Welcome to the 45th edition of my Down The TBR Hole Posts.

Today I have interesting selection to go through with you…

How Down the TBR Hole works: 

❤ 1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
❤ 2. Order on ascending date added.
❤ 3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
❤ 4. Read the synopsis of the books.
❤ 5. Time to Decide: keep it or should it go

Here’s the next patch:

➥ Cards of Love: Five of Cups by Trisha Wolfe

SYNOPSIS

“How do you see your cup, Dr. West? Half full, or half empty? Her life depends on your answer.”

Dr. Ian West is the best trial consultant in the city, and he knows it. He’s made a living—a damn good one—helping lawyers win cases through his special brand of trial science. As a natural people reader, West’s one grave error presents in the form of a murderer named Quentin Shaver.

Amid Shaver’s trial, a dangerous bargain is struck, and—impressed with Dr. West’s abilities—Shaver engages him in a battle of wits. The prize? One gritty defense attorney from West’s past—the one woman West could fall for.

Loss broke West once before. Grief his sole companion, until Porter breaks down his defenses. But just as West is about to take a chance on love again, Porter becomes leverage in a sadistic game between doctor and madman.

Can Dr. West save the woman he loves before the last cup runs empty?

It does seem intriguing, but will I read it? Probably not…

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ American By Day by Derek B. Miller

SYNOPSIS: 

She knew it was a weird place. She’d heard the stories, seen the movies, read the books. But now police Chief Inspector Sigrid Ødegård has to leave her native Norway and actually go there; to that land across the Atlantic where her missing brother is implicated in the mysterious death of a prominent African-American academic.
America. And not someplace interesting, either: upstate New York.
It is election season, 2008, and Sigrid is plunged into a United States where race and identity, politics and promise, reverberate in every aspect of daily life.
To find her older brother, she needs the help of the local police who appear to have already made up their minds about the case. Working with – or, if necessary, against — someone actually named Sheriff Irving ‘Irv’ Wylie, she must negotiate the local political minefields and navigate the back woods of the Adirondacks to uncover the truth before events escalate further.
At once a thrilling race-against-time crime story, a personal journey through grief and a meditation on the world in which we live, American By Day once again shows Derek B Miller to be one of the most imaginative, ingenious and entertaining writers working today.

I love mysteries, but reading the synopsis it just seems like any other similar book, that I forget a month after reading. Have you read it? Prove me wrong…

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ How to Train Your Dragon (How to Train Your Dragon, #1) by Cressida Cowell

SYNOPSIS:

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a truly extraordinary Viking hero known throughout Vikingdom as “the Dragon Whisperer”…but it wasn’t always so. Travel back to the days when the mighty warrior was just a boy, the quiet and thoughtful son of the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans. Can Hiccup capture a dragon and train it without being torn limb from limb? Join the adventure as the small boy finds a better way to train his dragon and become a hero!

I have watched the movie and I have always wanted to read this book, so I will wait.

Verdict: KEEP ☑ 

➥ Sheriff Carter Link: Vanished by Troy Pendleton

SYNOPSIS:

Life in Prestonsburg Kentucky was simple and safe until Vanessa “Nessa” Holbrook vanished 20 years ago. Now her childhood best friend, Sheriff Carter Link, must solve the vanishing of another little girl. Is it a copycat or could Carter finally bring the person who took Nessa to justice?
This is the second novel from authors Troy Pendleton and Charles Little. It was edited and published by New Legend Books & Comics.

Oh, this is something I think I will enjoy. Let’s keep it!

Verdict: KEEP ☑

➥ Dead or Alive: The Reaper’s Redemption by Troy Pendleton

SYNOPSIS:

My name is Ray Mattax. I was trained to be a hitman known as the Reaper. I was the best at what I did but things eventually went sideways. By sheer force of will, I managed to get away and start over. Everything was great until my past caught up with me. They took my friend…That was a mistake! The Reaper is coming and nothing on earth can stand in my way!

This is the debut novel from authors Troy Pendleton and Charles Little. It was edited and published by New Legend Books & Comics.
Dead or Alive: The Reaper’s Redemption would be a welcome addition to the library of those who follow authors such as Elmore Leonard, Christopher Greyson, and John C. Dalglish.

