Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Hello! It’s time for Top Ten Tuesday! I’ve been looking forward to this one because the only thing I love as much as reading books is thinking about what books I might read in the future! So, without further ado, here are ten of the books on my fall TBR that I’m most looking forward to reading and why!

1. The Green Mile by Stephen King

Summary: from Amazon

The Green Mile: those who walk it do not return, because at the end of that walk is the room in which sits Cold Mountain penitentiary’s electric chair. In 1932 the newest resident on death row is John Coffey, a giant black man convicted of the brutal murder of two little girls. But nothing is as it seems with John Coffey, and around him unfolds a bizarre and horrifying story.

Evil murderer or holy innocent – whichever he is – Coffey has strange powers which may yet offer salvation to others, even if they can do nothing to save him.

Why:

I read my first Stephen King book, The Outsider, last year I think and since then I am very very slowly working my way through his extremely long list of books by throwing one in every few months! The Green Mile is the one I’ve decided to read next and I’m looking forward to it although I remember the film being upsetting so I might need to emotionally prepare for it first.

2. The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Summary: from Amazon

They say the thirst of blood is like a madness – they must sate it. Even with their own kin.

On the eve of her divining, the day she’ll discover her fate, seventeen-year-old Lil and her twin sister Kizzy are captured and enslaved by the cruel Boyar Valcar, taken far away from their beloved traveller community.

Forced to work in the harsh and unwelcoming castle kitchens, Lil is comforted when she meets Mira, a fellow slave who she feels drawn to in a way she doesn’t understand. But she also learns about the Dragon, a mysterious and terrifying figure of myth and legend who takes girls as gifts.

They may not have had their divining day, but the girls will still discover their fate…

Why:

I just bought this one last week and honestly I think it may be one of the most beautiful looking books I have ever seen. I would read it for the cover alone, but the story also sounds amazing. It’s a kind of take on the ‘brides’ of Dracula I believe and so it sounds like the perfect book to read in the spooky month of October!

3. Darius The Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Summary: from Amazon

Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persian–half, his mom’s side–and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life.

Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. Sohrab calls him Darioush–the original Persian version of his name–and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he’s Darioush to Sohrab.

Why:

This one has popped up on my radar quite a lot so I finally bit the bullet and just bought it. It sounds like a really fascinating story and I’ve read some really great reviews of it so I’m very much looking forward to reading it soon.

4. Red River Girl by Joanna Jolly

Summary: from Amazon

A gripping account of the unsolved death of an Indigenous teenager, the detective determined to find her killer and a country’s hidden secrets

On 17 August 2014, the body of fifteen-year old Indigenous runaway Tina Fontaine was found weighted down in the Red River in the Canadian city of Winnipeg.

The loss of Tina was a tragedy for her family and for the Indigenous community. But it also exposed a national scandal: Indigenous women are vastly more likely than other Canadians to be assaulted and killed. Over the past few decades, hundreds had been murdered – or simply gone missing. Many of these cases have never been solved.

Why:

I remember watching a documentary about this issue a couple of years ago and whilst I cannot remember many details, I do remember it being a shocking, underreported and important story. When I saw this book on Netgalley I decided to request it because I want to know more about why such a terrible thing is being allowed to take place.

5. The Other Daughter by Shalini Boland

Summary: from Amazon

Nine years ago her daughter was taken. And now she’s back.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Holly is playing happily in a pink plastic playhouse, while her mother Rachel sips coffee and chats with a friend nearby. It should be an ordinary day for all of them. But, in the blink of an eye, it turns into every family’s worst nightmare.

Holly is taken by a stranger and never found.

Nine years later, Rachel is living a quiet life in Dorset. She’s tried to keep things together since the traumatic day when she lost her eldest daughter. She has a new family, a loving partner and her secrets are locked away in her painful past.

Until one afternoon when Rachel meets a new school parent Kate and her teenage daughter Bella. Rachel’s world is instantly turned upside down – she’s seen Bella before. She’d recognise that face anywhere – it’s her missing child.

And she will stop at nothing to get her back…

Why:

I love a good twisty psychological thriller and motherhood always seems to be a great starting point for one so I’m excited to get to this one. I haven’t read anything from this author yet so I’m going in blind but if it lives up to it’s premise it should be an engrossing read.

6. Over The Top by Jonathan Van Ness

Summary: from Amazon

Who gave Jonathan Van Ness permission to be the radiant human he is today? No one, honey.

