Top Ten Tuesday: Unread Books on My Shelves I Want to Read Soon

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Unread Books on My Shelves I Want to Read Soon. I’ve done plenty of posts about my unread books, so at first I thought I’d skip this week’s TTT rather than repeat myself… but the thinking about the key word soon, I realized I could work with it!

Some of these have been on my shelves for a long time now, and some are more recent additions, but all are books I want to read sooner rather than later. I’m not making any commitments (those never seem to work), but here are ten I hope to get to this year (or maybe next?):

The Thorns Remain by JJA Harwood: Bought on a whim about a year ago.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: It’s been years and years. This one is on my Classics Club spin list, and I’ve been waiting for its number to come up! (I suppose I could finally just read it anyway, but it’s nice to have the spin as motivation.)
Pat of Silver Bush by L. M. Montgomery: I only came to LMM’s books as an adult, and have been on a mission to read as many as possible ever since! I picked up the two Pat books a couple of years ago.
A Turn of the Tide by Kelley Armstrong: This is a more recent addition. I added it to my shelves last year, but now that I’m finally reading the series (this is #3), I expect to read it quite soon.
The Return by Rachel Harrison: I added the Kindle edition to my library a couple of years ago.
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler: Maybe this is cheating a bit — I bought this last year, and I know I’ll be reading it soon since it’s my book group’s pick for June.
Needful Things by Stephen King: I bought this a few years ago to take on vacation; didn’t end up reading it that time, but maybe this summer?
Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant: Bought a copy on my daughter’s recommendation a year or two ago.
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala: Another one I bought to take on a trip and then didn’t read, but I keep packing it in my travel bag just in case.
Theft of an Idol by Dana Stabenow: I also finally started this series this year after stockpiling the books as they came out, and intend to read this one in the next few months.

Have you read any of these? Are there any you particularly recommend?

If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link!

26Dec2023

Top Ten Tuesday: The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Kindle Library

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf .

I don’t buy physical books nearly as much any more, but I can never seem to resist adding books to my Kindle library when I spot a good price drop.

Here are the 10 ebooks that I’ve added most recently:

Emmett by L. C. Rosen
Violeta by Isabel Allende
Little, Big by John Crowley
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest
Island of the Lost by Joan Druett
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews
The Apology by Jimin Han
The Bookseller of Inverness by S. G. Maclean
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

What books have you added to your shelves most recently? If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!

4Jan2023

Shelf Control: Changes & New Beginnings

Posted in Shelf Control by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

New year, new beginnings, new decisions, new directions…

I’m writing to announce a change here at Bookshelf Fantasies — specifically, about my Shelf Control weekly posts.

Back in 2015, I created Shelf Control and invited others to participate as well:

Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up!

Over the past seven years, I’ve featured 347 books from my shelves. I’ve been joined by wonderful participants, all book bloggers sharing their own variety of featured books. It’s been so much fun sharing and exchanging ideas, reading plans, and insights!

This past year, I’ve noticed that hosting a weekly book blog meme has occasionally started to feel more like an obligation and less like pure enjoyment. I’ve written in the past about my strong belief that book blogging should be a source of fun and happiness, and if it ever starts to feel like work, then I should reconsider what I’m doing. I still love the idea of Shelf Control, but I think it’s about time for me to cut back on commitments and just post when the inspiration strikes.

For that reason, it’s time for me to pass the reins to a new host!

I’m delighted to announce that Mallika at Literary Potpourri will be “adopting” the Shelf Control meme and will become its new host! Mallika has been the most involved participant in Shelf Control over the years, and her book selections are always fascinating.

I’ll still participate in the meme, but I love the idea of contributing now and then, rather than feeling forced to find a new book to feature week in and week out. So, look for my posts… just not necessarily every week.

Thank you to one and all who’ve participated by sharing your own Shelf Control posts and/or commenting on mine! Your thoughts, comments, and insights have meant so much to me.

Please join me in thanking Mallika for taking over Shelf Control, and please check in at Literary Potpourri for future Shelf Control posts!

Happy New Year!

Save

28Dec2022

Shelf Control: Taking stock – 2022 round-up

Posted in Shelf Control by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.

Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.

Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!

A few years ago already, I shared my intention to do a “taking stock” Shelf Control post on an annual basis, to see how many of the books that I’ve featured as Shelf Control picks I’ve actually ended up reading.

Well… that was in 2019, and I only just remembered that I’d intended to make it a yearly tradition! Oops.

Better late than never — so here I am, at the end of 2022, ready to do a little tallying.

In 2022, I shared 47 Shelf Control posts.

Of those 47:

I have read a grand total of TWO books.
There are FIFTEEN that I’d put into the “unlikely to read” category. Upon reflection, I just don’t feel all that interested in taking the time to read them.
Some of these may end up in my donation pile, whenever I get around to doing another bookshelf purge.

