Tomorrow’s pile of books has a good chance of being the most ludicrous pile I’ve ever posted; most of these books were not here last time I did this. I did nothing but read in July.
So I’ve got this new project going where I’m not allowed to buy any books in 2024 other than sequels to books I already own until I’ve cleared my Unread Shelf. The only exceptions are books I preordered in 2023; I’m also not allowed to preorder anything new until this is done. You may note that there are more books on this shelf than there were just seven days ago when I posted my December Unread Shelf; those are Christmas’ fault, as I got some cash and some gift cards and the Barnes & Noble box took forever to arrive.
Also, these aren’t my only unread books. I got into the terrible habit last year of ordering entire series at once if I was convinced in advance I’d enjoy them! There are other unread books that you don’t know about!
Let’s review the carnage here, shall we?
King: One book, no sequel. This is the next thing I’m going to read on account of Martin Luther King day being next week. Red Rising: Book One of, currently, six; the series is set for seven but that one’s not coming until 2025. Forged in Blood: Book One of two but the second is TBD. The Will of the Many: One of three, I think but the others aren’t out yet. The Bladed Faith: One of three, the third book comes out Tuesday so the series may as well be finished. A Touch of Light: One of two, both out. The Night and Its Moon: One of three, all out. Light from Uncommon Stars: Stand-alone, I think, and if I’m wrong don’t tell me. Exorcism: Two of three; third isn’t out yet. Silver Under Nightfall: Stand-alone. Nevernight: One of three, all out. Against the Loveless World: Stand-alone. Bookshelves & Bonedust: Prequel to Lattes & Legends; as far as I know, no more planned. Sword of Kaigen: Stand-alone. Mrs. Lincoln: Stand-alone. The Storm Beneath a Midnight Sun: Two of two, I think. The Adrian Tchaikovsky books: Volumes Five, Six and Seven of the completed ten-book Shadows of the Apt series. I don’t own the last three yet, but Volume 4 kicked the legs out from under the plot entirely so it was a good place to stop for a little bit. Sky’s End: Part of a series, I think, but the only one out. Ravensong: Part two of four, all of which are out. The Jasad Heir: Part of a series, but just one out. Kaikeyi: Stand-alone. The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn: One of three, all out.
But that’s not all! The following entire series are on the bookshelves in my living room:
The Books of Babel, by Josiah Bancroft. Finished Book 3 of 4 yesterday, will probably finish book 4 by Wednesday. Of Blood and Bone, by John Gwynne. Trilogy. The FarseerTrilogy, by Robin Hobb. Trilogy, but the first trilogy in a cycle of something like sixteen books that I hope to temporarily ignore the existence of.
And if I’m really feeling nuts, I can go back to:
The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson, which I have the first four books of but never bothered reading the fourth; The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson; I bought the first three books in a fit of optimism and got halfway through the first one before bailing; and The Fucking Wheel of Fucking Time which I am never ever finishing fuck these books.
That is, ignoring the last section, fifty-one books that I need to read before I can buy more. It is always possible that I’ll decide to bail on some of them (a lot of these are book ones from authors I don’t know anything about) but that’s still a shitton of books.
