Down the TBR Hole #5 - 11/12/2020

 

Down The TBR Hole is a meme created by Lia @ 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.

It works like this:

• Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more if you're feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
• Read the synopses of the books.
• Decide: Keep it or let it go?

So I made a comment the other day about wanting to be more active on the blog again, and so Joood, my arch-nemesis, bossed me into joining this meme. I'm just going to warn you that this is going to be an exercise in futility for me, because I add dozens of books to my to-read shelf on Goodreads every day as I enter literally all of the giveaways. But that is also going to add another element to my posts, because I refuse to completely break up with a giveaway win, at least for now. I may change my mind on that in the future. But also, since my shelf is so crazy out of control and only getting worse, I'm going to have to go through way more than ten books per post. So for now, my posts will be light on graphics, and I'm only going to explain the books I'm keeping. 

Let's go, shall we?

At the end of my last post I'd managed to whittle my to-read list down to 139,603. But as per usual, I've entered more giveaways, so this is where we are starting for today. 

Current To Read Count: 139,655

The Living End by Robert Leleux - Goodbye

Artful Attractions by S.K. Logsdon - This book has been unpublished, so bye

Anatomy by Simon Travers - So long

When Your Adult Child Breaks Your Heart by Joel Young and Christine Adamec - Farewell

Citrene Stories by Jacob Lindaman - See ya

The 1990s Coloring Book by James Grange - Adios

Stranger on Stranger by GB Hope - Auf wiedersehen

At Any Price by Brenna Aubrey - Ciao

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage - Sayonara

Kahtar Warrior of the Ages by S.R. Karfelt - Bye now (10)

Kellie at Come-Alive Cottage by Wendy Unsworth - See ya later

Lunen: Triblood by Ahmed Al-Sheikh - Goodbye

Crazy Ex-Ghoulfriend by Angela Roquet - TTFN

Catching Serenity by JoAnn Durgin - So long

The Dragon Within by Cindy Lyle - See ya

The Book of Duels by Michael Garriga - Farewell

Dr. Frank Einstein by Eric Berg - Adios

The Wishnik by Kurt Newton - Seems to have been unpublished, so bye bye

Daughter of Empire: My Life as a Mountbatten by Pamela Hicks - Auf wiedersehen

Song of the Sirens by Kaylie Austen - Out of print, so it's going away (20)

The Lord of Shadows by E.E. Ewer - Ciao

The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell - Hasta la vista

Drunk Dialing the Divine by Amber Koneval - See ya later

Sharing Works! by Petra Ortiz - TTFN

Plain Murder by Emma Miller - Goodbye

The Yanks are Starving by Glen Craney - Sayonara

Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler - Farewell

The Book of Death by Ramy Tadros - Adios

Secret of Omordion by Nande Orcel - Bye for now

Born of the Grave by Danny Cantrell - See ya (30)

Dear Me by Anthony Henry Joseph Maria - Auf wiedersehen 

Scattered Magic by S.A. Archer and S. Ravynheart - This book is out of print, so away it goes.

Beginnings by Aneta Krpekyan - So long

13 Quick Shivers by James Frederick Leach - Goodbye

Dear Mr. President by Jason Saltoun-Ebin - Hasta la vista

Fear the Light by William Massa - TTFN

The Debt of Tamar by Nicole Dweck - Ciao

Jack! by Tova Dian Dean - I won a copy of this book, so it stays.

The Apprentice Journals by J. Michael Shell - Buh-bye

Charmed by Erica Ridley - This appears to maybe have been unpublished, so I shall say farewell (40)

Rising by Wade Hanna - See ya

Shubian's Rift by Joseph M. Dwyer - Goodbye

The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston - TTFN

25 Ways to Communicate Respect to Your Husband by Jennifer Flanders - Don't need that!

The Night Before Christmas (Now With Cats) by Melissa Haas - Sayonara

The Devil Brigade by Toni Odell - So long

Tales From Dark Places by various authors - Goodbye

Desolate Pages: Careful What You Wish For by E.M. Elizondo - Later

Dark One Rising by Leandra Martin - Auf wiedersehen

Discoveries in Bible Prophecy by Michael D. Fortner - See ya later (50)

The Secret Dinosaur: Giants Awake by NS Blackman - Adios

The Thorndike Legacy by Gabriel Madison - Bye

BirthCONTROL: A Husband's Honest Account of Pregnancy by James Vavasour - Boy bye

