Books I'm Looking Forward To Reading in 2024

One of my priorities for this year is to make as much time for reading as writing. Here are a few of the books I'm looking forward to this year!

THE PRISONER'S THRONE by Holly Black

I have been OBSESSED with Holly Black's Elfhame books. Look, Cardan checks all the boxes for me; what can I say? And while this new series focuses on the next generation of characters, I'm still having just as much fun losing myself in her dark and mystical elven world. This is the book I'm most looking forward to!

BRIDE by Ali Hazelwood

While Contemporary Romance isn't one of my go-to genres, I've enjoyed everything Ali Hazelwood has written with her STEM-based books. I'm curious to see how her writing style transfers over to paranormal romance.

THE BOTANICAL DAUGHTER by Noah Medlock

I've been following Noah's writing journey online and I'm excited to finally get to read his debut novel that I've seen teasers of for a couple of years now! Everything about this Victorian Gothic novel sounds right up my alley.

This year, I'm also looking forward to catching up on a lot of series that I have missed out on over the past few years. I'm also interested in reading more non-fiction and maybe delving into more Fantasy books. I'm sure most of my reads will still consist of MM Romance and Paranormal, because those are my favorite genres. I also plan to sprinkle in some graphic novels and a few vintage middle-grade reads for fun.

I'll be posting what I'm reading on Goodreads and my Bookstagram.

What's the top book you're most looking forward to reading this year?

As always, Happy Reading!

❤ Dez

Top 5 Favorite Reads of 2018

Continuing a new tradition!  Last year, I shared my Top 5 Favorite Reads so I wanted to do the same again this year.  To be clear, these books did not have to be published in 2018; they are just stories that I read this year.  I've included links to their Goodreads pages in case you'd like to add them to your TBR lists.  Here goes!

5.  ACE OF SQUIDS by Elliot Cooper

It's surprising that this one made my list.  Not because I didn't expect it to be good.  Elliot Cooper is a fantastic author.  But because it was a short story that came free with a newsletter signup.  Nonetheless, the concept was right up my dark alley and I enjoyed it immensely.  Definitely go take the time to sign up so you can receive a copy.  The concept is very Lovecraftian but also calls out Lovecraft's racism by featuring a POC main character.  It's also great LGBTQ Paranormal representation.

4. THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho

Let me preface this by saying that I am decidedly non-religious.  When asked, I will usually just tell people that I'm a "free thinker".  I don't tend to like books with religious overtones.  However, I think I found this one engaging because it's a period drama told in a traditional older style that you don't see often anymore.  Coelho masterfully leads you through the character's journey and keeps you anticipating what will happen next.  I liked that it was nothing that I had expected it to be nor anything like everything else that I read this year.

3. ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT by Stephen King

I am so glad that I took the time to read this one.  I feel as though there are so many different blogs and resources online with random people telling you how you should be conducting yourself as a writer and my jaded side is very much, "Oh yeah?  Who even are you to tell me what to do?  What have you written to give you such credibility?"  That may sound terrible of me but I figure if they knew what they were talking about then maybe they'd be more well-known?  Send me hate mail on this if you wish. I will own my unpopular opinion.  Conversely, I will take advice from Stephen King who obviously knows a thing or two about the business of successfully writing books!  And he does give great advice in this book, even providing examples of his work.  I highly recommend this one for all writers looking to improve their craft.

2. THE STRINGS OF MURDER by Oscar de Muriel

This book.  THIS BOOK.  Oh my.  It was so good!  It had everything that I love about gothic Victorian stories.  As you can probably guess by the title, it's a murder mystery and involves one of my favorite things: supernatural violin history.  The main characters, at times, are as clever as Sherlock Holmes but they are not the compatible duo that Holmes and Watson were.  They can't stand each other and butt heads at every turn, which makes them a brilliant pairing in the end.  I was excited to learn it's the first in a series and I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest!

1. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME by Andre' Aciman

This was the first book that I read this year because I wanted to read it before I watched the film.  I love to compare/contrast movies to their books.  Obviously, both were insanely good as everyone already knows.  The book was incredibly powerful and so very well written.  I can easily see myself re-reading this multiple times.  It's such a beautifully crafted piece of literary art.  So much so, that nothing else that I read this year after it could knock it from the top spot.

So, there you go!  I hope you'll give some of these a read in 2019 or if you've already read them, I hope you liked them as much as I did.  What are your thoughts?  And, based on these, do you have any recommendations for books that I should read this coming year?

Yours With Her Nose In A Book,
- Dez -

Top 5 Favorite Reads of 2017

We laughed, we cried, we went on adventures, we fell in love, and we reviewed it on Goodreads.  That's right!  2017 was, hopefully, full of great reads for all of us.  Though not all of these books were new releases, here's a list of my Top 5 Favorite Reads this year:

5.) FISH AND GHOSTS by Rhys Ford

This book was sexy and surprisingly fun.  I had no idea what to expect going into it which was probably part of what made it so entertaining.  I had never read Rhys Ford before but now I definitely get the appeal.  While the main characters were pretty standard fare as far as Romance novels go it was the setting of this one that ultimately won me over.  I won't spoil anything for you but if you like truly imaginative ghost stories with a side of erotica then this won't disappoint.

4.) LEO LOVES ARIES by Anyta Sunday

I read a lot of Romance this year, what can I say?  Venturing bravely out of my usual Paranormal Fiction genre, I picked up this charming Contemporary Romance by well-known M/M author Anyta Sunday.  It was a sweet, non-perilous (There's always peril in Peril-normal Romance), slow-burn story that had me hooked pretty quick.  The characters (All of them, not just the MCs) were completely lovable.  It'll leave you with that warm, fuzzy, feeling that any HEA romance should.

3.) THE MAGPIE LORD by KJ Charles

This dark, steamy, supernatural historical thriller took me entirely by surprise.  A mystery disguised as a romance.  I fell so very much in love with this one and KJ is now one of my favorite authors.  Please do read it.  PLEASE.

2.) THE SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller

I'm still crying nearly a full year later.  This was my first read of 2017 and oh man, it will hit you hard.  This isn't your average retelling of a classic.  This is pure poetry.  Invest in tissues first.

1.) ROMANCING THE WEREWOLF by Gail Carriger

It feels like a holiday gift that I would end up reading my favorite book of the year as my last book of the year. (Bonus points that it also took place during the holidays.)  Add to that the fact that I've read all of Gail's books and this one is now my favorite to date.  I might be biased since it featured my favorite couple of her's but this novella was SO GOOD!  Not only do I think it's her best Romance writing but I also feel she's at the top of her Humor game in this one.  I laughed out loud so many times.  This was a reunion story worth the wait.  Thank you for the Christmas present, Gail.  We can definitely tell it was made with love.

What were your favorite reads of 2017?  Did we happen to read some of the same titles?

Oh yes, and just for fun...

My Least Favorite Read of 2017

GEMINI IN DARKNESS by Clarissa Ross

There's a reason some books are out of print...


Here's to looking forward to more great reads in 2018!  You can follow along with my reading journey on Goodreads if you'd like.

Cheers! x