The Terror of Knowing

Welcome one, welcome all, to Top Ten Tuesday! For those who are unaware (or who might need a reminder) Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by book bloggers and list lovers, The Broke and the Bookish, and is now hosted fantastically by Jana from That Artsy Girl! Each week a topic is chosen for bloggers to respond to.

This week’s topic is Backlist Books I Want to Read. It’s a pretty self-explanatory topic: what are the main books that I want to read that aren’t… well… new releases. So since “backlist” basically means anything that isn’t the current publishing season, I can even include books that were released in Spring/Summer 2018. So that leaves quite a large category of books to choose from! In an effort to filter down this list, I’ve decided to make this the top ten backlist books I want to read before the end of 2018, the real priorities on my far too big TBR list. Now, that’s not to say I will at all get to all 10 of these before the end of December because who knows what will happen with my reading pace? Still, it never hurts to have a plan!

10) Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Although this backlist book is from 2013 and doesn’t seem like something I’d necessarily read, I feel as though I’ve seen tonnes of people online reading this because of the film adaptation which came out this year. Before that, this book hadn’t really been on my radar in a big way, but after hearing some good things about the film, and that the book was hilarious and a really enjoyable read, I promptly bought it in the hope of it being a light read for my holiday to Orlando. I’m really hoping it fits the bill in that respect since I do love reading (and watching TV shows) about annoyingly rich people, haha.

9) The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

I’m ashamed to say that, despite the fact this book is firmly on this list, I’m not sure I recall why I first decided I wanted to read it. I know it’s Russian-inspired fantasy steeped in folklore and tradition. And I know that a lot of readers seem to have found this very enchanting and evocative so I’m sure I will love this novel once I have a chance to set proper time aside to sink into the story it has to tell. I was recently reminded of this book’s existence by a YouTuber I watch, lexcanroar, so I’m glad for that timely reminder that I need to get to this book sooner rather than later.

8) If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

As with a fair few other books on this list, this book by M.L. Rio is one that I’ve been meaning to read for months at this point but that I’m hesitant to ultimately pick up. The reason why? I’m sure I’ll love it. That seems like a dumb reason not to read something but I’m so hesitant to pick this book up because so many people (myself including) are pretty sure I’m going to love this and I’m worried it could disappoint me. I’m told this is very The Secret History-ish but with Shakespeare-obsessed students rather than Classics ones so that does sound like something I should love – fingers crossed for me and this book, huh?

7) The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

This third book in the Winner’s Trilogy was always firmly listed on my ‘books I must read in 2018′ list – I even went to the trouble of including the second and third books on my Series to Finish list, though that project has been, likewise, neglected throughout most of this year (oops). I managed to get to the second book, The Winner’s Crime, but I’m yet to finish this one, partly because finishing it will mean this trilogy is over and there are no more books for me to enjoy, but also because I’m slightly worried about what the outcome of this final story will be for the characters who I’ve come to know and love.

6) The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman

I was so excited when this second book in the Lady Helen series arrived (yes, I pre-ordered it), and yet I still haven’t read it yet. As with some other books you’ll see in this list, this fantasy book first piqued my interest because it features a Regency setting – the first book was set in Regency London and I believe this one ventures into Regency Bath? I love fantasy books that take place in this historical setting (I fully blame my penchant for Jane Austen for this tendency) and the entire tone and etiquette is something that I get a kick out of reading when it’s then combined with magic and mayhem. The Dark Days Duet was a lot of fun so I’m sure this one will follow suit!

5) The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig

I read the first book in this duology, The Girl From Everywhere, earlier this year and I really loved it. It was obvious that I would enjoy it because it features pirates, maps, and a time-travelling pirate ship. I mean, of course I’m on-board with a book with a plot like that. Considering how much I loved it, and the fact that I bought both books at the same time because I was so damn sure I’d love the story, it’s stupid that I haven’t read the second book in the series yet. I keep meaning to so I must make a point now of making it a priority in the remaining months of 2018.

4) Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

I’ve mentioned this book on far too many of these lists; it’s just getting plain embarrassing now that I haven’t yet read it. It’s especially embarrassing because I’m like 99.9% sure I would adore this book – it’s set in Regency London and has a Royal Society of Magicians and I really make a point to seek out fantasies that are set in that historical period as I love it. Add onto all that the fact that this book is stunning and so very my aesthetic and it’s downright disgraceful that I haven’t made the efforts to pick this up yet. I think half the battle is that I’m so sure I’ll love this that I’m almost scared to pick it up in case I don’t, you know?

3) The Dark Vault by V.E. Schwab

V.E. Schwab is one of my favourite authors and it has always felt a little ridiculous to me that I haven’t read all her work that I can readily find. I’ve wanted to read The Archived and The Unbound for some time now and I was browsing Amazon one day when I spotted this beautiful bind-up paperback for sale on there. It’s the US edition so I snapped it up quickly because I’m actually not at all a fan of the cover design of the UK edition (sorry/not sorry) and now I just need to get to reading it because I think a story about some kind of morgue called the Archive sounds just about morbid enough to be a perfect fit for the darker, spookier nights.

2) Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

This book has received so much hype and so much praise since it came out at the start of 2018. People whose opinion I definitely trust when it comes to books have sung the praises of this book and it seems mildly ridiculous to me that I still somehow haven’t got around to reading it. I actually took this book to Barcelona with me when I was on holiday in September but didn’t get around to reading it since I was mostly too distracted by sunshine, the Gothic Quarter, and paella to really concentrate on finishing any book. But I definitely need to get to this book before the end of 2018, if for no other reason than I’m pretty sure it would likely make my “best of the year” list.

1) The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

If you’ve been around these parts for any length of time, you will probably know that I adore The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, so much so that I consistently put off reading this, the final book in the series, because then the series will truly be over and I won’t have anything new to read. It’s a completely skewed logic, of course, because I really want the closure of this final book and I somehow miraculously have avoided most spoilers for what happens in it. However, enough is enough, I need to stop hoarding this final volume and just read it! Maybe if I include it on yet another Top Ten Tuesday/Top Five Wednesday it will be the final straw and I’ll read it!

That’s all folks, those were the Top Ten Backlist Books I Want to Read. What backlist books do you want to get to sooner rater than later? Let me know in the comments! And, as ever, if you have your own Top Ten Tuesday post, please link me!

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