Tag: down the tbr hole

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

 

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
Give!!! Me!!!! Gay!!! Mermaids!!!! KEEP.

Papi: My Story by David Ortiz & Michael Holley
Not even a question. KEEP.

My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul
This seems really good and I really want to read it. KEEP.

Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee
Uhhh, basically more gay mermaids, but with a selkie. KEEP.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Very conflicting reviews from my GR friends AND the plot doesn’t really catch me. REMOVE.

 

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
Two of the most used shelves are “abandoned” and “dnf” and the reviews make it seem like something I would hate. I’m going to put this on my shelf of things to avoid tbh. REMOVE.

Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
I don’t think this sounds like a bad book, but it also doesn’t sound like it’s for me. REMOVE.

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton.
I want to read more Crichton, but I don’t think I’ll enjoy this particular one. REMOVE.

The Teeth of the Comb & Other Stories by Osama Alomar
Another one that just doesn’t seem like it’s for me. REMOVE.

Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves by Michael J. Seidlinger
A book about a book that I’m obsessed with. KEEP.

I managed to remove 5 out of 10 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #18

Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
(All covers courtesy of Goodreads.)

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
I think people had sort of mixed reviews about this one, but I still think the plot seems interesting! KEEP.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
I really like accessible non-fiction, and astrophysics is something I know NOTHING about, but would like to be at least a little educated on. KEEP.

The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
This still sounds extremely interesting! KEEP.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
I know some people are obsessed with SJM, but this just doesn’t sound interesting to me right now. REMOVE.

A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
None of my friends have this on their GR and I have no idea how I came across it, but I’m not really interested. REMOVE.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Wow, I actually have zero interest in this, even though it seems pretty highly rated. REMOVE.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
I’ve heard so many good things! KEEP.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Okay, I’m definitely going to read this! KEEP.

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
Ah, I remember adding this and still really wanna read it! KEEP.

The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne
See above! KEEP.

I only managed to remove 3 out of 10 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #17

Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
(All covers and blurbs courtesy of Goodreads.)

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

I’ve seen several other folks change up their formatting for this, so I’ve decided to give it a shot as well! Let me know if you preferred my old formatting more or have any other suggestions for me. 🙂

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
I really loved The Girl on the Train, but I just don’t really get excited thinking about this one. REMOVE.

Page Turner by Barbara Kyle
I’m not sure if I’ll ever get around to writing a novel, but this book just isn’t a priority. REMOVE.

Beloved by Toni Morrison
Feels like a must-read. KEEP.

Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
For some reason I thought this had a queer plotline, but it doesn’t so I don’t care. REMOVE.

How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake
Here’s the queer book I was looking for. KEEP.

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
Weh, I just don’t feel terribly interested in this. REMOVE.

The Leavers by Lisa Ko
I think this is worth giving a shot. KEEP.

It’s Always the Husband by Michele Campbell
Again, I just don’t feel interested. REMOVE.

On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee
Conflicting reviews, and only one of my friends has read it. REMOVE.

Nasty Women edited by 404 Ink
Looks like a super interesting anthology. KEEP.

I managed to remove 6 out of 10 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #16

Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
(All covers and blurbs courtesy of Goodreads.)

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

I’ve seen several other folks change up their formatting for this, so I’ve decided to give it a shot as well! Let me know if you preferred my old formatting more or have any other suggestions for me. 🙂

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
I honestly cannot believe I haven’t read this yet and hope I get to it very soon. KEEP.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber
I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews, and honestly just don’t have any interest. REMOVE.

The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel
I’ve really been looking forward to this one! I’m from New England and my dad is super into survivalists, so I’d like to read this and get him a copy to read as well. KEEP.

10 Things I Can See from Here by Carrie Mac
The book only interests me because the MC is a LBPQ girl and the reviews make it seem highly mediocre. REMOVE.

Cold Summer by Gwen Cole
The plot doesn’t interest me and none of my friends have reviewed it. That cover is gorg and other people seem to love it, but I don’t think it’s for me. REMOVE.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
Obviously everyone is obsessed with this one, and it does look super cute. KEEP.

