Tag Archives: TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was SO EXCITED to Get, but Still Haven’t Read

In: Blog Hops


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Black-and-white photo of books hanging from a glass ceiling by pieces of thick string.I have a confession to make: my eyes are bigger than my stomach and my TBR list.

That is to say, I have the tendency to put more food on my plate than I can actually eat and to gush about more books that i can realistically read if I don’t pay attention to what I’m doing.

This is even more true if we’re talking about books from highly-anticipated authors or places that serve dairy-free meals and desserts. When you have food allergies (or any other dietary restriction, I’m sure), you get used to not being able to eat a lot of delicious-looking foods that others enjoy without a second thought. It’s simply part of life.

When I get the rare chance to pick anything on the menu at a restaurant, I often have the urge to over-order because of how unusual this experience is. The same thing can be said for when there are more attention-grabbing books than I have hours in the day to read.

Here are some books I am still excited to read but haven’t actually picked up yet. I’ve mentioned all of them in previous seasonal TBR posts for Tio Ten Tuesday over the past few years.

 

City of Refugees: The Story of Three Newcomers Who Breathed Life Into a Dying American Town by Susan Hartman Book cover. image on cover is a drawing of buildings in a town.

1. City of Refugees: The Story of Three Newcomers Who Breathed Life Into a Dying American Town by Susan Hartman

 

The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander Book cover. Image on cover shows a photo of a black child staring into the camera with a neutral expression on his face.

2. The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander

 

Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore Book cover. Image on the cover shows drawing of two teens standing in a lake with leaves on their heads.

3. Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Ask: Building Consent Culture by Kitty Stryker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

 

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi book cover. Cover image is of a woman's face.

6. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

 

Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life's Fundamental Bond by Lydia Denworth book cover. The only images on the cover are of stylized DNA strands lying on their sides at the top and bottom. They are behind green or blue backgrounds.

7. Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond by Lydia Denworth

 

Finna by Nino Cipri book cover. Cover image is of bent tubes and screws scattered around.

8. Finna by Nino Cipri

 

Book cover for Ghost Wood Song  by Erica Waters. Image on cover is of book title in the shape of curved pieces of wood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

 

Book cover for Sara Seager's The Smallest Lights in the Universe. Image on cover is of an adult and two children walking outdoors at dusk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10.The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir by Sara Seager

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Book, Movie, or TV Show You Can’t Wait For

In: Blog Hops

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

I wonder if any of you will choose the same answer?

I’ve already talked about a few books I’m looking forward to this summer, so this week I’ll mention a TV show slated to come out in September that fans have been anticipating for years.

The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power tv show poster. It shows a city carved from stone that’s protected by a large stone statute holding it’s hand out benevolently. If you can’t see the image attached to this post, I’m talking about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The official Twitter account for it has been sharing amazing gifs, short videos, photos and other promotional material that hint at what it will be about while also leaving plenty of room for the imagination.

I first read The Lord of the Rings during a period of my life when I was struggling with my mental health. It was like walking around the world with a thick, grey cloud enveloping me that amplified all of the difficult portions of life and did its best to smother the faintest flicker of anything positive.

This is something I’m sharing because I only revisited that series years later when the film version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy were released.

While this TV show isn’t set during the same time period in this universe, I’m very curious to see how my mind reacts to the similar themes of it now that I’m doing better.

Seeing an epic saga unfold on the small screen should also be worthwhile. I have high hopes that this show will be a magical experience.

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books I Want to Read in 2022

In: Blog Hops

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Person with curly hair and glasses cheering on a blue couch as they hold a laptop in their lap.
This isn’t me, but I have been this excited for certain releases in the past!

I’m an avid mood reader who generally finishes 100+ books per year and sometimes gets through much more than that.

As I’ve said in previous posts, many of the books I read are spontaneous picks based on what I find in the new release section of the Toronto Public Library.

That is to say, I’d need a crystal ball in order to know exactly what I’m going to read this year. Ha!

I think there’s something to be said for embracing these moments of joy whenever they happen. No one is ever too old to be thrilled when a favourite author releases something new.

Here are two books I’m so excited to read that I’ve literally put alerts for them on my calendar so I can request them from the library (or buy them if the library doesn’t have them) the second they’re released.

 

A Prayer for the Crown Shy (Monk & Robot #2)  by Becky Chambers 

Release Date: July 12

I know I mentioned this in a recent Top Ten Tuesday post, but I had to include it here as well.

What I loved the most about the first book in this series was how hopeful it was. The narrator described a science fiction future that (so far) has shown no signs of climate change, pandemics, prejudice, war, or inequality. Human populations are much smaller than they are today, but they live quiet and harmonious lives in their little villages.

There’s something irresistible about that setting to me. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in such a harmonious society?

 

Empty Smiles (Small Spaces #4) by Katherine Arden

Release Date: August 9

This is a delightful middle grade series about a group of three friends who keep running into a dangerous spirit called the Smiling Man.

I love paranormal stories in general. The nice thing about this particular series is that generally happy endings are all but guaranteed when you’re reading books meant for this age group. So I can enjoy the spooky scenes while being pretty sure that the characters will be triumphant in the end.

