The Last Books I Was Influenced To Add to my TBR
Honestly, curating my TBR is almost as fulfilling as reading the books on it, at this juncture
Not only am I an avid reader, I love to read about *reading* — I love to stack my TBR with new and upcoming books, I like to deep dive based on a recommendation from a trusted friend (Internet or real life, I’m not picky), and I like to be up-to-date with new releases.
At the same time, I have a job and a dog and a somewhat active social life, not to mention a penchant for rewatching The West Wing and needlepointing in my free time. So, it is only natural that, even with research, I’m going to miss adding a few books to my TBR. I was going through my Notes app last week, and I realized there was a list of books that had been mentioned on the Internet (mostly this app or IG, rarely TikTok) that had not been on my radar until suggested by a parasocial friend.
This list was made truly by organic posts — not book previews, or anything like that. Just the Internet and me, providing more ways for me to spend money and expand my home (and Kindle) library. And not only that — this isn’t a book preview, to be fair, but a mix of a few old books, a few new books, and a few almost-out books that I want to read that weren’t on my radar.
How could I not want to read this? Dual timeline, family secrets, trauma bonding, and an old love returning into your life unexpectedly — sign me up immediately.
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (Amazon | Bookshop | Recommended by
initially but also, all of the Internet at this point)
Okay, it may just be my algorithm, but I feel like I’m seeing this dark romantasy book everywhere right now — so, loving a trend, I cannot help but want to read it. “Dreams, obsession, and a dangerous quest” is a catchy tag line, and well, it caught my attention.
The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett (Amazon | Bookshop | Mentioned briefly in a Bridgerton-adjacent Fanfiction)
I read a fair amount of Agatha Christie at a formative age, and to this day, that is about the level of “thriller” or “mystery” I am comfortable with in my personal reading. I googled The Twyford Code after its mention in a story I was reading, and it immediately intrigued. A literary mystery, a teacher’s disappearance, and an unsolved crime decades in the past — am I weird for thinking that sounds like an almost perfect summer read?
These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean (Amazon | Bookshop | I cannot remember for the life of me who recommended it)
I’m not sure why I find other people’s family drama so compulsively readable, but I really, really do. So, how could I resist this novel about a wealthy New England family’s long overdue reckoning and the week that threatens to tear them apart? I am just a girl, after all.
All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball by Kate Spencer (Amazon | Bookshop | Recommended by Kate Spencer, who wrote it! on Instagram)
I am a true elder millennial in many ways, but one of them is that my hobbies — reading, needlepointing, mahjong, and pickleball — are so cliche at this point that even I feel basic mentioning them. However, I am who I am, and so obviously, I will be reading an enemies-to-lovers romance set around a high-level pickleball tournament.
I usually hate when books use other comparisons as the basis of the blurb — but I will make an occasion for this one, which is pitched as a fabulous book for “fans of Now is Not the Time to Panic, Pineapple Street, and Schitt’s Creek.” Not only is the first book a family favorite, I really enjoyed Pineapple Street, and Schitt’s Creek is one of my comfort shows. Can’t wait to read Hazel’s story, as she’s forced to move from Brooklyn to small town Maine.
Sometimes you just need a fun and frothy YA book with a guaranteed happy ending to read in the boiling weather, and for this summer, this one is at the top of my list. Not only is it inspired by the songs of Taylor Swift, we have yearning, we have a beautiful setting, and we have a game of Assassin. What more could you possibly want?
Sisters separated by centuries, but bound together by the sea? What an amazing conceit for a book, and one I feel confident that Emilia Hart will do so well. Her earlier work Weyward was a hit for me, and I can’t wait to see her take on the mystery and magic of the sea in her newest book.
This is going to be make me sound like a huge nerd (I am a huge nerd), but there are little things that make me more excited than a niche micro history. Give me all of the details, submerge me in a story, and then let me kick off a rabbit hole of research. When I saw A Marriage at Sea recommended, I knew it was going to be the next book in that category for me — the true story of a couple that get lost at sea after their boat is sunk by a whale. I may never go on a boat again, but I can’t wait to read this one.
I’ll admit, I am meh on Ali Hazelwood — that said, I would never cancel her like the Team Peeta people did this week — but her books don’t always hit for me. I felt squicky reading Deep End, and ultimately didn’t finish it, but I loved her earlier books, so I keep giving it a go. Going by the synopsis alone, I was going to give this one a pass, but so many people whose book opinions I trust have enjoyed it, so I’m going to attempt it. Watch me love it.
I had seen the blurb of this book when I was preparing my book guide for 2025, but at that point, I kind of skipped over it — no clue why, maybe it was the cover? the far off release date? the sufficiently vague information available about it in December? — and now I cannot wait to read it. All credit to Becca Freeman on this one, who brought it back to my attention. I’m not sure if this will be the book of summer, but it certainly has the potential to be.
I love country music — I love the history, I love the sound, I love the yearning and the angst, and I love true Americana/folk influence. So, of course, a small town romance between a country music heartthrob who gets to open for his Idol — the rare Black woman country start — is going to appeal. Here's hoping this book also comes with a soundtrack.
Now tell me! What else should I add to my list? Influence me — or let me know if this has influenced you.
Also, this is a new type of post for me — do you like it? Do you just want me to stick to books I’ve read? I’m so nosy, I’d love to see everyone’s mental TBRs, but I know not everyone is like me.
This is such an excellent list.
I’m reading an ARC of These Summer Storms right now (about 100 pages to go), and it’s SO good—even though I usually find rich people fiction a little dull. Save me from the ennui!
What’s really striking is how much Sarah MacLean’s writing has leveled up. Her historicals were always fun, fizzy romps, but this is something else—sharply observed, emotionally precise. A real evolution.
added some of these to my book spreadsheet, thank you! I'm excited about Mansion Beach, Meg Mitchell Moore's latest, as well as The Art of Vanishing by NYCbookgirl herself Morgan Pager!