October 2026 Goodreads TBR Shelf Clean-Up

Howdy, y’all! It’s time for my October 2026 Goodreads TBR Shelf Clean-Up. I wonder if this will help me cut down on my TBR. Who am I kidding? I’m a reader; of course, I’ll always add books. In September 2026, I had 592 books. Today, I have 591. Will my October 2026 Goodreads TBR shelf clean-up help bring that number down further?

I saw this Goodreads TBR Clean-Up post at Megan’s Book Stacks and knew I had to try it. Megan found it over at MegaBunnyReads.

Click the titles to go to Goodreads.

How It Works:

• Go to your Goodreads want-to-read shelf.
• Use a random number generator to pick a number between 1 and however many books are on the list.
• Go to that book and look at the next four for a total of 5.
• Read the synopses of the books.
• Decide: keep it or delete it?
• Discuss here.

Books To Be Read: 591

Starting Number: 375. It appears that I’m reviewing the books I added in Spring 2024.

Shelf Sorted: Date Added

Let’s get this October 2026 Goodreads TBR Shelf Clean-Up underway!

Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

A thriving bakery. A lighthouse to call home. A handsome beekeeper. A pet puffin. These are the things that Polly Waterford can call her own. This is the beautiful life she leads on a tiny island off the southern coast of England.

But clouds are gathering on the horizon. A stranger threatens to ruin Polly’s business. Her beloved boyfriend seems to be leading a secret life. And the arrival of a newcomer—a bereft widow desperately searching for a fresh start—forces Polly to reconsider the choices she’s made, even as she tries to help her new friend through grief.

My Thoughts

Jenny Colgan is one of my favorite authors, so that should tell you where this book stands on my TBR. Oh, and I own a copy.

KEEP

A Blood Red Morning by Mark Pryor

January 1941: It’s cold and still dark when Paris Detective Henri Lefort wakes up to an empty apartment, irritated with his roommate for not even starting the coffee.

Irritation turns to suspicion when he starts his walk to work and spots a large blood stain in front of the building. At the office, his boss, the chief of homicide, is incredulous that Henri didn’t hear the gunshot that killed a man right outside his apartment. On the plus side, this means that Henri isn’t a witness and can investigate the case.

It first appears that the dead man is a nobody—but Henri soon finds out he’s a nobody with a classified police file. Henri confronts his bosses and then the Germans, but is stonewalled. So he turns his investigation to the other tenants in his building. Coincidentally, each resident claims ignorance. When Henri learns that the dead man was a German agent, he must face the real possibility that one of his friends and neighbors is a killer. It’s his job to find the truth no matter what, but when he does, he faces the biggest dilemma of his career—whether in times like these the rules of justice should be, just sometimes, trumped by the rules of war.

My Thoughts

This is the third book in a series that I keep meaning to finish. I loved the first book, and I own the second. I hope to finish this series soon.

KEEP

When the World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward

1917. Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Nora Crowell wants more than her sister’s life as a wife and mother. As WWI rages across the Atlantic, she becomes a lieutenant in the Canadian Army Nursing Corps. But trouble is looming, and it won’t be long before the truth comes to light.

Having lost her beloved husband in the trenches and with no one else to turn to, Charlotte Campbell now lives with his haughty relations who treat her like the help. It is baby Aileen, the joy and light of her life, who spurs her to dream of a better life.

When tragedy strikes in Halifax Harbor, nothing for these two women will ever be the same again. Their paths will cross in the most unexpected way, trailing both heartbreak and joy in its wake…

My Thoughts

A historical fiction book set in a time period other than WWII, and not in the US or UK.

KEEP

Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff

Culinary student Lexi Berman, 24, has one goal: to make her late mother proud by becoming an executive chef in a Michelin-star restaurant. And she isn’t going to let anything–or anyone–get in the way. But when she meets Jake Taylor, a dive bar musician who charms her with show tunes, she makes a rare exception to her no-dating rule. After a steamy weekend together, Jake leaves for L.A. to record his demo, and Lexi never expects to see him again. And she definitely doesn’t expect him to become an overnight celebrity, with a breakout single that’s almost certainly about her famous blueberry pancake recipe.

As Jake’s star rises and the world speculates about the subject of his song, Lexi keeps the affair to herself. After all, she’s finally found her footing at her new restaurant job, and even has a prospective romance with her coworker. But when a distraught Jake turns up on her doorstep late one night, her carefully laid plans are thrown for a loop. Though she and Jake try to be friends, things between them soon reheat faster than a bowl of Lexi’s matzah ball soup. But a relationship with Jake means risking her face in tabloids, withstanding cruel internet comments, and worst of all, jeopardizing her career. As Jake’s upcoming tour approaches, and rumors swirl about him and another pop star, Lexi has to decide if holding onto her meticulously-planned future is worth walking away from what could be the perfect recipe for love.

My Thoughts

While this sounds like it could be a great read, it doesn’t sound like one I’m interested in reading any longer.

DELETE

A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss

Annie Sharpe’s spark for life has fizzled out. Her kids are grown up, her restaurant is doing just fine on its own, and her twenty-six-year marriage has come to an unceremonious end. Untethered for the first time in her adult life, she finds a winter guardian position in a historic seaside home and decides to leave her city life behind for a brand-new beginning.

When she arrives in Willow Bay, Annie is enamored by the charming house, the invigorating sea breeze, and the town’s rich seasonal traditions. Not to mention, her neighbors receive her with open arms–that is, all except the surly nephew of the homeowner, whose grand plans for the property are at odds with her residency. As Christmas approaches, tensions and tides rise in Willow Bay, and Annie’s future seems less and less certain. But with a little can-do spirit and holiday magic, the most difficult time of her life will become…a season for second chances.

My Thoughts

This sounds like a great read. I love reading about characters who aren’t in their 20s, even better when they are trying to rebuild their lives.

KEEP

That is my October 2026 Goodreads TBR Shelf Clean-Up. It seems to have had little effect on my shelf, since I’m keeping four out of the five books. LOL!

This was fun. I may do it now and then to help keep my shelf realistic. In the past, I added books without thinking much about them. Will I stop doing that? Of course not! What kind of animal do you think I am?

What do you think? Have you tried something like this to manage your TBR?

Are you looking for some more ideas to read? Check out my monthly reading wrap-ups.