Dispatches from the TBR pile by Stacey Agdern

I've long since stopped trying to stay atop of my to-be-read pile. As a reviewer, bookseller and all-around book lover, it's long since eclipsed normal proportions. And I'm OK with that. These are the stories of what it's like when your TBR pile has become a mountain range.

So I've talked about what will make me put down a book, so I guess it's time to talk about what, at its very core, will make me pick up a book that's been sitting on my to-be-read pile.

First, is what I call the "book craving." I hear discussion/conversation about a book. The conversation reminds me…whether because of the plot, the subgenre or any other tiny little detail, of a book that happens to be sitting on the tbr pile. Loud, consistent and constant talk about two different well-publicized books made me think about (and happily recommend to anybody I could think of) Enclave by Ann Aguirre and Stolen by Shiloh Walker.

It happened again recently, when talk about another book reminded me of the fact that I had Diana Peterfreund's For Darkness Shows the Stars sitting on the pile. I grabbed it and allowed myself to be swept into her beautiful world-building and the wonderful story of two star-crossed characters … who aren't that star-crossed in the end.

After reading Diana Peterfreund, I was in a particular Austen-influenced mood. I wanted a book with a particular feel to it, and I found it in Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal.

It's the second in a series that I'd started but put down because I wasn't in the right state to read it (see, book moods AND a dfn). But it was the perfect book for that moment, and I loved reading the continuing story of these magical characters and stepping back into her version of Regency England.

I can also be subjected to what I like to call the book earworm. Part of this problem comes from going to readings and loving the sound of what I hear so much that I can't help myself but buy it the night of the reading or two days later. I did the latter with Lindsay Ribar's The Art of Wishing, a YA about a very talented young woman …and a genie. Ribar read at Lady Jane's Salon, and two days later, I couldn't get that reading out of my head. So I bought the book and was very happy with the characters. I will definitely be reading the second one when it comes out.

The other part of the problem, I think, comes from being a bookseller, and seeing a whole bunch of books I haven't read, every single day. It's nice, and wonderful, and yet, well …

I had one of these recently. You see, I'd read Shadowy Horses really quickly … loved the story and the pacing and the slightly Gothic overtones. And there was a young child who the book proved was psychic. He was adorable. So when I saw she'd aged him and written a story featuring him as an adult, I had to have it. Except for various reasons, I didn't. Instead, I satisfied myself with staring at it longingly, reading snippets in stolen time at work. I couldn't get it out of my head, until finally I bought it. And loved every single page of The Firebird. Psychics, an artifact that may or may not belong to Russian royalty and so much more.

So what makes you pick up a book? Let me know and I'll see you next time.

Until then, keep reading … I know I will.

Stacey Agdern, as she said, is a reviewer, bookseller and all-around book lover who also does occasional posts for HEA about her massive TBR pile. You can connect with her on her blog and Twitter (@nystacey).