I will pass on this one. I don’t think I will like Ray. Sorry, Ray!

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Springtime Stories by Enid Blyton

SYNOPSIS:

Delight in this collection of 30 short stories, full of the buzz and excitement of spring – the perfect Easter present!

Head off on a sparkling springtime adventure with the world’s best-loved storyteller. From the little boy who helps a lamb in trouble to the fairies hidden inside Easter Eggs, excitement and magic are never far away in this collection of stories to read and share. These fun, entertaining tales are ideal for newly confident readers and are the perfect length for reading aloud at bedtime or in the classroom.

Enid Blyton remains one of Britain’s favourite children’s authors and her bumper short story collections are perfect for introducing her to the latest generation of readers.

Read all of Enid Blyton’s bestselling short story collections:
Springtime Stories
Summer Stories
Holiday Stories
Summer Holiday Stories
Stories of Wizards and Witches
Christmas Tales
Christmas Treats

I will remove this book, as I don’t have an interest in reading it.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Breath by Tim Winton

SYNOPSIS:

When paramedic Bruce Pike is called out to deal with another teenage adventure gone wrong, he knows better than his partner – better than the parents – what happened and how. Thirty years before, that dead boy could have been him.

This has been recommended to me by my Goodreads friends, and I like the synopsis enough that I decided to keep it. I am a bit skeptical that this will turn into a boring mystery, but there is one way to find out 🙂

Verdict: KEEP ☑

➥ Natalsa of the Brim by Chad McClandon

SYNOPSIS:

In a world where witches have been revered, a cataclysmic evening changes everything.

Natalsa, the last witch, must find out what has robbed her of her power. But more than this, she must protect the world from the new order that has arisen, and cure a sweeping disease that threatens her new home.

There is evil to be undone, and Natalsa may have to sacrifice it all, in order to save those she loves.

Again, recommended to me, but not sure whether to keep it. I already have many books about witches on my TBR.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1) by Charlainne Harris

SYNOPSIS:

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out….

Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn’t such a bright idea.

I have all of the books in this series, thanks to my kind boss, who makes me feel like Christmas every day I come to the office and find a book on my desk. All of these books, apart from the very first one. I will have to read the series, and I am going to get this one! I just couldn’t find a paperback that matches the rest yet. But I will!

Verdict: KEEP ☑ 

 

➥ Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires, #1) by Rachel Caine

SYNOPSIS:

From the author of the popular Weather Warden series comes the debut of an exciting new series set in Morganville, Texas, where you would be well advised to avoid being out after dark.

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don’t show many signs of life, but they’ll have Claire’s back when the town’s deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town’s terror or will she drown like everyone else?

This one will go.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

I removed 6 books this time. Great progress!
This is how my TBR list looks like now.

Which books would you keep or remove? Let me know in the comments.

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Welcome to the 43rd edition of my Down The TBR Hole Posts.

This weekend I have interesting selection to go through with you…

How Down the TBR Hole works: 

❤ 1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
❤ 2. Order on ascending date added.
❤ 3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
❤ 4. Read the synopsis of the books.
❤ 5. Time to Decide: keep it or should it go

Here’s the next patch:

➥ Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Synopsis: 

I was born twice first as a baby girl on a remarkably smogless Detroit day of January 1960 and then again as a teenage boy in an emergency room near Petoskey Michigan in August of l974. So begins the breathtaking story of Calliope and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Point Michigan. To understand why she is not like other girls Calliope has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns her into Cal one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking by Nigella Lawson

Synopsis:

Nigella Lawson is a champion of the home cook and her new book celebrates the food she loves to cook for friends and family. The recipes are warming, comforting, and inspirational, from new riffs on classic dishes – including Chicken Fricassee and Sticky Toffee Pudding – to adventures in a host of new dishes and ingredients, from Aubergine Fattet to White Miso Hummus.

AT MY TABLE includes dishes to inspire all cooks and eaters, from Hake with Bacon, Peas and Cider to Indian-Spiced Chicken and Potato Traybake and Chilli Mint Lamb Cutlets; plus a host of colourful vegetable dishes, like Eastern Mediterranean Chopped Salad and Carrots and Fennel with Harissa.

