Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR Hopefuls

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blog meme now hosted by Jana over at The Artsy Reader Girl!

This week's theme is: Summer TBR/Upcoming Summer Releases

It's been a while since I've been able to participate in a Top Ten Tuesday, so I'm excited to join in this week! This week's topic is actually about our anticipated summer 2023 releases, but I misread the dates and already made an entire post with last week's TTT post about our summer TBR, so... we're going with that, instead!  Plus, most of these are being published this summer, so it's sort of a combination of both topics, right? 😉

As I usually say, I don't typically make TBRs because I'm not great at following them in general. I'm a huge mood reader and also have been moving through things a little more slowly than usual lately, but I do have a pile of ARCs that continues to stack up, so I figured I would share some of those that I'm most excited to get to (hopefully) in the next couple months. (There will also be more than ten...)

Gods of the Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker - I actually started this one, but was struggling to get into it since it's quite dense. I'm hoping to pick it back up again sometime soon!

The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz - Currently reading this! I'm really enjoying the world and am curious to see where it'll go. 

The Weaver and the Witch by Genevieve Gornichec - Gornichec's The Witch's Heart was a favorite of mine and I have high hopes that this is going t be just as beautifully written. 

Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson - A Hercules story!? I'm genuinely surprised there haven't been more in recent years, but I do feel like Greek retellings have been focused on women more so maybe that's why? Regardless, I'm so keen to start reading this one.

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem - I think this sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun and I can't wait to get started on it. 

The Phoenix King by Aparna Verma - I've been hearing a lot of great things about this book, so I'm excited to check it out. 

My Name is Iris by Brando Skyhorse - This is a literary dystopian novel that sounds right up my alley. 

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig - I'm currently reading this and not loving it as much as I expected to, but it's still very classic Chuck Wendig and full of creepiness and atmosphere. 

Camp Damascus by Chuck Wendig - I've been holding onto this ARC for a while to read during summer, and now summer is here so I better get to it. 

The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen - I loved The Lavender House and cannot wait to revisit these characters!

The Witches at the End of the World by Chelsea Iversen - I don't actually know all that much about this one, but it sounds really interesting.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James - I've been in desperate need of more historical fiction lately, so I'd love to get to this one sometime soon!

The Sinister Secrets of Singe by Sean Ferrell - I've also been in desperate need of more middle grade. I'm currently reading this as well and it has been much-needed and so much fun. 

And a few that I need to catch up on...

The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O'Keefe

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon

Have you read any of these/do you plan on reading any of these? What books are on your summer TBR?

Top 5 Tuesday: 2022 Releases I Still Haven't Read

Today I've chosen to participate in Top 5 Tuesday, originally hosted by BionicBookworm, now hosted by MeeghanReads! 

This week's theme is: 2022 Releases I Still Haven't Read–But Want To!

There are... a lot of books I wanted to read this year that I haven't gotten to. I also usually make a bigger end of year post with books I wanted to read and didn't get to, but I figured I'd get a head start and highlight five books I've featured on Can't-Wait Wednesday posts from this past year that I'd still really like to read.

The Haunting of Las Lágrimas by W.M. Cleese

About:

"Argentina, winter 1913. 

Ursula Kelp, a young English gardener, travels to Buenos Aires to take up the role of head gardener at a long-abandoned estate in the Pampas. The current owner wishes to return to the estate with his family and restore the once-famous gardens to their former glory. 

Travelling deep into the Pampas, the vast grasslands of South America, Ursula arrives to warnings from the locals that the estate is haunted, cursed to bring tragedy to the founding family of Las Lágrimas. And soon Ursula believes that her loneliness is making her imagine things – the sound of footsteps outside her bedroom door, the touch of hands on her shoulders when there’s no one there. Most strangely of all, she keeps hearing the frenzied sound of a man chopping down trees in the nearby forest with an axe, when all her staff are in sight. 

As the strange occurrences intensify – with tragic consequences – Ursula questions if there’s truth in the rumours about the cursed estate. The family’s return is imminent – are they in danger? And the longer Ursula stays at the estate, the more she realises that she too is in mortal danger." Goodreads 

The School of Mirrors by Eva Stachniak

About:
"A scintillating, gorgeously written historical novel about a mother and a daughter in eighteenth-century France, beginning with decadence and palace intrigue at Versailles and ending in an explosive new era of revolution. 

