I recently wrote a post on how terrible I am about maintaining by Goodreads TBR. That discussion inspired me to slowly go through my “Want to Read” shelf and to remove books I am no longer interested in. I thought I would share some of those books with you and maybe touch on why I removed them. I would also love to hear all your opinions- let me know if I made a mistake and should read the book!
I started this journey with over 1000 books on my Goodreads TBR, so I will be curious to see how low I can get that number. The thing is, I am constantly adding new titles to that list! It will just be nice to know that every book on that shelf is one I actually want to read.
I have heard mixed things about The Rosie Project, and I just don’t see myself picking it up anytime soon.
Follow Me Back is a YA thriller, and I am very particular about my thrillers in general. I read over some of the reviews and I just do not think that this is my kind of book. Many people have pointed out that it is more of a romance than a thriller.
I have seen the movie adaptation of Silver Linings Playbook and that is good enough for me. I am one of those people who has a hard time reading the book after having seen the movie first.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story is actually the first book that was on my “Want to Read” shelf, which means it has been there since 2010. If I have not read it yet, I don’t think I ever will.
Daughter of the Burning City had a lot of hype before it was released, but I never hear anyone talking about it anymore. I am not a huge fantasy reader to begin with, and there are so many other fantasy novels I want to read before this one.
I know a lot of readers love Until It Fades, but I have tried to read two of K.A. Tucker’s most popular novels and they just do not work for me.
The idea of All Rights Reserved is intriguing, but many reviewers who I trust have given it two stars.
I was gifted a copy of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and I did attempt to read it. Honestly, I couldn’t stand the author or the writing style. Something about it rubbed me the wrong way, so I no longer own this book.
I enjoyed Leah’s character in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, but I have heard she is quite different in Leah on the Offbeat.
I know nothing about The Night Guest, but I have a feeling that I added it to my TBR simply for the cover.
I think I added The Light Between Us to my TBR because it was blurbed by Matt Haig, but I know that it is a book I will never actually read.
Fawkes sounds interesting, but I am not a huge fantasy reader, so I don’t see myself making it a priority. This is a book that I would reconsider though!
Let me know your thoughts on these books and whether or not I made a mistake removing them from my TBR!
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I currently have 8, 682 books saved on my Goodreads “want to read” shelf. Some I will probably never read, or have completely forgotten about. But I add books daily, so the idea of actually taking time to go through it and delete books is out of the question for me.
You will hit 10,000 soon! I understand this complete. I am overwhelmed by the it and I only have 1000 books on mine!
I thought Fawkes was fantastic! I am a big fantasy fan but I think that Nadine Brandes writes the best historical fantasy I’ve ever read
I had a feeling I would be persuaded to read Fawkes! I need to explore historical fantasy more.
It was SO good! I will read anything Nadine Brandes writes. I’m more of a fantasy reader and it made me want to read more historical fiction.
I love that! Since I am more a historical fiction reader maybe it will inspire me to read more fantasy!
Exactly! I would definitely reconsider taking it off your TBR. It made me want to read anything Nadine Brandes writes she has such a unique way of combining history and fantasy
I definitely need to do this too! I’ve tried to remove books if I see a book come up that a friend is currently reading and I realize I no longer care to read it.
I read Daughter of the Burning City, All Rights Reserved, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and Leah on the Offbeat – and you made the right choice. I regret reading all of those LOL so you are not missing out!
Great blog post, and I like that you gave your reasons for removing the books too!
Haha that makes me feel so much better about removing those books. I just had a feeling they weren’t worth keeping on there!
So glad you enjoyed this. Will definitely be posting more in the future as I find it motivates me to do it.
Interesting post. I’m afraid I’ve not heard of any of these books, but I do like the look of Fawkes by Nadine Brandes. I used to add books to my want to read shelf on Goodreads, but I don’t do it anymore. I’ll have to check out what I’ve got on there and see if there’s any I need to remove.
