Top 5 (books I meant to read in 2020) Tuesday

HAHAHAHA ah, Meeghan. Thank you so much for providing February with fantastic topics – I’m going to love writing the posts. Check out her post for which books she thought she would’ve gotten around to. I know my post will be a whole bunch.

Uh, yeah, I sorta accidentally didn’t post anything this entire February? It was a combination of pain and me doing some freelance work. Even though the pain isn’t better, I decided I better do some posts before it looks like I’m doing a hiatus 😂

Beyond the Black Door – A.M. Strickland

Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland – Kamai was warned never to open the black door, but she didn’t listen …

Everyone has a soul. Some are beautiful gardens, others are frightening dungeons. Soulwalkers―like Kamai and her mother―can journey into other people’s souls while they sleep.

But no matter where Kamai visits, she sees the black door. It follows her into every soul, and her mother has told her to never, ever open it.

When Kamai touches the door, it is warm and beating, like it has a pulse. When she puts her ear to it, she hears her own name whispered from the other side. And when tragedy strikes, Kamai does the unthinkable: she opens the door.

A.M. Strickland’s imaginative dark fantasy features court intrigue and romance, a main character coming to terms with her asexuality, and twists and turns as a seductive mystery unfolds that endangers not just Kamai’s own soul, but the entire kingdom …1

This is a 2019 ARC that I STILL haven’t gotten around to 😣 What’s the reason? I have no idea! I think I need to make a tbr of sorts and post on Instagram stories, letting my followers decide what I should read next 😂

But this year IS THE YEAR! Unless, of course, it’s NOT the year…

The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.

I HAVE this book in physical format and I’ve been SAYING ever since I first bought it (have no clue for the year, of course,) that this year I’ll read it! 

So yet again, another year, another time of me saying I’ll read it! I know what happens, I even know a bunch of the quotes 😄

Reverie – Ryan La Sala

Reverie by Ryan La Sala – Inception meets The Magicians in the most imaginative YA debut of the year!

All Kane Montgomery knows for certain is that the police found him half-dead in the river. He can’t remember how he got there, what happened after, and why his life seems so different now. And it’s not just Kane who’s different, the world feels off, reality itself seems different.

As Kane pieces together clues, three almost-strangers claim to be his friends and the only people who can truly tell him what’s going on. But as he and the others are dragged into unimaginable worlds that materialize out of nowhere—the gym warps into a subterranean temple, a historical home nearby blooms into a Victorian romance rife with scandal and sorcery—Kane realizes that nothing in his life is an accident. And when a sinister force threatens to alter reality for good, they will have to do everything they can to stop it before it unravels everything they know.

This wildly imaginative debut explores what happens when the secret worlds that people hide within themselves come to light.

I took this out of the library last year and just… watched as the loan expired 😱🤦‍♀️ I have Be Dazzled out… which is basically also about to expire… (Editing me says it definitely expired 😂😂) But you know, we won’t focus on why we have the book, but don’t read it. If we start that conversation, I fear I’ll never finish it.

The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee, Michael Dante DiMartino

The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee, Michael Dante DiMartino – F. C. Yee’s The Rise of Kyoshi delves into the story of Kyoshi, the Earth Kingdom–born Avatar. The longest-living Avatar in this beloved world’s history, Kyoshi established the brave and respected Kyoshi Warriors, but also founded the secretive Dai Li, which led to the corruption, decline, and fall of her own nation. The first of two novels based on Kyoshi, The Rise of Kyoshi maps her journey from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice who is still feared and admired centuries after she became the Avatar.

So, here’s the situation, right. Have I finished watching Avatar: The Last Airbender and/or The Legend of Korra? No. Do I want to immediately pick this up even though I have a million and half other books I need to read? Of course, what more do you expect? 

So, all I know of this novel is that… she’s an Avatar. That’s it. Oh, and she gets a girlfriend. And I think she’s tall? Or is that just the statue pushing that image on me? 😂

The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters

The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters – Comic book geek Wesley Hudson excels at two things: slacking off at his job and pining after his best friend, Nico. Advice from his friends, ‘90s alt-rock songs, and online dating articles aren’t helping much with his secret crush. And his dream job at Once Upon a Page, the local used bookstore, is threatened when a coffeeshop franchise wants to buy the property. To top it off, his annoying brother needs wedding planning advice. When all three problems converge, Wes comes face-to-face with the one thing he’s been avoiding—adulthood.

Now, confronted with reality, can Wes balance saving the bookstore and his strained sibling relationship? Can he win the heart of his crush, too?

I love Julian Winters books, especially when I actually beta read them (this one!). Another book that I had ABSOLUTE EVERY INTENTION of reading as soon as it came out. So you can guess what happens next, right? 

I decided to keep to 5 books before I could stack them up like Jenga 😂 Hey! That’s actually a good idea for a TBR jar! I should remember that. Editing me also says that the prices for Jenga are just stacked super high 👀👀.

Have you read any of these books? Which do you absolutely insist I read right now? Come and chat to me!