Bookworm Cottage Style

In 2022, I focused much of my reading on buzzy new releases, making an effort to seek out the types of books I’d seen hyped in the NYT or the latest celebrity book club. In 2023, with a mortgage and less disposable income, I focused on utilizing the library and letting the “lucky day” shelf guide my book picks rather than intentionally placing a lot of holds or making many purchases. This year, one reading priority that has surfaced for me is to embrace series that I’ve been putting off, and to return to some of my favorite authors to explore more of their backlist titles. These are the titles that are currently on my radar.

The Hunger Games series, by Suzanne Collins (4 books)  // This is the series that reinvigorated my commitment to series. After thoroughly enjoying Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros and remembering how much fun it was to stay up late reading fantasy novels growing up, I was inspired to seek out the new-ish (2020) Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This book was released 10 years after the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy, making it delightful and unexpected literary surprise. To prepare, I opted to rewatch the movies rather than reread the entire trilogy. Now that I’ve completed the series, I’m looking forward to borrowing The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes on DVD from the library.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (4 books) // I’d heard nothing but great things about this feel-good, translated Japanese book about a time-traveling cafe, but for some reason hopping into the series felt daunting. (I also felt so confident that I would enjoy them, that I was torn between borrowing or buying, and held off on reading for that reason too. Am I the only one prone to this type of bookish investment paralysis?) I borrowed the first installment from the library recently to get a taste for the series, and easily read the slim, sub-300 page book over the span of 2 days. I just cracked open the sequel, and expect to enjoy it every bit as much as the first. The books are short, each divided into 4 chapters of roughly 75 pages each, that read almost as their own novellas. The English translation of the fourth installment in the series, Before We Forget Kindness, is available for pre-order and will be published on November 5, 2024.

The Amgash (Lucy Barton) series by Elizabeth Strout (4 books) // I read Olive Kitteridge a few years ago and found it to be a slow burn, but I remained curious about Elizabeth Strout and wanted to explore more of her writing. In 2021, when Oh William! (the third book in the Amgash series) started getting buzz, I felt FOMO that I was behind on that series, and wanted to start from the top. I just picked up My Name is Lucy Barton, the first in the Amgash series, from the library and am planning to dive in soon, with the hopes of slowly making my way through the 4 novels over the next month or two.

The Finlay Donovan series, by Elle Cosimano (4 books) // I love a good mystery novel and have heard great things about this series, featuring a single mom who works as a mystery writer and finds herself entangled in solving actual crimes. When autumn weather rolls around, a time of year when I crave suspenseful reads, I’m hoping to give these a go.

Amor Towles // In line with my goal of wanting to embrace more series, I’d also like to explore more backlist titles from authors I really enjoy. First up is Amor Towles. I absolutely loved both A Gentleman in Moscow (2016) and The Lincoln Highway (2021). I hope to keep the streak going by reading Rules of Civility (his 2012 book which friends of mine have read and enjoyed) and his newest novella/short story collection, Table for Two, which was just published this April. Short stories are not often my preferred format, but for Towles I’ll give it a try!

Is there a series you’ve been putting off reading? Are there any others you’d recommend I add to my list?