Credit to Lia @ Lost in a Story for putting this together and to Stephanie @ Teacher of YA for introducing me to Down the TBR Hole!

It’s not an unfamiliar feeling to suddenly realize that you’ve got more books on your ‘To Be Read’ list than you could possibly read in your lifetime. After reading Stephanie’s post I was really kicked into gear and I sat down to scroll through my TBR list on Goodreads and got rid of anything I know I’ll never read. If I’m not motivated to read it and it’s been gathering cyber-dust for years then it’s probably time to let it go. The fact is that books are being published all the time and I’ve got to face the reality that not only will I never have time to read everything on my list but what I might have loved five or ten years ago probably won’t win me over today. I mean it could, but probably not.

SO, here I am trying to knock some titles off my list. I actually went a bit crazy and am somehow miraculously down to only 387 books on my TBR list now! So I think what I’m going to do is list a few books here that I’m on the fence about. If you’ve read them I’d appreciate your opinions! Yay or Nay? Haha

I’ll include Lia’s original rules for Down the TBR Hole in case you want to participate but I’m tweaking it for my own blog. I can Yay or Nay most of the books on my list by myself but sometimes I just can’t decide! Below I’ve listed just 5 books on my TBR that I’m not sure if I should keep or delete. I’m giving myself one week to decide, hopefully with your help 🙂

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How it works:

• 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?

By repeating this process every week be sure to keep track of where you ended and where you’re going to continue. E.g. in week one do books 1 – 5, in week two books 6 – 10, and so on, until you’ve finally gone through your entire TBR. If it isn’t clear, visit Lia’s original post 🙂

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The Books

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (2012)
About:
“What if the world’s worst serial killer…was your dad?
Jasper “Jazz” Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.
But he’s also the son of the world’s most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal’s point of view.
And now bodies are piling up in Lobo’s Nod.
In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?”
–Goodreads

My Thoughts:
I’ve heard so many mixed reviews for this book. The blurb had me interested but it’s been years and I’ve yet to actually read it. Part of me thinks I should just give up, but what if it’s good?! Ugh, I’m 100% on the fence with this one.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan (2006)
About:
“Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse—Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena—Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods”
–Goodreads

My Thoughts:
I’ve actually heard a lot of really good things about these books and how the movie (which I liked) was not nearly as good. Because I have so many friends who’ve loved reading this series I’ve put it on my TBR list but years and years have gone past and part of me wonders if this is a series I should’ve begun when I was younger and might not be that into today. Thoughts? Is it still worth picking up?

The Revenge of Seven (Lorien Legacies #5) by Pittacus Lore (2014)
About:
“The Garde have suffered an unbearable loss. Number Five has betrayed them. Eight is gone forever. Ella has been kidnapped. The others are now scattered…”
–Goodreads

My Thoughts:
I didn’t bother including the full description since it’s the fifth book in a series. Basically it’s a sci-fi series with aliens sort of trying to invade earth. I really liked the first book, I Am Number Four, when I read it and I still love watching the movie. The thing is…well, if you’ve read my Bookish Turn-Offs post then you’ll know that I’m not a huge fan of long series. I stuck with this series for four books and by then I just sort of drifted away. Part of me wants to finish it to the end because I like finishing what I’ve started but at the same time there are so many other books out there I could read instead… I wish they’d made these all into movies and then I could just watch those lol. Has anyone else read this series? Should I keep going?

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (2015)
About:
“Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.
Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.
The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.
But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.”
–Goodreads

My Thoughts:
So I’ve heard good things, obviously or it probably wouldn’t be on my TBR list, and I think it’s a standalone which is a huge appeal to me. Mostly I’m just overwhelmed by my ever-growing TBR list and can’t decide if I should commit to this book or not. On one hand I love fantasy and it’s not a long series or anything and it sounds good, but on the other hand fantasy books can be really good or really disappointing and this isn’t a particularly short book so I’d hate to spend all that time reading just to be let down. Ugh, why must I be so indecisive??

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) George R.R. Martin (2005)
About:
“Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.
As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.
The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.”
–Goodreads

My Thoughts:
Oddly enough I actually heard about this book from a YouTuber named Brad (World of the Orange) way before it became a TV show. So yeah, it’s been on my TBR list for a while. The thing is that it’s a lengthy fantasy series made up of lengthy novels and I’m not sure I want to dive into that (honestly I struggle to even read the famous The Lord of the Rings with it’s multi-page long descriptions of meadows and stuff, although I’m determined to one day finish it). Also I tried watching the TV show but I can’t stand gore and so, well, that put me off right away even though all of my friends are utterly obsessed with it. If the books really are that good then please let me know and I’ll give them a try. If not then give me the will-power to let this one sail by haha

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Thanks!!

I can’t even imagine a day where my TBR list gets down to single-digits. Double-digits even seems impossible! But anything I can do to narrow it down at all would be amazing because with such a massive list it becomes cluttered and hides some real gems that get buried in the mountain of my list. So I’ve cut my list down a ton on my own and decided to use this Down the TBR Hole post to instead ask for some help with books I’m stuck on.

If you want to participate then feel free to give it a go! Giant TBR lists is something we book lovers have in common but wow it’d be nice to not have such a growing tower dominating my Goodreads page haha 🙂

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