Welcome to Down the TBR Hole #161-180! What is Down the TBR Hole? It is where I grab 20 books from my crazy long TBR list on Goodreads and decide if I am keeping or removing the books. Need to catch up? Click here to go to the previous post. As a reminder, here are the rules:
I’ve been neglecting my Goodreads account lately, which means I haven’t added too many books, but I’m starting this week off with 4,669 books. Let’s get started!
1. Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker
Romance is my go-to when I need a break from all of the heavy self-help and Christian books I’ve been favoring for the last few years. I tend to read them very quickly, so it helps when I want to clear my mind and not have to “think” too much. This plot seems to have plenty of twists and turns and looks like an exciting read, so I am keeping this one.
2. One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker
A standalone book, but second in the Ten Tiny Breaths series, this one follows the other sister and seems just as interesting as the first. I go through my spurts with series. Sometimes I love following the characters and don’t mind reading 2-3 books, and other times I hate the story didn’t finish in the first book. But my favorite is when each novel can be standalone and follows a character individually. I am keeping this one.
3. Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker
Still in the same series as the two books above, I don’t feel the need to have every book in this series on my TBR list. If I love the previous two, I will add this one and read it. With that said, I am removing this one.
4. Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker
Book four in the above series. I am removing this one and will add it back if I like the other ones enough.
5. In Her Wake by K.A. Tucker
This book looks like a prequel to book 1 in the above series. Here are my thoughts on prequel books. Most of the time, I don’t like them. If I read them before book one, I feel like I know too much of the story to enjoy book one since most of the time, the author wrote the prequel afterward. If I read it after book 1, things tend to start making sense (and this is my preference) but also feels like the author may have just thrown together a quick story from deleted scenes. My experience has been very hit and miss with prequels. So I am removing this one.
6. Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
Another romance that could help break up some of my more substantial reading. I first heard about Colleen Hoover from her book Verity that was all over the internet this year. And although I haven’t read it yet (it’s sitting on my Kindle), I heard good things about it. I also tend to like romances that future music, so I’m keeping this one.
7. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
Ahhh, the love story where two people think they can be friends with benefits without catching feelings. These books tend to be very predictable. After all, they will probably fall in love. And I always find myself yelling at one of the characters, “JUST TELL HIM/HER YOU LIKE HER/HIM ALREADY.” But it doesn’t stop me from reading them. I am keeping this one.
8. November 9 by Colleen Hoover
A romance book about an author? Yes, please. Keeping this one! (If I finish this tonight, this will be posted on November 9th. Is that a sign that I should buy and read this book???)
9. Confess by Colleen Hoover
Clearly, on this particular day, I was either on a Colleen Hoover kick or working off a recommendation list that had all her books. A woman looking for a job, finds a guy, and falls in love, but he has a secret. Can I be honest? I hate it when someone has a secret and hides it. It is the same as a lie in my book, and I can’t handle it. And I will stop reading a book if this happens at times. It’s just not something I am willing to deal with in my fictional world. So I am removing this one.
10. Collide by Gail McHugh
A girl who seems to overlook the guy who has helped her through her grief and falls for the apparent bad boy. This always makes me feel bad for the guy ignored. I am removing this one.
11. Pulse by Gail McHugh
Welp, now that I read this plot, I know what happens in the first book. Thank goodness I removed it or that spoiler would suck. I am removing this one.
12. Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino
Another romance featuring music story. I will keep this one.
13. Boundaries by Henry Cloud
I touched on my thoughts on this book in a previous Down the TBR Hole post (the marriage one came up). Someone let me borrow this book and the videos to go with, and I couldn’t get into them. I am removing this one.
14. Let’s All Be Brave by Annie F. Downs
Fear is a huge factor in my life. Add in my obsessive need to worry about the worst-case scenario, and it’s really shocking that I have done anything with my life. It is something I would like to overcome, so I am keeping this one.
15. First Comes Love by Emily Griffin
A contemporary fiction book about the choices in life made by the characters and their struggle with where their life is currently and if they made the right decisions. I am keeping this one.
16. I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual by Luvvie Ajayi
I had to have this book on my list because it just seemed that she was judging all of the things we judge others for in a comedic way. I always said I was going to check out her blog since it was so popular, but I never got around to it. Actually, let me do that now since I will want to link it anyway. I use to follow her on IG, but I remember having to unfollow her because I didn’t agree with her opinion on something, and it was all she talked about for a while (and no, I have no clue what it was about now). Either way, I am still interested in the book, so I am keeping it.
17. A Book of Prayer: 365 Prayers for Victorious Living by Stormie Omartian
The Pastor that married Chris and I gifted us with the military edition of Stormie Omartian books, Power of a Praying Wife and Power of a Praying Husband, for our first anniversary. And although they probably collect more dust than they should, I enjoyed reading and highlighting mine all up. They are pretty popular books, and I can see why. I don’t really hear many people talk about her other books, but I am interested in reading more by her. I am keeping this one.
18. Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes
I’m more wary about books like this nowadays because I’ve learned that looking for a list of things that will make me a Godly woman will get me nowhere. But seeing that this book actually points you in the direction of first and foremost having a relationship with God and then the outcome of that relationship is your desire to be Godly makes me feel better. I am going to keep this one on the list for now.
19. Breaking Intimidation: Saying “No” Without Feeling Guilty. Be Secure Without the Approval of Man. by John Bevere
I read his Bait of Satan book, which came highly recommended by so many people, and I didn’t really like it. I can’t pinpoint if it was just the season I was in, the fact that he was blaming offense on the person who feels the offense or if it was just a bad book. But I said I would give him one more chance. I think I have mastered the art of saying no pretty well, though. So I am removing this one.
20. Spurgeon’s Commentary on the Bible by Charles Spurgeon
This isn’t really a book to read but more of a book I would be interested in having amongst my Bible study materials. I hear so much about Charles Spurgeon that he is a person I want to learn more about. For now, I am removing this from my list.
Final Count: Removing 9; Keeping 11
TBR Down to 4,660
I feel like it took me no time to power through these 20 books! With so many romances, this list is a little different from my usual Down the TBR Hole post. But that goes to show you, my TBR list is so grand and covers so many different genres. I am sure you will find plenty of books that may interest you. Let me know in the comments if you have read any of these books. Do you think I made a mistake? Let’s chat about it!
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