Mount TBR 2014 Challenge discussion
Mount TBR Checkpoints
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Mount TBR Checkpoint #2
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Checkpoint #21. I’ve read 16 books so far. So I’m a little bit under half-way, which isn’t great, but it’ll be fine. I have a slightly overly optimistic view of myself. It’s important to be positive.
2.
A) Stardust by Neil Gaiman and The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels there by Catherynne M. Valente. They are both about people going to parallel fairy tale like worlds.
B) The Book of Longing by Leonard Cohen was new to me. I don’t really read much poetry, or any for that matter. I think this is the second one I’ve ever read.
C) I think the Summoning by Kelley Armstrong has been on my Mount TBR the longest. I feel like it’s been on my bookshelves forever. I feel like I’ve seen it for years. It wasn’t necessarily a literary masterpiece, but it was enjoyable. I liked the concept, I liked the characters, and I want to see what happens next, so in that sense it was worth it.
And now to keep climbing.
Hallooing from 9.24km up good old Olympus Mons! That means I'm presently standing on a total of 63 books, which means I'm off-pace by twelve books at the moment (bad habit of reading library books and new acquisitions!)As far as the books read to date go, there's an amusing connection between Ken Bruen's BLITZ and the various Ed McBain 87th Precinct novels I've read this year -- the protagonist in Blitz is a huge fan of the McBain series.
Jonathan Lethem is new to me as an author; MEN AND CARTOONS was my first experience with his literary work, and he strikes me as a rather affected quirky type of writer.
I'm not sure which book has been on the TBR pile for longest -- it's a toss-up between LIEBERMAN'S THIEF and MARVEL ESSENTIAL IRON MAN VOL. 1, I think, both of which should have been long read. The first several Fables books have been around for years, too.
Now that I have my first new prescription glasses in over a decade (there's a story behind this), I hope to catch up on all of this reading!
1) I've read 35 books for Mount TBR so far this year. I could do a lot better considering I've read 58 books in total.2)C. Jane Eyre had been on my TBR shelf the longest, since either 2008 or 2009. I'm glad I read it, but I do think it's over-hyped. Frankly, I prefer the movie adaptations. The writing style is not for me.
1) I've read 83 books for Mount Olympus, that's about 12.173 km.2)
A. All Quiet on the Western Front and Storm of Steel. Both are set in the First World War. The first one definitely is anti-war, with the other one you don't really know.
B.A new author for me was Ödön von Horvath. I never read his books because I once had a horrible German teacher who always wanted us to read them. I have to say that the book was really good and the teacher was right after all.
C. Longest on my TBR pile has been The Maltese Falcon, since 2005/2006 I think. It was good but not as good as expected.
I've read 30 books for Mt Ararat toward my goal of 48.My Day in Books
I began the day with Sex, Murder and a Double Latte
before breakfasting on A Red Herring Without Mustard
On my way to work I saw the Fall of a Philanderer
and walked by A Mourning Wedding;
Whistling Past the Graveyard
to avoid A Brush With Death
but I made sure to stop at A Land More Kind Than Home.
In the office, my boss said, he was Nickeled and Dimed to Death
and sent me to research The Covent Garden Mystery.
At lunch with a Damsel in Distress
I noticed she Clammed Up and was Nothing But Trouble
playing a game of Styxx and Stones.
When I got home that night,
I studied a Gunpowder Plot
because I'm interested in the Death of a Hussy
and I decided that Arsenic and Old Cake are Grounds for Murder.
1. I have read 105 books, and another 17 that have less than 100 pages. I decided to separate the shorter ones.2. A Tale of Two Cities has been on my TBR forever. I first picked it up in eighth grade, but never read more than the first page. I wish I had picked it up sooner because I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought.
So, I signed up for Pike's Peak, aka 12 books. So far this year, I've read 16 books from my TBR pile, and I know I have more to go before the year is over.I suspected that 12 was too low a number, but I want these challenges to be a fun way to point out certain types of books I'd like to read and not stress inducing late in the year.
Having said that, I'm going to keep going and see if I can conquer Mount Blanc. Might as well keep going, and that's only 8 more books.
I think that Murder Past Due by Miranda James has been on my pile the longest of what I've read so far this year. I'm kicking myself for not having read it sooner and still trying to get to the sequel.
