For those who may have missed it, I’ve been a little absent lately, doing this silly little thing called graduate school. -392/10 do not recommend!
Okay, that’s a teensy bit of a lie. Graduate school has been a valuable experience, and it’s necessary for my job, and I highly recommend it if it’s something you want/need to pursue, but still. It’s seriously been cutting into my reading time, which should be a capital offense right there. Nothing comes between me and my books! You know, except stacks of homework that I’m paying thousands of dollars for the privilege of doing. Wait . . .
Anyway, what that means is that, obviously, I’m just a teensy behind on reading this season!
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is technically best books I read in 2021, but guuuuys . . . 2021 isn’t quite over yet! I still have THREE MORE DAYS to cram in as many books as I possibly can. (And trust me, I plan to use this time wisely.) So instead, I want to throw back to a TTT from a few weeks ago that I missed and talk about books I may or may not read this winter.
If you aren’t aware of a possibility pile, it goes like this: you take all the (very many) books that you eventually want to read, throw them into a haphazardous pile, randomly pick out ones that you might possibly potentially want to get to in the near-ish future, and voila, there’s your possibility pile. In theory, you pick your upcoming reads from this amorphous blob of hopeful literature vying for your attention. In practice . . . well, who knows what actually goes into the process of picking a next read? Probably, like, magic and blood sacrifices and stuff. But the thought is there, anyway.
So here are some books that I’m hoping to potentially read this winter, because they look so freaking good! If you’ve already read these, let me know what you think.
The Weeping Tide
Barclay and his friends must save an island city from the Legendary Beast of the Sea in this exciting second book in the Wilderlore series, perfect for fans of Nevermoor and How to Train Your Dragon.
Something is wrong at the Sea. The weeping tide, a carnivorous algae bloom, is eating up all the fish. Beasts are terrorizing the nearby Elsewheres. And Lochmordra, the Legendary Beast, is rising at random and swallowing ships whole.
Barclay’s teacher, the famous Guardian Keeper Runa Rasgar, has been summoned to investigate, and as her apprentice, Barclay gets to join too. But Runa’s nemesis has also been called to the Sea, and he’s brought apprentices of his own. When the not-so friendly competition between them grows fierce, it’s Barclay—the only one from the Elsewheres—who can’t seem to keep up.
The key to stopping Lochmordra lies in his mythical home, but as the flood of the weeping tide encroaches, time is running out to find it. If the rival groups can’t cast aside old grudges and learn to work together, soon the Sea will be destroyed completely. And all the while Barclay must ask himself: is there truly a place for him in the Wilderlands?
First Lines:
Why I Want to Read:
- First book was action-packed awesomeness!
- Perfect for fans of Pokemon and Digimon.
- More world means more monsters!
- More monsters means more powers (which mean more awesomeness!)
- I can’t resist legendary beasts. I’m only mortal!
In Every Generation
A new Slayer for a new generation…
Frankie Rosenberg is passionate about the environment, a sophomore at New Sunnydale High School, and the daughter of the most powerful witch in Sunnydale history. Her mom, Willow, is slowly teaching her magic on the condition that she use it to better the world. But Frankie’s happily quiet life is upended when new girl Hailey shows up with news that the annual Slayer convention has been the target of an attack, and all the Slayers—including Buffy, Faith, and Hailey’s older sister Vi—might be dead. That means it’s time for this generation’s Slayer to be born.
But being the first ever Slayer-Witch means learning how to wield a stake while trying to control her budding powers. With the help of Hailey, a werewolf named Jake, and a hot but nerdy sage demon, Frankie must become the Slayer, prevent the Hellmouth from opening again, and find out what happened to her Aunt Buffy, before she’s next.
Get ready for a whole new story within the world of Buffy!
The first in an all-new series by New York Times best-selling author Kendare Blake continues the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer featuring the next generation of Scoobies and Slayers who must defeat a powerful new evil.
First Lines:
Hailey stood in the kitchen of their small apartment, unloading brown bag after brown bag of the groceries her sister had brought home that morning: three boxes of cereal—two sugary, one healthy—three loaves of bread (pop two in the freezer), three gallons of milk, which apparently she would have to drink until she died . . .
Why I Want to Read:
- BUFFY! OMG! *runs around flailing*
- I confess, it’s been over a decade since I’ve seen it, but . . . Buffy.
- Vampire slayers is always a good time, no matter the setting.