During the reign of Louis XV, impoverished but lovely teenage girls from all over France are sent to a discreet villa in the town of Versailles. Overseen by the King’s favorite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, they will be trained as potential courtesans for the King. When the time is right, each girl is smuggled into the palace of Versailles, with its legendary Hall of Mirrors. There they meet a mysterious but splendidly dressed man who they’re told is merely a Polish count, a cousin of the Queen. Living an indulgent life of silk gowns, delicious meals, and soft beds, the students at this “school of mirrors” rarely ask questions, and when Louis tires of them, they are married off to minor aristocrats or allowed to retire to one of the more luxurious nunneries. 

Beautiful and canny Veronique arrives at the school of mirrors and quickly becomes a favorite of the King. But when she discovers her lover’s true identity, she is whisked away, sent to give birth to a daughter in secret, and then to marry a wealthy Breton merchant. There is no return to the School of Mirrors." Goodreads

All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie

About:

"Everyone knows of the horses of Iceland, wild, and small, and free, but few have heard their story. Sarah Tolmie’s All the Horses of Iceland weaves their mystical origin into a saga for the modern age. Filled with the magic and darkened whispers of a people on the cusp of major cultural change, All the Horses of Iceland tells the tale of a Norse trader, his travels through Central Asia, and the ghostly magic that followed him home to the land of fire, stone, and ice. His search for riches will take him from Helmgard, through Khazaria, to the steppes of Mongolia, where he will barter for horses and return with much, much more. 

All the Horses of Iceland is a delve into the secret, imagined history of Iceland's unusual horses, brought to life by an expert storyteller." Goodreads

Hide by Kiersten White

About:
"The challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught. 

The prize: enough money to change everything. 

Even though everyone is desperate to win--to seize their dream futures or escape their haunting pasts--Mack feels sure that she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she's an expert at that. 

It's the reason she's alive, and her family isn't. 

But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes this competition is more sinister than even she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive. 

Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide, but nowhere to run. 

Come out, come out, wherever you are." Goodreads

Spear by Nicola Griffith

About:
"She left all she knew to find who she could be . . . 

She grows up in the wild wood, in a cave with her mother, but visions of a faraway lake drift to her on the spring breeze, scented with promise. And when she hears a traveler speak of Artos, king of Caer Leon, she decides her future lies at his court. So, brimming with magic and eager to test her strength, she breaks her covenant with her mother and sets out on her bony gelding for Caer Leon. 

With her stolen hunting spear and mended armour, she is an unlikely hero, not a chosen one, but one who forges her own bright path. Aflame with determination, she begins a journey of magic and mystery, love, lust and fights to death. On her adventures, she will steal the hearts of beautiful women, fight warriors and sorcerers, and make a place to call home. 

The legendary author of Hild returns with an unforgettable hero and a queer Arthurian masterpiece for the modern era. Nicola Griffith’s Spear is a spellbinding vision of the Camelot we've longed for, a Camelot that belongs to us all." Goodreads 

Have you read any of these books? What 2022 releases do you still want to read?

Fantasy + Horror Authors I Still Need to Read

 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blog meme now hosted by Jana over at The Artsy Reader Girl!

This week's theme is: Authors I Want to Read

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about authors we want to read, so I've opted to share some of the many fantasy series and horror books I still want to read from authors I've never read anything from before! I've split this list to share five fantasy authors/series and five horror novels/authors, and I'll be honest that this was a lot harder than I thought to keep it to only five books for each category because there are so many that I want to read, but I did my best. 

Fantasy:

 

  

Ryan Cahill (The Bound and the Broken): This series has really blown up in fantasy circles lately (or at least I'm certainly seeing it a lot) and it sounds fantastic! I've heard some really good things and it sounds like it has a lot of classic fantasy elements that I always tend to love, so I'm curious to see how it's written. 

Arkady Martine (Teixcalaan): I remember when the first book in this series came out and how much I wanted to read it (especially with that awesome cover)... and yet here we are? And I still haven't read it? You know how it is, there's no real explanation, but regardless of all that, I still really would like to check this series out and am really hoping to do soon! (Edit: I made this post ahead of time and I'm actually now reading this book as of 4/10!)

Mike Shackle (The Last War): Whenever I see these covers, I always think "I have to read that!" Something about that creepy mask-like face is just incredible enticing to me. I also love that the premise of this series seems to be in the aftermath of a war in which the enemy won, which is always a take I love to explore!

