It's Time to Make Room on Your Shelves!
Before it gets entirely out of hand, here's a list of books that made my TBR so far this month. The first six are all chosen by my sister for our upcoming Buddy Reads. We pick our reads for a year at a time, and July starts our new year - we each choose 12 books giving us two per month to read together. Then I found some great ones from Top Ten Tuesday blogs, both the Summer Reading list and most recently, the Most Anticipated New Releases. Oh my. I linked to each of the blogs where I discovered the book - take a minute to visit one or two; there are some amazing bloggers out there.
I added TEN last-minute additions at the end of the June list for a Top Ten Tuesday list of my most anticipated new releases for the second half of the year, so I won't repeat them here. But, if you missed that post, you can see those 10 here.
Sisters of Sword & Song by Rebecca Ross
Genre: YA Stand-alone Fantasy
Published June 2020, 432 pages
Discovered: my sister picked it for an upcoming Buddy Read
Synopsis: an older sister returns from serving in the Queen's army, but she is accused, then convicted, of murder. The younger sister volunteers to serve part of the harsh sentence and find out what really happened - but discovers that there are fates worse than death.
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Genre: Nonfiction Travel
Published June 2000, 335 pages
Discovered: my sister picked it for an upcoming Buddy Read
Synopsis: told with his usual humor and mounds of information, Bryson explores Australia.
**ED: Review here
The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes
Genre: Nonfiction
Published 1981, 374 pages
Discovered: my sister picked it for an upcoming Buddy Read
Synopsis: man with 24 personalities is convicted of rape but was the first case to ever be acquitted by reason of insanity.
When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
Genre: Middle Grade
Award: Newberry Medal winner
Published 2020, 297 pages
Discovered: my sister picked for an upcoming Buddy Read
Synopsis: Lily and her Korean family move in with her sick grandmother and a magical tiger arrives prompting Lily to unravel a family secret.
Honor by Thrity Umrigar
Genre: General Fiction
Published January 2022, 326 pages
Discovered: yep, my sister! she's got a wide range of types of books here
Synopsis: a Reese bookclub pick, an Indian American journalist returns to India to cover a story and comes face to face with a very different culture that contrasts with her own life. A story of love, hope, familial devotion, betrayal and sacrifice.
With Malice Toward None by Stephen B. Oates
Genre: Biography
Published 1977, 544 pages
Discovered: last from my sister
Synopsis: biography of Abraham Lincoln by preeminent historian
As if I needed more help to expand my TBR list, the most recent Top Ten Tuesday theme was Summer Reading List. Let me tell you, I found some great options on those other blogger's lists! Here are six I'm looking forward to from the TTT wander. (you can see the full list of participating blogs at That Artsy Reader Girl)
The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur
Genre: Historical Mystery (YA?)
Published April 2021, 367 pages
Discovered: Amber at Book Trek blog
Synopsis: setting: medieval Korea; sisters are found unconscious near a forest and family moves away; when detective dad discovers more deaths in the forest, he returns to investigate and also disappears. Oldest daughter tries to find her dad and discovers small town secrets.
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Oprah Bookclub pick July '22
Published June, 2022; 288 pages
Discovered: Leah at Leah's Books blog
Synopsis: a brother and sister high school dropouts are scraping by until one night a misunderstanding causes Kiara to get a job she never wanted but now desperately needs; and, she becomes a known witness to police corruption.
A Beginner's Guide to Murder by Rosalind Stopps
Genre: Mystery
Published July 2021, 368 pages
Discovered: Cholla at Long and Short Reviews blog
Synopsis: three 70+ year old women come to the aid of a 17 year old girl in danger and decide the only solution is murder; though there are light moments, there are heavy themes of abuse and trafficking.
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publish Date July 2022, 400 pages
Discovered: Jo at JJ's Book Blog
Synopsis: inspired by true: WWII, a woman quietly living as a librarian at the Library of Congress is recruited to be a spy at a Lisbon library where she befriends a woman in the resistance in France.
Malice #1 by John Gwynne
Genre: Fantasy
Published 2012, 672 pages
Discovered: on TTT list by Kristin Kraves Books
Synopsis: there are signs that the ancient war between giants and humans is reviving and prophecy is that sorrow will fill the land and two champions are needed, the Black Sun and Bright Star, to save the world.
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publish date August 2022, 304 pages
Discovered: on TTT by Lydia Schoch
Synopsis: there exists a race of people who subsist entirely on books and retain all the book's information after eating it. The clans are patriarchal, men raised on books of battles and adventure while women are raised on fairytales and cautionary stories. A bit of Gothic horror, disturbing fairytales, dark love - sounds SO interesting.