- I love the next generation nostalgia stuff.
- *cough* I’m not getting old . . . you are.
- This definitely sounds like a squad I want to meet.
Tiger Honor
Sebin, a young tiger spirit from the Juhwang Clan, wants nothing more than to join the Thousand World Space Forces and, like their Uncle Hwan, captain a battle cruiser someday. But when Sebin’s acceptance letter finally arrives, it’s accompanied by the shocking news that Hwan has been declared a traitor. Apparently the captain abandoned his duty to steal a magical artifact, the Dragon Pearl, and his whereabouts are still unknown. Sebin hopes to help clear their hero’s name and restore honor to the clan.
Nothing goes according to plan, however. As soon as Sebin arrives for orientation, they are met by a special investigator named Yi and his assistant, a girl named Min. Yi informs Sebin that they must immediately report to the ship Haetae and await further instructions. Sebin finds this highly unusual, but soon all protocol is forgotten when there’s an explosion on the ship, the crew is knocked out, and the communication system goes down. It’s up to Sebin, three other cadets, and Yi and Min to determine who is sabotaging the battle cruiser. When Sebin is suddenly accused of collaborating with the enemy, the cadet realizes that Min is the most dangerous foe of all…
First Lines:
Name, rank, and serial number. That’s all I’m supposed to say if I’m captured.
Why I Want to Read:
- Must read everything from Rick Riordan Presents!
- Korean mythology is going to be a yes, please.
- Mythology meets space is every nerd’s dream combination.
- Continuation of the series.
- More adventure, more problems.
Willodeen
The earth is old and we are not, and that is all you must remember . . .
Eleven-year-old Willodeen adores creatures of all kinds, but her favorites are the most unlovable beasts in the land: strange beasts known as “screechers.” The villagers of Perchance call them pests, even monsters, but Willodeen believes the animals serve a vital role in the complicated web of nature.
Lately, though, nature has seemed angry indeed. Perchance has been cursed with fires and mudslides, droughts and fevers, and even the annual migration of hummingbears, a source of local pride and income, has dwindled. For as long as anyone can remember, the tiny animals have overwintered in shimmering bubble nests perched atop blue willow trees, drawing tourists from far and wide. This year, however, not a single hummingbear has returned to Perchance, and no one knows why.
When a handmade birthday gift brings unexpected magic to Willodeen and her new friend, Connor, she’s determined to speak up for the animals she loves, and perhaps even uncover the answer to the mystery of the missing hummingbears.
First Lines:
She is propped, damp and dazed as a newborn, on the saddle of a wooden unicorn.
Why I Want to Read:
- I will forever and always read everything by Katherine Applegate.
- No, seriously. She’s a freaking amazing author.
- Look at the absolutely, utterly adorable critters on the cover! *flails*
- I don’t know what a humingbear is, but I want, like, fifty of them.
- I’m sure this will be as heartfelt and adorable as her other middle grade books.
This Last Adventure
Archie’s grandpa has always been his hero. But after Grandpa is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the confident and adventurous man Archie’s known all his life starts disappearing. He’s not just losing his memory. He’s losing pieces of himself.
Archie desperately wants to slow the progression of Grandpa’s memory loss. Using Grandpa’s old journal entries as inspiration, he creates shared role-playing fantasies with epic quests for them to tackle together–helping Grandpa to live in the present while staying in touch with his fading memories.
But there’s a limit to the power of the fantasies. And not all the memories recorded in the journal entries are happy. When Archie learns a painful secret about Grandpa’s past, he questions everything he thought he knew about his hero.
As Grandpa’s condition worsens, Archie has to come to terms with the reality of what he’s losing and decide what it truly means to live a life worth remembering.
First Lines:
Archie Reese tried to say the words, but they wouldn’t come out.
Why I Want to Read:
- This is 100% going to absolutely shatter my heart into a million pieces.
- So, obviously, how could I possibly resist it?
- My grandfather also had dementia, so yay personal connections?
- Definitely sounds like a heartfelt, emotional read!
Redwood and Wildfire
At the turn of the 20th century, minstrel shows transform into vaudeville, which slides into moving pictures. Hunkering together in dark theatres, diverse audiences marvel at flickering images.
