Tag: TBR

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 still at 730 books.  I’m sure that’s only because I haven’t started any new books since last week and I’m behind on reading recent posts from the blogs I follow.

This week’s five books:

Only Human by Gareth Roberts – KEEP.  I refuse to get rid of any of my Doctor Who books.

Voices of Freedom ed. by Eric Foner – GO.  I was really looking forward to reading this book around July, but I had no idea that it’s a companion to a textbook I don’t already own and am not likely to shell out the cash to buy.  I’m still going to keep it, but instead of having it on my TBR, I’m moving it to my “reference” shelf since it’s chock full of primary sources.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier – KEEP.  The only thing stopping me from reading this one is that I haven’t finished the “Sevenwaters” series yet.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King – KEEP.  Every time I look at this book, I consider getting rid of it.  It’s Contemporary YA, which is not a subgenre I read much of, but then I reread the synopsis, notice it’s been a nominee for several awards, and discover it’s the author’s most popular out of 17 published books.  I’m willing to see if it passes my 50 page test.

Black Spring by Henry Miller – KEEP.  Judging by the synopsis, I’ll either love this or hate it.  Since I also have yet to read his earlier books, Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer (both of which I own as well), I’m going to keep this one until I figure out whether or not I like Miller’s writing.
My to-read shelf is down to 729 books.  COYER is only a week away and Sci-Fi Summer starts in less than a month, so I’m hoping that number will start to decrease as we head into warmer, sunnier days.

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 up to 731 books.  I continue to find more books to add to my wish list!

This week’s five books:

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest – KEEP.  Steampunk AND zombies?!  Yes, please and thank you!

Smarter Than You Think by Clive Thompson – GO.  Meh.  I doubt this book is going to provide me with any new insights or perspectives that I haven’t already considered in regards to how tech is changing our world.

Porno by Irvine Welsh – KEEP.  I read somewhere that the title of this book was recently changed to “Trainspotting 2” or some other “more palatable” title.  That feels a bit Fahrenheit 451 to me, so I’m keeping my copy of it with the original title.

The Shakespeare Notebooks by Justin Richards – KEEP.  This is one of those books I’ll never get rid of even if I don’t ever read it.  It’s a permanent part of my “Doctor Who” collection that I will always treasure.

Deviant Strain by Justin Richards – KEEP.  Though the 9th Doctor isn’t my favorite, he was my introduction to “Doctor Who” and I think it’s a bit sad that he only got one season.  I already own this as an ebook, and it might be one of many “Doctor Who” books I read for this year’s Sci-Fi Summer.
My to-read shelf is back down to 730 books.  I’m hoping it will be down a couple of more books by the time I kick off next Saturday’s “Down the TBR Hole” with book #166.

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 up to 730 books.  I continue to find more books to add to my wish list!

This week’s five books:

Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip – KEEP.  An orphan found and raised by a palace librarian?  Yes, please and thank you!

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh – KEEP.  I have wanted to read this book ever since I saw the movie well over a decade ago.  Why I haven’t read it yet, I don’t know.

Cassette From My Ex by Jason Bitner – KEEP.  I love music, mix-tapes/play lists, and books about both.

The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker – KEEP.  I have attempted to read this brick twice now since starting this blog.  The first time, I was distracted by so many other books, and the second time, I was into it until I suddenly wasn’t.  I will give it one more try at some point, so it’s staying on my shelf for now.

The Vanishing Children of Paris by Arlette Farge and Jacques Revel – GO.  I picked this one up from a History book sale while I was in college.  It seemed interesting at the time, but after rereading the synopsis, the only thing interesting about it is that it’s about Paris, and that’s just not enough for me anymore.
My to-read shelf is down one to 729 books.  Let’s hope it doesn’t get any bigger by next week when I start with book #161.

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 back up to 726 books.  Though I read quite a bit last week during the #readathon, I added more than 10 books to my wish list thanks to a combination of TBR posts and loving what I was reading so much that I want to read everything else by that author (I’m looking at you Jim C. Hines).

This week’s five books:

Hiking Alone by Mary Beath – KEEP.  I found this book in the gift shop of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, NM while on a road trip back in 2011.  I vaguely remember that I started reading it while I continued on my way through New Mexico, but I got distracted by other books while in Utah.  I will be picking this up again, hopefully soon.

Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson – KEEP.  Normally, I would pass on a story about a favorite character from another author, but this one was authorized by L.M. Montgomery’s heirs for the 100th anniversary of Anne of Green Gables.  I’ll wait to read it after I’ve finished re-reading the rest of the original series, but I will give this one a chance.

