Top Ten Tuesday | My Winter 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 a Thanksgiving freebie, so because I'm British and therefore don't celebrate Thanksgiving, and also just don't like the origin of the holiday (sorry America!), I'm going to talk about the books on my Winter TBR instead.

The majority of these are 2016 releases I want to read before the end of the year, along with a few seasonal reads!

The Muse by Jessie Burton: I read and loved Burton's debut, The Miniaturist (reviewed here!), last year, so it's pretty ridiculous that I haven't read this one yet. To be honest I just haven't been in the mood to pick it up yet, and I'm very much a mood reader, but I want to read it before the end of the year.

A Tyranny of Petticoats edited by Jessica Spotswood: I definitely should have read this anthology by now, especially as I love historical fiction about women which is what this collection is all about. I ended up DNFing the other YA anthology I tried this year so I'm hoping I like this one more.

The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss: I've heard nothing but brilliant things about this book and this author, and for someone who doesn't usually like covers with people on I think there's something so striking about this one.

The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann: A classic Christmas story I love but have never actually read, which is something I need to change!

The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman: I was surprised by just how chunky this collection of Gaiman's non-fiction is when I bought a copy, but I think it'll be a really interesting collection to dip in and out of during the winter months.

The Butcher's Hook by Janet Ellis: I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this when it first came out, it sounds fairly bizarre, but I've seen so many good reviews that I couldn't resist picking up a copy for myself and I'd really like to read it this year.

The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston: I'm pretty sure this is the third year in a row this book has been on my Winter TBR. It's an ideal winter read so I need to get to it this winter.

Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney: I read Penney's debut, The Tenderness of Wolves (reviewed here!), back in January and while I didn't fall completely in love with it I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since finishing it. Under a Pole Star is another book with a wintery setting, something Penney wrote brilliantly in her debut novel, and I think it's going to be a brilliant book to read this winter.

What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi: I have to be completely honest, the only reason I bought this is because it's a gorgeous book. I do love the sound of it, though! I read my first Oyeyemi novel this year and even though I sadly wasn't the biggest fan, I think I'll enjoy her style of writing much more in a story collection.

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry: I've started this one, and gotten about a quarter of a way through it, and while I've enjoyed what I've read it just hasn't grabbed me because I've been an absolutely rubbish reader this year. I want to finish it soon!

What did you talk about this week?

Review | Foxes Unearthed by Lucy Jones

Foxes Unearthed: A Story of Love and Loathing in Modern Britain

by Lucy Jones

My Rating: 

As one of the largest predators left in Britain, the fox is captivating: a comfortably familiar figure in our country landscapes; an intriguing flash of bright-eyed wildness in our towns.

Yet no other animal attracts such controversy, has provoked more column inches or been so ambiguously woven into our culture over centuries, perceived variously as a beautiful animal, a cunning rogue, a vicious pest and a worthy foe. As well as being the most ubiquitous of wild animals, it is also the least understood.

In Foxes Unearthed Lucy Jones investigates the truth about foxes in a media landscape that often carries complex agendas. Delving into fact, fiction, folklore and her own family history, Lucy travels the length of Britain to find out first-hand why these animals incite such passionate emotions, revealing our rich and complex relationship with one of our most loved – and most vilified – wild animals. This compelling narrative adds much-needed depth to the debate on foxes, asking what our attitudes towards the red fox say about us – and, ultimately, about our relationship with the natural world.

What's this? A book review? That's right, friends - I've actually read something! In fact, slowly but surely, I'm starting to read more.

As I'm taking part in Non-Fiction November this month I'm on a bit of a non-fiction kick, and I couldn't resist nabbing a copy of this new release.

If you're new to non-fiction (and considering I only really started reading it last year I'm certainly no connoisseur) then this would be a great place to start. Not only is it a fairly short book, but it's also very readable and feels as though it's been written from a place of real love; Jones isn't afraid to talk about her own experiences with foxes, from her childhood to the present day, but they're welcome additions to a book that easily could have become a book about statistics. Instead Jones is very fair; she loves foxes, but she doesn't villainise those who don't and she's not afraid to point out the flaws in those who idolise them.

