Wishes for My TBR Pile #6: A Mixture of Contemporary and Classic

I am mighty overdue for a Wishes for My TBR post. I wasn’t going to do one at first because I’ve acquired many books due to discovering Book Outlet, but I’ve changed my mind.

My TBR pile is ever growing and I hardly place limits on it. Some people have bookshelves dedicated to their TBR piles, others, like me, have a digital list. I simply add books to my Goodreads “to-read” list and name it TBR pile. There are currently over 500 books on that list, some of which I’ve already read but have forgotten what they’re about. Will I ever whittle it down? I doubt it. Will I stop adding books to catch up? Nope. If I’m at a bookstore with a coupon in hand intent on purchasing a book, that’s the list I refer to. So it will stay as it is, growing larger and larger until it hits Goodread’s limit, whatever that is. The only pruning I’ll probably ever do is to remove a book that I’m no longer interested in reading. Anyways, let’s move on to the recent additions.

— Well, some aren’t recently added so let’s just describe them as recent mental additions. Hehe.

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes (February 23, 2016)

Charmingly murderous antihero Joe continues his twisted quest for the perfect love in this thrilling follow-up to the “deeply dark yet mesmerizing” You (Booklist). When Joe follows the woman he wants to marry to the West Coast, he never imagines that his obsession will lead him to such tragedy…

This is the sequel to You, which was a great read. You is a thriller about a guy, Joe, stalking a girl. It’s told in the second-person from his perspective and it’s awesome. I didn’t expect to enjoy how it is narrated. (You can read my review here.) Obviously, since I enjoyed You so much, I have to continue with its sequel.

The Written by Ben Galley (July 15, 2010)

His name is Farden.

They whisper that he’s dangerous.

Dangerous is only the half of it.

Something has gone missing from the libraries of Arfell. Something very old, and something very powerful. Five scholars are now dead, a country is once again on the brink of war, and the magick council is running out of time and options.

Entangled in a web of lies and politics and dragged halfway across icy Emaneska and back, Farden must unearth a secret even he doesn’t want to know, a secret that will shake the foundations of his world. Dragons, drugs, magick, death, and the deepest of betrayals await.

Welcome to Emaneska.

I heard about this one about an hour or so ago. I’m watching booktube videos on and off as I write this and I recently watched Kitty G’s review of this book, which piqued my interest because the magic system includes books and tattoos and I like books and tattoos. Basically, the mages have a book, or pages of a book, tattooed onto their back and if anyone reads the words, they will go insane. Doesn’t that sound awesome?! I want to read it. I want to read it now. Why can’t I read faster?

Color Me Crazy: Insanely Detailed Creations to Challenge Your Skills and Blow Your Mind by Peter Deligdisch (July 7, 2015)

Color Me Crazy isn’t your average coloring book. Filled with intricately detailed line art, Color Me Crazy features 44 hand-drawn creations awaiting colored pencils or markers. From the mind and expert hand of popular illustrator Peter Deligdisch, this stunning book will appeal to anyone who likes to doodle, draw, relax, get in the zone, or get the creative juices flowing. Not just for kids anymore, coloring at this level delivers a deeply satisfying experience that will delight creative souls of all ages. This isn’t about perfectionism; with pages this detailed, wherever you color is between the lines.

I LOVE Peter’s illustrations. I’ve been following him on Youtube, where he goes by Peter Draws, for a few years now. I enjoy watching him draw and his voice is so relaxing. Sometimes I’ll draw while watching his videos but most times I watch them at night because his voice puts me to sleep. I have his other two books that he self-published so I’ll get this one soon as well.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (March 13, 1989)

Humbert Humbert — scholar, aesthete and romantic — has fallen completely and utterly in love with Lolita Haze, his landlady’s gum-snapping, silky skinned twelve-year-old daughter. Reluctantly agreeing to marry Mrs Haze just to be close to Lolita, Humbert suffers greatly in the pursuit of romance; but when Lo herself starts looking for attention elsewhere, he will carry her off on a desperate cross-country misadventure, all in the name of Love. Hilarious, flamboyant, heart-breaking and full of ingenious word play, Lolita is an immaculate, unforgettable masterpiece of obsession, delusion and lust.

I’ve often heard of Lolita and I am intrigued by the story, especially after reading about it in Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Novels Like a Professor, in which he discusses Humbert Humbert’s obsession with words. After reading Ronnie’s Liebster Award post, I again felt the need to purchase and read Lolita so I placed it on my Goodreads “get-it-soon” list.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (April 1, 2014)

J. Fikry, the irascible owner of Island Books, has recently endured some tough years: his wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and his prized possession–a rare edition of Poe poems–has been stolen. Over time, he has given up on people, and even the books in his store, instead of offering solace, are yet another reminder of a world that is changing too rapidly. Until a most unexpected occurrence gives him the chance to make his life over and see things anew.

