Oh, this is quite a challenge. Any book lover’s to-be-read list quickly becomes a towering monolith, as breathtaking as it is intimidating. Much like mounting an Aztec temple, I have a feeling I’d pass out before I neared the top of my TBR list, no matter how exciting the thought is. Yet this week’s The Broke and The Bookish weekly meme is centered around the Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR List, so I’ve got to at least contemplate the summit. Some of these books are pulled from the midst of the stack and I’m finally hoping to read them this fall. Other reads were released in the last few years and are recent additions to my TBR. So without further ado…

10 Books I Desperately Hope To Have Time To Read This Fall

*As usual, all links lead to Goodreads*

1. Crimson Kiss by Trisha Baker: I have been hunting used book stores for this piece for years. I found the third installment, Crimson Shadows, in a bookstore about ten years ago. The third book was a compelling blend of horror and romance. Emphasis on the horror. I had nightmares after reading that book, but I wanted more. So I began a subtle quest for the two predecessors. They’re out of print though. I’ve checked the prices on Amazon now and again for used copies, but they’ve always been a little too rich for my blood. This summer I finally caved when I found a modest price. I’m so pumped for this that I don’t even mind if I can’t sleep afterwards.

2. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith: I mentioned this book in a post a few weeks ago. Two of my guy-friends recommended it to me when it was still in hardback. I have a twitchy rule about not buying books in hardback unless absolutely necessary, so I’ve been tracking this book on its way to paperback. Now it is mine, all mine (insert maniacal laugh here). Abraham is currently sitting on my shelf  waiting patiently for my attention.

3. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell: Assassination Vacation has been on my TBR list for about a year now. I’ve read excerpts for nonfiction and travel writing courses, each time I’ve been increasingly compelled to pick this book up. Vowell’s sense of humor is what makes me want to dive right in. So now it’s waiting next to Abraham on the shelf. Yes, the choice was deliberate.

4. Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin: Ever since my friend Chelsey recommended Game of Thrones, I’ve been all but obsessed with The Song of Ice and Fire series. Regrettably, I haven’t had time to pick up book two since this summer. But I want back into the Seven Kingdoms so badly!

5. One Day by David Nicholls: I looked this book up after seeing the trailer for the movie with Anne Hathaway. Whenever I see a movie trailer that is based on a book, I have to look up said book to see if I want to read it first. It’s kind of wonky system where if the book looks good, I read it after–because I will get pissed at the movie if it’s wrong in my picky opinion–but if the movie looks iffy then I read the book first since I have no expectations for the film. As much as I love Ms. Hathaway, I wasn’t wowed by the One Day trailer. The premise seemed to yield itself much better to print, much like The Time Traveler’s Wife. We shall see if my system holds true.

6. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: I’ve casually wanted to read this one for a while, but two things peaked my interest within the last year. 1) My friend Erica’s capstone presentation on teaching the novel (she rocked it). And 2) seeing Margaret Atwood’s keynote speech at this year’s AWP (she also rocked it). The universe was telling me to move The Handmaid’s Tale up on my TBR list. Done deal.

7. Don’t Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon: This recommendation came to me through Goodreads.com. The mystery element is what intrigued me the most. I haven’t picked it up at a bookstore as of yet, but this one might be a decent pick from the library.

8. The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan: I literally just picked this book up yesterday at Barnes&Noble. Goodreads also recommended this one to me, but I’m a tad hesitant to start turning the pages. It looks amazing  as a book, but I just got out of a relationship and I have a feeling A Lover’s Dictionary will be heart wrenching in a bad way. This one needs to stay put on my shelf for a little while.

9. I’m No Angel: The Blonde in Fiction and Film by Ellen Tremper: As a kid, I got called a dumb blonde a lot, which drove me nuts because I was in the gifted class and was, by all accounts, a teacher’s pet. I later realized these kids were probably repeating something heard from their parents or the media. Keyword, media. I’m No Angel tracks the evolution of the blonde in different forms of media. I’m interested in what Tremper has to say on the subject.

10. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan: Goodreads called When She Woke “a powerful reimagining of The Scarlet Letter“–a phrase that instantly made me want to read this book. I enjoyed reading The Scarlet Letter in high school, but haven’t picked Hawthorne’s book up since. Jordan appears to have taken on the general plot of the classic but added a modern, technological twist.

Bam! That’s the tippy-tippy-top of my TBR list. Give me about a week and that list will be longer and more gloriously insurmountable. I’m hoping to actually stick to this list, fully acknowledging minor deviations will happen.