5 Books Freshly Added To My Reading List

My reading list is constantly growing. I have a list that’s three miles long, no doubt, of books that I very much plan on reading sometime in the future, as well as an even longer list of books that I would like to reread. I am very much the sort of person who, if I like a book will read it multiple times. Which is excellent, except then it leaves me with the very difficult decision of whether to reread something I know I will love, or branch out and explore something new. I’ve been on a bit of a spree recently, adding books to the pile with while abandon, which means I have a fresh stack to choose from. And this means a fresh stack of books to share with you all as well. So today, I’m sharing five books that have recently found their way onto my towering stack. Let me know if you’ve read any of these, or if any of them are on your reading list too

Alice in Zombieland | Gena Showalter

If anyone had told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real.

To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of zombie stories. I’m not even sure why. Maybe dying to the walking dead isn’t one of the more attractive ways the world could end for me. Maybe it’s the whole ‘we’re faced by the mindless horde that could overwhelm us at any moment, but we’re still going to lie to and betray each other because man is the real monster here’. It’s not my personal favourite theme. Whatever the reason, books set in a zombie apocalypse don’t usually make it onto my reading list all that often. 

However, while I don’t prefer zombie books, I am a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland, and I am very partial to a good Alice retelling. I stumbled across this book while browsing my library’s ebook collection, and the whole concept struck me as very intriguing. It’s a really interesting twist on the classic story, and I’m keen to see what the addition of zombies will do to my beloved Wonderland. If nothing else, it will be an interesting read, and it could be a really good book.

The Kingdom Of Back | Marie Lu

Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish: to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she’ll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in eighteenth-century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age—her tyrannical father has made that much clear.

I discovered this book completely by accident while hunting for a book to give to someone else as a present. That gorgeous cover caught my eye from the bookshelves first.  I mean, just look at that beauty. It’s clean, it’s simple in colours and it’s so elegant. I will never not be drawn in by a pretty cover that makes use of only a couple of colours. Covers like this one, or that of The Night Circus are never not going to catch my attention. Of course I was going to have to pick it up and take a closer look. 

Then of course, there’s the fact that the back cover leads me to believe that this is a historical fantasy about Mozart’s sister Nannerl. A story based on the musical Mozart brother-sister duo who took the courts by storm with their music, plus a touch of magic to give it a twist, and the fact that it focuses on Nannerl and not Wolfgang, and I am absolutely sold on the whole concept.

House of Dragons | Jessica Cluess

Five royal houses will hear the call to compete in the Trial for the dragon throne. A liar, a soldier, a servant, a thief, and a murderer will answer it. Who will win?

This is another book I picked up on a whim while browsing through the bookshop. I wasn’t supposed to be buying books for myself, but since when has that ever stopped me? I was drawn in initially by the mention of dragons in the title. If there is one surefire way to catch my attention, it’s to mention dragons. I know that the main mention of dragons in the blurb is for the ‘dragon throne’ but I hold firmly to my hope that there will be a great many dragons featured. More books need to involve dragons. Maybe I should write a dragon book myself. Hmm…

I also have a secret love for stories involving a competition of some sort, especially for the throne, and even more when it involves an unlikely cast of characters. I mean, there’s a liar, and a soldier, a servant and a thief, and also a murderer, and they’re duking it out to become the emperor? If ever there was a collection of people less likely to be in this position, I don’t know who they’d be. Also, this book has stunning swords on the cover, so my fantasy loving heart is entirely captured.

Sea Witch | Sarah Henning

Everyone knows what happens in the end. A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss. But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

I love fairytale retellings. I love the different directions that these books take familiar stories, and the unique twists that people put on them, and the way they go beyond the bounds of the original stories to create a whole new world that is interesting and compelling. This book isn’t exactly a retelling of The Little Mermaid  however. It’s more of a prequel story, the tale of the sea witch before the little mermaid ever came to her asking for legs.

I’m always a bit uncertain about villain origin stories. It must be difficult to write a main character that people can really empathise with, but also show them becoming a villain. I may have just read the wrong books, but I haven’t found many that I’ve really liked so far. However, I couldn’t resist trying this one. The cover is beautiful, the blurb is intriguing, and I live in the hope of discovering the villain origin stories that are captivating and inspiring. Maybe this will be the one to change my mind!

Truel1f3 | Jay Kristoff

Best friends have become enemies. Lovers have become strangers. And deciding whose side you’re on could be the difference between life and death. For Eve and Lemon, discovering the truth about themselves–and each other–was too much for their friendship to take.

To be honest, this book has been on my radar ever since I read Lifel1k3 and Dev1at3, the first two books in the series. I’m a huge fan of Jay Kristoff’s writing, so I’ve been eagerly anticipating the end of this trilogy. A dystopian world with Mad Max influences, wisecracking sidekicks and robot dogs? What could be better? So of course I’ve been waiting for this book to release for a while.

Truel1f3 is well and truly on my reading list now that I’ve actually seen a copy in my local bookshop. I need to get my hands on a copy, and then I’m fully intending on booking a reading day and devouring it in a single sitting. It’ll be time to fire up the kettle, pour a cup of tea, and sink into what I know is going to be an amazing book.

So that’s what’s found its way onto my reading list recently. But I’d love to hear from you. Have you read any of these books? Are any of them on your reading list? What’s your most anticipated read of the moment?

Photo by fotografierende on Unsplash