The Polygamist’s Daughter by Anna LeBaron and Leslie Wilson
Why are cults so fascinating? I don’t know. This sounds horrifying, but interesting. KEEP.

Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Steven C. Hayes and Spencer Smith
This has positive reviews, but I’m just not interested right now. REMOVE.

Wenjack by Joseph Boyden and Kent Monkman
This sounds good, is very highly-rated, and is very short. KEEP.

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle
This book has a lower rating in general, but is pretty highly rated by my friends. And the premise is interesting. KEEP.

I only managed to remove 4 out of 10 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #15

Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
(All covers and blurbs courtesy of Goodreads.)

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

Boy Proof
Added: March 26, 2017

What happens when an antisocial cinephile meets up with the worldly new guy at school — a quick-witted artist who’s savvy enough to see through her sci-fi disguise?

Meet Egg. Her real name is Victoria Jurgen, but she’s renamed herself after the kick-ass heroine of her favorite sci-fi movie, Terminal Earth. Like her namesake, Egg dresses all in white, colors her eyebrows, and shaves her head. She always knows the right answers, she’s always in control, and she’s far too busy — taking photos for the school paper, meeting with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Club, and hanging out at the creature shop with her dad, the special-effects makeup wizard — to be bothered with friends, much less members of the opposite sex. As far as Egg is concerned, she’s boy proof, and she likes it that way. But then Egg meets a boy named Max, a boy who’s smart and funny and creative and cool…and happens to like Egg. Could this be the end of the world — at least as Egg knows it?

I don’t really feel like reading a book where the MC ~*~*just needs the right guy to make her interested in love~*~* and I’m not sure how or why I added this. REMOVE.

Seconds
Added: March 26, 2017

Katie’s got it pretty good. She’s a talented young chef, she runs a successful restaurant, and she has big plans to open an even better one. Then, all at once, progress on the new location bogs down, her charming ex-boyfriend pops up, her fling with another chef goes sour, and her best waitress gets badly hurt. And just like that, Katie’s life goes from pretty good to not so much. What she needs is a second chance. Everybody deserves one, after all—but they don’t come easy. Luckily for Katie, a mysterious girl appears in the middle of the night with simple instructions for a do-it-yourself do-over:
 
1. Write your mistake
2. Ingest one mushroom
3. Go to sleep
4. Wake anew
 
And just like that, all the bad stuff never happened, and Katie is given another chance to get things right. She’s also got a dresser drawer full of magical mushrooms—and an irresistible urge to make her life not just good, but perfect. Too bad it’s against the rules. But Katie doesn’t care about the rules—and she’s about to discover the unintended consequences of the best intentions.
 
From the mind and pen behind the acclaimed Scott Pilgrim series comes a madcap new tale of existential angst, everyday obstacles, young love, and ancient spirits that’s sharp-witted and tenderhearted, whimsical and wise.

I really want to read more Bryan Lee O’Malley and this sounds fun! KEEP.

Of Fire and Stars
Added: March 27, 2017

Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden.

Now, Denna must learn the ways of her new home while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine—called Mare—the sister of her betrothed.

When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Mare and Denna reluctantly join forces to search for the culprit. As the two become closer, Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. And soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more.

But with dangerous conflict brewing that makes the alliance more important than ever, acting on their feelings could be deadly. Forced to choose between their duty and their hearts, Mare and Denna must find a way to save their kingdoms—and each other.

I’m not super taken in by the plot, but it’s tagged as lgbtqia soooo. KEEP.

Crave
Added: March 27, 2017

February 2007, a landmark clinical study by researchers at Harvard University was published in Biological Psychiatry and was soon picked up widely by the media. A survey of 3,000 participants found that 2.8 percent of them suffered from binge eating disorder (BED); that women were twice as likely to report binge eating; and that BED occurs across the age span, from children to the elderly. By extrapolating the statistics to the general population, health professionals estimate 5,250,000 American women and 3,000,000 men suffer from binge eating. The same month the study was published Jane Brody revealed in the New York Times that when she was a 23 years old, her food binges were so extreme that “Many mornings I awakened to find partly chewed food still in my mouth….”

