Hey guys! As I mentioned in a post awhile back, I thought I might start doing some bookish posts on here since I wasn’t ready enough to start a Booktube channel on YouTube (you can read the full explanation on my post titled “New Series”)! I’m super excited for these posts, and to kick things off, I’m going to be starting with a little TBR (To Be Read) list for the month of June! Now, I don’t really do all that good with TBR lists, but I like to have a little “outline”, if you will, of options. June will be a busy month with summer school and taking on some new piano students, but I plan on reading a lot! Take a look! (MAJOR spoiler warnings!)

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis:

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier’s protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin’s Mistborn skills sharp, but it’s the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn’t run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier’s crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won’t get easier with three armies – one of them composed of ferocious giants – now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler’s hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

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Y’all, I wish I could have gotten into Brandon Sanderson’s book a whole lot sooner, because boy have I found myself a new favorite author! I began reading his books a few years back, starting with The Way of Kings. Younger me was fascinated with such a large brick of a book (and I still am!), but I found it hard to trudge through it. It was recently that I realized that Sanderson’s books take place in the same universe, and I was told I would be better off beginning with the Mistborn series.

My gosh, is this series good. Presently, I am still trying to get up the guts to listen to the end of the audio version of The Final Empire, but after such a horrendous character death, I needed a bit of a break. Anyhow, I hope to listen to the second book in the series, The Well of Ascension, because if it’s anything like the first, I know it’ll be amazing!

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne

Genre: Adventure Fiction

Synopsis: After hijacking a balloon from a Confederate camp, a band of five northern prisoners escapes the American Civil War. Seven thousand miles later, they drop from the clouds onto an uncharted volcanic island in the Pacific. Through teamwork, scientific knowledge, engineering, and perseverance, they endeavor to build a colony from scratch. But this island of abundant resources has its secrets. The castaways discover they are not alone. A shadowy, yet familiar, agent of their unfathomable fate is watching.

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This was a little of a decision I made on a whim. Awhile back I did the free trial for Audible and, for whatever reason, this was the book I chose. Now, I have nothing against Jules Verne. He was my favorite author when I was a kid, and my favorite book was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. However, when I began listening to this way back when, I was horribly bored with it. But I plan to go back and see it through this month!

Gifted Hands by Ben Carson, M.D.

Genre: Drama

Synopsis: Gifted Hands by and about Ben Carson, M.D., is the inspiring story of an inner-city kid with poor grades and little motivation, who, at age thirty-three, became director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Gifted Hands will transport you into the operating room to witness surgeries that made headlines around the world, and into the private mind of a compassionate, God-fearing physician who lives to help others. In 1987, Dr. Carson gained worldwide recognition for his part in the first successful separation of Siamese twins joined at the back of the head — an extremely complex and delicate operation that was five months of planning and twenty-two hours of actual surgery, involving a surgical plan that Carson helped initiate. Gifted Hands reveals a man with humility, decency, compassion, courage, and sensitivity who serves as a role model for young people (and everyone else) in need of encouragement to attempt the seemingly impossible and to excel in whatever they attempt. Dr. Carson also describes the key role that his highly intelligent though relatively uneducated mother played in his metamorphosis from an unmotivated ghetto youngster into one of the most respected neurosurgeons in the world.

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I was SUPER excited to receive this as a gift from my piano teacher! I saw the movie and loved it to pieces, and I can’t wait to get into the book! I don’t read a lot of memoirs or things like that, but I know it’s something I’ll enjoy!

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon Fable by Adrienne Young

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Synopsis:

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

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I am sort of a sucker for romance, but I’ve been putting this book off for far too long. I meant to read it in February, but things got chaotic with school at the sudden winter storms, so I never got around to it. I know that this one will be more of an emotional read, which often times I enjoy, but they also make me hesitant! However, I think I will like this book a lot!

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart

Synopsis:

Walking his two young children to school every morning, Thad Carhart passes an unassuming little storefront in his Paris neighborhood. Intrigued by its simple sign—Desforges Pianos—he enters, only to have his way barred by the shop’s imperious owner.

Unable to stifle his curiosity, he finally lands the proper introduction, and a world previously hidden is brought into view. Luc, the atelier’s master, proves an indispensable guide to the history and art of the piano. Intertwined with the story of a musical friendship are reflections on how pianos work, their glorious history, and stories of the people who care for them, from amateur pianists to the craftsmen who make the mechanism sing. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is at once a beguiling portrait of a Paris not found on any map and a tender account of the awakening of a lost childhood passion.

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This was another gift from my piano teacher, and I had never heard of it before until then! I don’t know what on earth to expect from it, but if it’s about pianos, you better know I’m going to read it!

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Genre: Contemporary/Mystery

Synopsis: It all begins with a fugitive billionaire and the promise of a cash reward. Turtles All the Way Down is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

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I became really interested in this book when I found out the main character had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder! As someone with OCD, I was excited to see in represented in fiction! Also, it’s a mystery, so that has me hooked as well!

The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis:

Prince North’s home is in the sky, in a gleaming city held aloft by intricate engines, powered by technology. Nimh is the living goddess of her people on the Surface, responsible for providing answers, direction—hope.

North’s and Nimh’s lives are entwined—though their hearts can never be. Linked by a terrifying prophecy and caught between duty and fate, they must choose between saving their people or succumbing to the bond that is forbidden between them.

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I had had my eye on this book for quite awhile until I finally picked it up on a trip to the bookstore. The cover is SO PRETTY, and I get serious Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword vibes from it, so I can’t wait to pick it up! It’s a pretty hefty book, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to read it this month!

As Old as Time by Liz Braswell

Genre: Retelling

Synopsis:

When Belle touches the Beast’s enchanted rose, memories flood through Belle’s mind — memories of a mother she thought she would never see again. And, stranger still, she sees that her mother is none other than the beautiful enchantress who cursed the castle and all its inhabitants.

Shocked and confused, Belle and the Beast will have to unravel a dark mystery about their families that is 21 years in the making.

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This post has taken me SO LONG to finally get out, since I’ve been visiting with family, that by the time of me writing this I have just finished this book. And I wasn’t impressed. At all. More on that in a future post talking about what all I managed to read this month, so keep an eye out for that!

American Royals by Katharine McGee

Genre: Alternative History

Synopsis:

When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne.

As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling.

Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her.

And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.

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I feel like I’ve had this book forever, and it’s high time I read it! I really like the thought of an alternate history, especially when it involves a monarchy, so I’m hoping to get to this book this month!

Dune by Frank Herbert

Genre: Science Fiction

Synopsis: Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for…

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream. 

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Someone pray for me because I’ve been trying to get into this FOREVER! Dune is a highly popular Science Fiction book that has been turned into unsuccessful movies, but now that the newest movie adaptation of this book is coming out, I want to get it read so I can go see it. I’m quite a bit into it by now, and I have to say that, though it is a tough book to read, I am enjoying it!

So that’s all of them! Of course, this is just a little list I can refer to when choosing my next book, so In my next bookish post where I’ll be discuss what I actually read this month, there’ll definitely be books on it that weren’t on this list. I really need to step up my reading game if I want to make it to 100 books this year, so wish me luck!

What are you reading this month? Let me know in the comments below! God bless you all, and have a wonderful week!

Note: The next Unlikely Prince update will be coming on June 19th. I will be covering E3 this week, so the next Inspiring Characters has been pushed out until next week. Thank you for your patience!

The synopsises were taken from Goodreads