I've read 30 books towards my target of 48 for Mt Ararat.My Day in Books
I began the day with Ethan Frome
before breakfasting on Five Little Pigs. (No, I really wouldn’t eat even one little pig!!)
On my way to work I saw Mansfield Park
and walked by Cannery Row
to avoid The Crow Trap
but I made sure to stop at The Thirty-Nine Steps.
In the office, my boss said, The Grass is Singing
and sent me to research Shakespeare’s Restless World.
At lunch with Nemesis
I noticed The Lost Army of Cambyses
playing a game of Not Dead Enough.
When I got home that night,
I studied [the] Cloud Atlas
because I'm interested in The Sea Change
and I decided that They Do it with Mirrors.
1) I am doing well, with 20 books completed towards my goal of 24 for Mount Blanc -- I may have to switch to a higher peak :) I have also completed a separate 19 audiobooks that I owned prior to 2014!
2)
a. From Russia with Love, Doctor No, and Goldfinger are all James Bond books that I acquired when my parents downsized. I am trying to read through all the books I got that way but it will take a while!
Another pair that have something in common is The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin and The True Game: Kings Blood Four/Necromancer Nine/Wizard's Eleven by Sheri S. Tepper -- these are both fantasy novels written by women; both authors are using their fictional worlds to say something about human nature & how we organize our societies here on Earth.
2c) The book that has been on my shelf the longest is The God of Small Things - over 20 years! I am glad I finally got around to it but I wasn't bowled over by the book itself.
I am 98 books into the mount everest-100 book challenge. I am debating to go on to the 150-book challenge. part 2
The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn and Hammer of the Scots are both history based.
I can answer activities A, B, C with: "Reflections In Poetry And Pictures", 1984, by P.J. Peters and "Spring Floods: Poems, Short Stories, And A Play", 1990, by Mari Pineo. I never read plays or poetry. Both were very much worth experiencing, for literary and patriotic reasons most especially. They are one step short of being self-published and it is doubtful they were circulated more than once. They were passed along to me, both autographed, no fewer than 14 years ago. There is even a newspaper clipping of P.J. Peters' 55th wedding anniversary inside! These kinds of discoveries don't exist with 'kindles', nor would these titles. I added them to Goodreads with honour. Their connection is that they each feature one of our provinces: Manitoba and British Columbia. I've finished them right on the eve of CANADA DAY!I am so happy that at the same time I'm meeting a Canadian challenge goal; I have passed my second mountain: Él Toro! 75 books! This means it is possible, something I have never tried.... to read 150 books by Dec 30th. Our group's maximum; wow. When I first saw Bev's challenge I skipped it because it seemed hard. My first year, I realized there were lower mountains; aimed for 48 and hit 100. After a well fed pallet of Canadian poetry, mystery, award-winning fiction, and our highest classics.... July 1st allows me to indulge in ghosts and witches for a while, or really magical fantasy. I've earned it! Have a blessed "Happy Canada Day", from Carolyn.
** MY DAY IN BOOKS**
(I began the day with) "The Gift Of The Frost Fairy"
(before breakfasting on) "What The Witch Left"
(On my way to work I saw) "The Black Joke"
(and walked by) "That Quail, Robert"
(to avoid) "Death In The Old Country"
(but I made sure to stop at) "The Family Vault".
(In the office my boss said,) "Kiss Me"
(and sent me to research) "Two Moons In August"
(At lunch with) "The Stone Angel"
(I noticed) "The Cat Who Could Read Backwards"
(playing a game of) "Come Like Shadows".
(When I got home that night, I studied a) "Remedy For Treason"
(because I'm interested in increasing) "Time For Andrew"
(and I decided to solve the) "Mystery Of Disaster Island".
1. I'm 12 books up--so I've scaled Pike's Peak. Pretty happy, particularly considering one of those was the brick that is Charles Dickens's Bleak House. Fairly confident I can find the top of Mount Blanc before year's end. :)2.Rook and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy were both about the adventures of intelligence services--though one of those agencies was considerably more fantastical.
I've read 13 books, completing Pike's Peak and recently started the trek up Mount Blanc. Linked books: Our Final Hour and Long For This World: The Strange Science of Immortality. Both books are: non-fiction, focused on science, a possible future for the human race, and both covers are covered with circles.
