I’m gearing up for a good home cleaning, as I’m feeling inspired by Marie Kondo and I have some time off in the next couple of weeks. It feels like a good time to clear things out and give things away I’m not using. And it’s also time to think about what I want to read next year.
I took a picture of the books on my shelf that I might read one of these days. Most of these are books I picked up from library sales; they were great deals and things I wanted to read at some point. I know a lot of people have trouble getting rid of books. But I’d rather donate them back to the library or a Little Free Library nearby if I’m not going to read them. Also, I read much more on Kindle than on paper these days. I have space for these, but that doesn’t mean I should keep them.
Sure, they might be good for me, and they might apply to challenges I’ll sign up for in 2020. But shouldn’t the first question be, do I really want to read them?
Here are the titles, broken down a bit by category.
Books by authors I know I like:
- Swamplandia by Karen Russell
- The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
- Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
- Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell
- The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
- Homework by Margot Livesey
- The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich
- The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Classics I think I should read but probably won’t:
- Kim by Rudyard Kipling
- A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller
- Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham (just the title is daunting)
Authors I hear great things about:
- Brick Lane by Monica Ali
- Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
- Eileen by Otessa Moshfegh
- The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
- Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
Graphic novels/memoirs:
- My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris
- Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert’s Story by Debbie Tung
Books I won and feel guilty I haven’t read:
- Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan
- First Impressions by Charlie Lovett
Lighter reads but not sure I’ll like them:
- Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johannsen
- The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
That’s my shelf! Before I try to figure out which ones bring me joy and which ones are just stressing me out, please tell me if any of these are titles you loved or hated – and why. Thanks!
