Top 10 of 2019: Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2020

Top 10 of 2019 is hosted once again by Kimberly Faye Reads, and this year she has a co-host Ginger @greadsbooks.   Today's topic was the easiest, because even though there are tons of books I'm looking forward to next year, there are ten that definitely stand out the most!

1.

Loved the original His Fair Assassin series, and the book that started us back, Courting Darkness, so I need this one soon!

2.

I really liked the first two in this series and have been patiently waiting for this one, has it been over a year?

3.

Christina Lauren books can be hit or miss on whether I am excited for what the book is about, but this one sounds perfect!

4.

Seeing as the first book in this series was on my top list for last year, it's probably obvious how anxious I am for this one!

5.

I've also mentioned how much I love Cletus Winston, so a whole series where he is solving mysteries?  Sign me up!

6.

I also can't wait for Jackson James to finally get his own HEA.

7.

No cover yet, but I am ready for the conclusion? or at least the third book in yet another series by JLA that I adore!

8.

Even though I don't think I picked the first book, The Haunted, on any of my other Top 10 lists, it was a really good book, so I'm eager to see where the author will take it next.

9.

So, I'm not positive if this is coming out in 2020, it says it is, but the author also mentioned that she is having a bit of trouble with it. But I hope it does, because I love this series!

10.

Now this one comes out in January, so I'm ready for it now though!  I love Hunting's hockey boys, new and old, and I love when she brings the older characters back in these stories as well.

Were any of these books on your TBR for 2020?  If not, I hope maybe I've given you a few to add to your list.

I always love doing these Top 10 lists every year, but kind of sad it's over.  Now on to determining what challenges I'm going to do for next year!

Also, while you're here, make sure you go enter into my weekly Cleaning Up My TBR Giveaway HERE.  It's open until this Friday until midnight!

Christmas Songs Book Tag

I found this last year over on That Artsy Reader Girl blog, and decided it would be a fun one to join in and especially to help me out with my Blog Ahead Challenge in October!  The goal is to pick a book you’ve read this year that fits the theme of the Christmas song titles.  Personally, I may have to stretch to some books from earlier than this year, but we'll see how it goes!


1. “All I Want for Christmas Is You”: Favorite bookish couple.

 From this year's books I'll have to pick Luc and Evie from The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L Armentrout.


2. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”: Name a book where a character is away from home (school, vacation, etc.).

Happy Trail by Daisy Prescott.  Olive Perry is hiking the Appalachian Trail when she gets stuck in a snowstorm and meets Jay.


3. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”: Name your favorite “little” book (children’s book, short story, novella, etc.).

I got to read an advanced copy of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood which contained poems and songs by Fred Rogers, otherwise known as Mister Rogers.  



4. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town“: What book(s) do you hope Santa brings you this year?

I am sooooooo hoping for an ARC of Chosen by Kiersten White.  Maybe I'll have it and have to change this answer by the time this post goes up, but I'm doubting it with the way things are going so far! 



5. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”: Which book turned your nose red (made you cry)?

The Perfect First by Maya Hughes was one that made me cry at so many things that just really resonated with me.  

 

6. “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”: Your favorite book/kind of book to read during the holidays.

I don't really have any favorite type of book or exact book to read.  I just like to read, and I'm happy with whatever it is as long as I'm getting time to read.  Maybe as a kid one book I loved to read over and over was The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson.






7. “We Three Kings”: Your favorite trilogy.

Hmm.  This year I'm going to pick the Kiss Me trilogy by Emma Hart:  Kiss Me Not, Kiss Me Tonight, and Kiss Me Again.



8. “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow”: A character you would love to be snowed in with.  

I'm going to pick Rook from A Lie for a Lie by Helena Hunting, which is kind of perfect since he's a hockey player. 



9. “Last Christmas”: A book that seriously let you down.

This is so hard to pick because if I don't like a book, I don't finish it.  But I did read a book that was my planned goal of a classic I'd heard I would like.  I wasn't impressed.  It was Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.  



10. “White Christmas”: An upcoming release you’re dreaming about.

Since I already mentioned Chosen by Kiersten White, I'll pick another, Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout.    

