Tag: Down the TBR Hole

Down the TBR Hole #8

Published on by Rachelle

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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I currently have 576 books on my to-read shelf.  I cleared out a few books towards the end of the list that I was no longer interested in reading.

This week’s ten books:


Seraphina by Rachel Hartman – KEEP.  Why have I not read this book yet?!  A friend of mine gave it to me as a Birthday present a couple years ago, and it’s still sitting on the shelf.  I need to fix that.

The Shelf by Phyllis Rose – KEEP.  I bought this about a year ago, and haven’t managed to get to it yet, despite how much I love reading books about books.

The Library Book by various authors – KEEP.  This is a collection of essays and has been on my wishlist for what feels like forever.  I’ve never found a physical copy of it, and I don’t want to settle for the ebook.

The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell – KEEP.  This is another book that has been on my wishlist for a long time because I haven’t been able to find a physical copy of it.

When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning – KEEP.  A book about books and WWII?  Yes, please!

The Uncanny Valley by Gregory Miller – KEEP.  I’m putting this towards the top of the list of books I want to read in October.

Turn of the Tide by Margaret Skea – KEEP.  If I judged this book solely on the cover, I probably would have gotten rid of it.  However, the story is based on real life events in Scotland during the 16th century, so there’s no way I’m getting rid of it.

Ren of Atikala by David Adams – KEEP.  This one sounds too fun to get rid of and I got it for free.

The Princess of Dhagabad by Anna Kashina – GO.  A story about a Princess who seduces her slave?  No thanks, even if it is supposed to be based on The Arabian Nights.

The Librarian: Little Boy Lost by Alexandra Bracken – KEEP.  I would never get rid of a book about a magical library.
My to-read shelf is down to 575 books.  I’ll start off next week with book #76 and I might do ten books yet again since it looks like I’ll probably be keeping most of them.

Down the TBR Hole #7

Published on by Rachelle

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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I currently have 579 books on my to-read shelf.  I took a box of books to Half Price Books to sell and, of course, I ended up buying several books with the money I got.  I decided to do 10 books again this week since all but one of them are keepers.

This week’s ten books:


The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket – KEEP.  This one is still on my wishlist, but I will eventually have it as part of my Lemony Snicket collection.

The Unauthorized Autobiography by Lemony Snicket – KEEP.  I already own this one.

Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier – KEEP.  So far I’ve loved every book Marillier has written so this one is staying on my TBR.

Beauty by Robin McKinley – KEEP.  “Beauty and the Beast” is my all-time favorite fairy tale, and I’ve heard nothing but great things about this retelling.

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley – KEEP.  Even though this is the 1st in the “Damar” series, I was told I should read the 2nd book, The Hero and the Crown, first.  I did and really enjoyed it, so I’m keeping this one.

Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley – KEEP.  Another re-telling of “Beauty and the Beast” by the same author that I’ve heard great things about.

Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley – KEEP.  This is a retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” and it’s been on my wishlist for what feels like forever.  I haven’t bought a copy yet because I wanted to read the other books by McKinley that I already own and “Sleeping Beauty” might be my least fave fairy tale.

Sunshine by Robin McKinley – KEEP.  I don’t know if this is a fairy tale retelling or not, but it involves vampires and I got it in a Humble Bundle so it’s not going anywhere until I read it.

The Magician’s Book: A Skeptic’s Adventures in Narnia by Laura Miller – GO.  I added this to my wishlist years ago when I was still interested in getting a different perspective on “The Chronicles of Narnia” series by C.S. Lewis.  The synopsis makes it seem that this book is more about C.S. Lewis than about the series, and I’m just not interested anymore.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken – KEEP.  I get the impression from the synopsis that this is at least partly a darker version of the X-Men, and I’m always down for that.
My to-read shelf is down to 578 books.  I’ll start off next week with book #66 and I might do ten books again since it looks like I’ll probably be keeping most of them.

Down the TBR Hole #6

Published on by Rachelle

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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I skipped last week since I was participating in the 24 in 48 readathon, so I’m doing 10 books this week instead of only 5.  I currently have 575 books on my to-read shelf.  I owe the decrease almost entirely to the readathon, but also I found some books on the list that I had already removed from my collection but had forgotten to take off of Goodreads.

This week’s ten books:


The Lord of the Plains by Sarah Chapman – GO.  Meh.  I don’t know when I picked up this ebook, but I hope I didn’t pay anything for it.

