Hello everyone, welcome or welcome back to my blog! Today, I want to share with you my entire physical TBR. This is inspired by a readathon I heard about that goes from November 1st to the end of December which is focused on only reading the books you own called the Clear Your Shit readathon. During this year, my physical TBR has grown substantially. The same thing happened in 2019, but I managed to get it way down by the end of year. I have been mainly listening to audiobooks and not reading physical copies of books or the books I own. I will do my best to give you everything I know about each book, but I think I am terrible at describing most books so, the synopsis will also be available. I suggest grabbing a snack because this is going to be a long one! In a few days, I will be posting my TBR for November. In that post, I will let you know exactly which ones I will be reading to help battle my reading slump.
There are around 50-60 books on this list and I would like to shave down 20 books by the end of the year. I will just have to see how much I feel like reading in November! If you are interested in a little bit of stats, I have owned 6 of the books for more than 2 years, I purchased or was gifted 11 of these in 2019, and the rest are from 2020.
The Haters by Jesse Andrews
This is one that I acquired in 2020. I have previously read Me, Earl and the Dying Girl and would like to read more from him. I recently have heard this is a road trip novel and that is something I usually enjoy so, I picked it up. I would love to get to this one in 2020 as I know it would be a quick read.
Synopsis: From Jesse Andrews, author of the New York Times bestselling Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and screenwriter of the Sundance award–winning motion picture of the same name, comes a groundbreaking young adult novel about music, love, friendship, and freedom as three young musicians follow a quest to escape the law long enough to play the amazing show they hope (but also doubt) they have in them. Inspired by the years he spent playing bass in a band himself, The Haters is Jesse Andrews’s road trip adventure about a trio of jazz-camp escapees who, against every realistic expectation, become a band. For Wes and his best friend, Corey, jazz camp turns out to be lame. It’s pretty much all dudes talking in Jazz Voice. But then they jam with Ash, a charismatic girl with an unusual sound, and the three just click. It’s three and a half hours of pure musical magic, and Ash makes a decision: They need to hit the road. Because the road, not summer camp, is where bands get good. Before Wes and Corey know it, they’re in Ash’s SUV heading south, and The Haters Summer of Hate Tour has begun.
Out of the Furnace by Thomas Bell
I got this book out of a Little Free Library last year. I love going to those Little Free Librarys and exchanging books. I found that the Little Free Library was the perfect place to leave books during this summer when no one was really open for selling books I owned. This is a multi-generational non-fiction novel following a Slovakian family who, in the 1880’s, migrates to America.
Synopsis: The novel begins in the mid-1880s with the naive blundering career of Djuro Kracha. It tracks his arrival from the old country as he walked from New York to White Haven, his later migration to the steel mills of Braddock, Pennsylvania, and his eventual downfall through foolish financial speculations and an extramarital affair. The second generation is represented by Kracha’s daughter, Mary, who married Mike Dobrejcak, a steel worker. Their decent lives, made desperate by the inhuman working conditions of the mills, were held together by the warm bonds of their family life, and Mike’s political idealism set an example for the children. Dobie Dobrejcak, the third generation, came of age in the 1920s determined not to be sacrificed to the mills. His involvement in the successful unionization of the steel industry climaxed a half-century struggle to establish economic justice for the workers. Out of This Furnace is a document of ethnic heritage and of a violent and cruel period in our history, but it is also a superb story. The writing is strong and forthright, and the novel builds constantly to its triumphantly human conclusion.
Torn Away by Jennifer Brown
Jennifer Brown writes YA hard-hitting contemporary novels. I have previously read her books Hate List and Bitter End. Hate List follows a girl whose boyfriend was a school shooter and Bitter End follows a girl who is the victim of abuse from her boyfriend. In Torn Away, I believe it follows the aftermath of a tornado. I absolutely love her storytelling abilities and want to read more from her.