An African in Greenland by Tete-Michel Kpomassie
Genre: Nonfiction
Published 1981, 300 pages
Discovered: on TTT Elena Square Eyes blog
Synopsis: a man from a small African village sees a photo of Greenland and decides he MUST see it. It takes him years to travel across Europe and then he spends a couple years exploring Greenland - he writes a "fun and honest book" of his travel experiences.
I now return to my regularly scheduled TBR additions. :) I found these in the usual random way......
The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publish date September 6, 2022, no page count
Discovered: #netgalley ARC
Synopsis: the woman who is the brains behind an escape artist's act is recruited to help design tricks to allow soldiers to escape while she tries to escape her past.
**ED: Review here
Pandora's Jar: Women in Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes
Genre: Fantasy (Myth Retelling)
Published Oct. 2020, 320 pages
Discovered: book blogger Literary Feline
Synopsis: a retelling of four Greek myths, but changing the focus to feature the women in the stories: The Trojan War, The Royal House of Thebes, Jason and the Argonauts, and Heracles.
Pleasantville #2 Porter by Attica Locke
Genre: Legal Drama
Published 2015, 448 pages
Discovered: went looking for next in series
Synopsis: with his personal life and firm in crisis, Porter becomes enmeshed in shadowy politics and ends up as defense attorney in his first ever murder trial.
Finding Me by Viola Davis
Genre: Autobiography
Published 2022, 304 pages
Discovered: it's EVERYWHERE but Noelle YT channel convinced me to try audio
Synopsis: the Davis autobiography from childhood through her career
**ED: Reviewed here 9/26/22
Omens #1 Cainsville by Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Fantasy
Published 2013, 407 pages
Discovered: went looking for more from this author; this is first in Cainsville series
Synopsis: 24 year old woman raised by prominent Chicago family discovers she was adopted and her birth parents are serial kills currently in prison. As she delves into her/their past, some paranormal comes into play.
Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola
Genre: Chick Lit (RomCom)
Published July 2022, 368 pages
Discovered: Reese Bookclub pick for July
** see my complete list of her picks, Oprah's picks and recently added GMA picks above in the Reading List Tab
Synopsis: a fun college love story that also manages to seamlessly include serious themes like race, identity, self agency, and personal growth.
WAIT - there's MORE! Top 10 Tuesday had another deadly theme: most anticipated new releases for 2nd half of the year - sheesh, so MANY good books; here are a few I couldn't resist.
A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publish date July 5, 2022, 352 pages
Discovered: from Top Ten Tuesday Introverted Reader blog
Synopsis: the fictionalized story of iconic fashion designer in the early 1900s, Lucy Duff-Gordon. Evocatively written, scrupulously researched, it's the story of the end of her first marriage, leaving her in poverty, her work to become recognized in a male dominated industry, her survival of the Titanic. Sounds epic!
Babel by R. F. Kuang
Genre: Fantasy
Publish date August 2022, 560 pages
Discovered: from Top Ten Tuesday Kait Plus Books blog
Synopsis: a Chinese orphan is brought to London and tutored in languages so he can get into Oxford, the college of translations (Babel). As his studies progress, he is caught between loyalty to Babel and an organization against British imperialism. Can he fight from within?
Wild Prey #2 by Brian Klingborg
Genre: Mystery
Published May 2022, 304 pages
Discovered: from Top Ten Tuesday, Greg at Book Haven
Synopsis: a police procedural set in rural China as the inspector tries to break an exotic animal trafficking ring.
The Winners #3 Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publish date Sept. 27, 2022; 688 pages
Discovered: from Top Ten Tuesday, Dedra at A Book Wanderer
Synopsis: the conclusion to the Beartown trilogy and by Backman is all I need to know. Though it is a LONG one. I'm there for it.
Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger
Genre: Thriller
Publish date Nov. 8, 2022; 352 pages
Discovered: from Top Ten Tuesday, Charlotte at Thinking Bookish Thoughts
Synopsis: six friends plan a get away in a luxury cabin and the trip turns into a nightmare as a storm isolates them and they start to wonder who they REALLY trust. A classic 'closed room' mystery.
I usually publish TBR list additions at the end of each month but this one exploded so quickly this month that I just HAVE to break it here at 24 - yep, count 'em 24 books. Oh my. And yet I want to read every stinking one of them!!
I know some of you can relate. Any of these on YOUR TBR? Leave me a quick comment and let me know how your TBR is looking so far this year.
