So I was doing really well, only checking out a sensible number of books at a time that I could reasonably expect to finish before they were due back at the library. Just a little thing like having to schedule a time during their limited hours to pick them up was all it took to curtail my habit of going on a reservation spree and taking out more books than I could possibly hope to finish that quickly. But now that the library is back to normal hours and operations, and I can just pop by and pick up everything I’ve put aside at my convenience, I’ve reverted back to old practices. I wish I could tell you that the stack above represents even a fourth of the books I have checked out, but…no.
This month, I’m weaning myself off again. I’m never at a loss for something to read. I have four apps with books and audiobooks I can read from my phone. I also have hundreds of books in my personal collection at home. So there’s no reason I need to hold on to the library’s copies that someone else could be enjoying. I’m going to read my books for the clubs I’m in and my joy selections for the month, but other than that? Working on this stack of library books so I can get them back where they belong.
[One could argue that I could just return the books without reading them and check them out later when I know I have time for them, but one would receive a derisive scoff as a reward for this helpful suggestion which would then be completely ignored.]
Book Clubs
- Bachelor Girl by Kim Van Alkemade – My book club discussed this one last night. I listened to the audiobook on the way to the farm and back this past weekend and finished up reading the ebook on Monday. It was a fun read.
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – I’ve read this one before and loved it. I’m going to listen to the audiobook this month to refresh my memory (and also because Modern Mrs. Darcy highly recommends the audio version).
- Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children’s Literature as an Adult by Bruce Handy – I know this was a joy selection a couple of months ago, but I haven’t finished it yet and Follow the Reader is doing a choose-your-own-adventure month wherein we all read books about books, so this fits into that theme nicely.
- The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde – Also re-reading this favorite for Follow the Reader.
- The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo – A retelling of The Great Gatsby that I might actually enjoy. Thanks, Fantastic Strangelings!
- Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia – OR! You can get a discount on any of the books in the Literati book clubs – including Roxane Gay’s for which this is the June selection – when you choose the standard package. That’s not an affiliate link; I just think the concept is a great idea and thought some of you might like it, too. At this point, there are 12 book clubs…and you can join any/all the discussions with your subscription. *sigh* I just need to get paid to read. I’d be exceptional at that job.
Joy Books
We’re going a little meta this month. These joy books actually deal with joy as a subject.
- The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams
- The Joy of Being by Eckhart Tolle
Library Books
These make it back to the library by the end of the month.
- Relish by Lucy Knisley
- Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
- Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim
- Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls
- How To Be a Person in the World by Heather Havrilesky
- The Late Bloomer’s Club by Louise Miller
Pride Month!
Of course, I will also be reflecting on my favorite books written by LGBTQIA+ authors and/or starring LGBTQIA+ characters in my local library’s monthly book discussion. If you want to explore this genre, some of my favorites can be found on these lists.
What’s on your TBR list for June?
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