After my shopaholic stint at Barnes & Noble on my birthday, it’s safe to say that I’m stocked up on books for the foreseeable future. Eight books later, I’m still trying to figure out the order that I’m going to read all these excellent-looking novels. Also, I’ve noticed a trend: anything steampunk or urban fantasy wound up in the pile without hesitation—with a few exceptions. From smallest to largest, my purchases were:

THE LONG EARTH by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson

A THOUSAND PERFECT THINGS by Kay Kenyon

THE AFFINITY BRIDGE by George Mann

THE ROOK by Daniel O’Malley

THE NAME OF THE WIND by Patrick Rothfuss

CHRONICLES OF THE BLACK COMPANY by Glen Cook

LEVIATHAN WAKES by James S. A. Corey

UPDATE: And my ultimate first-read wound up being:

A Thousand Perfect Things

Kenyon’s tale is a beautiful hybridization of an alternate-universe, steampunk setting with a Jane Austen style narrative. Astoria, the female lead, is searching for a flower of yore in a game of political intrigue that spans nations and continents. I’m enthralled with this novel and, in a week of reading, have blitzed through half of it.

I’m thinking of “The Rook” or “Chronicles of the Black Company” next, but I’m undecided. If you’ve got thoughts to share, please do so. I’m always happy to take reading recommendations (and seriously, at that!).