Gliders of Enlil by Jeffrey Carl - Hasta la vista

Magenta Rave by Janna Zonder - Farewell

Survive! Inside the Human Body Vol 1 by Gomdori Co and Hyun-Dong Han - Ciao

The Witches' Sleep by Kaitlyn Deann - TTFN

The Twible by Jana Riess - So long

The Covenant of Malta by G. Dalentini - Sayonara

Legends of the New Worlds by Shelly Katheryn - See ya (60)

Over the Rainbow by Brian Rowe - Goodbye

The Dragondain by Richard Due - Adios

The Moon Coin by Richard Due - Auf wiedersehen

The Teddy Bear Conspiracy by Duane Gundrum - See ya later

The Ultimate Tree House Project by Gary Nelson - Sayonara

Awakening by Christy Dorrity - Hasta la vista

Damselfly by Jennie Bates Bozic - Bye

The Called it Moosicide by Lisa Hall Deckert - TTFN

100 Doors to Madness by various authors - Ciao

Beware the Dark by Paul Fry - Goodbye (70)

Bad Elephant Far Stream by Samuel Hawley - See ya

Sorrow of the Dragon Gods by Pam McElprang - Farewell

First World by Jaymin Eve - Adios

Aliens in the Gift Shop by D.E. Morris - Goodbye

Firehearted by Sabrina Chase - Auf Wiedersehen

Last Chance by Michelle O'Leary - Later

Here There be Dragons by Michelle O'Leary - So long

The Reincarnationist Papers by D. Eric Malkranz - Sayonara

Guess What is at the North Pole by Nancy O'Neill - Hasta la vista

The King's Marauder by Dewey Lambdin - Bye (80)

Life Class by Ann Charney - TTFN

Hunt for the Hydra by Jason Fry - See ya later

Palace of Dreams by Adam Jay Epstein - Bye

Gifts of the Blood by Vicki Keire - Farewell

Darkness in the Blood by Vicki Keire - Goodbye

Blood Redemption by Vicki Keire - Adios

The Cleansing by Sam Kates - Auf wiedersehen

Soulless by Toni Hofman - Later

Star Road by Matthew Costello and Rick Hautala - Sayonara

The Enlightening by Adrianne James - Goodbye (90)

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - So long

Into the Fire by Jodi McIsaac - Hasta la vista

Vigilante by Kerry Wilkinson - See ya

Copper Heart by Leena Lehtolainen - Farewell

All Through the Night by Connie Brockway - TTFN

Promise Me Heaven by Connie Brockway - Adios

The Orphan's Promise by Pierre Grimbert - Bye

A Watershed Year by Susan Schoenberger - Later

The Magpies by Mark Edwards - Sayonara

A Day at the Office by Matt Dunn - Auf wiedersehen

Books removed: 99

Books kept: 1

Guys! I only kept ONE book from this list of 100 books, and that one because I won a copy of it through a giveaway. This feels huge for me. If I can have more lists like this, I'll get my to-read shelf pared down in about 4 years (and I wish that was a joke). 

I'll be back tomorrow with another big list. - Katie 

Down the TBR Hole #4 - 11/11/2020

Down The TBR Hole is a meme created by Lia @ 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.

It works like this:

• Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more if you're feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
• Read the synopses of the books.
• Decide: Keep it or let it go?

So I made a comment the other day about wanting to be more active on the blog again, and so Joood, my arch-nemesis, bossed me into joining this meme. I'm just going to warn you that this is going to be an exercise in futility for me, because I add dozens of books to my to-read shelf on Goodreads every day as I enter literally all of the giveaways. But that is also going to add another element to my posts, because I refuse to completely break up with a giveaway win, at least for now. I may change my mind on that in the future. But also, since my shelf is so crazy out of control and only getting worse, I'm going to have to go through way more than ten books per post. So for now, my posts will be light on graphics, and I'm only going to explain the books I'm keeping. 

Let's go, shall we?

At the end of my last post, I'd gotten my to-read shelf down to 139,632, but once again, I've entered two days worth of giveaways and therefore added more books to the shelf. This is where we're starting now. 

