Tag Archives: TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday: Books From My Past Seasonal TBR Posts I Still Haven’t Read


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Drawing of a shadow of a large hand pointing accusingly at a man wearing a suit who is cowering in embarrassment. This stock photo made me giggle. Don’t take it too seriously.

Posts that ask us to look back at our seasonal TBR posts and talk about which books from them we haven’t read always make me feel like I’m back in school and being graded by the teacher or have just been called into the boss’ office for a stern talking-to.

I am so glad that Jana does not actually care how many or how few books from past seasonal TBR posts we’ve read.

Here are some books I’ve talked about in those previous posts that I still need to read.

 

Life Ceremony: Stories  by Sayaka Murata book cover. Image on cover shows a drawing of Japanese food in a black bowl.

Life Ceremony: Stories  by Sayaka Murata

Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: It’s still something I want to read. I simply need to find the time to do so.

 

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean book cover. Image on cover shows cutouts of a mother and child from the pages of a book. These silhouettes are walking up to a building made from the page of a print book and looking at a lit window in it as the mom points at it.

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: The cover looks a little scarier to me every time I look at it again. I’m intrigued by the idea of people eating books (and finding different flavours associated with different genres), but I’m not ready for anything too frightening at the moment.

 

Girlhood by Melissa Febos book cover. The only decoration on this cover is the title and author repeated over and over again with each repetition missing a little more of the words.

Girlhood by Melissa Febos

Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: I’m not in the right headspace to read it right now.

 

 

Cursed Bunny  by Bora Chung book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of an alert purple hare.

Cursed Bunny  by Bora Chung

Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: Honestly, I think I was more interested in the cover than the story itself. Isn’t this a compelling cover?

 

 

Cat Problems  by Jory John book cover. Image on cover is of a stressed-out cat sitting in a cardboard box.

Cat Problems  by Jory John

Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: The Toronto Public Library hasn’t ordered copies of it yet.

 

Living Beyond Borders: Stories About Growing Up Mexican in America by Margarita Longoria book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of a man with a butterfly on his shoulder walking into a Mexican village.

Living Beyond Borders: Stories About Growing Up Mexican in America by Margarita Longoria

Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: I’m not in the right headspace to read it yet.

 

Patience & Esther by SW Searle book cover. Image on cover is of two Edwardian women kissing romantically.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patience & Esther: An Edwardian Romance  by SW Searle

Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: The Toronto Public Library hasn’t ordered a copy yet. I did send them an official request to do so, though! We’ll see if they listen to me.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was SO EXCITED to Get, but Still Haven’t Read


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Black-and-white photo of books hanging from a glass ceiling by pieces of thick string.I have a confession to make: my eyes are bigger than my stomach and my TBR list.

That is to say, I have the tendency to put more food on my plate than I can actually eat and to gush about more books that i can realistically read if I don’t pay attention to what I’m doing.

This is even more true if we’re talking about books from highly-anticipated authors or places that serve dairy-free meals and desserts. When you have food allergies (or any other dietary restriction, I’m sure), you get used to not being able to eat a lot of delicious-looking foods that others enjoy without a second thought. It’s simply part of life.

When I get the rare chance to pick anything on the menu at a restaurant, I often have the urge to over-order because of how unusual this experience is. The same thing can be said for when there are more attention-grabbing books than I have hours in the day to read.

Here are some books I am still excited to read but haven’t actually picked up yet. I’ve mentioned all of them in previous seasonal TBR posts for Tio Ten Tuesday over the past few years.

 

City of Refugees: The Story of Three Newcomers Who Breathed Life Into a Dying American Town by Susan Hartman Book cover. image on cover is a drawing of buildings in a town.

1. City of Refugees: The Story of Three Newcomers Who Breathed Life Into a Dying American Town by Susan Hartman

 

The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander Book cover. Image on cover shows a photo of a black child staring into the camera with a neutral expression on his face.

