Top Ten Tuesday: Eleven (!!!) Books I Need to "Clean Off" My TBR

"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl!

So... I'm in a bit of a pickle. Well, not quite a pickle, per se, but definitely a slump. The slumpiest kind of slump. The kind of slump that means it's somehow March, and I've only read four books so far this year. 

While I came into 2021 strong, determined to make the most of the time I had, in a way that I wasn't able to do in the chaos of 2020, I quickly fell into the same patterns of endless doom-scrolling and curating overly specific Pinterest boards in a way that gobbled up all of my attention. I was a little taken aback recently, when I was filling out the February pages in my Book Journal, and saw that I had actually only managed to finish one (!) book in the entirely of the month (and it was one of those Paranormal Romance novels I've been talking about!). 

Which is especially embarrassing, when you take a look at all of the books stacked next to and around my bed. On the second shelf of my bedside table, on the coffee table under the lamp, all you can see are books! So why have I not been reading them? Well, I actually have been, kind of... it's just that I haven't been finishing them. 

So, for this "Spring Cleaning" themed installment of Top Ten Tuesday, I figured I'd share a little bit about all of these miscellaneous titles I need to "clean" off my TBR, before I can make way for something new. 

currently reading (sort of)

1. The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch

This book has been on my TBR shelves for literal years and years - after purchasing it based on the glowing recommendations of a ton of people - so it's funny to admit that the reason I finally picked it up was because one of my friends said I should really "get around to it when I have the chance." Oh, a casual rec given during a FaceTime where you also tell me to read two other books I also have in my possession? Obviously I must begin immediately, because I love you. 

While I am genuinely enjoying the fast-paced action and non-chronological storytelling, there's something about this behemoth of a Fantasy novel that I'm holding at arm's length. I think it's because it is so large... if I dedicate myself fully to tackling this one, it will still take a lot of time and focus to make it to the end! 

2. Joan of Arc, Mark Twain

But speaking of high commitment, I feel like I need to tell you that the same day that I began the 700+ page Fantasy, I also cracked open this title, an also hundreds-of-pages work of Historic Sentimentalism that would be, for me, actually a reread. I first took up this novel when I was 17, and going through Confirmation classes at church, but being that we're moving through the season of Lent right now, I figured it might be worth the revisit. 

Needless to say, there's a lot more that's catching my attention now, a full decade after my first perusal, and my palms are sore from catching all of this stuff that used to just fly over my head. So it's almost a higher level of self-inflected expectations, as well, as not only is it a huge read, and a difficult genre, with both literary and personal meaning to grapple with... it's a lot! 

3. How to Lose an Extraterrestrial in 10 Days, Susan Grant 

This is my current exploration, plucked from my giant box of Paranormal Romance reads, gifted by my younger brother for Christmas. Originally, I had planned on making my way through all twenty before the holiday season came around again, but if we're basing expectations off of what I've managed to accomplish thus far, there's no way I'm even making it halfway to that finish line! 

Plus, the theming and plot details of this alien-based steamy read are way more detailed - and honestly? kind of intense - than I had expected. The tone of the book so far doesn't feel like it matches the genre or cover material, so unless things even out fast, this is going to be a much bumpier ride than I thought it was going to be. 

4. Content Marketing for Nonprofits, Kivi Leroux Miller 

In a confusing twist, this book - a dense and comprehensive take on the whole, complex practice of managing socials, website, press materials, and more, for nonprofits big and small - has been one of the most enjoyable and consistent reads I've been making my way through in the past month. And that comes along with the fact that I've been taking copious notes throughout the whole process. Odds are high that of all of them, this is one of the books I'm going to be finishing first! 

5. Artificial Condition (Murderbot #2), Martha Wells 

Yeah, I've got nothing. Absolutely nothing to excuse this one. It's literally a novella, in a series I enjoy, that I've been reading alongside other friends. Technically, I'm even almost finished with this! I only have like 5% left on my Kindle copy, and the ebook is due back to the library in like two days. What the hell. I mean, I have to switch between the Content Marketing ebook and this one when I read them? Is that a good excuse? 

(My brother, who is also waiting for this ebook from the library, is going to kill me for this one.)

on the pile (aka, from much longer ago)

6. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard

Started: last March. I'm a fan of Annie Dillard - especially her memoir An American Childhood, which I have read a couple of times since first encountering it in high school English class - and I know this is her big "claim to fame" title, so I figured I should probably get around to reading it. However, it's really just a whole truckload of description about the wonders of the natural world, which doesn't exactly make for a real page-turner. 

7. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice

Started: October. Man, this was the perfect thing to read at the time I was originally reading it, back in October, in the Halloween Times. But unfortunately, it's a little dense, with a lot of character detail, and I'm reading it from an old mass market paperback I picked up from a Goodwill a long time ago, which makes for slow going. So when I didn't finish it before the clock chimed on Halloween, I felt weird continuing on through November or December. But honestly, Spring and Summer are pretty great times to read spooky stuff, too, so maybe it's time to give this one another go? 

8. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley

Started: August. This is another example of a fun, exciting read, that is a little intimidating based on its size and relatively fast pace. I'm poised right after the body was found in this engaging, unique mystery novel, but I'm way too nervous to dive back in and get swept up in the plot unless I'm ready to, like, commit. Which is a very special kind of stupid, when you consider the rate at which I've been known to go through an Agatha Christie novel in my time. 

9. Manhattan Beach, Jennifer Egan

Started: last February. UGGHH. So here's the deal: Jennifer Egan is one of my all-time favorite authors. Her book A Visit from the Goon Squad is one of my all-time favorites. I own almost all of her titles, and have read over half of them, including her short story collections. And when I heard that she was publishing a period piece, I was floored. 

But when I finally got around to picking up this much-hyped title... I hated it. Just, really didn't like any part of it. Yes, it was still clearly her voice, but it fell into so many trappings that are typical to her, in a way that I found really uncomfortable and off-putting. So, I'm more than halfway through it, and it's been taking up space on my table for a full calendar year... but I have absolutely no idea what to do with it. 

(Realistically, I know that I should probably just get rid of it... donate it or something. But it's Jennifer Egan! And everyone else I know who's read it, loved it! BUT I've had this book on my table for practically as long as there's been a pandemic!) 

10. Jane Austen: A Life, Claire Tomalin

Started: last February. This one is actually a fabulous read, too. Just a lot of really great historical context for one of England's most famous authors. But when I say A LOT, I mean a lot... enough detail to send a weaker person screaming. You know, like me! 

Just kidding. I mean, I did make it through the first half of the book, and it was a really good time, especially considering the amount of foundation that's laid in simply illuminating the members of her extensive family. But it was a little too much all at once, and then once I took a break, it was difficult to jump back in... and now that we're a full year out, I don't know if I'd remember enough to make the attempt! 

11. The Well of Lost Plots (Thursday Next #3), Jasper Fforde 

Started: last April. Remember when I decided that my deteriorating attention span and fading sense of optimism, in the face of the constant onslaught of terrible pandemic news, meant that I should reread one of my all-time fave series? And then I stopped in the middle of the third installment because I got too overwhelmed and didn't pick it back up again for the rest of the year? Ahahaha. It's fine. I'm fine. 

What topic did you choose for your Top Ten this week? Got any ideas about which of these books I should bump to the top of my TBR stack? Let me know, in the comments below!