To Be Read Shelf Clean-Up: July 2021

Have you ever looked at your Want To Read shelf on Goodreads and wonder how in the world you’ll ever read all of those books? I know I have, and I don’t have nearly as many books as other book bloggers do. At the moment, I have 326 books on the list. The best part? I’ve added like 200 in the past 7 months or so. I saw this Goodreads TBR Clean-Up post over at Megan’s Book Stacks and just knew I had to give it a try. Megan found it over at MegaBunnyReads. Let’s see if how successful my To Be Read Shelf Clean-Up is for July 2021.

How It Works:

• Go to your Goodreads want-to-read shelf.
• Ask Siri 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: 326

Starting Number: 240; looks like I’m going through the newer releases I’ve added to my list

Shelf Sorted: Date Added

Book 1: Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall

Summary from Goodreads:

Following the recipe is the key to a successful bake. Rosaline Palmer has always lived by those rules—well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, with a paycheck as useful as greaseproof paper and a house crumbling faster than biscuits in tea, she’s teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there’s a whisk there’s a way . . . and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation’s most beloved baking show.

Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves—and Rosaline is determined to stick to the instructions. However, more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory.  Suave, well-educated, and parent-approved Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her off her feet, but it’s shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes Rosaline question her long-held beliefs—about herself, her family, and her desires.

Rosaline fears falling for Harry is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Yet as the competition—and the ovens—heat up, Rosaline starts to realize the most delicious bakes come from the heart.

Thoughts:

This book gives me Great British Baking Show vibes. And I love that show! I have to keep this book on the list. I think it deserves a fair shot, especially as it appears to be the start of a new series.

KEEP

Book 2: Soft Hearts (Rett Swinson Mystery #1) by Eric Lodin

Summary from Goodreads:

A Halloween Murder, a Dragon Suspect-and a Neighborhood Secret.

Harriett “Rett” Swinson is trying to rebuild her life after a failed marriage when a group of Halloween trick-or-treaters discovers her neighbor, retired English professor and poet Wanda Hightower, dead on her porch, stabbed in the back and through the heart. Was her killer a random psychopath in search of blood on All Hallow’s Eve-or one of the neighbors who helped with her lawn’s makeover gone wrong? Wanda claimed to have dirt on nearly everyone in their Downtown Raleigh neighborhood, so the list of suspects is long.

Finding the killer will require Rett to reconstruct Wanda’s turbulent past while weighing her growing attraction for Homicide Detective Darryl Schmidt against a desperate need for independence-and a growing feeling that an innocent man is being singled out by the police for the murder.

The first installment in the Rett Swinson Mystery Series, Soft Hearts explores how the fragile vulnerability of human beings can become their greatest strength.

Thoughts:

This seems like a new cozy mystery series, but I’m not 100% sure if it is cozy. Does it really matter if it is cozy? I enjoy mysteries. And I think I will enjoy this one.

KEEP

Book 3: How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry

Summary from Goodreads:

The enchanting story of a bookshop, its grieving owner, a supportive literary community, and the extraordinary power of books to heal the heart

Nightingale Books, nestled on the main street in an idyllic little village, is a dream come true for book lovers–a cozy haven and welcoming getaway for the literary-minded locals. But owner Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open after her beloved father’s death, and the temptation to sell is getting stronger. The property developers are circling, yet Emilia’s loyal customers have become like family, and she can’t imagine breaking the promise she made to her father to keep the store alive.

There’s Sarah, owner of the stately Peasebrook Manor, who has used the bookshop as an escape in the past few years, but it now seems there’s a very specific reason for all those frequent visits. Next is roguish Jackson, who, after making a complete mess of his marriage, now looks to Emilia for advice on books for the son he misses so much. And the forever shy Thomasina, who runs a pop-up restaurant for two in her tiny cottage–she has a crush on a man she met in the cookbook section, but can hardly dream of working up the courage to admit her true feelings.

Enter the world of Nightingale Books for a serving of romance, long-held secrets, and unexpected hopes for the future–and not just within the pages on the shelves. How to Find Love in a Bookshop is the delightful story of Emilia, the unforgettable cast of customers whose lives she has touched, and the books they all cherish.

Thoughts:

It’s a book about books, well a bookshop. And books have power! I enjoy reading books about book lovers and book places like libraries and bookstores.

KEEP

Book 4: Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All by Jonas Jonasson

Summary from Goodreads:

Hitman Anders, recently out of prison, is doing small jobs for the big gangsters. Then his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a female Protestant vicar (who also happens to be an atheist), and a homeless receptionist at a former brothel which is now a one-star hotel. The three join forces and concoct an unusual business plan based on Hitman Anders’ skills and his fearsome reputation. The vicar and receptionist will organize jobs for a group of gangsters, and will attract customers using the tabloids’ love of lurid headlines.

The perfect plan—if it weren’t for Hitman Anders’ curiosity about the meaning of it all. In conversations with the vicar, he turns to Jesus and, against all odds, Jesus answers him! The vicar can’t believe what’s happening. When Hitman Anders turns to religion, the lucrative business is in danger, and the vicar and the receptionist have to find a new plan, quick.

Fast-paced and sparky, the novel follows these bizarre but loveable characters on their quest to create a New Church, with all of Sweden’s gangsters hunting them. Along the way, it explores the consequences of fanaticism, the sensationalist press, the entrepreneurial spirit and straightforward human stupidity—and underlying all of it, the tenuous hope that it’s never too late to start again. 

Thoughts:

I read another Jonas Jonasson book earlier this year and had a lot of fun. I think that is when I added this book. It sounds like another fun book, but is it one I really want to read?

DELETE

Book 5: When the Men Were Gone by Marjorie Herrera Lewis

Summary from Goodreads:

In Marjorie Herrera Lewis’s debut historical novel the inspiring true story of high school teacher Tylene Wilson—a woman who surprises everyone as she breaks with tradition to become the first high school football coach in Texas—comes to life.

Football is the heartbeat of Brownwood, Texas. Every Friday night for as long as assistant principal Tylene Wilson can remember, the entire town has gathered in the stands, cheering their boys on. Each September brings with it the hope of a good season and a sense of unity and optimism.

Now, the war has changed everything.  Most of the Brownwood men over 18 and under 45 are off fighting, and in a small town, the possibilities are limited. Could this mean a season without football? But no one counted on Tylene, who learned the game at her daddy’s knee. She knows more about it than most men, so she does the unthinkable, convincing the school to let her take on the job of coach.

Faced with extreme opposition—by the press, the community, rival coaches, and referees and even the players themselves—Tylene remains resolute. And when her boys rally around her, she leads the team—and the town—to a Friday night and a subsequent season they will never forget.           

Based on a true story, When the Men Were Gone is a powerful and vibrant novel of perseverance and personal courage.

Thoughts:

A book about a strong-willed woman and football in Texas. Yes, please! I think that was my reaction when I first learned of this book earlier this year. I love sports and reading about strong-willed women (or stubborn as many of us are called)!

KEEP

Wrap-Up

Well, it doesn’t look like I cleaned my shelf up too much! Out of the 5 books, I’m keeping 4. What did anyone really 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?

Looking for some more ideas to read? Check out my other monthly reading wrap-ups.