to be read – Lyndsey Hall

My Summer TBR 2022

We’re heading into summer soon, and I’m just coming out of a huge reading slump where I could only concentrate on thrillers. But I’m getting back into writing so I’m going to make a (hopefully triumphant) return to fantasy books for my summer TBR.

Here are the books I plan to read and listen to between now and the end of September. We’ll see how many I actually to read and if any non-TBR books sneak their way onto my shelf…

Kingdom of Lies by R.S. Williams

This is my current read and I’m really enjoying it. It has a male MC and is more sword and sorcery-esque than my usual fantasy reads, but it’s really refreshing to read something different to the usual female-led YA romantic fantasy. There’s still a romantic subplot, lots of political intrigue and royal escapades, and there’s a strong Arthurian vibe to it. So if you’re a fan of The Sword in the Stone or Merlin, I’d highly recommend checking out this series.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

This one is a library book that I need to read pretty quickly before they call it back, it’s been sitting on my shelf waiting for me to get round to it for that long! But it’s one I’ve always wanted to read and is some of my favourite authors and people’s fave book, so I’m really looking forward to entering the world of Caraval and getting lost in this magical, twisted game.

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

Another library book, and a paranormal thriller this time, set in historical times. I believe it’s inspired by true events, a series of murders/suspicious deaths in a small town in the US two hundred years ago, but the author has added a vampiric twist… Looking forward to jumping into this one!

Kingdom of Feathers by Alice Ivinya

This is one of my most anticipated releases of the year, the series finale to Feathers of Snow. I preordered the ebook, but waited until the paperback was available to start reading, and it’s just been published so I’ll be ordering this very soon!

If you haven’t read any of the Kingdom of Birds and Beasts series yet, I recommend it if you like unique fantasy worlds with fairytale inspired plots and swoon worthy romance.

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus

This is a standalone YA thriller by the author of One Of Us is Lying, and I’m excited to see what it’s like as I love her other series. I don’t know much about it apart from the blurb on the back, the tagline is:

Two dead Homecoming Queens. Five years later, is the killer back?

Full. Body. Chills. Amirite? Can’t wait to jump into this creepy murder mystery and find out whodunnit.

Now, you might not think five books is particularly ambitious, but I’m a very slow reader and I’ve got so much writing to do over the next three months to stay on track with my schedule that I’ll be lucky if I actually manage all of these. So which one do you think I should read next?

Lyndsey

Spring Clean Your TBR Pile for 2022

Happy New Year folks! Welcome to the January YA SFF Winter Blog Hop, where we’re talking fresh starts, new beginnings and setting goals for the year ahead. Plus, there’s another fabulous giveaway to enter and a whole bunch of new freebies and gifts to discover!

Keep reading to find out how I spring clean my TBR, grab your free novella, and enter our big giveaway…

January Blog Hop Stops

How to Spring Clean Your To-Be-Read Pile

Christmas has come and gone and the decorations are down, it’s time to give your house a spring clean for the New Year. While you’re tidying your space and decluttering your belongings, don’t forget your most important possessions – your books!

Here are my tips for spring cleaning your bookshelves for 2022:

Physical Books – Read

Go through your collection of read books and divide them into three piles:

books you want to keep (to read again or just for display),
books you want to lend/gift to friends who’ll enjoy them,
books to donate.

Give your bookshelves a clean and re-shelve your keep pile, add some bookish scented candles, character art prints and figurines, or any other fun bits of book merch you own – maybe a string of fairy lights or a couple of potted plants (real or fake, no judgement here!) – and take a few photos for your bookstagram account, to commemorate the occasion.

Physical Books – To Be Read

Now, do the same with your unread books. Reread the blurbs and check out some reviews on Amazon or Goodreads to decide whether you’re still interested in reading them, then split them into three piles. You could even take photos of your donation pile and offer them to your social media followers for the cost of post and packaging. Or drop them off at your local charity shop or free library, whatever feels right.

Stack your new physical TBR pile on your bedside table, or buy one of those gorgeous three-tiered storage trolleys in a shade that you love and divide your TBR between the shelves. Dreamy AND organised!

