Friday 10 July 2015

Oh Look, I'm Drowning In Books

I am two weeks into my summer holidays, so this post may be a little late ... but here we are. My suffocatingly huge Summer TBR Piles.

1. The "I'm Slathering for These" Pile
These are the books I am desperate to get to. (And yes, I've actually already read Shiver, but I was desperate to get to it at the start of the summer .... so it's here.)

Black Dove, White Raven -- Remember how I'm obsessed with Elizabeth Wein's books? She writes pitch perfect WW2 novels guaranteed to break your heart and throw it on the floor and then pick it up and bind it and then smash it again. All healthy for the heart, of course. I know that Black Dove, White Raven will be similarly perfect and anguish-bringing.

I Am the Messenger -- Elizabeth Wein notwithstanding, my favourite WW2 novel (and, practically, favourite novel ever) is The Book Thief, so naturally I'm raring for more Markus Zusak.

Shiver -- I love The Raven Cycle. ("What, Emily?" I hear you say. "We didn't know that! ... Wait ... no ... we did ... because you never shut up about it.") Of course, I wanted and needed more Stiefvater, so I read Shiver. It was excellent.

Les Miserables -- I've had the vague idea of reading Les Mis for a while, but since seeing it onstage in London in May I've been thinking about it quite a lot and I'm really feeling the need to read the book. And I have that very pretty copy. Look how pretty it is. Look at it.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone -- One of the book blogosphere's absolutely faves; how have I not read this yet?? Soon, soon ...

The Silkworm -- I recently read and LOVED The Cuckoo's Calling (review here), and I picked up the sequel in a charity shop (SCORE). I'm very excited.

2. The "Oh Wait, I Have a Dissertation to Write" Pile

After the summer I'm studying Advanced Higher English at school, which includes writing a dissertation comparing two books. I think I'd like to write on How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn, or something by Du Maurier or Austen, but I thought I'd read a few other classics over the holiday, to see if anything took my fancy.

The Mill on the Floss -- I love Adam Bede by George Eliot (review here) and this one, which I started yesterday, promises to be as witty and good. All hail Eliot.

When We Were Orphans -- Ishiguro is highly regarded. I've had this book for a long while. I shall read it.

A Farewell to Arms -- Purely based on Hemingway quotations I've seen on Pinterest, I am v excited for this one.

Hamlet -- We don't even get to study any Shakespeare next year (gee, thanks, school), so it comes upon myself. Excited for this (though it'll be hard).

Sons and Lovers -- Recommended to pair with How Green With My Valley. Unfortunately Lawrence is famous - or rather, infamous - for being a bit ... *ahem* ... louche. So I don't know how I feel about this.

A Room with a View -- Already read. Pretty good. Very beautiful.
The Beautiful and Damned -- So I may have mentioned once or twice (read as: I may have obsessively ranted about in almost every post) that I love The Great Gatsby. More Fitzgerald? Yes please.

Not photographed, but needed:

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood -- I'm studying that next year, so I actually need to read it; it is required. 

3. The "I've Had These For AAaages" Pile

I must get round to this lot!

The Amulet of Sarmakand -- Recommended by Treskie. I've had this for, like, two years. But it's urban fantasy, so I'm in.

Blue Blood -- A medieval mystery. I've had bad experience with adult historical fiction ... but it was my favourite as a kid ... I'm ever hopeful, guys, ever hopeful. 

Jamaica Inn -- Obviously Du Maurier is my queen so this'll no doubt be excellent.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius -- I know basically nothing about this book. Have you read it?? I bought it on someone's obsessive recommendation but it has, like, no blurb. I don't even know.

4. The "Wait, But Can't I Just Go On Reading Good Series and Rereading Old Favourites?" Pile

What I would really like is far more time to reread old favourites, and to pursue the many, many series I'm reading.

Magyk -- Desperate to reread this top notch series!

Anne's House of Dreams -- You know I love the Anne series. It was, like, April when I read the fourth one. Anne #5 is well overdue.

The Book Thief -- I have basically spent the past two years in a perennial state of "I want to reread The Book Thief ..." Maybe I'll get round to it this summer?
(I know I won't, though. ~sobs~.)