This Book is Overdue! by Marilyn Johnson – KEEP.  Y’all know by now how much I love books about books, libraries, librarians, etc.  So obviously this one is not leaving my shelf.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein – KEEP.  I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve either read or been told that I need to read this book.  After reading the synopsis, I’m a bit concerned that it will trigger all sorts of bad memories, but I’m hoping it will be healing in the way that Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro were for me.

The Salinger Contract by Adam Langer – KEEP.  I briefly picked this one up and read a few pages while I was in the process of going through everything I owned and deciding whether or not I wanted to keep it.  I chose to keep this one, and I still stand by that decision, but I want to read something by J.D. Salinger before picking it back up.  If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments.
My to-read shelf remains at 726 books.  See you next Saturday when I start with book #156.

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 back up to 719 books.  Though I read a few books this past week, I also added a few.

This week’s five books:

Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm – KEEP.  This is the other fancy book the Boyfriend gave me as part of a Birthday gift several years ago.  I haven’t removed the plastic from this one either.

Doctor Who and Philosophy ed. by Courtland Lewis – KEEP.  I’ll never forget the first episode of “Doctor Who” I ever watched.  A friend recommended I start with the 9th Doctor and go from there when I expressed an interest in trying it out but had no clue how or where to enter into this crazy world.  I’ve been hooked ever since, and so I inevitably buy just about every book about the show.

Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon – KEEP.  This book is on the list of armchair travel books in The Bad Girl’s Guide to the Open Road by Cameron Tuttle.  I may have already read it, but I can’t remember, and I still own a physical copy, so I’ll keep it for now.

A Gentle Madness by Nicholas A. Basbanes – KEEP.  I already own a physical copy of this book, and let me tell you, it is a door stopper!  I attempted to start it several years ago, but couldn’t get into it; however, I’m willing to give it another chance.  After all, there are very few books about books that I don’t at least like.

Eight Women Philosophers by Jane Duran – KEEP.  This has been on my shelf since I found it at a book sale while I was still in college.  I haven’t read it yet because I’m a little bit burned out on Feminism, or at least what passes for Feminism on Twitter these days.  I’ll get around to it eventually.
My to-read shelf remains at 719 books.  See you next Saturday when I start with book #151.

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 717 books.  I weeded out a couple of books on my wish list that I knew I no longer wanted.

This week’s five books:

The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg – KEEP.  Holmberg is one of my auto-buy authors.  I absolutely loved the first 2 books in “The Paper Magician” trilogy, and I don’t understand why I haven’t read this one yet.  I need to get to it considering I have the spin-off book, The Plastic Magician, pre-ordered and it will be released in May.

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal – KEEP.  It’s dark, it has characters with strange names, and it has to do with the Grimm fairy tales.  Why is this still on my wish list instead of on my bookshelves?

Steampunk ed. by Mike Ashley – KEEP.  I already own this absolutely beautiful hardcover.  I plan on keeping it no matter how long it takes me to get around to reading it.

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice – KEEP.  After Rice’s husband passed away she made a statement that she would never write another Vampire Chronicles book and would only write religious fiction.  None of her books were huge successes and she decided to start writing about werewolves, which I’ve heard didn’t do much better.  So, when it was announced she would be returning to writing about her most famous vampire, I had mixed feelings.  My feelings weren’t helped with a re-read of the first 3 books in the original series since I’m no longer completely besotted by the characters and story the way I was when I was in my early 20s.  I’m keeping it for now since I already own it and I want to continue my re-read of the series before I make a final decision.

The Arabian Nights translated by Sir Richard F. Burton – KEEP.  The Boyfriend gave this book to me as part of a Birthday gift several years ago.  It is so beautiful that I haven’t even removed the plastic yet.  We’ve moved a couple of times since that Birthday, and I’m afraid the cover will get damaged if I take off the plastic.  Even if I never read it, it will always remain a part of my collection.
My to-read shelf remains at 717 books.  See you next Saturday when I start with book #146.

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 one to 723 books.  I recently started Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

This week’s five books:

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones – KEEP.  I bought a used copy of this book after reading something about it somewhere during my ramblings around the net.  Like Howl’s Moving Castle, it’s been lingering on my TBR just waiting for me to pick it up.

A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones – KEEP.  Here’s another one by Jones, but this one is on my wish list.  The story sounds too good to pass up.

