Mount TBR 2016 discussion

I have just reached Mt. Vancouver, and with more than three months time I figured I could go a bit further this year. (Plus, I just bought 16 books in Hay-on-Wye and my TBR is back where it was in May. Whoopsie.)

37. A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle
38. The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
39. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
40. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
41. Oracle Night by Paul Auster
42. The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo
43. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
44. Dune by Frank Herbert
45. Man in the Dark by Paul Auster
46. Dewey by Vicki Myron
47. Infinite Possibilities by Sylvie Germain
48. The Comforters by Muriel Spark
49. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
50. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend

Great job!

#37

A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle

Beautiful. While the ending left me a bit unsatisfied, it might just be that I want more of Beagle's worlds. I'm determined to read all of his books now.

Jessika wrote: "Great job!"

Thanks Jessika :)

Congrats, Sam!

Wow, you've been in Haye-on-Wye, it's on my bucket list! I'm sure you had a lot of fun there! Do you know there's also a small town in Belgium which is akin to Hay-on-Wye? Here it is: http://www.redu-villagedulivre.be/ I think it's smaller with less bookshops, though. Sadly I've never been there - it was close to me when I was living in Luxembourg, but there was no public transportation to go there and none of my car-driving friends were interested...

I've heard about it, Marina. Since my French is dissolving somewhere in my brain I didn't go there.
Hay-on-Wye is fantastic. If you ever go, make a list beforehand of books you're interested in. So many people are completely lost when confronted with all those books!

Yes, I can heartily recommend having a list of books you're looking for! My local favorite UBS just closed its doors, & was having a fire sale for several months before the end. Having my wish list really helped, & I snagged a lot of books I'd been looking for.

Marina wrote: "there was no public transportation to go there and none of my car-driving friends were interested...."

I would have bribed them Marina! Or hitchhiked (just kidding)

Kate wrote: "Yes, I can heartily recommend having a list of books you're looking for! My local favorite UBS just closed its doors, & was having a fire sale for several months before the end. Having my wish list..."

Ooh, book shopping spree! :) It's so good to get books you were looking for, especially when they are hard to get!

#38

The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey

Not nearly as funny as it needed to be or as witty as it deemed itself to be.

#39

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

This was so hard to get into. Then it became the weirdest comfy read ever, since it made me angry at everything and everyone in it. Still, I went with it and now I'm done. Another book conquered.

#40

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Nice little mystery with more of a psychological than supernatural focus.

#41 Nacht des Orakels

Nacht des Orakels by Paul Auster

This started as a promising novel in a novel story, but it never really went anywhere.

#42

Der Lachende Mann by Victor Hugo

I'm so glad I finally read this! It had been on my tbr for a staggering 6 years. With over 800 pages and not looking too sturdy, it was an intimidating task, but I did it. Hugo's humour is worth the ride; and this also concluded with a typical Hugo WTF ending.

#43

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

I started reading this a couple of weeks ago and didn't really get into it. It just wasn't for me, but I thought I'd give it some time and try again. Well, now I reconsidered and decided and didn't want to go back into it. So that's another DNF for me this year. I'm counting those too because I always get rid of DNFed books and they are off my TBR.

#44

Der Wüstenplanet by Frank Herbert

Oh my, what a drag. I expected a lot more from this, but the writing was so boring! Plus, the plot was all over the place.

#45

Mann im Dunkel by Paul Auster

Being sick and in bed all week has its perks. Finally getting through some old dustcatchers. Now at least I know I won't have to read this anymore, because, you know, I already have. I should go back and just reread the one book by Auster I liked, Moon Palace.

#46

Dewey und ich by Vicki Myron

Nice, not much to it, but a quick read.

#47

Der König ist nackt by Sylvie Germain

Honestly, I don't know what this was about. Germain has always been capable of beautiful words, but this story is just all over the shop. I highly recommend The Book of Nights, though.

Whoops, totally forgot to update my challenge. So here goes:

#48

The Comforters by Muriel Spark

My first Spark. I am not in love, but am going to give her another chance. After all, this was only her debut novel.

#49

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

Flavia strikes again! And I do love this eleven year old sleuth. A cozy mystery.

Congrats on reaching the peak! If you want to try another Spark, try Loitering With Intent or The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

Congratulations Sam. You should feel proud. Several of your books were over 300 pages.

Thanks, Leslie and Nell! I'll definitely give Spark another try.

#50

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend

A quick read, but not as funny as I anticipated since having read some bits of this back in school over 10 years ago.