They’re here! THEY’RE ALL FINALLY HERE!

By which of course I mean my birthday/Christmas book haul, the most important haul of them all! This really is my favorite part of the new year: stacking up my new books and daydreaming that I’ll have time to read them all before next January.

And this year I–haha, heehee, hoohoo. Oh my.

Between direct gifts and gift money, I acquired 44 new books.

Believe it or not, I showed remarkable restraint! I combined nearly all of my gift cards and gift cash, yes yes, BUT I also had a big Target gift card, and even though Target sells books I used that for desperately needed winter wear, which I’ve needed for two months but kept putting off in favor of buying books.

“See?” I told my husband, “See how much money this will save us all year?? Now I only need to buy book club selections and also a few things I have on pre-order!”

I’ve gotten really good about reading from my existing TBR pile, so I only had 3 or 4 left from before. Close call! I nearly ran out! Considering I’m lucky if I have time to read 50 books in a year right now, and considering the aforementioned book club and pre-order situation, there is a crow’s throw’s chance in hell I’m finishing these in 12 months. It’s really tragic. I need to have another baby and pack in that primo boring breastfeeding time. “Husband! Feed our toddler! I have to breastfeed yet again and finish this chapter.”

Another option would be to convince my book club to pick things off my pile, I guess.

Anyway, what exactly is in these glorious stacks? Take a gander, look some of them up, and read along with me this year!

Fantasy/Scifi (stand-alone)

• Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin
• Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
• Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine
• The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia
• Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
• Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
• Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
• Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
• Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Fantasy/Scifi (series)

• The Boy Who Lost Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente
• The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home by Catherynne M. Valente
• Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
• The Thousand Names by Django Wexler
• The Shadow Throne by Django Wexler
• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
• Kushiel’s Mercy by Jacqueline Carey
• Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb
• City of Dragons by Robin Hobb
• Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb
• Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik
• Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik
• Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik
• League of Dragons by Naomi Novik
• The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
• Rebel Angel by Libba Bray
• The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

Fantasy/Scifi (short story collections)

• Falling in Love with Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson
• The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente
• Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter by Richard Parks
• Classic Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson

Comics/Graphic Novels

• Meanwhile by Jason Shiga
• Astonishing X-Men vol. 1: Gifted
• Batman: Year One
• Bitch Planet book 1: Extraordinary Machine
• Lumberjanes vol. 2: Friendship to the Max

Other Fiction

• Overqualified by Joey Comeau
• Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America by Leslie Knope
• The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
• Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart

Nonfiction

• The Heroine’s Journey by Maureen Murdock
• Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
• Packing for Mars by Mary Roach
• Grunt by Mary Roach
• The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer