If y’all have been following me for a bit, you might have noticed my absence from the book blogging community. This blog, and my bookish social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram, have been more or less dead for the past few years.
Well, if you didn’t know, I’ve been going to college! And I just graduated in December! So as I work to get this blog back up and running, I wanted to compile a short list of books published during the time I was in college that I want to read ASAP now that I have some freetime.
It took me a bit to narrow this list down to ten, but with the help of a few people on twitter and the fact that I somewhat maintained the want-to-read list on Goodreads, I was able to narrow down the list to the ones I want to get to as soon as possible. For this list, I tended to lean towards fantasy books that I’ve been dying to get to rather then just books I’ve heard good things about. This list is focused on books I want to read because of what it’s about or the author or another reason. Let me know if you see any on here you agree with!
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Gideon the Ninth has been on my TBR months before it even came out, and despite owning a copy, I just haven’t found the time to pick it up with all of my assignments and busywork while at school. The moment I find my copy buried in the moving boxes, I’m going to be digging into the story as fast as possible. Queer fantasy horror is exactly what I’ve been craving to get back into the groove of things, and Gideon is perfect for that.
Docile by KM Szpara
I know very little about this book besides what the summary says. I haven’t seen many people talk about it either. But the fact remains that this is the book I picked up when I went into a bookstore for the first time in a year and a half, so that at least shows the dedication that I have to eventually reading this book.
Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller
So if y’all know me at all, you know I’m a huge fan of Linsey Miller. Her Mask of Shadows duology is something I think about fairly often, and I often use it in reviews to compare things that I liked. Unfortunately for me, Miller released three books while I was attending school, and I only got the time to read one of them. Belle Révolte is one of those books where you know for a fact that you’re going to like it, but you’ve just haven’t gotten around to finishing it. Well … here’s my chance!
The Game by Linsey Miller
I’ll admit that, compared to other Linsey Miller books, I know the least about this one. It wasn’t even on my radar until it was released, mostly because I wasn’t around for the announcement or anything that came after. Despite literally only having the fact that Linsey Miller wrote this book, I have high hopes. The premise sounds like Agatha Christie’s ABC Murders so I’m hoping its a sort of rewrite, as I enjoyed the original!
Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor
I’ve been wanting to reading this book so bad that I’ve probably read the first two chapters five times each. It’s not that the story isn’t grabbing me, but more the fact that something else pulls me away. I know I’ll like this book, know what to expect from it, but my opportunities have been few and far between, and the times I was able to pick it up were cut off so soon. One of these days I’ll get further in, and then it’s over!
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
I’ve seen this book floating around here and there, and in my brief perusals of reviews when I first heard about it, I hadn’t noticed much about it. And to be honest, I still don’t know much about it. What I do know about it, though, sounds like something I know many people in my queer family would love. I desperately want to read this book when I have the mental capacity to do so, because it sounds so important and necessary.
Crier’s War by Nina Varela
Compared to some of the other books on this list, I’ve heard a LOT about this book from fellow reviewers. It sounds right up my alley when it comes to books I’m interested in, and from how many good things I’ve heard, I’ve been looking for a chance to read Crier’s War. I feel like I’ve missed a lot of amazing queer fantasy books that have come out recently, and when I finally start on those again, I feel like this is where I have to start.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
If there’s a book I’ve heard the most about on this list, it would either be Gideon the Ninth or Cemetery Boys. I know many people online and in real life that have recommended this book to me, and considering the spookiness of it and the focus on a trans character, I don’t know why I haven’t picked it up yet. The curse of being a mood reader has stopped me from binging this book in a night, but I feel like I’m getting close.
Swords in the Stars by AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy
Considering how much was said about Once & Future when it first came out, I’m shocked that I haven’t heard anything about the sequel. The only reason I knew it was out was because I personally searched for it. Despite the love I’ve seen the first one get, it’s odd that I haven’t seen much about the sequel that I was dying to pick up immediately after finishing the first. While I’m a little worried about the lack of response this book got, I’m still dying to reread the first and picking this one up.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
I know nothing about Elatsoe. I don’t even remember the summary, but I remember hearing a lovely review from someone about how amazing this book is. I think it has ace representation? I remember thinking for a while that this was a graphic novel for a while, because it has the note about an illustrator. I was shocked when I picked up a copy and found that it was a traditional novel. Something felt magical about the book though, so I can’t help but feel drawn to this one. Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint.
Funnily enough, despite already diving back into reading, I haven’t picked up a single one of these books. It’s so frustrating, knowing that I’ll probably love the books listed here, but instead finding myself craving horror novels that more often then not disappoint me. I feel like when I am able, Gideon the Ninth would be the perfect transition novel, including the fantasy and horror aspects in order to push me back into a fantasy mood, which I feel is coming up soon. Until then, though, I’ll continue scrolling Scribd and my library’s e-catalogue and look for books that pique my interest.
Do you have any backlist books you’re wanting to get to but haven’t been able to? Have you read any of these books on this list, and if you did, what did you think? Do you have other books published between 2019-2021 that you think I should check out? Let me know in the comments!
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Crier’s War and Cemetery Boys were so good!!
Oooh good to know!! Thanks!
I have the Game but haven’t read it yet!!
I recently published a post about my reading challenges this year and a lot of the books I plan to read are backlist books. I tend to read pretty sporadically lol. https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/2022/01/03/2022-reading-goals/ If you’re curious – maybe you’ll get some title ideas!
Oh thank you Laina!! I have so many backlist books to get to, I could barely narrow it down to 10. I have so much to get caught up on!
Welcome back! Looks like you’ve picked some stellar titles. Cemetery Wars is one I need to get to this year as well. You’re correct about Elatsoe having ace rep. That’s mostly why I picked it up. I had mixed feelings about the book, so maybe temper your expectations for that one. But I’d definitely still give it a go.
Thank you! And thanks for clarifying Elatsoe, I remember hearing about it and it’s been stuck in my head since. I’ll have to keep that in mind 🙂