Last month, I decided to start a mass clean-out of my Goodreads TBR shelf! Naturally, if I’m going to spend the time doing it, I figured I might as well blog about it. I’m just doing it in small chunks to keep it manageable!
If there’s anything in this list that you think I should KEEP on my TBR, please let me know why, and I’ll consider adding it back!
TBR Tracking:
before purge 1: 1,536
after purge 1: 1,496
before purge 2: 1,534
after purge 2: 1,494
before purge 3: 1,504
- Watch Hollow — Gregory Funaro
- You’d Be Mine — Erin Hahn
- I honestly wouldn’t have taken this when it was up for “download now” status on NG if I’d known it was about country music. No offense to country fans! It’s just that, as a southerner who hates the genre despite being unwillingly subjected to it everywhere you go, well… it makes it hard to enjoy any media revolving around it.
- Girls of July — Alex Flinn
- Race the Darkness — Abbie Roads
- Crazy Cupid Love — Amanda Heger
- I Let You Go — Clare Mackintosh
- I want to read this, but it involves the death of the MC’s child, which is a theme I really can’t enjoy stories with.
- The Playing Card Killer — Russell James
- Black Wings — Megan Hart
- Look Straight Ahead — Elaine M. Will
- The Snow Child — Eowyn Ivey
- Priestdaddy — Patricia Lockwood
- I love cult-related memoirs but I heard this one’s pretty boring. Does anyone have recommendations for good replacements?
- Snotgirl, Vol. 1 — Bryan Lee O’Malley
- Amber & Dusk — Lyra Selene
- North of Happy — Adi Alsaid
- Colder, Vol. 2 — Paul Tobin
- I liked Vol. 1 a lot, but not enough to buy Vol. 2, and none of the libraries in my system have it. ?♀️
- Wishtree — Katherine Applegate
- The Dragonet Prophecy — Tui T. Sutherland
- I’m definitely not intrigued enough to start a 14-book MG fantasy series.
- Inside Out & Back Again — Thanhha Lai
- I appreciate that this exists, but I flipped through it a little at work once and didn’t enjoy the writing.
- An Orchestra of Minorities — Chigozie Obioma
- Stay Up With Hugo Best — Erin Somers
- Otokogokoro — Neko Kanda
- Not sure where to even find an English version of this…
- From Breath and Ruin — Carrie Ann Ryan
- No memory AT ALL of adding this.
- Once & Future — Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy
- I know this has been hugely popular this year, and I dig that it’s a queer story by queer authors, but… man, I gotta be honest, NOTHING about this synopsis interests me, and I’ve tried Capetta’s writing before and was thoroughly unimpressed.
- It’s Not Hansel and Gretel — Josh Funk
- She Spoke — Kathy MacMillan
- A Mark On My Soul — Jordon Greene
- The Broken Circle — Enjeela Ahmadi-Miller
- A Fire Story — Brian Fies
- Maybe I should pick out an emoji to notate books I simply don’t remember ever adding to begin with ?
- The Art of Leaving — Ayelet Tsabari
- Between Before & After — Maureen Doyle McQuerry
- Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution — E.E. Charlton-Trujillo
- Not writing off the series, I just didn’t know this was a sequel when I added it.
- Sherwood — Meagan Spooner
- A Monster Like Me — Wendy S. Swore
- I was pretty excited for this one, but I’m hearing a lot of chatter about some harmful Native American rep in it, so I’ll pass.
- Fallen Mountains — Kimi Cunningham Grant
- Again, where do all of these random thrillers I don’t recognize and none of my friends have read even come from?!
- Clueless: Senior Year — Amber Benson
- The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #2: The Truth About Stacey — Raina Telgemeier & Ann M. Martin
- I read the first adaptation in the graphic novel series recently and thought it was really poorly adapted. :/
- Black Bird, Vol. 1 — Kanoko Sakurakouji
- Come Find Me — Megan Miranda
- Virtually Yours — Sarvenaz Tash
- A Lily Among Thorns — Rose Lerner
Remaining TBR: 1,464
Tonkin About Books
June 14, 2019Ugh, I need to do this! I’m constantly finding books on my TBR shelf I don’t remember anything about lol
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
July 21, 2019I feel you haha!
Sylwia
June 14, 2019The Dragonet Prophecy is so good though ;___; I would recommend just reading the first novel because the characterization especially of the villains is so worth it! And it’s one of those stories that really plays with tropes and is so unique!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
July 21, 2019Oooooh, this is the first review from a friend I’m hearing, so thank you! I’ll definitely give it a try in that case!
Kara Harrington Keenan
June 14, 2019Priestdaddy isn’t really about a cult, just a messed up family life (unless you consider the Catholic Church to be a cult, which is a valid argument). It is also very much a scree against the “religious” men who control much of the current government and her rage against them. It could have been edited better.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
July 21, 2019Oooooooh, good to know! I was totally told it was a cult-based story, WTF. ? I mean, I do have a lot of issues with the Catholic Church, to be fair, but it’s not exactly what I’m looking for when I think of cult stories. Thank you for telling me this!
CJR The Brit
June 14, 2019I haven’t read any of these but my eyes popped out at your tbr number!!!
Sionna (Books in Her Eyes)
June 14, 2019I read Black Bird. I remember liking it for the most part, buuuut there were definitely iffy parts. I don’t think you’re missing out by skipping it.
Ellyn
June 14, 2019I am ABSOLUTELY in support of you getting rid of Snotgirl – that comic is AWFUL. Without a doubt one of the worst things I’ve read this year.
Brooklynne Michelle
June 14, 2019Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution, reads fine without having read the first books as I didn’t realise it was a sequel.
That being said, I found the way it was written so jarring and trying too hard to sound hip. Also, I think it’s historical but that was never made clear if it was historical OR they just all use old tech from the 90’s.
Also, I found the way Angie’s body is referred to by the author the opposite of empowering. I have a fuller review on my blog if you want to see it.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
August 25, 2019I’m somehow just now seeing this comment as I play catch-up, but wow, thank you so much for the info on Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution! It sounds like one I can easily pass up without feeling bad about now. It’s so hard to find books with fat rep that I tend to get super excited at the opportunity, but sadly, I feel like about half of the few that DO get written end up being more harmful than helpful. 🙁 I’ll check out your full review, too! Thanks again, darling <3
fictionnochaser
June 15, 2019I can’t vouch for any of these, but you had my laughing really loud at “unwillingly subjected to country music.”
SAME
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
August 25, 2019HAHAHA I’m just now seeing this and cackling
Fran @ The Ramblebee
June 16, 2019Yeah, Once & Future isn’t worth it imho, and I found some aspects of it pretty icky so I only gave it two stars.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
August 25, 2019I’m sorry you didn’t care for Once & Future but thank you for helping me feel better about my decision not to read it lol!
Sarah
June 16, 2019I enjoyed Priestdaddy, but don’t think I’d quite categorize it as a cult memoir. However, it is quite funny if you feel like giving it a shot eventually! I really liked the writing and actually followed the author on Twitter because I was so interested in keeping up with her.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
August 25, 2019Oooooh, good to know! I might have to add that one back 😀
rachel @ typed truths
June 17, 2019snotgirl was a wild ride and i can’t say it was something i’d ever recommend. (so. damn. weird)! and i totally feel you on the bsc’s graphic adaptation. it was lowkey awful.
i’m sad that once & future’s reviews haven’t been great ’cause i just picked it up the other day and, i mean, queer arthurian retelling? such promise!
Meeghan reads
June 18, 2019I haven’t read Sherwood yet, but I did love Hunted. I’m hoping to get Sherwood soon!!! ?