These are just some of the books that were published in 2020 that have some of the most beautiful covers. I think we can all relate to the fact that some covers are just so beautiful that no matter what the book is about, we just need to own them. These were some of those covers for me.
The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
So here we go!
What are you currently reading?
Ship of Destiny- Robin Hobb
This is the third book in The Liveship Traders series, so I’m not going to go into what exactly this one is about, because spoilers?
Basically this series is about magical ships that come to life after three generations of a family have died on its decks. In this book, we follow the Vestrit family, a family of Liveship Traders, and their ship, the newly quickened Vivacia. I love this series and I’m so excited to finally read the conclusion to it.
What have you just finished reading?
Stamped From the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America- Ibram X. Kendi
Nonfiction book about the history of racist ideas in the United States. This was very eye opening and interesting and I think that it should be read by everyone.
The First Sister- Linden A Lewis
This one was so good. It was a diverse mix of Star Trek-esque space ships and The Handmaid’s Tale. I love this book so much and would have read it in one sitting if it had not been that I worked the next day. I highly recommend this one, and the second book comes out in August of 2021.
What are you going to read next?
These Violent Delights- Chloe Gong
Romeo and Juliet in 1920s Shanghai. Need I say more?
This one is just about some of the books that are on my Winter 2020-2021 TBR. These are just some of the ones that I am super excited about. Some of these are coming out in January, and others have been out for a bit now, but regardless, I’m super excited to read them!
These Violent Delights- Chloe Gong
Kingdom of flesh and fire- Jennifer L. Armentrout
The warmth of other suns – Isabel Wilkerson
Plain bad heroines – emily M. danforth
The space between worlds- miciah johnson
legendborn- tracy Deonn
Wings of ebony- J. Elle
persephone Station- Stina Leicht
Cinderella is dead- Kalynn bayron
star Daughter- shveta thakrar
These are just some of the many books that are on my TBR for Winter 2020-2021. What are some of the books that you are excited to read? Do we have any that are similar? If so, would anyone want to do a buddy read? Let’s discuss some of the books that we are excited to read in the comments below! 🙂
I’ve been seeing this one going around Booktube and the blog-sphere and decided that it looked fun! I think it was created by Nicole @Nicole and Her Books on Booktube!
A popular book everyone loves but you have no interest in reading?
Renegades – Marissa Meyer
Sorry guys. I know I know. Superheros are cool, but this one holds like nothing that interests me. I also didn’t love the Lunar Chronicles so I’m going to pass on this one.
A classic book/author you don’t have an interest in reading?
War and Peace- Leo Tolstoy
I read Anna Karenina a few years ago and I didn’t love it, so I’ll probably never read War and Peace. I found the writing in Anna Karenina to be rather wordy and I’m pretty sure that War and Peace is just as long and wordy. If I am going to read a book over 1000 pages long, I’d rathe read a book that I know for sure I’ll enjoy.
An author whose books you have no interest in reading?
Rainbow Rowell. I read Eleanor and Park, and Fangirl and they didn’t really interest me either? The writing was meh, and the author herself has far too many problematic elements in these works for me to really want to support her.
A problematic author whose books you have no interest in reading?
I’m not going to read another book by J.K. Rowling. I read the Harry Potter series, but I don’t plan on reading anymore of her books.
An author you have read a couple books from and decided their books are not for you?
Holly Black
I read The Cruel Prince, and …eh…it was not for me. Something about the writing style and the plot just was not something that interested me to pursue further, but I’m also happy for those who love the series, since the short story collection just came out!
A genre you have no interest in OR genre you tried and couldn’t get into?
Contemporary. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve read some great contemporary books, but they never really interest me unless there is some kind of fantasy or sci-fi element involved. I Just find contemporary fiction to be something I don’t reach for. I read to escape, so to read a novel set in our world, it’s got to have a pretty noteworthy story. Do you have any contemporary fiction stories that you can recommend?
A book you bought but will never read OR a library book you borrowed but returned unread?
Gamechanger- L.X Beckett
I started this and don’t remember why I didn’t finish it. I returned it to the library without finishing it. I think part of the reason why is because I got busy or maybe I wasn’t in the mood for it? There were some interesting elements in here and it was set in an interesting world, with diverse characters, but I put it down for whatever reason. I might go back to this at some point, but for now, it shall remain unfinished.
