The Pittsburgh Writer It’s been a hot minute since I’ve put any sort of list out there, so I thought I’d do so today. Especially since I’ve got a list 35 titles long (and perhaps more) that I suddenly wish I could read.
Does it have something to do with the fact that I finally have a well-paying job? Perhaps. Does it have everything to do with the fact that I feel my brain freeing itself from one aspect of writing to another? Absolutely.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had trouble focusing on more than one or two things at a time. Yes, I can multitask as an adult, but I still prefer to finish one thing before moving on to the next. I think that’s why I never finished a manuscript, or decided to change up my writing journey until recently. But I won’t allow myself to have any regrets. That’s not the point of today’s blog post!
And those titles are just the beginning! I made a promise to myself that for 2022, I wasn’t going to rush into reading. Not like I did for 2021. By this time last year, I’d already read between 50 and 70 books. Let’s just say that my brain was fried for the rest of the year and I didn’t want to pick up another title until November.
Just because the internet moves at a breakneck speed doesn’t mean we have to as well. Here are a few more titles on my Bookish Wish List to read, well, to read whenever!
- The Forest of Vanishing Stars – Kristin Harmel
- Ashes and Alchemy – Cindy Spencer Pape
- Where Secrets Sleep – Marta Perry
- Pittsburgh Food Crawls – Shannon Daly
- Haunted Pittsburgh – Timothy Murray
- Prohibition Pittsburgh – Michael Chabon
- Forgotten Tales of Pittsburgh – Thomas White
- The Demon of Brownsville Road – Bob Cranmer
- Pittsburgh’s Mansions – Melanie Linn Gutowski
- Out Of This Furnace – Thomas Bell
- The Schenley Experiment – Jake Oresick
- The Johnstown Girls – Kathleen George
- The Fallingwater Cookbook – Suzanne Martinson
- An Uncommon Passage – Edward K. Muller
- Darling Girl – Liz Michalski
- The Librarian Spy – Madeline Martin
- All the Missing Girls – Megan Miranda
- Big Steel – Kenneth Warren
- Remembering Pittsburgh – Len Barcousky
- Eminent Pittsburghers – William S. Dietrich II
Now if you can’t see the theme here I don’t know what to tell you. This summer I mean to dive even deeper into the history and stories that helped shape what we know as the Southwestern region of Pennsylvania. One day I’ll branch out past Johnstown, but there’s enough knowledge here to keep one busy for a lifetime!
All the fiction titles have links to the Instagram posts which inspired me to add them to my ever growing list, and all the nonfiction titles are linked to Amazon (I have no affiliate links). It is my hope that you’ll enjoy your reading journey this summer, and that you’re reading not for the internet but for your own pleasure. We don’t need to try and beat everyone else. We don’t need stats and fame and a myriad of followers to please. Just read because you want to read. Heaven knows that’s how I’ll be reading through my Bookish Wish List this year!
Some really interesting books on your list. I must check them out.
I’ve had to teach myself that I don’t need to read every brand new release, though several of the fiction titles aren’t even out yet! 🙂 But if I want to review them on this website (for example: Bright), then I gotta order it now.
Considering that I’ve really cut back on my spending this last year, I don’t feel guilty at all buying books again 🙂
That’s wonderful you can buy books as a guilt free treat, and I admire your restraint!
The restraint came out of necessity, unfortunately. I’m still going to buy the majority of my books second-hand. But yeah: definitely feels nice being a LITTLE more financially stable than in years past.
I understand that. It’s nice to be in a position when you can budget for things like books.
Precisely. My first paycheck of the month has always been used for rent + bills. Now I have a little more $$ to play with/save for a new car. And on months with a third pay day? Oh happy day! LOL