December TBR

    Hello guys!  December is upon us and I'm really excited!  Not only is Christmas my favorite holiday, but my birthday is also this month, so I have multiple reasons to celebrate.  That being said, December is a great reading month because of the excess downtime from holiday break.  I'll also have at least a couple opportunities to acquire new books, so I've kept my TBR list light this month.  It will also be subject to change, depending on what mood I'm in and what books I get.  I didn't have any particular theme for this TBR, just books I've been interested in reading for awhile.  I'm still in a fantasy mood, although still slightly hungover from finishing The Mortal Instruments series.  I will try to think up a theme for next month, but for now here's a look at what I'm planning on reading this month.

(goodreads.com)

    Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima is the first book in a new series which takes place about 20-25 years after the events of her Seven Realms series.  Also, LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS COVER!  I was given an ARC copy of this book to read after I expressed interest in the Seven Realms novels.  If you haven't read any of The Demon King books, please go out and fetch them immediately.  Also, if you haven't read them, the following synopsis will be a bit spoilery, so fair warning...  Flamecaster follows a young prince named Adrian sul'Han, or Ash for short, as he tries to fight for his family against the cruel king of Arden.  His path crosses with a prisoner from Delphi named Jenna and they both need to work together to stay alive and destroy the king.  The king of Arden has his sights set on conquering the last free Queedom of the Fells, but Queen Raisa won't go down without a fight.  I'm already about half way through this book and it's already breaking my heart into pieces, (which is technically a good thing).  I don't know if I'd suggest reading it right after finishing The Crimson Crown like I did, but to each his own.  Eager to finish this one and see where it goes from here.

(goodreads.com)

    Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta is the second book in the Lumatere Chronicles and the sequel to Finnikin of the Rock.  This book takes place three years after the events of FOTR and follows Froi, who was originally a slave and a thief in the first book.  Froi now fights for the Queen and Finnikin.  He is sent on a secret mission to the kingdom of Charyn and discovers more than he bargained for.  I originally wasn't planning on reading the rest of this series any time soon, but I've heard really good things about this book in particular, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I didn't particularly like Froi in FOTR, so I'm hoping that because he's been trained more, he'll be a little easier to understand.  Here's to hoping!

(goodreads.com)

    I had planned on reading Shadow and Bone last month, but got swept away in The Mortal Instruments, so I put it off until this month.  I very much wanted to read this book, so I'm glad I kept it in mind.  Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is set in the nation of Ravka, (which seems to be based loosely on Russia), which has a flesh-eating demon problem.  Many people are forced into the army to fight against the darkness, which is the case with Alina Starkov.  Alina is able to save her friend from death, only to be taken away to be trained at the royal palace as a member of the Grisha, a magical fighting elite, led by the Darkling.  She must tap into her untamed power to save her country.  I've been interested in this book for a long time and the premise still grabs me, so I'm excited to start this book, which will probably be right after I finish Flamecaster.

(goodreads.com)

    Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers is another female assassin book that takes place in England I believe.  Ismae escapes an arranged marriage only to be taken in by a guild of female assassins in a convent who work for the God of Death.  On assignment in the court of Brittany, she finds it difficult to stick to the task at hand when it involves murdering the one you love.  This book was recommended to me after reading Cruel Beauty, although I'm not sure why.  I have no major feelings for this book, but I'm in the mood for more assassins.  I feel like I'll either love it or hate it, so let's hope it's the former.

(goodreads.com)

    The Invasion of the Tearling was another book that I was supposed to read last month but set aside in favor of The Mortal Instruments.  This is the second book by Erika Johansen in which we find our main character, Kelsea, ruling over her Queendom of the Tearling.  The events of the first book have overflowed into this one and the Red Queen is seeking vengeance for Kelsea's defying her rules.  Kelsea also has some secret mystery power to see into the past and future, which was revealed a little in the first book, but not expanded upon, so I hope there's more of an explanation of that.  I kind of get that it's a regressed future society, but I'm not sure to what extent.  We'll see if I like this one more than the first.