A series you have no interest in reading OR a series you started and have since DNF’ed?
The Cruel Prince- Holly Black
Kind of going off the other question from earlier, I don’t plan on reading the rest of the series because it just didn’t interest me enough. It just wasn’t for me.
A new release you have no interest in reading?
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories- Holly Black
I think the fact that I didn’t like the first book in this series is going to explain why I’m not interested in the new entry to the series.
What are your answers! I want to know! Post them below or post the link to your Anti-TBR Tag in the comments.
Hi all! I’m back, again. Trying to make my posting schedule a little bit more consistent, especially now that I’ve finished my Fall semester and am now just focusing on work, so I have a little bit more time to post, and also read! I hope you all are having a really great day today and I hope you’ve read some great books this weekend!
I’m super excited to be doing the “End of the Year Booktag” for 2020 today! This year has been a little bit chaotic being that it was supposed to be my last year of school (I pushed back graduation for my mental health and took a lighter load of classes) and the first year that I was working full-time. Add into all of this that we are in the middle of a pandemic, it really made for a stressful year. Suprirsingly, I did a lot of reading. It’s not TOTALLY over yet and I plan to do quite a bit of reading in the next 3 or so weeks. I plan to tell you about some of these goals in the following blog post!
I wasn’t tagged by anyone, but I saw that some were posting about this, so I wanted to do it anyway. I’m not going to tag anyone, but if you did want to do it, please do, as I would love to hear your thoughts and responses! 🙂
Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?
The Anatomy of Story- John Truby
I started reading this in November of 2020 for Nanowrimo, and then when the month of November got a little bit crazy, I had to put it to the side. I still want to finish it, although I don’t think I’ll be able to do so until January or February. (Hopefully).
Do you have an autumnal (Spring) book to transition into the end of the year?
Legendborn- Tracy Deonn
So I know that it’s already getting into Winter, but I think Legendborn is that perfect transition book. Dark academia with magic and fantasy elements is something that is PERFECT for the autumn season. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this and I can’t wait to start it. I’ve got one or two books I need to read first, but it’s definitely very high on my TBR list. Have you read it? What did you think of it?
Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?
Cross-hairs- Catherine Hernandez
Okay, yes, this one just came out a few days ago (December 8th), but we are so close the end of the year that nothing else comes directly to mind. I am SURE that there is something I’m forgetting, but I’m going to go with this one for now.
This one feels right on the nose for our times as it is set in a near future where massive floods lead to homelessness and devastation. A regime is gaining power and forcing those who are “Other” into labor camps. We follow a queer Black performer as he and his allies rise against said oppressive regime. I’m always down to read about oppressive regimes being overthrown, make it diverse and it’s even better. What is a new release that you are looking forward to?
What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?
These Violent Delights- Chloe Gong
This is one of the next books I’m reading actually. This book is a Romeo and Juliet retelling, set in 1920s Shanghai, but with rival gangs? Sign me the hell up.
The cover is GORGEOUS and I have this on my shelves, just waiting to be read. I’ve also heard some GREAT reviews about this too, so I can’t wait to pick it up. Have you read it? What were your thoughts? Do you plan on reading this at any point?
Ship of Destiny- Robin Hobb
This is the third book in the Liveship Traders trilogy (and the sixth book in the Elderling Realms series) so I’m not going to go super in depth on this one. Briefly, it’s basically about these magical ships who come to life after three members of the same family die on it’s docks. I love these characters and can’t wait to see exactly where this one goes.
We Set the Dark On Fire- Tehlor Kay Meija
This one is basically a Latinx story set at the Medio School for Girls, which trains women for one of two roles: you will either run a husbands household or raise his children. We follow a character named Daniela Vargas, the schools top student. People don’t know her pedigree is a lie. Her parents forged identification papers so she can rise above her station. She just needs to make sure her truth stays hidden. On her graduation night, she seems to be in the clear, but nothing is going to prepare her for all the choices that she must make, especially when asked to spy for a resistance group, fighting to bring equality to Medio. This one is apparently also LBTQ+ so I’m really excited to read this one before the end of the year as well.
Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite of the year? \
The First Sister- Linden A. Lewis
I am reading this now, and I’m already in love. If this books keeps going the way it’s going, I know for a fact that it’s going to become a favorite of the year. I’m already eyeing the second book in the series, The Second Rebel (that comes out in August of 2021 I believe). This is like, Handmaid’s Tale meets Star Trek?
It’s about a woman on board a ship, The First Sister, travelling along the soldiers of Earth and Mars- the same ones that own the rights to her body. She is asked to spy on the new captain- Saito Ren, by the Sisterhood. She finds that working for the war effort is so much harder when you are falling in love.
Our other character is Lito who climbed his way out of the slums of Venus to become an elite soldier, who was defeated on Cereus by none other than Saito Ren, which resulted in the disappearance of his teammate Hiro. When he finds out that Hiro is very much alive and is a traitor to the cause, Lito is sent out to kill them. He discovers recordings that Hiro made, Lito’s allegiances are tested.
The characters are all so diverse and we have quite a few queer characters for example. There’s a non-binary character and they are a sweet cinnamon roll that I love already, and I’m not even 100 pages in. I highly recommend this one already and I would not be surprised if it shot up to my favorite of the year.
Have you already started making reading plans for 2021?
Well. Yes and no? I have my reading journal bought and waiting to start planning, but I was going to wait until I had a little bit more time to start that. Soon enough I’m going to sit down and have a brain storming session for some posts I can make. I have so many books I’m excited for that are going to be released in 2021 (I’ll make a post about that soon enough, I assure you), so hopefully it’ll be a wonderful reading year!
This is late. Very. Very. Late. Sorry about that guys, my semester has been pretty crazy and it was final exams until yesterday. They’re over and now I have more time to read now! How is everyone? What did everyone read in November? My December TBR is coming up too!
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars- Christopher Paolini
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Home Before Dark- Riley Sager
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Gideon the Ninth- Tamysn Muir
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
The Dark Tide- Alicia Jasinska
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue- V.E. Schwab
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
The Communist Manifesto- Karl Marx, F. Engels
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
A People’s History of the United States- Howard Zinn
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
From Blood and Ash- Jennifer L. Armentrout
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Lair of Dreams- Libba Bray
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
The Anatomy of Story- John Truby
The Empire’s Ghost- Isabelle Steiger
What did everyone read this month? Which one was your favorite?
How is it already the END of October? It feels like this year has just been FLYING by. So much has happened to me in this year as well.
I’ve read a lot of great books this month! I read SOOO much more than I thought I would! I plan on reading a lot in November, but am also participating in Nanowrimo, so let’s be real, I probably won’t read ALL that much.
The Mad Ship- Robin Hobb
Wanderers- Chuck Wendig
Black Sun- Rebecca Roanhorse
Eragon- Christopher Paolini
Trace of Evil- Alice Blanchard
Autonomous – Annalee Newitz
The Silvered Serpents- Roshani Chokshi
When No One Is Watching- Alyssa Cole
Gideon the Ninth- Tamsyn Muir
The Anatomy of Story- John Truby
The Empire’s Ghost- Isabelle Steiger
What did everyone read this month? Which one was your favorite?
*I received all of these books from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
1. Fable- Adrienne Young
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
This is the story about Fable, daughter of the most powerful trader of the Narrows. She has only known the sea as her home. It has been four years since her mother died, and four years since she watched her father leave her on the legendary island of Jeval, full of thieves and little food. Here she struggles to make a life for herself with only herself and the skills her mother taught her when she was still alive. Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.
I wasn’t a HUGE fan of this one at first. I struggled to get into it and to care at all about the characters. I found Fable to be naive and ignorant about the ways of the world, especially seeing as she had literally been relying on her and only herself to survive. She was an annoying perspective to read from and I felt like the side characters were more enjoyable to hear about. That being said, they weren’t really fleshed out at first and felt rather flat. This definitely changed as the story went on and as we learned more about them. I feel like part of it was that the characters were unwilling to open up to Fable, so we only learned as much as she did. I liked how there was that found family aspect as well. The romance came a little bit out of nowhere and I don’t feel like there was much development in that regard either. I’m interested to see how this will develop later on in the series.
That being said, about 75% into the book I really started to care for the characters and for Fable. She really grew into her role as the protagonist. The ending really had me curious for the next book and I plan on reading the rest of the series. I also really appreciated the pirate stories. Also, the cover is gorgeous. This book should be released on September 1st, and I highly recommend you check it out if you love found family and pirate stories!
