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?
My shelf is up one book to 1148.
This week’s books:
Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead by Neil Strauss – GO. This is a book of celebrity interviews, and I mistakenly thought it was all interviews of musicians when I bought it.
Power Hungry by Howard Weinstein, Masks by John Vornholt, and The Captain’s Honor by David Dvorkin and Daniel Dvorkin – KEEP. These are books 6, 7, and 8 in the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” series, and I eventually want to own and read all of them.
The Possessed by Elif Batuman – GO. I want to be the kind of reader who loves Russian novels and would love to read this book about Russian novels, but I’m not. I only got through Anna Karenina by listening to the audiobook, and I’ve put off starting War and Peace for over a decade. Russian novels are dark and depressing, and the Russian History course I took in college was so dark and depressing that I steered clear of anything having to do with Russia for months. It’s time to let this book go.
Shakespeare Wrote for Money, The Polysyllabic Spree, and Housekeeping Vs. The Dirt by Nick Hornby- KEEP. I have greatly enjoyed most of Hornby’s novels, and I found all three of these books containing his articles from “The Believer” magazine in a used bookstore.
Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld – KEEP. This is the second book in the “Midnighters” series, and I loved the first book, The Secret Hour.
My want-to-read shelf is down one to 1146 books. The next post will be full of ebooks I own, which are usually hit or miss as far as what I will decide to keep. Most of my ebooks are freebies I got during times when I was on some type of book-buying ban or didn’t have money to spend on anything other than necessities.
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?
My shelf is down one book to 1147. I finished an audiobook this week.
This week’s books:
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan – KEEP. I knew that this book wasn’t considered to be cozy or a comfort read and that it was dark, but I didn’t realize just how dark until I read the Goodreads synopsis. I still want to read it, but I won’t be picking it up when I want something light.
At the Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell – KEEP. I’ve always been interested in Existentialism, probably because of its connections to France, and I’ve wanted to read more about it for quite some time.
Get in the Van by Henry Rollins – KEEP. This is Rollins’ book about his time being the frontman of Black Flag. Punk is one of my favorite musical genres, and Rollins has been one of my favorite artists for years. I have most of his books, have been to his shows, met him twice, and even exchanged a couple of emails with him because that is the type of down-to-earth guy he is. I will read this book at some point, probably while listening to my Black Flag records.
Inner City Sound ed. by Clinton Walker- KEEP. Speaking of Punk, this book is all about the Punk and Post-Punk movements in Australia. It’s set up like a scrapbook, in the same way as The Riot Grrrl Collection, which I absolutely loved, so I’m looking forward to when I finally get around to reading this one, probably while listening to more of my records by the bands featured in the book.
A Pianist’s Landscape by Carol Montparker – KEEP. I have loved the piano since I was 12 years old. It all started with a keyboard I got as a Christmas present and teaching myself to play it using music books from my failed attempt at learning the french horn a couple of years prior. My Mom got me piano lessons, and though I had to quit those lessons and haven’t played in years, listening to piano music immediately helps calm me down when I am stressed. Reading about the piano or books by pianists has a similar effect.
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1147 books. I’m going to be skipping a bunch of books in the next post because they’re all books I’ve read before, by the same author, but I want to read them again so have put them on my want-to-read shelf (I read them years before I was on Goodreads). Despite that, we’ll still be in the middle of all of the books I finally added to Goodreads in November 2017.
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?
My shelf has increased to 1148. I finished a book but added several to my wishlist.
This week’s books:
American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee – KEEP. Wolves are my favorite non-domesticated animal. I will read just about any book about them, Fiction or Non-Fiction, provided they are not vilified. According to the Goodreads synopsis, this book is about a specific wolf but tells a much larger story about wolves and the controversy surrounding their conservation and protection.
Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly – KEEP. “Beauty and the Beast” has always been my favorite fairytale, and one of my favorite Disney movies, so this book was a bit of an auto-buy for me, especially since it involves books.
Killer Librarian by Mary Lou Kirwin – KEEP. This one will get the 50-page test because the synopsis isn’t too promising and there are only 2 books in the series. This first book only has an overall rating of 3.38 stars, which is another indicator that it might not be all that good.
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper- KEEP. I read this book when I was a teenager after I had seen the movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis. Scenes from both still come to mind, and I’ve always wanted to re-read the book now that I’m considerably older.
