As a working adult with a house, husband, dog, and job to take care of, I sometimes find it really difficult to make time in my day to read. I’m not sure that’s the kind of confession a librarian is supposed to make to their community, but for me, it’s been the truth. It bothered me that I’ve pushed reading aside in order to do other things, so in January I decided to hold myself accountable by tracking every book that I read. I knew myself well enough to know that I would get caught up in the numbers and would end up reading in order to watch my total book number grow. I’m currently reading book #118 and listening to book #119.

(Now, that’s not some kind of humble brag, and I beg you to keep in mind that as a youth services librarian, I do tend to read a lot of Middle Grade and Early Chapter books. Those are shorter and I’m often able to read them in a single sitting. It’s the difference between eating a cake pop and a wedding cake – technically I could say I ate a cake when eating a cake pop, but really, it’s more of a tiny bite.)

When I started on this quest to read more in 2019, I knew that some of my favorite authors were releasing new titles and I was excited to read them. What I didn’t realize was just how many of the writers I love would be end on my my list! Here is a list of seven books I’m really looking forward to reading (or have already read) that were released (or will be released) between the end of August and the beginning of November. I’m giving each one a single sentence summary, spoiler free, but I’d be happy to tell you more about any of them if you want to stop by the library and ask!

Dead Voices – Katherine Arden – A middle grade sequel where a malevolent scarecrow decides to take up skiing.

The Institute – Stephen King – A precocious preteen, kidnapped by The Man, fights back using only his mind.

Dear Sweet Pea – Julie Murphy – A lonely tween dealing with divorce tries her hand at newspaper column advice.

The Year We Fell From Space – A.S. King – When you are in middle school, divorce and depression are especially difficult, but you can use the stars to guide you home.

The Riddle of Ages – Trenton Lee Stewart – After a seven year wait, the original characters are now teens but they’re still darn good at solving riddles.

The Starless Sea – Erin Morgenstern – I desperately hope that after eight years, Morgenstern has captured everything I love about being a protector of books.

Call Down the Hawk – Maggie Stiefvater – A companion series to the Raven Boys quartet? That’s like a real thing carried out of a dream!

And, because even though we all know we *shouldn’t* judge a book by its cover, good cover design does a lot to make us curious. Here’s all seven books in their glorious splendor.

It feels good to be a librarian who is also a reader again. I’m looking forward to seeing how many I manage to finish in 2019 so that I can crush that number in 2020!

Happy Reading!