Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Want to Read Before the End of 2020

On November 10, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn List6 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this latest Top Ten Tuesday participants are supposed to list the Top Ten Book Titles that Would Make Great Song Titles. However, I am going to do something a little different today and I am instead going to list the Top Ten novels I want to read before the end of 2020.

This is a bit of a continuation of a list I did this time last year when I realised that there were only 50 days left in the year and I was freaking out about all the books I still wanted to read. Well, as crazy as it sounds, this year has nearly come to an end and there are currently only just over 50 days left in it. While I for one will not be sorry to see the backend of 2020, I am very mindful of the big pile of novels from this year currently sitting on my table (my editor/wife Alex wants to point out that it is actually tables, plural, plus a couple of bookshelves). So with that in mind I thought I would do another version of this list to inspire me to read these books and knock them out before this year from hell comes to an end.

For this list I have had a decent look through my many book piles to work out which novels I really need to finish off before the year ends. In order to focus this list on books that are cluttering up the house a little, I decided to exclude novels that I do not currently have copies of (such as Call of the Bone Ships by R. J. Barker, which is hopefully on its way). I also decided to exclude novels that I am definitely going to read before the end of the year because I am planning to review them for a Canberra Weekly Christmas column (for example, Hollow Empire by Sam Hawke or The Emperor’s Exile by Simon Scarrow). Using these parameters, I was able to come up with a list of 10 books (with some honourable mentions), that I would really like to read before the year ends. This list includes an interesting range of novels, from some of the top releases of 2020 to some novels that came in a little under the radar. However, all 10 sound really good and I cannot wait to try and read them all.

Honourable Mentions:

Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett

Shorefall Cover

TRUEL1F3 by Jay Kristoff

TRUEL1F3 Cover

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club Cover

Top Ten List:

The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso

The Obsidian Tower Cover
I am honestly surprised and a little ashamed that I have not made time to read this awesome-sounding novel yet. The Obsidian Tower is the latest book from rising fantasy star Melissa Caruso and it is set in the same universe as her Swords and Fire trilogy. I am a major fan of the Sword and Fire books (made up of The Tethered Mage, The Defiant Heir and The Unbound Empire) and this is the book I will try the hardest to make time for in the coming weeks.

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

The Devil and the Dark Water Cover

Another book I am very much berating myself for not making time for. The Devil and the Dark Water is the second novel from Stuart Turton, who wowed me so much in 2018 with his debut novel, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I have a lot of love for Turton’s previous release and I am sure that this new book is going to be just as awesome.

Either Side of Midnight by Benjamin Stevenson

Either Side of Midnight Cover

Either Side of Midnight is an intriguing-sounding Australian crime fiction novel that I am really looking forward to reading. The sequel to Stevenson’s debut novel, Greenlight, Either Side of Midnight follows a fascinating and complex murder scenario following an apparent suicide on live television. This should make for a fun read, and I cannot wait to check out this awesome sounding book.

The Wolf of Oren-Yara by K. S. Villoso

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro Cover

This exciting and action-packed fantasy novel caught my eye earlier in the year, and I have been curious to check it out ever since. I have heard some good things about The Wolf of Oren-Yara, which serves as the first book in the fantastically titled Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series, and I think I am really going to enjoy this impressive sounding novel.

The Return by Harry Sidebottom

The Return Cover

Acclaimed historical fiction author Harry Sidebottom has been on a real roll over the last couple of years, producing two unique and enjoyable Roman historical fiction novels (The Last Hour and The Lost Ten) that each had the characteristics of a particular genre of thriller/crime fiction. The Return apparently contains some elements of Scandi-noir fiction, and I look forward to seeing how this distinctive murder mystery style blends with a classic Roman historical fiction story.

Cyber Shogun Revolution by Peter Tieryas

Cyber Shogun Revolution

I had an absolute blast reading Tieryas’s previous novel in the United States of Japan series, Mecha Samurai Empire, and have been really looking forward to reading Cyber Shogun Revolution ever since it was announced. This new United States of Japan novel should be another incredible and distinctive novel and I need to make a real effort to check it out soon.

The Bluffs by Kyle Perry

The Bluffs Cover

The Bluffs is another Australian crime fiction novel that I am quite keen to read before the end of the year. The Bluffs is the debut novel of Kyle Perry and it sounds like quite an intriguing novel set deep within the wilds of the Tasmanian bush. I have heard some good things about The Bluffs from some fellow reviewers and I am quite keen to read it in the next few weeks.

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman and Dirk Maggs

The Sandman

I am a major comic book fan, but I have to admit that I have never had the opportunity to read Neil Gaiman’s iconic The Sandman comics. Luckily, an audio drama adaptation of this classic comic was released earlier this year featuring a first-rate voice cast and helmed by radio production stalwart Dirk Maggs, and I am looking forward to seeing how this audio depiction of the comic turns out.

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

The Bone Shard Daughter Cover

The Bone Shard Daughter is an impressive-sounding fantasy debut that came out a little while ago. This is another novel that I have heard some really good things about and it should hopefully turn out to be a first-rate book.

War Lord by Bernard Cornwell

The last entry on this list is War Lord by Bernard Cornwell. War Lord is the final book in Cornwell’s long-running The Last Kingdom series. I am a major fan of The Last Kingdom novels and I am extremely curious to see how this outstanding historical fiction series finally comes to an end.

That’s the end of this week’s Top Ten list. I am extremely happy with how this list turned out as I am really keen to read each and every one of the novels listed above. All of them have an amazing amount of potential and I think several could end up being some of my favourite books of 2020. Make sure to check back in a few weeks to see if I have managed to get around to reading any of them yet. In the meantime, let me know which books you really want to read before the end of 2020 and best of luck getting through them.

Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my Spring 2020 TBR

On September 22, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn List5 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this Top Ten Tuesday, participants need to list the top releases that they are looking forward to reading in Fall (or Spring for us down here in Australia). This is a fun exercise that I have done for each of the preceding seasons, and it is always interesting to highlight the various cool sounding books that are coming out in the next few months.

For this list I have come up with 10 of the best novels that are coming out between 1 September 2020 and 30 November 2020. I have decided to exclude novels that I have already read, or I am currently reading, so that took a couple of key books off the list. Still, this left me with a rather substantial pool of cool upcoming novels that I am excited for, which I was eventually able to whittle down into a great Top Ten list (with a few honourable mentions). I have previously discussed a number of these books before in prior Top Ten Tuesdays and Waiting on Wednesday articles and I think all of them will turn out to be some really impressive and enjoyable reads.

Honourable Mentions:

A Deadly Education by Namoi Novik – 29 September 2020

A Deadly Education Cover

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher – 29 September 2020

Battle Ground Cover

The Emperor’s Exile by Simon Scarrow – 12 November 2020

The Emperor's Exile Cover

Top Ten Tuesday:

The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett – 15 September 2020

The Evening and the Morning Cover

The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie – 15 September 2020

The Trouble with Peace Cover

Total Power by Kyle Mills (Based on the series by Vince Flynn) – 15 September 2020

Total Power Cover

Dead Man in a Ditch by Luke Arnold – 22 September 2020

Dead Man in a Ditch Cover

Assault by Fire by Hunter Ripley Rawlings IV – 29 September 2020

Assault by Fire Cover

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton – 1 October 2020

The Devil and the Dark Water Cover

War Lord by Bernard Cornwell – 15 October 2020

The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly – 10 November 2020

The Law of Innocence Cover

Ink by Jonathan Maberry – 17 November 2020

Ink Cover

Call of the Bone Ships by R. J. Barker – 24 November 2020

Call of the Bone Ships Cover

The last entry in this article is the fantastic-sounding Call of the Bone Ships by R. J. Barker. Call of the Bone Ships is the sequel to one of my favourite books from last year, The Bone Ships, and looks set to continue the adventures of a crew of a damned ship in a dark fantasy world. Based on how awesome the first novel in the series was, I am very excited to read this upcoming novel and I have no doubt that it will be one of the best books of the year.

Well that is the end of my Top Ten list. I think it turned out pretty well and it does a good job of capturing all my most anticipated books for the next three months. Each of the above should be pretty epic, and I cannot wait to read each of them soon. Let me know which of the above you are most excited for and stay tuned for reviews of them in the next few months.

