Down the TBR Hole #3 | Poetry, YA Fantasy, & Anticipated Releases

Hello, everyone! I’ve been hoping to get book reviews out a little more frequently but I’m in the middle of so many books right now that it’s taking me a while to finish any.

My philosophy on Goodreads has typically been to mark any book I’m remotely interested in as “to-read” while reserving a separate shelf for my physical TBR. Since I meant to read exclusively from my preexisting physical TBR at the beginning of the year (spoiler alert — definitely did not happen), I’ve been trying to sort out all these different lists. Doing these Down the TBR Hole posts for my Goodreads “to-read” shelf has been a great way for me to declutter my mental frenzy when determining what books to prioritize most (as the physical TBR parameter kind of went out the window)!

Down The TBR Hole is a meme created by lost in a story that revolves around cleansing your TBR of all those books you’re never going to read and sort through it all to know what’s actually on there.

Date Added: September 29, 2020 (three years ago)

I’m not sure how exactly I heard about Van Gogh’s Ear (or, originally, Van Goghs Ohr) as it was published in German and only translated otherwise into Czech (both of which are foreign to me). Since this book isn’t presently accessible to me, I’ll be removing it from my Goodreads “to-read” shelf. That being said, however, the authors’ website appears to have information on some of their studies in English, and I do plan on reading what’s available there.

Date Added: November 6, 2020 (three years ago)

As Seconds is by the creator of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series, I’m going to have to assume that I added it to my TBR after watching the Scott Pilgrim vs the World movie for the first time. While I loved that movie, I don’t think I’ll realistically read anything by this author because I haven’t prioritized graphic novels too much in the past. Because of that, I’ll be removing it.

Date Added: February 16, 2021 (almost 3 years ago)

There are some pretty mixed reviews about this book so I feel a little bit torn. Again, I’m not sure how I heard about this book but it doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch as fantasy is my most-read genre (particularly YA fantasy, I think). Because of that, I’ll keep it on my “shelf” for a little while longer.

Date Added: March 3, 2021 (almost 3 years ago)

As a novel-in-verse, I’m assuming I added Home is Not a Country as it was most likely compared to Elizabeth Acevedo’s work (The Poet X was a five-star read for me when I picked it up years ago). Because of that and because the blurb still piques my interest, I’ll be keeping this on my shelf.

Date Added: March 11, 2021 (almost 3 years ago)

As a big fan of Halsey’s music and lyricism, adding her poetry collection, I Would Leave Me If I Could, to my to-read shelf was a no-brainer (even though a significant portion of the reviews are mediocre if not negative). However, I’ll be removing it from my to-read shelf and adding it to my “digital TBR” as I actually have a copy of it on my Kindle presently.

Date Added: June 27, 2021 (2 years ago)

Again, not sure how I heard about How to Build a Girl, but it definitely sounds like something I’d probably really enjoy on several fronts. I’m for sure keeping this one.

Date Added: July 5, 2021 (2 years ago)

I probably entered a giveaway for this book and had it automatically added to my to-read shelf because of it. While I’ve read a bit of Stephen King’s work and have enjoyed some of it, I’ll be removing it because of all the books in his vast catalog, Billy Summers seems like one I’ll personally be less likely to pick up (as I tend to go for more of his classic horror novels).

Date Added: August 8, 2021 (2 years ago)

While I still haven’t picked up King of Scars (a book that is on my physical TBR), I do think I’ll probably get to Rule of Wolves at some point. I’m a sucker for the Grishaverse, what can I say? I’ll be keeping this one on my “to-read” shelf until I probably add it to my physical TBR.

Date Added: August 10, 2021 (2 years ago)

I think the likelihood of a third Six of Crows book is pretty slim but–as I’d like to hold onto hope–I’ll be keeping this in case anything ends up developing (just to prove how long we’ve all waited, lol).

Date Added: August 17, 2021 (2 years ago)

Initially, I was thinking of removing One of Us is Lying because I thought if I was going to get to it, I would’ve by now. However, I’ve seen some positive reviews for it lately and it’s started to sway me a little after all these years. Additionally, I apparently have a copy of it on my Kindle so–like I Would Leave Me if I Could–this book actually belongs on my digital TBR so I’ll add it there after first removing it from my “to-read” shelf.

Books Removed: 5
Books Kept: 5
Current TBR Count: 129 – 5 = 124

Of the three Down the TBR Hole posts I’ve done so far, I think this is the one with the most removals (which I’m personally marking as a success even if some are just moving to a different Goodreads shelf)! I’m looking forward to continuing paring down these lists and best-prioritizing books to my interests and time.

Have you read any of the books on this list? If so, what did you think? Do you think there are any I should consider giving another chance? Or are there ones I shouldn’t bother with? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

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