I’M FINALLY DOING IT. After seeing this post countless times weekly, I’ve decided today that I’m going to take the plunge and *finally* start culling some books off my Goodreads TBR! At the moment of writing this my “Want-to-Read” list sits at 1,010 books. I’m almost certain that 80% of these books were added to my list this year when I fully immersed myself in the book community. I was indiscriminately hitting that “want-to-read” button with every blurb I liked the sound of, regardless of whether it was in or out of my comfort zone! But the time has come for me to take a good hard look at this list because am I really going to read 1,010 books?! I’d obviously love that but I also know that I’ll never stop adding books to my tbr (because duh) so… It’s time to start cutting down! I kind of want to kick this off with a bang but maybe I’ll ease into it and start with five books. Is this an excuse to avoid saying bye to books? Absolutely not! 🤔

Down the TBR Hole is a weekly book meme created by the wonderful Lia @ Lost in a Story that attempts to organize our ridiculously long Goodreads TBR list by choosing either to keep or eliminate the books we’ve saved on there. Here’s how it works:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go

Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.

I loved this movie and it has haunted me for years! It’s always one of the first things I associate Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly with. This combo is probably one of the reasons why I want to read this book (not even sure if I read the blurb when I added it). That said, I’m not really sure if I want to read it anymore. It sounds interesting, but I’m not scrambling to get it.

Verdict: Bye-bye-bye!

Trainspotting (Mark Renton #2) by Irvine Welsh

Don’t shoot but I’ve never actually watched this movie yet and that’s because I wanted to read the book first. I had a sample on my Kindle a peek at and wow, what do you call it when something is written how it’s spoken? I have nothing against it, but I know I’ll be spending 90% of the time not only trying to work out what’s being said but I’ll also be trying to get the accent JUST RIGHT in my head and it’ll drive me insane! I think this might be better on the big screen?

Verdict: Bye-bye-bye!

Catch-22 (Catch-22 #1) by Joseph Heller

This is a classic I’ve been meaning to read for a while. I got a copy as a gift from a family friend who knew I loved reading about 9 years ago now? Oopsies! I think this book just intimidates me because I’m worried that I either won’t get it or I’ll be bored by it. Which would be worse? Lol I also didn’t realise that it was a series until just now! I hope this doesn’t end on a cliffhanger?!

Verdict: Keep!

Something Borrowed (Darcy & Rachel #1) by Emily Giffin

I remember when this came out as a movie and I was so excited to watch it but I told myself I’d read the book first. All these years later, I still haven’t done either. After reading this blurb again, I’m just shaking my head. I just don’t do cheating and I don’t want to normalise or excuse it. So… Yeah. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Verdict: Bye-bye-bye!

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

I’ve been trying to figure this out for a while now but my brain can’t seem to recall at all. I am almost certain that I read this book when I was in MS or HS but I really can’t remember if I did or not. When I read the blurb some distant bells did go off but I don’t know if that’s me being convinced that I have read it or if it’s because I actually recognise the premise? I want to (re)read it though!

Verdict: Keep!

Well, that wasn’t as painful as I expected! I thought I’d struggle to take books off my list because I have issues with letting go, but I’m proud of how decisive I was! It also feels kinda freeing! LOL

Have you read any of these books? Do you find it easy to cull your TBR list? Leave me a comment and let’s chat!