Current To Read Count: 139,690

Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson - Goodbye

Exodus by Leon Uris - This one gets to remain for now

Carrie by Stephen King - So long

Firestarter by Stephen King - Farewell

Nightshift by Stephen King - Adios

The Dark Half by Stephen King - Buh-bye

Bag of Bones by Stephen King - Auf wiedersehen

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King - Bye

Four Past Midnight by Stephen King - Ciao

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - This one stays. And maybe I'll finally get around to reading it soonish. 

Gerald's Game by Stephen King - Goodbye

Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King - Farewell

Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King - TTFN

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King - See ya later

Duma Key by Stephen King - So long

The Green Mile by Stephen King - Bye now

The Mist by Stephen King - Adios

Coraline by Neil Gaiman - I absolutely love the movie and am far too interested in seeing what that left out, so this stays. 

From a Buick 8 by Stephen King - Auf wiedersehen

Just After Sunset by Stephen King - Ciao 

Lisey's Story by Stephen King - See ya

The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) - Goodbye

Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King - Fare thee well

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis - Bye for now

The Bachman Books - When searched on Amazon, I just got a list of King's novels, so I guess this was just a collection that isn't available for purchase. It's gone now. 

Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King - Adios

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice - See ya later

The Running Man by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) - Goodbye

The Mummy by Anne Rice - Auf wiedersehen

Danse Macabre by Stephen King - Boy bye 

Blaze by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) - Ciao

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer - Farewell

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling - TTFN

What's the Matter with Kansas by Thomas Frank - Being from Kansas and really not understanding how small-town America can care so little for other people, this book is staying on my list.

On Writing by Stephen King - Adios

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe - So long

Marley and Me by John Grogan - Buh-bye

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs - This one stays for now

The Art of War by Sun Tzu - Sayonara

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama - I'm keeping this one for now. 

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer - Bye now

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger - Farewell

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels - This one stays, if only so I can maybe understand why conservatives think liberals are communists.

Sh*t my Dad Says by Justin Halpern - Goodbye

I Am America by Stephen Colbert - Bye for now

America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy by Jon Stewart - Also bye

Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes - Marking as read because it was years ago for book club. 

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray - Auf wiedersehen

He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo - See ya

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - TTFN 

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton - Ciao

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - Girl bye

Sphere by Michael Crichton - Farewell

Contact by Carl Sagan - Goodbye

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams - Adios

I Am Number Four by Pitticus Lore - Sayonara

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - Buh-bye

Congo by Michael Crichton - So long

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville - Bye for now

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares - Auf wiedersehen 

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer - Bye

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine - Adios

Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - Ciao

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon - Goodbye for now

The Last Jew of Treblinka by Chil Rajchman - This is a keeper because it's a Holocaust survivor story.

Treblinka Survivor by Mark S. Smith - This one also stays, for the same reason as above.

Death in the City of Light by David King - Even though this takes place in Nazi occupied Paris, it's going bye bye.

Jesus Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible by Bart D. Ehrman - Farewell

Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger by Louis Sachar - So long

If You Ask Me by Betty White - How could I remove this from my list? It stays. 

The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight by R.L. Stine - Goodbye

Shadowed Memories by Magen McMinimy - Sadly, so long

Dark Soul by Magen McMinimy - Also goodbye

Immortal Craving by Magen McMinimy - Farewell

Primal Hunger by Magen McMinimy - Bye

Echoes of Silence by Magen McMinimy - Adios

Half-Blood Princess Box Set 1 by Magen McMinimy - Auf wiedersehen

Bound by Destiny by Magen McMinimy - Ciao

Paranormal Anthology with a Twist - Collected by Cynthia Shepp - It's not available on Amazon anymore, so bye. 

A Witch's Mark by Magen McMinimy - Sayonara 

Last Surrender by Magen McMinimy - Goodbye

Primal Calling by Magen McMinimy - TTFN

Half-Blood Princess Box Set 2 by Magen McMinimy - So long

Don't Let Go by Michelle Lynn - Buh-bye

Girls' Night Out by Susan Arden - See ya later

King Sized Beds and Happy Trails by Cassie Mae and Tessa Marie - Adios

The Scriptlings by Sorin Suciu - This one stays because I won a copy of it in a giveaway.

