Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR List

American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell by Deborah Solomon. I picked this up as a treat while visiting The National Gallery, and while I'm only a casual admirer of Norman Rockwell's (I knew almost nothing about him before starting this book), I'm really looking forward to finishing this one.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.  Oh, Fyodor.  Why, oh, why do you write characters that are so despicable in such mundane ways? Lots of drama, lots of religious monologues, and so far, little sanity (though, truthfully, it seems like many families are that way).  My first Classics Club book.

Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac.  While out with a friend one Sunday, I found a used copy of another book on my Classics Club list and snatched it up.  I checked out two translations and liked this one best -  it's Penguin Classics - and can't wait to get started on this story of "the excessive paternal love of a retired vermicelli merchant"(back cover).

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward.  This is a book I got a while back from Barnes & Noble, as one of a few I wanted to read, and I still haven't gotten through more than the first chapter or so.  It's a story about Hurricane Katrina, family, poverty, and growing up, and what I've read has been captivating.

American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar.  Another from a while back - a debut novel about a young Pakistani American in the Midwest who falls in love with his mother's closest friend.  Faith, love, and modern American life all come together for what looks like a powerful novel.

Life From Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Forgiveness by Sasha Martin.  I found out about this one from Oprah and from Kelly at The Well-Read Redhead, which meant it had to find a way to my TBR list.  I love memoirs and autobiographies and I love reading the stories behind recipes, so - no brainer.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.  I have heard only good things about this book, and started to listen to it as an audiobook over the summer.  Life got very busy and I never finished reading it, but I was hooked.  A story about teenagers that isn't moralistic and doesn't sound like someone who never experienced adolescence wrote it? Done.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.  Young Adult Fiction is not usually on my radar, but this is a book that kept popping up over and over again.  It's gone on to win the National Book Award, the John Newbery Medal, and is a memoir-in-verse.  I'm really excited to read it.

Terrier by Tamora Pierce.  For as long as I can remember, I've had friends tell me to check out Tamora Pierce's books.  I never got to them when I was younger, and thought I'd outgrown them. This (fantasy) story, the first in a trilogy, got my attention as soon as it mentioned a young girl assigned to a tough beat who can communicate with the dead...and uncovers a conspiracy.  It reminds me of the Sabriel series, but I think it will be pretty different.

Neverhome by Laird Hunt.  This is one I heard about through the book blogger grape vine, and it sounds incredible.  Taking place during the Civil War, Neverhome tells the story of a farmer's wife who disguises herself as a Union soldier.  The New York Times says: "Through bloodshed and hysteria and heartbreak, she becomes a hero, a folk legend, a madwoman and a traitor to the American cause." I mean, why haven't I already read this one?!

What books are on your spring to-be-read list?

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