#Discussion: Queer Books I Can't Wait to Read in 2019! #Project14Lists

Project 14 Lists, otherwise known as #Project14Lists, is a 2-week blogging activity hosted by That Bookshelf Bitch that will run from December 18th to December 31st. Book bloggers are tasked to come up with creative bookish/blogging list ideas, and on each day, write a list and post it on their respective blogs.

See all the posts I've completed for #Project14Lists

2019 Queer Books | Stay Organized | Apps for Book Bloggers | TBR Layouts for BuJos | Instagram Feeds | Books I Loved |
Books I Hated | Comics for Non-Comic Readers | Plot Twists | 5 Surefire Recommendations | Weekly BuJo Layouts |
Series I Won't Finish | Instagram Locations | Best New Releases

Today for Project 14 Lists, I am telling you about the queer books I can't wait to read in 2019! These books either feature queer characters, are written by queer authors, or both! I hope you add some of them to your TBR and pre-order pile.

THESE WITCHES DON'T BURN

Author: Isabel Sterling

Series: These Witches Don't Burn #1

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: May 28, 2019

Summary:

"Infused with page-turning suspense, bittersweet romance, shocking twists, and tragic turns, Sterling has written a standout debut." --Dana Mele, author of People Like Us

Hannah's a witch, but not the kind you're thinking of. She's the real deal, an Elemental with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But even though she lives in Salem, Massachusetts, her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself. If she's ever caught using it in front of a Reg (read: non-witch), she could lose it. For good. So, Hannah spends most of her time avoiding her ex-girlfriend (and fellow Elemental Witch) Veronica, hanging out with her best friend, and working at the Fly by Night Cauldron selling candles and crystals to tourists, goths, and local Wiccans. 

But dealing with her ex is the least of Hannah's concerns when a terrifying blood ritual interrupts the end-of-school-year bonfire. Evidence of dark magic begins to appear all over Salem, and Hannah's sure it's the work of a deadly Blood Witch. The issue is, her coven is less than convinced, forcing Hannah to team up with the last person she wants to see: Veronica.

While the pair attempt to smoke out the Blood Witch at a house party, Hannah meets Morgan, a cute new ballerina in town. But trying to date amid a supernatural crisis is easier said than done, and Hannah will have to test the limits of her power if she's going to save her coven and get the girl, especially when the attacks on Salem's witches become deadlier by the day. 

Isabel Sterling's delightful, suspenseful debut is equal parts sweet romance and thrilling mystery. With everything she loves on the line, Hannah must confront this murderous villain before her coven--and any chance she has with the new girl--is destroyed.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST

Author: Mason Deaver

Series: N/A

Publisher: Push

Publication Date: May 14, 2019

Summary:

When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they're thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents' rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school.

But Ben's attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan's friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.

At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

#Discussion: Top Listens Paired with Top Reads!

I saw a few people on social media posting about getting numbers to discuss their top listens from Spotify, which gave me an idea to pair my top listens with books! Small disclaimer: my top listens vary wildly because I fell in and out of love this year so ... take that as you wish. I hope you enjoy the songs and the books!

Click on the song to be taken to Spotify to listen to it! Not an affiliate link (lol I wish!! Spotify sponsor me!!!) Also, the number next to the song is where it falls on my playlist - the higher the number, the more times I listened to it!

21. Kindly Unspoken by Kate Voegele

"But I won't let melancholy

Play me for a fool

Oh, no I'm on my way somewhere new"

THE PRINCESS SAVES HERSELF IN THIS ONE

Author: Amanda Lovelace
Series: Women Are Some Kind of Magic #1
Source: Purchased from Indigo
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication Date: April 23, 2016
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Review!

Summary:
"Ah, life- the thing that happens to us while we're off somewhere else blowing on dandelions & wishing ourselves into the pages of our favorite fairy tales."


A poetry collection divided into four different parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, & you. the princess, the damsel, & the queen piece together the life of the author in three stages, while you serves as a note to the reader & all of humankind. Explores life & all of its love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, & inspirations.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

08. Black Magic by Little Mix

"Take a sip of my secret potion

I'll make you fall in love

For a spell that can't be broken

One drop should be enough"

FALLING KINGDOMS

Author: Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #1
Source: Giveaway win from Indigo Teen
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: December 11, 2012
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Review!

Summary:
In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.

As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.

Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.

Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.


Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

32. Arabella by Arctic Monkeys

"My days end best when this sunset gets itself

Behind that little lady sitting on the passenger side"

CROSSTALK

Author: Connie Willis
Series: N/A
Source: Audible
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Rating: 3/5 stars
Review!

Summary:
Science fiction icon Connie Willis brilliantly mixes a speculative plot, the wit of Nora Ephron, and the comedic flair of P. G. Wodehouse in Crosstalk, a genre-bending novel that pushes social media, smartphone technology, and twenty-four-hour availability to hilarious and chilling extremes as one young woman abruptly finds herself with way more connectivity than she ever desired.

In the not-too-distant future, a simple outpatient procedure to increase empathy between romantic partners has become all the rage. And Briddey Flannigan is delighted when her boyfriend, Trent, suggests undergoing the operation prior to a marriage proposal - to enjoy better emotional connection and a perfect relationship with complete communication and understanding. But things don't quite work out as planned, and Briddey finds herself connected to someone else entirely - in a way far beyond what she signed up for.


It is almost more than she can handle - especially when the stress of managing her all-too-eager-to-communicate-at-all-times family is already burdening her brain. But that's only the beginning. As things go from bad to worse, she begins to see the dark side of too much information, and to realize that love - and communication - are far more complicated than she ever imagined.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

#Discussion: Books I Meant to Read in 2018

I had high high hopes this year for reading, including clearing off some new reads and some backlist titles, but I definitely did not get all that done. I did read a lot of poetry, which I am very happy about, but I feel like I really dropped the ball in some ways. Here are eights books that I meant to read this year but didn't get to. No spoilers please!

A CONJURING OF LIGHT

Author: V.E. Schwab
Series: Shades of Magic #3
Source: Purchased from Somewhere??? I THINK Books of Wonder
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: February 21, 2017

Summary:
Witness the fate of beloved heroes - and enemies.

THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED...
The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.

WHO WILL CRUMBLE?
Kell - once assumed to be the last surviving Antari - begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?

WHO WILL RISE?
Lila Bard, once a commonplace - but never common - thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.

WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

THE QUEEN'S RISING

Author: Rebecca Ross
Series: The Queen's Rising #1
Source: HCC Frenzy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: February 6, 2018

Summary:
When her seventeenth summer solstice arrives, Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron.

Growing up in the southern Kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her for such a life. While some are born with an innate talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she belatedly chose to study knowledge. However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true—the solstice does not go according to plan and she is left without a patron.

Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, and with no other choices, she accepts. But there is much more to his story, and Brienna soon discovers that he has sought her out for his own vengeful gain. For there is a dangerous plot being planned to overthrow the king of Maevana—the archrival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved—some closer to Brienna than she realizes.

With war brewing between the two lands, Brienna must choose whose side she will remain loyal to—passion or blood. Because a queen is destined to rise and lead the battle to reclaim the crown. The ultimate decision Brienna must determine is: Who will be that queen?

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

2019 Reading Challenge: Reading Challenge Throwback #RCThrowback2019

It's that time of year again, we're all rushing to finish books so we hit our Goodreads Challenge and clean up any other reading challenges we committed to this year (like mine - that I definitely did not succeed at). But it's also a time when we look forward to the future: a new year, a fresh start, more reading challenges to sign up for and never finish! But I'm here to give you some redemption. My reading challenge this year is to do ... all the ones you never quite finished. Introducing...

Reading Challenge Throwback (#RCThrowback2019)

Maybe you DNFed a book that you probably would have finished but just didn't had time. Maybe you only had one more square to finish off that bingo. Maybe you never actually finished that series. And you're still feeling guilty. Well, no more! This reading challenge will help you finish off all those old ones so you can feel accomplished and in control of your life - and your TBR.

I know, big promises.

So how does it work?

Step 1: Find old blog posts, lists, Twitter promises, etc. in which you said "hey, I will totally do that reading challenge"
Step 2: Compile those books into one list
Step 3: Link that list to this post so we can help each other out
Step 4: Start reading!
Step 5: As you read, cross off those books on the old reading challenge
Step 6: Feel accomplished
Step 7: Get your TBR under control (Optional)
Step 8: Praise me (Also Optional)

I am only focusing on the last two reading challenges that I signed up for, even though I probably have about 20 that I never finished. I didn't want to overwhelm myself too much next year since I have been having a hard time keeping up with reading and blogging. I don't want to sign up for something I won't be able to complete (again).