What Should I Read Next? Part 2

What a week!

First of all, I want to thank all of you who chimed in on what I should read next in the comment section of last week's blog, in email, and across all of Pretty Literate's social platforms. I truly appreciate you taking a moment out of your day to thoughtfully consider and contribute your thoughts to help me land on solid footing after a truly magnificent month of reading.

I usually have several books going at any given time and that was true for the magnificent titles I chose to read in February for Black History Month. (Click here for a quick peek at my February TBR list and click here for titles I turned into Book Boxes that spotlight the black experience.)

Last week I solicited your advice on where to begin reading after such a deeply satisfying month of reading because I dreaded the decision fatigue that I knew would accompany trying to figure it out on my own. I pared down my choices from my TBR shelves to these twelve titles and then took to social media for feedback.

I loved Bernadette's creativity in overcoming my conundrum by suggesting -

I smiled at Lynda's consideration of my emotional state of mind when she said -

I appreciated Sue sharing from her own experience when she wrote - 

I treasured Cindy's ability to be able to pair down my list of twelve to a more manageable three by suggesting -

I felt an instant kinship with Rachel when she replied to one of my video posts (about a book set in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression) -

...and then the next day replied to another post, clearly understanding my dilemma -

I appreciated cozy mystery author Donna McLean's loyalty to her go-to favorite genre when she commented - 

While I do have a couple of books already going because, like I said earlier, I usually read several books concurrently, what I really was asking of you, dear reader, was which title to choose from my "pleasure pile" - that special assortment of books I have that have nothing to do with my spirituality, my business, or my personal growth. They are books that I get upon recommendation from Pretty Literate people like you, as gifts, or (most often) on clearance at my favorite used bookstore.

So...

• while I am already enjoying March's big adventure novel inside the *Monthly Book Club and
• while I have started a read-along of the fantastic fiction featured in the Blind Date With a Book Box with my book club ladies and
• while I am research reading a classic novel for a possible upcoming book box...

I am still pining for a pick from my pleasure pile (say that fast three times).

After listening to all your feedback and constantly back-burnering the titles for the past week, I finally have the answer to last week's question, What Should I Read Next?

The deciding factors in choosing this particular book from my pleasure pile were:

• It has been on my TBR shelf the longest.
• It took quite a while to track down a copy of this little-known title.
• I have never read this author (in fact, when I recorded the Reel about it, I could not remember the author's name, which was kind of poetic considering the title)
• I fell in love with the subject matter and the time period when I first discovered Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and I know I have not read it out of my system yet.

If you guessed Whose Names Are Unknown by Sanora Babb, give yourself a pat on the back because you guessed correctly!

Thank you for all the feedback, opinions, and guidance this week. Pretty Literate people like you are the best!

What are YOU reading next?

I am always on the lookout for a great new title, so please share what YOU are reading in the comments - both now, and next.

You're Invited to Read With Us!

*Pretty Literate's Monthly Book Club will be welcoming new members in March 2023. If you're interested in Connecting with the Classics in an awesome Community, get on the Waiting List here.