Tag: TBR list

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Ten Before the End

Ten Before the End

An account I follow on Instagram shared a list of ten books they want to read by the end of the year and my first thought was that’s what I need to get my reading mojo back. I have only read two books so far this month, which is pretty low for me.

Here are the ten books I want to read before the end of this year:

  • Funny Story by Emily Henry
  • Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
  • The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
  • What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
  • Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
  • The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
  • A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
  • The Paris Cooking School by Sophie Beaumont
  • Modern Persuasion by Sara Marks
  • Loveless by Alice Oseman

Have you read any of these? Do you have books you want to get in before the end of 2025?

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What I’m Reading – September 2025

What I’m Reading Now

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare – The Infernal Devices #2 – I was encouraged to read this series by a good friend who loves fantasy books. I used to read a lot of fantasy years ago but have gotten away from it in the last couple of decades. It’s well written and an interesting story.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett – I have seen this around for a while and was intrigued enough to check it out. The main character seems to be autistic-coded, which is interesting.

What I Recently Finished

Fiction

  • The Bride Test by Helen Hoang – The Kiss Quotient #2
  • The Emma Project by Sonali Dev – The Rajes #4
  • The Sandy Page Bookshop by Hannah McKinnon
  • Every Time You Go Away by Beth Harbison
  • The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore
  • Wedding at Bella Beach by Kate Wentworth – Bella Beach #7
  • Smells Like Tween Spirit by Laurie Gelman – Class Mom #4
  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – Time Quintet #1

Nonfiction

  • The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins by Peter Enns

What I Added to my TBR

  • The Storytellers by Sue Heath
  • Something to Look Forward To: Fictions by Fannie Flagg
  • The Road to Cardinal Valley by Earlene Fowler – Ruby McGavin #2
  • The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye
  • Confessions of the Other Sister by Paige Harbison
  • Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan
  • If I Could Turn Back Time by Beth Harbison
  • Christmas Wedding at Bella Beach by Kate Wentworth
  • Butterfly Inn by Kate Wentworth – Butterfly Lane #1
  • Once and Again by Rebecca Serle

TBR Stats/Updates

  • I currently have 163 books on my TBR. Of those, 10 are nonfiction and 153 are fiction.
  • At the end of June, I created a focused reading list of 25 books I would like to read by the end of the year. So far, I have read 11 of those books.
  • I have read 89 books this year (my goal was 75).
  • My nonfiction goal is 1 per month, which I have met so far with a total of 9.
  • Here are some more stats from StoryGraph:

Feel free to add me as a friend on Goodreads or StoryGraph. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – August 2025

What I’m Reading Now

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang – The Kiss Quotient #2 – I somehow read books 1 & 3 of this series but missed book 2! This is a fun romance featuring an autistic main character written by an autistic author.

What I Recently Finished

Fiction

  • Yoga Pant Nation by Laurie Gelman – Class Mom #3
  • Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
  • Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory
  • After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev – The Rajes #3
  • The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland – Lost for Words #1
  • How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
  • The Nantucket Restaurant by Pamela Kelley
  • Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand – Paradise #1
  • What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand – Paradise #2
  • More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa – Days at the Morisaki Bookshop #2

Nonfiction

  • Becoming the Pastor’s Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman’s Path to Ministry by Beth Allison Barr

What I Added to My TBR

  • The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison
  • The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun – The Charm Offensive #1
  • Tilda Is Visible by Jane Tara
  • The Love Haters by Katherine Center
  • The Forever House by Veronica Henry
  • Right Place, Right Time by Ali McNamara
  • The Sandy Page Bookshop by HannahMcKinnon
  • Introducing Mrs Collins by Rachel Parris
  • Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory
  • The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory – The Wedding Date #1
  • The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory – The Wedding Date #2
  • The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory – The Wedding Date #3
  • Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory – The Wedding Date #4
  • Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory – The Wedding Date #5
  • While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory – The Wedding Date #6
  • The Storytellers by Sue Heath
  • Something to Look Forward To: Fictions by Fannie Flagg

TBR Stats/Updates

  • I currently have 165 books on my TBR. Of those, 11 are nonfiction and 155 are fiction.
  • Since I completed my 25 in 2025 challenge, I created a focused reading list of 25 books I would like to read by the end of the year. So far, I have read 6 of those books.
  • I have read 80 books so far this year (my goal was 75).
  • I read 1 nonfiction book this month, which is my goal. My total for the year so far is 8.
  • Here are some more stats from StoryGraph:

Feel free to add me as a friend on Goodreads or StoryGraph. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – July 2025

What I’m Reading Now

The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland – Lost for Words #1 – I recently read the second book in this series and wanted to go back and read the first one. I am just starting it, but I have heard good things about it.

