Before the new year begins, I wanted to share my To-Be-Read shelf. Not the whole thing of course. As I previously mentioned in my Book-Buying-Ban post here, the number of books on my shelves that I haven’t read is embarrassingly large so I won’t share all the titles; but I was thinking of sharing those that really stand out on my shelf.
The House of Sorrowing Stars by Beth Cartwright is one I’m really excited to delve into. I’ve heard it being described as gothic, mysterious, magically mesmerising and heard so many great things about it so that’s high on my list to get into.
I have a fair few non-fiction books to get through, especially in the form of biographies and autobiographies. In particular, I’m eager to get into I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I really want to find time to get into Imperial Dancer: Mathilde Kschessinska and the Romanovs by Corynne Hall and then The Story of Beatrix Potter: Her Enchanting Work and Surprising Life by Sarah Gristwood. I have always loved the works of Beatrix Potter and find her so inspiring so I’m hoping this book will teach me something I don’t already know about her.
I have quite a few anthologies and compilation books that I really want to get into a better habit dipping in and out of but I do reeeally want to get into The Vampire Archives by Otto Penzler. I got this book up in Whitby and have had a few flips through it so far -it looks amazing!
I have a few books that I am a little apprehensive about reading but do still want to get stuck into them such as; Stone Blind: Medusa’s Story by Natalie Haynes and then Jessie Burton’s The House of Fortune. I read The Miniaturist by Burton years ago and loved it but I always feel a little unsure about follow up books -especially when the original was so magical, there’s so much to live up to. I also read Haynes’ Pandora’s Jar: Women in Greek Myths which I enjoyed but there were sections that were too academic for my liking and to be completely honest, my main interest is Medusa so I’m hoping Stone Blind will be the perfect fit.
I have a few classics that I’ve had on shelves but never really taken the chance to get into such as Vanity Fair, Les Misérables, The Mystery of the Yellow Room, and Villette.
I’m looking forward to getting into more fiction that is slightly darker with hints of magical elements. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, which is the first in a trilogy I think. I really enjoyed Uprooted by her so I’m wondering if I will enjoy her other works. I’m also really looking forward to reading The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk which is Lusk’s debut work -which is always so great to read a writers first published work before they’ve gone down other avenues exploring other pieces. Plus there’s a steampunk element to this work which I always love.
I do have two pre-orders that I am really looking forward to in 2023. The first is of course The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson, which will be the follow up to Her Majesty’s Royal Coven which I loved sooo much (you can read my review of that here). The second pre-order that I have is The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia which has already been released but is only available via hardback but I would prefer the paperback (I think my boyfriend would curse me if I got any more hardbacks on my shelves).
I will leave it there for now -I do have much more that I could mention but I won’t; and no doubt, I will continue to update my book-buying ban here and how I am getting along with the to-be-read shelf.
Cheerio for now!
withsomejam 