Playing Keep Or Cut With My Goodreads TBR

According to Goodreads, I have 1,180 items on my Want to Read shelf. I can’t tell if that’s inflated (me adding books that I want to consider later) or if that’s actually undercutting it. Y’know, because my laziness wins sometimes and convinces me I will definitely remember that book I saw and want to read later, when I can’t remember what I had for breakfast.

Personally, I like to hedge my bets. I’m going to assume it’s a little bit of both. Maybe the books I add to keep an eye on to consider later eventually cancel out the books I forget to add. Either way, I think we can all agree that 1,180 is too many books, knowing that I add to that number at a rate that is considerably higher than I take away from it.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday we’re going to play Keep or Cut, meaning we’ll take a look at some random books on my list (with the help of a random number generator) and decide whether it should stay or whether it needs to go.

Y’all know me, so it’s probably no surprise that I am 100% going to cheat on this one. Because there are so many books on this list, I decided to go with 15 instead of 10, in the hopes that I can shave a few books off my list!

If you’ve read any of the books on this list and thing I am making a terrible call, let me know! Would you keep or cut these books?

Dark Shores

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High seas adventure, blackmail, and meddling gods meet in Dark Shores, a thrilling first novel in a fast-paced new YA fantasy series by USA Today bestselling author Danielle L. Jensen.

In a world divided by meddlesome gods and treacherous oceans, only the Maarin possess the knowledge to cross the Endless Seas. But they have one mandate: East must never meet West.

A SAILOR WITH A WILL OF IRON

Teriana is the second mate of the Quincense and heir to the Maarin Triumvirate. Her people are born of the seas and the keepers of its secrets, but when her closest friend is forced into an unwanted betrothal, Teriana breaks her people’s mandate so her friend might escape—a choice with devastating consequences.

A SOLDIER WITH A SECRET

Marcus is the commander of the Thirty-Seventh, the notorious legion that has led the Celendor Empire to conquer the entire East. The legion is his family, but even they don’t know the truth he’s been hiding since childhood. It’s a secret he’ll do anything to protect, no matter how much it costs him – and the world.

A DANGEROUS QUEST

When an Empire senator discovers the existence of the Dark Shores, he captures Teriana’s crew and threatens to reveal Marcus’s secret unless they sail in pursuit of conquest, forcing the two into an unlikely—and unwilling—alliance. They unite for the sake of their families, but both must decide how far they are willing to go, and how much they are willing to sacrifice.

Adventure, blackmail, AND meddling gods? This one checks all the boxes. This was romantasy before romantasy was a thing, and it went on my bookshelf before I discovered my love for it. So I’m going to blame that on why it’s taken so long for me to pick this one up. I was letting it ripen like a fine wine, saving it for when I was ready and able to appreciate it. This is one that I actually have a physical copy of, and I think I even have book two? Because I’m clearly an optimist.

Daybreak on Raven Island

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Tori, Marvin, and Noah would rather be anywhere else than on the seventh grade class field trip to Raven Island prison. Tori would rather be on the soccer field, but her bad grades have benched her until further notice; Marvin would rather be at the first day of a film festival with his best friend, Kevin; and Noah isn’t looking forward to having to make small talk with his classmates at this new school.

But when the three of them stumble upon a dead body in the woods, miss the last ferry back home, and then have to spend the night on Raven Island, they find that they need each other now more than ever. They must work together to uncover a killer, outrun a motley ghost-hunting crew, and expose the age-old secrets of the island all before daybreak.

I added this one because it sounded interesting, and our young patrons really enjoy Midnight at the Barclay Hotel. So I figured I would check out something by the same author. Plus, the cover is absolutely *chef’s kiss*, and I am a shallow bookwyrm. Pretty covers get me every time. I’m a little torn on this one, because I’d like to give it a chance . . . but the reviews are mixed. However, many of the negative ones mention they loved Midnight at the Barclay Hotel, despite feeling mixed about this one, so I think I should probably start with that one (which, ironically, was not on my Goodreads TBR).

A Little Hatred

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The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities. But old scores run deep as ever.

On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal’s son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments.

Savine dan Glokta – socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union – plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control.

The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of the Long Eye. Glimpsing the future is one thing, but with the guiding hand of the First of the Magi still pulling the strings, changing it will be quite another…

I went through a phase where I was very into high fantasy war books based on European cultures. It was a whole thing. I cooled on it after probably two years, which means all the books I added from that period have just languished on my TBR. This is one of them. Sad, since I’ve always thought the cover was so stunning, and it grabs my attention every time. From everything I’ve heard about this author, I still think I’d enjoy this one, so I’m going to call it a keep!

A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace

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In this charming fantasy with a swoony friends-to-lovers romance, two soldiers must decide the futures they want in the wake of a last-chance hook-up on the night before the world was supposed to end.

