The TBR Pile, It Is A Monster

I expect nobody’s TBR pile is actually shrinking. (Anybody?) But mine may implode under its own mass, like a black hole of verbiage.

I’m exaggerating. I’m sure lots of people have larger TBR piles than me, though if you throw in my Amazon wishlist, which is kinda a subsidiary TBR pile and kinda an auxiliary memory, well, it does get up there. Let’s see . . . about 150 books on the wishlist, about 125 on my Kindle, about 100 on the actual physical shelves. Is that out of all reason for a TBR pile? How do yours compare?

Anyway, LOOK AT THE AVALANCHE OF NEW BOOKS COMING. This fall looks like it’s bringing a veritable deluge of titles.

Some of these I cannot live without even if I don’t have time to read them (Group A).

Some have activated my guilt circuits because I am so far behind with starting the series these new volumes are continuing (Group B).

And some are on my radar because I know I like the author, or because of intriguing reviews by bloggers I follow, or both (Group C).

All are liable to add to the weight (real or virtual) of my TBR pile.

Sorting them out by category (with no particular order within categories):

Group A) Books I must have and cannot live without.

1. Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie, due out Oct 6. Although I really want to read this, it may be a while, because I definitely want to re-read this series from the top before I read Ancillary Mercy itself.

2. Jeweled Fire by Sharon Shinn, due out Nov 3. I will probably read this right away (for reasonable values of “right away”) because I don’t feel any need to re-read the first two books. Mostly because I have already read them a couple times each.

4. Apprentice to Elves by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, due out October 13. I am dying to know how they work out the rest of this story. I have Such! Predictions! So I really want to know how close I’ve come to what they wind up doing. That is besides the normal pleasure or reading a highly anticipated story.

5. An Ancient Peace by Tanya Huff, due out Oct 6. Though presented as the first book of a new series, the important feature is that it really continues the Valor series, which is possibly my favorite military SF series ever.

Group B: Books that I feel terribly guilty about because I am behind with starting the series:

6. Dragon Coast by Greg van Eekhout, due out tomorrow. Wait, I mean due out today — how time flies! The first book in this series, California Bones, was, if I remember, possibly the first book I purchased during this calendar year. And have I read it yet? No. Hence the guilt. Incidentally, here’s Liz Bourke’s review of Dragon Coast. I haven’t read it, except to note that she says they are, “really entertaining and dramatic fantasy heist novels.” I can’t read reviews of Dragon Coast because I am still trying to avoid spoilers for California Bones.

I am not super super super keen on buying a whole trilogy before I have read even the first book. Yet I would like to support Greg, whom I have met (we share an agent). Thus I am really, really likely to read California Bones soon. As in, this year. I hope.

Group C: Books that just caught my eye

7. Ash and Bramble by Sarah Prineas, due out today. This is a Cinderella retelling, which I expect to like a LOT better than Cinder because so far I have enjoyed all of Sarah’s books — full disclosure: we also share an agent, and she gave me extremely useful feedback on Black Dog and Pure Magic — but I am excited about Ash and Bramble partly because this is Sarah’s first YA rather than MG title.

Moving on, moving on . . . let’s see . . . right:

8. Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson, due out Sept 22. The description as such doesn’t make me sit up, particularly, but this review by Brandy at Random Musings caught my eye this morning. Such an evocative, wonderful title. Also, what a beautiful cover:

9. Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman, out October 6. I’m not actually sure whose review caught my eye, but I know this one has been on my radar for a couple of months.

And, look, I managed a top ten list purely by chance!

10. Darkness On His Bones by Barbara Hambly, coming out Oct 1. A new Ysidro book! I only just found out about it, very timely, since here it comes any day now. After the ending of the last one . . . um, Kindred of Darkness, that was it . . . I could not quite see how Hambly would write another one, since James Asher has pretty much sworn to kill Ysidro next time he gets a chance, out of principle. Remember, this is a world where the vampires really have to kill lots of people, so you see the moral dilemma. Well, here’s how Hambly set this next book up:

When James Asher is found unconscious in the cemetery of the Church of St. Clare Pieds-Nus with multiple puncture-wounds in his throat and arms, his wife, Lydia, knows of only one person to call: the vampire Don Simon Ysidro. Old friend and old adversary, he is the only one who can help Lydia protect her unconscious, fevered husband from the vampires of Paris.

Yep, that’d do it. Lydia certainly did not make any such private vow. This book must be heavy on Lydia and Simon Ysidro. Good. I’ve always particularly loved Lydia.

Okay! What did I miss that you are particularly anticipating? And is 350 books (or at least 250) insanely too many for a TBR pile? Because, honestly, what can I do? All these people will keep writing books . . .