Down the TBR Hole #20

March 4, 2018

Down the TBR Hole was originally created over at Lost in a Story, and is a super fun (and simultaneously productive) tag to help you whittle away at those never-ending TBRs! (By the way, you can click on the covers to go to the Goodreads listings!)

It works like this:

  • Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 or 15 or 20, if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?
  • Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week!

Current “to-read” shelf: 1,057 titles


BOOKS 281-285:

1

Jackaby by William Ritter – added 01.01.17
I don’t love YA mysteries very often, but I’m a sucker for dark stories set in the late 1800s, plus it’s a tiny little book and I already own it.
DECISION: KEEP

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss – added 01.01.17
Do I even need to explain this one?
DECISION: KEEP

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz – added 01.01.17
I’m fairly assured that 84% of my followers will hunt me down and murder me if I remove this one.
DECISION: KEEP

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst – added 01.01.17
I remember buying this on my kindle last year because it was an f/f fantasy, and I didn’t know of many of those at the time, but now that I have a few more to choose from that interest me way more than this one? Nah.
DECISION: REMOVE

The Guild by Felicia Day – added 01.02.17
I really loved The Guild as a webseries, but I don’t think I have much interest in the graphic novels, because it was the actors and dialogue delivery that I loved, not the story.
DECISION: REMOVE


BOOKS 286-290:

2

Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers – added 01.03.17
The synopsis of this one is cliched but cute (deaf girl falls in love with a musician), but I honestly have so many YA contemporaries on my list that I can afford to be choosy.
DECISION: REMOVE

In the Hope of Memories by Olivia Rivers – added 01.03.17
Another YA contemporary, same author, and again, a cliche plot (girl dies and leaves a list for her friends to fulfill in her memory).
DECISION: REMOVE

Steampunk Fairy Tales by Leslie Anderson – added 01.03.17
My cup runneth over with anthologies, and I don’t know any of the contributing authors.
DECISION: REMOVE

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman – added 01.03.17
I know this book is immensely popular. I know everyone and their mom loves it. It’s sitting at 4.35 stars and over 300k ratings right now… but nothing about this synopsis interests me in the teeniest, tiniest, most miniscule way.
DECISION: REMOVE

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman – added 01.03.17
I’ve picked up and DNFed four different books by Neil Gaiman. While I haven’t given up on him entirely, let’s be honest: I only added this because the cover is so beautiful.
DECISION: REMOVE


BOOKS 291-295:

3

Air Awakens by Elise Kova – added 01.03.17
I know this series seems to be a lot less widely beloved than the Loom Saga by this author, but I have an ebook of this one, and while it’s lower on my list than Loom, I still feel good about leaving it on here.
DECISION: KEEP

Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige – added 01.03.17
I genuinely don’t know why I added this. It’s nothing like my typical aesthetic for fantasy retellings, at all!
DECISION: REMOVE

Developing Minds: An American Ghost Story by Jonathan LaPoma – added 01.03.17
I’m not really sure why this is marketed as horror when the synopsis describes it as being realistic literary fiction, but I’m gonna let this one go.
DECISION: REMOVE

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink– added 01.03.17
I know I just broke this rule with the Elise Kova book a few titles up, but with this one, I’ll stick to my “one series at a time” rule for authors I haven’t read anything by yet. Since I own book #1 of the other Night Vale “series”, I’ll wait on this one.
DECISION: REMOVE

Kingdom of Ashes by Elena May – added 01.03.17
I have no idea what this book is! Or who this author is! Or why this is on my TBR! But I’m gonna let it go, mostly just because I really don’t like that cover, tbh. (Shallow, I know.)
DECISION: REMOVE


BOOKS 296-300:

4

Sunset Rising by S. M. McEachern – added 01.03.17
And another one! Who are you? Where did you come from?
DECISION: REMOVE

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury – added 01.03.17
Don’t hate me, guys, but… I don’t really like Aladdin retellings all that much.
DECISION: REMOVE

Gilded Cage by Vic James – added 01.03.17
I’m really torn on this one! A handful of my GR friends have read it and almost all of them gave it 1 or 2 stars, which would normally convince me to remove a book, but this synopsis actually sounds… kind of interesting?
DECISION: KEEP (for now?)

The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles – added 01.03.17
Okay, I legit thought this was a contemporary, first of all, but it’s apparently an urban fantasy? Either way, I was reluctant to add it and haven’t felt any desire to pick it up whenever I’ve seen it in a bookstore or on BookOutlet or whatever, so I should probably take that as a sign.
DECISION: REMOVE

By Your Side by Kasie West – added 01.03.17
Keeping this one because it’s on my kindle and I will inevitably be having a bad mental health day at some point and think to myself, “Wow, you know what would help? Binge reading a nauseatingly cute contemporary.” ?
DECISION: KEEP


REMOVAL PERCENTAGE THIS WEEK: 70%


DO YOU THINK I SHOULD HAVE REMOVED (OR NOT REMOVED) ANY OF THESE TITLES? IF SO, COMMENT BELOW AND TELL ME WHY!


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More about Destiny @ Howling Libraries

Just a horror aficionado/geek girl trying to juggle motherhood, reading, blogging, gaming, and everyday life.

Leave a comment
    1. Okay, I’m all for nauseatingly cute ya contemporaries, but please reconsider the Kasie West book, it might make you lose faith in the ability of a cute ya contemporary, it’s by far my least fav of her books.
      Good call on the edge of everything, that book was a big thumbs down for me.
      I am so glad you’re keeping air Awakens, I actually liked that book more, but have to finish the series.

      1. LMAO, omg. That worries me! Okay… I might take the Kasie West one off. At the very least, I’ll make sure it isn’t the next book of hers I reach for, haha. Thank you for the warning! And yes, I definitely want to check out Air Awakens very soon – I hear her writing is so good!

    1. Dang, look at you go!! I’m one of those people who gave a low rating to The Gilded Cage by Vic James… I couldn’t finish it, but I do think the writing is well done and there are interesting aspects, so I think you might actually like it.
      Olivia Rivers’ books do seem a bit cliche…. I’ll read one eventually though because she is a local author for me, so I wanna check her work out. I’m just not… motivated to read her books yet. Maybe soon…

      1. Haha thank you! Oh no, I’m sorry you didn’t like it! I’m glad to hear that you think it may be suited to my tastes more, though. 🙂
        If you do check her writing out, I’d love to hear what you think!

        1. As is the sequel ‘The Wise Man’s Fear’ … and I’m sure the 3rd book will be if Rothfuss ever gets around to finishing it 🙁

    1. The only one of those I read was In the Hope of Memories (which I really liked). I have quite a few of the others on my TBR and I’m debating on a few of them. I’ll eventually get to them on my down the tbr and will have to decide then.

    1. i say really good call on of fire and stars…i wanted to like that book So Much but alas

    1. A Man called Ove was one of my book club books that I wasn’t excited to read. HOWEVER, I am SOOOOO glad I did. I recommend listening to the audio book some day if you don’t actually read it. It is a good story.

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