Lost in a Story began this idea for blog posts as a way to edit a growing to-be-read list. You take your Goodreads TBR list, sort by ascending date added, and look at the oldest 5-10 items on your list. If you haven’t read them by now, are you likely to? Why or why not?
I began using Goodreads in September of 2012. In my first three attempts at culling my Goodreads TBR I removed 13 books. Lets hope this time I can increase that number.
I’ve reread the Goodreads blurbs for each of the following and based my decision on whether the blurb still piqued my interest.
My 4th ten oldest titles on my Goodreads TBR
“As far as you can go” by Lesley Glaister (Goodreads rating 3.69)
A couple take a job as housekeeper/caretaker on a remote Australian farm. REMOVE
“Death comes to the village” by Catherine Lloyd (Goodreads rating 3.8) A wounded soldier and a rector’s daughter discover strange goings-on in a sleepy English village. REMOVE
“Solsbury Hill” by Susan M. Wyler (Goodreads rating 3.2)
Blurb sounds intriguing, but I fear this might be a weak re-telling of one of my favorites: “Wuthering Heights”. REMOVE
“To the power of three” by Laura Lippman (Goodreads rating 3.56)
A disturbing tale of three inseparable high school girlfriends in an affluent Baltimore suburb who share dark secrets literally until death. KEEP
“This perfect world” by Suzanne Bugler (Goodreads rating 3.46)
After reading the blurb I decided I wouldn’t like the protagonist, so thought I could give this debut novel a miss. REMOVE
“The memory garden” by Mary Rickert (Goodreads rating 3.5)
An award-winning debut novel about family secrets. KEEP
“The house we grew up in” by Lisa Jewell (Goodreads rating (3.88)
On the basis that I’ve liked the two books by this author that I’ve read… KEEP
“Crooked letter, crooked letter” by Tom Franklin (Goodreads rating 3.82)
This award-winning novel still sounds fantastic to me. KEEP
“Cloud” by Eric McCormack (Goodreads rating 3.57)
First loves, Scottish villages, gothic overtones. KEEP
“Every wickedness” by Cathy Vasas-Brown (Goodreads rating 4.08)
I’ve decided I don’t need a serial killer named “The Spiderman” in my life. REMOVE
Five more titles removed from my TBR! Result!
Hey, I’m getting better at this! As I write this post, I have 1,870 titles on my Goodreads TBR! (for those of you who are keeping track, I added a few since my last ‘culling’ post – hey… what’s a girl to do?) Those pesky bookbloggers are always writing reviews about books that look SO good – It is all their fault!
I’ll have to keep doing these posts as it seems I’m just treading water. My total number doesn’t seem to be changing very much as I keep hearing about books that sound SO GOOD… so I have to add them…. don’t I ??
If you strongly agree or disagree with my decisions please let me know in the comments. I’m easily persuaded…. LOL I need all the help I can get.
Fictionophile 
Yikes! I thought I had a long TBR list! The only one I’ve heard of is Lisa Jewell and her books are a keeper for me too!😀 Enjoy and good luck on getting the list down a bit…I agree though,far too many good and great books out there! 📚📖
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I’ve not read any of them, but I suspect I’d have kept the same ones (and naturally, I’m going to go add some of them to my TBR). One of these days, I’m going to jump on this wagon train…my TBR is just…well, I could get reincarnated four or five times and still not get through mine. Sigh.
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Reincarnation is something to strive for I think. All those great books that you don’t have time for this time, you could read in your next life. Though… come to think of it, there will probably be some great NEW titles in that next life… Double sigh…
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I really need to do this, I tried once but then ended up adding to my list when Goodreads so kindly showed me recommendations on the side of the screen.
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Ha-ha Cia! It must be a Goodreads conspiracy! That and those pesky bookbloggers that keep introducing us to other great books.
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You are getting seriously ruthless! Now you can reward yourself by adding some new ones lol
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Oh Cathy, thank heavens I’m doing this because for every one I remove I add at least two more… Is there a cure for this illness?
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Not sure, but I’ve heard if you need intensive care you go to a place called a bookshop…
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Bahaha! LOL
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I’m glad you kept Crooked Letter, crooked letter….it is one I also really want to get too!
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That is one that I seriously have to move up the queue. Thanks for commenting!
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I don’t keep a count of the books in TBR pile, just keep working through it 😅 Mine definitely doesn’t run into the thousands though! If I start one that’s not grabbing me it goes to one side to be looked at again….(some hope!)
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My problem was that I worked as the fiction cataloger at the library. Every day I was enticed by the books that crossed my desk – so my TBR quickly became out of control.
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Ah, yes I see how that could make a TBR spiral out of control. I would have been in trouble too, I think.
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When I first discovered booktube and book blogging I was just about finishing university where I didn’t read at all so that I could do school work. Thus anything remotely interesting went on by tbr. Now a few years later I have a better gage of my reading tastes and have both culled my tbr and have reached a level of adding to my tbr about as much as I am reading (though the rate of adding is starting to increase a but above my reading level recently, but it’s still not as bad as it was). I did find being strict about duplicates in my list and only having the first book/next book to read in a series does help with things. There is no sense having the entire 6 book series you think you will read in your list when you can only read one at a time and you might not actually continue with the series.
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Thanks! Good point about the series. I’m sure I’ve done that a few times. Now all I have to do is find them and only leave the first in the series on my TBR.
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I haven’t read that particular Lippmann but my experience of other books by her is that she is always worth a read. You may have just extended my tbr by one volume.
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I like to share this particular TBR malady with others. Thanks for your comment.
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Great idea!! I will be applying this to my painting list. Thank you 🙂
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Effie I think you’ll find it harder than it looks, especially at first. Let me know how you make out.
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Oh my god, good luck! I love reading posts like this!
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Ha thanks! I appreciate your comment.
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I keep seeing these post and as soon as I’m done , i say to myself “That’s it , I’m gonna do the same” . Then I look at my TBR and scream at the thought of removing a book from there , I mean what if the book I’m removing was supposed to be my favorite book of all time had I read it .
I know . I’m Weak 😦
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Your weakness is one that all booklovers share. It is true that the book you remove from your list might be wonderful. I have to be realistic though. I’m getting old (61) and I fear I won’t get all the books in my TBR read…
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well i’m still holding out for someone inventing a time travel machine before I turn 50 (29 now ) 🤞🤞
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I’ve only read Crooked Letter, I don’t remember much, only that I liked it 😛 So you did good!
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Thanks Annie. I’m going to move that one up the queue.
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Yeah, not sure ur treading water. And I think I see a pattern: 2 of the 5 are about secrets? Hmmm…;)
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Interesting that you spotted my weakness right away. I love books about family secrets and buried memories.
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I was with you just a few months ago. I had almost 900 books on my TBR and didn’t know half of them. I’m now down to 650!! I get rid of books that don’t sound interesting to me anymore, sequels if I haven’t read the first book yet, anything I’m on the fence about I check my library catalog so if it isn’t there I’ll delete, and I also delete books with less than 100 reviews if it’s come out before 2016.
It is working out well for me, although I keep adding more to it haha. I add more than I read!
You are making good progress, good luck!
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It is a struggle, but hey! There are worse struggles to have. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog post.
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I am really interested in these “culling the tbr” posts, Lynne. I spent 14 months knocking my tbr list down from an absurd 3000 to a more reasonable 1000. I still periodically cut when I get close to 1010. Because of that self-imposed rule, I am FAR more selective when thinking of adding to the list!
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You have nailed it Christine. I think you are correct in that I must learn to be more selective in adding to my TBR. Thanks for your continued interest in my blog.
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