Down the TBR Hole Revisited (1 of 3)

When I wrapped things up back in May, I’d trimmed the Want-to-Read list down to 132, and it’s at 154 right now. That’s not bad—I read a couple from the list, added a few more. But, in keeping with the aim of this project, let’s see if I can trim a little fat to go into the New Year not needing a diet. I didn’t quite get to too many from this list in the ensuing months…which does make me wonder (again) about the efficacy of this list. But that’s for another time—or maybe a therapist.

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)

	Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives by Tim Harford Blurb: “celebrates the benefits that messiness has in our lives: why it’s important, why we resist it, and why we should embrace it instead. Using research from neuroscience, psychology, social science, as well as tales of inspiring people doing extraordinary things, I explain that the human qualities we value – creativity, responsiveness, resilience – are integral to the disorder, confusion, and disarray that produce them.” My Thoughts: Oh sweet—a justification for my lifestyle! Gotta get this as ammunition to use against my wife. Verdict:
	My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows Blurb: Mary, Queen of Scots, in the court of France, trying to hide that she shapeshifts into mice. My Thoughts: So they’ve run out of Janes and have turned to Marys? Huh. Sure, why not? Verdict:
	Darling at the Campsite by Andy Abramowitz Blurb: “Rowan Darling, an adrift thirty-three-year-old, owns a record store on a run-down block in Philadelphia. Then news of his estranged brother’s death forces a return to Maybee, Illinois, the hometown Rowan left in the dust years ago. Rowan’s plan? Dart in for the funeral, support his mother, then disappear just as quickly. Things to avoid? Margot Beckett, his childhood sweetheart, and Skid Hall, his former best friend who stole Margot and married her. Together, they’ve become the town’s ‘it’ couple.” My Thoughts: It’s Andy Abramowitz, I’ll likely enjoy it. But first I’ll leave it on the Want-to-Read list until his next book comes out… Verdict:
	Questland by Carrie Vaughn Blurb: Jurassic Park but instead of cloned Dinosaurs, it’s “a convincing, high-tech-powered fantasy-world experience, complete with dragons, unicorns, and, yes, magic.” My Thoughts: I have the paperback sitting on my TBR shelf about 2 feet from me. Just need to get around to it. Verdict:
	Swashbucklers by Dan Hanks Blurb: “When Cisco Collins returns to his home town thirty years after saving it from being swallowed by a hell mouth opened by an ancient pirate ghost, he realises that being a childhood hero isn’t like it was in the movies. Especially when nobody remembers the heroic bits – even the friends who once fought alongside him.” Verdict: I really like the sound of this. I actually thought I bought it already.
	The 13th Witch by Mark Hayden Blurb: “Odin has a challenge for Conrad: sign up to protect England from wild magick and get a commission in the King’s Watch…Conrad never could resist a challenge. Before you can say “Ragnarok”, he’s plunged into a world of gods, mages, witches, dwarves and one very aggressive giant mole….Armed with nothing but a sense of humour and a willingness to cheat, Conrad has to find the Witch and save his life.” Verdict:
	Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest Blurb: A travel agent who’s an inconsistent psychic saves the life of a Seattle PD Detective. Desperate for a break in a cold case, he hires her to consult on it. Verdict: By the time this posts, I’ll be done with the book, so, yeah, cut this from the list.
	Faycalibur by Liam Perrin Blurb: “When five armies attack England, everyone on the Round Table is too busy to track down the missing court wizard. Seizing the opportunity to shine a light on the Less Valued, Thomas vows to rescue Merlin and sets himself on a collision course with a talented but overconfident rookie sorceress, a lizard with delusions of grandeur, and one rather unfortunate pigeon.” My Thoughts: The first book in the series was nice, I want to see him go on. There was an optimistic sweetness to it, and want to see Perrin try it again. Verdict:
	Ghost of a Chance by Dan Willis My Thoughts: I’d expected to get through book 3 by this point in the year, which obviously didn’t happen. Still, that means book 2 needs to stay on the list. Verdict:
	Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson Blurb: “Miss Mildred Percy is a spinster. She does not dance, she has long stopped dreaming, and she certainly does not have adventures. That is, until her great uncle has the audacity to leave her an inheritance, one that includes a dragon’s egg. The egg – as eggs are wont to do—decides to hatch, and Miss Mildred Percy is suddenly thrust out of the role of ‘spinster and general wallflower’ and into the unprecedented position of ‘spinster and keeper of dragons.’” My Thoughts: I can tell from the description that this is going to be something I love or I’ll be turned off within 50 pages…I’m on the border with it. I don’t know that I’m going to end up reading this, but I want to keep it on my radar for a little bit longer. Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 1 / 10
Total Books Removed: 1 / 33
Current Want-to-Read Shelf Total: 153

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

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)