Books I Want To Read This Winter

Hi everyone! I feel like this is a bit of a late post, especially since we’re already halfway through June. Nonetheless, I thought I’d bring you a post today featuring some of the books I’m hoping to read in Winter.

I was in quite a slump from April-May and only read about 4 books in each month. So far in June I’ve already finished 5 books, but I’m not sure how the rest of winter is going to go. The store I work at is closing down at the end of this month, so I’m also going to have time to read in between searching for a new job, so we’ll see how that goes!

This isn’t going to be all of the books I’m hoping to read, it’ll just be the top few I’ve either been meaning to read for a while or new releases I’m really excited for that I just need to read in the coming months!

WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI by Sandhya Menon

A laugh-out-loud, heartfelt YA romantic comedy, told in alternating perspectives, about two Indian-American teens whose parents have arranged for them to be married.

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

I went out and bought this when it was released in May, but June is Pride Month and I’m only reading books with LGBTQIA+ rep in June so I have to wait for this one. This was one of my most anticipated books of the whole year, so to say I really want to read it ASAP is an understatement. I’ve heard so so many good things about this one already from people who read both advanced copies and finished copies and I’m sure I’m going to love this!

TASH HEARTS TOLSTOY by Kathryn Ormsbee

After a shout-out from one of the Internet’s superstar vloggers, Natasha “Tash” Zelenka finds herself and her obscure, amateur web series, Unhappy Families, thrust into the limelight: She’s gone viral.

Her show is a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina—written by Tash’s literary love Count Lev Nikolayevich “Leo” Tolstoy. Tash is a fan of the forty thousand new subscribers, their gushing tweets, and flashy Tumblr GIFs. Not so much the pressure to deliver the best web series ever.

And when Unhappy Families is nominated for a Golden Tuba award, Tash’s cyber-flirtation with Thom Causer, a fellow award nominee, suddenly has the potential to become something IRL—if she can figure out how to tell said crush that she’s romantic asexual.

Tash wants to enjoy her newfound fame, but will she lose her friends in her rise to the top? What would Tolstoy do?

This is another new release that I’m really excited for! I haven’t read many books with asexual rep, which is something I want to change. This sounds like a really cute, fun read and I’ve heard amazing things from ownvoices reviewers! Hopefully I’ll get around to reading this by the end of June, otherwise I’ll try to read it in July!

SAINTS AND MISFITS by S.K. Ali

How much can you tell about a person just by looking at them?

Janna Yusuf knows a lot of people can’t figure out what to make of her…an Arab Indian-American hijabi teenager who is a Flannery O’Connor obsessed book nerd, aspiring photographer, and sometime graphic novelist is not exactly easy to put into a box.

And Janna suddenly finds herself caring what people think. Or at least what a certain boy named Jeremy thinks. Not that she would ever date him—Muslim girls don’t date. Or they shouldn’t date. Or won’t? Janna is still working all this out.

While her heart might be leading her in one direction, her mind is spinning in others. She is trying to decide what kind of person she wants to be, and what it means to be a saint, a misfit, or a monster. Except she knows a monster…one who happens to be parading around as a saint…Will she be the one to call him out on it? What will people in her tightknit Muslim community think of her then?

First of all, can we talk about that beautiful cover?! I’m so in love. Second of all, this sounds like it’s going to be so so good and I’ve already heard so many amazing things from people who’ve read it! I haven’t read enough books with Muslim rep- let alone Muslim rep written by a Muslim author- so I’m really really excited to hopefully jump into this new release soon!

THE FINAL EMPIRE by Brandon Sanderson

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with colour once more?
In Brandon Sanderson’s intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage— Allomancy, a magic of the metals.

This book has been sitting on my TBR for legitimately 3 years. I NEED TO READ IT ALREADY. I’m kind of intimidated by adult fantasy though, so I keep putting this off. I just need to sit down and read it and see how I go. I’m currently reading an adult sci-fi that I was intimidated by, but I’m finding that I’m reading it so much quicker than I expected, so hopefully that will give me some motivation to read this. I also know I’m going to love it because I haven’t heard anything bad from anyone, but I just don’t know why I haven’t read it yet ugh.

SHADOW RUN by Adrianne Strickland & Michael Miller

Nev has just joined the crew of the starship Kaitan Heritage as the cargo loader. His captain, Qole, is the youngest-ever person to command her own ship, but she brooks no argument from her crew of orphans, fugitives, and con men. Nev can’t resist her, even if her ship is an antique.

As for Nev, he’s a prince, in hiding on the ship. He believes Qole holds the key to changing galactic civilization, and when her cooperation proves difficult to obtain, Nev resolves to get her to his home planet by any means necessary.

But before they know it, a rival royal family is after Qole too, and they’re more interested in stealing her abilities than in keeping her alive.

Nev’s mission to manipulate Qole becomes one to save her, and to survive, she’ll have to trust her would-be kidnapper. He may be royalty, but Qole is discovering a deep reservoir of power–and stars have mercy on whoever tries to hurt her ship or her crew.

I only got this in the mail a few days ago so I almost feel bad for wanting to read this so soon, but I’ve heard amazing things about it from a trusted friend who’s read it, and I’m really in a sci-fi mood lately so I want to read this sooner or later! I think this is a relatively new release, but I haven’t seen much hype about it so I’m hoping I enjoy it!

WANT by Cindy Pon

Jason Zhou survives in a divided society where the elite use their wealth to buy longer lives. The rich wear special suits that protect them from the pollution and viruses that plague the city, while those without suffer illness and early deaths. Frustrated by his city’s corruption and still grieving the loss of his mother, who died as a result of it, Zhou is determined to change things, no matter the cost.

With the help of his friends, Zhou infiltrates the lives of the wealthy in hopes of destroying the international Jin Corporation from within. Jin Corp not only manufactures the special suits the rich rely on, but they may also be manufacturing the pollution that makes them necessary.

Yet the deeper Zhou delves into this new world of excess and wealth, the more muddled his plans become. And against his better judgment, Zhou finds himself falling for Daiyu, the daughter of Jin Corp’s CEO. Can Zhou save his city without compromising who he is or destroying his own heart?

This is another very new release that was one of my most anticipated. I’ve been wanting to read a Cindy Pon book for soooo long but I just haven’t gotten around to doing it yet. This is the perfect opportunity because as I said previously, I’ve been in a huge sci-fi mood lately so I want to try to read this sooner rather than later! This is another one of those books that I’ve heard amazing things from reviewers who read advance copies, and that always makes me all the more excited to read it.

Discussion

There we have the top 6 books I’m hoping to read this winter! I’m a bit of a mood reader, so I’m not sure when exactly I’ll get to all of those books, but I’m hoping to get to at least 4 of them! Have you set yourself any goals for the winter? What are your top books you’re hoping to read over the next two and a half months?

Thanks for reading!