Keep in mind, that’s just the 2022 selection of Shelf Control books!

Going back to when I first started this weekly feature (in 2015 — I can’t quite believe I’ve been doing these post for that long!) my stats are a little intimidating:

Total Shelf Control books so far: 347
Number of Shelf Control books I’ve read since posting about them: 33
Number of Shelf Control books donated or otherwise discarded: 63
Number of Shelf Control books that I doubt I’ll ever read (I still have them, but they may be next to go): 61

Which means:

Of the books I’ve featured, I have…

190 books still to read!

Which just goes to show that these Shelf Control posts do seem to help me in some way — they at least force me to really think about the books on my shelves, and eventually decide if I’m still interested. Although as my stats show, the most probably outcome for my Shelf Control books (particularly those I’ve owned for more than a year or two) is that I’m unlikely to actually read or keep them, when push comes to shove.

Still, this isn’t necessarily a negative. Since I don’t seem to ever quite stop adding to my home library, getting a bit of organization and motivation to donate the books I don’t intend to read is really a good thing.

Onward to 2023! Let’s see how my shelves are looking a year from now.

Happy New Year!

And for those doing a regular Shelf Control post this week:

A Novel Start
Bookshelf Journeys

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Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:

Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
Add your link in the comments or link back from your own post, so I can add you to the participant list.
Check out other posts, and…

Have fun!

Save

9Mar2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring Cleaning for my TBR

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Spring Cleaning Freebie (for example, books you’re planning to get rid of for whatever reason, book’s you’d like to clean off your TBR by either reading them or deciding you’re not interested, books that feel fresh and clean to you after winter is over, etc.).

My Goodreads “want-to-read” shelf is up to 813 (!!!!) books, and I swear, I have no idea how it got so out of hand. For this week’s TTT, I’m listing 10 books from my to-read shelf that I don’t know why I added in the first place — time to say good-bye! Overall, this is a good reminder to go in and do some major pruning.

Onward we go! My top 10 are:

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed
Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler
A Stranger Came Ashore by Hollie Hunter
Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris
The Brideship Wife by Leslie Howard
Snowflake AZ by Marcus Sedgwick
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
Being Mrs Darcy by Lucy Marin
When Life Gives You Lemons by Fiona Gibson
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Since I don’t remember why I thought I’d want to read these in the first place, I think they all can go… unless someone can convince me otherwise. If you’ve read any of these books and think I should give them a try, please let me know!

What bookish spring cleaning is on your mind? Please share your link so I can check out your top 10!

29Jan2019

Top Ten Tuesday: The Ten Most Recent Additions to My To-Read List

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is The Ten Most Recent Additions to My To-Read List.

My TBR list grows pretty much every day… and here are the ten books I’ve added most recently:

1) Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

2) Golden State by Ben Winters

3) Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

4) The Truth About Animals by Lucy Cooke

5) The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

6) The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn

7) Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

8) The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan

And two without covers yet — but they’re recently announced additions to beloved series, so HECK YEAH I want to read these:

9) No Fixed Line (Kate Shugak #22) by Dana Stabenow

10) Kopp Sisters on the March (Kopp Sisters #5) by Amy Stewart

Source: Amy Stewart’s website

What books have you recently added to your TBR list?

If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link so I can check out your list!

23Jan2019

Shelf Control: Taking Stock

Posted in Shelf Control by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.

Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!

A question came up last week as a comment on a Shelf Control post:

Of the 152 books I’ve highlighted so far in my Shelf Control feature, how many have I actually read?

Wow. That is a BIG question.

Shelf Control has been a way to force myself to go back, again and again, to my overflowing bookshelves and take a look at what’s already there. I pick up new books all the time, usually through Kindle deals or at library sales or at used book stores, but still, the fact remains that I buy more and more books when I already have enough unread books on my shelves to keep me busy for years!

So, rather than feature another Shelf Control book this week, I thought I’d take stock and try to answer the question. Luckily, I organize Shelf Control (as well as so much else in my life) through the glory of spreadsheets, so it’s not that hard to figure out.

According to my worksheet:

Total Shelf Control books so far: 152
Number of Shelf Control books I’ve read since posting about them: 14
Number of Shelf Control books donated or otherwise discarded: 9
Number of Shelf Control books that I doubt I’ll ever read (I still have them, but they may be next to go, whenever I do another shelf purge): 12

Which means:

Of the books I’ve featured, I have…

117 books still to read!

Will I read them? I hope so! I bought them for a reason… and I still find them interesting enough to hold on to. It’s always hard to strike a balance between new books, ARCs, library books, and books on the shelves, but sooner or later, I do end up going back to books I already own. Of the 14 featured Shelf Control books that I’ve actually read, there was only one that I’d consider a dud. As for the others, I’ve read a classic I’ve always meant to read, gotten hooked on series that I’d been curious about, and have read some amazing fiction that moved me and entertained me. I call that a win!

