As much as I enjoy adding books to my reading list, this does mean it becomes incredibly bloated at times. That’s why I think giving it a little dusting every year is a great idea!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly challenge hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where each week you write a list of ten particular books. This week’s topic is: spring cleaning freebie. Rather than focus on my physical bookshelves, I’m honing in on the books nearing their decade birthday on my Amazon shopping list and getting rid. Plus, after the yikes year booksellers have had, I’m going to try much more to support local and independent bookstores rather than going online if I can, so this seems like a good first step.

The Red Queen – Victoria Aveyard
Synopsis: The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace.

The Immortal Prince – Jennifer Fallon
Synopsis: In the depths of Lebec Prison lies a man with the power to destroy the world …. again. When a routine hanging goes wrong, the survivor announces he is Cayal, The Immortal Prince, a Tide Lord. However, the only known record of the immortal beings of Amyrantha is the Tide Lord Tarot … and everyone knows it just a parlour-game, an amusement.

Mask of Shadows – Linsey Miller
Synopsis: Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class–and the nobles who destroyed their home. When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand–the Queen’s personal assassins, named after the rings she wears–Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge.
Ahhhh I think maybe I am past my phase of being interested in books like these. ✌ The final one, I wanted to get mostly because the main character is genderfluid – and I still think that’s a valid reason to read it, actually, as that’s quite uncommon in the books I read. If you think it’s worth reading, let me know!

Storm Front – Jim Butcher
Synopsis: Harry’s business as a private investigator has been quiet lately – so when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, he’s seeing dollar signs. But where there’s black magic, there’s a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry’s name.
Magic – it can get a guy killed.
I’m not sure when I ever thought I was going to have the time to read this whole mammoth series. I still don’t know what it is even about. Also I have literally never heard anyone talk about it?

Prince of Thorns – Mark Lawrence
Synopsis: From being a privileged royal child, raised by a loving mother, Jorg Ancrath has become the Prince of Thorns, a charming, immoral boy leading a grim band of outlaws in a series of raids and atrocities. The world is in chaos: violence is rife, nightmares everywhere. Jorg has the ability to master the living and the dead, but there is still one thing that puts a chill in him. Returning to his father’s castle Jorg must confront horrors from his childhood and carve himself a future with all hands turned against him.

The Lies of Locke Lamora – Scott Lynch
Synopsis: Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich – they’re the only ones worth stealing from – but the poor can go steal for themselves. What Locke cons, wheedles and tricks into his possession is strictly for him and his band of fellow con-artists and thieves: the Gentleman Bastards.

Prince of Fools – Mark Lawrence
Synopsis: The Red Queen is dreaded by the kings of the Broken Empire as they dread no other. Her grandson Jalan Kendeth – womaniser, gambler and all-out cad – is tenth in line to the throne. While his grandmother shapes the destiny of millions, Prince Jalan pursues his debauched pleasures.
There was a period in fantasy fiction where any time you decided to start reading something new, the series would be about one anti-heroic prince or prince-adjacent kind of chosen one character. All I can say is that, while I’m sure these books all have their merits, I really don’t feel like I will be missing anything by clearing them off the list.

The Night Watch – Sergei Lukyanenko
Synopsis: The Night Watch, first book in the Night Watch series, follows Anton, a young Other owing allegiance to the Light. As a Night Watch agent he must patrol the streets and metro of the city, protecting ordinary people from the vampires and magicians of the Dark. When he comes across Svetlana, a young woman under a powerful curse, and saves an unfledged Other, Egor, from vampires, he becomes involved in events that threaten the uneasy truce, and the whole city…
I think I could go my whole life without reading another book about vampires and I would be fine, actually.

The Academy Journals – Garrett Robinson and Karen Conlin
Synopsis: All his life, Ebon has been denied the opportunity to learn magic. Though he was born an alchemist, his father would never let him attend the Academy for Wizards and master his powers. But in his sixteenth year, everything changes when his aunt intervenes and enrolls him in the Academy.
Truly, I think I added this series to my wish list because they are all available with Kindle Unlimited…

Nice Dragons Finish Last – Rachel Aaron
Synopsis: As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: keep quiet, don’t cause trouble, and stay out of the way of bigger dragons. But this meek behavior doesn’t fly in a family of ambitious magical predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has finally reached the end of her patience. Now, sealed in human form and banished to the DFZ–a vertical metropolis built on the ruins of Old Detroit–Julius has one month to prove he can be a ruthless dragon or kiss his true shape goodbye forever.
First of all, who says no to books about dragons? Second, I read this author’s Eli Monpress series and mostly enjoyed it, so I thought I would read this. But I recall reading an excerpt and not being too impressed and now, alas.
When I first noticed I was enjoying teen fiction less and less and thus wading into the murky waters of adult and general audiences fiction, I mostly began by reading fantasy. This is a retrospective realisation, but it’s very clear after looking at this list! As much as I do continue to love this genre, getting rid of these books is a nice bit of awareness that my reading has diversified so much. I’m not saying I’ll never read them, but I’m not desperate to!
Another thing getting rid of these books has done — shown me the importance of a digital detox! I think it’s as important as clearing out your physical bookshelves every so often. Perhaps I should digitally detox some other areas of my life…
What books do you think you should remove from your to-buy list?
I read sci fi/fantasy almost exclusively until I was in my early twenties, and then I almost never read it again.
Maybe it’s a rite of passage.
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😂 Maybe! Although dont get me wrong I’m still a huge fan, I just… am more aware of the existence of other genres lol
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Great list! I loved The Lies of Locke Lamora, but I don’t think I’ll ever get to The Dresden Files either.
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I do see many good reviews for Locke Lamora tbh! I think many of those books are essential reads for lots of people
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It’s good to unhaul sometimes, it feels like you remove a burden.
Nice post!
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Yes, totally agree!
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Good for you for knowing your limits! I still read scifi and fantasy, but I’ve grown pickier about it than I was as a kid and teen. Like Deb, I suspect that might be part of growing up (at least for some of us).
And thanks for stopping by earlier. 🙂
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There are so many good books and so little time you have to become a bit more choosy eventually, right? I also agree that your tastes definitely change
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I booted Mask of Shadows off my TBR too, the reviews I’d seen for it were very mixed. I’ve read Red Queen, it wasn’t that great.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/03/09/top-ten-tuesday-306/
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This makes me feel better about having not reading either of them then! 🙌🏽
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🙂
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I read almost no fantasy, so I’m not familiar with most of these series. I do have tons of series I’m stuck in the middle of, though. I need to either finish them or boot them from the TBR list. Decisions, decisions …
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
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Losing momentum halfway through a series is the worst, mostly because you feel like you’ve wasted your time! But it is very cathartic to give it up haha
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Ohhh, this is an awesome take on the topic this week. I should probably do this too! Most of these I haven’t heard of but you are not missing anything by passing on Red Queen. I did not enjoy that one!
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I kept thinking I should read Red Queen because it seems like a cult classic but then if you actually ask someone, they’re not a huge fan.
It is definitely nice to streamline your to-buy list I think!
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I know, I’m always so surprised about that one because I haven’t really seen many people like it. I’m a bit confused. lol
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