Hosted by Kathy Trithardt, Read Yo’ Shelves is a month-long readathon devoted to reading the books on your shelves. What a concept! It’s certainly one that I need in my life, given my recent whining about having overindulged in the book buying department last year and my budget-imposed book buying ban. Kathy has a bingo board (see second photo) that participants can use to guide their reading choices, but otherwise, it’s a free-range kind of readathon...my favorite kind.
I cannot conceive of a scenario in which I read all seven of these books, so this is not a TBR. I'm calling it a list of titles that I’d like to prioritize.
Reverie by Ryan La Sala
This was my November Books of the Month YA pick, and I have already read it. It’s a portal fantasy following a group of teens as they battle an evil sorceress for control of dreams. The story unfolds from the perspective of Kane, who wakes up with no memory having wrecked a car and angered a lot of people. The best thing about this book was La Sala’s imaginative, engaging prose.
Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) by Neil Shusterman
The novel is set in a futuristic world in which artificial intelligence has solved all the world’s problems, including death. To keep the population under control, Scythes are selected and trained to glean, i.e. kill. I had zero interest in this concept and only purchased this after my go-to source for book recommendations, Tori Morrow, raved about it. I’m currently reading this one, and it is far exceeding my expectations. I meant to read the first page last night, as a transition to bedtime, and ended up staying up until two a.m. reading because I could not stop.
This supernatural thriller was my December pick for Books of the Month YA and is one of my most anticipated reads from this list. It’s set in the desert, where Alif and her friends get trapped after a standstorm. They find an oasis, but will they be able to leave it?
Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns #1) by Kendare Blake
If we’re being brutally honest, I’ve lost interest in this book. It’s on the list because I bought it with my hard-earned money, and darn it, I’m going to read it and like it. Hopefully? It’s about three sisters who have to use their magical gifts in a fight to the death, with the winner taking the crown. I've heard positive reviews, so there is that.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Being the book lemming that I am, I scooped up this classic fantasy title up because it popped up on a “best of all time” list. The titular last unicorn leaves her enchanted forest for an adventure and picks up a crew along the way. Then I imagine that dramatic and moving things happen, given how people have raved.
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
I bought this YA science fiction novel entirely on a whim based on this description: “Two time-traveling agents from warring futures, working their way through the past, begin to exchange letters and fall in love.” Can you guess what two words hooked me? If you guessed “time” and “traveling,” then you probably know me personally, ha. I cannot resist time travel stories.
The Library of the Unwritten (Hell’s Library #1) by A. J. Hackwith
There is a special hell for books that are started but not finished. Seriously. I mean, that’s the premise of this fantasy novel: Unwritten books have their own library, but they get restless. Their characters try to escape. When they do, librarian Claire must retrieve them.
How is your January in books so far? Are you participating in any readathons?