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Now that fall is upon us, it’s time to take stock of the year’s reading, including my To Be Read books. My TBR list is growing all the time, but here are ten of the books to which I’m most looking forward to reading this fall.
Fiction
1. Warm Bodies (Isaac Marion) – A book about a zombie who falls in love with a human through the memories of the brain he is eating. Sounds a little gruesome, but I’ve only heard great things about it. I’m guessing it shows some interesting answers to the question of what makes us human.
2. Agnes Grey (Anne Bronte) – I’ve read the other sisters (Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights), but I’ve ignored poor Anne. I know very little about this book, but I hear that Anne’s writing style was very different from her sisters’, so I’m interested to see how I like it.
3. Eyes Like Stars (Lisa Mantchev) – The first in a series set in the Theatre Illuminata, where every character in every play ever written can be found. Bertie is not a character, but the Theatre is her home, and she must fight against dangerous odds to protect it.
4. My Soul to Take (Rachel Vincent) – I don’t think this will be the next Great American Classic, but it’s the first fantasy series I’ve heard that stars a banshee. Kaylee can’t see the dead, but she knows when someone near her is about to die. And then all she can do is…scream. It may turn out to be your typical YA fluff, but I’m interested enough to give it a try.
5. The Magicians (Lev Grossman) – First in a series starring Quention, a high school senior who discovers that the magic land of Fillory, a place he thought was just for storybooks, really exists. Seems to be a cross between C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling.
Non-fiction
1. My Year with Eleanor (Noelle Hancock) – A memoir by a young woman who decides to take Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice to “Do one thing every day that scares you” literally. I want to see this woman’s journey, and maybe gain my own courage from it.
2. Every Living Thing (James Herriot) – I think I’ve read every book Herriot wrote, except this one. His final book contains more tales of the small-town man and his adventures in veterinary medicine.
3. Jesus, a Very Jewish Myth (R.G. Price) – A book that takes on the question, If Jesus were real, why do none of the writings and writers of the time mention him? I’m not looking to prove or disprove the existence of God or Jesus, but I’m always interested in learning more about what people think about faith.
4. Cinderella Ate My Daughter (Peggy Orenstein) – What I hope will be an interesting look into the “girly-girl” culture, the virgin-whore dichotomy, the myth of happily ever after, and what we as a society can do to make life better for everyone.
5. Missed Her (Ivan E. Coyote) – I fell in love with Ivan after listening to her poem “To all the kick ass, beautiful fierce femmes out there…” and I can’t wait to get my hands on this collection of her short stories. She’s a master storyteller, which I love, and has interesting ways to make you see things from perspectives that you might not think you could understand.
Your turn, readers. What’s on your TBR list for fall?
The Magicians keeps shouting at me from the TBR shelves, urging me to pick it up. 🙂
I just heard about it on Monday (my boss is listening to the audiobook of the second in the series), and I’m chomping at the bit to get a copy. I don’t think I could ever read enough fantasy/magic novels.
I haven’t heard of any of these titles, but they all sound pretty good. Nice list! 🙂
I noticed lists with a lot of books I hadn’t heard of. I think it’s because a lot of people are talking about ARC’s, or books that are being released later in the year. I generally read the stuff that’s already published. 🙂
I’ve got Warm Bodies on my TBR, too. I started it once, and I just wasn’t quite in the right mood for it, but I’ve got to get back to it soon!
I read a great review of My Year with Eleanor on someone’s blog. They made it sound fantastic, so I’ve got my feelers out for a copy of that one, too.
I’m planning on reading Warm Bodies soon, if I can finish the reviews that I’ve been needing to write for weeks. I’m perpetually behind on them.
I saw an interview the author of My Year with Eleanor on some website, and thought it sounded pretty cool. I’m normally not a huge non-fiction fan, but I make exceptions for awesome-sounding memoirs.
Great list! I’ve never heard of Cinderella Ate My Daughter but it sounds really good. I’m going to write that one down. My immediate reaction to Warm Bodies when I saw it in the bookstore was “Ew!” but hopefully it’s deeper than the blood-and-brains excerpt I read. I hope you enjoy it!
I can’t remember if I read a random review of Cinderella Ate My Daughter, or if it was mentioned on one of the websites I follow (feministing.com). I minored in Psychology in college, and have always loved sociological/gender studies/cultural studies types of books. My Best Friend bought me a copy for my birthday, but I haven’t even cracked the spine. I’ll remedy that soon, though.
I’m with you, Rayna — the whole “blood-and-brains” thing really isn’t my style. Hopefully Warm Bodies will be a bit deeper and more insightful than just that. It has the potential to be; we’ll see if it follows through.
WARM BODIES sounds just too intriguing to resist, especially because of the current zombie apocolypse craze (my plan is Sports Authority-energy bars to eat and dumbells to fight.) It will definitely be a more serious take on a cliche subject, I suppose.
If you desire to, please check out my Top Ten Tuesday post at http://meditationsofateenagephilosopher.blogspot.com/2011/08/totally-top-ten-tuesday-numero-tres.html. Thanks!
Zombies generally aren’t my thing (too much gore and, ironically, not enough brains), but Warm Bodies piqued my interest. We’ll see how it goes.
Great commentary! Sadly, Anne does seem to get ignored… I’ve also been eyeing The Magicians. Maybe I’ll be able to fit it in this winter.
Also, thanks for the encouragement on Schindler’s List!
It’s true, Anne is rather ignored. Which is a shame, I think, since pretty much nothing in the world is as horrifyingly awful as Emily’s Wuthering Heights. I read it in college and hated it. Fortunately Charlotte more than makes up for it with Jane Eyre.
It took me quite awhile to work through Schlinder’s List (not the cheeriest of subjects, as you can imagine), but it’s well worth the effort. And Liam Neeson in the film? Amazing.