No Nigella cookbook would be complete without sweet treats, and AT MY TABLE is no exception, with Emergency Brownies, White Chocolate Cheesecake and a Victoria Sponge with Cardamom, Marmalade and Crème Fraiche set to become family favourites.

As Nigella writes, ‘happiness is best shared’ and the food in this book will be served and savoured at your own kitchen table just as it is at hers.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ I Love You Too Much by Alicia Drake

Synopsis:

“I knew I was in Paris, I knew that was the Seine beneath me, the sky above, but when I looked around for help, the grand apartment buildings of the Quai Voltaire stared back at me, indifferent.

In the sixth arrondissement everything is perfect except for the loneliness. This is the Paris of thirteen-year-old Paul. Shy and unloved, he quietly observes the lives of the self-involved grown-ups around him: his glamorous Maman, Séverine, her younger musician lover, Gabriel, and his fitness-obsessed Papa, Philippe. Always overlooked, it’s only a matter of time before Paul witnesses something that he’s not supposed to see…

Seeking solace in an unlikely friendship with tear-away classmate Scarlett and the temptation of the numerous patisseries in his elegant neighbourhood, Paul searches for unconditional love. But what will he do if he can’t find it?

Alicia Drake evokes contemporary Parisian life with the subtlety of a latter day Francois Sagan, and she captures in Paul the pains of adolescence as poignantly as Salinger’s Holden Caulfield. I Love You Too Much is a novel of extraordinary intelligence and heart, a devastating coming of age story told from the sidelines of Parisian perfection.”

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Ripperville by Roger David Francis

Synopsis: 

Victorian London hides a deadly secret. Bloodshed stains the cobbled streets.
An innocent boy born in poverty takes a path that will ultimately lead him to become one of the most notorious serial killers of the 19th century.
One hundred and thirty years later Alice procures a painting. Little does she know the dark alleyway in the picture will take her on as journey through time revealing the truth about Jack the Ripper.
Stalked by a strange man Alice discovers he has a connection to Whitechapel.
Can she alter the events unfolding and prevent further murders?
Will the past catch up with her?

Verdict: KEEP ☑ 

➥ On Bowie by Rob Sheffield

Synopsis: 

On Bowie is a thoughtful and loving meditation on the life of the late David Bowie that explores his creative legacy and the enduring and mutual connection he enjoyed with his fans

Innovative. Pioneering. Brave. Until his death in January 2016, David Bowie created art that not only pushed boundaries, but helped fans understand themselves and view the world from fantastic new perspectives.

When the shocking news of his death on January 10, 2016 broke, the outpouring of grief and adulation was immediate and ongoing. Fans around the world and across generations paid homage to this brilliant, innovate, ever-evolving artist who both shaped and embodied our times.

In this concise and penetrating book, highly-regarded Rolling Stone critic, bestselling author, and lifelong Bowie fan Rob Sheffield shares his own feelings about the passing of this icon and explains why Bowie’s death has elicited such an unprecedented emotional outpouring from so many.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ The Beautiful and the Cursed (The Dispossessed, #1) by Page Morgan

Synopsis:

After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city of Paris.

In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abandoned abbey, its roof lined with stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.

And Grayson has gone missing.

No one seems to know of his whereabouts but Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant at their new home.

Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead—she can feel it deep in her soul—but she knows he’s in grave danger. It will be up to her and Gabby to navigate the twisted path to Grayson, a path that will lead Ingrid on a discovery of dark secrets and otherworldly truths. And she’ll learn that once they are uncovered, they can never again be buried.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ The Sea by John Banville

Synopsis:

When art historian Max Morden returns to the seaside village where he once spent a childhood holiday, he is both escaping from a recent loss and confronting a distant trauma.

The Grace family had appeared that long-ago summer as if from another world. Mr and Mrs Grace, with their worldly ease and candour, were unlike any adults he had met before. But it was his contemporaries, the Grace twins (silent, expressionless Myles, and fiery, seductively poised and forthright Chloe), who most fascinated Max. He grew to know them intricately, even intimately, and what ensured would haunt him for the rest of his years and shape everything that was to follow.

Written in Banville’s precise and hauntingly beautiful prose, The Sea is both a reconciliation with loss and an extraordinary meditation on identity and remembrance. Utterly compelling, profoundly moving and illuminating, it is unquestionably one of the finest works yet from a sublime master of language.

