Top Ten Tuesday | My Autumn TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is all about our Autumn TBRs, and if you've been following my blog for a while you'll know I love me a seasonal TBR. Even if I don't get around to all of the books on my TBR, and I often don't because I'm very much a mood reader, I really enjoy making themed lists because I'm that sad.

As I'm sure a lot of readers do, I love to read spooky books in the autumn close to Halloween, but something about the autumn also always puts me in the mood for books set in the 19th century. I don't know what it is; I guess it's rare to come across a summery 19th century book, most historical fiction set in this era likes to portray it as cold and gloomy and it makes for ideal autumn reading.

The Good People by Hannah Kent: Considering how much I loved Kent's debut, Burial Rites (reviewed here), I definitely should have read this one by now but I haven't been in the mood to pick it up yet. It sounds like it'll make for a great autumn read, though!

Things Half in Shadow by Alan Finn: Set in 19th century Philadelphia, this novel follows a crime reporter who sets out to expose the spiritualists of the city as frauds, but when the city's only supposedly genuine medium is murdered mid-séance he sets out to catch the killer. This sounds like the perfect book to read around Halloween.

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood: I've been meaning to read this one for years and still haven't, but I'd love to read it this year - especially as there's a new adaptation, starring Anna Paquin, coming to Netflix in September!

Falling Creatures by Katherine Stansfield: This 2017 release is right up my alley: it's historical, it's based on a true murder and it's set in Cornwall. The paperback is being released in October and I'd like to get my hands on a copy, unless the kindle edition becomes a little cheaper beforehand...

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt: This one sounds fairly similar to Alias Grace, again focusing on a 19th century murderess, but in See What I Have Done Sarah Schmidt has chosen to explore the famous Lizzie Borden. I've received an eARC from NetGalley that I really want to read and review, but I haven't been in the mood for a book this dark yet - the sun's shining too brightly!

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry: I've owned a copy of this since its publication and have heard amazing things about it, and I think it's the hype that's made me hesitant to read it thus far but it sounds like it'll be a great autumnal read!

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho: I've owned this one for a while now and still haven't read it because, unfortunately, I haven't seen great reviews so far - I'm still very interested in it, though!

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Moreno-Garcia's debut, Signal to Noise, is one of my favourite novels and I really enjoyed her sophomore novel, Certain Dark Things, too. Now Moreno-Garcia's third novel is a Fantasy of Manners and I can't wait to dive into it!

A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain: I haven't seen the best reviews of this one, but it's about an FBI agent who finds herself in the 19th century after stumbling into a stairwell. Forced to adapt to the time period until she can work out how to get back to her own time, she can put her skills to good use when a young woman is murdered. I'm really intrigued by the idea of a modern day FBI agent dealing with a historical murder case.

Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng: Firstly, that cover is gorgeous, and secondly, this novel is about missionaries in the land of fae. Why wouldn't I want to read it?

Which books made your list this week?

Improving my #BAME Game

I've read 28 books so far this year, and only 4 of those 28 were written by non-white authors. Last year I read 97 books, and only 6 of them were written by non-white authors. Judging by my reading this year I'd exceed 6 non-white authors if I read 97 books, but one thing is certain: I need to improve my BAME game.

Why? Some might ask. Why make a conscious effort to read more BAME authors if you're naturally drawn to white authors? Are the authors really that good if you have to remind yourself to read them?

I don't like that train of thought. Isn't it awfully sad that so many white readers have to make an effort to read more BAME authors because they can't remember the last time they did? Isn't it awfully sad to have to make an effort to read them at all? Why aren't they as well known to us as our white authors? Is it because we're all racist?

Well, no. That's also unfair, and a ridiculous self-defense that many jump to when they feel like one person calling out the odd prejudice is akin to being labelled bigots. But we can be ignorant without being racist, and we can be ignorant while also being nice people. You might never consciously be racist, but you can still contribute to the issue without realising simply by not acknowledging that the reason you're only reading white authors isn't because 'only white authors can write'. (That is racist).

Anyhoo, below are a list of books by BAME authors I'd really like to try and read this year. Are any of them on your TBR?

I have read and loved the late, great Maya Angelou's 'Phenomenal Woman', which is probably one of my favourite poems, but I've never actually read a whole collection of hers. I picked up a copy of And Still I Rise on a whim last year, as I've been trying to read more poetry, and I'm really looking forward to reading it some time this year. I should have read it last year, it doesn't take me long to devour a poetry collection, so I'm determined to read it very soon.

Unlike the majority of the authors on this list, Salman Rushdie is an author I'm familiar with. In my first year of university I had to read Haroun and the Sea of Stories, and I loved it - if you're a fan of retellings you need to pick it up. Earlier this year I went to Florence, and ended up picking up The Enchantress of Florence in the Uffizi Gallery's gift shop because I couldn't not. I'm really looking forward to reading more of Rushdie's work, and I think reading a book set in Florence having been there will be wonderful.

I hadn't heard of Tan Twan Eng until last October when I came across The Gift of Rain in the Waterstones in Trafalgar Square. I didn't buy the book then, though I certainly considered it, and I kept thinking about it afterwards. Recently I finally picked up a copy and I'm looking forward to reading it; I've read so few books set in Asia, and I'm always interested in books that have mixed race protagonists.

