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 beginning of the year 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?
THE BOOKS
The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
I really want to be able to say I've read this, so KEEP it is.
Interworld by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is a hit-or-miss author for me. My opinion is always quite strong: either I adore the book (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) or hate it (Stardust). This synopsis—and its comparisons to His Dark Materials and Harry Potter—have me wary, so this is going to be a PASS.
Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis
The concept sounds like a total hoot but the synopsis is written in such an outrageous voice that I get the feeling Ellis doesn't pull it off in the end. I'll PASS.
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
How timely! I saw a positive review for this title on Read All the Things! last month which reminded me I also had this lurking on my TBR. This is a fascinating topic to me, so this book is an easy KEEP.
The Essential Tension: Selected Studies in Scientific Tradition and Change by Thomas Kuhn
One of Kuhn's other books, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, was an excellent recommendation by my undergraduate advisor. It introduced me to thinking about science as a field and approaching the practice of scientific inquiry with a philosophical outlook. If this is anywhere as dense as Revolutions then it'll be a long-term reading project, but I'm happy to KEEP it.
Cracker Culture: Celtic Ways in the Old South by Grady McWhiney
My Southern Politics class read excerpts from this (outdated, more than slightly outrageous) book, and I was intrigued enough by McWhiney's mental gymnastics to pick up a used copy sometime a couple years later. Simply because I own a copy will I KEEP this on my TBR, but I mostly likely won't do more than pick away at it every so often.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
This has a very positive reputation from what I can tell; lots of friends read it and I seem to remember there being a great deal of chatter around the title when it was released. The description doesn't grab me, though, so I'm going to PASS. (Lovely cover though! And some reviewers even said the books glow in the dark, how cool!)
Transformations by Anne Sexton
This sounds like something I would have seen quoted on Tumblr accompanied by ~aesthetic graphics. I've tried to be strict with my TBR but even on a thin description this one still has me intrigued. I think I'm going to KEEP this and let it hang around a little longer.
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen
I remember this pop-sci book coming very highly recommended by a microbiology professor I had in college. It's a shame that I've taken so long to even revisit it, much less read it, but I'm happy to KEEP it on my list.
A majority 6/10 titles survived this week. I'm finally out of the thicket of the wild, indiscriminate additions to my TBR that happened during the first few weeks of my opening a Goodreads account. Now I can recognize most books and why/when I added them onto my TBR, which is a greater help in deciding whether I want them to stay or go. My list might not have shrunk much this week, but there's plenty more to go!
The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory
Like last week, I'm done with my Philippa Gregory kick. PASS.
I really want to be able to say I've read this, so KEEP it is.
Neil Gaiman is a hit-or-miss author for me. My opinion is always quite strong: either I adore the book (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) or hate it (Stardust). This synopsis—and its comparisons to His Dark Materials and Harry Potter—have me wary, so this is going to be a PASS.
Crooked Little Vein by Warren EllisThe concept sounds like a total hoot but the synopsis is written in such an outrageous voice that I get the feeling Ellis doesn't pull it off in the end. I'll PASS.
How timely! I saw a positive review for this title on Read All the Things! last month which reminded me I also had this lurking on my TBR. This is a fascinating topic to me, so this book is an easy KEEP.
One of Kuhn's other books, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, was an excellent recommendation by my undergraduate advisor. It introduced me to thinking about science as a field and approaching the practice of scientific inquiry with a philosophical outlook. If this is anywhere as dense as Revolutions then it'll be a long-term reading project, but I'm happy to KEEP it.
My Southern Politics class read excerpts from this (outdated, more than slightly outrageous) book, and I was intrigued enough by McWhiney's mental gymnastics to pick up a used copy sometime a couple years later. Simply because I own a copy will I KEEP this on my TBR, but I mostly likely won't do more than pick away at it every so often.
This has a very positive reputation from what I can tell; lots of friends read it and I seem to remember there being a great deal of chatter around the title when it was released. The description doesn't grab me, though, so I'm going to PASS. (Lovely cover though! And some reviewers even said the books glow in the dark, how cool!)
This sounds like something I would have seen quoted on Tumblr accompanied by ~aesthetic graphics. I've tried to be strict with my TBR but even on a thin description this one still has me intrigued. I think I'm going to KEEP this and let it hang around a little longer.
I remember this pop-sci book coming very highly recommended by a microbiology professor I had in college. It's a shame that I've taken so long to even revisit it, much less read it, but I'm happy to KEEP it on my list.
A majority 6/10 titles survived this week. I'm finally out of the thicket of the wild, indiscriminate additions to my TBR that happened during the first few weeks of my opening a Goodreads account. Now I can recognize most books and why/when I added them onto my TBR, which is a greater help in deciding whether I want them to stay or go. My list might not have shrunk much this week, but there's plenty more to go!
What did you think of my choices this week? Did you ever read a book just so you could say you did? Be sure to share your thoughts down below, and let me know if you're inspired to tackle your own TBR list!
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