September TBR

Already I feel like I have been side tracked from my original TBR for September because of how much I enjoyed "Six of Crows" at the start of the month.  I got an Audible credit and just felt like I had to spend it on the sequel.  I have no regrets!

The first book on my TBR is "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo.  I got this from Audible to keep me company on a long car journey after hearing so much about it on Booktube.  I was pretty intrigued and had gotten about halfway through it in August.  It was my priority to finish this one first (which I have) and get on to reading the rest of my September TBR.  I will put a full review in my September wrap up but it was a superb read.










The next book is one that I am totally unsure about, even a bit wary, if I am honest.  There are so many mixed reviews about it that it took me a while to convince myself to put it on my list.  "Confessions of a Sociopath" by M.E. Thomas is one that should be right up my street - I love anything remotely psychological and especially books that look at things from a different perspective.  As M.E. Thomas is a diagnosed non-violent sociopath I figured that it would be an interesting way to learn a bit more about the condition.  I have started this one already and I can totally see where the negative reviews are coming from.






"Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman is book 3 on my to be read list this month.  The title caught me straight away - who is Eleanor Oliphant!? Why wouldn't she be fine? Is she really fine?  All questions that have popped into my head when I look at the title of the book.  To me this sounded like a book of balance - it has a serious side but a bit of humour injected too.  I am saving this one for the middle of the month when I need something to cheer me up a little bit amongst my other dark, gloomy reads. 


This next book is one I picked up for a few reasons: the nomination for the Women's Prize for Fiction and the hype that surrounds it.  "Stay With Me" by Ayobami Adebayo is set in a community where polygamy is normal and the idea of staying faithful to one person is absurd.  It follows the journey of a couple who are trying (unsuccessfully) for a baby and the devastation they face when they don't get what they want.  The couple's devastation is deepened when the family arrives with another wife to join the family and provide children to Akin.  I am so keen to read this beautiful book - the yellow edged pages are stunning!





I fell in love with Ira Levin when I read "Rosemary's Baby" at university and I have always been meaning to come back and read more of his work but never quite found the time.  This month I have added "A Kiss Before Dying" to my list to ensure I finally get around to this one.  I don't know very much about the actual plot other than it is about a young man who will do anything to get to where he wants to be.  I know that Ira Levin's writing style is one that I previously enjoyed and I know that this book gets rave reviews so I have high hopes for this one.






"The Sellout" by Paul Beattie which won the Man Booker prize is another book on my list this month. This is about a man brought up by a racist father who has shaped his view of the world.  To try to make a point he re-introduces segregation and slavery in modern day America.  This is a shocking story but one that I am genuinely scared of becoming a reality in the future.  The way that the world is heading seems to be further and further from what is morally acceptable.  I think this may well end up an important lesson that should be heeded by many world leaders today.






For years I have been meaning to work my way through the works of Shakespeare that I (shame-faced) admit that I have not actually read yet.  I feel this list is WAY longer than it should be!  I also feel that I have added "The Tempest" to this month's list because I really want to read Margaret Atwood's "Hag-Seed" which is a re-telling of the original story.  I figured it is definitely some sort of sacrilegious act if I was to read "Hag-Seed" before the real deal.








Having read my first Daphne DuMaurier novel in August I was intrigued to compare the quality of her short stories to the novel.  I have picked "The Blue Lenses" as a short story collection to start reading this month.  My aim is to get this finished pretty quickly - especially since it is actually a book borrowed from the library. I know nothing about the stories but I am intrigued to find out more.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, I want to listen to "Crooked Kingdom" by Leigh Bardugo.  I was so impressed with "Six of Crows" that I just don't want there to be a huge time gap before I get the chance to binge on this one too.  The cliffhanger in "Six of Crows" left me glad that I came late to the party and could move straight on to the next book in the series!









I am going to do a mid month reading review in September I think so that will be up in the next week or so.  I also want to do a proper individual review of a few books I have loved recently.

Meg x

August TBR

August has been crazy busy! I've not had a minute yet to sit down and write my TBR post. I've kept it a shorter list this month purely because I'm going to be so busy with going back to work after the Summer holidays.

1. "My Cousin Rachel" by Daphne DuMaurier
Philip Ashley is orphaned and therefore raised by his older cousin, Ambrose. He is the sole heir to his cousin's estate and absolutely sites on him.  Each year Ambrose takes himself off to Europe and leaves Philip in charge of the day to day running of the estate. The novel follows the year that Ambrose disappears to Italy and meets the mysterious Rachel - a widow. Ambrose writes letters to Philip updating him on his life and stays in Italy much longer than usual. After receiving some strange letters Philip takes himself to Italy to find that his dear cousin has died. He sets about finding out whether or not cousin Rachel had a role to play in his death.

2. "A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue" by Mackenzi Lee

Monty is a rebellious young man brought up to be a gentleman but completely untameable. He attends England's finest boarding schools but is quickly expelled for being a tearaway.  He loves women, men, gambling and drinking which is met with his father's deepest disapproval. He goes off on a "Grand Tour" with his sister and his best friend but soon ruins the whole thing with his recklessness and bad decisions. Consequently he puts his life and those with him at serious risk. Monty, when faced with life and death, has to confront his inner demons and choose how he wants his future to pan out.



3. "The Essex Serpent" by Sarah Perry

There is strange news around the Essex waters of a mythical serpent come to wreak havoc with the lives of those around the coast. Recently widowed Cora loves nothing more than to collect fossils and has a deep desire to have her name in the British Museum for one of her discoveries. She sets off for Essex at once to investigate with her strange son and her loyal companion, Martha. When she reaches the village of Aldwinter she strikes a friendship with the local vicar and his wife. The unlikely friendship between Cora and Will (The vicar) is tested numerous times due to their completely opposing points of view - science vs. religion. They each have their own reasons to try to find the serpent but whether they can work together or not remains to be seen.

4. "See What I Have Done" by Sarah Schmidt
In August 1982 a brutal murder was committed in Massachusetts.  Lizzie Borden was accused of brutally murdering her father and stepmother with an axe but was later acquitted.  "See What I Have Done" is a fictional adaptation of the story looking at the household where the murders were committed.  The neighbours all believe the Borden family to be upstanding members of the community but those in the house have different stories to tell.  The story switches from one unreliable narrator to the next as the fragments of the real story unfold through those who were in the house.

5. "His Bloody Project" by Graeme Macrae Burnet
Another cheery book (NOT) about murders but this time a triple murder in a Scottish farming community.  Roderick Macrae is arrested but nobody understands why he committed such a terrible crime. This novel is told through a series of documents including police statements which all seem to be in conflict over who Roderick Macrae really is and what he is like. Some believe him to be a quiet and kind boy whilst others proclaim that he is evil and wicked.  The narrative unfolds through medical reports, psychiatric evaluations, transcripts from the court along with other documents that aim to unravel the mystery of why he committed such crimes.





6. "Caraval" by Stephanie Garber

When sisters Scarlett and Donatella Dragna are given the opportunity to fulfil their dreams of seeing Caraval (a show which takes place one per year that allows the audience to participate) the only thing stopping them is their evil, cruel father.  With the help of a sailer they manage to escape the island they have never before left and head for the island where Caraval is set to take place.  On arriving at the island Tella disappears and Scarlett is left with the task of finding her before time runs out.  This year the whole object of the show is to find Tella with a reward for whoever gets there first.





My TBR may change, be added to or have books removed this month.  I am already passing on the two book club books of this month but am hoping to read them next month instead.  Priorities!

Please head over to my Instagram to check out my new account is a Bookstagram with some Bullet Journalling on the way.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksbeyondtheblurb/?hl=en

Meg x

Booktube-A-Thon and Bi-Annual Bibliothon TBR

Next week marks the start of the Youtube "Booktube-a-thon" and the "Bi-Annual Bibliothon" which means a busy reading week.  As I am on honeymoon I hope I will get a lot of reading done on the cruise. I am using a few books to cover 2 of the challenges as there are 14 challenges in all and there is no way I can read 14 books in one week!

Booktube-a-thon Challenges:

1. Read a book with a person on the cover - "When Dimple Met Rishi"
2. Read a hyped book - "The Power"
3. Finish a book in a day - "The Yellow Wallpaper"
4. Read a book with a character different to you - "When Dimple Met Rishi"
5. Finish a book outdoors - "The Yellow Wallpaper"
6. Read a book you bought because of the cover - "The Power"
7. Read 7 books.

Bi-Annual Bibliothon

1. Read the group book - "Flame in the Mist"
2. Read a book from one of the hosts categories - historical fiction - "The Essex Serpent"
3. Read a book that has been banned - "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"
4. Read a book that is a throwback to a previous challenge - a book from childhood "Harry Potter"
5. Read a book that has been adapted to a movie - "My Cousin Rachel"
6. Read a book you saw somewhere other than booktube - "My Cousin Rachel"
7. Read an LGBTQIA+ Book - "History is All You Left Me"

If I get through all of these challenges I will be very pleased as that is A LOT OF READING. 

I am looking forward to stepping up to it and getting as much done as I possibly can though!

Meg x

July TBR

There is no point in setting myself up to read too much this month.  I get married and am on honeymoon for a chunk so I want to be realistic.  I have started with 4 books but we will see how that goes! I will probably add some more since I have already finished one and am about 130 pages from finishing the second!

1. "The Red Parts" by Maggie Nelson - I have now finished this one as it was quite short but also really enthralling.  I will get to a detailed review in my July wrap up but this book was fantastic.  It followed the true story of a murder trial years after the event. I was really keen to read this because I had heard so many great reviews of the writing style. I also really love crime stories - fiction and non-fiction so I was really drawn to this from the moment I heard the synopsis.

2. "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood - This is one I am currently reading and almost finished. It really is a modern classic novel and after watching the first episode of the new TV series I absolutely knew that I would have to read it straight away.  It is a short read again but is very powerful.  I am really excited to finish this one because I am loving the writing style and the way Atwood has created and developed her characters.









3. "Into the Water" by Paula Hawkins - This is one of my book club reads for the month which I am really excited about.  This one I will be listening to on Audible this month because I want to try to get through it quite quickly and maybe take it on holiday too.  I absolutely loved "The Girl on the Train" so I have really high expectations for this one.  I just hope it doesn't disappoint because of the hype about it so far. 








4. "Lorali" by Laura Dockrill - I am not a huge fan of high fantasy, mermaids etc. I will admit that straight away I have my doubts about this one.  I have heard that it is superb which is the reason I picked this one up.  I had a quick read at the first few chapters and it seems to be really well written so far.  I think I will need to keep focus on this one though because I get easily bored of fantasy and so I really need to persevere with this one.





There are a few more n my horizon that are my "Hope To Read" list if I get finished:
"The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
"lying about last summer" by Sue Wallman

As soon as the wedding is done I will be able to commit a lot more time to reading and hopefully get through a little more.

Meg x