The truth is, it hasn’t always been gorgeous for this beacon of positivity and joy.

Before he stole our hearts as the grooming and self-care expert on Netflix’s hit show Queer Eye, Jonathan was growing up in a small Midwestern town that didn’t understand why he was so…over the top. From choreographed carpet figure skating routines to the unavoidable fact that he was Just. So. Gay., Jonathan was an easy target and endured years of judgement, ridicule and trauma – yet none of it crushed his uniquely effervescent spirit.

Over the Top uncovers the pain and passion it took to end up becoming the model of self-love and acceptance that Jonathan is today. In this revelatory, raw, and rambunctious memoir, Jonathan shares never-before-told secrets and reveals sides of himself that the public has never seen. JVN fans may think they know the man behind the stiletto heels, the crop tops, and the iconic sayings, but there’s much more to him than meets the Queer Eye.

Why:

One of my best friends introduced me to the amazing-ness that is Queer Eye on Netflix a few months ago and I LOVE it so I’m honestly pretty keen to read all of the books written by The Fab Five. This is the newest one I think and it’s by the wonderful Jonathan Van Ness and I cannot wait to read more about his life and story, both the serious and the hilarious parts!

7. Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris

Summary: from Amazon

In 1942 Cilka Klein is just sixteen years old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. The Commandant at Birkenau, Schwarzhuber, notices her long beautiful hair, and forces her separation from the other women prisoners. Cilka learns quickly that power, even unwillingly given, equals survival.

After liberation, Cilka is charged as a collaborator by the Russians and sent to a desolate, brutal prison camp in Siberia known as Vorkuta, inside the Arctic Circle.

Innocent, imprisoned once again, Cilka faces challenges both new and horribly familiar, each day a battle for survival. Cilka befriends a woman doctor, and learns to nurse the ill in the camp, struggling to care for them under unimaginable conditions. And when she tends to a man called Alexandr, Cilka finds that despite everything, there is room in her heart for love.

Why:

The Tattooist of Auschwitz was one of my top reads of last year and Cilka was one of it’s most affecting characters. I know it’s going to be a distressing story and knowing the events have a basis in fact makes it even more so but I am hoping it will be as ultimately uplifting as The Tattooist of Auschwitz was.

8. Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

Summary: from Amazon

IMAGINE…

Leaving your house in the middle of the night.
Knowing your mother is doing her best,
but she’s just as scared as you.

IMAGINE…

Starting a new school, making friends.
Seeing how happy it makes your mother.
Hearing a voice, calling out to you.

IMAGINE…

Following the signs, into the woods.
Going missing for six days.
Remembering nothing about what happened.

IMAGINE…

Something that will change everything…
And having to save everyone you love.

Why:

I’m actually a little apprehensive about this one, if I’m being honest. I am not a massive fan of The Perks of Being a Wallflower but I think the author is talented so when I read about this one I decided to request it mostly because I was intrigued. I’ve recently been seeing some very mixed reviews so I’m not sure if I’ll love or hate it but I think the best way to find out is to give it a go!

9. Dominicana by Angie Cruz

Summary: from Amazon

Fifteen-year-old Ana Canción never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she must say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by César, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay.

As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family’s assets, leaving César to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, dance with César at the Audubon Ballroom, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.

Why:

I always like reading about places and cultures I know little about and the Dominican Republic is somewhere I know very little about so I’m really interested to find out what this book will be like. I have no idea where the story will go but it sounds wholly compelling.

10. Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

Summary: from Amazon

Mara and Owen are as close as twins can get, so when Mara’s friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn’t know what to think. Can her brother really be guilty of such a violent act? Torn between her family and her sense of right and wrong, Mara feels lost, and it doesn’t help that things are strained with her ex-girlfriend, Charlie. As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie come together in the aftermath of this terrible crime, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits into her future. With sensitivity and openness, this timely novel confronts the difficult questions surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault.

Why:

I have had this one on my TBR for way too long and I’ve heard so many good things about how powerful it is so I finally bought it a couple of weeks ago and it is definitely high on my Autumn TBR. I can’t wait to read it.

Well that’s it for today! I really hope you enjoyed reading about the books on my Fall TBR and I would love to know what you think about my choices so let’s chat! I can’t wait to read all of your great lists too so please do leave a link in the comments! I hope you’re all having a lovely day!

xxx