Can you hear the exasperation in that title?! As you’ll have no doubt seen if you read my May Wrap Up post yesterday, I’ve really been struggling to get my TBR down in the last few months. I’ve been so hectically busy with other projects that my reading rate has fallen below my books-in rate, so this month I’ve decided to focus on a few books that feel like they’re looming large on my to-do list – not necessarily long books, but just things I keep thinking about. I’m also dropping the number to just nine books, as the last couple of months I haven’t managed to finish longer TBRs, and I can always add more later if I need to!
The Stardust Thief – Chelsea Abdullah
I’m a little overdue with this book, which I have a proof copy of – it came out in May and I’ve not had a chance to read it yet! It sounds like a really magical adventure fantasy, and a lot of my friends have really enjoyed it, so I’m looking forward to it.
A Far Wilder Magic – Allison Saft
I wasn’t quite sure if this book would quite be my cup of tea or not, because on the one hand it has alchemy, and on the other hand fantasy with overtly religious themes isn’t usually for me. However, Judith had fun with it, so I just need to crack on and get started!
The Ballad of Perilous Graves – Alex Jennings
This is a book I was sent a surprise ARC of – I hadn’t requested it because contemporary fantasy set in real world places is so rarely a hit for me, but I read the first few chapters and it’s really compellingly voicey, so I think it’ll be an interesting read.
The Girl Who Lost a Leopard – Nizrana Farook
A little bit of middle grade now! I remember liking The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, this author’s first book, though I really wished it was magical rather than real world. I think I’ll probably have a similar opinion of this one – it sounds like an interesting adventure!
The Poisoned Pie Mystery – Nicki Thornton
I’ve enjoyed books from this author before, and how could I resist ‘the cat with a nose for magical crime’? This should be a fun, spooky magical MG read – I just don’t want to let it slip too far past publication date without reviewing!
Her Dark Wings – Melinda Salisbury
Melinda Salisbury’s retelling of the story of Persephone really intrigues me, but I’m nervous of two things – firstly, the contemporary setting, and secondly, whether enough time has passed since my degree (a decent part of which was focused on Persephone retellings) for me to enjoy it! I hope so, because I really love her writing.
Star of the Morning – Lynn Kurland
This is the only non-review copy on this list, and it’s here to represent the huge amount of older fantasy romance I have on the shelves that keeps poking at me not to forget it. This one is only from 2006 but that cover is so classic! I’ve seen it compared to Sharon Shinn, whose writing I adore, so I’m hopeful this will be good!
Mothers of Enchantment edited by Kate Wolford
This anthology of short stories about fairy godmothers is one I’ve been itching to get into, but I haven’t felt like I could because I’ve been working on similar stories myself! I’m in a writing lull at the moment though, so it’s a good time to dip into it.
Green for Danger – Christianna Brand
Catching up with all the new Crime Classics releases is keeping me on my toes! Green for Danger sounds like an intriguing mystery set, unusually, in a military hospital in WW2 – I’ve heard it’s a very complicated case, so I expect I’ll be baffled until the final pages…
That’s my nine, so wish me luck!
A Cat, A Book, and A Cup of Tea 
Oh! I’m hoping to read The Stardust Thief this month too. I’m yet to read Nizrana Farook’s books but the covers are always so cute. 😍
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That’s good timing! We should check in and see how we get on with it 🙂
She does have lovely covers – they’re foiled too, very pretty!
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