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane – KEEP. This one is a novel about the Civil War written only 30 years after the war ended. I’m sure it will be a difficult read, but I am interested to get a perspective from a time in which many of the people who lived through the war were still alive.
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1148 books. The next post will start to get into the physical books about music and musicians that I own.
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?
My shelf has decreased to 1146. I finished a book and removed two books from my wishlist.
This week’s books:
The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson – KEEP. I’ve enjoyed Bryson’s writing style before, and I’m strangely fascinated with language and how it has evolved over time. In another lifetime, I probably would have been an etymologist.
Selected Poems by Robert Frost – GO. I’m not a reader of Poetry. I’ve tried, and I would like to be, but when I want to sit down with a book and read for a while, it has never been a book of poems that I’ve picked up. I’ll read a poem here and there, but that’s about it. I need to let go of the reader that I think I could be someday and allow myself to be the reader that I am by making space for the books I know I’ll read.
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – KEEP. I loved The Shadow of the Wind, and while The Angel’s Game wasn’t quite as good, I’ve been looking forward to reading this 3rd book in “The Cemetery of Forgotten Books” series for a while.
The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport- KEEP. I was mildly obsessed with Anastasia Romanov after reading a book about her that I checked out from the library at school. It was years before the animated movie (which I’ve never seen), but I never forgot her story. I thought I was done with all that until I read the Goodreads synopsis, and I now want to read this book even more than when I originally got it. The only reason I’ve put it off for so many years is that it’s a bit of a chunkster.
Cape of Storms by Nina Berberova – KEEP. Here is another book about the Bolsheviks’ impact on Russia and its people, in this case, three Russian exiles who escape to France. This is a much shorter book in comparison to The Romanov Sisters and I don’t remember where or when I got it or if I even knew what it was about, but it was sometime prior to November 2017, when I added it to my want-to-read shelf.
My want-to-read shelf is down one to 1145 books. The next post is full of yet more physical books that I own, and I doubt I’ll be parting with any of them.
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?
My shelf has gone up one to 1150. I finished a book, but a book I had preordered several months ago arrived.
This week’s books:
It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis – GO. I’m usually all for Dystopian Fiction, but I realized that it’s usually Dystopian Sci-Fi, set in a distant future or an unknown time, and I keep passing this book up because it seems a little too close. Maybe that means I *should* read it, but I don’t like to should myself.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg – KEEP. I saw the movie when I was probably too young to really understand it, and I only remember bits and pieces of it. I’ve wanted to read the book ever since I found out that it existed, and maybe after I finally read it, I’ll rewatch the movie.
Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick – KEEP. The Boyfriend got a vintage copy of this book for me, which is Dick’s first published novel, after finding it in a used bookstore. It’s the type of distant-future Dystopian Sci-Fi that I prefer.
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol- KEEP. I only bought this because it’s one of the books that Rory in “The Gilmore Girls” mentions reading. Now that I’ve read the Goodreads synopsis, I’ll keep it and give it the 50-page test.
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo – KEEP. I read this in high school, and I’ve always wanted to re-read it. It was one of my favorites, along with A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It inspired my French obsession, which lasted well into my college years.
My want-to-read shelf is back down to 1149 books. The next post is a toss-up of physical books that I’m not sure I’ll be keeping.
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?
My shelf has gone down one to 1149. I finished a book, but I also bought a book.
This week’s books:
Middlemarch by George Eliot – KEEP. This is a Classic that I’ve never read before.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell – KEEP. This one is a chunkster that I’ve always wanted to read.
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough – KEEP. I read this when I was very young after having seen the TV movie. I think the copy I had at the time was loaned to me by my Grandma. It was my first adult Historical Fiction novel, and I remember loving the story, so I really want to read this again from a much more mature point of view.
Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore- KEEP. This is another Classic that I’ve never read.
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings – KEEP. Here is yet another Classic that I’ve never read.
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1149 books. That’s not surprising since all of the above books are much older Fiction books that I have in mass-market paperback copies I bought from used bookstores. I don’t know why, but those kinds of books seem to be the ones I choose to hold onto more than any other type of book or format. The next post will be more of the same, so I probably won’t be getting rid of any books then either.
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?
My shelf has gone down one to 1152.
This week’s books:
1916 by Morgan Llywelyn – KEEP. This book is set during the Irish Rebellion, a part of History that I’ve been interested in learning more about since the very brief discussion about it in an English Literature course I took in college.
Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski – GO. The synopsis on Goodreads isn’t inspiring any interest in reading this book.
