Down the TBR Hole (15 of 24+)

I felt pretty pithy this week, it seems, and that’s not changing as I write this introduction.

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)

	Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson My Thoughts: This MG comedic-adventure novel about a girl determined to become a pirate looks like a blast. But I just don’t see myself making the time for it. I’m having a hard time giving it a thumbs down, though… Verdict:
	The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker Blurb: “…the cognitive scientist, dictionary consultant, and New York Times–bestselling author Steven Pinker rethinks the usage guide for the twenty-first century. Using examples of great and gruesome modern prose while avoiding the scolding tone and Spartan tastes of the classic manuals, he shows how the art of writing can be a form of pleasurable mastery and a fascinating intellectual topic in its own right. The Sense of Style is for writers of all kinds, and for readers who are interested in letters and literature and are curious about the ways in which the sciences of mind can illuminate how language works at its best.” My Thoughts: I started this, loved it, but ran out of time. I need to get back to it, if only to improve things around here. Verdict:
	Zhek by Andy Weir Blurb: This was supposed to be more traditional SF than The Martian which was enough for me to put this on the list (this was pre-Artemis), and then Weir decided it wasn’t working for him and moved on to another project. Verdict: Easiest one yet…
	I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga Blurb: A YA novel about the son of a serial killer helping the police track down another killer. My Thoughts: Verdict:
	The Courier by Gerald Brandt Blurb: A cyberpunk thriller about a courier (obviously) in the wrong place at the very wrong time. Verdict:
	Heroine’s Journey by Sarah Kuhn My Thoughts: The first two volumes in this super-hero series were fun, don’t see why this one wouldn’t be just as entertaining. Verdict:
	Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman Blurb: “…witty collection of essays recounts a lifelong love affair with books and language…moving easily from anecdotes about Coleridge and Orwell to tales of her own pathologically literary family. As someone who played at blocks with her father’s 22-volume set of Trollope (“My Ancestral Castles”) and who only really considered herself married when she and her husband had merged collections (“Marrying Libraries”), she is exquisitely well equipped to expand upon the art of inscriptions, the perverse pleasures of compulsive proof-reading, the allure of long words, and the satisfactions of reading out loud.” Verdict:
	Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt de la Pena Blurb: Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum My Thoughts: Last week, I talked about being gun-shy with this series after the Batman volume. This looks like a Smallville episode they didn’t have time for. Verdict:
	Tyche’s Flight by Richard Parry My Thoughts: While talking to Jeffery H. Haskell about his own books, Haskell and his wife gave me the hard-sell on this one. That alone secures it a place on the TBR.
	Nemesis by Brendan Reichs Blurb: Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum My Thoughts: If I summarized the premise, you wouldn’t believe me. And the blurb is too long to comfortably fit here. Click the link above. I can see where this would appeal to some people, I’m just not sure why I ever thought I’d be one of them. Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 6 / 10
Total Books Removed: 83 / 240

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

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)