 Hey guys, it's Liana and I'm here today with my June TBR. So, TBR, June. Great, plenty to explain that. Plenty to explain as we go. I have a lot of like collaborative projects on the docket in June. Oh balls! I forgot to look. Well, let's go ahead and go with the one that I forgot first since I just grabbed it and that is Ariadne by Jennifer St. As I have stated multiple times, my goal or my method, my project, is in order to keep up with my Book of the Month book books is to read each book of the month and the subsequent month. So this was my May Book of the Month, therefore it is on my TBR in June. You've seen the UK cover? It's way better. This is okay though. I really like the colors of this cover. This is my expert assessment. That's what you're coming here for, for my assessment on colors. I really like the colors, I mean it's orange and this nice teally blue. Not just my couch kind of, but the design of it, not loving it. The design of the UK one? Beautiful. Anyway, this is a retelling of a Greek thing, I think. I see the word minotaur, Prince of Athens, blah blah blah. Yeah, it's some Greek thing. I mean basically what I'm getting out of this is it's like following in the footsteps of like Madeline Miller doing like a retelling of some Greek stuff. But in like a narrative feminist, lit-ficky way. It's not terribly long and it is my Book of the Month from May. So that's that. Next two I'm going to do together because they are part of the same project. For a long time now I've been wanting to and then just it hasn't been a priority because there isn't like anything going on that I would need to like do that for. But I've been wanting to read the Hogarth. Why did I say that's so weird? The Hogarth Shakespeare books, which are these retellings of Shakespeare plays that a lot of famous authors have been kind of called upon to write. I think this is the first one that I heard of and I think it might be the first one that they did. But I haven't read any of them yet so it doesn't really matter. I've been collecting them and not reading them. But in any event, the Shakespeare play The Tempest, which I intend to read in June as well because I want to have read the play very recently before picking up the book. So The Tempest by Shakespeare. I'll be reading it because I will then be reading Hangseed by Margaret Atwood, which is the retelling of The Tempest. And the reason this has become like a thing now, even though I've wanted this to be a thing for forever, I've been wanting to back-to-back read the play and the book, the play and the book for all of the Hogarth Shakespeare retellings. I'm doing it now because I recently was talking on Instagram about how much I've been loving Broadway HD, which is the subscription service where you can view a lot of plays, tapings of plays. And a lot of them are Shakespeare, like Royal Shakespeare Company productions. And me, both deprived of actual theater during the pandemic and just generally being a Shakespeare nut, have been living for it. And I was talking about this on Instagram. Any longtime friend of mine on Instagram messaged me and I did not know this. And I was like, how did I not know this? I knew that she had gotten her doctorate, did not know that her thesis was on Shakespeare. I was like, why did I know that? She was like, because it's kind of like a big, it's a great conversation ender to be like, well, actually my doctorate in Shakespeare. And I was like, I'm so excited to have somebody that out nerds me on Shakespeare that won't think that I know too much about Shakespeare. You know more than me, which is super cool. Anyway, she is going to be reading these with me and I'm going to have her on my channel so we can talk about it. So at the end of the month, we'll both have read The Tempest and Hagseed and she'll be coming on my channel so we can chat about it and like nerd out about Shakespeare. And I'm so pumped for this because I never have anyone to nerd out about Shakespeare with. So I'm so, so pumped for this. I don't know if anyone else is excited about this. I'm so excited about this. So anyway, look out for that. That'll be at the end of the month. And if you would like to read The Tempest and Hagseed and come chat with us, please do so. If you'd like to check out Broadway HC, Royal Shakespeare Company does have a production of The Tempest that you bet I will be watching after I read both of these. So pumped for this. So pumped. Next is a book that I have pre-ordered and it will be arriving before the start of June, but I am filming this ahead of time so I don't have it yet, but I have a placeholder here so that I don't forget. And that is The Black Tongue Thief by Goddammit, who's it by? By Christopher Buhlman. Yeah, this is obviously not it. The Black Tongue Thief is grimdor fantasy about student debt. It's how I keep telling everybody about it. I haven't read it yet, so maybe I'm wrong, but based on the synopsis, that's what it sounds like to me. I'm very excited about it. That's all I have to say about that. Oh, and I guess I've heard good things about it. I should say that too. So I have reason to believe that it is as good as it sounds. Next up for Project