The Assassins of Rome -- I reread the first three Roman Mysteries when I had glandular fever in May and fully intend to reread them all (yes, there are 18, but I am committed to this series). I think I can definitely fit at least one in this summer.

Threads -- I need to reread this trilogy! Like, now. 

"Luuurve is a many trousered thing ..." -- Of course, there will be more Georgia Nicolson this summer.

Inkheart -- Aching to reread this trilogy.

Also in this pile, I just don't own a copy:

Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth -- Like Roman Mysteries, I reread the first three when I was ill. Now I need to read the rest!

Blade of Fire (Icemark Chronicles #2) -- Reread the first Icemark book at New Year (review here) and I want to keep going!

Crown of Midnight -- I read Throne of Glass at Easter, and yes, I do need the next one. (Though the library didn't have it, so I won't be reading it this summer. Thanks, library. Thanks for nothing.)

A Dance with Dragons -- So ... yeah. I really need the next book in A Song of Ice and Fire. Like, I need it now.

Gone by Michael Grant -- I want to reread this series so badly! But I don't own any of them. Such sadness.

Well. The bottom line? I'm drowning in books. 

I did a quick count. There are 30 books in this post. This may not seem a big deal for a lot of you, but there is no way I'll be reading that in a summer, especially since I have a novel to finish, and a crazy amount of drawing to do. 

It is tragedy.

But I will try my best!

Now tell me: what is on your Summer TBR pile? Have read any of these thirty books? Which ones should I prioritise? 

10 comments:

  1. I'M BACK FROM NOT BLOGGING FROM MONTHS AND YOURS WAS THE FIRST BLOG I HAVE COME BACK TO VISIT. Ahh it's so nice to be back in the blogosphere and seeing one of my first ever blogger people still doing their thing, although it makes me feel bad about slacking!

    Bookwise, I really want to read 'When we were orphans', 'Jamaica inn', 'The book thief' (it's on my shelf, but the big question is when will I finally commit) and 'A dance with dragons'. Also, I have the second book of Inkheart and have seen some of the first film, so I'm not sure as to how I'm going to work that out. PRIORITISE THE AMULET OF SAMRAKAND! Not that I've read it or anything, but just look at that font...

    Ahh what part of Portugal are you in right now?? I'm super jealous, so enjoy it for me! Also, how did your exam things go? You've probably told us in a previous post and so I am an awful person for not binge-reading right now ><

    Anywho, it's good to be back into the blogosphere, and I bet you feel honoured to be the first post I've read in months (;

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    1. BRO THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY THANK YOU! And thank you. So many people from our early bloggy time fell away (remember Leah from Amour, La Fille? Everything Ella? Totally Neevie? WHERE ARE THEY NOW?). I'm glad you're still here! (It's like, you, me, Hawwa, Marian. All my other friends I discovered later.)

      The Book Thief is EXCELLENT. Like it's so good. It's so so so so so good. I am wholly unable to articulate how good it is. It's really, really good.
      Ooh, Dance with Dragons! I didn't know you where a Game of Thrones gal!
      Get Inkheart. Read it. Then read Inkspell. Then Inkdeath. This is how you should work it out!
      I'm reading it right now! The font is v v pretty, and the book is super - so winning all round.

      Sadly I am in no part of Portugal right now, but I was in the Algarve. It was brilliant.
      I don't know! I don't get my results till 4th August! ~nervously gnaws nails~ How about yours?

      I am really honoured ;)

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  2. I loved Shiver! And that is an absolutely beautiful copy of Les Mis. I loved Code Name Verity, so I'll have to hunt down the rest of Wein's books and add them to my ever growing TBR pile. But for right now! I got Ruin & Rising, Unravel Me, and Station 11 on my horizons! Hope you're having fun in Portugal and reading lots by the poolsid :) :) :)

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    1. Shiver was A++. I'm so excited for Linger!!! (Which, I just realised, I didn't include in this post. It should be here. It should.)
      You definitely need Rose Under Fire! And then you can read Black Dove, White Raven, and I will too, and we'll cry together.
      Ruin and Rising ... that's Leigh Bardugo, right? To Goodreads!
      [interval of time]
      Yes, it is! I realllyyy want to read the Grisha trilogy (I have done for some time, but reading your review decided me once and for all.) Soon, soon!
      Unravel Me ... I know the cover of that. It's an eye, isn't it?
      ~returns to Goodreads~
      Oh, yeah. That's the one. I don't know much about those books. Are they good?
      I have no idea what Station 11 is!