New book: Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Bill Clinton was the first book I've read written by a past president. (Disclosure: I did read Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama but he wrote it before becoming president and hasn't left office yet.)
I think I missed the last checkpoint. Did you send out a search party? Because I think they may be lost on the other side of the Peak somewhere.Amazingly enough, I'm nearing the summit of Pike's Peak since I'm on the 11th of 12 books! Nearly at the top of the world, ma...
The only two books I can think of linking up are Game of Thrones and Princesses Behaving Badly...
And the book that's been on the TBR mountain the longest (out of the ones I've read so far) was Thunderstruck by Erik Larson. I have an excuse for that one, as I lent it to a designer as a sample and didn't get it back for several months. It was totally worth the wait!
I am really behind where I want to be but I have some of these owned books on the list for July and August!!I'm currently at 34 books out of my 150+ goal.
C. Always the Baker, Never the Bride was one of my books that has been on my Nook since January 2011 and I'm so glad I read it. In fact, I finished the entire quartet and so glad I did.
As of the end of June I was at 14 books, which is two ahead of the half-way point in my aim of 24. I've also added one more since the beginning of July, so I'm now up to 15.
Mod
Mod
Now it's time for me to warm up the Random Number Generator and see what it makes of our entries....Feeding the numbers in....Lights are flashing....wheels are turning...and gears are whirring. And...........our winner is comment #9: Mark!! Congratulations, Mark! I'll be sending you a message so you can claim a prize (and start on the TBR pile for next year).
Mark wrote: "Wow! Thanks so much!"Congrats, Mark! Also, good job on surpassing your goal.
I'm late checking in! That's not like me....Anyway... Congratulations Mark!
1. I've read 34/60 books and so am 57% of the way, or just over 3,360 metres up Mount Kilimanjaro.
2. Linked books are The Martian (one of the stones in my TBR mountain) and The Invention of Wings (a post-acquired book forming one of the would-be stones in next year's TBR mountain).
Why are they linked??? Look at these covers!!!
My Day in Books
I began the day with some Tales of the City
before breakfasting at The Edge of Never.
On my way to work I saw The Shifting Fog
and walked down Firefly Lane
to avoid A Visit from the Goon Squad
but I made sure to stop at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore.
In the office, my boss said, "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?"
and sent me to research The Poisonwood Bible.
At lunch with This Girl,
I noticed My Mother Was Nuts,
playing a game of Deliverance.
When I got home that night,
I studied Stardust
because I'm interested in Lightning
and I decided that it was time to Unwind.
I'm a bit late for the check-in, but I do want to go ahead and report that I passed my initial goal for the year in June! I read 48 books (made it up Mount Ararat), and upped my challenge to the next mountain. I'm almost exclusively reading books from my TBR pile now, forcing myself to keep those library books I'm waiting to read off my mind. I might even manage Mount Everest if I continue at this pace - but I'm happy with what I've already accomplished so am now taking it one mountain at a time. This challenge is so satisfying!
Mod
Congrats, Allison! Glad you're doing so well.
First time checking in!1. I'm proud to report that I've made it 8 books through Pike's Peak!! I'm particularly proud of myself, as some of these books have been on my TBR FOREVER.
2.
A. This one is ridiculously easy as most of the books I read were Young Adult Urban Fantasy (back in the day, I wanted to be a UF reviewer, but after reading a couple of books and noting they were ALL the same and seeing that EVERYONE was a UF reviewer, I threw in the towel). So, I'm going to pick "Hush, Hush" and "Fallen". Both are about fallen angels, both don't reveal they are about fallen angels until WAY TOO LATE in the book, and both feel cut out of the same cookie cutter as Twilight.
B. "Eat to Live" was a book that my dentist recommended to me to help me along with my weight loss management. I put it here because it's that "fad dieting" type of book, which I typically avoid.
C. In general, the YA UF books (Hush Hush, Fallen, Shiver, Ink Exchange) have been on the list the longest. And really, they should never have made the list. Glow, Strange Angels, and Ink Exchange weren't bad, per se, but they were just average. "Incarceron" and "Shiver" were definitely "not for me" - not bad, but not my thing. And Hush, Hush and Fallen should never have been written, much less in my TBR.