I'm not totally unfamiliar with Octavia Butler. I actually started reading Kindred around this time last year, and I enjoyed it, but for some reason one day I put it down and didn't pick it back up. I want to read it properly this year because I've heard nothing but praise for Butler, and I'd like to read more science fiction and more historical fiction with poc protagonists.

Another author who's not a complete stranger to me, because last year I read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists which I really enjoyed. Now, though, I'd like to read some of her fiction and I've yet to hear a bad word about Americanah; I know very little about Nigeria, so I'd like to explore it through the work of someone who is Nigerian.

Somehow Stacey Lee's Under a Painted Sky managed to completely pass me by last year, and as someone who loves historical fiction, and especially loves historical fiction when it's told from the point of view of people history has forgotten, I had to rectify that immediately. I still have yet to read it (story of my life) but I'm looking forward to a historical road trip following two girls of colour posing as boys along the Oregon Trail.

I'd heard of Helen Oyeyemi, but I wasn't properly introduced to her until about a month ago when she appeared in a documentary about the Brontë sisters on the BBC. Lately her latest short story collection, What is Not Yours is Not Yours, has been everywhere, and when I saw how beautifully it had been published I couldn't resist picking up my own copy. I'm really looking forward to trying out Oyeyemi's work, and if I enjoy her short fiction I may try one of her novels.

I should have read Zen Cho by now. The lovely Mikayla @ Mikayla's Bookshelf and I decided to buddy read her debut, Sorcerer to the Crown, back in February and I completely failed at it because I suck at buddy reads. It's like as soon as I 'have to' read a book it's the last thing I want to read, and I wish I wasn't so stubborn. I will be reading it soon, though, because it's more historical fiction and a little bit of magic, too.

I've owned my copy of Battle Royale for years, so it's pretty appalling I still haven't read any of Koushun Takami's work. After dystopian fiction started appearing everywhere, and I wrote about the genre for my dissertation, I went off it, and I haven't really read any dystopia since. I think I'll need to be in the right mood for Battle Royale, but I'm determined to cross it off my TBR eventually.

My relationship with Chigozie Obioma is similar to my relationship with Octavia Butler and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; I started reading his debut, The Fishermen, last year, and then for whatever reason put it down and didn't pick it back up, but I'd like to finish it and read more fiction set in Nigeria from a Nigerian author. Plus if Obioma's debut can make the Man Booker shortlist, I look forward to seeing what his future career will bring.

Who are some of your favourite BAME authors?

Top Ten Tuesday | If I Could Turn Back Time

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant To Get To But Didn't'. While I thought I did a lot better at reading books that were released in 2015 in 2015, there were still a few that managed to slip by me because I got distracted by other books or I simply wasn't in the mood to read them. Hopefully I can cross them off my TBR soon!

Mistress Firebrand by Donna Thorland: This is the one I'm most ashamed to have not yet read, as the author very kindly contacted me and sent me an ARC. I kept meaning to read it, and for whatever reason I didn't get around to it. I really want to cross it off my TBR soon, because it sounds so fun!

The Hourglass Factory by Lucy Ribchester: Yet more historical fiction that I didn't get around to, which is pretty bad considering I've owned my copy of this for almost a year. Hopefully I'll get to it soon, because I don't think I've ever actually read anything about suffragettes. That's something I need to change.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab: I know, I know. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person left in the world who hasn't read this yet. I've owned it since it came out, I just haven't gotten to it yet, but with the second book coming out next month I'm hoping to read it soon!

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho: I love historical fiction that includes magic, and as I've mentioned before the entire focus of my MA was on the representation of minorities in historical fiction, so the fact that the sorcerer at the centre of this book is a poc is pretty darn cool. I didn't discover this one until the last couple of months of 2015, so I didn't get around to it, but I do have a very pretty copy I'm hoping to read soon.

The Lake House by Kate Morton: I haven't read any Kate Morton, but after watching this interview with her I've been very interested in reading her most recent novel. Hopefully I'll read it soon!

The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan: I also haven't read Kirsty Logan's most recent short story collection, A Portable Shelter, and I'm hoping to read both books as soon as I can. I don't think I've read any books that incorporate Scottish folklore and this one sounds very magical.

Resistance Is Futile by Jenny Colgan: I enjoy Colgan's contemporary, so when I heard she'd written a book described as Bridget Jones's Diary meets Independence Day I had to have it. I just haven't read it yet...

A Thousand Nights by E. K. Johnston: I received this gorgeous book from the lovely Mikayla @ Mikayla's Bookshelf for Christmas. It had been on my radar for a while, but it wasn't until I saw Natalie @ A Sea Change's review that I knew I wanted to read it. I can't wait to dive in - it sounds magical!

White Trash Zombie Gone Wild by Diana Rowland: Last year I read the first three books in the White Trash Zombie series and thoroughly enjoyed them, but I still have to read the fourth, How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back, and this, the fifth. I'm looking forward to them; they're such fun reads and I recommend them to anyone looking for a new urban fantasy series.

The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milan: This is about dinosaurs. Obviously I was going to get it. I just haven't been in the mood for it yet, but with the second book coming out this summer I'm hoping to read it in the first few months of this year.

Which books made your list this week?