Time for another round up of books from my TBR to go through! Each week I’ll be going over a selection from my physical unread books and deciding what to keep and what to purge. There will be a third option–undecided–which I might ask for your input on why you think I should keep or purge that title from my list. You can also check out my full TBR pile here.

The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley

On the eve of a recurring catastrophic event known to extinguish nations and reshape continents, a troubled orphan evades death and slavery to uncover her own bloody past… while a world goes to war with itself. In the frozen kingdom of Saiduan, invaders from another realm are decimating whole cities, leaving behind nothing but ash and ruin.

As the dark star of the cataclysm rises, an illegitimate ruler is tasked with holding together a country fractured by civil war, a precocious young fighter is asked to betray his family and a half-Dhai general must choose between the eradication of her father’s people or loyalty to her alien Empress. Through tense alliances and devastating betrayal, the Dhai and their allies attempt to hold against a seemingly unstoppable force as enemy nations prepare for a coming together of worlds as old as the universe itself.

So I tried to read this once, got about 20 pages in and had to put it down. I’d like to try again and for that reason I’m keeping it in my pile for now. I do think Hurley has some interesting things to say so I want to check out her fiction (I’ve enjoyed her essays). KEEP

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal–including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world. Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want–but what Lyra doesn’t know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other.

This is a series I keep meaning to read. I bought this a while ago and there it sits. In fact I was supposed to be reading it for r/fantasy bingo this past year and nope, just not happening. Still, I’d like to get to it soon. I have this and and two sequels. KEEP

Dragon’s Blood by Jane Yolen

Dragons are trained to fight to the death, and two determined teens help free them in this spellbinding saga. Training a dragon to be a fighting champion is the only way to freedom for fifteen-year-old Jakkin.

I’ve only read Jane Yolen’s short fiction–of which I’m a huge fan. But not sure if I want to pick this one up as it is the start of yet another series. Still, I’d like to check out some of her longer fiction at some point. UNDECIDED

The Witch’s Kind by Louisa Morgan

Barrie Anne Blythe and her aunt Charlotte have always known that the other residents of their small coastal community find them peculiar — two women living alone on the outskirts of town. It is the price of concealing their strange and dangerous family secret.

But two events threaten to upend their lives forever. The first is the arrival of a mysterious abandoned baby with a hint of power like their own. The second is the sudden reappearance of Barrie Anne’s long-lost husband — who is not quite the man she thought she married.

Together, Barrie Anne and Charlotte must decide how far they are willing to go to protect themselves — and the child they think of as their own — from suspicious neighbors, the government, and even their own family… 

This is a somewhat recent add. And I had a good time with The Secret History of Witches last year, so I’m definitely keen on reading this one. KEEP

Dancing Through the Fire by Tanith Lee

Life, death, love, and truth: major themes that frequently appear in Grandmaster Tanith Lee’s fiction, are all represented in “Dancing Through the Fire,” one of the last collections she put together before her untimely death. The stories in this book have never before been collected, and four of them have never before been published. These tales will transport you from mystical lands to mystical worlds, corporeal manifestations of myth, and mythical interpretations of life, into realms you’ve never visited (and in some cases, could never have imagined visiting).

I’m a huge fan of Tanith Lee’s short fiction so when I came across this one in the dealer’s room at WFC a few years ago I couldn’t help pick it up. There’s also a good story about me putting my foot in my mouth about the cover a previous collection to the publisher of that collection but let’s not get all into that right now. 😉 KEEP

That’s all for now! This brings my total count to:

Keep	Purge	Undecided
332	114	61

Not too many books I’m getting rid of this week. What can I say? The heart wants what the heart wants. 😉 What do you think about my choices here? Anything you’d do differently? Leave a note in the comments, I’d love to chat!