Hello, everyone! How’s your week going? I’m feeling a lot better in terms of my reading as I just started Skyla Arndt’s Together We Rot (a book I’ve been talking about starting for months now) and I’m finding it such a engaging read. Which is a real relief because I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever be able to push through a book the way I used to. Turns out my soul was craving a snappier YA — and who am I to get in the way of that?
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 22, 2022 (almost two years ago)
I added An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good to my TBR after seeing someone whose recommendations I followed review it. It’s quite a bit outside of what I usually read but I was picking up all sorts of new things at that time. I’ve fallen out of that habit, though, and I’d like to keep trying out new things. I’ll be keeping this one on my “to-read” shelf!
Date Added: March 26, 2022 (almost two years ago)
I think the buzz around Where the Crawdads Sing has long since come and gone — and I think if I really wanted to pick it up, I would’ve by now. I did end up watching the movie and quite enjoying it but have not much considered revisiting the story since. I’m not saying I won’t ever read this one but I think I’m going to remove it from my list for now.
Date Added: March 27, 2022 (almost 2 years ago)
As I’m always at least vaguely on the journey to being more “well-read”, I try to keep various classics and acclaimed nonfiction material within an arm’s reach. Just having them around hasn’t proven to do too much yet but I’m not going to remove these type of books anytime soon! I’ll be keeping Walden on my list.
Date Added: March 30, 2022 (almost 2 years ago)
While I considered Bravely one of my most anticipated 2022 releases, I never ended up getting around to it. That being said, the cover is stunning, I loved Merida when I watched Brave years ago, and the idea that this story was penned by Maggie Stiefvater definitely caught/catches my interest. Though I haven’t gotten to it yet, I think I still do want to read it so I’ll keep it on my Goodreads TBR!
Date Added: April 1, 2022 (over 2 years ago)
I’m not sure how I heard about The Dead and the Dark but as I added it on the first of the month, I have to guess it was related to a Goodreads giveaway (that I didn’t win). I’ve not heard anything about it since adding it but it seems well-reviewed and sounds to my taste so I’ll keep it on my list.
Date Added: April 3, 2022 (over 2 years ago)
I’m not sure how White Oleander specifically wound up on my radar. Perhaps a Booktube recommendation, or something I stumbled across on a blog somewhere — I can’t say exactly. The blurb sounds interesting but I don’t know that I’ll realistically get around to it. For now, I’ll remove it from my list. Have you read it? What did you think?
Date Added: April 5, 2022 (over 2 years ago)
I specifically recall adding None of This is Serious to my list after reading a 5-star ARC review by someone in the blogsphere. However, after its release as more reviews started pouring in, I was surprised to see how poorly it was received otherwise (with a 3.14 average rating on Goodreads). Though I don’t let others’ reviews and ratings define what I pick up, I do take them into consideration. I think I’ll keep this one on my list on the off-chance I get to it but it may get culled sometime in the future.
Date Added: April 6, 2022 (over 2 years ago)
How to Make Friends with the Dark seems extremely in tune with the books I’d pick up as a teenager. Compounded with a single positive review I came across, it quickly made its way onto my list. Young adult coming-of-age stories are becoming increasingly irrelevant to where I’m at in life but I don’t think I’ll ever fully escape their pull. Because of that, I’ll be keeping it for at least a little while longer!
Date Added: April 8, 2022 (over 2 years ago)
As I familiarized myself more with the online book-talk space a few years back, I started hearing about far more literary titles than I would’ve before. I believe Purple Hibiscus is one of these. I do read literary stories on occasion but as I usually veer toward more speculative works, I think I’ll be removing this one for now.
Date Added: April 9, 2022 (over 2 years ago)
As previously referenced, I always veered towards sad YA books as a teen, and I think my adding Some Mistakes Were Made relates to that tendency. I think there’s a solid chance I’d enjoy this if I picked it up but I know there are so many books I’m more likely to get to ahead of it. Because of that, I think I’ll be removing it from Goodreads “to-read” shelf.
Books Removed: 4
Books Kept: 6
Current TBR Count: 138 – 4 = 134
Of my more recent Down the TBR Hole posts, I think I’d have to say this was a more effective one. That being said, I do keep adding to my list between posts, so I’m not sure the net difference is too impressive. I’ll get there eventually… Probably…
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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Little Bit of All That 
I know you’re removing it but I loved Where the Crawdads Sing so much, I think it’s one of those books you have to read before the movie though – obviously the ‘whodunnit’ element is a little ruined for you but there is a small thread running through the book that the film doesn’t feature and it was pretty neat how they intertwined it together. Well done for clearing out some of your TBR!
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Thank you for saying/explaining that! Most times when I put a book off, I’m always open to returning to it later, it’s just a matter of prioritizing my time and energy in the present. So when I hear others’ thoughts, reviews, etc., I definitely consider all of that for the future — so I’ll definitely keep all you’ve said in mind! I’ve for sure heard a lot of good things about it. 🙂
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