One of the more enjoyable decisions I’ve had to make during the shutdown is what to read next.
Right before we closed, I brought home two novels for each member of my family. These, along with books we already had, ought to be enough to keep us well-read through the end of April. Since I read mostly at bedtime, finishing a book can take a while.
In early March, I started Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On. While I’ve loved her other books, and I was familiar with Simon Snow and Baz from her book Fangirl, it took me a while to get into it.
Maybe it was distractions from Coronavirus.
Maybe I wasn’t in the mood to read about magical teenagers.
Nevertheless, I persisted and finally finished it Tuesday night.
Time for a new book! Now the dilemma…what to choose?
My TBR pile (left) shows books I checked out, and books I own but hadn’t gotten around to reading. The little journal leaning against the pile is my Readers Journal, which lists books I want to read and books I’ve finished.
Usually, I choose my next read based on what’s due, but this time I took a different approach. Keeping our mood up is really important right now, as is finding an escape from all the scary stuff out in the real world. Since I’d just finished a novel with magical elements, I wanted something a bit more grounded in real life. Historical novels are my catnip for getting lost in a different time and place, and romance is my feel good genre. That narrowed my choices to three: Tiffany Girl by Deanne Gist, Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer, and The Duchess War by Courtney Milan.
I settled in to read the first page of each book.
The winner? Tiffany Girl by Deanne Gist. I loved how the author used detail to pull me into the world of 1897 New York City, and I was immediately taken with the main character, Flossie; an art student determined to make her way in a world not friendly to young women with big dreams.
What’s in your #TBR pile, and how did you select your next read? Share on the AAPLD Facebook page and happy reading!