Woman with a Blue Pencil by Gordon McAlpine

Starting off with a tricky one! The premise of this one sounds intriguing, if potentially confusing. We are following a Japanese character who has been written out of a story but is still trying to finish it! We also get snippets of the editor’s letters to the author, who is a Japanese-American imprisoned at an internment camp during WWII, urging him to make his story more “patriotic”. And that’s where my hesitation lies because this was written by a white, contemporary author. I’m not saying he can’t do a wonderful, nuanced job of capturing the emotions surrounding the circumstances. But it’s just not the same as someone of actual Japanese or Japanese-American descent telling this story, in my opinion. Perhaps future-me will change her mind, but, for now, it’s off the TBR.

Verdict: Remove

Hellraisers by Alexander Gordon Smith

This is a YA paranormal dystopian/horror and I haven’t been a fan of YA dystopian books in ages. Not saying that this couldn’t pull me back into the fray, but it was published around the time when I fell out of love with dystopian novels in general. Beyond that, the premise doesn’t sound like anything spectacular. It’s about a teen gaining massive demonic powers to help save the world at great peril to himself and probably those closest to him. It just doesn’t capture my interest anymore, so off it goes!

Verdict: Remove

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

For someone who claims that her favorite bookish trope is “books about books”. this one has been on my TBR for an embarrassingly long amount of time 😅 I mean, it’s set in a potentially magical bookstore! It sounds like something I would genuinely love, so of course it gets to stay. Now I just need to make time to read it!

Verdict: Keep

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

Here we have another tricky one. It’s branded as a “true story” and the original murders that occurred in the house are definitely true. But this is a book about the Lutz family, who moved into the house and were supposedly so scared by the paranormal happenings within that they left within 28 days. Loved the movie, but I’m not sure how I feel about a book claiming it’s all true. It’s also a classic horror story, though, which makes me want to give it a chance. But multiple reviews claim it’s as though a 12 year old wrote it. In the end, it’s a book I would read if it somehow landed on my doorstep, but not one I’m actively eager to read, so it gets the boot.

Verdict: Remove

Ring by Kōji Suzuki

We have another horror novel, but this is one I’m still very eager to pick up! This is the novel the movie The Ring is based on and I’ve wanted to read it since I knew it was a thing. I love The Ring (not the sequel… the sequel is trash) and will still regularly watch it. And the original Japanese version is just as good, if not better! So I want to read the source material to see if it can give me the shivers, as well.

Verdict: Keep

Fire & Sword by Dylan Doose

Well, when the synopsis includes a description of one character as “a lonely heretic monk turned sorcerer” who is “imprisoned for accidentally incinerating the leader of his order”, I kind of have to read it, right? Just to find out how something like that happens! It also seems like it might have a little of the found family vibe and definitely morally grey heroes, which I love. So this one definitely gets to stay.

Verdict: Keep

Our Lady of the Ice by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Here we have a sci-fi set in Antarctica that promises androids, strife, and gangsters. Which may be appealing to some, but it lost me at “gangsters”. I dunno… I just don’t vibe with books that heavily feature Mafia-esque characters or plot points. It’s totally a me-thing. This is probably right up a lot of peoples’ alleys, but it doesn’t capture my attention anymore.

Verdict: Remove

Feed by Mira Grant

There are multiple reasons why this one gets to stay. First, Mira Grant is the penname for Seanan McGuire and I’m in love with her Wayward Children series. Second, it features bloggers trying to get to the bottom of a zombie apocalypse. That sounds like it’s gonna be incredible and I’m here for the ride!

Verdict: Keep

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Here’s another one I’m a wee bit embarrassed I haven’t read yet. This is quite the darling in certain circles of the bookish community and it sounds like something I would love. It features a band of criminals and heists and I’ve heard the found family element is *chef’s kiss* So, basically, it’s something I should absolutely devour. Here’s hoping I love it when I do eventually pick it up.

Verdict: Keep

Legend by Marie Lu

Look… I know this is a YA dystopian and I may have mentioned earlier I’m not a huge fan. But, after reading a different book by this author (The Kingdom of Back was so good, y’all), I kind of want to read everything else she’s written. And this is one of the classic YA dystopian novels from back in the early 2010s. I still want to give it a shot to see if maybe I’ll love it.

Verdict: Keep