Yoga Pant Nation by Laurie Gelman – Class Mom #3 – I read the first two quite a while ago and am finally getting around to reading this one. It promises to be a fun read.

What I Recently Finished

Fiction

  • In the Woods by Tana French – Dublin Murder Squad #1
  • Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod – Austentatious #1
  • Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev – The Rajes #2
  • Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree – Legends & Lattes #0
  • The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

Middle Grade

  • Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
  • Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Nonfiction

  • God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships by Matthew Vines
  • How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice by Jemar Tisby

What I Added to my TBR

Fiction

  • A Month in Provence by Gillian Harvey
  • Other People’s Summers by Sarah Morgan
  • Stolen in Death by J.D. Robb – In Death #62
  • After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson – Kate Reddy #1
  • The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida
  • Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
  • My Beloved: A Mitford Novel by Jan Karon
  • The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh
  • The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
  • One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

Nonfiction

  • The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For and Believe by Richard Rohr
  • A Black Theology of Liberation by James H. Cone

TBR Stats/Goal Updates

  • I currently have 158 books on my TBR. Of those, 12 are nonfiction and 146 are fiction.
  • I read 3 of the books from my 25 in 2025 list, which means I have finished all 25 books on that list!
  • I have read 68 books so far this year (my goal is 75).
  • I read 2 nonfiction books this month instead of my usual 1.
  • Here is some additional data from StoryGraph.

Feel free to add me as a friend on Goodreads or StoryGraph. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – June 2025

What I’m Reading Now

In the Woods by Tana French – this is the first in the Dublin Murder Squad series and was recommended to me by someone on Bookstagram. I am just a few chapters in and am warming up to it.

What I Recently Finished

Fiction

  • Plymouth Undercover by Pamela Kelley – Court Street Investigations #1
  • Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland – Lost for Words #2 (I didn’t realize until I was partway through that it was the second in a series, but I don’t think it detracted from the book and I plan to read the first one now)
  • Not Quite by the Book by Julie Hatcher
  • How to Stuff Up Christmas by Rosie Blake
  • Secrets of a Shoe Addict by Beth Harbison – Shoe Addict #2
  • A Shoe Addict’s Christmas by Beth Harbison – Shoe Addict #2.5
  • The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
  • More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova
  • Rise & Shine, Benedict Stone by Phaedra Patrick

Nonfiction

  • Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCaulley

Short Stories

  • The Bookstore Family by Alice Hoffman – Once Upon a Time Bookshop Stories #4
  • Death Row by Frieda McFadden

What I Added to my TBR

Fiction

  • The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland
  • The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland – Lost for Words #1
  • Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
  • Anne of Avenue A by Audrey Bellezza
  • On Fire Island by Jane L. Rosen – The Fire Island Trilogy #1
  • Modern Persuasion by Sara Marks – 21st Century Austen #1
  • Take a Moment by Nina Kaye
  • Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – Time Quintet #1
  • Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
  • Homemaker by Ruthie Knox – Prairie Nightingale #1
  • Loveless by Alice Oseman
  • Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts
  • Woodworking by Emily St. James

TBR Stats/Goal Updates

  • I currently have 161 books on my TBR. Of those, 16 are nonfiction and 145 are fiction.
  • I finished 4 more of my 25 in 2025 list, bringing that total to 22.
  • I have read 58 books so far this year (my goal is 75).
  • I have adjusted my nonfiction goal to 1 per month, and I have maintained that pace thus far.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

I have also joined The StoryGraph to see what it is like. My handle there is bookwormtrish if you would like to be friends. I am still getting used to it, and my favorite thing so far is the detailed stats. Here is my May Wrap-Up from the site:

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What I’m Reading – May 2025

What I’m Reading Now

Fiction – Plymouth Undercover by Pamela M. Kelley – Court Street Investigations #1

Nonfiction – The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis by Karen Swallow Prior

What I Recently Finished

Fiction

  • How to Get a (Love) Life by Rosie Blake
  • Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – The Hunger Games #0.5
  • The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up by Laura Pearson
  • Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin
  • Lethal Prey by John Sandford – Lucas Davenport #35; Virgil Flowers #16
  • Billy Straight by Jonathan Kellerman – Petra Connor #1
  • Twisted by Jonathan Kellerman – Petra Connor #2

