Chapter #41: To All the Unread Books Collecting Dust on My Shelf

All the books I own, but haven't read...yet

Feeling My Shelf is a bi-weekly newsletter about books, life, and well, life with books. Grab your favorite caffeinated beverage and get comfy. First up, some recent reads.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

Multiple POVs, told in dual timelines and revolving around two Latina artists, this was a fun read! It follows Raquel, a first-generation Ivy League student who discovers the work of Anita, a once-rising star whose life was ultimately cut short under very suspicious circumstances decades earlier. Their journeys navigating the cutthroat art world are eerily similar, and both feature terrible, jealous boyfriends. It’s a story about legacy and finding yourself that made me laugh (Anita) almost as much as it made me angry (Raquel). And the supernatural bits are the best.

In a Not So Perfect World by Neely Tubati Alexander

Sloane, a video game designer (and doomsday prepper), and Charlie, a guy who does spray-on abs commercials (among other things), share a random kiss in the bar before discovering they’re neighbors. To make his ex jealous, Charlie invites Sloane on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Caribbean, which sounds like the beginning of a horror novel, but I promise you that this is a romance! With fun banter! And apocalyptic video games! And lots of rum punch! A lot is happening in this story, but it somehow works. It’s quippy and sexy, and Sloane’s commitment to sharing fun facts at the most random times soothed my soul.

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I’m reaching the end of my ARCs (advance reader copies) on NetGalley. The new releases I have holds on are weeks (or months) away from being delivered. And I still have roughly three months of my six-month book ban. So, this means I’ll likely have to turn to the infamous TBR list after months of putting it off. *dramatic gasp*

The urge to read and pick up a new, shiny, recently published book has always been strong. However, one of my goals for 2024 is to read all the books on my shelf. After a late-night count, I learned that I own 283 books (this count doesn’t include any of my writing references or coffee table books) and only have not read 12. Approximately 4%—less than I initially thought. Reading all of them before the end of the year feels doable. (And sidenote: I’ve currently read 17 books towards my goal of 24!)

Here’s the list of unread books on my shelf, in no particular order:

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama (I started this, but just haven’t finished.)

2. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza

3. Heiress Apparently by Diana Ma (Rich people problems!)

4. Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino

5. Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim

6. The World According to Fannie Davis by Bridgette M. Davis

7. The Last Best Story by Maggie Lehrman

8. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (I’ve heard good things about this one!)

9. Know My Name by Chanel Miller (IDK what’s taken me so long to read this)

10. The Rebel King by Kennedy Ryan

11. Queen Bee by Amalie Howard

12. The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda (A Book of the Month pick that I somehow completely forgot about)

Have you read any of these titles? If so, let me know which one I should start with.

Next up: The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton, which follows an event planner and astronaut who “must decide if their fake relationship is worth a shot at happily-ever-after.”

How do you write a steamy scene when your sex life is vanilla? The book you should read next, based on your favorite rom-com movie. How Stephen King got under their skin. Uh-Oh, are Amish bonnet-rippers red-pilling me? I love a good deep dive into romance tropes! Jo Piazza does her best writing at 35,000 feet. She reads the newspaper on TikTok — and her videos are going viral. For any writers: 100 tips that may (or may not) improve your next novel.

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