Tag Archives: tbr

16 Books I Want to Read in 2016

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A new year means a time to make resolutions, and for us book lovers, some of those may be bookish resolutions. For me, my TBR pile is beginning to get out of control, so I would like to make a good dent in it this year. There are also many specific books that I am particularly interested to get to, either because they’ve been in my pile for ages or because I intended to read them last year and never got a chance. For these reasons, I’ve decided to make specific lists of both standalones and series that I want to get to in 2016.

I am determined to get to most if not all of these books that I’m listing, so I definitely plan on checking back periodically throughout the year to see what I’ve completed. Essentially, these are my 2016 book bucket lists! I’ve already written a post about series and trilogies that I plan on starting this year, so I’ll keep this list mainly to standalones that I would like read (with a few exceptions). If you want to check out my series and trilogies TBR, click here!

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1. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – My goal is really to read the rest of Gillian Flynn’s books this year (so Sharp Objects as well), but I figured I’d just include one in this list. This is on my January TBR, so I’m hoping that it will be one of my first reads of the year. I can’t wait to dive into another one of her novels, even though I’m going to be sad when I run out of books!

2. More Than This by Patrick Ness – I read A Monster Calls about a year and a half ago now, and it is absolutely insane that I have not read anything else by Patrick Ness yet. On top of starting the Chaos Walking trilogy, I would also really like to read this novel. Patrick Ness’s writing is beautiful and some of the best that I have ever read, so I am incredibly eager to experience more of it.

3. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell – Though I own three, I have not yet read a Rainbow Rowell book. Now, contemporary romance type stories are not usually my thing, but I have heard such fantastic things about her work that I really want to give it a try. The plots for many of her novels also sound more like something I would enjoy than a lot of books usually found in the same genre. I would also like to read Fangirl this year, but I have decided to start out with Carry On, mainly because it sounds the most appealing out of all of her novels to me.

4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – I have been dying to read this book for a long time, and it has been sitting on my shelf for ages. I am so eager to experience all the epic nerdiness that is this book! Also, I purchased a copy of this for my dad for Christmas, so I’m hoping that we can read it together some time during the year.

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5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien – This was one of the books on my “Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read” list from last year. Embarrassingly enough, I have never read any Tolkien novels; I’ve not even seen any of The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit films. This totally hurts my film nerd, book nerd, and general nerd status! I’m planning to finally watch the films this year and, in terms of the novels, I would at least like to start out by reading this one before the end of 2016.

6. Alice by Christina Henry – I purchased a copy of this with a gift card from Christmas and I absolutely can’t wait to read it! If you’ve read my other posts, I’m sure you are already aware of my obsession with retellings/reimaginings. Take that and make it into a dark retelling and add a morally ambiguous villain? Yes please! I’ve already added it to my January TBR, so I’m planning for it to be one of my next reads.

7. This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee – Speaking of retellings, here’s another one! I saw a few reviews for this while browsing blogs and it sounded like my kind of story, so I recently picked up a copy. This book seems particularly interesting because it includes the actual publication of the story that it is a reimagining of (Frankenstein) as a plot point, something that I’ve never personally seen this type of novel do before. I have not heard all that much about it, but everything that I have heard has been very positive, so I’m interested in giving it a try.

8. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – This was the top book on my “Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read” list. The film version of Rebecca is one of my favorite films of all time. I absolutely adore this story, but incredibly enough, I’ve never actually gotten around to reading the novel. I definitely want to fix that this year; I know that I am going to love reading this and experience the story again in a whole new way. And I’ll definitely be using this as an excuse to re-watch the movie for the millionth time!

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9. Wool by Hugh Howey – This is one of the exceptions to my list of standalones because it is the first book in a trilogy. My dad got me a copy of this for Christmas, so I didn’t have it yet when I made my series and trilogies list. I must admit, the main thing that originally attracted me to this novel is the fact that it sounds a lot like one of my favorite series of games, the Fallout series. I’ve also heard nothing but fantastic things about this book and the entire trilogy as a whole, so I am very eager to get into this one.

10. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab – This is another exception to the standalone list because it is the only book out so far (though not for long) in the series. Since Vicious ended up being my favorite book of 2015, I am now on a quest to consume every Victoria Schwab book in existence. I hoping to read the sequel, A Gathering of Shadows, this year as well, so I may go ahead and marathon the two after that is released.

11. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes – This is yet another book that was on my “Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read” list. It was always in the list of options for summer reading when I was in school, but I never got around to choosing it. I’ve wanted to read this for ages, so I think it’s about time that I do!

12. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman – Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors of all time, yet I still have a couple of books of his sitting on TBR. I have also not read a novel by him in over a year, something that needs to be fixed at once! This definitely sounds like it is going to be a great one. I am hoping that I can get around to reading The Graveyard Book this year as well, but Neverwhere is my top priority at the moment. 

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13. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck – Again, another book that was on my “Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read” list. This is also another book I feel like I should have read in school but never did. We actually never ended up reading any Steinbeck at all in school, which, as an avid writer and reader, I definitely need to rectify. My dad, who is a big Steinbeck fan, got a copy of this for me for my birthday, so I really want to give it a read sometime soon.

14. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – This is another exception to the standalones because, as of right now, this is meant to be a duology. I picked up a copy of this right after it was released last year but I never had an opportunity to read it. This sounds like it is going to be a fantastic read; the plot definitely seems right up my alley. I’m hoping to get to this one relatively early on this year because I am far too excited about it to wait any longer!

15. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin – I’ve mentioned many times before that I have been experiencing a massive Game of Thrones addiction these past few months since I started watching the show. Because of this, I have been desperately wanting to read any and all books even remotely related to the series. And, excitingly, I ended up getting a copy of this one for Christmas! I have the main series of novels on my series and trilogies TBR, so I definitely needed to add this one on here.

16. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee – Last but not least, I think that I finally need to give this one a go. I sort of ended up chickening out of it last year. As I’ve said before, I’m sure there is a good chance that it will turn out to be a lot better than I think it is going to be, and I really do want to read it. As long as I keep in mind that this is a first draft of To Kill A Mockingbird and not a sequel, I’m sure I will end up enjoying it.

What are some of the books on your TBR that you particularly want to get to in 2016? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

-Ariana

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January 2016 TBR

Posted in Wrap Ups And TBRs by

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Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic end of 2015 and are having a wonderful start to 2016. It’s time to create the first TBR of the new year, and I am excited to get going on a new reading challenge! This year, I have some standalones and series that I am particularly determined to read, so I’m creating some bookish resolutions lists for myself. I have already posted my series/trilogies TBR (click here to check it out!) and I’ll be posting my standalone list sometime in the next day or so.

I am going to try to read at least one or two books from each list every month, so with those lists in mind, I created my (somewhat tentative) TBR. I am attempting to pull myself out of a slight reading slump, so I don’t want to make a TBR that is too overly ambitious. Many of these are roll overs from other months, so I apologize for the repetitiveness! I probably won’t be able to get to all of these, but they all sound fantastic so I think any of these reads will be a great way to start off 2016!

January TBR

1. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

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This is one of my most anticipated releases of 2016, and it’s coming out in three days! I am so eager to get my hands on this one, and I am definitely hoping to read it before this month is out. There’s no way I can possibly resist any book about time travel!

2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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This one is rolling over from last month’s TBR. Cinder was one of my favorite reads last year, but I never managed to get around to continuing on with the series before the end of the year. Now that the main books are all out, and with Stars Above coming soon, I really need to finish the rest of these novels. I am completely adoring these stories and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

3. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

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I meant to read this back in October and never got a chance to. And now, with the movie coming out this year, it’s become a top priority on my reading list. In fact, I am hoping to read the entire trilogy this year, so I definitely want to get going on it.

4. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

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This is another one rolling over from last month’s TBR. Once again, I must continue my quest to read every word ever written by Gillian Flynn. I am trying to pace myself, since there are only two novels left to read, but I can’t wait any longer. I have to read this one soon!

5. Alice by Christina Henry

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I blame Heather for this one! She’s gotten me so excited to read this book that I had to include it in my TBR for the month. I have not heard too much about this one, but what I have heard has been spectacular. From what I gather, it’s a very dark reimagining of Alice in Wonderland with a morally ambiguous villain. I think this book was written for me! 🙂

I am also hoping to start reading a few stories out of The Return of Sherlock Holmes over the course of the month.

Read in December

I had a rather unexpectedly slow reading month and, embarrassingly enough, only actually fully completed one book. However, that one book was absolutely incredible; it was definitely my favorite read of the year! And the second book that I started this month is shaping up to be another new favorite of mine as well.

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1. Vicious by V.E. Schwab – I read this in an incredibly fun buddy read with Heather from The Sassy Book Geek and absolutely fell in love with it. The writing, the plot, the characters, everything about this book was wonderful. As I said, this ended up being my favorite novel of the year, and having someone to read and discuss it with made it even more enjoyable. I’m so excited that I finally got a chance to read this book; I can’t believe it took me so long to get around to it! Click here to read my review!

