Thursday, August 29, 2013

On Stacks & Shelves: Fall 2013 TBR

On Stacks and Shelves is a feature where I update you on my unread books shelf and my TBR pile for the next couple of months.

September is right around the corner with my favorite season of the year, fall!  The weather is cooling down at night and leaves are already starting to turn. I am a seasonal reader in that my taste for books changes depending on what time of the year it is.  As the fall (and Halloween) approaches, I stray away from the YA, romance and fantasy novels of the spring and summer and focus on darker books.

Fortunately, RIP VIII starts in September! I will be participating as a Peril the First reader this year (my first year) with the read-along -- 4 books that fit the RIP VIII guidelines and in the Estella Society read-along of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.  Carl @ Stainless Steel Droppings has updated his post with all of the challenges for this read-along that runs from September 1 - October 30.


Currently Reading:
The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel and The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern (audiobook).  I also have two books on hold at the library (Prodigy by Marie Lu and The Essence by Kimberly Derting) that I will finish by the end of August.

On Stacks: My Fall 2013 Short List

  • Friday Night Lights - H.G. Bissinger
  • House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski (Classics Club)
  • Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (Classics Club)
  • IT - Stephen King
  • The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters
  • Winter's Bone - Daniel Woodrell
  • The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
  • Daughters of Witching Hill - Mary Sharrat
  • Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (Classics Club Spin #3 Challenge)
  • The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova


On Shelves
I currently have 24 unread physical books in my house right now which is an all time low.  At the beginning of the year I had 60+ books that I hadn't read and one of my goals for 2013 was to read or eliminate those books from my collection.  I have culled my bookshelves a few times this year so I am not going to get rid of any more unread books at this point, and I am very proud of the progress I've made so far.  I also have 17 unread Kindle ebooks, an all time high.  I don't have a plan to read through these any time soon but I will be travelling to Florida in September and that will probably be when I utilize my Kindle the most.  Most of the books I want to read I already own or have on hold at the library so I am going to hold off on purchasing any books for the next few weeks (with the exception of my Fall 2013 Anticipated Reads, of course!).



12 comments:

  1. I don't even want to count how many unread physical books I have! It's such a shame, but I do want to make time to read the book I have personally purchased, because right now all i'm reading is e-ARC's and review request books :(

    I see you have Shirley Jackson's The Hauting of Hill House on your short list. I've been wanting to read it, but I'm too chicken!

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    1. I moved recently and when my boxes of books outnumbered the boxes of everything else, I knew I had a problem! I hear Shirley Jackson isn't too bad (i.e. won't keep me up at night!) so I'm really excited to read it!

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  2. The Haunting of Hill House was real good. Sufficiently creepy (NOT scary, FYI).

    Hope you write a review!

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  3. I am hoping to read The Historian, too. :)

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    1. The first chapters I read were great! I can't wait to finish.

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  4. How are you enjoying the audiobook of The Night Circus? I read the book for the first time last year, loved it, and am currently listening to the audiobook of it myself. Jim Dale is great!

    Shirley Jackson writes great, creepy stuff. Not gory, just perfectly moody and unsettling.

    Happy to see you'll also be joining in on reading The Historian.

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    1. Jim Dale is a phenomenal narrator! I want to listen to every audio book that he has read because his voice is captivating. One problem I'm having is losing attention while I'm listening. Do you do anything while listening to audiobook? I get restless when I try and sit still.

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  5. Mostly I listen when I'm driving and so it isn't too hard to pay attention, lol!

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  6. I've been hearing good things about The Night Circus--I'll be curious to hear your thoughts. One of these days I'm actually going to pick it up...

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    1. The Night Circus is amazing! I have never read the physical copy but I highly recommend the audiobook. It is beautifully written and Jim Dale's voice adds on to the experience. I'm only about 40% through the book but it is slightly unsettling and creepy- not enough to be outright scary but just enough darkness to give me the chills.

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  7. Ooh, good list! I read The Little Stranger a few years ago and it isn't the creepiest story but it is a good one. Fahrenheit 451 and Wuthering Heights are both fabulous books and are both among my favourites (although I will admit that my list of 'favourites' is pretty long!). I've been meaning to read The Haunting of Hill House for *ages* too...so yeah, good list!

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