My Anxiety Driven Book Haul

Like many of you, my anxiety manifests in various ways. When I found out we wouldn’t be returning to school until the middle of April (and now, possibly not until the next school year) I put down my bag of Nacho Doritos, panicked, and went to bookoutlet. Thankfully, they saved my wallet some money by hosting a 15% off sale at the time of my purchase. Of course I could have saved a lot more money if I hadn’t bought any books at all…but you only live once? Right?

The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen is a Netgalley ARC I haven’t reviewed yet. From the description, it seems like we might get multiple POV’s from three main characters, which I’m an absolute sucker for. The prince has faked his death, his trusted body guard has now ‘shape shifted’ to take his place, and an assassin is looking for the Prince dead or alive. This sounds like a grim dark fantasy if I’ve ever heard of one.

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim is the second Netgalley ARC on this book haul. I’ve heard so many great things about this new fantasy, including that it’s a Mulan retelling revolving around fashion? It sounds thrilling and high paced and I can’t wait to dive in.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams is a young adult novel centered on the mixed race experience, a woman finding her true self, and looking for love but finding something else in it’s place. This cover. Is so drop dead gorgeous. I hope the story lives up to that art.

The Disasters by M.K. England is a young adult science fiction novel. I’ve heard it explained as a Guardians of the Galaxy vibe, and that was really all I needed to know. This seems like it’s going to be hilarious, engaging, and it’s another incredibly designed cover. Bravo.

Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young is a young adult viking duology. Duologies are sometimes my favorite lengths in terms of series. I’ve never read anything about vikings, but I absolutely love that premise. I hope this is gritty, and badass, and gives me all the girl-who-run-the-world feels.

Rebel of the Sands, Traitor to the Throne, and Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton is a young adult series touted as a fantasy western set in the middle east. I read a lot of reviews before I decided to purchase the entire series (that’s quite a risk when you aren’t sure if you’ll like the first book), and the characters are what sold this for me. Everyone seems to be raving about how emotional these characters are, and that it’s one of the best romances they’ve read in a fantasy. Listen, that’s all I gotta hear.

Another series I bought outright was Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, and Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine. This is a fantasy story about a magical library. I honestly don’t need to say anymore. I’ve heard a lot of great things about this series, and I want to go in not knowing much else.

Lovely War by Julie Berry is a romance novel centered in WWI and WWII. I have fallen more and more in love with the gravity of WWII novels as I’ve grown older, but if that wasn’t enough to sell me on this book, the premise that the Greek Gods, Aphrodite and Ares, are major players in this book seals the deal.

Geekerella by Ashely Poston is a young adult romance that takes place during a convention. Basically, one of the girls attending the con gets to meet one of the stars of her favorite T.V. show after winning a contest. I cannot wait to see the sparks fly, as their two very different (or so they seem) worlds collide.

Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis is an adult romance that practically screams my name. I love summer, I love romances, and I am overdue for a good, fun, adult romance to get the season started. Our main character is forced to move back home, where she encounters her past (who currently saves lives as a firefighter). Swoon me right off a cliff why don’t ya.

Second Chance Season by Liora Blake is another adult romance that was too good to pass up. I’m thinking about collecting books that have Second Chance in the title, and so far I’m off to a great start. In this one a cowboy meets a city girl…what could possibly go wrong? Or a better question, what could go right?

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons is an adult fantasy novel. I’ve been dying to jump head first into adult fantasy, and really get a grasp on this genre. These books are all tomes that need to be toppled. This book in particular has been pretty polarizing with readers, but I wanted to give it a shot. In this story, our main character finds out he’s the long lost son of a Prince, and that dragons, demons, gods, and prophecies really exist. As the story unfolds we follow along and discover if our MC will save his kingdom, or decide to destroy it. *goosebumps*

• 

• 

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield is an adult historical fiction novel with magical realism. The townsfolk who live on the river Thames have discovered a dead young girl, who comes back to life. Everyone in the town has their own reasons to claim this child, and we follow along to discover how she came to be at the rivers edge, and the town’s secret. This feels like a murder mystery, where the murder victim is alive and well, and everyone is a suspect.

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo is another adult historical fiction novel with some magical realism. In this story we follow two characters as their lives become intertwined. One has a severed finger, and is determined to find the owner, while the other is searching for that finger to prevent a curse. I really enjoy Asian inspired stories, and cannot wait to get swept away by this one.

The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald is a middle grade historical fantasy novel set in the roaring 20’s! This is another one of my favorite time periods to read about. Our main character is hired as a maid in a house hold where things just don’t seem quite right. She comes to realize the art in the gallery may hold the clues to help her solve the mystery.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, is a book I have wanted to read for years, but have been massively intimated by. I have heard nothing but marvelous things about Donna Tartt, and I want to know more! I want to read her work. But 1000 plus pages of a contemporary/literary fiction novel is going to be a unique challenge for me. Now that I have this book in my hands, on my shelves, I have no more excuses. I would pass it every day in my old library, and make up reasons not to check it out. Well. No more! This tome is mine.

---

Holy cow you guys. My anxiety sure knows how to shop. Those are the 21 books I ordered to keep me company during our quarantine. I’m still making my way through my last bookoutlet haul!

Which book do you think I should read first?
Have you read anything off this list?
What was your favorite!
Let me know in the comments below.

Want to save $10 on your first purchase (of $25 or more) at bookoutlet? Use my referral link, and I’ll save $10 on my next purchase too!