On My ‘To Be Read’ Pile.

What I’m reading right now…

My ‘to be read’ list seems to grow arms and legs come this time of year – not just because it’s the last stretch to reach my reading goal for the year, but also as it’s a time to hunker down on chilly evenings with a stack of books to see us through!
I’ve been trying not to acquire any more books because my shelves are already filled to bursting with wonderful books that need my undivided attention, but I have added a couple of new additions to my pile – as well as a few that have been sitting there waiting to be dusted off for months now!

Sorrow And Bliss by Meg Mason

I actually finished Sorrow and Bliss yesterday and I’m still feeling slightly broken from it. Haunting, hopeful, chaotic, soul-destroying and oddly reassuring, Sorrow and Bliss is an in-depth look at mental illness and the hurdles that come with navigating life after a ‘bomb goes off in your brain’.
I expected a typical, depressing novel about finding yourself in your forties, but instead I was gripped to an unforgettable tale of survival, sorrow and a search for fulfilment. I would recommend this to everyone and anyone!

Fault Lines by Emily Itami

I seem to go through stages with reading, working in cycles of genres until I tire myself out. You may remember at the start of the year I was reading a lot of fiction set in East Asia, I was really hooked on books set in Korea and Japan especially. Eventually I moved on, but I picked up Fault Lines recently after it popped up on Goodreads. Fault Lines is a modern love story set in Tokyo, it follows the double life led by Mizuki, a housewife and mother who tires of her mundane routine and begins an affair with a local man. I’ve seen really great reviews of Fault Lines, and I think the cultural ties of living as a woman in Japan will really bring the story to life.

Falling by TJ Newman

I picked up Falling on a whim because I had just read (and loved!) Turbulence by David Szalay, and was fascinated by a book centred around flying! While Falling is a little different in terms of subject matter and format, I was drawn to a novel set on a plane – especially one described as both ‘thrilling’ and ‘gripping’.
A full flight en route to New York is disrupted when the pilot’s family is taken hostage, and the only way his loved ones can survive is if every passenger on the flight dies. Probably not one for a nervous flyer, but I read the author was previously an air steward so I think it’ll be a really interesting read.

Autumn by Ali Smith

I’ve had Autumn, a four-part seasonal series, sitting on my shelves since last year. I’m yet to read anything by Ali Smith, a Scottish author with a bit of a cult following. While Autumn is the first novel in the quartet, you can read them in whichever order you choose – they compliment each other by being interconnected, just like the seasons.
Autumn is set in the months after the Brexit vote, the story moves between timelines and follows an unlikely friendship between neighbours Elisabeth and Daniel, miles apart in ages and life experience but lives intertwined through events and current affairs. I’ve heard mixed reviews but the majority fell in love with the whimsical writing and heart-wrenching connection between our main characters.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

I found this cover of the modern classic, The Virgin Suicides, recently when I was browsing a bookstore for something new to read. I haven’t read the book since I was a teen and I reckon I’ll feel differently, or maybe just see it in an entirely new way, reading it now I’m thirty. The five Lisbon sisters have such a hold on, not just those around them, but anyone who has ever picked up this book – it’s more than a coming of age tale, it’s a fascinating look on how we view our teenage years. I’m looking forward to reading it again!

Have you read any of these? What’s on your reading list right now?