Down the TBR Hole #49

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Hello Hello! How are you?

Today I am back with my weekly Down the TBR Hole post and I am so glad it is Friday! We had an announcement from the French president on Wednesday about the pandemic and we are still not going back into a third lockdown despite the numbers going through the roof and us being back in fourth place. I have no idea what is going on with university either, but I am going to make the most of the long weekend to get ahead with assignment work, blogging and reading!

You know the drill: if you’ve never read any of my Down the TBR Hole posts before but you want to find out why I started and what rules to follow to do your own TBR list purge on your Goodreads, head over to the first edition of this post to find out more!

Today’s TBR Purge is starting with a total of 3,711 books on my Goodreads “Want to Read” shelf, which is good because it means I didn’t add any this week ahah. As usual, I’m going to be making my way through the next 20 books on this list, starting at #430.

GOODREADS “WANT TO READ” SHELF

Alienated (#1 Alienated) by Melissa Landers

I don’t know if we are starting off bad or good, but this is YA science fiction, and I do not like the cover at all. I’ve also never heard of it before. This sounds like a bit of a similar version of LUX by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and to be honest, I’m happy just reading that for now. I want to get into more science fiction, but I think I will do so with books that I have heard about or that I know are well-loved by my fellow bloggers.

REMOVE

Dorothy Must Die (#1 Dorothy Must Die) by Danielle Paige

I have seen this one about quite a bit actually and I have always been so intrigued by that title. It’s a YA fantasy retelling, so of course, I am going to want to read it. OH MY GOODNESS, that blurb literally gave me goosebumps, it sounds incredible. It sounds dark, it turns The Wizard of Oz story on its head and I am definitely putting this at the top of my wishlist now.

KEEP

After the End (#1 After the End) by Amy Plum

This is a YA dystopia and I think I have heard of it before, the cover is kind of ringing a bell. Oh wow, this book is set after WWIII, spooky… Oh wait a minute, there wasn’t…? What? Lol, I’m confused but, the blurb did what it’s meant to do and now I do want to read it. I love dystopias and would like a few more on my shelves, I think this would be a great addition.

KEEP

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Next on the list is an unknown-to-me YA romance mystery, which I have to admit is not a genre or genre combination that I read often, if ever. Apparently, she is the author of the Hush, Hush series which I do want to read. This one is a confusing one for me because some parts sound really good and others not so much. Since I am a bit confused about it, I think I will keep it off the list and concentrate on what I do have already.

REMOVE

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

I’ve heard about this author a lot, especially when I was on Bookstagram more, but I’ve never actually read any blurbs. This book is YA contemporary, which is not a genre I read usually, and it’s not a genre that I enjoy much either, as you know. This is a case of it being a book that I would have read as a teenager but have absolutely no wish to do so now, so I will concentrate on my very limited amount of romances instead.

REMOVE

The Murder Complex (#1 The Murder Complex) by Lindsay Cummings

This is a YA science-fiction dystopia and that cover scares me a little bit, to be honest… But, that blurb sounds very strangely amazing. I like the odd thriller and I think this is the kind that I would want to pick up, so for once when faced with a thriller, I think this time I will keep it on my list and slowly make my way towards it. I think it would be a good one to keep on standby when I’m in the mood for it.

KEEP

Fire & Flood (#1 Fire & Flood) Victoria Scott

I think I have just found what bandwagon we are on today because it is yet again another YA dystopia series. I don’t think I’ve had one of those in the past so this is new, and I’m actually quite enjoying it because I love dystopia. Ohhhh, this sounds a lot like The Hunger Games, and I apparently need something like that in my life again. The synopsis honestly sounds so cool and I have a feeling I will love this series.

KEEP

Dangerous Creatures (#1 Dangerous Creatures) by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

Back to some YA fantasy now, I don’t think I’ve seen this before and I have to say that I am not a fan of the cover. I’m not really sure what that blurb was about because I kept losing my focus and it just wasn’t drawing me in, so I think I will just take this one off the list today.

REMOVE

Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

I have had this book on my TBR list for so many years. It is YA contemporary and it was THE book I absolutely wanted to read a few years ago, I used to see it everywhere. Uhm… I don’t know if I want to read it anymore. Like I do, I really do… but I also kind of don’t. I don’t know if that makes sense but since right now it’s a dilemma, I am going to make it easier for myself by just getting rid of it, and maybe add it again another time!