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King - This one stays because I really like The Shining and definitely need to read this.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth - Bye for now

Quintessentially Q by Pepper Winters - Auf Wiedersehen 

Vendetta by Autumn Karr - See ya

Gideon's Spear by Darby Karchut - TTFN

Dark Legacy: Trinity by Domenico Italo Composto-Hart - Bye

The Fisherman's Wife: The Gospel According to St. Peter's Spouse by Kathleen Glavich - Later

Sammy the Sea Cow Makes a New Friend by DeAnna Kinney - Buh-bye

Raven's Blood by Deborah Cannon - Adios

Fall by A.K. Morgen - See ya later

School Spirit Day by Alshia Moyez - This book is no longer on Amazon, so bye

Copy, Right...? by Tom Henry - This one stays because I won a copy of it through Goodreads. I'm pretty sure it was even signed in crayon at my request. 

Deadly to Love by Mia Hoddell - Looks like this has been unpublished, so bye 

Books removed: 87

Books kept: 13

I made this list longer because I skipped a day of posting. I've finally gotten into the books that were added because I was entering Goodreads giveaways but I've still got almost 7 years worth of giveaway entries to get through to narrow this list down. So buckle up because we're going to be at this for a while. 

Did I make any poor judgements in books that I decided to toss? - Katie 

Top Ten Tuesday - Book Titles that Would Make Good Song Titles 11/10/2020

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Joood - Hooligan of Platypire reviews bossed me into doing this, so I guess this is a thing I do now. 

This week’s theme is Book Titles that Would Make Good Song Titles. Let's see what kinds of songs I can find on my shelves, shall we? To be clear, these are all going to be books that are actually physically sitting on my bookshelves next to me. 

Island Affair - I picture Jimmy Buffet or Uncle Kracker singing the song with this title. It's got a bit of an island reggae vibe and makes you want to drink Mai Tai's. 

The Undying - Clearly a new emo hit from My Chemical Romance. It's the perfect song to listen to when you just want to wallow in self-pity.

Only Mostly Devastated - Another emo hit, but this one is from Fallout Boy or The All American Rejects. It's a bit more upbeat than The Undying, but 16 year old me can totes relate to what they're saying. 

The Unanswered Letter - This is clearly a country song, and I picture someone like Blake Shelton or Jimmy Wayne singing it. It's a bit of a ballad like song, kind of like Shelton's Austin. 

Boot Straps & Bra Straps - This is an upbeat, girl power country song, sung by someone like Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain, or The Chicks. 

Lies and Lullabies - This is either 2009 Taylor Swift country about a boy who broke her heart, or another emo hit from a band like Panic! at the Disco. Maybe it's both, 2009 Taylor Swift with an emo cover done by Panic! 

Feels like Falling - This is definitely a boy band song, and it doesn't even matter which boy band, because in the end, they're pretty interchangeable. 

The Dirty South - This is an upbeat country song by someone like Trace Adkins or Luke Bryan. Almost like the honky tonk will put a boot in your ass kind of song. 

Onansburg, Iowa - After the success of Ellsworth, Rascal Flatts has decided to sing about another small midwestern town. Unfortunately for them, this one was a flop. 

Unfollow - This is a girl power Top 40 hit sung by someone like Meghan Trainor, Ariana Grande, or Lizzo. Seriously, boy bye. 

Honorable Mentions

Don't Turn Around - I feel like someone did this one already...LOL

The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr - Otherwise known as "Dear Theodosia" from the Hamilton soundtrack.

So what do you think of my selections? Do you think there are better categories for any of my song titles, or maybe just better musical artists than I selected for them? 

If you're stopping by from the linkup, please leave a link to your post below so I can be sure to check out your post for this week. - Katie 

Down the TBR Hole #3 - 11/9/2020

Down The TBR Hole is a meme created by Lia @ 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.

It works like this:

• Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more if you're feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
• Read the synopses of the books.
• Decide: Keep it or let it go?

So I made a comment the other day about wanting to be more active on the blog again, and so Joood, my arch-nemesis, bossed me into joining this meme. I'm just going to warn you that this is going to be an exercise in futility for me, because I add dozens of books to my to-read shelf on Goodreads every day as I enter literally all of the giveaways. But that is also going to add another element to my posts, because I refuse to completely break up with a giveaway win, at least for now. I may change my mind on that in the future. But also, since my shelf is so crazy out of control and only getting worse, I'm going to have to go through way more than ten books per post. So for now, my posts will be light on graphics, and I'm only going to explain the books I'm keeping. 

Let's go, shall we?

At the end of my last post, I had my To-Read shelf down to 139,625. But again, I've entered more giveaways, so this is where we're starting now.

