Time for another round up of books from my TBR to go through! Each week I’ll be going over a selection from my physical unread books and deciding what to keep and what to purge. There will be a third option–undecided–which I might ask for your input on why you think I should keep or purge that title from my list. You can also check out my full TBR pile here.

The Secret Country by Pamela Dean

Each vacation for the past nine years, cousins Patrick, Ruth, Ellen, Ted, and Laura have played a game they call the “Secret”—and invented, scripted world full of witches, unicorns, a magic ring, court intrigue, and the Dragon King. In the Secret, they can imagine anything into reality, and shape destiny. Then the unbelievable happens: by trick or by chance, they actually find themselves in the Secret Country, their made-up identities now real. The five have arrived at the start of their games, with the Country on the edge of war. What was once exciting and wonderful now looms threateningly before them, and no one is sure how to stop it… or if they will ever get back home.

I bought this trilogy several years ago because someone mentioned it somewhere on the internet and I thought I’d pick it up. Not sure why I haven’t gotten around to it yet, but it’s been hanging around on my shelves for years now. I kind of still want to read this but I’m also wondering if I’m feeling ‘meh’ toward whether I read these books or not? UNDECIDED

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

The Tales of Beedle the Bard contains five richly diverse fairy tales, each with its own magical character, that will variously bring delight, laughter and the thrill of mortal peril.

Additional notes for each story penned by Professor Albus Dumbledore will be enjoyed by Muggles and wizards alike, as the Professor muses on the morals illuminated by the tales, and reveals snippets of information about life at Hogwarts.

A uniquely magical volume, with illustrations by the author, J. K. Rowling, that will be treasured for years to come.

Yeah I mean I liked Harry Potter but I don’t know why I picked this up because I don’t feel like reading it. See ya! PURGE

The Bastard Prince by Katherine Kurtz

The power-hungry former Regents of the three Haldane princes were pleased. They controlled Gwynedd once more, now that Rhys Michael was king–malleable, wine-loving, and soft. Or so they thought…
Unbeknownst to the Regents, Rhys Michael was coming into his birthright. With secret Deryni aid, he struggled to grasp the magic bequeathed to all anointed kings. And when Marek–heir to Gwynedd’s last degenerate deposed Deryni despots–marched into Gwynedd at the head of an army, even the Regents had to admit that Rhys Michael must take to the field himself as king to repel the pretender.
Rhys Michael saw his chance at last. He swore that the power of the throne–from now on and for all time to come–was to be held by Gwynedd’s rightful king. For this, for his sons, and for his country, the king would risk all…

This is one of the Deryni books and I keep meaning to start this series but this is one of the later books iirc? I still need to read the first trilogy so I might as well let this one go for now, I can always find it again later if I want to read it then. PURGE

Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra by Anne Rice

Ramses the Great, former pharaoh of Egypt, is reawakened by the elixir of life in Edwardian England. Now immortal with his bride-to-be, he is swept up in a fierce and deadly battle of wills and psyches against the once-great Queen Cleopatra. Ramses has reawakened Cleopatra with the same perilous elixir whose unworldly force brings the dead back to life. But as these ancient rulers defy one another in their quest to understand the powers of the strange elixir, they are haunted by a mysterious presence even older and more powerful than they, a figure drawn forth from the mists of history who possesses spectacular magical potions and tonics eight millennia old. This is a figure who ruled over an ancient kingdom stretching from the once-fertile earth of the Sahara to the far corners of the world, a queen with a supreme knowledge of the deepest origins of the elixir of life. She may be the only one who can make known to Ramses and Cleopatra the key to their immortality–and the secrets of the miraculous, unknowable, endless expanse of the universe.

Oh man, I had been looking forward to a Mummy sequel since 1995 and when this came out I was like ‘yesss’ but also like ‘omg what if this ruins The Mummy?’ because let’s face it–those latest VC books have been off the charts crazy. So I definitely want to read this but I also think I keep putting it off because I’m afraid what it’s like lol. But I’m holding onto it for sure whether I ever read it or not. 🙂  KEEP

Blah

CAT: Street Punk, Psion, Telepath, Survivor. . .

Kidnapped by an interstellar corporation and dragged to Earth, Cat is forced to use his skills to protect those he most hates, those who most hate him . . . .

The taMings. A cyber-augmented, DNA-incestuous clan of such wealth and power that their family arguments change the destiny of worlds. Now one taMing is a killer’s target. But which? And who would dare?

Seeking answers, Cat finds lies and savagery, passion and atrocity–trails that lead from crystal valleys to clubs for silver-skinned beauties. From the homicidal enclaves of drug kings to a fanatic’s pulpit. From the halls of the Assembly to a cyberspace hell. Seeking assassins, Cat discovers a mystery that could cost him his future. His sanity. His life.

Because Cat is no longer a bodyguard . . .

He’s bait.

I think I picked up this one because it had a Michael Whelan cover. I don’t really have any interest in actually reading it? Going to let it go. PURGE

That’s all for now! This brings my total count to:

Soooo much progress this week! Three purges! And one undecided and only a single keep! I feel my TBR becoming lighter….phew. Anything you’d do differently here? Leave a note in the comments, I’d love to chat!