Before this I hadn't read a non-fiction book about wildlife and now I'm keen to read more. If anyone has any recommendations for books on wildlife, preferably ones that include a bit of memoir or folklore or anything that doesn't make them too dry, please let me know!

One thing I must thank this book for is making me realise how much I love foxes. They really are beautiful creatures and I finished this book completely in awe of them; I'm not sure I know of any other creature that can adapt like the fox can. They're real survivors.

In fact this book taught me as much about myself as it did about foxes. Sounds cheesy, I know, but I went into this book expecting to be fascinated by the first chapter about how foxes have been represented in our stories from Aesop to Roald Dahl, which I was, and expecting to be a little bored or out of my depth with the following chapters, which I most certainly wasn't. I've come a long way considering I'd've been hugely intimidated by a book like this two or three years ago.

Not only that, but Foxes Unearthed helped me to see fox-hunting in a different way, too. Personally I am against fox-hunting; I think (literally) hounding a fox and then letting it be torn to pieces is cruel and completely unnecessary, and if foxes are such a threat to farming, which I really don't think they are, it should be up to farmers to both protect their own animals and deal with a fox problem in a humane way.

That being said, I'd never considered the social aspects of hunting before, or the fact that, for many, fox-hunting became something of a coping strategy after the First and Second World Wars. I'd also never considered that we may actually have fox-hunting to thank for the UK still having foxes now, as they've been kept around to hunt and therefore haven't disappeared like our wolves did. I'll never be a pro-hunting person, but I came out of this book a little less likely to think of those who are as dastardly men in red coats, twirling their mustaches.

Foxes Unearthed separates fact from fiction, studying the evolution of foxes in our stories and the cold hard facts, and delves into the worlds of the people who want to hunt them and the people who want to save them, both of which are worlds with pros and cons. Whether you're fascinated by foxes, wild for wildlife or completely new to the realm of non-fiction, I recommend picking up this book!

I've come away from Foxes Unearthed feeling like I've really learned something new, and I'll definitely be looking out for more of Jones's work in future.

Books to Encourage Acceptance and Equality

America has decided, and in doing so the country has taken one step forward and two steps back, electing a man who is a sexist, racist, ableist, transphobic, homophobic, xenophobic, power-hungry, nasty little man who, despite being a very wealthy businessman, can't afford a more natural looking toupee.

First Brexit and now this. 2016 is looking more and more like the beginning of a dystopian novel. I feel very disheartened today, and I'm frightened for the kind of world we now live in, where it's more acceptable to sexually assault women than it is to use the wrong email address, but I refuse to stop fighting, in the little ways I can, each and every day. If someone says something inappropriate I will forever call them out on it, however annoyed it makes them, and I will always shout out for what I believe to be right. I refuse to let hatred win.

And to all of my American friends, and all American people, who have woken up today feeling unsafe in the country they call home, I can only say I'm here for you - as are the rest of Britain's 48%.

So I'm not going to be gloomy today, instead I'm going to turn to what I always turn to when I'm feeling low: books. Today I'm going to share ten books with you, five I've read and five that are on my TBR, that encourage equality, acceptance and love above all things, because heaven knows we need it today of all days.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: A classic, yes, but a book we can still learn from. I only read this for the first time last year and I fell in love with it, I can understand why so many teachers get their students to read this in school. If more people were like Atticus Finch, the world would be a better place!

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley: Talley's heart-wrenching debut takes place in 1959, when black children were first admitted to previously all-white schools in the US, and focuses on the relationship that develops between two girls, one black and one white. It'll make you think, and given the current racial issues in the US I think it's an important book to read.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers: One of my favourite books of all time and one of the most hopeful books I've ever read. Chambers uses her sci-fi setting to explore race, gender, sexuality, war, peace, family units and what it means to be human. It's exquisite and you need to read it if you haven't already.

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Various Artists: A wonderful graphic novel series starring an American-Muslim girl written by an American-Muslim woman. Read it!

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: This is such a quick read that I think it should be required reading in schools worldwide. It's a wonderful introduction to feminism, particularly for anyone out there you know who keeps confusing feminism for misandry.

