Top Ten Books on My Winter TBR

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

It's time for planning another season of reading! I read most of the books on my Fall TBR list; I'm still finishing Only Love Today, and there are two still on hold that I'm carrying over to my winter list. Here are ten of the books I plan to read this winter!

1. As You Wish by Cary Elwes
I'm not personally a diehard fan of The Princess Bride, but I've heard this recommended a number of times (especially the audiobook), and it sounds like a fun read. Those are always a good thing to reach for in the depths of winter!

2. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
I still haven't read this! I've heard nothing but rave reviews about this narrative nonfiction since it came out in 2018. After going on a Holly Jackson thriller kick recently, I want to mix it up with some compelling true crime.

3. Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
This is what my online book club is reading to discuss in February. I hadn't heard of it before, so I'm interested to see what it's about!

4. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
This one has popped up on so many "best of" lists, and I've lost count of the number of times I've heard it recommended at this point. It's not the kind of book I'd typically pick up on my own, but it sounds like that's also the case for a lot of people who have ended up loving it, so I'm excited to check it out.

5. I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
I saw this on a bookstore shelf recently and was reminded how interested I was in reading it. I deeply appreciated Yong's reporting on COVID in 2020 and 2021, and I'm interested to learn from him about the world of microbes.

6. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
There was such hype around this one after it came out in 2022, and after a few years it still seems to be quite popular and well recommended, so I'm going to give it a shot this winter.

7. Nothing to Fear by Julie McFadden
This is a carryover from my fall list that I'm still looking forward to reading.

8. The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff
Anytime I get in conversation with someone about how much I love the musical Come From Away, it reminds me that there are several 9/11 books that I still want to read. This one seems to be most frequently recommended, so I'm going to start here.

9. Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie
Y'all, I've been working my way through Agatha Christie's books for years now, and while I still have her nonfiction and the ones she wrote under a pseudonym, this will be the last of her mystery novels to read. It's been quite an adventure!

10. Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD
This was on my fall list, and when I got the audiobook it said it was abridged, so I now have a hold on the hard copy, which is going to take a while!

What do you plan to read this winter?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Hazeldine: Volume One, The Bad Guys in The One?!, Demon Copperhead, and Something Wild & Wonderful
Five years ago I was reading: The Next Evangelicalism, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Ten years ago I was reading: Lamb and One Hundred Names

What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

It was another good reading month! Here's what I've been reading this past month, not including another one of the Usborne Puzzle Adventures books from my childhood that I've been working my way through.

It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian: This was a delightful Regency-era M/M open door romance. All the characters felt authentic, as did the relationships between them. The audiobook narrator was excellent. I genuinely enjoyed this read.

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram: I really love this book, and I enjoyed the read more on rereading it. Khorram captures so many things in this book, from the day-to-day reality of living with (medicated) depression to the complicated experience of seeing your grandparents in person for the first time as a teenager and trying to figure out where you fit into their culture.

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger: I wanted to like this more, and I liked it enough to finish it, but it wasn't really my cup of tea. Everyone has a heart of gold and talent oozing out their ears, and pursuing whatever you want — including women who have told you no — is both encouraged and rewarded. I can see why folks have enjoyed this one, but it wasn't for me.

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun: This is everything you could want in a queer romance plus everything you want in a holiday special. It's a second-chance romance wrapped in a side-plot fake-dating trope, with a realistic handling of mental health challenges and family trauma. The Portland setting, clearly written by a local, was the final touch that made this a delight to read.

The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie: This book was a wild ride! I didn't know what to expect, and I think it's fair to say that this one is unlike Christie's other mysteries in many ways, so I really didn't know where it was going. I found the ending quite satisfying, even if not all of my lingering questions were completely addressed.

The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts: I definitely would have loved this book as a kid: the supernatural elements, the air of mystery, the precocious girl considered strange by others who's trying to piece things together to get answers and find connection, the adult character who takes the kid as seriously as another adult. It was an engaging read that didn't quite stick the landing.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger: This is not a graphic novel, but my 9-year-old was willing to read it with me, making this our first possible gateway book into reading standard chapter books together. It deals with the concerns of 6th graders — being seen as uncool, figuring out who like-likes whom, navigating the pressures of school culture — with an engaging through-line of trying to figure out if Origami Yoda is truly dispensing priceless wisdom or if he's just a hoax propagated by the deeply socially awkward kid who carries him around on his finger.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson: Jackson had me guessing and trying to fit all the pieces together up until the reveal. I am more than willing to overlook the elements that didn't work for me in this one, as the main mystery/thriller plot kept me hooked the entire time.

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson: This prequel to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is essentially Pip's origin story: why she thought she might be capable of reaching a different conclusion about a murder than the police did, and why she decided to make that her senior capstone project. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd listened to it right after the original trilogy, but it was a fun, quick listen, and I'm glad I picked it up.

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Hazeldine: Volume One, The Bad Guys in The One?!, Demon Copperhead, and Something Wild & Wonderful
Five years ago I was reading: The Next Evangelicalism, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Ten years ago I was reading: Lamb and One Hundred Names

Best of the Bunch (November 2024)

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in November.

Of the 11 books I read this month, I had four 5-star reads:

She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs by Sarah Smarsh

It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

So many great reads this month! One was a reread, and while I super enjoyed both queer romances, I'm going to give this month's crown to the one that took me by surprise with how well done it was.

I really, really enjoyed She Come By It Natural, more than I expected. Originally published as a series of articles, this book (narrated on audio by the author) is not just a review of the life, career, and music of Dolly Parton but also an exploration of how these things speak to broader historical trends in women's rights, country music, and culture more broadly. Smarsh weaves in the life stories of her grandmother, her mother, and herself to compare and contrast with Parton, but — as you would expect from magazine writing — all of it is done concisely, with a light touch, so it doesn't become a full-fledged memoir or biography, even of Parton herself. She displays a balanced appreciation for Parton that doesn't shy away from critiquing Parton's more cringeworthy moments. Whether or not you agree with Parton's decisions — about her appearance, her career, and her music — you will understand them better, and what they can convey about the lives of other women who don't have Parton's platform, after reading this book.

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Hazeldine: Volume One, The Bad Guys in The One?!, The Haunting of Hill House, and True Biz
Five years ago I was reading: The Next Evangelicalism, Airships, and Demon Lord of Karanda
Ten years ago I was reading: Like Water for Chocolate, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and Dreams of Joy

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What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

I had many good reads this month, from a variety of genres! Here's what I've been reading this past month. Not included are the Usborne Puzzle Adventures books from my childhood that I've been working my way through.

Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour: This story was like a train wreck I couldn't look away from. It was a painfully cringy look at both startup culture and what it can be like to be the lone person of color in a workplace making ham-fisted efforts to be inclusive. The plot became less coherent as the story went on and I disliked many of the characters' decisions, but the book is still worth a read for the very real problems it spotlights.

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki: This is a genre-bending, heartwarming story centering four women's stories: A violinist bargaining for her soul, a transgender runaway seeking a safe haven, a spaceship captain bringing her family to Earth to keep them safe, and a luthier trying to find her path after only the men in her family were considered worthy of apprenticeship. I found this to be an engaging reading/listening experience and enjoyed the way that Aoki cleverly solved some of the characters' most complex challenges, as well as the "found family" feel it had.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman: This was my October Best of the Bunch. It's always nice to read something that lives up to the hype. Be prepared to laugh and cry if you pick this one up.

Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie: This had a clever premise and a fairly satisfying conclusion. As with most Christie novels, I was not able to arrive at the solution on my own, even though the pieces were all there in retrospect. Aside from the unfortunate marks of its time (related to both adoption and a biracial character), this book is a solid Christie mystery.

Excuse Me, Sir!: Memoir of a Butch by Shaley Howard: This is primarily a memoir of Howard's experience using alcohol and opioids to deal with the pain of being closeted for much of her life and having an emotionally volatile mother. Unfortunately the writing isn't super strong (and the book badly needs a copyedit), which is not to say that her personal story isn't important or that her trajectory of healing isn't worth honoring, but I don't feel a strong drive to recommend this memoir over others that deal with similar topics and have more polished writing.

Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain by Shankar Vedantam: I liked the premise of this nonfiction work: Not all delusions are harmful. While truth, logic, and rationality are certainly important, we are still emotional creatures, and sometimes believing things that aren't empirically true makes for happier lives, better mental health, and stronger social connections. I found this book to be strangely uplifting in its emphasis on health and happiness over being on constant guard to ensure that everything you believe is literally true.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune: I felt roughly the same about this sequel as I did about the original, though for different reasons. I enjoyed spending time in this world with these characters again, but some of the larger themes/arcs didn't work for me that well.

She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs by Sarah Smarsh: I really, really enjoyed this book, more than I expected. Originally published as a series of articles, this book (narrated on audio by the author) is not just a review of the life, career, and music of Dolly Parton but also an exploration of how these things speak to broader historical trends in women's rights, country music, and culture more broadly.

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Hazeldine: Volume One, Dawn of the Underlord, and Once There Were Wolves
Five years ago I was reading: The Next Evangelicalism, Girt, and Demon Lord of Karanda
Ten years ago I was reading: And the Mountains Echoed, Cordelia's Honor, and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

Best of the Bunch (October 2024)

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in October.

Of the 10 books I read this month, I had just one 5-star read, so that's my Best of the Bunch!

