5 Books On My To Be Read: What Should I Read Next?

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I am at a loss as to what to read next. I have just finished Becoming by Michelle Obama and Where The Crawdad Sings by Delia Owens and I not sure what I should delve into next. What do you think?

What should I read next?

Here are 5 books I am considering reading next:

The Mandela Plot By Kenneth Bonert

A vibrant, propulsive literary thriller that charts the high-stakes journey of a young man trying to find his place in a country that has lost its way​

As the 1980s draw to a close, South Africa is a maelstrom of political violence with the apartheid regime in its death throes. Young Martin Helger is the struggling odd duck at an elite private boys school in Johannesburg, with his father a rough-handed scrap dealer and his brother a mysterious legend.

When a beautiful and manipulative American arrives at the family home, Martin soon finds himself wrenched out of his isolated bubble and thrust into the raw heart of the struggle. At the same time, secrets from the past begin to emerge and old sins long buried return in terrifying new ways, tearing at the Helgers, a second-generation Jewish family, even as the larger forces of history and politics tear apart the country as a whole. Mercy is in short supply and ultimately Martin must rely on alternative strengths to protect himself and fight for a better future.

From the acclaimed author of the National Jewish Book Award–winning debut novel The Lion Seeker, The Mandela Plot is at once a riveting literary thriller, a moving coming of age tale, and an unforgettable journey through a world that entertains and terrifies in equal measure, and holds profound resonance for the present moment.

Goodreads synopsis: Hardcover, 480 pages. Published 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Second Grave On The Left by Darynda Jones

Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper Extraordinaire, is back in this sexy, suspenseful novel of supernatural shenanigans When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she cant help but wonder what Cookies up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously?

Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a womans name.

Mimis husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message.

Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. Hes left his body because hes being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes cant let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, theyll have a portal to heaven.

And if they have a portal to heavenwell, lets just say it wouldnt be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do?

Goodreads synopsis: Hardcover 307 pages. Published 2011 by St. Martin’s Press.

Tear Me Apart by J. T. Ellison



The follow-up to her critically acclaimed Lie to Me, J.T. Ellison’s Tear Me Apart is the powerful story of a mother willing to do anything to protect her daughter even as their carefully constructed world unravels around them.

One moment will change their lives forever…

Competitive skier Mindy Wright is a superstar in the making until a spectacular downhill crash threatens not just her racing career but her life. During surgery, doctors discover she’s suffering from a severe form of leukemia, and a stem cell transplant is her only hope. But when her parents are tested, a frightening truth emerges. Mindy is not their daughter.

Who knows the answers?

The race to save Mindy’s life means unraveling years of lies. Was she accidentally switched at birth or is there something more sinister at play? The search for the truth will tear a family apart…and someone is going to deadly extremes to protect the family’s deepest secrets.

With vivid movement through time, Tear Me Apart examines the impact layer after layer of lies and betrayal has on two families, the secrets they guard, and the desperate fight to hide the darkness within.

Goodreads synopsis: Paperback 489 pages. Published August 2018 by MIRA.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Audrey can’t leave the house. she can’t even take off her dark glasses inside the house.

Then her brother’s friend Linus stumbles into her life. With his friendly, orange-slice smile and his funny notes, he starts to entice Audrey out again – well, Starbucks is a start. And with Linus at her side, Audrey feels like she can do the things she’d thought were too scary. Suddenly, finding her way back to the real world seems achievable.

Goodreads synopsis: Hardcover, 289 pages. Published 2015 by Delacorte Books For Young Readers.

Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE has delighted generations of readers with its ingenious plot, brilliant dialogue, inventive assortment of unique characters, and wealth of humor. The central theme is the romantic clash of two opinionated young people. In one corner, there is Elizabeth Bennet, our highly vivacious heroine, in the other, the arrogant but captivating Mr. Darcy. Their destinies interweave in a timeless pattern of courtship, love, property, and marriage.

Goodreads synopsis: Hardcover, 520 pages. Published 2018 by Fingerprint!

I like a variety of genre to read. I have 5 very different genre of books to choice from.

Sometimes when I am in a mood for a certain genre it’s easy to choose but right now I am stump! Not sure what I what to get stuck into.

The Mandela Plot sounds intriguing to me.

