TSS: So many books I wish I could read next

Part of the fun that comes with having a birthday shortly after Christmas means that, for this part of the year at least, I am overwhelmed with new books that I wish I could read immediately. There just aren’t enough hours in the day to fit them all in. I thought I’d highlight a few of the books that I just can’t wait to read in lieu of actually having several mini read-a-thons and rushing through them.

First of all, some of the new books.

I went to the United States to visit my parents over Christmas and while there, managed to buy quite a few paperbacks that I’d been looking forward to or been recommended. Mass market paperback is generally my favorite format for reading real books; as long as the book isn’t too long, it is the most comfortable kind of book to hold. They are also cheaper, so I can go to a real bookstore and buy a bunch of $8 books without worries. In this little section of my TBR bookshelf, I’ve got six books I can’t wait to read: The Family Trade, Steel’s Edge, Chasing Magic, A Confederation of Valor, The Better Part of Darkness, and Charmed Life. I actually bought two of those in London, but the rest are American and have been calling to me for a couple of weeks now.

This is the good old “immediate” TBR pile. Because I have so many books that I haven’t read, I generally try to organize what I should be reading next or soonish in this little stack. I’ve been doing so for about three years because it’s just easier to pick a book I’ve already chosen from the top of the pile than to sort through the entire bookshelf whenever I finish a book. It also keeps me a little more on my toes with what I should read as opposed to just immediately want to read. I alternate review books with my own TBR books. I’m not crazy interested in all of these books; some of them have been there for quite some time because I got distracted by newer or more urgent reads, especially this month. In a normal month I’d read from the top down and replace at the bottom, so pretty soon I’ll start Heat Stroke and probably stick one of the books from the top photo underneath The Second Empress.

Which of these books do I wish I could read next? Fever, Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance (the most of all of them), State of Wonder, Strong Poison, and The Second Empress. I’ll probably have read all of these by the end of February if I’m well disciplined and don’t start reading ebooks instead.

Finally, what remains of my Long-Awaited Reads pile. I’ve finished Blackout and Life of Pi from my initial stack. Both were definitely books that I should have read sooner, and I’m hoping the same for these three. To make sure I get some non-fiction in this month, I think I’m going to read Guns, Germs, and Steel next, which will leave me with only two. Whether or not I squeeze them in before the end of January, alongside the five Hitchhiker’s Guide books I’m also reading (I’ve finished two), I’d like to make sure I read them soon, so they’ll be sitting here on my computer desk staring me in the face until I do.

Which books do you wish you could read next?