Waiting on Wednesday – The Emperor’s Exile and War Lord

On September 16, 2020September 16, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Waiting on Wednesday9 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday I take a look at upcoming releases from two of my favourite authors, historical fiction masters Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell. Both of these upcoming books are the latest entries in two of my favourite long-running series and should prove to be some of the top books of 2020.

The Emperor's Exile Cover

The first entry in this article is The Emperor’s Exile by Simon Scarrow, the 19^th novel in The Eagles of the Empire series. The Eagles of the Empire novels focus on two Roman officers, Tribune Cato and Centurion Marco, as they battle across the Roman Empire, taking on all manner of different enemies and getting involved in some of the pivotal historical events of the period, such as the invasion of Britain or the rise of Nero as Emperor. This is easily one of the best Roman historical fiction series out there and I have had an amazing time reading all of the entries in this series. The last few Eagles of the Empire novels, The Blood of Rome and Traitors of Rome, have been really compelling reads and I am always extremely eager to get my hands on a new entry in the series when it comes out.

The Emperor’s Exile is a fantastic sounding new addition to the series which is currently set for release on 10 November 2020. This next novel will once again place the protagonists in the middle of another dangerous situation, with some rather unique and enjoyable new elements to it.

Synopsis:

A.D. 57. Battle-scarred veterans of the Roman army Tribune Cato and Centurion Macro return to Rome. Thanks to the failure of their recent campaign on the eastern frontier they face a hostile reception at the imperial court. Their reputations and future are at stake.

When Emperor Nero’s infatuation with his mistress is exploited by political enemies, he reluctantly banishes her into exile. Cato, isolated and unwelcome in Rome, is forced to escort her to Sardinia.

Arriving on the restless, simmering island with a small cadre of officers, Cato faces peril on three fronts: a fractured command, a deadly plague spreading across the province…and a violent insurgency threatening to tip the province into blood-stained chaos.

The other book that I will be looking at in this post is War Lord by Bernard Cornwell, the 13^th and final novel in the acclaimed The Last Kingdom series. The Last Kingdom books follow the fictional character, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a feared and respected warrior who is involved in some of the pivotal moments of the early formation of England. This series has so far followed a number of key events in the life of Uhtred and has seen him get involved in the deadly conflict between the Christian Saxons and the pagan Danes. Uhtred, a pagan raised by Danes, often finds himself fighting on behalf of the Saxon kingdoms, despite having more in common with and more respect for his enemies than his allies. This is another series I have so far read all the books in, although I am particularly keen to get my hands on War Lord as I am extremely curious to see how The Last Kingdom series ends. War Lords will be coming out in late October and it looks like Uhtred will once again be thrust into the midst of a deadly war which he probably will not survive.

Synopsis:

After years fighting to reclaim his rightful home, Uhtred of Bebbanburg has returned to Northumbria. With his loyal band of warriors and a new woman by his side, his household is secure – yet Uhtred is far from safe. Beyond the walls of his impregnable fortress, a battle for power rages.

To the south, King Æthelstan has unified the three kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia – and now eyes a bigger prize. To the north, King Constantine and other Scottish and Irish leaders seek to extend their borders and expand their dominion.

Caught in the eye of the storm is Uhtred. Threatened and bribed by all sides, he faces an impossible choice: stay out of the struggle, risking his freedom, or throw himself into the cauldron of war and the most terrible battle Britain has ever experienced. Only fate can decide the outcome.

The epic story of how England was made concludes in WAR LORD, the magnificent finale to the Last Kingdom series.

Both upcoming books sound like they are going to be a lot of fun, and I am excited to see how they turn out. Based on all my experiences with every prior book in these two series, I know that I am going to have an amazing time reading The Emperor’s Exile and War Lords, especially as I am already very invested in both series. It will be great to see how the various characters and established storylines continue to progress and I am particularly keen to see how Cornwell concludes The Last Kingdom series. The Emperor’s Exile and War Lords both have an amazing amount of potential, and I already know that they will be some of the strongest and most enjoyable pieces of historical fiction in 2020.

