Taming the TBR thread

I really liked Rodham I thought it was an intriguing look at what might have been.

Lol thanks for the rec Biblio.
I reckon I will hold onto it for now.
My other book today was Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. I read An American Wife by the same author and loved it. But I didn’t click with this one. I think if she had fictionalised Hilary Clinton as she did Laura, then I’d find it a better read. This one was a delete.

Am struggling to decide about The Shock of the Fall. It has excellent reviews but the first 10 pages and page 67 really didn’t do it for me. It comes across as a bit YA which I’m not into. Has anyone read it?

I'm on a roll here. Today's book was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - I realised I've already read the first few chapters & given up more than once. I tried p67 & the style still didn't work for me, so despite the fact that everyone else seems to like it, it's on the charity shop pile.

I'm enjoying this so much I've now moved on to weeding a scattering of dd's books that she's abandoned on my shelves in case I want them. Started out with The Butterfly Isles by Patrick Barkham, in which the author tries to see all of Britain's species of butterflies over one summer. Definitely a keeper, I've put it next to my bed as a nice gentle chapter a day read.

I've just DNFd Infinity In The Palm Of Your Hand by Marcus Chown

I'm all for Popular Science, love it, but this was lightweight, money for old rope and close to being patronising in its simplicity.

The only Tim Pears I've read was also fucking tedious

Book 3 - Wake Up by Tim Pears

God, this was tedious. I couldn’t even make it to page 10. The reviews say it’s strange and unsettling and provocatively written. The main character seems to be a pathetic man who drives round and round a ring road ruminating bitterly. I found it overwritten and tiresome.

Straight onto the charity shop pile!

@FiveGoMadInDorset

The Twyford Code was one of my worst books last year

Book 3 (Non-Fiction) How to Be a Liberal by Ian Dunt. I follow Ian Dunt on Twitter and find him funny and informative but while our views often align I do find him a bit preachy so wasn’t sure I could take an entire book of him. Seems ok so far so am going to KEEP.

Book 3 (Fiction): Big Brother by Lionel Shriver I loved We Need to Talk About Kevin the first time I read it, but when I tried to re-read a year or so ago I just couldn’t get into it, also the author has said a few things I really disagree with recently, so I approached this one with trepidation. I read the first 10 pages and while it’s definitely not grabbed me I am going to give it a few more pages so it is a KEEP, for now at least.

I have also taken off the shelf The Coffin Road by Peter May as I discovered I read it a few years ago, thank you Goodreads, and also going is The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett as I have come to a grinding halt with it nearly halfway in.

Today I am getting rid of A little history of the world by E h Gombrich

I think I picked this up when the library I worked in was sent World Book Day free books 11 years ago, not read, picked up or anything so out it goes

Mine for today is I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

The physical copy of this is massive so I bought it on Kindle because I knew I'd never read it in that format

I still have the physical copy so it can go

@scarecrow22 I really enjoyed All the Light.... too. Started slow and gently hooked me. I've just read Cloud Cuckoo Land by the same author. I finished it but felt disappointed at the end. The individual story lines were interesting but I didn't get that wow moment like I did with All the Light when it all came together.

Another 10 pages of a TBR read this morning. Books Lovers by Emily Henry. Heard about it on a podcast, I think it will be a bit predictable but I'll keep it for an enjoyable, easy spring/summer read.
3 down and no discards so far....

If you’re not already on the 50 books thread @scarecrow22 you should join!

When I'm being good I make myself read a TBR every second book. Unfortunately I too often define that as something I just bought!

PS loved Hamnet. Book of 2021 was prob All The Light We Cannot See, but was late to that party.

I feel like I've found my tribe here.

I'm not part of the challenge, but I'm def going to do this when I've finished current book. Totally great idea.

Plan to join the challenge next year! Children finally old enough that I'm reading more and more in the evenings.

Today’s three crime novels were better than Monday’s.
I kept 2 - Into the Night by Sarah Bailey (Aussie crime, the POV character caught my attention straight away despite being in president tense) and The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths-( I knew I wanted to read on by the end of the first page- well written, interesting premise)

One delete - Broken Angels by Graham Masterson. I wanted to like this as it’s set in Ireland but the ‘gosh and begorrah’ dialogue in chapter 1, followed by the main female detective’s desire to be shown her boyfriend’s ‘fruits’ seriously, at the start of chapter two was too much. Talk about me. Writing women! Bye Graham

Oooh - intrigued by the love and hate of Hamnet! I wonder what I'll think at the end of it 🤔. I'm even more ready to get started on it now!

I'm a bit late but going to start this tomorrow. I’ve now taken over the kids’ IKEA Kallax unit that used to be for their toys so I need to get my physical books under control.

I did go through my Goodreads ‘want to read but don’t currently own’ list today and got it down from 250 to 210 by knocking off books that I added years ago but no longer like the sound of.

Today's book is another keeper, Metazoa by Peter Godfrey-Smith. Actually it's a definite win, because I'd forgotten I'd been given it and only found it when I was checking for unread books on my shelves :)

And I hated Hamnet!

@toomuchlikemyusername I absolutely loved Hamnet it was my favourite read from 2021.