I have not been reading as much as usual lately and I thought that maybe writing about some of the books I’m excited to read might inspire me to pick one of them up and do some reading this weekend. Without further ado, here are some books, in no particular order, that I am particularly excited to read.

• Bring Up the Bodies and The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel. I read the first book of Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell trilogy a few years ago and absolutely loved it. I started reading Bring Up the Bodies shortly before the pandemic spiraled out of control and once it did, I felt like I had to put the book down. Now that it’s been a few weeks, I think I’m ready to pick it back up again, because I really am so excited to read it and the final book of the trilogy which was released earlier this month. Hilary Mantel’s writing is stunning and so these two books are definitely ones that I want to get to soon.
• Don Quixote de La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. I actually have a little wooden figurine of Miguel de Cervantes (long story) but have not read this book, and it’s one I’ve been meaning to read for ages. It’s considered to be the first modern novel and that, in and of itself, makes me very curious and interested to read it. Even beyond that, though, I just have a feeling like it’s a book I will really connect with.
• The Death of King Arthur translated by Simon Armitage. I really want to read more poetry, as it’s something that I’ve only become interested in fairly recently, and this is a book of poetry I have on my shelves waiting for me. Not only that, but I’ve had a kind of fascination with Arthurian legend ever since seeing the musical Camelot for the first time years and years ago. Plus I seem to remember hearing good things about Armitage’s translation when it first came out (though I may be completely making that up).
• One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle. This is a book of essays that was recommended to me by a bookseller when I asked for something with beautiful writing and something that was hopeful. I’m not normally drawn to essay collections (I actually can’t think of any that I have read in their entirety—ever), but the bookseller’s recommendation won me over, so I am really excited to read this. The blurb says the essays “manage to find, again and again, exquisite beauty in the quotidian, whether it’s the awe of a child the first time she hears a river, or the grief of a widow who misses seeing her husband’s whiskers in the sink every morning. Through Doyle’s eyes, nothing is dull.” Doesn’t that just sound absolutely lovely?
• Harry Potter. Um…yeah. The other night I was feeling particularly low and I sat down, thinking about what I needed in that moment. Some of the things were not possible (like a hug from my mom, or a walk through the library). But one of the first things that popped into my head was I need the comfort of Harry Potter. There is no more comforting read to me than Harry Potter. I didn’t even feel like I had the capacity right then to sit down and actually read the book, so I grabbed my phone and started listening to the audiobook of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It was just what I needed. I’m only a couple chapters in, but I am excited to continue. I’m also actually reading that book to my niece and nephews via Marco Polo, so I have that to look forward to, as well!

Those are some of the books that I’m most excited to read at the moment. Whether this blog post will help me get my reading groove back remains to be seen.

Have you been reading anything in particular during this craziness?