down the tbr hole #13

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?

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

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

I'm intrigued by the notion of dragons that can disguise themselves as human, but there are a lot of mixed reviews. It sounds like this book might not quite work for me, based on those criticisms, so I'll PASS for now. I might be talked into adding it back in the future though!

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

The synopsis sounds great, but most spy thrillers do. Dig a little deeper and it appears as though the super spy is a bit of a Mary Sue. Blech. PASS.

Confession of the Lioness by Mia Couto

Man-eating lionesses that may or may not be vengeful spirits instead? KEEP.

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño

I actually tried and failed to read this a couple years ago. It was so highly praised that I kept it on my TBR, just in case I wanted to try again. I don't. PASS.

Suttree by Cormac McCarthy

This is actually one of my 10 selections for the TBR Pile Challenge hosted by RoofBeamReader! It won't be on my TBR much longer...KEEP.

The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy

Another McCarthy straggler that I haven't read, but want to. KEEP.

The Stonemason by Cormac McCarthy

A rare exeption to my "no plays" policy in this challenge, thanks to the author. I think this is my last unread McCarthy title on this list! KEEP.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

I want to get excited about this one, I really do. Dystopian horror with lots of dread? It should be right up my alley! Plus it's got some great reviews...but...I just don't feel excited about keeping it on the list so I'm going to PASS.

Defending Jacbo by William Landay

Meh. It sounds so generic. Maybe I've just had a string of bad luck with thrillers lately, so I want to purge most of them off my TBR? Still, PASS.

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

Wow, that cover is...WOW!! Plus I'd love to finally read a Western with a young woman as the protagonist, so this is an easy KEEP for me.

This week I kept 5/10 books—it's a good thing I was so picky last week! I already own three of my "keep" titles (all the Cormac McCarthys) so it feels a little bit like a cheat. That cover for Vengeance Road has me absolutely swooning...but I need to read a lot more books before I can get my hands on that one! I'm also pleased at my increased pickiness with thrillers; for both ARCs and new releases, I haven't always been very discriminating in the genre. Bad mystery/thrillers are some of the worst books I've picked up, so maybe this pickiness is long overdue.

What's the worst thriller you've ever read? Be sure to share your thoughts down below, and let me know if you're inspired to tackle your own TBR list!