REMOVE

Talon (#1 Talon) by Julie Kagawa

Julie Kagawa is an author that I have always wanted to read for her fae series, and I had no idea she also had a dragon series which is seriously calling to me. This is a YA fantasy series so I am already won over and that blurb was just so on point, I definitely want to try this series, I think even before her fae series, as long as the chronological order is right!

KEEP

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Another YA romance that I have had on my list for ages and that is probably not a book I would want to read currently. Having read the blurb, I know this is a book I would have jumped on when I was a teenager, but I’ve since gotten hooked on fantasy and historical fiction, so I don’t think I would be the intended audience anymore, another easy choice.

REMOVE

Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Well, I already don’t like the look or title of this book and I can tell it’s one I’ll most likely remove, but I will read the blurb anyway!! Another YA romance and I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen it before. Again, another one I would probably have loved when I was a bit younger, but I’m just not interested in this kind of story anymore, which could still change in the future, but right now I think I’ll get rid of it.

REMOVE

Stolen Songbird (#1 The Malediction Trilogy) by Danielle L. Jensen

Ohhh, I have some other books by this author on my TBR already and was unaware this was the same author before I checked. I don’t think I have ever read a book with trolls before, but I am strangely really intrigued by this story. I can’t say no to YA fantasy series, and since this one sounds like my cup of tea, I will give it a shot.

KEEP

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

When I saw the title of this book, I rushed to my thesis reading list and came up short when I realised it wasn’t on it. However, now that I have read the blurb, I’m not too sure about it. It’s about a girl who is diagnosed with leukaemia and spends months doing things on her bucket list and then she goes into remission and has to face the consequence of her actions. I’m not sure it’s the route I’m going down for my thesis, and I don’t think I would want to read it otherwise, so I’ll get rid of it.

REMOVE

Hexed (#1 The Witch Hunter) by Michelle Krys

Whenever I do my TBR Purges, the first thing I do is check the genres of the book, and I am so happy when “witches” or “paranormal” appears because you can bet I will enjoy it – the same goes for “vampires”. Oh wow, having read the blurb, I can tell this book is 100% up my alley and the best thing is that it’s a series, so this is definitely staying on my list.

KEEP

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

Oh no, back to YA contemporary!! This sounds a lot like the Parent Trap movie that I watched obsessively and loved as a child. I actually rather fancy rewatching it now. And I know that if I’m ever in the mood for anything like that, I’ll just watch the tried and tested movie, so this is another easy choice.

REMOVE

Elusion (#1 Elusion) by Claudia Gabel, Cheryl Klam

We are back to YA science fiction dystopias and this is actually a really cool cover with all the swirling colours. This actually sounds both interesting and terrifying. I’m not sure that I like the more technological sides to dystopias and this one has technology at its focus. Since I already have a lot of dystopias on my list, I think I will get rid of this book.

REMOVE

Salvage (#1 Salvage) by Alexandra Duncan

More YA science fiction dystopia! It is apparently a feminist science fiction which has been likened to The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and I have to admit that I stopped reading the blurb halfway through and I’m not going to finish reading it… I don’t know why, but it’s just not doing anything for me, unfortunately, so I think I will let it go.

REMOVE

The Taking (#1 The Taking) by Kimberly Derting

YA science fiction aliens romance is not a genre I’ve seen about much but I am quite intrigued. Although, I read the blurb and I don’t think it is the kind of thing that I would want to read nowadays. This is going to be really short and sweet as I have already made my decision.

REMOVE

The Art of Lainey (#1 The Art of Lainey) by Paula Stokes

I can already tell from the cover, the title and the genres (YA contemporary) that I will most likely remove this book. But it is the last book on my list for this week so I will give it the benefit of the doubt and read the blurb. And it seems I was right, this is completely not my thing at all and I know I would not enjoy it, so I’m ending this week on a high note as it’s another one off of the list.

REMOVE

That was a really bizarre mix of books, covers, titles, genres and bandwagons and a lot more unknown-to-me books than ones I have heard about before, but I feel like I did a good job.

This week, I was able to remove a total of 13 books from the 20 books I looked through, taking my Goodreads “Want to Read” shelf down to 3,697 books. It has not been my best week, but 13 is better than 0, so I’m happy! Next week I’ll go through the next 20 books on my list, starting at #437.

That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed reading this post, see you soon, stay safe,

Ellie xx