It's Magic Time! Harry Potter Book Tag

I found this tag over on We Live and Breathe Books, and although it seems everyone was doing this back in August, I thought it would be fun to save for when I was doing my Blog Ahead Challenge to have some posts pre-made for November and December.  And really, HP is always good at Christmas time since there is a Christmas scene in every book.  There wasn't a set button I could find, so I made one with my picture from meeting the Weasley twins back in the spring at our local Comic-Con.  This tag was created by Book Roast.



EXPECTO PATRONUM: A childhood book connected to good memories?

 I loved this book so much I did a book report where my mom helped me make a Bunnicula puppet that I still own to this day.  In fact, shortly after I began teaching, the author visited the students at the school where I worked.  I had to meet him and show him my puppet, which he was really impressed with.


EXPELLIARMUS: A book that took you by surprise?

   I didn't ever think this was something I would like.  But I had just begun working at B. Dalton Bookstore, and we were able to strip the cover off of paperbacks that we had to send back when the publisher requested. At the time, there were only 3 or 4 in the series out.  The other employees encouraged me to take the first one home and give it a try.  Needless to say, I was immediately hooked and now am a lifelong HP fan, proud Hufflepuff all the way!


PRIOR INCANTATO: The last book you read?

I actually completed this post back in October, so it was hard to put a book down for this spell. What I ended up going with was what is listed on my blogging calendar for being reviewed right before this post will go up.  I've been reading and loving all the books in the SmartyPants Romance series, and so you'll have to go back to yesterday's blog posts to see how much I might have enjoyed this one!  Now if this isn't the last one I read, it was probably another one in the series.



ALOHAMORA: A book that introduced you to a genre you'd never considered before?

  Okay, so it's probably not a genre exactly, but up until about 10 or less years ago, I was always only into very clean-cut guys.  This is the series that maybe got me reading about tattooed boys with piercings.



RIDDIKULUS: A funny book you've read?

 So, pretty much every book by Emma Hart cracks me up so much!  But, this one was probably one of my favorites, due to its connections to one of my all time favorite tv shows, The Big Bang Theory.



SONORUS: A book you think everyone should know about?

 This is a book that my last school district made a theme for everyone to read one year, and it is short and sweet, and really made me think.  I realized that I do things like when I'm in a bad mood, I take it out on someone without even realizing it.  While I'm still working on not doing these things myself, it has also helped me to realize that someone else may be just doing the same thing and not actually being mean to me on purpose, and that helps just by itself.



OBLIVIATE: A book or spoiler you would like to forget you ever read?

 So if you liked this book,  you probably don't want to read what I have to say about it.  This became a really big seller in the Barnes and Noble where I work for a while, and as it was a print on demand book at the time, we had a lot of people requesting, but it wasn't something we could just get to have on the shelf.  I noticed it was mostly teenagers asking for it, so I decided to get a set of the series for my school library.  Another librarian in the district wondered why I'd ordered them, because they were supposedly erotica.  Um, no.  It's not, yes, there is some sexual stuff in it, but it's not erotica.  I read it because of the other librarian bringing this to my attention.  And wow, it was boring and stupid, and I have no idea why any teen would want to read this book about a middle-aged man, one that isn't even cool in any way shape or form!  So I wish I'd never read it, but I'm glad I did, to know.



IMPERIO: A book you had to read for school?

 I don't feel like I read as many books in school as others had to read, but this is one that I remember reading.


CRUCIO: A book that was painful to read?

 I love dogs.  And this book made me cry so much it hurt at the end!  And even knowing what was going to happen, I went and saw the movie.  It is a book I can never read again and I'll never watch the movie again either.  I just cannot stand reading or thinking about dogs dying. Having had to twice make the decision to put my own dogs down as an adult breaks me to still think about.



AVADA KEDAVRA: A book that could kill (interpret as you will)?

 Left to interpret this one how I would, I am going with the fact that reading and holding this very large, over 400 page book, almost killed my arms.

I don't usually tag people on these, I figure if you want to do this you will.  If you decide to join in, I'd love to have you stop back by and drop me a link to your post so I can check it out.  If you just want to share what your choice for one of these would be, please feel free to leave me a comment with that as well!

ARC Review: The Burning Shadow (Origin #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book info:

Title:  The Burning Shadow
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series:  Origin #2
Genre:  NA paranormal romance
Release Date:  October 8th, 2019
Publisher:  Tor Teen
Source:  ARC received through books for trade on Twitter
My rating:  5 stars

Synopsis:
#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the world of the Lux with The Burning Shadow, the steamy, shocking second installment of the Origin series that will leave readers reeling.

