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
Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Oh my GOD do I want to try and get into this one day. I actually set out to buy it with some Christmas money, but it was out of stock at the bookstore. I settled on another of his novels, The Fifty Year Sword, instead, but I'm definitely KEEPing his debut for another day.
The Farm by Tom Rob Smith
Ugh. I own this book and every time I see it unread on my bookshelf it makes me mad. Bought at the same time I got Child 44, also by Smith, I was hoping to uncover a new mystery/thriller author. All I wound up with was an expensive collection of neatly trimmed and bound sheets of paper. I still want my wasted time back from reading his other novel, so my copy is going in the donation bin and this title is a hard PASS.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
My pickiness with Gaiman continues. Or doesn't: this sounds pretty cool, so I'll KEEP it.
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
My spidey-reader senses are tingling that this will wind up as a generic read that I either forget or confuse with the pile of other, similar fantasy novels after I'm done. But...I'm a sucker for these kinds of plots so I'm willing to KEEP it and take the risk.
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
I loved Horns and went on a little bit of a Joe Hill TBR spree after finishing it, although I guess his other titles are further down the line. The summary for this sounds...utterly ridiculous, though. I mean, the dad of a dead groupie haunting a middle-aged rocker? Bleh. PASS.
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
I vaguely remember coming across this title on a list of 'extreme' books that dealt in very serious or very graphic subject matter. While the idea of a serial killer justifying their actions must have been intriguing at some point, I no longer feel the need to brag about the ~worst~ books or films I've made it through just to prove how strong my stomach is. For all its sensational material, this one actually sounds somewhat boring, so I'm going to PASS.
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
After skimming both the synopsis and reviews, this is shaping up to be a dark adult fantasy, which I love! It also sounds like it has some overtones of Neverending Story and Jim Henson movies, which is another plus. Maybe I'm being a little generous in my assessment, but the cover alone tips me into making this one a KEEP.
Out Backward by Ross Raisin
This sounds like a slow-burn thriller according to the synopsis, but I'm just not that intrigued by the initial set-up. PASS.
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
The synopsis for this (living in a world where everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts, unbidden) sounds amazing. There are two problems, though. Some reviewers noted that words were spelled phonetically to build a voice, which gets very tedious very fast. And also, it's the first in a series. It might be interesting, but not enough to wrap myself up in several books rather than one. PASS.
This week I've kept 4/10 books on my to-read list, getting back below 50% for the first time in a while. It was an odd batch this week that leaned a little on the dark side. I believe this was also the first time I've passed on a book I already own, but boy did it feel good! I can be quite picky with the horror I read, so I'm not surprised to see certain titles go; hopefully future batches have some hidden gems lurking along the way.
Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
Another Gaiman, another tough decision. I'm going to PASS on this title for now; short story collections are always a mixed bag for me, and the risk with Gaiman is high that it will be more misses than hits.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski Oh my GOD do I want to try and get into this one day. I actually set out to buy it with some Christmas money, but it was out of stock at the bookstore. I settled on another of his novels, The Fifty Year Sword, instead, but I'm definitely KEEPing his debut for another day.
The Farm by Tom Rob SmithUgh. I own this book and every time I see it unread on my bookshelf it makes me mad. Bought at the same time I got Child 44, also by Smith, I was hoping to uncover a new mystery/thriller author. All I wound up with was an expensive collection of neatly trimmed and bound sheets of paper. I still want my wasted time back from reading his other novel, so my copy is going in the donation bin and this title is a hard PASS.
Neverwhere by Neil GaimanMy pickiness with Gaiman continues. Or doesn't: this sounds pretty cool, so I'll KEEP it.
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika JohansenMy spidey-reader senses are tingling that this will wind up as a generic read that I either forget or confuse with the pile of other, similar fantasy novels after I'm done. But...I'm a sucker for these kinds of plots so I'm willing to KEEP it and take the risk.
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe HillI loved Horns and went on a little bit of a Joe Hill TBR spree after finishing it, although I guess his other titles are further down the line. The summary for this sounds...utterly ridiculous, though. I mean, the dad of a dead groupie haunting a middle-aged rocker? Bleh. PASS.
The Wasp Factory by Iain BanksI vaguely remember coming across this title on a list of 'extreme' books that dealt in very serious or very graphic subject matter. While the idea of a serial killer justifying their actions must have been intriguing at some point, I no longer feel the need to brag about the ~worst~ books or films I've made it through just to prove how strong my stomach is. For all its sensational material, this one actually sounds somewhat boring, so I'm going to PASS.
The Book of Lost Things by John ConnollyAfter skimming both the synopsis and reviews, this is shaping up to be a dark adult fantasy, which I love! It also sounds like it has some overtones of Neverending Story and Jim Henson movies, which is another plus. Maybe I'm being a little generous in my assessment, but the cover alone tips me into making this one a KEEP.
Out Backward by Ross RaisinThis sounds like a slow-burn thriller according to the synopsis, but I'm just not that intrigued by the initial set-up. PASS.
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick NessThe synopsis for this (living in a world where everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts, unbidden) sounds amazing. There are two problems, though. Some reviewers noted that words were spelled phonetically to build a voice, which gets very tedious very fast. And also, it's the first in a series. It might be interesting, but not enough to wrap myself up in several books rather than one. PASS.
This week I've kept 4/10 books on my to-read list, getting back below 50% for the first time in a while. It was an odd batch this week that leaned a little on the dark side. I believe this was also the first time I've passed on a book I already own, but boy did it feel good! I can be quite picky with the horror I read, so I'm not surprised to see certain titles go; hopefully future batches have some hidden gems lurking along the way.
What did you think of my choices this week? Do you read much horror? 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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