We all have that massive stack of books on our shelf, silently waiting to be read. Those books know their fate. They will sit there and sit there as newer shinier books come in and get read first. It’s not that we don’t want to read the books. There is just some unknown inner reason that we put them off. We leave them there unread.
Not surprisingly, all of the books on my list are physical books. I, Jette, have truly embraced my Kobo eReader, as I can read faster and it’s easier to hold. I still have love for my physical books so maybe for the rest of the year, I’ll focus on these. Or maybe I won’t, but I’ll still believe that these are all books I should have read by now
5 Books That Have Sat On Jette’s Shelf For Way Too Long
1. The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr.
I preordered this book and received it on the day it came out. It was an ordinary day in January of 2021. Honestly, I think I’ve put it off this long because it’s large and a hard cover. It’s a story I was very excited to read and it was very popular on Bookstagram. The novel follows two enslaved men in the Deep South who fall in love on a plantation but their relationship is threatened by something very close to them. It won’t be an easy read, as the subject matter is very heavy, but after reading a few James Baldwin stories, I’m very much looking forward to this one.
2. Rib King by Ladee Hubbard
Another of the books I got on release day last year. As soon as I found out that this book existed in the Talented Ribkins universe, I got excited. I also love Hubbard’s writing. There is no excuse for why this is still sitting on the shelf. It does have some heavier topics such as exploitation, race, and white privilege with 2021 being the year of almost no reading, that’s probably why I didn’t dive in right away.
3. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Last year when I was filled with writing inspiration (in my head though, and not actually through my hands and onto the page), friend of the podcast Kattie, told me about this book. I ordered it immediately. The format is unique. It’s part mission log, part instructional manual style. There are diagrams and texts. I want to read it because it continues to show how stories don’t have to just be 300 pages of words. You can play with format and how the information is delivered. With all of the story ideas I have, seeing the authors play with novel format is what I’m most interested in right now. I really should read this as a kick in the pants to get writing. Maybe one day…
4. Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
Ghost World was a birthday present many, many years ago. The film came out when I was in film school and it was everything. I didn’t know it was based on a graphic novel until 10 years later. My copy is a special edition with excerpts from the script. It looks beautiful and it has sat on my shelf for more than a decade. This year is the year.
5. Authority and Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer (Parts 2 and 3 of The Southern Reach Trilogy)
I can’t lie. The biggest reason I haven’t read these is that my copy has deckled edges and I LOATHE deckled edges. I burned through Annihilation so quickly and loved it. I had borrowed it from Gen so when I saw an anthology of all three together, I ordered it right away. And then — deckled edges. At this point I think I’ll need to read Annihilation again to get into the zone but those edges may cause this series to remain on the TBR list.
Why Are These Still Books I Should Have Read?
Books should be like a restaurant refrigerator — FIFO — First In, First Out. But we know that will never be the case. So, why do we let books sit on our shelf unread? Sometimes it’s just about owning the book and knowing it’s waiting there for us. It’s a loyal friend we can turn to in a random moment and it feels like no time has passed since we brought them home. We have good intentions but the TBR list will always exist.
What are some books that you have had sitting around for ages unread but that you truly want to read? Let us know!!