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – I started this toward the end of the month and I’m only just under halfway through it now, so this will technically be one of my first completed books of January. As expected, I am absolutely loving this novel so far, and I am incredibly eager to continue on and finish off the rest of it. This is another novel I’m so glad I’m finally reading, and I can’t believe I didn’t read this sooner!

December Book Haul

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  1. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin
  2. Wool by Hugh Howey
  3. Alice by Christina Henry
  4. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
  5. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
  6. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (Pre-order)

What books are you guys planning on reading to start off the year? Did you get any books or bookish gifts over the holidays? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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Top 5 Wednesday – December 23rd, 2015

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Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Gingerreadslainey. Every week, book reviewers all over the world are given a bookish topic and respond with their top 5 books (or elements of books) that relate to that topic. Click here for the Goodreads group if you would like to learn more about Top 5 Wednesday and join in!

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is the top five series you want to start next year. I have only recently realized just how massive my series/trilogies TBR is. I tend to read a lot of standalone novels, and I have not actually completed all that many series or trilogies in my lifetime so far. But this shall no longer be the case! I am hereby declaring 2016 the year of series reading!

Because my TBR is so long, I decided to do a bit of a twist on today’s topic. Since it was impossible to narrow things down enough, I essentially decided I should make two different top five lists: one of the top five series and one of the top five trilogies I want to read during the course of 2016!

Series

Most of these are series that I intended to read in 2015 and never got around to starting (yes, I did indeed fail quite epically!).

5. The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima

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4. The Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

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3. The Raven Cycle Quartet by Maggie Stiefvater

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2. The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

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1. The A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R.R. Martin

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Trilogies

Again, many of these are trilogies I wanted to, and subsequently failed to get started on in 2015. I am determined to get going on, if not to finish, a good amount of these trilogies in the new year.

5. The Darkest Minds Trilogy by Alexandra Bracken

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4. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor

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3. The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

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2. The Shattered Sea Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

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1. The Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children Trilogy by Ransom Riggs

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Honorable Mention: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien

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This is an honorable mention because I am not sure that I will be able to make it to this trilogy before the end of the year. I do intend to read The Hobbit in 2016, and to at least finally begin watching the movies. I am hoping, though, that I will be able to make it through at least The Fellowship of the Ring!

What series are you guys planning to read in 2016? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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Top 10 Tuesday – December 22nd, 2015

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Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is the top ten books you wouldn’t mind Santa leaving under your tree this year. As I’m getting older, I’m finding it harder and harder to think up a general wish list for myself for gift giving occasions. There really aren’t many things that I want or feel that I need at the moment, and I much prefer giving gifts. However, like many other book lovers I’m sure, whenever anyone asks me what I want for Christmas, the only things I can think of are books. I can never have too many books (though my room begs to differ…)! In fact, what I would really like the most would be a tree that just grows all the books I want to read!

Since that is sadly not going to happen, here are ten of the books I would most like to see under the Christmas tree this year! 😀

  1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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  1. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin

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  1. Soulless by Gail Carriger

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  1. Alice by Christina Henry

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  1. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

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  1. The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove

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  1. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

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  1. The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld

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  1. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

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  1. Wool by Hugh Howey

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Sorry for the short post today; it has been a bit of a difficult and emotional day. What books are currently on your wish list? Please let me know in the comments! 🙂

-Ariana

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December 2015 TBR

Posted in Wrap Ups And TBRs by

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Happy December, everyone! If you celebrated Thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful holiday, and if not, then a wonderful end of November. 🙂 I just finished up a lovely week spending time with my family (and baking tons of cookies!), and I’m ready to get back into the swing of things here on my blog.

December is shaping up to be the month of reading books I planned to read earlier this year but haven’t gotten around to yet. Many of these have already appeared on previous TBRs, so I think most won’t come as a surprise. The first four in particular are ones that I am absolutely determined to read before the year is out, and if I don’t, you all have permission to yell at me in the comments on my December wrap-up!

December TBR

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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The time is finally here! I will, without fail, be reading The Book Thief this month. I am a million years late with this, but I am so excited to finally have the chance to read it. I am ready for all the sadness and awesomeness that are bound to come out of this novel! I’ll probably be saving this until later in the month, but it is definitely my most anticipated read.

2. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

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This is another one I’ve had on my shelves (and my TBRs) for a long time now, and it’s about time I get to it! I have heard nothing but incredible things about this novel and it has been recommended to me countless times. This is totally my kind of story, so I’m incredibly eager to dive into it and see what all the hype is about!

3. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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Okay, I have absolutely no excuse for this one. I have been meaning to read this all year, and yet here we are in December and it is still on my TBR. I will definitely finish this by the end of the month. I need to continue on and complete this series; I have to know what happens next!

4. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

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I am absolutely dying to read some more of Gillian Flynn’s work, and I just picked up a copy of this short story. Since December is pretty hectic, this is absolutely perfect to tide me over until I have a chance to read another one of her full novels. This story sounds absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to get started on it.

December is a fairly busy month for me, so I am trying to keep my TBR fairly small. However, these next two books are ones that I would like to get to if I have extra reading time this month. If I can’t, they will roll over to my January TBR!

5. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

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6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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Read in November

I have been in a bit of a reading slump for a few months now, but I am finally beginning to emerge from it! 🙂 Because of this, I plan on starting to do more thorough monthly wrap-ups in the new year. For now, here is a brief one for this past month!

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  1. The Map by William Ritter
  2. The Marvels by Brian Selznick (review)
  3. Saga: Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
  4. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (review coming soon)

November Book Haul

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  1. Binge by Tyler Oakley
  2. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
  3. The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror by Joyce Carol Oates (Review Copy)
  4. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
  5. This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee
  6. To Kill a Mockingbird (Leather bound Edition) by Harper Lee
  7. Winter by Marissa Meyer

What are you guys planning on reading this month? What was your favorite book you read in November? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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Top 10 Tuesday – November 10th, 2015

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toptentuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday list. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

First of all, I would like to start out by thanking everyone who has been liking and commenting on my posts and following my blog these past few months. I have just passed 100 followers this week and I am completely astonished, and thankful for each and every one of you! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit and read my posts. In just a short period of time, I have already met so many incredible and lovely people to nerd out about books with! You are all absolutely fantastic and amazing and awesome! 🙂 ❤

Now, time for today’s list! This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic combines two of my greatest passions: books and film! The topic is the top ten book to movie adaptations you’re looking forward to or the top ten book to movie adaptations you still need to watch. The two things that I am worst at keeping up with are my “to be read” list and my “to be watched” list! So even though I have a number of upcoming book to movie adaptations that I am looking forward to, I thought I should do something a little different for my list today.

I ended up choosing five book to movie adaptations I still need to watch and five book to movie adaptations where I have watched the film but still have to read the book. So without further ado, I will take myself on a little TBR and TBW guilt trip!

Click on the pictures for links to either the IMDb or Goodreads pages.

Top 10 Book To Movie Adaptations I Still Need To Watch

1. Gone Girl

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If you’ve read any of my other posts I’m sure you know that I almost always manage to mention this book somehow! This has become one of my favorite novels and I can’t believe I haven’t watched this yet. It’s at the top of my to be watched list for sure.

2. Mockingjay (Part One)

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This is another one I can’t believe I haven’t gotten around to watching yet, since this is one of my favorite book and film series of all time. I definitely need to get caught up before the last one comes out (which could also technically be on this list, but I have a much better excuse for not having seen that one!).

3. The Martian

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Now, I’ve not actually read this book yet but I desperately want to, and I really want to see the film as well. I’ve been hearing nothing but fantastic things about both, and I am so eager to see what I think of this story.

4. Divergent

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I read Divergent last year and loved it, but I missed it when it was in theaters and I’ve still not yet had a chance to sit down and watch it. I also have not yet seen Insurgent, but I figured I would list this one since it’s the first. I definitely plan on watching both and catching up pretty soon.

5. Hugo

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I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret last year and absolutely loved it. I have never seen the film Hugo and I didn’t know much about it, so it took me far too long to figure out that this was related to the book! I’ve heard great things about this movie, so I’m interested to see what it’s like.

Top 10 Book To Movie Adaptations I’ve Seen But Still Need To Read

1. The Book Thief

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I went to see this with my best friend back when it first came out and completely adored it; this is an utterly incredible and beautiful film. I have already mentioned many times my intense book guilt over not having read this yet, and I do also feel pretty guilty for having watched the movie first. But I will read this soon, I promise!

2. The Hundred-Foot Journey

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I went to see The Hundred-Foot Journey when it was in theaters, and it was magnificent; one of the best films I saw last year. I actually didn’t realize that it was a novel until afterward, and I was extremely excited to find that out. I cannot wait to read this and experience the story all over again. And if you have not seen this film yet, I would very highly recommend it!

3. Rebecca

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This movie. Oh my goodness, this movie! One of my favorites of all time. I cannot even count the amount of times I have watched this, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s taken me far too long, but I’ve finally picked up a copy of this novel, and I definitely intend to read it some time next year.

4. Misery

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Misery is my favorite Stephen King film adaptation and one of my favorite films in general. I saw this for the first time many years ago and yet I have still not read the book! This is the novel that my dad, a massive Stephen King fan, is always recommending to me, and it will definitely be my next Stephen King read.

