ARC Check In #1: December 2019

I wanted to start doing a regular feature to share the review copies that I have, which ones I’m planning on reading soon, and which backlist titles I’d like to aim to read. I figure this way the books get a little more promotion than they would just sitting on my shelves, especially if I don’t get to them immediately.

I would also really love it if you readers could tell me which books I should prioritise, either because you want to see my review or you highly recommend the book. This would be great motivation for me!

I’m still playing around with the format of this post, so the layout may change drastically next month once I’ve figured out what I do and don’t want to include. I’ll get into the groove at some point!

Current NetGalley %: 54% (99/185)

Current Edelweiss %: 70% (116/166)

I would just like to point out that I’ve been using NetGalley for nine years, and my percentage looks awful because some of the ebooks expired before I could get to them. Another reason I’m so behind is that I’ve taken several blogging breaks over the years, and that has meant that I’ve left a lot of review copies unread. I’m partly doing this post to shame myself into reading my e-ARCs, though, and so I’m hoping this percentage will increase by the end of the year.

ARCs for December and January

I don’t have too many review copies to get to for the next couple of months, so that takes the pressure off a bit!

• The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson (blog tour)
• Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim
• Infinity Son by Adam Silvera
• Spellhacker by M. K. England (blog tour)
• The Woods by Vanessa Savage
• Diamond City by Francesca Flores (2020 debut)
• Six Wicked Reasons by Jo Spain (blog tour)

Pending: Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez (blog tour & 2020 debut)

I have four (maybe five if I get approved for Woven in Moonlight) books that I really need to focus on as they’re either part of a blog tour that I’m participating in, or they’re part of a feature that I’ll be doing next year. These, plus the other two that I’d like to get to as a lowkey goal, are all January releases, so I should have plenty of time to get through all of them.

Expectations

I’ll be honest, I’m in more of a contemporary and thriller mood than anything else at the moment. Therefore I’m actually most drawn to the thrillers and mysteries on the list, especially Six Wicked Reasons. The thrillers are the ARCs that aren’t as urgent, so that’s just typical! I’m also drawn to Spellhacker since it’s a fantasy heist story, so that at least has a bit of mystery cross-over. There aren’t any on this list that I’m not at least a bit excited for, however I’ve never read a Tara Sim book before so I don’t know if I’ll connect with her writing.

Diamond City also sounds like it’ll be a quick read, so I’m feeling really motivated about all of these!

Backlist Titles

I’ve got quite a few backlist titles that I want to get to ASAP, for various reasons. I’ve picked out a few that I need to read in order to recap for Recaptains, and others I’m just really intrigued by but haven’t found the time to read them until now.

• Renegades by Marissa Meyer
• The Dragon Republic by R. F. Kuang
• The Pioneer by Bridget Tyler
• The Girl Who Came Out of the Woods by Emily Barr
• To Kill a Mockingbird Graphic Novel by Harper Lee

Renegades is one I’ve been putting off for ages, and I was going to try to read it before Supernova came out at the beginning of November, but I got distracted. I’ve been putting The Dragon Republic off as well because I’m SCARED, and it’s also freakin’ enormous. I want to prioritise it once I’ve read a couple of my January ARCs though, because I’m desperate to be back in Rin’s world.

I’ve been on a bit of a sci-fi kick, so I’ve added The Pioneer to my Urgents list as I think it’ll be one that I’ll enjoy now that I’m in the mood. I’m currently reading The Girl Who Came Out of the Woods, and I’m expecting to finish it fairly soon, so that’ll be another one knocked off the list. And, finally, I’ve added the graphic novel of To Kill a Mockingbird to the list because that should be a really fast read, especially as I’ve read the original novel before. I also LOVED the original novel, so I’m excited to read it in a new format.

Recently Read

There are a few ARCs that I read recently that I still need to review that should up my numbers a bit. Here’s a quick sneak peek before I get around to reviewing them!

• Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen **
• All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban ****
• I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi ***
• Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist ****
• The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings **
• Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins ***
• Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales ****
• Emily Eternal by M. G. Wheaton ***
• Three Things I Know Are True ***

As you can see, there are quite a few that I’ve read recently! I managed to smash through some of my ARCs in November, and a couple of these are from way back when that I never got around to. Look out for reviews in the coming month!

And that’s all! That’s my long winded post about my review copies and how I’m planning on tackling them. I’m really hoping that these posts will be interesting for you and motivational for me. Don’t forget to let me know which books you’d like to hear my opinion on, and I’ll prioritise those!