Book Review

Books To Look Out For

and How to Break Down Your TBR

By Veronica Mkhsi-Gevorkian

Reading, whether it be as a hobby or for a living, has its perks. Some books are an easy read and one can fly through them. There are some books that are highly anticipated. Anticipated reads can simply be books that are gaining popularity, are hyped/overhyped by the mass majority, or everyone is excited about. Here are some books you should look out for when walking into a bookstore or browsing online…

• Fiction:   
• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
• Us Against You by Fredrick Backman
• White Rose, Black Forest by Eoin Dempsey
• Mystery and Thriller:
• The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn
• The Outsider By Stephan King
• Non-fiction
• Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
• The Tatooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
• Young Adult and Adult fiction:
• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
• The Wicked King by Holly Black (release date in early 2019)
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• Circe by Madeline Miller  
• Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
• The Song of Fire and Ice: The Winds of Winter (expected date release in 2019) by George R.R. Martin
• Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
• Caraval by Stephanie Garber
• Legendary by Stephanie Garber
• Finale by Stephanie Garber (released date in 2019)
• Carve The Mark by Veronica Roth
• The Fates Dates by Veronica Roth
• Scythe by Neal Schusterman
• Thunderhead by Neal Schusterman
• The Toll by Neal Schusterman (expected released date in 2019)

These are some books that are already out or on the way to be released. Everyone has their own taste, of course, and I selected a few that have or are gaining popularity.

There are plenty to pile in your “To Be Read” or TBR list. I know for sure mine is pretty packed. How can one maintain that long list of books that everyone wants to read and feel accomplished while doing so?

There are many ways to maintain or even tackle such a list, especially when everyone has work to do whether it is school or work. We are not always free to just read, which is natural.

One way to keep up with your reading list is to have a Goodreads account. Goodreads is a site where the majority of the book community mingles. On that site you can find books that you want to read. There is also a place where you can track your progress on a book you are currently reading, which is super helpful. There you can also join book clubs and discussions on a book you are anticipating to read or are curently reading. You can also communicate with authors as some like to talk to their readers. This site is a plus because it can be linked to your Amazon account. You can also research a book by checking the synopsis and rating as well as the response on what people who read it think.

Another way is to use a bullet journal. If you are the artistic type, you can use a bullet journal to track your books and rating as well as other things such as your thoughts or mood-tracking to see your progress as an individual. People use bullet journals not only to track books but also to improve your health (such as an anxiety tracker, sleeping tracker, or a mood tracker to check progress).

Some use the idea of writing it down, whether it be in the notes section on their phone or computer or journals to track their books. They can break it down to every month or every two months. By doing so you can organize which books you can or are wanting to read that month. This helps you pre-plan which books you want to read.

I think this concept is very productive but also having goodreads on the side like having a reading goal is a good form of motivation to help you attain your book goal. At the end of the day all of this is for the fun of reading. You can pick which one of the ways or a combination to help motivate you to become an active reader.

Picture taken by Veronica Mkhsi-Gevorkian