Synopsis: Jersey Cameron has always loved a good storm. Watching the clouds roll in and the wind pick up. Smelling the electricity in the air. Dancing barefoot in the rain. She lives in the Midwest, after all, where the weather is sure to keep you guessing. Jersey knows what to do when the tornado sirens sound. But she never could have prepared for this. When her town is devastated by a tornado, Jersey loses everything. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with relatives she hardly knows-family who might as well be strangers. In an unfamiliar place, can Jersey discover that even on the darkest of days, there are some things no tornado can destroy?
The Lost Symbol, Inferno, and Origin by Dan Brown
I bought these last three books in the Robert Langdon series at the beginning of this year thinking I would binge all of them… and I have not. I don’t think I will be reading these before the end of the year, but I never know. These books are so well made and I cannot even imagine how much research went into telling the story of each book as they are episodic.
Synopsis (of book 1: Angels and Demons): World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization -- the Illuminati. In a desperate race to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra. Together they embark on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, and deserted cathedrals, and into the depths of the most secretive vault on earth...the long-forgotten Illuminati lair.
Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
This is one that I am dreading picking up, but would also like to have read. I have read The Hunger Games trilogy along with her Underland Chronicles series. However, I am just not interested in reading from Snow’s perspective. I haven’t heard many people say they love this book and it doesn’t really make me want to read it.
Synopsis: It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Earlier this year, I read Recursion by Blake Crouch. From what I have heard, this book sound really similar to Recursion except there are multiple dimensions. I am usually not a lover of sci-fi, but I did really enjoy reading Recursion. Hopefully, I can get to Dark Matter in 2020.
Synopsis: 'Are you happy in your life?' Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakes to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before the man he's never met smiles down at him and says, 'Welcome back.' In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible. Is it this world or the other that's the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined - one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
I have owned this book for probably eight years. Of my entire list, this one has probably been on it the longest. I thought it was the entire Sherlock Holmes however, it’s only books 3 through 6. I have read 3 of the stories in the first book. My biggest problem is that I don’t like short stories or short story collections. I actively avoid those types of books. I really wanted to get through this book in 2020, but I just cannot seem to do it. I just can’t bring myself to get rid of it because I DO want to read it. I have tried setting out for a certain number of pages each day and it never works. I might just try to get an audiobook to help push through.
Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library Race and Mr. Lemoncello’s All-Star Break Out Game by Chris Grabenstein
These books are the third and fourth books in a middle grade series called Mr. Lemocello’s Library. These books are set in libraries and involve some sort of game. In the first book, a new library is built in town by a game maker named Luigi Lemoncello. This library is unlike any other library, it is interactive with games and music and made for kids. The MC Kyle wins a chance, along with 11 other kids, to participate in a game where they all have to escape the library while following clues. Each book has some sort of game aspect that is different from the previous and I love reading them. These books are amazing for lovers of books, especially those who love middle grade books as they reference middle grade books throughout the novels.
Synopsis: Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library. Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high.
Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
Let It Snow is the last book that I have not read by John Green. I have not read anything by Johnson or Myracle. I will be reading this in December or late November as it takes place on Christmas Eve. I was on a journey to read all of his books that I hadn’t read in 2019, but never got around to buying Let It Snow. I haven’t heard the best things about this book and it is filled with three short stories, but I am optimistic either way.
Synopsis: A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.
Let’s Call it a Doomsday by Katie Henry
This one is one of my husband’s books so, I don’t know that much about it. I do know it is a hard-hitting YA contemporary with LGBT and anxiety rep. I am not sure if I actually want to read this. However, if he ends up loving it, I might just have to give it a try.
Synopsis: There are so many ways the world could end. There could be a fire. A catastrophic flood. A super eruption that spews lakes of lava. Ellis Kimball has made note of all possible scenarios, and she is prepared for each one. What she doesn’t expect is meeting Hannah Marks in her therapist’s waiting room. Hannah calls their meeting fate. After all, Ellis is scared about the end of the world; Hannah knows when it’s going to happen. Despite Ellis’s anxiety — about what others think of her, about what she’s doing wrong, about the safety of her loved ones — the two girls become fast friends. As Ellis tries to help Hannah decipher the details of her doomsday premonition, she learns there are secrets Hannah isn’t telling her. But with time ticking down, the search for answers only raises more questions. When does it happen? Who will believe them? How do you prepare for the end of the world when it feels like your life is just getting started?
The Amazing Book Is Not on Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester
Like many other people who have loved Youtube for over a decade, I loved watching Dan and Phil when I was younger. I have always wanted to buy and read this book since it came out, but only recently have done so. I don’t watch them as much anymore as they do not upload often. This is a mixed media type book that I know I can get to in 2020 if I just make myself do so.
Synopsis: In this book is a world. A world created by two awkward guys who share their lives on the internet! We are Dan and Phil and we invite you on a journey inside our minds! From the stories of our actual births, to exploring Phil's teenage diary and all the reasons why Dan's a fail. Learn how to draw the perfect cat whiskers, get advice on what to do in an awkward situation and discover which of our dining chairs represents you emotionally. With everything from what we text each other, to the time we met One Direction and what really happened in Vegas...
We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
I know this one is a sci-fi, so the odds are stacked against it. However, I have only heard really amazing things about it. The synopsis reminds me of The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay mixed with the movie The Box, but with aliens. As long as this one has a better ending than Tremblay’s novel, I think I will love it.
Synopsis: Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: The world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button. Only he isn’t sure he wants to. After all, life hasn’t been great for Henry. His mom is a struggling waitress held together by a thin layer of cigarette smoke. His brother is a jobless dropout who just knocked someone up. His grandmother is slowly losing herself to Alzheimer’s. And Henry is still dealing with the grief of his boyfriend’s suicide last year. Wiping the slate clean sounds like a pretty good choice to him. But Henry is a scientist first, and facing the question thoroughly and logically, he begins to look for pros and cons: in the bully who is his perpetual one-night stand, in the best friend who betrayed him, in the brilliant and mysterious boy who walked into the wrong class. Weighing the pain and the joy that surrounds him, Henry is left with the ultimate choice: push the button and save the planet and everyone on it…or let the world—and his pain—be destroyed forever.
The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong
The Good Son was on a lot of TBRs for the Koreadathon earlier this year. After the readathon, I acquired the book. You-Jeong Jeong is said to be the Stephen King of Korea and I am so excited to try her work. I was hoping to get around to it in October, but this reading slump is kicking my butt.
Synopsis: Early one morning, twenty-six-year-old Yu-jin wakes up to a strange metallic smell, and a phone call from his brother asking if everything's all right at home - he missed a call from their mother in the middle of the night. Yu-jin soon discovers her murdered body, lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs of their stylish Seoul duplex. He can't remember much about the night before; having suffered from seizures for most of his life, Yu-jin often has trouble with his memory. All he has is a faint impression of his mother calling his name. But was she calling for help? Or begging for her life? Thus begins Yu-jin's frantic three-day search to uncover what happened that night, and to finally learn the truth about himself and his family. A shocking and addictive psychological thriller, The Good Son explores the mysteries of mind and memory, and the twisted relationship between a mother and son, with incredible urgency.
Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
This book is the first in a very long fourteen book series and a preqeul. I was going to join in this readalong of the first three books of the series. However, I made it about 80 pages in and I don’t know if I love it. I will give it another try somewhere down the road, but it is going on the DNF list for now. I have only recently been getting into fantasy books and I don’t think I can read this one just yet.
Synopsis: The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs-a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts- five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.
The Getaway, The Meltdown, and Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure by Jeff Kinney
The Diary of a Wimpy series is one that I have been reading for a long time. Last year, Kinney started up a companion series with Greg’s best friend Rowley as the lead. I have had the two DOAWK books since early this year and I hope to get to all three during Believathon in November. I cannot even express how many readathon TBRs I have put the two DOAWK books on and have still not got to them yet. However, I am determined to get to them this time!
Shopaholic series books 4-9 by Sophie Kinsella
Sophie Kinsella is one of my absolute favorite authors and she will be showing up a few more times on this list. This may be a surprise to most of my readers because I don’t like romance books. In 2019, I started her Shopaholic series and have since read 3 books in the series. I recently obtained the last few books and now own the whole set. Hopefully, I can get to, at least, one or two before 2021.
