This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is about the most anticipated books releasing in the first half of 2024. I’m bad at keeping tabs on this kind of thing, but let’s take a look at the review copies I have (the ones I’ve read and the ones that I’m eager to get to)… I’ll link my review where I’ve already had a chance to read the book, if it’s live already!

1. The Tainted Cup, by Robert Jackson Bennett. I just got an eARC for this, and I’m super excited: I’ve loved Bennett’s work in the past (even if I’m not all caught up), and the summary of this one sounds like it’s designed to dig into all my interests. A fantasy detective story? Sign me right up.
2. The Imposition of Impossible Obstacles, by Malka Older. I really loved the first novella, so I was excited to get to read this sequel, and I think others will enjoy it too. I think it’d technically stand alone, but I wouldn’t read it that way — now’s the perfect time to grab The Mimicking of Known Successes, before the new book is out. The main characters, Pleiti and Mossa, have a really sweet relationship: it’s a little bit Holmes and Watson, if one of the things Holmes is trying to figure out is exactly how to be romantic and intimate with Watson. (And the gender difference, of course.)
3. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, by Bettany Hughes. Time for some non-fiction! This is the kind of topic that I really enjoy — digging (heh) through archaeological discoveries and contextualising them. Trivia: Hughes became an honorary fellow of Cardiff University in the same year and ceremony that I graduated for the first time.
4. The Butcher of the Forest, by Premee Mohamed. I’ve yet to read any of Mohamed’s novels, but I’ve really enjoyed the novellas. The story has a haunting sense of unease, and features a fascinatining middle-aged female protagonist.
5. Crypt: Life, Death and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond, by Alice Roberts. I really loved Ancestors and especially Buried, so I’m definitely looking forward to this. Roberts usually chooses really fascinating digs to illustrate her points.
6. Cascade Failure, by L.M. Sargas. I loved Firefly, so comparing a book to that show is a great way to get my attention. I’ve been contemplating asking for the ARC, but I’m not sure I’d get to it before it releases anyway, so I’ve been holding back.
7. A Letter to the Luminous Deep, by Sylvie Cathrall. Anything based around letters and mails in any sense catches my eye, since I write reviews about books related to post over on Postcrossing. Letters can be surprisingly intimate, and a beautiful way to build up characters, and it looks like this fantasy novel is strongly based around the exchange of letters. I’m excited for it!
8. The Brides of High Hill, by Nghi Vo. I’m always excited when new Singing Hills books are available. I haven’t posted my review yet, since I just read it this weekend, but I can say that it definitely matched up for me. It felt like a genuinely dangerous situation for Chih — moral and physical peril, swirling around them, with such an atmosphere.
9. The Fireborne Blade, by Charlotte Bond. A look at the cover was enough to convince me I should give this a shot, and I really enjoyed the book itself as well. The ending was fascinatingly ambiguous, leaving me unsure in a good way about how I felt about the characters. I’ll be posting my review soon, I’m sure. Shame the book won’t be out in time for my sister’s birthday!
10. Moonstorm, by Yoon Ha Lee. Honestly, this had me at the “mecha robots” bit of the blurb: I was a huge fan of Gundam Wing when I was a teenager, and that was formative. Plus, this is by Yoon Ha Lee. I can’t wait to get round to reading my review copy!

Alright, that was easier than I feared, though it did take me a while to get organised. Any of these pique your interest? Anything you’re looking forward to that you think I’d pounce on, based on these?

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is all about picking your favourite books of 2023. I don’t often think about books in terms of favourites, especially since my reading is highly capricious and mood-based… so I’ll just be picking ten books that stand out when I think back on the year, without trying to say they’re the best or my favourites. I’ll omit any rereads, just to make things easier.

And these are the books I read in 2023, which probably didn’t come out in 2023, because I’m rarely that up to date on recently released books.