5. A Tale of Two Cities

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I have a major dilemma with Charles Dickens: I love his stories but do not enjoy reading them. I think this film (specifically the Ronald Colman version) is fantastic, and I feel the same of every adaptation I have seen of his other works, such as A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations; they are some of my favorite films/stories. Now, I will admit, it has been quite a few years since I last read one of his novels, so I do intend to give this and some of his other novels and short stories another try at some point. I am hoping now that I’m older and my reading taste has matured, I will find it easier to get through his work.

There you have it! I am definitely feeling the book/film guilt! What book to movie adaptations do you still need to watch? Which ones have you seen but not read? Are there any new ones you are particularly looking forward to in the coming year? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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Top 10 Tuesday – November 3rd, 2015

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toptentuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s time for the first Top 10 Tuesday list of November. This is an original weekly blog meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, there is a new bookish topic for bloggers to create a list about. If you want to know more about Top 10 Tuesday, click here!

This week’s Top 10 Tuesday topic is either the top ten debut authors who have you looking forward to their sophomore novel, or the top ten sophomore novels that you loved just as much if not more than the author’s debut. I have had to put my own little spin on this topic because I actually have not read many debut authors recently. I have a sizeable number of 2014 and 2015 debuts on my TBR, but I’ve only gotten to a few thus far. However, in the past year or so, I have also discovered a lot of new to me authors whose debuts are the only works I have read by them.

So for today’s list, I’m going to list the top seven authors who are either recent debut authors I’m anticipating the sophomore novel of, or authors with already published sophomore novels that I am dying to read. The final three will be authors I’ve read whose sophomore novels I think are as good or even better than their debuts.

Now that we are all sufficiently confused, let’s jump straight into these lists! 🙂

Authors Whose Sophomore Novels I’m Dying to Read

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1. Amy Zhang – Falling into Place

Amy Zhang is a 2014 debut author. I read this novel at the end of last year and was extremely impressed by it. Not only was it a very well told and skillfully constructed story, but I was also stunned to find out that this was written by a teenager! Her next novel is coming out in March and I am very interested to read more of her work.

2. William Ritter – Jackaby

Jackaby is a 2014 debut novel and I read it back at the beginning of this year. It is one of my favorite novels I have read in 2015 so far, and I’ve been very much anticipating the sequel, Beastly Bones, which was just recently released. It is definitely going to be one of my next reads.

3. Shannon Lee Alexander – Love and Other Unknown Variables

This is a 2014 debut novel that I read late last year and completely fell in love with. It took me by surprise because it is not the type of novel that I would generally enjoy, or even think to give a try to be honest. But it was fantastic and I loved Shannon Lee Alexander’s writing and storytelling style. I’m not sure if there is a sophomore novel in the works, but I certainly hope there is.

4. Allie Brosh – Hyperbole and a Half

I read this last year and absolutely loved it; this is one of the funniest books I have ever read. There is supposedly a second novel coming out (Solutions and Other Problems), but the date keeps getting pushed back, so I’m not sure if or when it is coming. At least I still have her blog to tide me over!

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5. Victoria Aveyard – Red Queen

I feel like I have been talking about Red Queen and Victoria Aveyard a lot lately; and I know that is strange because I was not all that thrilled with the novel. However, I am still eager to read more of Victoria Aveyard’s work, because I thought her writing style was excellent. I’m still trying to decide if I will be reading the next novel in the series, Glass Sword, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be giving it a try at some point.

6. Marissa Meyer – Cinder

Marissa Meyer is not a recent debut author; Cinder came out in 2012. However, I just discovered her last year, and began The Lunar Chronicles at the beginning of this year. So far, I have only read this first novel, but I adored it and I cannot wait to continue on with the rest of the books (something I will be doing quite soon!).

7. Marie Lu – Legend

Marie Lu is another author whose first book is not a recent release, but so far I have only read her debut novel, Legend, after discovering it last year. I was hooked immediately and I soon got a box set of the entire trilogy. I need to get to the next book as soon as possible; I am dying to see what happens in the final two novels!

Sophomore Novels That Are As Good Or Better Than Debuts

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1. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

This entire series is (obviously) absolutely fantastic all the way through. The Chamber of Secrets just so happens to be not only one of my favorite books ever, but my favorite of the series; it definitely had to make this list!

2. Suzanne Collins – Catching Fire

This is by far my favorite dystopian trilogy that I have ever read, and I’ve always found it incredibly hard to pick which of the novels is my favorite. Catching Fire was incredible, and is at the very least just as good as The Hunger Games. However, this may potentially be my favorite of the series; it’s just so hard to choose!

