This topic always catches me a little off-guard. I’m Canadian and our Thanksgiving is long past, and it’s also not really a holiday that my family celebrates. However, this time of year is still a great one for me because my birthday is right at the end of October, so I usually get books or gift cards to buy myself books. Shortly after my birthday, I ended up treating myself to quite a big book order from Indigo (without a gift card), and was surprised to receive a gift card not long after that! I already have a whole list of 2021 releases that I’d like to buy so it will definitely come in handy. For this week’s topic, I decided to focus on the books that I received or bought for myself recently. I’m very thankful to have these all, since they are high on my list to read next year!
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
1) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
This book is one of my top priorities to pick up next year, and I was so thankful that my brother got it for me for my birthday! It was quite literally at the top of my wishlist, and I’m sure I’ll be picking it up very early in 2021. I’ve seen V.E. Schwab talking about this book for years so I was surprised to see it finally getting released this year, and I can’t wait to give it a try. This book is set in 1714 in France, and focuses on a young woman named Addie LaRue who is immortal, but cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. After 300 years, she stumbles upon a man who seems to remember her. I’ve intentionally avoided looking at reviews or any kind of detailed comments about the book because I don’t want any spoilers, and I’m so excited to read it. The only thing I’ve heard so far is that it’s a bit slow and a bit dense, so I’ll definitely want to read it at a time where I can pay close attention to it. I guess if my area goes back into lockdown in the new year, that will end up being the ideal time.
2) Nevernight & Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff
I had literally been trying to find copies of these books all year, after deciding to make these one of my priority series to pick up in 2020. I managed to find the third book on Book Outlet, and hoped the other two would come up there in hardcover there too, but they never did. They were also ridiculously expensive (at $35-$40 each new and hardcover), so I’d been waiting around for them to go on sale. Lucky for me, my mother decided to buy them both for me for my birthday. I guess the irony is that I’m not sure I’ll be able to read the series before the end of the year now, since there are still many other books I need to finish for my reading challenges, and these are not for my highest priority challenges, but at least now I have them ready for whenever I do want to pick them up! If I don’t end up reading them this year, they will be a top priority for 2021 too.
3) One By One by Ruth Ware
This was another gift from my mother, which was a great choice since it’s another book I was excited to fit into my reading challenges for next year. I’ve read two of Ruth Ware’s books so far, and have one or two on my list to pick up before the new year too. This one is her most recent release about a group of coworkers who get snowed in together at a mountain chalet while on a company mindfulness retreat that is hit by an avalanche. This fits so many of the tropes I tend to love — office politics, characters who are trapped together, and a locked door mystery. None of Ruth Ware’s books have been 5 stars for me yet (although I suspect The Turn of the Key might be the first), but I really enjoy her writing and tend to love the premises she picks for her mystery-thrillers. I was very happy to get this one as a gift. It reminds me a bit of An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena, which I read earlier this year and also dealt with people snowed in together, and I’m hoping to enjoy this one as much.
4) Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
Lisa Jewell was one of the first authors added to my priority list to try this year, and I’ve loved the two books that I’ve read so far! This book was an easy addition to my wishlist, and I was so excited that my brother bought it for me. This book just came out last month, and it is about a man named Owen whose life is falling apart after he is suspended from his teaching job due to allegations of sexual misconduct. While searching for advice online, he comes across incel forums, where he meets Bryn. Across the street from Owen lives Roan, a psychologist with a family, who has a bad feeling about their neighbour, and whose daughter believes Owen once followed her home. At the same time, one of Roan’s patients, Saffyre, who has developed an obsession with him has disappeared, and it seems that Owen was the last person to see her alive. I always find the synopses for Lisa Jewell’s books a little confusing, but if it’s anything like the two books of hers that I’ve read so far, I’m bound to love this one too!
5) The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
This is another book that I’d been waiting all year to get, especially since it was a big reason that I’d added Peter Swanson to my priority authors list. It was another case where the hardcover version was ridiculously expensive so I was waiting for it to drop in price a bit first. I’d actually been about to cave in and buy the paperback version from Book Outlet instead, but then my brother got the hardcover version for me too as another birthday present! I was so excited to see it in the bag and can’t wait to finally be able to read it. It’s another one that I’m really hoping to be able to squeeze in before the end of the year, even though it’s not for one of my highest priority challenges. Given that I’ve been waiting all year for the book, I may end up picking it up very soon anyway, but I’m also strongly considering putting it off for an upcoming 2021 reading challenge prompt that asks for a book that I think I’d rate 5 stars. This book was among my 5-star predictions this year, so it would definitely fit the criteria.