Christopher Ruocchio (Sun Eater): I haven't seen too much about the Sun Eater series around, but whenever I do see anything about it's usually immensely positive, which has really made me itch to check it out sometime. 

Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London): This series was never really on my radar (despite it's amazing covers!) because I don't tend to be attracted to detective-type stories, but lately I keep seeing it recommended and my interest has gotten very piqued. The amount of love and excitement for this series has me convinced that I officially need to check it out, so hopefully that will happen sometime soon. 

Horror:

    

Waubgeshig Rice: I received a copy of Rice's Moon of the Crusted Snow for Christmas and I'm so excited to read it! I'm honestly not sure if this is more thriller or horror, but I've seen it mentioned as horror quite a bit, so that's what I'm running with. I'm really interested in some of his others books, as well, and really hope I love his work as much as I'm hoping. 

Shawna Yang Ryan: The blurb describes this as "a lyrical imagining of what happens when a Chinese ghost story comes true," and I think that sounds incredible. It sounds like it'll be a pretty engaging read and it's been on my TBR for a little while.

Daryl Gregory: I've been seeing Gregory's name mentioned for years now and it's really past time I actually get around to picking up one of his books. I'm really interested in Revelator, but I'm open to reading any of his books. If you've read any Daryl Gregory, what books do you recommend??

Asa Nonami: This book's blurb throws out comparisons to Rebecca and Rosemary's Baby and I think that sounds pretty damn compelling! It doesn't have the highest ratings on Goodreads, but I feel like horror books are often pretty polarizing. Here's to hoping I enjoy this as much as I'm hoping to!

Richard W. Chambers: I see Richard Chambers' The King in Yellow mentioned occasionally here and there and every time I do I am so intrigued. As far as I can tell, it's a Victorian Gothic horror of ten short related stories about people who read a play called "The King in Yellow" and it sort of makes them go crazy? Or something? I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but that's exactly how I prefer to be when it comes to horror. 

Have you read any of these books? Who are some authors you want to read for the first time?

Top Ten Tuesday: Winter 2021 TBR (aka Winter ARCs I Need to Read)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blog meme now hosted by Jana over at The Artsy Reader Girl!

This week's theme is: Winter 2021 TBR

I've talked about this more than a few times on my blog, but I don't really make TBRs because I'm too much of a mood reader. Because of that, I typical make these TBR posts to focus on some ARCs that I have for the winter/early spring in order to keep track of everything and highlight some of the books I hope to read this winter/start of 2022! I also like to read a lot of backlist books, so I'm sure those will be showing up as well. I've also probably forgotten something, but at least it's a start!

Kagen the Damned by Jonathan Maberry

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim

The Hacienda by Isabel Canas

The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories edited by You Chen and Regina Kanyu Wang, ft. Xiu Xinyu, R.F. Kuang, Judy Yu Zhou, et al. 

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May

The Starless Crown by James Rollins

Road of Bones by Christopher Golden

Real Easy by Marie Rutkowski

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long

Extasia by Claire Legrand

Wake the Bones by Elizabeth Kilcoyne

The Book of Living Secrets by Madeleine Roux

Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar - Okay, so this wasn't an ARC sent to me, but it's one that I absolutely plan to read in December/early January for the holiday season! I mean, how perfectly seasonal does this book seem??

Are you looking forward to any of these books? What books are on your winter TBR?

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR (aka NetGalley and Physical ARCs I need to read!)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blog meme now hosted by Jana over at The Artsy Reader Girl!

This week's topic is: Summer TBR 

Whenever these TBR topics come up on Top Ten Tuesday, I always say that I don't really create TBRs for myself, and that remains true! I'm far too much of a mood reader to create any sort of list to stick to. I do, however, have quite a never-ending stack of ARCs for books coming out this summer/fall that I need to get to, so I like to create these lists to get a list going of all of those to keep me on track and aware of what I need to read. These are a mix of books I've been approved for on NetGalley and physical ARCs that have been sent to me, so let's see what's on the reading menu! (This is also somehow not an exhaustive list because I know I have more ARCs lying around, but I figure we need to cap it somehow, right?)

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (started, haven't finished)

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Shaw

The Ice Lion by Kathleen O'Neal Gear

Under the Whispering Door by T.J.Klune

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig (currently reading!)

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

The Last House on Needless Street

A Radical Act of Free Magic by H.G. Parry

The Pariah by Anthony Ryan 

 

What books are you planning/hoping to read this summer?