3. Brian Selznick – Wonderstruck

This is Brian Selznick’s second full novel and it is equally as good as his first, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. In fact, all three of his novels are absolutely spectacular; each one is a beautiful work of art. He is a very talented writer and artist, and easily makes this list!

Let me know in the comments which debut authors you’ve been enjoying this year and which sophomore novels you are dying to get your hands on!

-Ariana

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November 2015 TBR

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Happy November, everybody!

I absolutely cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by! Sadly, my favorite month of the year has drawn to a close, but these next few months are just as exciting. First of all, we start the build up to the holiday season. I sing in a church choir, so we spend the next two months singing all of my favorite music of the choral season.

November, as I’m sure you all know, is also the start of NaNoWriMo. This is my sixth year doing it, but will be my first year trying to do it while also blogging, so it’ll be interesting to see how this all goes. NaNoWriMo is one of my favorite parts of every year, and I can’t wait to get started on my new novel!

As far as a TBR, I still have a few books from my previous ones that I would like to work on. However, my reading mood has definitely changed a bit, and there are a couple of books that I also need to read and review this month. As always, a TBR for me is more of a helpful suggestion than something set in stone that I really stick to. It works nicely for prioritizing my entirely too massive pile of unread books. So here are some of the books that I am most eager to read/need to get to in the coming weeks!

November TBR:

1. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

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I still have yet to read anything by Brandon Sanderson, though the Mistborn trilogy is high on my priority list. Since I have so many books to read right now, I think I would rather hold off on The Final Empire for a little while longer until I get through some of them. However, this novel is a much more manageable size for me currently. I am also just generally very intrigued by the premise of this novel, so I’m eager to see what it’s all about.

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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This is one of my most anticipated books of the year and I finally have it in my possession! I have been hearing such amazing things about this novel, which has just been making me more enthusiastic about reading it. And may I just say, the book itself is absolutely beautiful!

3. Beastly Bones by William Ritter

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I read the first book in this series, Jackaby, at the beginning of the year and absolutely loved it! So of course, as soon as I finished, I put this on preorder right away. I’m excited to see where these stories go and to get back into the world of these lovable characters. It should be a fun, quick read and I am definitely hoping to get to this very soon.

Click here to check out my review of Jackaby!

4. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

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This is a book I just discovered this year and have heard nothing but wonderful things about. I got it out of the library a few months back, but didn’t have enough time to get to it. So I recently picked up a copy and I’m definitely hoping to finally get to it this month. It sounds like it will be a sad but extremely good read, and I can’t wait to see what I think of it.

5. Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

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This will most likely be my first read of the month. I honestly can’t believe that I haven’t gotten around to this yet. It has been out for at least a month and a half now and I still need to read it. I’ve had it on hold at the library for quite a while and it’s finally available for me to check out, so I’ll probably be getting to this in the next day or so. I’m so excited to see what happens next!

6-8. Doctor Who: Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale, Doctor Who: Death Riders by Justin Richards, and Doctor Who: System Wipe by Oli Smith

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These are all books that I have recently gotten through Netgalley, so I would like to get them all read and reviewed by the end of the month. I’d particularly like to get those last two done because they come out toward the second half of November. They should all be quick and entertaining reads, and I’m always up for anything Doctor Who related!

Here are some of the books that I have acquired over the last few months as well as my most anticipated releases of November!

September/October Book Haul:

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1. Beastly Bones by William Ritter
2. The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster
3. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
4. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

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5. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
6. Doctor Who: Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale
7. Doctor Who: Death Riders by Justin Richards
8. Doctor Who: System Wipe by Oli Smith

Anticipated Releases of November:

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1. Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairy Tales by Justin Richards (November 3rd)
2. Winter by Marissa Meyer (November 10th)
3. Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio (November 24th)

What are you guys planning on reading this month? What new releases are you most looking forward to? Are any of you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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The TBR Book Tag

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I was tagged by the lovely Zezee over at Zezee with Books. Thank you so much for tagging me! You should all go head over and check out her fantastic blog if you haven’t already.

This is the perfect tag for me to do! My TBR is massive and always growing, especially since I have now started blogging. I’m always discovering new novels through my reader friends and other book bloggers, so I’m constantly adding to it, both on Goodreads and to my physical library. There is no way I’ll always be able to pick just one book for each of these questions!

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

Goodreads is my main method of keeping track of my TBR pile. Not only do I add all the books that have piqued my interest but I also devote a whole shelf to all the books that I actually own. On top of that, I have one shelf to compile the books that I want to get to the soonest and another to list books that I want to review here on my blog. Amazon is another place that I use to keep track of some of my TBR, but only the books that I am most eager to add to my collection.

