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.
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
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
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!