That’s the sort of reassuring storyline I’ve been craving this past year or two, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this quartet ends.

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books I Can’t Wait to Read in 2020

In: Blog Hops

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

There are plenty of books I’m curious about, but I can think of only one upcoming release that genuinely excites me at this point. (The year is still young, so this will almost certainly change over time!)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins book cover. Image on cover is of a gold mocking jay sitting on a branch. There is a target sign behind it.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games Prequel) by Suzanne Collins.

I’m thinking about rereading the Hunger Games trilogy before the prequel comes out in May. Here’s hoping that the prequel is well done and answers everyone’s questions about how Panem was created in the first place.

Top Ten Tuesday: Winter TBR

In: Blog Hops

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Ostrich looking over the shoulder of a man reading the newspaperHere are ten books that will be published during the winter of 2020 that I hope my local library gets copies of soon.

As always, my TBR list is heavily influenced by which books my library orders and how long the wait lists are for them.

The photo in today’s post was included mostly because it made me chuckle. To the best of my knowledge, there are no ostriches  in Toronto who expect winter bedtime stories.

1. Born in the Wrong Time: Female Husbands and the Transgender Past by Jen Manion

Publication Date: January (no book cover photo or precise publication date currently available.)

Why I Want to Read It: I know very little about this topic and would like to learn more.

Cold Fusion Presents: New Thinking: From Einstein to Artificial Intelligence, the Science and Technology that Transformed Our World by Dagogo Altraide book cover. There is an abstract picture of circles connected by lines as the image on the book cover.

2. Cold Fusion Presents: New Thinking: From Einstein to Artificial Intelligence, the Science and Technology that Transformed Our World by Dagogo Altraide

Publication Date: January 15

Why I Want to Read It: Cold fusion is a fascinating topic that I do not understand well enough to discuss in this post. With that being said, I like reading about science and technology in general.

The Seep by Chana Porter book cover. There is a bouquet of flowers on the cover.

3. The Seep by Chana Porter

Publication Date: January 21

Why I Want to Read It: It’s been too long since I read anything about alien invasions. The fact that the protagonist is a middle-aged woman only entices me more. Will she have more common sense than the typical teen hero in these tales? I hope so!

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi book cover. Cover image is of a woman's face.

4. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

Publication Date: January 21

Why I Want to Read It: There’s nothing like the bond between siblings. The characters in this book sound like they’re going to go through a lot of hard times together. I want to see them come out triumphant at the end.

Remembrance by Rita Woods book cover. Image is of the profile of a woman's bowed head. her eyes are closed.

5. Remembrance by Rita Woods

Publication Date: January 21

Why I Want to Read It: There’s something I really like about books that jump between the past and present, especially when the timelines seem like they might somehow intersect.

Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life's Fundamental Bond by Lydia Denworth book cover. The only images on the cover are of stylized DNA strands lying on their sides at the top and bottom. They are behind green or blue backgrounds.

6. Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond by Lydia Denworth

Publication Date: January 28

Why I Want to Read It: Friendship is a fascinating topic.

Olympic Pride, American Prejudice: The Untold Story of 18 African Americans Who Defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to Compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Deborah Riley Draper book cover. Image on the cover is of eight of the athletes who defied Adolf Hitler.

7. Olympic Pride, American Prejudice: The Untold Story of 18 African Americans Who Defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to Compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Deborah Riley Draper

Publication Date: February 4

Why I Want to Read It: I know only a few scraps of information about the 1936 Olympic Games and would like to read more about it.

Everywhere You Don't Belong by Gabriel Bump book cover. Image on cover is of a young person wearing a hoodie whose face is obscured by an orange dot.

8. Everywhere You Don’t Belong by Gabriel Bump

Publication Date: February 4
Why I Want to Read It: I’ve never thought of terms “funny” and “riot” in the same thought before. Only time will tell how this author finds the humour in such a serious topic.

9. Common Bonds: An Aromantic Speculative Anthology by Claudie Arseneault

Publication Date: February (no cover photo or precise publication date currently available.)

Why I Want to Read It: I’m demisexual and curious to compare my experiences to theirs.

Finna by Nino Cipri book cover. Cover image is of bent tubes and screws scattered around.

10. Finna by Nino Cipri

Publication Date: February 25

Why I Want to Read It: Of course there would be a portal to a different dimension that just so happened to open up in a retail store. If anyone deserves an adventure, it’s two people who work for minimum wage! We honestly need many more books about characters like these.

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books I Keep Meaning to Read (But Haven’t)

In: Blog Hops

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews. I’m hoping to find plenty of interesting things to read in all of your lists this week! Mine was a lot of fun to put together. Title and Author: Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories by Ellen Datlow What It’s About: The title says it all. Why I Haven’t… Read More

Why I’m Giving Up on My TBR List

In: Personal Life

Today’s post is going to be short and sweet. My to-be-read list has been growing by leaps and bounds for ages now. There something about the end of the year that makes me pause and reflect on little things like this to see how they’re working for me. The problem with TBR lists is that… Read More