2. The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander

 

Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore Book cover. Image on the cover shows drawing of two teens standing in a lake with leaves on their heads.

3. Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Ask: Building Consent Culture by Kitty Stryker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

 

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi book cover. Cover image is of a woman's face.

6. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

 

Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life's Fundamental Bond by Lydia Denworth book cover. The only images on the cover are of stylized DNA strands lying on their sides at the top and bottom. They are behind green or blue backgrounds.

7. Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond by Lydia Denworth

 

Finna by Nino Cipri book cover. Cover image is of bent tubes and screws scattered around.

8. Finna by Nino Cipri

 

Book cover for Ghost Wood Song  by Erica Waters. Image on cover is of book title in the shape of curved pieces of wood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

 

Book cover for Sara Seager's The Smallest Lights in the Universe. Image on cover is of an adult and two children walking outdoors at dusk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10.The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir by Sara Seager

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Book, Movie, or TV Show You Can’t Wait For

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

I wonder if any of you will choose the same answer?

I’ve already talked about a few books I’m looking forward to this summer, so this week I’ll mention a TV show slated to come out in September that fans have been anticipating for years.

The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power tv show poster. It shows a city carved from stone that’s protected by a large stone statute holding it’s hand out benevolently. If you can’t see the image attached to this post, I’m talking about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The official Twitter account for it has been sharing amazing gifs, short videos, photos and other promotional material that hint at what it will be about while also leaving plenty of room for the imagination.

I first read The Lord of the Rings during a period of my life when I was struggling with my mental health. It was like walking around the world with a thick, grey cloud enveloping me that amplified all of the difficult portions of life and did its best to smother the faintest flicker of anything positive.

This is something I’m sharing because I only revisited that series years later when the film version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy were released.

While this TV show isn’t set during the same time period in this universe, I’m very curious to see how my mind reacts to the similar themes of it now that I’m doing better.

Seeing an epic saga unfold on the small screen should also be worthwhile. I have high hopes that this show will be a magical experience.

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books I Want to Read in 2022

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Person with curly hair and glasses cheering on a blue couch as they hold a laptop in their lap.

This isn’t me, but I have been this excited for certain releases in the past!

I’m an avid mood reader who generally finishes 100+ books per year and sometimes gets through much more than that.

As I’ve said in previous posts, many of the books I read are spontaneous picks based on what I find in the new release section of the Toronto Public Library.

That is to say, I’d need a crystal ball in order to know exactly what I’m going to read this year. Ha!

I think there’s something to be said for embracing these moments of joy whenever they happen. No one is ever too old to be thrilled when a favourite author releases something new.

Here are two books I’m so excited to read that I’ve literally put alerts for them on my calendar so I can request them from the library (or buy them if the library doesn’t have them) the second they’re released.

 

A Prayer for the Crown Shy (Monk & Robot #2)  by Becky Chambers 

Release Date: July 12

I know I mentioned this in a recent Top Ten Tuesday post, but I had to include it here as well.

What I loved the most about the first book in this series was how hopeful it was. The narrator described a science fiction future that (so far) has shown no signs of climate change, pandemics, prejudice, war, or inequality. Human populations are much smaller than they are today, but they live quiet and harmonious lives in their little villages.

There’s something irresistible about that setting to me. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in such a harmonious society?

 

Empty Smiles (Small Spaces #4) by Katherine Arden

Release Date: August 9

This is a delightful middle grade series about a group of three friends who keep running into a dangerous spirit called the Smiling Man.

I love paranormal stories in general. The nice thing about this particular series is that generally happy endings are all but guaranteed when you’re reading books meant for this age group. So I can enjoy the spooky scenes while being pretty sure that the characters will be triumphant in the end.

That’s the sort of reassuring storyline I’ve been craving this past year or two, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this quartet ends.