 

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Daughter of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #1) by Raymond E. Feist

Synopsis:

Set in the mysterious world of the Kelewan, Mara, Ruling Lady of the Acoma, is forced to protect her honour and her people in the ruthless Game of the Council.

Verdict: KEEP ☑ 

➥ A Girl Like You by Gemma Burgess

Synopsis:

I’ve discovered the secret to successful singledom. I’m acting like a man. And it’s working.

After breaking up with her boyfriend of, well, forever, Abigail Wood must learn how to be single from scratch. Her dating skills are abysmal, and she ricochets from disaster to disaster – until Robert, one of London’s most notorious lotharios, agrees to coach her. With his advice, she learns to navigate the bastard-infested waters of the bar scene and practices the art of being bulletproof. The new Abigail is cocky, calm, composed… but what happens when she meets her match?

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ A Killer’s Mind (Zoe Bentley Mystery, #1) by Mike Omer

Synopsis:

A chilling thriller of serial murder and dark secrets that will leave you wondering, is the past really in the past?

Three Chicago women have been found strangled, embalmed, and posed as if still alive. Doubting the findings of the local PD’s profiler, The FBI calls on forensic psychologist Zoe Bentley to investigate.

Zoe quickly gets off on the wrong foot with her new partner, Special Agent Tatum Gray. Zoe’s a hunter, intense and focused; Tatum’s a smug maverick with little respect for the rules. Together, they must descend into a serial killer’s psyche and untangle his twisted fantasies, or more women will die. But when the contents of three inconspicuous envelopes reveal a chilling connection to gruesome murders from Zoe’s childhood, suddenly the hunter becomes the hunted.

Verdict: KEEP ☑ 

I removed 7 books this time. Great progress!
This is how my TBR list looks like now.

Which books would you keep or remove? Let me know in the comments.

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Welcome to the 43rd edition of my Down The TBR Hole Posts.

This weekend I have interesting selection to go through with you…

How Down the TBR Hole works: 

❤ 1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
❤ 2. Order on ascending date added.
❤ 3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
❤ 4. Read the synopsis of the books.
❤ 5. Time to Decide: keep it or should it go

Here’s the next patch:

➥ The Disappearance of the Girl by Blake Verone

I am not sure how I have this on my TBR list, but it’s not a book I would pick up now.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) by Spehen King

A book from Stephen King. I would love to read all his books, but the next one I will read from him is IT, so this one will go for now.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

I actually think I removed this book once, and then re-added it, and now here I am, about to remove it again…

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ The Named by Marianne Curley

It seems intriguing and interesting, but I am trying to get away from these type of fantasy mysteries right now.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Darkfever (Fever, #1) by Karen Marie Moning

I am usually screaming after paranormal fantasies with a romance theme, but I don’t know why this one doesn’t appeal to me?

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by Jesophine Leslie

A classic romance that I think I will keep – only because I love the old-fashioned writing styles and romance, how slow it was and not as predictable.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

➥ The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Interesting story and synopsis – but I think I will pass on this one, the only reason being I don’t think I will connect on personal level with the characters or the story.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy

Honestly, I am not sure I will enjoy this at all…

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Legend (Legend, #1) by Marie Lu

Marie Lu? Yes, please.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

➥ The Iron Tree (The Crowthistle Chronicles, #1) by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

It seems like a great story I would’ve enjoyed a few years ago. Not today.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

I removed 8 books this time. Great progress! 

This is how my TBR list looks like now.

Which books would you keep or remove? Let me know in the comments.

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Welcome to the 42nd edition of my Down The TBR Hole Posts.

This weekend I have interesting selection to go through with you…

How Down the TBR Hole works: 

❤ 1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
❤ 2. Order on ascending date added.
❤ 3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
❤ 4. Read the synopsis of the books.
❤ 5. Time to Decide: keep it or should it go

Here’s the next patch:

➥ The Quaker (Duncan McCormack #1) by Liam McIlvanney

I have this as an e-ARC copy. I love the mystery around it, and I think I will enjoy reading it and finding out the entire truth.

