Down the TBR Hole #5 | Entering Giveaways, Taking Recommendations, and Diverse Voices

Posted on by Lauren

Hello, everyone! How’s everyone’s February going thus far? What have you been reading? I was going to do a mid-month check-in this week but I’ve only finished reading one book this month (Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater) and have only been watching a show or two, so I didn’t think it’d be much of a post. I’ll be sure to pack in some more reading for a beefier month-end wrap-up!

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: March 1, 2022 (almost two years ago)

In previous Down the TBR Hole posts, I usually had a hard time remembering where/how I heard about the books I put on my Goodreads TBR. With this post, however, I know that here began my uptick in giveaway entries (which automatically adds the books to your “to-read” shelf) because I’d just won an ARC of Gallant by V.E. Schwab, and my interest was piqued. Anyway, upon writing this, I was planning on removing In My Dreams I Hold a Knife but the blurb sounds too interesting so I’ll be keeping it!

Date Added: March 1, 2022 (almost two years ago)

I believe the cover of Firekeeper’s Daughter is what initially caught my eye. When I saw that it was penned and centered around Indigenous voices, I was even more interested. I’ve been meaning for years to learn more about various Indigenous cultures. If you have any recommendations, please let me know! (One novella I enjoyed was The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin Kwaymullina & Ezekiel Kwaymullina which was written by Australian Aboriginal authors.) I’ll definitely keep this one my to-read list!

Date Added: March 2, 2022 (almost 2 years ago)

Not only was I entering Goodreads giveaways like nobody’s business, I was also very active on this blog in early 2022. In turn, I was reading many more reviews and recommendations than I had before, and after seeing good things about The Poppy War, I decided to add it. As I was honing my interests into what they are today, a lot of these books are still relevant to my taste–so I’ll be keeping this one as well!

Date Added: March 2, 2022 (almost 2 years ago)

While The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was not totally for me (I enjoyed the prose but not so much the protagonist or pacing), I did enjoy Gallant, and was willing to try something else by V.E. Schwab. At this point, I’m going to remove A Darker Shade of Magic from my list because there are so many other books I want to focus more on but I can still be convinced to pick it up! If you’ve read it, what did you think?

Date Added: March 4, 2022 (almost 2 years ago)

I heard about this one after seeing a trailer for the film adaptation starring Sadie Sink. I’ll watch absolutely anything with Sadie Sink in it but I also always like to read the book first. I’ve always loved a coming of age story and I still have yet to watch the movie, so I’ll be keeping Dear Zoe on my TBR!

Date Added: March 5, 2022 (almost 2 years ago)

I first heard of Hotel Magnifique when I started browsing NetGalley, and it seemed interesting (and the cover is gorgeous). However, it’s been comped to The Night Circus and Caraval–both books I want to read but haven’t yet–and I think I’d rather read those, at least first. For now, I’ll be removing this one from my TBR.

Date Added: March 5, 2022 (almost 2 years ago)

I believe this is another one I entered a Goodreads giveaway for (and did not win). I’ve not read too much poetry or many short stories but I’m always on the lookout for new ones to try, and this one seems interesting! I’ll be keeping this on my list.

Date Added: March 11, 2022 (almost 2 years ago)

If books aren’t meant to be judged by their covers, then why would they make them so stunning? Though I was starting to read more adult fiction when I put this on my TBR, I can never separate myself from the call of YA. I’m not sure how soon I’ll get to this one but I’m still going to be keeping it on my list!

Date Added: March 15, 2022 (almost 2 years ago)

After the YA dystopian phase of the early to mid 2010s died down, I stopped reading as many books pertaining to that genre. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more the demographic for classic dystopian novels, and I think I’m ready to revisit the insightful, haunting genre. And this one is set in 2024 so I definitely have to prioritize it this year. This one’s a keeper for me!

Date Added: March 16, 2022 (almost 2 years ago)

After adoring Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X, her name became one I kept in my mind as I looked for new reads. I believe this one got added when I entered a giveaway (which, again, I didn’t win), and I think I’d still love to read it (as well as Clap When You Land which was featured in a previous Down the TBR Hole post). I’ll definitely be keeping this one!

Books Removed: 2
Books Kept: 8
Current TBR Count: 131 – 2 = 129

I think this has to be one of the–if not the–least successful posts in this series but there are too many interesting books on this list to put aside! Also, as we get into more recent additions, I think it makes sense that there will be ones that I still have interest in reading now (as opposed to books I added many, many years ago). So, like my last Down the TBR Hole post, I don’t mark this a loss because there are so many interesting books I’ve been reminded of!

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!

[DISCLAIMER: Photos in this post may be paired with Amazon affiliate links, meaning I’d earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support!]

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Published by Lauren

Hi! I’m Lauren (she/her, 22), and I like to read and write; I’m still trying to figure out the rest.

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