TBR: January 2024

 

Recently, I was thinking about a few of the roadblocks that readers encounter.  One of the barriers I hear talked about most often is the annoyance of weeding through millions of book titles to find one that you actually want to read.  And most of us have experienced something like this: standing at the library stacks or bookstore, reading the inside jacket of dozens of books.  After standing there for a while, you feel irritation and anxiety starting to creep up.  The trip ends by getting frustrated and leaving empty-handed OR you ultimately grab some random new book based on its cover.  I rarely have found good books this way. 

This problem of decision making has often stopped me from reading. Once I realized that's all the was in my way, though, I was motivated to seek out trusted sources for finding reliable book recommendations. Figuring out how to easily find the books I know I'll love has saved me a lot of headache over the past five years.

One of my current reading roadblocks is not being able to recall details about books I've read after some time has elapsed.  Someone will say, "Have you read  ______?  It's great!" Sometimes I know that I have read it but can't remember the storyline. Other times I have no recollection and proceed to add the book to my TBR. Then, down the road when I get to that title on my list, I'll read the first chapters of the book and realize that I've already read it.  It usually occurs to me when I've got my soapy dish gloves on, and have no way to dig my phone out of my pocket to get a new book from the library.  

It happens at least a handful of times each year. 

This year I decided to add a photo to the record of books I'm reading.  Hopefully that will help me catch those previously read books before I add them back into my TBR for another go-round, or will give me another element of the book to jog my memory, when I am trying to remember the story.  

My first reading list was in 2020 and just included the titles and authors, but I've since added in columns for rating the book and information about the storyline and who recommended it to me.  It's has helped me a lot, to be able to look back and reference my notes about the books I've read.  It's similar to the travel records I kept when we were touring the U.S. full-time.  Even now, our family regularly references our travel blog to remember some detail of a stop we made.

I've decided to start posting the books that I am planning to read here.  Having the images and descriptions all lumped together for an entire month may help me to get a feel for whether my reading goal is too heavy or whether it's filled with a bunch of the books that I'm not as excited about.  Plus I can use the posts to remind me about each book.  And maybe someone else will see the lists and find a book that looks good to them, too! 

Here are the books I'm planning to read in January!  Let me know if you enjoyed any of them, but please don't tell me if you didn't like them.  I have a hard time reading a book once I've heard a negative comment about it.  Even if it's a book that I've been looking forward to, reading it after a bad review feels like a waste of time and I just can't do it.  

(Click the image of each book for a link to its Amazon page.)

Summer Lightning:  A 2024 Close Reads book. I plan to stick with their schedule and follow along with the podcast.  Their book choices are often classics but regularly include books that I've never heard of. The hosts of the Close Reads podcast are Christians and I always feel in good hands with them. They offer interesting discussions that make me slow down and, well, read more closely. This one is an English comedic-mystery, scheduled for Jan 1 to Jan 15.

Joan is Okay:  This is the Modern Mrs. Darcy book club pick for January.  I've had a hard time finding bookish connections IRL and finally decided to go for the next appealing opportunity that presented itself.  Then, after listening to the podcast "What Should I Read Next?" for four years, I was recently reminded that they have a book club!  This will be my first month with them.  I'm listening to this one on audiobook and am enjoying it so far!

The Lost Bookshop:  One of last year's bestsellers.  I try to choose two or three of the top books that escaped my notice from the previous year, after the reviews are in. They're usually a hit and it's also interesting to see what everyone else is loving. This one has the added benefit of being a fantasy book that I am hoping to be able to recommend to my daughters.

H is for Hawk:  I also try to read a handful of memoirs each year.  I love to hear people tell their stories in their own voice.  This one takes place in England and the description sounded moody, so I placed it in January.  One thing I know about myself is that I don't want to read a summer book in January!  I'm excited for this one.  This was Time magazine's #1 non-fiction book in 2014.

The Warden:  The second Close Reads book for 2024.  This one is scheduled from Jan 22 to Feb 19 and is free to listen to on Audible if you have an active account. Originally published in 1855 and a short read, this still sounds like the heaviest book I'm planning to read this month.

I've already begun a one year read-through of the Bible.  This time I'm reading through chronologically, which so far is giving an interesting new perspective.  I honestly didn't expect to get anything extra out of switching the reading order but it's somehow helpful.  

Finally, I always try to have some kind of Christian encouragement book sitting around to pick up.  Sometimes I'll choose a devotional but I've also read collections of poetry, Christian biographies, or various collected stories of the martyrs.  I also loved the "Then Sings My Soul" books, which are hymn books with the song backstories.  I don't read these books all at once but instead pick them up often and read them over the course of the year.

To begin 2024, I'm continuing on with "Streams in the Desert," by Lettie B. Cowman.  This devotional book is one that I have treasured for two decades but recently found a vintage copy in the original language.  Having only ever read the version with updated language, I am finding this change of edition to feel like an even cozier blanket.

Okay, that's it for January!  Let's see if I actually get all of these books read!  Even though life gets busy and plans get interrupted, I'm always happy to have a list to go back to.  If the decisions aren't already made ahead of time, I am a lot less likely to read over the course of a year.  Instead I end up looking for something to watch, usually rewatching a show that I've already seen.  But if I just take a little time to make a roadmap at the beginning of each year, I end up having a rich and wonderful reading year instead.