Nonfiction

  • The Great Sex Rescue: The Lies You’ve Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended by Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky

Short Stories

  • The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman – The Once Upon a Time Bookshop #1
  • The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman – The Once Upon a Time Bookshop #2
  • The Bookstore Keepers by Alice Hoffman – The Once Upon a Time Bookshop #3
  • The One That Got Away by Mike Gayle
  • The Sublet by Greer Hendricks
  • The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez
  • The Tomorrow Box by Curtis Sittenfeld
  • Giraffe & Flamingo by Curtis Sittenfeld
  • Sebastian and the Troll by Fredrik Backman
  • The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin

What I Added to my TBR

Fiction

  • How to Find Your (First) Husband by Rosie Blake
  • The Gin O’Clock Club by Rosie Blake
  • Lessons at the School by the Sea by Jenny Colgan – School by the Sea #3
  • Studies at the School by the Sea by Jenny Colgan – School by the Sea #4
  • Meet Me at the Seaside Cottages by Jenny Colgan
  • The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan
  • Betting on Good by Wendy Francis
  • Same Time Next Week by Milly Johnson
  • The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod
  • The Many Futures of Maddy Hart by Laura Pearson
  • I Wanted You to Know by Laura Pearson
  • Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson
  • Nobody’s Wife by Laura Pearson
  • The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson
  • The Woman Who Met Herself by Laura Pearson
  • In the Woods by Tana French – Dublin Murder Squad #1
  • Storm Peak by John A. Flanagan – Jesse Parker Mystery #1
  • Avalanche Pass by John A. Flanagan – Jesse Parker Mystery #2

Nonfiction

  • How I Changed My Mind About Evolution: Evangelicals Reflect on Faith and Science by Kathryn Applegate (Editor) and J.B. Stump (Editor)
  • The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins by Peter Enns
  • Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood by Kate Swenson, Adrian Wood, and Carrie Cariello

Short Stories

  • The Bookstore Family by Alice Hoffman – The Once Upon a Bookshop #4

TBR Stats/Goal Updates

  • I currently have 160 books on my TBR. Of those, 17 are nonfiction and 143 are fiction.
  • I finished 5 more of my 25 in 2025 list, bringing that total to 18.
  • I have read 46 books so far this year (my goal is 75).
  • One of my goals was to read 2 nonfiction books each month. So far this year I have read 1 per month.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – April 2025

What I’m Reading Now

I am currently reading Billy Straight by Jonathan Kellerman. It was published in 1998 and was the first in his Petra Connor series which ended up only having two installments. I am really enjoying it.

What I Recently Finished

Fiction

  • The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick (Contemporary Fiction)
  • Pick Me Up by Cecelia Joyce (Romance)
  • Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Fantasy)
  • Pages to Fill by Travis Baldree (Fantasy Short Story)
  • The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (Romance)
  • Ordinary Life: Stories by Elizabeth Berg (Contemporary Short Stories)
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (Young Adult)
  • Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison (Chick Lit)

Nonfiction

  • Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark? The Bible and Modern Science and the Trouble of Making It All Fit by Janet Kellogg Ray

What I Added to my TBR

In March, I added 27 novels and 2 short stories to my TBR.

TBR Stats/Goal Updates

  • I currently have 171 books on my TBR (yes, it keeps growing!)
  • Of those, 17 are nonfiction and 154 are fiction
  • I finished 7 more of my 25 in 2025 list, bringing that total to 13
  • I have finished 28 books so far this year, so I am well on my way to my goal of 75
  • One of my goals was to read 2 nonfiction books each month. So far this year I have read 1 per month. I’m not mad about that; I have a hard time making myself read nonfiction even when I am interested in the topic.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – March 2025

What I’m Reading Now

I am currently reading The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick. This was published in 2016 and is part of my 25 in 2025 challenge to read some of the backlist books on my TBR. It was also her debut novel. I just started it but I like it so far.

