Book-tube-a-thon To Be Read Pile

I’ve never really done many read-a-thons before. I have about three weeks before school starts, so I thought that this would be a good time to get some books knocked out of my to be read pile. I’m hoping that writing this down will actually keep me on track with getting some books knocked out of the way before I’m drowning in homework again. Ariel from Ariel Bissett hosts this every year, so I’ll link her channel here. Check out what she’s reading and how all the challenges work.

Here are the challenges this year-

1. Read a book with a person on the cover:
            My pick for this challenge is Gunslinger Girl by Lindsay Ely. It doesn’t come out until January… but it’s been really calling out to me lately. I think I need a good western adventure to get me out of this creeping reading slump. I’m hoping that this read-a-thon is going to get me out of it before it starts. My other option for this challenge is Hunted by Megan Spooner, which is a Beauty and the Beast retelling.

2. Read a hyped book:

            I didn’t really know what to read for this, since I have so many books on my shelf that are, essentially hyped. I think I might finally read either Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard or A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. These books are both very different, but very hyped books. I’m eager to see why everyone loves them so much.

3. Finish a book in one day:

            I’m probably going to read a Victoria Schwab book for this challenge, since she is so engaging. I read most of her books in one day. The other booko I have for this option is The Windfall by Diksha Basu, which is a super short book I got through Book of the Month Club.

4. Read a character that is very different from you:

            A Court of Mist and Furies by Sarah J Maas is about faeries, so I think that’s pretty different from me… It’ll also give me an excuse to finally continue with the series.

5. Finish a book completely outdoors:

            This normally isn’t that hard of a challenge for me, but it’s been so freaking hot outside lately that it’s going to be difficult for me to just want to leave the comfort of my air conditioning. Maybe it will cool off later this week so I can knock this challenge out.

6. Read a book you bought because of the cover:

            I do this very rarely, but I think I’m going to read Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. I think it’s just a really simple cover that doesn’t give much away about what the book is about, which I really appreciate.

7. Read seven books:

            I have some easier romance books that I can read from my Kindle, so I’ll probably just pick some of those up in order to complete this challenge.

Anyways, this is just a loose pile of books that I want to read. I am really bad about keeping on track with actual lists since I am a mood reader. Hopefully I’ll be able to read so

Ten Books to Read in 2017

I haven’t done a top ten list in awhile. I got this idea from Ameriie, so I’ll link her Ten Books to Read in 2017 video here (her book is on this list as an honorable mention!). Since we’re already halfway through July (I can’t believe it), I’m making it a priority to read as much as I can. These are either books on my shelf, books that people have recommended to me, or books that I have easy access to through the library. Without further ado, let’s get into the books that have most priority for me right now. I guess this would be the Young Adult version of this list, because I have more than just ten I want to get to.

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera:

            This book follows Griffin, who’s ex boyfriend dies in a drowning accident. It sounds like there are secrets another boy who started dating Griffin after he moved away to college. I love stories about grief and how people deal with these kinds of emotions, so I’m all for this book. Plus, I loved his debut novel More Happy Than Not, so I’m basically going to read anything by Adam Silvera at this point.

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz: 

            I’ll just put a brief quote from the Goodreads description here, because I’m really bad at giving synopsis for books. “The first day of senior year: Everything is about to change. Until this moment, sal has always been certain of his plays with his adoptive gay father and their loving Mexican—American family. But now his own history unexpectedly haunts him, and life—altering events force him and his best friend, Samantha, to confront issues of faith, loss, and grief.” I guess I’m really into the hard—hitting contemporaries right now because this is another grief—laden story that I can’t wait to get my hands on.