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books I Can’t Wait to Read in 2020

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

There are plenty of books I’m curious about, but I can think of only one upcoming release that genuinely excites me at this point. (The year is still young, so this will almost certainly change over time!)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins book cover. Image on cover is of a gold mocking jay sitting on a branch. There is a target sign behind it.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games Prequel) by Suzanne Collins.

I’m thinking about rereading the Hunger Games trilogy before the prequel comes out in May. Here’s hoping that the prequel is well done and answers everyone’s questions about how Panem was created in the first place.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Winter TBR

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Ostrich looking over the shoulder of a man reading the newspaperHere are ten books that will be published during the winter of 2020 that I hope my local library gets copies of soon.

As always, my TBR list is heavily influenced by which books my library orders and how long the wait lists are for them.

The photo in today’s post was included mostly because it made me chuckle. To the best of my knowledge, there are no ostriches  in Toronto who expect winter bedtime stories.

1. Born in the Wrong Time: Female Husbands and the Transgender Past by Jen Manion

Publication Date: January (no book cover photo or precise publication date currently available.)

Why I Want to Read It: I know very little about this topic and would like to learn more.

Cold Fusion Presents: New Thinking: From Einstein to Artificial Intelligence, the Science and Technology that Transformed Our World by Dagogo Altraide book cover. There is an abstract picture of circles connected by lines as the image on the book cover.

2. Cold Fusion Presents: New Thinking: From Einstein to Artificial Intelligence, the Science and Technology that Transformed Our World by Dagogo Altraide

Publication Date: January 15

Why I Want to Read It: Cold fusion is a fascinating topic that I do not understand well enough to discuss in this post. With that being said, I like reading about science and technology in general.

The Seep by Chana Porter book cover. There is a bouquet of flowers on the cover.

3. The Seep by Chana Porter

Publication Date: January 21

Why I Want to Read It: It’s been too long since I read anything about alien invasions. The fact that the protagonist is a middle-aged woman only entices me more. Will she have more common sense than the typical teen hero in these tales? I hope so!

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi book cover. Cover image is of a woman's face.

4. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

Publication Date: January 21

Why I Want to Read It: There’s nothing like the bond between siblings. The characters in this book sound like they’re going to go through a lot of hard times together. I want to see them come out triumphant at the end.

Remembrance by Rita Woods book cover. Image is of the profile of a woman's bowed head. her eyes are closed.

5. Remembrance by Rita Woods

Publication Date: January 21

Why I Want to Read It: There’s something I really like about books that jump between the past and present, especially when the timelines seem like they might somehow intersect.

Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life's Fundamental Bond by Lydia Denworth book cover. The only images on the cover are of stylized DNA strands lying on their sides at the top and bottom. They are behind green or blue backgrounds.

6. Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond by Lydia Denworth

Publication Date: January 28

Why I Want to Read It: Friendship is a fascinating topic.

Olympic Pride, American Prejudice: The Untold Story of 18 African Americans Who Defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to Compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Deborah Riley Draper book cover. Image on the cover is of eight of the athletes who defied Adolf Hitler.

7. Olympic Pride, American Prejudice: The Untold Story of 18 African Americans Who Defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to Compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Deborah Riley Draper

Publication Date: February 4

Why I Want to Read It: I know only a few scraps of information about the 1936 Olympic Games and would like to read more about it.

Everywhere You Don't Belong by Gabriel Bump book cover. Image on cover is of a young person wearing a hoodie whose face is obscured by an orange dot.

8. Everywhere You Don’t Belong by Gabriel Bump

Publication Date: February 4
Why I Want to Read It: I’ve never thought of terms “funny” and “riot” in the same thought before. Only time will tell how this author finds the humour in such a serious topic.

9. Common Bonds: An Aromantic Speculative Anthology by Claudie Arseneault

Publication Date: February (no cover photo or precise publication date currently available.)

Why I Want to Read It: I’m demisexual and curious to compare my experiences to theirs.

Finna by Nino Cipri book cover. Cover image is of bent tubes and screws scattered around.

