2016, The Year We Defeat out Backlist TBR

15 January, 2016 Random, Read-a-longs 25 comments

Sometimes, in a well meaning way, you purchase books, or get books with every intention to read them. But then time passes. And it passes. Like, imagine a comically large amount of time. But you just don’t get around to reading that book. Then that book becomes 20, 50, 100 books on your shelf that you haven’t read yet and you’re just like:

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Well not this year! Not for us. We’ve committed ourselves to reading the following twelve books, one book a month to catch up on our ever-growing TBR. Read on to see what books we picked and if YOU want to join the challenge, then comment or tweet us with a picture of your books!

Kat

So I was kind of inspired by TBR Takedown to make a list of twelve books I intend to read this year to get them off my TBR shelf and into my read shelf. One book a month is my goal and poor Steph and Meg got caught up in the fray!

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Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan – I loved Unspoken, and I need to read the sequel so I can suffer such as others have suffered by emotional angst!

Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner – I have and highly enjoyed the first two books in this series so I can’t wait to dive into this one! And that cover is so vera vera pretteh!

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken – The hype surrounding this book is so intense that if I don’t love it, I’m kind of scared for my safety!

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh – I started this and now I’m going to finish it, damn it!

Perfect Ruin by Lauren Destefano – I greatly enjoyed Wither and I’m looking forward to forcing Steph to read this along with me as we embark on this great journey together.

Rook by Sharon Cameron – Someone bought this for me, at my request and I’m going to read it if it kills me!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – I don’t like heist books. I DON’T like heist books. But this is Leigh Bardugo, so I’m going to read it anyway!

The Young Elites by Marie Lu – Wendy Darling described this as similar to Cruel Beauty and Masque of the Red Death – both of which I love! So yey for me reading this!

A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard – I read the first book in this series, Something Strange and Deadly and LOVED it. So I’m highly excited for its sequel.

Riders by Veronica Rossi – It’s Veronica Rossi. Do I need to say more. Veronica Freakin’ Rossi. I need to read this.

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente – I’ve cheated and already started this book and I gotta say, it’s blowing me away. I’m not ready for the feels yet. Can’t handle. So afraid. Someone save me.

Steph

So Kat asked us all to take a picture and talk about 12 books that we plan on reading this year, specifically backlist books. First off, she is insufferably evil for making me choose only 12. For 2016, I have plans for Reading World Domination, in which I will consume every book known to mankind. Admittedly, this quickly hatched plan was in response to Kat’s outrageous demands of only 12 books. I’m a hipster, goddammit, and I don’t like restrictions!

Anyway, here are my main 12 books–if I absolutely must choose–that I plan to read. I tried to stick mainly to backlist titles, books that have been on my shelf for a while, and non-ARCs.

Steph's TBR backlist

Feed by Mira Grant – Meg has been pumping this series up like whoa, so I’m finally gonna just do it!

Fortune’s Pawn by Rachel Bach – Another Meg rec and also Ellen from Orbit has said it’s awesomesauce.

Perfect Ruin by Lauren Destefano – I really loved her Wither series and this cover is the bomb dot com. Still sore that they changed it. And since it looks like Kat has put this on her list as well, perhaps a buddy read and review war!

All the Rage by Courtney Summers – Everyone has raved about this!

A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab – LOVED her writing in The Archived series so I’m on a mission to now read all her books.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – Another hyped book I need to read!

Like No Other by Una LaMarche – The premise sounds fantastic and I’m in love with this cover.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma – Icky subject, but I’ve been wanting to get to this for a while. I had an e-galley of this when Galley Grab was still a thing.

The Handmaiden’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – Can you believe that I’ve never read this? Yeah, me either. That’s why it’s on my list.

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds – When I was the Greatest was the best thing ever, so naturally, I’m going to read everything from him.

Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin – Yet another Meg rec. I trust her!

Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta – Way overdue, but I really wasn’t ready for this series to end. I loved Froi of the Exiles so very much and Quintana is such an amazing character.

I have been desperately wanting to get to the books pictured, but for one reason or another, I kept putting them off. Also, a few that I also plan to tackle, but that are not pictured: Ancillary Justice, Kinslayer, Ensinger, Illuminae, Shadow Scale, Fairest, Winter, All American Boys, Vicious, The Near Witch, The Great Gatsby, The Girl on the Train, If I Stay, Drowning Instinct, Tampa, Sever, Shades of Earth, The Body Electric, the rest of the Newsflash series, the rest of the Paradox series and my ongoing struggle journey through the Outlander series (I’m on book 6!). Basically, I’m trying to get to a few of my favorite authors and finish off series that I have forgotten. Looks like I have my work cut out for me. Whew!

 

Meg

There are so many books that I’ve been meaning to read that have fallen by the wayside so when Kat suggested a backlist TBR I was all over it. I’m not normally a set-specific-reading-goals kind of person but focusing on a specific list was apparently enough to motivate me because I’ve sort of cheated and already read 3.5 of the books listed below over the course of the last week (they’re MG, I didn’t realize I was going to get so obsessed, don’t look at me). So, without further ado, 12 backlist titles I am absolutely, definitely reading this year:

 

