Top Ten Tuesday | September 21, 2021

Happy Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is a Bookish Meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and this week’s theme is BOOKS ON MY FALL #TBR!

Happy Tuesday! I love making #TBRs. And then I almost always immediately read something else and completely change them. Today’s #TBR was fun to make, and I’m excited to see how long I can stick to it before I change it up! I surprised myself by actually reading almost all of the books on my Summer #TBR this year! Out of 10 books, I read 8, which is DEFINITELY a record for me! This time I’m putting a bunch of books on here with autumn vibes, so hopefully I’ll be able to stick to this list!

And now without any further ado, here’s this week’s Top Ten Tuesday!

The Throwback List by Lily Anderson
Published on October 5, 2021 by Hyperion Avenue
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, New Adult, Queer
Pages: 400
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram

Jo Freeman has it all together. With a cool job in the Bay Area, connections at the trendiest fitness studios, and a down payment on her dream condo, she is well on her way to achieving every one of her goals—and most importantly, she’s far away from the sleepy beach town where she grew up. That is, she was. When she’s fired and has to move back home with her parents and teenage sister, there’s some major re-adjusting in store.Autumn Kelly used to be an actress. Now, she teaches drama at Sandy Point High, the same school where she and Jo were inseparable. She may have had to kiss her movie star dreams goodbye, but teaching has given her life meaning in a whole new way. Dedicated to molding the next generation of performers—or at least getting them to participate in improv games—Autumn is pretty happy where she is. But the sudden re-appearance of her ex-best friend throws everything off balance.Bianca Boria really needs a vacation. The former prom queen and valedictorian of Sandy Point High has always been an over-achiever. And when her grandmother moves in with Bianca and her new husband, Bianca’s life takes on a stricter schedule than ever, with no room for disruption. But not even Bianca Boria gets everything she wants.When Jo finds a bucket list in her childhood bedroom, it sets the three women on a path that brings them closer to each other with each task and just might lead to a life none of them could have planned.

Your Life Has Been Delayed by Michelle I. Mason
Published on September 7, 2021 by Bloomsbury YA
Genres: Alternate History, Contemporary, Time Travel, YA
Pages: 304
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Jenny Waters boards her flight in 1995, but when she lands, she and the other passengers are told they disappeared . . . 25 years ago. Everyone thought they were dead.
Now contending with her family and friends fast-forwarding decades, Jenny must quickly adjust to smartphones and social media while being the biggest story to hit the internet. She feels betrayed by her once-best friend and fights her attraction to a cute boy with an uncomfortable connection to her past. Meanwhile, there’s a growing group of conspiracy theorists determined to prove the whole situation is a hoax. Will Jenny figure out how to move forward, or will she always be stuck in the past?

The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian
Published on February 15, 2022 by Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
Genres: Contemporary, Queer, Romance, YA
Pages: 336
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Beth Kramer is a “townie” who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of judgment from her roommate, Sarah.
But Sarah Brunson knows there’s more to that story.
Amanda Priya “Spence” Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah.
Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorms.
And Freddy Bello is the senior who’s no longer sure of his future but has fallen hard for Spence and knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin.
At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born—and secrets are revealed. Their professor tells them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship survive the fallout?

A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
Series: Take Them to the Stars #1
Also in this series: A History of What Comes Next
Published on February 2, 2021 by Tor.com
Genres: Adult, Alternate History, Historical Fiction, Queer, Science Fiction, Thriller
Pages: 304
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Showing that truth is stranger than fiction, Sylvain Neuvel weaves a scfi thriller reminiscent of Blake Crouch and Andy Weir, blending a fast moving, darkly satirical look at 1940s rocketry with an exploration of the amorality of progress and the nature of violence in A History of What Comes Next.
Always run, never fight. Preserve the knowledge. Survive at all costs. Take them to the stars.
Over 99 identical generations, Mia’s family has shaped human history to push them to the stars, making brutal, wrenching choices and sacrificing countless lives. Her turn comes at the dawn of the age of rocketry. Her mission: to lure Wernher Von Braun away from the Nazi party and into the American rocket program, and secure the future of the space race.
But Mia’s family is not the only group pushing the levers of history: an even more ruthless enemy lurks behind the scenes.
A darkly satirical first contact thriller, as seen through the eyes of the women who make progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them...

Until the Last of Me by Sylvain Neuvel
Series: Take Them to the Stars #2
Also in this series: A History of What Comes Next
Published on March 29, 2022 by Tordotcom
Genres: Adult, Alternate History, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Queer, Science Fiction, Thriller
Pages: 304
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The First Rule is the most important: "Always run, never fight."
Over 100 generations, Mia's family has shaped Earth's history to push humanity to the stars, making brutal, wrenching choices along the way.
And now Mia finds herself about to help launch the first people into space. She can't take them to the stars, not quite yet. But with her adversary almost upon her, and with the future of the planet at stake it's becoming clearer that obeying the First Rule is no longer an option.
For the first time since her line's first generation, Mia will have to choose to stand her ground, knowing that the overwhelming odds mean that she risks not only her bloodline, but also the future of the human race.
A darkly satirical thriller, as seen through the eyes of the women who sacrifice all to make progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them...
Always run, never fight. Preserve the knowledge. Survive at all costs. Take them to the stars.