1. Nettle & Bone, by T. Kingfisher. It’s rare lately that I find it difficult to put a book down, with lots of other things grabbing my attention. Nettle & Bone is one that I found myself eagerly picking up again right away, ready for more.
2. The Governess Affair, by Courtney Milan. I haven’t posted my review for this one yet, but I really liked it: Milan handles a traumatic issue sensitively, creating a bond between two characters that felt solid and real.
3. An Immense World, by Ed Yong. I love non-fiction when it makes me want to tell everyone the facts I’m learning, and Ed Yong’s book fit the bill. I was actually texting my mum about stuff I’d learned from it while waiting to be discharged from the post-op ward after a minor surgery!
4. Legends & Lattes, by Travis Baldree. I actually read this twice in 2023, because it really hit the spot for me — cosy and full of people being good to one another, and forging bonds.
5. Death of an Author, by E.C.R. Lorac. I often really enjoy Lorac’s work, and this was no exception, though it wasn’t much like her other work. It felt less cosy somehow, but it was a heck of a brainteaser.
6. The Waking of Angantyr, by Marie Brennan. Marie Brennan’s an auto-buy author for me, and I ended up reading this side-by-side with my wife while we were on a weekend away. We raced through it!
7. Untethered Sky, by Fonda Lee. I found this story lingering with me after I was done. I loved how the obsession was built up, the special relation between the handler and the roc illustrated.
8. The Good Virus, by Tom Ireland. Totally fascinating stuff about bacteriophages, and I learned a fair amount I didn’t know about existing bacteriophage therapy.
9. Murder: The Biography, by Kate Morgan. A history of murder and trials for murder, showing how precedent has shaped law. Interesting for its own sake, but especially in light of my interest in crime fiction!
10. He Who Whispers, by John Dickson Carr. Finally, this is the only one on the list not rated 5/5 by me this year, but it deserves a mention because it’s the book that actually piqued my interest in John Dickson Carr. Previously I’d tried several books by him and just couldn’t get on with them… but here we are in a world where I enjoy his books now, at least some of them!

And before we go, I have to give an honorable mention to Juneau Black’s Shady Hollow books, which I discovered in the last couple months of the year and had me totally absorbed.

How about you? Can you pick a top ten? Fascinated to see what has stood out for people this year!

This week’s theme from Reading Reality’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the books we’re hoping Santa brings!

I’m not really allowed to go look at my wishlist at this time of year, since it automatically removes things that have been purchased for me… so we’ll just have to go with the ones that jump to mind, stuff I’d like to read in the year ahead, or things that I’ve only recently added and probably won’t be receiving for Christmas. Here goes…

1. Final Fantasy XIV: Eorzea Academy, by Esora Amaichi. This silly manga about certain characters from Final Fantasy XIV at a high school has been out officially in English for a little bit, but I virtuously put it back without purchasing it because I thought it might be something people could get me for Christmas. I love FFXIV, and am a total nerd about it, so this is right up my street.
2. The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System vol. 2, by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù. I thought this series might be too silly for me… and it is pretty silly. But I’m also really curious about it and kind of charmed by it, so I’m eager to read more.
3. More Object Lessons. Object Lessons is a series of short books covering a small topic in depth — like personal stereos, or blue jeans, or trench coats. I love learning about random things, and each book is bitesize enough that if it turns out an object isn’t that interesting… well, it’s fine.
4. More of the Edible series. Similar to Object Lessons, each book covers a very specific topic in detail, but in this case it’s always food. I’ve read books about cookies and candy and doughnuts, and these are all beautifully illustrated with photos, too. And I never knew before how much argument there is over the definition of a pancake.
5. Miraculous Mysteries, edited by Martin Edwards. This one’s a rarity: a British Library Crime Classic that I don’t already have my hands on. It seems to be out of print, too.
6. A Sinister Revenge, by Deanna Raybourn. Owing to the particular plot in the previous book, An Impossible Impostor, I’m struggling to finish it. But I’m told that the next book is a lot more fun, even if you disliked the plot of An Impossible Impostor, so I’d like to get hold of this and give it a shot before the ninth book in the series comes out in March.
7. The second Griffin & Sabine trilogy, by Nick Bantock. Sometimes the prices for these have been silly, and second-hand is a bit of a gamble given the nature of the books (they contain letters in pouches, for example), but I really do want to read these someday. The first trilogy was very charming, and there remains a childlike glee in an interactive book like this, even one intended for adults.
8. Some Desperate Glory, by Emily Tesh. I’ve been tempted by this one since I saw it available for review, but I didn’t request it because I knew I wouldn’t get round to it in time. I’ve been promised a found family story and vengeance for the destruction of Earth, and I am definitely intrigued — especially as I loved Tesh’s Green Man novellas.
9. The Warden, by Daniel M. Ford. I saw this mentioned on K.A. Doore’s list of 2023 Queer Adult Science Fiction & Fantasy, and it had me at “necromancy” and “investigate mysteries in a small town”. It sounds like combining two very specific interests of mine…
10. The Undetectables, by Courtney Smyth. “Be gay, solve crime, take naps.” Do I need to say anything else? I spotted this on the above list as well and I’m definitely intrigued…

If you fancy granting any of these wishes, uhhh… talk to my wife first. Or, actually, you can use my wishlist (they keep it up to date, ensuring stuff that’s bought gets taken off). These books might already be waiting under the tree. I don’t know, and I’m not going to ask!

For everyone else — what about you? Are you hoping Santa will bring you an epic haul? What are you most looking forward to? Some people are including links to their wishlists, so I’ll be a wish-granting fairy for a bit this afternoon; I love getting people books!