When Evelyn Dasher crossed paths with Luc, she was thrown headfirst into the world of the Lux―only to discover that she was already far more involved in their world than she ever suspected.

Because the Luxen aren’t the only ones with a hidden past. There’s a gap in Evie’s memory, lost months of her life and a lingering sense that something happened, something she can’t remember and nobody is willing to tell her. She needs to find out the truth about who she is―and who she was. But every answer she finds only brings up more questions.

Her search for the truth brings her ever closer to Luc, the Origin at the center of it all. He’s powerful, arrogant, inhumanly beautiful, extremely dangerous…and possibly in love with her. But even as Evie falls for him, she can’t help but wonder if his attraction is to her, or to the memory of a girl who no longer exists.

And all the while, a new threat looms: reports of a flu-like, fatal virus that the government insists is being spread by Luxen. A horrifying illness that changes whoever it touches, spreading panic across a country already at its breaking point.


My Review:
I hate that I got so behind on reading once school started back because I was so excited to read this one!  Of course once I did pick this one up, it was so hard to put down, well, other than how big the book is, so it was hard to hold for too long either!  LOL!!  There were so many new obstacles and things with the Luxen and Arum and Origins and even some new people/creatures/beings/secret organizations thrown in.  And yeah, all four of those things, not me just trying to be random.  I was also so excited when there was something that happened in the book that took place in my city of Kansas City, and I knew exactly where it was supposed to be happening!  So much back story learned during this one, but also so many more questions and things we need to know!  And that ending!  Wow!  Total cliffhanger.  I still adore Luc of course, but maybe still Daemon more though.  But now we need to know exactly what is happening to Evie.  I will say I got a little annoyed with her whole wondering if he only loved the girl he remembered and that his feeling weren't really for her now.  Hopefully she'll move on from that in the next book.  Which, do I have to wait a whole year?  Because I don't know if I can wait!  Well, my arms can, they did get a little tired holding this one in bed at night.  Honestly, this size of book is exactly why e-books are sometimes better!  Oh yeah, and I loved seeing the name of a former book blogger that I know is friends with the author for one of the characters.  
 

Lisa's Looking Forward To #33 - October 8th, 2019

Back to joining up with the Waiting on Wednesday Posts, and the Can't Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  Once again there are a ton of books out next week that I'm excited for, although a few less than last week.

From my ARC list for October 8th, 2019:

I've got this ARC sitting on my shelf. Hoped to have it read before now, but not yet.  Maybe in time for next week?  If I put it ahead of books that have now been published?

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 
 

Sounds like a kick-ass female protagonist story!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Jessie Archer is a member of the Athena Protocol, an elite organization of female spies who enact vigilante justice around the world.

Athena operatives are never supposed to shoot to kill—so when Jessie can’t stop herself from pulling the trigger, she gets kicked out of the organization, right before a huge mission to take down a human trafficker in Belgrade.

Jessie needs to right her wrong and prove herself, so she starts her own investigation into the trafficking. But going rogue means she has no one to watch her back as she delves into the horrors she uncovers. Meanwhile, her former teammates have been ordered to bring her down. Jessie must face danger from all sides if she’s to complete her mission—and survive.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

I love that cover, and it sounds really like a cute story.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

In this poignant, funny, and romantic novel, four nights of epic partying will see two teens through their highest highs and lowest lows over the course of one unforgettable year. Perfect for fans of Gayle Forman and Mary H.K. Choi!

Tucker knows that some relationships take work. With his best friend, Bobby, and his mom, everything is simple, steady. His dad, on the other hand, seems to only show up when he wants to bring Tucker down. Then there’s Erika Green, who comes back into his life, stirring up old feelings. A small part of him knows he shouldn’t get too attached during senior year. But a bigger part doesn’t want her to disappear again.

Erika from before the video loved to shock people. Now, she just wants to hole up in her quiet college life and leave the past where it belongs—in a dumpster fire. But then she reconnects with Tucker Campanelli. Erika can’t explain what it is about him. There’s just this undeniable connection between them, and she really doesn’t want to lose that feeling. Not yet.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

Haven't read this author, but this sounds like it could be good!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
 
Jennifer Donaldson is back with another twisted thriller perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying and Gone Girl.

