Top Ten Tuesday: My picks for 'Books On My Winter 2018/19 TBR List'.

I've been looking forward to creating another TBR actually, as it gives me a chance to really think about the books I want to read over the next few months. I anticipate a lot of fantasy, enchantment and magic to be in this one, as well as anything with a snowy theme!

1) 'The Last' by Hanna Jameson.

Something about this book just really appeals to me. It seems like a bit of a cross between The Shining, and And Then There Were None. A murder mystery set in snowy Switzerland right after Nuclear War. What could possibly go any more wrong?

2) 'The Sisters Of The Winter Wood' by Rena Rossner.

Anything magical set a dark, cold night in a slightly creepy forest is a win. Combine it with a fairy tale feel, Jewish folklore and family as the main theme and I am sold 100% on the concept. BONUS: That cover is gorgeous.

3) 'Enchantée' by Gita Trelease.

Recently sent to me by My Kinda Book, I am feeling so lucky to have received this GORGEOUS proof and I'm so excited by the premise! Magic, historical Paris in 1789, and the French royal court. It sounds like such a great story, and I'm hoping the world-building will hit my high standards.

4) 'Last Night In Montreal' by Emily St. John Mandel.

I absolutely adored 'Station Eleven' by Mandel, and I've been meaning to read another book of hers since. I really like the look of this thriller and am looking forward to a little bit of mystery in the author's unique style.

5) 'Stars Above' by Marissa Meyer.

I've asked for this one for Christmas because I really miss the world of The Lunar Chronicles! I loved the finale of that series, but I have read the synopsis of some of the short stories and I am so on board with getting a little more conclusion for some of the characters!

6) 'The Winter Of The Witch' by Katherine Arden.

Set in gorgeous Russia, I love Katherine Arden's 'Winternight' trilogy because from the very first book she has totally drawn me into her historical, fantastical world filled with speatures and creatures and swoon-worthy frost demons. Not to mention that Vasya is a badass. 

7) 'Crooked Kingdom' by Leigh Bardugo.

I read 'Six Of Crows' earlier this year and loved it so much, so I am all over the idea of reading number two and finishing the series would be perfect. Especially as 'King Of Scars' is coming out next year! I have such high hopes for the resolution of the character's stories too!

8) 'Shadowsong' by S. Jae-Jones.

I read 'Wintersong' last Winter too, and I really liked the setting and Labyrinth references. It's one of my favourite films actually so I've been looking for a sexy, darker retelling of the cult classic film! 'Shadowsong' is the finale to the duology and I hope to love it as much as the first one.

9) 'Ash Princess' by Laura Sebastian.

I have been putting this book off for too long, and I'm not really sure why! Everything about the synopsis, the Cinderella references and the kickass sounding heroine seem like a great book to me! I'm sure I'll get to it this winter.

10) 'The Enchanted Sonata' by Heather Dixon Wallwork.

When it comes to winter fairy tales, The Nutcracker is the cream of the crop. And this is a retelling! It reads like it's going to be a good one too, so I'm excited to see if anything fresh is brought to the story!

Top Ten Tuesday: My picks for 'Books On My Winter TBR List'.

I've taken a far more relaxed approach to the Top Ten Tuesday lists this year, it's true, but I couldn't miss this one! I love picking TBRs, especially when they are seasonal! Winter is a gorgeous time of the year of course, even if I'm not a fan of the cold. It gives me a chance to light a ton of candles, make multiple mugs of tea and hot chocolate and snuggle up in a hundred blankets with a good book! My winter reads are normally very fantastical, and related in some way to snow, ice and all manner of things usually found in the winter months. I also like to read very deep, reflective books and very long reads or very short stories really suit me depending on my mood!

1) 'Renegades' by Marissa Meyer.

Well, I had really hoped to get to this read in November, but it is looking more and more like that won't be possible. It's pretty big and there aren't many days of November left! That being said, I'm far too excited to let a new release by one of my favourite authors leave my TBR quietly! Superheroes might not be the most wintery topic, but I want to read this book ASAP!


2) 'Wintersong' by S. Jae-Jones.

I think it's pretty clear why this one appears on the list! Look at that cover and title! But aside from that, reading 'The Goblins Of Bellwater' has really put me in the mood for more books featuring goblins, and what better book than this? Some people have compared it to Labyrinth, a film that I personally love but I'm glad to hear that there are differences too! 


3) 'Matilda' by Mary Shelley.

A shorter book written by the author of the classic, 'Frankenstein', this looks to be a more sombre, haunting read. It does, after all, cover the topic of abuse. However, I'm looking forward to it as the winter months seem like a good time for this kind of book! Also, I've never read anything by this very famous author and I'd really like to!


4) 'The Toymakers' by Robert Dinsdale.

If that cover doesn't scream Christmas to you, then what does? You know, one of the classic, Victorian variety? I've heard of Robert Dinsdale before. In fact, I have his book 'Gingerbread' (a retelling of Hansel & Gretel) firmly on my TBR! It gives me hope that his work has appealed to me in the past, and I'm glad to have nabbed a copy of this novel to get stuck into!


5) 'The Ice' by Laline Paull.

A book themed around ice? Perfect. I've read Paull's 'The Bees' many months ago and I really enjoyed it a lot! 'The Ice' is obviously looking very different story-line wise, but I'm interested to see how her writing has developed. The book has an interesting synopsis for sure, and I'm certain it will be a good match.



6) 'Sea Spell' by Jennifer Donnelly.

