Morning Musings : I Love Lists!

Sharing Spring Must Read Books Lists, 5 Must Follow Content Creators, 5 Backlist Books I Loved, and 3 Upcoming Spring Releases I'm Excited to Read

Today’s Morning Musings is all about lists! Not only do I love reading lists, especially book lists, but I also love making them. There’s something so satisfying to me about making a to-do list, in particular, and then crossing off items once I’m done. If you’re like me and love knowing the why of things, here’s an interesting article from The New Yorker about why our brains love lists. I had so much fun putting this post together that I think I’ll have it as a continuing series because something else I’ve discovered - the amount of lists out there to share, but also for me to make (I feel a movie/tv show list coming:) is endless!

SPRING MUST READ BOOK LISTS

The Best International Fiction of March (CrimeReads)

The Best Books of Spring (BookBub)

15 Powerful Literary Novels Coming Out This March (BookBub)

Best Book Club Picks of Spring 2023 (She Reads)

The 38 Must Read Books of Spring (Town & Country)

23 Best Spring Books for Adults (Country Living)

20 New Books to Add to Your Spring Reading List (Sunset)

Your Spring Reading List is Here (Oprah Daily)

The Notable Novels of Spring (Five Books)

107 Sensational New Spring 2023 Book Releases (Beyond the Bookends)

5 MUST FOLLOW CONTENT CREATORS

This is list could be so long which is another reason I’ll be doing List Love as a continuing series, so know this is just the start of me sharing content creators I admire!

• Tina from @tbretc on Instagram, @tbretc on Tik Tok, and my awesome podcast co-host on @booktalketc. Tina has been consistently creating quality book content for many years and brings her originality (she’s amazing with videos) to all of the platforms. I’m especially loving her Tik Tok book recommendations

• Suleika Jaouad - Suleika is the author of one of my favorite books of 2022, Between Two Kingdoms : A Memoir of Life Interrupted , and has created a vibrant community here on Substack where she writes The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad. I can’t wait to take part in her 30 day journaling challenge (starts April 1) and find her writing and art to be so inspiring. Suleika can also be found @suleikajaouad on Instagram

• Sara from @fictionmatters on Instagram and here on Substack where she writes her Fictionmatters Newsletter. I’ve been following Sara for years! Her book reviews are thoughtful and if you like literary fiction (especially under the radar literary fiction) she is a must follow

• Katie from @basicbsguide on Instagram and @basicbsguide on Tik Tok (new account go give her a follow). Katie is another creator I’ve followed for years and I love how she manages to keep her content fresh and creative. She’s frequently in her IG stories sharing thoughts on her latest reads, bargain favorites, and all her book mail

• Kelly from @dearmrhemingway on Instagram and is also a contributing writer on Grown and Flown, Zibby Mag, and Moms Don’t Have Time to Move and Shake. I enjoy the variety of content Kelly creates and love that she combines her love of books with her love of writing. She and Katie (from above) co-host a fun monthly buddy read on Instagram called #dearbasicbuddyreads - anyone can join!

5 MUST READ BACKLIST BOOKS (with my quick thoughts)

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau - I LOVE books set in the 70s and thought this was excellent on audio

The Last Child by John Hart - A must read for literary mystery fans who enjoy darker coming of age stories

Notes From a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi - I love a memoir that reads like fast paced fiction and this one delivered. A compelling story well told with fascinating behind the scenes details of a popular NYC fine dining restaurant. I binged this on audio 🎧!

Intensity by Dean Koontz - If you like serial killer thrillers this is a must read. The opening scene with the killer was truly one of the most terrifying scenes I’ve ever read #dontlookunderthebed! The suspense in this book was next level and wow what a bad guy Koontz created in this story. If you listen to this (I did a combo print and audio) make sure to get the most recent audio with Frankie Corzo narrating

Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor - I love a disappearance story, especially one with a backlist timeline set in the 90s before cell phones. The writing in this book was incredible with passages I found myself highlighting and then by the end, crying over. I do love a book that makes me cry!

3 UPCOMING SPRING RELEASES I’M EXCITED TO READ

Adrift by Lisa Brideau - releasing May 9th- What it’s about ….Ess wakes up alone on a sailboat in the remote Pacific Northwest with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She finds a note, but it's more warning than comfort: Start over. Don't make yourself known. Don't look back.

The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay - releasing May 16 - What it’s about … Your dad’s not a good person. Your dad killed people, son. These are some of the last words Jack Givins’ father spoke to him before he was whisked away by witness protection, leaving Jack and his mother to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives as best they could.

Years later, Jack is a talented but struggling author. So when the U.S. Marshals approach him with a lucrative opportunity, he’s in no position to turn them down. They’re recruiting writers like Jack to create false histories for people in witness protection—people like Jack’s father. The coincidence is astonishing to Jack at first, but he soon realizes this may be a chance to find his dad. Only there’s one problem—Jack’s father hasn’t made contact with his handlers recently

The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams - releasing May 16 - What it’s about….What if your two favorite people hated each other with a passion? Long-standing tensions between a husband, his wife, and her best friend finally come to a breaking point in this sharp domestic comedy of manners, told brilliantly over the course of one day.

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week!

- Renee