It’s time for Musing Mondays, a meme from Books and a Beat!

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer and then supplies a random question:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

I’m super excited to tell you about… my recent Netgalley Books

I’ve been in a real Book Slump recently, so much so I’ve not read a single book yet this month. That’s 17 days without reading anything! But I recently got approved on Netgalley for a few rather exciting books and I’m hoping they will pull me out of this funk. These are the two I’m most excited about reading.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Before you enter the world of Caraval, you must remember that it’s all a game . . .

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their ruthless father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the legendary, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

Then, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation to Caraval finally arrives. So, Tella enlists a mysterious sailor’s help to whisk Scarlett away to this year’s show. But as soon as the trio arrives, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nonetheless soon becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with her sister, with Legend, and with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king’s marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Who are the key players in your current book? (or current themes, if nonfiction)

So I’m sort of reading Hunter by Sarai Henderson. I started it on Thursday but haven’t picked it up again yet. I’ve not had the time or the motivation to read. I’m about 20% of the way through so, so far I’ve met, Hunter who is the MC, Bear (her sort of boyfriend and partner in business) who’s a bit of an arse if you ask me, and Kenneth who is ‘The Mark’. Basically Hunter and Bear are bounty hunters and go around grabbing people who have a bounty on their heads. Kenneth is a big target and they thought it was going to be an easy job but everything went wrong pretty quickly and now Hunter is Kenneth’s captive rather than the other way around. Bit awkward…