Gods and Dragons – Keep.  I have no idea if any of these eight books will be any good, but I already own them, so I’m willing to give them a chance.

A Sea of Shields by Morgan Rice – GO.  I know I had to have picked this one up for free because there is no way I would have paid money for the 10th book in a series which I’ve never read.  I’m not interested in this one enough to read nine other books before finally getting to read it.

The Final Formula by Becca Andre – GO.  The synopsis makes me think this one will have me raising my eyebrows at a bunch of plot points that feel implausible, and I don’t have time for that crap.

Vigilante of Shadows by Miranda Stork – GO.  One word: Nope.
The Magic of Highland Dragons by Kella McKinnon – KEEP.  I don’t care how cheesy or romantic this book might end up being; it involves Highlanders 😉
The Rise of Mallory by Roy Huff – KEEP.  This is the 3rd book in the Everville series, so I’ll reassess whether or not to keep it after I read the 1st book.
The City of Worms by Roy Huff – KEEP.  Ditto for the 2nd book in the Everville series.
Birth of the Monster by Shane K.P. O’Neill – GO.  The synopsis says this is the prequel to The Dracula Chronicles series, but next to the title it says this is book 5.5.  Either way, I’m not interested.
Horseradish by Lemony Snicket – KEEP.  I LOVE A Series of Unfortunate Events so there’s no way I’m not reading this!
My to-read shelf is down to 570 books!  It will probably stay there for a week or two if it doesn’t grow since I already know I’ll be keeping several of the next books on the list.  I’ll start off next week with book #56.

Down the TBR Hole #5

Published on by Rachelle

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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I currently have 591 books on my to-read shelf.  The pile grew again while I was writing this post because I discovered how many other volumes of the Penny Dreadful Multipack there are, and I want to have them all.  It would have been 592, but I started reading The Ghost Ship by Diane Carey for #COYER Summer and #SciFiSummer.

This week’s five books:


The Great Darkening by R.G. Triplett – GO.  I don’t know when I picked up this ebook, but I hope I didn’t pay anything for it because I have no interest in reading it.

A Quest of Heroes by Morgan Rice – GO.  I hope I didn’t pay for this one either because the whole story is told in the synopsis and it’s the stereotypical “young man leaves his rural home in seek of glory” type of Fantasy story.  It even has a powerful sword awaiting the chosen one.  As much as I love the Arthurian legends, this book sounds like too much of a highly derivative and overly long tale that will bore me to death before I finish it.

A Tide of Shadows by Tom Bielawski – GO.  Holy Moly, I’m so glad I stopped my bad habit of one-clicking ebooks!  I hope I don’t have many more of these Fantasy stories that all sound the same in my TBR.

Penny Dreadful Multipack Vol. 3 by Robert Louis Stevenson, Eugène Sue, and Charles Collins – KEEP.  I LOVE Penny Dreadfuls, and while I’ve already read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I haven’t read the other stories in this volume.  I hope I’m able to get to them in October.

Fell’s Hollow by A.J. Abbiati – KEEP.  I’m going to hold onto this one for now since I already own it and the synopsis is interesting.  However, I’m concerned that it says “An Episodic Novel” on the cover and there’s no indication that this is a series on Goodreads.  From my understanding “episodic novels” are like tv series in that you get a small part of the story in each book.  This one is over 300 pages, though, so maybe it’s just written as episodes?
So, my to-read shelf is back up to 588 books!  Will it ever get any smaller?  I’ll be starting off next week with book #46.

Down the TBR Hole #4

Published on by Rachelle

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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I currently have 587 books on my to-read shelf.  It would have been 588, but I started reading The Circle by Dave Eggers for #COYER Summer and #SciFiSummer.

This week’s five books:


The Fall by Bethany Griffin – KEEP.  There’s no way I’m getting rid of a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.  This one is still on my wishlist, but I hope to get ahold of a copy for October.

John Saturnall’s Feast by Lawrence Norfolk – KEEP.  This one was a difficult decision.  The Goodreads synopsis had me leaning towards getting rid of it, but I already own it, and my copy is an autographed hardcover.  It’s absolutely beautiful, and the synopsis on the inside flap of the dust jacket made me place it back on my TBR shelf.