(goodreads.com)

    I want to read The Bane Chronicles solely because I literally can't get enough Shadowhunters in my life right now.  Also, I want to know why Magnus is no longer allowed in Peru.  Can it just be January already?

(goodreads.com)

    The Warrior Heir is the first book another series called The Heir Chronicles by Cinda Williams Chima that I was introduced to recently.  As if I needed yet another lengthy series to take up my life.  This series actually came before Chima's Seven Realms series, although this is still fantasy.  From what I understand, this book starts off in the real world of Ohio with a normal teenager with a health problem.  He soon finds out, through a series of unfortunate events, that he is actually a member of a secret race of magical warriors called Weirlind.  He is sucked into their world to battle for two warring houses.  The premise seems very Percy Jackson or Harry Potter-esq to me, (normal teenager, revealed to have secret/hidden ties to magic, goes on a quest involuntarily, becomes a part of their world, has to choose between the world he knew and the one he fits in better with now, etc.).  There's a bunch of books in this series, so if I get sucked in it'll be for awhile I bet.

(goodreads.com)

    Lastly, I wanted to re-read my original copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, (since everyone else seems to be reading it this month as well).  I don't have the illustrated copy in my possession, (yet), but I do have my original hardcover copy that I got when I was in about 4th or 5th grade.  I always feel like watching or reading Harry Potter around Christmas time for some reason and apparently I'm not alone in this.  I haven't re-read them in a very long time, so I'm curious to see what it'll be like for a 26-year-old to read this middle grade book now.  I may also watch the movie right after I read the book, just to better catch the differences.

    So there you have it, my diluted December TBR.  I'm hoping not to change this list too much, since I'll probably have read most of the books on this list come Christmas time.  That way, if I do get books, I can read those and add them on as I go!  Next week I'll talk TV recaps and go over my Christmas book list.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

November TBR (Books)

    Hey guys!  It's already November, which is both good and bad news for me.  Good because it's that much closer to the holidays, which is always my favorite time of year.  Bad because I only have about a month to finish my colloquium, (yeah, it's still not done...).  I don't even have a solid due date for this thing, but I'm assuming the beginning of December since that's when the semester ends and grades need to be in for me to graduate on December 31st, (FINALLY).  That being said, I am almost done and I'm going to just pump this thing out and have it done hopefully before Thanksgiving.  I've found setting goals for myself really helps me keep everything in check.  Speaking of GOALS, (see what I did there?), I wanted my November TBR to have a theme so the theme this month is finishing series.  Most of the books I chose to read this month are series that I've started and want to finish, with only a few exceptions.  I've set my goals a little more realistically this month to only read 8 books, so we'll see if I can keep up with that.  Let's get started!

(goodreads.com)

    I actually started this book on October 31st, as it was supposed to be in my October TBR.  Since I ran out of time to finish it last month, I added it to this month because I've been waiting a long time to read this book and I wasn't going to wait any longer!  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is about two dueling magicians, Celia and Marco and all the lives that encompass their competition.  Although they are supposedly competing against each other, Celia and Marco can't help but fall in love.  The book takes place over the course of about 30 years and follows their lives together and apart through a circus constructed by them that travels over Europe and the Americas.  I am almost done, so I don't want to say too much more about it, but I love it!

(goodreads.com)

    Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess are the second and third books in the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare.  This series acts as a stand alone but also sort of a prequel to the Mortal Instruments series.  I read the first book I think last month and I really enjoyed it, so I immediately wanted to continue with the series.  As I think I explained before, I've tried to read the Mortal Instruments series in the past and couldn't get into it, which is why I started this series instead.  I had heard from multiple people that this series was a good introduction to the world and I was really drawn to the setting.  Clockwork Prince begins where the last book left off, with Tessa officially joining the ranks of the Institute of Shadowhunters in London after moving there from New York.  After the turmoil of the first book, we'll see a lot of political strife as the leader of Tessa's Shadowhunter faction, Charlotte, is being driven out of her post by instigators within the Clave.  As the Shadowhunters try to save their leader and their faction from demise, they are also trying to solve the mystery of the Magister, who has declared war on the Shadowhunters.  Should be an interesting middle novel.

