The NeverEnding Physical TBR

Following on from my neverending TBR posts about audiobooks and ebooks, let's now look terrifyingly at my physical TBR which, if you look at my shelves, is a mess. I really should do a tidy-up on them a tiny bit. Maybe have a sort out and do a book cull. (And yes, I have put affiliate links to Bookshop.org with these titles next to the * so am playing fair and not tricking you. Plus, if any catch your eye, would love to hear!) 

Let's start with the big mama: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon*. Yes, this is on my TBR - I was gifted this during the Dark Days known as COVID Lockdown - but it's the size that scares me. I could read the prequel (A Day of Fallen Night) which is on my kindle or wait till the short prequel (Among the Burning Flowers) comes out later this year, but it's been HUGELY advised that you need to read this series (Roots of Chaos) in publication order. Plus, this feels like a summery read so will probably start this as a side-read either this month or next...

If you follow me on Instagram, you would know that for my birthday back in May, my Other Half took me to Paris and Rome and, while in Paris, I went into the well-known indie bookshop, Shakespeare and Company, and I bought two hardback books. One was The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith and the other was The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side by Agatha Christie*. Now, I started reading Talented Mr Ripley in latter half of May and throughout June (yes, it’s a bit of a slog and, at the time of writing this, I have about 25 pages to go!), so I would like to read The Mirror Crack'd to attempt to continue the birthday vibes. Yes, I know I have loads of Christie to read (on all formats), but this feels like the one I want to do next. Maybe I should do an Agatha Christie-themed reading month...

You all know one of my favourite reads of last year: Jandy Nelson's When The World Tips Over. So, of course, I would love to read her other books The Sky is Everywhere* and I'll Give You The Sun*. Now, I read I'll Give You The Sun many years ago as part of the South Bank Centre's Summer of Love YA Book Club back in … er... 2016. And I can't remember a goddamn thing about it as I want to reread this. As for The Sky is Everywhere - I haven't read this but I know that this book is well-loved so I want to see why. But I loved When the World Tips Over so I think these two will be right up my street!

I am slowly trying to read more Terry Pratchett and fantasy that have a slight humour out edge to them. I have several on my kindle and on my library wish list but the physical copy I have and I want to read soon is The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents*. Not only do I have this in a beautiful hardback edition, it’s a twisted reimagining of the Pied Piper and it was the first Discworld novel written for children (though I randomly discovered these characters were mentioned very briefly in a previous Discworld novel, Reaper Man). Plus, my edition is a little unique as it was bounded the wrong way round (I have to hold the book upside down to read it. The looks am going to get in public when I start this is gonna be brilliant!). So yes, I want to read this soon. Maybe I should make this a Halloween read - thoughts?

I have so many more I could write paragraphs about - the books for review from the British Library Crime Classics, books I won and bought, but I want to keep this post shorter than my previous TBR posts. Hopefully, these willl keep me in check of my reading (nightly unlikely but we shall see…). 

Plus, I could show you the mess of my physical TBR but I think that will upset you so will stay quiet on that front - for now…