Verdict: KEEP ☑ 

➥ In a Time of Monsters: Travels Through a Middle East in Revolt by Emma Sky

I am excited about this read, as it’s out of my comfort zone, and I am wondering whether I will be bored or intrigued.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

➥ Eternal Love by Karimah Colden

The sequel of Karimah Colden’s series. I enjoyed the first book – Eternal Soul, even though I had a few issues here and there. I will read the second book as well, only to find out if it ends better…

Verdict: KEEP ☑ 

➥ Days of Wonder by Keith Stuart

A beautiful synopsis, of a story I know I will adore and cry. A father-daughter relationship that I can’t help but compare to the relationship I have with my father – which is so unimaginable and precious to me. I can’t wait to read this book.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

➥ Singapore Boxer (Ash Carter #3) by Murray Bailey

Even though a third book of a series, it can be read as a standalone. A mystery (which I love) that involves a bit of martial arts (which I also love). I think this is a win-win situation.

Verdict: KEEP ☑ 

➥ Improvement by Joan Silber

I still don’t know what this book is about, but I was said to not read any synopsis and just dive straight into it. I would not usually pick this type of book in the shop, but I do own it and all books I own deserve a chance.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

➥ Senlin Ascends (The Books of Babel, #1) by Josiah Bancroft

This book is here today because of the one and only Melanie from MelToTheAny. I have been wanting to read this for a while now, and I still haven’t bought it. I should do that soon.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

➥ Taliesin (The Pendragon Cycle #1) by Stephen R. Lawhead

Even though it does seem interesting, I think I will pass on this one for now.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Sorry by Zoran Drvenkar

It seems like a mystery I might enjoy, but I already own so many mysteries and can’t justify buying more until I get my mystery TBR pile low.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Don’t Turn Out the Lights by Bernard Minier

I think the same applies here…

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

I removed 3 books this time. Not great, but still a progress.
This is how my TBR list looks like now.

Which books would you keep or remove? Let me know in the comments.

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Welcome to the 41st edition of my Down The TBR Hole Posts.

This weekend I have interesting selection to go through with you…

How Down the TBR Hole works: 

❤ 1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
❤ 2. Order on ascending date added.
❤ 3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
❤ 4. Read the synopsis of the books.
❤ 5. Time to Decide: keep it or should it go

Here’s the next patch:

➥ Bite Me (Bitten, #1) by C. C. Wood

I like vampire books, but I don’t own this one, and I have far too many to read that I actually own, so I will let this one go.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Cursed (Cursed Magic Series #1) by Casey Odell

I like fantasy, but I don’t think I will like this one. It’s also very hard to decide whether I want to start a whole series of something…

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orïsha, #2) by Tomi Adeyemi

If you have read my review of Children of Blood and Bone, you will know how much I cherish and love this series. And yes – I cannot wait to get my hands on this one! I mean, would you just look at that cover?

Verdict: KEEP ☑ 

➥ The Bronze Horseman (The Bronze Horseman, #1) by Paullina Simons

I love romances – but not sure about this one. I don’t think I am that much into historical romances, to be honest.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

A story about witches, in the modern world? Please let me read this 🙂
I don’t own it, so I am not too sure, but I think I will still keep it on my TBR list for now.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

➥ The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) by Patrick Rothfuss

I have no clue how or why this ended on my TBR. Has any of you maybe read it? I think I am letting it go…

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ The Die of Death by Kenneth B. Andersen

The second book from the Devil’s Apprentice, a book where a very good boy goes to hell by mistake and becomes the Devil’s assistant. I loved, loved, loved the first book, and will be reading this book next month actually. It’s already on my August TBR and waiting to be read. 

Verdict: KEEP ☑

➥ ANTimatter by David Winship

This book (and many others) were sent to me by the author, and i am planning on reading them all. 

Verdict: KEEP ☑ 

➥ could have been verse by David Winship

Same as above – I have a lot of books from David, and will be getting to them soon. I don’t like not reading a book from someone if they have sent me a copy, as you all might already know.

Verdict: KEEP ☑ 

➥ Chroma Crossing Chronicles: Blood Moon: Part 2 by S. Yurvati

I was a bit conflicted with the first book [SEE MY REVIEW] and gave it 3 stars, but I still want to keep reading it to know what happens in the end.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

I removed 4 books this time. Not great, but still a progress.
This is how my TBR list looks like now.

Which books would you keep or remove? Let me know in the comments.

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