10. Finna by Nino Cipri

Publication Date: February 25

Why I Want to Read It: Of course there would be a portal to a different dimension that just so happened to open up in a retail store. If anyone deserves an adventure, it’s two people who work for minimum wage! We honestly need many more books about characters like these.

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books I Keep Meaning to Read (But Haven’t)

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

I’m hoping to find plenty of interesting things to read in all of your lists this week! Mine was a lot of fun to put together.

Title and AuthorEchoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories by Ellen Datlow
What It’s About: The title says it all.
Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: Halloween is my favourite holiday, so I want to wait until we’re closer to that time of year before reading about spirits and hauntings.

Title and Author: In West Mills by De’Shawn Charles Winslow
What It’s About: The lives of various members of an extended and sometimes overly-close family between the years of 1941 and 1987.
Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: The library list for it has been ridiculously long. I’m nearly at the top of it now, though!

Migraine: A History by Katherine Foxhall

Title and Author: Migraine: A History by Katherine Foxhall
What It’s About: The title says it all.
Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: The release date for the library copies of this book keeps getting pushed back!  I’m on the waitlist for it, so I will have it eventually.

Title and Author: Becoming by Michelle Obama
What It’s About: The former First Lady’s life from birth to present day.
Why I Haven’t Read It yet: I actually have read some of it! I’ve been reading this memoir so slowly over the last few months because I want to savour every last word of it. Mrs. Obama is a wonderful storyteller.

Title and Author: Daughters of the West Mesa by Irene I. Blea
What It’s About: The murders and burial of eleven women and one fetus. This novel is based on a real case from Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was recommend to me by a fellow WWBC participant.
Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: My local library doesn’t have a copy of it. I’ve sent a request in that they buy it and am waiting for a response before I decide if or when to get my own copy of it.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question. The image below is the list of upcoming prompts for this blog hop.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Summer 2019 TBR

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

As I mentioned in last week’s Top Ten Tuesday post, my TBR list depends a lot on when I reach the top of the request list for the various library books I’m in queue for.

Based on the ratio of requests to library copies of these books, I believe they will all become available for me over the next two to three months. There is a lot of nonfiction coming my way this summer if all goes as planned. I’m excited about that.

You’ll notice that a few of these titles won’t be available until September. I decided to count anything that I expect to have my hands on before the official end of summer at the autumn equinox since southern Ontario typically remains quite hot, humid, and summer-like until late September or early October.

Title: They Were Her Property: White Women and the Economy of American Slavery by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers

I hope to have it: Any day now.

Why I want to read it: I don’t know much about the role wealthy white women played in slavery in the American south. I’m incredibly curious to learn more about that.

 

Title: 13 Things Mentally Strong Women Don’t Do by Amy Morin

I hope to have it: In the first week of July

Why I want to read it: I’m intrigued by the feminist spin to this self-help book and would like to see what connection she makes between the #MeToo movement and taking charge of your own destiny. Those aren’t topics that I’d necessarily ever think to join together.

 

Title: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

I hope to have it: In the second week of July.

Why I want to read it: I loved her first book, The Hate U Give, and after mentioning this one on several Top Ten Tuesday posts I’m quite excited to finally see if On the Come Up will be as thought-provoking. It’s been such a long wait that I can hardly believe I’m finally almost at the top of the library queue for it.

 

TitleOnce a Wolf: The Science Behind Our Dogs’ Astonishing Genetic Evolution by Bryan Sykes

I hope to have it: In the second week of July

Why I want to read it: Sometimes when I see someone walking around with a tiny little dog here in Toronto I like to imagine how a wolf would react to being stuffed into a purse or dressed in a tutu.  On a more serious note, I love dogs and have often wondered how humans took something as gigantic and fearsome as a wolf and gradually bred that gene pool into toy poodles and chihuahuas. Learning more about this is going to be a great way to spend part of my summer.