Top Ten Tuesday – Authors I’ve Read the Most Books By

On July 7, 2020July 7, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn List3 Comments

This proved to be a rather intriguing list to pull together, and it required a bit of research on my behalf to work out. It turns out that I have a somewhat scattershot approach when it comes to authors and I tend to only read a few books from each, rather than sticking with some authors with larger series and reading every single one of their novels. Still, there are a few exceptions to this rule, and there are several authors who I have read many books from. Thanks to some digging through my bookshelves and some examination of online bibliographies, I was able to work out how many of their books I have read and then translate that to a top ten list. I liked how this list turned out and there are some interesting overlaps between this and other lists I have previously done, such as my Top Ten Auto-buy Authors list. So let us see which authors I have read the most books by.

Honourable Mentions:

John Marsden – Eight books

51olD9QEIEL

The total includes the seven books in Marsden’s Tomorrow series and his standalone novel South of Darkness.

Lindsey Davis – Eight books

The Grove of the Caesars Cover

The total includes all eight books in Davis’s Flavia Albia series, including The Third Nero, Pandora’s Boy, A Capitol Death and The Grove of the Caesars.

Top Ten List:

Terry Pratchett – 42 books

Moving PIcture Cover

The total includes 37 Discworld novels (including Moving Pictures), the three novels in The Nome trilogy, and the standalone novels Strata and The Carpet People.

Stan Sakai – 36 books

Usagi Yojimbo Bunraku and Other Stories Cover

The total includes all 35 volumes of the main Usagi Yojimbo series (including The Ronin, Samurai, The Wanderer’s Road, The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy, Lone Goat and Kid, Circles, Gen’s Story, Shades of Death, Daisho, Mysteries, The Hidden and Bunraku and Other Stories) and the associated graphic novel, Usagi Yojimbo: Senso.

R. A. Salvatore – 31 books

The Crystal Shard Cover

The total includes 27 novels set in the Forgotten Realms universe (including Timeless and Boundless), The Coven trilogy (Child of a Mad God, Reckoning of Fallen Gods and Song of the Risen God) and The Highwayman.

Raymond E. Feist – 26 books

King of Ashes Cover

The total includes 25 novels from The Riftwar Cycle (including The Empire Trilogy he cowrote with Jenny Wurst) and King of Ashes.

Simon Scarrow – 22 books

Traitors of Rome Cover

The total includes all 18 books in the Eagles of the Empire series (including The Blood of Rome and Traitors of Rome), Arena, Invader, The Field of Death and Hearts of Stone.

Bernard Cornwell – 19 books

War of the Wolf Cover

The total includes Sharpe’s Tiger, all four books in the Grail Quest series, all 12 books in The Last Kingdom series (including War of the Wolf), The Fort and Fools and Mortals.

Brian Jacques – 17 books

Redwall Cover

All 17 books were entries in Jacques’s Redwall series.

Jonathan Maberry – 10 books

Rage Cover

The total includes eight books from the Joe Ledger series (including Patient Zero, The Dragon Factory, The King of Plagues, Assassin’s Code, Extinction Machine, Code Zero, Predator One and Deep Silence), Rage and Nights of the Living Dead.

Kate Forsyth – Nine books

Dragonclaw Cover

The total includes all six books in The Witches of Eileanan series and all three books in the Rhiannon’s Ride series.

Robert Fabbri – Nine books

To the Strongest Cover

The total includes seven books in the Vespasian series (including Rome’s Sacred Flame and Emperor of Rome), Magnus and the Crossroads Brotherhood and To the Strongest.

It turned out to be a rather fun and insightful list to pull together, and I liked figuring out which authors I have read the most books from. I think I will come back to this one in the future, perhaps when I have read more from certain authors. Until then, let me know which of the above authors are your favourites or let me know which authors you have read the most books by in the comments below.

WWW Wednesday – 22 January 2020

On January 22, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday1 Comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading?

Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian (Trade Paperback)

Ember Queen is the final book in Sebastian’s Ash Princess series, which follows on from Ash Princess and Lady Smoke. I am about a quarter of the way through this novel and so far it is a really good conclusion to this excellent debut trilogy.

Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden (Audiobook)

I was in the mood for another Star Wars audiobook and thought I would check out the intriguing sounding Dark Disciple. This is another outstanding part of the expanded Star Wars canon and I am really glad that I decided to listen to it. I should hopefully finish it off in the next couple of days and I will get a review up shortly after that.

What did you recently finish reading?

Sword of Kings by Bernard Cornwell (Trade Paperback)

The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold (Trade Paperback)

Deathwatch: Shadowbreaker by Steve Parker (Audiobook)

What do you think you’ll read next?

Highfire by Eoin Colfer (Trade Paperback)

I only just got this book and I am hoping to start reading it soon. I better get a move on though, my editor/wife is already making moves to steal it for herself, especially after she recently reviewed Colfer’s last book, The Fowl Twins.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

WWW Wednesday – 15 January 2020

On January 15, 2020January 15, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday3 Comments

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading?

Sword of Kings, Deathwatch.png

Sword of Kings by Bernard Cornwell (Trade Paperback)

I finally managed to start reading Sword of Kings, which I have been looking forward to for some time. I am about halfway through this new novel from Cornwell at the moment, and so far I am really enjoying it. This is a great new addition to this long running historical fiction series and I am very glad that I made the time to check it out.

Deathwatch: Shadowbreaker by Steve Parker (Audiobook)

I am getting through this audiobook at a fairly fast pace and I am hoping to finish it off by the end of tomorrow. Deathwatch: Shadowbreaker is a very impressive book and I have been really getting into it’s excellent story.

What did you recently finish reading?

Just Watch Me by Jeff Lindsay (Trade Paperback)

Just Watch Me Cover

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold (Trade Paperback)

The Last Smile in Sunder City

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

WWW Wednesday – 8 January 2020

On January 8, 2020January 8, 2020 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday2 Comments

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading?

Just Watch Me, Deathwatch Covers.png

Just Watch Me by Jeff Lindsay (Trade Paperback)

I just started reading this book today and I am already halfway through it. So far it is an extremely fun heist novel and I am excited to see where it goes.

Deathwatch: Shadowbreaker by Steve Parker (Audiobook)

I was in the mood for something a little different so I thought I would check out this Warhammer 40,000 novel. I am about three hours in at this point and so far it is an interesting read.

What did you recently finish reading?

Magnus and the Crossroads Brotherhood by Robert Fabbri (Hardcover)

Magnus and the Crossroads Brotherhood Cover

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie (Audiobook)

A Little Hatred Cover

Nuking the Moon by Vince Houghton (Trade Paperback)

Nuking the Moon Cover

Lost by James Patterson and James O. Born (Trade Paperback)

Lost Cover

What do you think you’ll read next?

Sword of Kings by Bernard Cornwell (Trade Paperback)

I swear I’ll get around to reading this book at some point.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

WWW Wednesday – 25 December 2019

On December 25, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday2 Comments

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading?

Magnus and the Crossroads Brotherhood by Robert Fabbri (Hardcover)

Magnus and the Crossroads Brotherhood Cover.jpg

I only just started reading this book a little while ago and have not made too much progress with it yet. Magnus and the Crossroads Brotherhood is a collection of short stories which follow one of the supporting characters in Fabbri’s Vespasian series, the titular Magnus, as he navigates the dangerous criminal underbelly of ancient Rome. As Fabbri is one of my favourite authors, I was very excited to get a copy of this, and it should hold me over until Fabbri’s next book, To the Strongest, comes out in a few months.

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie (Audiobook)

A Little Hatred Cover

I am still going with A Little Hatred and I will hopefully get it finished by this time next week. It is a really good book though, and I am really enjoying listening to it.

Nuking the Moon by Vince Houghton (Trade Paperback)

Nuking the Moon Cover

I have not actually made any progress with this book since last week, but I am planning to try and read a bit more of it and will hopefully finish it off soon.

What did you recently finish reading?

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward (Trade Paperback)

Legacy of Ash Cover
I made an effort to read a lot of Legacy of Ash this week, and managed to finish it off. It was a pretty good book in the end, and I will get a review of it up soon.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Sword of Kings by Bernard Cornwell (Trade Paperback)

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

WWW Wednesday – 18 December 2019

On December 18, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW Wednesday3 Comments

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading?