6) When No One isWatching by Alyssa Cole
I’ve had this book on my TBR since June, but it’s only really in the past couple of months that I very strongly decided I wanted to try it, especially after hearing so many vloggers talking about it. I put it on my birthday wishlist since it was a book that I wanted to try but didn’t know if I wanted to buy for myself, and it ended up being one of the gifts that my mom picked. This book is a thriller about a young woman named Sydney who lives in a Brooklyn neighbourhood that seems to be constantly changing. She channels her frustrations into organizing a walking tour to highlight the history of the area, and soon connects with her neighbour Theo, who agrees to help her. As they dive into the history of the neighbourhood, Sydney and Theo soon begin to suspect that attempts to “revitalize” the community may have a darker side to it. This sounds like the kind of thriller that is right up my alley, and I’m looking forward to trying it.
7) Loveless by Alice Oseman
This was one of several books that I bought for myself, and I was thankful to see it back in stock. I can’t remember if I’d forgotten to add it to my cart or purposely decided to wait with my previous order, but by the time I decided I really wanted to buy it, the book was out of stock at both Indigo and Amazon. I wasn’t sure whether it would come back in stock since Alice Oseman is a British author, and books by many British authors can be a little more challenging to get here somehow. This book was one of my most anticipated of the year, and it is about a girl named Georgia, who has never had a relationship or even a crush, and she worries that something might be wrong with her. When she moves to university, she is determined to find love and begins to wonder why it is so much harder for her than it seems to be for everyone else. As soon as I saw this book back in stock, I grabbed it immediately and I’m hoping to get to it in the next week or two!
8) Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
This book was also on my birthday wishlist, but I knew that if I didn’t get it as a gift, I would end up immediately buying it for myself anyway. Tiffany D. Jackson is one of my all-time favourite YA authors, and this was one of my most anticipated releases this year, even though I’m saving it for my 2021 reading challenges. This book is about a young aspiring singer named Enchanted, who catches the attention of Korey Fields, a legendary R&B artist who she believes will be her chance to break into the music industry. When Korey is found dead and Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and no memory of what happened the previous night, she quickly becomes a suspect. I have absolutely loved every one of Tiffany D. Jackson’s books so far, and I’m always on the lookout for her next release. I’m hoping I’ll love this one just as much as all the others so far.
9) All the Bad Apples by Moira Fowley-Doyle
I almost waited to buy this one for completely petty reasons. I’m not a huge fan of the cover art (shown here) and strongly preferred the pink, illustrated version that I believe is for the paperback edition. The hardcover is the only version that was available to me and I tend to prefer hardcovers in general, so I decided to get it. This was another book that was very high on my list to read this year, but I’m not 100% sure I’ll be able to squeeze it in. This book is about a girl named Deena, whose older sister Mandy has disappeared and is presumed dead. When letters from Mandy begin to arrive claiming that the family’s troubled history is the result of a curse handed down through the generations, Deena sets out to find her and help her find the roots of the curse. I recently read Spellbook of the Lost and Found by this author as well which I liked, but didn’t love quite as much as I’d expected. This one seems a bit more up my alley, and I’m excited to give it a try.
10) The Last Guest House by Megan Miranda
I had just about given up on finding a hardcover copy of this book! It had been on Book Outlet earlier in the year but I chose not to buy it at the time since it was the only book I really wanted and didn’t think it was worth paying the shipping cost. I’d also assumed that I’d easily be able to get a hardcover copy from Indigo or Amazon. Fast forward a few weeks, and the book had been out of stock everywhere. It wasn’t until right at the end of September where I happened to see the hardcover version back in stock on Book Outlet, with just a few copies! It was completely by chance that I was on the site at the right moment, and immediately decided to grab it! I was so thankful to finally find the version that I wanted, even though I haven’t picked it up yet. The book is about a friendship between a local and a summer visitor in a small town in Maine. When the visitor, Sadie, is found dead and her death is ruled a suicide, her friend Avery is sure that others blame her and is intent on clearing her own name before the idea spreads. I’m a bit annoyed that I haven’t picked it up yet given how much effort went into finding a copy, but I’m hoping to get to it very soon!
Abyssal Librarian 
I hope you enjoy The invisible Life of Addie LaRue!
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