Culling the TBR Pile 24

A blogger called Lia from Lost in a Story created a kind of meme thingy called Down the TBR Hole that aims to cut your TBR pile of the books you no longer want to read and remind yourself of the ones you do want to read.

The process:

Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5-10 (or more if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?

Culling the TBR Pile This Week:

The Locket by Stacey Jay

I just don’t think I have the energy for this kind of drama. This book is about a cheater who gets a second chance thanks to time-travel. This book is getting culled.

The Swan Maiden by Heather Tomlinson

Similarly, I think the age of fairytale retellings is definitely coming to the end of the middle. I think what doesn’t help is that this book is from 2007, so it’s not fresh and exciting anymore. That’s no one’s fault, because no one has time to read everything. This book is getting culled.

Breaking Through by Juliana Haygert

Look, I did really want to read this. I read the first two books in this series for review before the independent author rebranded them, and I genuinely loved them. However this book is no longer available on Kindle, and that’s the only way I’d ever buy it. Sorry, this one is getting culled.

Witherwood Reform School by Obert Skye

I don’t recall adding this and it doesn’t sound like anything I’d ever read, especially since it’s middle grade and I read almost exclusively YA. Maybe I added it because the two siblings are called Tobias and Chalotte, which are like my favourite names ever lol. This book is getting culled.

City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster

Despite this being (by now) published 6 years ago, the blurb mentions abandoned girls brought up in a city that teaches them to specialise in specifics crafts (include courtesans and assassins so um YES PLEASE), a murder mystery, a backseat romance, and a girl who can (literally?) talk to cats, so I definitely still want this in my life. This one stays.

Sea of Shadows by Kelly Armstrong

When I re-read the blurb, this book sounded really amazing. Then I started reading some reviews, and it sounded not so amazing. It sounds like it’s poorly thought out, poorly plotted, repetitive, and the two main characters (twins) are complete dumbasses (with bonus assholery romance!). I may have time for some dumbasses, but not these ones. This book is getting culled.

Mindwalker by AJ Steiger

Once upon a time, this might have been a very strong contender for a decent dystopian. Unfortunately, I’m not interested in another dystopian starring the girl who will break the rules, and discover the conspiracy that leads to revolution. This book is getting culled.

Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams

I feel like I’m being Ruthless with my culling lately, but although I can see why this book would appeal to a lot of readers and I don’t think it would be a BAD book to read, it also doesn’t excite me enough to still want to read it. This book is getting culled.

The Golden Compass Graphic Novel Volume 1 by Philip Pullman

Oops I bought the complete edition of this graphic novel! This Volume 1 version can be culled.

Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

As I stated above with Ruthless, I don’t necessarily think that this will be a bad book, it’s more that my tastes have changed since this was published in 2013 and I’m not longer intrigued or even interested in this story. This one is getting culled.

VERDICT

Removed: 9

Kept: 1

What do you think? Should I have kept any books? Have you read any, and what did you think of them? Let me know in the comments!

About Nemo

A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.