Cleaning Up My TBR With a Giveaway (US Only) - Down the TBR Hole #29

This meme was started by Lost in a Story.  Here is how it works:

• 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?

Because I have so many to do, I'm going to try to do this weekly, and do 10 at a time.


1.   The Dig by Michael Siemsen:

A mysterious woven metal artifact is found at a paleontological dig in Africa. Mystified experts, confounded by the impossible timeline they get from traditional dating methods, call upon a stubborn young man with a unique talent. Matthew Turner's gift is also his curse: When he touches any object, his awareness is flooded with the thoughts and feelings of those who touched it before him. It is a talent that many covet, some fear, and almost no one understands. Despite being exploited as a child and tormented by the unpleasant experiences imprinted on him from the various items he has "read," Matthew agrees to travel from New York to the forests of Kenya. There, threatened by unknown enemies and helped by a beautiful but prickly ally who begins to understand his strange ability, he journeys back in geological time to make a discovery so shocking that it forces us to rewrite all human history.
 
My thoughts:
Once again this fits into the genre of books I read constantly for a while ago. And I do have the wish that I'd become a paleontologist or archaeologist, but not sure I'm that into this anymore.

Verdict:  Toss



2.  Single in the City by Michelle Gorman:

Take one twenty six year old American, add to a two thousand year old city, add a big dose of culture clash and stir.

To think Hannah ever believed that Americans differed from Brits mainly in pronunciation, sophistication and dentistry. That’s been the understatement of a lifetime. She lands upon England’s gentle shores with no job, no friends and no idea how she’s supposed to build the life she’s dreaming of. Armed with little more than her enthusiasm, she charges headlong into London, baffling the locals in her pursuit of a new life, new love and sense of herself.

My thoughts:  
Kind of sounds cute, again like what I was reading at the time I added it to my TBR.  But not really as much my thing these days.

Verdict:Toss




3.  Differentiation That Really Works:  Language Arts by Cheryll Adams and Rebecca Pierce:

Differentiation That Really Works in Language Arts provides time-saving tips and strategies from real teachers who teach language arts in grades 6-12. These teachers not only developed the materials and used them in their own classes, but they also provide useful feedback and comments about the activities. The strategies included in the book are tiered lessons, cubing, graphic organizers, exit cards, learning contracts, and choice boards. Every strategy includes directions and offers opportunities for differentiation.

My thoughts:  
Last week I kept the science version of this book on my list.  So I'll get rid of this one, as I would expect to go teach science if I went back to teaching.

Verdict:  Toss



4.  11/22/63 by Stephen King:

Life can turn on a dime—or stumble into the extraordinary, as it does for Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine. While grading essays by his GED students, Jake reads a gruesome, enthralling piece penned by janitor Harry Dunning: fifty years ago, Harry somehow survived his father’s sledgehammer slaughter of his entire family. Jake is blown away...but an even more bizarre secret comes to light when Jake’s friend Al, owner of the local diner, enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination. How? By stepping through a portal in the diner’s storeroom, and into the era of Ike and Elvis, of big American cars, sock hops, and cigarette smoke... Finding himself in warmhearted Jodie, Texas, Jake begins a new life. But all turns in the road lead to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald. The course of history is about to be rewritten...and become heart-stoppingly suspenseful.
 
My thoughts:
As this is a Stephen King book, and a popular one, I don't think I need to keep it on my Goodreads TBR. Although I do think sometime I will read it.

Verdict: Toss

5.   Love at Absolute Zero by Christopher Meeks:

Love At Absolute Zero focuses on a top physicist determined to find his soul mate within three days using science. In this comic romp, Gunnar Gunderson, 32, has just been given tenure at the University of Wisconsin, and now he can think of only one thing: finding a wife. His research falters into what happens to matter near absolute zero ( 459.67 F), but he has an instant new plan. Channeling his inner salmon, he's determined to meet his love. Can Gunnar survive his quest?
  
My thoughts:
Kinda sounds good, but don't know that I'll get to it anytime.  And ratings aren't that spectacular on Goodreads.

Verdict: Toss



6.  Starters  by Lissa Price:

HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . . 

My thoughts:
I feel like some day I should read this.

Verdict: Keep



7.  Here by Denise Grover Swank:

Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before. 

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he's volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she's been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he's really from.