Ebooks

Now the hard work begins! If you’re anything like me, your Kindle will be chock full of unread ebooks, either because you wanted to support the author and preorder their new release, or because the cover or blurb caught your eye but you never got around to starting them. Well, now’s the time to tidy up that cluttered device.

Go through and remove your read books from the device to save space.
Sort your unread books by length or alphabetically, whatever works for you, and take a chunk of 10 or so each day until you’ve filtered your whole library. (If you’re around the 1000 mark, then… I’m sorry. Hang in there.)
Read the blurbs and decide which books you still want to read and which you’re no longer interested in.
Grab a new notebook or reading planner (I have the perfect thing if you’re looking for one! Click here to buy the Once Upon a Name 2022 reading planner) and jot down the titles of all the books you’re still planning to read.
Choose a couple of physical books and a couple of ebooks to read each month (depending on your reading speed), or write the titles of all of your TBR on separate slips of paper and put them in a jar to choose from when you’re ready for your next read.
Or, if you’re a mood reader, add a couple of notes to each book (e.g. fantasy, enemies to lovers, futuristic, found family, etc.) to help you choose something to suit your mood each month.

Your Goodreads TBR

Now that you’ve decluttered your physical and digital TBRs and made notes in your reading planner, tidying up your Goodreads lists should be fairly simple. Add any books you’ve read to your Read list and update your Want To Read list with any new books you got for Christmas. Then go through your Want To Read list and untick any books you’ve decided you no longer want to read.

And that’s it, you’re all done! Well done on spring cleaning your TBR for the New Year.

Now treat yourself to a new book for all your hard work! In fact, I’ve got one here you could have…

Your January free gift!

Grab your free copy of my novella A Fair Deception here:

Fair Tales short stories from the Fair Realm

Enter our Mega Giveaway

Click here or on the image to enter and be in with a chance of winning a $30 Amazon gift card: https://kingsumo.com/g/wtnrzh/new-year-new-books-win-an-amazon-gift-card

May the odds be ever in your favour.

Lyndsey

Indie books on my reading list for 2021

Who doesn’t love a good TBR list? Here’s a non-exhaustive list of the books I plan to read over the rest of the year. If you’re a fellow fantasy fan, you’re in for a treat…

Feathers of Snow & Feathers of Blood by Alice Ivinya

How flipping gorgeous are those covers? I love covers with women in beautiful dresses – especially if they’re holding a weapon!

This series is an adaptation of the Goose Girl fairytale, and Ivinya puts such a unique twist on every fairytale she chooses to adapt, plus her characters are diverse and inclusive, bringing old traditional tales right up to date.

Find the Kingdom of Birds and Beasts series on Amazon

Blood and Promise & Chaos and Destiny by Miranda Lyn

The third and final installment of this stunning fae series is coming out very soon, so you and I will be able to binge read to our hearts’ content!

Miranda recently made the incredibly brave and admirable decision to change the title of book one, having built up a lot of exposure with the title Blood and Honor, after a fan contacted her to inform her of the terrible connotations behind that name. Something Miranda had been completely unaware of, and that she absolutely did not want her book to be associated with or to take lightly and potentially cause harm and offense.

I think Blood and Promise has an even better ring to it, and I can’t wait to jump into this series as soon as book three, Fate and Flame, is released!

Find the Fae Rising series on Amazon

Crystal, Rebel & Legacy by Darby Cupid

Another set of eye-wateringly beautiful covers – I guess I’m a sucker for a good cover, but honestly who wouldn’t want these on their shelf? The Starlatten series is a contemporary sci-fi trilogy, and the final book just came out this week so it’s prime binge-reading material!

If you read and loved The Mirror Souls by Julia Scott, I can see this being your next must-read.

Find the Starlatten series on Amazon

Awakening Shadows and Whispering Shadows by Sydney Hawthorn

Now, Whispering Shadows doesn’t actually come out until June, but Sydney just revealed the cover and I couldn’t not include it here beside it’s equally gorgeous sister.

The Navarre Chronicles is a high fantasy series with royalty, magic, a warrior princess and a demon king – basically everything I love!

Find Awakening Shadows on Amazon

Hopefully you’ve seen something on this list that takes your fancy, I love supporting fellow indie authors and would love to know if you buy any of these or add them to your TBR!

What’s a book your really looking forward to reading this year?

Lyndsey

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