      Thanks for stopping by, SJ! :)

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  3. So many amazing books! I own Shiver, Gone, and Daugher of Smoke and Bone, but have yet to read them... I suspect it may be my frequent check outs from the library that keeps me away. Throne of Glass is also high on my TBR for this summer. And I am really sad to admit that... I've never read The Book Thief. I know! I really should, the whole concept is still reeling in my brain after hearing about it so many times! I really enjoyed Magyk when I read it 2 years ago, although I have to admit that I've already forgotten many key plot points... oops. I better re-read it soon, so I can catch up with the series! I absolutely love the Percy Jackson series! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the rest of the books! And YES, another person who has read the Georgia Nicholson books, I really need to re-read the first few books and finish the series! I also want to review them this time around as I am utterly in love with the humor and writing style.

    Hope you're having loads of fun in Portugal! :)

    PS: I found and am reading Skulduggery Pleasant. :)

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    1. Shiver and Gone are both EXCELLENT, you will love them. (Ugh, Gone is so good. I need to reread that series, especially because I don't know how it ends because I never read the last one! Stress!!) Yes, I feel that. You own books for ages, but they always seem to get deprioritised, somehow or other .... oops!
      Throne of Glass is pretty good. (It's not as good as Shiver or Gone, but still. Worth a read.) And THE BOOK THIEF IS AMAZING!!! I am on a quest to ensure that every single person ever reads The Book Thief. It is my mission in life.
      Magyk is fantastic. But again, like Gone, I never managed to finish the series, and now have forgotten too much to just read the last one, SO I need to reread it, too!
      Yay, Percy! I just bought The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian, so I can actually continue with it!
      Georgia is basically my favourite series ever. I am so, so excited to finish it (I have 3 left ... though, on the other hand, I don't want it to end!) You're right, though, surprisingly few people have read it! One of my best friends in real life started me on them, but apart from her, I don't actually know of anyone else - apart from you, now!

      I did! :)

      PS OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS
      CARLY
      CARLY
      CARLY
      Right I'm coming to your blog ASAP to see if you've said anything about it!!!

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  4. Shiver was awesome (anything by Stiefvater actually) and so was Daughter of Smoke and Bone! I've also read A Farewell to Arms, Magyk, Percy Jackson. I hope you enjoy all of these! I'm looking forward to reading Jamaica Inn in the future - I liked the movie, but I've heard the book is so different.

    Yesterday, I just added 8 new books to my tbr - check them out: http://never-anyone-else.blogspot.com/2015/07/sunday-funday-weekend-book-haul.html

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    1. Everything by Stiefvater. Yes, yes, yes. I'm soooo looking forward to DoSaB. I'm sure I will enjoy those three, too! And yeah, I'm really looking forward to JI, too. Du Maurier is a queen.

      Will do! :)

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  5. That is a ton of books!

    Oh, oh, I remember you talking about the Cuckoo's Calling. Mystery, I love it! I need to find this book.

    I've been curious about Les Miserables. I know nothing about it, and yet I'd love to read it. Except it's so large!

    Ah, Hemingway. I should read some of him. He reminds me of my English professor. He was a Hemingway fan.

    The Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - I want to read this gloriousness! I've never heard of it, til you showed a pic. But all I need is that title. Except. . . that thing is of monstrous-size! Big books are daunting. :/

    I wish I had time for rereads also. I just want to reread everything. But I want to read everything else also! I need more summer, to do more reading. This year needs to extend summer to another month. . . or two.

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    1. I know! ~falls over and dies~

      YES! It is excellent. You do need to find this book.

      ~gasps~ Have you never seen the musical?

      Many are (Hemingway fans, I mean). I'm really looking forward to A Farewell to Arms. I might read it next. (Or I might read some Fitzgerald. Who knows?)

      Haha, I'll tell you if it's good! (If I ever ever ever get onto it. Which frankly seems unlikely at this point in time. Ugh. So many books!!)

      Absolutely! Let's just, like, not return to school for all of September. If we ALL did it, all students all over the world, they'd have to do *something* ... right? And we could happily read at home.

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Thanks for commenting! :)