My thoughts:  
Sounds good, and it's set in my state.  So, maybe I'll read it some day!

Verdict:  Keep


 8.  Unraveling the Mysteries of The Big Bang Theory - An Unabashedly Unauthorized TV Show Companion by George Beahm:

4 Science Geeks + 1 Savvy Blonde Waitress = A Big Bang

You don’t have to be a theoretical physicist to understand why The Big Bang Theory is one of the most popular shows on television. Brains meet beauty in a calculus of comedy that always adds up to smart and hilarious results.

Unraveling the Mysteries of The Big Bang Theory: An Unabashedly Unauthorized TV Show Companion is a quantum leap beyond the typical TV show guidebook. Exploring every nook and cranny of the Big Bang Theory universe, it provides a wealth of information about our favorite television show:

• A profile of “intelligent designers” Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady
• A detailed look at what went wrong with the unaired original pilot—and what went right in the reboot
• In-depth background on the principal actors and the characters they play
• A photo-illustrated breakdown of the Sheldonian universe, from couch to cosmos (including the show locations you can visit in real life)
• How to get your geek on, Big Bang—style
• A primer on the show’s key scientific concepts, plus its galaxy of guest star scientists
• A concise guide to every episode and the meaning behind each title, organized by season
• An A-Z guide to the pop culture miscellanea mentioned in the show
• And more!

Pull up a seat—just not Sheldon’s, which is in a state of eternal dibs—and get ready to unravel the mysteries of The Big Bang Theory.

My thoughts:
You know I love this show if you know me at all. But, like with all the Supernatural tv show extra books, it probably isn't something I'll ever get around to reading. 

Verdict: Toss


9.  Article 5 by Kristen Simmons:

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

My thoughts:
I feel like this is another one I really need to try some day.

Verdict: Keep


10.  Moonlight and Oranges by Elise Stephens:

A timeless tale of young romance.

Lorona Connelly is ready for a change from her carefully planned, bookish life. When sparks fly at a costume party, she embraces a chance for romance with the handsome Kestrin Feather. However, she quickly realizes that even love and destiny may not be enough to overcome the reality of an overprotective mother-in-law and Kestrin's long, tarnished history of relationships.

When Lorona's curiosity leads her to Kestrin's journal, doubt plagues them both with insecurities and threatens the relationship. Can true love overcome the odds, or was their whirlwind romance just a frivolous crush? Author Elise Stephens shares a journey of young love, fate, and wounded trust in the story of Lorona and Kestrin, a couple who must learn to overcome their fears to share a life together.

My thoughts:
Honestly this description is pretty bland and unoriginal.  Doesn't grab me at all.

Verdict: Toss


Final Thoughts:
Keeping three this week out of the ten, not as good as last week, but still more gone than kept! Still haven't had time to do any unpacking to get rid of books, so real ones are still waiting to be looked over.   Once again you can see that I may have dropped some, but you can also see how many I've added during the week as well because I'm also pointing out how many books are on my Want to Read list on Goodreads each week.  This week, after taking these 7 off, I have 3,184 books listed now, and last week I ended with 3,190. So I got rid of some and didn't add a lot more I guess! 

Have you read any of these?  Would you suggest I keep any I'm tossing?  And if you're inspired to do this on your blog, please feel free to join in and share a link in the comments, since it will also get you an extra entry into my giveaway at the bottom of this post.      
 

Giveaway:
Once again this is a US only giveaway, unless you are International and see a book here you really want and would be willing to pay for the difference in the shipping through Paypal or some other way.  This week I'm upping the prize, you get to pick any two books from the pictures below, as long as they don't get traded away, or picked by last week's winner, and I will pick a surprise book from the piles to add to your choice.  Here are your choices:   

2018 ARCs:

2017 ARCs:

I'm continuing to add in my early 2019 ARCs now.  You can pick one of your two choices from the picture below, the other book you pick needs to come from the pictures above.

Once again I'm going to let you pick two, along with me throwing in a surprise third book!  Just enter the Rafflecopter below. 

   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Can't Wait Wednesday #21: A Bunch of New Books I Can't Wait For!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Okay, so I'm going out on a limb this week, there are a BUNCH of new books I'm eager for.  And I just kinda want to share them ALL today.  So, fasten your seat belts, and hopefully you'll find at least one in my list below that you'll want to add to your own TBR.