The Second Grave On The Left is the second book in the Charley Davidson series, which I started recently. The first book was light and fun.

I just had a Sophie Kinsella binge lately (read 4 of her books in a row) so that’s why I have another of her books to read.

Pride and Prejudice is me trying to do more classics. This would also be a re-read! I don’t do that very often.

I like reading thrillers so there’s usually one or two in my To Be Read pile.

What should I read next? Anyone read any of these books? Le me know your To Be Read!

9 thoughts on “5 Books On My To Be Read: What Should I Read Next?

    1. Hi Olivia!
      I have been enjoying Sophie Kinsella’s lately and Finding Audrey was the next one on the list of her books that I was going to read. I agree with you on how it’s lighthearted and funny. I need that sometimes, just pure entertainment.

      Thanks for stopping by!

  1. I read Pride and Prejudice many moons ago because my grandmother who raised me was certain any “proper young woman” needed to read the classics. It is actually one of the books I fancy to read again now that I am grown and fully understand the book.

    I just finished Paragon Hotel by Lindsay Faye. It was quite good! Just before that I read The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo. I really enjoyed it as well. Since the first of the year, I have read 13 books and

    I am now reading Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I read it in college, but decided to revisit it. I read all five of Wendy Webb’s modern gothic tales this year. There is just something about a good gothic tale during the boughs of winter.

    Next, I shall read Beneath the Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. There are many yarns of World War II that depict German Nazis of Jews. This one features an Italian soldier.

    Whatever you read, I’m sure you will enjoy it.

    1. Hi Anita!
      I haven’t read that many classics and feel I should do more. Rebecca is a good read.

      Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll have to check out Paragon Hotel and The Night Tiger.

      I loved Beneath The Scarlet Sky! It’s based on a true story and a wonderful paced book. It’s not depressing but an inspiration.

      Happy reading 🙂

    2. I loved the book Rebecca in high school. I would be up for re-reading that. Never read Pride and Prejudice but it’s on my list of classics. I’m still reading Anna Karenina. I thought it was over, but there are 6 books within the book, so it can be stale and slow, but I promised myself I would read it all the way through.

      I’m reading classics like Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Not a Jane Eyre Classic, but it is almost frightening how this futuristic world might just be around corner for us. It’s an audio book from the library and Michael York narrates, so just the sound of his voice makes it even more intriguing.

      The next one in line is The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin. Just sounded intriguing because the main character gets involved with Truman Capote. Capote an odd character in and of himself, so I’m eager to get into this one. On my hold list is another by Adriana Trigiani called Kiss Carlo: A Novel. I liked Tony’s Wife so much I thought I would try another by her.

      I’m currently reading (audio) Michelle Obama’s Becoming and a great read I picked up at the Dollar Tree store called The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott. The latter takes place in Western North Carolina that I called home for 10 years, so it’s been fun to read.

      Just finished The Zookeeper’s Wife – Absolutely loved it! Because I love auto/biographies, I read Then Again by Diane Keaton and next on the list is Robin Roberts autobiography Everybody’s Got Something. I just love Robin Roberts in general. Also, Sally Field’s book, In Pieces is in line as well. Who doesn’t love Gidget and the Flying Nun and so many more roles. I’m looking forward to it.

  2. Hiya, Dinh. How are you all? Love your bookclub.

    Do you find many folk who read an entire series of books in one go? I tend to grab books that have several decent sized volumes so can really get teeth into them and enjoy an epic type tale. There have been so many excellent book series over the years that I tend to want to read whole stories, no matter how many volumes, in fact the more the merrier.

    Thanks for sharing with us so we get the chance to see books we might never have heard of otherwise.

    1. Hi Andre!
      I do enjoy reading a whole series. The only ones that I have read that are more than 3 in a series is the Prey series by John Sandford. Can you believe I have read 27? Well I have read the whole series and will continue to read the next ones too. I also read A Game of Throne series; I can’t remember how many were in the series (perhaps 5?)but there’s suppose to be more… Martin is suppose to be writing it. I have to think about which other series that I have read…

      Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are doing well! 🙂

    1. Hi Erica!
      I’ve been on a Sophie Kinsella binge lately. Her books are fun and entertaining. I expect Finding Audrey to be like her other works.

      Thanks for stopping by at Arlene’s Book Club!

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