down the tbr hole #5

As my Goodreads to-read shelf creeps closer to 500 books, I've been eyeing it with a growing feeling of apprehension. It would take forever to get through so many...and that's not counting all of the new books I hear about along the way. Thankfully I discovered Lost In A Story's series (by way of Boston Book Reader) at the end of last month and it sounds like a great way to trim down my TBR.

The guidelines, per Lost In A Story, 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?

I'll be going through 10 books every week, meaning it should take me almost the whole year to reach the end! If you'd like to do this yourself, be sure to visit Lost In A Story's original post and let her (and me!) know you'll be joining in the fun.

THE BOOKS

The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick

I loved Gleick's previous book on chaos theory— some parts were still over my head, but he used such accessible language and clearly understood his audience well. While I'm a little intimidated, I want to take the plunge.

KEEP

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

I read excerpts of this book and others by Roach in school. She's knowledgeable and funny, two traits of an excellent story teller. I'm always happy to read more pop-sci, especially when it has plenty of substance

KEEP

The Order of Things by Michel Foucault

Foucault is one of my favorite and most frustrating philosophers to read, just because of how dense his writing can be. I'm keeping this just so I won't forget about it, but I won't get around to it anytime soon.

KEEP

Feed by Mira Grant

Meh. I'm not a fan of zombie stories usually, and this is apparently the first in a series. Which means commitment. Meh.

PASS








The Westing Game by Faye Perozich

I don't remember adding this, but it hits a trifecta for me: intriguing synopsis, high ratings, and a taut page count. This sounds like a fast-paced, one day read and I'm always looking for more of those.

KEEP

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I'm still as interested as when I first added it. Now I just need to actually purchase and read it!

KEEP

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

I feel like I'm in the minority by not enjoying the movie of this. It wasn't creepy or scary to me...just weird, in an off-putting way. I know it's sometimes unfair to judge a book by its movie, but I don't think this one's for me.

PASS

The Annotated Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

I accidentally happened on this set at a used bookstore for $10 earlier this year! It's enormous and will take forever to read all the way through, but I'm delighted to own it and keep it on my shelf.

KEEP

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

I think I'll be clearing most, if not all, plays from my to-read list (the exceptions being Shakespeare and Cormac McCarthy). It's just not as much fun reading them silently, alone.

PASS

The Castle by Franz Kafka

Apparently I added...a stage adaptation...of Kafka? Some kind of mistake happened along the way, but since I don't want to read either the novel (Kafka gets to be a bit much after a while) or the adaptation, it's a pass no matter what.

PASS






Another generous week, with 6/10 books surviving. Thanks to my field of study I have a fair number of science books scattered through my reading list. They aren't necessarily what I want to focus on with this blog but I'm still resolved to read more non-fiction each year, so it's nice to be reminded of possible options in that genre!

What did you think of my choices this week? Be sure to share your thoughts down below, and let me know if you're inspired to tackle your own TBR list!