What I Recently Finished

Fiction

  • Lawyers and Lattes: Happily Ever After in Devon by Rebecca Paulinyi – I found this author during a stuff your Kindle day a year or so ago and liked the free book enough to want to get this one. This book was entertaining enough that I have added book three to my TBR.
  • The London Flat: Second Chances by Juliet Gauvin – I had enjoyed the first book in this series, which I got during a stuff your Kindle day a while back, but this one fell flat for me. I didn’t find the plot believable.
  • Hope in a Jar by Beth Harbison – Fun read! The action flips between the present day and the characters’ time in junior high and high school. I actually liked the chapters from the past better than the present; the author does a good job writing the younger characters. The present-day plot felt a bit childish to me, like the characters hadn’t really grown up since high school, which perhaps was the point.
  • What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg – I didn’t love it, even though Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite writers. It started out good, but I just lost interest partway through.
  • Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb – I have been a longtime fan of the In Death series, and this book delivered on all fronts. I loved it!
  • Crime Scene by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman – I am a big fan of Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series, so I had high hopes for this collaboration with his son Jesse. I thought it was alright, but it didn’t pull me in like the Delaware books do. I couldn’t really relate to the main character, or any of the characters, very much, and I didn’t find the storyline very compelling.
  • The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak – I am still mulling over this one and plan to write a review soon. I gave it three stars for now.
  • Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman – I usually love the books in the Alex Delaware series, but this one didn’t hold my interest very well. The main draw of the series is that Delaware is a psychologist, and the crimes usually involve some psychological twists and turns. This one felt like more straightforward police work to me.

Nonfiction

  • The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby – This book was so intense. I am still processing it and plan to write a full review soon.

What I Added to my TBR

  • Not Quite by the Book by Julie Hatcher – my Amazon First Reads pick for February
  • The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez – bonus short story from Amazon First Reads
  • A Good Indian Girl by Mansi Shah – a recent release from this author I discovered last year
  • More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa – a sequel that I want to read
  • Feeling the Fireworks: Starting Over in Devon by Rebecca Paulinyi – #3 in the South West series
  • Twisted by Jonathan Kellerman – #2 in the Petra Connor series, I have #1 on my 25 in 2025 list

TBR Stats

  • I currently have 152 books on my TBR
  • Of those, 20 are nonfiction and 132 are fiction
  • I have finished 6 of my 25 in 2025 challenge

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – February 2025

What I’m Reading Now

Right now, I am reading The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby. I am only a couple of chapters in and am already finding it intense.

What I Recently Finished

Fiction

  • The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley – Another delightful read from this author. I enjoy her books a lot and only wish they were longer. 4 stars
  • The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee – Heartwarming story but sure has a lot of characters to keep track of. 3 stars
  • The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake – My first from her but won’t be my last! 4 stars. Full review here.
  • Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo – I have mixed feelings about this book. I appreciated the mystical aspect of the women having different gifts and the anthropological approach being applied to a family history, but I found it hard to keep everyone straight in my head. I also wasn’t a fan of the many mentions of bodily functions. I think it’s just a case of it not being the best fit for me. 3 stars
  • The Taste of Ginger by Mansi Shah – 5 stars. Full review coming soon.
  • Days at the Morisaki Bookshop – 4 stars. Full review coming soon.
  • Winter Stroll, Winter Storms, and Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand – I read the first book in this series several years ago and decided to read the rest this month. Pretty good, 3 stars.

Nonfiction

  • Followers Under 40: The journey away from church for Millenials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha by Rachel Gilmore and Kris Sledge – 5 stars. Full review coming soon.

What I Added to my TBR

I was shocked to realize when I looked at my Goodreads that I added over 40 books to my TBR last month! Most were fiction, but I did add one memoir and one other nonfiction book as well.

TBR Stats

  • I currently have 156 books on my TBR.
  • Of those, 20 are nonfiction and 136 are fiction.
  • I have not finished any of my 25 in 2025 challenge yet.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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Most Anticipated 2025 Book Releases

I have added several books to my TBR that are being published this year, and these are the ones I am most excited about.

Fiction:

  • Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams (When in Rome #3)
  • More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova
  • What Happened to the McCrays? By Tracey Lange
  • There’s Something About Mira by Sonali Dev
  • The Bookstore Keepers by Alice Hoffman (The Once Upon a Time Bookshop #3)
  • Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb (In Death #60)
  • Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman (Alex Delaware #40)
  • We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes
  • Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld
  • Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #0.5)
  • Lethal Prey by John Sandford (Prey #35)
  • Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory
  • Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
  • My Friends by Fredrik Backman
  • Gryphon’s Valor by Mercedes Lackey (Kelvren Saga #2)
  • Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman
  • Wedding at Bella Beach by Kate Wentworh (Bella Beach #7)

Nonfiction:

  • Becoming the Pastor’s Wife by Beth Allison Barr
  • Queer & Christian by Brandan Robertson

What books are you looking forward to this year?