Howdy, y’all! It’s time for another To Be Read Shelf Clean-Up, the December edition. I wonder if this will ever help me reduce the number of books on my TBR? Who am I kidding? I’m a reader; of course, I will forever be adding books. In November, I had 512 books. Today, I have 524. That is a respectable increase in just a couple of weeks. Of course, I have also read quite a few books since then.
I saw this Goodreads TBR Clean-Up post at Megan’s Book Stacks and just knew I had to give it a try. Megan found it over at MegaBunnyReads. Click the titles to go to the Goodreads page for the book, and the image will take you to Amazon.
How It Works:
- Go to your Goodreads want-to-read shelf.
- Ask Siri, or 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 it and the 4 after it, for a total of 5.
- Read the synopses of the books.
- Decide: keep it or should it go?
- Discuss here.
Books To Be Read: 524
Starting Number: 114; looks like I’m going through the books I added in February 2021
Shelf Sorted: Date Added
Book 1: This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith
Synopsis from Goodreads
On a rainy October night in Kentucky, recently divorced therapist Tallie Clark is on her way home from work when she spots a man precariously standing on the side of a bridge. Without a second thought, Tallie pulls over and jumps out of the car into the pouring rain. She convinces the man to join her for a cup of coffee, and he eventually agrees to come back to her house, where he finally shares his name: Emmett.
Over the course of the emotionally charged weekend that follows, Tallie makes it her mission to provide a safe space for Emmett, though she hesitates to confess that this is also her day job. But what she doesn’t realize is that he’s not the only one who needs healing — and she’s not the only one with secrets.
My Thoughts
Since it was released, I’ve had this book on my TBR, and I still haven’t gotten around to reading it. The subject is a heavy one, and most of this year, I haven’t been in the correct mindset to read something too serious. Will I ever feel up to reading it?
KEEP
Book 2: The Siren by Katherine St. John
Synopsis from Goodreads
In the midst of a sizzling hot summer, some of Hollywood’s most notorious faces are assembled on the idyllic Caribbean island of St. Genesius to film The Siren, starring dangerously handsome megastar Cole Power playing opposite his ex-wife, Stella Rivers. The surefire blockbuster promises to entice audiences with its sultry storyline and intimately connected cast.
Three very different women arrive on set, each with her own motive. Stella, an infamously unstable actress, is struggling to reclaim the career she lost in the wake of multiple, very public breakdowns. Taylor, a fledgling producer, is anxious to work on a film she hopes will turn her career around after her last job ended in scandal. And Felicity, Stella’s mysterious new assistant, harbors designs of her own that threaten to upend everyone’s plans.
With a hurricane brewing offshore, each woman finds herself trapped on the island, united against a common enemy. But as deceptions come to light, misplaced trust may prove more perilous than the storm itself.
My Thoughts
I added The Siren to my TBR several months before its release. The idea of three women stuck on an island and having to figure out who they are fighting to survive sounds like something I have to read. It did when I added it to my TBR in February 2021, and it still does now in December 2021.
KEEP
Book 3: Too Good to Be Real by Melonie Johnson
Synopsis from Goodreads
While her friends wish for meet-cutes worthy of their favorite rom-com, Julia is ready to give up on love. Swiping right has replaced getting swept off your feet, and good old-fashioned romance has become, well, old-fashioned.
A writer for a popular website, love becomes the last thing on her mind when impending layoffs threaten her job. As Julia searches for the ultimate pitch to impress her boss, she stumbles upon a resort offering guests a chance to live out their romantic comedy dreams. Real-life dating is so bleak; who wouldn’t want to spend a week in a fantasy rom-com world with your best friends?
At the resort, Julia literally falls into a not-quite-meet-cute involving an aggressive seagull and an adorably awkward guy named Luke, who is also participating in the rom-com experience. Julia hides the fact she is there to do a story, but Luke harbors a few secrets of his own. Among further encounters with thieving seagulls, a gaggle of corgis, kisses in the rain, and even a karaoke serenade, their feelings deepen quickly. But could their love be real when they haven’t been honest about their true identities? Once the fantasy is over, can they have a relationship in the real world?
My Thoughts
Honestly, I can’t remember adding this to my TBR. After reading the synopsis above, I’m not sure I would finish reading the book. The premise sounds cute, but it also sounds like something I’ve read before.
DELETE
Book 4: Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler
Synopsis from Goodreads
Stevie Rosenstein has never made a true friend, never fallen in love. Moved from city to city by her father’s unrelenting job, it’s too hard to care for someone. Trust in anything. The pain of leaving always hurts too much. But she’ll soon learn to trust, to love.
Twice.
Drew and Shane have been best friends through everything. The painful death of Shane’s dad. The bitter separation of Drew’s parents. Through sleepaway camps and family heartache, basketball games, and immeasurable loss, they’ve always been there for each other.
When Stevie meets Drew and Shane, life should go on as normal.
But a simple coin toss alters the course of their year in profound and unexpected ways.
My Thoughts
I’m not sure why I added this to my TBR. After reading the synopsis, and a few reviews, I’m still not sure how I feel about this book.
DELETE
Book 5: While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart
Synopsis from Goodreads
Santa Cruz, 1953. Jean-Luc is a man on the run from his past. The scar on his face is a small price to pay for surviving the horrors of Nazi occupation in France. Now, he has a new life in California, a family. He never expected the past to come knocking on his door.
Paris, 1944. A young Jewish woman’s past is torn apart in a heartbeat. Herded onto a train bound for Auschwitz, in an act of desperation, she entrusts her most precious possession to a stranger. All she has left now is hope.
On a darkened platform, two destinies become intertwined, and the choices each person makes will change the future in ways neither could have imagined.
My Thoughts
This historical fiction tells a similar story to many others set during World War II, but this one sounds different enough that I’m curious. What was her most precious possession that she left with a stranger? I think I know, but I want to know for sure.
KEEP
Wrap Up
Well, it doesn’t look like I cleaned my shelf up too much! Out of the five books, I’m keeping three. What did anyone expect? I mean, I love reading; how can I easily cut a book off of my TBR?
But this was fun. I may do it now and then to help keep my shelf realistic. Earlier this year, I just added books without really thinking about it. Will I stop doing that? Of course not! What kind of animal do you think I am?
Starting in January, I may do a To Be Read Shelf Clean Up twice a month instead of just once a month. What do you think? Have you tried doing something like this to see if you can get your TBR under control?
Looking for some more ideas to read? Check out my other monthly reading wrap-ups.
Where It All Lands sounds a bit like the movie Sliding Doors, in that it follows two different outcomes of the same event. I’m not sure that I’d like this version as much as I liked that movie, though.
Well done! At least you reduced your TBR! I need to try this challenge sometime soon.