The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King: I'm planning to pick this up next, once I finish Lucy Jones's Foxes Unearthed, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm sure parts of it are going to be heartbreaking but I think it's an important book to read because I know so very little about the history of North America's indigenous people, and I'm very eager to learn.

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor: A novella I'm hoping to read very soon. It's giving me The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet vibes; I've heard wonderful things about Okorafor's stories and I'm really looking forward to the kind of cultures she's imagined in her sci-fi universe.

The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla: I had the pleasure of seeing Nikesh Shukla speak at the London Book Fair this year and this edited volume of essays written by immigrants has never been more necessary than it is right now. I've seen fantastic reviews and I'm hoping to get my hands on a copy soon.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson: A novel that takes place in a small English village where a retired British Major strikes up a friendship with a Pakistani shopkeeper over their shared love of literature. When their friendship turns into something more, it's up to him to stand up to the racism and xenophobia in their village. I've heard lovely things about this one.

Kaleidoscope edited by Alisa Krasnostein and Julia Rios: An anthology of diverse YA sci-fi and fantasy stories, featuring characters who are transgender, disabled, LGBT+ and poc.

Stay positive but be sad if you need to be sad. Ultimately, just remember that love trumps hate.

Non-Fiction November TBR

My reading's been rubbish this year, especially my non-fiction reading, so as this November sees the return of Gemma @ Non Fic Books and Olive @ abookolive's Non-Fiction November I figured it was best I join in!

Like last year there are four categories, but this year's categories are a bit different and a bit more open to interpretation.

New

This could mean you read something about a topic that is new to you, you read a recently published book or you read a book you've recently bought.

I've decided to go with Lucy Jones's Foxes Unearthed for this challenge. I bought it very recently and I believe it was published this year, but the main reason I picked it is because I've yet to read a non-fiction book about wildlife. This book sounds super interesting and I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Fascinating

Essentially the complete opposite of the New category. Fascinating is a chance for you to read a book about a topic you're already interested in or already know a lot about.

For me that's history books, so I'll be reading Fiona Maddocks' Hildegard of Bingen. I've always been interested in Hildegard so I'm looking forward to this biography and to learning a bit more about Medieval history.

Controversial

This is a category for books which can be deemed controversial, but aren't necessarily controversial. I guess to me controversial simply means a book about a topic that gets people talking, or at least gets them thinking.

For this challenge I'll be reading Mona Eltahawy's Headscarves and Hymens, which I've owned for a while now and still haven't read. Whether I agree with everything Eltahawy has to say here or not, I think this'll still be an interesting, eye-opening and important book to read.

Important

This category is for books which you deem to be important to read, a book you think you must read. 

I'm also challenging myself with Native American November this month, so my book for this category is Thomas King's The Inconvenient Indian. This is a book which discusses the history of North America's indigenous people, as well as the way Native Americans and First Nation Canadians are still being treated now. I think it's going to be heartbreaking, but so important to read.

Those are the four books I really want to get through this month, but I also have some other non-fiction books that I'd like to get to this month if I can:

Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race

by Margot Lee Shetterly

The Geek Feminist Revolution

by Kameron Hurley

Female Gothic Histories: Gender, History and the Gothic

by Diana Wallace

Reading Lolita in Tehran

by Azar Nafisi

Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own

by Kate Bolick

Woman Who Brings the Rain: A Memour of Hokkaido, Japan

by Eluned Gramich

The Lost Gardens of Heligan

by Tim Smit

Science in Wonderland: The Scientific Fairy Tales of Victorian Britain

by Melaine Keene

Losing Israel

by Jasmine Donahaye

Shakespeare

by Bill Bryson

Mary Boleyn: 'The Great and Infamous Whore'

by Alison Weir

The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn

by Alison Weir

Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen

by Tracy Borman

Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction

by Tracy Borman

How to be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Everyday Life

by Ruth Goodman

Have you read any of these, and if so are there any in particular you'd recommend? Are you taking part in Non-Fiction November this year?

Native American November | Announcement + TBR!

November is Native American Heritage Month!

I've been fascinated by Native American history since I read Celia Rees's Witch Child when I was around fourteen, and the older I grew the more I realised just how much western, European societies completely screwed over indigenous people around the world.

