Welcome to Mariam’s Bookmark + September TBR

Hi Everyone!

I am almost too excited to be writing this, I actually needed to take a few breaks just writing the title!!

Welcome to Mariam’s Bookmark!

If you’ve been here a while, you know this blog operated under a different name – Realm of Bookish Beauty. While I loved that name and the entire blog as a whole, I found myself caught up in life, dealing with my mental health, and so many other things that kept me from really doing what I love – reading books and writing about it!

I decided to change a few things, develop new habits, approach my mental health with positivity, and seeking a therapist (one of the best decisions I have made – seriously if you are struggling there is nothing wrong with asking for help!!).

So I decided, I wanted to make this blog more personal by putting my name in the title since I have grown so much with this blog and feel we both needed this.

I am so ready to dive back into the one thing that held it all together for me when everything felt impossible… books.

If you were here during the reign that was Realm of Bookish Beauty – thank you so much! You don’t know how often I went back and read the sweetest comments from everyone and felt that urge to come back to the blog. I hope in this new chapter with this new name and even better content, we can enjoy the magic that books give us and the inspiration in writing that makes us feel heard and understood.

That being said… WELCOME AGAIN!

And Happy September!

September is one of my favourite months EVER! From the chill creeping into the air, to the autumnal drinks and decor, and new fantasy book releases that I cannot wait to get my hands on!

Here is my September TBR!

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

I had to start off the list with this one because I have been waiting for it for what felt like forever. If you haven’t read my review on the first book of this series here it is: https://mariamsbookmark.com/2021/12/13/review-once-upon-a-broken-heart-by-stephanie-garber/

I have missed these characters so much and cannot wait to see what kind of fresh hell Jacks unleashes on them all.

The Synopsis:

After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she’ll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can. . . .

Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas

This has been on my TBR since it came out. I probably even mentioned it on a previous TBR list but I never got to it. It is a sequel in the series, so read the first book before this one!

I loved the first book so I am excited to see what happens next. I have had a few friends say they had A LOT of thoughts on it when they finished, so I am trying to calm my heart as I pick it up these coming weeks.

The Synopsis:

Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal―they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.

The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

This book has been on my radar for a long time! Back in the days when I had an active Twitter account, I followed Zoulfa and her writing journey. She was a true inspiration for an aspiring author like myself.

The story sounds beautiful and so heart wrenching already… I cannot wait to read it and cry (most likely what will happen just knowing me). Also can we take a moment for the representation, and a woman in science!!! I live for a badass POC main character.

The Synopsis:

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She had a normal teenager’s life.

Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe.

But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all.

Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.

Book of Night by Holly Black

Holly Black is one of my auto-buy authors. She can do no wrong in my eyes when it comes to writing an epic fantasy-magic-bound romance.

This book has been sitting on my shelf looking sadly at me almost every day and finally I am ready to pick it up and dive into this new series!

The Synopsis:

In Charlie Hall’s world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences—but also to increase power and influence. You can alter someone’s feelings—and memories—but manipulating shadows has a cost, with the potential to take hours or days from your life. Your shadow holds all the parts of you that you want to keep hidden—a second self, standing just to your left, walking behind you into lit rooms. And sometimes, it has a life of its own.

Charlie is a low-level con artist, working as a bartender while trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading. She gets by doing odd jobs for her patrons and the naive new money in her town at the edge of the Berkshires. But when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie’s present life is thrown into chaos, and her future seems at best, unclear—and at worst, non-existent. Determined to survive, Charlie throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a cast of doppelgängers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves, and her own sister—all desperate to control the magic of the shadows

Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach

This book came out last year and I did not know about it! While going through Goodreads, I stumbled across it and immediately loved the synopsis. It gives me fall vibes, those quirky and fun contemporary love stories that take place in the halls of a school, and I am sucker for enemies to lovers romance.

The Synopsis:

Eliza Quan is the perfect candidate for editor in chief of her school paper. That is, until ex-jock Len DiMartile decides on a whim to run against her. Suddenly her vast qualifications mean squat because inexperienced Len—who is tall, handsome, and male—just seems more like a leader.

When Eliza’s frustration spills out in a viral essay, she finds herself inspiring a feminist movement she never meant to start, caught between those who believe she’s a gender equality champion and others who think she’s simply crying misogyny.

Amid this growing tension, the school asks Eliza and Len to work side by side to demonstrate civility. But as they get to know one another, Eliza feels increasingly trapped by a horrifying realization—she just might be falling for the face of the patriarchy himself.

The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones

This would be autumn in a book..

From the intrigue of the heist quest, the dark fairy-tale, and the compelling magic… I am floored.

I picked it up last month and knew I had to keep it for my September reads… let me tell you it was hard. I cannot wait to read it and really hope it lives up to all the excitement.

The Synopsis:

Once upon a time, the kingdoms of Wales were rife with magic and conflict, and eighteen-year-old Mererid “Mer” is well-acquainted with both. She is the last living water diviner and has spent years running from the prince who bound her into his service. Under the prince’s orders, she located the wells of his enemies, and he poisoned them without her knowledge, causing hundreds of deaths. After discovering what he had done, Mer went to great lengths to disappear from his reach. Then Mer’s old handler returns with a proposition: use her powers to bring down the very prince that abused them both.

The best way to do that is to destroy the magical well that keeps the prince’s lands safe. With a motley crew of allies, including a fae-cursed young man, the lady of thieves, and a corgi that may or may not be a spy, Mer may finally be able to steal precious freedom and peace for herself. After all, a person with a knife is one thing… but a person with a cause can topple kingdoms.

And there it is – My September TBR Pile!

I don’t think I have ever been more excited or happy with a TBR pile before.

More than that, I am buzzing with what this new and improved blog will bring.

Thank you again to everyone who has read my posts, liked them, commented, or followed me on Instagram.

If you want to hear my thoughts on these books as I read, follow me on instagram @mariamsbookmark and let me know your thoughts too.

Happy Reading

x

M

*Please note that when clicking any links above, they are affiliate links, which means I receive a percentage of the revenue made from purchasing products through the links. This does not affect you as the consumer of the price of the product. More importantly it does not compel me to recommend products that I do not believe in.*