Welcome to the end October, friends! I'm halfway through my school semester, and it’s pretty busy! At this point in my college career, I don’t have a lot of credits left, but the ones I’m taking this semester are doing a pretty good job of keeping me occupied. Still, I have a lot of exciting books on my TBR this fall, most of which are new releases! So, without further ado, I present my Fall 2021 Reading List:
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
This is the first book I started this school year. I’ve been interested in TVD for a while, but I decided to read it now because I’m taking a Shakespeare class this semester. The last time I took a Shakespeare class was the second semester of my freshman year of college, and it was the catalyst for a major Shakespeare-quoting phase that lasted for months (my immediate family can verify this). When I registered for a Shakespeare class this fall, I knew the Shakespeare phase was going to come back in full force. Therefore, I said to myself, “what better way to kick off the Shakespeare Phase, Part II by finally reading These Violent Delights, the critically and commercially acclaimed retelling of Romeo and Juliet?” I finished reading TVD last week, and it was really good! I'm excited for the finale for the duology, Our Violent Ends, which comes out November 16th!
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
This was my book club selection for September. Our meeting for that month has come and gone, and I hadn’t even started it because I wanted to finish These Violent Delights first (which took a while). So, technically this is on my reading list, but I don’t see myself getting to it this semester.
All I Want for Christmas is the Girl Next Door by Chelsea Bubulski
This book is an upcoming publication, set to be released to the public October 28, 2021. It is the first book in the All I Want for Christmas series, written by Chelsea Bobulski. I was sent an eARC of All I Want for Christmas is the Girl Next Door from the publisher, Wise Wolf Books. I started it last week, and I am enjoying it so far!
From Goodreads (abridged):
“It's a Wonderful Life meets Wish Upon A Star...Graham Wallace has been in love with the girl next door for a decade. Unfortunately, she's been dating his best friend for the past two years. Out of sheer desperation, Graham makes a wish on a shooting star—all he wants for Christmas is Sarah Clarke. When Graham wakes up the next morning, everything has changed, and he's the one who's been dating Sarah for the past two years, not his best friend.”
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of my favorite books of all time. I’ve read it so many times that I’ve lost count, and I want to reread it one more time in preparation for the highly-anticipated sequel, Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World, which became available October 12, 2021. I already got my brand-new copy and I am so excited to read it!
A Measure of Serenity by Bryan Prosek
I’m working with this title at my current internship. A Measure of Serenity comes out November 2, 2021, and everything I've read about it reminds me of Doctor Who and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
From Goodreads (abridged):
“Eighteen-year-old Serenity Ashdown has a brilliant mind: she counts, calculates, and analyzes everything, even when she doesn’t want to...But her world was otherwise normal right up until dimension-hopping enemies forced her into a parallel reality...Then she learns that the “other Serenity,” her alter-ego in this dimension, was a resistance leader recently betrayed and killed. She has a chance to assume her alter-ego’s identity and use her unique ability to lead the resistance in their fight against the tyrannical super-government that is poised to invade her universe.”
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Between Shades of Gray is my book club’s November selection, initially suggested by ME! I wanted to include this book on our list because I have been a long-time admirer of Ruta Sepetys’s work. Between Shades of Gray is her debut novel, and the only book of hers that I haven’t read. Her fifth novel, I Must Betray You, will be out February 1, 2022.
Justice at Sea by Christian Klaver
Another title I’m working with for my internship, set to be released December 7, 2021. It’s a sequel to Klaver’s earlier release, Shadows Over London, and the second book in the Empire of the House of Thorns series, which reminds me of the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson.
From Goodreads (abridged):
“Justice Kasric, her siblings, and her parents are locked in combat on both sides of the Human-Faerie War. At fifteen, Justice may be the youngest ever Admiral to command her own ship and lead a resistance, but she has the magic and the will to do it. If only nearly every other member of her family weren't either in immediate danger of dying-or attempting to kill her!”
More B&N YA Book Club titles:
If you’ve been following me and my writing for a while, you’ll know that I am working on my goal to read all of the past selections of the Barnes & Noble YA Book Club. I’ve made my way through October 2020, which makes me about a year behind, haha. The next three titles on this list are:
The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige
Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Wings of Ebony by J. Elle
So, we’ve now come to the end of my (planned) TBR through the end of 2021! Thank you for coming along on this journey with me. For updates on what I’m reading, follow @graceofstorytelling on Instagram and check out my Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/graceofstorytelling