Synopsis (of book 1): Becky Bloomwood has a fabulous flat in London’s trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season’s must-haves. The only trouble is, she can’t actually afford it—not any of it. Her job writing at Successful Saving magazine not only bores her to tears, it doesn’t pay much at all. And lately Becky’s been chased by dismal letters from the bank—letters with large red sums she can’t bear to read. She tries cutting back. But none of her efforts succeeds. Her only consolation is to buy herself something . . . just a little something. Finally, a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life—and the lives of those around her—forever.
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
As I stated, Kinsella is one of my favorite authors. Everything I have read by her has been a favorite or close to. However, Twenties Girl is the exception. I have started and DNF’d this book twice since buying it in 2017. This book is just unlike any other of her books. It follows a girl who goes to her great aunt’s funeral, whom she has never met, and meets her ghost. Her aunt tells her someone has stolen her priceless necklace, and the MC needs to find it so she can be buried with it. The MC has to lie to the police and tell them that her aunt has been murdered, so they do not bury her. Throughout the novel, she searches for the necklace and has to deal with being followed around by the aunt’s ghost. This is the only Kinsella book I have read that involves ghosts in any way. It is more of a mystery novel than anything else and I just don’t love it.
Synopsis: Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don't get visited by ghosts. Or do they? When the spirit of Lara's great-aunt Sadie--a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance--mysteriously appears, she has one request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie's possession for more than seventy-five years, because Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie's necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different "twenties" girls learn some surprising truths from and about each other. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella's books beloved by millions, Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family.
Remember Me? By Sophie Kinsella
For this book and the next one, I just picked up both randomly as books by Kinsella which are not in my current possesion. I personally shop for most of my books on Better World Books and I just ordered two that they happened to have. Better World Books has really cheap books that used to be owned by libraries and I love a good deal.
Synopsis: When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed. Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all. Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does? With the same wicked humor and delicious charm that have won her millions of devoted fans, Sophie Kinsella, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Shopaholic & Baby, returns with an irresistible new novel and a fresh new heroine who finds herself in a life-changing and utterly hilarious predicament…
Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella
Synopsis: After being together for ten years, Sylvie and Dan have all the trimmings of a happy life and marriage; they have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, beautiful twin girls, and communicate so seamlessly, they finish each other’s sentences. However, a trip to the doctor reveals they could live another 68 years together… and panic sets in. They never expected ‘until death do us part’ to mean seven decades. In the name of marriage survival, they quickly concoct a plan to keep their relationship fresh and exciting: they will create little surprises for each other so that their (extended) years together will never become boring. But in their pursuit to execute Project Surprise Me, mishaps arise and secrets are uncovered that start to threaten the very foundation of their unshakeable bond. When a scandal from the past is revealed that questions some important untold truths, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other after all…
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
This is another one of my husband’s books. I did read the synopsis on the back and it does sound interesting. It is about a person named Rafe who is openly gay. He feels as if he is defined by being gay and nothing else at his school. He then, transfers to a boarding school and doesn’t come out to anyone because he doesn’t want to be known as the gay guy.
Synopsis: Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write. And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time. So, when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate break down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible. This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate feeling different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
I have previously read a few books by Levithan, and Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist by both authors. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares takes place during winter so, I want to read it around Christmas. It is a short read so, it should be easy to get to by the end of the year.
Synopsis: Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.
Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead
I went ahead and bought this entire series when I finished the Vampire Academy series. I genuinely thought that I would immediately start reading it and just never have. I am not 100% sure if I ever will get to them, but I will be keeping them for now. This series follows a character who was in the Vampire Academy series and I know some of the characters make appearances through this series.
Synopsis: I wasn't free of my past, not yet. Sydney's blood is special. That's because she's an alchemist - one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. But the last encounter Sydney had with vampires got her in deep trouble with the other alchemists. And now with her allegiances in question, her future is on the line. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the unlikeliest of places: a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one. The Moroi court believe Jill and Sydney will be safe at Amberwood Prep, but threats, distractions, and forbidden romance lurk both outside - and within - the school grounds. Now that they're in hiding, the drama is only just beginning.