The worst thing is indigenous people are still being treated poorly; in fact one of America's most popular holidays is celebrated because Native Americans helped starving colonials and the settlers then repayed them by slaughtering them. Ah, good times.

I know very, very little about Native American history but it's something I'm constantly eager to learn more about. I've been meaning to do a reading challenge like this for a while now and there's no time like the present!

If you'd like to join in then please feel free! If you would like to join in, I've created three 'rules' to encourage reading that doesn't encourage oppression, white-washing or victimisation. Naturally books that feature horrible moments in history are likely to be read during a reading challenge like this, but I'd like it to be a primarily positive and eye-opening experience.

1) Read a book written by a Native American author. Someone like Sherman Alexie or Thomas King, for example! Someone who's as white as milk but whose great great grandmother was Native American doesn't count.

2) Read a book with a Native American protagonist. Something like Celia Rees's Sorceress or Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

3) Read a book with Native American characters. These are books in which the protagonist may not be Native American, but there are characters in the book who are Native American and who also have agency. The Twilight books would fit into this category, as would Stef Penney's The Tenderness of Wolves.

You don't have to do any of these challenges to take part, I don't want this to come across as some strict reading challenge if it is something you want to do, I can only suggest that, if you do want to take part, you read books that don't exoticise America's indigenous people or treat them as punching bags with no agency. Don't do what Joe Wright did when he cast Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily...

So what'll I be reading? Well there are a few books I own I've yet to get to, and now seems like the perfect time to gobble them up! I don't know if I'll get to all of them, though I hope I do, because I'm going to try and take part in a few other reading challenges this month too, but I'm certainly going to try.

I'd be a hypocrite if my TBR didn't match my own rules, so I've got a book for each. I've been meaning to read more Geraldine Brooks since I read and enjoyed Year of Wonders which, like Caleb's Crossing, is a fictionalised account of a true event. Caleb's Crossing is based on the first Native American student to graduate from Harvard in 1665; while the student himself isn't our protagonist he's still a very important character, and instead our protagonist is Bethia Mayfield, the daughter of a Puritan minister whose childhood friendship with Caleb, a local chieftain's son, ends up with her following him to college as his housekeeper. It's Bethia's father who sends Caleb to college, intending to prove that 'savages' can be 'civilised', and Bethia's forced to watch her friend receive the education her own sex deprives her of.

Joseph Boyden's The Orenda has three protagonists, two of whom are Native Americans. Or I suppose I should say Native Canadians, given that Canada is actually the setting of this novel, but I'm still going to count them as part of this challenge for no other reason than that it wasn't actually North America's indigenous population who decided Canada and the United States were separate countries so... Anyway, I've yet to read any Joseph Boyden but I've heard nothing but good things, particularly about this novel. It's quite chunky but I'm looking forward to diving into it!

I mentioned Thomas King above and unlike the other books on my TBR The Inconvenient Indian is a piece of non-fiction, and another book I've heard nothing but praise for. Thomas King is a Native American writer who, through this book, explores the history of North America's indigenous population, the way indingeous people are still treated now, and even how Native Americans are portrayed in the media. I think it's going to be a heart-breaking read, but an importand and informative one. If I can only get to one of these books this month, I hope it's this one.

I'll be back in a few days with some recommendations for anyone interested in joining me for this reading challenge, and if not I hope you look forward to any reviews or discussions I post throughout November!

Top Ten Tuesday | Witch, Please

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 a Halloween freebie, so I thought I'd share my favourite fictional witches with you!

Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling: We all know this girl was going to make my list. I love Luna and Ginny and Tonks and so many other HP ladies, too, but Hermione speaks to my inner nerd; she never plays dumb to impress anyone and she's a darn good witch.

Sabrina Spellman from Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003): I grew up in the '90s and always watched this show when I came home from school. I loved Sabrina the Teenage Witch. It's so much fun - and funny! - and I spent a lot of time wishing I had a cat like Salem. What I loved most about Sabrina was that, despite all the magic, her struggles were still the usual struggles teenagers find themselves facing, from homework to bullying to boyfriends.

Mildred Hubble from The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy: Before Harry Potter, I read The Worst Witch. I can clearly remember being given some of the books for one of my birthdays from my Nana and, like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, I loved the TV series. Poor Mildred's rather hopeless, but you certainly can't fault the girl for trying! That's what I love about her; she makes a mistake, then she gets back up, dusts herself off, and tries again.

Winifred, Mary and Sarah Sanderson from Hocus Pocus (1993): I know these three are the villains but they're SO MUCH FUN. I adore Hocus Pocus, I watched it so many times when I was a child, and Bette Midler's rendition of 'I Put a Spell On You' will always be my favourite.

Sally and Gillian Owens from Practical Magic (1998): I know Practical Magic is also a book, but I'm afraid I'm only familiar with the film. The first time I watched it I didn't like it that much, but then I watched it again and ended up loving it. It's not the best film in the world - it's a little cheesy and, ultimately, very '90s - but what I love most about it is that the love at the centre of it all is the love between these two sisters, and to me that's what witchcraft should be about. Witchcraft is covens and sisterhood, by blood or not, and this film understands that.

Ursula from The Little Mermaid (1989): I know, another villain, but Ursula's just fabulous, and she's the only sea witch on the list! She has one of the best Disney villain songs in my opinion (though I think Be Prepared is my favourite) and, like the Sanderson sisters, she's so much fun. It's easy to like witches like them because we know they're going to be defeated, even though it's freaking terrifying that Ursula shrinks merpeople down when they can't pay up and then eats them. I considered putting Maleficent on this list purely because she's one of the few Disney villains who genuinely terrified me as a child, but while I think Sleeping Beauty is beautiful it's never been one of my favourite Disney movies; I'm a child of the '90s, so I love Ursula a little more.

Eglantine Price from Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971): Bedknobs and Broomsticks is one of the most underrated Disney films in my opinion, and it's also one of my favourites. Like Practical Magic this was a book first but I'm afraid I'm only familiar with the film starring the fantastic Angela Lansbury. Eglantine is almost an adult Mildred Hubble - she's constantly turning people into rabbits when she means to turn them into toads - the big difference is she's being taught by a magician who doesn't believe in magic, so he gets something of a shock when he discovers that when she casts his spells, they work. Honestly what isn't there to love about a witch who fights Nazis?

Liza Hempstock from The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: Neil Gaiman's one of my favourite authors and The Graveyard Book has to be my favourite book of his (with American Gods a very close second) because of its characters. I adore Bod, I adore Silas, I adore Miss Lupescu and I adore Liza Hempstock - in fact she's quite possibly my favourite character in the book. Bod is taught to fear the unmarked grave just outside the cemetery, buried in unconsecrated ground, but it turns out to be the unmarked grave of a teenage girl executed for being a witch. The fact that all she wants is a gravestone breaks my heart a little and I love her.

Mary Newbury from Witch Child by Celia Rees: I had to include Mary on this list because Witch Child is the book that really got me into witches, not only in fiction but also in terms of European and North American history. 

Meche from Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: One of my favourite heroines from one of my favourite books. If you want to read about witchcraft that's a little different then you need to read Signal to Noise, because not only is it set (refreshingly) in Mexico, as opposed to all the British and American witch stories out there, but Meche learns to cast magic with her vinyl records. I just adore her.

What did you talk about this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | My Autumn TBR(s)

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 books on our Autumn TBR. I love the autumn; it's the beginning of my favourite quarter of the year, all the way up to the New Year, and today I have twenty books to share with you, split into four little TBRs. I have a general autumn TBR, which has accidentally ended up entirely being historical fiction set in the 19th century, a Halloween TBR, a Black History Month TBR and a Sci-Fi Month TBR!

In other words, this is a big pile of books I'd like to try and get through in the next couple of months! I like to try and read spooky books on the run up to Halloween, but October is also Black History Month here in the UK so I'd like to read some of the black authors on my shelves because frankly the amount of black writers I have read is abysmal. Then in November it's the return of Rinn @ Rinn Reads' Sci-Fi Month, so I have some science fiction I'd like to try and cross off my TBR, too!

I'm usually not good with TBRs, but I'm going to be as casual as I like with this one. If I only read one book from each list that'll be fine by me.