Zahra Gaines is missing.

After three long years away, Ruthie Hayden arrives in her hometown of Anchorage, Alaska to this devastating news. Zahra was Ruthie's best friend--the only person who ever really understood her--and she vows to do whatever it takes to find her.

Zahra vanished from a party just days before Ruthie's return, but the more people she talks to, the more she realizes that the Zahra she knew disappeared long before that fateful night. Gone is the whimsical, artistic girl who loved books and knew Ruthie's every secret. In her place is an athlete, a partier, a girl with secrets of her own. Darker still are the rumors that something happened to Zahra while Ruthie was gone, something that changed her forever...

As Ruthie desperately tries to piece together the truth, she falls deeper and deeper into her friend's new world, circling closer to a dangerous revelation about what Zahra experienced in the days before her disappearance--one that might be better off buried.

In her stunning follow-up to Lies You Never Told Me, Jennifer Donaldson once again delivers a propulsive thriller with a masterful twist, skillfully creating a world where nothing is quite as it seems.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

How is already time for this one and I haven't read it yet!  I do have an ARC, and actually I'll read this before I get to The Beautiful. 

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the world of the Lux with The Burning Shadow, the steamy, shocking second installment of the Origin series that will leave readers reeling.

When Evelyn Dasher crossed paths with Luc, she was thrown headfirst into the world of the Lux―only to discover that she was already far more involved in their world than she ever suspected.

Because the Luxen aren’t the only ones with a hidden past. There’s a gap in Evie’s memory, lost months of her life and a lingering sense that something happened, something she can’t remember and nobody is willing to tell her. She needs to find out the truth about who she is―and who she was. But every answer she finds only brings up more questions.

Her search for the truth brings her ever closer to Luc, the Origin at the center of it all. He’s powerful, arrogant, inhumanly beautiful, extremely dangerous…and possibly in love with her. But even as Evie falls for him, she can’t help but wonder if his attraction is to her, or to the memory of a girl who no longer exists.

And all the while, a new threat looms: reports of a flu-like, fatal virus that the government insists is being spread by Luxen. A horrifying illness that changes whoever it touches, spreading panic across a country already at its breaking point.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

I loved the movie Clue, so I'm always interested in things that might be like that.  Like this. Quick update, I got the ARC of this yesterday in the mail, only I'm so backed up with review books I know I won't be able to get to it before pub date.


Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

A murderer could be around every corner in this thrilling YA trilogy based on the board game CLUE!

When a storm strikes at Blackbrook Academy, an elite prep school nestled in the woods of Maine, a motley crew of students—including Beth “Peacock” Picach, Orchid McKee, Vaughn Green, Sam “Mustard” Maestor, Finn Plum, and Scarlet Mistry—are left stranded on campus with their headmaster. Hours later, his body is found in the conservatory and it’s very clear his death was no accident. With this group of students who are all hiding something, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a motive for murder. Fans of the CLUE board game and cult classic film will delight in Diana Peterfreund’s modern reimagining of the brand, its characters, and the dark, magnificent old mansion with secrets hidden within its walls.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.  

I always enjoy a historical fiction book that is from different times than all the usual stories, and this sounds like it for sure. 

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Orpha is imprisoned for crimes she did not commit, and harboring a terrible secret about her abuser, but an unusual invitation from Charles Dickens to live in a home for fallen women offers hope.

From the infamous Tothill prison, Orpha is haunted by recurring flashbacks of sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation, and the horrors of a Victorian workhouse, but she refuses to be crushed. Her heartbreaking yet inspiring story tells of the resilience and courage needed to make a new life for herself against all odds with the support of the amazing women of Urania cottage and the help of famous author Charles Dickens.

Fans of Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793, Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, and Katherine Paterson's Lyddie will enjoy this riveting historical fiction title. Schwartz's powerful prose speaks to the terrible things Orpha has endured yet celebrates the emotional and intellectual powers of young women.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Again, you know I love a retelling. Although I do still need to see the first Malificent movie.  But Holly Black is a great author, so that grabs me right there!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes a captivating original novel set between Disney's Maleficent and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, in which newly-queened Aurora struggles to be the best leader to both the humans and Fair Folk under her reign; her beau, Prince Phillip, longs to get to know Aurora and her kingdom better; and Maleficent has trouble letting go of the past.

 Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.



  
Final Thoughts:
I've got two of these as ARCs this week, and still a bit behind as I mentioned.  Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE.  The US only giveaway is open till Friday at midnight, there are even some 2019 ARCs that can be one of your two choices. 

Cleaning Up My TBR With a Giveaway (US Only) - Down the TBR Hole #39

This meme was started by Lost in a Story.  Here is how it works:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

Because I have so many to do, I'm going to try to do this weekly, and do 10 at a time. 


1.   Giant George:  Life with the World's Biggest Dog by Dave Nasser:

With his big blue eyes and soulful expression, George was the irresistible runt of the litter. But Dave and Christie Nasser's "baby" ended up being almost five feet tall, seven feet long, and 245 pounds. Eager to play, and boisterous to the point of causing chaos, this big Great Dane was scared of water, scared of dogs a fraction of his size and, most of all, scared of being alone.

GIANT GEORGE is the charming story of how this precocious puppy won Dave and Christie's hearts and along the way became a doggie superstar. In 2010, George was named by Guinness World Records as the Tallest Dog in the World-ever. He appeared on Oprah, and even has his own global fan club. But to Dave and Christie, this extraordinary animal is still their beloved pet, the one who has made them laugh, made them cry, and continues to make them incredibly happy.
 
My thoughts:
As adorable as this is, I know I won't have time to read it. 

Verdict:  Toss



2.  Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout:

Dying sucks
...and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand.

After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life.

For real this time.

My thoughts: 
I could have sworn I had a copy of this one somewhere. But I don't.  But I know I will want to read some day, so it's not going anywhere.

Verdict: Keep 



3.  Skinny by Donna Cooner:

Find your voice.

Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it.

But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.

With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.

 

My thoughts:  
While I still think it sounds good, I think we have a copy in my school library, so I will just go grab it from the shelf if I want to read it, probably don't need to keep it on a list.

Verdict: Toss



4-5.  Shadow Days (Nightshade #0.5) and Treachery (Nightshade #2.5) by Andrea Cremer:

Shadow Days, told from Shay's perspective, chronicles the days before the start of the New York Times bestselling Nightshade, when Shay is taken away from the friends he loves and forced to live in his uncle Bosqu Mar's mansion, where the gargoyles seem to move, magic seems real, and nothing is as it should be.

Ansel's world is falling apart. The Nightshade pack led by his parents has been violently destroyed. His sister, Calla, abandoned her little brother, leaving him to answer for her crimes. And the Haldis pack that would have been his future is irreparably broken by Calla's betrayal. Suffering at the hands of the Keepers, Ansel is losing everything he's ever loved. The only chance he has to save himself means an alliance with his tormentors, and repaying Calla in full for her treachery.
In this novella, find out why Ansel makes the decisions he does in Andrea Cremer's "New York Times" bestselling novel, "Wolfsbane" 

My thoughts:  As much as I wanted to read these novellas that went with this series, since it has been so long since I read them in the first place, I don't know that I'm really that interested in them anymore.

Verdict: Toss

6.   Captive (The Blackcoat Rebellion #2) by Aimee Carter:

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister's niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?

My thoughts:
I still need to read the first book in the series, so until I read that and know that I want to read on, there's no reason to keep this on my list.

Verdict:  Toss



7.  The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech:

From Newbery Medal winner and bestselling author Sharon Creech comes a grand, sweeping yarn that is a celebration of the great and unexpected gifts of love, friendship, and forgiveness. With a starred review from Kirkus Reviews calling it an "enchanting tale to treasure," The Great Unexpected captures the heart and the imagination.

Humorous and heartfelt, this is a story of pairs—of young Naomi and Lizzie, both orphans in present-day Blackbird Tree, USA, and of Sybil and Nula, grown-up sisters from faraway Rook's Orchard, Ireland, who have become estranged.

Young Naomi Deane is brimming with curiosity and her best friend, Lizzie Scatterding, could talk the ears off a cornfield. Naomi has a knack for being around when trouble happens. She knows all the peculiar people in town—like Crazy Cora and Witch Wiggins. But then, one day, a boy drops out of a tree. Just like that. A strangely charming Finn boy. And then the Dingle Dangle man appears, asking all kinds of questions. Curious surprises are revealed—three locked trunks, a pair of rooks, a crooked bridge, and that boy—and soon Naomi and Lizzie find their lives changed forever.

