Down the TBR Hole #9

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Welcome to my latest edition of Down The TBR Hole! Jody at the blog I'm Into Books has offered this solution to help remind us of all those books we added to our Goodreads list in the distant past and hopefully start managing the list. The idea is to start cleaning up our Goodreads TBR lists of all the books that have piled up over time, and share our progress in the link-up every Thursday. Here's how Jody explains it:

Most of you probably know this feeling, your Goodreads TBR pile keeps growing and growing and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You keep adding, but you add more than you actually read. And then when you're scrolling through your list, you realize that you have no idea what half the books are about and why you added them. 

So here's what we'll do: On the Goodreads to-read shelf, order all your books ascending by date added. Look at the first four (or more) books on the list, read the synopses and decide whether the books should stay or go. Post in the link-up and share using the hashtag #DTTBRH and tagging @Jodyblogs.

Not sure how long I'll keep up with the DTTBRH posts, because it doesn't appear there's anyone else continuing with it at present, but I do need to keep purging the unnecessary and duplicates and all of that from my Goodreads list.

Here's what I found on Week Nine:

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - This novel presents an astounding panorama of human life ― from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy ― to the great steel industrialist who does not know that he is working for his own destruction ― to the philosopher who becomes a pirate ― to the composer who gives up his career on the night of his trumph ― to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad ― to the lowest track worker in her Terminal tunnels . . . It is a philosophical revolution, told in the form of an action thriller of violent events, a ruthlessly brilliant plot structure and irrestistable suspense.

It's a classic and I'm ashamed to say I haven't read it, so obviously it stays here until I do.

Sphinx's Princess by Esther M. Friesner - Nefertiti may the the dutiful daughter of a commoner, but her inquisitive mind often gets her into situations that are far from ordinary, like receiving seret lessons from a scribe. And she's the kind of girl who acts first, and apologizes later whenever she witnesses injustice or cruelty. But she is also extraordinarily beautiful. And news of her striking beauty and impulsive behavior attracts the attention of her aunt, the manipulative Queen Tiye, who sees Nefertiti as an ideal pawn in her desire for power.

Sounds interesting, but so does every other book about ancient Egypt. I just can't keep them all and this is one I won't.

Poison by Sara Poole - Determined to avenge the killing of her father, Francesca Giordanao, defying all convention becomes the official poisoner of the head of the most notorious and dangerous family in Italy, Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, the confidante of Lucrezia and the lover of Cesare while pursuing her father's murderer.

Another one that does sound interesting, but I don't have any memory of putting it on my TBR list or where I saw it recommended. The blurb (which I copied exactly) is confusing which makes me wonder whether the quality of the book is the same. Guess I'll never know, because I removed it.

The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick - William Marshal's prowess and loyalty have been rewarded by the hand in marriage of Isabelle de Clare, heiress to great estates in England, Normandy and Ireland. All the stability William and Isabelle have enjoyed . . . comes crashing down as Richard dies and his brother John becomes King. Rebellion is stirring . . . and although John has created William Earl of Pembroke, the friction between the two men leads William and Isabelle to distance themselves from Ireland. The situation escalates with John holding their sons as hostages and seizing their English lands. The conflict threatens to tear apart William and Isabelle's marriage and their family.

This is the third in the William Marshal series which I started long, long ago, and I think I'd like to finish it, so for now, this one will stay. 

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century by Ian Mortimer - Imagine you could get into a time machine and travel back to the 14th century. This text sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking the reader to the Middle Ages, and showing everything from the horrors of leprosy and war to the ridiculous excesses of roasted larks and haute couture.

Pretty sure I added this intending to use it as a supplement when I was homeschooling. In other words, I don't need it on my list at this time.

This post will be linked at Down The TBR Hole hosted by Jody at I'm Into Books.

#DTTBRH

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