What I Hope to Read This Month

September is here! I can't wait for fall weather. I love the sweaters, football, and pumpkin everything. Although I don't always stick to them because I am a mood reader, I love making TBR piles! Here are the books I plan to read this month.

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
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"Bound as one to love, honor, or burn."

Unpregnant by Jenni Hendriks & Ted Caplan
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"She never thought she would want to fail a test - until now."

No Judgments by Meg Cabot
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"The choices we make decide our fate."

Say You Still Love Me by K.A. Tucker
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"Life is a mixed bag for Piper Calloway."

Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep
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"Gladiator meets Game of Thrones."

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
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"By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid, but by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column."

Chase Darkness with Me by Billy Jensen
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"How one true-crime writer started solving murders."

The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets by Sarah Miller
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"Five children who captivated the entire world."

What do you plan to read in September? Do you make monthly TBR goals?

TTT #97: Summer TBR

Hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl

Romance

   

1. The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
2. Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra
3. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Fantasy & Sci-Fi

  

4. The Beholder by Anna Bright
5. The Girl in Red by Christina Henry
6. The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

Contemporary

 

7. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
8. Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas

Nonfiction & Survival

 

9. Furious Hours by Casey Cep
10. Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Did any of my books make it on your Summer TBR Pile?

Five on Friday: Recently Added to my TBR Pile

I love sharing the recent books I have added to my TBR pile with you all! Hopefully these posts help your piles grow as dangerously large as mine! muwahahaha Kidding. Kind of. My list includes an amazing sounding fantasy novel, a new book by Meg Cabot, a scarily realistic dystopian, a tale of friendship that also discusses abortion, and a new young adult vampire book!

1. Crown of Oblivion by Julie Eshbaugh (November 12, 2019)
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Astrid is the surrogate for Princess Renya, which means she bears the physical punishment if Renya steps out of line. Astrid has no choice—she and her family are Outsiders, the lower class of people without magic and without citizenship.

But there is a way out of this life—competing in the deadly Race of Oblivion. To enter the race, an Outsider is administered the drug Oblivion, which wipes their memory clear of their past as they enter a new world with nothing to help them but a slip of paper bearing their name and the first clue. It’s not as simple as solving a puzzle, however—for a majority of the contestants, the race ends in death. But winning would mean not only freedom for Astrid, but citizenship and health care for her entire family.

2. No Judgments by Meg Cabot (September 24, 2019)
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When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island—as well as its connection to the mainland—twenty-five-year-old Bree Beckham isn’t worried . . . at first. She’s already escaped one storm—her emotionally abusive ex—so a hurricane seems like it will be a piece of cake.

But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realizes how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it’s up to her to save as many of Little Bridge’s cats and dogs as she can . . . but to do so, she’s going to need help—help she has no choice but to accept from her boss’s sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell, the Mermaid Café’s most notorious heartbreaker.

3. Verify by Joelle Charbonneau (September 24, 2019)
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Meri Beckley lives in a world without lies. When she turns on the news, she hears only the facts. When she swipes the pages of her online textbooks, she reads only the truth. When she looks at the peaceful Chicago streets, she feels the pride everyone in the country feels about the era of unprecedented hope and prosperity over which the government presides.

But when Meri’s mother is killed, Meri suddenly has questions that no one else seems to be asking. And when she tries to uncover her mother’s state of mind in her last weeks, she finds herself drawn into a secret world full of facts she’s never heard and a history she didn’t know existed.

4. Unpregnant by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan (September 10, 2019)
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Seventeen-year-old Veronica Clarke never thought she would wish she’d failed a test until she finds herself holding a thick piece of plastic in her hands and staring at two solid pink lines. Even the most consistent use of condoms won’t prevent pregnancy when your boyfriend secretly pokes holes in them to keep you from going out-of-state for college. Veronica needs an abortion, but the closest place she can legally get one is over nine hundred miles away—and Veronica doesn’t have a car. Too ashamed to ask her friends or family for help, Veronica turns to the one person she believes won’t judge her: Bailey Butler, Jefferson High’s own little black cloud of anger and snark—and Veronica’s ex-best friend. 

5. The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh (October 8, 2019)
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In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of Le Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret. When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose...

Are any of these already on your TBR pile? Did you find a new title to add?

TTT #92: My Winter TBR Pile

Hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl

Although I don't always stick with them, I love making TBR piles. Here are the titles that made it onto my Winter TBR Pile. I can't wait to read these beauties!

1. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
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I have really only heard wonderful things about this book, and I think it is time I read it.

2. The Wicked King by Holly Black
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I really enjoyed The Cruel Prince and can't wait to see what happens next between Cardan and Jude.

3. Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry
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I have enjoyed other books (my favorite being Nowhere but Here) by this author so I can't pass this new one up.

4. The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
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I adored The Wedding Date and I can't wait to give this one a try. Plus, being proposed to in front of so many people sounds horrifying and I want to see what happens.

5. Internment by Samira Ahmed
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This book sounds horrifying as it is set in a near-future US where Muslim Americans are forced into interment camps, but will hopefully spark much needed conversations about what is currently going on in our country.

