Top Ten Tuesday is was created by The Broke and the Bookish, and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It’s all about books, lists and sharing the love we have of both with our bookish friends. This week, it’s time to take a look at our summer TBR! (not beach reads in my case. I’ll be working all summer)

It’s a good 3 months since I last put together a TBR post and that time has been dominated – as expected – by the Subjective Chaos reading list (although I did make time to tackle the ARCs I was most excited about). So hooray for Top Ten Tuesday giving me a chance to take stock of what the summer might look like – and for me to belatedly realise I’ve already missed 3 weeks of #20booksofsummer (better late than never? I think so! Here’s to playing catch up)

First things first: I make no promises to stick to this TBR. I’ve been reading to a list for several months and while the books have been good at worst and staggeringly, heartbreakingly good at best, I’m really looking forward to some free-form mood reading. On the other hand, I have a large TBR of ARCs guilting me out in the corner, so I can sense an #ARCAugust coming on if the mood doesn’t take me before then…

Enough waffle – here’s the top ten books I hope to be in the mood for!

The Poppy War – R F Kuang

I’ve heard so much about this and I really want to get to it myself. R F Kuang has – by all accounts – written the debut of the year, a devastating Chinese fantasy of war and magic. Besides, look at that cover. Look at it. How can I not want to pick that up?

Redemption Blade – Adrian Tchaikovsky

I was lukewarm about Dogs of War, but I love Tchaikovsky’s short stories and I am very excited by the prospect of him tackling epic fantasy. This one is a favourite take – rebuilding the world after the heroic victory – so I’m looking forward to see how it’s handled.

Record of a Spaceborn Few – Becky Chambers

No prizes for guessing I’ve got this pre-ordered and plan to read it as soon as I can get my grasping hands on it. Becky Chambers takes us back to the Galactic Commons – and tells us a story of the Exodan Fleet. My heart. It’s already having palpitations. THE FEELINGS, THEY ARE ALREADY STARTING.

Shelter – Dave Hutchinson

I love Hutchinson’s on point Europe sequence, and I love a good post-apocalypse – so Hutchinson taking on a rural English post-apocalypse is a no brainer. A century after the world fell apart, the battle is just beginning – and while I’m hesitant about the premise (oh no, do we have to fight?) I’ve got no qualms about giving anything Dave Hutchinson writes a go.

The Library at Mount Char– Scott Hawkins

This intriguing sounding book was a gift from one of my favourite work colleagues. The Library that may hold God’s secrets is unguarded, its guardian missing or dead. Can his adopted daughter seize control of it and create a new God? I suspect I’ll find it hard to put this one down…

The Stone Sky – N K Jemisin

I devoured The Fifth Season last month and only the fact I was at the opposite end of the country to my bookshelf stopped me immediately picking up The ObeliskGate and The Stone Sky then. I’m reading The Obelisk Gate now and there’s not much chance of stopping me from moving on to the final book when I’m done.

Lots of novellas – Aliette de Bodard

I’m sat on three Aliette de Bodard novellas and I may explode if I don’t get to them soon. The Citadel of Weeping Pearls has one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen. The Tea Master and the Detective is Sherlock Holmes with mindships. The Church of Accelerated Redemption is co-written with Gareth L Powell, whose recent Embers of War was brilliant. THEY ALL SOUND SO GOOD.

The Game of Kings – Dorothy Dunnett

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Dorothy Dunnett from people I love and respect. Those same people want to hear my every scream of agony as I read. WHAT SHOULD I MAKE OF THIS? Clearly I should get reading, is what I make of this.

Ghost Wall – Sarah Moss

Sarah Moss is one of my favourite non-genre writers, and she’s back on intriguing ground with a story of a teenage girl being forced to live an Iron Age life for the summer thanks to her abusive father’s fascination with experimental archaeology. What can possibly go wrong? Yes, everything, I’m pretty sure.

Alanna – Tamora Pierce

Shhh, you didn’t hear it here but it’s likely that Alanna will be the next foray up memory lane for the Muskedragon tweet-alongs. I borrowed the first edition from the library so many times I’m not sure anyone else ever got a stamp in back when it came out. I can’t wait to revisit it. Again.

What will you be reading this summer?