My Summer TBR list: A 20 Books of Summer update

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is books on our summer TBR list. I’ve already written about my summer TBR in this post about the 20 Books of Summer reading challenge. My summer TBR list, with what I’ve read so far, is below. 

Normally at this point in the summer I’d be much farther along, but June turned out to be a challenging reading month.  I spent many hours in the car driving to Maryland to visit my dad, so most of my reading was limited to audiobooks, and in times of stress I tend to put aside TBR lists in favor of comfort reads. So as of today I’ve read three, almost four, of my summer reads.

1. The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova (read)
2. The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson (read)
3. The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule (reading)
4. Haven by Emma Donoghue (ARC)
5. The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh (ARC)
6. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
7. The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair
8. The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
9. The River by Peter Heller
10. The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui (read)
11. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
12. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
13. Passing by Nella Larsen
14. O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King
15. Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
16. Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty (reading)
17. How to Give Up Plastic by Will McCallum
18. Don’t Overthink It by Anne Bogel
19. The Pilot’s Daughter by Meredith Jaeger
20. Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin

Since I haven’t been writing a lot of reviews lately, here’s a recap of what I’ve read so far from the list. 

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova: I loved this novel about a family who comes together when someone from their grandmother’s past begins stalking and killing family members, and the only way to stop it is to discover who their grandmother really was. The writing is lush and fantastic, and it’s a perfect summer audiobook, read by Frankie Corzo.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson: I’d seen this book recommended quite a few times, and it’s worth the read, though at first I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the main character, Cara, traveling to many different universes and meeting the same people in each universe, over and over again. An original and compelling read with strong character development and insights about what makes all of us who we are.

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui: this is the author’s debut graphic memoir; it’s the story of her parents’ lives in Vietnam and how their family left and came to the U.S. When the author has her own child, she begins thinking about her past and what her parents endured. I’m not a huge reader of graphic novels or memoirs but the illustrations are beautiful and the story conveys a lot of information about Vietnam, the war, and what it means to be a refugee.

Here’s what I’m currently reading:

The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule: published today (I received an ARC from NetGalley) this novel tells the story of a young black couple in the 60s who flee the U.S. after a racial incident and take refuge in Ghana, where the President is a friend of theirs. So far it’s an interesting mix of history, political intrigue, and a bit of magical realism.

Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty: written by an autistic 16-year old in Ireland, this is a book about the beauty of nature and how important it is to care for it.

I’m not sure what’s next from my list, because I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. What do you think I should read? And what’s on your summer reading list?