The VIRTUAL Mount TBR Reading Challenge discussion

Challenges Levels:
Mount Rum Doodle: Read 12 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Crumpit: Read 24 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Munch: Read 36 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
White Plume Mountain: Read 48 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Stormness Head: Read 60 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Mindolluin: Read 75 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Seleya: Read 100 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Olympus: Read 150+ books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library

[In keeping with the virtual nature of the challenge, all mountains are fictional (references in comment below). How many do you recognize? The only one shared by both TBR challenges is Olympus--both fictional and on Mars. However, since I don't know actual heights, I have arbitrarily assigned the levels.]

The Rules:
~To choose a level, open a topic under one of the challenge level folders and name your climb. If you decide to climb higher, just open a new topic in the new level's folder.

~Once you choose your challenge level you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you are on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a "taller" mountain, then you are welcome to upgrade. All books counted for lower mountains carry over towards the new peak.

~Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2019. You may count any "currently reading" book that you begin prior to January 1--provided you have 50% or more of the book left to finish when January 1 rolled around. I will trust you on that.

~[UPDATE] Just to be clear: this challenge is only for books you do not own. They may be borrowed from the library, a friend, found on a free e-book site (like Project Gutenberg), or anywhere else that allows you to temporarily checkout the book. Also--unlike Mount TBR, there is no date limit on your wish list. If you see a book online that strikes your fancy after January 1 and you just have to go get it from the library, then it absolutely counts.

~[UPDATE #2] Books in any form may count: printed, e-book, audionovel, etc--as long as they are not yours.

~Rereads may count if you have not read it within the last five years [my arbitrary pick for a limit].

~You may count "Did Not Finish" books provided they meet your own standard for such things; you do not plan to ever finish it; and you move it off your mountain. For example, my personal rule (unless it's a very short book) is to give a book at leas 100 pages. If I decide I just can't finish it and won't ever, then off the mountain it goes and I count it as another step on the hike.

~Books may be used to count for other challenges as well.

~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #VirtualMountTBR2019

~There will be a year-end check point and prize drawing! [Since I'm adding an extra challenge to my round-up, I'm going to have to reduce the number of check points/prizes on all my challenges. I wish I could afford to give you all prizes!]

1. Rum Doodle from The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W. E. Bowman (a parody of mountain-climbing memoirs)
2. Mount Crumpit from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
3. Mount Munch in Winkie Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum
4. White Plume Mountain from Dungeons and Dragons (module by Lawrence Schick)
5. Stormness Head in the mountains of Narnia from The Horse & His Boy by C. S. Lewis
6.Mount Mindolluin from The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
7. Mount Seleya on Vulcan from Star Trek
8. Mount Olympus from Greek mythology

Loved the names and the inspirations! Probably will commit to Mt. Crumpit, since it's a manageble one that will allow me more room to read other things but will not stray me too much from the already-owned books!

I need this challenge as much as, if not more than the Mount TBR challenge... in fact, if you look at some of my postings in the 2018 Mt TBR challenge... I've been sorta shoehorning in the TBR library books, not for mountaineering credit though.
Thank you, Bev, this is a brilliant idea!

Hopefully this hasn't been addressed elsewhere but what about books in that awkward period of having been purchased the year of the Mount TBR challenge? It is therefore not owned in the right time frame for Mount TBR but is also owned vs. not owned. Are these eligible for Virtual TBR or are they continuing to be in limbo? Also, do books need to be added to your TBR prior to 2019 to count overall?

Nikki wrote: "Hopefully this hasn't been addressed elsewhere but what about books in that awkward period of having been purchased the year of the Mount TBR challenge? It is therefore not owned in the right time ..."

I had not planned for any of the books we own to count here. I'm not trying to cover all the books we own with my challenges--Mount TBR was developed specifically for people like me who accumulate far more books than they read. And I developed this one specifically for folks who kept wanting to know why books you didn't own (from the library, borrowed from a friend, whatever) couldn't count. There used to be more Library and "Wish List" type challenges out there, but I've kept an eye out this year and didn't really see any. So, I thought I'd start one up.

And as far as Virtual TBR dates go--I'm not setting a limit in this challenge on when you add the book to your "I want to read this list." If you see a book that looks good after January first that you just have to check out of the library, then go for it.

*I've updated the rules above.

I apologize if somebody has asked this elsewhere. I sometimes borrow audiobooks from the library to listen to while I walk or CD's for long drives. Do these count towards the Virtual TBR as long they are not owned? Also, are we supposed to list the books from our TBR shelf that we plan on reading for this challenge before Jan 1? I know you said we can add afterwards, so I wasn't clear on that.

Leslie wrote: "I apologize if somebody has asked this elsewhere. I sometimes borrow audiobooks from the library to listen to while I walk or CD's for long drives. Do these count towards the Virtual TBR as long th..."

Yes, audio books that are not yours can count. And you may make a list if you like, but you don't have to. There is no stipulation that the book must have been on your to-read list before the challenge starts, so you can add a "fresh-from-the-library" book at any time.

Do Kindle Unlimited books count? This sounds like a great challenge, as most of the books I read I do not own.

Abi wrote: "Do Kindle Unlimited books count? This sounds like a great challenge, as most of the books I read I do not own."

As long as they are not something that you buy and keep. I don't do Kindle (or other e-books), so I don't know how they work. I'll have to trust you all on those. :-)

They are not. You borrow ebooks through the kindle subscription service, and then return them for others. Good to know. Thanks!

Essentially, I'm taking it as okay to throw in the Amazon Prime Reads series, things from my ComiXology subscription, items borrowed from the library or via library services such as RBDigital and Overdrive. Certainly plenty to keep me going, and it'll encourage me to clear a few of my borrowed piles.

Steven wrote: "Essentially, I'm taking it as okay to throw in the Amazon Prime Reads series, things from my ComiXology subscription, items borrowed from the library or via library services such as RBDigital and O..."

As long as the items are things that you can't keep once you're done with them, then, yes, they're okay with me.

I have a question. If I read a book that I borrow from my 12 year old, does it count as a book I own, or one I borrow? He has his own bookcase and his own collection separate from my and my husband's collection.

Denise wrote: "I have a question. If I read a book that I borrow from my 12 year old, does it count as a book I own, or one I borrow? He has his own bookcase and his own collection separate from my and my husband..."

As long as it is not your book--then it counts. I borrowed one from my son this year. :-)