    Clockwork Princess is the last book in the series and involves Tessa getting kidnapped and everyone trying to save her from the Magister.  Since I haven't read the second book I know very little about the third, obviously, but it should be a great lead.  I've found that although I'm not a huge fan of Tessa as a "heroine," I am intrigued by the relationships she's developed between Jem and Will, (especially Will), and the mystery involving Will's enchantment.

(goodreads.com)

    The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima is also one that I started last month with The Demon King, which follows two main characters Raisa and Han as they navigate their very different lives separately until coming together in the end to save the kingdom.  All together, I thought the world was very well put together and the characters were interesting.  There are magical beings like wizards working against clan members and other humans.  Towards the end of The Demon King, Han discovers something powerful about himself that he has to come to terms with and Raisa is sent into hiding by a powerful wizard's hold over her mother, the Queen.  They go into hiding together in the only neutral zone in the entire kingdom, where they hope to be safe.  In The Exiled Queen, Raisa attends a warriors academy in secret with her friend Amon, (SWOON), to learn how to become a better queen and Han attends the adjoining wizard academy to learn more about his gifts.  The Gray Wolf Throne sees Raisa attempt to ascend to her Queendom, only to be hunted and threatened with death.  She'll need Han's help to take the crown away from those who covet it for the wrong reasons.  In the final book, The Crimson Crown, Raisa attempts to keep the peace in her Queendom, but is met with hostility and the promise of war tearing her people apart.  She will need to work together with Han to restore balance to The Fells.  I'm invested in this world and I'd like to see this story played out to the end.  I've also come into possession of Chima's next series, based in this world and set a few years in the future, so I'm excited to follow it further!

(goodreads.com)

    The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen is the sequel to The Queen of the Tearling, which I read a few months ago.  This sequel takes place after the events of the first book, in which Queen Kelsea took back her throne from her uncle and grew into some astonishing magical powers, helping to thwart a shipment of slaves to a neighboring kingdom.  With war looming overhead, she must devise a plan of attack and protect her people from this growing threat.  Apparently she also ends up connecting with someone in a timeline from the past, (time travel?), in order to find answers for her future.  It seems slightly more interesting than the first book, which was just getting good towards the end, so I'm hoping to enjoy this book better than the first.  I'm also not sure if this series will continue, but I'm assuming it will with at least another book.

(goodreads.com)

    Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is another book that has been on my TBR shelf for awhile.  It is the first book in a new series I'll be starting set in a world similar to Eastern Europe and Russia, but with magical elements.  It takes place in a kingdom called Ravka, which has been overrun by the shadow realm by beasts that eat human flesh.  Alina Starkov is a member of a regiment that is sent to attack The Fold to prevent the evil from seeping into her realm.  By a series of unnatural and unforeseen events, Alina is recruited to become a member of the Grisha, a magical elite fighting team made up of people with similar abilities to Alina, lead by the Darkling.  Since her powers have manifested, it is up to her to determine how best to use her untamed power.  This has all the elements that I usually go for in a YA novel, so we'll see if I'm attracted to this series like I am to the cover art.

    So there you have it, my picks for my November TBR.  Have you read any of these books?  What did you think?  What's on your November TBR?  Let me know in the comments.  I was thinking about doing NaNoWriMo this year, (which would have seriously diminished my book count), but decided against it in order to finish my colloquium.  I think 8 is a manageable number, plus I've always found it easier to add books than to take them away.  Thursday I'll be going over my Comic TBR for November, which will also be themed "continuing series."  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.