What's In My To Be Read (TBR) Pile!

To me, there's nothing sadder than an unread book. Sitting there, all lonely, with a slight layer of dust. You can practically hear it sigh as you keep passing it by over some new book that hasn't paid its dues in your bookshelf like all of your other old timer books have. The indignity of it all!

Which makes it even more tragic that my To Be Read (TBR) pile has. So. Many. Books. In. It. But I can't help it! Sometimes I'll have books on hold at the library that will come in right as I'm about to start one of the books from my TBR pile and that new, shiny library book will take the place of one of my very patient TBR books. I have now decided to make a point to try to get read all of my poor and forgotten TBR books. To hold myself accountable, I'm going to share all of the books that are on my TBR pile, why they're still in my TBR pile, how long I've had them, and when I'll get around to reading them. Those new books will just have to wait because I have oldies but (hopefully) goodies to read!

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Scribner

How Long Has it Been in My TBR Pile? Erm....well over a year. Yes I know it's apparently amazing so I'll get around to it! I swear!
Why Is It Still in my TBR Pile? I bought it because I heard that it was great but other books keep catching my attention....
When Will I Get Around to Reading It? Of course! I have to know what all of the fuss is about! But I have to be in the right kind of mood to read about heavy subjects like WWII.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

St. Martin's Press

How Long Has it Been in My TBR Pile? Not that long! It was recommended to me by my mom and sister and I actually found a copy at my local Goodwill.
Why Is It Still In My TBR Pile? Like the subject of WWII, Biblical themed reading material is something that I really have to be in the mood for, considering I don't consider myself particularly religious. (But apparently it's just based on Biblical characters and not a religious book. Phew!)
When Will I Get Around to Reading It? Eventually, but other books are higher on my reading priority list.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Touchstone

How Long Has it Been in My TBR Pile? Maybe a year...? My friend was kind enough to let me have it along with a few other books and I excitedly nestled it in with my other books and then kind of forgot I had it.
Why Is It Still In My TBR Pile? I really do want to read it and have for a very long time, but every time I go to pick it up, something else comes up. Is the world trying to keep me from reading about the Tudor era aka my favorite time in British history???
When Will I Get Around to Reading It? Oh, yes! There's nothing I love more than reading about royal court intrigue!

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Random House

How Long Has it Been in My TBR Pile? About as long as The Other Boleyn Girl (the same friend gave this one to me as well!)
Why Is It Still In My TBR Pile? I did start reading this one! I really enjoyed the first few pages....and then something else came into the library and this was sadly forgotten. :(
When Will I Get Around to Reading It? Soon, for sure! I've made it a point not to watch the movie version until I've read the book. (Because the book is always better. ALWAYS)

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Crown

How Long Has it Been in My TBR Pile? Let's just say I bought this for another big trip....like 2 or so years ago. I know, I know, I am a terrible bookworm.
Why Is It Still In My TBR Pile? The subject matter and writing format seemed a little dense and heavy. If I'm going to read nonfiction, I have to be utterly engrossed by it because I vastly prefer fiction over nonfiction.
When Will I Get Around to Reading It? I think soon. Several people have told me that the story and the way it's told makes the length of the book totally worth it, so I will give it another shot one day.

The Devil In the White City by Erik Larson

Random House

How Long Has it Been in My TBR Pile? Barely a few months. I bought this along with a few others at Goodwill. Does it surprise anyone how good the book selections are at some Goodwills? I've found so many new(ish) books there!
Why Is It Still In My TBR Pile? Mostly for the same reason In the Garden of Beasts is on this list, too. The subject matter and nonfiction elements sometimes discourage me. But apparently this one features HH Holmes, aka America's First Serial Killer (And everyone knows how much I love reading about serial killers- it's a morbid fascination) so I really have to get around to reading this to find out all the gruesome details.
When Will I Get Around to Reading It? Probably when I'm in a nonfiction-I-should-read-about-a-serial-killer mood.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Anchor Books

How Long Has it Been in My TBR Pile? Like, a month. Okay, two months at the most. Don't judge!
Why Is It Still In My TBR Pile? I'm not too sure. I heard it's being made into a movie and that right there is the best motivation ever for reading the book before the movie comes out.
When Will I Get Around to Reading It? For this one I can definitely say very, very soon! I'm going on a trip at the end of the week and I needed a book (or two) to take with me for the flights and The Handmaid's Tale will soon be out of my TBR pile and I'll be ready to discuss the book-to-movie differences after the movie is released!

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Time Warner Books

How Long Has it Been in My TBR Pile? About the same as The Handmaid's Tale (another Goodwill find! Goodwill is slowly becoming my bookstore of choice)
Why Is It Still In My TBR Pile? I honestly don't know! I randomly found it at Goodwill and the summary totally hooked me from the get-go. Searching for the truth about Vlad the Impaler aka Dracula that the narrator's father started years ago? Um, yes please! But somehow when I want something to read, this one keeps slipping my mind.
When Will I Get Around to Reading It? Probably after The Handmaid's Tale and the other book I'm going to be taking on my trip. Which is conveniently the next book listed below!

