I’ve never been a mood reader—I’m someone who follows a very specific TBR list and never veers from it. There’s something about working my way down this list of books that I carefully chose for myself to read that makes me oh-so-happy. But following a specific TBR list is tougher when I can’t just request books from the library and have a limited selection via Libby. Now, I could focus on only reading from my bookshelves (both my physical bookshelf and my Kindle bookshelf), but that option didn’t feel right to me.
So I’ve decided to become a mood reader. This goes against everything I’ve ever believed about myself as a reader, but I think it’s what my reading life needs right now. I’ve thrown away the TBR list and I’m focusing on what feels good to read. What will make me happy? What books fill me with readerly excitement? What stories will satisfy me? It’s an entirely different way of choosing what to read, but I think it’s exactly what I need right now.
Last week was a good reading week, although I definitely felt less inclined to pick up my Kindle than usual. I think it’s normal for reading to ebb and flow during this time, and I’m still finishing books at a record pace, but I can feel myself slowing down. We’ll see what this upcoming week brings for my reading life!
Books Finished
American Sweethearts by Adriana Herrera (★★★☆☆)
One-sentence synopsis: Juan Pablo and Priscilla have been an on-and-off couple for 16 years… can they make this one last attempt at love work?
I liked this book, but as with nearly all of this author’s work, I wish it had had one more round of tighter edits. (I used the “Report Content Error” function on my Kindle way too frequently while reading.) Herrera’s strong suit is creating vibrant characters and dialogue that is so real that you feel like you’re living inside the scene. I loved the emphasis on therapy and LGBT+ rights and family and friendship. One of my main gripes with this novel, however, was the distinction Herrera kept making between JuanPa and Priscilla’s sad single lives in comparison to their couple friends. I really hate when authors make it seem like the only way for a person to be happy and whole is to be coupled up. Every single couple in this novel was in a fairy tale relationship where everything was so perfect and the people were sooo in love with their partners. Which is great! Happy for them! But it started to feel disingenuous and I just really wanted one of the characters to have a happily single friend. We exist, you know! Ugh.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate (★★★★★)
One-sentence synopsis: Twelve-year-old Rill has to keep her four younger siblings together after they are taken away from their parents and put into an orphanage.
What a horrifying, fascinating, propulsive novel! The Tennessee Children’s Home Society was a real orphanage run by Georgia Tann that kidnapped children who were living in impoverished homes and sold them to wealthy parents. This story is not an easy read, but it is one that will stay with you for a long time. Our main character Rill was someone who was so easy to love and root for, and I wanted more than anything for her to find safety and happiness. This book will definitely be a strong contender for my favorites list of 2020!
Instacrush by Kate Meader (★★★★☆)
One-sentence synopsis: Theo and Elle give into temptation on a Christmas Eve night which results in a surprise pregnancy and a commitment neither of them were anticipating.
This hockey romance was just plain fun! I loved Theo’s character—he was such a ray of sunshine next to Elle, who definitely struggled to open up and reach out. I grew frustrated with how long she waited to tell Theo about her parents (who are professional con artists), but I also understand not wanting their toxicity to infect Theo and Elle’s precarious relationship. While I normally don’t love the surprise pregnancy trope, it ended up working out really perfectly for the plot and these characters. Another win from Kate Meader!
What I’m Reading This Week
Right now, I’m finishing up A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams, a book I bought on Kindle a really long time ago. It’s the perfect light read that I need and the 1930s time period is such a great setting.
As far as romance goes, I’m currently reading Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann. It’s a YA romance with an asexual main character. Asexuality is nonexistent in romance, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this novel is a good representation of this identity.
What are you reading?
I didn’t know you could report content errors through kindle. I will have to try that next time I encounter an error in a book!
I just finished “Such a Fun Age” which I LOVED. It was so good and such a page turner for me. I had to force myself to put the book down and stick to my bedtime. Now I am reading “Mrs. Kennedy and Me” which is a memoir written by her secret service detail during JFK’s presidency. It’s really intriguing and I’m loving it. I loved Jackie Kennedy. Plus her secret service detail was from ND which is my home state so that’s kind of cool!
I am not sure what I will read next. I might need to pull a physical book off the shelf. Our library is doing curbside pick-ups, but you can’t do any returns, so they can only give out books that are in stock and most of the stuff on my list is buzzy new releases… I might need to spend some money on books for a change. I really prefer to do that at an independent bookstore but ebook content is just soooo convenient right now!
I know you’ve mentioned you closely follow your TBR before but I guess it never sunk in until you said you’re veering away from it! I am 100% a mood reader, and agree that reading that way right now feels better. I picked up a non-fiction on Winston Churchill last week and just couldn’t do it. It’s a good book but not what I need right now!
Boo to content errors and the author acting like being coupled up is the end all be all of happiness. Gross. It’s not.
Is Before We Were Yours fiction or non-fiction? It sounds good!
I am reading Your Perfect Year, one of the free books from Amazon for World Book Day.
I am definitely a “mood reader”… I have a TBR list, but I randomly pick from it mostly depending on what’s available at the library AND what I feel like reading right now.