Cynthia Bulik, director of the UNC Eating Disorders Progam, is a foremost authority on binge eating. BED can affect anyone, and can be caused by brain chemistry, genetic predisposition, psychology, and cultural pressures–but none of those triggers make giving in to food cravings inevitable. Crave helps readers understand why they crave specific foods, recognize their individual triggers, and modify their responses to those triggers. Binge eating disorder is highly treatable; 70% to 80% of patients at the UNC Eating Disorders Program triumph over their binge eating by using techniques to “curb the crave.” Through the stories of some of these patients–men and women, young and old–and with the guidance of Bulik, readers will develop a variety of strategies to use in conquering their cravings and establishing healthy eating habits.

Reviews aren’t great and it sounds like it’s kind of fat-shamey, which I’m not about. REMOVE.

A Tragic Kind of Wonderful
Added: March 27, 2017

For sixteen-year-old Mel Hannigan, bipolar disorder makes life unpredictable. Her latest struggle is balancing her growing feelings in a new relationship with her instinct to keep everyone at arm’s length. And when a former friend confronts Mel with the truth about the way their relationship ended, deeply buried secrets threaten to come out and upend her shaky equilibrium.

As the walls of Mel’s compartmentalized world crumble, she fears the worst—that her friends will abandon her if they learn the truth about what she’s been hiding. Can Mel bring herself to risk everything to find out?

The blurb is hella vague, but I am interested in reading some YA with bipolar rep! KEEP.

I only managed to remove 2 out of 5 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #14

Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
(All covers and blurbs courtesy of Goodreads.)

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

The Hate U Give
Added: March 7, 2017

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

I know you’re all going to hate me for this, but I’m just not feeling drawn towards this even though I know it’s a really powerful read. I’ll still possibly get to it sometime, but for now: REMOVE.

A Dog’s Journey
Added: March 8, 2017

The direct sequel to the New York Times and USA Today bestselling A Dog’s Purpose.

Buddy is a good dog.

After searching for his purpose through several eventful lives, Buddy is sure that he has found and fulfilled it. Yet as he watches curious baby Clarity get into dangerous mischief, he is certain that this little girl is very much in need of a dog of her own.

When Buddy is reborn, he realizes that he has a new destiny. He’s overjoyed when he is adopted by Clarity, now a vibrant but troubled teenager. When they are suddenly separated, Buddy despairs―who will take care of his girl?

A charming and heartwarming story of hope, love, and unending devotion, A Dog’s Journey asks the question: Do we really take care of our pets, or do they take care of us? More than just another endearing dog tale, A Dog’s Journey is the moving story of unwavering loyalty and a love that crosses all barriers.

I added this after reading the first book in the series, which was fun, if not very well-written. But it’s been over a year and I don’t really see myself picking up the sequel. REMOVE.

Grave Mercy
Added: March 12, 2017

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Honestly, this just doesn’t appeal to me. I haven’t been in the mood for historical fantasy for a while now and anything I pick up has to really thrill me. REMOVE.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn
Added: March 12, 2017

Swordplay, dragon magic–and a hero with a desperate secret

Twelve-year-old Eon has been in training for years. His intensive study of Dragon Magic, based on East Asian astrology, involves two kinds of skills: sword-work and magical aptitude. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye–an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. 

But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a boy for the chance to become a Dragoneye. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured.

When Eon’s secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a deadly struggle for the Imperial throne. Eon must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic…and her life.

See above. REMOVE.

One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter
Added: March 26, 2017

A collection of essays about growing up the daughter of Indian immigrants in Canada, “a land of ice and casual racism,” by the cultural observer, Scaachi Koul.

In One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, Scaachi deploys her razor-sharp humour to share her fears, outrages and mortifying experiences as an outsider growing up in Canada. Her subjects range from shaving her knuckles in grade school, to a shopping trip gone horribly awry, to dealing with internet trolls, to feeling out of place at an Indian wedding (as an Indian woman), to parsing the trajectory of fears and anxieties that pressed upon her immigrant parents and bled down a generation. Alongside these personal stories are pointed observations about life as a woman of colour, where every aspect of her appearance is open for critique, derision or outright scorn. Where strict gender rules bind in both Western and Indian cultures, forcing her to confront questions about gender dynamics, racial tensions, ethnic stereotypes and her father’s creeping mortality–all as she tries to find her feet in the world.