Abercrombie is The Red Country by Joe Abercrombie. Do I need to tell you again? Do I? Why I'm reading this? You know. I don't need to tell you. So yeah, Red Country is next, and you know why. Next, next is another book I don't have a physical copy of, and that is The Blades and Bottleshopers Book Club Pick for June. This is Amanda's pick, and it is, I haven't even said what it is yet. It is Deal with the Devil by fucking Who's It By? It is by Rocha Oroca. I don't know how to pronounce it. It is a mercenary librarians novel. I was quite excited about this until someone told me that it is a paranormal romance. Is that what it's called? I don't know. I haven't read it yet. Having stabby librarians, that sounds great. Paranormal romance, not my speed. So we'll see how I do with this. You'll see how I do with this on Amanda's channel at the end of the month, when Blades and Bottleshopers gathers to discuss it. Next I have this massive tome, which is Dark Age by Pierce Brown. I have already read this. I don't know if I'll actually read all of this again, but if you don't know, my good nemesis on over at the Library of Alexandria, Alan, has been doing a Red Rising read-along with live shows to accompany this at the end of each month. And he invited me to discuss Dark Age with him on his channel, as well as Alex Nieves. So we'll be over there chatting Dark Age. I want to refresh myself on Dark Age before said chat. Again, this is a commitment. It is an excellent book, but it has earned its name. It is dark as fuck. But it's also weird as fuck. Every time I've talked about Dark Age, I've been like, that book may amount. Talk about changing the paradigm. Did not know that like any of this was an option in this universe. I spent half of this book just going, what? Since when? So yeah, I'm at the very least gonna kind of skim and like read like certain parts of it that I remember being like extra bananas to refresh myself on how bananas they were. Also, because I have the sub-presedition and like I want to properly kind of look through it and all of the illustrations. And I think it would be fun to look at the illustrations as I reread it, you know, like have the scene freshen my brain and see the illustrations. So yeah, super duper pumped for this. Yeah, so join us on Ellen's channel at the end of Jim. Next is another book that I will, well, I don't know if Alex is going to reread Dark Age. He'll probably skim it, like me at least. But he and I will be reading Empire of Silence together by Christopher. Oh God. By Christopher. I've had this book on my shelf for a while and I keep wanting to read it like I want to read all the books that I own and not getting around to it. And then Alex recently hauled it and I was like, I've been wanting to read that. And he was like, great, let's read it. And I was like, great, let's read it. So Alex and I are gonna be buddy reading Empire of Silence. We're gonna be chatting about it mid month on my channel because there's something freaking live shows at the end of the month. So I can't do them all at the end of the month. I will already be talking Blades and Bodice Rippers, The Tempest and Dark Age at the end of the month. So he and I are aiming for mid month for a chat on my channel to talk about Empire of Silence, which I've heard only exceptional things about. And this is the start of a series for sure, I think, as a trilogy. Yeah, I'm excited. I'm gonna want to read this. We're gonna do it. We're doing the thing. It's got a lot of sci-fi, not a lot of sci-fi. That's just too sci-fi. That's more than usual. So, pout for this. And last, yes? Possibly? Yes. Last but not least is Dreams of the Dying by Nicholas Leesow. This is the patron buddy read for June. So me and my patrons will be buddy reading Dreams of the Dying, which I've heard again exceptional things about. This is a self-published book, but it is like, I mean, damn son. This is like the art on the cover. It's that buttery kind of cover that, oh, I just love it. And then the Naked Book has that same cover on it. I mean, this cost pretty penny. I'm not gonna lie. Aesthetically worth it. Hopefully the book lives up. Again, I've heard great things about it. I think there are illustrations in the book. Well, there's a whatever that thing is that looks adorable. Don't wanna look too much in case any of that is spoilery. Anyway, I've heard amazing things about this and I'm excited to read it with my patrons. And I believe they're excited about it too, since this is what they voted on. So it would be really masochistic to vote on a book that you don't wanna read. That's what I will be reading in June. Let me know in the comments down below what you'll be reading in June, if you've read any of the books that I've read, if you plan to read the books that I've read, if you'll be joining me on reading any of these books so that you can join in any of the various live discussions that will be occurring in June. It's gonna be a pop in a month. Love you to all of the things. I post videos on Saturdays, other random times as well, but definitely Saturdays. So like and subscribe, draw my Patreon if you feel so inclined, and I'll see you when I see.