I’ve always been a bookworm. Really, from childhood. Those Pizza Hut Book It! challenges were my bread and butter growing up. (BTW, did you know Book It! is still around and runs a great summer reading program?!) I go through phases now where I have a lot of time to read, and then less time (or motivation). But I always have a book list to be read and usually stacked up on my night stand.

I go through spurts where I’m reading a lot of young adult fiction to preview for my crew, or re-reading old favorites because they are comforting like being curled up with hot coffee on a cold day. Depending on what’s going on with the farm, I’ve also gone through heaps of homesteading books, looking for help or inspiration.

I also tend to read in themes. A year or so ago, I read the Genghis Khan Conqueror series by Conn Iggulden and then was off and running on all things Mongolian for a year, including a very deep rabbit hole of non-fiction work about that time period. This past summer it was the early Plantagenets and all things Eleanor of Aquitaine and William Marshall.

This is all a round-about way of saying, I thought I’d share my current book lists with you on a rolling basis. And I’d love your feedback or recommendations on others to add for the next pile!

Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow. The basis for the Broadway production. And I’ve also got Grant and Washington sitting on the shelf over here.

PS I Love You, by Cecilia Ahern. Apparently they put a new cover on this one and it’s suddenly popular again with young adult readers. My daughter pointed it out to me at the bookstore. I haven’t seen the movie yet, either.

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, by Lisa See. I see another culture immersion on the horizon for this coming summer…{smile}

Dreams of Joy, by Lisa See.

The Calligrapher’s Daughter, by Eugenia Kim.

The Iron King, by Maurice Druon. This one is dubbed the “real” Game of Thrones, and is the other side of the coin for my Plantagenet obsession.

Game of Thrones, by George RR Marin. Because I haven’t yet.

The Engineer’s Wife, by Tracey Enerson Wood. I carried this around the bookstore because I thought it would be good for my Ladybug to read. She had zero interest. But obviously, I couldn’t put it down! {smile}

My Dear Hamilton, by Stephanie Dray. I read America’s First Daughter by Dray last year and thought it was very good.

Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. Sigh…honestly, I read it when younger and didn’t enjoy it. I think I need to give it a second chance. Or maybe give myself a second chance at it.

To Ride the Gods’ Own Stallion, by Diane Wilson. Previewing for the crew as we expand our history study this summer.

Tristian Strong, by Kwame Mbalia. Previewing for the crew. It’s considered similar to Percy Jackson, but with American Folklore instead of European mythology.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz, by Heather Morris. Reading for myself and previewing for the crew. This was on the high school recommended reading list.

Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee. The multigenerational ties across Asian culture are holding particular sway for me right now, as I’ve been examining the socio-economic impact of the multigenerational breakdown of the American family landscape. A fancy way of saying I’ve been diving deeply into the idea of what it looks like for families to stay together over generations, instead of endlessly fracturing across the country over time.

And here’s a cute free bookmark printable with that old, vintage library card feel from A Beautiful Mess that you can grab for tackling your own book list!