Down the TBR Hole #8

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Hello Hello! How are you?

If it wasn’t for this blog, I would have absolutely no idea what day of the week we are, it feels like the days are all going by so fast, merging together and I’m not being very productive! Only 5 days to go before I submit my last assignment and then I’m FREE to read until life happens again and university starts back up in September! Shall we do a running bet on how many books I can read between now and then? Aha! That sounds like me setting myself up for failure!

Friday came around so fast this time that I didn’t get a chance to have a look through my TBR shelf to take out some more sequels, so we are going to be starting the weekly purge at 4,421 books (last week I stopped at 4,418, so I apparently added a few books, oops) and at #84. As usual, I will be working through the next 20 books on my Goodreads “Want to Read” Shelf. If you are new to this post “series” and want to find out what happened from the start and how you can do this too, head over to Down the TBR Hole #1. Let’s get this rolling!

GOODREADS “WANT TO READ” SHELF

Come Sundown by Nora Roberts

When I first started reading this blurb I was rolling my eyes and thinking “do I keep reading”, but then I did and now I think I want to read this book aha! I’m not really in the mood for romance right now, especially the “childhood sweetheart on a ranch” type, but the fact that there is a mystery interwoven in this book and about the main character’s aunt’s disappearance 25 years prior… I’m curious, what can I say?

KEEP

Artemis by Andy Weir

I knew this one was on the list, I saw it coming, and I’ve been dreading it. I feel like there is a LOT of controversy over this book and I’m super scared to read it in case it’s really bad, but I also want to find out if it’s really good, you know? I’ve been trying to branch out a bit more lately and read some more science fiction, I’m not a huge fan of aliens and spaceships type science fiction, so reading the blurb, I think that this could be a good choice to broaden my literary horizons without being plunged into full-on alien-space-war stuff. I’m not too sure what this is about, apart from the fact that the main character wants to commit a crime, it’s a bit vague, but I’m intrigued. And, recently, G from Book Roast recommended this book in her “If you like that book you might like this book” video. I’m willing to give it a go. Have you read this, what did you think?

KEEP

All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai

Honestly, the premise of this book sounds incredible, really interesting and I think it could be a fantastic read, but I don’t think I’m in the mood or even ready for this right now. I’m trying to stay away from dystopian/utopian worlds, and this one just sounds a bit too close to home for my taste. I also struggle a bit with books that sound a bit like Back to the Future because I struggle to grasp how it could be possible one day to have a flying car (I know I’m a bit old-fashioned), and I’m in no way tech-savvy, so I find these types of books a bit hard to “believe” if you will. I might add this one back on the list later if I stumble upon it or hear someone talking about it, but right now I think I’m going to take it off the list.

REMOVE

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I’ve had this book on my TBR for what feels like years, but other than knowing that it’s a letter to a young girl, I don’t really know much else, but I don’t think I need to know any more. I haven’t read any feminist books at all, but I think that I’ll really enjoy this book. I do generally like empowering stories and I like the sound of the blurb, so I’m going to give it a go!

KEEP

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel

I haven’t been through very many books yet, but can you already tell what bandwagon we are on this week? No? You probably already know this, but one of my all-time favourite films is Into the Wild, and this book sounds very similar, so I’m really interested in it. I’ve wanted to read some more nonfiction for a while and I think that this book and Dear Ijeawele could be some really good choices to keep me distracted during everything we are going through at the moment.

KEEP

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

I suppose I should just go ahead and tell you that this week it seems to be a nonfiction/poetry week, which is very strange if you know me because I NEVER READ nonfiction or poetry. But I suppose this year I’m trying to read more out of my comfort zone, so I’m going to try to read some from this list. I read Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, and I was frankly… disappointed? Underwhelmed? Bored? I don’t know, but I didn’t really like it. People gush about her poetry so much and I just didn’t get it. There were one or two that stood out to me, but I don’t think I retained anything from reading that one. However, I’ve had a little look at her various social media pages, and a few of her poems that I like are in this book, so I’m going to give it a try (fingers crossed), and hope I like it, if not, I suppose Rupi Kaur is just not for me!

KEEP

Depression and Other Magic Tricks by Sabrina Benaim

I’m not really sure about this one, I do like reading about mental health in books, but I think that it would be a bit more different and personal in a poetry book, so I think I’m going to take this one off for now and concentrate on some other poetry collections I have on my TBR before I come back to this one if it still interests me.

REMOVE

Love Her Wild by Atticus Poetry

I’ve wanted to read some poetry by Atticus for forever, and the blurb of this book of poetry sounds fantastic, I’m so excited that I’ve actually found this one in my list again, I had forgotten about it totally, so I hope I can get to it soon!

KEEP

We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan

The blurb of this one does sound interesting, but I don’t think it’s quite for me. For a poetry book, the fact that it has a plot is a bit strange to me and I don’t think I will like this one as much as some other poetry collections, so I think I’ll take this one off the list.

REMOVE

Broken Wishbones and Empty Spaces by Pyrokardia

Apparently this is the second collection by this author, but because this one sounds so good, I’ve actually added the first one too (oopsy). The title sounds a bit strange, but at the same time, it makes me really want to read this one. I think this could be a type of poetry that I end up really enjoying, so I’m definitely going to give this book, and this author a chance. Do you read poetry? What books/collections would you recommend I read?

KEEP

Magic With Skin On by Morgan Nikola-Wren

Another interesting sounding book of poetry. I’m not doing very well this week, am I? I think the reason why this one drew me in when I first read the blurb a few years ago, and what drew me in again today, was the fact that this is a book of poetry with a fairy-tale interwoven in the book and that just sounds super cool to me and I really need to read this book and find out more about it. the cover looks a bit… bizarre, but the blurb is definitely enticing!

KEEP

Don’t Call Us Dead by Danez Smith

I saw Kayla from Books With Lala talk about this book in her “30 books before 30” video a week or so ago, and I think I screenshot it, so it was a big surprise today when I found that it was already on my Goodreads shelf. This book reminds me of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, I read it a few years ago and I adored it so much, and this one sounds similar because it imagines an afterlife of black men shot by the police, apparently condemning “Dear White America”. Saying it like that sounds brutal, but I’m sure this collection is fascinating, beautiful, emotional and I want to read it for myself and experience what this book is all about.

KEEP

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan

I think I’m a bit sad to say that the poetry books are over for today aha, I was getting quite excited over those last ones. We are back with a mystery (are you surprised?). The blurb is a bit weird, at the start I wasn’t interested, and then I was, and then I wasn’t and then I was again, so I think I might … (very hard decision right now), I think I’m going to take it off the list because I’ve never heard anyone speak about it before and even though it does sound like I would enjoy it, at the same time, it does sound a bit far-fetched, or not quite for me. I’m quite sure I also have another book that sounds like this one but that I would enjoy more, so I’m going to stick with that one for now.

REMOVE

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone speak about this book because and I don’t really know how it got on here, well, I do, I must have added it, but I don’t think I meant to. It does sound good-ish, but it isn’t really doing anything for me. Usually, when I see WWII or historical fiction on a Goodreads page, it’s already in my cart for me to buy or I have it on my shelves, but this one just sounds a bit meh and I don’t really do choirs, so I don’t think this would be a good choice for me.

REMOVE

Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

I was going to take this off, but now that I have reread the synopsis, I’m quite interested in reading this book. I don’t usually choose books set in Africa, I struggled reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, I don’t know if it was the book I struggled with or the fact that it was translated into French and the translator didn’t do it any justice, but since that book, I haven’t really wanted to pick up another book set in Africa, expect for You Will Be Safe Here by Damian Barr. I am intrigued to find out what happens in this story and between this man and his wife, so I think I’m going to try reading it soon.

KEEP

I Liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi

I do honestly struggle with Women’s Fiction/Chick Lit/Literary Fiction and this one just does nothing for me, so that’s one of the easiest choices I’ve made in this series.

REMOVE

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (#1) by Mackenzi Lee

I’ve wanted to read this book for a very long time. I’m so excited to learn about Henry’s Grand Tour of Europe and what happens between him and Percy. That’s all I really have to say about this book.

KEEP

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

I still can’t believe that I haven’t read this book yet, it’s been on this shelf for about 3 years, and I’ve just never gotten to it. This one reminds me of Fangirl a bit, I loved Fangirl so much so I think I’m really going to love this. I’ve been craving reading some “easy YA contemporary” books, so I think that this would be a good choice to pick up some time soon, hopefully!

KEEP

Once And For All by Sarah Dessen

This is where weird Ellie resurfaces. I know that Sarah Dessen has written so many books, and to not know when this one was published compared to the others bothers me so much. This isn’t her first book, it’s actually one of her most recent books, so I’m going to remove this one and add the first one. I know I’m a strange person, please forgive my antics.

REMOVE

By Your Side by Kasie West

This book is not the first book written by Kasie West, so just like before I’m going to remove this one and add the first one and read that one before coming back to this one, aha!

REMOVE

And that’s a wrap. I managed to remove 8 books from the original 20, I looked through, it isn’t great, but it’s better than nothing. I think this week was really successful in uncovering some great poetry and nonfiction books that I’m excited to read!

I’m now down to 4,414 books on the Goodreads “Want to Read” shelf, I still dread to think of all the books still on this list that I have to go through, but luckily for me, there are a lot of Fridays left in the year aha! I’m stopping today at #95, ready to start again next week with what looks like some really great books!

That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed this post! Have you read any of the books that I removed or any that I’m keeping? Tell me all about them in the comments! See you soon, stay safe,

Ellie xx