everything i want to read this winter

There are twenty-five books on this winter TBR. Will I read all of them? Probably. Will I read them all this winter? Probably not.

I’m a mood reader. I thought I wasn’t. I used to have spreadsheets planning out months in advance. What a waste of time that was the next time I saw something shiny and new in the shop.

Books not included on the winter TBR are surprises for projects I am working on (you’ll find out) and rereads. My fatal flaw is I reread books as a means of procrastination from getting to the overwhelming TBR pile.

You’re a reader. You get it. I’m not insane. Everything is fine.

So, here is a list of everything I want to read this winter and probably won’t, but it’ll be fun to laugh at myself in six months anyway. I’ve separated the twenty-five books into sections:

Fantasy
Science Fiction
Other Fiction
Non-fiction

Fantasy Winter TBR

Gatebound by Daniel T. Jackson

Gatebound will be Daniel T. Jackson’s third book in The Illborn Saga and I rave about this series a lot. The official release date is February 28th 2025, so you have plenty of time to read Illborn and Aiduel’s Sin before then.

Don’t read this. Just do it now. You can thank me later.

Anyway, I’m hoping to get an arc for this and while I wait I will be rereading the two books currently out.

Yes, rereading. I told you it’s my fatal flaw.

I don’t have space to tell you all about the series, so check out my guest post over on FanFiAddict: Why You Should Read Daniel T. Jackson’s ‘The Illborn Saga’.

I also have spoiler-free reviews of Illborn and Aiduel’s Sin on The Fantasy Review.

Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill

Everyone is just fucking talking about this series and they won’t stop. I tried to ignore the hype. Another big fantasy series that will take months to finish? My TBR is long enough.

So, I bought all the books. They were on sale. Sue me.

Of Blood and Fire is the first book in The Bound and the Broken series by Ryan Cahill. He’s like the Brandon Sanderson of the indie fantasy world: big books, big fanbase.

A guest writer wrote this fantastic Beginner’s Guide to The Bound and the Broken which I have had to reread recently in preparation.

Beyond Redemption by Michael R. Fletcher

This book has been on my TBR longer than I’ve known what that acronym meant. It’s a grimdark fantasy novel that I think dives into themes of religion, corruption, power, etc.

It’s got gods and insane priests. I’m in.

Matt’s Fantasy Book Reviews did a great review of Beyond Redemption not too long ago which has bumped it back to the top of the winter TBR.

Blood Song by Anthony Ryan

Blood Song is the first book in the Raven’s Shadow trilogy by Anthony Ryan. Almost universally no one likes the other two books, so it’s basically a standalone, right?

A story about a young boy who grew up with The Brothers of the Sixth Order (a crazy group of warriors), I’m hoping that Blood Song is just the kind of fantasy book I am looking for.

House of Chains by Steven Erikson

I have reread Gardens of the Moon (Malazan book 1) three times and am on the fourth reread. I have read Deadhouse Gates twice, and Memories of Ice only once.

I love these books. I just can’t get past the first few and I don’t know why.

Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen is a series I want to finish one day, if I can stop rereading them for just one fucking moment.

Previously I have gotten to just over the 50% mark of House of Chains, so the aim is to get back to that point and keep going.

Science Fiction Winter TBR

Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany

If I don’t read Babel-17 by at least March 2025, I will be very surprised. It’s a classic science fiction book about language, aliens, and war – what else do you need to know?

We follow poet and linguist Rydra Wong whose job it is to translate an alien language, or something, and this just gives me shivers. It’s the best kind of sci-fi!

Have you seen Arrival? If you watched that movie and didn’t like it, I don’t think our tastes align. If you watched that movie and loved it, here’s a book recommendation.

You’re welcome. Now I need to read it.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Ugh. Did I enjoy the new movies? Yeah. Do I remember them? Not really.

This is probably the least likely to be read on the entire winter TBR. I tried to read Dune two years ago and got 40% into it.

There’s nothing bad about the book. I actually really enjoyed it. But there are just so many other great stories I want to read and I know this one.

Sure, the book revolutionised a genre back in 1965. That’s a long time for other people to take those ideas and make modern stories based on similar themes.

Do any of them do it better? Maybe not.

Anyway, I do want to read Dune all the way through. Finally. Just so I can call it overrated and not be (rightly) accused of not reading it.

Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio

Like The Bound and the Broken, this is a book and series the corners of the internet I chill out in absolutely hype the shit out of.

This has been sold to me as an epic science fiction novel (with elements of fantasy). It is written from the perspective of a legendary figure who is telling their story to some kind of chronicler, like the Kingkiller books.

I can struggle with that kind of narrative framing in fiction, but I’m willing to give Empire of Silence a go because of all the great reviews. Plus, Kingiller is overrated, but it’s also brilliant and I’m glad I read it.

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

After reading Children of Time, I decided not to read any more from that trilogy.

I loved the book but wanted the story to remain a standalone in my mind. The effect it had on me remains untarnished by sequels (even if they are good).

However, I still wanted to read more books by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Luckily, there are fucking load of them. I went with Shards of Earth, the first book in The Final Architecture trilogy as I figured it would be the closest in tone.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet has been sold to me as a cosy romp through space with some great queer representation.

That’s all I needed to know. Bought it.

It’s surprising that I haven’t read much sci-fi or fantasy with a huge amount of queer representation, so I’m trying to get these books injected into my brain when I can.

I mean, I’m actually queer. What the fuck am I doing?

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

I’m only reading Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein because I loved Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War so much.

Does that make sense?#

Check out: Review of The Forever War and my Beginner’s Guide to The Forever War.

These two books apparently have very different takes on the tone and atmosphere of the same themes. As an interesting comparison between them, I need to read Heinlein’s novel.

Plus it’s a classic of the genre, blah, blah, blah. Read books because they sound cool and they interest you, not because you “should” or whatever bullshit someone is selling.

Mockingbird by Walter Tevis

The Queen’s Gambit is not a science fiction novel, but as someone who is now over two-years sober, I adored the portrayal of addiction in the story. Walter Tevis is a fantastic writer and I intend on reading all of his books.

Starting with: Mockingbird.

This is a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, science fiction novel in a world where humans are dying. The humans who are not dead spend their lives hooked on narcotics.

Following on from the theme of addiction explored in The Queen’s Gambit, I’m excited to see what can be done with the same theme using science fiction to look at it in a different way.

Other Fiction

The Pairing by Casey McQuinston

I read One Last Stop the other year and really enjoyed it. The writing style was casual and easy to get into.

You need something to read now and again that isn’t going to make you think too much. Plus, have you read the blurb? This shit is insane and I’m here for it:

Two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they’re over each other.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

Chess. I’m reading this book for chess. I know nothing about it and have never read a Sally Rooney book before, but I saw a chess piece, read the blurb about one character who loves chess, and I bought it.

Let’s see how that works out for me.

Happy Place by Emily Henry

Along the same line as The Pairing, Emily Henry’s Happy Place is on this winter TBR because I could read it in an afternoon and just have a chill time with it.

After reading massive epic fantasy books that take days or even weeks to read, the kind of book is a welcome break.

You should try one! It might just surprise you.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

The last fiction book on the winter TBR is The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix.

I’m obsessed with slasher movies and horror movies in general. Nightmare on Elm Street is one of my all-time favourites, and I think every Scream movie is brilliant.

This is a book though and I’ve never read a horror book. Never.

I’ll repeat that. I. Have. Never. Read. A. Horror. Book.

Insane.

So, to rectify that, I am sliding into the genre with something easy. I have a list of other books to get to (so fucking long), but this will be a good start.