Top Ten Tuesday – Books I’m Ditching From My 2020 TBR

You regular Top Ten Tuesday participants will have already noticed that this post title does not match the official prompt of the week which is all about our Winter TBRs. However between Six for Sunday’s Fireside Reads and Top Ten Tuesday’s Holiday Reads I feel I’ve shared a lot of the books I’m planning to read in the near future and so to avoid repeating myself too much and completely boring you I’m giving into my contrary nature and instead sharing some of the books I now won’t be reading any time soon

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Books I’m Ditching From My 2020 TBR

According to Goodreads I’m currently sitting with 483 books on my Want To Read shelf. Now these aren’t all books that I currently own, but at the same time I know there are books I do own that aren’t currently on that list. I know some people have bigger TBRs but to me that is a crazy number, I could read a book a day during 2020 and still have over a hundred books to read, and that’s assuming that I don’t add any more books to the list over the course of 2020, which we all know isn’t going to happen! So I’m going through my TBR and some aren’t going to make the cut! For today I’m focusing on YA titles but I think this might have to become a regular feature until I get it a little more under control. I’ve just arranged my Goodreads shelf from oldest to newest added and worked my way down the list until I got to 10. I may need to be a little more ruthless in the future though!

Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer

To New Yorker Rosa Alcantara, the exotic world of Sicily, with its network of Mafia families and its reputation for murder and intrigue, is just that—exotic, and wholly unknown. But when tragedy strikes, she must travel there, to her family’s ancestral home, where her sister and aunt have built their lives and where centuries of family secrets await her. Once there, Rosa wastes no time falling head over heels for Alessandro Carnevare, the son of a Sicilian Mafia family, whose handsome looks and savage grace both intrigue and unsettle her. But their families are sworn enemies, and her aunt and sister believe Alessandro is only using Rosa to infiltrate the Alcantara clan. And when Rosa encounters a tiger one night—a tiger with very familiar eyes—she can no longer deny that neither the Carnevares nor the Alcantaras are what they seem.

Ancient myths brought to life in the Sicilian countryside, dangerous beasts roaming the hills, and a long history of familial bloodlust prove to Rosa that she can’t trust anyone—not even her own family. Torn between loyalty to her aunt and love for her family’s mortal enemy, Rosa must make the hardest decision of her life: stay in Sicily with her new love . . . or run as far and as fast as she can.

I still think this one sounds interesting but I added it to my list in April 2017 and I’ve still not gotten around to buying it so I can’t be that keen to read it, so I think it’s time to say goodbye to this one…

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All About Mia by Lisa Williamson

One family, three sisters.
GRACE, the oldest: straight-A student.
AUDREY, the youngest: future Olympic swimming champion.
And MIA, the mess in the middle.

Mia is wild and daring, great with hair and selfies, and the undisputed leader of her friends – not attributes appreciated by her parents or teachers.

When Grace makes a shock announcement, Mia hopes that her now-not-so-perfect sister will get into the trouble she deserves.

But instead, it is Mia whose life spirals out of control – boozing, boys and bad behaviour – and she starts to realise that her attempts to make it All About Mia might put at risk the very things she loves the most.

This is another that has been on my list since early 2017 that I’ve not got around to buying. It sounds like it has potential, but so do all the other books on my list and there’s nothing in the blurb that is screaming don’t delete me…

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The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

Sixteen-year-old Julie Beaufort-Stuart is returning to her family’s ancestral home in Perthshire for one last summer. It is not an idyllic return to childhood. Her grandfather’s death has forced the sale of the house and estate and this will be a summer of goodbyes. Not least to the McEwen family – Highland travellers who have been part of the landscape for as long as anyone can remember – loved by the family, loathed by the authorities. Tensions are already high when a respected London archivist goes missing, presumed murdered. Suspicion quickly falls on the McEwens but Julie knows not one of them would do such a thing and is determined to prove everyone wrong. And then she notices the family’s treasure trove of pearls is missing.

