September 2025 TBR

This list has been a whole chore to create. Not that I ever feel compelled to stick to my TBRs, but this one especially lends itself to substitution.

Here's the deal. I have my own challenges that I am working on. I'm behind on all of them. So there's that. There is also a Staff Bingo to do before Oct. 6. I am definitely not going for a total blackout because there are challenges on the bingo sheet that I refuse to do (i.e. Read a book with an urban fiction label. No thanks.) But there are 2 squares I could easily read for and finish off 2 more lines. There is one more square I could knock off, but it wouldn't give me any more lines, so maybe not. Also, I have sort of half-heartedly been working on the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge and I have accidentally completed 13 of the 24 challenges. I can complete most of the rest with books I already own, so I might give that a go.

I'm going to organize this list this way: First, the books that need to be done in September. Then the ones that would be for the staff bingo sheet. Then the ones that could complete challenges for the Book Riot challenge.

The Mercy of the Sky: The Story of a Tornado by Holly Bailey - This is one of the 10 oldest books on my shelves, and I have only read 7 of those. I'm not really "behind" because there are 3 left and 4 months, but I don't like cutting it close. It just also happens to fulfill one of the Read Harder Challenge prompts to read a book about nature or the environment. Win-win!

The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat - The shelf of the month for September is the classics shelf. This book is a classic in Iran which my kid gave me for my birthday last year. It is also quite short.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Also from my classics shelf. Also also, it fulfills a read harder challenge to read a banned book. I checked the list of banned books in Oklahoma and this was on the list. Another one that ticks two boxes at once.

The Odyssey by Homer - I don't really think this one will be happening due to it's size, but on the off chance I feel like it, here it is. I mean, I read it in high school, and I've seen all the movies, but I don't remember the book, really.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - One of the staff bingo prompts is to read a book that was published the year you started working for the library. Luckily, this was on my list. I own it, I've read it a zillion times, and it should be a quick read.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse - The other one of the staff bingo squares I can cross off with a book I own is Read a Book based on or Inspired by non-Greek mythology. This one is based in Navajo lore, and I own it. Woo hoo.

Beastie Boys Book by The Beastie Boys - This is for the read harder prompt to read a book about a piece of media you love (TV show, movie, band, etc.) I wonder if my Jane Austen book would count. Books are media right? I might keep that in my back pocket if I don't get around to this one this year.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - One of the read harder prompts is to read a book recommended by a staff from an indie bookstore. A friend of mine happens to be a staff at an indie bookstore, and she posted this on her instagram. Voila! a staff rec. Also, I own it.

There are, of course, more books on the read harder challenge, but I'm going to leave it here for now. Some of the others I want to think about more. 8 books. Doable, but scary, given my current reading state.