Current To Read Count: 139,670

Villette by Charlotte Bronte - Bye

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand - So long

Ulysses by James Joyce - I'm just not sure I can read over 700 pages about a single day, so bye. 

Silas Marner by George Eliot - Goodbye

Walden by Henry David Thoreau - Farewell

Dubliners by James Joyce - Bye now

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells - Adios

Aesop's Fables by Aesop - Goodbye

The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - I had another version of this on my list just yesterday that I removed, so this one is going away as well.

The Republic by Plato - This feels pretty relevant to current events, so it gets to stay. (10)

The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White - This was one of my most favorite Disney movies growing up, so it stays. 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - Farewell

Utopia by Thomas More - Since this book spawned dystopia (one of my favorite genres) I think I'm going to keep it for now. 

Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Bye

Eragon Christopher Paolini - Auf wiedersehen

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - So long

Stardust by Neil Gaiman - I just can't bring myself to remove a work by Gaiman from my list at this time, so this stays. 

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - Adios

The Gunslinger by Stephen King - This will come as a shock to many, but I'm taking this book off my list.

Dragonheart by Todd McCaffrey - I haven't read from the Dragonrider's of Pern series in many years, but I just can't let this one go at this point. It stays. (20)

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott - For now, this one is gone. 

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King - So long, for now.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - No thanks

The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum - I'm a fan of Matt Damon, so I wanted to read these books, but I think I'll just stick to the movies. Bye. 

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan - Farewell

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - Ciao

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper - Goodbye

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - This one stays, because I said so. 

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - Adios

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk - Considering the fact that I talk about fight club at work, I feel this book must remain on my list (and yes, I know my actions break the first rule of fight club).  (30)

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding - Girl bye

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton - I'll just stick to the movies. Bye

Dune by Frank Herbert - So long

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice - Auf wiedersehen

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson - This one stays. I love horror and one day I WILL read it. 

The Omen by David Seltzer - Another horror book. This one stays. 

Psycho by Robert Bloch - More horror, another book that gets to stay. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Goodbye

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown - Au revoir

Diving Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells - Farewell (40)

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger - Girl bye

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk - Boy bye

Jane Slayer by Sherri Browning Erwin - Bye for now

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - About the Holocaust. It stays.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See - So long for now

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran - Au revoir

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin - Farewell

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende - See ya later

Pompeii by Robert Harris - Adios

The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by his Fool, Will Somers by Margaret George - This book sounds intriguing still, so it stays. 

Books removed: 38

Books left: 12

This was another 50 book list, and I feel almost like I'm not making a dent in my To-Read shelf at all. In fact, I'm still removing books that were added the day I joined Goodreads (I have a serious problem y'all). I think tomorrow I'll try to post a 100 book list, and see if that doesn't finally make me feel like I've changed something. 

Do you feel like I made the wrong decision with any of these books? - Katie 

Book Blogger Hop - 11/9/2020

 

We are on to a new week for the Book Blogger Hop hosted by the lovely folks over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. This weeks questions is: 

Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo? If yes, how did it go? (submitted by Kristin @ Lukten av Trykksverte)

Yes, I have participated in NaNo, a few times in fact.  One year I managed to write at least 50,000 words, which I ultimately decided were garbage, and every other year I've ended up not "finishing". I have exactly zero to show for my participation, but that's okay, I suppose. It feels a bit like wasted time, but a part of me enjoyed doing it, so it wasn't a complete waste. 

I am not officially participating this year, although I have decided to try and spend some time revisiting a fanfic piece that I started during NaNo a few years ago. The intended audience is quite small, but the project will be fun for me and the audience to read. 

If you're stopping by from the linkup, please be sure to leave a link to your post below so I can visit you and see your answer as well. - Katie 

Spotlight: The Christmas Spirit by Alexandrea Weis - October 27 Release

 

Author: Alexandrea Weis

Published: October 27, 2020

Pages: 259

Goodreads

SOMETIMES IT TAKES ONE BROKEN HEART TO HEAL ANOTHER.

Courtney Winston is a writer on a deadline. Eager to finish her book and get over a recent break-up, she ditches Christmas with her family and retreats to a secluded cabin in the mountains. 

Appliances rarely work, and cell service is spotty, but Courtney senses there is more to her rustic rental—something dark and haunting. 