Redwood, an African American woman, and Aidan, a Seminole Irish man, journey from Georgia to Chicago, from haunted swampland to a “city of the future.” They are gifted performers and hoodoo conjurors, struggling to call up the wondrous world they imagine, not just on stage and screen, but on city streets, in front parlors, in wounded hearts. The power of hoodoo is the power of the community that believes in its capacities to heal.
Living in a system stacked against them, Redwood and Aidan’s power and talent are torment and joy. Their search for a place to be who they want to be is an exhilarating, painful, magical adventure.
First Lines:
Christmas moonbeams snuck through a break in the live oak trees, and Redwood Phipps planted her eleven-year-old self in the cold silver light. Long legs and all, she was bone tired.
Why I Want to Read:
- An interesting combination of diverse protagonists.
- Don’t see hoodoo in a lot of books. Color me curious.
- Interesting combination of magic and perserverence.
- Haunted. Swampland.
The Paradox Hotel
A locked-room murder mystery set at a hotel for time travelers—in which a detective must solve an impossible crime even as her own sanity crumbles—from the author of The Warehouse.
For someone with January Cole’s background, running security at a fancy hotel shouldn’t be much of a challenge.
Except the Paradox is no ordinary hotel. Here, the ultra-wealthy guests are costumed for a dozen different time periods, all anxiously waiting to catch their “flights” to the past. And proximity to the timeport makes for an interesting stay. The clocks run backwards on occasion—and, rumor has it, ghosts stroll the halls.
Now, January’s job is about to get a whole lot harder. Because the U.S. government is getting ready to privatize time-travel technology—and a handful of trillionaires have just arrived to put down their bids.
Meanwhile there’s a blizzard rolling in, and the timestream’s acting strange. Which means nobody’s leaving until further notice.
And there’s a murderer on the loose.
Or at least, that’s what January suspects. Except the corpse in question is one that somehow only she can see. And the accidents stalking their prestigious guests…well, the only way a killer could engineer those is by operating invisibly and in plain sight, all at once. Which is surely impossible.
There’s a reason January can glimpse what others can’t. But her ability is also destroying her grip on reality—and forcing her to confront secrets of her own.
Because here at the Paradox Hotel, the past is waiting around every corner.
At once a dazzlingly time-twisting murder mystery and a story about grief, memory, and what it means to—literally—come face to face with our ghosts, The Paradox Hotel is another unforgettable speculative thrill-ride from acclaimed author Rob Hart.
First Lines:
Why I Want to Read:
- I absolutely love locked room mysteries!
- I’m not a huge fan of time travel, but this synopsis has me curious.
- Horror meets sci-fi murder mystery sounds exactly like what I need right now.
- I’m not even sure what to make of this blurb and I love it.
Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts
Brimming with Celtic mythology, action, and danger, Erika Lewis’s Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts introduces readers to a new kind of magical school and a warrior who must choose with which side of an epic battle her destiny will lie.
The Otherworld is at war. The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts trains warriors. And Kelcie Murphy—a foster child raised in the human world—is dying to attend.
A place at AUA means meeting Scáthach, the legendary trainer of Celtic heroes. It means learning to fight with a sword. It means harnessing her hidden powers and—most importantly—finding out who her parents are, and why they abandoned her in Boston Harbor eight years ago.
When Kelcie tests into the school, she learns that she’s a Saiga, one of the most ancient beings in the Otherworld. Secretive, shunned, and possessed of imposing elemental powers, the Saiga are also kin to the Otherworld’s most infamous traitor.
But Kelcie is a survivor, and she’ll do whatever it takes to find her parents and her place in their world. Even if that means making a few enemies.
First Lines:
Why I Want to Read:
- Yes to magic worlds and magic schools.
- Celtic mythology and heroes!
- Sounds like one heck of an adventure story.
- That opening. I mean . . . yes, I would like some more, please.
The Last House on Needless Street
In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three.
A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside, not after last time.
A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory.
And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible.
An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all.
First Lines:
Why I Want to Read:
- THOSE OPENING LINES. *melts*
- Everything about that blurb.
- This sounds exactly like the horror book I need right now.
- Love books about haunted houses.
- A house cat . . . who reads the Bible? Must know more!
What Lives in the Woods
Welcome to the decrepit Woodmoor Manor…where something in the woods is always watching. From the author of Scritch Scratch comes a chilling middle grade story about a creepy mansion and sinister creatures in the woods.
All Ginny Anderson wants from her summer is to relax. But when Ginny’s father—a respected restoration expert in Chicago—surprises the family with a month-long trip to Michigan, everything changes. They aren’t staying in a hotel like most families would. No, they’re staying in a mansion. A twenty-six room, century-old building surrounded by dense forest. Woodmoor Manor.
Locals claim the surrounding woods are inhabited by mutated creatures that escaped a mad scientist over a hundred years ago. And some say campers routinely disappear never to be seen again.
When the creaky floors and shadowy corners of the mansion seem to take on a life of their own, Ginny uncovers the wildest mystery of all: there’s more than one legend roaming Saugatuck, Michigan, and they definitely aren’t after campers.
They’re after her.
First Lines:
Dad winces, then reaches out and gently puts his plate down on the table. I smother my laugh, thinking that he looks like a zookeeper cautiously feeding a lion.
Why I Want to Read:
- I loved Currie’s other middle grade horror book.
- Monster in the woods books are the best!
- Mad scientists are always fun.
- Creepy old mansions are great.
- Sounds like a perfect horror read.
Bonus Reads (For Class!)
Because my life isn’t complicated enough, I thought, You know, reading two picture books and a middle grade book a week for Children’s Lit last semester wasn’t difficult enough on my schedule. Why not up my game and read one YA book a week?! So I signed up for Young Adult Lit. Don’t ask me why. It seemed like a good idea at the time. So here are a few books I plan on reading for that class in the next few weeks!
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
This one is for a banned or challenged YA book (any copyright year). I’ve had this series on my shelf forever now, and I figured this would be as good a time as any to finally pick it up. Plus, it’s Neal Shusterman! I love his work anyway, and this seems like a good way to kickoff the semester.
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
I loved the first book in this series, and I’ve been meaning to read it for quite a while now. Unfortunately, I just never had the time. So when I saw that one of the prompts was realistic fiction with a 2020, 2021, or 2022 copyright, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity! I don’t read a ton of realistic fiction, so this was perfect timing.
The Fire Never Goes Out by Noelle Stevenson
The prompt for this week was a YA non-fiction title with a 2020, 2021, or 2022 copyright. I actually had absolutely no idea about what nonfiction I could read here other than Stamped, which I’ve already read. Most of the recent nonfiction I knew about was middle grade or something I’d already read . . . or this one really freaking good-sounding book that was unfortunately published in 2018 (that I’ll be reading at another time anyway). So I scrolled through the list and found this book and thought it was absolutely perfect on so many different levels. Looking forward to reading this!
(In retrospect, I’m not 100% sure this will qualify as “nonfiction” because there’s a separate “memoir or autobiography” category after this. So if any of you know of a non-fiction book that fits in this prompt that you would recommend, please let me know!)
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
This is another one that I’ve been meaning to read for a long time, and one of my coworkers even read it and said it was fantastic. Since this week is a poetry book or novel-in-verse, it seemed like the perfect time to finally pick this one up!
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
This week had to be a memoir or autobiography, so I immediately grabbed this one. Another one I’ve been intending to pick up. I’ve heard it’s great, and I’m looking forward to reading it.
Good luck with grad school! Goodness, you must be busy. 🙂
Unwind was a good read, but you should know that series has some pretty disturbing plot twists…especially in the later books. Just thought you should be warned. I hope you like it, though!
Lydia recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I Read in 2021
I’m pretty sure I haven’t slept in the past year. in fact, I wouldn’t even swear that 2021 wasn’t just a long fever dream. Who knows?! xD Thanks for the luck, though!
Thanks so much for the heads up. I’ve read some articles about why it was banned and challenged, so I’m kind of aware that there are some touchy subject matter. I really appreciate the warning, though! I’m very curious about what my reaction will be, since I feel like it’s both been talked up and warned about at the same time. xD
Don’t you hate it when real life gets in the way of your reading? SO lame. Good luck with graduate school!
I’m also a big Applegate fan. I didn’t love WILLODEAN, but that’s okay. It was a quick, cute read. Unwind, on the other hand, I do love. The whole series is great. Very thought-provoking. I hope you enjoy it!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Real life can be so inconvenient and inconsiderate sometimes!
Oh no! My hold actually just came through for that yesterday, so I’m hoping to whip through it this week before school starts next week. I’m definitely not against cute, quick reads. It breaks up some of the darker stuff I’ve been picking up lately. 🙂 Even if it’s not one of her best!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed Unwind, too. Banned books are so weird to me. I know there are definitely people who didn’t like the series, but it’s come so highly recommended by so many people that I’m like, obviously people are reading and enjoying this?!