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Dell Publishing Company

How Long Has it Been in My TBR Pile? Just since summer! I got a free book for completing my library's summer reading program and I chose Outlander, since I've heard that the TV show is seriously addicting and sexy (those two things tend to go hand in hand, don't they?)
Why Is It Still In My TBR Pile? I'm actually a bit intimidated to read it. I heard that it sucks you in and it's a series, so what happens if I end up loving it and I read all the books in the series, then get hooked on the TV show? Then what will happened to my poor abandoned TBR books??
When Will I Get Around to Reading It? Despite my aforementioned fears, this is the other book besides The Handmaid's Tale that I'm taking with me on my trip. My main reason for it? Despite being a pretty thick book, it's the cheap, small paperback version that wears like 2 ounces. Perfect for travel!

Not pictured: A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin
Because I'll eventually get around to finishing the second book in the series. Someday. When I'm feeling motivated and ready to get my head confused with all of the different characters, families, lands, and history. Reading the Game of Thrones series is a COMMITMENT!

*These poor books, I'll get around to reading you all soon! I promise! I wouldn't have bought you all if I didn't think you all deserved a chance!*

What did you think of my TBR list? Have you read any of the books on the list? Am I totally missing out by not having read them yet? Let me know!

-Emily

Throwback: My Favorites Books and Series from My Tween/Teen Years!

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had writing about my favorite childhood reads. It was such a walk down memory lane and it made me want to go back and read some of my past favorites, just for old times' sake (also, adulthood is really hard, so who wouldn't want to revisit the past to escape the present? Just me? Sigh). But that got me thinking: if I wrote about my favorite childhood books, wouldn't the next logical step be writing about my favorite teen or tween books? YA (or Young Adult, for those who don't know literary lingo) wasn't quite as popular when I was around that YA age as it right now, but I still had a good amount of YA literature to choose from. So for my tween years, turn on some Radio Disney (lots of boy bands and girl groups and then lots of Avril Lavigne), and then for my teen years, get out your old emo band CDs (From First to Last, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, etc.) and you'll be all set to experience my favorite reads from my tween/teen years!

A Series of Unfortunate Events series By Lemony Snicket

Not all thirteen books pictured!

If you read A Series of Unfortunate Events as a child, then I'm pretty sure you had a great childhood. Lemony Snicket was my introduction to dry, incredibly smart, humorous writing and the clever use of grammar. Looking back, it amazes me that he wrote these books for children, because though they are incredibly entertaining, they are downright depressing. The things the Baudelaire orphans have to go through it are downright traumatizing (um, the Lucky Smells Lumberbill clearly violating child labor laws??). Oh, and the fact that Count Olaf literally followed them around wherever he went to get his hands on the famous Baudelaire fortune (and do away with the children, might I add) in various ridiculous disguises and that NO ONE ELSE but the Baudelaires' could see right through his disguise??? But all of that dark humor, Snicket's sardonic writing, and other entertaining and interconnecting elements (the Baudelaires various odd guardians, VFD, and Snicket's own connection to the Baudelaire orphans) perfectly meld this children's series into a classic and one of my absolute favorites.

Note: And I cannot begin to even tell you how excited I am for Netflix's new series of the books coming out soon with Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf! I enjoyed the movie that came out years ago (starring my girl crush Emily Browning), but it was a pretty different adaptation of the books, so I'm hoping the Netflix series will follow the books storylines and humor more closely! *crosses fingers forever until the ASOUE series is released on Netflix* Don't let me down, Harris!

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Trumpet Club Special Edition

Was this the first time you ever sobbed while reading a book? Because it was for me! Plus, I think I read this during MY VERY FIRST PERIOD EVER. But I'd still probably cry over this book even when I'm not on my period. #truth

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Farrar Straus Giroux

The book version of Tuck Everlasting was a beautiful study of coming to terms with death and living your life while you can. It's a simple, somewhat short book, but it packed a powerful punch. I've taken the advice of Mr. Tuck and can honestly say that I don't fear death, I fear the unlived life. (Not a direct quote, Natalie Babbitt said it much, much better) Which is why I eat so much chocolate. You only live once, guys! I'm just doing what I can!

Dear America and Royal Diaries series by Various Authors

Scholastic Inc/Scholastic/Demco Media

When you're a tween, playing pretend really isn't as acceptable as it was when you were a little kid. But with the Dear America books you can could live through these fictional girls' lives, set during real historical events. Sure, most of them went through incredible hardships (slavery, famine, war, etc.) but it was still thrilling to step back in time and subliminally learn some history. And don't get me started on the Royal Diaries series! The Marie Antoinette one was my favorite (they made her seem very relatable and had a nice foreshadowing of her learning to play cards aka gambling and loving it), just from the descriptions of all the gorgeous dresses she got to wear- and the gross facts, like how lice and other bugs lived in the powdered wigs and instead of bathing they just doused themselves with perfume to cover their body odor. I live for creepy info like that! Bonus points if you watched the Dear America and Royal Diaries half hour live action movies! They were so low budget but so good. Actually, I'll be right back, I'm going to check and see if someone uploaded them on YouTube!

The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot

Turtleback Books/HarperTrophy

The Disney movies pale in comparison to these great works of art. First of all, Mia and her mother live in NYC, not San Francisco, and her father is NOT dead, he just had testicular cancer and the chemotherapy he underwent left him sterile (you definitely canNOT put THAT in a Disney movie!). Second of all, the books keep it real, with teens talking about sex and life. And thirdly, the grandmother character is the exact opposite of Julie Andrews (literal royalty that is Ms. Andrews): tattooed eyebrows, chain smoker, and calls Mia (her granddaughter, might I add!) a prostitute in French (so grandmotherly!). All of this makes up a super fun and surprisingly emotionally poignant series. Though there are multiple books, the first three book (The Princess Diaries, Princess in the Spotlight, Princess in Love) are my absolute favorite and in my (humble) opinion make up the perfect Princess trilogy. I have to admit that I loved the newest addition to the series that came out last year: Royal Wedding: A Princess Diaries Novel that Meg Cabot wrote for everyone who grew up reading the books and needed closure about Princess Mia. I'm a sucker for weddings (especially royal weddings!), what can I say!

Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison

Harper Teen

Georgia Nicolson is the coolest awkward-bigbusted-boy-lusting-slang-talking-wild-cat-named-Angus-owning-Ace-Gang-leader-living-with-the-weirdest-parents-and-little-sister-possible protagonist of a YA series EVER. I have fond memories of reading these books and being jealous of all of the boys that were into Georgia. And also that I wished I lived in England so I could get a chance to date some of these British hotties. Also, I may have watched a video of the entire movie someone recorded in a theater in England on YouTube because they never showed the actual movie in the US. Pirating is wrong, people. Don't do it and don't watch it. But I ended up buying a legit copy of the movie so I think it all worked out!

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Bloomsbury USA Childrens

I am not a big fan of fantasy. There. I've said it. Harry Potter is the only "fantasy" that I like. But fairy tales....I like fairy tales. And The Goose Girl is that perfect blend of fairy tale, real human characters and their intersecting relationships, and just a damn good story! The fantasy world that Shannon Hale creates doesn't seem at all fantastical, it seems incredibly real and vivid. Once you start reading it, be prepared to be swept away by the story and characters. There are other books in the series, but to me The Goose Girl is the epitome of perfection. Oh, and it has MAGIC in it. Because it's a fairy tale! ♥

Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray

Simon and Schuster/Ember/Delacorte Press

Oh my god these books are so good. My pitiful synopsis can in no way compare to Libba Bray's iconic trilogy. Just read it. You'll be awestruck. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I will read anything Libba Bray writes. ANYTHING. She could literally write a Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight crossover fan fiction and it would be flawless. She's THAT good.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Simon Pulse

Back before The Hunger Games, this was the dystopian (or utopian, all depending on which of the characters in the Uglies series you ask) world of choice. In a world where normal looking people are considered "ugly," when kids turn sixteen, they get surgery to make them look "pretty." But some kids decided that that's not the way it should be and plan to make it all change. And damn, it was deep and. Sh*t. Got. Real. As a teen, the concept blew my mind and I had everyone in my life (family, friends, random people at the library) read it. Or at least I recommended it. You can't win them all. And as a 20 something year old, Uglies still holds up and is a great discussion piece about how much we as a society view outer beauty and how we see ourselves. Seriously, book club the hell out of this thing with your friends!

His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman

Knopf Books for Young Readers/Laurel Leaf

Okay, I lied earlier when I said I didn't like fantasy. Philip Pullman doesn't count because he is a genius and deserves to be celebrated. I don't know how exactly to describe the His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass), but extraordinary would be an excellent start. Yes, it is pretty fantastical and out there, but when you have a compelling story, characters, and excellent writing, sticking with a series like this will open up a whole new world (or worlds. *gasps*) that you could never imagine or dream of. Plus, it's a bit of a mind bender and will make you think about authority and morality in completely different ways. It's a very adult and substantial series with very young characters at its center but one that readers will enjoy, but not everyone will get. Reading the series again in my 20's has completely opened my mind to all of the subtext that Pullman subtly hinted at. Doesn't it just amaze you how talented some writers are??? If I had an ounce of that talent to write my resume....

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares

Delacorte Press/Delacorte Books for Young Readers/Ember

A. Magical. Pair. Of. Jeans. Fits. Four. Best. Friends. And. Keeps. Them. Connected. Through. Their. Summers. Apart. You are LYING if you say that you did not want these exact same pair of pants for your group of best friends when you were younger. So just admit that you actually wanted these magical pants and maybe still kind of do because as you get older you and your friends are drifting apart, because of school, work, relationships, and maybe these magical pants (that fit ALL of you by the way, even though you are all VERY different body types!) will still keep you guys together and you will meet for brunch at least once a month. Being an adult is really hard, you guys.

Also, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie (the first, though the second one is pretty good) is one of the very few examples where the movie is (almost) as good as the book. Like, right up there. It's stupid how much I love that movie.

What did you guys think of my list? Did you read any of these as a tween/teen? Or did you read them when you were older? How much of an impact did they have on your life? Let me know!

Stay Weird,
Emily

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