5 Highly-Rated TBR Books

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern in 2011-publisher: Doubleday

Goodreads blurb: The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart. 

Awards listed on Goodreads: Locus Award for Best First Novel (2012), Orange Prize Nominee for Fiction Longlist (2012), Guardian First Book Award Nominee for Longlist (2011), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Adult Literature (2012), ALA Alex Award (2012)
Lincoln Award Nominee (2014), The Kitschies Nominee for Golden Tentacle (Debut) (2011), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fantasy and for Favorite Book (2011), International Dublin Literary Award Nominee (2013)

Wow, that’s a lot of awards! I think I actually bought this book when it first came out and this is my second copy. I have no idea where the first one is or why I didn’t read it at the time. I have heard so many excellent things about this book and I have one of Morgenstern’s other books that look amazing as well (The Starless Sea). Can’t wait! Get it here

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak  in 2005 this edition published in 2006 by Alfred A. Knopf 

Goodreads blurb: It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.

By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up, and closed down.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

Awards listed on Goodreads: National Jewish Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature (2006), Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Children’s Literature (2007), Buxtehuder Bulle (2008), Sydney Taylor Book Award for Teen Readers (2007), Prijs van de Kinder- en Jeugdjury Vlaanderen (2009)
Michael L. Printz Award Nominee (2007), Exclusive Books Boeke Prize (2007), Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee (2008), The Quill Award Nominee for Young Adult/Teen (2006), Zilveren Zoen (2008), Teen Read Award Nominee for Best All-Time-Fave (2010), Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for Preis der Jugendjury (2009), Association of Jewish Libraries for Teen Book Award (2006), Lincoln Award Nominee (2010), Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) Nominee for Literary Fiction (2008), Kathleen Mitchell Award, Ena Noel Award (2008), Literaturpreis der Jury der jungen Leser for Jugendbuch (2009), LovelyBooks Leserpreis for Allgemeine Literatur (2009), Margaret A. Edwards Award (2014)

Need I say more really? This book deserves to be read and savored and not collecting dust on my TBR shelf! Get it here

Water for Elephants

by Sarah Gruen 2006 by Algonquin Books

Goodreads blurb: Winner of the 2007 BookBrowse Award for Most Popular Book.

An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of Riding Lessons.

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

Awards listed on Goodreads: Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Adult Fiction (2007), ALA Alex Award (2007), The Quill Award Nominee for General Fiction (2006), LovelyBooks Leserpreis Nominee for Allgemeine Literatur (2009)

Hey! Another book that takes place in a circus! I think my Mom bought me this book shortly after it came out and she was raving about it! Plus, I see this book over and over on people’s “books to read in a lifetime lists,” and I’m ready to dive in, too! Find it here

Circe

by Madeline Miller 2018 published by Little, Brown and Company

Goodreads blurb: In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child – not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power – the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

Awards listed on Goodreads: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Adult Literature (2019), ALA Alex Award (2019), Women’s Prize for Fiction Nominee (2019), Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy (2018)

This one is newer than the rest, but its still been out for nearly 3 years! I’ve heard so many people praise Circe, along with Miller’s other books on social media that I bought the audiobook right when it came out! Since then I also bought a print copy 😊. I just haven’t gotten around to reading either edition yet! I’m listening to her audiobook of The Song of Achilles right now and if Circe is even half as good as this one is so far I’m in for a real treat! Find it here