Summer Reading List - Part Two!

I managed to read about forty books last summer. This summer, I want to read a lot more in order to shrink my TBR pile so I can A) buy more books and B) feel better about myself. I talked about the series I want to read in the next three months so now I want to tell you about some of the standalone novels I own but haven't read!

1. On the Fence by Kasie West: I love Kasie West. Fine, I've only read one of her books (The Distance Between Us) but it was really good! This one sounds like the perfect summer book. "She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…" It screams summer, people! I've been trying really hard to ignore this ARC because it doesn't come out until July but I might have to read it really soon. Like, next week soon.

2. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson: I feel like everyone has read this book but me. In case your haven't either, Tiger Lily is a Peter Pan retelling. I'm not 100% sure about this but I think it is told through Tinker Bell's point of view. Sounds amazing, doesn't it? I'm not too familiar with the original story but I'm really excited to read this book.

3. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart: I bought this book months ago and I pretty much ignored its existence the minute I took it home. I read We Were Liars a few weeks ago and realized that both novels are by the same author. I'll post a review of We Were Liars next week but to summarize my feelings about it: I FREAKING LOVED IT.  I feel like I have to read everything ever written by E. Lockhart so I plan to start with this one.

4. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: As far as I know, this one isn't technically a standalone. It has a companion novel out there in the world. However, since I'm assuming both stories are not connected (Are they? I don't want to spoil CNV by checking out Rose Under Fire) I'm going to think of it as a standalone. This one is a WWII novel about a British secret agent captured in Nazi-occupied France. My expectations are really high so I'm a little nervous to finally read it!

5. Dracula by Bram Stoker: Confession: I started reading Dracula in high school but I never finished it. Don't get me wrong. I loved it. My English teacher assigned it senior year but we ran out of time and didn't get to the end. I'm not entirely sure why I didn't pick it up after I graduated but I'm doing it now!

6. The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass 0.1-0.5) by Sarah J. Maas: This one is not a standalone but I'm breaking the rules! :) The Assassin's Blade is a collection of novellas tied to the Throne of Glass series about Celaena Sardothien's missions. The original plan was to read this slowly so I wouldn't go crazy waiting for Heir of Fire to come out BUT I'm doing an early review of the third book of the series for Cuddlebuggery so I need to read this one sooner than expected.

7. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson: Honestly, this book sounds insane. I'm just going to let you read the synopsis instead of describing it. Did you read it? Yes? Now, said it with me: WHAT IN THE WORLD? I don't know why I want to read it. I'm not even sure why I bought it. I do know that an interesting review and a couple of crazy tweets will come out of it.

8. The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen: I have a couple of Sarah Dessen books I want to read in the next few weeks. It just doesn't feel like summer without a Sarah Dessen novel. The Moon and More is first up because I'm going to review for Cuddlebuggery in about two weeks. Just Listen and This Lullaby are also part of my own-haven't-read pile. Which one should I read next?

9. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz: I started reading this one today. This book has won so many awards that I was afraid to read it. My expectations were really high and I really thought that I wasn't going to enjoy it. I'm about 130 pages in but I can already tell you that Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of my favorite books of all time. It might even crack the Top 5. I'll let you know once I'm done. :)

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I'll also be rereading The Fault in Our Stars and If I Stay very soon! I've been staying away from TFiOS because I want to reread it a week or two before the movie comes out. It has taken a lot of self-control to see it (I own multiple copies so see them) every day, watch that trailer, and not read it. I read If I Stay late last year but I might have time to reread it before seeing the movie since it isn't very long.

Have you read any of the books in My Pile of Shame? And are you planning on seeing The Fault in Our Stars and/or If I Stay?

Summer Reading List - Series Edition!

"I'm surprised I have so many unread books" - said no one ever. 

I own a couple *weeps* of unread series. That's about to change this summer! Hopefully.

1. Chaos Walking Series by Patrick Ness

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

I've heard nothing but good things about this series. I decided to get it after reading More Than This (which is AMAZING) by the same author. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to finally read it this summer!

2. Eon/Eona by Alison Goodman

Sixteen-year-old Eon has a dream, and a mission. For years, he's been studying sword-work and magic, toward one end. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye-an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. 

But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a twelve-year-old boy. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured. 

When Eon's secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a deadly struggle for the Imperial throne. Eon must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic...and her life.

One word: DRAGONS. I haven't read a lot of fantasy involving dragons so this book sounds really appealing to me.  Also, it reminds me of Mulan and I can't say no to that.

3.  Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman (First Three Books)

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives. 

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

I bought this one over six months ago because it was on sale. The premise is so creepy! I'm really interested in reading the first three books before the last one comes out. It sounds like my kind of series so I'm hoping this impulse buy was a good decision. *fingers crossed*

4. Gemma Doyle Trilogy by by Libba Bray

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel. 

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.

I've had this series forever and a day. It sounds interesting to me (Victorian boarding school! India! Visions!) but there's always something else I want to read instead. I can't keep ignoring this one so I'm determined to read it this summer.

5. Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era! 

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

I bought the first two novels for about six dollars and I was really excited to read it (I have a thing for anything set in London & it is translated from German.) Then, I read some not-so-good things about it so I stayed away from it. It's about time I give this one a fair chance!
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What's on your summer reading list? Unsurprisingly, I have a list of standalone novels that I also want to read this summer so be on the lookout for that very soon!


My condolences to Future Me, who's probably studying and wishing she could burn all of her school books and read for fun.