After adding this to my list a discovered it was a prequel and historical fiction which is not really my thing. I do like a mystery but I’m not sure it’s enough to keep it on my list…

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The Shadow Queen by C. J. Redwine

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

I read Marissa Meyer’s Heartless and decided I wanted to read all the fairy tale re-tellings. I think to date I’ve read exactly none of them! Again I like the sound of this but I’m not sure I want to start a new series given the backlog of books I already have…

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Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she’s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle—a shifting maze of magical rooms—enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex’s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Another fairy tale re-telling which was added to the list after Heartless. Another I’ve not yet got around to buying. I’m just not sure it’s appealing to me as much anymore, if I had to choose a Beauty and the Beast re-telling to read I’d probably pick A Curse So Dark And Lonely as that’s actually sitting on my shelf after I received it in a Fairyloot box…

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Royce Rolls by Margaret Stohl

Sixteen-year-old Bentley Royce is the wild child of a super-glam reality TV dynasty. She has it all – designer clothes, a fancy school and an actual Bentley to drive around in. Her ambitious mum Mercedes has dragged the family from trailer park to Hollywood stardom. But Bentley wants out – she wants to go to college, escape her own storyline, be NORMAL – but Royces don’t do normal (or college).

Rolling with the Royces is running out of ways to keep viewers hooked and suddenly the show is threatened with cancellation. Bentley faces an impossible choice. Without the show, she could live the college dream – but her family would crumble (they are already twenty million dollars in debt). Bentley Royce has a mission. She must use her brains to save the show; if she saves the show, she can save her family – and she’ll do whatever it takes … 

This is sitting on my kindle after I requested it from NetGalley back in 2017. Reality TV like The Real Housewives is one of my guilty pleasures so I thought I’d enjoy this book, but when it’s been time to pick my next read there’s always just been something that appeals more, maybe it’s time to give up…

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Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell

There are three things that earn you a man’s name among the Jan’Tep. The first is to demonstrate the strength to defend your family. The second is to prove you can perform the high magic that defines our people. The third is simply to reach the age of sixteen. I was a few weeks shy of my birthday when I learned that I wouldn’t be doing any of those things.

Magic is a con game.

Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage’s duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There’s just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi – a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She’s difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen’s only hope… 

This one I downloaded while it was on offer for free for the Kindle. Like every other book on this list I don’t think it sounds like a bad book. At the same time it’s not appealing to me enough to want to commit to a six book series…

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When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

The arranged marriage YA romcom you didn’t know you wanted or needed…

Meet Dimple.

Her main aim in life is to escape her traditional parents, get to university and begin her plan for tech world domination.

Meet Rishi.

He’s rich, good-looking and a hopeless romantic. His parents think Dimple is the perfect match for him, but she’s got other plans…

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works even harder to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

As joyfully refreshing as Rainbow Rowell, Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon, When Dimple Met Rishi is a frothy, funny contemporary romance told from the dual perspectives of two Indian American protagonists. While Dimple is fighting her family traditions, Rishi couldn’t be happier to follow in the footsteps of his parents – could sparks fly between this odd couple, or is this matchmaking attempt doomed to fail?

This went on my list thanks to the huge hype when it was released. I’m not the biggest contemporary fan in all honesty, and I’ve seen a few mix reviews about this one, so I think it might have to fall off the list…

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Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes

Only queens with hearts can bleed.

This is not the story of the Wonderland we know. Alice has not fallen down a rabbit hole. There is no all-knowing cat with a taunting smile. This is a Wonderland where beneath each smile lies a secret, each tart comes with a demand, and only prisoners tell the truth.

Dinah is the princess who will one day reign over Wonderland. She has not yet seen the dark depths of her kingdom; she longs only for her father’s approval and a future with the boy she loves. But when a betrayal breaks her heart and threatens her throne, she is launched into Wonderland’s dangerous political game. Dinah must stay one step ahead of her cunning enemies or she’ll lose not just the crown but her head.

Evil is brewing in Wonderland and maybe, most frighteningly, in Dinah herself.

This is not a story of happily ever after.

This is the story of the Queen of Hearts.

Another post Heartless addition to the TBR. I do like the sound of a dark Wonderland but once again it’s the idea of committing to a trilogy that’s putting me off…

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The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

What if you aren’t the Chosen One?

The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions…

I’ve never read a Patrick Ness book and I know a lot of people rave about him which is probably how this ended up on my TBR… I’m not really sold on it though… So I think it’s time to go!

Are there any books in my list that you think I should keep and read in 2020? Let me know in the comments!