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
If you read my post about authors I would like to give a second chance, you would have seen Murakami and this book on the list. I tried a different book by him earlier this year and highly regretted it. I wanted to try Kafka on the Shore first and it will be the next one I read. I once read an article by Bustle on which book to read by Murakami first based on what kind of books you like. They recommended Kafka on the Shore for those who like magical realism. I know there is a teenager, a man with a head trauma, and a talking cat, and that is all I need to know.
Synopsis: Kafka on the Shore, a tour de force of metaphysical reality, is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom. Their odyssey, as mysterious to them as it is to us, is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events. Cats and people carry on conversations, a ghostlike pimp employs a Hegel-quoting prostitute, a forest harbors soldiers apparently unaged since World War II, and rainstorms of fish (and worse) fall from the sky. There is a brutal murder, with the identity of both victim and perpetrator a riddle—yet this, along with everything else, is eventually answered, just as the entwined destinies of Kafka and Nakata are gradually revealed, with one escaping his fate entirely and the other given a fresh start on his own.
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
This is another book that belongs to my husband and I might read. I know it is a YA LGBT contemporary romance novel and not really much else. I do know the MCs are twins and I love books with sibling dynamics, especially twins.
Synopsis: At first, Jude and her twin brother Noah, are inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them. Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah's to tell; the later years are Jude's. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they'll have a chance to remake their world.
More Than This by Patrick Ness
Patrick Ness is an author I have wanted to try for a long time. I just randomly picked this one by him. I know this one is about a boy who dies and then wakes up. It is a sci-fi YA with some sort of LGBT rep.
Synopsis: A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies. Then he wakes, naked and bruised and thirsty, but alive. How can this be? And what is this strange deserted place? As he struggles to understand what is happening, the boy dares to hope. Might this not be the end? Might there be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?
Even If We Break by Marieke Nijkamp
I heard BooksandLala talking about this book so, I know it is a mystery novel involving a game of some sort. The synopsis is very vague. I was supposed to read it in October, but I have kind of hit a reading slump this month so, that probably wont happen.
Synopsis: FIVE friends go to a cabin.
FOUR of them are hiding secrets.
THREE years of history bind them.
TWO are doomed from the start.
ONE person wants to end this.
NO ONE IS SAFE.
Are you ready to play?
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
My husband’s mother gave me this book a few years ago. I have been thinking about getting to it for a while, but I want to wait until I have all the books. I am kind of stuck between worrying I won’t like the first book in a series, and wanting to buy the whole thing so I don’t have to wait to binge it if I love it. I have recently been trying to get more into fantasy and this would be a great stepping stone for that.
Synopsis: When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.
Wonder by RJ Palacio
Wonder is another book I need to get to in November for Believathon. I got this book for my birthday in 2019 and happens to be the only gift book from that birthday that I haven’t got to. I have, in fact, started it before and put it aside for something else, I don’t remember what, and never went back to it. I have seen the movie before so, I do know everything that happens. I just need to get to it during November and check it off my list.
Synopsis: August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Wonder, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
This is one that I got from the library earlier this year, got to 50 pages, and moved to another town so, I had to return it. I decided I wanted to buy it and went ahead and did so. I HAVE to get to this book before the end of the year. When hearing about this book, other people have said it is about a black woman who is babysitting a white child and gets accused of kidnapping said child. This actually happens within the first 50 pages of the book. So, I am not sure what the rest of the book entails.
Synopsis: In the midst of a family crisis one late evening, white blogger Alix Chamberlain calls her African American babysitter, Emira, asking her to take toddler Briar to the local market for distraction. There, the security guard accuses Emira of kidnapping Briar, and Alix's efforts to right the situation turn out to be good intentions selfishly mismanaged.
