Cleaning Up My TBR With a Giveaway (US Only) – Down the TBR Hole #53

This meme was started by Lost in a Story.  Here is how it works:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books (or 20 if you keep adding like I do!)
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

1.  Revealed by Margaret Peterson Haddix:

After a mysterious
cameo from Charles Lindbergh, it’s up to Jonah to save his town in the
seventh book of the New York Times bestselling The Missing series, which
Kirkus Reviews calls “plenty of fun and great for history teachers as
well.

It’s morning as usual at the Skidmore household—until
Charles Lindbergh, the famous historical pilot, appears in their living
room. Jonah can hardly believe his eyes—and then Lindbergh grabs
Katherine and vanishes again. And that’s not all. Chip, Andrea, and all
the other children from the plane have disappeared too. And worst of
all, Jonah’s parents and all the other adults in his town have de-aged
into children.

Jonah is the only one left, and the only one who
can save everyone. With the help of de-aged JB and Angela, he has to
collect the clues. And they lead directly back to Gary and Hodge, and a
terrible plot that could mean the end of everything Jonah has ever
loved. Can Jonah put the pieces together before time runs out?
  

My thoughts:
I think I had read up to this far in the series, but if not, I know I’d like to finish it at some point.  I’ve also got the next book listed, but I’ll probably take it off until I read this one.

Verdict: Keep

2.  Full Ride by Margaret Peterson Haddix:

Becca thought her life
was over when her father was sent to prison for embezzlement. It didn’t
help when he used her as his excuse: “How else is a guy like me supposed
to send his daughter to college?” She and her mother fled their town
and their notoriety, started over, and vowed never to let anyone know
about their past.

Now a senior in high school, Becca has spent
the last four years hiding in anonymity. But when it’s time to apply to
colleges and for financial aid, her mother gives her a rude awakening:
If she applies, her past may be revealed to the world

But Becca
has already applied for a full-ride scholarship. And as she begins to
probe deeper into the secrets of her past, she discovers that she and
her mother might be in danger of more than simple discovery – by
revealing the truth about their past, she might be putting their very
lives in jeopardy.

My thoughts: 
I don’t remember this title, but I like this author and it isn’t middle school, so I think I’d still like to read it some day.

Verdict: Keep

3.  Anyone But You by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes:

My thoughts:  
I liked the series, and think I still want to read this one!

Verdict: Keep

4.  1 Year, 100 Pounds:  My Journey to a Better, Happier Life by Whitney Holcombe:

Part cheerleader, part
drill sergeant, Whitney Holcombe chronicles how to transition from “the
fat girl” to being a healthy, confident young woman.

At age
fourteen, Whitney Holcombe stepped onto her bathroom scale and a number
glared up at her: 230. That number controlled her life until one day she
went for a walk that changed everything.

A little bit memoir and a whole lot of advice, 1 Year, 100 Pounds
follows Whitney’s journey to battle obesity, negative self-image, and
peer ridicule. Through following a healthy diet and exercise routine,
Whitney shed the pounds without pills, trainers, or surgery. And along
the way, she discovered the confidence to love her body.

Reviewed
by experts in the fields of diet, health, and fitness, with a foreword
by Dr. Joseph Colella, a leading bariatric surgeon who endorses
Whitney’s method of healthy weight loss over surgery, 1 Year, 100 Pounds
is a personal guidebook packed with tips for making healthy food
choices, easy exercises, and inspiration that empowers you to change
your own life.

My thoughts:  
As much as I probably need the inspiration from this to lose weight myself, I doubt I’ll get around to reading it.  I think I do have it at my school if I ever want to check it out as well.

Verdict: Toss

Haunted by silence, a mute teenage girl is mysteriously given back her voice … and it is divine.

“Silent
Echo” is a gripping, original read, with a heroine you won’t forget.
Katniss Everdeen watch out for Portia Griffin. Erica Wagner, Author of
“Seizure”

Rendered mute at birth, Portia Griffin has been silent
for 16 years. Music is her constant companion, along with Felix, her
deaf best friend who couldn’t care less whether or not she can speak. If
only he were as nonchalant about her newfound interest in the musically
gifted Max Hunter.

But Portia s silence is about to be broken
with the abrupt discovery of her voice, unparalleled in its purity and
the power it affords to control those around her. Able to persuade,
seduce and destroy using only her voice, Portia embarks on a search for
answers about who she really is, and what she is destined to do.

Inspired by Homer’s “Odyssey, Silent Echo: A Siren s Tale” is an epic story filled with fantasy, romance and original music.

My thoughts:
Not sure I’m interested in this one either.

Verdict:  Toss

6.  Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke:

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing
much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until
River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s
crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet
begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard.

Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?

Violet’s
grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he
could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee,
who kisses you in a cemetery… who makes you want to kiss back.

Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending
faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April
Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as
gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch. 

My thoughts:
I still kind of want to read this one, so I’ll keep it for now.

Verdict:  Keep

7. My Daylight Monsters by Sarah Dalton:

I always thought my
demons came out in the day, rather than at night. I’ve never been scared
of the dark. I’ve only ever been scared of real things: getting ill,
having injections, physical pain… death. Those are my monsters, not
ghosts or vampires or whatever else can hide under your bed at night.

I was wrong.

The dark makes everything worse.

When
Mary’s psychiatrist advises a short stay at a psychiatric unit, her
worst nightmares are confirmed. How can she get better in a place that
fills her with dread? When she meets the other patients, she begins to
gather some hope, until she realises that the death toll in the hospital
is rising without explanation. Something sinister stalks the corridors
and maybe she is the only one who can stop it…

Mary has to
confront the Things that she sees if they are to stand a chance. But
will she survive a confrontation with death itself?

My thoughts:  
So this is a novella that goes with a book that I haven’t read yet.  I still have the book on my TBR, so I think I can get rid of this until I read that.

Verdict:  Toss

 8.  The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson:

In the year 2086, Camp
Eden promises summer “the way things used to be,” back before the oceans
rose, the sun became a daily enemy, and modern civilization sank into
chaos. Located inside the EdenWest BioDome, the camp is an oasis of pine
trees, cool water, and rustic charm.

But all at Camp Eden is not what it seems.

No
one will know this better than 15-year-old Owen Parker. A strange
underwater vision, even stranger wounds on Owen’s neck, and a cryptic
warning from the enchanting lifeguard Lilly hint at a mystery that will
take Owen deep beneath Lake Eden and even deeper into the past. What he
discovers could give him the chance to save the tattered planet. But
first, Owen will have to escape Camp Eden alive…

My thoughts:
Don’t know that I’m interested in this one anymore.

Verdict:  Toss

9.  On Little Wings by Regina Sirois:

Jennifer’s mother is not an only child.
Jennifer’s aunt has thirty seven freckles.
And life just stopped making sense for this sixteen-year-old girl from Nebraska.
It
will take one forbidden journey, an octogenarian movie star, three old
pirates, and one scarred genius to put all the pieces back together.
If that is even possible.

When
Jennifer finds a dog-eared photograph of a freckled girl, she never
dreams the innocent picture will tear open a gaping wound to her
mother’s concealed past.
Jennifer must leave her home, parents, and
best friend in the wheat fields of Nebraska and travel to the rocky
shores of Maine to find the aunt she’s never met. Her search for the
truth is distracted by the strange and hilarious characters she finds in
the tight-knit town of Smithport. From the 88 year old movie star who
likes to show off her tattoo, to the fishermen who have a passion for
rockets, to the aunt who recites poetry in the long, Maine nights,
Jennifer is intrigued by the lives swirling around her.
In the midst
of madness she meets Nathan, the tight-lipped, reluctant prodigy who is
surrounded by women who need him to be brother, father, protector,
provider, and now, first love.
With a restrained, mature, and uncertain voice, Jennifer shares her tale of family, love, loss, truth and beauty.

As Jennifer seeks to piece together her mother’s shattered story, she inadvertently writes one for herself.

My thoughts:
Not really interested anymore.

Verdict: Toss

10.  Alex by Lauren Oliver:

This captivating
digital original story set in the world of Lauren Oliver’s New York
Times bestselling Delirium series focuses on Alex, Lena’s first love.

When
Alex sacrificed himself to save Lena, he thought he was committing
himself to certain death, but what he got was almost worse. Imprisoned
and tortured by the guards, his mind forces him to relive a past he
would rather forget. But in the dark he grows stronger. Both hopeful and
terrified, he fights to find his way back to her and the love he still
clings to.

In this digital story that will appeal to fans of
Delirium and welcome new admirers to its world, readers will learn of
Alex’s time after the events of Delirium, as well as the dark past that
he has tried to forget.

My thoughts:
I still need to finish this series, but I’ll want to read this too at some point.

Verdict:  Keep

 
11.  The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson:

For the past five years,
Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never
staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have
tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town
where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first
time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories,
even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her
but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.


My thoughts:
As much as I do like this author, I think this is one that will always be easily available, so I don’t need to keep it on my TBR.

Verdict:  Toss

12.  The Lost City of Z by David Grann:

A grand mystery reaching
back centuries. A sensational disappearance that made headlines around
the world. A quest for truth that leads to death, madness or
disappearance for those who seek to solve it. The Lost City of Z is a blockbuster adventure narrative about what lies beneath the impenetrable jungle canopy of the Amazon.

After
stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, New Yorker writer David Grann
set out to solve “the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th
century”: What happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett & his
quest for the Lost City of Z?

