I am always looking for ways to clean up by TBR and unhaul some books, so when I saw this challenge, which was originally created by Eve @ Brilliantly Bookish, I jumped at the chance to do it! I am hoping to do a mix of both removing books from my Goodreads TBR but also unhauling physical books.
1) A book that’s on your TBR solely because of the cover
On the Up by Shilo Jones
How amazing is this cover? I love absolutely everything about it! The colours are great, the deer is amazing, and the men hanging from its antlers are definitely intriguing. It looks like the perfect book to read in the Fall. I was so sad to see that it has a 2.97 star rating on Goodreads. The amazing cover is not a good enough reason to keep in on my TBR.
2) A book you’ll never actually get to
By Gaslight by Steven Price
The synopsis for this book sounds interesting but I am not particularly interested in reading it. It is also 600 pages so that intimidates me, especially since it is a book that I am not dying to read in the first place! Great cover though!
3) A book you lost interest in
Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody
I was really looking forward to this book but the reviews have been mixed and over time I have just lost complete interest in it. Even reading the synopsis now no longer gets me excited about it.
4) A book on your TBR because of the hype
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
It is time for me to accept the fact that I am never going to read Clockwork Angel. I keep talking about wanting to understand the Wil Herondale hype but I just can not force myself to pick this book up. I do not get along well with Cassandra Clare’s books!
5) A book you don’t know anything about
The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane
This is another book that has a great cover, but unfortunately, the ratings on Goodreads are pretty low. I have never even read the synopsis for this one so I know absolutely nothing about it and I do not care to at this point. It seems as though no one is talking about this one!
6) A book you heard bad things about and don’t want to read anymore
Artemis by Andy Weir
I really enjoyed The Martian so I was really excited when Andy Weir released another book. I did not get to it right away and since then, I have heard really mixed things about it. A lot of reviewers I trust disliked it and said things about it that make me think that it is not a book that I would enjoy. This is probably the one book in this tag I am most reluctant to unhaul!
7) A book you put down and are never going to pick up again
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
I read a couple chapters of this book but I just wasn’t connecting with it or its message. I thought it was an interesting idea but not something I would actually put in to practice in my own life. I am sure there is someone in my life that will appreciate this book more than I do. I am just not a fan of self help books in general!
8) A recommendation you don’t actually want to read
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
My brother, who is not a big reader, absolutely LOVES this book, but honestly I know it is not for me. It is 617 pages and apparently it is very gruesome and graphic, which is not my taste! I am tempted to read it because I want to know what my brother sees in it but I just have to be honest with myself- it is never going to happen!
9) A random book you want to get rid of
The Oracle Year by Charles Soule
I know very little about this book and I don’t even know how it ended up on my TBR! There are so many books that I want to read so this one just has to go!
It always feels great to clear some books off of my TBR! I would love to know if you have read any of these books and what you thought about them.
I really liked Artemis. It’s not without its issues, and it’s not as good as the Martian, but still a great read.
I might give the audiobook a chance one of these days! I haven’t completely written it off. I think it is really hard to live up to The Martian!
I think I heard the audiobook is narrated by Rosario Dawson. I feel like she could read the phone book and I’m stick it out until the end.
Oh that is good to know. I adore her!
I’ve had a lot of people try to convince me of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck but the message also isn’t for me. Love some of those covers!
Exactly! It’s not a message that I really agree with. Wasn’t clicking for me!
The cover of On the Up is so pretty!!!!! Too bad it has such a low rating 🙁
I know!! I was so disappointed when I saw that!
This is such a great idea. It’s interesting how many books people have on their TBRs that they never end up reading for a bunch of different reasons. I might have to try this challenge myself, although I do have a habit of cleaning up my TBR once in a while already!
I am going to have to stay on top of my tbr! It can get out of hand so quickly!!
This is a great way to get rid of some of the books in our TBRs. Long, intimidating ones are always the ones I think I’ll never get to, so it’s kinda useless for me to keep them in my TBR as well.
That is exactly how I was feeling. This was definitely helpful and something I will probably do again in the future!
Ah that’s too bad about Clockwork Angel, but I know what you mean! Casandra Clare isn’t for everyone 🙂 Great post!!
Thank you! I always mean to read Clockwork Angel but I have been saying that for years! I just have to accept I’ll never be in the mood for it. I will forever be curious about Wil Herondale!!
Oh Will is the best! Definitely worth the read just for him honestly haha. But I get what you mean about not being in the mood for certain series; happens to me too!
On the Up looks amazing but yikes, the 2.9 rating. D: And I’ve never heard of Battle Royale before but it sounds kind of interesting! I’m guessing it’s an anime-esque story where students have to kill each other?
I know! It’s too bad about On the Up. Yes! My brother described Battle Royale as a much more violent Japanese Hunger Games. There is a movie as well!
I’ve read the Cassandra Clare books, but not the Dark Artifices. The Shadowhunter world lost interest to me when the tv show butchered the mortal instruments story. Agree if you didn’t love the others, you’re not missing out on anything here!
That is good to know! I have been meaning to give the show a try buy haven’t gotten around to it. Should I just skip it?
Absolutely! It was terrible. They absolutely destroyed the plot from the books and I thought it was over-acted as well.
Very interesting choices. Although I would say give Artemis a try, but if you aren’t feeling it, it’s probably not a good one to pick up.
Thank you! You’re the second person to say that! I hear Rosario Dawson narrates the audiobook so I might try that one day!
Yeah that cover for on the up is stunning- but I wouldn’t read it with that rating either :/ Really like the look of this challenge!
It was a really helpful challenge. I will probably do it again! I am so bummed about On The Up! I want that cover on my shelf.
Bummer that The Night Guest has to go. I read that one two years ago and really loved it, it’s one of the few magical realism stories that worked for me, because the magic is so tied up in the psychological aspect. But I hardly ever see it mentioned anymore and I know it’s so much less fun to read a book that no one’s talking about! And it’s so satisfying to thin the TBR. 🙂
It really is satisfying! I don’t actually own The Night Guest so it was easier to remove it from my TBR. I do enjoy magical realism though so if I see it for a good price I might pick it up. Thanks!