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  1. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
    I picked this up at a used book sale last year because it was one of those books I’d hear mentioned in a positive sort of way occasionally and it was $3 so I figured why not. I didn’t even know the premise at the time but it sounds awesome and people seem to think very highly of it.
  1. Asking For It by Louise O’Neill
    An author I really like (I can’t remember who) talking Louise O’Neill up on twitter so I put her stuff on my tbr, fast forward to Ellis sending me this for my birthday because she’s the best. I’m super excited, I’ve been following O’Neill on twitter and I like what she has to say so I’m excited to check this out.
  1. All The Rage by Courtney Summers
    It’s All The Rage by Courtney Summers. I feel like there’s nothing else to explain.
  1. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
    I’ve been promising Gillian and Gaby and so many other people that I will read this series for forever and then Gaby, who is awesome, sent it to me but I still haven’t read it because I am the worst. NOT ANYMORE.
  1. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
    I rang in the new year rereading some of my favorite Discworld novels (Night Watch, Thud! and Snuff, if you’re interested), and they reminded me just how brilliant Terry Pratchett is and how much I love his writing. It’s been a long time since I’ve read the witches series and it seemed like a good place to go next. I’m not sure if rereading is cheating for this kind of thing but also I don’t care.
  1. The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
    This is another book where I can’t remember what prompted me to buy it in the first place but artists in post-apocalyptic scifi future Brazil? I’m in.
  1. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
    Jessie’s been enthusiastically recommending this book for as long as I’ve known her and as far as I can tell everyone who’s read it at the very least really likes it and honestly I meant to read this ages ago.
  1. Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley
    This is my favorite Robin McKinley and it’s been way too long since I’ve read it.
  2. -12.  The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede
    I read this series when I was somewhere in the 10-12 year old range and it was in many ways hugely informative of who I am as a person *cue montage of meg getting in fights with various adults over the years about how she can absolutely be king of something if she wants to, it has nothing to do with gender* I got a little ahead of myself and already started reading them. I’m pleased to say that they are every bit as funny, smart and entertaining as I remember. If you like fun MG fantasy that plays with traditional fantasy tropes, I highly recommend checking these out. Also, dragons.

 

 

So that’s us, dominating our TBR with a fiery savage fist of fury. See something on our lists you liked? Something you want to read too? Join in the fun and let us know!

25 Responses to “2016, The Year We Defeat out Backlist TBR”

  1. looloolooweez

    A Darker Shade of Magic!!! and The Lies of Locke Lamora!!! Y’all will not regret reading these book, I promise. Looking forward to hearing what you think of them. 🙂

  4. Jessica

    What an AWESOME idea! I keep getting distracted by the “new and shiny” but there are so many on my shelves that I really want to go back and read. #ChallengeAccepted

  5. Savannah

    I love this plan! Lord knows I need to do some clearing out of my TBR, as well. And it looks like you guys have quite a few great titles in the mix there!

  6. Danya

    Definitely recommend the Alanna series! That’s THE series that got me into YA fantasy. Also, I love the Enchanted Forest Chronicles <3 (I've never seen that cover before, though!)

  7. Jess Haines

    I did a little happy dance when I saw both LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA and the Enchanted Forest Chronicles in the same list. I may have even squealed. Just a little. So much book love.

    <3,
    -J

  8. Angela @ Angela's Library

    There are so many great books on your lists! Steph, I’m especially excited for you to read Feed and Forbidden. I read the entire Newsflesh trilogy for the first time this year and became instantly obsessed, and Forbidden is one of my all-time favorites. I can’t wait to see what you think of them!

  9. Jennifer

    Isn’t Crimson Bound missing from Kat’s written list? I really liked this one. Susanna Clarke’s book is a great book even if it can be slow at the beginning, well for me it was.

    This is a good idea to tackle some really wanted books that otherwise are lost in the big big TBR.

  10. Natalie Monroe

    You’re going to LOVE The Young Elites. Good luck, ladies!

  11. Kate Copeseeley

    Great idea! I need to read Their Fractured Light, too, but I could barely get through the last one. ugh. I also need to read Into The Still Blue and pretty much all of the Winner’s Series. I think I TRIED Perfect Ruin but couldn’t get into it? I might try it if there are a bunch of other people reading it at the same time. Oh, yeah, and Shadow Scale, me too! I might have to do some rereading though.
    MEG HOW COULD YOU HAVE NOT READ TAMORA PIERCE YET???????????????????????????????

  13. Carina Olsen

    Gorgeous post girls 😀 And ahh, this is an awesome idea. <3 I have so so so many books that I own that I need to read. Sigh. (Though I have been selling a lot, a few that I didn't want to read anymore :p) But I still have lots and lots of books left 😀 Aaaanyway.

    Kat: Those books looks amazing 😀 I loved some of them; especially Six of Crows. <3 And Perfect Ruin. And The Young Elites. And Rook. I disliked Riders.. and sort of liked Passenger. And still need to read Wrath 🙂 Never reading Crimson Bound, despite owning it, hah :p Stupid love triangles. Oh, and I really need to read Their Fractured Light soonish 😀 Best of luck reading all of these books sweetie. <3

    Steph: All of those books looks gooorgeous 😀 I have read four of those, and not planning on reading the others, lol. But those four were amazing. Sigh. A Darker Shade of Magic. <3 Perfect Ruin. <3 Quintana. <3 All the Rage. <3 Such stunning books. Wishing you all the best in reading these 🙂

    Meg: Ahh, such pretty books 😀 They all look so awesome. Out of these books, I have only read one. Ack. All the Rage 😀 But it was aaamazing. <3 And planning on reading the Alanna books someday 🙂 Happy reading. <3

    Happy reading to all of you 😀 Gorgeous post, as always.

  14. Deyse

    Kat: You have amazing books ahead for you, The Wrath and the Dawn (if you like the romance you will probably love this one), The Young Elites(villains as MC hell yes, it’s amazing), Untold (yes, very angst-y but so worth it for theses characters and their relationships and the pain) and Crimson Bound (not at all like Cruel Beauty, but so good anyway) are all amazing.