I know I said I wouldn’t be doing this every month, but what else am I going to do? Reading is a big part of my life and always has been. And somehow books are something I nearly always have head space to write about and share about. So here I am again linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy. :) These are not all the books I’ve read in the last month – just my favorite in my favorite categories.

Maybe you’ll find one of these will help to get you reading again or just make your TBR list that much longer. (I understand. If I read a hundred books a year without adding any to my list in the meantime I could get through my TBR list in 8 years. But that’s not really going to happen. I find it’s helpful to think of it as an inspirational list rather than an aspirational list. It tells me where my interests are and helps to prioritize my reading instead of telling me exactly what to read and when. That would be exhausting, right?) 

But we can always use more books, right?

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Fiction : My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman – This Swedish bestseller tackles the layers of human lives, death, relationships, and the stories behind personalities with an interesting fugue of fantasy connecting it all. This is an intriguing way to tell a story and I loved how the pieces of her grandmother’s life gradually unraveled into something whole.

And now I really want to read A Man Called Ove by the same author. +1 TBR List.

Non-Fiction : On Writing Well – Apparently I bought this two and a half years ago and only just now read it. This is probably one of those books that you just need to get through as a kick in the pants or to refine a particular writing genre you may be embarking on. It was bracing and helpful.

Spiritual : The Gift of Being Yourself – full of quotable nudges to your psyche and it leaves you feeling more at ease in your own skin while still wondering what to do about it. Very hearty. A lot of thought in a few pages about a topic oft overlooked in American Christianity.

Longest: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell – at 782 pages this one easily won this category. In hardcover you can at least tell yourself you’re getting stronger. ;) Engrossing. The return of English Magic and the magicians concerned. Dark, light, intrigue, betrayal, enchantment, spells. Think Lord of the Rings (the book) meets Peter Pan (the book) meets Enchanted (the musical with Amy Adams) type of situation.

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My piles of books on hand to read are a little out of control at the moment but here are a few I’m especially excited about:

One: Unity in a Divided World by Deidra Riggs  – A Shalom in the City bookclub pick that I am just beginning and enjoying.

Very Married by Katherine Willis Pershey – Osheta is talking to Katherine Willis Pershey on the Shalom in the City podcast this week and I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to finish the book first or listen to the podcast first. Such quandary.

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher – This book is self-explanatory and could go either way expectation-wise. I grew up on Star Wars. I think we first watched it when I was 5? So I have you now.

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham – Gilmore Girls! :) And of course Lauren Graham. :)

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I use Goodreads to track my books and keep track of my TBR list. Do you keep track? What works best for you?

If you’re interested in more books I’m reading, I post a mini-review of each one weekly-ish on Instagram! I’d love to hear your thoughts as well!

What are you reading now? Is there anything you can’t wait to begin?

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