Its November the nights are drawing in and its getting awfully cold outside which means it’s the perfect time to pick up a good book in the evenings and just spend the time reading and get lost in a different world. So this month for my TBR I have decided to put some books that I have had sitting on my shelf for a while and some books that I think I will enjoy reading on a cold winters night. There is some chunky books this month so hopefully I will find the time to get them all read.
______________________________
Circe by Madeline Miller
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity, and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft. When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There she learns to harness her occult craft, drawing strength from nature. But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe’s place of exile, entwining their fates with hers. The messenger god, Hermes. The craftsman, Daedalus. A ship bearing a golden fleece. And wily Odysseus, on his epic voyage home. There is danger for a solitary woman in this world, and Circe’s independence draws the wrath of men and gods alike. To protect what she holds dear, Circe must decide whether she belongs with the deities she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love. Breathing life into the ancient world, Madeline Miller weaves an intoxicating tale of gods and heroes, magic and monsters, survival and transformation.
I have been meaning to pick up a Madeline Miller book for ages but have never gotten round to actually reading one. I have both Circe and The Song of Archilles but I have decided to go with reading Circe first because I have heard some really positives reviews about it recently.
______________________________
Harley Quinn Mad Love by Paul Dini & Pat Cadigan
When she was only seven years old, Harleen Quinzel witnessed her father being beaten up by thugs, and then arrested by the police. That night she ran away to the safest place she could think of: Coney Island amusement park. But there, pursued into the Funhouse by the men who brutalised her father, she beheld unimaginable horrors. Years later, Harleen has put her past behind her, and used her intelligence and ambition to escape her childhood of poverty with a career in psychiatry. Assigned to her first position at Arkham Hospital, she will discover, deep in the asylum, something dangerous and alluring, something quite unlike anything else she has ever known before: The Joker. Because why would you settle for love, when you could have MAD LOVE? From the moment that Harleen finds a rose on her desk, to the moment she dons her harlequin hat, this is the definitive story that chronicles the obsession, the burning desire, the manic laughter, and the birth of one of the most controversial and popular comic book supervillains ever created: Harley Quinn.
When I was offered the opportunity to review this title I jumped at the chance because I love anything to do with Harley Quinn. I have yet to read a book novelisation about her character so I am really excited to get started with this one. I love the cover for this book as well, its stunning.
______________________________
Snapshot by Brandon Sanderson
Anthony Davis and his partner Chaz are the only real people in a city of 20 million, sent there by court order to find out what happened in the real world 10 days ago so that hidden evidence can be brought to light and located in the real city today.
Within the re-created Snapshot of May 1st, Davis and Chaz are the ultimate authorities. Flashing their badges will get them past any obstruction and overrule any civil right of the dupes around them. But the crimes the detectives are sent to investigate seem like drudgery – until they stumble upon the grisly results of a mass killing that the precinct headquarters orders them not to investigate. That’s one order they have to refuse.
The hunt is on. And though the dupes in the replica city have no future once the Snapshot is turned off, that doesn’t mean that both Davis and Chaz will walk out of it alive tonight.
Brandon Sanderson is a big name in the book community but so far I have only ever read one of his books which was the The Final Empire. From what I can remember I did really enjoy reading it and I am not quite sure why I didn’t continue on with the series. I am intrigued by this book because its only a short story and I want to see how he managed to pack a punch in just a short amount of pages.
______________________________
The Dark Vault by V. E. Schwab
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Mackenzie Bishop’s grandfather first brought her here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now her grandfather is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was: a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.
This is a massive book because it is a bind up of The Archived and The Unbound which were perviously released a few years back. I have been wanting to read these books for a while and now finally I have no choice to read it. I love all the other books that V. E. Schwab has written so I am sure to love this one as well.
______________________________
The Hallowed War Series by Tim Akers
The Celestial Church has all but eliminated the old pagan ways, ruling the people with an iron hand. Demonic gheists terrorize the land, hunted by the warriors of the Inquisition, yet it is the battling factions within the Church and age-old hatreds between north and south that tear the land apart. Malcolm Blakley, hero of the Reaver War, seeks to end the conflict between men, yet it will fall to his son, Ian, and the huntress Gwen Adair to stop the killing before it tears the land apart. The Pagan Night is an epic of mad gods, inquisitor priests, holy knights bound to hunt and kill, and noble houses fighting battles of politics, prejudice, and power.
I have had this series sitting on my bookshelf for a few months and I think with the nights getting colder its the perfect time to pick up this series. I am excited to start this series because there has been some very positive reviews and I really need a new fantasy series to dive into.
______________________________
Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L. C. Rosen
Meet Jack Rothman. He’s seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys – sometimes all at the same time. His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, ‘it could be worse’. He doesn’t actually expect that to come true. But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he’s been getting take a turn for the creepy. Jack’s secret admirer knows everything: where he’s hanging out, who he’s sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They need him to curb his sexuality, or they’ll force him.
Jack of Hearts (and other parts) has been all over the community recently and I was so lucky to get an early copy of this book. I think this will be something very different from what I have read before and I am really excited to get started. I have heard nothing but praise for this book so I am going in with some very high expectations.
______________________________
Have you read any of the books on this months TBR?
What do you plan on reading this month?
______________________________
Mike Reads 