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 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: 1,018 titles
I’m trying a new format for these posts. What do you guys prefer – the old style (click here) or the new one?
BOOKS 106-110:
Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman – added 12.24.14
This is the nonfiction story that inspired the popular Netflix show of the same name, and I’m pretty interested in learning how much the show differs from Piper’s actual life.
DECISION: KEEP
Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready – added 12.31.14
I’ve owned this book since shortly after its release, and DNFed it back in the day because it was trope-y and depressing as hell (I think it’s essentially a love triangle story about a girl choosing between the ghost of her dead boyfriend, and some new, living guy). I’ve considered picking it up again, but I can’t quite bring myself to.
DECISION: REMOVE
The Curse of the New Kid by M.D. Spenser – added 12.31.14
I loved the Shivers series as a kid, and some of them have held up surprisingly well in adulthood, so I’ll probably read this eventually – it’s about a kid whose bullies keep mysteriously dropping like flies.
DECISION: KEEP
Babyface & the Killer Mob by M.D. Spenser – added 12.31.14
On the other hand, this is one of a small number of Shivers titles that never caught my interest. The synopsis is about a bully who suddenly wakes up in an adult’s body, and it sounds too much like a Goosebumps book I remember disliking as a kid.
DECISION: REMOVE
The Bad Place by Dean Koontz – added 12.31.14
A guy keeps waking up to bizarre incidents, like finding himself covered in blood, so he enlists the help of a boy with Down’s Syndrome to help him. First of all, I feel like this is probably going to be ableist as hell, and second, it’s one of Koontz’s 80s titles, and those rarely work for me.
DECISION: REMOVE
BOOK 111-115:
Under the Fang (anthology) – added 12.31.14
You guys know what a sucker I am for horror anthologies, and this one has some big names in its list, plus a pretty decent average rating on Goodreads.
DECISION: KEEP
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris – added 12.31.14
I really thoroughly enjoyed Red Dragon and have been meaning to continue this series for years.
DECISION: KEEP
From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz – added 12.31.14
I can’t tell if I’ve just kind of grown out of my Dean Koontz “phase”, or if I just have a lot of his books on my TBR that have boring descriptions, because this one about a man with unusual eyes (yeah, that’s pretty much all I got from the synopsis) doesn’t strike me at all.
DECISION: REMOVE
Hideaway by Dean Koontz – added 12.31.14
I swear, someday, we’ll be able to go a full Down the TBR Hole post without mentioning this author. In the meantime, this story about a man who dies and is resurrected with a newfound murderous rage doesn’t catch my eye.
DECISION: REMOVE
The Good Guy by Dean Koontz – added 12.31.14
A random man is asked to kill an evil woman for a large sum of cash, and has to decide where he places his value in good versus bad. I really want to still be intrigued by these plots, especially since I happen to own all of the Koontz books I’ve named in this post…
DECISION: REMOVE
BOOK 116-120:
The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz – added 12.31.14
First, this is about a child’s death, and as someone who’s still in the “new mom” stage… nope. Second, this is another one of Dean’s earliest releases. I think I’m just removing them by default now.
DECISION: REMOVE
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien – added 12.31.14
No, I haven’t read the LOTR trilogy yet. Yes, I know I’m a terrible person.
DECISION: KEEP
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien – added 12.31.14
See previous comment.
DECISION: KEEP
Neighbors by Maureen Pusti – added 12.31.14
Man, oh man. Where would we be without 90s horror covers? This one’s about a creepy elderly neighbor woman, which is fine, but the average rating is 3.14 with only 14 ratings, so… nah.
DECISION: REMOVE
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King – added 12.31.14
If you’re not familiar with the idea of Salem’s Lot, as it is mentioned in a few King stories, it’s about a creepy New England town with some very dark and evil history. Despite the fact that this is a ’75 publication and I don’t foresee myself loving it, I’m gonna give it a chance.
DECISION: KEEP
No Comments
I haven’t read LOTR trilogy, but in love with movies ????
Sorry for the late reply, but yes, the movies! AMAZINGGGG
Glad to see you’re keeping Salems Lot, it’s fantastic! I urge you to put it to the top of your 2018 tbr ?
Awesome, thank you! I’ve heard some mixed reviews so hearing a rave about it is very encouraging.
I like the new layout better! More concise.
‘Salem’s Lot. Oh boy Destiny, good luck with that one. I like King (most of the time) and I like vampires (most of the time) and one of the main characters from ‘Salem’s Lot features in the Dark Tower series (which I love) but MAN did that one drag for me. I hope you like it more!
So the vibe I’m getting from the Down the TBR Hole is definitely that you are over Dean Koontz. XD
Yay, thank you, Amber! Sorry for the late reply lmao!
Oh noooooo! I hope so, too. Maybe it’ll be one of those books I read while reading other, more exciting books, so I can just pick it up for a chapter here and there, lol.
Yyyyyyes, hahahaha. I got sooo many of his freaking books back in the day from yard sales and stuff, and now I’m just like… meh… I have too many more exciting things to read!
i just know that i will never, in my life, read the lord of the rings. i have made my peace with that. you are stronger than i
LMAO. This comment killed me. I was at peace with the same idea until this year when it suddenly struck me that I felt like I ABSOLUTELY MUST READ TOLKIEN BOOKS and that feeling hasn’t left for whatever reason.
Good post! I’ve honestly just made my peace with my tbr shelf at this point to the degree that I just toss out anything if I’m not super super excited to read it. Honestly, with so much to read, if I’m not excited about it, I just won’t read it 🙁
Good plan! It’s easy to get overwhelmed and have too many useless books on there, honestly. And thanks!
I dig the new layout! Easy on the eyes and doesn’t make it quite as long. Orange is the New Black was pretty good!
This is totally a late reply, so I’m sorry, lol! But thank you! That’s what I was aiming for. I always try to keep my posts just short enough to make them easy to read, haha! Oooh, awesome. Is Piper as annoying in the book as she is in the show? Bahaha
No worries! lol. Piper isn’t really mentioned in the book all that much. Only in like the first chapter and the last couple.