I’m beginning to think I have to keep track of these books better, if I can figure out a way to do it easily. I already looked into putting some kind of tag to indicate sources on the books in The StoryGraph, but I can’t figure out how to do it. I found myself not even readily able to remember where I heard about the latest addition to my list.

Anyway, here it is, the third installment of this feature, which I stole from Liz at Adventures in reading, running, and working from home. These are the books I added to my list in October, with sources if I can remember them:

May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry

I found out lately that I have to read this one for my Booker Shortlist Prize project anyway, but I think it was already on my list from a New York Times post. And lately, I saw a review of it by Bookish Beck and before that another by Cathy of 746 Books. A curator and king—interesting.

The Country Schoolmaster by Kate Grenville

I’m usually going to read Grenville, but I am indebted to Helen of She Reads Novels for the knowledge that this book was available. I’m not always up on Australian publications. It’s interesting to see that a main character of May We Feed the King is a curator and of The Country Schoolmaster is an archivist. I think I see a trend here.

Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali

I checked most of the usual suspects, but I was unable to spot anyone’s review of this book that rang a bell. I probably paid attention to it because it is written by a Turkish writer and I keep trying to read more books from different countries. I see that a couple of Classics Club members have reviewed it, but I’m pretty sure that’s not where I read about it. Hmmm. It’s about a young Turk who goes to Berlin in the 1920s.

With Our Blessing by Jo Spain

I’m fairly sure it isn’t the review of With Our Blessing that made me put this book on my list, but FictionFan‘s enthusiastic review of the second in the series, Beneath the Surface. When it’s a series, I usually try to go back to the first book. I believe that she said that the second book was even better than the first, which she regarded highly, so something to look forward to. It’s a crime novel set in 1970s Ireland.

The Far Cry by Emma Smith

I at least know where I read about The Far Cry, from Simon at StuckinaBook for the 1949 Club. It’s about a girl whose father takes her away to India to get her away from her mother. Anyway, it’s Persephone Press, so I would eventually have read it.

Music Against the Night by Yiyun Li

I am fairly sure I read about this novel in a review by the New York Times. It’s about two music students in 18th century Dublin. I am noticing that most of these books seem to be historical fiction. Not surprising, I guess.

Luna, Phoenix, Queen by Julie Orringer

Although I don’t use Amazon’s book recommendations because they are always pretty far off for me, I think this book popped up when I was buying something else. It’s by Julie Orringer, and I have loved everything I’ve read of hers so far. I didn’t even look to see what it was about.

Hawthorn by Elaine Thomson

I have no idea where I read about this one, but the words “Victorian Ghost Story” got me right away, I’m sure. If you think I read about it on your blog, let me know.

Shadows of the Burning Moor by Kenny Boyle

This book is so new, it doesn’t even have a proper cover yet. I have been following Kenny Boyle on Instagram. He’s a delightful Scot from the Isle of Lewis who talks about Scottish mythology and pronunciation and other Scottish subjects, but mostly folklore. He is also a playwright who won the 2021 New Playwright’s Award. I’m not sure this is going to prove to be my genre, but I am planning to buy this book when it comes out.

Opal Country by Chris Hammer

I again have FictionFan to thank for cluttering up my To Read list with a bunch of books, including this one. Crime novel, set in an Australian mining town. What’s not to like?

Frankly, this month has been so fraught with stuff to worry about that I forgot this new feature until I saw Liz’s at Adventures in reading, running, and working from home, where I copied it from originally.

This is the second issue of my new feature, which I hope to post at the beginning of each month. I am listing all the books I added to my To Read list during the previous month, starting with the most recent. The trick is to remember what made me add them to the list.

I am doing worse this month when I know I should remember than I did last month, when I wrote the first feature off the cuff! So, if you think your review might be responsible for me putting a book on my list, please let me know.

Said the Dead by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

I have to admit, this one has me puzzled, especially because I added it in the last few days. I could have sworn it was mentioned by Cathy of 246 Books, but it’s not mentioned in her September news about Irish literature. I also see the Literary Hub wrote about the author, but I can actually picture what the page looked like in my mind, and it’s not the page from Literary Hub. So, if you wrote about this book recently, perhaps in terms of an award nomination or lack thereof, let me know. Anyway, it sounded interesting. It’s a sort of memoir by the Irish poet.

