Planned Reads For May.

Okay I have decided to set this post out a bit differently to how I've previously done it, in order to not feel obligated to read a certain number of books or certain title in a month. I will post only the books that I will be reading for various challenges, and also my planned Netgalley reads but other than that other books I choose to read will be a surprise (probably to both me and you)! I'm totally starting afresh, so don't expect to see too many of the titles on here that I said I would read last month and didn't get round to. I will slot them in around these, but I won't be pressuring myself to read them!

Crossover Books:

1. 'Hereafter'; Terri Bruce. This book is the first part to a series that I plan to read this month. The second, 'Thereafter' was published today and is one of my Netgalley reads (which I'll get to in a bit). I've seen mixed reviews on this one but I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit so far!

Challenges:

Jumble Your Genres Challenge: Dystopian. I'm so glad that this is the chosen genre this month, and the book I have decided to read for this one is 'Cinder' by Marissa Meyer. Why? Because  I'm fed up of promising myself I'll read it and then not doing so! It's a series I've been desperate to get into for ages and just haven't found time to yet, but the idea of a Dystopian/Fairy-Tale mix-up sounds like just the kind of thing I would love to get into!

2014 'Key Words' Challenge: Dawn, Death, End, Lost, Beautiful, And. If the word 'And' hadn't have made it in there, I think this month would have been pretty tough! My chosen read for this challenge is 'Shadow And Bone' by Leigh Bardugo. I got this one at a bargain price on the Kindle and I've seen it everywhere in the blogosphere. Like 'Cinder' it has been on my TBR pile for far too long to ignore any longer! It looks like a fantastic series!

2014 'Reading Motif' Challenge: Mystery, Murder And Mayhem. Now this is a pretty broad topic and I did struggle to think of one at first. But I've decided to read 'Bang' by Steven Allinson. The whole book just oozes Mystery and seems to have a bit of horror thrown in (which I always like to see). The plot-line really sounds very intriguing, and I've ordered so many books for the Kindle now that I ought to start getting through them!

Netgalley Reads:

1. 'Thereafter'; Terri Bruce. As you know, I'm currently reading the first in the series, 'Hereafter' and really liking it. This was one of the books that I have so far had approved on Netgalley and I would really like to get through these ASAP. I don't want to spoil the first book for myself so I've refrained from reading too much about this one but I'm excited to give it a try!
2. 'Deep Blue'; Jennifer Donnelly. This was one of my more unexpected approvals. I've heard so many good things about this book and it's so popular that I thought there was no way a brand new Netgalley user could get hold of it. Apparently I was wrong! It's publication date is May 6th (though Netgalley is convinced it's today) and I'm hoping to get this one read before then!
3. 'Cuckoo Song'; Frances Hardinge. Yet another book I didn't expect to get hold of, and yet I did. I really love the sound of this one, I'm so excited to get to it! The plot sounds very creepy, in fact  you only have to look at the cover art to realise this is going to be a shiver-inducing read! Let's hope I don't get nightmares! This one is due to be published May 8th.
4. 'A Red Tale'; Nicola Mar. Hooray! My first ever approval! This looks like a really cool, interesting book and I am ridiculously excited to start this one. The cover art looks really nice and it sounds like it has such a whacky, original plot that I'm happy I've been given the chance to read it! 
5. 'The Three'; Sarah Lotz. Wow I am so excited for this book! I've seen it everywhere and requested it desperately hoping I would be approved! It's a horror book, hooray (I seem to be reading a few this month)! I've seen this one around a lot and it's been causing quite a stir! I've got a while to read it this month, it's due to be published on the 22nd May. 
6. 'No Lasting Burial'; Stant Litore. Now here is something I'm unaccustomed to reading about! Zombies! But this is not a Zombie book like others and that's what made it stand out! It is part of a series that is actually based on various Biblical stories. Unusual, yes? The cover is gorgeous and I look forward to getting to this interesting-looking read!

Now of course I may slot a few others in if/when I get time but in the past by putting up 'I would also like to read...' books I've just been disappointed if I haven't got round to them. So these are the ones I need to read this month, and I'll probably get some others in there too! I'm really looking forward to this month's reading list though!