Last weekend, I finally finished listening to the audiobook recording of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne—highly recommend it, by the way—and so, true to form, I immediately went on the prowl for my next read (it’s Alex and Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz, if you’re wondering). But just because I’ve already started another doesn’t mean that I didn’t craft a (tentative) To-Be-Read (TBR) List anyway. Here are 5 books currently sitting at the top of my reading queue.
- “Labyrinth” by Kate Mosse
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Three secrets. Two women. One Grail.
Mosse tells a story with two intertwined lives: one of an archaeologist from 2005 and one of a victim of a religious crusade in 1209. When the archaeologist discovers a labyrinth during an excavation, she uncovers a secret kept for thousands of years about the true Grail and the labyrinth itself. I’m not saying this sounds like Tomb Raiders or The Mummy, but I am saying that if it’s anywhere in that general realm, I won’t be disappointed.
- “A Twist in Time” by Julie McElwain
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Any attempt to uncover the truth will get someone killed.
This is the second installment in McElwain’s In Time series, which follows an FBI agent who finds herself in 1815 England hunting (wait for it) serial killers. I absolutely loved the first book, Murder in Time, so I have high hopes for its sequel. I mean, time travel and murder mystery? Is there honestly anything better?
- “Lobizona” by Romina Garber
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Some people are illegal. Lobizonas do not exist. Both of these statements are false.
I could go on for years and years about the genius that is Romina Garber. Before she wrote Lobizona, she wrote the Zodiac series, which is where I fell in love with her storytelling abilities. When she announced that she would be publishing a new series called Wolves of No World, I knew that I had to read it. The series combines Argentinian folklore with the current immigration debate, and I finally got my hands on a copy, so of course it had to make this list.
- “No Exit” by Taylor Adams
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A kidnapped little girl locked in a stranger’s van. No help for miles. What would you do?
This one is the audiobook selection of the list, as I’ve been reliably informed that to get the full experience, you have to listen to this one. Adams’ novel is a thriller set at an isolated rest stop where four strangers are trapped together for 12 hours while they wait for help to arrive. The protagonist, Darby, discovers that one of the four strangers has kidnapped a child, and she has to figure out a way to save the girl and keep both of them alive until morning. I’m not sure if I should make sure to listen to this when I’m not home alone or turn all the lights off just to make the experience more authentic!
- “The Exiled Queen” by Cinda Williams Chima
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Nobody’s going to hand you anything. You don’t get what you don’t go after.
Another sequel, this is the second book in the Seven Realms series, which is like high fantasy (think Game of Thrones) but for Young Adult readers. I read the first book many many years ago, never finished the series, picked up the first book again over Christmas (you know—because I couldn’t remember any of it), and summarily decided that I had to finish the rest of them. Because I would have to check this one out from a library, I’ve been waiting for a solid break from school to be able to both enjoy it and finish it in time to give it back. Good thing summer is right around the corner…
If you haven’t compiled a TBR list in a while, feel free to borrow some of mine. If you’ve already got a list, what are you waiting for? Get to reading!