I’ve been wanting to read this for ages. KEEP.

I managed to remove 4 out of 5 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #13

Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
(All covers and blurbs courtesy of Goodreads.)

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

The Happiness Trap
Added: March 1, 2017

Are you, like milllions of Americans, caught in the happiness trap? Russ Harris explains that the way most of us go about trying to find happiness ends up making us miserable, driving the epidemics of stress, anxiety, and depression. This empowering book presents  the insights and techniques of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) a revolutionary new psychotherapy based on cutting-edge research in behavioral psychology. By clarifying your values and developing mindfulness (a technique for living fully in the present moment), ACT helps you escape the happiness trap and find true satisfaction in life.

I don’t remember why I added this, but most of the reviews seem to say “I hated it, but it kind of worked.” I don’t want to read something I’ll hate, and it’s not currently appealing to me. REMOVE.

Make Room! Make Room!
Added: March 2, 2017

First published in 1966, Harrison’s novel of an overpopulated urban jungle, a divided class system–operating within an atmosphere of riots, food shortages, and senseless acts of violence–and a desperate hunt for the truth by a cynical NYC detective tells a classic tale of a dark future.

Apparently this is the novel Soylent Green was based on, which I have yet to see but would like to. KEEP.

Socialism… Seriously
Added: March 2, 2017

Opinion polls show that many people in the U.S. prefer socialism to capitalism. But after being declared dead and buried for decades, socialism has come to mean little more than something vaguely less cruel and stupid than what we have now. That’s not exactly going to inspire millions to storm the barricades. 

Danny Katch brings together the two great Marxist traditions of Karl and Groucho to provide an entertaining and insightful introduction to what the socialist tradition has to say about democracy, economics and the potential of human beings to be something more than being bomb-dropping, planet-destroying racist fools.

I hate capitalism and feel that I’m anarcha-leaning, but don’t know enough about politics. This was recommended on a podcast by someone I really like, and I definitely still want to read it! KEEP.

The Book of Cthulhu
Added: March 2, 2017

Slim, accessible, inexpensive, irreverent introduction to socialism by the writers of “Jacobin” magazine 
The remarkable run of self-proclaimed democratic socialist Bernie Sanders for president of the United States has prompted for the first time in decades and to the shock of many a national conversation about socialism. A “New York Times” poll in late November found that a majority of Democrats had a favorable view of socialism, and in New Hampshire in February, more than half of Democratic voters under 35 told the Boston Globe they call themselves socialists. It s unclear exactly what socialism means to this generation, but couple with the ascendancy of longtime leftwinger Jeremy Corbyn to the leadership of the Labour Party in the UK, it s clear there s a historic, generational shift underway. 

This book steps into this moment to offer a clear, accessible, informative, and irreverent guide to socialism for the uninitiated. Written by young writers from the dynamic magazine “Jacobin,” alongside several distinguished scholars, “The ABCs of Socialism” answers basic questions, including ones that many want to know but might be afraid to ask ( Doesn t socialism always end up in dictatorship?, Will socialists take my Kenny Loggins records? ). Disarming and pitched to a general readership without sacrificing intellectual depth, this will be the best introduction an idea whose time seems to have come again.”

See above! KEEP.

Story of Your Life
Added: March 5, 2017

Dr. Louise Banks is enlisted by the military to communicate with a race of aliens, after they initiate first contact with humanity. The story revolves around Banks, woven through with remembrances of her daughter.

This short story is the basis for the 2016 feature film Arrival.

I added this after seeing Arrival, which I loved. KEEP.

I only managed to remove 1 out of 5 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #12

Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
(All covers and blurbs courtesy of Goodreads.)

Started by Lost in a Story, the most fun way to cut down that TBR!

The rules:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

Oglaf, Book 1
Added: Feb 18, 2017.

Oglaf Book 1 collects the first 199 pages of comics from the website, including alt text and epilogues, in a festival of fantasy smut and madness. There’s also bonus extras, never seen before and printed in internet-proof ink, including Ivan’s ‘doesn’t count’ kama sutra — handy if you love somebody but still need to use them as unicorn bait.

I read some of this comic like 5 years ago and thought it was funny, but… I’ll pass for now. REMOVE.