Ooh, you’ve got some good selections ahead for you in your YA course! Unwind was my first Shusterman book and still a favourite of mine. For YA NF, maybe check out the Pocket Change Collective series.
I’m both excited and dreading it, and that seems to be how lit classes go for me. Children’s lit last semester was great and forced me to read books I had been putting off, so I’m looking forward to YA lit doing the same!
Oooh, I’d never heard of them, but they sound interesting! Thank you. I’ll definitely have to check those out.
I’m dying for In Every Generation and The Paradox Hotel. Happy reading and good luck!
Thanks for the luck! I’ve started In Every Generation, and I don’t love it as much as I thought I would … yet. It’s still early! I’m crossing my fingers. It’d be such a bummer to start the new year with a flop right off the bat. xD
I hope you will enjoy all of these once you get to them!
Evelyn recently posted…Deathless Divide – Audiobook review!
Thank you!
I hope 2022 gives you a little more reading for pleasure time..I have Redwood and Wildfire on my radar for next year.
Ellie Warren recently posted…Best of 2021
I’m really hoping it does, too. xD I mean, my reading challenge from 2021 LOOKS impressive, but not when you consider that a lot of it was for grad school haha.
The Paradox Hotel sounds really fascinating, but I’m worried that it will be too horror-y for me. I guess I’ll have to wait for other people to read it so that I can see what they say in their reviews.
Best of luck getting some fun reading in among your schoolwork! Though it does sound like at least you were able to get some classes with fun books for the curriculum.
Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits recently posted…Writing Wrap-Up ~ December 2021 recap
I think it’ll probably be too horror-y for you. That’s just been my mood lately. I’ll definitely let you know if it’s not, though!
Thanks! I’ll probably need it. The good thing about taking lit classes, like the YA lit, is that it forces me to read something I’ve been wanting to read. Sure, it has to fit into a prompt we’re given, but I’ve got plenty of books that I want to read that can do that. Finally, my ridiculous TBR comes in handy!
It’s completely understandable why you’re busy! 😉 I hope you find some time to read this week. Happy New Year!
Dedra @ A Book Wanderer recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Books of 2021
Thank you! I found *some* time. Not as much as I wanted, considering I was on vacation, but I didn’t do too bad.
Enjoy your downtime from school. And I hope you get to enjoy some of these reads in the coming weeks.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create! recently posted…New Year’s Book Tag-2021 Edition
Thanks. I did! Just what I needed to recharge the batteries a little bit. 🙂
Yes! Kelcie Murphy I have an arc to read 😀
YAY! I’ve got one, too, and I’m just so excited for it. I hope we both enjoy it! Sounds like just the thing you’d enjoy, too. 😀
I still need to read the sequel to Ari and Dante. I just ordered The Last House on Needless Street!
Lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Top 10 Tuesday/Show Us Your Books: Favorite Books of 2021
Same for Ari and Dante! I’m really looking forward to it, though. Assuming my hold on it ever comes through. xD Perfect timing on that one. Hope you enjoy your new book!
HUMMINGBEARS! I need this book in my life 😍 Happy New Year from this side of the world, Sammie! I hope you managed to get a few of these read in the three days before 2021 ended? I hope you enjoyed them too 😃
Dini @ dinipandareads recently posted…#TopTenTuesday: Best Books I Read in 2021
Do they not sound absolutely freaking adorable?! I definitely want one. I don’t even know what they are yet, but I want one.
Happy new year, Dini! I . . . actually read none of these. I started two (one for class and one not). And then I read five books that were definitely not on this list and that I technically didn’t need to (and probably shouldn’t have) read this week. xD Oops?
I can totally relate to that whole grad school thing (I recently graduated) I miss the hell out of it and would gladly do it again though when I was in school I kinda wanted it to end 😂😅
Congrats on graduating! I bet you feel quite relieved haha. I absolutely cannot wait to finish out this semester and be freeeee. I suspect I’ll probably feel the same once I’m actually out, though.
[…] books releasing in the first half of 2022, but I sort of did that post already when I did my Winter 2021 Possibility Pile. So this week, instead, I’m going to REBEL! (Surprise, surprise. I’m up to my old […]