Netgalley recommended this to me because I reviewed something else, Nyxia I think.  This looks really interesting.  Future military cadets with superhuman powers, sounds amazing right?  I'm also a sucker for a female hero.  This comes out on August 7th.
• As Dust Dances by Samantha Young
• This is a follow on to Play On, but this standalone follows a different couple associated with the arts and music community.  The synopsis promises a tragic ending to a successful music career, a sexy record exec, and Sam always writes amazing romances and dialogue between her characters.  This comes out August 7th, I have and ARC and will be reading this next.
• These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch
• I loved Raasch's Snow Like Ashes series and can't wait to read this.  It also comes out August 7th.  This promises pirates, magic, and rebellion.  Sounds awesome!
• Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
• I've had the ARC of this forever.  This is the sequel to Mask of Shadows, and follows a gender neutral assassin.  Sal is now one of the Queen's elite assassins, but she also wants to find out what happened to her family.  Book 1 was action packed and I'm looking forward to seeing where Sal's adventure takes us.  This is out on August 28th.

There are a couple of more books I want to get to in August but lets get through these ones first.  Jennifer L Armentrout's 1001 Dark Nights The Prince comes out in August as does Tijan's Crew.  I'm hoping to get to those and maybe some challenge books.  

Audiobooks

I'm still waiting on a bunch of these at the library, so we'll see what we get to this month.  Most of these are holdovers from July,

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Everyone keeps talking about how good this book is so I grabbed it on audio.  I had no intentions of reading this, but some of my favorite reviewers loved this so I thought I'd take a chance.  
• The Diviners by Libba Bray
• I keep hearing great things about this one as well.  I already started this and so far it is really interesting.  It started out a little slow, but I'm invested now.  I'm liking the paranormal spin to things and 
• Repeats from last month, still on the waiting list
• War Storm by Victoria Aveyard
• The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• Warcross by Marie Lu

July TBR

I've got a bunch of ARCs that I've had for a while that come out in July that I need to read.  I'm actually really exited to read all of them.  I've either just been busy with other review copies or just reading other things for my challenge prompts or overwhelmed by life.  Once I get through my July  ARCs I have some challenge books I want to read but I don't want stress out about it. 

What are you planning to read in July?  Any recommendations for me?  I've been reading thrillers and retellings as of late. 

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• I'm reading this for a book challenge about mental illness.  I picked it up at my library sale and it isn't terribly long.  I hope to get through it fairly quickly.  I've heard nothing but good things about this book.  I started it this past weekend and so far so good.   
• The Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
• This is the 3rd Little Mermaid retelling I've got on my docket.  I've had the ARC for a while and the book comes out in July.   I think this is the 3rd month it has been on my TBR.  I actually it today and the first chapter looks really promising.  This one tells the origins story of the Sea Witch so it is a little different than the others I've read.  I'm really excited to get to it. 
• Nyxia Unleased by Scott Reintgen
• I really loved the first book and I'm excited to see how the story plays out.  There is kind of a Hunger Games/Avatar kind of storyline where a bunch of teens compete for spots to go to a new planet to interact with the native lifeforms because they won't hurt children. The "crew" is supposed to mine Nyxia a new and awesome compound with endless possibilities.  At the end of book 1 they were headed to the planet.  This releases in July as well.
• Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
• This  is another ARC releasing at the end of July.  This follows 2 sisters on a brutal planet suffering from female oppression.  One sister is being groomed to be the heirs subjugate while the other one is rebellious.  Sounds really interesting.

Audiobooks

I have a couple of things on hold but who knows what will come in when.  I have a fairly long wishlist on Hoopla and there is always something interesting available to listen to in the available now section at the library if none of these work out.  The waiting list is pretty long for a couple of these since they are new releases and popular books.

• War Storm by Victoria Aveyard
• I'm using this to fill a challenge prompt with a weather element in the title.  The last 2 books kind of dragged on for me so I'm hoping audio will help with the pace.  I really like this series and I'm anxious to see how it plays out.  This should be a pretty epic conclusion and I really have no idea how its going to end.
• A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
• This is another new release, and I've only listened to the books.  I love the narrator and I can't imagine reading it any other way.  I really like this series and how it has progressed.  I'm excited to see where the characters go from where they left off in the last book.
• The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
• I listened to The Thief in June and really liked it.  I loved the mythology, the characters, and the politics.  Hopefully the rest of the series is just as good.
• Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
• I recently picked up Lady Midnight and having read all of the previous Shadowhunter books, I'm looking forward to continuing in that world.  It seems to have a very similar story line from the original series with a few new twists.  I've started this one already and it picks up pretty much where Lady Midnight leaves off.  It is fairly long so it will keep me occupied for a while.
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• I love Greek mythology.  I've heard a couple of reviews that this book is a bit slow and I find that audio helps with slower paced books sometimes.  I've also heard really great reviews about this so I'm excited to get to it.  
• Warcross by Marie Lu
• I've read most of Lu's other books, and I've been meaning to get to this one for a while.  I need a cyberpunk book for my reading challenge and this one should fit nicely.  I've heard mixed reviews, but I'm hopeful.