The Return of the Indian, The Secret of the Indian, and The Mystery of the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks – KEEP. I never finished this series when I was a kid, only having read the first 2 books, and I re-read the first book, The Indian in the Cupboard, a few years ago.
Breakfast with Socrates by Robert Rowland Smith- KEEP. The Goodreads synopsis says that the author applies different philosophical ideas to the everyday, mundane activities of life. I think this will be a fun and interesting book.
Wideacre by Philippa Gregory – GO. Another non-inspiring synopsis. I think I’ll stick to Gregory’s later novels.
My want-to-read shelf is now down to 1150 books. I honestly didn’t think I’d get rid of any books this week, but instead, I got rid of two! The next post will be filled with yet more of the physical books I own.
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?
My shelf has gone up one to 1154. I finished several books since my last post, but also added several to my wish list.
This week’s books:
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson – KEEP. I’ve enjoyed other books by Bryson, so I’ll give this one a chance.
Was Superman a Spy? by Brian Cronin – KEEP? The Goodreads synopsis says this is all about the crazy and bizarre stories that have been told over the years about popular comic books, many of which are true. I’m willing to give it the 50-page test.
I Don’t Care About Your Band by Julie Klausner – KEEP. I may have outgrown this book. I’ve owned it for over a decade, and it had been on my wishlist for several years before I got around to buying it. However, I’m still going to give it a chance because it’s a memoir, and even though it speaks to a much “younger” version of me, I will probably be able to relate to it through my past experiences.
Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend- KEEP. Middle-Grade Fantasy is one of my favorite genres to read, and the only reason I haven’t read this one yet is that I was focusing on finishing as many books as I could, and the length of this one (461 pages) meant it always got moved to the bottom of the stack.
Dryland by Sara Jaffe – GO. I got this one through a book box subscription many years ago, and I’m just not interested. I’m sure it’s a wonderful story, but out of all of the books I could read, I know I will never pick this one up and say, “I HAVE to read this!”
My want-to-read shelf and my TBR are back down to 1153 books. The next post will again be all physical books that I own, and most of them look like keepers.
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?
My shelf has grown quite a bitsince my last post. It currently stands at 1154. I’ve added a lot of books to my TBR, but also to my wish list.
This week’s books:
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma – KEEP. Time Travel and Literary Classics? Yes, Please!
These Restless Heads by James Branch Cabell – GO. Goodreads doesn’t have a synopsis, but luckily the one review did. This book is a Non-Fiction account of the author’s life during the 1920s in Richmond, Virginia. I have the ebook, but I have no idea where or why I got it. It was probably a freebie, but regardless, I have no interest in reading it.
20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill – KEEP. After reading Heart-Shaped Box, I’m definitely going to give this short-story collection a try.
The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy- KEEP. This is by the same author that wrote Tess of the D’Urbervilles, which I gave 4 stars, so I’m willing to give this one a chance.
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan – KEEP. This book is considered a Classic and involves music, so I will definitely read this one.
My want-to-read shelf and my TBR are down one to 1153 books. The next post will be all physical books that I own, and all but one look like keepers. We’ll see.
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?
My TBR pile decreased a bit to 1094, thanks to finishing several books over the past couple of weeks since my last post.
This week’s books:
On Beauty by Zadie Smith – GO. I remember getting this book years ago in one of the first subscription boxes I ever signed up for, but I don’t remember what it was called. I do know that I cancelled that subscription not too long into it because all of the books were Literary Fiction. I’ve rarely ever enjoyed that genre, and as much as I would love to be the kind of person who reads Zadie Smith and discuss it intelligently, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am just not that person.
Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower by Stephen King – KEEP. Considering it is my goal to eventually (finally) finish this series, there is no way I will be getting rid of these books until they’ve been read.
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey – KEEP. This is a “must read” series for lovers of Fantasy, so I will at the very least read the first book to see if it’s a series I want to continue.
The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller- KEEP. This is yet another book I got for free from a friend getting rid of a bunch of his old books. The synopsis is a little vague, but I’m going to give it a try.
The Diviners by Libba Bray – KEEP. I’ve enjoyed Bray’s “Gemma Doyle” series so far, so I picked this book up several years back when I was at the Texas Book Festival. It’s a 1920’s New York Supernatural Murder Mystery and that appeals to me.
My TBR pile is down one to 1093 books. The next post will be yet more physical books I own, but there’s a random ebook in there, so we’ll see if anything shakes loose.
