Down the TBR Hole (16 of 24+)

I’ve spent the afternoon composing September’s Down the TBR posts and there have just been so many books in the last four posts that I have no memory of ever seeing, much less wanting to read. At the same time, I almost feel like I just found a whole bunch of great books I want to read (even if I really put them on the “Want to Read” shelf two years ago).

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)

	Penelope Lemon: Game On! by Inman Majors Blurb: My Thoughts: I wish I knew how this fell on my radar. I also wish I knew why I haven’t read it yet. I’m not going to try to recap the blurb without reading this comic novel, I’d probably do a bad job of it. Just click the link above. Verdict:
	The Lonely Witness by William Boyle Blurb: When a young woman with a sordid past witnesses a murder, she finds herself fascinated by the killer and decides to track him down herself. My Thoughts: Once again, I wish I knew how this fell on my radar, because then maybe I’d remember why I thought this would be something I’d enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, it looks gripping and well-written, but it also doesn’t look like my cup of tea. Verdict:
	First Watch by Dale Lucas My Thoughts: A police procedural in a Fantasy world, like DeCandido’s Precinct books. Probably a different approach beyond that, though. Looks pretty good. Verdict:
	Middlegame by Seanan McGuire My Thoughts: I can’t believe I’m not interested in a McGuire novel. But despite all the acclaim (and there are mountatins of it), this one just doesn’t appeal to me. Verdict:
	An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir My Thoughts: This looks like a great fantasy novel, but I know Im not going to find the time for it. Verdict:
	Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher Blurb: “Finally a novel that puts the ‘pissed’ back into ‘epistolary.’…the vehicle this droll and inventive novel uses to tell that tale is a series of hilarious letters of recommendation that [beleaguered creative writing professor] Fitger is endlessly called upon by his students and colleagues to produce, each one of which is a small masterpiece of high dudgeon, low spirits, and passive-aggressive strategies.” My Thoughts: Looks like a bit of fun à la Straight Man Verdict:
	A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor My Thoughts: The second in the Chronicles of St Mary’s features the historians facing off with Jack the Ripper (among with other time travel hijinks). Verdict:
	The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan Blurb: “When three thieves – an orphan, a ghoul, and a cursed man – are betrayed by the master of the thieves guild, their quest for revenge uncovers dark truths about their city and exposes a dangerous conspiracy, the seeds of which were sown long before they were born.” My Thoughts: I’ve yet to see anything bad about this book, it looks so good. I’ve come close to buying it a couple of times, but I’ve been intimidated by the size and density of the text. (how lame does that sound?) Verdict:
	The Disappeared by Ali Harper Blurb: A couple of newbie PI’s on a hunt for a missing college student when the case turns out to be a lot more than they bargained for. My Thoughts: This looks like it could be a good one, but I’m probably not going to find the time. Verdict:
	Biting the Wax Tadpole: Confessions of a Language Fanatic by Elizabeth Little Blurb: “Language, like travel, is always stranger than we expect and often more beautiful than we imagine. In Biting the Wax Tadpole Elizabeth Little takes a decidedly unstuffy and accessible tour of grammar via the languages of the world—from Lithuanian noun declensions and imperfective Russian verbs to Ancient Greek and Navajo. And in one of the most courageous acts in the history of popular grammar books, she attempts to provide an explanation of verbal aspect that people might actually understand.” My Thoughts: I always enjoy reading about how English is messed up, might be nice to see how other languages are strange. Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 5 / 10
Total Books Removed: 88 / 240

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

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)