My 2018 TBR List

I feel like my TBR (to be read) list gets longer every day. Between the book bloggers I follow and all the good book suggestions from Instagram and Amazon, there are so many books to choose from! Plus, I’m participating in Modern Mrs. Darcy’s reading challenge for the second year in a row, so that gives me even more books to drool over. Today I’m sharing what I’m hoping to read in 2018 to give you great book ideas, but be sure to comment with your suggestions!

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(Note: I’ve already read 2 of the 3 books in this picture! Off to a great start.)

My TBR List in General

A King’s Ransom – This one that I’ve tried to read several times in past years but life just kept getting me. I think I got it for Christmas in 2014 right before I had knee surgery in February, and then I started grad school in fall 2015 and every time I tried to pick this back up life kept getting me. It’s the third in a trilogy about King Richard I (the Lionheart). I’ve always found the Plantagenets fascinating and have read at least 10 books about Henry II’s family (his mother’s fight for the throne; his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine; his children; people who worked for his family’s court). Basically, Richard the Lionheart went on crusade, as many did in the middle ages. On his way back to England, he was captured. This book is about the journey back to England, his capture, and his return to England. I’ve loved it every time that I’ve tried to read it, but I’m really crossing my fingers that I get to finally finish this book this year. (Fun fact: his capture is how his brother, the future King John, gained power initially, and Richard’s return to England is how most Robin Hood stories end.)

The Elements of Eloquence – As you guys probably know if you follow me on Instagram, I’ve been super into books on writing in recent years. This is one that I got for Christmas that I’m super excited for. An entire book about how to write good? (Yes, that word choice is intentional.) Sign me up.

DIY MFA – And another book for writing! I bought this way back in 2016 and have been saving it for a time when I could really work on my writing. Since I’m looking at surgery and minimum 2 months of not being able to work a traditional job, I’m hoping to really dive into this in the spring.

Crooked Kingdom – This is the sequel to Six of Crows and I adored that book. It gets a lot of hype and tbh it’s worth it. I didn’t know that there was a sequel until I got to the end of Six of Crows and was left with a bit of a cliffhanger so obviously this is at the top of my TBR list this year. Luckily, if it’s anything like Six of Crows, I will finish it quickly and will update with my thoughts. (My thoughts might honestly be “ahhhhhhhh I love this”.) If you’re unfamiliar with Six of Crows, it’s about a heist done by teenagers in a fantasy world. Some of these teenagers are ruthless and some of them have hearts of gold and some of them have both and also I love all of them, which is a sign that Leigh Bardugo is good. If you, too, love the idea of ruthless teenagers pull off a heist, you need to check out this series.

My TBR List for the Modern Mrs. Darcy’s 2018 Reading Challenge

Modern Mrs. Darcy is easily my favorite book blog, and after participating in her 2017 reading challenge, I decided to do the 2018 one as well. The 2017 challenge exposed me to some amazing books that I probably would never had read if it weren’t for the challenge, so it was an easy choice to do this year’s! I’ve already finished one for it, so I’m not including it here because this is a TBR list. After each book in this list, I include what category it fills.

Hamlet (a classic you’ve been meaning to read) – I know, I know. How is it possible that I’ve never read Hamlet before? Somehow, my high school didn’t require us to read it (we read Macbeth, Othello, Julius Caesar, and Romeo & Juliet); my undergrad never required me to read it, despite me taking 4 classes that had me read Shakespeare; and my grad classes never required me to read it, despite me taking 3 classes that involved Shakespeare. But as someone who focused on pre-1700 literature in grad school, I got a lot of grief for never reading Hamlet. So I figured that this was the perfect opportunity to do so!

Drums of Autumn (a book that’s more than 500 pages) – This is one of the books in the Outlander series, and it’s the one that corresponds with the next season of the TV show. I already wanted to reread this before the new season comes out, and at over 1,000 pages, it fits this requirement perfectly. Confession: I’m a couple hundred pages into reading this right now. It has reminded me just how much I love this book in particular!

The Girl in the Spider’s Web (a book in translation) – This was one of the categories in the 2017 challenge and I really struggled to find a book that I liked that was in translation. I ended up going with a mystery/thriller, so I figured that I would do the same this year to avoid struggling with the category. Ever since this book was announced, I’ve been unsure about it because it wasn’t written by the same author who did the first three in the series (because he died). But since this book is going to be a movie, I figured that I would give it a shot.

The Sun and Her Flowers (a book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection) – It feels like you can’t go online without seeing someone comment on Rupi Kaur, either saying they’re reading one of her books or sharing a meme about her poetry. I figure that she has to be good enough for this non-poetry person to appreciate!

All the Things I Never Told You (a book by an author of a different race, ethnicity, or religion than you know) – One of my top-30 favorite books of all times is The Lovely Bones (and that’s one I might reread this year, depending on how life goes), and this seems like it’s along the same veins. A child dies and the family struggles in the aftermath. The description on Amazon says, “A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.” I’m excited to read this!

A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain (a memoir, biography, or book of creative nonfiction) – Ohhhhhhh my god. As soon as I saw this on Amazon, I added it to my wish list. If there’s anything you should know about me it’s that I love English history, but I focus mostly on pre-1700 England and my favorite is pre-1400. Edward I is the evil English king in Braveheart and goodness gracious did he do some damage. He was a grandson of King John, aka the evil Prince John in Robin Hood, and I’ve read a book about his sister before, in addition to many, many books about various important events to the Plantagenet dynasty (see A King’s Ransom for an example). This is one that I absolutely cannot WAIT to read because of the important role Edward I played is the forging of Britain, hence the title of the book.

Origin (a book by a favorite author) – Dan Brown, what’s up? If you’re ever looking for a book that you just can’t put down, pretty much any Dan Brown book is the answer. I’m hoping that this one will be on par with all of his other work.

What are you hoping to read this year?

Like this post? Check out:

Why You Should Read and Watch Outlander, Best Books on Writing, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert: A Review, All-Time Favorites: Books