Down the TBR Hole #10

From an idea by  Lia @ Lost in a Story and as my tbr over on Goodreads is still toppling over it’s time to do some more de-cluttering!

Anyway, it works like this:

Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.

• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

The Books

Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman

When teenager Keith Rosen runs away from his Florida home – inexplicably taking along a motherless baby – his divorced mother is perplexed and terrified. She takes off on her own journey to find him. Turtle Moon follows their path in a suspenseful, beautifully written story that confirms once again the exquisite talent of Alice Hoffman.

This doesn’t intrigue anymore so it’s going.

Verdict: Remove

 

How to Make An American Quilt by Whitney Otto

 

An extraordinary and moving reading experience, HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT is an exploration of women of yesterday and today, who join together in a uniquely female experience. As they gather year after year, their stories, their wisdom, their lives, form the pattern from which all of us draw warmth and comfort for ourselves.

This doesn’t intrigue me as I saw the film years ago and don’t have the urge to read it now. Verdict: Remove

 

Mary Ingalls on Her Own by Elizabeth Kimmel Willard

Mary Ingalls lost her sight after a devastating bout of scarlet fever. Now Mary has the opportunity to attend the Iowa College for the Blind, where she will get a fresh start with her education and can learn the skills she needs for an independent future as well.

It seems like a dream come true. But it also means leaving her cherished family behind in Dakota Territory, including her sister Laura. Laura’s feisty personality has always complemented Mary’s quiet nature, and ever since Mary lost her sight, Laura has served as Mary’s “eyes” to the world. Now that she’s on her own, Mary must learn to get along without her beloved sister, and in the process realizes that she may have a bit of Laura’s spunk in her after all.

For the first time, readers will get a glimpse into the life of Mary Ingalls and will discover a whole new side of this Little House sister they’ve gotten to know through Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic Little House books.

I love the Little House books and I’d love to read this one. Verdict: Keep

The Trials of Tiffany Trott by Isabel Wolff

Tiffany Trott is attractive and eligible. So why is she “a complete failure” with men? She begins a search for Mr. Right…no matter where he is, what he does, or whether or not he speaks English! In this hilarious novel of dates and disasters, friendships and fix-ups, she’s going to do her best to find her knight in shining armour. Or at least a knight who wears men’s underwear..

Too chicklit for me these days. Verdict: Remove

 

 

In a Good Light by Clare Chambers

Without even noticing, thirty-four-year-old Esther Fairchild has become a prisoner of routine. Living with her adored brother, Christian, she divides her time between illustrating children’s books, nightly shifts as a waitress, weekly visits to her father and fortnightly meetings with her married lover.

Then one day she encounters a face in the crowd which jolts her out of her mundane existence and makes her question both her life and the past that has helped to shape it. Memories she had long chosen to forget begin to resurface. Memories of an eccentric childhood in a large and shabby house, where the children were left to fend for themselves within the loose boundaries of their parents’ unorthodox values. A chaotic existence peopled by a rich collection of feckless ‘guests’.

And into this shambolic world came Donovan – regularly deposited by his unreliable mother – and Penny, Christian’s girlfriend and Esther’s idol. Until tragedy struck and shattered their joint existence. But now, it seems, their lives are about to become intertwined once more . . .

I still like the look of this one. Verdict: Keep

Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg

 

This novel takes readers back to Elmwood Springs, Missouri, where the most unlikely and surprising experiences of a high-spirited octogenarian inspire a town to ponder the age-old question: why are we here?

As this is the third book in a series that I haven’t even started, it makes sense to get rid of it. Verdict: Remove

 

 

The Last Letter From Your Lover by JoJo Moyes

A sophisticated, page-turning double love story spanning forty years-an unforgettable Brief Encounter for our times.

It is 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing-not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon an impassioned letter, signed simply “B”, asking her to leave her husband.

Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper’s archives. She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending she will find one to her own complicated love life, too. Ellie’s search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance.

Still love the look of this one. Verdict: Keep

Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky

 When Susan Tate’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Lily, announces she is pregnant, Susan is stunned. A single mother, she has struggled to do everything right. She sees the pregnancy as an unimaginable tragedy for both Lily and herself.

 Then comes word of two more pregnancies among high school juniors who happen to be Lily’s best friends-and the town turns to talk of a pact. As fingers start pointing, the most ardent criticism is directed at Susan. As principal of the high school, she has always been held up as a role model of hard work and core values. Now her detractors accuse her of being a lax mother, perhaps not worthy of the job of shepherding impressionable students. As Susan struggles with the implications of her daughter’s pregnancy, her job, financial independence, and long-fought-for dreams are all at risk.
 The emotional ties between mothers and daughters are stretched to breaking in this emotionally wrenching story of love and forgiveness. Once again, Barbara Delinsky has given us a powerful novel, one that asks a central question: What does it take to be a good mother?

I’m not bothered about this anymore. Verdict: Remove

Be Careful What You Wish For by Alexandra Potter

 

Heather Hamilton is always wishing for things. Not just big stuff like world peace or a date with Brad Pitt, but little, everyday wishes, made without thinking. One day she buys some heather from a gypsy and suddenly her bad hair days stop, and a handsome American answers her ad for a housemate, and she starts seeing James.

Too chicklit for me these days. Verdict: Remove

 

The Beach by Alex Garland

The Khao San Road, Bangkok – first stop on the backpacker trail. On Richard’s first night there a fellow traveller slits his wrists, leaving Richard a map to “the Beach”.

The Beach is a legend among young travellers in Asia: white as sands circling a lagoon hidden from the sea, coral gardens and freshwater falls surrounded by jungle. In this earthly paradise, it is rumoured, a select community lives in blissful innocence. For Richard, haunted by the glamour of Vietnam war movies, a trek into unknown Thai territory is irresistible. He was looking for adventure. Now he’s found it.

I’m not bothered about this anymore. Verdict: Remove

Wow I can’t believe I’ve removed 7 books this time. Do you agree with my decisions? Should I have removed more or maybe kept some instead?