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TBR: August 2024



Following in the footsteps of Anne and Shannon on the What Should I Read Next? podcast, I decided to do a mid-year check-in before compiling August's TBR list. That's simply looking over the books I've read in 2024 and considering which books I have laid out to read in the second half. I'm thinking about whether I still wanting to go that route, or if I've changed my mind about what kind of books will engage me and make me excited about reading. 

This is the perfect timing for me to re-evaluate because, only in the past few weeks, I have been feeling an unusual heaviness and lack of separation when reading books that are very sad. It's affecting me for some reason! And there is no lack of sad books! There seems to be a newer trend of writing hard stories that end with only a small spot of light at the end of the tunnel. From beginning to middle until the last few chapters it's unlikeable characters, despair, and sorrow. Then at the end there's a little blip of redemption that isn't enough to wipe out the spill of sadness that preceded it. Last month I noticed that one book actually left me feeling physically weak with sadness, which isn’t something I experience often.

For August, I'm taking out two of the most likely culprits for sadness (minus the one that I'm already halfway through for Close Reads), and replacing them with books that will lift my spirit. I've now got a list that I'm actually excited about! I'm glad I took the time to audit my TBR and didn't simply press on with the list I already had. So here's my list!

(You can click on the image of each book to be taken to its Amazon page.)



The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim Michele Richardson.

I didn't get around to reading this in July, so it's going to the top of my August TBR! 



Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward.

This is a Close Reads podcast book that began on July 22nd and finishes up on August 19th. I'm about halfway through this right now and am struggling. It's an interesting story but I think after this I need a break from reading gritty stories for a while. 


Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

How about one of the least gritty, most cheerful stories I can think of! I have read all of the books in the Anne series as well as a few of the fan fiction stories like Before Green Gables and Marilla of Green Gables. So this will be my second (or third?) time reading this first book in the series. It's free on Audible with membership, so I might actually listen to it this time, or do a mix of both audio and physical formats.


One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

This is one of the books on my TBR that has a tag that reads, "Books that are often named on 'The Best Book I've Ever Read' lists." I haven't read a book set in Latin America for a few years but usually enjoy the setting as a backdrop for storytelling. 


Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett.

I heard this recommended on What Should I Read Next? by a guest saying that while she is not normally a fantasy reader, she absolutely loves this one. She and the host both agreed that it was in the same vein as The Ten-Thousand Doors of January, which is a book that my girls and I really enjoyed. Then the next day it showed up on a popular bookish YouTube channel I sometimes watch, and the woman raved about how fantastic it is. 

Consider me influenced! I used my last Audible credit to purchase it, and Meg and I are going to listen on our road trip next week. 


Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

One of Jordan's favorite books, I have never read it. I'm going into it completely blind and hopeful!


And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie.

A second recommendation by my kids! Both of my girls say this is their favorite Agatha Christie book. I'm not a huge mystery fan but do like to read a few each year. I think it makes sense to pick one that is called "the best" of someone's work, don't you? 


The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown.

Finally, this true story is a bestseller that was recently made into a major motion picture starring George Clooney. It's also our book club's pick for August! I love a true story, I love rooting for underdogs, I love history, and I love the Olympics. I'm asking myself why haven't I already read this, but now I get to!  

So that's what's on my August TBR list. What's on yours?









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