In 1925, Fawcett ventured into the
Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most
important discoveries in history. For centuries Europeans believed the
world’s largest jungle concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado.
Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced
that the Amazon was truly inimical to humans. But Fawcett, whose daring
expeditions inspired Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, had spent
years building his scientific case. Captivating the imagination of
millions round the globe, Fawcett embarked with his 21-year-old son,
determined to prove that this ancient civilisation–which he dubbed
Z–existed. Then his expedition vanished. Fawcett’s fate, & the
tantalizing clues he left behind about Z, became an obsession for
hundreds who followed him into the uncharted wilderness.

For
decades scientists & adventurers have searched for evidence of
Fawcett’s party & the lost City of Z. Countless have perished, been
captured by tribes or gone mad. As Grann delved ever deeper into the
mystery surrounding Fawcett’s quest, & the greater mystery of what
lies within the Amazon, he found himself, like the generations who
preceded him, being irresistibly drawn into the jungle’s green hell. His
quest for the truth & discoveries about Fawcett’s fate & Z form
the heart of this complexly enthralling narrative.

My thoughts:
I still kind of want to read this, but isn’t there a movie now?  Maybe I’ll just watch that.

Verdict:  Toss

13.  Stolen Souls by Andrea Cremer:

Bosque Mar, the source of dark magic in Andrea Cremer’s New York Times bestselling Nightshade series, enters our world for the first time in Rift.
This short story chronicles what happens when he–and his
wraiths–arrive in the village of Dorusduain, a village that disappears
in Rift.

My thoughts:
I feel like if I ever get back into this series, I’ll go find all the little novellas that go with it.

Verdict: Toss

14.  The Shattered Mountain by Rae Carson:

On the outskirts of
Joya d’Arena, small villages fight for survival against the onslaught of
sorcerers and raiders. Mara’s village has been safe–so far–but Mara
decides to escape anyway. Escape from her harsh, abusive father. Escape
with her first love. But when their plans fall on the same day that the
animagi burn the village to the ground, Mara faces losses that could
destroy her. She’s a survivor, though. She is going to make it through
the mountains, and she is going to protect the refugees following her.
Because there’s a rumored safe haven . . . and some say they have found
the Chosen One. Told from Mara’s point-of-view, The Shattered Mountain
is an alternate perspective of the beginning of the acclaimed The Girl
of Fire and Thorns.

My thoughts:
I still need to read on in the series, so probably will come back to this if I ever do.

Verdict:  Toss

15.  Hysteria by Megan Miranda:

Mallory killed her
boyfriend, Brian. She can’t remember the details of that night but
everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn’t charged. But Mallory
still feels Brian’s presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is
it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent
to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything
about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one
of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she
must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she
can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

In another
riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda’s masterful storytelling
brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.

My thoughts:
Hmm, not that unique sounding these days.

Verdict:  Toss

16.  Daynight by Megan Thomason:

2012 Book of the Year Award Finalist-Young Adult Fiction, ForeWord Reviews

Meet
The Second Chance Institute (SCI): Earth’s benevolent non-profit by
day, Thera’s totalitarian regime by night. Their motto: Because Everyone
Deserves a Second Chance™. Reality: the SCI subjects Second Chancers to
strict controls and politically motivated science experiments like
Cleaving—forced lifetime union between two people who have sex.
Punishment for disobeying SCI edicts? Immediate Exile or death.

Meet
Kira Donovan. Fiercely loyal, overly optimistic, and ensnared by the
promise of a full-ride college scholarship, Kira signs the SCI Recruit
contract to escape memories of a tragedy that left her boyfriend and
friends dead.

Meet Blake Sundry. Bitter about being raised in
Exile and his mother’s death, Blake’s been trained to infiltrate and
destroy the SCI. Current barrier to success? His Recruit partner—Miss
Goody Two Shoes Kira Donovan.

Meet Ethan Darcton. Born with a
defective heart and resulting inferiority complex, Ethan’s forced to do
his SCI elite family’s bidding. Cleave-worthy Kira Donovan catches his
eye, but the presiding powers give defect-free Blake Sundry first dibs.

Full
of competing agendas, romantic entanglements, humor, twists and turns,
daynight is Megan Thomason’s debut young adult dystopian novel and first
in the daynight series.

My thoughts:
Not interested anymore.

Verdict: Toss

17.  Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan:

Having grown up in an
apartment above her Grandpa Joe’s little bakery, Issy Randal has always
known how to make something sweet. She’s much better at baking than she
is at filing, so when she’s laid off from her desk job, Issy decides to
open up her own little caf . But she soon learns that her piece-of-cake
plan will take all her courage and confectionary talent to avert
disaster. Funny and sharp, Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe is about how life
might not always taste like what you expect, but there’s always room
for dessert!

