It felt like a good time to dive back onto the Want to Read shelf, and see if I can clear any more out. I feel like I’m making progress, and sometimes my ultimate choices surprise even me. A quick glance at the next 5 though makes me feel like there’s some tough decisions ahead.
RULES
Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5/10/however many books. If done again, start from where you left off.
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: should it stay or should it go?
147. American Gothic Tales
Edited by Joyce Carol Oates
Genre: Horror
Published: December 1st, 1996
I actually really like reading American Gothic stories, though I haven’t for quite a long while. This one looks like it combines quite a lot, from classic writers to more contemporary ones (for when it was released, anyway) and I love books that put those two side by side to see how much things have changed.
Status: Keep
148. Best Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood
Algernon Blackwood
Genre: Horror – Classics
Published: June 1st, 1973
Part of me is tempted to keep this, because I do want to read more of Blackwood’s short stories, but the truth is I think I’d want a different collection? This is one of those that if I came across it, I’d likely check it out, but not something I think I’d specifically go out of my way to get.
Status: Gone
149. The Imago Sequence and Other Stories
Laird Barron
Genre: Horror
Published: July 1st, 2007
Laird Barron is an author I’ve long been interested in, and I have enjoyed his work where I’ve come across it, so as with many single author collections, I think this might be a good way to read more of his stuff and see, from there, if I want to check out his other work.
Status: Keep
150. Book of the Dead
Edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector
Genre: Horror
Published: January 1st, 1989
This book being the same age as me is no excuse for that seemingly all male line up. No thanks.
Status: Gone
151. October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween
Edited by Richard Chizmar and Robert Morrish
Genre: Horror
Published: September 3rd, 2000
This one is very slightly better than the above one referenced, but it does generally have a few more names I’m interested in. Then again, there’s a few here I’m really, super not keen on. A tricky one. I think I’ve got to just trust that either I’ll come across these stories in a different way, or possibly stumble on this book at some point – but it’s not one I’m going to seek out.
Status: Gone
I’d love to hear from you on whether you agree or disagree with these choices, and if you’ve read any of these. Looks like I was in a bit of an anthology phase at the time, but they really were great for me in discovering new authors I wanted to read more from. It’ll be interesting to see if there are similar books next time, or a shift in my tastes.
Unwrapping Words 