Always Be Reading: TBR Top Up Three [Season Three Finale]

It’s time for a TBR refresh! In this episode - the season 3 finale! - I’m sharing the books currently on my to-be-read list, along with a few upcoming releases that have caught my eye. Whether you're looking to add to your own stack or just want to hear about what’s on my radar, tune in for a mix of anticipated reads and spontaneous picks. Always Be Reading!

Episode Overview

In this To-Be-Read (TBR) refresh, I stack up a fresh selection of highly anticipated books. This episode dives into a rich mix of genres, honest mid-read updates, and why you should never be ashamed to DNF a book that doesn't spark joy.

• Genre Deep Dives: Exploring the boundaries of Cli-Fi (climate fiction), Asian "healing fiction" with a bit of a bite, non-fiction historical mapping, and the subversion of the dark academia/magical boarding school trope.
• The Power of Subversion: A discussion on how veteran speculative fiction authors breathe fresh life into overly played-out fantasy tropes.
• Reading Reflections: Candid critiques on narrative craft, balancing heavy theoretical prose with lighter reads, and the mechanical shift when a romantasy novel hits its final act.

Here are the books I’ll be chatting about today: 

• A Guardian & A Thief: Bookshop.org | Amazon 
• Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon: Bookshop.org | Amazon 
• The Conjuring of America: Bookshop.org | Amazon 
• A Deadly Education: Bookshop.org | Amazon 

Other books discussed:

• Water Moon: Bookshop.org | Amazon (listen to my review from S1 here)
• The Temeraire Series - Book One is "His Majesty's Dragon": Bookshop.org | Amazon 
• The Knight & The Moth: Bookshop.org | Amazon 
• The Knave & The Moon: Bookshop.org | Amazon 

Other links:

• TBR Top Up #2
• BONUS EPISODE: Cozy Fantasy Books — Low Stakes, High Comfort Reads
• Cozy Fantasy — Low Stakes, High Comfort (Substack post)

(Using Apple Podcasts on desktop and can’t click? Copy/paste this link into your browser: https://bookshop.org/lists/tbr-top-up-3)

This episode is hosted, produced, and edited by Verdell Walker. Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You can find more details and the full license information at Audionautix Creative Commons Music.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Amazon. I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase of any of my fiction and nonfiction book recs, at no extra cost to you!

​P.S. Looking for a playful way to tend to your reading life?​ Join​ the community newsletter and receive a free The Book Up Bingo Card to add a little ​m​ore cozy to your ​bookish goals and TBR pile! ​Sign up here: https://thebookuppodcast.mystrikingly.com/#bingo

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