The Empress (The Diabolic #2) by S.J. Kincaid:
I really liked the first one, and while I thought it definitely ended well, I could see that I wanted more info.  So I'm excited there will be more.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The thrilling sequel to S.J. Kincaid’s New York Times bestselling novel, The Diabolic that TeenVogue.com called “the perfect kind of high-pressure adventure.”

It’s a new day in the Empire. Tyrus has ascended to the throne with Nemesis by his side and now they can find a new way forward—one where they don’t have to hide or scheme or kill. One where creatures like Nemesis will be given worth and recognition, where science and information can be shared with everyone and not just the elite.

But having power isn’t the same thing as keeping it, and change isn’t always welcome. The ruling class, the Grandiloquy, has held control over planets and systems for centuries—and they are plotting to stop this teenage Emperor and Nemesis, who is considered nothing more than a creature and certainly not worthy of being Empress.

Nemesis will protect Tyrus at any cost. He is the love of her life, and they are partners in this new beginning. But she cannot protect him by being the killing machine she once was. She will have to prove the humanity that she’s found inside herself to the whole Empire—or she and Tyrus may lose more than just the throne. But if proving her humanity means that she and Tyrus must do inhuman things, is the fight worth the cost of winning it?

Between the Blade and the Heart (Valkyrie #1) by Amanda Hocking:

I am a huge fan of Amanda Hocking.  I loved her Trylle series so much. This one sounds just as good.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Valkyries have one great responsibility: to return immortals to the afterlife by slaying them. As a Valkyrie, Malin has always known that the balance of the world rests on her ability to carry out orders. But when Malin discovers that her mother spared the life of an immortal who was destined to die, her world is thrown into chaos. 

Malin not only wrestles with the knowledge that her mother might not be who she thought—she’s also thrust into the path of a gorgeous blue eyed guy named Asher who needs her help slaying the rogue immortal who destroyed his family. The balance of the world is at stake. And, as Asher competes with Malin’s ex for her love and loyalty, so is her heart.  

Pacifica by Kristen Simmons:
I really enjoyed her book The Glass Arrow.  And this one sounds just as good!  Here is the blurb from Goodreads:  

Pacifica, an all-new stand-alone, near-future adventure from the critically acclaimed author of Article 5 and Metaltown.

Marin is cosario royalty, a pirate like her father and his father before him. Sailing the ocean to chase adventure is in her blood. But these days no one cares that the island town her people call home is named after her grandfather. They have a new leader, one who promises an end to their hunger – and one who thinks that girls are meant for the kitchen or the brothel. Marin knows she's meant for more than that, and with the sudden influx of weapons on the island, and rumors of a pending deal with the enemy oil nation in her wake, she knows a big score to gain the council's favor is the only way to save her people, and herself.

Ross lives a life of privilege. As the president's son he wants for nothing, but he longs for a life of adventure. On a dare, he convinces his best friend Adam to sneak out to the Docks, the site of local race riots between the poor Shorlings and the upper class. But when Adam is arrested along with the other Shorlings, and not even the president is willing to find him, Ross finds himself taking matters into his own hands. He journeys back into the Docks, ready to make deals with anyone, even a beautiful pirate, if it means Adam's safe return.

When Marin and Ross meet in dangerous Shoreling territory he sees a way to get his friend back and she sees her ticket home. The ransom a president’s son would command could feed her people for years and restore her family’s legacy. But somewhere in the middle of the ocean, Marin must decide if her heart can handle handing over the only person who has ever seen her as more than a pirate.  

Strange Star by Emma Carroll:
Now, this actually was published in 2016, but Delacorte Books for Young Readers also has it scheduled for next year, so I'm definitely intrigued!  Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

They were coming tonight to tell ghost stories. 'A tale to freeze the blood,' was the only rule. Switzerland, 1816. On a stormy summer night, Lord Byron and his guests are gathered round the fire.

Felix, their serving boy, can't wait to hear their creepy tales.

Yet real life is about to take a chilling turn - more chilling than any tale.

Frantic pounding at the front door reveals a stranger, a girl covered in the most unusual scars.

She claims to be looking for her sister, supposedly snatched from England by a woman called Mary Shelley.

Someone else has followed her here too, she says. And the girl is terrified. This breathtaking new book from Emma Carroll, the critically-acclaimed author of Frost Hollow Hall, The Girl Who Walked On Air, In Darkling Wood and The Snow Sister, is a deliciously creepy story inspired by the creation of Frankenstein, and is brought to life by a leading talent in children's literature.   

Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner:
I have really started to enjoy books about cosplay/comic-con types of stories.  And this one sounds like a really good one.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Soon-to-be senior Cameron hopes to complete her costume portfolio away from the online abuse she has endured since winning a cosplay contest dressed as a character from a game she's never played. Unfortunately, the only comic shop in her new town—her main destination for character reference—is staffed, by a dudebro who challenges every girl who comes into the shop.
 
At her twin brother's suggestion, Cameron borrows a set of his clothes and uses her costuming experience to waltz into the shop as Boy Cameron, where she is shocked at how easily she's accepted into the nerd inner sanctum. Before she can say "Demogorgon," Cameron finds herself drafted into a D&D campaign alongside the dudebro; a friendly (almost flirtatiously so) clerk; a handsome Dungeon Master, and her brother Cooper, dragged along for good measure.
 
But as her "secret identity" gets more and more entrenched, Cameron's portfolio falls by the wayside—and her feelings for her DM threaten to make a complicated situation more precarious. Cosplay, comic shops, and college applications collide in this geek-girl anthem from You're Welcome, Universe author Whitney Gardner, complete with fully illustrated comic pages from Gardner herself.  

Check Me Out by Becca Wilhite: 
A not YA read that I'm very excited for.  It fits in with my being a librarian!  Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Greta loves her job as assistant librarian. She loves her best friend, Will, the high school civics teacher and debate coach. She even loves her mother despite her obvious disappointment that Greta is still single.

Then she meets Mac in the poetry section of the library, and she is smitten. Mac is heart-stoppingly gorgeous and showers her with affection, poetic text messages, and free hot chocolate at the local café where he works. The only problem is that he seems to be a different person in his texts than in his face-to-face conversation.

When the Franklin Library is threatened with closure, Greta leaps into action. She arranges for a "battle of the bands" book jam, hosts a book signing by a famous author, and finally, stages a protest that raises more than a few eyebrows.

Through it all, she slowly realizes that it is Will, not Mac, who she turns to for support and encouragement. Mac has the looks; Will has the heart. How can she choose between them?

Check Me Out is a contemporary romance--with just a hint of Cyrano de Bergerac--that reminds us that it is what's on the inside that matters most. 

So, anything up there spark your curiosity?  What book are you anxiously awaiting this week? 

Review: The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

First, thanks to Edelweiss and Tor Teen for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title.  This is my first book by this author, even though I do really want to read the Article 5 series, I just haven't gotten a chance to pick them up yet. But now that I've read and really enjoyed this one, I'll have to make sure I get around to them sooner.  The cover and title of this make it sound more like a fantasy novel than a dystopian novel.  But reading the description of it, I knew I had to give it a try.  And it was very good.

The main character is Aya, or as she is called at "The Garden," Clover.  In this future world, women have become the slaves/property of the men.  This happened after women began to take over the world.  Now women live in towns, and at a certain time in their lives they are brought to be used to procreate.  And there is a problem, because of the way that most people now live off of food supplement pills instead of actual food.  Except for those women able to escape and live in the wild.  Or the very rich, they get to have real food.  The problem is that the pills have made it so many of the women are unable to have children.  And so the men want to go steal all the women from the outer lying cities or even those in the wilderness.  They go to The Garden where they will be fixed up with special treatments and then taught how to please a man.  This might sound great, but once they produce a child, they are then sent back a lot and auctioned off again.  Especially if they only produce females.  Aya was kidnapped in the wild, where her mother had taken her and her aunt and cousins to keep them safe.  The whole time Aya is in the Garden, she does her best to not go to auction.  Getting in fights, trying to escape, etc.  She makes a friend of a Driver, a group/race of people who cannot talk.  He tries to help her escape, but to no avail.  She is finally sent to an auction, where again she does her best to not be purchased.  What happens next only throws another wrench into her plan/desire to get away, back to the wilds and save her cousins.

There were 4 main parts to this book.  And it was definitely well split up into each section. This is a standalone, there will be no series.  And it does end well enough for that.  While not everything is all tied up in a pretty little bow, it is tied up quite perfectly.  I highly recommend this book. And it was nice to have a standalone book for a change.  I read this on the day of the National Readathon, read it all in one day.