Places to Buy: Amazon || Bookshop (support local bookstores!)
2. A Curse of Ash & Embers- Jo Spurrier
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
This book was certainly unexpected. Not necessarily in a bad way. I didn’t love this one too much, but I didn’t hate it. I felt like there is a romance that was starting up, but it kind of came out of nowhere? There was no real… development of that relationship. The conflict fell a little flat for me, at least until the very end. That being said, there were some twists and turns that left me reeling in a good way. I mentioned the conflict being flat until the end, because the book felt like there was no pacing until the last 30% or so.
The characters were okay. I didn’t feel one way or another about them. I felt like the main character, Elodie was a little bit… naive. That being said, I think she was SUPPOSED to be naive. This is a girl who has never left the family home, leaving home and being thrust into this new world that was very very unexpected, and new to her. The witch in the story, Aleida Blackbone can step on me. I would LET her step on me and thank her for it.
All that being said, if I get the opportunity to read the sequel, I will. I think that the story has some potential!
I’ll be honest here, I wasn’t expecting to love this one. Especially in the beginning, the writing felt a little clunky, but as it went on, it got SOOO much better. The writing isn’t super flowery, but it’s also not clinical. It’s that perfect mix of poetic and descriptive.
The pacing was good and the plot felt real and believable. The romance was also paced well. I don’t feel like it was over the top rushed or anything. The magic was also really interesting. The idea was something that I had never really seen before and it was nice to see a new concept being implemented the way that Firefrost did.
The characters, Kelan and Sol were interesting to read the perspective from and I loved them as a couple. The changes that they underwent together and their falling in love was wonderful to read about. The romance is an enemies to lovers and it had some angst and build up that I was 100000% here for. This is a prequel to the first book in the Flameskin Chronicles and I plan on reading the next in the series, Flameskin.
Places to Buy: Amazon || Bookshop (support local bookstores!)
4. Black Sun – Rebecca Roanhorse
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Black Sun is the first book in the Between Earth and Sky series by author Rebecca Roanhorse. Her prose and writing is gorgeous and impeccable. It’s beautiful and lyrical without taking itself too seriously. This is a book that takes place in pre-Columbus America (Fuck Christopher Columbus to Hell) with rich cultures and even richer people. The characters are all so multi-faceted and fun to read from the perspective of. We follow the perspectives of Naranpa, the Sun Priest in the city of Tova. We also follow Xiala, a disgraced Teek, a sea captain who can calm the waters with her voice and Serapio, a young blind man who is seeking passage on Xiala’s ship, they make their way to the city of Tova, days before a holy celestial event that is set to change the course of the world. Once these characters collide, everything changes. The journey getting there was beautiful and heartbreaking. Roanhorse writes unforgettable characters with clear and undeniable skill. I highly recommend this one and cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
Places to Buy: Amazon || Bookshop (support local bookstores!)
5. Ignite the Sun- Hanna C. Howard
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
This book. This F–KING book. Ignite the Sun by Hanna C. Howard was amazing. When I first started this I was unsure. The writing felt clunky, but the world building was amazing. My God, it was so great. The world and culture and subsequent magic system was amazing. It was all so well written and built in such a way that it made me love the world that much more. The magic really made this world and was new and the fact that it had it’s limitations made me love it all that much. That being said, there were moments where this deviated away from that, but I could ignore that mostly because of how much I loved the characters. Each nymph and magical species had their own strengths or weaknesses and I was here for it.
The characters were also pretty wonderful and varied. There was definitely a degree of found family here which is another of my favorite tropes. The romance was always enjoyable to read and I was rooting for them to be together from the start.
The plot was believable and woven in a way where it felt real. Nothing there felt like it was out of the norm for the world and I was having a really good time while reading it. I did have to suspend my sense of belief alot more than I usually do in fantasies, but this was a wonderful book filled with magic, hope and found families and the power of friendship and light.
The one thing that kind of detracted from my enjoyment of this was that the formatting for the e-book that I received was not good. I had a hard time reading it at times due to the formatting. This is probably just a me thing and is not something that affects the finished copy! (I checked with Amazon’s e-book preview.
Places to Buy: Amazon || Bookshop (support local bookstores!)
Cosmic Lattes and Books 