If you’re like me, when you finish a book, you’re more or less paralyzed over what to pick up next. There are so many amazing ones out there and I want to read them all RIGHT NOW!! But here’s the deal… I can’t. So I grab something and then I grab something else and next thing I know, it’s been 2 years and that brand new book that I just HAD to read has been sitting on the shelf and collecting dust. 😏 I’m pretty sure that’s how my TBR has become as big as it has over the years.

I had to find a better system. I’ve dedicated 2020 to “trying” to get a handle on my books, right? Both digital and physical. What good is going through my TBR listing if I can’t even figure out what to read next? I needed a plan. I work better with a plan. Routines and schedules are my zone. Otherwise, my brain wanders and I can’t settle on (much less complete) anything. Imagine a butterfly on crack. That’s pretty much my thought process when I’m unchanneled. So, I made a list! 🤣

Yes, another one. A list to go with my TBR list. But I like to think of it as more like slots to be filled and I want to thank my fellow book bloggers for helping me formulate a little of my plan. I’ve seen many of you pre-pick what you’re going to read for the month. For a while, I couldn’t understand how you could do that. What if you weren’t in the mood? What if something better came out that you wanted to read more? (See where my problems are right now? 😜)

Anyway, I’m hoping that if I do this too, it’ll help keep me on track and keep the dreaded ‘analysis paralysis’ at bay. Here’s how my modified plan is going to work…

I’m going to pick 4 books a month because I can generally average 1 book a week between work and family commitments.

• 2 books have to be on my ‘2020 Series-to-Finish‘ list.
• 1 book has to be from the stacks of random books I’ve picked up at library sales and whatnot over the years. (These are books that seemed slightly interesting at the time but were so cheap that it was worth grabbing them even if they flopped.)
• 1 book will be my “Hot Read” for the month. (Examples include that brand new book that I’m super excited to read or a book club book.)

That’s it! That’s my plan! For the moment anyway. 😉 Now let’s look at what I chose for April…

2 Books from my 2020 Series-to-Finish List

1. Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa – It literally just hit my doorstep and OMG y’all, I seriously almost teared up!!! 💜🐉📖🤩
2. Dark Days (Dead City #3) by James Ponti – This is the last one in the series that my niece recommended to me. It’s been pretty cute for a middle school story so far. 😊

1 Book from my “Random” Stack

1. Blood Magick (Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy #3) by Nora Roberts – Technically this one can also be part of my Series-to-Finish but it’s been on my shelf nearly 6 years. 😬 I loved the first book in the trilogy but the second one pretty much killed it for me even though I gave it 3.5 stars. I’ve wanted to see how the story ends but I’m still hesitant that’ll be a disaster.

1 “Hot Read”

1. The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo – This one was picked in the Subtle Asian Book Club that I joined recently. I really enjoyed Loveboat, Taipei (another pick by the Subtle Asian Book Club) so I’m hoping this one is just as good! 🤞🏻

Bonus Books if I Have Time

1. The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz – Because I’m going to finish this damn book even if it kills me! 😒 😤
2. One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus – This was supposed to be a buddy read for March. But then COVID-19 happened and I was able to get it from the library and she wasn’t. 😥 So I made her a promise, I’d read it but I wouldn’t talk about it until after this all over. That means (fair warning!) that there’ll most likely be a delayed review. However, if you’re interested in what I thought of One of Us is Lying, I gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐! 😁

 

There you have it! What do you think? Wish me luck?!

Also, have you read any of these yet? What did you think of them?

💜

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