There are a lot of books on my Goodreads TBR, but I know that I cannot realistically read them all in one season. So, I chose books that were either books I will be reading for the book clubs that I’m in, books I received for review purposes, books that I’m excited to read, and a few indie author purchases I’m excited to get in the mail. Each book cover will take you to the book’s page in case you want to read more about each book.
I had the amazing opportunity to attend the RT Book Lovers Convention before it ended, and it was probably the best experience I’ve ever had as a book blogger.
I loved sitting in on all the panels and listening to authors break down how they create their characters and build entire worlds with nothing but words. The mix of fun activities, like playing bingo and card games with other bloggers, readers, and authors, was a great way to break the ice and meet people.
Ava Wixx and I really hit it off, and I ended up hanging out with her and her author group quite a bit throughout the event (so there are definitely some repeat photos of all of us!). Darynda Jones was also really awesome. I only got to hang out with her once, when she was hosting a game event I took part in, but she was so down-to-earth and genuinely cool.
I met Rachel Marks and Merrie Destafano later on at an author event at a local bookstore. I had read an ARC of one of Merrie’s upcoming novels, so I was really excited to get the chance to meet her. She actually remembered that I was one of her ARC readers and took the time to chat with me. She even introduced me to Rachel, who was there promoting her new trilogy.
Looking back, the whole experience of the RT Book Lovers Convention was a one-in-a-lifetime moment for me. Getting to meet authors, connect with other readers and bloggers, and simply be surrounded by people who love books as much as I do made it an experience I’ll never forget.
It’s sad that the RT Book Lovers Convention is no longer a thing. The convention that is trying to replace it sounds like it’s less about connecting with each other and more about selling books, which just doesn’t feel quite the same. Hopefully, when I move back to the US, I’ll be able to attend another convention and, hopefully, see some familiar faces along the way.
This month we saw two typhoons. So, needless to say, I was able to get quite a bit of reading in.
Every summer I take part in a summer reading challenge with my friend and her circle of people. There’s usually a theme to the overall challenge, and there are 18 book categories. Things like “a book published before you were born”, “a book published this year”, “a new to you author”, etc. Every year I fail to finish the challenge, but not this year. This year I finally finished the challenge with time to spare since it ends Labor Day weekend.
I’m honestly surprised I read all the categories since some are things like thriller or mystery, and those aren’t really my genre. Somehow I made it work, found a book that would interest me, and got through it.
Below is the list of book categories and the books I read for each slot.
It seems like lately the font for book titles is more whimsical, but I didn’t just want to showcase new books that everyone is seeing on their social media accounts. I wanted to show off some of my favorite books from throughout the years. Some of these books may be over a decade old – books that a lot of people might not have heard of.
If you click on the covers it will take you to my review for each of the books.
As I predicted, it’s been a very active summer. We’ve already had 3 typhoons head our way since June 1st, with another heading our way this weekend. The incoming typhoon was listed as a Cat 5 level typhoon. So this week will be spent watching the weather, and preparing the house. Needless to say, due to the high temperature and humidity, the choppy waters, and the constant vigilance of what’s developing out in the ocean, we haven’t done much of anything this summer. We already had one trip cut short when we tried to travel right before typhoon season started, only to have a typhoon arrive on opening day. So, this summer may be less fun in the sun, and more indoors with a book. Not that I’m complaining. After taking a few years off due to school, I have enjoyed catching up on all the books I’ve been wanting to read.
This month I took a break from going through my TBR on Goodreads. I read The Cursed King and Kamisama Kiss, but that was about it. I was starting to get burnt out because the books were just not bangers for me. I can’t say it was because I wasn’t in the mood for them, because I was. I just had a hard time with the characters, the writing style, or sometimes the story as a whole, and in the end it left me wanting more. So, instead of completely burning out and needing a break from reading all together, I decided to shift my focus to my summer reading challenge, catching up on my book club reading, and took a walk through the library and snatched up a few books that caught my eye. Oh and I also signed up for a couple of ARC’s that I’m excited to read. So, thankfully, I was able to divert myself away from a reading slump.
Today I’m going through my TBR and listing some of the books that I’m most interested in reading, that were written by author’s I’ve never read before. A lot of these books are by debut authors or authors who are indie-published and may not be big household names…. yet.
