Can you believe it’s already September? Today I am going to be sharing 10 books on my TBR for the rest of the year. This 2021 I made a goal to be more intentional about the books that I decide to read. This goal included 12 books that I wanted to read. Usually, I make a goal to read 52 books, however last year I met that goal for the first time.
We are over halfway done with the year and I’m actually on par with reading 52 books again. I had a lot of free time this summer and there are just so many good books to read! In this previous post, I shared 9 books I wanted to read this year, but I’ve pretty much read them all at this point. I knew it was time to figure out which ones I’m going to be reading next.
Ok, let’s get into it! Here are 7 books on my TBR for the rest of the year.
Books on my TBR for the Rest of the Year
1. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Genre: Romance, LGBT, Fiction
Goodreads blurb: A 23-year-old realises her subway crush is displaced from 1970’s Brooklyn, and she must do everything in her power to help her – and try not to fall in love with the girl lost in time – before it’s too late…
Why I want to read it: If you haven’t read “Red, White, and Royal Blue” and you’re a fan of romance, stop everything you’re doing now and read it! It’s probably one of my favorite romance books + it’s an LGBTQ+ read. This book is by the same author, so I already know it’s going to be great. I have checked it out from the library at least 3 times, but it’s rare that I want to read a romance. I am more of a thriller kind of gal, but I know that I definitely want to pick this one up before 2022. Also – this book is all over BookTok!
2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBT
Goodreads blurb: Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Why I want to read it: Usually I wouldn’t be drawn to this book because I pick a book by it’s cover. This cover doesn’t really call to me. However! This book is all over BookTok and people are OBSESSED with how good it is. Its Goodreads rating is also 4.44 which is pretty high! I want to read it and see what all the hype is about.
3. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction
Goodreads blurb: As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur – Minos’s greatest shame and Ariadne’s brother – demands blood every year.
When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods – drawing their attention can cost you everything.
In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne’s decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition?
Why I want to read it: I got this book from Book of the Month because the premise was interesting and the cover is beautiful! It’s been on my shelf unread for a while because I’ve been trying to get through a thick stack of library books before school starts. I hate when books are sitting on my shelf unread, so I want to finish this before 2022!
4. Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads blurb: Nina Dean has arrived at her early thirties as a successful food writer with loving friends and family, plus a new home and neighbourhood. When she meets Max, a beguiling romantic hero who tells her on date one that he’s going to marry her, it feels like all is going to plan.
A new relationship couldn’t have come at a better time – her thirties have not been the liberating, uncomplicated experience she was sold. Everywhere she turns, she is reminded of time passing and opportunities dwindling. Friendships are fading, ex-boyfriends are moving on and, worse, everyone’s moving to the suburbs. There’s no solace to be found in her family, with a mum who’s caught in a baffling mid-life makeover and a beloved dad who is vanishing in slow-motion into dementia.
Why I want to read it: I feel like I am definitely going to have to be in a specific mood to read this one, but I’ve been seeing it pop up all over Instagram and the cover caught my attention (surprise, surprise). I love a contemporary book every now and again and I hardly ever read books with protags in their early 30’s. I can’t wait to see if this book lives up to my expectations!
5. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Goodreads blurb: Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.
Why I want to read it: Okay, this is another one that I wouldn’t have normally picked off the shelf. However, I am currently reading Circe, by the same author, and this book got rave reviews on Booktok. The Goodreads rating on this book is 4.41, which is also high. If it weren’t for BookTok grouping this with other books I’ve loved, this wouldn’t be on my TBR, but alas.
6. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery
Goodreads blurb: Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?
Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.
Why I want to read it: This book has been on my TBR for quite a while, I just haven’t gotten around to it. It had dark academia themes, which I love and think it perfect for fall. It’s also a mystery, and it isn’t hard to convince me to read any mystery.
7. Normal People by Sally Rooney
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads blurb: At school Connell and Marianne pretend not to know each other. He’s popular and well-adjusted, star of the school soccer team while she is lonely, proud, and intensely private. But when Connell comes to pick his mother up from her housekeeping job at Marianne’s house, a strange and indelible connection grows between the two teenagers – one they are determined to conceal.
A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years in college, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. Then, as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.
Why I want to read it: This is another book that I haven’t got around to reading from Book of the Month. I added this book into my box after I had a friend read it and recommend it. I’ve heard good things about it, the cover is real cute, and the plot sounds interesting so I can’t wait to get around to it this fall!
Books on my TBR for the Rest of the Year
I hope you found some good books to add to your TBR from these 7 books on my TBR for the rest of the year. What books are left on your TBR for the year? Let me know in the comments below!
If you are interested in trying Book of the Month, I have a referral link that I will link it *here*. This link will get you your first book for $5. I highly recommend BOTM & have loved it so far!
Thanks for reading! If you want to be notified of future posts, you can follow my Instagram here or like my Facebook page here! I also have a Goodreads account that you can follow if you want to see what I’m currently reading or what I’ve rated books, here.
