I’m not sure about all of you but my goodreads to be read shelf is bursting at the seams. At the moment I have 2,341 books on my want to read list so I am in desperate need of a clear out.

I’ve decided to go through all of them and decide which of them I can remove so I can truly use the list as a ‘what to actually read next’. I am going to share the process of my first 10 to decide what I’ll keep and what I’ll ditch.

• The Problem With Forever – Jennifer L. Armentrout

A story about friendship, survival and finding your voice.

My goodreads friends have either voted it 4 or 5 stars and it has an overall 4/5 stars. After reading the synopsis again, I’ve decided to keep.

• Holding Up The Universe – Jennifer Niven

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen”.

My goodreads friends have either voted it 3, 4 or 5 stars and it has an overall 3.92/5 stars. I have already read one of her other books, All the Bright Places and I loved that so after reading the synopsis again, I’ve decided to keep.

• An Ishmael of Syria – Asaad Almohammad

Adam is a tortured soul. Exiled from his homeland, forced to watch the horrors unfold from afar.

Only one of my goodreads friends has read this and gave it 4/5 stars but it is definitely my kind of novel so I’ve decided to keep.

Maybe this won’t be as easy as I expected…

• Go Set A Watchman – Harper Lee

The sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird. Set 20 years later.

My goodreads friends scored it between 2-4 stars & the reviews aren’t great. I’ve decided to ditch.

• In the Unlikely Event – Judy Blume

1987, Miri Ammerman returns to her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to attend a commemoration of the worst year of her life.

Okay, so after re-reading the synopsis, I really want to read this! Definitely a keep!

• The Bookseller – Cynthia Swanson

It follows a woman in the 1960s who must reconcile her reality with the tantalising alternate world of her dreams.

I read the rest of the synopsis and it is a ditch for now.

• The Heart Goes Last – Margaret Atwood

Stan and Charmaine are a married couple trying to stay afloat in the midst of an economic and social collapse.

I re-read the synopsis, read a few reviews and though they were mixed, I’ve decided to keep and decide for myself!

• Welcome to Night Vale – Joseph Fink/Jeffrey Cranor

An imaginative mystery of appearances and disappearances that is also a poignant look at the ways in which we all struggle to find ourselves…no matter where we live.

So this has fairly good reviews with an overall goodreads score of 3.86/5 stars but reading the synopsis and I’m going to ditch.

• Serafina and the Black Cloak – Robert Beatty

Never go into the deep parts of the forest, for there are many dangers there, and they will ensnare your soul.

Only one of my goodreads friends has read this and gave it 2 stars. It is middle grade fiction which I do enjoy but for this book, I’m going to have to ditch.

• Luckiest Girl Alive – Jessica Knoll

HER PERFECT LIFE IS A PERFECT LIE…The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for – or will it at long last, set Ani free?

I like the sound of this, it intrigues me so it gets to stay. I will keep it.

Overall, for these 10 books, I have ended up keeping 6 and ditching 4 books. It’s going to take a long time to get through the whole list but if this is anything to go by. I could get rid of around 40% of books that I’m no longer interested in.

|| Related: My Favourite Mental Health Books ||

Have you done a goodreads TBR clear out recently?

Bex