5 Books I’m not Currently Reading but Should Be

Sometimes, wanting to read a book is not enough to get me to read it. In fact, that desire does the exact opposite. The higher my expectations for something, the less likely I am to bite the bullet and read it in fear of being disappointed. Writing about the things I’m struggling with usually helps me deal with them, so I’m using this post to remind myself either why I started these books and put them down or why I want to read them at all and hopefully, it will inspire me to read them soon.

Emma by Jane Austen

The first book I’m not currently reading but should be is Emma, the story of Emma Woodhouse, a rich, entitled, proud young woman whose matchmaking abilities fall short of her expectations and cause several romantic failures and see her struggling to recognise her own.

Emma is one among other Jane Austen Novels that I have not yet read but would like to. I watched the recent adaptation with Anya Taylor Joy, and it reminded me how much I want to pick up the book… but I haven’t yet. I can’t tell if it’s the side of my brain that knows classics can take up a lot of time or the part that does not want to be disappointed preventing me from reading it, but I may just have to add it to my TBR for May and force myself to get to it.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

An early version of the crime/mystery novel meets the Victorian sensation genre, The Moonstone is a book that’s right up my alley, which is why I should be reading it. A famous detective, Sergeant Cuff must help relieve the effects of a mysterious curse brought on by the theft of Rachel Verinder’s birthday present, an Indian diamond, the Moonstone.

It has been so long since I started this book that I feel like I can’t go back. I started this book and somehow never managed to finish it, not because I was not enjoying it, but because something cropped up while I was reading it and I just haven’t gone back. Now, I want to put an end to giving the poor book the cold shoulder and I fully intend to finish it before the year is up, even if I have to start from the beginning.

A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of Virginia Hall, WWII most Dangerous Spy by Sonia Purnell

A Woman of No Importance tells the true story of an American heiress who lost a leg in a hunting accident and went on to become a pivotal figure in the allied resistance in France during WWII.

I’m about halfway through this one, and I can’t remember why I put it down. It was riveting in exactly the way it promised and I’ve never read a biography like it. A woman who happened to be disabled becoming an incredibly dangerous spy? It’s amazing that she existed, and even better that Sonia Purnell has told her story so beautifully. It reads like fiction though it delivers facts based on extensive research. Truthfully, I’m eager to get back to reading the story of Virginia Hall, and the only reason I have not is that I might want to start again.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Presented as a lost cause, Galaxy ‘Alex’ Stern survives a multiple homicide and finds herself invited to attend Yale University for free. Her task once she arrives is to watch the activity of secret societies frequented by the rich and elite, which turn out to be aligned with dark, occult activities.

I’ve had this book on my shelf since it came out and I’ve very pointedly avoided picking it up at every opportunity. I can see it already—I open the book, I read it in a couple of days, and it’s over. Or at least I think that’s what might happen. A fantasy, dark academia by the author of one of my favourite books? I’m expecting great things, and that’s exactly why I should be reading it, but I’m not.

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

This is the sequel to House of Earth and Blood and follows Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar as they try to find a new normal after the events of the first book. Though as tensions rise between the rebels and the Asteri, Bryce and Hunt must choose between remaining silent and fighting for freedom.

House of Earth and Blood was one of my favourite books last year and it has made me irrationally afraid of the next book in the series. What if House of Sky and Breath does not live up to House of Earth and Blood? What if it does and I read it too fast and have to wait another year for the next one? Both are completely invalid questions that could very easily be answered if I, you know, read the book. And I will. Just… not right now. It’s last on this list for a reason.

Despite having many, many books I’m yet to read, I hope narrowing it down to these five books that I’m not currently reading but should be, will help me get through my ageing TBR. I’d love to know if there are any books you feel like you should be reading but haven’t gotten around to yet.