I am now debating whether or not I actually want to remove Fawkes from my TBR! It is interesting to look back on and wonder why you added certain books to begin with.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story is one of my favorite books highlighting mental health. I read it after Vizzini’s death, so it was bittersweet for me. I loved all the Rosie books with the first and 3rd being my faves. Leah was frustrating for me. It’s not a bad book, and I think one’s enjoyment would depend upon how they feel about some of the choices made.
That is good to know about It’s Kind of a Funny Story. I am always weary about reading books on mental health!
I have heard many other’s say the same thing about Leah!
It’s Kind Of A Funny Story is actually pretty great. I don’t read much contemporary YA, but I loved it. It was very relatable for me, as someone who occasionally suffers from mental health issues, and it’s obvious from the writing that it the author was writing of his own experiences.
That is good to know! I am always weary when it comes to books about mental health because I know that the representation is often handled poorly. I might think about listening to the audiobook!
I need to go through my TBR as well! There are books on there that I’ve completely forgotten about or I’m not interested in anymore
It is interesting to see what is on there!
What you’ve heard for Leah on the Offbeat was exactly what I experienced reading it. She was a good character in Simon vs the Homo Sapien, but I thought that her character was different and a lot less likable in that novel.
That’s what I have been told over and over again! I’m glad I decided not to read it!
I’m sorry to see The Rosie Project go, I really enjoyed the first two books – the third I could take or leave. I’m on the fence about Leah on the Offbeat because I’ve heard the same thing! Maybe one day I’ll read it, but it’s definitely not a priority!
That’s good to know about The Rosie Project! Have you seen the movie? Is it worth watching?
There’s a movie?! I did not know this – how did I not know this! Haha, clearly I haven’t seen it, but now I’m intrigued! Thanks for letting me know about it; I will be checking it out and I’ll let you know my thoughts!
I remember the being talk about a movie with Ryan Reynolds? Maybe it isn’t out yet!
I Googled it after I commented because I was curious, and you are absolutely correct – Ryan Reynolds is in it and it came out last year (May 10, 2019). I don’t think it was in theatres though. I need to add this to my watch list!
I found this really interesting – it’s a bit like the opposite of a book review! It’s inspired me to do the same with my list….
It’s very satisfying to make your way through your list. Plus I am being reminded of many books I actually want to read!
Over 1,000 books! 😱 My TBR lists are literally all over the place, and now I feel fortunate I don’t know how many there are altogether! This is a great way to streamline your reading, though. Sometimes the thought of all the books yet to be read is daunting, no matter how exciting. I’ve heard of many of these books, but none of them were on my tbr, so it’s interesting to see why you’re getting rid. Look forward to more instalments of this series haha
I know!!! At least the 1000 books are just on Goodreads. So glad you enjoyed the first instalment. It was a fun post for me to put together!
I think mine saves against my amazon account
This is something I need to do as well, I have tons of books on my goodreads what to read shelf which I am not interested in reading anymore 😅
It’s been fun to go through them!! I also found some books I forgot about but still really want to read.
The only one on this list I would see myself reading is Fawkes even though much like yourself I’m not a huge fantasy reader. It does sound really good though!
I have decided to keep Fawkes on my TBR! Other haves told me it’s fantastic!
When you do read it let us all know your thoughts ❤️
They made a movie for The Rosie Project. I haven’t read the book so I don’t know how it compares but you can just watch it if you want lol
Ah, The Night Guest was a 5-star read for me! I thought it was a very well-crafted magical realism tale; the plot revolves around an elderly woman losing her memory, and a stranger who shows up claiming she’s there to take care of her. I initially picked it up for the cover as well, but ended up liking it a lot. I don’t really see anyone talking about it anymore though, so I understand being less drawn to it at this point.
That actually sounds really intrigue. Maybe I’ll pick it up if I come across a copy for a good price. Thanks!!