Grand Horizontales: The Lives and Legends of Nineteenth-Century Courtesans by Virginia Rounding

I am fairly sure I read about this book in the New York Times book section. Look! Two nonfiction books in a row! I think the title of this book indicates why it might be interesting.

My Husband by Maud Ventura

I actually tried to figure out a way I could tag books with where I heard of them in The Storygraph, but there was no way. I might have to start writing this stuff down, because I have no idea where I heard of this book. I would think this might have come from the New York Times feature, “Books We Liked this Week” except it was published in 2021. It was originally written in French about a woman’s excessive love for her husband.

Farewell to Eden by Sebastian Faulks

I remember where I read about Farewell to Eden, because I had a discussion with FictonFan about not particularly liking Faulks. Her enthusiastic review made me add it to my list.

Blockers by Michael Lewis

Although Michael Lewis’s The Big Short was not about subject matter that usually interests me, it was actually excellent. Blockers, about people’s encounters with Trump’s “government efficiency” folks, sounds a little more down my alley. That being said, aside from yet another nonfiction book, I have no idea where I read about this one. Might be the New York Times.

Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus

Here we go again. I have no idea where I heard about Peck & Peck, but I so enjoyed Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry that I put it down on my list without even reading what it was about.

The Little I Knew by Chiara Valerio

It’s official. Starting today, I will write these down, because the farther out I get, the less I remember. In any case, it’s about the secrets of a woman who died unexpectedly, so it sounds right up my alley.

Prague Nights by Benjamin Black

I am confident that I put Prague Nights on my list after reading the review by Helen of She Reads Novels. I have read six of Black’s novels on my own (so I’m kind of surprised, Helen, that you said you’ve never heard of him, since I know you read my blog), so just the mention of this one intrigued, especially as I am fascinated by Eastern Europe.

So, here it is for this last month. I hope I do better at remembering in October!

I almost forgot I was going to continue doing this until I saw Liz’s August post on Adventures in reading, running, and working from home. 

So, here we are. The books I added in August, in order from most recent to least. My thanks to the bloggers who have told me about these books (I think!).

Take Six Girls: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters by Laura Thompson

I’ve always been fascinated by the Mitfords, wondering how they could have ended up such diametrical opposites after having such a close childhood, it seems. I have read a couple of biographies only to discover that the authors were biased in some way. (I didn’t know the Guinesses were relatives until I was well into the bio written by two of them.) So, when I saw a brief write-up of this one by Kate on Books are My Favourite and Best, I added it to my list.

In the Shadows by Chris MacDonald

FictionFan has been talking up Chris MacDonald lately, so why wouldn’t I listen? Anyway, it sounds right up my alley.

Off the Beaten Path by Eloise Corvo

I already have no idea where I heard of this book or if I just was attracted by the cover. If you know that I read your blog and you recently reviewed this book or another in this series (because I have an idea that I actually read about the second book in the series, so I went back for the first book), let me know. Anyway, I like the cover, and the setting on Lake Michigan might have attracted me, because I’m originally from Michigan.

Little Spark by Jess Kidd

My knee-jerk reaction when I hear there’s a new book by Jess Kidd is to put it on my list. I am fairly sure I read about this book in a review by Helen of She Reads Novels.

Model Home by Rivers Solomon

I have read about Model Home in several places lately, but I believe I put it on my list after reading a review in the New York Times. I thought it may have been on their list of the 50 best thrillers in the 21st century, but it turned out it wasn’t. I think I read about it elsewhere as well. Its description as “a new kind of haunted-house novel” got me right away. I love haunting stories.

Who Among Us? by Mario Benedetti

I didn’t remember where I heard about Who Among Us?, but when I googled it, FictionFan‘s blog came up immediately, so I’m guessing it was from her. And this is a classic situation for me where I already don’t remember anything about the book. But that’s okay. I rarely try to remind myself what a book is about before I start it. I like to have an open mind.

An Ocean and a Day by Hannah Richell

Brona’s review on This Reading Life showed up as soon as I googled this book, since I couldn’t remember where I heard about it. I knew that one of my Australian friends reads a lot of books about grief. That is not my thing, but the memoir sounded interesting.

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

This is really silly, but I bought a Strout book recently thinking it was her newest one, and it was one I had missed. I didn’t realize that until I started reading it. Since I always buy her books, ever since Olive Kitteridge, I immediately put this one on my To Do list to make sure I didn’t forget it. And, of course, lots of people have been reviewing it.

Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty

And for my final addition for this month, I see that I’m back to Kate on Books are My Favourite and Best for her review of Apple Tree Yard. I have a lot of new thrillers on the list, I see, and this is one of them.

So, what new books have you discovered lately? New to you, I mean.

I’m stealing an idea from Liz of Adventures in reading, running, and working from home. She’s started listing the books she adds to her wish list each month. I think this is a great idea if only for myself, to keep track. In my case, I’d be working with the To Read list on The Storygraph, but I ran into an unexpected hitch. In The Storygraph, you can look at your To Do list in order of most recently added, but what it does not do is keep track of the date you added something to your list. At least, not that I can figure out. And I looked at the Stats page to see if I could run a report, but as soon as you select To Read for the books you want to look at, the date function goes away. So, you can only look at stats for the To Read list in total.

I have a question in to customer support, but in the meantime, I figure I’ll have to try to remember which books I added in July, and then going forward I can keep track by looking at my last post about it.

I also thought this would be a nice way to keep track of why I added books to my list, that is, where I heard about them, but I find I already only remember this information for a few.

Going backwards from the most recently added:

Who Killed the Curate? by Joan Coggins

Kaggsy of Bookish Ramblings wrote a review of this Golden Age mystery and another in the series, Why Did She Die? I was sufficiently intrigued to add the first book to my list

Furious Violet by Sarai Walker

I often read the reviews of books from The New York Times, and their review five days ago interested me enough to add this psychological thriller.

A History of France in 21 Women by Katherine Pangonis

This’ll teach me. Because I know I read about this book on one of the blogs I follow, but I can’t remember which one, and looking through my comments doesn’t help. Perhaps it was mentioned by one of the blogs I follow that posts reviews of a bunch of books at a time. If you recognize that you reviewed this one lately, please let me know! You should get credit! Perhaps this was a book for Paris in July?

One Two Three by Laurie Frankel

This week I finished reading the book for the September session of The Marriage Plot (Literary Wives rebranded), which was Family Family by Laurie Frankel. I enjoyed that book so much that I decided to look for another book by her and came up with One Two Three.

They Stole a City by Lauren Collins

I’m pretty sure I heard about this book on an NPR radio program (OPB, Oregon Public Radio) while I was driving to art class. It’s about a shameful event in 19th century Wilmington, North Carolina, that was subsequently so suppressed that people don’t know about it. Look at that! Two nonfiction books added to my list this month!

The South by Colm Tóibín

I don’t really go looking for Tóibín’s books, but when I see one mentioned, I always get it. This one is an older work by him, and I think someone either reviewed it this month or just mentioned it, and I thought, here’s one I haven’t read yet. I don’t even know what it’s about.

Unseen: Blind spots and why we miss what matters most by David Lewis

Three nonfiction books! I heard about this book on one of the science programs on OPB. It sounded intriguing.

The Great Wherever by Shannon Sanders

I have no idea. I could have heard about this on NPR, but I think I actually saw it on one of The New York Times lists of the books they liked so far this year.

Blunt Instrument by Amy Bloom

Amy Bloom wrote a mystery? What’s not to like?

Heather by Caitlin Mullen

I have no idea where I heard of this book. If you reviewed it lately, fess up!

Prairie Edge by Conor Kerr

Ditto! I know that Simon of Stuck in a Book went to Canada lately and bought a bunch of books. Maybe there? Yes! Here’s his review.

The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U. S. History by Ned Blackhawk

I think I know where I heard of this book. I follow blackhawkfitness on Instagram, which despite its name is posts by a knowledgeable indigenous person about native culture. I’m pretty sure he talked about this book. If not, it got mentioned on NPR. Four nonfiction books!

I am stopping here, because the next book on the list is Solace House by Will McLean, and I’m pretty sure it’s been there for a while. On the other hand, the next one after that is Hunger & Thirst by Claire Fuller, and that seems more recent. But I’ll leave it at that. Next month, if people seem interested in this post, I will know exactly where to stop!