Long time, no talk, blog (but not really, because I’ve posted a few reviews since drafting this post)! I suppose it hasn’t been too long, but I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, and haven’t had anything to write about because of it.
For all of my life, I never had many plans when determining what book to read next. I grew up going to the library every Thursday, and I’d pick a book by meandering the shelves and taking whatever looked most interesting. I’ve had a Goodreads account since the tender age of thirteen, but it’s only just recently that I’ve become more active in the reviewing circles, and spent time learning about what people are actually talking about. In this, I’ve found myself leaning away from the style of “mood-reading” which I hadn’t realized was even a thing with a name. After making a list of books last month that I stuck fairly close to, I’ve decided to try out a more specified list for the month ahead. I don’t expect to complete all of them, but hopefully the majority. As I mentioned, I’ve faced a tad bit of a reading slump, but I think that’s more to do with the books I’d chosen rather than the method itself (I’m so sorry, Ms. Bardugo, I didn’t think I’d dread Siege and Storm this much!).
The following is a flexible list, because over the last week, I’ve found out more and more troubling things about some of the titles/authors, and I’m feeling less certain about a few. Regardless, these are my picks.
The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4) by Maggie Stiefvater
My brain has been nothing but a vessel for these characters since finishing The Dream Thieves (my personal favorite thus far). I’ve just finished Blue Lily, Lily Blue, so I find it only fitting for this title to be at the top of my TBR.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
A neighbor recommended this book to my mom last year, and after my mom got a copy, she suggested I read it since we had recently started (sort of) buddy-reading. (We both read the first two A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder books. She stopped, though, at the beginning of the third one, As Good As Dead, which happened to be my favorite.) With the movie coming out, I considered it a good time to pick it up (though I am a bit hesitant because of some things I’ve learned about the author; I’m keeping these in mind and looking to educate myself a bit more on it before finalizing it on my TBR).
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
This has been on my TBR for a while, and I haven’t gotten a chance to read it since it’s been on hold at my library for quite some time. I’ve heard the title a ton across BookTube, and it’s rated highly on Goodreads, so I’ve wanted to give it a try. However (similar to the last book mentioned), I’ve heard a bit of controversy surrounding this one. Again, I’m going into this tentatively, and am planning on learning more about the issues taken with it, and the history that it may be bastardizing.
Wicked Magic (The Vampires of Oxford, #1) by Margot de Klerk
I recently set up an account on BookSirens, and selected this as my first read from the website (I’ll be honest, I just realized it’s not an ARC). I don’t have an eReader, and would be reading this from my laptop, which I hope won’t interfere with my reading experience. I’m hoping to get an eReader soon, but am putting it off because settling for the devices I already have is more feasible for my penny-pinching self.
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
I’m not much of a non-fiction reader, but I’ve heard good things about this, and I think a memoir/autobiography would be a good taste of something different. I’ve always had an affinity to Dave Grohl because he’s a Virginian like myself (as is Maggie Stiefvater — part of my love for the TRC has to do with that), though I know only a bit of his work with Nirvana and the Foo Fighters.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1) by Becky Chambers
I’ve seen a couple mentions, and a review or two of this one, and decided to pick it up. It’s different from what I’d typically choose (a sci-fi story), but that’s mostly why I picked it up at all. I could probably use something differing from my primarily YA fantasy reading habits of late.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
I first heard of this book in a Jack Edwards/Steph Bohrer collaboration on YouTube, and soon after in a book haul on the latter’s channel. The premise piqued my interest, and so it found its way here!
Emma by Jane Austen
As a huge fan of the 1995 cinematic masterpiece Clueless, it’s only right that I find time and space in my reading for this novel. The push of encouragement for reading this now is that it’s the only April pick for the Goodreads group “Everyone Has Read This But Me” that I already own. While I’m a tad jealous of those with gorgeous hardcover editions of classics (those Penguin Clothbound Classics…I’m never not thinking of them…), I will always adore the feeling of superiority and fake deepness I experience when toting a worn paperback like some Jess Mariano wannabe.
Do you tend to compose TBRs for the month ahead, or are you more of a mood reader? If you do, what books are you planning on reading? If you’re more of a mood reader, what are you in the mood for now? Have you read any of the books on this list, and did you like them? Why or why not? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
Little Bit of All That 
[…] books that I felt like I read eons ago. Regardless, I read about half of the picks I had put on a tentative TBR for April (and temporarily DNFed Emma by Jane Austen from that list — absolutely not on the book, my […]
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[…] three months ago, I placed this memoir on my tentative April TBR and put it on hold at my local library, and waited for a month or two before I finally got my hands […]
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