Top Ten Tuesday 11.06. - Backlist Books I Want to Read

It’s Top Ten Tuesday Time! This was a bit of a tricky topic for me because I wasn’t sure how to interpret the word ’backlist’ at first, and usually just thinking about the books I said I would read but then never got around to it is enough to give me a mild headache. Also since I have way too many unread books both on my Kindle and my Goodreads To Read List, so many it would be impossible to choose just ten of them, I decided to narrow the scope down to „Ten Books Released Earlier in 2018 that I Want to Read Before the Year Ends”. Even that should be difficult enough, not only to select but to actually read... I should really learn the art of selecting a book to read and then actually fucking reading it, is what I’m trying to say. Anyway, here’s my list, you guys! Let me know what you think about any of my choices in the comments.

1. In Byron’s Wake – Miranda Seymour

Lord Byron is one of my favourite poets, and I’ve always found his daughter, Ada Lovelace, to be a fascinating woman. This book promises to teach me more about not only her but her mother too, and I’m here for it.

2. Legendary (Caraval, #2) – Stephanie Garber 
Caraval was one of my favourite books of last year, and I was eager to read its sequel when it came out in the spring... and then I didn’t. Typical. I still really want to, though! 

3. The Romanov Empress - C.W. Gortner

I discovered this book after reading Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking, and I was hoping it would be about Alix, but it turns out the Empress in question here is her mother-in-law. That’s cool with me, too! The more historical figures I can learn about, the better.

4. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - Hank Green 
I read two John Green books so far, one I hated with a burning passion but the other I liked, so I’m still undecided as to how I feel about him as a writer. Now it’s his brother’s turn to amaze me, and I kind of want to love this book. 

5. A Keeper – Graham Norton
I’ve been watching Graham Norton every week for the last four years or so, and I didn’t have any idea that he was also a writer. I expect his book to be as fantastic as his interviews always are.

6. The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock – Imogen Hermes Gowar

I'll be honest, I don't even remember what this book is about, but it's been on my To Read for ages, and since then it's generated incredible buzz, so now I'm more eager than ever to finally read it. 

7. I Was Anastasia - Ariel Lawhon

The second Romanov book on my list, this time about a more well-known subject. And yet, I'm not exactly sure what this book will be about. Will it acknowledge "Anna Anderson" as an impostor, or will it be more of a "what if?", historical fantasy kind of approach where she really is Anastasia? I'll have to read it to find out.

8. Lady Mary – Lucy Worsley

I adore Lucy Worsley’s TV documentaries, but I’ve never read anyhing she’s written. I think it’s high time I remedy that, and a novel about the breakdown of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s marriage narrated by their daughter, the future Mary I, sounds like an excellent place to start. Plus, it was published on my birthday. Better late than never to read it then! 

9. The French Revolution – Stephen Clarke

Stephen Clarke's 1000 Years of Annoying the French is one of my favourite books of all time, so much so that it's barely ever left my bedside since I brought it about eight years ago. I'm not even exaggerating, it's right here next to me this very moment. For some reason, though, I've never read anything else he's written.

10. Meet Me at the Museum - Anne Youngson

This is supposed to be a love story that somehow involves the Tollund Man, and I'm all about him and other bog bodies ever since I wrote my MA thesis on Seamus Heaney's bog poems. Bring on the museum romance!

+1 The Secret Language of Cats: How to Understand Your Cat for a Better, Happier Relationship – Susanne Schotz

This book is coming out exactly today! So it is a bit like cheating to include it on my list, but I couldn’t help it. I adore cats, and although I never had any of my own, I know that I absolutely will one day. It’s out of the question that I won’t. In the meantime, I’m okay with familiarizing with all the strays in the neighbourhood, and reading this book to make sure I don’t fuck up with any of them.

Top Ten Tuesday 09.18. - Books on My Fall 2018 TBR

This is going to be my first Top Ten Tuesday entry, and I’m excited! I was trying long and hard to think of some theme to make it special, but in the end I settled for the most obvious one: books published in fall 2018. That’s about as vague as you can get so there’s really a little bit of everything in here: fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, history, a bit of humour... now that I think about it, it’s a pretty good overview of my reading tastes in general! So without further ado, the top ten books I’m looking forward to read this fall are...

1. I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life – Anne Bogel

Reading has been an integral part of my life, not to mention my nr. 1 hobby, ever since I was about four years old, so I have a feeling I’m gonna find this book insanely relatable

2. Small Spaces – Katherine Arden

I loved the first two books in Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy, and while I eagerly await the conclusion of Vasya’s journey, I got myself pretty psyched up for her upcoming children’s horror story.

3. Bridge of Clay – Markus Zusak

His first novel since The Book Thief, which is one of my personal favourites, so there was never any question about whether I’m gonna read this or not.

4. My Squirrel Days – Ellie Kemper

I don’t know much about Ellie Kemper as a person, but I LOVE Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and if her book proves just half as funny and  adorable as an average Kimmy episode, it’s gonna be great. 

5. Phoenix Unbound – Grace Draven

Grace Draven created one of my all-time favourite romantic pairings in her Wraith Kings series, and now she’s back with another unique fantasy romance that I’m expecting to love.

6. Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates – Eric Jay Dolin

Pirates! ...yeah, that’s pretty much it.

7. The Clockmaker's Daughter – Kate Morton

I’m a sucker for novels dealing with related events set in multiple time periods, and this one seems particularly interesting from the blurb.

8. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein – Kiersten White

Who knew I ever neeed a book about the childhood of Elizabeth Lavenza, or a retelling of Frankenstein from her point of view? I didn’t, but I soon as I found out about its existence, I was sold.

9. How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England: A Guide for Knaves, Fools, Harlots, Cuckolds, Drunkards, Liars, Thieves, and Braggarts – Ruth Goodman

That title pretty much sells the book I think. 

10. An Assassin's Guide to Love and Treason - Virginia Boecker

And finally, another Elizabethan adventure that promises to be both fun, romantic, and possibly educational.

+1. Blood’s Revolution – Angus Donald

I’m putting this in the ’+1’ position because it doesn’t even have a cover yet and right now I’m not convinced it’s actually coming out this October, but the first book in the series was one of my favourite historical fiction novels ever, and I know that if and when the sequel comes out, I’ll be here for it.

So there you have it! Please tell me what you think in the comments! Have you read any of these books? What other books along similar lines can you recommend to me? What are you planning to read this fall? What do you want for Christmas? Aren't kittens just the absolute best?

...Please just talk to me.