A Man Called Ove has sold me on Backman. He is a master of the craft. Ove seems supremely unlikable as a character when the book opens, but as you slowly get his backstory amid his current plans to take his own life, it's clear that he's a good-hearted man with a strict set of principles who has become increasingly overwhelmed by the world and the life circumstances in which he finds himself. Past incidents are sometimes referenced multiple times throughout the book with slightly more context each time, so what seems to be an absurd feud over a car turns out to be a manifestation of grief from a man whose generation wasn't taught to talk about their feelings. Sparked by the incessant meddling of Ove's new neighbors, a kind of found family forms in the community where Ove lives, with Ove in the center against his grumpy will. (Be aware that Ove's internal judgments of others, especially near the beginning, can be quite harsh and based in ugly stereotypes.)

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Hazeldine: Volume One and Cultish
Five years ago I was reading: King of the Murgos, More Than Two, and Whistling Vivaldi
Ten years ago I was reading: Breath, Eyes, Memory, Cordelia's Honor, and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

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What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

It's been another good reading month! Not only am I back to my regular reading cadence, but I also read a number of excellent and thought-provoking books, both fiction and nonfiction. Here's what I've been reading!

The Feather Thief by Kirk W. Johnson: This was a well-constructed work of nonfiction about a topic I knew nothing about. Johnson does a masterful job of concisely laying out the history leading up to the theft; since the thief had already been identified and confessed at the time he learned about the theft, the suspense comes from his efforts to find and recover the stolen feathers.

I'll Have What He's Having by Adib Khorram: This was my September Best of the Bunch. I really enjoyed this adult romance with two men trying to navigate real-life challenges and figure out what they each want and deserve.

The Mandalorian: The Rescue by the Walt Disney Company: This book my 9-year-old and I read was basically one story line from The Mandalorian told through freeze frames of the show with some sound effects and speech bubbles. Whole pages just had closeup shots of people's faces or various details in the scene, and you were apparently supposed to be able to figure out what was happening just from that. I wasn't impressed.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty: This was undoubtedly longer than it needed to be, but I enjoyed it. Moriarty uses the stories of multiple passengers (and one flight attendant) receiving predictions of their age and cause of death to explore a range of ideas, from the credibility of fortune tellers to the ways that single events can change one's life trajectory. I liked this much better than Moriarty's last couple books and am very glad I picked this up.

Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference by Cordelia Fine: Fine is thorough in showing the issues with just about every type of research purportedly finding differences between women and men in skills, abilities, interests, and even brain structure. You don't have to know how to read academic research; she's compiled work from a variety of sources and made it accessible with the clearest examples and analogies. Published in 2010, it does feel a bit outdated and is not inclusive of trans and non-binary individuals, though it's well done within its narrow focus.

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson: This was an exhaustive look at the many areas of life — work, relationships, politics, and more — where the impulse for self-justification has major effects. Their plentiful examples were a good balance of research studies, real-life events, and imagined scenarios that clearly demonstrated their points. I only wish the chapter on psychology (and its sarcastic jabs at clinical psychologists who aren't researchers) hadn't so clearly revealed the authors' own self-justification bias.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers: I can definitely see why this is a modern classic and an award winner, though personally I found the reading experience just OK. The same formatting choices and ambiguity that makes this perfect for a young adult classroom kept me feeling distant from the protagonist and his story.

Jessica by Bryce Courtenay: The writing kept me engaged in this long story of a young Australian woman's life, though the bleakness got to be too much. I don't regret reading this, but it was a bit too much of a soap opera for me to recommend widely.

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Project Hail Mary, A Place to Hang the Moon, The Bad Guys in the Baddest Day Ever, and The Residue Years
Five years ago I was reading: Possession, An Untamed State, More Than Two, and Whistling Vivaldi
Ten years ago I was reading: Sister Outsider and Walk Two Moons

Best of the Bunch (September 2024)

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in September.

Of the eight books I read this month, I had two 5-star reads:

Nimona by N.D. Stevenson

I'll Have What He's Having by Adib Khorram

These were both very good for different reasons! Because my 9-year-old and I read the graphic novel Nimona over the span of a few weeks, I feel less confident in my 5-star rating (though very interested in rereading it on my own now). And I'm always happy to hype Adib Khorram, one of my favorite authors who is not well known enough!

At this point I will read anything Adib Khorram writes, and I'm not surprised that his first adult romance novel, I'll Have What He's Having, was as good or better than his young adult books. While he draws on some romance tropes to structure his novel, everything in between was authentic (and spicy!). Although there were a few too many sex scenes for my personal taste, I greatly appreciated how Khorram showed two men navigating real-life conversations about sex, including testing and protection, consent, and preparation and supplies for anal sex. It was lovely to see Farzan and David's romance add depth to the already full lives they each had, including close familial relationships and lifelong friendships. I love a book where there are no villains, just a lot of people doing their best in their own way. I will continue to look forward to reading whatever Khorram writes next!

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Project Hail Mary, Clap When You Land, and Wherever Is Your Heart
Five years ago I was reading: Possession, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages, God Land, and Whistling Vivaldi
Ten years ago I was reading: I Am Malala, Family Matters, and The Road

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