If December was a time for looking back (gotta love all the Best Books lists!), January is when we start to look ahead. For many readers this involves making reading goals and embarking on reading challenges, and though I don’t have many specific goals for my reading in 2024, I do have a loose goal of making a significant dent in my miles-long TBR (To Be Read) pile.

Many of the books on my TBR are ones I already own, either on Kindle or in print, and I definitely want to prioritize these books. In fact, I’ve committed to reading only books I already own for the month of January. (I’ll make an exception for audiobooks since I don’t own books in that format.) Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my library, but easy access to library books makes it too easy for me to jump for the hot new titles everyone’s buzzing about rather than making time to read older books. So this month I’m putting a halt on library visits and time spent perusing books on Libby. I’ve even paused my library holds to make space in my reading life for books that deserve my attention.

The books waiting for my on my Kindle and physical bookshelves were all purchased by me, or given to me at gifts—largely at my request—so these are all books that I am (or at least was at one time) eager to read. It’s unlikely that I’ll get to every book on this list in 2024, but I have a feeling that this highly-anticipated collection will contain some winners!

Books are listed alphabetically by author. Titles with an asterisk are books I own in print, the rest are Kindle books.

1. The Lazy Genius Kitchen: Have What You Need, Use What You Have, and Enjoy It Like Never Before, by Kendra Adachi

2. The Secret, Book & Scone Society, by Ellery Adams

3. Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World, by Jennie Allen*

4. On Love, by Alain de Botton

5. Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke

6. Everyone Brave is Forgiven, by Chris Cleave

7. Harry’s Trees, by Jon Cohen

8. Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms, by Justin Whitmel Earley

9. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett

10. Lemon Swamp and Other Places: A Carolina Memoir, by Mamie Garvin Fields*

11. Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make–and Keep–Friends, by Alyssa G. Franco

12. The Museum of Ordinary People, by Mike Gayle

13. The Twyford Code, by Janice Hallett

14. Woke Up Like This, by Amy Lea

15. They Turned the World Upside Down: A Storyteller’s Journey with Those Who Dared to Follow Jesus, by Charles Martin

16. A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle*

17. The Cook’s Book: Recipes for Keeps & Essential Techniques to Master Everyday Cooking, by Bri McCoy*

18. Caroline: Little House, Revisited, by Sarah Miller

19. Parnassus on Wheels, by Christopher Morley

20. The Secret Keeper, by Kate Morton

21. Hell of a Book, by Jason Mott

22. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, by Maggie O’Farrell

23. Winter Solstace, by Rosamunde Pilcher

24. Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter

25. Go As a River, by Shelley Read

26. Mr. Rochester, by Sarah Shoemaker

27. Crossing to Safety, by Wallace Stegner

28. The Hard Good: Showing Up for God to Work in You When You Want to Shut Down, by Lisa Whittle

What books are you hoping to read in the coming year? Are you, too, planning to Read Your Shelves this year? I’d also love to hear from you if you’ve read any of the titles on my list and have suggestions on which books I should get to first!