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
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
I spent a few minutes pondering this one. It's plot of a never-mentioned relative being released from a mental asylum sounds promising...but the thought of actually reading about it doesn't excite me that much. The point of trimming down my TBR is to keep only the books I really, truly want to read. If I have to think about it for several minutes, I should already know the answer. PASS.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Another synopsis that could be setting up an excellent book...but it also sounds like half a dozen novels I've already read. I'm just not that excited about it, so I'll PASS on this one as well.
11/22/63 by Stephen King
King is such a prolific writer, it's rare that one of his new releases sticks in my mind all that clearly. I do remember the release of this book though! It had some of the most universal praise I can recall for a recent novel of his, and it also gives a twist on events that happened in my backyard. I don't need to read every single King book ever published, but this one is worth KEEPing to me.
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
The synopsis is 'meh'. One reviewer called it a comfort read, the other classified it as an old lady novel. Hard PASS for me.
Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley
One sentence blurbs, in my experience, don't often foretell exceptional reads. This sounds like a romance-thriller hybrid, which is so not to my taste. PASS.
Zone One by Colson Whitehead
I love dystopian novels, I hate zombie stories. I'm really looking forward to Underground Railroad, but haven't actually read it yet. Maybe I won't like Whitehead's writing? Maybe I will? I'd rather find out with a novel I've been anticipating, instead of one I feel tepid over. PASS.
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
A quick glance shows me I shelved this in 2015, AKA peak Gone Girl imitation season. Every thriller was billed as the next GG, regardless of the actual story. And I was suckered into reading quite a few before I exercised more caution in what I bought. The synopsis and rating inspire a shrug, so I'll PASS.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Ok, I feel kind of bad. This one has a LOT of accolades (Pulitzer Prize! NBA Finalist! NYT best seller!) and I just...don't...care? It doesn't sound interesting at all. Maybe I'm making a mistake, but I'm going to PASS.
And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi
Positive: true crime murder mystery. Negative: by the author of Helter Skelter, which I never could get into. I'm trusting my past experience and giving this one a PASS. If they make it into a TV series or documentary, though, count me in!
This week I kept a measly 2/10 books—and it feels great! My want-to-read shelf is finally smaller than my read shelf which, for some reason, makes it feel more manageable. Of course, each week I'm both adding and subtracting from my TBR, so I'll never hit zero. But even with a few hundred titles remaining, it's refreshing to clear out the cobwebs!
This sounds like it has some similarities to The Giver, which I really enjoyed as a kid. Separating society into classes based on the colors they can—or can't—see sounds fairly unique in the dystopian genre. I'm intrigued, and the high rating on Goodreads has convinced me to KEEP this one.
I spent a few minutes pondering this one. It's plot of a never-mentioned relative being released from a mental asylum sounds promising...but the thought of actually reading about it doesn't excite me that much. The point of trimming down my TBR is to keep only the books I really, truly want to read. If I have to think about it for several minutes, I should already know the answer. PASS.
Another synopsis that could be setting up an excellent book...but it also sounds like half a dozen novels I've already read. I'm just not that excited about it, so I'll PASS on this one as well.
King is such a prolific writer, it's rare that one of his new releases sticks in my mind all that clearly. I do remember the release of this book though! It had some of the most universal praise I can recall for a recent novel of his, and it also gives a twist on events that happened in my backyard. I don't need to read every single King book ever published, but this one is worth KEEPing to me.
The synopsis is 'meh'. One reviewer called it a comfort read, the other classified it as an old lady novel. Hard PASS for me.
One sentence blurbs, in my experience, don't often foretell exceptional reads. This sounds like a romance-thriller hybrid, which is so not to my taste. PASS.
I love dystopian novels, I hate zombie stories. I'm really looking forward to Underground Railroad, but haven't actually read it yet. Maybe I won't like Whitehead's writing? Maybe I will? I'd rather find out with a novel I've been anticipating, instead of one I feel tepid over. PASS.
A quick glance shows me I shelved this in 2015, AKA peak Gone Girl imitation season. Every thriller was billed as the next GG, regardless of the actual story. And I was suckered into reading quite a few before I exercised more caution in what I bought. The synopsis and rating inspire a shrug, so I'll PASS.
Ok, I feel kind of bad. This one has a LOT of accolades (Pulitzer Prize! NBA Finalist! NYT best seller!) and I just...don't...care? It doesn't sound interesting at all. Maybe I'm making a mistake, but I'm going to PASS.
Positive: true crime murder mystery. Negative: by the author of Helter Skelter, which I never could get into. I'm trusting my past experience and giving this one a PASS. If they make it into a TV series or documentary, though, count me in!
This week I kept a measly 2/10 books—and it feels great! My want-to-read shelf is finally smaller than my read shelf which, for some reason, makes it feel more manageable. Of course, each week I'm both adding and subtracting from my TBR, so I'll never hit zero. But even with a few hundred titles remaining, it's refreshing to clear out the cobwebs!
Am I awful for passing on a Pulitzer Prize-winning book? 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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