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Mar 16, 2024

The Independent Reader: Summer is a great time for a book lover to tackle their TBR

In this month’s “The Independent Reader” column, local bookseller Stephanie Kruse shares some of the books currently on her “TBR pile” — the ‘To Be Read’ pile — including “Around the Ocean in 80 Fish

In this month’s “The Independent Reader” column, local bookseller Stephanie Kruse shares some of the books currently on her “TBR pile” — the ‘To Be Read’ pile — including “Around the Ocean in 80 Fish & Other Sea Life” by Dr. Helen Scales, pictured top left.

Recently, I found myself perusing the shelves of RJ Julia in Madison, Connecticut in search of a last-minute birthday present. It was meant to be a quick stop en route to the party, but I was immediately lured in by the impeccable curation and freshly-stocked new releases. Never mind the fact that I work in a bookstore myself, I can still spend hours looking around another store and discover something new. I was completely absorbed in a beautifully illustrated book called “Around the Ocean in 80 Fish & Other Sea Life” when my husband sidled up beside me, tapping his watch. We were going to be late to the party. I hastily grabbed a birthday card and a gift card, and made the impulsive decision to buy the book I was flipping through for myself. I needed another book like I needed a hole in my head, but I also needed to know why yeti crabs are covered in fur.

Later that night after we had returned home from the party, I added my new book to the stack of unread books that lives on my coffee table, glancing at it guiltily before heading to bed. Enter the home of any bookseller and I guarantee you will encounter a similar stack (or stacks) of books optimistically referred to as the “TBR.” The “To Be Read” pile is comprised of any number of books that we booksellers tell ourselves we will read eventually. We fool ourselves into believing we can chip away at the stack by reading four or five in a month, but somehow manage to acquire six or seven new books in the meantime. Publishers often send boxes filled with advanced copies of upcoming titles to our stores, hoping a bookseller will read a few and like them enough to submit positive reviews. Sales reps learn our individual tastes and mysterious packages begin to appear on our desks, promising our next favorite read. Publicists mail us copies of books in advance of an author event, hoping to drum up early interest. Not to mention, we unfailingly add to our list while shelving frontlist and backlist titles in store every day.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a dream scenario. An endless chain of enticing covers and intriguing stories float across our bookstores’ counters, begging to be opened and enjoyed. Who wouldn’t want that problem? But what starts as a small, innocent stack of unread books neatly arranged on the corner of a desk or bedside table quickly spirals out of control, spilling onto shelves, cabinets, the floor, and various other surfaces around the home. Call it an occupational hazard or heaven, the bookseller’s TBR is an ever-growing problem that began with the best of intentions. For the sake of transparency, my personal TBR now occupies a portion of the coffee table, two bookshelves, and one cabinet that I’m scared to open for fear of a literary avalanche.

Summer provides ample opportunities for reading. Lazy afternoons lounging in the sun, extended daylight hours, and the slower pace adopted by many make books the perfect companion to summer days. At least one book lives in my beach bag all summer, and more often than not you can find me making the most of the daylight with a book after dinner. While I may not make tremendous progress on my TBR, I at least attempt to diminish the stack during the summer months.

This morning as I sipped my second cup of coffee, I pulled “Around the Ocean in 80 Fish & Other Sea Life” from the top of my TBR. Dr. Helen Scales’ succinct facts about each animal are accompanied by watercolor illustrations by artist Marcel George. It’s a beautiful book. As it turns out, yeti crabs use their “fur” to grow colonies of bacteria that serve as food for these hydrothermal vent-dwellers. Next to the description is a charming illustration of the otherworldly creature. In fact, yeti crabs are kind of cute. No impulse-purchase regret here.

A few other books you can currently find in my TBR:

Stephanie Kruse works as a bookseller and marketing coordinator for three independent bookstores located in RI and CT. You can find her on LinkedIn at @snkruse.

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It's summer in South County and, as any local resident will tell you, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is, by far, the worst time to be on the road in Southern Rhode Island.But is this year's traffic any better or worse than past years? In this week's Independent Newspaper, local officials discuss their town's efforts to mitigate traffic issues such as speeding and distracted driving. The general consensus among officials in NK, SK and Narragansett is this year's traffic and the accompanying issues it presents is similar to past summers but, as always, noticeably busier than the rest of the year.But what do you think? Do you think traffic in Southern Rhode Island is better, or worse, this year compared to past summers? Let us know in this week's poll question below.

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