This post is linked to Sunday Post, Staking the Shelves, Sunday Salon, and #IMWAYRI did a deep dive into my Goodreads TBR list this month, to go through all the books and delete ones I don’t plan to read. I have had books sitting on my TBR for over a decade. A DECADE!!! Books that I saw and thought, “That looks like a good book” but then never actually purchased it or read it. It’s safe to say that some of those books are no longer of interest to me. Most were YA, and while I still enjoy reading YA, it’s not my primary genre anymore.
So, I went through my list, and any books that I immediately went “meh” over, got the boot. Books that are not available on KU or at my library, that I was not willing to pay money for, got the the boot. I was able to knock out almost half of the books on my TBR. What was once a TBR of over 200 books is now a list of 109 books. It’s still a bit overwhelming, but I feel like it’s more manageable… as long as I don’t go crazy adding books to it again.
Therefor, I have decided that I will spend this summer going through and reading my TBR one book at a time. I won’t push myself to read anything that I’m not feeling, but I do feel like I need to give these books a chance. So many of these books have so few reviews and ratings, and I want to give them a chance to find readers. The book I’m currently reading only has 4,000 ratings on Goodreads.
So, it’s time to brush off my TBR and start giving these books a chance in the spotlight.
This summer, I actually have a few reading projects going on. Every year, I join a summer reading program challenge with my friend and her family. They come up with a cool theme each year (this year is space and planets) and we have to read books for specific categories. It’s usually things like suspense, romance, books with certain colored covers, books set in a particular place, or books released in a specific year. For the last handful of years, I did terribly at the challenge because I was exploring Japan and finishing school. Well, I finally graduated, and it looks like we may be in for a very active typhoon season with no summer traveling. So, I should have nothing but time on my hands to read!
The other thing I have going on is that I joined and became an admin for a local romantasy book club here in Japan. So, that has been pushing me to read more books. I’ve read a lot of books that haven’t been on my radar, but that I really enjoyed. It’s kind of helped me get back into the groove of reading again.
The other bookish project I’m doing is trying to go through my Goodreads TBR. I have had books sitting on that list for over a decade, and it’s overwhelming to look at. So, I recently went through and knocked out a bunch of books that no longer interest me, and I am now going through the list, dusting off the books, and giving them a chance in the spotlight. So far…. it’s not going great. HOWEVER, I’m sure there are some winners in there.
So yeah, this summer is going to be a mix of book club reads, dusty TBR books, and my summer reading challenge.
This post is linked to Sunday Post, Staking the Shelves, and the Sunday Salon.I did a deep dive into my Goodreads TBR list this weekend, to go through all the books and delete ones I don’t plan to read. I have had books sitting on my TBR for over a decade. A DECADE!!! Books that I saw and thought, “That looks like a good book” but then never actually purchased it or read it. It’s safe to say that some of those books are no longer of interest to me. Most were YA, and while I still enjoy reading YA, it’s not my primary genre anymore.
So, I went through my list, and any books that I immediately went “meh” over, got the boot. Books that are not available on KU or at my library, that I was not willing to pay money for, got the the boot. I was able to knock out almost half of the books on my TBR. What was once a TBR of over 200 books is now a list of 112 books. It’s still a bit overwhelming, but I feel like it’s more manageable… as long as I don’t go crazy adding books to it again.
Therefor, I have decided that I will spend this summer going through and reading my TBR one book at a time from oldest to newest. I won’t push myself to read anything that I’m not feeling, but I do feel like I need to give these books a chance. So many of these books have so few reviews and ratings. The book I’m currently reading now only has 83 ratings on Goodreads and only 12 on Amazon.
So, it’s time to brush off my TBR and start giving these books a chance in the spotlight.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
We’ve all been there. A book explodes onto book blogs, BookTok, and Bookstagram.
Everyone is talking about it, reviewing it, and making videos about it.
You add it to your TBR list with the best intentions.
Then… time passes.
Months turn into years, and suddenly you realize you are the last person on earth who hasn’t read it.
Today, I’m clearing the air and confessing to ten books that have been sitting on my TBR Goodreads list for way too long.
