I just learned of Lia’s Down the TBR Hole while reading Roofbeam Reader’s TBR Pile Cleanse post, and since my to-read list on Goodreads is currently at 1,110 books, I figured I may as well give it a shot. Also, to echo Adam, who doesn’t love a good play on words/Alice in Wonderland allusion? (I also created this graphic, so you know I’m committed.)
The rules are:
- 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?
1. The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: I added this book to my list because a selection from this book is heavily anthologized. I would have read this book a long time ago if it were available on audiobook since it was searching for this book that lead me to The Conch Bearer. So yeah. This one’s a keeper.
2. Incognegro by Mat Johnson: I actually tried to read this once before but wasn’t quite in the mood for it and/or the art didn’t grab me. Anyway, I am intrigued by the subject of the book and have heard good things from people I trust, so I think I’m going to give this one at least one more shot. Keep.
3. A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee: I also tried to read this one before but wasn’t feeling it. I have also seen it on the shelf at the library a ton of times since then and passed it right on by. For those reasons, this book has been chopped.
(I probably won’t make any more reality competition show elimination jokes, but I can’t promise.)
4. Invisible Lives by Anjali Banerjee: I put one of her other books on hold at the library (maybe because this one isn’t available?). If I like the other book, I’ll find more of her stuff, so I think it’s safe to say this one can GO.
5. One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: I thought this was nonfiction, which explains why I have been putting it off for so long. But I just reread the synopsis and this is totally the type of book I love reading, so I obviously need to keep this one.
6. Black No More by George S. Schuyler: This was on my 2015 TBR Challenge list and is currently on my #MustRead2017 list. No brainer that this one is definitely a keeper. Now if only I would actually read it…
7. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi: This book is about the transformative power of literature combined with the importance of teachers/teaching, which are two of my favorite things in the whole wide world (for obvious reasons). No brainer here: KEEP.
8. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: This book has always been checked out from the library when I want to read it, and I also tried but failed to get into another of her books. GO.
9. Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance: Selections from the Work of Richard Bruce Nugent by Richard Bruce Nugent: I am never going to read this, though I really would like to. GO.
10. Nyx: Wannabe by Joe Quesada: I know I put this on my list because it has something to do with X-Men, but reading the synopsis made me wonder why I cared at all. GO.
11. The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon: This book is about the tension between the non-violent Civil Rights Movement made popular by Martin Luther King and the Black Panther Party (which was also non-violent but suffers from bad press. MOVING ON). The real question is: why haven’t I read this yet? KEEP.
12. Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford: I previewed this at the library ages ago and decided not to check it out. So Imma just go ahead call that a no aka GO.
Okay, so this was kind of fun. Also, I did twelve because I had already made my screen caps and didn’t feel like taking them again. Either way, I would’ve had to do more work so I opted for the one that probably took longer. What can I say? This is just who I am.
Next time, I will stick to 10. And hopefully maybe even cut more books next time. (Half isn’t bad! But more than half would be better.)
The Englishist 
That does look kind of fun! I am terrible about using Goodreads. Instead, I keep a running TBR list in a google document. I have no idea how many books are on there, but it’s a lot and it isn’t organized (Ugh).
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I used to keep a list like that! The good thing about Goodreads is I can definitely mark a book as done when I’m done. The bad thing is I keep adding books so the pile just never ends. And mine is completely unorganized. I really just use it as a way to remember/get an impression of a book or title. I have started using it more to find audiobooks, especially when I don’t know what I want to read. I’ll randomly pick a book off the list and see if the library has it.
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I’m curious to see what you think of Incognegro – i bought it for my library, but haven’t read it myself. And I think you’re right on A Spy in the House – I enjoyed it, but it has a lot of that really emo teen romance that I get the impression doesn’t do much for you. I’ve read just one Sarah Waters book – quite literary though also explicit – but haven’t gone back for more even though it was good.
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I have to figure out when I’ll be in the right mindset for Incognegro, sigh. I know it’ll probably make me angry, and I have to space out my rage.
I didn’t even get to the emojified teen romance, but if that’s the case with Spy in the House, I’ll definitely pass.
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Nice post ❤ ❤ ❤
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I wasn’t a big fan of Invisible Lives. Good choice
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