A friend suggested a buddy read and I said that I probably couldn’t get to the book this year but I’d add it to my TBR. (The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, if anyone’s curious.) This year, I said. With just two full months left of 2020, apparently I’ve begun to think of my TBR in terms of what I can cram in before the end of the year. Forget months or weeks!

Although there’s no need to rush my TBR since those books will exist beyond 2020 and for the rest of eternity, there are still some books I definitely, arbitrarily want to get to before the year is over and here they are.

To not buy any books (and instead make better use of the library) is a lofty goal, but surely I have the willpower to not buy multiple copies of the same book?

Yes?

NO.

Not buying multiple copies of the same book is a rule I set for myself (unsuccessfully, evidently) because I have a problem with aesthetics over content, and buying multiple copies of the same book is one of the avoidable ways it manifests in my life (obsessing over aesthetic consistency on Instagram is another way, but let’s save that conversation for another time).

So let’s see which stunning books I made exceptions for, shall we?

It’s been a bit quiet around here, but I’ve been doing a lot of reading! September included four buddy reads and one failed buddy read, and I have a few more buddy reads lined up for October. I also have a few bookish blog posts in the works that I’m super excited to share, so look out for those.

Two amazing reads this month!! The rest were meh. I finally started the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, which is the perfect way to transition into autumnal reading—my favourite season for reading… and for life in general haha.

Published by Doubleday on 13 Aug 2013
Goodreads

In 1950, a young doctor called Norton Perina signs on with the anthropologist Paul Tallent for an expedition to the remote Micronesian island of Ivu’ivu in search of a rumoured lost tribe. They succeed, finding not only that tribe but also a group of forest dwellers they dub “The Dreamers,” who turn out to be fantastically long-lived but progressively more senile. Perina suspects the source of their longevity is a hard-to-find turtle; unable to resist the possibility of eternal life, he kills one and smuggles some meat back to the States. He scientifically proves his thesis, earning worldwide fame and the Nobel Prize, but he soon discovers that its miraculous property comes at a terrible price. As things quickly spiral out of his control, his own demons take hold, with devastating personal consequences.

Alternately titled: Simply my favourite bookstores in Philly. Nothing beats the excitement of going on a treasure hunt through towering stacks or a good deal. I’ve gotten used to buying books for less than $5, and I get nervous when books start costing double digits.

Now that stores are starting to open up with limited hours, I thought it’d be the perfect time to show some appreciation to my favourite bookstores that happen to all be secondhand. And if it wasn’t the perfect time, I would have found some other excuse.

That said, we are still in the middle of a p*ndemic, so I wouldn’t recommend making a habit of visiting, but if you need an outing once every two or three weeks for your mental health, here are some local businesses you could support. (I keep a running list of books I want to find secondhand, alphabetised by author surname, to make my browsing process more streamlined so I don’t have to linger at the shop for too long.) Or, more likely, if you’re in need of some armchair travelling, here are some destinations for you.