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
I was supposed to read this one in October for a readalong. I only managed to get the first one done half way through the month and kind of hit a reading slump soon after. I won’t be doing the readalong anymore, but I will still get to this one eventually. In the last two weeks of 2019, I picked up a book slightly longer than this one and just decided it would be my last book of the year. I could do that with this one as well.
Synopsis: Expected by his enemies to die the miserable death of a military slave, Kaladin survived to be given command of the royal bodyguards, a controversial first for a low-status "darkeyes." Now he must protect the king and Dalinar from every common peril as well as the distinctly uncommon threat of the Assassin, all while secretly struggling to master remarkable new powers that are somehow linked to his honorspren, Syl. The Assassin, Szeth, is active again, murdering rulers all over the world of Roshar, using his baffling powers to thwart every bodyguard and elude all pursuers. Among his prime targets is Highprince Dalinar, widely considered the power behind the Alethi throne. His leading role in the war would seem reason enough, but the Assassin's master has much deeper motives. Brilliant but troubled Shallan strives along a parallel path. Despite being broken in ways she refuses to acknowledge, she bears a terrible burden: to somehow prevent the return of the legendary Voidbringers and the civilization-ending Desolation that will follow. The secrets she needs can be found at the Shattered Plains, but just arriving there proves more difficult than she could have imagined. Meanwhile, at the heart of the Shattered Plains, the Parshendi are making an epochal decision. Hard pressed by years of Alethi attacks, their numbers ever shrinking, they are convinced by their war leader, Eshonai, to risk everything on a desperate gamble with the very supernatural forces they once fled. The possible consequences for Parshendi and humans alike, indeed, for Roshar itself, are as dangerous as they are incalculable.
The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider
So, this is another one of my husband’s books and I know exactly zero things about it. Goodreads says it is a YA contemporary coming-of-age romance novel. Either way, I may or may not actually read this one depending on how good he thinks it is.
Synopsis: Varsity tennis captain Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with unpredictable new girl Cassidy Thorpe.
The Bro Code
This one is also one of my husband’s books. He picked it up solely based on the title because he thought it was funny. This book was originally written on wattpad in 2012, and published as a novel in 2020. I know it is a contemporary romance and does slightly interest me. I used to love watching the Girl Code and Guy Code shows on MTV and would love to see how they tie together.
Synopsis: As a certified stand-up bro, Nick Maguire knows that some things in life are sacred: Do not skip ab workouts. Never back down from spicy foods. And always accept the outcome of Rock, Paper, Scissors. For these are the revered doctrines of The Bro Code, rules of conduct that have been passed down through the ages from bro to bro. Heading into his senior year, Cassidy High’s star soccer player has his priorities straight and intends to spend his time playing sports, hanging out, and living by the code. But when his best bro Carter’s sister Eliza returns from studying overseas, the awkward, academic girl Nick remembers is different. Carter might be Nick’s bro, but Eliza becomes his whole world—and he has to make a choice between them. Is being with the girl of your dreams worth breaking the most important rule: never date your best friend’s sister? Somehow, Nick never expected that following The Bro Code may have even bigger consequences than breaking it.
Ghosting: A Love Story by Tasha Skilton
This one is technically also my husband’s book. However, we are planning to buddy read it in November. We saw this title and decided it might be really fun to read. We have never buddy read anything before, but I am excited to do so!
Synopsis: Dumped by his fiancée, not only is Miles couch-surfing across New York City, but downsizing has forced him to set up shop at a local café. Also, he no longer believes in love. Not a good look in his line of work…helping people find love as a ghostwriter for a failing dating site. Zoey’s eccentric L.A. boss sent her packing to New York to “grow.” But beneath her chill Cali demeanor, Zoey’s anxiety makes her terrified to venture beyond the café across the street into the big city…Finding themselves competing for space at Café Crudite, the only thing Miles and Zoey think they share is their daily battle for last day-old biscotti and a mutual dislike of each other. They don’t know they’re both writers, creating “authentic” profiles for rival online dating services. They think they have absolutely nothing in common.... until they meet anonymously online while pretending to be their clients and sparks fly. As they become more deeply connected online, their mistaken identities get more complicated when their clients experience a dating disaster IRL. Once they find out their lives have crossed in more ways than one, will their online connection be the real thing—or vanish into the ether?
