I learned pretty quickly over the last couple months that I do not enjoy making myself a monthly TBR pile. I’m in a couple book clubs so I already have a few books every month that I’ll definitely read, but outside of that I think I’m more of a ~mood reader~. I tried to give my self some strict TBR piles over the summer (down to the order I’d read them in) and oof, it was not for me. If I’m not in the right mindset I’ll end up hating a book that I might otherwise have loved, and I really would like to try to avoid doing that to myself. But, that’s OK! This just proves that we’re always learning about ourselves as readers, and I love that.

So, instead of a TBR pile, this is a list of books that for various reasons I’m super excited about getting to in the coming months.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- One of my best friends has been back in her childhood home for a few months now and I feel like there’s something really fun about exploring the bookshelves of an old home. Revisiting not only your old shelves but the shelves of your parents or siblings (whose books you maybe were never interested in before) can be really fun as an adult. I feel like these shelves are always filled with the “classics” and the books most American high schoolers are assigned to read––or, in the case of my family, three copies of each because when it came time for the next sibling to read the book the others were no where to be found. Anyway, this friend of mine stumbled upon Pride and Prejudice in these shelves, decided to read it, and loved it. So, she’s convinced me to revisit it as well. In my memory I had never read this book before but in my search at my childhood home I not only found a copy, but my copy that I apparently had in college and is filled to the brim with notes in my handwriting. How is my memory so bad? Does this mean I didn’t enjoy the book or just that college was an all consuming mind suck? We shall see! But really, I’m excited to get into this one and then watch the Pride and Prejudice movie on Netflix ft Kiera Knightly that this same friend also recommended (thanks for curating my life Theresa). As a final classics plug, I have been LOVING this Podcast called Novel Pairings where hosts Sara and Chelsey share books they love, bingeable classics, and modern pairings to their favorite classics. They’re big Jane Austen fans so everything in my life lately has been pushing me towards reading Austen for a while now!

A History of Loneliness by John Boyne- I’ve gushed about John Boyne’s The Hearts Invisible Furies elsewhere on this blog and I also loved one of his other novels Ladder to the Sky (how can he write unlikeable characters SO well that you actually start to maybe like them?) so I’m really excited to dive into this book soon. I’m the type of reader who could read an entire text that’s just character driven with very little plot and be completely satisfied. I know not everyone enjoys that, and I certainly enjoy a good plot, but I much prefer inner monologues and introspection to a big plot with underdeveloped characters (I think this is why I love Sally Rooney and some others don’t). But, luckily for all of us, John Boyne is a master of both plot and character. You never have to feel like he’s sacrificing nuanced characters for a punchy plot, and there’s also always enough going on that you don’t feel like you’re just reading about someone’s existential crisis. This book explores ideas of family, religion, and institutions, and our roles in each. I’m really excited to once again experience Boyne’s storytelling.

The Third Hotel by Laura van den Berg- I don’t have much to say about this one because I don’t know a whole lot about it. Things I do know: Takes place in Havana, Cuba; Short; Mystery-Thriller-Literary Fiction; Explores grief. Honestly, sometimes I like to go into books with little knowledge or expectations. Unfortunately, I often have the urge to Goodreads the sh*** out of a book before I read it, so I want to avoid doing that with this book. It’s nice to not always have other peoples positive or negative reviews floating around in your head as you jump into a new book.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead- Another tactic I have when picking books is to skim reviews on Goodreads and Bookstagram. I try to avoid too much of the gritty details and just look for things like “must read!” “5 stars” or “wow”. This is a historical fiction that takes place at a reform school in the Civil Rights era, and that’s pretty much all I know about it in terms of plot. I’ve heard SO many good things about this book and I just have a feeling I’ll be recommending it to everyone once I’m done.

A Burning by Megha Majumdar- I bought this book immediately after watching the author get interviewed on a virtual Books Are Magic event. I’ve heard this book is a really quick read that you won’t want to put down. I’ve had it most of the summer and I think part of me is waiting for a time where I can just dedicate the whole day to enjoying this book.

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi- Like I said earlier, I’ve discovered recently that I’m definitely a mood reader, and so for this one I’m waiting for a day when I just really want to be destroyed by a book. I’ve read so many emotional reviews of this book and it sounds like it’s definitely one that’s going to hit me hard. I went to a virtual event with put on by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop called The Sweat of Love & the Fire of Truth: A Conversation with Akwaeke Emezi, Elizabeth Acevedo, & Sophia Hussain (which you can actually watch all of here) and listening to Emezi and Acevedo talk about characters, grief, and the importance of telling authentic stories was so refreshing. I love Acevedo’s writing and she loves Emezi’s writing so the math just makes sense––I’m going to love this book. Emezi has also written a YA book called Pet that I really, really want to get to soon!

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi- Yaa Gysasi is another author I’ve gushed about on this blog because Homegoing is one of my all time favorite books. I pre-ordered this book months ago and will continue to pre-order anything she writes from now until eternity because WOW her writing. This book follows a Ghanaian family in Alabama, and explores ideas of “faith, science, religion, love”. If it’s anything like Gyasi’s other book it’s going to be such a powerful read. I think I’m going to be reading this one sooner rather than later so be on the lookout for a review coming soon.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia- I read Moreno-Garcia’s previous novel Gods of Jade and Shadow last year and found her writing so beautiful. She’s so great at setting, feeling, and atmosphere. I’m really excited about the fantasy and gothic elements of this book and think it’ll be a perfect fall read.

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré- This book is actually going to be the first book out of the stack that I read because I have to read it for my book club in a week! I’ve been wanting to get to this one and I’m so excited that it was our book club pick. I’ve heard that the audiobook for this is fantastic so if you’re looking for an engaging audibook to check out next definitely add this book to your list! I would also 100% recommend this interview with the author on The Stacks podcast. There’s no spoilers so listen before or after reading the book!

And that’s a wrap! Like I said, there’s no telling when exactly I’ll get to these books but I hope this has helped you beef up your (loose or structured) TBR pile. If there’s any recently released books you think should be on my radar or any great fall reads you think I should check out drop them in the comments section!