I’m back from my (sort-of) blog hiatus! I’ll be easing back into the blogging scene with posts once or twice weekly, and I’m planning an update post in the near future to let you all know what exciting things I’ve been working on behind the scenes.
But first—my quarterly reading list post!
I would just like to point out that for the first time in my entire life, I am on track to read 100 books this year. I’m trying not to get neurotic about making it a personal challenge, but still… it could happen!
I would also like to mention how ridiculously hard it’s going to be to choose my Top 10 Reads of 2014 at the end of this year. 50 books in, and there are already 20+ books that could easily make the list. I don’t know if there’s something in the water or what, but books have been amazing this year! Which is probably why I’ve already hit 50 reads… so many of them I just didn’t want to put down.
As far as some of my favorites from this last quarter…
If you follow me on Twitter you know that I LOVED WITH A GREAT BURNING PASSION Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo. I could not have imagined a more fulfilling conclusion to one of my favorite series of all time.
I also had the pleasure of reading ARCs for two fantastic upcoming books: Firebug by Lish McBride (release date: September 23) and Storm Siren by Mary Weber (release date: August 19). They both had me smitten from page one and I highly recommend adding them to your TBR pile!
Lastly, I have to mention a book that is a slight deviation from my normal reading list (a.k.a. not YA), but that I found captivating and brilliant in every way. It also had one of the smartest endings I’ve ever read. Vicious by Victoria Schwab. The book takes everything you know about good and evil, heroes and villains, and turns it all on its head. I thought this book was absolute genius!
My entire reading list for 2014 (so far) is below, with many, many more fabulous reads!
First Quarter
1. Plus One, by Elizabeth Fama
2. The Connected Child, by Karyn Purvis, David Cross, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine
3. Fool, by Christopher Moore
4. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell
5. Winterspell, by Claire Legrand
6. Star Cursed, by Jessica Spotswood
7. Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell
8. Splintered, by A.G. Howard
9. Revolutions for Fun and Profit, by Ryan Shattuck
10. Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi
11. Through the Ever Night, by Veronica Rossi
12. Into the Still Blue, by Veronica Rossi
13. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
14. My Life as an Experiment, by A.J. Jacobs
15. Passionate Persuasion, by Rosemary Clement-Moore
16. Also Known As, by Robin Benway
17. Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel, by Daniel Cooney
18. Baby’s in Black: Astrid Kirchherr, Stuart Sutcliffe, and The Beatles, by Arne Bellstorf (graphic novel)
19. Zahra’s Paradise, by Amir & Khalil (graphic novel)
20. Dorothy Must Die, by Danielle Paige
21. A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness
Second Quarter
22. Firebug, by Lish McBride
23. The Splendor Falls, by Rosemary Clement-Moore
24. Devine Intervention, by Martha Brockenbrough
25. The Wicked and the Just, by J. Anderson Coats
26. Symbols of Love, by Denny Lee and Josh Stoneman
27. Bubbly on Your Budget, by Marjorie Hillis
28. Choker, by Elizabeth Woods
29. The Raft, by S.A. Bodeen
30. Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale, by Joss Whedon (graphic novel)
31. The Winner’s Curse, by Marie Rutkoski
32. Vicious, by Victoria Schwab
33. Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor
34. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, by Leslye Walton
35. Of Neptune, by Anna Banks
36. Hatter, by Daniel Coleman (first publication; to be re-released Fall 2014)
37. Ashen Winter, by Mike Mullin
38. Shards & Ashes, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong
39. Dark and Stormy Knights, edited by P.N. Elrod
40. I Heart You, You Haunt Me, by Lisa Schroeder
41. Bad Boys of the Black Hills, and Some Wild Women, Too, by Barbara Fifer
42. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle, adapted by Hope Larson (graphic novel)
43. Haunted Deadwood: A True Wild West Ghost Town, by Mark Shadley and Josh Wennes
44. Untitled, by Tamara Felsinger (beta-read)
45. Storm Siren, by Mary Weber
46. Enthralled, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong
47. Boxers, by Gene Luen Yang (graphic novel)
48. Saints, by Gene Luen Yang (graphic novel)
49. Threats of Sky and Sea, by Jennifer Ellision
50. Ruin and Rising, by Leigh Bardugo