A Torch Against the Night & A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
I recently read An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir and decided to buy some of the books in the series. I will most likely get to this series in 2021 when I have all the books.
Synopsis (of book 1): Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free. Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do. But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
Sisters by Raina Telgemeier
This book is a NF graphic novel sequel to a book called Smile. Smile follows the author coming home from a girl scouts meeting. She runs to the front porch from the car and falls directly on her face simultaneously knocking out her two front teeth. The book is about her journey getting her teeth fixed and follows her through many years. This is a middle grade book so, it will go onto the TBR for November’s Believathon as well.
Synopsis: Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there’s still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly. This coming-of-age true story is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been in middle school, and especially those who have ever had a bit of their own dental drama.
Cemetary Boys by Aiden Thomas
I was supposed to get to this book this month. I have started it, but am struggling through this reading slump. In a perfect world, I would get through it by the end of the month. I know this book is about a trans boy and the love interest is a ghost. In the beginning, he is going through this cemetery and talking about trying to prove himself as a brujo. Google tells me a brujo is a sorcerer or witch doctor. I am really excited to read it, but this slump is not.
Synopsis: Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him. When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true 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 off 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.
The Hobbit & Return of the King by J RR Tolkein
These are books that I have listened to on audio because I have struggled through the writing. However, I absolutely loved the audiobook to the first book. There were so many voices and music and singing. I have owned a box set of these books since, I think, 2013 and still have not made my way through the whole thing.
Synopsis (of book 1): One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them. In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
Filth by Irvine Welsh
The movie for Filth is one of my favorites of all time. It follows a completely unlikable character who is racist, sexist, a terrible friend/person, and all around a gross individual. I have actually started and read about 30 pages of this book. My issue with the book is that it is told in a with Scottish transliteration and Scottish slang terms that I don’t understand. It is almost like reading a book half in a different language. I have done a bit of googling and research to study more of Scottish terms to understand this book better, but it is rough. Some of the terms are really racist or sexual. I know it is just part of the character, but it is things I really never needed to know. One small example would be, instead of saying don’t, they would say donnae and all words ending in ‘t would end in nae. Another issue is the MC Bruce is always taking me out of the story to go on tangents about how much he hates everyone around him. I just feel like I am not getting a lot of story with all these tangents. I will say, it is interesting to see how much he truly hates a person and says very awful, sometimes racist or sexist things about them in his head, but turns around and acts completely differently out loud.
Synopsis: With the Christmas season upon him, Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson of Edinburgh's finest is gearing up socially—kicking things off with a week of sex and drugs in Amsterdam. There are some sizable flies in the ointment, though: a missing wife and child, a nagging cocaine habit, some painful below-the-belt eczema, and a string of demanding extramarital affairs. The last thing Robertson needs is a messy, racially fraught murder, even if it means overtime—and the opportunity to clinch the promotion he craves. Then there's that nutritionally demanding (and psychologically acute) intestinal parasite in his gut. Yes, things are going badly for this utterly corrupt tribune of the law, but in an Irvine Welsh novel nothing is ever so bad that it can't get a whole lot worse. . .
Frankly in Love by David Yoon
This last book is another one of my husband’s books, but I am interested in reading it. I know it is a YA romance following a Korean-American boy called Frank Li. I haven’t seen many people love it, but most people I have seen have given it 4 stars. I am willing to try it.
Synopsis: High school senior Frank Li is a Limbo--his term for Korean-American kids who find themselves caught between their parents’ traditional expectations and their own Southern California upbringing. His parents have one rule when it comes to romance--“Date Korean”--which proves complicated when Frank falls for Brit Means, who is smart, beautiful--and white. Fellow Limbo Joy Song is in a similar predicament, and so they make a pact: they’ll pretend to date each other in order to gain their freedom. Frank thinks it’s the perfect plan, but in the end, Frank and Joy’s fake-dating maneuver leaves him wondering if he ever really understood love--or himself--at all.