Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR

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

It's time for another seasonal check-in! I finished all the books on my Spring TBR, and now it's time to think about summer. Here are ten books I'm planning to read this summer.

1. Catfish and Mandala by Andrew X. Pham
I started reading this memoir a few months ago, but I wasn't in the right head space to dig into the story, and it went back to the library before I got very far. I'm hoping to give it another go this summer.

2. Jamie by L.D. Lapinski
I'm trying to learn from last year and not load up on queer romances, but I do want to read something queer in honor of pride, so this middle grade novel about a nonbinary kid and their friends fighting for inclusion at school sounds like a great option.

3. The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater
After devouring the Raven Cycle series and subsequent Dreamer trilogy, I'm looking forward to picking up Stiefvater's latest, which is her first book for adult readers. I subscribe to her newsletter and have enjoyed hearing her reflections about the writing process and writing for a different audience.

4. Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
I was spellbound by the first two books in this mystery series, and I'm very excited for this third book that was just released.

5. Master Your Attachment Style by Scott A. Young
I feel like I got the basics of attachment theory from Polysecure (and just, like, the corners of the Internet I frequent), but this is one that my partner has read and said was a good basic overview and a quick read, so I figured it would be good to read this and be able to have the same vocabulary.

6. No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
I was perusing my "books-about-books" tag on my might-want-to-read list, and this one jumped out at me because I've enjoyed some of Bauermeister's previous work. I'm interested to see what this one is about!

7. The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood
The hype on this 2016 book has now died down, but it still has good ratings and reviews, so it seems worth finally picking it up!

8. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson
I'm hoping to mix in some engaging nonfiction this summer, and this one continues to sound interesting to me!

9. The Resilience Myth by Soraya Chemaly
This was recommended by someone at work, and it looks like a really valuable read. I had some issues with the book Grit, and I wonder if this will address some of those concerns.

10. We Have Never Been Woke by Musa al-Gharbi
This book was featured in an article recommended by a friend of mine whose perspectives I greatly value. As I've been trying to get news in as unbiased a way as possible (primarily through listening to Left, Right, and Center and reading the daily Tangle newsletter), it has helped me better distinguish between what is substantive and actually creating change and what is performative and even counterproductive in the progressive movements I care about. I'm looking forward to seeing how this book tackles hard truths about societal inequities actually being reinforced by social justice movements.

What do you plan to read this summer?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Jessica, Tiny Beautiful Things, The Scarlet Shredder, and To Night Owl from Dogfish
Five years ago I was reading: The Color of Compromise and Women, Race, & Class
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Angle of Repose, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, The Tale of Despereaux, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, and Little House on the Prairie

Top Ten Books on My Spring 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 Winter TBR list; I'm still listening to The Only Plane in the Sky, and I abandoned Women Who Run with the Wolves in the first chapter. Here are ten of the books I plan to read this spring!

1. All About Love by bell hooks
This book has been mentioned multiple times in my online communities the past month, so that always feels like a sign from the universe to pick something up. I have enjoyed hooks' other work that I've read, so I'm sure this will be great as well.

2. Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
Long-time readers will know how much I adored Burnout, which Nagoski wrote with her sister, but I've also heard Nagoski speak on multiple podcasts about her first book, and I always love what she has to say. I'm looking forward to finally reading it!

3. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
My partner mentioned really liking the movie of this and wanting to watch it with me. The book was already on my list, so I decided to bump it up for this season.

4. Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
I can always use a good dose of middle grade! This one is a modern classic that has been on my list for a long time, so I'm going to prioritize it this time around.

5. Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green
I've read all of John Green's books and don't plan to make this new one an exception! I've enjoyed learning more about the history of tuberculosis from his videos as he's done a deep dive on this the past few years, and it'll be great to see all of it come together in his latest book.

6. Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings
After being disappointed by Belly of the Beast, I figured I should instead read the book that was already on my might-want-to-read list that the author kept citing.

7. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
This has been on my list for a long time, and a friend recently mentioned it (possibly she was rereading it?), and it seemed like a good time to finally tackle it!

8. Money for Couples by Ramit Sethi
I've been a fan of Sethi's work since I Will Teach You to Be Rich, but I didn't know he had a new book and related podcast until it was mentioned on the What Should I Read Next? podcast not too long ago. I'm interested to see what he's put together in this one.

9. Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
I finally read Parable of the Sower earlier this year and liked it enough to be interested in the sequel, but there was a 14-week hold on the audiobook so I'm still waiting!

10. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
Every since finishing the Penderwicks series, there's a hole in my heart for a good middle grade sibling series, so this jumped out to me from my might-want-to-read list. Let's hope I like it!

What do you plan to read this spring?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Elatsoe and We Are Not Free
Five years ago I was reading: Paradise Lost and Red, White & Royal Blue
Ten years ago I was reading: Jesus Calling, Baby-Led Weaning, These Is My Words, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and Because of Winn-Dixie

Top Ten Nonfiction Reads of 2024

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

Last week I shared my favorite fiction reads of 2024. Rather than doing this week's topic, I'm going to share my top ten nonfiction reads of last year. To read more about why I liked these nonfiction reads, you can search for them on the blog or check out my Goodreads. (To see my favorite read every month with a detailed description of why I liked it, I encourage you to check out — and link up with — the Best of the Bunch linkup.)

1. As You Wish by Cary Elwes

2. Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

3. I Am Ace by Cody Daigle-Orians

4. Love by Design by Sara Nasserzadeh

5. Multiamory by Dedeker Winston, Jase Lindgren, and Emily Matlack

6. Nothing to Fear by Julie McFadden

7. The Polyamory Paradox by Irene Morning

8. Polywise by Jessica Fern with David Cooley

9. Setting Boundaries That Stick by Juliane Taylor Shore

10. She Come By It Natural by Sarah Smarsh

What great nonfiction did you read this year?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Multiamory, Demon Copperhead, and Remarkably Bright Creatures
Five years ago I was reading: The Next Evangelicalism, I Bring the Voices of My People, and The Seeress of Kell
Ten years ago I was reading: The Canterbury Tales, Big Little Lies, and Yes Please

Top Ten Fiction Reads of 2024

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

This week's theme is "Best Books I Read in 2024." As I've done the past few years, I'm splitting up my favorite fiction and nonfiction of the year, sharing my top ten fiction reads this week and my nonfiction picks next week. (I just finished up three nonfiction picks today, so I'm going to need a minute to sort out my favorites of the year!) My best fiction reads this year were heavily dominated by queer romances, and I am completely OK with that. To read more about why I liked these fiction books, you can search for them on the blog or check out my Goodreads. (To see my favorite read every month with a detailed description of why I liked it, I encourage you to check out — and link up with — the Best of the Bunch linkup.)

1. The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram

2. Heartstopper: Volume Five by Alice Oseman

3. How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly

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

5. It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian

6. Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

7. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

8. Nimona by N.D. Stevenson

9. The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

10. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

What great fiction did you read this year?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Multiamory, Demon Copperhead, and Remarkably Bright Creatures
Five years ago I was reading: The Next Evangelicalism, I Bring the Voices of My People, and The Seeress of Kell
Ten years ago I was reading: The Canterbury Tales and Yes Please

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