#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook
You can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. 🐝

Hey, friends! I know this post is a day early! Tomorrow I have a very exciting review for a blog tour, but I had already written up this post before our dates were selected! Shhhhh… we will just pretend you are reading this tomorrow! But I can’t even begin to tell you all how many times I’ve vowed to read more classics. I feel like some years I do a decent job, but for the most part… I very much slack with reading classics. And I almost feel like it gets worse and worse the older I get. I mean, a lot of that is because so many classics are problematic as all hell, but there are still a few that I really hope to eventually read in my lifetime! Also, I asked on bookstagram what were some of my friends’ favorite classics and the response really helped me make this TBR list, so thank you so much if you answered my question! Okay, let’s get into it!

➽ Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)

“My good opinion once lost is lost forever.”

Might as well start this list out with maybe the most beloved classic of my friends! Okay, I have read this, but it was during high school and… it’s been many years ago now! So I’m saying this is back on my TBR, because I would love know my thoughts on P&P in 2020!

➽ The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1982)

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.”

Speaking of very loved classics, I feel like I couldn’t have made this list without including this one. Not only is this a sapphic classic about two Black girls, I believe it is also told in the form of letters and… so much for me to love.

➽ Sula by Toni Morrison (1973)

“It was a fine cry – loud and long – but it had no bottom and it had no top, just circles and circles of sorrow.”

In August, my friend Jaime read this because it was the monthly pick for The Stacks Podcast Book Club and I knew this would be a book that I would have to pick up very soon! (I’m writing this post a little early, but by the time you’re reading it, their podcast episode will be up discussing it!)

➽ Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1877)

“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”

This one honestly makes me giggle to think about! Okay, listen… I know this story, but I am very unsure if I’ve ever actually read this very large tome before. But I do have a very strong feeling I will read this one maybe much sooner than the rest on this list.

➽ Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)

“I like good strong words that mean something…”

Everyone always says that this is the classic for people who don’t love classics. I’m not sure how true that is, or how influenced that is by the newest adaptation, but I can’t even begin to tell you how many people have not only recommended this to me, but promised me that I will fall in love with it too!

Goodreads | Instagram | Bloglovin’ | Ko-fi | Twitch | Wishlist | Youtube

#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook
You can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. 🐝

All bookish content aside, as I get older I feel like I appreciate the color red more? It might even be my second favorite color at this point in my life? Okay, I don’t really want to have a color crisis, but like the title and this questionable intro suggest, here are five red books on my TBR! Please oh please tell me which one(s) you think I’d enjoy!

➽ The Project by Courtney Summers
Publication: February 2nd, 2021 by Wednesday Books

“When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with Bea once and for all. When her investigation puts her in the direct path of its charismatic and mysterious leader, Lev Warren, he proposes a deal: if she can prove the worst of her suspicions about The Unity Project, she may expose them. If she can’t, she must finally leave them alone. But as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members, and spends more time with Lev, it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her–to the point she can no longer tell what’s real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren . . . but now she doesn’t know if she can afford not to.”

➽ Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

“When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.”

➽ Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
Publication: February 23rd, 2021 by Park Row Books

“With her newly completed PhD in astronomy in hand, twenty-eight-year-old Grace Porter goes on a girls’ trip to Vegas to celebrate. She’s a straight A, work-through-the-summer certified high achiever. She is not the kind of person who goes to Vegas and gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she doesn’t know…until she does exactly that. This one moment of departure from her stern ex-military father’s plans for her life has Grace wondering why she doesn’t feel more fulfilled from completing her degree. Staggering under the weight of her father’s expectations, a struggling job market and feelings of burnout, Grace flees her home in Portland for a summer in New York with the wife she barely knows.”

➽ Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha #1) by Tasha Suri

“The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited. When Mehr’s power comes to the attention of the Emperor’s most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda.Should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance”

➽ Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore

“Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves. Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago. But there’s more to what happened in 1518 than even Emil knows, and discovering the truth may decide whether Rosella survives the red shoes.”

Goodreads | Instagram | Bloglovin’ | Ko-fi | Twitch | Wishlist | Youtube

#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook
You can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. 🐝

Hi, hello, I am officially in spoopy season mode! I feel like once my birthday passes, it is just Autumn time and my body, heart, and soul are reading for Halloween! I’m not much of a horror reader (please go follow Destiny), or a thriller murder mystery reader (please go follow Amy),  but I am trying to read a little more spookier books this time of year! Here are five that I have on my TBR that I’d like to pick up!

