Are you like me? Too many books, too little time?
It’s the story of my life. I love reading – it’s one of my favourite things to do – but there are so many books on my TBR and I just can’t get to them all as quickly as I would like.
I’m going to have another go at setting out a reading schedule and I’m determined to stick to it! There are at least 30 books after this post on my full TBR but I always find having a smaller list is less overwhelming.
This morning, I examined my bookshelves (paperback and kindle) and this is what I’ve decided to put into my 2021 TBR.
To finishing a series
The Mirror and the Light – Hilary Mantel
I adored Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies – and so onto the final instalment in the trilogy. Tomas Cromwell has had a spectacular rise in the first two instalments, outwitting queens and earls at every turn.
But this cannot last. A downfall is coming…
I can’t wait to find out how Hilary Mantel unravels this story.
The Last Kingdom Series – Bernard Cornwell
I’ve two books left in the series.
Sword of Kings is a re-read. War Lord will be new.
I read book 1 & 2 (The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman) about 15 years ago. Since then, I’ve read every subsequent book as soon as they’ve been released. I’ve always loved historical fiction and Bernard Cornwell has a way of making his characters and setting so believable. Uhtred and friends will always have a place in my heat and I’ve enjoyed every instalment of his quest to find love, defy Saxon kings, and most of all… recapture Bebbanburg.
I bought War Lord for my husband at Christmas and was devastated to find it was the last instalment. So, instead of reading it, I embarked on a re-read. Now with only 2 books to go, my time with Uhtred is nearly at an end. 😔
Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
The prose of Prince of Thorns and King of Thorns was amazing. Despite the dark content, I was instantly drawn in. Jorg is no doubt a controversial character, however, we were working our way to a Jorg who sought redemption – and I found this journey absolutely intriguing.
I’m excited to see where we go to in Emperor of Thorns. I find the futuristic dark-age Earth setting very intriguing and I hope we discover more of this world as Jorg sets out to unite the kingdoms. And now that many of his foes are dead, we might see how deep the thorn poison runs. Will he do anything to unite the kingdoms? Prince Jorg might have, I’m not so sure about the king.
New and hyped
These are the three new books I simply HAVE to read.
Summer holiday reading is always slow for me – but now the kids are back in school, these will be opened.
I’ve already had a sneaky peak at The Shadow of the Gods so I think I will start here…
New Series
Say one thing about Joe Abercrombie, say that he can write a good book.
My review of The Blade Itself is coming in due course – but it was wonderful. This is next in the series and so I will continue with Before They Are Hanged once I finish the Mantel/Lawrence/Cornwell series.
INDIE
I have a huge list of indie books I want to read. Wyrd Gods and Ringlander are the top two on my list, though I’ve a book by Daniel Kelly and another by ML Spencer lying in wait. Another case of too many books, too little time, but whatever I don’t read this year, I will put into my Spring 2022 list.
NON-FICTION
So, I announced on Twitter last month that I have an agent! My first book has since been out on submission to various publishers and it’s looking very likely that I will be signing with one soon (details to follow in due course).
I am currently writing a sequel to my novel and I’ve purchased two books that are relevant to the time period I am writing in.
As you can see, both books are about Vikings – and I’m looking forward to finding out a little more about their control of inland river networks and their trade routes.
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Shauna Lawless is writing 