Maybe I’ll do one of these “taking stock” posts once a year (or more often) to see where I stand. Meanwhile, pardon the interruption in my regular schedule! Next week, I’ll be back with yet another book from my shelves… and hopefully, I’ll actually read it before too much time goes by.

If you wrote a Shelf Control post this week, don’t forget to share your link!

__________________________________

Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:

Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
Add your link in the comments!
If you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate a link back from your own post.
Check out other posts, and…

Have fun!

Save

22Jan2019

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read In 2018 but Didn’t Get To

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books I Meant to Read In 2018 but Didn’t Get To.

I could easily come up with way more than 10… but I’ll stick to ten books I bought in 2018 but still haven’t read:

1) Becoming by Michele Obama

2) Someday by David Levithan

3) There There by Tommy Orange

4) A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

5) The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal

6) Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness

7) Death of an Eye by Dana Stabenow

8) Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

9) Witchmark by C. L. Polk

10) The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

Have you read any of these? What books from 2018 do you still need to read?

Please share your thoughts… and if you have a TTT post, please share your link!

2Feb2016

Shelf Control #21: Miss New India

Posted in Shelf Control by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to the newest weekly feature here at Bookshelf Fantasies… Shelf Control!

Shelf Control is all about the books we want to read — and already own! Consider this a variation of a Wishing & Waiting post… but looking at books already available, and in most cases, sitting right there on our shelves and e-readers.

Want to join in? See the guidelines and linky at the bottom of the post, and jump on board! Let’s take control of our shelves!

My Shelf Control pick this week is:

Title: Miss New India
Author: Bharati Mukherjee
Published: 2011
Length: 328 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

Anjali Bose’s prospects don’t look great. Born into a traditional lower-middle‑class family, she lives in a backwater town with only an arranged marriage on the horizon. But her ambition, charm, and fluency in language do not go unnoticed by her charismatic and influential expat teacher Peter Champion. And champion her he does, both to powerful people who can help her along the way and to Anjali herself, stirring in her a desire to take charge of her own destiny. So she sets off to Bangalore, India’s fastest‑growing metropolis, and soon falls in with an audacious and ambitious crowd of young people, who have learned how to sound American by watching shows like Seinfeld in order to get jobs in call centers, where they quickly out‑earn their parents. And it is in this high‑tech city where Anjali — suddenly free of the confines of class, caste, and gender — is able to confront her past and reinvent herself. Of course, the seductive pull of life in the New India does not come without a dark side . . .

How I got it:

I bought it at a used book store.

When I got it:

A few years ago.

Why I want to read it:

I remember that I heard a review of this book on the radio soon after it came out, and thought it sounded fun and different — then forgot about it until I stumbled across a copy a couple of years later. I still think it sounds good! It’s been a while since I’ve read anything set in modern-day India, and I love the idea of the culture clash between the old ways and the character’s new life.

__________________________________

Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:

Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
Add your link below!
And if you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate a link back from your own post.
Check out other posts, and have fun!

For more on why I’ve started Shelf Control, check out my introductory post here, or read all about my out-of-control book inventory, here.

And if you’d like to post a Shelf Control button on your own blog, here’s an image to download (with my gratitude, of course!):

26Jan2016

Shelf Control #20: The Bear

Posted in Shelf Control by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to the newest weekly feature here at Bookshelf Fantasies… Shelf Control!

Want to join in? See the guidelines and linky at the bottom of the post, and jump on board! Let’s take control of our shelves!

My Shelf Control pick this week is:

Title: The Bear
Author: Claire Cameron
Published: 2014
Length: 217 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

A powerfully suspenseful story narrated by a young girl who must fend for herself and her little brother after a brutal bear attack.

While camping with her family on a remote island, five-year-old Anna awakes in the night to the sound of her mother screaming. A rogue black bear, 300 pounds of fury, is attacking the family’s campsite, pouncing on her parents as prey.

At her dying mother’s faint urging, Anna manages to get her brother into the family’s canoe and paddle away. But when the canoe dumps the two children on the edge of the woods, and the sister and brother must battle hunger, the elements, and a dangerous wilderness, we see Anna’s heartbreaking love for her family — and her struggle to be brave when nothing in her world seems safe anymore.

Told in the honest, raw voice of five-year-old Anna, this is a riveting story of love, courage, and survival.

How I got it:

I bought it.

When I got it:

When the paperback was released.

Why I want to read it:

It sounds pretty heartbreaking — but I also remember seeing interviews with the author when the book first came out and being completely fascinated by her descriptions of the plot. After reading Room, I was a little hesitant about reading another book narrated by a small child in peril (sniff… the feels!), but somehow I keep coming back to this one. Hopefully, I’ll finally give it a try soon.

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Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how: