My Reading Project (aka TBR) for May

I’m still working on my April reading wrap-up post. I read a LOT in April, so it’s taking a while. In the meantime, I already have my May TBR figured out. So I thought I’d share that today.

You may remember that my one reading goal for this year was to read through (or DNF and donate) my FairyLoot special edition hardcover backlog. I’ve been chipping away at it over the past few months. BUT I’ve mostly been reading the new stuff and ignoring the ancient stack of YA books from before I switched to the adult subscription. And those are the ones I’m supposed to be reading by the end of this year.

So this month, it’s time to make a dent in that stack.

I stacked them according to page count, and yes, I know Poster Girl is technically an adult fantasy not a YA, but I’m including it here because it’s the last of the adult fantasy books I received last year that I haven’t read yet…

My plan is to start at the top of this stack (least number of pages) and work my way down. I’m going to use the “Nancy Pearl Rule of 50” for DNFing. Because I’m under fifty, that means that, after fifty pages, if I’m not into the book, I’m going to DNF and move on. If I’m on the fence, I may be generous and give it 100 pages before deciding to give up on it.

Here are my predictions about which ones I’m going to like and which ones I will likely end up DNFing:

• Poster Girl by Veronica Roth — I never made it through the Divergent series, nor was I tempted to pick up any of her other books, so I have very low expectations about this book. However, it’s also very short. So I will probably end up reading it to the end.
• The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller — The premise is mildly interesting. I just really hope it’s not written in first person present tense (<– that goes for all of these). If it is, it may be my first DNF.
• Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez — This is possibly the only book in this stack that I wanted to read, so odds are good I’ll finish it.
• This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria — I never heard of this book before receiving it, and I’ve heard nothing about it since then. The average rating on Goodreads is…not great. So, this one may end up being a DNF. We’ll see, though. I can sometimes be a very contrary reader. I like things that aren’t popular, and vice versa. So, maybe this will pleasantly surprise me.
• Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco — I’m here for all the Italian magic, so I really want to like this one. My fingers are crossed that this will be good.
• Bone Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie — I have no thoughts on this one except that it is pretty long for a first book in a YA fantasy series. It’s really going to have to grab me in the first fifty pages to make me want to stick with it.
• These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong — Another long one. The premise seems like something I might like. I’d say that I’m pretty likely to finish this one, even if it’s not my favorite.

One thing that I will also predict (and this goes for any of the ones that are first books in a series, which are almost all of them), is that, even if I don’t DNF, I’m not going to continue with the series. I’m really going to have to fall in love for that kind of commitment. There are just too many other books that I want to read.

Okay, what predictions do you have about what I’m going to like and not like in this stack? Let me know in the comments.