Down the TBR Hole #1

My TBR list is seriously out of control. Every time I see or hear of a new book that sounds even remotely interesting to me, I immediately add it to my Want To Read list on Goodreads. It can be intimidating when it comes time to choose a new book because the list is so long that at some point I give up and just choose a book at random.

When I read Lost in a Story’s Down the TBR Hole #1 post, I loved the idea and wanted to do it for myself to try to narrow down my TBR list. Here are the rules:

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

Here are the oldest books on my Goodreads TBR shelf:

1. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
   I have vague memories of having to read this play in high school, but I remember little to nothing of it. I added it to the list because I always feel like I need to read classics, but honestly, I don’t see myself ever actually reading this.
   Verdict: Go
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
   I know I read this book in school, but it’s been almost a decade, and I definitely want to reread it. This is an easy choice.
   Verdict: Keep
3. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
   This book is described as a novel that deals with a woman’s quest to find her place in her own life, and that sounds like something I need to read. I don’t remember actually adding this to be Want to Read list, but I’m glad it’s there.
   Verdict: Keep
4. The Gate to Women’s Country by Sheri S. Tepper
   I didn’t even finish reading the synopsis before knowing I’d be keeping this one on my list, and actually moving it to the top. Here’s the first line of the Goodreads summary: “Tepper’s finest novel to date is set in a post-holocaust feminist dystopia that offers only two political alternatives: a repressive polygamist sect that is slowly self-destructing through inbreeding and the matriarchal dictatorship called Women’s Country.” That’s all I needed.
   Verdict: Keep
5. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
   Since I just picked this book up from the library last week, this was a good reminder to actually read it. I love the film, and I’m curious to see how the book is compared to it.
   Verdict: Keep

Ok, so I only managed to cull my list by one book, so my list is still way too long. It was fun to get myself to the bottom of the list though because I’d honestly forgotten about a couple of these books.

How do you manage to TBR list?