I’ve heard about this book a lot and read a few reviews but it’s Lauren’s review on Bookish Things: Confessions of a Story Junkie that made me curious enough to want to purchase it. She gave 3/5 on Goodreads but the aspects of the story that she pointed out appealed to me so…I might get it.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (April 1, 2014)

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an “accident,” he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend… and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne – or his life.

This exciting fantasy novel, set against the pageantry and color of a fascinating, unique world, is a memorable debut for a great new talent.

Here’s another that I’ve heard many great things about. Whenever I visit a bookstore, I pick it up, read a few pages, and somehow convince myself to leave without purchasing it. I do the same with Hugh Howey’s Wool. But after reading Daniel’s review (Attack of the Books!) of it this morning on Goodreads, I decided to convince myself to get it the next time I visit a book store.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (August 11, 2009)

Like everyone else, precocious high school senior Quentin Coldwater assumes that magic isn’t real, until he finds himself admitted to a very secretive and exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. There he indulges in joys of college-friendship, love, sex, and booze- and receives a rigorous education in modern sorcery. But magic doesn’t bring the happiness and adventure Quentin thought it would.

After graduation, he and his friends stumble upon a secret that sets them on a remarkable journey that may just fulfill Quentin’s yearning. But their journey turns out to be darker and more dangerous than they’d imagined.

Psychologically piercing and dazzlingly inventive, The Magicians, the prequel to the New York Times bestselling book The Magician King and the #1 bestseller The Magician’s Land, is an enthralling coming-of-age tale about magic practiced in the real world-where good and evil aren’t black and white, and power comes at a terrible price.

Another “I’ve heard great things about it so I want to get it.” Also, I’ve heard that it’s like a mature version of Harry Potter so I’m intrigued. Plus, it’s being adapted for a TV show on SyFy so that’s something to look forward to.

Jason and Medea by Apollonius of Rhodes (February 26, 2015)

The tragic, epic love affair that allowed Jason to get the Golden Fleece.

I love these black editions that Penguin UK recently published so I’d like to get a few. (I seriously think I’m suffering from a bout of bookish greed. I want everything.) Of the selection, I’d like to get this one because I’ve always heard summaries of the tale and I’d like to know what Apollonius said. I do worry that I won’t like how it’s written, though, but I’ll take a leap of bookish fate and buy it and see.

Caligula by Suetonius (February 26, 2015) [And also Life of the Caesars by Suetonius, the larger work from which Caligula is taken]

The biography of the brutal, crazed and incestuous Roman Emperor Caligula, who tried to appoint his own horse consul.

AHA! Aha, Aha, Aha! I finally found it! Do you know how long I’ve been searching for this book? I think it’s since reading Michael Dirda’s Classics for Pleasure back in 2012 but I’m no longer sure. I think it’s from Dirda that I first heard about Life of the Caesars but my memory is foggy. From what I read way back then, Suetonius’ recount of the Caesars’ lives was one of the earliest sensational writings in history. That piqued my interest but then I forgot the name of the book and the author. I searched for Herodotus (the great Greek historian) instead but couldn’t find what I wanted so I’m SO happy that Penguin UK decided to email me about these Little Black Classics.

By the way, you should definitely check out the website. The interactive graphic thing is pretty cool. And also this essay by Michael Dirda on Suetonius and The Lives of the Caesars will give you a peek at what the book is about.

Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti (February 26, 2015)

A selection of Rossetti’s most famous poems, from the hallucinatory ‘Goblin Market’ to ‘In the bleak mid-winter’.

This is one of my favorite poems and though I have a print out of it that I downloaded from some website when I read it in college, I think I should have a copy of it bound in a little Penguin book with a sleekly designed cover. Don’t you agree?

Beloved by Toni Morrison, illus. by Joe Morse

Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby.

Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. Her new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.

Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope, Beloved is a towering achievement by Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison.

Okay, so I already have a copy of Beloved and I enjoyed the story when I read it but this is a first-edition, illustrated copy of Beloved from the Folio Society that I think am convinced should be added to my collection of books. It’s beautiful. I know this because I watched FrenchieDee’s unboxing on Youtube. (I just realized she’s on WordPress. Following!) It’s a pricey book but it looks like it’s worth it so I’ll save so I can treat myself around Christmas time.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on these books if you’ve read them.

Happy reading! 😀

Dig around in these piles

• Books I Want to Read Before the End of the Year (forrestofbooks.wordpress.com)
• #TBRTakedown 2.0 and Joining the Lunar Chronicles (Re)Read-a-long (bookenthral.com)
• July 2015 TBR // Bookish Lists (booksandrita.wordpress.com)
• Summer To Be Read List (bellescorneroftheuniverse.wordpress.com)
• Books that have been on my TBR list FOREVER (journalofabibliophile.wordpress.com)

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