A New TBR!
Welcome to my latest TBR update—where I continue adding books to a list I stubbornly refuse to tackle🤣. As you will see, by the end of this post, there will be 15 books left on this TBR journey. On a good month, I could manage eight, meaning I’m reading more than I’m adding. However, on a bad one, I might only manage maybe two, which means I am now overrun with books. The odds are not in my favour. However, I have a friend with 400 books in her TBR, so to be honest, I think I’m ok and surely, we soldier on. I really want to do better this month, both reading in general and my TBR.
However, before we get into the new additions, as you’ll have seen from my round up, I did manage to read two books from my TBR—leaving eight still waiting patiently.
Books I Read
Books Left
Behold the Dreamers – Imbolo Mbue
A sweeping debut set in New York City on the eve of the 2008 financial collapse, this novel follows Jende and Neni Jonga, Cameroonian immigrants whose lives become entwined with a wealthy Wall Street family. As fortunes rise and fall, the book explores ambition, migration, class, and the fragile promise of the American Dream.
I discovered Imbolo Mbue through How Beautiful We Were—a novel that still lingers with me, one that quietly broke my heart. Behold the Dreamers is her debut, and I simply have to read it.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry – Gabrielle Zevin
A.J. Fikry, a widowed, prickly bookseller, lives a quiet life until an unexpected child and a series of relationships transform his world. Witty and tender, this novel is a love letter to books, community, and the redemptive power of second chances.
This one came highly recommended by a friend and was described as a feel‑good, heart‑warming read—and honestly, who doesn’t need that these days?
Seasons of Fidelity – Takerra Allen
Told through interconnected stories, this novel explores love, marriage, and desire across different seasons of life. Seasons of Fidelity explores love, marriage, and desire among Black women navigating commitment and change. Intimate and emotionally sharp, the novel examines what it means to remain faithful—to partners, to faith, and to the evolving self across life’s seasons.
Another book I stumbled across on a random BookToker’s page—and yes, I’m fully guilty of falling into this trap time and time again. I’m not familiar with Takerra Allen’s work, but I’m going in hopeful and curious, which is often half the fun.
Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver
Inspired by David Copperfield, this novel follows Demon, a boy growing up in Appalachia amid poverty, foster care, and addiction. Through sharp wit and resilience, Demon tells his own story, exposing systemic neglect while celebrating survival, friendship, and the fierce will to endure in a landscape shaped by loss.
I’ve been having some really fun conversations about books and my blog at work, and this one came highly recommended by my boss. She spoke so highly of it — and as a big reader herself, I really trust her judgement. I also have a soft spot for life‑story novels, so I’m especially curious to see what this one has in store.
Kin – Tayari Jones
When her estranged father dies, a woman is drawn back into the complicated web of family she left behind. As she reconnects with relatives and re-examines past relationships, the novel explores how kinship binds and burdens us, probing love, obligation, and the emotional costs of carrying family history forward.
I didn’t love the last Tayari Jones novel I read—not because of her writing, but more due to frustrations with the characterisation and the direction the story took. Still, I’m open to giving this one a try. Another BookTok recommendation, but this time from a source I trust a little more.
Kindred – Octavia E. Butler
When Dana, a Black woman in 1970s California, is repeatedly pulled back in time to a slave plantation, she is forced to confront the brutal realities of her ancestry. Blending speculative fiction and historical narrative, the novel examines power, survival, and the enduring violence embedded in America’s past.
I mentioned this in my science fiction post as a book that’s been on my radar for months—but one I’ve been slightly afraid to read. Officially adding it to my TBR feels like a commitment, because now I actually have to face it.
As I mentioned, that brings the total to 15 books I still need to read—not including the 13 books from my reading challenge that I also refused to touch last month😒. Let’s all say a small prayer for my reading goals this year🙏🏾. Hopefully, here’s to reading books I actually love—books that make me feel good. I think part of my slump is that not enough of what I’ve been reading has truly hit. Still, I have high hopes for the titles on this list. Fingers crossed🤞🏾.
As always, if you follow me on GoodReads, you can see these TBR Updates and what I’m reading in real time.
Thanks for reading!
Signed,
