Top Ten Tuesday: Modern Books You Think Will Be Classics In The Future 

TTT

Today is the first Top Ten Tuesday I’ve participated in for a while, mainly because of being busy and personal reasons, but, I’m getting back on track and, I love this topic.  So, here’s my take on modern books (which I’m taking to mean recently written as oppose to contemporary setting – although, obviously, you could interpret it either way) that I think could be classics in the future:

King Sorrow by Joe Hill – I haven’t written my review for this one yet but I absolutely loved it.  It’s a chunkster of a book but it’s so good that it doesn’t feel that way.

The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow – this is another recent read that I loved.  Again, I haven’t posted my review yet (which will follow shortly) but this was so good.  The writing is fantastic, the story is totally absorbing, literally a story that spreads across the ages.

Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow – yes, two books by the same author on this list.  It probably seems a little indulgent but I love her books and this particular book is like a love letter to readers.

Station Eleven, the Glass Hotel and Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandell.  This is not a series as such but the books all interconnect in ways that you wouldn’t be aware of without having read the others.  Basically, each book is a standalone and brilliant in it’s own right but if you have the pleasure of reading all three, well, it’s really quite mind blowing.

The Justice of Kings, The Tyranny of Faith and The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan.  Fantasy books with murder mysteries, epic in their scopo but with a more modern feel in terms of ease of reading, great writing and totally gripping.  I would love to see these books become recognised for the scope, writing and originality.

A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson.  I’m not always a fan of classic retellings but this story works.  Told from the point of view of one of Dracula’s ‘bride’s this is a dark tale of doubt and seduction and based itself on a ‘classic’ I would love to see it last the test of time.

A Boy and His Dog at the end of the World.  Such a fantastic tale, told in a way to deliver a really powerful twist.  I loved it and didn’t see it coming.

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar.  Oh dear me, how much did I love this book?  Ridiculously so.  It’s an absolute keeper.  A new story told in a way that brings all the charm of many older classics but easily readable and with hints of fantasy.

The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden.  The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower, The Winter of the Witch.  This series is so good, beautiful writing, fairytale fantasy and Russian Folklore.  Quite mesmerising.

Finally, The Broken Empire series by Mark Lawrence.  This series definitely falls into the ‘grimdark’ genre (and, as such, maybe isn’t for everyone) but being the first of it’s kind that I read it felt so unique and unusual, plus the writing is superb and the overall scope, of not only this series, but all the following series by this author, well, it really is impressive.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Honorifics in the Title 

TTT

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic.  Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by  The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here.  This week’s prompt is:

Books with Honorifics in the Title 

Not sure how well this one works but I’m thinking of roles that people become known as – so ‘the scholar, the priest, etc.  

 

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by HG Parry

The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose

Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis (two honorifics in this book!)

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister

The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Priest of Bones by Peter McLean

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the second half of 2025

This was a recent prompt for one of the Top Ten Tuesdays that I unfortunately missed but still wanted to post something to highlight some of the books that I’m really looking forward to for the rest of the year.  I won’t include my July reads as I’ll be including those in this week’s weekly/monthly wrap up.  I’ve stuck to ten to fit in with the original TTT post although I could easily have doubled this because there are some fantastic books waiting to be released this year.  Without further ado here are some of the books on my shelves that I can’t wait to read:

The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford

This is a new-to-me author that I can’t wait to tuck into – just look at that cover and I love the description, plus, you pretty much had me with ‘fire-breathing lizards’.

The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso (The Echo Archives #2)

I absolutely loved The Last Hour Between Worlds, such a fantastic world and incredible imagination, I loved Kembral Thorne and can’t wait to see what she gets up to in this second instalment.  If you haven’t started reading this series yet I highly recommend it.

Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher

Put simply I cannot resist reading anything that this author writes and a retelling (or reimagining) of Snow White – what?  Colour me happy.  That is all

Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham

Another author that I’m loving and the sound of this Southern thriller totally wowed me.  Check it out at the link above.

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

Another author that I find myself unable to resist.  I’ve read three winning books recently from this author, Cackle, Black Sheep and So Thirsty and the description of this sounds like another winner – a haunted/possessed house.  Sign me up.

House of Splinters by Laura Purcell

Laura Purcell is the absolute Queen of All Things Gothic.  I love her writing and actually performed a little happy dance when I saw this forthcoming read about a haunted house.

Ring the Bells by CK McDonnell (Stranger Times #5)

This series is an absolute must.  I’m loving it and don’t ever want it to end.

The Last Witch by CJ Cooke

CJ Cooke is a fantastic author who manages to create stories simply dripping with atmosphere.  A Haunting in the Arctic is absolutely brilliant and I highly recommend it.  I can’t wait to read this historical horror.

King Sorrow by Joe Hill

This book is literally a beast.  It clocks in at almost 900 pages and is already receiving some great reviews.  I am about as excited to pick this up as a person can be.  I’m practically fizzing with anticipation.

The Blackfire Blade by James Logan (The Last Legacy #2)

The Silverblood Promise was one of my top ten reads for 2024 so you may be able to imagine how excited I am to read this next instalment.  Obviously, I’m going to wait until nearer the release date but I’m not sure I’ll make it to October – the anticipation may drive me crazy.

That’s if for now – let me know what books are on your ‘most anticipated’ list for 2025.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Wishes

TTT

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic.  Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by  The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here.  This week’s prompt is: Bookish Wishes (List the top 10 books you’d love to own).

This week is very easy, I’ve simply listed the last ten books that I added to my wishlist.

This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara

The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton

When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy

At the Bottom of the Garden by Camilla Bruce

American Rapture by CJ Leede

A Haunt for Jackals by JL Odom

The Dark Side of the Sky by Francesco Dimitri

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant

Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart

Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison

Have you read any of these?  Which do you think I should pick up first?

Top Ten Tuesday: Things Characters Have Said

TTT

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic.  Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by  The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here.  This week’s prompt is:

Things Characters Have Said

I’ve decided to have a bit of fun with this one.  I’ve chosen ten, fairly (I think) well known books/quotes.  They’re highlighted below.  See if you can guess the book (scroll down for answers):

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“There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”

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“Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread.”

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“Sir,”she said,”you are no gentleman!”

“An apt observation,” he answered airily. “And, you, Miss, are no lady.”

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“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

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“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.”

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“Once again…welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring.”

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“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”

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“Always winter but never Christmas.”

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“Trust me, Wilbur. People are very gullible. They’ll believe anything they see in print.”

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“My Oberon, what visions have I seen!  Methought I was enamored of an ass.”

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Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol

JRR Tolkien – Lord of the Rings

Margaret Mitchell – Gone With the Wind

Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice

Stephenie Meyer – Twilight

Bram Stoker – Dracula

Daphne Du Maurier – Rebecca

CS Lewis – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

EB White – Charlotte’s Web

William Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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