Dune
Added: Feb 19, 2017

Set in the far future amidst a sprawling feudal interstellar empire where planetary dynasties are controlled by noble houses that owe an allegiance to the imperial House Corrino, Dune tells the story of young Paul Atreides (the heir apparent to Duke Leto Atreides and heir of House Atreides) as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the ‘spice’ melange, the most important and valuable substance in the cosmos. The story explores the complex, multi-layered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion as the forces of the empire confront each other for control of Arrakis.

Published in 1965, it won the Hugo Award in 1966 and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. Dune is frequently cited as the world’s best-selling sf novel.

I mean, it’s Dune. KEEP.

An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States
Added: Feb 21, 2017

The first history of the United States told from the perspective of indigenous peoples
 
Today in the United States, there are more than five hundred federally recognized Indigenous nations comprising nearly three million people, descendants of the fifteen million Native people who once inhabited this land. The centuries-long genocidal program of the US settler-colonial regimen has largely been omitted from history. Now, for the first time, acclaimed historian and activist Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz offers a history of the United States told from the perspective of Indigenous peoples and reveals how Native Americans, for centuries, actively resisted expansion of the US empire.

In An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, Dunbar-Ortiz adroitly challenges the founding myth of the United States and shows how policy against the Indigenous peoples was colonialist and designed to seize the territories of the original inhabitants, displacing or eliminating them. And as Dunbar-Ortiz reveals, this policy was praised in popular culture, through writers like James Fenimore Cooper and Walt Whitman, and in the highest offices of government and the military. Shockingly, as the genocidal policy reached its zenith under President Andrew Jackson, its ruthlessness was best articulated by US Army general Thomas S. Jesup, who, in 1836, wrote of the Seminoles: “The country can be rid of them only by exterminating them.” 
 
Spanning more than four hundred years, this classic bottom-up peoples’ history radically reframes US history and explodes the silences that have haunted our national narrative.

This kind of feels like a must-read? KEEP.

The Book of Cthulhu
Added: Feb 24, 2017

The Cthulhu Mythos is one of the 20th century’s most singularly recognizable literary creations. Initially created by H. P. Lovecraft and a group of his amorphous contemporaries (the so-called “Lovecraft Circle”), The Cthulhu Mythos story cycle has taken on a convoluted, cyclopean life of its own. Some of the most prodigious writers of the 20th century, and some of the most astounding writers of the 21st century have planted their seeds in this fertile soil. The Book of Cthulhu harvests the weirdest and most corpulent crop of these modern mythos tales. From weird fiction masters to enigmatic rising stars, The Book of Cthulhu demonstrates how Mythos fiction has been a major cultural meme throughout the 20th century, and how this type of story is still salient, and terribly powerful today.

Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

I read The Book of Cthulhu II about a year ago and LOVED it, so I definitely have to read this as well. KEEP.

Eligible (The Austin Project #4)
Added: Feb 28, 2017

This version of the Bennet family and Mr. Darcy is one that you have and haven’t met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray. 

Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master’s degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won’t discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane’s fortieth birthday fast approaches. 

Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible. At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip’s friend, neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy, reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . . And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.

I’m not the biggest Austen fan. This has good ratings by some of my friends, but I just don’t feel any interest in it. REMOVE.

I only managed to remove 2 out of 5 books today. Any decisions you would have made differently?

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #11

Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
(All covers and blurbs courtesy of Goodreads.)

Started by Lost in a Story.

The rules:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

Unfair

A child is gunned down by a police officer; an investigator ignores critical clues in a case; an innocent man confesses to a crime he did not commit; a jury acquits a killer. The evidence is all around us: Our system of justice is fundamentally broken. 
 
But it’s not for the reasons we tend to think, as law professor Adam Benforado argues in this eye-opening, galvanizing book. Even if the system operated exactly as it was designed to, we would still end up with wrongful convictions, trampled rights, and unequal treatment. This is because the roots of injustice lie not inside the dark hearts of racist police officers or dishonest prosecutors, but within the minds of each and every one of us.
 
