Top Ten Tuesday: Winter TBR

Since coming back to the UK last week, I’ve been non-stop trying to get ready for Christmas. There were presents to buy and wrap, trees to put up, and lights to string all over the place. My house was basically hit with a Christmas tornado, with decorations and lights covering every bit of floor space while I pulled them out of their boxes.

My poor blog has been a bit neglected during the Christmas Tornado, so what better way to get back into the swing of things than with everyone’s favorite tag, Top Ten Tuesday??

This week’s topic, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is about the books on our Winter To Be Read List. Take a look at mine below!

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The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

His first foray into fiction and I am totally here for it. I’ve had it on hold at my library and it just became available so I’m really excited to be diving into this one ASAP.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Recursion won Goodread’s Best Sci-Fi book of 2019 so it seems like I should probably read it! Even though I still think The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley deserved that title, this book has gotten so many great reviews. Hopefully it lives up to the hype!

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Another one I have seen an endless amount of good reviews for, especially within the blogosphere. I’m currently on a waiting list at my library but according to their online portal, I should be able to get my hands on a copy within 4 weeks.

Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

I’ve been sent a copy of this as an ARC and I will fully admit I mostly wanted to read it because of it’s title and cover. Yes, I totally judge books by their covers. However, I also love everything Iceland. Of all the countries I’ve been to, Iceland hands down remains my favorite. It’s a really incredible place- plus they are huge bookworms over there.

The synopsis sounds really intriguing, so once I get this read I’ll be posting my review here. From the publisher:

“Iceland in the 1960s. Hekla is a budding female novelist who was born in the remote district of Dalir. After packing her few belongings, including James Joyces’s Ulysses and a Remington typewriter, she heads for Reykjavik with a manuscript buried in her bags. There, she intends to become a writer. Sharing an apartment with her childhood and queer friend Jon John, Hekla comes to learn that she will have to stand alone in a small male dominated community that would rather see her win a pageant than be a professional artist. As the two friends find themselves increasingly on the outside, their bond shapes and strengthens them artistically in the most moving of ways.”

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

Another ARC I’m looking forward to reading. It’s a fresh debut about an orc priestess turned wizard’s assassin and to be honest when it comes to roleplaying games, I always pick the orc characters. They are seriously underrated! From the publisher:

“What if you knew how and when you will die? Csorwe does–she will climb the mountain, enter the Shrine of the Unspoken, and gain the most honored title: sacrifice.

But on the day of her foretold death, a powerful mage offers her a new fate. Leave with him, and live. Turn away from her destiny and her god to become a thief, a spy, an assassin–the wizard’s loyal sword. Topple an empire, and help him reclaim his seat of power.

But Csorwe will soon learn–gods remember, and if you live long enough, all debts come due.”

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

I started reading The Bean Trees a couple of months ago, but then I got distracted by other books and have yet to pick it back up again. This is one that has been toward the top of my TBR for years and has been recommended to me so many times. I enjoyed what I read, so I’ll sit down again with it soon.

A Warning by Anonymous

My parents had a copy of this and were reading it when I was visiting them in California earlier this month. The three of us were all fighting with each other to get a few chapters in, but my parents won out most of the time. I only managed about 50 pages but what I read was pretty intense. I’m on a waiting list at my library and I’m hoping to get a copy soon so I can keep reading this riveting (and horrifying) book.

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

Every year I set mini-challenges for myself to chip away at my massive TBR list. This year’s theme was “Sci-Fi Books I Really Should Have Read By Now.” Even though I haven’t read everything I set out to, I’ve made decent progress with it.

The Stars My Destination is one of the few left on the list and I own a copy so I’m hoping to get it read before the end of the month (because of course I’ll be able to read 47 books in 2 weeks, right?!)

A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen

A post-apocalyptic book set near where I grew up so I’m already intrigued. Sent to me as an ARC, it doesn’t sound particularly different than other recent dystopian books (the synopsis reminds me a bit of Station Eleven), but I’m hopeful that it’ll be one I will really enjoy.  From the publisher:

“Six years after a global pandemic wiped out most of the planet’s population, the survivors are rebuilding the country, split between self-governing cities, hippie communes and wasteland gangs. In post-apocalyptic San Francisco, former pop star Moira has created a new identity to finally escape her past―until her domineering father launches a sweeping public search to track her down. Desperate for a fresh start herself, jaded event planner Krista navigates the world on behalf of those too traumatized to go outside, determined to help everyone move on―even if they don’t want to.

Rob survived the catastrophe with his daughter, Sunny, but lost his wife. When strict government rules threaten to separate parent and child, Rob needs to prove himself worthy in the city’s eyes by connecting with people again. Krista, Moira, Rob and Sunny are brought together by circumstance, and their lives begin to twine together. But when reports of another outbreak throw the fragile society into panic, the friends are forced to finally face everything that came before―and everything they still stand to lose. Because sometimes having one person is enough to keep the world going.”

Starship Troopers Robert A. Heinlein

I know, I know. I should have read this by now. I absolutely adore Heinlein and became hooked on his books as a teenager when my mom gave me a couple of his books to read. He and Ray Bradbury were the authors who sent me on my wonderful lifelong journey into sci-fi literature. Thanks, guys!

However, I’ve never read one of Heinlein’s most famous books, Starship Troopers. I finally bought a copy when I was visiting my favorite book store in California so now I really have no excuse to not read it.

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Have you read any of these or have plans to read them? Which books are on your Winter TBR? Let me know in the comments!