My 2016 MUST read list

I've given up on "to-read" lists, those random lists of tons of books that I rarely actually get to. Or those reading goals where you try to read a certain amount of books. Both have their place, and can be great but my needs are a bit bigger this time around.

See, life has been a bit crazy and my reading has suffered. Ever since I had a baby I've been reading less and I want that to change. There are some books that I keep hearing about but never get around to reading. Even some I have sitting on my shelf (or e-reader), already bought and ready. So I've decided to try a new approach at reading goals.

So I've spent the last two days compiling a list.  Books that I've heard a lot about, or books that people have compared to my own novel to, or awesome sounding 2016 books, or books by friends/Pitch Wars mentors, plus a few recs I received from twitter.

I ended up with 36 books. (which still leaves me a bit of space to pull from my regular, low pressure, to-read list!)

And the books are.....

 The same list on goodreads for easy following and adds: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/38978972?shelf=will-read-in-2016

So here are my rules:
- I have to get to them all by the end of 2016 (this is starting now, so I'm a month behind the year reading goals)
- I don't have to finish them all. I'm not the kind of person to keep reading even if I don't like a book. But I have to read at least 50 pages, if it's a physical book, or 25% if it's an ebook before I can cross it off. I'm pretty sure I won't have too much of a problem with not finishing these books though. I doubt there are many duds in this list!
-I'll update here every once in a while, to say which books I've crossed off my list, how/why they made my list, and how I felt about them.  


I most definitely have an awesome year of reading ahead of me. I'm super excited to get started!

What's on your to-read list? Have you ever done a "must read" list? How did it go?

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Cover Reveal! Library Jumpers by the fantastic Brenda Drake!

Library Jumpers

by Brenda Drake

Release Date: January 2016

Entangled Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Gia Kearns would rather fight with boys than kiss them. That is, until Arik, a leather clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum, suddenly disappears. While examining the book of world libraries he abandoned, Gia unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a photograph and transports them into a Paris library, where Arik and his Sentinels—magical knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books—rescue them from a demonic hound.

Jumping into some of the world's most beautiful libraries would be a dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t busy resisting her heart or dodging an exiled wizard seeking revenge on both the Mystik and human worlds. Add a French flirt obsessed with Arik and a fling with a young wizard, and Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik's world and her own, before both are destroyed.

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Brenda Drake, the youngest of three children, grew up an Air Force brat and the continual new kid at school until her family settled in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Brenda’s fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales,which gave her a strong love for storytelling. So it was only fitting that she would choose to write young adult and middle grade novels witha bend toward the fantastical. When Brenda’s not writing or doing the social media thing, she’s haunting libraries, bookstores,and coffee shops or reading someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

Author Links:

   

Cover Reveal Organized by:

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