Hello everyone! I love how it's only January and my goals are already slowly unraveling, but we're working on keeping a positive growth mindset so let's just ignore the fact that I did not post last week...
In light of slowly wrapping up my reading for 2020, I wanted to compile a list of books on my physical shelves that are "high priority" for me this year. Since I've also fallen prey to consumerism a lot more last year while staying home as much as possible, I've accumulated a lot more books so I really want to go through my shelves and actually read the books I've bought.
these violent delights by chloe gong
Romeo and Juliet in 1920s Shanghai
I'm kicking myself a bit for not reading this yet since this was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020. It was originally on my December tbr, but I ended up falling into a bit of reading slump so I just didn't get around to reading this. It's currently top of the list and I'm hoping to finish it before the month ends.
infinity + one by amy harmon
famous musician romance about finding yourself
Amy Harmon was one of my favorite authors in high school and I haven't been keeping up with her recent releases as much as before since I'm trying to catch up to her backlist books. I've owned Infinity + One for years and I think this is the last one of her books I own that I haven't read yet. I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous since the last Amy Harmon book I read in 2020 was one of my most disappointed reads, but I'm working on keeping a positive outlook before going into this one.
the way of kings by brandon sanderson
an epic fantasy with magical storms
I am the master of putting off series for as long as possible and that's the deal with The Stormlight Archives. The original epic series is supposed to span ten books, but Brandon Sanderson has said that there are two distinct story arcs broken within five books. With the fourth installment, Rhythm of War, releasing in 2020, I figured I could finally get started on this series since the fifth book and final installment of the first story arc is projected to be released sometime in 2022.
the shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon
a historical fiction set in Barcelona with mystery and a cemetery of books
Another book that has been on my shelves for absolute ages. I picked this up at a library sale because of all the good things I heard on the internet and...it's just been sitting on my shelves since. Part of the daunting aspect, I think, is just being afraid that I won't love this as much as everyone, but I've decided that this is the year I'm finally going to bite the bullet and just start this book.
the starless sea by erin morgenstern
a key, a bee, and doorways into other stories
This was also originally on my December tbr, but because of that wonderful reading slump I didn't end up reading this one. I was supposed to also read this with my book club, but at this point I'm 100% everyone has read it already and I'm super late. Regardless, Erin Morgenstern has such gorgeous prose so I'm excited to finally get started with her sophomore novel.
where dreams descend by janella angeles
a magical competition with the contestants slowly getting murdered
Another story that I've heard nothing but good things about since its release. I finally picked up a physical copy as a little Chritsmas present to myself and now just stare at it every day. The premise sounds so interesting and I've heard it also comp'd to the Night Circus which makes me even more excited.
academ's fury by jim butcher
after the initial battle our mc goes to elemental spirit training school
Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series is pretty well loved in the adult fantasy world and I was really excited to read the first book Furies of Calderon last year. However, it didn't end up blowing me away and I've been low-key avoiding the series ever since. I do own the first four books so I'm trying to get myself to read the second book in the series and if I'm still very indifferent then I'll just unhaul the books.
the shadowed sun by n.k. jemisin
the city of dreams now suffers from brutality and violence and now there's a plague
The Killing Moon was one of my highest rated reads of 2020 and I've been meaning to pick up the sequel ever since. N.K. Jemisin has been receiving so much love lately which makes me super happy since I read her Inheritance trilogy back in 2013 which is also when I picked up her Dreamblood duology. The Shadowed Sun takes place after the first book and is considered a standalone though the events are affected by what goes down in book one. I feel like I'm still processing what happened in The Killing Moon and just I just haven't gotten around to reading the sequel yet.
the never tilting world duology by rin chupeco
twin goddesses tear the world apart and now their children must fix it
I read The Never Tilting World at the end of 2019 during finals and since then have been dying to reread the book because I remember absolutely nothing from the story. 😠What I do remember is reading 1-2 pages in between my study or practice breaks which ultimately did not add up very well in my brain post-finals. I did end up pre-ordering The Ever Cruel Kingdom because (duh) I love Rin Chupeco so this one is high on my priority list to get through this year!
a darker shade shade of magic by ve schwab
four versions of alternate london and our mc can travel through them
This trilogy as a whole was one of my impulse purchases due to covid. I've been eyeballing the series for a while and after finally buying them for the purchase of binging them during lockdown, I ended up not reading them at all. So we're going to start off small and just aim to finish the first book in this trilogy this year.
Those are my ten books! I actually ended up with a lot more books so I compiled the rest into a video if you're interested in checking it out!
What are some books on your physical shelves to read this year?
