Today’s topic is about all the upcoming goodness being released in the second half of the year. Yes, we’ve already reached the halfway point, people. Crazy talk, I know. I for one am looking forward to quite a lot of releases and had a bit of a struggle narrowing it down to 10, but that’s far from the worst problem to have. What are you anxiously awaiting the release of this year?

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig | Expected publication: July 2nd 2019 by Del Rey Books
The Saturday Night Ghost Club: A Novel by Craig Davidson | Expected publication: July 9th 2019 by Penguin Books
The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon | Expected publication: August 20th 2019 by 47North
Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy #4) by Ilona Andrews | Expected publication: August 27th 2019 by Avon
Missing Person by Sarah Lotz | Expected publication: September 3rd 2019 by Mulholland Books

The Unkindest Tide (October Daye #13) by Seanan McGuire | Expected publication: September 3rd 2019 by DAW Books
The Library of the Unwritten (A Novel from Hell’s Library #1) by A.J. Hackwith | Expected publication: October 1st 2019 by Ace Books
Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren | Expected publication: October 22nd 2019 by Gallery Books
Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer Trilogy #1) by Maggie Stiefvater | Expected publication: November 5th 2019 by Scholastic Press
The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3) by Neal Shusterman | Expected publication: November 5th 2019 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

When I was a teenager, I read a lot of police procedural novels. This segued into a love of mysteries in general, but police procedurals were my jam because I harbored dreams of one day being an FBI agent or a forensic scientist… I would have even settled for a private investigator. Basically, just your average badass that puts bad guys away. While my life has not gone as planned, and I don’t read nearly as many mysteries as I used to, I still have a deep love for police procedurals and really oughta incorporate them more into my reading. These are some of my favorites from over the years.

The Coffin Dancer (Lincoln Rhyme #2) by Jeffery Deaver
The Last Policeman (The Last Policeman #1) by Ben H. Winters
The Dry (Aaron Falk #1) by Jane Harper
The Face Of Deception (Eve Duncan #1) by Iris Johansen
Mayhem (Dr. Thomas Bond #1) by Sarah Pinborough

Blindsighted (Grant County #1) by Karin Slaughter
The Child Finder (Naomi Cottle #1) by Rene Denfeld
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars #1) by Rob Thomas, Jennifer Graham
The House of Silk (Sherlock Holmes #1) by Anthony Horowitz
The Power of the Dog (Power of the Dog #1) by Don Winslow

There’s nothing better than reading some amazing line in a book and having it really resonate with you. I love each and every one of these incredible quotes and would love to see these hanging in my house.

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul”
-William Ernest Hensley [Link]

“Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul…”
-Emily Dickinson [Link]

“It is a serious thing
Just to be alive
On this fresh morning
In this broken world.”
-Mary Oliver [Link]

“We are all in the gutter, but
some of us are looking at the stars.”
-Oscar Wilde [Link]

“There was a lust of wandering his feet
that burned to set out for the ends of the earth.”
-James Joyce [Link]

“Buy the ticket. Take the ride.”
Hunter S. Thompson [Link]

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.”
-Robert Frost [Link]

“My mission in life is to not merely survive, but to thrive
and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
-Maya Angelou [Link]

“It takes courage to grow up
and become who you really are.”
-E.E. Cummings [Link]

“I am, I am, I am.”
-Sylvia Plath [Link]

I haven’t always been a listener of audiobooks, but ever since they became a staple of my daily life, I can’t remember life without them. I mean, I have to listen to something when I’m on a long drive, or doing dishes, or doing some monotonous work task, and sometimes music just doesn’t cut it. I’ve done plenty of “favorite audiobook” posts in the past, so today’s post just serves as an update to the last ten that ended up being really fantastic listens.

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo | Narrators: Jacob York & Stephanie Willis

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (Author & Narrator)

Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) by Neal Shusterman | Narrator: Greg Tremblay

Lock In (Lock In #1) by John Scalzi | Narrator: Wil Wheaton

Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright | Narrator: Gabra Zackman

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter | Narrators: Emilia Fox & Richard Armitage

Becoming by Michelle Obama (Author & Narrator)

We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union (Author & Narrator)

One Day in December by Josie Silver | Narrators: Eleanor Tomlinson & Charlie Anson

Wanderlust by Lauren Blakely | Narrators: Grace Grant & Richard Armitage

I’m so grateful to have survived this winter (it was a rough one) and my first in a new city that actually experiences winter. With a new season, it’s time to review the TBR again and make lists that I won’t likely accomplish. lol Except I’m doing something a little different this time and not picking a single review book as a “goal”. They’re already the goal after all. I always try to focus on review books because, yes, they’re important and I love being given the opportunity to read them early, however, I’m trying to go easier on myself these days and am trying not to give myself such a hard time when I don’t get to all of them in time. I’ve also read about half a dozen 3-star books in the last few weeks so I’m really just looking to pick up more books that I’m excited to and not just because I full obligated to. Here are a few that I hope give me some bookish joy.

Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #1) by Stacia Kane
The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black
Vicious (Villains #1) by V.E. Schwab
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl

Phoenix Unbound (Fallen Empire #1) by Grace Draven
Dating You / Hating You by Christina Lauren
Blue World by Robert R. McCammon
Six Stories (Six Stories #1) by Matt Wesolowski
The Anomaly (The Anomaly Files #1) by Michael Rutger

What are on your Spring TBRs?

Stories can take us on the most wondrous adventures. I love a good fantasy world, but I especially love a story that tells me of a place that I could possibly visit someday. These 10 stories are set in a few locations I wouldn’t mind seeing with my own eyes.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor | Prague

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio | Bora Bora

Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light by Amy Thomas | Paris

One Day in December by Josie SIlver | Thailand

Still Me by Jojo Moyes | New York City

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon | Scotland

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent | Iceland

Timeless by Gail Carriger | Egypt

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan | Greece

Today’s topic was essentially Underrated Gems and I’ve done almost too many of those that I seem to have run out.

Underrated Gems
Underrated Gems Pt. 2
Underrated Gems Pt. 3
Underrated Gems Pt. 4

Instead, I’m focusing on a handful of underrated books on my TBR that I’m hoping end up being an as of yet undiscovered gem.

The House of War and Witness by Mike Carey, Linda Carey, Louise Carey | 147 ratings
A Tree Born Crooked by Steph Post | 172 ratings
Zazen by Vanessa Veselka | 236 ratings
In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson | 308 ratings
Love and Other Wounds: Stories by Jordan Harper | 362 ratings

Bluegrass: A True Story of Murder in Kentucky by William Van Meter | 370 ratings
The Last Four Days of Paddy Buckley: A Novel by Jeremy Massey | 1,099 ratings
Donnybrook by Frank Bill | 1,249 ratings
Six Stories (Six Stories #1) by Matt Wesolowski | 1,791 ratings
Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way through Great Books by Cara Nicoletti | 1,831 ratings

I have difficulty sometimes when books are overly hyped. People read them and love them, then shout from the rooftops about how wonderful they are. This automatically makes me nervous because I fully expect the book to have the opposite effect because I’m contrary like that. These ten 2019 releases are ones I’m nervous about diving in, but hope they end up being worth all that hype.

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing | Expected publication: March 26th 2019 by Berkley Books
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Expected publication: March 5th 2019 by Ballantine Books
Little Darlings by Melanie Golding | Expected publication: April 30th 2019 by Crooked Lane Books
Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey | Expected publication: June 4th 2019 by Tor Books
The Lost Man by Jane Harper | Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by Flatiron Books

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo | Expected publication: May 7th 2019 by HarperTeen
The Gutter Prayer (The Black Iron Legacy #1) by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan | Published January 22nd 2019 by Orbit
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern | Expected publication: November 5th 2019 by Doubleday Books 
The Beautiful (The Beautiful #1) by Renée Ahdieh | Expected publication: October 8th 2019 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver | Expected publication: December 26th 2019 by Penguin

What books are you nervous about picking up in 2019?

For some reason, I tend to add books completely randomly to my TBR. Sometimes I don’t even read blurbs. (Weird, I know.) I’m a total book cover judger and quick glancer of friends reviews to ascertain whether it’s worth being added. I spend vast quantities of time going back through my TBR to do “book purges” which is such a time waster. This year I’ve made it a point to try to be more conscious of what I’m putting on my shelves and so far it’s going pretty well. These are 10 that have made the cut in recent TBR additions.

Added these after reading the article: 8 Modern Classics of Rural Noir

American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell
The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin

Added these due to my current obsession with Columbia (courtesy of Narcos). 2 Fiction, 1 Non:

Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez
There Are No Dead Here: A Story of Murder and Denial in Colombia by Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno

Added these because I’m late to the Hello, Sunshine party:

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Added these because Anthony Bourdain said to:

Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris by A.J. Liebling
The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins

What books have you added to your TBR recently?