My thoughts:
Hmm, I probably picked this because of my love of cupcakes.  Not sure if I’m going to still be interested or not.

Verdict:  Toss

18.  Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen:

From the author of the beloved bestseller Garden Spells comes a beautiful, haunting story of old loves and new, and the power of the connections that bind us forever…

The
first time Eby Pim saw Lost Lake, it was on a picture postcard. Just an
old photo and a few words on a small square of heavy stock, but when
she saw it, she knew she was seeing her future.

That was half a
life ago. Now Lost Lake is about to slip into Eby’s past. Her husband
George is long passed. Most of her demanding extended family are gone.
All that’s left is a once-charming collection of lakeside cabins
succumbing to the Southern Georgia heat and damp, and an assortment of
faithful misfits drawn back to Lost Lake year after year by their own
unspoken dreams and desires.

It’s a lot, but not enough to keep
Eby from relinquishing Lost Lake to a developer with cash in hand, and
calling this her final summer at the lake. Until one last chance at
family knocks on her door.

Lost Lake is where Kate Pheris spent
her last best summer at the age of twelve, before she learned of
loneliness, and heartbreak, and loss. Now she’s all too familiar with
those things, but she knows about hope too, thanks to her resilient
daughter Devin, and her own willingness to start moving forward. Perhaps
at Lost Lake her little girl can cling to her own childhood for just a
little longer… and maybe Kate herself can rediscover something that
slipped through her fingers so long ago.

One after another,
people find their way to Lost Lake, looking for something that they
weren’t sure they needed in the first place: love, closure, a second
chance, peace, a mystery solved, a heart mended. Can they find what they
need before it’s too late?

At once atmospheric and enchanting,
Lost Lake shows Sarah Addison Allen at her finest, illuminating the
secret longings and the everyday magic that wait to be discovered in the
unlikeliest of places.

My thoughts:
Not sure why I added this one, doesn’t sound like me.

Verdict:  Toss

19.  Unraveled by Gennifer Albin:

Autonomous. Independent. Dangerous. They tried to control her. Now she’ll destroy them.

Things
have changed behind the walls of the Coventry and new threats lurk in
its twisted corridors. When Adelice returns to Arras, she quickly learns
that something rotten has taken hold of the world and Cormac Patton
needs her to help him reestablish order. However, peace comes at a
terrible price. As the Guild manipulates the citizens of Arras, Adelice
discovers that she’s not alone, and she must let go of her past to fight
for mankind’s future. She will have to choose between an unimaginable
alliance and a deadly war that could destroy everyone she loves.

My thoughts:
I still need to read the second book, so I’ll take this one off the list till then. 

Verdict:  Toss

20.  The Dead and Empty World by Carrie Ann Ryan:

Stories included in this collection:
“Flotsam
& Jetsam,” originally published in The Living Dead 2, edited by
John Joseph Adams and published by Night Shade Books;
“Scenic Route,” originally published in Enthralled, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong and published by HarperCollins;
“Bougainvillea,”
originally published in Zombies vs. Unicorns, edited by Holly Black and
Justine Larbalestier and published by Simon and Schuster;
“A Game of Firsts,” originally published in The First Time, edited by Jessica Verday and Rhonda Stapleton;
“Hare
Moon,” originally published in Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal
Love, edited by Trisha Telep and published by Running Press Teens; later
published in a slightly different form by Random House.

My thoughts:
There are one or two in this collection I’ve already read, but I’d like to read the rest.

Verdict: Keep

Final Thoughts:
It looks like I’m only keeping 6 this week, so that’s good!

Now
that I’m back to doing this basically weekly instead of a month ahead,
I’ll look at how many I had before and after.  When I last said how many
were on the list last week, it was 3,089,  with cutting 14, I’m down to 3,073, maybe from cutting more or reading ones that were on my list before?  I don’t know, but yay for getting a lower number finally!

Have
you read any
of these?  Would you suggest I keep any I’m tossing?  And if you’re
inspired to do this on your blog, please feel free to join in and share a
link in the comments, since it will also get you an extra
entry into my giveaway at
the bottom of this post.      
 

Giveaway:
Once
again this is a US only giveaway, unless you are International and see a
book here you really want and would be willing to pay for the
difference in the shipping through Paypal or some other way.  You get to pick any two books from the pictures
below, as
long as they don’t get traded away, or picked by last week’s winner,
and I will pick a surprise book from the piles to add to your choice. 
As I mentioned above, unpacking is finding a lot of books to get rid of, so you have even more to pick from this week!  Here are your choices:   

2018 ARCs:

Once again I’m going to let you pick two, along with me throwing in a surprise third book!  Just enter the Rafflecopter below.   Disclaimer:  Unfortunately, while I’ve only had it happen once, I’m going to have to make a statement like other giveaways I’ve seen on blogs that I am not responsible for lost mail.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway