October Reading Plans

Hello, October! In the blink of an eye, the trees have changed color and the ground has a coating of leaves. It is amazing how quickly this change happens. I’m totally here for this shift because I am so ready to start my burrowing for the year. There’s nothing better than getting cozied up with a big stack of books and I have stars in my eyes thanks to my reading plans. I have been procuring books like mad (mostly through the library, thankfully) to ensure that I have a book available no matter what mood strikes. I took this picture of my book cart early last week and it’s changed a bit since then; keep reading to see the actual stack of books I’m hoping to tackle.

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Listen. I know how ridiculous this looks. And it IS ridiculous. But the possibilities, my friends. Oh, the possibilities. Some of these books have been on my list for months (Fresh Water for Flowers, The Anomaly, the Louise Erdrich’s, Jonathan Strange, Tomb of Sand) and I’m not ready to give up on myself. Some are for a special writing project I’m hoping to tackle (more on that soon) that feels out of my reach. Some are leftovers from the Booker long list that I haven’t managed to read. Several are inspired by Fiction Matters and the non-stop buddy reads on Discord.

No matter where the inspiration came from, there’s still only so many hours in the day and none of us can read as much as we’d like. So: priorities, I have a few. (but no regrets!)

October Priorities:

• Everything in the stack on the right because they’re library books and have due dates. What was I thinking? The good thing is that I finished one on Friday, so the stack is one book shorter!
• Catch up on the Erdrich-Along! Can I read three Louise Erdrich’s in a month? I’ve done it before. And yet…
• The Marriage Portrait. I have the most beautiful edition from Blackwell’s.
• The Secret History!! A BIG Fiction Matters buddy read. I’m reading my old copy on my Kindle, but Blackwell’s has a gorgeous 30th Anniversary Edition if you’re interested in that sort of thing. I started on Saturday night and have already settled into the coziest little nook of my imagination. But of course, things will turn dark very soon.
• Continue steady progress on Lonesome Dove. 3-4 chapters a day.
• Finish the second section of When You Greet Me I Bow.
• Frankenstein in Baghdad for the Fiction Matters Group Read. I will not be reading the original Frankenstein in preparation, unlike other FM members.

And here’s a visual of my TBR on paper. I got serious last week and crossed out anything that no longer struck me, so this is pared down to what I’d actually like to accomplish as of publishing this post. I have a feeling that many of the struck out books will reappear on future lists.

I’m telling myself that nothing else is to be added in October. Anything else that “must be read” will go on the next page for a future month. My goal is to finish October with a few more filled in boxes and to stay focused on what I’ve already planned. Famous last words? Only time will tell.

Now tell me – is there a book you’re looking forward to reading this month? Do we have any overlaps? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. I’m planning to be back on Wednesday to share what I’ve finished in the last week. Until then – take good care!