Salaam, everyone! I am (almost) back from blogging hiatus to announce my TBR for this year’s #RamadanReadathon! The purpose of this readathon is to celebrate and support Muslim authors during the blessed month of Ramadan. This year, the readathon will take place between April 23 – May 23 2020. With all of us spending Ramadan, and most likely Eid, in quarantine, I hope this year’s readathon will brings us together just that little bit more.
This year’s readathon will revolve around the upcoming release, Once Upon an Eid, which is an anthology of short stories from some of our current Muslim writers! What I love about this year’s readathon format is that the element is unrestricted, which can be a blessing and a curse for a hazard reader like myself. During Ramadan, I will also be submitting my dissertation and my final assignments of my degree, so the freestyle of this readathon makes it a lot easier to partake! No prompt or restriction except for the books must be by Muslim authors and thankfully my TBR is packed with them!
Below are the books I hope to read during this month!
The Kingdom of Copper
Nahri’s life changed forever the moment she accidentally summoned Dara, a formidable, mysterious djinn, during one of her schemes. Whisked from her home in Cairo, she was thrust into the dazzling royal court of Daevabad—and quickly discovered she would need all her grifter instincts to survive there.
Now, with Daevabad entrenched in the dark aftermath of a devastating battle, Nahri must forge a new path for herself. But even as she embraces her heritage and the power it holds, she knows she’s been trapped in a gilded cage, watched by a king who rules from the throne that once belonged to her family—and one misstep will doom her tribe..
I recently re-read The City of Brass last month and I was so shocked at how much I enjoyed it on my second read-through. I had initially read COB as an arc and rated it 3 out of 5 and now, looking back at the rating and review, I can really see how much stress can impact my reviews. I had first read COB in a very stressful period in my life and since the book was so heavy, I didn’t appreciate it the first time around. Granted, I was still stressed reading it my second time around, but I really paced myself this time and I can’t believe how different I feel about it now! Now I’m super excited to dig into The Kingdom of Copper and this readathon came at a perform time! Expect a full trilogy review once I’m done!
The Empire of Gold
I have purposely not included the description for The Empire of Gold because I am plan on reading this and The Kingdom of Copper for this readathon and I don’t want to spoil myself for this series! I’m usually don’t care that much about spoilers but I am adamant to not have this series ruined or me! A copy of The Empire of Gold was given to me via Netgalley.
The Henna Wars
When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life.
I’ve been follow Adiba on twitter for a while now and it’s so much fun watching someone you follow go through the process of publishing their own book! Also have to support my fellow Bangladeshi as well!!
Once Upon an Eid
Eid: The short, single-syllable word conjures up a variety of feelings and memories for Muslims. Maybe it’s waking up to the sound of frying samosas or the comfort of bean pie, maybe it’s the pleasure of putting on a new outfit for Eid prayers, or maybe it’s the gift-giving and holiday parties to come that day. Whatever it may be, for those who cherish this day of celebration, the emotional responses may be summed up in another short and sweet word: joy. The anthology will also include a poem, graphic-novel chapter, and spot illustrations.
Of course, I couldn’t not add our honorary book! I’m so excited to see what stories are included. I’m super excited to read the graphic novel chapter!
The Light of the Bottom of the World
At the end of the twenty-first century, the world has changed dramatically, but life continues one thousand feet below the ocean’s surface. In Great Britain, sea creatures swim among the ruins of Big Ben and the Tower of London, and citizens waver between fear and hope; fear of what lurks in the abyss, and hope that humanity will soon discover a way to reclaim the Earth.
Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Leyla McQueen has her own problems to deal with. Her father’s been arrested, accused of taking advantage of victims of the Seasickness-a debilitating malaise that consumes people,often claiming their lives. But Leyla knows he’s innocent, and all she’s interested in is getting him back so that their lives can return to normal.
This one has been on my TBR for too long! And I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about it! It’s sci-fi and dystopia so it’s right up my alley!
Okay, so that is my extremely short TBR but hopefully keeping it this short will make it more realistic to complete. Also, cnsidering that S.A. Chakraborty’s books are long as hell, one book could qualify as two. Check out Nadia’s introductory post where she includes other book options if you’re thinking of joining! I’m late as hell (as usual) to announce my TBR but I’m so excited to see what else Nadia has in store for this month. Be sure to follow her on all her social and the readathon’s account to keep up to date with the possible upcoming author interviews, twitter chats and giveaway! Not everything is confirmed yet, but do check it out if you have the time!
And that’s all from me, hopefully, I’ll be posting more frequently as I wrap my degree (very scary) and I hope everyone is keeping safe in the middle of this epidemic. Keep practising good social distancing and take care of yourself! I’ll see you all soon!
as told by zaheerah 