Weekend Wonderings: What I'm Looking Forward To Reading This Autumn
As I’ve probably mentioned once or twice before, my To Be Read pile is of a healthy size. There are many definitions of a TBR list, but mine corresponds pretty closely to that of Rachel at Book Riot - a book is only added to my TBR when I actually have it in physical or eBook form, ready to read at a moment’s notice. Some people have a TBR pile that is any book they may ever want to read, at some unspecified point in the future. Some keep these in notes on their phone, on excel spreadsheets, in a physical notebook, or by taking photos of book covers.
Personally, I use Goodreads as it’s possible to customise the digital bookshelves on there to differentiate between your own lists. It’s got a useful app, and is a brilliant tool for me to keep track of what I’ve read, what I want to read, what I’d like to get hold of, and what I’ve got coming up next. I have a wish-list shelf on there also, which is my tracker of books I want to read at some point but don’t yet have possession of. Only once I’ve bought the audiobook, eBook, or physical copy, or picked it up from the library do I move it into my TBR. Some may call me obsessive; I prefer to say passionate 😉
(C) The Oatmeal
I’m also quite structured about the order I read through my lists. I used to just pick up whichever book caught my eye when I looked at my pile. For a while I scrolled my list at random and landed on one. But both of those methods meant that I had books lingering unloved at the bottom of the literal and metaphorical pile for months at a time. I may never have read Nelson Mandela’s autobiography because I was never in a worthy enough mood to pick up that particular doorstop. Instead for the last few years, I have read through my TBR list from oldest-added onwards. That way I get a good mix of genres, and everything gets read – eventually! I’m currently nearly a year behind on my list; the lowest I’ve managed is 9 months. Very occasionally I’ll switch it up to read a new release I’m particularly excited about (The Testaments, I’m looking at you), but to be honest I only add books to my TBR if I really do want to read them.
So what’s coming up in the next month or so on my TBR? See below for some that I’m particularly looking forward to.
The Last Days Of Night by Graham Moore
It’s 1888, and electric light is a brand-new invention. An inexperienced young lawyer takes on a huge case, which will determine who gets the credit for inventing the lightbulb – Westinghouse or Edison. Who will power America? Apparently the plot goes on to feature Nikola Tesla (he made cars, right?! I’m so confused) and some opera singer or other. Legal thriller and human interest: sounds right up my (poorly lit) street.
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
As I get older I’m increasingly aware of my privileges and the structural advantages that I am gifted purely by virtue of my colour and sexuality. I know I need to go beyond this theoretical awareness and put in the work to understand what I can do to be an ally and help level the playing fields for everyone, no matter their background and identity. I expect I’ll feel gut-punched by this book, but if discomfort is the greatest price I pay then that’s just another aspect of my privilege.
Deep Sea And Foreign Going by Rose George
Rose George explores the relatively unknown world of the shipping freighter. It’s a huge industry, with around 40,000 freighters on the world’s seas, carrying food, clothes, materials and goods. George travels across the oceans and meets merchant seamen, pirates, dockworkers, missionaries, customs agents and a number of murky-grey industries and practices.
Operation Lighthouse by Luke & Ryan Hart
The story of Claire and Charlotte Hart, a mother and daughter murdered by the family’s father in culmination of years of his coercive control. The book is written by the two surviving sons, who have become spokespeople for the forgotten victims of domestic abuse and violence. Luke and Ryan have bravely spoken out on several occasions about the dangerous framing of men who kill as “really good guys”, or domestic violence as “isolated incidents” – instead speaking out about endemic toxic masculinity and the excuses that are made for those who exercise control over their spouses. Again I don’t expect this to be an easy read, but I do think it’s an important topic to explore.
Have you read any of these books? What are you looking forward to reading in the next few weeks? Share in the comments below or on social media!
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