Lately, I have been struggling with my love for reading. I have felt very disconnected from the book community, and it has been months since I have finished a proper book. However, reading is one of my favorite things to do, and the lack of it over the course of 2022 has impacted my mental health. So, instead of wallowing in it, I am forcing myself out of this reading slump by joining a readathon. My TBR for Becca’s Bookoplathon is full of so many fun reads, that I can’t wait to dive back into a fictional world.
I feel a pressing need to get back into reading not only for my mental health but also for the fact that autumn is coming. Fall is my favorite time of year for reading. The weather, food, and spooky stories make for a very happy Jackie.
If you want a full rundown of this unique readathon, I recommend checking out the Twitter page, here, which has all the information. I will give a brief explanation down below.
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What is Becca’s Bookoplathon?
Becca’s Bookoplathon is one of the most unique readathons I have been a part of. Based on a TBR game that Becca used to do while creating their TBR, it is basically a bookish monopoly. You roll two dice a certain amount of times, and travel around a board, which you can find on the Twitter account, here. Each space you land on, you choose a book for your TBR. If you roll doubles, you have to roll again.
I decided to roll 5 times, and with 2 doubles, I now have a TBR of seven books that I will definitely not be finishing. But here they are anyway!
TBR for Becca’s Bookoplathon
Roll 1: People (a book with people on the cover)
Title: Red Island House
Author: Andrea Lee
Publish Date: February 22, 2022
Click here to purchase this book from Amazon!
Click here to add this book to your Goodreads TBR!
When I received a copy of this book from Literati, I had no idea what it was about. It was a new release this year in the literary fiction genre, and I was intrigued by the plot description on Goodreads. This book is about Shay, a Black American professor who is married to Senna, an Italian entrepreneur. Senna has just built a home on a beach in Madagascar. Shay finds herself as the mistress of this massive estate as she deals with the dissonance of her status and the damage the home and their presence in Madagascar is having on the local people.
For more information about Literati, click here!
Roll 2: Summer (a book that reminds you of summer)
Title: Ocean Grave
Author Matt Serafini
Publish Date: June 17, 2019
Click here to purchase this book on Amazon!
Click here to add this book to your Goodreads TBR!
What is more summer-themed than the ocean? But I am also so ready for fall so being able to mix the summer with something spooky, the ocean, is perfect. I find the ocean absolutely terrifying. We know so little about the deep open waters, it freaks me out that we don’t know everything that is down there. This book follows a newly married couple on their honeymoon in Madagascar. While trying to relax, they get caught up in the world of pirates, government agents, and long-extinct ocean creatures.
Roll 3: Random Emoji (use a random emoji generator and choose a book based on the result)
My result: 💔 (broken heart)
Title: The Song of Achilles
Author: Madeline Miller
Publish Date: August 28, 2012
Click here to purchase this book on Amazon!
Click here to add this book to your Goodreads TBR!
I have been on a mission for years to find a book that makes me cry. I have never been able to cry while reading and I want that, I love crying! So, while on the search for sad book recommendations, I came across The Song of Achilles, which makes it the perfect TBR choice for a broken heart emoji. I knew immediately what book to read. I am ready to cry as much as everyone says I will!
Roll 4: Color Wheel (use a random color generator and read a book with that color on the cover)
Result: Red
Title: The Library Book
Author: Susan Orlean
Publish Date: October 16, 2018
Click here to purchase this book on Amazon!
Click here to add this book to your Goodreads TBR!
At the beginning of 2022, I made the goal of reading at least one non-fiction book. It is a genre I have been wanting to get into for years. However, soon after, I fell into the 6-month reading slump that I am currently trying to force myself out of.
The Library Book by Susan Orlean is a non-fiction book about the fires at the Los Angeles Public Library. It is a topic I know little about, but something I am interested in, which makes it the perfect topic for my first non-fiction book. I am looking forward to reading this one.
Roll 5: Becca Rec (a book Becca has recommended on their Youtube channel)
Title: Scythe
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publish Date: November 22, 2016
Click here to purchase this book on Amazon!
Click here to add this book to your Goodreads TBR!
Scythe by Neal Shusterman has been on my TBR forever, so I was thrilled to come across it in one of Becca’s recommendation videos. This book is about a dystopian world where all causes of death have been cured. Therefore, in order to control the population numbers, there is a group of people called scythes who go around and deal with the growing population.
I am a huge fan of the dystopian genre, so I am pretty excited that I will be getting to this book in September. Plus, I have heard so many good reviews of this story, it is sure to become one of my favorites.
Roll 6: Multi-Perspective (a book with multiple points of view)
Title: The Library of the Unwritten
Author: A. J. Hackwith
Publish Date: October 1, 2019
Click here to purchase this book on Amazon!
Click here to add this book to your Goodreads TBR!
In all honesty, I bought a copy of The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith before I even read the description. Both the title and cover art immediately drew me in and I knew I was going to be reading this book. I adore books about reading, writing, libraries, authors, books, etc. Anything that involves those topics is an immediate read for me.
This book is set in a world where unfinished stories go to a special library in hell. Claire is responsible for taking care of these stories and making sure none of them materialize and cause issues in the real world. This is such a fascinating and unique storyline, I can’t wait to dive into this story.
Roll 7: TBR Vet (a book that has been on your TBR for a long time)
Title: Tiny Pretty Things
Author: Sona Charaipotra and Dhoniella Clayton
Publish Date: May 26, 2015
Click here to purchase this book on Amazon!
Click here to add this book to your Goodreads TBR!
If you know anything about me, I will read every single book that has to do with dance. This is why I added Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhoniella Clayton to by TBR almost 5 years ago in 2017. And there it sat for so many years, collecting dust. Now there is a Netflix series based on it and I have still yet to read it, so this month is going to be the time.
This book is set in a prestigious dance school in manhattan where a group of 4 friends deal with lies, gossip, and friendship problems. I love drama and I love dancers. I don’t have to even read this book to know that I am going to love it! Plus, I will finally be able to watch the Netflix series, which I have been waiting for since it came out!
I am in no way thinking that I will finish all seven books after only finishing one book in the first six months of 2022. But I created the TBR anyway, and I am going to see how far I can get.
It is already a week into September and I have made a good start in the first book on my TBR, Red Island House by Andrea Lee. I am so enjoying this story, and I am happy being in this readathon is giving me the motivation to read more!
If you are also participating in this readathon, what are you currently reading? Tell me in the comments below!