Wishes for My TBR Pile #21: It’s Been a Long Time Coming

Wishes for My TBR Pile is a monthly post where I list and sometimes discuss the books I’ve discovered and would like to get and read.

I refer to these lists whenever I visit a bookstore and can’t decide on what to get. However, recently my go-to list for books to get has been my Tough Travels posts. I’ve discovered several new-to-me books since partaking of that meme and reading about fantasy books on the blogs I visit.

However, since my last Wishes for My TBR post, I was moved to get Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, which, of course, I haven’t yet read but plan to. Here are a some more books I’d like to get and read:

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

I learned of this one on Vamos a Leer, which featured it in one of its good reads posts. The synopsis doesn’t reveal much of the plot, so it’s hard to tell what exactly Echo is about, but it is a middle-grade historical fantasy story that seems to focus on destiny and center on a harmonica that influences the lives of four children — Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, Ivy in California, and Otto, who meets three mysterious sisters in a forbidden forest.

Seed by Ania Ahlborn

Ania Ahlborn was recommended to me by Didi Oviatt, who mentioned her in a comment on my Horror Reading Challenge announcement post. I forgot why I chose Seed for my TBR, but now that I’ve reread the synopsis, which hints at demonic possession, the story seems too scary for me. I’ll keep it on my TBR for now in case I feel brave enough to read it one day.

All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg

The Book Riot most anticipated books of 2017 post got me interested in this one and so too did this review on NPR Books that criticized it for its “performative privilege check” —

“To ‘check one’s privilege’ is a gesture of self-sanctification that helps no one, unless it is followed by reflection and then by action.”

All Grown Up is a comical novel about a 39-year-old single, childfree woman living life unapologetically in NYC.

Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey

This is a coming-of-age fantasy novel about a girl who runs away from home, trains to join the queen’s elite guard, and must use her powers to protect the queen from conspiracies that threaten her and the kingdom. Arrows of the Queen was recommended to me by Kayla of Books, Boxes, and Baubles when I told her I haven’t read a Mercedes Lackey book.

Though, now that I think of it, I probably read one of her books back in middle/high school. It was either a Lackey or a R.A. Salvatore novel, but it had a snake in it that could spit poison into people’s faces and it was the pet of the protagonist, which got to the magic world by falling through a portal (I think). That’s all I remember.

Among Others by Jo Walton

This one sounds perfect for book lovers, specifically bibliophiles who love sci-fi/fantasy novels. It was recommended by booktuber Kitty G, who included it in her favorites of 2016. Among Others is a fantasy story about a girl who runs away from her mother, an evil witch, to live with her father and attend boarding school, where she uses her abilities to connect with kindred souls who love sci-fi\fantasy novels as much as her.

Kojiki by Keith Yatsuhashi

I learned about this book from an underrated books list posted on It’s a Long Story, managed by Gwen (see her review of Kojiki here). It’s the cover that caught my attention, but the premise sounds like something I might like.

Kojiki is a fantasy novel about an 18-year-old girl, Keiko, who travels to Japan to fulfill her father’s dying wish, but ends up in a mythic struggle between divine forces. Despite the few negative reviews I’ve seen, I’m still interested in giving this one a read. I’m always interested in fantasy stories that include gods.

Dark Things by Sukanya Venkatraghavan

A fantasy novel I learned about from a review posted on the Book Satchel. It’s about a Yakshi (a being that seduces humans and drinks their blood but in this story, they consume the secrets of men) named Andra who incurs the wrath of her mistress, the goddess Hera, when one of her victims survives.

Apart from this immediately sounding like a book I’ll enjoy because it has gods in it, I was also drawn to it because it’s based in Hindu mythology and has some Western fantastical elements. I also read a couple paragraphs in a sample and was immediately pulled in.

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

I learned of this in a review on Book Grub Reviews. It’s a thriller about a man called the Gardener who has been kidnapping girls for over 30 years, holding them captive in his mansion’s garden, and intricately tattooing their backs with the wings of butterflies. It sounded interesting so on my TBR it went.

The Only Pirate at the Party by Lindsey Stirling and Brooke S. Passey

I love Lindsey Stirling’s music! 😃

I was going to leave it at that because that was all I thought when I added the book to my TBR. I discovered it on BookOutlet and have been tempted to purchase it ever since. Stirling is a classically trained violinist who combines the classic sounds of the violin with electronic and dance music, such as dub-step.

I freaking love it!

I don’t often read celebrity biographies, but if I see this at my library, I’ll certainly pick it up.

The Flood Dragon’s Sacrifice by Sarah Ash

Sarah’s review of the second book sparked my interest. It’s a fantasy novel that has dragons and is influenced by Japanese culture, so I’m sold. It looks as if it will be a fun read.

It’s about two young men from rival clans who get sucked into “an ancient, unresolved conflict between the gods of land and sea.”

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

I enjoy listening to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, which is a radio show about a small fictional desert town in middle U.S. called Night Vale. It’s an odd show with odd characters and odd occurrences in the town.

My curiosity to see how the show works in novel form makes me want to read this. It was quite popular shortly after it was published but has received mixed reviews. This story is about Jackie, who seeks to uncover the mystery of King City after being handed a note with those words on it by “the man in a tan jacket”; and Diane, who seeks to reconnect with her shapeshifter son, Josh, who’s curious about his estranged father.

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

Of course I want to read this book! All the bloggers I follow and whose opinions I highly value all say it’s great, so I believe them and want to experience the story too.

The synopsis: bad-ass nuns kicking butt! 😛

Bookburners by Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Mur Lafferty, Brian Francis Slattery

“Supernatural meets The Da Vinci Code in a fast-paced, kickass character driven novel chock-full of magic, mystery, and mayhem.”

SOLD!

The story is about a detective who teams up with secret agents of the Vatican to hunt down demon-possessed books. Doesn’t that sound awesome?! I discovered this one over on the Bibliosanctum in a Stacking Shelves post, but see their review here.

Bookburners sounds like the kind of story that will immediately suck me in. It was published serially online each week on Serial Box, but the first season was collected and published as a whole this year by Saga Press.

If you’re interested in getting it, I saw copies on Book Outlet.

The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi

An illustrated children’s book about a girl named Kikko who sets out after her father to bring the pie he’d forgotten for Grandma. Kikko follows her father’s footprints through the woods but later realizes she’d made a mistake and was following a bear in a long coat and hat.

The book is described as Alice in Wonderland meets Little Red Riding Hood. Rachel at Life of a Female Bibliophile recommended it to me after reading my review of Guojing’s The Only Child.

300 Fox Way Holiday Piece by Maggie Stiefvater

I’m guessing this is a very short story. The synopsis simply says “A peek into the holiday festivities at 300 Fox Way.”

I so crave to know more about the women who live at 300 Fox Way that I’m willing to read this bit to temporarily satiate myself.

By the way, 300 Fox Way is the address of the psychics and one of the protagonists, Blue, in the Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater, a YA fantasy series about teens in search of a dead Welsh king who they hope can grant them a wish.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I feel like I’m the only person who hasn’t read this book, It’s a classic sci-fi novel about friends journeying through space. I’ve heard lots of great things about it over the years and am eager to try it myself.

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