One of my goals for 2019 is cut down my TBR shelf – especially books that have been sitting there for a year or more! So I decided to choose 12 books, one for each month, that I’m going to make a priority.

I’m considering making a TBR jar for this and drawing one book a month. However, there may be some months that I’m in the mood for a specific book. So I’m thinking I’ll allow myself 2 options – either draw a random book or select a book I’m in the mood for.

But regardless of how I choose, here are the 12 backlist books I want to prioritize in 2019.

1. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

This has been on my TBR for ever and I’ve just never reached for it. This is about a group of kids who see a psychic that can supposedly tell you when you die. Then it follows this group throughout their lives. This seems like a slow, character driven book and I just haven’t been in the mood. But I definitely want to prioritize this, this year.

2. City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

I have heard nothing but praise for this book and the sequel is being released in early January so I want to get this asap! I was on the fence about this originally because I’ve read a lot of heist books recently. But with all the praise this has received, I’m definitely intrigued!

3. Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

This is on so many people’s best fantasy of all time lists and I can’t wait to get to this! It’s a post-apocalyptic fantasy about a woman searching or her family. This sounds amazing and I’m ready to binge this series.

4. Poppy War by R. F. Kuang

This is another super hyped fantasy from 2018. It’s a dark, Asian inspired story that has received so much praise. The only reason I haven’t picked this up yet is because it’s really long and I’m intimidated.

5. Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

I meant to read this for the Spookathon but wasn’t able to fit it in. I was so excited for this but have heard some pretty “meh” things about it. I still want to pick it up though and see how I feel since I was so hyped for it’s release.

6. Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

This is a YA, Viking inspired fantasy. This isn’t my usually genre, I’m not huge into Historical or mythology, but this premise really intrigues me. I’ve heard decent things so I’m looking forward to picking this up.

7. If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

This book blew up this past October! It felt like everyone decided to read this and immediately 5 starred it! My expectations are really high with this so I hope I love it as much as everyone else. I love mystery but don’t love Shakespeare so we’ll see how this goes.

8. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I’ve actually started this one once before I ended up putting it down. This is a character driven, post-apocalyptic story following many characters as they make their way through the new world. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things for this but I know it is a slow read.

9. Furyborn by Claire Legrand

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2018 and somehow still haven’t picked it up. Which is a travesty. This is another behemoth of a fantasy but I’m determined to finish it this year!

10. To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

This is a YA, Little Mermaid reimagining. I was so hyped for this when it came out because I really wanted a dark siren story. Reviews for this are crazy polarizing. It seems like this is either something you love or hate. I’m curious as to where I fall.

11. Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

This is actually another Little Mermaid retelling. This one is an Ursala origin story though. I love villain origin stories and I was really excited for this release. But rating for this are pretty average so I haven’t been motivated to pick it up.

12. The Unseen World by Liz Moore

I found this at a Half Priced books and the synopsis sound so intriguing so I picked it up. This is about a daughter who becomes a computer programming prodigy. When her father’s mind starts to go, she is determined to dig into his past and discover his secrets. I’m a programmer so I immediately wanted to read this. Plus I love a good mystery. I’m so excited to get to this one!