It’s easy to lose track of a digital collection of books, so from time to time I like to scroll through my overflowing Kindle app and make a list of unread titles to keep me on track. I’m a sucker for a good deal, which leads to a mile-long backlog on my TBR list. Bookbub is always a great source for deals under $2.99, Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Daily Kindle Deals newsletter is a great curated list of daily deals (including audiobooks), and I even wrote a blog posts about other favorite sources for free/cheap books.

The last time I made a TBR list was in May 2016… and some of those eBooks are still unread (*hangs head in shame*). Sometimes there’s just no rhyme or reason when it comes to deciding what to read next… and as always, my life motto applies: too many books, too little time!

Categorized in no particular order:

Non-fiction

Dinner: The Playbook, by Jenny Rosenstarch

Making dinner happen every night is an ongoing challenge, but this looks like a practical guide. I don’t have a picky toddler on my hands, but hubby’s limited palette can be just as much as an obstacle.

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Sheet Pan Suppers, by Molly Gilbert

Seems like a good angle for a quick and easy dinner, right? Now I just have to actually look through and try one out. I could probably just look for one-pan recipes on Pinterest, but at least I haven’t added another heavy cookbook to my (mostly unused) physical collection!

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MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend, by Rachel Bertsche

Found a good deal and couldn’t resist the premise. Making adult friends is hard! I miss the ease of high school and college, when you saw the same people every day and couldn’t help but make friends.

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Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo

I haven’t read the original, and I hear that “tidy” has been replaced with “cozy” as the newest buzzword, but I still want to find out what all the fuss is about. In fact, this one probably falls into the “book you don’t want to admit you’re dying to read” category of the 2017 MMD Reading Challenge.

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Daring Greatly, by Brene Brown

I hear soooo much buzz about Brene Brown in the self-help circles and this seems like a good place to start? I’m sure I got it cheap, but I’m not sure when I’ll be in the mood for it.

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Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is another one that I heard buzz aplenty when it was released, so much so that I figured it was probably overhyped, but it has to be a sign that so many people love it (even those who passionately dislike Eat, Pray, Love) so I took the plunge when it went on sale. Next time I’m in a creative rut, I plan on turning to this one.

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Children’s Lit

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead

A Newberry winner that combines TV game shows, A Wrinkle in Time, and time travel. I actually started this one but got distracted by a library hold, but it’s next on the list for the Newbery challenge.

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The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall

I keep hearing good things about this series, and Modern Mrs. Darcy refers to it as a modern classic for fans of Louisa May Alcott, Noel Streatfeild, and Edward Eager. Sounds right up my alley, and a perfect summer read.

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Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool

Another author that I’ve heard is great, and this seems like a good place to start. I don’t know much about it, but I have a habit of collecting Newbery winners when I see them on sale.

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Wildwood, by Colin Meloy

I always hear about how beautiful the illustrations in this book is, but I figured that I’d be more likely to read the eBook. It doesn’t hurt that it’s written by the lead singer of the Decemberists (one of my favorite bands in high school) and is compared to the Chronicles of Narnia. Can’t wait to give this one a chance.

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Young Adult

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer

I still can’t believe that I haven’t finished this book, since I inhaled the first three books (plus the prequel!) in the series, but here we are a year later. I’m about 30% through and really need to make this one a priority!

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Fiction

The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, by Dorothy L. Sayers

I’ve always heard that Dorothy Sayers is a master of the mystery genre, so I have this collection of the first three stories on hand when I’m in the mood for a classic British mystery.

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Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier

I’ve heard time and again that this books is “un-put-down-able” and still effectively suspenseful despite the 1938 pub date. I need to go ahead and read this one for the MMD 2017 Reading Challenge.

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The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova

Somehow I have a physical copy on my bookshelf as well as the eBook, and I can’t even remember who was raving about it so much that I bought two versions of it. I always like the sound of a literary historical mystery, so one of these days I’ll get around to it.

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The Girl with All the Gifts, by M.R. Carey

Again, I can’t remember who was raving about this one but I think it was recommended for fans of Station Eleven, and now they’ve made a movie of it, and I still want to read it… but still haven’t.

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The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah

Yikes… another one that I own both the hardcover and eBook versions, and I don’t know why. But the cover is beautiful, I love a good WWII setting, and if those aren’t reasons enough, my BFF Heather also loved this one.

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Love May Fail, by Matthew Quick

I love Quick’s offbeat characters and how he tackles mental health issues, but I got a bit burned out after too many in a row. I’m hoping that a female protagonist will bring back some of the magic, the next time I’m feeling up to delving into a fragile psyche.

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