Is your TBR mostly print or e-book?

My TBR is mostly print books. Though e-books are growing on me and I do see the convenience of them, nothing can compare to holding a physical book; that’s one of the best parts of the reading experience in my opinion. I also love the idea of having a collection of books to fill the shelves of my own personal library. So, though I continue to occasionally expand my e-book library, I still purchase actual physical copies of the majority of my books.

How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?

Like many, I am most definitely a mood reader. I tend to have a list of a number of books that I am more eager to get to than others, but I find that I cannot create too much of a strict TBR for myself. It is impossible for me to force myself to read something if I’m not in the mood for that type of story. However, sometimes it has to do with the time of year as well. Certain seasons or holidays tend to change my mood. For instance, I tend to read darker and spookier books in the fall, around Halloween, and lighter books in the summer.

A book that’s been on your TBR the longest?

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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini – This is the first book that I ever added to my TBR on Goodreads. I love Khaled Hosseini’s work so naturally, I added this back when it first came out; unfortunately, I have not yet had a chance to get to it. This is a book I hope to read very soon.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin – This is probably one of the books that has been both on my Goodreads TBR and in my actual physical TBR pile the longest. I got this back when it first came out, but never got around to reading it. I’ve been putting it off even more lately because of the mixed reviews I have heard about the trilogy as a whole. Nevertheless, I do intend to get to it sometime soon.

A book you recently added to your TBR?

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Time at the Top by Edward Ormondroyd – This is a book that my mom absolutely loves and has wanted me to read for years, so I’ve finally added it to my TBR. I’ll definitely be giving this a try soon.

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee – I just discovered this novel a couple weeks ago. I’ve been seeing it on a number of blogs that I read, and so far I’ve only seen positive reviews. It sounds like something that would be right up my alley, so I’m really looking forward to reading it.

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn – I actually found this from a random ad on Goodreads. It popped up on my homepage one day and when I looked into it, the synopsis sounded pretty intriguing. I’ve seen a lot of good reviews for it as well, so I’m very interested to see what I think.

Soulless by Gail Carriger – This is a novel that I have been seeing at the bookstore for years but keep passing by. Between the rave reviews I have read on blogs and heard on Booktube, I figured I should finally give this book a read!

A book on your TBR strictly because of its beautiful cover?

I do not have any books on my TBR that are on there solely because they have a beautiful cover. However, I do have a lot of books that I absolutely adore the covers of, so I picked out a few of my favorite ones. These are all books whose covers are the main thing that drew me to them in the first place.

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The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

A book on your TBR that you never plan on reading?

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Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard – This is a book that I got a copy of a while back when I first started watching the television show. However, I stopped watching the show around season 3 and since then have sort of lost interest in this book. This is by no means a book that I definitely never plan on reading; I don’t think I have any books on my TBR I could say that about. But it is very low priority on my reading list, and there is a chance that I may never pick it up.

An unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited for?

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Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh – I read and fell in love with her first book, Hyperbole and a Half, (and subsequently the blog of the same name) early last year, and I am absolutely dying to get my hands on this. I have had this preordered for ages now, and I am incredibly sad that the release date got pushed from the end of this year until next April. I can’t wait that long!

Winter by Marissa Meyer – If you have read the many posts where I babble on about my love for Marissa Meyer and The Lunar Chronicles, then this should come as no surprise. This is one of my most anticipated novels of the year!

A book on your TBR that everyone has read but you?

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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – As I’ve said before, I am pretty sure I am one of the only people on the planet who has not read this book yet. I keep meaning to do so and then I end up putting it off. But no more! I am determined to get to this book before the end of the year.

A book on your TBR that everyone recommends to you?

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Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs – Not only do I constantly read and hear good reviews of this book on blogs and Booktube, but a number of my friends and family members keep recommending this to me. In particular, my best friend and my mom have both been telling me to read this for years! This is another book I hope to finish before the end of the year.

A book on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

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Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – Again, if you are a veteran of my blog posts, you will already expect this to be on here. I have quickly become a massive Gillian Flynn fan this year; so obviously, I must read all the books!

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – This is another book that I have been hearing nothing but wonderful things about. I picked this up right when it first came out and I’ve been waiting for a good time to read it. I’m really in the mood for a funny book right now, so I will be reading this quite soon.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – This is one of the most recent additions to my TBR, and I am so excited about it. It sounded fantastic to begin with, but I’m even more eager to read it after seeing all the amazing reviews that have been pouring in.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab – It’s a book about supervillains—need I say more? I finally have a copy and I cannot wait to get to it. Hopefully, this will be one of my next reads.