Then Peter, the attractive Stone Mountain Lodge owner, and a meddling cook, Mrs. Finn, keep coming around, shattering her peace and offering advice on how to fix her heavy heart. 

Courtney grows closer to Peter, but Mrs. Finn warns her of his troubled past. Undaunted, Courtney sets out to win him over. But being with the brooding stranger may end up costing her more than she ever imagined.

Amazon

Alexandrea Weis is an advanced practice registered nurse who was born and raised in New Orleans. Having been brought up in the motion picture industry, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective and began writing at the age of eight. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her award-winning novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story memorable. A permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Weis rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans. 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alexandrea-Weis/289566081083949
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexandreaweis
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1211671.Alexandrea_Weis
Website: http://www.alexandreaweis.com/

Down the TBR Hole #2 - 11/8/2020

 

Down The TBR Hole is a meme created by Lia @ 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.

It works like this:

• Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more if you're feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
• Read the synopses of the books.
• Decide: Keep it or let it go?

So I made a comment the other day about wanting to be more active on the blog again, and so Joood, my arch-nemesis, bossed me into joining this meme. I'm just going to warn you that this is going to be an exercise in futility for me, because I add dozens of books to my to-read shelf on Goodreads every day as I enter literally all of the giveaways. But that is also going to add another element to my posts, because I refuse to completely break up with a giveaway win, at least for now. I may change my mind on that in the future. But also, since my shelf is so crazy out of control and only getting worse, I'm going to have to go through way more than ten books per post. So for now, my posts will be light on graphics, and I'm only going to explain the books I'm keeping. 

Let's go, shall we?

When I shared the last post, I'd gotten my to read count down to 139, 646. But I've entered more giveaways, so here is where I'm starting. 

Current To Read Count: 139,668

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas - My heart says keep it, but my brain says bye. So goodbye. 

Paradise Lost by John Milton - Get lost.

The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexander Dumas - Farewell

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle - Goodbye

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte - Bye.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - A part of me really wants to keep this, but I'm throwing in the towel.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - Dystopian and about books. This one stays. 

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - Au revoir (but it pains me to say goodbye). 

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - Goodbye

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - Farewell

The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas - I'll just watch the movie.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Goodbye, Watson

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - Goodbye

Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - See ya' later

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough - Even though I bought used copies of this on three separate occasions, I'm saying goodbye to this for now. 

North and South by John Jakes - Farewell

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom - Book about the Holocaust and WWII, it stays. 

Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally - Another book about the Holocaust. It gets to remain on my list.

The Midwife's Apprentice - This book can go.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra - Adios (20)

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - So long

Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Goodbye

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Farewell. 

The Complete Grimm's Fairytales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm - Auf Wiedersehen

Hans Christian Anderson's Complete Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson - Also goodbye

The Iliad by Homer - Adios

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - Farewell

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien - So long

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer - Bu-bye.

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren - It's a no from me (30)

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - So long

The Crucible by Arthur Miller - See ya' later

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - Bye

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - I think this book is on a list of books that I'm supposed to read by the age of 40 (which Bob from Platypire Reviews and I are "racing" to complete), so it stays. 

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde - This one's gone

The Brother's Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Goodbye

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov - Big fan of science fiction, and really enjoyed the movie starring Will Smith, so I'm going to keep this one. 

Candide by Voltaire - Goodbye

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway - Farewell

Watership Down by Richard Adams - Goodbye (40)

The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway - Adios

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells - I was told I dishonored my family and my cow for getting rid of another Wells book from my To-Read shelf, in spite of that, this one is going too.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman - This one stays, because I said so.

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner - Bye

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller - So long

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli - Ciao

The Aeneid by Virgil - Goodbye

The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath - Girl, bye

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - This book seems like it'd still be somewhat relevant today, so it's staying.

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence - Adios

Books removed: 43

Books kept: 7

As I'm going through the books that I added to my To-Read shelf when I first joined Goodreads (I'm assuming because the all have the same added date and it's back in 2013), it's quite clear that I was on a classics kick. While I try to read their synopses on Amazon today, most of them just talk about how the books are like the greatest works from the X century. Not very helpful there, Amazon, but I reckon most people looking to buy classics aren't super concerned with what the story is actually about anymore. 

So this list is twice as long as the last one. Do you think this was a better length? Worse? Doesn't really matter? I need to know. - Katie