Down the TBR Hole 8

When I started doing Down the TBR Hole my Goodreads TBR was at over 1200 books. Which is INSANE. I added books left and right without really thinking about whether I would actually like the books I was adding. I had a lot of books that either sounded ok or they were just a genre that I thought I should read. I went through a really big phase of adding books that I thought I should read because “smart” people read them or whatever.

Currently I have 756 books on my Goodreads TBR (some I’ve deleted and not put on a Down the TBR Hole yet) and I’m learning that I don’t need to read a book just because some rando on the internet said I should. Yeah, I’m talking to you listchallenges. I actually don’t need to read those 100 books from the NYT Bestsellers you think everyone should read. I also don’t need to read a book that “smart” readers read. I read to enjoy books! So if I don’t think I will enjoy a book, I’ll delete it!

If you don’t know, Down the TBR Hole was created by a blogger called Lost in a Story, who appears to have decided to end the blogging part of her life. It’s still being continued by everyone who is participating in it though! Essentially how it works is you go to your Goodreads TBR shelf and pick 5/10/15 or however many you want, that’s completely up to you, and you go through those books to figure out which ones you want to keep and which you want to delete. Here are the rules:

How it works:

Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
Order on ascending date added
Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time
Read the synopses of the books
Decide whether you’re keeping it or deleting it

The Enemy We Know – Donna White Glaser

This is a book where there’s a mystery in a mystery. The abusive boyfriend of the MC’s client is stalking the MC and leaving her all sorts of nasty things, but then he’s murdered and someone else picks up what he was doing to the MC. For some reason there’s nothing really that appeals to me.

Delete

The Mysterious Benedict Society – Trenton Lee Stewart & Carson Ellis (illustrator)

This gives me The Penderwicks mixed with Code Name Kids Next Door vibes and I love it.

Keep

The Buried Giant – Kazuo Ishiguro

I really like the cover but I’m really unclear on what the book is about and what the summary does say isn’t very intriguing.

Delete

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry – Gabrielle Zevin

1. I love books about books

2. I love heartwarming stories that involve depressed or down-on-their-luck people that, through the help of those who care about them and potentially some thing (tangible), that leads to them having a better outlook on life.

Keep

Dear Mr. Knightley – Katherine Reay

After reading some reviews I decided that this book probably wouldn’t be for me. It apparently has a main character that, despite being a college-aged adult, acts weirdly innocent and naïve. While I sometimes understand characters like that, they generally get on my nerves. This book is supposedly based off Daddy Longlegs, which is a book from the 1910s and sounds more up my alley than this one.

Delete

The Distant Hours – Kate Morton

Historical fiction set in a crumbling castle with some sort of family mystery? Yas queen give it to meeee.

Keep

Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier

Despite the fact that I know the twist because I like ruining things for myself, I still think I would enjoy this book. Especially around Halloween time. I would also like to mention that I ruined it for myself by listening to an Overdue podcast episode about it, which was a really good episode! I just got hella spoilers.

Keep

Justice Buried – Hilary Thompson

Ehhhh. This is your good ol’ 2012-2014 dystopian romance. I’m over dystopian books. Unless one comes out that’s super fun and fresh it’s unlikely that I’ll pick it up.

Delete

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? – Mindy Kaling

Hell yeah. Mindy Kaling is hilarious and I’ve heard great things about this book. Also this title speaks to me on a sadly deep fomo level.

Keep

A Dirty Job – Christopher Moore

This has a great premise, I love it when books are about something completely unexpected happening to a character and they have to scramble to figure out how to make it the new normal. Also I get Billy and Mandy vibes. God I miss early 2000s cartoon network shows.

Keep

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

Bind-up of all the books in the Hitchhiker’s series. I’ll end up reading the series individually so I don’t think there’s a point to keeping this.

Delete

How to Be a Woman – Caitlin Moran

Although I don’t know who Caitlin Moran is, I think this would be a funny look on what it’s like being a woman.

Keep

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl – Jesse Andrews

I loved this movie. To the point where I literally could not stop talking about it when I first saw it. So I have no doubt that I will like the book.

Keep

Secret Letters – Leah Scheier

SHERLOCK HOLMES?!?!?!?!! Also, London?!?!?! ALSO AN INDEPENDENT FEMALE CHARACTER????? TF I think this author just wanted to get me right in the trope weaknesses.

Keep

The Secret History – Donna Tartt

I don’t know what to say here man. I feel like everyone likes this book and I just want to be part of the club. I just want to know why everyone likes it so much, I’m so curious!! Also I like murder mysteries that are about more than just the murder, which I think is what this book is about.

Keep

What do you think? Any books here you’ve read and loved? Hated?