Apologies for this humungous post today, but I'd also like to take a quick moment to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. I really appreciate all the lovely things you said and I feel like I'm ready to ease back into blogging!

Now on with the TBR!

His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet: This historical novel is on this year's Man Booker shortlist and is recommended to fans of Hannah Kent's Burial Rites, which just so happens to be a novel I adore. I love reading darker stories when the autumn comes around and the story of a murder certainly sounds dark.

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho: I was supposed to read this with the lovely Mikayla @ Mikayla's Bookshelf back in February but I failed miserably. I really want to cross this book off my TBR, though!

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue: I've yet to read any Emma Donoghue despite owning  a copy of The Sealed Letter but I think her most recent novel sounds fascinating, and as it's a historical novel set in 19th century Ireland I'm hoping it'll satisfy me until the publication of Hannah Kent's The Good People in February.

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry: I've started this one already and enjoyed what I read so far, but I put it on hold because I think its atmosphere will make for a perfect autumn read!

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman: This was a Christmas present from my friend Natalie @ A Sea Change who I know loves this series, so it's about time I got around to reading it.

Things Half in Shadow by Alan Finn: I love stories involving spiritualism, especially the spiritualism that became so popular during the 19th century, and I've owned this book for a while now. I meant to read it last Halloween and didn't get to it, so I'm hoping I can cross it off my TBR this year!

The Lifted Veil by George Eliot: Yet more Victorian spiritualism, this time written during the Victorian era by one of my favourite authors of the time. I've got a soft spot for George Eliot because it was reading Silas Marner when I was eighteen that made me realise my love for Victorian Literature. I'd never actually heard of this little novella until I stumbled upon it in an independent bookshop in Cornwall and I think it'll be something fun to read one spooky evening.

The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill: The lovely Mikayla @ Mikayla's Bookshelf was kind enough to send me this last Christmas when she discovered my love for Victorian era ghost stories. I've been saving it for Halloween and I can't wait to get to it!

The Haunted Hotel by Wilkie Collins: I actually own a copy of The Haunted Hotel on my kindle, which I picked up for free, but I couldn't resist this cool, Alfred Hitchcockian looking edition which I found in this independent bookshop in Wales. Wilkie Collins is another of my favourite classic authors (I adore The Moonstone which is thought to be the very first detective novel) so it's about time I pick up something else for his and, compared to some of his other work, this is a little shorter.

The Vanishing Witch by Karen Maitland: I have yet to read any Karen Maitland which is particularly bad for someone like me who loves historical fiction. So many of her books sound wonderful but there's something about The Vanishing Witch that particularly calls to me at this time of year, even if it is one of her chunkier books!

Mr. Fox and White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi: I also own Oyeyemi's latest book, her collection What is Not Yours is Not Yours, but I'd really like to try one of her novels first and both of these sound fantastic, plus White is for Witching sounds like an ideal Halloween read, too!

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: I'm glad I've at least read a little Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie before with We Should All Be Feminists, but I desperately need to check out her novels and I've heard nothing but fantastic things about this one.

The Book of Memory by Petina Gappah: After reading Emily Urquhart's Beyond the Pale last year I've been wanting to read a novel with a person with albinism as the protagonist. I'm fascinated by stories told by characters in prison but all the ones I've read so far have been set in Europe so it'd be interesting to read a story set in Zimbabwe instead.

Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay: Jackie Kay is the current National Poet of Scotland and I've heard nothing but wonderful things about this, her memoir, which tells the story of her search for her birth parents.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: I think I'm the only person left who hasn't read this book, and as I've yet to hear a bad review I really want to get to it this November!

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: Yet another sci-fi book I've heard nothing but wonderful things about and still haven't read. This is one of my closest friend's favourite books so I'd like to check it out soon.

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is one of my favourite novels of all time so I can't wait to get my copy of this!

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler: Octavia Butler is pretty famous for her science fiction, particularly Kindred, but I've heard some amazing things about Dawn that really make me want to read it this November.

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor: Nnedi Okorafor is another author whose work I keep meaning to read, and considering this little novella won a Hugo and a Nebula Award this year I think it's time I read it!

Which books made your list this week?