Unexpected Magic by Diana Wynne Jones – KEEP.  The first story in this collection is described as, “A cat tells how the kindhearted wizard she owns is suddenly called upon to defeat a horrific Beast.”  Yep, that’s right, a cat who owns a wizard.  There’s no way I’m taking that off of my wish list.

The Travels of Daniel Ascher by Déborah Lévy-Bertherat – GO.  I was tempted to keep this since it was supposedly widely popular in France, but something about the synopsis rubbed me the wrong way.  I don’t know why, but I’m taking this off of the list.  If it’s meant to be, it will find its way back.

A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway – KEEP.  I already own the ebook, but even if I didn’t, I would keep it on my TBR because of 3 things; not only is it a spin off of Sherlock Holmes but it also involves Steam Punk and magic.  How could I pass that up?
My to-read shelf is down to 722 books.  See you next Saturday when I start with book #136.

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.  It’s been a while since I did one of these posts, and in that time, my TBR skyrocketed up to 706 books!!!  How did that happen?  I finally scanned all of my books into Goodreads, that’s how!

This week’s five books:

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett – KEEP.  The Discworld series is one of those essentials for every Fantasy fan to read.  I will read this book, hopefully sometime this year.

Daughter of the Sun by Lonnie Ezell – GO.  Meh.  That is all.

The Viking’s Apprentice by Kevin McLeod – KEEP.  I don’t think I’ve ever read a Middle Grade Fantasy involving Vikings.  That alone makes this one interesting enough to keep.

He Who Walks in Shadow by Brett J. Talley – GO.  I didn’t realize this was a sequel when I got it for free.  After reading the synopsis for the 1st book, That Which Should Not Be, I’m not interested enough to keep it, despite its being a nod to Lovecraft.

The Wnter Freak Show by Daniel Parsons – KEEP.  I’ve had this ebook for a couple of years now, and I’m determined to make it a part of my Christmas TBR this year.
My to-read shelf is down to 704 books.  See you next Saturday when I start with book #121.

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 still have 566 books on my to-read shelf.

This week’s five books:

The Dreaming Place by Charles de Lint – GO.  I added this one to my wish list thanks to a random friend of a friend of a friend I met at a Christmas party a few years ago.  While I definitely want to read some de Lint at some point, I think I would rather not start with book #14 of a series.  Instead, I have a collection of his short stories in an ebook and I’ve added the first book of the “Newford” series to my wish list.

The Shadow Garden by Allen Houston – KEEP.  This is the 2nd book of the “Nightfall Gardens” series, and I already own it.  I was given the 1st book, Nightfall Gardens, by the author and I enjoyed it enough to save up my free $1 credits on Amazon to buy this one (I was on a strict book buying ban at the time and could only use credits, gift cards, etc. to support my reading addiction).

Buan: Company of Heroes by Reece Bridger – KEEP.  This is another instance where I was sent the first book, Buan: The Perfect Mortals, but in this case, I loved it so much that I anxiously awaited the publishing of the 2nd book.  I don’t know how it happened that I added it to my TBR and then never got around to reading it.

Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn – GO.  Both the synopsis and the cover give me the impression that this book is ridiculously trope-filled and formulaic. No thanks.

The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson – GO.  Any synopsis that opens with something like “changed the face of fantasy fiction forever” is automatically suspect to me, especially when those words are bolded AND italicized.  The rest of the synopsis did not remove my suspicions that this book is not worth my time or money.
My to-read shelf is down to 564 books.  That’s the 3rd week in a row that I’ve made my TBR just a smidgen shorter!  Hopefully the trend will continue next weekend when I start with book #116.

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 have 566 books on my to-read shelf.

This week’s five books:

Probably Monsters by Ray Cluley – KEEP.  I will eventually buy this Horror short story collection, but for now it’s staying on my wish list.

Farewell, Dorothy Parker by Ellen Meister – GO.  This one has been on my wish list for years and I always pass it up every time I’m looking for a book to buy.  I realize now that I’m just not that interested in reading it, so it goes.  Maybe some day I’ll try to find it at the library, but then again, maybe not.

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman – KEEP.  This one is an ARC I never got around to reading and reviewing because I haven’t read the first book of the series yet.  Yes, I feel guilty about that.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly – KEEP.  There’s no way I’m going to get rid of a Fantasy story involving books 🙂

My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse – KEEP.  I already own this one and it’s a fairly short read, so I’ll give it a chance sometime next year.
My to-read shelf is down one book to 565 books.  That’s 2 weeks in a row that I haven’t added any more books to the mountain!  Hopefully I’ll be able to get a couple more pulled off of the shelf by next weekend when I start with book #111.