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence – GO.  Meh.  I don’t even remember why I added this book to my wishlist, but I’ve never looked for it in any bookstore while scrolling through my list and after reading the synopsis, it’s obvious why.  Bye bye uninteresting book.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss – KEEP.  While the synopsis didn’t wow me, I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book, and I already own a paperback copy.

A Shadow of Lilies by R. Moses – GO.  I think I got this ebook for free, but I don’t really remember and the synopsis doesn’t spark any memories for why I own it.  I really hope I didn’t pay for it because I have no interest in reading it. Buh-bye!
So, my to-read shelf is down to 585 books and I’ll be starting off next week with book #41.

Down the TBR Hole #3

Published on by Rachelle

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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I currently have 588 books on my to-read shelf.  It would have been 2 books larger, but I’ve started reading The Mad Tinker’s Daughter by J.S. Morin and The King’s Dragon by Una McCormack; both for #COYER Summer and #SciFiSummer.

This week’s five books:


How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran – KEEP.  There’s no way I’m getting rid of this one.  Not only do I already own it in paperback, but I LOVE Caitlin Moran!

Jackaby by William Ritter – KEEP.  Another book I would never take off the list.  I also already own it, and I don’t know why I still haven’t gotten around to reading it.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab – KEEP.  I’ve considered tossing this one off my wishlist several times because A Darker Shade of Magic, while good, was not a book I loved.  Something about Schwab’s writing style that I wasn’t sure I wanted more of; however, the synopsis hooks me every time.

Sabriel by Garth Nix – KEEP.  While the synopsis doesn’t grab me the way the one for The Archived does, I’ve heard nothing but great things about this first book in the Abhorsen series, and I already own a paperback copy of it.

The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis – KEEP.  A magical map and a pirate ship?!  YES, PLEASE AND THANK YOU!
So, my to-read shelf remains at 588 books and I’ll be starting off next week with book #36.  I’m starting to wonder when my TBR pile is going to get any smaller.

Down the TBR Hole #2

Published on by Rachelle

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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I currently have 588 books on my to-read shelf.  Yes, that’s right, the mountain got bigger.  However, it was because I finally added some books that I own.  It would have been one book larger, but I moved a book to Currently Reading, The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick.

This week’s five books:


The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee – KEEP.  As I mentioned in last week’s “Down the TBR Hole”, I love books about books.  Though I’ve had this one on my TBR and wishlist for a long time, it’s only because I prefer to buy books about books in either paperback or hardback.  I avoid buying them as ebooks if I can, but I haven’t found a physical copy of this one yet.

Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading by Maureen Corrigan – KEEP.  This one is a keeper for the same reason as the one above.

Sixpence House by Paul Collins – KEEP.  I already own this, and there is no way I’m not reading it.

Ruined By Reading by Lynne Sharon Schwartz – KEEP.  Again, I hope to own a physical copy of this one someday.

Book By Book by Michael Dirda – KEEP.  This is another one that I already own, but, unfortunately, it’s an ebook.  I think I gave up on the idea of finding a physical copy.  Regardless, I’m definitely going to read it.
So, my to-read shelf remains at 588 books and I’ll be starting off next week with book #31.

Down the TBR Hole #1

Published on by Rachelle

Image: hjl

I saw one of BrenhinesBooks Down the TBR Hole posts and thought, “What a neat idea!”  It 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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I currently have 584 books on my to-read shelf, but I’m sure there are several books I already own that haven’t made it onto the list yet, and I know several of the books I’ve stacked on Litsy aren’t on my Goodreads.  So, the mountain may get larger before it diminishes.

This week’s five books:


Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor – KEEP.  This is a definite keeper since I’ve read and loved the first two books.
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen – KEEP. I already own this as an ebook and the synopsis is still interesting enough to not send it to the archive unread.
The First Pillar by Roy Huff – KEEP.  This is another one I already own as an ebook and am still interested in reading at some point.
Prisoner of the Daleks by Trevor Baxendale – KEEP.  I’m very much a Whovian, and David Tennant is one of my fave Doctors.
The Slitheen Excursion by Simon Guerrier – KEEP.  See above.  Enough said.
I’m not even going to list the next 5 books because they are all Doctor Who, and I’m keeping them.  It’s the same with the next 15 on the list.  Apparently, I went a little Doctor Who crazy on Goodreads when I discovered there were books 🙂 So, my to-read shelf remains at 584 books and I’ll be starting off next week with book #26.