 

Title: Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller

I hope to have it: In the first week of August.

Why I want to read it: Psychology fascinates me in general. I studied attachment theory in a few of my college courses, and I’m curious to see if there’s any new research on the various types of attachment and how they affect you in adulthood.

 

TitleInvisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez

I hope to have it: In the second week of August

Why I want to read it: As a short and petite woman, I’ve had some struggles adjusting to stuff that is designed for “average” people that are much taller and bigger than me. For example, some chairs are too big and high off the ground for me to sit in while also touching my feet to the floor. I’ve had issues with seatbelts not quite fitting me properly, too, which could be really dangerous in a crash. It’s going to be super interesting to find out why so many designers make cisgender men the standard instead of taking a wider variety of body sizes and shapes into account.

 

 

TitleWhy We Elect Narcissists and Sociopaths—And How We Can Stop! by Bill Eddy

I hope to have it: In the third week of August.

Why I want to read it: With a federal election coming up here in Canada this autumn and another federal election coming up the United States, my birth country, next year, I’m quite interested in why voters in many different countries can become so enamoured with Narcissistic politicians.

 

TitleCharlotte: A Novel by David Foenkinos and Sam Taylor

I hope to have it: In the first week of September

Why I want to read it: World War II was such a horrific war. This book of poetry was written about one of the many innocent people who died in a concentration camp during the course of it. I’d never heard of this painter before, and I’d like to know who she was before her life ended far too soon.

 

TitleThe Ghost Garden: Inside the Lives of Schizophrenia’s Feared and Forgotten by Susan Doherty

I hope to have it: In the second week of September

Why I want to read it: While they don’t have this specific diagnosis, there are a few people in my life who live with serious mental illnesses that have very negative impacts on their daily lives. I’m always on the lookout for books that talk about this topic, especially if they explore the lives of people who are not high functioning.

This is a sensitive and difficult issue, but I think there needs to be much more awareness of the many different ways mental illness can impact someone’s life. Some people absolutely can and do cope well with their illnesses. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for everyone.

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Why I’m Giving Up on My TBR List

Today’s post is going to be short and sweet.

My to-be-read list has been growing by leaps and bounds for ages now. There something about the end of the year that makes me pause and reflect on little things like this to see how they’re working for me.

The problem with TBR lists is that they function a lot like to-do lists. It’s nearly impossible to check everything off of the list. No sooner do I clear away two of them than another book pops up that looks interesting.

I’m the kind of person who wants to check everything off a list once I’ve created it, so it bothers me a little bit to never get to the end of what I’m working on even if it’s purely for fun.

There’s also the issue with my ever-evolving reading preferences, especially when it comes to science fiction and fantasy. Sometimes I want to do nothing other than reread the Harry Potter books and feel like a kid again. I will neither confirm nor deny that this can also involve quoting favourite passages to my spouse when he least expects it.

At other times, I want to read stories set in Palaeolithic times, during the middle ages, or about aliens on other planets. This doesn’t even begin to touch on the weeks or months when I want to read the Young Adult genre or books about history instead.

Yes, I could pick through my TBR list for specific titles that sound appealing right now, and I’ve done that in the past. It still feels like a strange sort of obligation to me to have a list of books that I wanted to read at some point but that I keep skipping over to read something else, though.

I’m not anti-TBR lists for other people. If it makes you feel organized or helps you remember what you wanted to read next, great!

With that being said, I’d much rather go wandering through the new section on my local library’s website and see what catches my eye than dutifully make my way down a list regardless of whether the next book on it actually suits what I’m currently interested in reading about. I’ve actually been doing this for several years now as an additional source of reading material, and it’s introduced me to many different authors that I would have never otherwise discovered.

This is why I’m giving up on my TBR list for 2018. Let’s see what the Toronto Public Library will introduce me to in 2018. They’ve done a fantastic job so far of keeping me well-read, so I expect them to continue with this trend.

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