As a side note: I've always wanted to take a day and go through my books. Read like 10 pages, and if I didn't like the book in 10 pages, it was out. This proves even MORE to me, that I need to be stricter about what I buy/read. Maybe I need to listen to fellow reviewers better (they could have saved me from Fallen if I had been a better GRer at the time). Maybe I need to read excerpts. But whatever the case may be, it's clear to me that:
A) You can't judge a book by its cover.
B) I am no longer a YA UF fan.
C) It's better to stop at 10% and give up than struggle through a book you aren't liking.
Crystal Starr Light wrote: "I've always wanted to take a day and go through my books. Read like 10 pages, and if I didn't like the book in 10 pages, it was out. This proves even MORE to me, that I need to be stricter about what I buy/read. Maybe I need to listen to fellow reviewers better (they could have saved me from Fallen if I had been a better GRer at the time). Maybe I need to read excerpts. But whatever the case may be, it's clear to me that:A) You can't judge a book by its cover.
B) I am no longer a YA UF fan.
C) It's better to stop at 10% and give up than struggle through a book you aren't liking..."
I'm having a very similar experience, coming to similar conclusions!
Mod
A) You can't judge a book by its cover.
B) I am no longer a YA UF fan.
C) It's better to stop at 10% and give up than struggle through a book you aren't liking.."
Most definitely! It has also taken me a while to learn that it's better to stop reading than to waste time on a bad book because there are so many better books waiting in the wings. I occasionally power through a book if I absolutely need it for a challenge. But, honestly, I tend to just skim those so I can have a good idea what happened without trudging through every page.
Mount TBR 2014 Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Martian (other topics)Unwind (other topics)
The Invention of Wings (other topics)
The Invention of Wings (other topics)
The Edge of Never (other topics)
More...
1. Tell us how many miles you've made it up your mountain (# of books read). If you're really ambitious, you can do some intricate math and figure out how the number of books you've read correlates to actual miles up Pike's Peak, Mt. Ararat, etc. And feel free to tell us about any particularly exciting adventures you've had along the way.
2. Complete ONE (or more if you like) of the following:
A. Choose two titles from the books you've read so far that have a common link. You decide what the link is--both have strong female lead characters? Each focuses on a diabolical plot to take over the world? Blue covers? About weddings? Find your link and tell us what it is.
B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way--new author, about a place you've never been, a genre you don't usually read...etc.
C. Which book (read so far) has been on your TBR mountain the longest? Was it worth the wait? Or is it possible you should have tackled it back when you first put it on the pile? Or tossed it off the edge without reading it all?
OR (Counts as both part 1 and 2)
Use titles from your list to complete as many of the following as you can. If you haven't read enough books to give you good choices, then feel free to use any books yet to be read from your piles. I've given my answers as examples. Feel free to add words (such as "a" or "the" or others that clarify) as needed.
My Day in Books
I began the day with Too Much of Water
before breakfasting on Red Herring.
On my way to work I saw The Purple Parrot
and walked by [the] Darkness at Pemberley
to avoid [the] Seven Footprints to Satan
but I made sure to stop at Shakespeare's Planet.
In the office, my boss said, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
and sent me to research The Clue of the Leather Noose.
At lunch with The Man in the High Castle
I noticed Dorothy Dixon & the Double Cousin
playing a game of Angels & Spaceships.
When I got home that night,
I studied The Godwulf Manuscript
because I'm interested in The League of Frightened Men
and I decided that Naked Is the Best Disguise.
Please post your answers in a comment below. And what do you get for all that hard work (and distraction from the actual climb)? Comments will close at 11:59 pm on Saturday, July 5. On Sunday, July 6, I will crank up the Custom Random Number Generator and pick a winning climber. He or she will have the chance to add to their TBR stack via my gently-used book vault (prize list will be sent). Just think, if you win a book you can start up a pile for next year's Mount TBR Challenge.
Even if you're not in the mood for a prize or if you've only got one leg of the journey under your belt, I'd love to have you check in and tell us how your climb is going!
***Please note--comments are for Checkpoint posts only. If you'd like to cheer your fellow climbers on (and please do!), then please stop by their particular challenge folder. Comments that are not Checkpoint-specific will be removed--to make it easier for me to track a winner. Thanks!