Down the TBR Hole #70

Image: hjl

Down the TBR Hole was started by Lia over at Lost in a Story.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

I will be repeating this process until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.

My TBR pile is down to 670 books, thanks to all the reading I accomplished during Bout of Books!

This week’s books:

At Odds with Destiny by Various Authors – GO.  This is an ebook of books, but it’s mislabeled as book one of a trilogy. I already own one of the books, The Luck of the Weissensteiners by Christoph Fischer, and most of the others don’t sound interesting.

Spirited Away by Maggie Plummer- GO. I try not to judge books by their cover, but what is going on with this one?! Is it a man holding a pregnant woman’s stomach, a woman holding her own pregnant stomach, or something else entirely? Then there’s the synopsis, which is also a confusing mess.  I stopped reading it after the poorly written review that was supposedly from “Publisher’s Weekly.”

The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids by Michael McClung – KEEP.  I’m always skeptical of self-published books.  However, this one won a Fantasy blog-off against 267 other self-published books and it has really good reviews.  I’m still skeptical, but I’m willing to give it the 50 page test. The Unwilling Adventurer by Heidi Willard – GO.  The synopsis seemed too good to be true, so I checked some of the reviews, and sure enough, the majority of them are 3 stars and below. I don’t have time in my life for books that are only so-so.

Anais of Brightshire by Jamie Wilson – KEEP. I was initially drawn to this freebie by the title.  The synopsis gives me the impression that the book will have a 50/50 chance of being great or a total dud.  I’m willing to try it.

My TBR pile is down to 667 books. I’ll probably be getting rid of more next week, and since this is a 3-day weekend, I might even be starting the post out with fewer books on the pile.

Monday's Minutes

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • Legend by Marie Lu
  • Press Start to Play ed. by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams
  • The Witches of New York by Ami McKay


Finished:

  • The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
  • Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
  • Strange Magic by Syd Moor


Total pages read this week: 1227
Total books for the year: 50 of 60. Last week was Bout of Books 26.  I finished my 50th book on Saturday, which was my original goal for the year, so I upped my goal to 60.  At the rate I’ve been reading, I might have to increase it again, but I’m not sure.

#BoutofBooks – Day 7 and Wrap-Up

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, Twitter chats, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 26 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team
I didn’t even pick up Press Start to Play, ed. by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams yesterday.  Instead, I got distracted by another book, The Witches of New York by Ami McKay.
  • Time Read: 56 minutes
  • Pages Read: 45
  • Books Finished: 0
  • Total Number of Books Read: 3

Overall, this has been my best Bout of Books in quite awhile.  I finished 3 books, read for over 1,000 pages and for nearly 24 hours.

#BoutofBooks – Day 6

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, Twitter chats, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 26 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team
I finished Strange Magic by Syd Moor, and then read a few more stories in Press Start to Play, ed. by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams.  I doubt that I’ll be able to finish Press Start to Play by the end of Bout of Books, but I’m hoping that I’ll get close.
  • Time Read: 2 hours 28 minutes
  • Pages Read: 119
  • Books Finished: 1
  • Total Number of Books Read: 3

#BoutofBooks – Day 5

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, Twitter chats, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 26 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team
I nearly finished Strange Magic by Syd Moor yesterday.  I have about 20 pages left, which I will finish today.
  • Time Read: 4 hours 20 minutes
  • Pages Read: 208
  • Books Finished: 0
  • Total Number of Books Read: 2

#BoutofBooks – Day 4

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, Twitter chats, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 26 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team
I dipped into Strange Magic by Syd Moor every chance I got yesterday.  I’m glad today is Friday since that means I’ll have more time to read after work and then the whole weekend 🙂
  • Time Read: 2 hours 24 minutes
  • Pages Read: 96
  • Books Finished: 0
  • Total Number of Books Read: 2

#BoutofBooks – Day 3

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, Twitter chats, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 26 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team
I went back to work yesterday, even though I wasn’t sure if I would make it through the whole day.  However, I also got a chair massage in the afternoon, and was feeling so much better afterward that I walked up the street to a bookstore that is attached to a Peet’s and bought a book, Strange Magic by Syd Moor, and a Hibiscus Tea Fog (so yummy!).  I had intended on only reading a couple of pages on my bus ride home, but I got sucked in, and now I’m 64 pages in and on chapter five.
  • Time Read: 1 hours 20 minutes
  • Pages Read: 64
  • Books Finished: 0
  • Total Number of Books Read: 2

#BoutofBooks – Day 2

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, Twitter chats, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 26 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team
I was stuck at home again, thanks to my back, so I had plenty of time to finish The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. I also listened to the beginning of Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken and read a couple more stories from Press Start to Play, ed. by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams, after listening to Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer.
  • Time Read: 8 hours 10 minutes
  • Pages Read: 490
  • Books Finished: 2
  • Total Number of Books Read: 2