The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee:

            Honestly, I don’t know how I haven’t gotten a copy of this yet. Oh, right. It’s because I’m seriously broke. Anyways, this is one of my most anticipated books of the entire year and I still haven’t been able to read it. I’ve heard it compared to Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, but in old Europe. And it’s kind of a road trip novel! This book sounds so up my alley. Also, the cover is simply stunning.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers:

            This has been on my radar for a long time. It’s about an eclectic crew on a spaceship “just trying to get from here to there.” I’ve heard this is very character driven. I have a copy waiting for me on my shelf; I can’t wait to get to this science fiction book. I’ve been really craving this kind of story for a while.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J.Maas:

            I can’t and don’t really want to know much about this second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I just need to catch up as soon as possible, and this book has been staring at me for so long. I don’t know why I’ve been procrastinating. What I do know is that this is a Hades and Persephone retelling, but it involves faeries, so I’m interested to see how that plays out.

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis:

            “Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.” Just this little bit of the synopsis has me intrigued. I also loved her previous books, so I can’t wait to get to this gritty contemporary.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson:

            All I really know is that this follows twins who were super close and then something happened to make them not close anymore. It’s told in past and present, so I know I’m going to love finding out what happened between them. Jandy Nelson is so many people’s favorite author, so I’m excited to get to he ore famous book.

Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson:

            Jodi Lynn Anderson’s book Tiger Lily, is one of my all time favorite books. I wasn’t really interested in any of her other books until this one. It seems like a kind of multi-generational story with weird science fiction/magical realism elements weaved in there. I am not even going to attempt to summarize this because I have no idea what it’s actually about.

Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab:

            I’ve been on a real Victoria Schwab kick recently. I’m currently reading her A Darker Shade of Magic series, and I loved the first book in the This Savage Song duology, so I’m really looking forward to this sequel. I didn’t want to know much about this going in, because it is a sequel and a conclusion. It follows Kate Harker and August Flynn in a world where monsters are made real by acts of violence. The first one was really engaging and I recommend it to people all the time, so I’m really looking forward to getting this book in my hands.

More Than This by Patrick Ness:

            I read The Rest of Us Just Live Here earlier this summer, and absolutely adored it. A Monster Calls is one of my favorite books of all time. I’m just on a Patrick ness kick, obviously. This one has been sitting on my shelf for years (since it was published in 2014). I just haven’t gotten to it yet. “A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies. Then he wakes, naked and bruised and thirsty, but alive.” That quote is all I really need to know about this book. That, and the fact that Patrick Ness wrote it.

These are all of the books that I want to get to by the end of the year. Most of them are young adult novels, but I have a completely separate list of adult books that are top priority as well. This has been such a great reading year so far, and I can’t wait to see what other books I’m going to get to! What are you most excited for? Comment down below to let me know!

Tentative July To Be Read

            I am so bad at to be read piles. I am mostly a mood reader, so I’ll sit staring at my bookshelves until something piques my interest. This month, however, I have a small stack of ARCS and library books that need to be read before school starts next month. Yikes. I don’t want to think about that. Mostly because I’ll be graduating in a year. Anyways, the books are much more important. I’m going to talk about the books I’m excited for this month/the books that I have to read and review. I don’t think I’m going to get too much in the synopsis of these because I’ve been trying to go into books blind. I’ll give a brief summary of the main plots, but I feel like too often the synopsis spoils a book. Without further ado, let’s get into the books!

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody:

            This is a murder mystery set in a fantasy circus. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this (comes out July 25) and I’m already slightly behind. This is top priority.

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir:

            This is the sequel to An Ember in the Ashes. It’s a fantasy inspired by ancient Rome, and the first book in this series was fantastic. I have this checked out from the library.

The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas:

            I have no idea what this is about really, I picked up this because the cover is stunning and I think it’s about a writer. This comes out September 2017, so you have a few months to wait.

White Bodies by Jane Robinson:

            I’ve been weirdly into thrillers lately. This is an adult thriller that comes out September 2017. If you liked Gone Girl or Girl on the Train you will probably want this on your radar.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust:

            This is an LGBT fantasy retelling of Snow White, and I couldn’t be more excited to read this. This also comes out Setptember 2017. You definitely want this book on your radar.

            These are my tentative plans for reading this July. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get to more than this, just because, like I mentioned before, school is starting in a month and a half and I won’t have hardly any time to read once it starts up again. Have you heard of any of these? Let me know in the comments!