It's been a fun ride, reading Donnelly's 'Waterfire Saga'. The first three books started good and became better and better as time went on, I really enjoyed them. Going by the front cover, and seeing as Astrid is my favourite of our heroines, I'm very excited at the prospect of this conclusion. I hope that Donnelly draws everything together well!


7) 'Wolf Winter' by Cecilia Ekbäck.

Another gorgeous cover and perfect premise for the cold, winter nights. I've been saving this one just for the right time of year. The blurb promises that readers of 'Burial Rites' will enjoy this, and I'm a big fan of historical fiction generally so I have high hopes! Books like this make me really excited for the winter!



8) 'Six Of Crows' by Leigh Bardugo.

This is another book pulled straight from my November reads to December, as I want to get into it before the year is out! I've waited far too long to read this book already! Bardugo writes really well, I enjoyed her 'Grisha Verse' series. I like that this is set in the same world but, as far as I can tell, contains a much more diverse range of characters of a roguish nature! 


9) 'Midnight At The Bright Ideas Bookstore' by Matthew Sullivan.

I love book shops in the winter, don't you? It makes everything seem so festive! So a book set in a book shop would be awesome! It's a mystery, certainly one that sounds very intriguing and a little different! I'm excited to see what happens and (fingers crossed) be thoroughly captivated.



10) 'The Hunter's Kind' by Rebecca Levene.

This is another series that I have left alone for far too long. I read 'Smiler's Fair' an absolute age ago and haven't touched it's sequel despite my enjoyment of book one. It's a common, terrible habit of mine that I'm trying to break. Hopefully book two will develop everyone's stories nicely!

Top Ten Tuesday: My picks for 'Books On My Winter TBR List'.

Oh this is a great topics, I love trying to plan ahead and pick future reads (though I nearly always fail to read the ones I picked). Having looked at my Autumn TBR however, I managed four of my chosen ten! That isn't too bad, right? There might be a couple of repeats but I'll try and go for some new ones too. As it stands, I'm not entirely sure because I plan to participate in some 2015 challenges and they might get in the way! Also for the record, this is the perfect time to put this topic in because in my opinion, Winter covers December, January and February!

1) 'Dreams Of Gods And Monsters'; Laini Taylor.

 

Okay, so I know you are all glaring at me and shaking your head because I promised I would read this a while back and I just haven't! But listen, I'm making it one of my challenge reads in December, so I have to read it! I hope it's good. I hope the ending doesn't make me cry. I think I've been scared to read this book because of what could happen, but it's time to face my fears!

 

 

2) 'Catching Fire'; Suzanne Collins.

 

It is pretty terrible that I am watching the films ahead of reading these books. 'Mockingjay' (the film) is out now and I simply have to read 'Catching Fire' and try to catch up because when I read the first book, I did enjoy it a lot! A lot of fellow bloggers have told me this is the best book of the series too. I hope they are right!

 

 

 

3) 'The Moment Collector'; Jodi Lynn Anderson.

 

I got this one so long ago on Netgalley! Some of you may also know it as 'The Vanishing Season' (I must say, I really prefer that cover) and I think this book looks really good! I ought really to have read it by now, and so in an attempt to catch up on Netgalley reads, I'm putting this one down on the list.

 

 

 

4) 'The Sea Of Tranquility'; Katja Millay.

 

This is not my usual style of book, but one of my challenges requires I read a New Adult book in December. New Adult is not my usual favourite thing to read as well (in fact, it's one of my least favourite genres). I've read the synopsis and reviews for this one however and it looks like it has quite a lot to it, rather than just being predictable and boring.

 

 

 

5) 'Scarlet'; Marissa Meyer.

 

I should (hopefully) get to start this one at the end of the month, though don't hold your breath because my current read is 873 pages long. Gulp. Still, it's definitely on the list for December and I'm excited about it! I always feel like Winter is a good time for Fairy-Tales Retellings too. Don't ask me why, I just do.

 

 

 

6) 'A Song For Ella Grey'; David Almond.

 

I've written a 'I will read this' paragraph on this book a few times, but it really does look so good! It has a very wintery, very beautiful cover too and is based on Greek Myth. Anyone who knows me, knows I love Myths so much! Count me in!

 

 

 

 

 

7) 'Winterspell'; Claire Legrand.

 

I spy a Cinderella retelling? Sort of? Maybe? This one is set during Christmas time so would make a perfect December read! The cover is gorgeous and the synopsis sounds great! A lot of fellow bloggers have read and loved it, and I think it's time I joined the bandwagon.

 

 

 

 

8) 'Dot'; Araminta Hall.

 

I got this book a very long time ago on Edelweiss and never actually read it (nor did I end up going on Edelweiss ever again, I guess I just prefer Netgalley). However, the book itself looks pretty good! It's a ghost story, set over a series of generations (I am rather fond of those types of books) and I am intrigued by the plot concept. The cover is pretty wintery too!

 

 

9) 'The Painted Man'; Peter V. Brett.

 

This book looks like it's set in the middle of the desert rather than a cold winter's night, but I want to read it anyway! It's a Fantasy (my favourite kind) and a good friend of mine bought it for me a very long time ago. She keeps telling me that she's ashamed I haven't picked it up yet, so I figured that this might be a good Christmas present to her!

 

 

10) 'The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales'; Kate Mosse.

 

I bought this book really rather recently, while getting a few bits and bobs or other people (it was part of a deal, I had to). It's been a long time since I have read any kind of Ghost story, especially in short story form. It looks like a nice little read and a good way to introduce myself to Kate Mosse as an author! I can't wait!