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 House at the Edge of the World by Julia Rochester
Meh. The synopsis doesn't really grip me and I don't remember a particular reason for adding this to my TBR, so it's a PASS.
The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle
I just added The Princess and the Goblin to my TBR the other day in a fit of nostalgia for the obscure animated film I loved as a kid. (Does anyone else remember it? The VHS even had a PSA announcement before the movie with a "fairy godmother" warning about stranger danger and kidnapping!) I may be biased, but I like the sound of that one more and I don't really need two goblin books on my to-read list. PASS.
Vampire$ by John Steakley
The movie directed by John Carpenter and starring James Woods that's based on this novel is a total hoot (and I mean that as a compliment)! But...it isn't good. I don't think I've ever encountered a so-bad-it's-good book, though, so this will be a hard PASS.
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watons
A thriller with less than 4 stars. I'm sticking to my resolution this week—PASS.
Descent by Tim Johnston
Another sub-four-star thriller. PASS.
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
I have Big Little Lies as a book for one of this year's reading challenges and I'm optimistic about enjoying it since the mini-series was so great. I know this doesn't quite reach 4 stars, so even though I'm going to KEEP it, consider it probationary until I get to give BLL a try.
The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
Reading this synopsis just makes me want to re-read The Phantom of the Opera. That's not a good sign. PASS.
Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman
Um. This one...didn't have a synopsis?? I'm not going to track one down, plus it's a lower-rated thriller so PASS.
Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg
The movie did not live up to the hype and I don't need to go through an obvious "twist" twice. PASS.
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Pulitzer Prize-winning spy novel? Sign me up! KEEP.
Despite the slaughter that left only 2/10 books standing, this was an easy week. Pretty much all of these were titles I felt ambivalent about or had forgotten I added to my TBR. The Sympathizer was definitely one of the latter; now that I've re-read the synopsis I really want to go pick up a copy! I want to make more of a point of reading big book award winners, or at least finalists, when one catches my eye. And in related news, I just took a peek at my Goodreads shelves...and my "read" shelf has more books on it than my "to read"! Yay!! (Let's be real, that can't last forever...)
The House at the Edge of the World by Julia RochesterMeh. The synopsis doesn't really grip me and I don't remember a particular reason for adding this to my TBR, so it's a PASS.
I just added The Princess and the Goblin to my TBR the other day in a fit of nostalgia for the obscure animated film I loved as a kid. (Does anyone else remember it? The VHS even had a PSA announcement before the movie with a "fairy godmother" warning about stranger danger and kidnapping!) I may be biased, but I like the sound of that one more and I don't really need two goblin books on my to-read list. PASS.
The movie directed by John Carpenter and starring James Woods that's based on this novel is a total hoot (and I mean that as a compliment)! But...it isn't good. I don't think I've ever encountered a so-bad-it's-good book, though, so this will be a hard PASS.
A thriller with less than 4 stars. I'm sticking to my resolution this week—PASS.
Another sub-four-star thriller. PASS.
I have Big Little Lies as a book for one of this year's reading challenges and I'm optimistic about enjoying it since the mini-series was so great. I know this doesn't quite reach 4 stars, so even though I'm going to KEEP it, consider it probationary until I get to give BLL a try.
Reading this synopsis just makes me want to re-read The Phantom of the Opera. That's not a good sign. PASS.
Um. This one...didn't have a synopsis?? I'm not going to track one down, plus it's a lower-rated thriller so PASS.
The movie did not live up to the hype and I don't need to go through an obvious "twist" twice. PASS.
Pulitzer Prize-winning spy novel? Sign me up! KEEP.
Despite the slaughter that left only 2/10 books standing, this was an easy week. Pretty much all of these were titles I felt ambivalent about or had forgotten I added to my TBR. The Sympathizer was definitely one of the latter; now that I've re-read the synopsis I really want to go pick up a copy! I want to make more of a point of reading big book award winners, or at least finalists, when one catches my eye. And in related news, I just took a peek at my Goodreads shelves...and my "read" shelf has more books on it than my "to read"! Yay!! (Let's be real, that can't last forever...)
What did you think of my choices this week? Do you make an effort to read award-winning titles? 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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