As two worlds are woven together, Creech reveals that hearts can be mended and that there is indeed a gossamer thread that connects us all.


My thoughts:
I don't read a lot of middle grade books these days, so I'll probably skip this one.


Verdict: Toss



8.  Wool (Silo #1) by Hugh Howey:

An epic story of life, love and survival at all odds and one of the most-talked and anticipated books of the year.

In a ruined and hostile landscape, in a future few have been unlucky enough to survive, a community exists in a giant underground silo.

Inside, men and women live an enclosed life full of rules and regulations, of secrets and lies.

To live, you must follow the rules. But some don't. These are the dangerous ones; these are the people who dare to hope and dream, and who infect others with their optimism.

Their punishment is simple and deadly. They are allowed outside.

Jules is one of these people. She may well be the last.

My thoughts:  
I still really think I want to read this one.  I hear a lot of good things about it.

Verdict:  Keep - for now


 9.  Black City by Elizabeth Richards:

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-old Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.
My thoughts:
Eh, kind of good, but not anything new really. 


Verdict:  Toss


10.  No Shelter by T.S. Welti:

When the environment is ravaged by rising sea levels and monstrous storms, America is divided and survival becomes more precious than love.

When seventeen-year-old Nada and Isaac stumble upon a handsome stranger in the woods, their cozy alliance and romance begin to unravel. This stranger promises Nada the impossible in exchange for helping him rescue his sister from a prison in the last corner of civilization in the western United States. But this rescue operation is wrought with complications, including the fact that the girl they are supposed to save is the ex-President's daughter. This mission puts everyone's life at risk, especially Isaac--the one person who has always been there for Nada. Now Nada and her small tribe must choose between a somewhat comfortable existence in the mountains and the chance at a life free of fear and starvation.
 
My thoughts:
Doesn't sound that original to me, so I'll probably skip.

Verdict: Toss



11.  Click by Lisa Becker:

Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, not dating, and without even a prospect or a house full of cats, Renee Greene, the heroine of Click: An Online Love Story, reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive Mark, the overly-judgmental Ashley and the over-sexed Shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with "My buddies and I were out drinking one night," to the egotistical "B" celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers will root for Renee to "click" with the right man.

My thoughts:
So, I have since read a few books by this author that I really liked, several years after I actually added this to my TBR list on Goodreads. But I think I still want to try this at some time!

Verdict:  Keep



Final Thoughts:
So I actually did 11 off my list this week, and I'm only keeping 3 of them, so that is good.

Once again you can see that I may have dropped some, but you can also see how many I've added during the week as well because I'm also pointing out how many books are on my Want to Read list on Goodreads each week.  This week, after taking these 8 off, I have 3,147 books listed now, and last week I ended with 3,149.  So I improved!  A tiny bit.

Have you read any of these?  Would you suggest I keep any I'm tossing?  And if you're inspired to do this on your blog, please feel free to join in and share a link in the comments, since it will also get you an extra entry into my giveaway at the bottom of this post.      
 

Giveaway:
Once again this is a US only giveaway, unless you are International and see a book here you really want and would be willing to pay for the difference in the shipping through Paypal or some other way.  You get to pick any two books from the pictures below, as long as they don't get traded away, or picked by last week's winner, and I will pick a surprise book from the piles to add to your choice.  As I mentioned above, unpacking is finding a lot of books to get rid of, so you have even more to pick from this week!  Here are your choices:   

2018 ARCs:

2017 ARCs:

I'm continuing to add in my early 2019 ARCs now.  You can pick one of your two choices from the picture below, the other book you pick needs to come from the pictures above.  

And here are the older ones I've cleaned out as I unpack:

2010-2013 ARCs:

2014 ARCs:

2015-2016 ARCs:

Once again I'm going to let you pick two, along with me throwing in a surprise third book!  Just enter the Rafflecopter below.   Disclaimer:  Unfortunately, while I've only had it happen once, I'm going to have to make a statement like other giveaways I've seen on blogs that I am not responsible for lost mail.

a Rafflecopter giveaway