Down the TBR Hole (8 of 24+)

There are more books involved with this one for reasons you’ll see, which is part of I cut more on this dive down the hole than usual (also, there’s a bit of cheating, too). Hopefully, someone out there finds these somewhat interesting, I find composing them rather cathartic.

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

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?
Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

	Sidekick: The Red Raptor Files – Part 1 by Christopher J. Valin Blurb: The Sidekick to his city’s greatest hero has to go solo to save the day, and his partner. My Thoughts: I’ve got too many unread Indie-pubbed Super-Hero books in my possession already, as fun as this looks, I need to cut it. Verdict:
	Mash Up by Joe Klingler Blurb: “When a suspect dies on his watch, failure pushes Alaskan detective Qigiq to San Francisco–the land of magical technology–to regroup. His new fast-driving partner, Kandy Dreeson, calls at dawn: a beautiful avant-garde violinist is at the station freaking out about an Amazon box–and her missing roommate. Thus begins the hunt for a killer who leaves behind a torrent of body parts, videos of heinous crimes, and deadly explosions. Qigiq and Kandy enter a world of cybercrime he doesn’t understand–but is determined to master. Dodging attempts on their lives with each new bit they decipher, they grow ever closer to a dangerous force that trades money for murder, and music for privacy. Closer with each Amazon delivery. Closer with each new victim.” My Thoughts: Klinger was one of the first authors to reach out to me to ask me to read their stuff–and was maybe the second to agree to a Q&A. So shortly after that, I went out and bought some of his other work. It looked fun at the time, still does. I got too busy to read those two books then, and need to make time for them now. Verdict:
	RATS by Joe Klingler Blurb: “Summer greets the land of the midnight sun as a lone rider races across the last American wilderness, delivering on a promise he made long ago. He has many names, but the world only knows a shadow called the Demon. Soon to be drawn into the Demon’s world, Claire Ferreti, an Army sniper, sips sake in Washington, DC with her lover, a young, ambitious General whose geosecurity specialty remains classified. When a boy finds a small machine, Claire embarks on a a black-ops mission that leads to a test of skill, a clash of ideologies, and her unconscious body lying in a typhoon-ravaged jungle. In that instant she becomes the hunted, the Demon’s tool for survival, and an unforeseen threat. As the General pursues them into a labyrinth of cyber-secrets, political necessity and financial reality collide like a fireball piercing steel.” My Thoughts: See above. Verdict:
	Absence of Light by Zoë Sharp My Thoughts: I missed this novella between Die Easy and Fox Hunter. A mistake I should rectify, and soon. Verdict:
	Killer Instinct; Riot Act by Zoë Sharp; Hard Knocks by Zoë Sharp; Road Kill by Zoë Sharp My Thoughts: I could be wrong here, but when First Drop came out in the states, the first three of these weren’t available–and I don’t know that Road Kill was published here before Second Shot was–I looked for everything I could get my hands on (ordering from overseas wasn’t really a thing I considered), and I honestly wasn’t aware these existed until years later. I just thought that Charlie showed up in First Drop with this complex backstory that we learned about in allusions and bits and pieces. Which was cool. Then a couple of years ago, I saw that these were a thing and slapped them onto my Goodreads list. And while I typically don’t get it when people do this, I don’t think I’m going to go back and see Charlie’s early years (as curious as a I am), because I like my Head Cannon. Verdict:
	Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell My Thoughts: I’ve been a big Rowell fan in the past, but her recent work–the Marvel comic or the Simon Snow YA books (I thought the Snow stuff was the weakest part of Fan Girl and have no interest in pursuing it)–has so not appealed to me, that I think it spilled over into this short work about a girl waiting in line for a new Star Wars movie. Probably something I’d like, I just need to remember to read it. Verdict:
	Why Bother With Church?: And other questions about why you need it and why it needs you by Sam Allberry My Thoughts: The title says everything you need to know about it. Allberry’s a clever, concise writer, so this should be good. I’ve read one or two others in this series (by other authors), and it should be a short, punchy read. Also, my wife’s read it twice and owns it. Just need to take an hour some day. Verdict:
	Open Season by C.J. Box Blurb: The first in Box’s long-running series about a Wyoming Game Warden who keeps stumbling into murder cases. My Thoughts: This is so, so, easy. I listened to the audiobook last year, so I can remove this from the “Want to Read” list. (this feels a little like a cheat, but I think I’ll get away with it). Verdict:
	The Days of Tao by Wesley Chu My Thoughts: There is no reason at all that I haven’t read this. I’m a fan of the Tao series. I liked Cameron Tan. This is a short novella that I own. I’ve just got to take a day. Verdict:
	Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen Blurb: Genius-level, sentient elephants in the far-flung future. My Thoughts: I think Kevin Hearne talked about this in a newsletter, and it sounded good. It probably is good, but there’s probably a reason I left it untouched for 4 years. I’d probably like it, but not love it, so in the interests of time…to the chopping block it goes. Verdict:
	Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy Blurb: A country-noir tale about the son of a meth cooker trying to get out from his father’s shadow to be with the woman he loves–far from home. Verdict: This one hurts, I feel like I’m turning my back on something good. But I’m going to be honest, I’m just not going to get to it.
	The Two of Us by Andy Jones Blurb: “Fisher and Ivy have been an item for all of nineteen days. Both of them have been in relationships before, and this time around, they know something is different—they are meant to be together. The fact that they know little else about each other is a minor detail. But over the next year, a time in which their lives are irrevocably altered, Fisher and Ivy discover that falling in love is one thing—and staying there is an entirely different story.” Verdict: Again, a tough choice, but I don’t see myself getting around to it.