Is this something I really want to confess? Oh but I think it will be fun to see which books have been sitting on my shelves for YEARS and work out why, and do I still want to read them? I would organise this youngest to oldest, but it turns out I just have a LOT of books all from roughly the same time sitting on my TBR. So I present to you, the OG veterans of my TBR.

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The Wise Man’s Fear

Now this one I haven’t read for very intentional reasons. This is book two, the follow up to The Name of the Wind, and a book many of us are familiar with. Whilst I really want to continue this series I have been putting off picking up this one to avoid a massive delay and eventual re-read if Rothfuss ever actually writes book three.

And considering that this has been shelved on my Goodreads TBR for 9 years (since 2013), I’m going to say that was a good call. I cannot believe I’ve had this for that long – that seems wild to me! To be somewhat fair on myself, I didn’t actually read book one until 2015, but nonetheless that is a lot of years that this series has been waiting to be read!

Terrier

This is always the first book I think of whenever I brainstorm what has been languishing on my TBR the longest. This is well older than the 2013 tag this has on it on Goodreads – that was simply the year I joined the website, so most of these books in this post max out there. I would say this has been on my TBR for closer to 15 years!

This was a Christmas present when I was still a child and given to me by my parents before I enjoyed reading. I’m an anomaly and unlike many other readers because I used to hate reading and barely read anything until I was 13. So this book is still unread simply because it landed in my hands a few years too early and I’ve been meaning to circle back to it ever since.

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice

This is a really popular reimagining of Sherlock Holmes later on in his life. It’s something I got (back in 2013 or thereabouts) because people were talking about it and there was a deal on and I could get it for cheap. I’ve never had any huge motivation to read this, nor has it ever become a priority to read (or something I’m overly excited about). It’s simply one of those books that does interest me, but I’m in no rush to get to.

I also find it fascinating how popular this book is (over 70,000 ratings on Goodreads) – is the author of some particular connection to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? I have no idea. But I love the idea of Sherlock Holmes being retired and caring for bees.

The Fig Orchard

This is probably one you’ve never heard of, it’s actually something I won in a giveaway in 2013 and have ummed and erred about donating it, given that I still haven’t got around to it. It’s historical fiction set in a village near the Jordan River, so it sounds like a really interesting setting.

The reason I’m still holding onto this is it has really high ratings and my mum has read this and said she really enjoyed it. So I suspect this is something that I might actually find quite good if I give it a chance. That is, if it ever surfaces from the depths of my TBR.

You Had Me At Hello

This final one is something I’ve also debated getting rid of, but I think I’ll just get around to it one day and decide for myself if it’s worth it. I picked this one up originally (somewhere around the 2013 mark) because I knew this book was well known, and so I was intrigued by it.

This is all about the ‘one who got away’ coming back. I’m not entirely sure if this book is where the saying comes from – is this the book they made a movie on? I have no idea. I’m just curious and I’m hoping for a light and fun read one day when I finally find the inspiration to pick this one up.

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What book has been on your TBR the longest?