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward (Trade Paperback)

I am still powering through with this one, hopefully I will finish it off by this time next week.

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie (Audiobook)

I just started this audiobook this morning and so far it is really amazing. It is a compelling sequel to The First Law trilogy and I am quite enjoying it.

Nuking the Moon by Vince Houghton (Trade Paperback)

An interesting non-fiction novel about some of the craziest military plans and espionage schemes ever hatched. This is a lot of fun and I glad I decided to check it out.

What did you recently finish reading?

Star Wars: Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn (Audiobook)

This was a really outstanding novel that combined together a fun heist storyline with iconic Star Wars science fiction elements. Hoping to get a review of it up soon, although it’s going to be a busy week.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Sword of Kings by Bernard Cornwell (Trade Paperback)

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

Top Ten Tuesday – Top Ten Books I Would Like to Read by the End of 2019

On November 12, 2019November 12, 2019 By The Unseen LibraryIn List10 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants are supposed to list their Top Ten Favourite Bookmarks. However, I am once again going to go a little off-book (if you will excuse the pun) and instead I am going to list the Top Ten Books I Would Like to Read by the End of 2019.

It may alarm some of you that there are only 50 days left in the year (it certainly alarmed me), which means that the pressure is on to read and review everything you want to before the end of 2019. I personally have quite a few books that I would love to finish before the year is out, including a few essential books that I really need to read as soon as possible. I do have to admit is that this is not an original topic that I came up with myself; I actually saw that one of the blogs I follow, Kristin Kraves Books, shared something similar earlier today. Their post inspired me to think about what books I would like to read by the end of 2019.

As a result, I was able to come up with a list of the top books that I would like to read by the end of the year. This list got a little out of hand, but I was eventually able to cull it down to 10, along with a rather generous Honourable Mentions section. Sadly, some books I would probably have an amazing time reading, such as Anyone by Charles Soule, The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson and The Bear Pit by S. G. MacLean did not make the cut. I also did not include Starsight by Brandon Sanderson, despite it being one of my most anticipated reads for 2019, mainly because I received a copy of it yesterday and I have already started reading it. I think this is a pretty good and varied list, although I did feature quite a few of these books previously on my Top Ten Most Anticipated July-December 2019 Releases list. Check out my entries below:

Honourable Mention:

Star Wars: Allegiance by Ethan Sacks

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward

Warrior of the Altaii by Robert Jordan

This is probably the book I am going to read next, as I am planning to feature it in a Canberra Weekly review in a few weeks.

Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

Probably the only book in this article that I have not done a Waiting on Wednesday article for, Ruin of Kings is an interesting-sounding fantasy book that came out earlier this year. I have been meaning to read this book for months, especially after I recently received a copy of the sequel, The Name of All Things. Hopefully I will get a chance to listen to it soon, but it is a massive book that might struggle to fit into my reading schedule.

Top Ten List (in no particular order):

Rage by Jonathan Maberry

Now, while this list is mostly in no particular order, Rage is probably the 2019 release that I am most looking forward to reading. I have become a little obsessed with Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series in the last year, and I am very keen to check out this latest book as soon as possible, especially after enjoying some outstanding Joe Ledger books such as Assassin’s Code and Code Zero earlier this year.

The Bone Ships by R. J. Barker

Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie

Duplicity by Richard Evans

False Value by Ben Aaronovitch

Traitors of Rome by Simon Scarrow

Firefly: Generations by Tim Lebbon

Sword of Kings by Bernard Cornwell

Star Wars: Force Collector by Kevin Shinick

I have made no great secret of my intense love of Star Wars extended universe fiction, so I had to include at least one upcoming Star Wars book on this list. As I have already read and reviewed Darth Vader: Dark Visions, Resistance Reborn and Black Spire, the intriguing-sounding young adult book Force Collector is the only choice left for this list.

Hopefully I will get around to finishing all of these in the next few weeks, but we’ll have to see how it goes. What books would you like to read by the end of 2019? Let us know in the comments below.