Over the years, I have had a habit of buying and owning more books than I can keep up with reading. It always happens that I need to read other books for classes or I’m so faulted with being a mood reader that some books sit on my shelves for years without the hope of even being touched. Similarly, I’m a serial series starter and rarely a series finisher.
I’ve decided that, this year, I will cut through almost half of my owned TBR pile and limit my book accumulation until I have these completed. I will likely not read of all of these books, and maybe I’ll go for other books that I own and haven’t read, but these are the ones that I have been most eagerly wanting to read and haven’t gotten around to yet.
Without further ado, this is what I will be reading in 2021;
Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff
Book two of the Nevernight Chronicle, I was enthralled, horrified, and incredibly intrigued by the first book. I have really high hopes for it, and as I read the first book a few years ago (hard to believe it was already a few years ago), I’m ready to explore this world of assassin boarding schools and vengeance.
Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
On a similar note, I read Mistborn a few years back and, after recommending the series to my boyfriend, have been pressured to get through the rest of the books. I just finished book two and, though I don’t remember as much of the first book as I wish I did, I think I preferred it to the first one. And from what my boyfriend has said while trying to avoid spoilers, I have a lot to look forward to in this installment.
Emma by Jane Austen
After seeing the trailers for the new movie and finding a new appreciation for classics in several literature courses, I knew I had to read this adorable story. I started this novel sometime in high school but the language just didn’t connect with me. Now, anything with Regency era matchmaking has my full interest.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
I do own almost the complete collection of Jane Austen novels, and I have yet to touch any of them. This year, I will change that. I don’t know as much about this story as I do Pride and Prejudice and Emma, but I’ve heard that this is another favorite of many readers.
Circe by Madeline Miller
Just about every account on Instagram has featured this book and its gorgeous cover. I’m not innocent of this. But besides its beautiful design, I love Greek mythology. My Greek mythology course was one of the most fun classes I’ve taken, and it’s one of few classes from which I can still remember most of the information I learned in it.
The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker
This was a surprise find online when looking for fictional Viking books–as one usually does. I’m not sure what to expect from it, but it is loosely based on the story of Ragnavald of Maer, and I love a historic fiction, as you are all well aware.
Enchantee by Gita Trelease
Speaking of historic fiction. This novel that also made its rounds around Instagram will be joined by a sequel sometime this year, so it’s probably about time I read it. French is among the many things I’ve talked about loving to learn in this post, so that was its immediate appeal. Les Miserables holds a special place in my heart, so I am excited for another story based in the French Revolution.
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
This has taken far too long for me to get to. It sounds exactly like what early high school me was looking for–a story about a very normal girl finding her way into a fantasy. Oh, escapist reading. If anything, I will this book for her and her irrational desire to be the main character of some other land.
The Lost Book of Salem by Katherine Hawk
Another historic fiction, and this one involves the Salem witch trials. Though I believe it takes place in at least fairly modern times, there are so many possibilities for writing stories of that time in U.S. history.
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
I wasn’t as consumed by the first book, A Darker Shade of Magic, as most were. But I will read the sequel nonetheless because it was interesting and it’s always fun to explore different magic systems. I will get better at finishing series!
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
And speaking of getting better at finishing series. I adored the entire Throne of Glass series, and part of me thinks that the reason I haven’t read this book yet is because I don’t want it to end. Another part of me is truly intimidated by its size.
These are the books required by paranormal, Gothic romance course this semester that I will also be reading within the next few months:
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
The Temptation of Demetrio Vigil by Alisa Valdes
Lost in the Light by Mary Castillo
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
Taylor is Reading 