This is difficult to accept. Our nation is founded on the idea that the law is impartial, that legal cases are won or lost on the basis of evidence, careful reasoning and nuanced argument. But they may, in fact, turn on the camera angle of a defendant’s taped confession, the number of photos in a mug shot book, or a simple word choice during a cross-examination. In Unfair, Benforado shines a light on this troubling new field of research, showing, for example, that people with certain facial features receive longer sentences and that judges are far more likely to grant parole first thing in the morning. 
 
Over the last two decades, psychologists and neuroscientists have uncovered many cognitive forces that operate beyond our conscious awareness. Until we address these hidden biases head-on, Benforado argues, the social inequality we see now will only widen, as powerful players and institutions find ways to exploit the weaknesses of our legal system.  
 
Weaving together historical examples, scientific studies, and compelling court cases—from the border collie put on trial in Kentucky to the five teenagers who falsely confessed in the Central Park Jogger case—Benforado shows how our judicial processes fail to uphold our values and protect society’s weakest members. With clarity and passion, he lays out the scope of the legal system’s dysfunction and proposes a wealth of practical reforms that could prevent injustice and help us achieve true fairness and equality before the law.

This sounds interesting, and my sister liked it. KEEP.

Life’s Lottery

An adult role-playing novel where the reader can choose different narrative options which can result in very different plot resolutions, highlighting our existential lives, where seemingly small decisions have monumental consequences.

I don’t know why I added it, none of my friends have read it, and there are a lot of conflicting reviews. TOSS.

The Thirteenth Tale

Angelfield House stands abandoned and forgotten. It was once the imposing home of the March family–fascinating, manipulative Isabelle, Charlie her brutal and dangerous brother, and the wild, untamed twins, Emmeline and Adeline. But Angelfield House conceals a chilling secret whose impact still resonates…

Now Margaret Lea is investigating Angelfield’s past–and the mystery of the March family starts to unravel. What has Angelfield been hiding? What is its connection with the enigmatic author Vida Winter? And what is it in Margaret’s own troubled past that causes her to fall so powerfully under Angelfilds spell?

The description is super vague, but it’s been highly rated by several of my friends. KEEP.

Difficult Women

Award-winning author and powerhouse talent Roxane Gay burst onto the scene with An Untamed State—which earned rave reviews and was selected as one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post, NPR, the Boston Globe, and Kirkus—and her New York Times bestselling essay collection Bad Feminist (Harper Perennial). Gay returns with Difficult Women, a collection of stories of rare force and beauty, of hardscrabble lives, passionate loves, and quirky and vexed human connection.

The women in these stories live lives of privilege and of poverty, are in marriages both loving and haunted by past crimes or emotional blackmail. A pair of sisters, grown now, have been inseparable ever since they were abducted together as children, and must negotiate the marriage of one of them. A woman married to a twin pretends not to realize when her husband and his brother impersonate each other. A stripper putting herself through college fends off the advances of an overzealous customer. A black engineer moves to Upper Michigan for a job and faces the malign curiosity of her colleagues and the difficulty of leaving her past behind. From a girls’ fight club to a wealthy subdivision in Florida where neighbors conform, compete, and spy on each other, Gay delivers a wry, beautiful, haunting vision of modern America reminiscent of Merritt Tierce, Jamie Quatro, and Miranda July.

I can’t believe I haven’t read any Roxane Gay yet. KEEP.

Under Rose-Tainted Skies

At seventeen, Norah has accepted that the four walls of her house delineate her life. She knows that fearing everything from inland tsunamis to odd numbers is irrational, but her mind insists the world outside is too big, too dangerous. So she stays safe inside, watching others’ lives through her windows and social media feed.

But when Luke arrives on her doorstep, he doesn’t see a girl defined by medical terms and mental health. Instead, he sees a girl who is funny, smart, and brave. And Norah likes what he sees.

Their friendship turns deeper, but Norah knows Luke deserves a normal girl. One who can walk beneath the open sky. One who is unafraid of kissing. One who isn’t so screwed up. Can she let him go for his own good—or can Norah learn to see herself through Luke’s eyes?

I’m intrigued by this one, but I’m not sure I’ll get around to it. TOSS, for now.

Previous: Down the TBR Hole #10

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(All covers and blurbs courtesy of Goodreads.)