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie- This is another one of my most recent purchases. I saw that a few friends of mine on Goodreads were reading this and decided to check it out. Not only does the plot sound like something I’ll love, but I’ve also read an excerpt from it and the writing is absolutely gorgeous!

How many books are in your Goodreads TBR shelf?

There are 545 books on my Goodreads TBR shelf. *Smiles and shuffles away awkwardly*

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I Tag:

Giselle @ Hardwork Boulevard

Jessica @ Mud and Stars

Nora @ Always Keep Reading

T.K. @ Read it or Not Reviews

Anna @ My Bookish Dream

Marian @ Bookception21

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October 2015 TBR

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Yet another month has flown by!

Between the cooling weather, beautiful changing leaves, warm sweaters and boots, and pumpkins galore, October is my favorite month of the entire year. It is also the perfect time to curl up with a good (preferably dark or spooky) book. Fall always makes me feel particularly inspired to both read and work on my own writing; I get some of my best work done in these cooler months.

Since I am very much a mood reader, I find that I can never follow an exact reading list for a long period of time. For me, a TBR ends up being more of a guideline than something set in stone; a record of titles to help me prioritize my insanely massive collection of unread books.

I am still planning on finishing up a few that I did not get to last month, so I definitely will not be able to get to everything on this list. But these are the books that I am currently most eager to get to and/or really feeling in the mood to read, and I’m hoping to get to quite a few of them.

On a brief side note, I did not feel like I had enough to say in a wrap up this past month, so I plan on doing a dual one at the end of October!

  1. The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster

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This is the book that I am currently reading, so it will be my first read of the month. I was sent this book for review, and so far I’ve really been enjoying it. I plan on finishing it up in the next couple of days, and there will be a review going up on here very soon after!

  1. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

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This is a high priority read on my TBR for the month. I picked this book up and started it right when it was first released back in May. However, I ended up getting sidetracked with other books that I had either already started or was particularly excited to get to, so I ended up putting it aside for a while. Before that, I was really enjoying the story, so I would very much like to finish it up sometime this month.

  1. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

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I find that, during the fall and winter, I tend to be particularly in the mood to read a good fantasy novel, as well as some lengthier books. This definitely falls into both of those categories. I have completely fallen in love with the television show over the past few months, and that has made me very motivated to read the actual novels themselves. So, between that and the weather, I am finally read to brave these 800+ pages! Or at least get started on them…

  1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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The Throne of Glass series is a series that I absolutely need to get started on! I’ve had this book for about a year now and I still have yet to get going on it. As I said, I’m definitely in the mood to read some fantasy right now, and this seems like it will be exactly what I am looking for. I have heard some mixed reviews about this first book, but overall positive thoughts about the series (so far) as a whole, so I am really hoping that I will enjoy these novels.

  1. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

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For as long as I can remember, I have always loved a good retelling. The Wrath and the Dawn sounds as if it will be exactly that. I must admit I was a bit on the fence about it at first because, though retellings are wonderful, there have been a lot releasing lately and I’m finding that some of them are become too repetitive or generic. This one, however, I keep seeing and hearing almost solely positive reviews about, so I’m actually really looking forward to it, and I believe it will have that dark tone that I’m in the mood for this month.

  1. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

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Vicious has been a high priority book for me ever since I first discovered it earlier this year, and it was at the top of my Fall TBR list. Nevertheless, somehow, I still have not yet gotten around to it. I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book and Victoria Schwab’s work in general, and I am absolutely determined to read this novel by the end of the month!

  1. The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero

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This is a book that I have not heard much of anything about. I found it at the bookstore a few months back and the cover caught my eye instantly; it has a creepy, gothic type art style, which I love. As soon as I read the description, I thought it sounded like the kind of story I would enjoy, so I grabbed a copy, but I’ve been putting it off to use as an October/Halloween read. I’m definitely looking forward to finally getting to this novel and seeing what it’s all about.

  1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

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This is another book that I purchased a copy of a long time ago and have been saving to use as an October/Halloween read. I am a massive fan of Neil Gaiman; he is one of my all-time favorite authors and a huge inspiration to me in my own writing. This is one of the few novels by him that I have not read yet, and I am very eager to get into it. I know that I will love it and it will fit the season perfectly!

My Most Anticipated Releases of October:

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  1. Binge by Tyler Oakely
  1. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
  1. Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken
  1. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
  1. The Amazing Book is Not on Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester

What’s on your TBR for October, and what are you most looking forward to reading this month? Let me know in the comments!

-Ariana

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