The (Un)Popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez
Published on June 1, 2021 by Katherine Tegen Books
Genres: Contemporary, Queer, YA
Pages: 416
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Vaseline on the teeth makes a smile shine. It’s a cheap stunt, but Mark Adams knows it’s optics that can win or ruin an election.
Everything Mark learned about politics, he learned from his father, the congressman who still pretends he has a daughter and not a son. To protect his father’s image, Mark promises to keep his past hidden and pretend to be the cis guy everyone assumes he is. But when he sees a manipulatively charming candidate for student body president inflame dangerous rhetoric, Mark decides to risk the low profile he assured his father and insert himself as a political challenger.
One big problem? No one really knows Mark. He didn’t grow up in this town, and he has few friends; plus, the ones he does have aren’t exactly with the in-crowd. Still, thanks to countless seasons of Scandal and The West Wing, these nerds know where to start: from campaign stops to voter polling to a fashion makeover. Soon Mark feels emboldened to get in front of and engage with voters—and even start a new romance. But with an investigative journalist digging into his past, a father trying to silence him, and a bully front-runner who stands in his way, Mark will have to decide which matters most: perception or truth, when both are just as dangerous.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Published on June 4, 2019 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, YA
Pages: 453
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, Tumblr

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian
Published on July 6, 2021 by Ace
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mythology, New Adult, Queer, Retellings, Romance
Pages: 448
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Everyone knows the legend. Of Arthur, destined to be a king. Of the beautiful Guinevere, who will betray him with his most loyal knight, Lancelot. Of the bitter sorceress, Morgana, who will turn against them all. But Elaine alone carries the burden of knowing what is to come--for Elaine of Shalott is cursed to see the future.
On the mystical isle of Avalon, Elaine runs free and learns of the ancient prophecies surrounding her and her friends--countless possibilities, almost all of them tragic.
When their future comes to claim them, Elaine, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgana accompany Arthur to take his throne in stifling Camelot, where magic is outlawed, the rules of society chain them, and enemies are everywhere. Yet the most dangerous threats may come from within their own circle.
As visions are fulfilled and an inevitable fate closes in, Elaine must decide how far she will go to change fate--and what she is willing to sacrifice along the way.

His Hideous Heart by Dahlia Adler, Kendare Blake, Rin Chupeco, Lamar Giles, Tessa Gratton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Stephanie Kuehn, Amanda Lovelace, Marieke Nijkamp, Emily Lloyd-Jones, Hillary Monahan, Caleb Roehrig, Fran Wilde
Published on September 10, 2019 by Flatiron Books
Genres: Anthology, Horror, Queer, Retellings, Thriller, YA
Pages: 480
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Edgar Allan Poe may be a hundred and fifty years beyond this world, but the themes of his beloved works have much in common with modern young adult fiction. Whether the stories are familiar to readers or discovered for the first time, readers will revel in Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tales, and how they’ve been brought to life in 13 unique and unforgettable ways.
Contributors include Kendare Blake (reimagining “Metzengerstein”), Rin Chupeco (“The Murders in the Rue Morge”), Lamar Giles (“The Oval Portrait”), Tessa Gratton (“Annabel Lee”), Tiffany D. Jackson (“The Cask of Amontillado”), Stephanie Kuehn (“The Tell-Tale Heart”), Emily Lloyd-Jones (“The Purloined Letter”), Hillary Monahan (“The Masque of the Red Death”), Marieke Nijkamp (“Hop-Frog”), Caleb Roehrig (“The Pit and the Pendulum”), and Fran Wilde (“The Fall of the House of Usher”).

All the Things We Do in the Dark by Saundra Mitchell
Published on October 29, 2019 by HarperTeen
Genres: Contemporary, Horror, Thriller, YA
Pages: 296
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Something happened to Ava. The curving scar on her face is proof. Ava would rather keep that something hidden—buried deep in her heart and her soul.
But in the woods on the outskirts of town, the traces of someone else’s secrets lie frozen, awaiting Ava’s discovery—and what Ava finds threatens to topple the carefully constructed wall of normalcy that she’s spent years building around her.
Secrets leave scars. But when the secret in question is not your own—do you ignore the truth and walk away? Or do you uncover it from its shallow grave and let it reopen old wounds—wounds that have finally begun to heal?

Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia
Published on October 1, 2019 by Greenwillow Books
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy, Horror, Queer, Aspec, Thriller, YA
Pages: 357
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Zora Novak has been framed.
When someone burns down the home of the school janitor and he dies in the blaze, everyone in Addamsville, Indiana, points a finger at Zora. Never mind that Zora has been on the straight and narrow since her father was thrown in jail. With everyone looking for evidence against her, her only choice is to uncover the identity of the real killer. There’s one big problem—Zora has no leads. No one does. Addamsville has a history of tragedy, and thirty years ago a similar string of fires left several townspeople dead. The arsonist was never caught.
Now, Zora must team up with her cousin Artemis—an annoying self-proclaimed Addamsville historian—to clear her name. But with a popular ghost-hunting television show riling up the townspeople, almost no support from her family and friends, and rumors spinning out of control, things aren’t looking good. Zora will have to read between the lines of Addamsville’s ghost stories before she becomes one herself.

What books are on your fall #tbr? Let me know in the comments below and have a splendiferous week!