Down the TBR Hole (13 of 24+)

A lot of this entry came down to availablity, which almost feels like cheating. Oh, well…

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:

1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
4. Read the synopses of the books.
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?
6. 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)

	Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson Blurb: “Two childhood friends from Scotland and two illegitimate half-brothers from the American South suffer and enjoy all manner of bizarre experiences which, as it turns out, are somehow interconnectedand, surprisingly enough, meaningful. An eclectic cast of characters includes Carl Jung, Fatty Arbuckle, Virgil, Marat, Socrates, and Tony Randall. Love, greed, hope, revenge, organized religion, and Hollywood are alternately tickled and throttled.” My Thoughts: Probably a fun, offbeat read. But…I can’t easily locate a copy, so… Verdict:
	Why Do We Quote? the Culture and History of Quotation by Ruth Finneghan Blurb: “Drawing from anthropology, cultural history, folklore, cultural studies, sociolinguistics, literary studies and the ethnography of speaking, Ruth Finnegan’s fascinating study sets our present conventions into cross-cultural and historical perspective. She traces the curious history of quotation marks, examines the long tradition of quotation collections with their remarkable recycling across the centuries, and explores the uses of quotation in literary, visual and oral traditions. The book tracks the changing definitions and control of quoting over the millennia and in doing so throws new light on ideas such as ‘imitation’, ‘allusion’, ‘authorship’, ‘originality’ and ‘plagiarism’.” My Thoughts: This is either going to be dry as dust or fascinating. In the end, this comes down to my time… Verdict:
	Jukebox by Saira Viola Blurb: A young lawyer who wants to run a record label. A young journalist on the hunt for a story. A potentially (probably?) corrupt businessman is the means for both to get what they want. Which means at least one of them will be disappointed. Verdict:
	The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure by Jack Handey My Thoughts: It’s a novel by Jack Handey. Loved this guy’s stuff on SNL. Why didn’t I buy this when I had a chance? Verdict: Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum
	The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language by Mark Forsyth Blurb: “…a completely unauthorized guide to the strange underpinnings of the English language. It explains how you get from “gruntled” to “disgruntled”; why you are absolutely right to believe that your meager salary barely covers “money for salt”; how the biggest chain of coffee shops in the world connects to whaling in Nantucket; and what, precisely, the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening. This witty book will awake the linguist in you and illuminate the hidden meanings behind common words and phrases, tracing their evolution through all of their surprising paths throughout history.” My Thoughts: This is exactly the kind of thing I love to read. Verdict:
	Siege Line by Myke Cole My Thoughts: This is the third novel in the prequel trilogy to Cole’s Shadow Ops series. I thought (and still do) that the first in this trilogy was the best thing that Cole had written, and the rest of the series was probably just as good. But it just feels (and felt, which is why years later I haven’t read them yet) like homework–I just don’t care about how we got to Shadow Ops enough, and didn’t really connect with any of the characters in the first of this series. Verdict:
	The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce My Thoughts: I liked Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and this music store romance will probably be just as good. Verdict:
	Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry My Thoughts: Fry can write. He’s clever and well-informed. Can’t imagine that his book on Greek Myths–a mix of re-telling and scholarly notes–won’t be anything but good. I should check to see if he reads the audiobook, that’d make it a slam-dunk… Verdict: >
	Starlight by Mark Millar Blurb: “Forty years ago, Duke McQueen was the space hero who saved the universe. But then he came back home, got married, had kids, and grew old. Now his children have left and his wife has passed away, leaving him alone with nothing except his memories…until a call comes from a distant world asking him back for his final and greatest adventure.” My Thoughts: This sounded intriguing enough that I could understand why I was interested, but I didn’t feel an overwhelming need to read it…I really just couldn’t decide, but I knew I didn’t want to spend money on it. So I decided that I’d give this a thumbs up if my library system had a copy…and you should be seeing a post about this within a week or two. Verdict:
	Bosstown by Adam Abramowitz Blurb: A bike messenger turns amatuer sleuth as he looks into his ailing father’s shady business. My Thoughts: There are some really good reviews for this from people I respect, which is the only thing that makes me pause. But, a bike messenger? I’m just not feeling it…mabye if I rewatch Premium Rush (a movie far better than the premise…) Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 6 / 10
Total Books Removed: 74 / 240

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)