6. Unnatural Disasters by Jeff Hirsch
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I will read just about any survival story, especially one sounding so cryptic. 

7. Archenemies by Marissa Meyer
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All of Marissa Meyer's books are automatic reads for me, and I loved Renegades and can't wait to see what happens next.

8. Grace & Fury by Tracy Banghart
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I met this author and her pitch for her book sold me. As soon as she said you have to fit in a volcanic pit for food, I was sold.

9. Switchback by Danika Stone
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Another survival story? Sign me up!

10. The Birds, and the Bees, and You and Me by Olivia Hinebaugh
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This is a new Swoon Reads title and it sounds both delightful and serious. Just look at the cover!

Are any of these titles on your Winter TBR piles?

2019 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Sing up here! | Jan. 1 2019 - Dec. 31 2019 | Hosted by NovelKnight

Besides the Goodreads challenge, I have not been participating in reading challenges the last two years thanks to graduate school keeping me busy. However, I am officially done with grad school (as of Dec. 10) and I will now have some more time on my hands! When I stumbled upon this challenge on a few other book blogs I knew I had to give it a try. There are so many books that have been on my TBR pile for quite some time that I have ignored. I am hoping to change that in 2019, especially getting to the books I actually own that are just sitting on my shelf.

My Goal

To read at least one backlist book a month, but hopefully read a total of 24! Let's all keep our fingers crossed. I always have the best intentions at the beginning of the year, and then I kind of just forget about the challenges I have signed up for. I am truly hoping that I stick with this one. Perhaps I will make a physical Backlist TBR Shelf on my bookcase for inspiration.

Backlist TBR Pile

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (2006)
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (2012)
This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (2012)
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (2013)
The Elemental Series (#1-5) by Brigid Kemmerer  (2012-2014), Own
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (2013)
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson (2014), Own
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014), Own
Magnolia by Kristi Cook (2014), Own
Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay (2014)
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (2015), Own
Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall (2016)
Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal (2016)
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis  (2016), Own
The Reader by Traci Chee (2016), Own
The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan (2016), Own
The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee (2016), Own
The Borden Murders by Sarah Miller (2016)
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (2017), Own
The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe (2017)
Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart (2017), Own
Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson (2017)
Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton (2017), Own
Lucky in Love by Kasie West (2017), Own
This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada (2017)
Beartown by Fredrik Backman (2017)
I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maureen Goo (2017), Own
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (2017)
Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict (2018)
These Vengeful Souls by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas (2018), Own
Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart (2018), Own
Dreamer by L.E. DeLano (2018), Own

I have also decided to join team Ravenclaw! 

Which books from my list are must reads?

Will you be participating in Beat the Backlist?

Five on Friday: Recently Added to My TBR Pile

This week's Five on Friday features the books I have recently added to my TBR pile. I can't wait for these ones! It is starting to look like 2019 isn't going to help keep my TBR pile from growing to epic proportions.

1. The Antidote by Shelley Sackier
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Magic isn't allowed, and yet Fee can only save her best friend by using magic. What is she supposed to do? I love a good book about forbidden magic, and this cover is gorgeous.

2. The Beautiful by Renee Ahdied
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She's bringing vampires back, and I am ready! *grabby hands*

3. Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan
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The delightful people on the cover in the fun costumes work at Magic Castle Playland, and it may be closing!This book sounds like a perfect summer read full of friendships and disasters.

4. Stolen Time by Danielle Rollins
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I never say no to a time travel novel.

5. Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy
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The voice of the writing and the overall plot remind me of a mix of Cinder and Percy Jackson. Hell. Yes. Plus, a unique retelling of The Sword and the Stone? What more could I want? Nothing.

What's new on your TBR pile?

TTT #91: Non-fiction TBR Pile

Hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl

This week's topic is "Back to School." Therefore, I decided to highlight non-fiction titles that are on my TBR pile. I have been reading more and more of them lately, and can't seem to get enough.

  

1. (Don't) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health by various authors

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This is an important topic. I will be reading this book and buying a copy for the library.

2. Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend by Karen Blumenthal

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My dad and I used to watch the old Bonnie and Clyde movie whenever it was on late at night growing up. We may just have to read this book together.

3. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

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As someone who enjoys writing and does lots of creative things for my job, I think I need to finally read this book.

  

4.The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden & the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller

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True Crime always spikes my interest, and this is one I have always wanted to know more about.

5. The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

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This book has been getting a lot of recognition. 

6. Very, Very, Very, Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 by Albert Marrin

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As someone who is afraid of dying and getting sick I probably shouldn't read this book, but I have heard too many good and interesting things about it to pass it up.

     

7. Blood, Bullets, and Bones: A History of Forensic Science by Bridget Heos

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A friend of my recommended this one to me.

8. Goodbye, Sweet Girl by Kelly Sundberg

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Since this memoir is about domestic violence I know it is going to be hard to read, but if the author wanted to share her story then I want to read it.

9. What Stands in a Storm by Kim Cross

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As someone who grew up living in Central Illinois, tornadoes have always held my interest.

10. Stiff by Mary Roach

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I have yet to read a nonfiction book by Mary Roach, and I am determined to change that.

Do you have any nonfiction reading recommendations?