➽ Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

“After receiving a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find – her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.”

➽ The Silence of Bones by June Hur
(Thank you Chels, I love you!)

“800, Joseon (Korea). Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Indentured to the police bureau, she’s been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman.

As they delve deeper into the dead woman’s secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder.

But in a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly.”

➽ I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick

“When Anna Cicconi arrives to the small Hamptons village of Herron Mills for a summer nanny gig, she has high hopes for a fresh start. What she finds instead is a community on edge after the disappearance of Zoe Spanos, a local girl who has been missing since New Year’s Eve. Anna bears an eerie resemblance to Zoe, and her mere presence in town stirs up still-raw feelings about the unsolved case. As Anna delves deeper into the mystery, stepping further and further into Zoe’s life, she becomes increasingly convinced that she and Zoe are connected–and that she knows what happened to her.

Two months later, Zoe’s body is found in a nearby lake, and Anna is charged with manslaughter. But Anna’s confession is riddled with holes, and Martina Green, teen host of the Missing Zoe podcast, isn’t satisfied. Did Anna really kill Zoe? And if not, can Martina’s podcast uncover the truth?”

➽ The Project by Courtney Summers
Publication: February 2nd, 2021 by Wednesday Books

“When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with Bea once and for all. When her investigation puts her in the direct path of its charismatic and mysterious leader, Lev Warren, he proposes a deal: if she can prove the worst of her suspicions about The Unity Project, she may expose them. If she can’t, she must finally leave them alone.

But as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members, and spends more time with Lev, it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her–to the point she can no longer tell what’s real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren . . . but now she doesn’t know if she can afford not to.”

➽ My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

“When Korede’s dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what’s expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This’ll be the third boyfriend Ayoola’s dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede’s long been in love with him, and isn’t prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other.”

Goodreads | Instagram | Bloglovin’ | Ko-fi | Twitch | Wishlist | Youtube

#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook
You can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it.

Ever since I’ve started getting back into the blogging swing of things this summer, I’ve really wanted to get into new book memes! And I truly fell very in love with this one, because 1.) I get to talk about books I normally don’t talk about because they are TBR books, and 2.) you all can help me prioritize whatever five books I’ve picked for that week’s prompt! And what better way to start than with the five 2020 publications that I am most looking forward to reading  during the rest of this wild year! (Full disclosure, I think [and pray] these will all be five star reads!) 🐝

➽ Over the Woodward Wall (Untitled #1) by A. Deborah Baker
October 6th 2020 by Tor.com

“Avery and Zib find themselves climbing over a low stone wall into the Up and Under – an impossible land filled with mystery, adventure and the strangest creatures. And they must find themselves and each other if they are to also find their way out and back to their own lives.”

Who is this author, you ask? Another one of Seanan McGuire’s pen names! But this premise and cover have me so excited to read this middle grade and hopefully fall very much in love, even if the last few books I’ve read by this author have not been my favorites.

➽ The Burning God (The Poppy War #3) by R.F. Kuang
November 17th 2020 by Harper Voyager

“As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it?”

After being absolutely Destroyed by The Dragon Republic at the start of the month, I am so honored to be able to review an early copy of this and hopefully have my heart ripped out all over again!

➽ Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson
November 17th 2020 by Tor Books

“Now, as new technological discoveries begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals, and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength.”

Talk about a 2020 anticipated release, aye? The way we are all going to be scrambling to read these 1,000 pages so this book can make all of our best of the year lists. In my opinion, this is Brandon Sanderson’s best series, and I cannot wait for this fourth installment!

➽ How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black
November 24th 2020 by Little, Brow

“Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue. Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone.”

An illustrated addition to the Folk of the Air series? I mean, we all knew I was going to throw my money at this. Cardan is my favorite character in this series, and I can’t wait to get any amount of more from this world!

➽ These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
November 17th 2020 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

“The people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.”

A imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai? I think that is probably just about everything I’ve always wanted. Also, I think all of my friends have given this 5 stars already? Like, I am so ready for this to be a new fave.

Goodreads | Instagram | Bloglovin’ | Ko-fi | Twitch | Wishlist | Youtube