On the eve of the battle that will decide the realm of Telrus’s fate, Katrien takes a hard look at her prospects. A mere legionnaire, she and her spear will be at the fore in the morning, facing off against the Demon Lord and his wretched army, and it’s all but certain she’ll perish in the fight. But if the end of the world is mere hours away, there’s no reason not to hook up with her handsome, dedicated battle partner Emory—despite any anti-fraternization policies their centurion may have in place.

Only, the world doesn’t end the next day. Instead, an insufferable prince raised in hiding comes out of nowhere with a plucky band of heroes, defeats the Demon Lord, and seals the rift to the hellish plane. The realm is saved. The war is over. And Kat suddenly has a lot more future than she knows what to do with. It’s a future that could include Emory . . . if only he weren’t so set on staying enlisted with the very army Kat was unwillingly drafted into.

And while the Demon Lord has been destroyed, peace is still a long march away. When Kat inadvertently draws the eye of the prince, she, Emory, and the rest of their motley unit are pulled to the fore of the formation—and the heart of the danger—as the army embarks on one last campaign. The mission: laying a road as a foundation for the prince’s future rule. The real mission: scouring the last of the Demon Lord’s servants from the material plane.

As Kat and Emory work to secure a lasting peace, they’ll have to decide what they want their futures to look like—and if there’s room for love at the end of the road.

I . . . don’t even recall this book at all? I’m sure that probably say something unflattering about me, but yay for discovering a new(ish) book! But also—where the heck has this book been hiding?! Oh my gosh, this sounds like so much fun. Friends-to-lovers? The world failing to end as scheduled? Yes, please! I also really enjoy the cheeky way the blurb is written, which gives me hope that I’ll enjoy the author’s writing style. Not only is this a keep, I’ve actually found it through my library’s Libby and already checked it out to hopefully get to soon!

The Ravens

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Kappa Rho Nu isn’t your average sorority. Their parties are notorious. Their fundraisers are known for being Westerly College’s most elaborate affairs. But beneath the veil of Greek life and prestige, the sisters of Kappa Rho Nu share a secret: they’re a coven of witches.

For Vivi Deveraux, being one of Kappa Rho Nu’s Ravens means getting a chance to redefine herself. For Scarlett Winters, a bona fide Raven and daughter of a legacy Raven, pledge this year means living up to her mother’s impossible expectations of becoming Kappa Rho Nu’s next president. Scarlett knows she’d be the perfect candidate—that is, if she didn’t have one human-sized skeleton in her closet….

When Vivi and Scarlett are paired as big and little for initiation, they find themselves sinking into the sinister world of blood oaths and betrayals.

Dark academia is another phase that I went through hardcore for a very brief time. This was definitely a product of that. Unfortunately, I am so burned out on dark academia at this point that aside from a few books that have come highly recommended, I’m not ready to dive back into that scene anytime soon. Such is the fickleness of a mood reader!

Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and Magic

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A Regency widow shouldn’t be hunting spectres all night.

Lady Judith Avely’s magical gift for divining the truth makes her prodigiously good at lying. To absolve a guilty secret, she travels to the exiled Duke of Sargen’s estate, but the last thing she expects is to run into the duke himself, who is lamentably now even more attractive than in his volatile youth.

The duke has his own concerns: he has returned home to a haunted house, with skulls floating about and a footman apparently bashed by a book. Such vulgar circumstances are best avoided, but the duke needs Judith’s unique talents to help uncover the culprit – even if it might put her in the sights of a killer.

With the help of a tiny vampiric acquaintance and a continuous supply of drinking chocolate, Judith should be able to solve the uncanny mystery…if only the duke will stop making improper remarks about her mobcaps.

Lady Avely sounds like she’d be super fun to hang out with. This is another one that checks all the boxes: mid-life heroine, second chance romance, Gothic cozy mystery, and magic. If that doesn’t sound like a good time, I don’t know what does! I’m also fairly certain this one came highly recommended from someone . . . though, for the life of me, I’m not sure who. I assume they know what they’re talking about, though!

Sword Catcher

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In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, the richest of nobles and the most debauched of criminals have one thing in common: the constant search for wealth, power, and the next hedonistic thrill.

Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword Catcher—the body double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are as close as brothers, but Kel knows that his destiny is to die for Conor. No other future is possible.

Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community whose members still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls within the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend without access to forbidden knowledge.

After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces.

As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?

I know that this is very highly rated, and Cassandra Clare is a very popular author, but . . . meh. When I read the blurb, I have no strong feelings either way, which is usually a bad sign for me. There’s something about overhyped, popular books that makes me a bit wary, too. I keep giving them a try, and they keep letting me down for some reason. I’m really on the fence on this one, but since I’m not feeling particularly eager to read it, I’m going to cut it.

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead

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Four years ago, five kids started a game. Not all of them survived.

Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors—Owen, Madeline, Emerson, and Dax—have reunited for one strange and terrible they’ve been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for dead.

Together they return to the place where their friendship ended with one find Ian and bring him home. So they restart the deadly game they never finished—an innocent card-matching challenge called Meido. A game without instructions.

As soon as they begin, they’re dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds, more horrifying than even the darkest folktales that Owen’s grandmother told him. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains.

They have one night to complete seven challenges or they’ll all be stuck in this world forever.

Once inseparable, the survivors now can’t stand each other, but the challenges demand they work together, think quickly, and make sacrifices—blood, clothes, secrets, memories, and worse.

And once again, not everyone will make it out alive.

I want to read and love this one so freaking much. My total refusal to live in reality is the only reason I haven’t read this book yet, because the ratings for this one are rough. Bloggers I follow have given it 3-4 stars, though, so I am holding out hope that it will at least be an okay read, because everything about this premise sounds absolutely perfect. From what I gather, it’s Jumanji but scary with mild gore and Japanese folklore. Yes, please.

The Whisperwood Legacy

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Welcome to Whisperwood, a sprawling theme park nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, where thrilling rides and picture-perfect scenery bring cult-classic fairy tales to life. Or at least they did until eighteen months ago, when the family matriarch, Virginia Strauss, suddenly shut Whisperwood’s gates and the beloved park was left to wither away along with the family’s dwindling fortune.

For seventeen-year-old Frankie Strauss, Whisperwood’s closure has been a blessing in disguise. After seeing three generations of wealth’s corrupting influence, she is more than ready to shed the Strauss-family’s gilded handcuffs.

 

But when Virginia goes missing, Frankie realizes that her family might be guilty of something much worse than mere dysfunction. With the help of the mysterious and handsome groundskeeper, Jem, Frankie sifts through a web of near truths and outright lies, uncovering a reality where nothing is as it seems and fairy tales aren’t just real—they’re deadly.

This is one I found on the library shelves and added to my TBR because it sounded interesting. Plus, it’s comped to Knives Out, and I’ve been a sucker for books that are similar to that. The reviews for this one are so mixed, but several of them mention an insta-love, a slow beginning, and at least one fairly graphic graphic scene (though that’s subjective). With all the great spooky books on my lists already, I think I’ll give this one a pass for now.

Crimson Lake

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12:46: Claire Bingley stands alone at a bus stop
12:47: Ted Conkaffey parks his car beside her
12:52: The girl is missing . . .

Six minutes in the wrong place at the wrong time–that’s all it took to ruin Sydney detective Ted Conkaffey’s life. Accused but not convicted of a brutal abduction, Ted is now a free man–and public enemy number one. Maintaining his innocence, he flees north to keep a low profile amidst the steamy, croc-infested wetlands of Crimson Lake.

There, Ted’s lawyer introduces him to eccentric private investigator Amanda Pharrell, herself a convicted murderer. Not entirely convinced Amanda is a cold-blooded killer, Ted agrees to help with her investigation, a case full of deception and obsession, while secretly digging into her troubled past. The residents of Crimson Lake are watching the pair’s every move . . . and the town offers no place to hide.

I’m honestly not even sure how this one ended up on my TBR. I assume that someone, somewhere, recommended it to me, and it was during my branching out phase, where I was trying a bunch of different authors and genres to see what I enjoyed. (With mixed results, of course.) Nothing about this one really sounds unique or interesting to me. I don’t particularly enjoy any of the authors this is comped to. Nothing against the author (who is very popular), but I’m just not a formulaic murder mystery/investigator type of reader, so this one’s gonna go.

Consensual Hex

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A coven of queer witches at an elite women’s college employ their powers to exact revenge on the frat boy warlocks who are using magic to cover up sexual assault on campus.

When Lee, a first-year college student, is sexually assaulted by a frat boy on a neighbouring campus, she’s quickly disillusioned by the lack of recourse. Lost, she turns to her Gender Studies professor who, in turn, recruits her to form a coven with three classmates.

Suddenly in possession of very real magic, Lee and her coven set out to use their powers to hex the men who are committing, and covering up, sexual assault. However, their exploits rapidly escalate into vigilante justice and Lee’s thirst for revenge on her rapist causes things to spiral out of control, pitting witch against witch and begging the question: how far should you go in order to heal?

There was apparently a lot of drama surrounding this book that I am absolutely out of the loop for, because I live under a rock buried at the center of the Earth. It is very . . . messy. Chaotic. I did not read all the reviews, but enough to get the gist of it and to know that even without the drama surrounding the author, this does not sound like the sort of book I would enjoy.

Tales from the Perilous Realm

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The five tales are written with the same skill, quality and charm that made The Hobbit a classic. Largely overlooked because of their short lengths, they are finally together in a volume which reaffirms Tolkien’s place as a master storyteller for readers young and old.

• Roverandom is a toy dog who, enchanted by a sand sorcerer, gets to explore the world and encounter strange and fabulous creatures.
• Farmer Giles of Ham is fat and unheroic, but – having unwittingly managed to scare off a short-sighted giant – is called upon to do battle when a dragon comes to town;
• The Adventures of Tom Bombadil tells in verse of Tom’s many adventures with hobbits, princesses, dwarves and trolls;
• Leaf by Niggle recounts the strange adventures of the painter Niggle who sets out to paint the perfect tree;
• Smith of Wootton Major journeys to the Land of Faery thanks to the magical ingredients of the Great Cake of the Feast of Good Children.

Look. What old-school fantasy lover hasn’t gone through a Tolkien phase at some point? I was young when I got mine out of the way, and I never really circled back to it. I tried with The Silmarillion, but I had trouble getting into it. This, though? I’m pretty sure this is my speed. It’s short, and these stories sound absolutely charming.

Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo

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On her tenth birthday, Meticulous Jones–known to her friends as Metty–receives her fate, as all children do, in the form of a magical tattoo on her hand. She hopes that her ink will reveal something exciting: a tattoo that will symbolize travel, or discovery, or adventure. What appears is a skull, balanced in the palm of a violet glove.

Metty’s fate is to become a murderer.

Metty is swiftly hidden away by her father, Moral Jones, in a remote Welsh farmhouse, with only a miserable housekeeper (who’s terrified she’ll become Metty’s first victim) for company. But when Moral goes missing, his sister, Aunt Magnificent, arrives to sweep Metty off to the glittering city of New London. Metty is mesmerized by the magic and enchantment she discovers there. But when she starts to hear rumors of a mysterious and dangerous organization known as the Black Moths, she wonders if they might be connected to her father’s disappearance–and to her own fate. . . .

This one’s comped to Nevermoor, and it’s definitely giving the same vibes. I love the premise of fate tattoos (even if it does remind me of My Little Pony). The idea of having your fate be to become a murderer is terrifying . . . but also, I am absolutely curious. Because surely it’s not that straightforward? Nothing in life ever is. So I want to know what the twist is!

Dead Silence

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A GHOST SHIP.
A SALVAGE CREW.
UNSPEAKABLE HORRORS.

Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed—made obsolete—when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With nothing to lose and no desire to return to Earth, Claire and her team decide to investigate.

What they find at the other end of the signal is a shock: the Aurora, a famous luxury space-liner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system more than twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life. But a quick trip through the Aurora reveals something isn’t right.

Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Words scrawled in blood. Claire must fight to hold onto her sanity and find out what really happened on the Aurora, before she and her crew meet the same ghastly fate.

I don’t read a ton of scary books (because I’m a wuss), but I do tend to dabble here and there, especially during Fall and Winter. Barnes is an author that’s come highly recommended from a couple of bloggers with similar reading tastes, which makes me think that I will thoroughly enjoy it. For that reason, I’ve kept it on my list, even though I haven’t been feeling in the mood for something too creepy. I see that it’s on Kindle Unlimited, though, so maybe over the Winter holidays it’ll be a good time to give it a try!

The Escape Artist

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Who is Nola Brown? Nola is a mystery. Nola is trouble. And Nola is supposed to be dead.

Her body was found on a plane that mysteriously fell from the sky as it left a secret military base in the Alaskan wilderness. Her commanding officer verifies she’s dead. The US government confirms it. But Jim “Zig” Zigarowski has just found out the Nola is still alive. And on the run.

Zig works at Dover Air Force Base, helping put to rest the bodies of those who die on top-secret missions. Nola was a childhood friend of Zig’s daughter and someone who once saved his daughter’s life. So when Zig realizes Nola is still alive, he’s determined to find her. Yet as Zig digs into Nola’s past, he learns that trouble follows Nola everywhere she goes.

Together, Nola and Zig will either reveal a sleight of hand being played at the highest levels of power or die trying to uncover the US Army’s most mysterious secret–a centuries-old conspiracy that traces back through history to the greatest escape artist of Harry Houdini.

I’m sure this is another one that came as a recommendation from someone. (Probably my uncle. This sounds like his type of book.) I can’t recall for sure, though. I’ve read a couple Brad Meltzer books forever ago when I was a young adult, and I enjoyed them. But I don’t think they’re something I’m likely to pick up anytime soon, if ever. That was definitely a unique reading phase in my life. So I’m going to remove this for now, with the caveat that I’m pretty sure Brad Meltzer is a name I can remember (and I do still own the two books of his that I read and enjoyed forever ago).

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